James B. Jones stopped by the community developer blog for an update on HK-51. Co-author of the Star Wars™ : The Old Republic Encyclopedia, Jones knows a lot about SWTOR. He shared some exciting classified intel about the new HK-51 companion character in Game Update 1.5! Here’s a snippet from the blog: Though the HK-51 model is outfitted with all the features of his predecessors, several upgrades are also included in the package. Practical use suggested that overly-ambitious engineers may have programmed previous HK models to be a little too bloodthirsty. Make no mistake—the HK-51 model still relishes violence in all its forms, but efficiency is now its guiding directive rather than brutality. Field tests have proven that the HK-51 model is far more reliable and effective in combat due to these upgrades. Despite the emphasis on efficiency, HK-51’s primary directive is still to eliminate his target at any cost….
SWTOR
Meet the Developers: Hall Hood
This week’s Meet the Developers post from SWTOR features Hall Hood, Lead Writer on Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. In each “Meet the Developers,” they introduce a new developer, ask them some questions about their background and their place on the SWTOR team and then they publish it all on the forums in a specific thread so you can read and ask more questions if you want. I was excited to see this week’s was with Hall Hood. I always love hearing from the writers on the team and I knew he would have a lot of insight into the game and storylines. Here’s a snippet of the interview: Who is your favorite companion? Why? Risha, hands-down. She’s so much fun to write, and Tara Strong’s voice acting blows me away every time. What has been the most enjoyable thing to write for SWTOR? I’m a big fan of our companion…
Tosche Station Radio #35: Buyout
Brian and Nanci from Tosche Station + Dunc from clubjade.net discuss the Disney buyout and episode 7 What led Brian and Nanci to call an emergency episode of Tosche Station Radio? Well, none other than the big Disney buyout of Lucasfilm. It’s not surprising really, since everyone is talking about this buyout and how it seemed to come out of left field and completely unexpected. What is interesting, however, is what they talked about. Lots of great points brought up in this emergency episode of Tosche Station Radio! What’s it all about? The notes are brief, because we’re only talking about one thing: Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm and the announcement of new Star Wars films (our post/Club Jade’s post). Hosts Nanci and Brian are joined by Dunc from Club Jade to try and make sense of the big news and offer insight as to what this might mean for the future of the Galaxy Far, Far…
Electronic Arts Q2 2013 Earnings Conference Call and SWTOR
The Electronic Arts Q2 2013 Earnings Conference Call revealed a few tidbits about SWTOR and as you know, we’re always looking for any new piece of information at this point. The haters also latch on to these earnings calls, looking for reasons to say that SWTOR is a sinking ship, but we’re not ready to dub it the TORtanic just yet. In fact, we have high hopes, as does EA, that the new free-to-play model will turn things around and generate a new or returned interest in the game. So did the call reveal anything useful about SWTOR and the future of the game? Well, it was mentioned a little, as no surprise since this game has been a huge investment for EA as a company and investors are eager to see if it’s going to pay off in the long term after those short term initial sales last year. Here are…
The Numbers Show SWTOR Isn’t Dying
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…
Malgus Dressing Up as Revan for Halloween
Halloween is almost here- what are you going as? It’s an excuse to dress up without fear of being judged (but really, do we care what people think?) and there are parties and drinks (if you’re old enough) and don’t forget- CANDY! For a little extra fun this Halloween, why not mix in your love of Star Wars/SWTOR? Malgus seems to be representing Revan this year! When it comes to Halloween, there is usually no shortage of Star Wars themed costumes. I just saw an adorable Yoda getup I’d love for my 10 month old this year. Imagine all the candy he would get! I also saw an awesome costume on Facebook of a little boy who uses a walker. His dad made him a custom Luke Skywalker costume built around the walker. Pretty cool! But this year, it’s likely we might see more SWTOR-themed costumes as well. Will non-gamers…
Subscribers Not Charged Credits for Skill Point Re-specializations
In the news of what benefits subscribers will get, came some very exciting news about re-specializations. Amber Green, Live Community Coordinator, posted a thread on the SWTOR forums that lists the benefits to subscribers. Of this was the news that subscribers will not be charged credits for skill point re-specs. How many people do you think will subscribe just for this benefit alone? Chances are high that players will opt in just to know how many credits they can save from being able to re-spec when and how they need to. Here are some other details from that forum post: Highlights Travel to Section X on Belsavis and learn why the nefarious Dread Guard has seized control of this ravaged sector of the planet! Section X can be accessed on Belsavis and via the daily mission shuttles. HK-51 can now be acquired as a Companion Character! A shipment of the…
Developer Update 10/25: FTP Changes Coming Soon
For those of you on the PTS who have been reporting bugs and giving feedback on the game, your voices are being heard. A recent developer update tells us that there will be some important and interesting changes coming very soon. The forum thread will tell you the full changes and updates but here are some highlights. Free-to-Play players will now get a second quickslot bar. Free-to-Play players will now be able to do 5 Warzones per week instead of 3. The Cartel Coin item lock (i.e. temporary bind) will be reduced to 3 days for Free-to-Play players, and 2 days for subscribers. They added that they found some crucial bugs that needed stomping, which is good. These changes will make their way to the PTS by early next week. Here is some more from that post: There are a couple of key concepts that should be kept in mind…
Guide to HK 51
The HK-51 companion is finally here and this guide will explain what you need to do to acquire one. Some of the tasks are fairly easy but others will be very difficult so be prepared to spend some time on this quest. Before you can acquire your HK-51 companion, you’ll need to gather up a few components and there are seven of them altogether. Scanning for Components You’ll have to scan for four of the seven components. These are the HK Chassis, HK AI Regulator, HK Power Core and the HK Motivator. In Taris, look for the downed Endar Spire. Just north of it, you’ll find the HK Chassis. As you approach the area near the end of the Endar Spire, you’ll notice it starts to gradually close in. This is where you need to start scanning until you find the component. In Hoth, search for the HK Power Core…
Introducing Preferred Player Status
Preferred Player status is incoming and many SWTOR fans are curious just what this means. Will certain parts of the game be unplayable without preferred player status? Will certain zones or features in the game not be in access? All great questions and BioWare took to the forums to clear it all up for us. So just what will preferred player status mean? Here’s the breakdown and explanation from the forums: As a Preferred Status Player, you will gain the following benefits compared to Free-to-Play Players: • The Sprint ability at Level 1 • Access to your Cargo Hold (an 80 item Player Bank) • Access to Secure Trade (starting at level 10) • The ability to send Mail, including one (1) attachment • Increased allowance for chat message frequencies in Public chat channels (such as /general) • An increased Credits Cap • Access to the Who List • Three…
Inserting, Removing, and REing Crafted Mods for Schems is “Unintended” but Not an Exploit
Reverse engineering mods is expensive, especially when you are trying to build up a nice stock of schematics to place on the GTN. When you’re a new player trying to gear up, this can be a real hassle. But there has been a new “trick” found that makes it a little bit easier by bypassing this altogether. The real question is: Is this an exploit? A forum user explains: SomeJagoff As is already known, when you try to RE other people’s crafted mods, it says no research available, however, as I pulled out a mod that I know I bought off the gtn a few months ago to replace with a better one, I noticed that it said 20% chance to research a schem available. Out of curiosity, I threw the new mod that I just bought off the GTN into my armor, then pulled it out, same thing, research…
BioWare Speaks on the Cartel Market
Do you have questions about the Cartel Market? After the update to the public test server (PTS) yesterday, there were many questions coming from the community about the free-to-play cartel market and how this will work. Will items disappear? What does the timer mean? Can you still trade an item if it is modified? Lots of great questions are arising! BioWare answered these questions and provided info on some other areas of the cartel market and how it will work. See below: Allison Berryman I can clarify that the item will not disappear after the timer is over – after that time period, the item is no longer bound to you and can be traded! Allison Berryman The items do not disappear after 5 days; after the timer expires, they are no longer bound to the player and can be traded. Please also remember that we are currently testing the…
SWTOR Nominated for Ultimate Game of Year + Best MMO
Where other MMORPGs have text boxes, SWTOR has lavish cut-scenes and full voice acting. Join either the Sith or the Republic and carve out your own amazing Star Wars legend. Do you love SWTOR? Want to see it recognized with a gaming award? This might be your chance. SWTOR is nominated for Ultimate Game of the Year and Best MMO over at Golden Joystick. It’d be great for SWTOR fans to see the game take a golden gong in either category this year. And now you can literally see it because it’s all going to be streamed live on their site and synced on YouTube. The Gamemaster Golden Joystick Awards are turning 30 this year (just like me) and this year the celebrations are going even bigger. In addition to SWTOR, you will see other fun and popular games named at the awards such as Angry Birds and Skyrim. VOTING…
Companions 101: Kira Carsen
Here we are for a new installment of Companions 101 and this week it’s all about Kira! Courtney Woods is our guide into the world of Kira Carsen and everything you need to know about her backstory, emotional attachments and understanding Kira. Be warned that all of these Companion segments could contain story spoilers. Here is a snippet: The best kind of padawan should challenge their master… or at least, that is what Kira Carsen believes. Kira is not your typical Jedi, raised on Korriban in the Sith Academy, she has witnessed the brutality of the Empire first hand. After escaping from Imperial Space, Kira had to look out for herself until Master Bela Kiwiiks found her and brought her to into the Jedi Order. It isn’t surprising that Kira and Kiwiiks share a special bond, but Kira was afraid to share her past until she could prove herself as…
Subscription vs Free-to-Play Features
With the free to play model added to SWTOR, more fans get to enjoy the game. You can play as much or as little as you want without worrying about having to pay a monthly subscription or trying to “get your money’s worth”. However, the subscription model still exists which brings up the very important question of “What’s the difference?” To encourage those who want to continue paying for a subscription, there are some additional features to thank you for your time and for playing. Learn more about the differences between the two types of play. Subscription vs. Free-to-Play Features A Galaxy of Possibilities for Every Player. Preferred Status – Making a purchase will unlock access to the following features: The ability to run faster (Sprint) starting at Level 1. Cargo Hold access (Bank Slots) and higher login queue priority. Increased access to Chat and Secure Trading. NOTE: Characters must…
GDC Online 2012: SWTOR’s Damion Schubert Dissects Story as a Mechanic
This is a spinoff of the story we just recently brought you from Gamasutra but it goes back to the original source, Damion Schubert and what he has to say about SWTOR and story as a mechanic in the game. It’s definitely a different approach than other MMOs have taken at the game mechanic and we know how important BioWare places their storyline so if anyone could pull it off, we suspect it would be them. However, I bet no one knew exactly how hard it would be to pull it off and to sell it to the gamers. At the Game Developer’s Conference right here in Austin, Schubert talked about this challenge in more detail. Massively had a nice story covering what Schubert says at the conference and their own take on it. Massively reports: At the Game Developers Conference in Austin, Texas, this week, Schubert spent an hour explaining the…
Whiners Need to Quit Playing Video Games! Says Pachter
We’ve talked about Michael Pachter here before (many times) and one thing we know about the Pach man is that he does not hold back. He’s passionate about the video game industry and for several years now, GameTrailers has played host to Pach Attack, a weekly, 7-minute Q&A segment featuring games industry analyst Michael Pachter as he answers related questions submitted by viewers. But what he said in this week’s episode, hosted on Saturday, might strike a chord with some gamers. He talks about the closure of Pandemic and the departure of BioWare founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk and says: “”I think that we’ve seen a lot of nasty stuff lately,” he said. “I think that the whining about the ending of Mass Effect 3 really very much could have been the straw that broke the camel’s back for the doctors. I mean, if you look back at the BioWare…
Ask Mr. Robot Character Profile and Combat Logs are updated for 1.4!
If you’ve been waiting on an update from Ask Mr. Robot, it’s here now. Ask Mr. Robot Character Profile and Combat Logs are updated for 1.4! So now you can insure that you are getting the right gear for your toon and taking your gear in the proper direction. Newly updated for 1.4 so you can stay up to date on your characters, use their character build, browse the armory or even use the SWTOR skill calculator to plan your character or see that you are making the right choices in your character. Ask Mr. Robot is a fantastic tool to have in your SWTOR toolbox. Their team works very hard to stay up to date and give you what you need, when you need it. Mr. Robot’s Star Wars: The Old Republic Tools: Character Builder Build your SWTOR character! Includes gear, companions, skills, crew skills, guild, server, and more….
SWTOR’s Complex Challenge: From Gamasutra
“BioWare’s Damion Schubert is a systems designer, not a writer. Yet he ended up dealing with those elements anyway, as the first designer with MMO experience on a team of traditional BioWare writers. His job was to tell them what elements of an MMO need to be considered in the story design process.” This is from an intro to a story from Gamasutra about SWTOR and the challenges they have had to face with the game. They talk about the complex challenge that SWTOR faced- BioWare story in an MMO world. One thing that I love so much about Gamasutra is the quality in which they can make a point. Some will say that SWTOR failed, although there are still many hardcore fans who stand by the game. There are others who believe it failed on a subscription model but is going to do just fine as f2p. But when…
SWTOR Political and Moral Survey by the National Science Foundation
Have you ever wondered where politics come into play in SWTOR? Most Star Wars fans are aware of political and moral undertones in the series which then transcend into all versions and variations of the original story- SWTOR included. But here is a very interesting survey by the National Science Foundation that will shed some more light onto the issues of politics and morals in SWTOR. From New World Notes: Click here if you play Star Wars: The Old Republic to take a short and fascinating (in my biased* opinion) survey on the MMO’s political and moral choices, and how they relate (if at all) to your real life values. It’s for a report funded by a US government grant from the National Science Foundation which seeks to explore ways in which MMOs “provide experiences of meaningful accomplishment and how this engagement may portend the social use of digital technology for mass persuasion and…
Alexander Freed Leaves BioWare
And now another BioWare staff member bites the dust… Alexander Freed (my favorite BioWare writer) as officially announced on his Twitter (yes, he’s on Twitter now) feed that he is leaving BioWare and joining me in the ranks of freelance writers. It’s kind of a bittersweet announcement, really. While I love freelancing and I encourage other writers to do the same and explore the freedom of being able to work on different projects at once, try new things and do what you want, instead of what you are contracted to do. So as a friend, I’m really happy for Alex. He’s incredibly talented and I believe he’s going to love the opportunities that come his way now that he is not on BioWare’s payroll anymore. Big news! As of today, I’m departing BioWare to go freelance. It’s been a wonderful six years, but time to move on. More next tweet….
Leaked Details of New SWTOR Content: World Boss, Daily Area, Space Missions, Pets, Mounts
With the number of subs on the decline, it’s not unusual at all to see a game company allow some leaks in order to get more people interested or back in the game. There is some new and upcoming content to SWTOR, a great deal of which includes new minipets and space missions. We cannot be sure, however, just when this new content is coming. It could be in the next game update or in several game updates, spread out over a period of time. Just because the game is showing files for some of this content does not mean that all of it will be coming out at one time. There is a thread on the community forums that has compiled all of the known upcoming content in one area to make it easier to see all that is coming. Here’s a snippet from that thread: NEW DAILY AREA:…
Be a Gamer Wife; Not a Gamer Widow
A common problem amongst many who game (especially MMORPGs) is “wife agro” or that the spouse/girlfriend of the gamer doesn’t like them playing or how much time they spend gaming. As a wife and gamer myself, I was lucky enough to be married to a person who has also loved gaming since childhood but a common problem we see with friends and family (and co-guildies) is that when only one is a gamer, the other often feels left out. They actually have support groups for this sort of thing; “WoW widows” for those who feel they have lost their husbands to World of Warcraft and even SWTOR has some hate threads on the Internet from disgruntled women who feel they have lost their men to the game. But one blog post I stumbled across was a little different. This wife talks about how she worked through the struggles with her…
Companions 101: Kaliyo Djannis, featuring Alex Freed
Every secret agent needs a femme fatale, right? Well, the Imperial Agent gets Kaliyo- an interesting and compelling companion in many ways. For the first installment of their new Companions 101 blog, BioWare gives us more insight into this companion, her background and what she’s all about. Please Note: This blog contains spoilers for the Imperial Agent class story. Lead Writer, Alexander Freed (a really awesome guy, by the way), drops in to share some more info about Kaliyo and why she leaves her life on Hutta and joins Imperial intelligence: “When Kaliyo first joins up with the Imperial Agent, she sees two possibilities. Either the Agent is a mark–someone whose coattails she can ride, someone who’s going to diligently follow orders while Kaliyo plays him (or her) for every credit he’s worth–or the Agent really is as clever, confident and manipulative as he lets on. In the former case, the Agent is…