"label" Star Wars: Gaming Star Wars Gaming News

Friday Update: Living the Life of a Live Producer

February 25, 2011July 29, 2020 Soeren Kamper

This weeks friday update gives us another developer blog. This time it’s Live Producer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, Blaine Christine that shares some insight about his job. Blaine Christine has worked for BioWare for three and a half years and mainly take care of beta testing stuff right now. I imagine he is the last man who have a look at things before new patches hits the test realms etc. Thorugh out this weeks blog, Blaine Christine quotes a few beta testers with their exstreamly positive (obviously) opinions on the game. Here is the probably most interesting quotes from game testers: “The questing experience in TOR was amazing! The voiceovers and cinematics actually make me wonder how I ever survived the ‘grind’ without them.” “As one of those people who didn’t really care about story in an MMO, after playing TOR I can’t imagine playing another MMO unless…

Facebook Image of the Week: Zabrak Inquisitor

February 23, 2011July 27, 2020 Soeren Kamper

BioWare have posted a new Facebook Image of the Week. The story of the image is: “”The sound of this Zabrak Inquisitor’s lightsaber will be among the last an unsuspecting enemy patrol hears.”” Enjoy: Related Posts Demystifying the Intricacies of Weapon Properties in D&D 5e: A Guide for Novice AdventurersMastering the Chessboard of Conflict: Dissecting Admiral Thrawn’s Tactical GeniusOld Republic update 1.1 being tested, adds New Bosses and a RaidDevs Admit Players were Right on Warzone Scoring and Rewards Vader Immortal: Episode III Due to Release This MonthHow to Find More Games Like SWTORA new expansion, Onslaught, is coming to Star Wars: The Old RepublicEA’s Survival Has Been “A Rare Feat”

Know your Lore: Zez-Kai Ell

February 20, 2011July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Zez-Kai Ell was a male Human Jedi Master and member of the Jedi High Council during the Mandalorian Wars. He wielded a violet double-bladed lightsaber and fought with double-bladed variants of Ataru, Shien, Niman, and Juyo. He had also mastered the advanced Force forms. He was also close friends with fellow Jedi Master and Council member Kavar. Zez-Kai Ell was more thoughtful and introspective than many of his fellow Masters, and was quick to point out that the Council’s inaction led to Revan’s fall—even going as far to say that blame was not solely on the Jedi who left to fight, but on the Council as well. After the Jedi Civil War, he no longer considered himself a Jedi, claiming to have left the Order in disgust with both the Jedi Order and himself. Indeed, when the Exile met him, he appeared to have fallen into a brooding depression, displaying…

BioWare’s new Senior Community Coordinator says Hello

February 19, 2011July 25, 2020 Soeren Kamper

BioWare’s new Senior Community Coordinator Allison Berryman has officially introduced herself on the Star Wars: The Old Republic forums. Allison Berryman has six years of industry experience from Gearbox, and call herself an “all-around gamer” and a big fan of Knights of the Old Republic. You can Read Berryman’s introduction below: “Hello Everyone! I’m Allison Berryman, a Senior Community Coordinator here at BioWare Austin. You’ll see me around a bit from now on, so I’d like to introduce myself to you all. Let me start off by saying that I am beyond thrilled to be working with this community. As a huge fan of both BioWare and Star Wars, working on The Old Republic team is a dream come true. Many of my fondest gaming memories come from BioWare games, particularly Knights of the Old Republic, and to be working here is a great honor. I’ve been working in the…

The BioWare Method

February 17, 2011July 29, 2020 Soeren Kamper

At Last weeks DICE Summit, the BioWare Co-Founders Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka gave a presentation to attendees entitled “The BioWare Method.” In this the doctors explained how it has been a long road to get to where BioWare is today, and share some of the knowledge they have learned through out the years in business. The most important lesson in releasing a successful game is recruiting and maintaining a strong team, and BioWare’s co-founders, Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka, explain how it’s done. They alsoencourage long-term and forward thinking, always play games to continue learning, and maintain a positive team culture. One of the biggest components of keeping together a strong team is communication and honesty. Dr. Zeschuk and Dr. Muzyka admitted that Mass Effect 1 DLC didn’t go quite as well as expected, so going forward the Dragon Age and Mass Effect teams worked together to…

Facebook Image of the Week: The volcanic mountain ranges of Ord Mantell

February 16, 2011July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper

This week, BioWare reached 250,000 “likes” on there Star Wars: The Old Republic fan site. In response to this, the BioWare team released a new Concept Art image of Ord Mantel. As far as I can see that makes it the second largest fan page for any MMORPG on Facebook, only toped by World of Warcraft with 342,919 likes. Due to this accomplishment, a new image will be released weekly via Facebook. In “250,000 Likes!“, BioWare said: This week, we reached 250,000 likes! Were honored to have so many enthusiastic fans, and to celebrate we will begin releasing a brand new Star Wars: The Old Republic image every week just for you. Thank you all for your support, and enjoy the very first Facebook Image of the Week! Related Posts Why Did the Galactic Empire Scrap The Venator Class?SWTOR Game Update 6.1.3 is Live!PAX Prime 2011: Cory Butler InterviewQ&A with…

The Great Hyperspace War

February 11, 2011July 26, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Over the millennia, the Galactic Republic has faced no greater threat to its existence than the brutal invasion instigated by Sith Lord Naga Sadow. It was a time in history when the original Sith Empire had reached the height of its power, and the Republic was poorly prepared for a conflict of such magnitude. Master Gnost-Dural looks back at the Great Hyperspace War and identifies the controversial decision that drove the Sith into exile and set the stage for the Empire’s campaign of vengeance against the Republic. BTC 1347 – When two hyperspace explorers stumbled onto the remote world of Korriban, they never could have guessed the chain of events they were setting into motion. Over the previous centuries, the Sith Empire had grown in size and strength, and Korriban was the very heart of its dominion. The reigning Sith Lord, Marka Ragnos, had just died, sparking a brutal power…

Insiders are Selling EA Shares

February 11, 2011July 25, 2020 Soeren Kamper

This properly doesn’t meen anything for Star Wars: The old republic, but if you are an invester like me, monitoring insider trades is a very important component to successful investing. We think you should be aware of these insider sales from the first week of February: Kenneth A Barker, SVP & Chief Accounting Officer, sold $99,704 worth of stock on February 3rd, 2011 Stephen G. Bene, SVP & General Counsel, sold $707,087 worth of stock on February 3rd, 2011 Peter Moore, President, EA Sports Label, sold $264,152 worth of stock on February 3rd, 2011 and Gabrielle B. Toledano, EVP, HR, Corporate Services, sold $89,408 worth of stock on February 3rd, 2011. Shares of (NASDAQ:ERTS) have increased by 10.26% year-to-date. Related Posts Unpacking the Relationship: Do Purchased Views Translate to Higher Ad Revenue on YouTube?SWTOR: Class Changes: Virulence Sniper/Dirty Fighting GunslingerSecrets of The Old Republic Extended Trailer – Rewind TheaterSWTOR Release…

Sith are evil?

February 9, 2011July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper

On the official forums, Lead Writer for Star Wars: The Old Republic Daniel Erickson confronts the continuous question about the Sith philosophy – Are these guys evil or not? According to Mr. Erickson there is no doubt that Sith are in fact evil: “We can get into endless philosophical discussions about whether anything is actually evil or actually good but if we are speaking from our modern, western view on the concept of evil then the Sith clearly qualify.” However this does not meen that the Sith themselves look at it this way. The Sith see the republic as weak, without strong leadership and basically a bunch of mindless lemmings. Daniel Erickson also states that role players that chooses the Sith faction, has plenty of options to play as ambivalent or even helpful, should they choose to do so. Here is his post: Hey Folks, First of all, let me say that…

Know your Legends : G0-T0

February 6, 2011July 24, 2020 Soeren Kamper

G0-T0 was a floating stealth-oriented expert droid whose primary function was to infiltrate, search, and destroy. His business originating from Nar Shaddaa, his success as an Exchange boss has helped establish his notoriety throughout the sector G0-T0 is a character in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. He is voiced by Daran Norris. The name “G0-T0” and the droid’s alter ego of “Goto” are presumably a reference to the infamous GOTO programming command, which, if misused, can unpredictably alter a program’s behavior. This led some fans to speculate that G0-T0’s dark side alignment within the game is a reference to the “GOTO is evil” belief expressed by proponents of structured programming. G0-T0’s appearance in the game was noticeably similar to the IT-0 droid from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope but with the red bulb on the lower half. In The New Essential Guide…

Know your lore: Tulak Hord

January 30, 2011July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Tulak Hord was a Dark Lord of the Sith that ruled sometime during the early Sith Empire, after the use of lightsabers became prevalent. Hord wore a claustrophobic black mask, making him a fear-inspiring sight. There is some disagreement as to when precisely Tulak Hord lived. Kreia seems to imply he was an ancient Dark Lord from the first Sith Empire, yet she also calls him a lightsaber master, and it is widely believed by fans that the Sith did not use such weapons until they re-established contact with the Jedi and the Republic after the Great Hyperspace War. It is unknown how Hord died, but his power was so considerable that a burial chamber was built in his honor in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban. In later years, both Revan and the Jedi Exile visited his tomb, though the entrance was blocked and the tomb looted…

Know your Lore: King Adas

January 23, 2011July 26, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Adas was an ancient Sith warlord who lived circa 28,000 BBY, long before the exiled Dark Jedi of the Hundred Year Darkness conquered his species. He used his knowledge of the dark side of the Force to conquer and subjugate his homeworld, which he ruled as king.Adas, in holocron form, first appeared in a brief vignette featured in the 1996 sourcebook, Tales of the Jedi Companion, written by George R. Strayton. His role and biography was later expanded in 2006’s Evil Never Dies: The Sith Dynasties, written by Abel G. Peña. In that article Adas is identified to have been a member of the Sith species, and to have had interactions with the Rakata introduced in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Adas’s character would later further be used and expounded upon in 2007’s Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide to the Force by Ryder Windham. Korriban, Adas’s world….

Daniel Erickson: The “Treaty” of Coruscant

January 21, 2011July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Daniel Erickson has given us more story with what is going on in the worlds we have yet to explore. With the conquered world of Coruscant in the hands of the Empire, The Emperor has issued a treaty to The Republic. This treaty is give peace to both sides but the Empire has clear advantage of power over the Republic they could win with enough time in my opinion, but I guess even evil needs to take a holiday. It couldn’t be that peace is the only agenda that this treaty has to offer in my opinion. Daniel Erickson also says that the attack on Coruscant took years to plan making me believe that this treaty is foot hold in Republic space without taking a step back. The empire can play dirty without causing to much suspicion, but I’m not so sure that the Republic can do that and especially…

Faction lore: Czerka Corporation

January 17, 2011July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Czerka Corporation, founded as Czerka Mining and Industrial, was a galaxy-spanning business. It controlled interests on Korriban, Kashyyyk, Taris, Tatooine, Telos IV, and countless other planets. In Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II—The Sith Lords, although not the primary villain, Czerka is presented as an amoral entity; not only they are allied with the Sith but frequently use underground means for their ends, such as stealing from rivals, having financial motivation for everything, using violence and slavery, hiring mercenaries, smuggling of weapons, etc. They will often ask the player some jobs which are generally “dirty.” In general, Czerka are the secondary villains, and the player follows the Czerka quests if he chooses the dark side options. However, that doesn’t mean that Czerka is a representative of the Dark Side or her employees are inherently evil: the Tatooine quests are the…

Planets of Star Wars the old republic: Nar Shaddaa

January 16, 2011July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Nar Shaddaa was the largest moon of Nal Hutta. More commonly known as the Vertical City, the Smuggler’s Moon and Little Coruscant, Nar Shaddaa was similar to Coruscant in that its surface was entirely overgrown with city sprawl since 24,500 BBY But unlike Coruscant – which was only relatively dangerous on the lower levels of the world city – Nar Shaddaa was filthy, polluted, and infested with crime throughout. History When the Hutts left their homeworld of Varl, they displaced the Evocii, native to Nal Hutta, to Nar Shaddaa in 25,000 BBY and immediately destroyed the remaining Evocii agriculture after the Evocii’s eviction from their own homeworld. Eventually the moon was annexed by the Hutts, who started to force the Evocii into slave labor, building spaceports and docking bays across its surface, some stretching out into orbit. Although the moon’s urbanized construction had just started, it quickly began to prosper,…

Know your lore: Loppak Slusk

January 16, 2011July 27, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Loppak Slusk was a male Quarren crime boss on Citadel Station representing the Exchange, an intergalacitc crime syndicate. Instructed by G0-T0, the Nar Shaddaa crime boss, Slusk came to Citadel Station over Telos to try and integrate the Exchange into the new Telos. Making an alliance with the Czerka Corporation brought the attention of the Jedi Exile, a Jedi who happened to have a bounty on her head. When Slusk tried to collect the bounty, the Exile resisted, and Slusk’s operations almost came to an end. He appeared in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords Biography Around 3,951 BBY, Slusk was instructed by his boss, the Exchange crimelord Goto, to start a new Exchange cell on Citadel Station. After the planet Telos was bombarded by the Sith Empire, the massive Citadel Station had been constructed to serve as a home for displaced Telosians as well…

Funny, How?

January 12, 2011July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Humor is good part in any story even if it seems to be that everyone likes it because they like happier moments in the story unless you’re a cold-hearted Imperial Agent that enjoys his work way to much. That would be comical to she the Agent laugh even if it was forced. Daniel Erickson has made it known that every class has their moments of humor and that each class has their own writer to concentrate their complete attention to. Drew Karpyshyn creator for my favorite Star Wars books “The Darth Bane Trilogy” is someone that has experience in different areas in the SWTOR project and he has been helping out everyone with what he knows. If he told you what he was doing personally for the game, there would be spoilers. Related Posts Bit Reactor’s Upcoming Star Wars Tactical Strategy Game: What We Know So FarStar Wars Battlefront II…

Faction lore: The Exchange

January 10, 2011July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper

The Exchange was a criminal organization active around 4,000 BBY, and possibly the most powerful of its time, that dealt in spice smuggling, extortion, weapon trafficking, slave trading, and bounty hunting. The organization was active on many planets and employed notorious bounty hunters such as Calo Nord. During the First Jedi Purge, they posted a huge bounty on live Jedi, large enough to purchase an entire planet. 300 years later, during the Cold War, the Exchange was engaged in a galaxy spanning crime war with the Hutt Cartel centring on Nar Shaddaa. History The organization was active on many planets and employed notorious bounty hunters such as Calo Nord. Some branch heads included Davik Kang, the crime lord of the planet Taris, Loppak Slusk of Telos IV, and Goto of Nar Shaddaa. The Exchange was an extremely powerful criminal organization that operated throughout much of the Outer Rim Territories. The…

Know your Legends: Davik Kang

January 9, 2011July 27, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Davik Kang was head of the Exchange on Taris, an intergalactic criminal organization, during the Jedi Civil War. His headquarters were in the Upper City of Taris. Kang employed dozens of mercenaries and enforcers to keep Taris under his unofficial control, most notably the former Mandalorian Canderous Ordo and the bounty hunter Calo Nord. Davik collected the stuffed heads of ferocious creatures hunted and killed by Nord, but his most prized possession was his smuggling vessel, the Ebon Hawk. Davik resented the Sith presence on Taris because their planet-wide blockade had halted his his inter-galactic operations, but he knew well enough to avoid bothering them. After rescuing Bastila Shan from the Black Vulkars, Revan (whose identity was secret) was approached by Canderous, who offered Revan the chance to leave Taris, provided he could retrieve the necessary planetary launch codes from a nearby Sith military base. Revan agreed to steal the…

Gamebreaker SWTOR Video Blog #22

January 5, 2011July 24, 2020 Soeren Kamper

We haven’t followed the republic podcast for a while. Mainly becourse it haven’t been that intereseting. But this week, the guys discussed the trooper class — My favorite! This one is a long one though so we have posted a short summary below the video. Basically the podcast could be broken down as: Trooper video analysis: They dislike the female trooper, the guy with glasses wants his trooper to be a bulky bad ass. Also they enjoy the grenade shot by the Trooper that knocks back the force leap. Secondly they discuss what “modular shield” means in reference to the Trooper’s ship. They decide it either means interchangeable shields or damage would effect parts of the shield separately. Recreation Center: They discuss what a recreation center on the space ships likely means and if they think it’s cool. They guy with the bandana thinks a gym where you could workout would be cool,…

Know your lore: Vrook Lamar

January 2, 2011July 28, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Vrook Lamar was a male Human Jedi Master who fought during the Great Sith War. He served the Jedi Order on both the Jedi High Council and the Dantooine Enclave Council during the Great Hunt, the Mandalorian Wars, and the Jedi Civil War. During his tenure as a Jedi Master he was generally characterized by his brusque manner, stern demeanor, cautious disposition, and suspicious nature. He had high expectations for his Jedi students and a healthy dislike for any subject that touched upon the dark side of the Force. Vrook was voiced by Ed Asner in Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords. As Vrook wielded a green lightsaber, he is identified as a possible Jedi Consular before he became a Master, if the lightsaber color-to-specialization mapping from the first KotOR game is considered canonical. In Knights of the Old Republic II:…

How Stuff Works: The Star Forge

December 29, 2010July 24, 2020 Soeren Kamper

The Star Forge was a dark side artifact that was created by the Infinite Empire of the Rakata in 30,000 BBY, five thousand years before the rise of the Galactic Republic. A giant automated shipyard, the Star Forge drew energy, heat, and matter from a nearby star which, when combined with the power of the dark side, was capable of creating an endless supply of ships, droids, and other war material. It was constructed through the use of slaves from many subject worlds including, but not necessarily limited to, Corellia, Coruscant, Dantooine, Drall, Duro, Kashyyyk, Korriban, Manaan, Selonia, Sleheyron, Tatooine, and Ziost. It fed on the Force, drawing particularly from the cruel Rakata, corrupting it into an artifact of the dark side, and often times its user as well, which is why Darth Revan limited his contact with the Star Forge, lest it control him as it did the Rakata….

Know your Lore: Ajunta Pall

December 27, 2010July 26, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Ajunta Pall was a Dark Jedi, and later one of the first Sith Lords following the Hundred Year Darkness. His spirit was redeemed by the Jedi Knight Revan during the Jedi Civil War. Ajunta Pall’s tomb is one of the side-quests available in the Korriban segment of the video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. In the game, he recognizes the player character’s true identity. The main character can either help him become one with the Force (for “light-side points”), fight him and destroy his spirit (for “dark-side points”), or fail to take him to the light and let his spirit fade away. The statue of Ajunta Pall seen in his tomb is identical with the one seen in the destroyed Jedi Enclave on Dantooine in Knights of the Old Republic II, which could mean that Ajunta Pall was once a highly respected Jedi Master; however, this has…

Robot Chicken Star Wars Episode III – Force Unleashed Sketch

December 26, 2010July 24, 2020 Soeren Kamper

Starwars.com has posted a pretty funny Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III video promoting the release of The Force Unleashed II. The video has only been available at the official Star Wars site here, but doing xmas, it has found it’s way to youtube. As the shift change on the Death Star passes, Stormtroopers head back to the barracks and others head out to their posts. Their one stop in common is the Imperial Cafeteria. Here, one lone coffee maker sits. Empty. Used. Un-refilled. Destined to serve millions of cups of coffee a day across the space station, the promise of the device remains unfulfilled. And Vader is not a morning person. Related Posts The Hidden Truth of the Fate of Darth Malgus [Video]New Comic – Star Wars: The Old Republic The Lost SunsDrew Karpyshyn on Annihilation and the Disney Buyout of LucasfilmFallen Empire Chapter 1 Gameplay from IGN Know…