tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78165010270343099872024-03-05T21:24:58.582+00:00Moon Over EndorA blog dedicated to BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO.Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.comBlogger428125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-7764146748512205322012-07-31T22:41:00.001+01:002012-07-31T22:42:22.654+01:00Free-To-Play<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/free" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="187" width="200" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/coruscant/free/sshot_nihilis_helm_closeup.jpg"></a></div>
I know, it's been nearly two months since my last post. That's because I stopped playing SWTOR about two months ago (and have been working on a new, not game-specific, blog). But this news was too big to pass up...
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Star Wars: The Old Republic is going free-to-play this fall.
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Yes, that's <em>this</em> fall... I think that's way sooner than anyone expected. Read on after the break for the official press release and more details.
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<br></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/07/free-to-play.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-36176103425210900802012-06-15T16:02:00.000+01:002012-06-15T16:02:32.139+01:00E3 2012 RetrospectiveI wasn't at E3. But I was able to follow the entire thing last week from the comfort of my home (and later in the week, the comfort of my workplace) through the various live streams and the glut of articles released over the course of the week. And I thought that I'd give my thoughts on the press conferences and the games (or at least a number of them) on show.
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<img border="0" height="360" width="480" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em" src="http://www.legitreviews.com/images/reviews/1944/E3_2012_2.jpg">
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As such this post isn't about SWTOR, it's mostly not even about MMOs. It's just about what one of the biggest events for gaming had on display this year. And my wholly personal take on things.
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I'll split this into two parts. The first looking at the five main press conferences and the second part looking at a number of the games. Catch it all after the break.
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</p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/06/e3-2012-retrospective.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-59600068649914030442012-06-12T15:50:00.002+01:002012-06-12T15:50:54.852+01:001.2.7 Patch NotesHere are the latest patch notes (1.2.7, as well as 1.2.6 and a few minor inbetween ones):
<p>
<br>
<h1><a href="http://www.swtor.com/patchnotes/1.2.7/6122012">1.2.7 Patch Notes</a></h1>
<span class="date">6/12/2012</span>
<h2>General</h2>
<ul>
<li>When a player is required to rename multiple characters, it is now clear which character the rename prompt refers to.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Crew Skills</h2>
<ul>
<h4>Gathering Skills </h4>
<ul>
<li>Corrected an issue that could prevent players from gathering from some resource nodes that appeared to be lootable.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<h2>Flashpoints and Operations</h2>
<ul>
<h4>General</h4>
<ul>
<li>Addressed an issue that prevented some encounter effects (such as fire or other damaging area abilities) from displaying correctly for some players.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/06/127-patch-notes.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-31142582279750410722012-06-12T15:43:00.000+01:002012-06-12T16:01:53.195+01:00SWTOR's E3 2012Last week was E3 again, and SWTOR was there as well. During EA's press conference on Monday Dr. Ray Muzyka <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvRwNzI_Bso">stepped on stage</a> to talk about The Old Republic:
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<center><iframe width="480" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/lvRwNzI_Bso?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
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BioWare also posted the video Dr. Muzyka shows at the end there <a href="http://www.swtor.com/info/news/news-article/20120604">on the official website</a>:
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<blockquote><h4>Preview Exciting New Reveals from E3!</h4>
<p>Throughout E3, journalists will be able to take a sneak peek at some of the exciting content that is coming to <em>Star Wars</em>™: The Old Republic™ in the next year. This includes new Space Content, an increased level cap, the upcoming Operation: <em>Terror From Beyond</em>, which takes players to the Gree-controlled world of Asation to battle against an army of unseen horrors, and more!</p>
<p>But our biggest reveal is the announcement of Makeb, a brand new planet never-before seen in the <em>Star Wars</em>™ universe! A fully-realized world for you and your friends to explore, Makeb will also introduce an all-new storyline. The Hutt Cartel, tired of being ignored by the great powers of the galaxy, has taken Makeb in an attempt to acquire an unmatched power which can bring both the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire to their knees. It will be up to you and your allies to face off against the Hutt Cartel, breaking their hold on this once tranquil world and end their bid for galactic domination.</p>
<p>Preview Makeb and see a small sampling of the other content coming up, in this new gameplay preview!</p>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/info/media/trailers/preview-exciting-new-reveals-e3" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="253" width="450" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/vc/20120604_se312/e3_2012_854x480.jpg"></a></blockquote>
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One thing you might notice when watching the two videos is that the second one, the one on the official site, <em>doesn't</em> include the "New Playable Species: Cathar" bit. I'm not sure why they left that out, but it's not there and it definitely is in the first one.
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For the rest it's a new Flashpoint, a new Warzone, a new space mission, etc. The biggest surprise in the whole thing was that they're planning to raise the level cap before the year is out, extending the class stories onto a new planet from what I understand. Dr. Muzyka also announced that The Old Republic will be free-to-play for the first fifteen levels come July (which is pretty much the same as all the free weekends and friend trials that they've had, just without limit).
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To be honest I found the whole thing, SWTOR's entire E3 presence, to be decidedly disappointing. Perhaps that is because I was hoping for a big announcement, like the development of an expansion or such and nothing of what they announced really fit the bill. In fact everything was altogether very expected. I would even say that it sounded somewhat minimal in the way that they represented it as "one of everything".
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True, the raised level cap was a surprise... but I'm not actually sure that's a good thing. One of the biggest challenges for TOR right now is giving people enough to <em>do</em>. By raising the level cap, even if it's just by five levels (as I suspect), you're basically invalidating all of the current endgame content (just remember how trivial level 45 content is for your level 50 character). To keep all of that relevant they have to do a lot of extra work. Work which, I think, would be better spent on either making more current endgame content, or by making more of the existing content viable for a maxed out character (like downscaling characters going back to lower zones and such; lesson learned from GW2). Sure I want to continue my class stories and adding more for that is good, but I think that they can do this without raising the level cap.
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Anyway, after the break more details about changes coming in Game Update 1.3, details on character transfers, the Community Q&A from last Friday, a bunch of links from E3, and the developer quotes.
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</p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/06/swtors-e3-2012.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-85046833255432939422012-06-04T13:55:00.001+01:002012-06-04T13:55:48.955+01:00Community Q&A: June 1st, 2012E3 is about to kick off today with the big press conferences by Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft and Sony. I've got no idea if The Old Republic is going to have any announcements (though it wouldn't surprise me if they started talk of an expansion). We know that they'll be at E3, but it might just be giving people some hands-on time with update 1.3 or such. Either way, I thought it best to put up the update before the craziness kicks off.
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Last Friday BioWare had another <a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-june-1st-2012">Community Q&A</a> focused around Game Update 1.3. Here's an excerpt:
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<blockquote><a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-june-1st-2012" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="115" width="200" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/cb/2012_thumbs/ilum_435x250.jpg"></a>
<p><strong>Dzeiger: With the changes to make social gear "adaptive" and augmentable and thus more desirable, are there any plans to revise the social points system? For example, making it per-Legacy rather than per-character, and/or expanding options for social point gathering at endgame that doesn't involve endless Esseles and Black Talon runs. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Daniel: </strong>Yes, the social point system will be getting a major revamp in the future and many of our systems will be going Legacy-wide, though whether social is one of them is still under discussion. In the meantime, Game Update 1.3 will bring social points to all Flashpoint and Operation boss kills, meaning far more social points just for being social and playing with friends.</p></blockquote>
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I've personally pretty much given up on getting any social points; I guess that I'm just not social. But even so this seems like I good change and I seriously hope that they make social points a Legacy-wide system.
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After the break a Community Team update, a few updates from various sites and a handful of developer quotes.
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</p></p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/06/community-q-june-1st-2012.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-49996002622148769042012-05-30T15:36:00.001+01:002012-05-30T15:36:52.702+01:001.2.5 Patch NotesHere are today's patch notes:
<p>
<br>
<h1><a href="http://www.swtor.com/patchnotes/1.2.5/5302012">1.2.5 Patch Notes</a></h1>
<span class="date">5/30/2012</span>
<h2>General</h2>
<ul>
<li> Optimizations have been implemented that decrease instances of crashing to desktop.</li>
<li>Any players required to change a character's name due to Customer Support request must now make all name changes before logging in with any characters on a server. </li>
</ul>
<h2>Classes and Combat</h2>
<ul>
<h4>General</h4>
<ul>
<li> "Heroic Moment" abilities no longer persist after players log out or transition areas.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<h2> Companion Characters </h2>
<ul>
<h4>General</h4>
<ul>
<li>Corrected an issue that could cause Companion Characters to appear without a head when wearing certain headgear.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/05/125-patch-notes.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-744495290348139582012-05-28T13:30:00.000+01:002012-05-28T13:30:28.243+01:00Community Q&A: May 25th, 2012Last Friday BioWare posted another <a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-may-25th-2012-%E2%80%93-special-edition-game-update-1.3">Community Q&A</a>, this time about Game Update 1.3. Here's an excerpt:
<p>
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-may-25th-2012-%E2%80%93-special-edition-game-update-1.3" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="115" width="200" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/cb/2012_thumbs/malgus_435x250.jpg"></a></div>
<p><strong>Mallorik: What is your philosophy on cross server LFG tools? Are we getting a same server tool just to hold us over while you work on cross server tech or is this just a test to see if a same server tool will do the job? </strong></p>
<p><strong>Daniel:</strong> Although we’re certainly willing to entertain the idea of cross-server LFG tools if the need arises, it’s a last resort for us. We firmly believe for cooperative play it is important to have a community and social responsibility that you simply can’t have with players appearing and disappearing from your reality. Instead we are pushing hard on servers that are massive compared to the ones we launched with. Early tests show we’ll be able to raise the peak concurrent user cap above what it was at launch. Combining that with server transfers to enable players to move to these new servers and fill them to the brim, we should see some fantastic, vibrant communities develop where Group Finder will always be able to find someone for your content. </p></blockquote>
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There has been some speculation on what exactly they mean with these super servers, but I think that regardless it's absolutely vital for the health of the game to ensure that the general server populations seem healthy again. Though I also fear that any talk of server merges will likely just add fuel to the fire of the perception that the game is 'dying', so they have to be careful. I'm betting the impression that they're going with the spin that they've increased the capacity of the servers and <em>that</em> is why they're merging. Though I think that the only way to really pull that off if by doing away with 'servers' altogether and just go for a single one (per territory). We'll see.
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The post also promised more detailed blog articles in the near future about Game Update 1.3, so looking forward to read those.
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After the break a new TOR novel and another interview. No developer quotes this time (since it has only been a few days since the previous post there haven't been much of any new developer posts to quote).
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</p></p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/05/community-q-may-25th-2012.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-80890582770760869622012-05-24T14:21:00.000+01:002012-05-24T14:21:45.019+01:00Coming in Game Update 1.3I've been out of the country the last number of days, so this update is a bit later than usual. The main thing to report is that BioWare released another "Coming Soon to Star Wars: The Old Republic" video, this one for the upcoming Game Update 1.3. Here is <a href="http://www.swtor.com/info/news/news-article/20120522">the official news</a>:
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<blockquote><p>See what the future holds for <em>Star Wars</em>™: The Old Republic™, as Game Director James Ohlen highlights some of the new game systems coming in Game Update 1.3, as well as some of the playable content that will be released in the coming months. In this ‘Coming Up’ video, you will learn about the new Group Finder and Character Transfer systems, as well as new Legacy Perks and other features that are coming in the next <a href="http://www.swtor.com/gameupdates">Game Update, <em>Allies</em></a>.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/info/media/trailers/coming-soon-star-wars-old-republic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="253" width="450" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/vc/20120524_cu212/coming_up_02_854x480.jpg"></a></div></blockquote>
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The group finder sounds good. Character transfer is good as well, though I wonder about the details of how it works (for example: do we have to pay real money for a character transfer). The Legacy Perks they've pretty much talked about since they started talking about the Legacy System; maybe they'll convince me to start paying any attention at all to the Legacy system. And I also quite like the adaptive gear even if pretty much all of the social gear is way out of my league since I've got hardly any social points. Either way, it sounds like it'll be a decent update.
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After the break some interviews, some bad news for BioWare and the developer quotes.
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</p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/05/coming-in-game-update-13.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-64838056530709854592012-05-15T13:53:00.000+01:002012-05-15T13:53:52.430+01:001.2.4 Patch NotesHere are today's patch notes.
<p>
<br>
<h1><a href="http://www.swtor.com/patchnotes/1.2.4/5152012">1.2.4 Patch Notes</a></h1>
<span class="date">5/15/2012</span>
<h2>Classes and Combat</h2>
<ul>
<h4>General</h4>
<ul>
<li>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.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Sith Inquisitor</h4>
<ul>
<h5>General</h5>
<ul>
<li>Lightsaber Charge's audio effects no longer loop indefinitely.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
</p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/05/124-patch-notes.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-39643597150756027302012-05-14T14:22:00.000+01:002012-05-14T14:22:39.069+01:00Community Q&A: May 11th, 2012Last Friday BioWare posted another <a href="Community Q&A: May 11th, 2012">Community Q&A</a>. Here's an excerpt:
<p>
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-may-11th-2012" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="115" width="200" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/cb/2012_thumbs/quinn_435x250.jpg"></a></div>
<p><strong>Freeborne: Alacrity as a stat seems to be encouraged in "Energy Based' classes (Troopers/Smugglers) through our talent trees. However, Alacrity seems to be a terrible secondary stat for us. The faster we use abilities, the faster we lose our energy - and the less energy we have, the less energy we regenerate. Are there any plans to review Alacrity, or at least its place in some class talent trees?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Austin:</strong> I agree. We're exploring ways of improving Alacrity that we hope to get working for a future Game Update. As much as I'd like to, I can't provide details on this plan yet. It's possible that we'll address passive Alacrity boosts in the skill trees, but those changes need to be solid and work for the long haul; it would be unacceptable to have a ‘temporary’ skill in place that we planned on removing at a later date.</p></blockquote>
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I'm not a min-maxer by any stretch of the imagination, but I've never been quite certain of the use of Alacrity. Then when I read a blog post somewhere making an argument that anything that lets you use your skills faster is basically a poor choice as it also burns through your energy faster that made a lot of sense to me. As such I've kind of been ignoring Alacrity in my characters even if it <em>sounds</em> like a cool thing, making you faster. So it's welcome to hear that they're looking at approaching that differently.
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After the break the developer quotes and a quick reply by EA on investors losing a bit of faith in The Old Republic.
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</p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/05/community-q-may-11th-2012.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-76241452434062017762012-05-09T13:43:00.001+01:002012-05-09T13:43:37.069+01:00TOR Official Podcast Episode 1BioWare released episode 1 of their official podcast, and no Jar Jar Binks in sight. Here is <a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/star-wars-old-republic-official-podcast-episode-i">the official news</a>:
<p>
<blockquote><p>Hello everyone! My name is Eric Musco and I, along with Brooks Guthrie are happy to bring you episode one of the official <em>Star Wars</em>™: The Old Republic™ podcast, “Rocket Boots”. You can listen by using the embedded player, by downloading and listening on your preferred MP3 player, or check it out on our <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMWLao5M8bA">YouTube channel</a>.</p>
<p>In this episode, we sit down with Daniel Erickson and Damion Schubert to talk about what we saw in Game Update 1.2 and what we can expect as we look forward to Game Update 1.3. Also, David Bass stops by to tell us about how things went at PAX East and share some of our convention plans for the rest of the year. If you have any questions or comments about the show, feel free to let us know in this forum thread.</p>
<p>Thanks for listening!</p>
<p align="center"><strong><a href="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/podcast/podacast_1-1/TOR_podcast_01.mp3">Download the MP3 of this podcast by right-clicking this link and saving.</a></strong></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/star-wars-old-republic-official-podcast-episode-i" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="253" width="450" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/cb/2012_thumbs/podcast_854x480.jpg"></a></div></blockquote>
<p>
It's a nice podcast, talking a bit about how update 1.2 came together with the UI customization and the legacy stuff. And What we can expect in update 1.3 (namely primarily the group finder but also changes to crafting like adding augment slots and being able to tank in social outfits). Worth a listen to. Besides, where else are you going to hear Mr. Daniel Erickson's radio voice?
<p>
After the break I'll embed the YouTube version and copy the full transcript.
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</p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/05/tor-official-podcast-episode-1.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-56522121492069140322012-05-08T14:29:00.000+01:002012-05-08T14:29:15.123+01:001.2.3 Patch NotesHere are today's patch notes:
<p>
<br>
<h1><a href="http://www.swtor.com/patchnotes/1.2.3/582012">1.2.3 Patch Notes</a></h1>
<span class="date">5/8/2012</span>
<h2>Classes and Combat</h2>
<ul>
<h4>General</h4>
<ul>
<li>Corrected an issue that prevented Smugglers and Imperial Agents from taking cover in place while moving</li>
<li>Channeled abilities now fully complete if a buff providing an Alacrity bonus wears off while the ability is being channeled.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<h2>Flashpoints and Operations</h2>
<ul>
<h4>Flashpoints</h4>
<ul>
<h5>Boarding Party</h5>
<ul>
<li>This Flashpoint's Hard Mode no longer has a daily limitation.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/05/123-patch-notes.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-9147106184693386612012-05-08T14:19:00.000+01:002012-05-08T14:20:25.620+01:00Community Q&A: May 4th, 2012Here in the UK we just had a bank holiday weekend, which for me meant spending the day running around Quesh and Hoth with my Consular (instead of working on my brother's website like I was probably supposed to). But now that that has passed it's time for rounding up the updates for TOR.
<p>
There's a the (temporary) return of Fan Friday and there's BioWare taking action against fraudulent payments. There's also news on subscription numbers coming from EA's earnings call and the developer quotes. But all that is after the break, first let's take a look at the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-may-4th-2012">Community Q&A</a> BioWare posted last Friday; here's an excerpt:
<p>
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-may-4th-2012" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="115" width="200" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/cb/2012_thumbs/novare_coast_435x250.jpg"></a></div>
<p><strong>Lorroc: Are there any plans to introduce a mentoring system in SWTOR? In some other MMOs, this mentoring system lowers the stats and armor of high level characters and grays out abilities that they didn't have during lower levels so that they can help their lower level friends. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Damion:</strong> I'm a big fan of ‘down leveling,’ and I've been pushing to add something like this for a long, LONG time. Plus, you just can't ignore the master/apprentice relationship as being a core part of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Star Wars</span> experience. So yeah, this is coming -- someday. And, as always, it will have a couple of unique twists that I think people will enjoy.<strong> </strong></p></blockquote>
<p>
Ooh, I'm definitely a fan of 'down leveling' as well; anything to make it easier for people to play together despite level difference. And I'm curious what twists they'll add. I hope it includes participating in your low-level friend's quests instead of just tagging along as they do their quests). We'll see.
<p>
Read on after the break for all the other stuff I mentioned above.
<p>
</p></p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/05/here-in-uk-we-just-had-bank-holiday.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-51057347360562910272012-05-03T22:02:00.000+01:002012-05-03T22:02:17.876+01:00Guild Wars 2 Preview<p><em>Carefully the young woman makes her way into the cave. She is supposed to meet up with some friends to learn the fate of her long lost parents. But the lure of adventure is too strong and that cave-mouth beckons to be explored. Her past can wait a bit longer.</em></p>
<p><em>In the distance looms an imposing figure, a giant who clearly has made the cave his home. Careful not to draw his attention she works her way around him, trying to keep from stepping on any of the grubs scrawling across the floor. More used to being the center of attention than to slinking through the shadows her efforts are in vain and soon she notices him staring at her with a bemused smile. Thankfully for her he turns out to be friendly and he introduces himself as Gort. But no sooner had they exchanged pleasantries or in marches a band of ettins appearing set on violence. This looks like trouble...</em></p>
<center><a href="http://s153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/AyaneKimusume/Guild%20Wars%202/Beta/?action=view&current=Cathriana_Monestary01.jpg"><img src="http://i153.photobucket.com/albums/s225/AyaneKimusume/Guild%20Wars%202/Beta/Cathriana_Monestary01.jpg" border="0" alt="Monastery, Cathriana standing on the roof of a monastery." width="480"></a></center>
<p>Last weekend was the first public Guild Wars 2 beta. It wasn't open as such and it wasn't the first beta weekend the game had, but it was the first time that those who had pre-purchased the game could join. So it was the first time that people other than those selected by ArenaNet could experience the game in comfort. And with Guild Wars 2 being consistently one of the, if not <em>the</em>, most anticipated MMOs in development this was a big deal.</p>
<p>Having spent those two days experiencing the game myself I thought that it might be interesting to write up some of my experiences and views of the game.</p>
<p>This article wasn't that easy to write. You see, I've fallen a bit in love with Guild Wars 2. That makes it very hard to remain objective. And it makes it hard to shut up about it, leading to a <em>very</em> long article. Still, I tried. But the first draft not only turned out to be massively long (probably two or three times the length it is now), I also realized that what I was doing was explaining how the game worked much more than what I thought of it. Since my opinion is the whole point, and there are already plenty of places to learn how the game works, I decided to scrap most everything and start fresh, focusing on my opinions and experiences. The resulting article is <em>still</em> very long (I'm not one known for brevity anyway), but hopefully more easily digestible.</p>
<p>Read on after the break for my preview based on the beta weekend.</p>
<p> </p>
<a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/05/guild-wars-2-preview.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-12957589691440075222012-05-01T16:43:00.000+01:002012-05-01T16:43:09.200+01:001.2.2 Patch NotesHere are today's patch notes:
<p>
<br>
<h1><a href="http://www.swtor.com/patchnotes/1.2.2/512012">1.2.2 Patch Notes</a></h1>
<span class="date">5/1/2012</span>
<h2>Classes and Combat</h2>
<ul>
<h4>General</h4>
<ul>
<li>Corrected an issue that prevented damage shields (such as Force Armor) from re-applying properly when activated before the current damage shield expired has been addressed.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Trooper</h4>
<ul>
<h5>Commando</h5>
<ul>
<li>Plasma Cell now correctly deals its damage 3 times per application.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
</p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/05/122-patch-notes.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-79633539139423835932012-04-30T13:16:00.000+01:002012-04-30T13:16:39.176+01:00Community Q&A: April 27th, 2012Last Friday BioWare posted another <a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-april-27th-2012">Community Q&A</a>. Here are two of the questions and answers:
<p>
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-april-27th-2012" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="115" width="200" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/cb/2012_thumbs/bounty_flame_435x250.jpg"></a></div>
<p><strong>Arymono: When will character transfers be available for everybody?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Dallas Dickinson (Senior Producer, Live Services): </strong>We will be rolling out our Character Transfer Service in early summer. First we’ll have some targeted free transfers from/to specific servers, but that will be followed with a broader system where you can either take advantage of free promotional transfers to specific servers or paid transfers to the server of your choice. We know everyone has more questions about character transfer, and we’ll reveal more details closer to the launch date.</p>
<p><strong>DrakeAssaShin: What is being done to address low population servers?</strong> </p>
<p><strong>Dallas:</strong> The Character Transfer Service, as mentioned above, will be offering free transfers from/to specific servers. This should allow the most motivated players to get onto a higher population server.</p></blockquote>
<p>
I kind of wonder how that's going to work. If the free transfers are from unpopulated servers to populated servers then isn't that just going to make things worse for the unpopulated servers? And the other way around I can't see a lot of people taking them up on the offer. The only thing of use that I can see is offering people free transfers if their server is going to be merged into another server or such. But I'm sure BioWare knows what they're doing better than I do.
<p>
The Q&A also has some tantalizing hints of things to come in the future.
<p>
After the base The Old Republic expands, its player base shrinks (a little) and the developers keep chattering away on the official forums.
<p>
</p></p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/04/community-q-april-27th-2012.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-36794487408226001412012-04-25T13:31:00.000+01:002012-04-25T13:31:39.215+01:001.2.1 Patch NotesHere are yesterday's patch notes:
<p>
<br>
<h1><a href="http://www.swtor.com/patchnotes/1.2.1/4242012">1.2.1 Patch Notes</a></h1>
<span class="date">4/24/2012</span>
<h2>Classes and Combat</h2>
<ul>
<h4>Jedi Knight</h4>
<ul>
<h5>Sentinel</h5>
<ul>
<li>Zen (with Ataru Form) now correctly reduces the global cooldown of Cyclone Slash.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<h4>Smuggler</h4>
<ul>
<h5>General</h5>
<ul>
<li>Charged Burst's damage has been increased by approximately 5%.</li>
</ul>
<h5>Gunslinger</h5>
<ul>
<li>Damage for Aimed Shot, Speed Shot, and Quickdraw has been increased by approximately 5%.</li>
<h6>Sharpshooter</h6>
<ul>
<li>Trickshot's damage has been increased by approximately 5%.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul>
</ul></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/04/121-patch-notes.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-51477039573117709782012-04-24T14:25:00.000+01:002012-04-24T14:25:30.241+01:00Community Q&A: April 20th 2012The Rakghoul plague is pretty much over. I thought that it was a great event, a lot of fun (even if I ended up not having that much time for it... at least I got myself one of the red mini ghouls). Now it's back to business as usual in The Old Republic, and that includes another Community Q&A posted by BioWare last Friday. Here's an excerpt from <a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-april-20th-2012">the full Community Q&A</a>:
<p>
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-april-20th-2012" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="115" width="200" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/cb/2012_thumbs/trooper_tier2_435x250.jpg"></a></div>
<p><strong>Irouven: What is the idea behind the selection at the equipment vendor for planetary commendations? Sometimes you get boots, sometimes chest-armor, never a potential "full" outfit. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Damion:</strong> We don't want you to get all of the pieces of an armor set from any one source of gear. We want you to do multiple activities in the game to build out a full set of gear. This is a conscious decision on our part to encourage and reward playing multiple facets of the game. So you should do other things -- heroics, check the GTN, etc -- the full set of gear is out there.</p></blockquote>
<p>
I'm not entirely sure I like that. I think I'd prefer to get a full, different, set per gameplay activity. But I can understand why they did it like this. In the end I don't really care that much about gear, as look as my character looks nice.
<p>
After the break some more news, a few articles from across the web, and the developer quotes.
<p>
</p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/04/community-q-april-20th-2012.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-85806762851910465772012-04-18T13:20:00.002+01:002012-04-18T13:20:49.041+01:00The Old Republic Website UpdatedYesterday BioWare had a long maintenance period during which the official website was down. The reason? To relaunch the website with a new look. Here is <a href="http://www.swtor.com/info/news/news-article/20120417">the official news</a>:
<p>
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/info/news/news-article/20120417" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="122" width="220" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/na/web_refresh_220x122.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>We are excited to unveil the brand new <em>Star Wars</em>™: The Old Republic™ website! We’ve completely rebuilt the website from the ground-up, with the intention of providing you with the latest game updates in an easy to navigate way. In addition to all of the latest news and information that is released, we’re also going to give you much more information about in-game content. Right now, you can check out our updated <a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/flashpoints">Flashpoints</a> page on the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet">Holonet</a>, which includes information for each of the seventeen Flashpoints currently in the game. </p>
<p>In addition to information on every Flashpoint, we’ll also be adding much more to the new and improved Holonet. In the coming weeks this will include brand new biography pages for each and every one of your Companion Characters, as well as new pages dedicated to highlighting the many different <a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/operations">Operations</a> and PvP <a href="http://www.swtor.com/holonet/warzones">Warzones</a> that you can experience in the game.</p>
<p>But this is only the beginning. We’ll be continuing to update the website with an array of new features and functionality, such as Guild support, Skill Trees, Character Profiles, and so much more!</p>
<p>Continue to check out <a href="http://www.swtor.com">www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com</a> for the latest news and information about the game, and don’t forget to check out our new and improved <a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog">Community Blog</a> for the additional news, patch notes, and insight from the development team.</p></blockquote>
<p>
Having looked around a bit I must say that I like it a lot so far. It's nice and clean and not filled with Flash nonsense everywhere. Good job BioWare.Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-74218715701162979182012-04-16T14:22:00.000+01:002012-04-16T14:23:42.490+01:00Rakghoul Outbreak on Tatooine!It seems that BioWare started a live event. This first one takes place on Tatooine and involves an outpreak of the rakghoul plague. It seems new objects have appeared on the two (Republic and Imperial) Fleets as well as on Tatooine; interacting with these gives you a brief ingame cutscene like this one (thanks to <a href="http://www.darthhater.com/articles/swtor-news/20101-rakghoul-event-live-on-tatooine">Darth Hater</a>):
<p>
<center><iframe width="480" height="274" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vtisgcv4qis?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
<p>
See the other three videos further down (after the break). There are more, user-gathered, details on the event on <a href="http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=414863">the official forums</a>. Apparently participating in the event nets players rakghoul DNA which they can trade in for goodies.
<p>
From a roleplaying perspective I'm somewhat in a quandary... both of my characters (Sniper and Sage) would probably listen to the news broadcast and stay away from Tatooine. But that would mean that I'd miss out on the event. So I might just go "out of character" and have a look (tonight) anyway.
<p>
Next to the other three videos after the break there's also a few links and a few developer quotes.
<p>
</p></p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/04/rakghoul-outbreak-on-tatooine.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-7942349471326021892012-04-13T14:14:00.001+01:002012-04-13T14:14:27.470+01:00Welcome to Game Update 1.2 - LegacyYesterday BioWare release the much anticipated Game Update 1.2. And with it they added a bunch of updates to the site, including some surprises. To begin with Game Director James Ohlen put <a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/welcome-game-update-1.2-legacy">a welcome message</a> up on the Community Blog:
<p>
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em;"><img border="0" height="99" width="131" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/na/game_update_1-2_131x99.jpg"></div>
<p>Today we released our second major Game Update, Legacy. The scope of this update is much larger than our first update and is probably one of the largest free updates ever released for a MMORPG. We’ve talked a lot about how we are going to support our fans throughout 2012 with major updates to the game. We hope the Legacy update proves to you how serious we are about this. </p>
<p>This Game Update has something for everyone. A new Operation, Flashpoint and Warzone. New solo content on Corellia. The unveiling of our Legacy system. Interface customization, Guild banks, Galactic Trade improvements, etc. If you want an idea of just how big this update is, check out the patch notes. Over 18,000 words long! </p>
<p>The most important element of this update is the Legacy system. <em>Star Wars</em>™: The Old Republic™ has more unique story content than any other entertainment product in history. The Legacy system allows you to experience that story content in a different way. We will be continuing to support the Legacy system throughout the year, with major additions coming in our future updates. Including one that will make fans of the original <em>Knights of the Old Republic</em> very happy.</p>
<p>Our future updates are largely based off of feedback from you, our fans. We hear you when you ask for easier ways to group, a way to transfer characters to other servers and that you want more ways to engage in PVP. These things are coming - many of them in our third update. </p>
<p>However, we also want to surprise you with additions to the game that you weren’t expecting. While we managed to cover a lot of the biggest Star Wars fantasies with our initial release, we know we didn’t get them all. If you have a favorite moment from the <em>Star Wars</em>™ movies that you have yet to be able to experience in the game so far, be assured that we know about those as well. One day you will get to live out your Wedge Antilles, General Veers or Sebulba fantasies. </p>
<p>James Ohlen<br>
Game Director</p>
<p>Be sure to check out everything that’s new in Game Update 1.2 with the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/news/article">News Articles</a> and <a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog">Community Blog Posts</a> that we’ve published about it so far.</p>
<p><strong>News Articles</strong><br>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20120308">Coming in Game Update 1.2</a><br>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20120322">Developer Dispatch: The Legacy System</a> <br>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20120404">A Quick Look at UI Customization</a><br>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20120406">Warzone: Novare Coast</a></p>
<p><strong>Community Blogs</strong><br>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/your-saga-continues-story-game-update-1.2">Your Saga Continues: Story in Game Update 1.2</a><br>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/crew-skills-game-update-1.2">Crew Skills in Game Update 1.2</a><br>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/your-legacy-begins">Your Legacy Begins</a><br>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/pvp-game-update-1.2">PvP in Game Update 1.2</a><br>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-friday-march-30th-2012-game-update-1.2-special">Community Q&A: Friday March 30th, 2012: Game Update 1.2 Special</a><br>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-april-6th-2012-game-update-1.2-special">Community Q&A: Friday April 6th, 2012: Game Update 1.2 Special</a> <br>
<a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/update-ranked-warzones-game-update-1.2">Update on Ranked Warzones in Game Update 1.2</a></p></blockquote>
<p>
They also posted a new video for the new Operation, some disappointing news about ranked Warzones, and some good news for many subscribers. For all that read on after the break.
<p>
</p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/04/welcome-to-game-update-12-legacy.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-71897744086422936382012-04-12T13:34:00.000+01:002012-04-12T13:34:56.759+01:001.2 Patch Notes - LegacyHere are the patch notes for The Old Republic's biggest update yet: <a href="http://www.swtor.com/patchnotes/1.2.0/legacy">Game Update 1.2 - Legacy</a>. I've added a few additional (really minor) old 1.15 patch notes I hadn't reported yet as well. Sit back, this is going to be rather big...
<p>
<br>
<h1>Game Update 1.2 - Legacy</h1>
<span class="date">4/12/2012</span>
<p><i>The galaxy is in turmoil. War rages across countless worlds as Republic and Imperial forces struggle for control of critical resources. Amidst the chaos, threats emerge from all sides. The planet Denova, known for its extensive deposits of baradium ore, has been seized by a band of mercenaries and veteran Imperial defectors with mysterious motives. If they are not dislodged, the explosive arsenal they can create will give them the power to destroy any armed force – Republic or Imperial. On Corellia, a corrupt councilor attempts to maximize hypermatter profits by playing both sides of the conflict, and the crazed mastermind behind the Rakghoul outbreak, discovered on Ord Mantell, continues to threaten the lives of all sentient beings in the galaxy…</i></p>
<p>Game Update 1.2 – Legacy introduces exciting new content and features for all <i>Star Wars</i>™: The Old Republic™ players. Dig deeper into your personal Star Wars saga with the expanded Legacy system! Construct your family tree and unlock new rewards, abilities, and perks for all the characters in your Legacy as you advance your characters.</p>
<p>Visit the Black Hole area on Corellia to complete new level 50 daily missions, experience the finale of the Rakghoul outbreak storyline in the Lost Island Flashpoint, and get ready to challenge the mercenary warlord Kephess and his deadly allies for control of Denova's critical resources in the all-new Operation: Explosive Conflict. You'll also have the chance to face off against your foes or participate in a same-faction training mission in the all-new Novare Coast Warzone, a 3-point domination battle! </p>
<p>Game Update 1.2 brings even more new features to <i>Star Wars</i>: The Old Republic. UI Customization has been added to the game! Detach, move, resize, and arrange UI elements to suit your personal playstyle in the new Interface Editor. Guild Banks are also available – store and share resources with your guild! Additions and changes have been made to Crew Skills, classes, and more - read the full patch notes to discover all the changes!</p>
</p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/04/12-patch-notes-legacy.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-87054776070470674952012-04-11T16:43:00.000+01:002012-04-11T16:43:13.236+01:00Warzone: Novare CoastLast week BioWare posted a video for the new Warzone: Novare Coast. Here is <a href="http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20120406">the official news</a>:
<p>
<blockquote><p>We are excited to reveal <em>Novare Coast</em>, our latest Player-vs-Player Warzone featured in the upcoming <a href="http://www.swtor.com/gameupdates">Game Update 1.2 “Legacy”</a> for <em>Star Wars</em>™: The Old Republic™!</p>
<p>On the war-torn planet of Denova, opposing forces vie for control of Novare Coast, a strategically vital beachhead that leads to the open oceans of Denova. Whoever controls this coastline will have a decisive advantage in taking control of the planet. To secure the beach, sides battle for control of three mortar turrets which can be used to pound the enemy with artillery fire.</p>
<p>See the Warzone for yourself by checking out the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/warzone-novare-coast">latest video</a>.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/warzone-novare-coast" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="252" width="450" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/vc/20120406_nc49/novare_coast_535x300.jpg"></a></div></blockquote>
<p>
Since I'm not one for PvP there's really not much for me to say about the video.
<p>
After the break the Community Q&A, a number of links and the developer quotes.
<p>
</p></p></p></p><a href="http://moonendor.blogspot.com/2012/04/warzone-novare-coast.html#more">Read more »</a>Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-13720600983058331762012-04-10T21:17:00.002+01:002012-04-10T21:18:09.611+01:00Game Update 1.2 Coming ThursdayI've still got some backlog from last week to get through, but wanted to put up a quick post as BioWare announced that their big Game Update 1.2 is <a href="http://www.swtor.com/blog/scheduled-maintenance-game-update-1.2-april-12-2012">getting released <em>this</em> Thursday</a>:
<p>
<blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em;"><img border="0" height="99" width="131" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/cb/20111215_m23/maintenance_131x99.jpg" /></div>
<p>Hello everyone!</p>
<p>We will be bringing down servers for eight hours on April 12th, 2012 from 12:01AM CDT (April 11th, 10:01PM PDT/1:01AM EDT/6:01AM BST/7:01AM CEST/3:01PM AEST) until 8AM CDT (6AM PDT/9AM EDT/2PM BST/3PM CEST/11PM AEST) in order to deploy Game Update 1.2 - Legacy. All game servers will be offline during this period. SWTOR.com will be available. This maintenance is expected to take no more than eight hours, but could be extended.</p>
<p>Please note the timing on this maintenance period, which is beginning earlier than usual.</p>
<p>Game Update 1.2 – Legacy introduces new content and features for all <em>Star Wars™:</em> The Old Republic™ players. Earn new rewards and build your family tree with the expanded Legacy System, explore Lost Island, a new Flashpoint, challenge the new Operation: Explosive Conflict, and face off against your foes (or your allies) in Novare Coast, a new Warzone. You can also experience new daily missions on Corellia, customize your User Interface, create a new Guild Bank for your guild, and more! <u><a href="http://www.swtor.com/gameupdates">Learn more about Game Update 1.2 here</a></u>!</p>
<p>After this maintenance is over, restart the game launcher to patch to Game Update 1.2. This patch will be up to approximately 1Gb in size, depending on when you last updated the game.</p>
<h4>Scheduled Maintenance</h4>
<p><strong>Date:</strong> Thursday, April 12th, 2012 (See PDT timing below)</p>
<p><strong>Time:</strong> 12:01AM CDT (April 11th, 10:01PM PDT/1:01AM EDT/6:01AM BST/7:01AM CEST/3:01PM AEST) until 8AM CDT (6AM PDT/9AM EDT/2PM BST/3PM CEST/11PM AEST)</p>
<p>All game servers will be offline during this period. SWTOR.com will be available. This maintenance is expected to take no more than eight hours.</p>
<p>Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for <em>Star Wars™:</em> The Old Republic™.</p></blockquote>
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Last chance to get your white crystals and such.Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816501027034309987.post-38943828934240215182012-04-05T13:01:00.001+01:002012-04-05T13:01:40.198+01:00A Quick Look at UI CustomizationBioWare released a new video titled "<a href="http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20120404">A Quick Look at UI Customization</a>", looking at the new UI customization in Game Update 1.2:
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<blockquote><p>Game Update 1.2: <em>Legacy</em> for <em>Star Wars</em>™: The Old Republic™ introduces several new systems to the game, including the option for you to customize your User Interface. You’ll be able to alter the placement and size of each UI element to suit your own personal preference. </p>
<p>In this <a href="/media/trailers/quick-look-ui-customization">new video</a>, Lead Interface Artist Michael Voigt shows us how it all works.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/quick-look-ui-customization" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="252" width="450" src="http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/vc/20120403_uic37/ui_walkthrough_535x300.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>User Interface customization is just one of the new gameplay systems that will be coming to <em>Star Wars</em>: The Old Republic in Game Update 1.2. You can learn about another of Game Update 1.2’s features by watching our <a href="http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/developer-dispatch-legacy-system">Developer Dispatch</a> on the Legacy System, and you can see a preview all of the new content coming up in this Game Update by checking out the <a href="http://www.swtor.com/media/trailers/coming-game-update-1.2">New Features</a> video.</p></blockquote>
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My first thought on seeing it? "Wow, that actually looks really good". I honestly expected it to be limited to just being able to move some key elements around and maybe some scaling. But it's actually quite extensive. Best of all, in my opinion, is the ability to save layout and share them with others. It wouldn't surprise me if someone would set up a repository online for people to share their UI layouts. Though I think I'll stick to making the changes myself (probably just tweaking the current UI a bit here and there).
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I'm sure that it's not news to those already playing around with the system on the Test server, but as someone who hasn't seen it in action yet I must say that I'm impressed and looking forward to 1.2 going live so that I can play around with it.Ayanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13537754337752995833noreply@blogger.com1