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Know Your Lore: Tott Doneeta

Soeren Kamper

Tott Doneeta, also known as Tottdon’eeta, was a Twi’lek Jedi Knight who was an apprentice to Master Arca Jeth, together with his Jedi brothers Ulic and Cay Qel-Droma, on Arkania. He assisted in ending the crisis on Iziz and fought in the Great Sith War. He was a competent pilot, and learned to fly one of the Beast Rider’s war beasts. Doneeta was present at both the Jedi Convocation on Exis Station and the Convocation at Mount Meru. Tott Doneeta was also present when his Jedi brother Ulic fell to the Dark Side, and the subsequent action of Nomi Sunrider’s robbing Ulic of the Force. Later, he saved Vima Sunrider by grappling onto her escape pod as it drifted towards a star, due to his delayed arrival at the latter Convocation. Later in life, he attempted to help Cathar Jedi Sylvar free herself from her anger; however, he realized he…

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Star Wars: The Old Republic Introduces the Codex

Soeren Kamper

This week BioWare’s Principal Lead Systems Designer Damion Schubert  introduced the Codex. If you’ve played some of BioWare’s other projects like Dragon Age or Mass Effect, you’re probably familiar with the Codex system, which allows players to discover key bits of lore throughout the game by exploring or accomplishing different tasks. This story can help enhance the lore of the world or offer additional narrative to a player’s chosen profession. This feature isn’t just about being another way to deliver story to the player. As Lead Systems Designer, I’m mostly concerned about bringing the fun. Delivering story and context isn’t enough for me – I also want to be sure that we add new activities for players to do and goals for him to achieve. In particular, we saw the codex as a way to reward exploration Here are some more of the highlights: The team had two design goals:…

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Drew Karpyshyn Q&A about New Book Revan

Soeren Kamper

“This is it. No more delays. No more mystery. The novel I’ve been working on has been officially announced. The title pretty much says it all: Revan.” – Drew Karpyshyn on his blog, about his new book. Drew Karpyshyn has a brief Q&A on his site about the upcoming book Revan, which we wrote about before. Karpyshyn himself realized the extreme scrutiny he would be under by some hardcore fans. He says in his blog, “I realize in taking on this task that I’m opening myself up for a lot of potential criticism from the KOTOR and Revan fans.” Boy do we understand that Drew! So he decided to address these concerns in a Q&A on his blog. Some issues addressed include: Hey – you said in your FAQ that you didn’t want to write a novel about Revan because books on video games don’t work. Remember all that stuff…

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Know your Lore: Queen Amanoa

Soeren Kamper

Amanoa was the Queen of Onderon from 4,018 BBY until her death at the end of the Beast Wars between the rulers of Iziz and the Beast Riders from the planet’s wilderness. The wife of King Ommin and the mother of Galia, Amanoa’s reign saw drastic changes for Onderon’s role in the Galaxy. Together with her husband, Amanoa was beguiled by the specter of the long-dead Dark Lord Freedon Nadd, and became an apprentice of him in her final years. However, when she requested help from the Jedi Order in bringing the conflict on her planet to an end, Amanoa’s clandestine activities under Nadd’s tutelage came to light. Jedi Master Arca Jeth and his apprentices ultimately triumphed over the Dark Lord’s influence and helped to negotiate peace between the factions of the Beast Wars. The once-proud Queen of Onderon joined her Sith master in death and exile in a burial…

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SW:TOR User Interface

Soeren Kamper

As we sit and anticipate the release of SW:TOR, there are many things we are pondering as gamers. One big question in the minds of many is what the user interface (UI) will be like. To me, this is really important. It’s how you interact with the game and it can really make or break a game if it gets screwed up. So far from early impressions of the UI, does it look good? Do you think it flows well? Will there be addons? SWTOR community forums had this to say about early released information on the UI: The first look at an early Companion UI seen (Check out the image, not the videos) – Bioware The UI we are currently seeing is not the final product, there are big changes coming – AskAJedi Some settings seen while at PAX: Enable Color Blind Mode, Map fade while moving, map flashes…

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Drew Karpyshyn’s New Novel Revealed

Soeren Kamper

If you love Star Wars lore, then you are going to be really excited about the news that Drew Karpyshyn’s new novel has been revealed. The new book titled, Raven will expand beyond the core game and into novels and comics of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.   Del Rey Books has already published two novels in the Old Republic timeline, Fatal Alliance and Deceived, and they announced last year that there would be a third Old Republic novel. Drew Karpyshyn, Principal Writer at BioWare would be the author of this book. Fans may know him from the Darth Bane series of Star Wars™ novels. In an exclusive Q&A, Karpyshyn shares some information about the book. This part will be rather interesting to those who are anxiously awaiting the release of SW:TOR MMO:   Q: In what ways will readers who have read Revan benefit when playing Star Wars: The…

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Know your Lore: Arca Jeth

Soeren Kamper

Arca Jeth was an Arkanian male who was a Jedi Master and Watchman of the Onderon system during the time of the Old Republic. He was known to have been one of the wisest Jedi of the Old Republic era, and trained Barrison Draay, Haazen, Ulic Qel-Droma, his brother Cay Qel-Droma, and the Twi’lek Tott Doneeta in the ways of the Force. He was also one of the first known Jedi to use the ability of battle meditation. In 4,050 BBY Master Jeth was part of a Jedi/Republic task force which was sent to the Hapes Cluster to eliminate the threat of the Lorell Raiders, who had been preying on Republic shipping lanes for decades. Following the defeat of the Lorell Raiders, Jeth took part in the Hyabb-Twith Campaign and helped drive the Nelori Marauders from the Hyabb-Twith Corridor. He served the Galactic Republic on Coruscant during the Great Droid…

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Know your Lore: Cay Qel-Droma

Soeren Kamper

Cay Qel-Droma was a Jedi Knight during the Great Sith War. Born to a great warrior family on Alderaan, Cay and his brother, fellow Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma, were instructed by Master Arca Jeth at his training compound on Arkania. Cay’s first mission came in 4,000 BBY, when, along with his brother and fellow trainee Tott Doneeta, he was sent to Onderon to put down an uprising of the savage Beast Riders. The Jedi succeeded; however, Cay’s career in combat was just beginning. He fought in the Great Sith War not long after, a galaxy-spanning conflict that started when the Krath attacked Onderon, home to the dark side-using Naddists. During the war, Ulic turned to the dark side, becoming a Sith, and second-in-command under Exar Kun. In 3,996 BBY Cay was forced to duel his brother on Ossus. Ulic killed Cay; however, this act stunned Ulic enough that he abandoned the…

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BioWare Auctioning Off Exclusive Goods for Japan Relief

Soeren Kamper

If the thought of donating to charity for Japan relief without getting something in return doesn’t really sit well with you, Bioware have you covered. BioWare is holding a charity auction, and all proceeds go to the Red Cross to aid Japan and it’s citizens in light of the recent disaster. The items being auctioned are as follows; two Dragon Age 2 custom painted PS3′s complete with signatures from the founders of BioWare Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, two Dragon Age 2 custom painted Xbox 360s also signed by the founders and ten Mass Effect hoodies signed by the team that created Mass Effect. All of these items are exclusive to the auction, so be sure to check it out and bid on these incredible items for a worthy cause. If you’d like to help out, the auctions can be found here. Related Posts Know Bugs with SWTOR Patch 4.0Ranked…

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Friday Updates: Environmental Polish and Class Q&A

Soeren Kamper

BioWare returns this week with a two-part update for Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR). The first part of the update goes behind the scenes with Senior Environmental Artist Robby Lamb, who details how the game environments evolve and transform. Lamb details the creation and polish of environments in SWTOR and how he works and re-works the content to make it as epic as possible while maintaining the best game performance. The second part of the update comes in the form of a Community Q&A, which addresses a number of different questions from the community. To summarize, each class will have a number of companions from each archetype. Players can choose which of those will become their main companion and can enhance them through the use of kits. Bounty Hunters will not be able to use jetpacks outside of battle and the Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior will have no…

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Do you need to read the books to understand the game?

Soeren Kamper

Star Wars and BioWare are both characterized by an enormous amount of Lore and stories. So far two novels and a bunch of web comics has been released describing the characters and surroundings in the massive universe of Star Wars: The old republic. The first book that was released was Fatal Alliance by Sean Williams. The second – released a few weeks ago – is Deceived by Paul S. Kemp. At least one more novel is in the works by Drew Karpyshyn – but that is still nameless. Other then the above novels and webcommics, Darkhorse has released countless of  printed comics and Del Rey lot’s of books describing famous lore characters Such as Exar Kun, Ulic Qel-Droma, Freedon Nadd and so on. Taken this into account, it’s obvious that some people get nervous that they won’t get a clue when they start up the game if they aren’t prepared. A forum poster by the name…

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SWTOR Open Beta closing in!!! … Not!

Soeren Kamper

For 12 long hours I was so psyched! TorWars pointed me to a great interview  GameInformer.com did with Dr. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk from Bioware. The Interview was original about Mass Effect 3, but the interviewer also had some interesting questions on the chance of an upcoming Star Wars: The old Republic Beta. On this the good doctors answered in the a more possitive way then ever: “You’ll have to watch our website and see. At this point we’re still in more of a closed beta period. We’re definitely making great progress on it. The feedback’s been great. There’s always lots to do, but it’s really really shaping up. Before too long you guys will get a little crack at it. Keep an eye out for that.” What was that? Wait a second. You said what? Did I here that right? What was that again? Before too long you…

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The Guild Sphere: Browncoats

Soeren Kamper

Today I sat down with the leader of the Browncoats, a Republic guild that has an interesting commonality binding them all together, and had a very entertaining interview with her, yes guys a female guild leader and look out, she really knows her stuff, read on for the rest of the interview. Q) Where did your guilds name come from? Firefly (TV show). Browncoats fought for the Independents against the Alliance. “Browncoat” also means you are an avid fan of Firefly / Serenity. Q) Can you give me a quick 2-3 sentence description of your guild? “Tell you, we get a mechanic, get her up and runnin‘ again, hire a good pilot, maybe a cook. Live like real people. Small crew, them as feel the need to be free, take jobs as they come. Ain’t never have to be under the heel of nobody ever again.” — Captain Malcolm Reynolds,…

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Know your lore: Dor Gal-ram

Soeren Kamper

Dor Gal-ram was a Sith Lord in the years leading up to the Great Hyperspace War, 5,000 years before the Battle of Yavin. A member of the Sith species, Gal-ram was native to an area of space known as the Sith Empire. After the death of Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos, Gal-ram sided with one of the contenders for the title, Ludo Kressh. Kressh’s main rival was Naga Sadow, a progressive Sith Lord with expansionist ambitions. In 5,000 BBY, Sadow staged an attack on the Sith Empire, meant to appear like a Galactic Republic assault, and used this opportunity to declare himself the new Dark Lord of the Sith. This led to a schism between Sadow and Kressh, with Gal-ram siding with Kressh. Sadow then staged another raid, this time leaving evidence that he was actually complicit; upon seeing this evidence, an angered Kressh ordered Gal-ram and a…

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Friday update: SWTOR Dev Blog – Advanced Classes Update

Soeren Kamper

Following last week’s April Fool’s joke, it looks like BioWare decided to make today’s dev blog entry on the Star Wars: The Old Republic site an in-depth and interesting read. Principal Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller has given players an update on the game’s Advanced Classes, and he covers everything from skill trees to improvements that have been implemented through game testing. Players will choose their advanced class at level 10, and each base class offers two advanced class choices (i.e., the Smuggler will need to select either the Gunslinger or Scoundrel as her advanced class). Each advanced class provides two exclusive skill trees and shares a third tree with the other (non-selected) advanced class. Zoeller also covers how the team makes these important class-changing decisions. He shows off a couple of images from their metrics system that feature death details and character movement on Ord Mantell. Of course, the…

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SWTOR PAX East 2011 Highlight Video

Soeren Kamper

BioWare just published a short video showing some of the highlights from this years Pax East. The video provides footage of fans rushing to the SWTOR booth, as well as fans standing in line and talking about what they experienced. We also get to see clips of Daniel Erickson and Stephen Reid at the Space Combat Demonstration. The video definitely captures the excitement of being at PAX East. Check it out below: Related Posts Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II Restored Content ModCrafting Changes in SWTOR Patch 4.1TOR TV: Ode to Corso RiggsWill the Novelty of SWTOR Stand the Test of Time? EA Explains Why Star Wars: Battlefront Had No Single Player CampaignHarrison Ford Star Wars Episode 7 Contract NegotiationsScheduled Maintenance: October 15th, 2013 – Patch 2.4.1PvP vs PvE Mounts Philosophy

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How Stuff Works: Valley of the Dark Lords

Soeren Kamper

The Valley of the Dark Lords, also known as Valley of the Sith Lords was a valley and burial ground of Korriban’s Sith Lords. The Sith Great Temple was located in the valley. A number of different layouts and appearances have been given to the valley in various publications. This is, in the case of video games, mostly due to memory restraints and practicality. For instance, its appearance in Knights of the Old Republic lends itself to being easily traversed and places less demand on hardware than a full scale valley. In Darth Bane: Path of Destruction it was found that the road from the Academy to the Tombs was actually quite long and the area that the actual Valley was barren and harsh, hard to travel through for even the Sith Lords. In Jedi Academy, on the other hand, the valley is designed similar to the appearance of the…

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Know your Legends: Horak-mul

Soeren Kamper

Horak-mul was a Sith Lord who sided with Ludo Kressh after the death of Marka Ragnos. The prosethic he used as replacement for his right eye was a Sith artifact. Biography Horak-mul was a Sith Lord in the years leading up to the Great Hyperspace War, and was native to a region in the galaxy known as Sith Space. In 5,000 BBY, longtime Dark Lord of the Sith Marka Ragnos died after a century of iron-handed rule; two Sith Lords, Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh stepped in to try and fill the power vacuum. Horak-mul supported Kressh, the more conservative Sith Lord, over Sadow, an ambitious Lord who wanted to expand the Sith Empire’s boundaries. During the Funeral of Marka Ragnos, a ship coming from the Galactic Republic, the Starbreaker 12, landed in the Valley of the Dark Lords, and its crew, two Humans, Gav and Jori Daragon, were detained….

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Facebook Image Of The Week #6

Soeren Kamper

BioWare have updated their Facebook page with another image of the week. This time BioWare teses us with a screenshot of Belsavis. The verdant beauty of Belsavis’ volcanic craters can almost make one forget the galactic horrors imprisoned on the planet. Related Posts The Most Interesting Railway Lines in the WorldNew LEGO Star Wars Game Free Download but Compatibility IssuesConquest Week Watch – Results for week 3Capital Supremacy is Coming to Star Wars: Battlefront 2 on March 26 Changes to the Cartel Market — Tuesday August 07 2018Natalie Portman Open to Reprising Role as Padmé Amidala in Star WarsEA’s Survival Has Been “A Rare Feat”Amazing Jedi Sage SWToR Fanart!

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Know your Lore: Azkul

Soeren Kamper

Azkul was a Sith veteran of the Jedi Civil War who later became a mercenary of the Exchange. If the Exile helps Azkul invade Khoonda, he later appears on Citadel Station, aiding the Telos Security Force in their fight against the Sith forces. The Exile can also manipulate Azkul into thinking that she will help him, which will be admired by Kreia. Mandalore the Preserver would give caution on how Azkul knows who to trust because he knew his kind. Teammates who have very strong senses in justice will despise such an act, though, while Brianna will instantly despise joining Azkul to where which response results in being influence-related. This act will not lead to a Dark Side shift, but no Light Side shift either. Biography Azkul served under Darth Malak during the Jedi Civil War as a Sith Commando part of an elite Sith Special Forces detachment. A good…

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1.5 million interested in Star Wars: The Old Republic beta

Soeren Kamper

As we reported yesterday Chief financial officer Eric Brown reviled that around 1.5 million gamers have registered their interest in being part of a Star Wars: The Old Republic beta. … We’ve got well north of a million, million and a half ready to test for free,” he said of Star Wars the Old Republic beta. “We’re not that concerned about generating initial demand. For us it’s about creating the right experience, expanded beyond the tier one and the tier two users. You’ve got people that have never played an MMO before but are interested in Star Wars, to engage and give it a try. What’s really important to us is striking the right balance so that we serve the needs and demands, requirements of the core, pre-existing MMO subscribers. “They demand a lot of content, a lot of community, guilds are very important, special group activities, raids and things…

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Wednesday Reviews: The Old Republic: Deceived

Soeren Kamper

Deceived tells the tale of Darth Malgus, a fierce Sith Lord who lived during the time of the Great Galactic War as he deals with the coming peace treaty between the Empire and Republic, his Sith “allies”, and his own conflicted feelings on the events transpiring. Deceived is a novel that does its job perfectly; being a tie-in to a huge upcoming game (Star Wars: The Old Republic, of course) it had to be not only a separate story that could stand on its own two feet, but a novel that ties in with the events of the SWTOR so that it makes the readers curious about the game itself. Luckily, it does just that, dragging you into the universe the game takes place in while making you curious enough to check out more. Deceived introduces us to the situation of the galaxy and the important characters making an impact…

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Third SWTOR Novel in the works

Soeren Kamper

Random House has published their 2011 Fall Catalog, and it has goodies for us Star Wars: The old republic fans. Apparently Drew Karpyshyn will be the auther of a upcoming SWTOR novel yet to have a titel. Drew Karpyshyn was Senior Writer on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic as well as both Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2. He has also wrote Darth Bane: Path of Destruction, Darth Bane: Rule of Two, and Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil which are some of my favorite Star Wars novels. With the success of the New York Times bestselling Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance and the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic: Deceived in Spring 2011, this original new novel set in the world of the game by BioWare and LucasArts is sure to bring fans who want a truly immersive, transmedia experience! Key Points # EXCITING FAN-FAVORITE…

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Pax east 2011: Sith Warrior – 14 minutes on Korriban

Soeren Kamper

Here is a 14 min video showing all cutscenes and questing inside on of the caves on Korriban. This footage can be compared to the material we saw at last years Gamescom. Related Posts DICE dev says Star Wars Battlefront won’t have Battlelog supportJesse Sky Answers Questions From CommunitySWTOR: Game Update 7.1.1 is live!SWTOR Dev Story Roundtable – Valkorion, Family Ties, Star Wars Influences and More Mixed Reactions to Fortnite’s Star Wars Day 2024 EventThe Guild Sphere: The Greek LordsKnights Of The Old Republic Is STILL The Best Star Wars GameExperience Classic Star Wars Action with PS2 Emulated “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” on PlayStation Store

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