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Hyperspace Beacon: SWTOR PvP Rant 2013

Lisa Clark

Are you a fan of PvP in SWTOR? If you are, then you might have a rebuttal for this SWTOR PvP rant from Hyperspace Beacon. Or maybe you’re none too pleased with SWTOR PvP and you agree with what they have to say. I agree that they make some good and valid points but overall, I enjoy PvP in SWTOR and I don’t agree with the rant. Also, they begin the piece that blasts into SWTOR PvP with the lines “I will not pretend that I see the whole picture. All I can see is the situation presented to me. And from my perspective, PvP in Star Wars: The Old Republic is broken.” Honestly, this opens the doors largely to criticism of this review because it’s little more than an opinion-based rant of one person’s limited point of view of an aspect of the game. That being said, without the opinions of…

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DICE Working on Battlefront Almost Didn’t Happen

Lisa Clark

We’re excited about DICE working on Star Wars: Battlefront, as we wrote about recently but can you believe it almost didn’t happen? While they seem like the perfect choice for this project, it’s a deal that almost didn’t happen. We’re glad to see DICE on the job because they are meticulous and great at what they do. We definitely have high hopes they will do very well with Battlefront. In Computer and Video Games, we have a great interview with EA’s Patrick Sderlund. Here is the really interesting part: So one of your big surprises was DICE working on the new Star Wars: Battlefront. As you said, that’s pretty much a match made in heaven for fans… but those sorts of dream collaborations don’t happen often. I’m glad you say that because it was almost not happening. It was just something as boring as resources and availability. The DICE guys…

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EA Tells Us Why DICE is Perfect for Battlefront

Lisa Clark

We recently got word that EA would be bringing DICE onto the team for Star Wars: Battlefront. There was not a lot of information given at first about the game, why they chose DICE or what we could all expect. But they’ve now spoken with IGN about it and we have some more info. “EA has commented on why DICE is a great fit for Star Wars: Battlefront. Speaking to IGN during an interview at E3, EA Labels president Frank Gibeau explained that the studio’s experience with Battlefield gives them a unique set of skills perfectly attuned to taking on Star Wars.” IGN has the full story but basically Gibeau tells us why DICE has proven themselves to be good at what they do and a perfect choice for creating Battlefront with Frostbite tech. EA believes that DICE will bring the creative and technical abilities needed to succeed on a…

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Disney Shuts Down LucasArts and Cancels Star Wars Games

Lisa Clark

(image belongs to Kotaku- see their version for funny annotations that say how we all feel) Just recently we brought you the rumors that LucasArts is facing a shutdown. While we didn’t have enough proof to call it a fact, we highly suspected the confirmation was coming soon. Today was the formal notification. According to a source reliable to Kotaku, the staff was informed this morning that LucasArts was shut down. Publicly, Disney is saying their current games could be licensed out to a different publisher or developer, but according to our source, that’s unlikely. Our source says Lucas has pursued the option for “one or both games,” but nothing happened. “”With the teams now basically being dispersed I think both games are effectively dead forever,” our source said. A second source also told Kotaku this afternoon that the chances of Lucas licensing out 1313 are very slim. The odds are “effectively zero,” the…

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How non-paying players can positively impact a game’s success

Editor

Since Star Wars The Old Republic (SWToR) changed its subscription model to Free-to-Play  (F2P), a lot of opinions were raised about whether it was the right thing to do or not. Some quickly labeled SWToR as a failure that didn’t live up to the hype , while others saw this as a necesary change that helps the game’s long-term growth. Whether this change was successful or not remains to be seen, however first indications as reported by James Ohlen and the recent EA investor’s call are positive. Free-to-play might not be such a bad thing after all! A new article over at Gamasutra.com, argues that non-paying players, actually help the growth of such games. The author of the article cites three major reasons for opening up a game to freeloaders. Among other things F2P players help bring in other new players that eventually will turn into subscribers,  they show their appreciation…

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SWTOR Augment Slot Guide

Lisa Clark

One thing that most Star Wars: The Old Republic players have in common is a desire to have the very best gear possible. Building up your character is part of the fun and there are several items available to help you reach your goal. You have the option of modifying gear by using Augments but before you can use them, your gear must have Augment Slots. This Augment Slot guide will show you how to acquire Augmentation Kits, so you can upgrade your character’s gear. Understanding Augments Augments increase the stats of your character to maximize your gear. You can get Augments by using the “slicing crew skill” or you can buy them at the Galactic Trade Network. The type of Augment you use will determine which stats are increased. Here are some examples: Defense – redoubt augments Aim – Reflex augments Strength – might augments Endurance – fortitude augments…

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The Numbers Show SWTOR Isn’t Dying

Lisa Clark

People tend to take on a “the sky is falling” attitude when things don’t go as planned and gamers are no exception. We are judgmental and opinionated and we want our games to be fantastic. If they don’t hit the nail on the head at the start, we call it a flop. Some are labeling SWTOR in the fail category, but is it really? One member of the SWTOR community started an interesting thread on the forums to show the real numbers behind the game and in comparison to other games. He shows that it’s all about perspective when it comes to how you look at the game. These numbers can give a little more perspective to the whole picture: Direct MMO competitors with a subscription or subscription + F2P model (Western Subscription numbers only): World of Warcraft has ~5.1 million players SWTOR has between 1mil-500k players. Eve Online has…

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Bioware Hiring Temp Testers for SWTOR F2P Model

Lisa Clark

If you live in or around Austin like me then you probably already know that there are often opportunities for testing with BioWare. Well, here is a fun opportunity for SWTOR fans. They are seeking temporary usability testers for the free to play model of SWTOR. You can see the original call here and apply if interested. Career Opportunities: Usability Testers (10832) The BioWare Label is a division of EA which crafts high quality multiplatform role-playing, MMO, social, play-for-free and strategy games, focused on emotionally engaging, rich stories with unforgettable characters and vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world’s most critically acclaimed titles and franchises, including Baldur’s Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, Jade Empire™, Mass Effect™ and Dragon Age™. BioWare currently operates in eight locations across the world, including Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec, Canada), Austin (Texas), Fairfax (Virginia),…

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Chevin Grand Acquisitions Quest Tips and Hints

Lisa Clark

You still have until Tuesday to complete the Grand Acquisition quest chain and if you’re just now getting started, you’ll have to be quick to get it all done but there are also some benefits to starting later. For one, other people have already done it and leads have been revealed, making it a bit easier to get where you need to go and do what you need to do. I wanted to write a full guide to the quests for you but our dear friend Dulfy has already done all the hard work quicker and better than me. This is by far the best guide on the Internet you are going to find to the Grand Acquisition. Here she posts about the leads currently available (and bookmark the age because she is updating regularly): August 17 – Another Lead is now available August 16 – A New Lead is now available. August 15…

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MMORPG Interview with Jeff Hickman and Matthew Bromberg

Lisa Clark

SWTOR is going free to play and it’s happening sooner than you think. We’re all excited about the news and here’s an interview from MMORPG.com’s William Murphy to give us more info about the game, the move to f2p and other questions you might have. It’s happening, and sooner than you might think. BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic is going F2P with a hybrid business model this fall.  Players have been wondering about it, journalists have been begging for it, and it seems that all this time BioWare’s been listening and reacting.  After being informed of the then embargoed announcement this morning, I had the rare opportunity to sit in on a call with  BioWare’s Jeff Hickman and Matthew Bromberg (who recently took over as GM of the Austin studio.    We talked about the timing, the reasons, and the way in which they believe SWTOR going F2P is just finally giving…

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Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk Leaving BioWare? Unconfirmed Rumors

Lisa Clark

Rumors are going around the past 24 hours after this report on GamersGlobal says that BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk have left the company or plan to do so soon. It has caused discussions on both the BioWare forums and the SWTOR forums but no one really knows for sure if this is anything more than just a rumor. GameBanshee says: A trustworthy source has been told by an employee of Bioware Austin yesterday that neither Greg Zeschuk nor Ray Muzyka have been present at a Bioware Company Meeting in Austin, Texas, just a few days ago. The employee claimed that this has not been the case before at such a meeting. The six others members of Bioware Austin’s leadership have been there. Also, Greg Zeschuk has not been seen for several weeks now, the Bioware Austin employee claims. There are supposed to be internal rumours at Bioware Austin that…

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Species of Starwars: Geonosian

Soeren Kamper

An insectoid species divided into castes, the Geonosians are native to the harsh rocky world of Geonosis. Geonosians construct immense, organic-looking spires within which reside their hive colonies. There are two main types of Geonosians: the wingless drones that mostly work as laborers, and the winged aristocrat, which includes royal warriors serving as scouts and providing security to the hive. All Geonosians have a hard, chitinous exoskeleton, elongated faces, multi-jointed limbs, and speak in a strange clicking language. Though labeled “warriors,” Geonosians do not have a standing military. They instead use their droid foundries to build armies for corporate interests wealthy enough to afford them—entities such as the Trade Federation and the Techno Union. Despite relatively simple minds, the Geonosians are adept at mechanical construction, and are contractors to many of the galaxy’s biggest manufacturing concerns. They are responsible for the construction of some of the largest feats of engineering…

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1.2.4 Patch Notes — 5/15/2012

Soeren Kamper

It’s the time again were BioWare takes down the servers for maintenance and patch some updates.  Once again we get a pretty big patch, and you can now use your full columi Xalek, and after 2 months they FINALLY fixed the rebreather mask glitch as well as alot of other things. Check out out below: Classes and Combat General The Guard ability can now be reapplied if the player dies with it activated. Previously, players sometimes received an error indicating that their target was already guarded. Sith Inquisitor General Lightsaber Charge’s audio effects no longer loop indefinitely. Companion Characters Xalek Xalek now receives the correct amount of Shield Absorption from equipped gear. Crew Skills Crafting Skills French and German tooltips now indicate the percentage chance for reverse engineering. Flashpoints and Operations General Players who advance from level 49 to 50 while near an Operation phase gate now see the gate color change to indicate their…

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1.2.1 Patch Notes 4/24/2012

Soeren Kamper

As always BioWare used today’s server maintenance to patch up. This time with the largest patch since 1.2. If you me, the most important issue corrected, is the issue that prevented players from adding offline players to their friends list. This makes it much easier to mail stuff to your alts.  Unfortunately still doesn’t seem to work for our own cross faction alts. Classes and Combat Jedi Knight Sentinel Zen (with Ataru Form) now correctly reduces the global cooldown of Cyclone Slash. Smuggler General Charged Burst’s damage has been increased by approximately 5%. Gunslinger Damage for Aimed Shot, Speed Shot, and Quickdraw has been increased by approximately 5%. Sharpshooter Trickshot’s damage has been increased by approximately 5%. Imperial Agent General Snipe’s damage has been increased by approximately 5%. Sniper Damage for Ambush, Series of Shots, and Takedown has been increased by approximately 5%. Marksmanship Followthrough’s damage has been increased by approximately 5%. Trooper Commando Gunnery Havoc Rounds…

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TOR TV: Moves like Twilek

Soeren Kamper

Following up on yesterdays dance moves we got another groovy video for you — This time with  some hot Twilek  bootie. This video was made by German DJ groundhouse. You should really check out his channel, if you are into dubstep, as he got some really nice white labels, you won’t find anywhere else. Related Posts An In-Depth Comparative Analysis: The AT-ST Walker from Star Wars and Modern Battle TanksExploring the Cost of Solar Panel InstallationSWTOR: Upcoming Matchmaking ChangesMeet the Developers: Hall Hood Star Wars Rarities: From Star Wars to Jedi – Making of a SagaRevan almost appeared in last week’s episode of The Clone WarsIndustrial Light and Magic Might Bring Virtual reality to Star WarsStar Wars Slots and Beyond: The Legalities of Themed Online Gambling

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Patch notes: Game Update 1.2 – Legacy

Soeren Kamper

Warning. Wall of text crits you infinity Highlights Players can now unlock a wide variety of rewards by leveling characters and reaching new Legacy levels, including buffs for your characters, unlocking additional Species choices for every class, and upgrades for your personal Starship. Build your own Legacy with the new Family Tree! Lost Island, a new Flashpoint, is available for play! Having uncovered the sources of the Rakghoul plague outbreak in the Tion Hegemony, players must travel to Ord Mantell and confront Dr. Lorrick, the mad scientist who engineered this horrific biological weapon. Explosive Conflict, a new Operation, is available for play! The Trandoshan mercenary warlord Kephess has seized the planet Denova, a world rich in resources valuable to the war effort. Players must assault his war camp, situated atop a mountain in densely-wooded terrain, fighting Imperial defectors and heavy war machines along the way. 8- and 16-player Story and…

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Guardian Angel: Statting and Itemization

Editor

So far, with the Jedi Guardian we’ve only covered the very basics, including leveling, builds, rotations, and tactics. Now it’s time for itemization. Note that for the current build, 1.1.x, end game itemization is greatly limited by the amount of gear available from the tier system. There is only one tank set for Tionese, Columi, and Rakata gear, as well as Centurian, Champion, and Battlemaster gear. Though you may not be able to itemize as you choose now, familiarity with the system and how you can manipulate it will help you for later builds, such as the upcoming 1.2 patch. The only stat I will not cover in this article is armor, which is a stat that you have virtually no control over. We will start with the most basic stats. Strength and Endurance: As far as primary stats go, even in 1.2, your ability to manipulate these will be…

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SWTOR Patch 1.2 Changes Confirmed by Devs: Guild Summit Update

Lisa Clark

Patch 1.2 (coming in March/April) will be huge! This is the largest free game update likely in MMO history. This is the kind of stuff you’d see in a paid expansion from Blizzard. The talk is that this was originally how the game was supposed to be launched but that BioWare was pressured by EA to get the game out by a certain release date. The result- a game that was not quite ready yet and a HUGE patch incoming soon. When reading and listening to info from the Guild Summit, you will hear a lot of rumors. Much of the information is mixed up or just not be relayed properly. If you’re a guild leader or an officer in your guild, make sure you take the time to ensure the right info is being spread in your guild. First, there were changes, additions and updates that were confirmed by…

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Guild Summit 2012 PvP Discussion and Overview

Lisa Clark

One of the most exciting portions of the guild summit for many players was the talk of PvP.   Here is an overview of the discussion as well as the follow-up Q&A. Player vs. Player Discussion medal system- not balanced across classes right now. No specific queues for warzones Novare Coast: majority control objective – 3 point objective. You need least 2 out of 3 to do damage to fortification. Character warzone ratings for both solo and group player New warzone dailies – based on medal system as opposed to wins. We didn’t finish all the medals – we are introducing a lot more medals for objectives, catching a ball, scoring in huttball, be the first to plant a bomb 18 new medals “We want to discourage medal farming” – medal rewards are capped. We are doubling the amount of medals but cap it at ~8. If you finish a…

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Guardian Angel: Rotations and Tactics

Editor

Guardian Angel Hello, fellow SW:tOR fans. It’s Kiran again with another entry into the Guardian Angel blog, a column dedicated to Jedi Guardian tanking. Today I’m going to cover some of the finer details of end game Guardian tanks, namely rotations and tactics. Later on I will also cover stat priorities and itemization. Ability Priorities and Rotations: The first thing you should know about any class in Star Wars: The Old Republic is that there is no set rotation for abilities like there are in other MMOs. Abilities instead have priorities which determine which available ability should be used first. You should also know that all priorities are situational. Hilt Strike might seem like a high priority ability having a stun and lots of threat, but against multiple targets, it’s not as effect as say, Force Sweep. As such, I will classify all abilities accordingly. The first thing we’re going…

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SWTOR Sith Inquisitor Assassin PVP Build

Soeren Kamper

Today we are going to continue posting the builds swtorsavior.com has put together for us.  As always  I I will recommend you to get the guide to get the full advantage of all swtorsavior.com amazing features.  It is available  right here. If you are playing as Sith Inquisitor and on the Assassin advanced class then you need to give this build a go. Awesome PVP build with very high damage. Also remember to check out NIGEL DAVIS newest Intergalactic Intel were he goes through Shadow/Assassin Tanking Related Posts Review Of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor2.6.1a Patch NotesTop Five Tips to be a Better GamerStar Wars Outlaws: Ubisoft’s Newest Gem Unveiled at Ubisoft Forward TOR TV: Ninja TurtlesWhat’s an appropriate gift for a dad’s birthday?PTS Update Notes – April 2nd, 2015Developer Blogs: Game Update 3.0 Class Changes: Shadow + Assassin

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Technorati Blogger Says Star Wars is Sinking Fast

Lisa Clark

Are you happy with SWTOR and the post-launch outcome thus far? While many gamers are completely satisfied, there are others who feel let down by the game and EA has been facing some problems lately in terms of broker concerns. But is it really as bad as it sounds? A Technorati blogger thinks SWTOR is sinking fast and has this to say about the sinking ship: And there is quite a bit of solid evidence that people are abandoning ship. But what about those who say there is no problem? Many are calling it the TORtanic, and this is the fated maiden voyage. But let us explore how and why this game is failing so hard and fast. Hmm.. I’m not sure I completely agree with his evaluations but he might have a few good points. First, he explains that the initial launch sales boomed the game to an unreachable height…

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Server Group Forums Now Available

Lisa Clark

As we reported was soon to come, the official SWTOR forums now have server group forums available. This is intended to make it easier for players to communicate with others from their specific server. It could be an easier way to get the information that you need more quickly. Allison Berryman explains on the official forums: Hey everyone! You’ll notice that the new Server Group Forums and the Suggestion Box are now available! We configured the Server Group Forums to require you to select a forum name tag for each thread, so there is no longer a requirement to enter your server name manually – you’ll just select it from the drop-down menu when creating a new thread. Thank you all for your patience. We’re looking forward to your feedback! Allison Berryman | Senior Community Coordinator With the new server group forums up, there is a lot of talk about…

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Newbie SWTOR FAQ: What You Need to Know

Lisa Clark

So you’re new to SWTOR and you’ve got questions; we have the answers. Whether you are afraid to ask in general chat or don’t trust the answers you might get, we’ve got your back so don’t worry about it. This guide is meant to be a simple newbie FAQ for SWTOR. While it’s not meant to answer every question you may have about the game or to cover every aspect of it in detail, it’s a great overview for the new player. Even if you’ve played other MMORPGs (such as WoW), you’re going to find some differences in SWTOR that will make a difference from the very start. For example, while the UI and controls are familiar, there are other aspects of the game that are different enough that you might find yourself making some big mistakes early on if you don’t take the time to read up on what…

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