Bioware’s Alistair McNally had an interesting tweet this week after the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Diego last week. He says he wore a t-shirt to the conference that referenced Bioware’s new IP and it appears no one even noticed. Sneaky! Also it was fun to walk around GDC2016 in a t-shirt with our new IP on it and no one batted an eyelid. — Alistair McNally (@Al_McNally) March 18, 2016 So of course, this got the Twitterverse in a tizzy as people realized their miss and some frantically searched for pictures from the event to try to see this shirt in action. There have been articles written about it, forum threads posted on it, social media dialogue and even debate over it, but still we don’t know what the new game is, or what was on his shirt. And it looks like we might be waiting awhile for…
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Curious How BioWare Created SWTOR Classes?
If you’ve ever wanted to know how BioWare created the SWTOR classes, you’re in luck. There is a special guest post series on StarWars.com from SWTOR lead designer, Michael Backus that tells you all about it. You can see Part 1 here, which talks about the Republic. Blakus has been on the SWTOR team for seven years now and if you’ve ever had any interaction with him, you know that he is really passionate about what he does and it shows. So it’s great to see that he is the one doing this guest post series because I’m sure it’s going to be good. Here’s a snippet from part 1: “So I’m going to do just that. I’m going to talk about the different classes in Star Wars: The Old Republic, but more importantly, about each class’s story arc. And by this, I don’t mean spoilers about their plots, but really, what…
BioWare is Hiring for a New Game
BioWare is putting out the call once again for a new IP. Could it be a new MMO? We don’t know for sure yet but it is exciting news. It’s always great news when BioWare is planning a new game but from the sound of this one, it might be an MMO which would be good for fans. Here is what the job listing had to say about this particular project. The job description says, “BioWare is seeking a qualified Senior Lead Server Engineer for a new, unannounced BioWare IP. This role will direct a team of software engineers to create the backend systems that will drive online play for this exciting new game. The successful candidate will have expert knowledge of and experience in the design, implementation, and continuing support of large scale real-time client/server applications using primarily C++. Extensive experience with and knowledge of multi-tier client/server architectures as…
Drew Karpyshyn Returns to Star Wars: The Old Republic!
I can honestly say I never thought I’d be writing this post after Drew left SWTOR but he has recently posted some very big news on his blog. In true Drew fashion, he packed THREE big updates in this one post and if you don’t follow him or managed to miss this, here is the part you might be most interested in: Speaking of full circle, here’s the second piece of big news: as of this past week, I am back working at BioWare again! For those who don’t know, I spent over a decade with BioWare working on many award winning and fan-beloved games like Mass Effect 1&2, Knights of the Old Republic and the Star Wars: The Old Republic Online MMO. A few years ago I left BioWare to focus on my Chaos Born novels, but now that the trilogy is finished, I’ve decided to come back into the…
STAR WARS History & Lore – THE GREAT GALACTIC WAR (Part 1)
This is a Part 1 of a 3 episodes miniseries by Vulkk, explaining everything there is to know about The Great Galactic War, one of the most significant events in the Star Wars Expanded Universe. The war is seriously embedded also into Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR). For the narrations Jason or as everyone knows him Teo from OotiniCast has made yet another appearance on a Lore video by Vulkk to do the narrations. Here’s the intro in a written form. The rest you can hear and see in the video, attached in the bottom. The Great Galactic War, known as the Great War during the conflict and in the years afterward, was a war between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic between 3681 BBY and 3653 BBY, lasting for a total of 28 years. Also known as the Republic–Sith War, the conflict was ultimately the culmination of a…
BioWare Writer Talks Gay Romances and Sexual Diversity in Gaming
BioWare’s lead writer and developer for Mass Effect and Dragon Age, David Gaider, has decided to address the popular topic of sexual diversity in video games. Gaider is a 16-year veteran of the RPG studio and he recently wrote for Dragon Age: Inquisition. He began his interview by going over his reaction after he learned that BioWare’s 2005 RPG Jade Empire would allow gamers to have gay romances. “I remember hearing about when they made that decision to put it in and I was floored,” Gaider told Video Game Sophistry. “I mean, I’m gay myself, so I felt it kind of odd when I heard about it, how shocked I was because I just never thought that part of my life had a role to play in work. Like I said, it just wasn’t done. I didn’t even really consider the idea, so when they made that decision it was…
SWTOR GUIDE – Marauder Annihilation and Sentinel Watchman (Patch 3.2.1)
Greetings, Ladies and Gentlemen This is the 3rd Guide for Sith Marauder Annihilation and Jedi Sentinel Watchman Disciplines I make in a never-ending struggle to always cover the latest changes with my favourite class. We all know Patch 3.2.1 can easily be called “The Broken Marauder and Sentinel”, but in every evil and sadness, there’s goodness and positivity! In this over 35 minutes long video I have shared everything I could think of. This doesn’t mean there’s nothing to be added or maybe even corrected in the future if test results show better approach. I have structured it in 3 major parts: – Overview of the Changes to the Advanced Class in Game Update 3.2.1 – Gearing and Stat Priority, Skill Priorities (rotation is a bad word :P) – Personal Opinion, Analysis, Suggestions, Tips and Tricks It is the longest video guide I have ever produced. Even though some of the basics…
BioWare celebrates its 20th anniversary
BioWare celebrated its 20th birthday on Friday. Many fans were thanked via Twitter but I think we should be thanking them for making some of the best RPG’s in history. Can you believe it’s already been twenty years since BioWare began? Time definitely does fly by and we are looking forward to more of their amazing talents in the Star Wars gaming realm. What are some of your favorite BioWare games and memories from playing them?
SWTOR Basics – Gearing for Leveling, Basic Comms Usage, Fleet Vendors
SWTOR Basics guide for newer players. How to use the Basic Commendatinos, Gearing tips for leveling, Fleet Vendors location and contents, 12x vs Normal Leveling plus many more Tips and Tricks to help and guide you through your journey. Since this is a “Basics” video most of the things you will see and hear may be familiar to the veteran players. However, if you have a few minutes, stay around, watch and listen. You may discover a fact or trick you didn’t know or perhaps add to the information I shared. Some of the bullet-points covered in the video are: ♦ Location of the Basic Comms vendors on both fleets ♦ Vendor names and changes in Patch 3.2 ♦ How to best use basic comms for gearing with and without 12x ♦ Difference between orange shells and normal gear. How and what to use ♦ Crafted gear vs vewndor mods ♦…
SWTOR 12X Event 2015 – How to Best Use It (Tips and Suggestions)
On May 4th 2015 the 12x Class Mission Experience Boost is returning to SWTOR. To fully and best benefit from it, you need to know a few simple and not so basic things. How to gear up your character – at which level to visit the vendors for upgrades, which classes fair better if you want a speed leveling or rather slow and careful playthrough. Who is best suited. How much is this event beneficial for new players and what are the possibilities of it being helpful or harmful to the personal experience with the game. Having gone through the first 12x XP Class Boost event in late 2014 helps a lot to prepare for the upcoming Summer Leveling Madness. Watch and hear what Vulkk has to share. Hopefully, you will find the ideas, suggestions and tips useful. If you have something more to add, don’t hesitate to leave a…
How BioWare Built Enough Content to Fill The Old Republic
We know it’s not easy creating and operating a massively multiplayer online game like SWTOR. That said, it can be equally as difficult to keep it filled with enough content on a regular basis so that players do not get bored. Have you ever wondered how BioWare built enough content to fill The Old Republic and how they continue to give us great content again and again. Some of you might remember back in 2011 when BioWare designer Georg Zoeller did a talk at GDC Online about Star Wars: The Old Republic and explained how spatial analysis can be used to support a rapid content iteration process during the late stages of MMO development. For those of you who heard the talk, he goes on to explain how BioWare’s homegrown ‘HoloProjector’ spatial visualization toolkit was used in the day to day development of the game. It also helped the BioWare devs with decision making, content validation and…
SWTOR Basics – F2P vs Preferred vs Subscriber vs Expansion Purchase Explained in Details
This video will explain to you the most important differences in the different models for SWTOR. What the limitations of F2p are, how you change form one mode to another. What is included in Subscription, in Expansions, deals and bundles. How referral links work, what do players win when using it. And much more.
SWTOR Celebration Cantina Live Stream Recap and Overview (Star Wars Celebration 2015)
This Saturday a special Panel aired live for ~52 minutes on Twitch. Bioware live streamed the SWTOR Community Cantina event from Celebration Anaheim 2015.The video linked below is Vulkk’s recap of the SWTOR Community Cantina Event from Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2015. Did Bioware drop the ball with lack of new information or we got the awesome news we were dreaming for? Alongside the event notes, you will hear also his personal opinion and overview of the event.
Star Wars Lore – THE RAKATA (Part 2)
Greetings Star Wars lore junkies. I’m Vulkk and working on this video took me insane amount of time and effort. I am glad it is finished finally. If you enjoy it, that will be my biggest reward. Part 2 of the RAKATA History and Lore will tell us about their First encounter with the Je’daii, explain the reasons for the Empire’s Collapse and what happened to the Remnants of the once mighty Infinite Empire. The Rakata (also known as the Builders) were a technologically advanced race that developed early in galactic history, even developing some early hyperdrive technology. Long term use of the dark side of the Force corrupted their society and turned them into a race of merciless warriors. The Rakata used their potent Force-powered technologies to conquer and enslave every other species they came across throughout their known galaxy. During the reign of theirInfinite Empire, they were characterized by…
New member of the Austin Community team: Nick Avola
Meet the newest member of the Bioware Austin Community team Nick Avola. He’s Holding a Thermal Detonator! Hey all! I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as the newest member of the Bioware Austin Community team. My name is Nick Avola, and I have the daunting (yet exciting) task of playing third fiddle on a team directly involved in all areas of our games from player feedback, to design considerations, to promotions, to communications, you name it. Much of my time will be spent scouring the forums, blogisphere, and social media platforms to track community sentiment on a day-to-day basis. Ill be consolidating your comments and concerns into detailed reports, which will be disseminated regularly amongst the Community, Development, Leadership, and other key teams here at BioWare Austin. The sooner your feedback reaches the eyes and ears of senior staffers, the more accurately and effectively we can respond…
SWTOR Basics – How to Install PTS and Copy Your Character
Installing PTS is usually a very simple tutorial, but it would take you hours. Depending on your internet connection and the BW servers’ condition, it will take you between a couple hours to many, many hours. The live game is ~25GB, the Game with PTS is ~52GB. If you have the game already installed, you can add PTS on top of it. At this moment it is not possible (possible, but not easy or recommended) to install PTS on a separate Drive or Partition. To install and access PTS, follow these steps (or check the video linked below): 1. Download the game client from swtor.com and install it 2. Log in to the client and install the Live game 3. From the button in the bottom left corner open the settings window and make PTS available 4. Wait for the client to download and install PTS 5. Every time when you open…
What’s Happening to the Women of BioWare Austin?
In the past month, we have seen an exodus of SWTOR staff from Bioware Austin, much like one we saw a couple years back. Of these were Courtney Woods from the community team and Hillary “Pokket” Nicole, the Community Coordinator. While specifics were not released, we are given the impression their contracts just ended and Bioware was not interested in renewing them. As a female gamer and someone who has worked within the industry for a number of years, it’s great to see other females taking a leadership role so I am sad to see them go. That said, it has many asking the question “Are there any females left out there at Bioware Austin?” and of course, there are. It would seem that SWTOR is getting rid of their community team once again (remember when this happened last time?) and the fact that Courtney and Hillary are female was…
Veteran BioWare Writer Moves to Secret New Project
Mr. David Gaider, veteran KOTOR writer, has announced he is making a major change. A few days ago, he announced on Twitter that he is leaving Dragon Age and the team so that he can work on a secret game from BioWare. While it’s hard to leave Dragon Age behind, 10 years is a long time to work on any one project. I decided it was time for something new. — David Gaider (@davidgaider) March 3, 2015 Mr. Gaider worked on many different BioWare games including, Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars the old Repubublic. He also worked on Dragoan age Origins, Dragon Age II, and Dragon Age: Inquisition , as well as older games like Neverwinter Nights. Because he stated that he cannot discuss the new game this suggests to us that it’s an unannounced title. BioWare is currently working on a new IP and this could a project…
BioWare Co-Founder Greg Zeschuk Gets Back Into Games
After Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founder, retired from BioWare in 2012, he made a web series based on beer called The Beer Diaries. He has now decided to get back into the gaming world, but the return may not be what everyone was expecting. GamesIndustry International reported that Zeschuk has joined the Vancouver based Biba Ventures. This startup is working on making mobile augmented reality apps that will work with playground equipment. Biba announced their deal with a playground equipment company, PlayPower, and they are to construct a collection of Biba supported playgrounds. Mr. Zeschuk will be serving as chairman for Biba. “Biba’s mobile games designed for outdoor play are just a breath of fresh air,” Zeschuk said. “PlayPower and Biba are creating a new category, an inventive way to blend our new media habits with the health benefits and joy of active outdoor play. I am inspired by the category…
SWTOR 3.1 Flashpoint GUIDE: COMMANDER MOKAN – HM Battle of Rishi Bonus Boss
This is Vulkk’s Video Guide on the Bonus Boss in Battel of Rishi Hard Mode Flashpoint. In this relatively short fight we have quite a few mechanics, which are all simple, yet very deadly if not performed 100% correctly. Commander Mokan is one of the best boss encounters inside a Flashpoint Bioware have designed since the first and original version of Lost Island in early 2012. If you have different tactics or suggestions for players, who have not yet done this, share them in the comments below. The boss is not something unseen, but is a fresh and interesting encounter compared to all the other tank and spank opponents. It can be done in many different class combinations and is one of the few very well designed and balanced fights. It may not have an awesome 100% loot drop, but is worth doing just for the achievement and the good feeling…
SWTOR Producer’s Road Map 2015
SWTOR’s Senior Producer Bruce Maclean has released the teams Producer’s Road Map for 2015. If you ahve been following our blog, there ain’t much new info, as most of this stuff, as it is basically just a write down of the letter that was read at the last Cantina Event with no new details or teasers. Most of the community that is concerned about future content probably already knew all this but I guess this makes it “official”… Producer’s Road Map 2015 Hi everyone! For many, the start of the year is a time for setting goals and planning for the future. This is something we have been focused on here at BioWare Austin. 2014 was an amazing year for the team. We delivered two expansions, an overhaul to the class system, and regular story updates through Flashpoints. I’m proud of what the team has accomplished, and we would not…
SWTOR: Patch 3.1.1 Jedi Sentinel and Sith Marauder Changes Analytical Video Preview
In this video Vulkk introduces the upcoming changes for Jedi Sentinel and Sith Marauder with Patch 3.1.1, which was recently released on PTS. He shares his opinion and analysis on the impact of these changes. There is a new Utility added and one was removed, a couple abilities were altered. Whether this fix is good for the class and in what situations will Sentinels and Marauders feel stronger and more viable? If you are interested to hear Vulkk’s opinion, the video is attached down below. Don’t forget toshare your own expectations! Quick reminder of the Sentinel / Marauder patch notes for 3.1.1: Sentinel Just Pursuit has been redesigned: Leg Slash immobilizes the target for 3 seconds. This immobilizing effect cannot be applied to the same target more than once every 10 seconds. Removed the Stagger Skillful Utility. New Skillful Utility: Reining Reach. Reining Reach increases the range of Leg Slash to 10 meters and…
SWTOR: Complete KEYBINDING Guide and UI Tips
Keyboard keybinding is very personal and every player should edit and adjust their abilities to their own taste. With that said, in the linked video Vulkk shows us his personal bindings for both keyboard and mouse as well as various tips, tricks and reasons why certain skills should be located in certain spots and what is the logic behind each and every bound ability. The video examples the Jedi Sentinel keybinds, but the guide is made to be valid for all advanced classes. The ideal system is when all keybinds are the same or very similar for all of our alts, which makes remembering key press combinations a lot easier and saves us time.
The Five People You Meet In A Bioware Game
BioWare is known for their huge open-world games with to-die-for graphics, unique characters, and long stories. The bottom line is that you go on missions, long journeys, boss fights, and then you are able to return to your spaceship, castle, or camp to talk to your recruits and friends you made along the way. Keeping this in mind, here are the top five characters that best stand for what BioWare is and shows off their games the best. Bastila Bastila is a beautiful Jedi that and she makes video game relationships seem quite real, plucking your emotional heartstrings along the way. She is the perfect example of how video games can make you feel like you’re actually falling in love. I’m not here to state that Bastila was a particularly unique character. She was, and is, some moonlit, sultry-toned lady Jedi existing solely to pluck the heartstrings of young men slowly…