EA is trying to diversify their gaming experience and increase their earnings potential. This is not really a surprise as they want to keep up with the growing gaming world and give the customers/players what they want. Since SWTOR launched, many have been saying it just might be the last pay-to-play MMO to come out and it’s hard to disagree when you see the direction that games are going in. While SWTOR is not F2P, they are going to give you a free 15 levels to try to entice new players into the game. I think this is a pretty smart move as it gives you a real good taste of the game and helps you decide whether or not you want to purchase the game for yourself. It’s also a smart move on the part of EA/BioWare because it cuts off just as the story is getting good for…
SWTOR
Community Q&A: June 8th, 2012
The answers for the SWTOR Community Q&A are here. Stubacca: Will the new Group Finder only work for solo players to find random group members, or will two or three friends that are already grouped together manually be able to still play together and fill the open spots in the group with random group members with it? Damion Schubert (Principal Lead Systems Designer): The Group Finder has absolutely been designed to allow 2- or 3-person groups to find the missing players to complete that group. It also has functionality allowing players to easily backfill a group if, for example, you start running a Flashpoint and lose a player. Elperzon: Will we ever be given the chance to ‘forget’ schematics we know? For example, I can make the base item, the 3 upgraded version (crit, power, def), and some of their upgraded versions (alacrity, surge, etc). That makes for a ton…
LFG Tool Bonus with a Pre-Made Group
You can use the new LFG tool with a pre-made group and still get the bonus. Awesome! Here’s the official work from the SWTOR community blog: Yes, you can queue for Group Finder with pre-made groups. However, only the Group Leader can queue your group as a whole. Once you are a part of a pre-made group, you will not be able to queue individually until you leave the group. If you are queued as a group and you are not the Group Leader, the Group Finder will display the content that the Group Leader queued you for. You can queue with a full group that is valid for the content. For example, for a Flashpoint, you’ll need to have characters to fill the tank and healer roles. If your Group is not valid when the Group Leader attempts to queue, it will display a message and give you the…
New Unique Looking Mount on PTS
If you’re on the SWTOR public test servers for Game Update 1.3, you might have already seen that there is a really cool new mount for Kurtob alliance. It is rumored to be from referring a friend and having them subscribe for a month but we can’t 100% confirm that yet. Dulfy got a great screenshot of it for us. A lot of players are saying they’d start their own second account if you can really get this cool mount from referring a friend. Of course there are always some who don’t like it or make fun – it’s not for everyone- but I think it’s pretty cool. And I know all of those gamers who love to collect all of something in a game (pets, mounts, etc) are going to find this fun. So here’s just one more fun thing we are seeing from the PTS that is coming…
Clarification on the SWTOR Server Transfers
Server transfers are coming- this we know. Most of us are really excited about that fact. Now there are a few questions that remain and BioWare is setting out to make us all aware of the specifics, as much as possible. First, we know that there will be only one destination allowed. Allison Berryman | Senior Community Coordinator said on the forums: We do have more information about character transfers coming, and we’ll post a detailed FAQ that will answer many specific questions. As for being concerned about not being able to transfer to the same server as your son during free transfers, you don’t have anything to worry about. Each server that becomes eligible for transfers will have just one destination server, and you’ll be able to move all your characters from your origin server to that destination server. We’ll announce these servers at the start of the program…
Looking Back at HK-47 before the Big SWTOR Reveal
The arrival of HK-47 has been hinted at since PAX 2010, when a SWTOR teaser video had a HK-series droid saying “Interjection: Silence Meatbags” and he’s since appeared in the Foundry Flashpoint. The new 1.3 patch notes have also confirmed that a new companion for all classes is arriving, an HK-51 droid, based on 47’s model. With the forthcoming return of the HK-series droids to Star Wars: The Old Republic, we thought it was time for a look back to the origin of the product line. (More spoilers than a modded car show, watch out.) If you’re a big fan of HK-47, you’re going to be happy to hear the news that a new droid companion is coming to SWTOR. He’s such a fun droid who has real issues with “meatbags” and PCGamesN has decided to take this time to look back on the HK-series of droids and their history….
Daniel Erickson Interview – Players Progress Quicker than Thought
It seems the fans of SWTOR really got one over on BioWare, progressing much more quickly than they thought they would, says Daniel Erickson in an interview with GameSpy UK. This isn’t really surprising news to most who have played the game or even followed the news and updates regarding SWTOR. We saw firsthand how quickly some players barreled through the content, hungry for more. Star Wars: The Old Republic has done a pretty good job with supplying a constant flow of post-release content. Think about it: it’s an MMORPG that has only been out for six months and we continue to get free content updates, and there are even more on the way as evidenced from EA’s Press Conference yesterday. But are these upcoming changes to SWTOR the result of plans that were made far in advance, or are they a response to player behavior? Turns out it’s a…
Class changes and balance in Game Update 1.3
There will be some class changes and game balance updates coming to SWTOR in Game Update 1.3. While there are bound to be some unhappy campers, for the most part, this is a welcomed change for SWTOR players. Here is an explanation of these changes from SWTOR official blog: Hello everyone. My name is Austin Peckenpaugh, and I’m a Senior Designer on Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. My job here is to create, maintain, and balance class gameplay in The Old Republic. As such, I’m here to shed some light on the upcoming changes to classes in Game Update 1.3 to give you all a sense of what’s to come and why it’s coming. Like with any major patch, Game Update 1.3 will bring with it an array of class updates. Before I go into detail on any specific changes, I wanted to use this opportunity to share our philosophy…
Game Update 1.3 is Available On PTS!
It’s finally here- game update 1.3 is on the public test realms. Not only does this mean you might have the opportunity yourself to play this new content before it is released to all players, but it also means we will start seeing news and updates coming from the PTS so we know what to expect from the game update ourselves. Here is the official announcement from SWTOR.com news: Please check out this Welcome to PTS blog for information on how to access the Public Test Server. Game Update 1.3: Allies has a lot of great new features, such as the Group Finder tool and Ranked Warzones, to name a few. One of the big focuses for us in testing this Game Update is the Group Finder tool and as such, we want to help incentivize our players to hop onto PTS and help us test it. There are two…
SWTOR and Beyond- Bonus Missions
Have you ever been about to leave a planet and you think you’ve done everything they want but then… there’s one more quest that pops up? Maybe you’re one of those players who loves to do absolutely everything on a planet before moving on. Or maybe you are already max level and you want to go back and do some more quests in those past zones that you didn’t finish up as you leveled up. If you want to get all there is to get out of SWTOR, then you want to go back to each planet and do the bonus quests in your faction. Here’s an overview of all the bonus quests in each zone. Republic Bonus Quests Taris Bonus Series Minimum Level: 12 Speak to Governor Saresh Speak to Vealo Complete Missing Link for Mola Haxtor Complete Where Darkness Abides for Mola Haxtor Complete Future Threat Complete Power…
Huttball = Soccer Wars? I See a Resemblance
Huttball is my favorite PvP Warzone in SWTOR. Despite what others might say, I really enjoy it. Is it annoying when you get in a group of pugs that don’t know what they’re doing? Sure it is! But I don’t care so much because I still enjoy the game. It’s also a great deal of fun when you tell new players how to win, they listen and you win! So anyway, I noticed something interesting when thinking about Huttball and how it has a big resemblance to another game I play (and coach) offline- soccer. This brought me back to an old post we did here on the site in the summer of 2010. It was from our column “The Guild” and we had a reader write in with a real good idea for a PvP zone in SWTOR (not yet released): This week I’ll be paying attention to some…
How To Get End Game Color Crystals in SWTOR
Do you enjoy collecting color crystals? Or are you looking for a certain color and you want to find the fast- track way to get it as quickly as possible without wasting a lot of your time? Lucky for you, we’ve got just what you need today. Dulfy brings us yet another fantastic guide. I would have loved to do one like this but she’s done a fantastic job so why mess with perfection? She’s put her hard work into this guide so I’m just going to pass it along to you for today’s “How To” of the week. Hey everyone, color crystals in SWTOR are popular vanity items ever since the game’s launch. With the arrival of patch 1.2, we saw the introduction of several new crystal colors (Black-Orange, Black-Purple) as well as upgrades for several existing colors to their endgame stats (+41 crit/power/endurance/expertise). Unfortunately, the method to obtain…
BIG SWTOR News out of E3 Today!
If you were waiting for new updates from E3 on SWTOR, then the wait is over. There were some very exciting things just announced at E3. Here’s an overview: New Space Mission: Space Station Assault New Operation: Terror from Beyond New Companion: HK-51 New playable species: Cathar New Level cap and combat abilities New Warzone: Ancient Hypergates New planet to explore: Makeb Free to Play to Level 15 (that should get most players to their ship and main storyline of Act 1) New abilities for classes Here’s the trailer: Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ – Preview Exciting New Reveals from E3! Pretty exciting news. I wonder if this will entice some players back who have left the game or gotten bored with the content. And with free to play to level 15, I think a lot more people will try out the game to see if they feel it’s worth…
SWTOR Server Merges and BioWare Austin Layoffs Bring Out the “I Told You So’s”
With SWTOR server mergers imminent and the big layoffs at BioWare Austin, many SWTOR haters are coming out to say “I told you so!” This really has me thinking, is SWTOR really that bad or are some people just bored or vindictive and looking for something new to troll? While some circumstances do seem to show SWTOR on a decline, there is no solid evidence at this time that the game is sinking, going under or failing. There are still many active players and subscriptions and with all the new promised content, there’s no reason many more players won’t join or come back on board. BioWare responded to the layoffs but as Massively reports, the response was a little weak: Despite the layoffs, Lusinchi said that the development team is still “one of the biggest” in the industry and has detailed plans for SWTOR’s future. Still, that didn’t make dealing…
A Quick Update about SWTOR Server Transfers
If you’re like most of us, you’ve been waiting anxiously for an update about server transfers. You’ve probably been feeling a little lonely on your server (or maybe it’s just mine) and you’re really ready for some more players to interact with on a regular basis. It’s coming, according to BioWare. Joveth Gonzalez, SWTOR Online Community Manager gave this update about server transfers: “I know you are all eager for information regarding character transfers and I just wanted to let you all know that this is definitely a studio wide priority. We’ve just about finished up on the development side of things, but in order to ensure a high quality service, the system needs to undergo extensive testing. The testing cycle, as some of you may know, is variable and highly dependent on a number of things. With that being said, as soon as this process is complete and we…
Unlimited Free Trial and 1.3 Patch Info Released
SWTOR game update 1.3 is coming. Are you ready? The latest patch will hit the test servers very soon and lead designer Daniel Erickson and technical design director Emmanuel Lusinchi have some info for us to help us get prepared. The peeps over at ZAM have a really great article and interview that tells us many of the things we can look forward to such as unlimited free trial (for certain levels) and a new weekly world boss with missions coming in 1.3. Here’s more: Game Update 1.3 – Allies – introduces a strong blend of tools intended to make forming groups much easier, along with even more ways to customize how we play. Currently undergoing internal testing, the update should be available on the public test server soon and live later this summer. Here are some things the update will have: Game Update 1.3 includes a group finder to…
BioWare Announces New Community Team Members and Position Changes
There are some changes happening at BioWare after certain staff members were let go and the BioWare SWTOR team want to let us know about these new team members, new positions and other changes we have to look forward to. In this Community Blog Post they shared a general update as well as introductions of different members: As many of you may already know, Community Coordinator Eric Musco will be taking over for Sr. Community Coordinator David Bass as the community liaison to fan sites and guilds. Eric and David have been working closely together over the past few weeks to ensure a smooth hand off. While we’re sad to see David leave, we wish him all the best in his new endeavor. They go to share some introductions: My name is Joveth Gonzalez and I’m the Online Community Manager. I’m currently overseeing the development of our new community initiatives,…
Massive RP-PVP Event On The Progenitor EU Server
Some gamers still know how to have a good time and this Massive RP-PVP Event held on the Progenitor EU Server is a great example of that. The last game that I played where people did role-playing events was World of Warcraft. I was not on an RP server but (often out of boredom), players would get together to do something fun or silly. We raided Hogger, we met in Elywnn Forest to goof around or we went to gank the lowbies if Elwynn (if we were on the other side). Once we made a huge batch of gnomes and had a naked dance party in the snow. I was never a huge RP-er but I always thought it was fun and interesting and I love to see what others come up with while roleplaying in a game. While my experiences were short and silly, what these guilds did over…
New Star Wars: The Old Republic Novel Cover Revealed!
Star Wars: The Old Republic: Annihilation from New York Times bestselling author (and Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ writer) Drew Karpyshyn was revealed at last year’s New York Comic-Con and scheduled to be released in November 2012. It’s his second novel and now the cover has been officially revealed. In addition to the cover image reveal, SWTOR.com brought us a great interview with Karpyshyn about the new book. *SPOILERS AHEAD* Here’s a snippet of the interview: Do you recommend that people finish their storylines in Star Wars: The Old Republic before picking up the book? Annihilation is set after the events of the class stories in Star Wars: The Old Republic, so there are things that I reference and mention that may serve as spoilers to people who haven’t finished the storylines. The balance of power between the Empire and the Republic has changed quite a bit by the time…
Want to Playtest Game Update 1.3?
Are you interested in what’s coming to SWTOR in game update 1.3? Your chance to playtest the new features to the game are coming up soon and BioWare is asking for testers. SWTOR.com put out this call for testers: Game Update 1.3 is almost ready for deployment onto the Public Test Server. We still need to finalize a few things, but we wanted to let you know that the Public Test Server will be coming down soon so that we can prep Game Update 1.3 for PTS deployment. You can expect the Public Test Server to come back up with Game Update 1.3 in the next few weeks. They said that 1.3 will be focused around the Group Finder function that helps you get other players to group up with for Flashpoints and Operations more easily. There will also be more updates and content added to the Legacy System. For…
BioWare CS Agent Might Get Canned – Threats Made to PvPers
If you saw the drama unfolding live, you know how funny it was that a BioWare GM apparently threatened action against world PvPers on the Fatman (a PvP server). The alleged threats were done in general chat channels which these appalled players took screenshots of (good going guys!). When they first brought the matter to the forums, they were accused of making it up and their accounts were yet again threatened. Joveth Gonzalez, Associate Online Community Manager said the investigation showed no proof of their claims against this BioWare staff member. At first it seemed like yet another troll attempt on the game and at this point, with subs and popularity dropping, is there really any need for that? But then… The drama was not yet over because Gonzalez came back to report that a further investigation proved the accusations against the BioWare GM to be true! Ouch, BioWare… that’s…
MCM Expo features SWTOR Presentation
This Star Wars: The Old Republic presentation took place recently in London at the MCM Expo. There was a Q&A session to provide more info about the game and upcoming updates and patches as well as new features we can expect to see soon. The discussion had the following topics: General Presentation of the Game Previous Updates Game Update 1.2 Legacy Presentation The Old Republic said this: This information was gathered from the available livestream provided by Gamespot and it summarizes the topics discussed in that hour, along with the Q&A. Keep in mind that at the Q&A the answers capture the essence of what was spoken. The host of this presentation was Emanuel Lusinchi, Technical Design Director for Star Wars: The Old Republic. The discussion included Game Update 1.3 Allies Presentation which tells us more about what we can expect from this update, including: Group Finder: • Bonus…
Q &A for Friday May 28- Ranked Warzones is on track for 1.3!
This week’s Q&A is a special edition because we have great info on the upcoming 1.3 game update. One thing that many players are very excited about is the inclusion of ranked warzones. But that’s not all that we should expect for game update 1.3. Let’s see more of this special edition Q&A to find out. Here’s a snippet: >llesna: Can you please tell us why the upcoming Legacy additions for Game Update 1.3 are character-specific rather than Legacy-wide? Daniel Erickson (Lead Game Designer): Legacy Perks have a different purpose than global unlocks and are specifically designed to enable players to customize each individual character. Since you may not care about Space XP or running the Bonus Series missions on one character it is important that you’re not paying a premium that is calculated at the expense of 8 or more characters all gaining this benefit. This also means the…
SWTOR vs SWG Survey Results: Week 1
Remember that survey we told you about recently from Gemtrix? If you took part in the SWTOR vs SWG survey, you can now see the first week’s results. This survey will be ongoing so each week there will be updates to see how the survey continues to unfold. These results are as of May 24th, 2012 @ 9:18am EST. There are 1,096 responses in record here. Week 1 results are just the beginning. Each week this will continue. So if you didn’t participate in the survey yet, head back over and answer the questions. Your results will be part of week 2. Gemtrix.com said: There are a couple things that you should keep in mind: All questions, and responses are optional. As such, any voter is free to skips questions, vote for multiple line items, etc. This means that anyone is free to say that they prefer SWTOR, and SWG,…