Jedi News has an interesting survey up right now about Star Wars: The Old Republic. It has some very simple questions and won’t take up a lot of your time. Best of all, you don’t have to do any pre-registering or jumping through hoops in order to participate. It’s fast, it’s simple and it’s easy to have your say about SWTOR. They even give you a space to fill in your reasons for why you answered a certain way. Questions include: How likely is it that you would recommend STAR WARS: The Old Republic to a friend or family member who likes those types of games? How likely are you to discourage others from playing STAR WARS: The Old Republic? Some questions about what games you’ve played recently. Just check them off. It’s that easy! We love SWTOR and we encourage you to go over and tell them what you…
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SWTOR Players- What Keeps You Coming Back?
SWTOR has been out for awhile now and like many games today, it has had its changes since the early days. Not only has the payment model changed from subs to free-to-play, there have been many content updates and expansions and even graphical changes to keep the game fresh and new. But, as with any game that has been out awhile, some people get tired of it. It is not usual at all to find fans who quit for periods of time (months, even) and then return. So this brings up the question: what keeps you coming back? As most of us who have been gaming for a long time know, even an excellent game can get tiring or boring. Even if we love it and we play it every day, we are not immune to burn out. Some players realize that it helps to plan ahead for game fatigue…
When Game Bugs become Permanent Features
It’s happened before… a bug exists in a game and people like it so much, it becomes an intended feature. Such is not always the case with SWTOR. Remember way back when you could message someone on their main and when they logged an alt, continued messages would go to their alts? A lot of people loved the feature but others worried it never allowed you to “hide” when playing the game. Bioware later removed it, stating it was a bug but many players wished they would bring it back with a toggle feature so if you didn’t want it, it wasn’t forced on you but those who liked it could use it. Another bug discovered just a couple weeks ago that was popular was the character select screen bug. In this bug, it allowed a different view from the character select screen- one that showed the character from about…
SWTOR Easter Egg? The secret of kolto
The Fanatical Swordsman has found something really cool that we had to share with you as well. It’s a really great SWTOR Easter Egg. From the author of the post: Recently, I saw a screenshot from the new Manaan content in the SWTOR patch coming up (thanks to Baffle on Twitter). If you’re still unsure of what you’re looking at, it’s lucky for us he is a chemist because he was able to realize: Kolto is caffeine! Ok gaming nerds, how awesome is that? Tell us, have you seen this before? Know of any other great Easter Eggs?
What’s New for Returning Players?
We like to do one of these posts every so often because we know many players come back to the game after not playing SWTOR for some time. Some even come back after not playing since beta or early launch and we all know the game has changed considerably since then. So if you’re a returning player, or thinking about returning once again to SWTOR, let’s take a look at a few things that might be new or different since the last time you played.
World First Nightmare Dread Palace Speed Run
<Zorz> Claims another world first! This is a really cool story about the first ever Nightmare Dread Palace speed run. Check out the image for proof and the stream/video is also available if you want to see exactly how they did it. If you or your guild is interested in the fights or in progressing yourself, you really should watch their videos. They are organized and have the technique down well enough to be able to pull of record-breaking feats like this. There’s definitely something for all to learn from them. That being said, they also had invested time on the PTS, seeing and practicing a lot of the content long before others ever got around to seeing it so that’s a clear advantage as well. So who is Zorz, anyway? From their website: Who Are We We are a group of like-minded players on The Harbinger who strive to play…
Drew Karpyshyn’s Revan as a Fan Film – Kickstarter Campaign
Project Revan is the combined efforts of a group of serious and talented young adults, creating the (unofficial) Star Wars independent film based off the book, Star Wars – The Old Republic: Revan by Drew Karpyshyn.
We have a really exciting Kickstarter campaign to share with you. Project Revan is a fan film based on the science fiction novel, Star Wars: The Old Republic – Revan by Drew Karpyshyn. This is produced by diehard fans of Revan. It’s a live adaptation and you can help make it happen and even be a part of it if you wish to donate to their campaign. You can see videos and full details on the campaign itself of the project and also how you can be involved.
Game Developers Conference 2013: James Ohlen talks about SWToR’s woes during launch
Bioware’s creative director James Ohlen recently spoke at the Game Developer’s Convention about SWToR’s launch and provided a plethora of details about the game’s launch. Among other things, he mentioned that Bioware significantly underestimated how quickly players can burn through content and found itself in a difficult spot. The development team originally expected that story lines would keep gamers engaged for at least five months – an expectation that as we all know didn’t prove to be true. Bioware’s creative director James Ohlen During launch, subscribers spent an average of 40 hours per week playing SWToR, while in some cases they would reach 80-120 hours on average per week. These extended gaming sessions lead to having close to half a million players at endgame content within a month’s period since launch.
Electronic Arts launches new cross-game pet promotion!
In an effort to draw more attention to other Free-to-play (F2P) titles, Electronic Arts (EA) recently started a new cross-game pet promotion for Star Wars The Old Republic (SWToR). EA’s catalogue of free games is quite extensive and using a popular game like SWToR certainly makes sense. To get these pets, all you need to do is register with the games listed below by April 1st and you will receive an in-game pet. The mini-droid pet you get for Battlefield It’s worth noting that this listing is incomplete since only the following games have been confirmed. This doesn’t mean that other EA F2P titles aren’t eligible. (In parenthesis is the name of the pet) Command & Conquer Tiberium Alliances (2C-TA Commander) Battlefield Heroes (J9-BH Mercenary) Battlefield Play4Free (BF-4F Warrior) Need for Speed World (N4-SW Runner) Lord of Ultima (LU-20 Builder) Does this mean that SWToR’s conversion to F2P is yielding the expected for EA results? If…
TOR TV: Tribute to the relaxed Jumpsuit!
Another SWToR-based fan video has surfaced recently that specifically highlights one the newly-released Cartel Market items – the relaxed jumpsuit. The 2 1/2 minute video was made by Youtube user ResidentPenguin and showcases some of the latest cartel market items in addition to the before-mentioned item. The whole recording ties in perfectly with the selected soundtrack and really puts the relaxed jumpsuit in a new spotlight!
Attack of the guild: Recruiting and Drama
One of the most rewarding experiences of running a guild deals with recruiting new members. It gives you the opportunity to capture the pulse of the SWToR community by talking to other players who just happened to see your recruiting message in general chat, explore what they’re looking for, and see how their requirements change over the course of time. Most chat sessions tend to be typical, others interesting while others thought provoking. Before server mergers occurred, new players were scarce and you would always come across people who found their way in the server (Axial Park in Alpha Strike Force’s case) either by mistake or because they left their guild. After the server mergers, every new recruit was essentially a refugee from another server or a returning player who just happened to hear that things were getting better in SWToR and decided to give the game another shot. (As…
Stat Scaling for 2.0- Are Your Stats Lower on the PTS?
If you’ve logged into the PTS recently, you probably have already seen that the scaling is different from what is live in the game. Stats are usually around 50-70% of the character sheet value in live. Everyone on the PTS was aware that BioWare would be changing the scaling formula but we didn’t know exactly what that would be. Now with 2.0, you can tell what these changes are going to look like. One user on the forum has taken the time to work from the old formula and try to build new co-efficients that will govern the stat scaling (yes, lots of math involved but it’s really interesting.) Here are some of his breakdowns: Defensive Defense Rating – Now scales roughly 118% slower Shield Rating – Now scales roughly 50% slower Absorb Rating – Now scales roughly 127% slower Armor – Now scales 2.5% slower, but remains on a linear progression HP – Buffed…
SWTOR Game Titles and How to Get Them for Yourself
Don’t forget to check out constantly growing list of guides for Star Wars: The old republic Do you like to collect titles in the game like some people collect achievements? Do you want to have many titles to choose from as you wish? Are you going after a specific SWTOR title? Whichever sounds like you, this guide will help you. Here we are going to cover all the SWTOR titles and how you get them. Flashpoint Titles You can earn six different Flashpoint titles throughout the game. Below is a list of each of the Flashpoints where you can earn a title, along with what you need to do to get each one. Black Talon Flashpoint- You’ll earn the title “The Stalwart” if you spare the life of the captain but if you choose to execute the captain, you’ll earn the title “The Merciless”. Directive 7 Flashpoint- When you complete this…
Sith Academy Pyramid Translated
If you’ve played Sith in SWTOR, there’s a good chance that like me, you wondered what that giant pyramid in the Sith Academy on Korriban says. It’s written in Aurebesh and says: Fear Fear Attracts The Strong The Weak The Innocent The Corrupt Fear is my Ally Fear is Power Credit for the original translation goes to OmniMalev but if you ever want to figure things things out for yourself, there are some great tools to help you do so. First, here is a chart showing the Aurebesh alphabet: And you can find a really cool tool that lets you translate English to Aurebesh at Aurebesh SWTOR Tools. Unless, of course, you already know all the letters by heart!
The Problem with Gamers Today – An Entitled Generation
I have been gaming since I was old enough to pick up a controller. I was a child of the 80s- the Nintendo generation- but once I got my first computer and discovered PC games, I knew that would be my favorite platform. We own one of every console but I still play PC games with the most frequency. One thing that has changed a great deal about video games today is the sheer volume of options we have. There is a game for everyone and everything. Another thing that has changed in the gaming community is the overall attitude of many gamers. We have become an entitled generation of video gamers. Of course, this does not apply to everyone but I use “we” in the collective sense. Gamers today are selfish and impatient. They want what they want and they don’t want to wait for it. Many successful games…
Fox News Strikes! SWTOR Segregates Gay Characters to Gay Planet
Many on both sides of the fence are displeased with how BioWare has handled the issue of same-gender romance in the game but Fox News had something to say about it yesterday in their article, ‘Star Wars’ game segregates gay characters on gay planet. Depending on who you ask, Fox News is either an excellence source for news and updates on all issues and current affairs, or a debacle of news station putting out biased and botched stories disguised as “news””. We’ll let you make the decision for yourself but either way, it’s good to see the topic getting some media attention. SGR in SWTOR has been heavily debated since before the game even launched and BioWare has always taken a positive stance on the issue, despite the complaints from some fans. BioWare’s Jeff Hickman, executive producer of ‘Star Wars: The Old Republic’ has said more than once, “Allowing same-gender romance…
SWTOR Augment Slot Guide
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…
Best SWTOR Tools for Raiding/Flashpoints
In a game like Star Wars: The Old Republic, gearscore and pure DPS numbers are very important. You should not use them to select or reject certain players but they can help you see who in your group needs help. This makes it possible for your team to work together to become stronger and there are several great character building SWTOR’s tools available to help. Here are three of your best options along with a little information explaining how they can help your group improve. Memories of Xendor Memories of Xendor or MOX is one of the best Imperial progression guild available today for real-time parsing. It’s great for players that only use one monitor because this parser allows you to see pop outs of your personal meters and of the raid group. Even if you run on full screen, you can still see them because these pop-outs are set…
Celebrating 4 Years of SWTOR Strategies
The big day is here again and we’re breaking out the confetti and party balloons and sharing some virtual cake with all of you- our loyal readers! SWTOR Strategies is celebrating 4 years on the Net today. Last year on this date, we were still looking at about 2 months for the launch of SWTOR. It’s amazing how far things have come in just one short year. Not only did the game launch with a bang, but we’re seen some very rocky roads since then. In the past 10 months, players have loved and hated SWTOR and now with the 1 year anniversary of launch on the way, the game is looking to go to a new free-to-play model which many fans are very excited about. This new F2P option may bring back a lot of players who left the game as well as draw in new players who weren’t…
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…
EverQuest Next’s Design Scrapped: SOE cites SWTOR, Rift, The Secret World as Reason
Sony Online Entertainment’s EverQuest Next was billed as “the largest sandbox MMO ever designed“ but sadly, it will never be seen by gamers- at least not in the way we first thought. SOE has now decided to scrap the original design for the 3rd installment of EverQuest. As a long time EQ fan, I was interested in hearing more about the reasons for this and how the game design would move forward. Massively talks to John Smedley about it: Massively: Let’s start with EQ Next. When did you make the call to scrap everything? What was it that made you choose to do so? John Smedley: A year and a half ago, we made that decision. I didn’t get to cover this in the keynote, so I should mention it here. The engine and underlying technology has not changed. A lot of the guts and infrastructure are staying the same. What we’re…
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…
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…
SWTOR Game Update 1.4 is Coming!
The time is almost here. Everyone has been waiting and waiting for SWTOR game update 1.4. Now the time is nearly here. The servers are going to be down for around six hours but the good news is there will be something great coming after those hours have passed. This means 1.4 is finally coming and with such a big update, it’s going to take a few hours to get the content loaded and ready to go. And of course, expect that you will see some bugs and problems from the first day or so that the new content is up. But let’s see more than BioWare has to say about it and the downtime. BioWare has this update to offer tonight: Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for six hours on Wednesday, September 26th, 2012 from 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM…