With E3 right at the door (starting Monday) BioWare gave us an overview of what we can expect from The Old Republic during the expo. And on top of that they also talk about the Lost Suns comic to be released next week and revealed a new Advanced Classes page. Here's the official news on the latter:
Today we are excited to announce the launch of a newly redesigned Advanced Classes page. Advanced Classes give your hero access to unique skills and abilities that allow you to customize your character to your own unique play style. The new page allows you to explore each of the Advanced Classes in-depth and to check out the skill-sets that become available as you reach higher levels in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.
Check out the new Advanced Classes page and experiment with the ways you can develop your character, or if you’d like more perspective on the system, read the developer blog from Principal Lead Systems Designer Georg Zoeller.
The new page is quite neat, allowing you to select a class, then one of the class' advanced classes, then giving a preview of a few skills up to level 20.
There's much more though (and E3 hasn't even started yet). Read on after the break for information on the Lost Suns comic, a preview of E3 next week, some details on EA's new Origin online store, and the developer quotes from last week.
This week's Friday update gives us a number of "smuggler secrets", though I'm not sure if a Wookiee as one of the Smuggler's companion NPCs really counts as a secret. We also get the last issue of Blood of the Empire, wrapping up the storyline (but in such a way that it's bound to come back up again in various ways in the game itself). Here is the official news for the comic:
Blood of the Empire™ reaches its twelfth and final issue, and Teneb Kel must face the aftermath of his actions. Exal Kressh is defeated, but the Emperor and the Dark Council will have further plans for their servant. What fate is Teneb prepared to carve for himself? And what will he do about Maggot?
With Blood of the Empire finished it makes one wonder... how are they going to fill every other Friday now?
Maybe they'll fill it with more updates like the Smuggler update we got this week. With some details on the advanced classes for the Smuggler, information on the Twi'lek species that you can play as a Smuggler, details on the Smuggler's Wookiee companion (to make the Han Solo fantasy complete), details on the Smuggler's starship and even the Smuggler video (which was already released exclusively by Machinima last week) it's definitely some heavy-duty Smuggler information that they smuggled in. Here is the official news:
No two Smugglers are exactly alike, and you’ll be able to customize your character to fit your play style. You’ll face many choices in how your Smuggler develops as you explore the Old Republic galaxy. One of the most important decisions will be which Advanced Class to pursue—whether you want to become the fastest draw in the Outer Rim as a Gunslinger, or whether you prefer to specialize in some of the Smuggler’s more cunning tactics as a Scoundrel. Both paths have their own rewards and more choices within their various disciplines, but you’ll have to choose what style suits you best—or better yet, maybe you’ll want to try them both!
If you’re interested in playing something just a little more exotic than human, you might want create a Twi’lek Smuggler. Learn more about this species and get a closer look on the Twi’lek Inhabitants page.
No Smuggler would be complete without a Wookiee companion, so we’d like to introduce you to Bowdaar, the mighty Wookiee warrior. You can learn more about this known associate on the Smuggler page or by accessing Bowdaar’s biography.
A Wookiee’s not the only necessity. A Smuggler wouldn’t be able to do much smuggling without a personal starship. Check out the new Starship section of the HoloNet, and make sure to look at the Smuggler’s Corellian XS Stock Light Freighter. It’s the ship that can make the “Balmorra run” in just a handful of parsecs, and if you choose to play the Smuggler, it will be yours.
Finally, if you love the Smuggler as much as we do, we can guarantee you’ll enjoy the new Smuggler Class Gameplay Video. This video captures the spirit of how the Smuggler plays in the game, and if you look carefully, you might even see something you’ve never seen before.
Enjoy!
Finally, on a slightly different note, Massively reports that Hasbro is apparently making a line of The Old Republic action figures. As the article puts it: "To have action figures made meant that you had 'arrived' in Star Wars fame". Here's the full text:
If you're anything like the other billion Star Wars fans in the world, then you most likely harbor a deep-rooted affection for the action figures (NOT dolls!) that became synonymous with the film experience. Ever since Kenner started the toy line in 1977 (and Hasbro after that), kids and grownups alike have decorated their bedrooms, offices and private sanctuaries with hard plastic likenesses of Luke, Leia and Chewie.
Star Wars action figures have not been confined to just the movies; sets such as Evolutions, Clone Wars, and Shadows of the Empire have all received their own lines. To have action figures made meant that you had "arrived" in Star Wars fame, which is why The Old Republic fans should rejoice to know that their as-of-yet unreleased MMO will become immortalized in Hasbro's lineup.
TTH reports that Hasbro's Derryl DePriest confirmed TOR action figures are in the works for the 2012 roster. DePriest said on ForceCast.net, "We're going to have to work in some of those great characters." Just which TOR characters will be made into dolls, er, ACTION FIGURES is anyone's guess at the moment, but there are already several possibilities in the characters we know from the cinematic trailers and the Holonet.
I have to agree with that last line; it is indeed likely that they'll include characters such as Darth Malgus and Satele Shan. I'm also kind of expecting Hylo Visz (the Smuggler who broke through the Mandalorian blokade as per the Timeline) because she has such a distinct appearance. But we'll see.
Anyway, that's the entirety of today's post. She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid.
We get another planet from BioWare, and this time it is Corellia. But first there's another issue of the Blood of the Empire comic:
In the eleventh issue of Blood of the Empire™, Teneb Kel faces off against his enemy, Exal Kressh, for the final time. Two Sith apprentices, both aware of the secrets of the Emperor, now locked in battle in the tombs below the Sith Academy on Korriban--what will become of them? And who will choose the future of the galaxy?
As exciting as the comic is though, the main update this time is of course the new planet. Playing an important role int he Galactic Republic Corellia is the next planet to be revealed. Here is the official news:
Home to some of the Republic’s most influential leaders, the notoriously independent world of Corellia is of critical strategic significance. It’s been a symbol of personal and economic freedom since the Republic’s earliest days, and it’s become the center of all the Republic’s industry and enterprise. Despite long-standing evidence of corruption in Corellian government, the citizens have always been staunchly loyal to the Republic. Losing contact with the planet and receiving images of destruction has caused grave concern in the Senate for what may be happening on the ground in Corellia’s capital.
Access the HoloNet to learn more about Corellia. Check out this video to see the images of destruction that are causing so much concern. Also, don’t forget to visit the media section for never-before-seen screenshots, concept art, and wallpapers showing the scene from every angle.
I remember when playing the Star Wars Galaxies beta I spent pretty much all my time on Corellia (I think I made just one brief excursion to Naboo with another character at one point), working on my tailor skills and doing the simple missions. I remember some of the parties that we had there when beta started to run to a close. But though I loved it's rolling meadows and open landscape, by the time of release we got a bit bored of the planet and decided to spend the main game on other planets.
Even so, I'm happy to see Corellia make a return in The Old Republic. Though I must say that from the screenshots and videos the planet looks quite different than what I remember. Perhaps that is because in The Old republic things seem to focus on Coronet City where in SWG I preferred to spend more time out in the fields (I didn't much enjoy SWG's architecture). It will be quite interesting to see what stories and adventures are to be had on this planet, even if (or maybe because) I'm sure that it'll be quite different from my memories of the planet in SWG beta.
Also, don't forget the new wallpaper:
On a side note, the new person(s) doing the web updates for BioWare unfortunately don't seem to use full urls so while I'm doing my best to catch all of them when I copy-paste the news source html to the blog I apologize if I miss any, causing broken links. Maybe they will learn, but right now I must say that I think Sean did a better job.
Sean Dahlberg has recently left BioWare. We would like to thank Sean for doing a great job building the TOR Community and we wish him well in his future endeavors!
Best,
The Star Wars: The Old Republic Team
The message doesn't say why he left or anything which, particularly with such a short statement, always gives me the feeling that the parting wasn't amicable. Either way I wish Sean the very best and want to thank him for the wonderful job he's done in the community.
In more pleasant news, PAX was last weekend and since then a few more interviews have surfaced.
Once it was clear that Dan couldn’t talk too much about character creation just yet, we moved on to his role on the team: containing the massive winding monster that is the game’s script. We asked him how big the script was actually getting, or perhaps tome would be a better word. Dan said they’d recently hired a new writer and his “initiation” was to catch up to where they are with the story by reading a 1,000 page summary text. Yeah… that’s a lot of Star Wars fiction.
We asked Dan what exactly being the lead writer on such massive project is all about. There are so many lines of dialog, so many quests, so many classes to write for… not to mention all the different choices players have when it comes to each quest and the resulting paths opened with each choice. It’s plain to see that managing such a project would be a nightmare of continuity. That’s what Daniel Erickson is tasked with. He’s the task master when it comes to keeping it all together, and more than that finding a way to make each section of the game somehow interconnected and not feeling like just a bunch of pointless exercises in killing womp rats.
Massively: What can players expect from the endgame?
Blaine Christine: Let me preface it by saying that we know endgame content is very important for folks, so it is something we are definitely going to focus on. We have not released a lot of details yet, but what we have said is that we will indeed have raids. We haven't announced specifics around what will definitely be endgame content. Additionally, we have mentioned our player vs. player Warzones. We will have multiple Warzones. Those will mostly be higher-level content, where players participate in larger player vs. player battles, where they experience epic Star Wars ground combat on kind of a grand scale. Then beyond that, we expect -- because it's a BioWare game with BioWare storytelling and multiple branches through the stories -- part of our endgame is players playing through classes that they haven't played or replaying through certain classes to see how certain companion characters or certain branches can affect the outcome of that particular storyline. Additionally, we will have the auction house, crafting and harvesting, guild play, and all the things people are expecting out of an MMO.
Finally Daniel Erickson has made a post on the official forums with some clarification. Apparently, in a conversation with a fan at PAX, he said something like (when speaking about what species players will be able to play): "If you can't imagine it making out with Princess Leia, you probably won't be able to play it." People got confused over that since a lot of people tend to have a pretty strong imagination and can imagine all kinds of things making out with Princess Leia (personally I can only think about her making out with Han Solo, but there you have it). So Daniel posted:
Hey Folks,
Sorry for the confusion. Booth chat is, let's be clear, not an official information release. What you got was one line of an extended conversation that was had between me and one of the players at the booth. We started talking about what made a hero in Star Wars and then, once that was clear, there were some jokes about what the romances would look like had we gone for the toybox approach of letting you play anything in the action figure line. That's the part of the conversation the quote came from.
The first part was merely a repetition of something we've said before. Namely that lead characters in an RPG must be something the player can relate to. There has never been a movie or major Star Wars series with a complete freak job as the lead and that's because dramatically it doesn't work. We don't understand what it means to be a giant lizard or a droid or a walking ball of jelly. We love the weird characters but they are always the sidekicks, not the emotional connection in the movie. To do an RPG that way every NPC you ran into would have to react to you depending on their own cultural bias and the entire "into the strange" adventure that is Star Wars would be lost as you would be the strangest thing in the room. People would constantly be asking you for information about your weird species and their emotional content that the vast majority of players simply wouldn't have and their ability to really BE this character would be nil.
So whether it’s Dragon Age, Mass Effect or The Old Republic, PCs are near enough to humans for us to crawl into their skin. They have generally understandable facial expressions, they don't look ludicrous speaking the basic language, they can interact with the rest of the galaxy without a constant "what the heck?" reaction from the NPCs. The freaks, the droids, the weird that we get to know and learn about--that's where our companions come in.
It's okay to turn to your companions and say "What are you supposed to be?" It's not okay to look in the mirror and say that.
In the future I can see a day where we would do a Trandoshan or Wookiee type story but it would have to be just that. Not a simple graphic swap where now your smuggler is a giant lizard man and nobody notices but a full class story where you learn what it means to be this strange alien and deal with the rest of the galaxy and their reactions. For the present, however, our heroes are our projections of self, headed into a galaxy of wonders and adventures.
I know that this isn't what some people want but I hope it helps them understand that game design isn't simply throwing random features into a game because they seem cool. You have to have a goal, a final holistic ideal that you're trying to hit. The Old Republic is, and always has been, about starring in your own version of a Star Wars movie. Not playing a background character from scene 5, not about living a humdrum day to day existence in the Star Wars worlds (there are no refreshers--sorry!) and not about pulling out the extended action figure line and getting to use it as virtual costume party. None of these are, by themselves, bad goals and could absolutely be fun in a very different sort of game. But in TOR they would work directly against what we were trying to achieve.
So did we limit species choice for romances? No. Did we limit them for our goal of bringing cinematic storytelling and the dream of living the Star Wars movies to the MMO space? Absolutely.
Hope that helps!
Daniel
So I guess that proves that Wookiees won't be a playable species. Though before Wookiee lovers despair to much, it also offers the possibility of, sometime in the future, there being a truly Wookiee-oriented story where you not only get to play one but actually experience what it's like to be one (instead of just being a human with fur who can only speak in grunts). At least I certainly hope that they'll do that in some kind of expansion or DLC or something.
Anyway, I think that's it for now.
[link] to video interview with Daniel Erickson at YouTube (from TOR-Syndicate).
[link] to interview article with Daniel Erickson at MMORPG.
[link] to interview with Blaine Christine at Massively.
Today's official update consists of another issue of Blood of the Empire... and that seems to be it. Luckily I've also still got the Gamescom wrap-up to do, so I'll add that as well to spice things up. But first the comic; here's the official news:
In the tenth issue of Blood of the Empire™, a battle between Republic and Imperial fleets rages over Korriban as Teneb Kel chases down his foe. The fate of the Sith homeworld and the Children of the Emperor is in the hands of one young acolyte and his slave--but duty and patriotism aren't the only forces guiding them...
As for Gamescom, I felt that The Old Republic didn't have quite as strong a presence as I was expecting. Maybe it didn't stand out as much anymore after its E3 presence, but to me they (and every other MMO, not to say every other game) seemed to be rather steamrolled by Guild Wars 2's exceptionally strong presence at the expo (not that surprising considering that GW2 was showing gameplay for the very first time). Either way, there were a number of things here and there.
[link] to interview with James Ohlen at Darth Hater.
The always excellent Darth Hater had an interview with James Ohlen during Gamescom. I thought that they had more Gamescom interviews, but seems I was wrong. Anyway, here's an excerpt:
Can you explain the philosophy behind how the skill sets in each advanced class work? Is it to give you further options to extend the ways you play one role in groups, does it open up additional roles, or is it best described as a combination?
James: Each of the advanced classes does allow you to modify the role you play as a group. For example, if you are a Sith Warrior and you decide to go down the Juggernaut path then you will be wearing heavy armor and wielding a single lightsaber. You are much more of a tank character. However, if you decide to go with the Marauder path, then you get to wield two lightsabers and you are dealing a lot of damage. You are much more of a dps character; you are gonna be the guy dealing the damage instead of taking it. So those are two very different classes, but you are still a Sith Warrior; you are just playing a different role in the group.
[link] to Space Combat reveal video interview at GameSpot.
GameSpot has a video interview with Daniel Erickson about the recenty revealed space combat. it's a nice interview that goes beyond just space combat onto a few other things. The most interesting thing for me was where they talked about giving your companions 'kits' to help specify what role you want them to play. I don't think I'd heard that before. Anyway, here's the video:
[link] to Sith Inquisitor hands on article at IGN.
Over at IGN they played the demo at Gamescom as a Sith Inquisitor and they wrote a relatively short article about their experience. Here's an excerpt:
Back to my Inquisitor character, he was initially tasked with proving his worth by finding a certain NPC located nearby the starting area on Korriban. By roaming outside I found myself in a red rock valley along the sides of which were carved huge, ominous figures. I trotted around and checked out the skill bar. It wasn't very full yet, the character was very low level, but could still pull off a few useful attacks. Saber strike could be triggered at close range for a boost in melee damage played out across a flurry of strikes. Shock functioned as a simple ranged electrical attack, and lighting drain was a channeled ability that damaged, restored force, and slowed targets. If a fight proved to be especially tough, there's also the option to meditate to quickly restore health and force over time. With a cooldown of one minute, it seems like this ability is meant to be used pretty often, keeping downtime between battles to a minimum.
Ten Ton Hammer has a fairly short article about a press demonstration that BioWare gave, talking about advanced classes and space combat. Here's an excerpt:
If the player wants to be a character like Darth Maul, they would select the Sith Assassin specialization from the Inquisitor class. This would allow them to wield a double bladed sword and provide a stealth element to their gameplay. The contrasting specialization for the Inquisitor is the Sorcerer. As a Sith Sorcerer the player would be more like the Emperor and have ranged abilities like force lightning.
[link] to off screen gameplay video at GameTrailers.
GameTrailers also played the demo, if I'm not mistaken as a Trooper, and they pointed a camera at the screen as they did. The resulting video is below:
MMORPG.com didn't go to Gamescom (as I understand), but they did look at all the information that's been released and wrote an article considering their thoughts. The article is mainly about the advanced classes, but also mentions space combat. Here's an excerpt (I might've missed it, but I don't recall hearing anywhere that the Jedi Shadow can use stealth so I wonder what their source for that is):
The Jedi Consular’s Advanced Classes stirred the SW:TOR community into a tizzy over the past few days. Options for the Jedi Consular include the hybrid controlling/healing/damage dealing “Jedi Wizard” Advanced Class, as well as the saber staff wielding MDPS Jedi Shadow. Fan reaction to the Consulars “Jedi Wizard” class name was understandably negative, I’m not sure what Bioware’s thinking was here and I suspect that this may be changed. Yes, Ben Kenobi was referred to as an “old wizard” by Owen Lars in Episode IV, but that is pretty obscure and there are plenty of other possible names that could have been used here. This just seems like a lazy attempt to attach a familiar fantasy class name to one of SW:TOR’s “mage” classes. The Jedi Shadow, as its name would imply, interestingly makes use of stealth mechanics.
IGn also has a (very short and soundless) off screen gameplay video with what looks to be a Sith Warrior. For a while I thought that the character's lightsaber was horribly bugged as it looks like a normal stick, but I think now that that's supposed to be a training weapon or such. Can't really fault them for not trusting acolytes with lightsabers (and it's fun for players to earn them). Here's the video:
[link] to video interview with James Ohlen at SWTOR-Station.
The German site SWTOR-Station also has a video interview, this one with James Ohlen where they cover a variety of topics (and some interesting answers). The link above has, next to the video, also a summary of points (be sure to click the English flash in the top-right if you're getting it in German and prefer English). I'm glad to have confirmation that twi'leks can be more than just Smugglers (I'm still hopeful that it's a species that can be every class, considering how iconic to Star Wars the species is). Anyway, here's the video (via YouTube):
[link] to off screen gameplay videos at Leakerz.
[link] to more off screen gameplay videos at Leakerz.
[link] to even more off screen gameplay videos at Leakerz.
I'm not going to embed all the videos, but the gaming blog Leakerz has a whole load of off screen videos showing (well over an hour of) TOR gameplay. Unfortunately most of them are without sound (ostensibly because of the noise on the show floor), but they still give a detailed view of the gameplay. If you can't get enough off screen demo footage then it's certainly worth a watch.
And that's about it. I'm sure that there are sites and articles and such that I've missed, but that should give a fairly decent view of TOR's presence at Gamescom this year.
Today BioWare reveals a bit more information on the Jedi Knight class, giving us the class' two advanced classes and one of the companions. Oh, and a new ingame movie showing the class in action.
First though is the next issue of the Blood of the Empire webcomic. Here is the official news:
It's the beginning of the end in the ninth issue of Blood of the Empire™. Teneb Kel awakens from his vision with a new understanding of the danger he faces--but is there still time to stop Exal Kressh's plot against the Emperor from coming to fruition? And meanwhile, what's going on with Maggot and the Jedi Padawan...?
Of course the mean of today's update lies with the Jedi Knight. Not only do we get some details on their two advanced classes, the more tank-like Guardian and the more damage-dealing Sentinel, and one of their companions, the Astromech droid T7-01, but we also get a new movie. Here is the official news:
As part of our ongoing class updates, we are thrilled to confirm the Advanced Classes for the valiant Jedi Knight – Guardian and Sentinel! Whether you want to defend the weak and inspire your allies to amazing feats as a Guardian or learn the art of using two Lightsabers simultaneously to create an intricate web of damage as a Sentinel, the Advanced Class system in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ will help you customize your character. Check out the Jedi Knight section on the HoloNet for more information! Check out the media section to see a new video of the Jedi Knight in action, and download some never-before-seen screenshots!
We’ve also updated the Biography section with someone indispensable to the Jedi Knight – Astromech T7-01! Visit the HoloNet to learn about this known associate from the Jedi Knight holorecord, or by accessing the T7-O1 biography.
And that's it for this Friday's update. Next week is GamesCom and The Old Republic has been confirmed to be there. EA will be streaming their press conference live (I'll probably still be at work when they do) and there'll probably be things like interviews and hands-on articles coming from the conference too. So it's going to be a busy week.
Another planet reveal and, to me, a surprising one. Sure, the planet featured in KotOR 2, but I thought that with Coruscant already in the game we wouldn't get another city planet and with Hutta we already have a crime capitol. I was wrong, because today BioWare revealed that Nar Shaddaa will be in the game.
In the eighth issue of Blood of the Empire™, Teneb Kel is confronted with a strange and frightening vision of the past, the future, and of his greatest enemy. As he lies broken in the Lenico wasteland, he must seek the truth about Exal Kressh and the Emperor's goals within his mystical dream--or be utterly destroyed when he returns to reality.
That is not the only comic-related news though. BioWare is also reporting that the first issue of Threat of Peace is in print:
Issue One of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Threat of Peace from Dark Horse Comics is available in print!
"Threat of Peace" unveils a galaxy on the brink of destruction three hundred years after the events of Star Wars™: Knights of the Old Republic™!
For decades, the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire have been at war-the Sith have gained control of the Outer Rim, but their efforts to penetrate the Core Worlds have so far been thwarted. Now, representatives from both sides attempt to negotiate a peace treaty-but deception by the Sith puts the Jedi in an unfortunate position…
Pick up a copy of Threat of Peace Issue 1 from your local comic store, or order online directly from Dark Horse. An alternate cover version is also available at some outlets and online.
And don’t forget to check back in August and September for Issues 2 and 3!
And then there is the new planet, Nar Shaddaa:
Circling the planet Hutta is its largest moon – Nar Shaddaa, the ultimate corrupt city. Dominated by underworld concerns and owned by the Hutts, this sprawling mass of skyscrapers is considered one of the most dangerous and exciting places in the galaxy, where anything can be had for the right price.
Access the HoloNet to learn more about Nar Shaddaa. Check out this video to see the endless city that covers the moon's landscape. Also, don’t forget to visit the media section for never-before-seen screenshots, concept art, and wallpapers showing this capital of illegal commerce.
And as usual the planet also comes with a new wallpaper:
Nar Shadaa seems like an interesting planet to (re-)visit, though I must admit that I'm not entirely sure what it offers that other planets don't already offer. Ah well, Nar Shaddaa was rather popular I think so I'm sure a lot of people will be quite happy with this.
Massively: Since we can't talk about space combat because it comes out in PC Gamer, let's talk about quests.
Alexander Freed: We've got four different kinds of quests. We've got our class quests, which is what we've really focused on when we've talked to the press about story. It's traditional BioWare storytelling in an MMO space. The other three types of quests that we've got are all group quests.
We've got world quests which are essentially like the side quests that you'd see in Dragon Age or Mass Effect. They can be played in a group. That is where you see our multiplayer dialogue system in action.
Then we've got our flashpoints, which are our big, discrete, self-contained, fully-intended-for-group content -- not really intended to be soloable -- showcases of combat and storytelling in a group setting.
Then we've also got our world arcs, which are essentially long, connected sets of world quests telling one complete story with recurring characters. [These arcs are] really kind of showcasing multiplayer dialogue within the open world, so you can be doing them at the same time as you are doing the class quests. They are not in a separate space like the flashpoints are.
And that's it for now.
[link] to interview with Alexander Freed at massively.
In the seventh issue of Blood of the Empire™, Teneb Kel finds himself beaten and bloodied in the aftermath of the Lenico colony's destruction. Trapped on a strange planet, he must draw upon the ancient Sith arts in order to ensure his survival--and to learn the secrets he needs to resume his vendetta against Exal Kressh.
After that nice appetizer the main course of today's update lies in the sounds and the music used in The Old Republic. Not only do we get a developer blog entry, but also a new developer dispatch video centered around the original music included in the game.
In the blog entry Orion Kellogg, Audio Producer at LucasArts, goes over all the various sound categories included in the game; voices, alien speech, music and sound effects. Here's an excerpt:
"Sound is 50 percent of the moviegoing experience, and I've always believed audiences are moved and excited by what they hear in my movies at least as much as by what they see.” – George Lucas
When you consider the legacy of Star Wars™, what you hear has indeed moved and excited its fans: the orchestral score, the Cantina music, Chewie’s roar, and the pew-pew of a blaster rifle instantly take us to a galaxy far, far away. Developing sound for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ requires that we bring together the talents of dialogue writers, cinematic designers, voice-over actors, musicians, engineers, and production teams at both LucasArts and BioWare. It’s our job to create an audio experience that enhances the emotional experience of the game and reaches the quality level expected of the Star Wars franchise. As fans and as game makers, we’re excited and privileged to breathe life into every planet, every weapon, and every creature that beeps, squawks, or just plain talks…and it’s not as easy as it, er, sounds.
But as nice as it was to read the blog entry, I think the highlight of today's updates is the new Developer Dispatch video. In fact, for me, this is probably the most enjoyable Developer Dispatch video yet. I just love hearing the new music; sounds absolutely fantastic. Here's the official news:
The emotional experience of Star Wars™ comes to life in new music created exclusively for The Old Republic™. From soft melodies that ring in the forest of Alderaan to the magnificent booming of a battle scene on Ord Mantell, a talented team of composers, musicians and developers came together to create a magical score for the game.
Watch Developer Dispatch: Music of The Old Republic to see what goes into weaving the familiar Star Wars riffs with a new original score. And learn how music impacts the thrilling moments in video games as well as movies.
Next week is Comic-Con and as you might've seen in last week's update BioWare is going there as well with The Old Republic. Additionally it seems that they might have a surprise reveal for us, but there's a catch. They want a minimum number of followers to their Facebook and Twitter pages or they won't reveal it (until later). As Sean puts it:
Comic-Con International is almost upon us! You already know about the “Beyond Solo” panel being held on Friday, but we have something extra we want to announce during it. You’re going to work for this one, though. If we get at least 200,000 “Likes” on our Facebook page and 30,000 Followers on our Twitter page by Friday, July 23rd, 2010, we will bring you this cool reveal!
If you don't want to join Facebook or Twitter though then you don't have to. Personally I have absolutely no desire to join either. If they don't reach their target then all this means is that they'll just release the information a little bit later. And I certainly can be patient. Again, as Sean puts it:
Hey everyone,
While I'm sure this is obvious, I'll say it anyways. If you don't want to join us on Facebook or Twitter, you don't have to. And it's not like (pun not intended) we're never going to reveal what we'd like to. Anything we want to reveal will all be done over time and before the game is out so everyone can decide what they want to do with the best information available. So, in the worst case scenario, you just get the information a little bit later.
And I forget who mentioned it earlier but yes, the final result is the combination of the numbers for our English, French, and German fan pages on each of those social networks. So it's not 200,000 each (ie, not 600,000)... it's 200,000 total for Facebook and 30,000 total for Twitter.
And that's it for now. We'll see next week if they reach their target, what happens at Comic-Con and what else they might have in store for us.
Last Friday's update was a bit later than usual, giving us the sixth issue of the Blood of the Empire comic. Besides that I've got a couple more E3 links from the past week to share.
In the sixth issue of Blood of the Empire™, Teneb Kel fights for his life as Lenico Colony Blue collapses around him. The Emperor's apprentice has proven vastly more powerful than anyone realized--it will take all Teneb's skills and resources to survive, let alone complete his mission. But can he rely on his closest ally in his moment of need, or will he face betrayal?
On then to more E3 articles. Last week the site MMORPG posted a hands on with the Sith Warrior. The writer seems to be fairly impatient, skipping past the dialog to "get my quest and get moving" (as most players tend to play in pretty much all current MMOs), seemingly missing the entire point of what differentiates TOR from other MMOs. Then again, having only a short time to play during E3 it's understandable that he wanted to skip the story and just taste the gameplay. He also seems to have missed the often-demonstrated Force jump ability to close into melee range. Anyway, here's an excerpt:
The dialogue is again one of the challenges of Old Republic. Many players like it and it has served Bioware well in the past, but again it seemed a bit tedious. My answers were all snarky and evil of course, but in the end I used the space bar to get my quest and get moving. I'm a Sith Warrior after all. I don't need to remind myself I am evil. I just want to hack Jedi apart. So I run into the caves and find the slugs are neutral to me. I attack them as I go and just keep rolling through to try out some new Sith skills. Again it was a limited demo so there were not a ton of skills available to players. But after hacking through giants slugs I came to an important question, what can I do against a ranged opponent?
Last week's G4TV show "The MMO Report" also included a bit on The Old Republic. In it they've got an interview with Daniel Erickson (lead writer). You can catch the entire MMO Report show (which also includes a segment on Vindictus and Lego Universe) by following this link, or you can just watch the TOR segment on YouTube here:
There have also been a couple of E3 awards for TOR from various sites. Though it's been fairly few so far (most sites seemed to be expecting a bit more from TOR), let me list the ones I've found so far anyway.
Eurogamer has a Best Video award for TOR's cinematic trailer. Here's what they had to say:
They did the same thing last year, but that didn't make it any less spectacular: BioWare and LucasArts' promotional CG shorts for their joint MMO are simply some of the best Star Wars entertainment of any sort in years. As Tom put it, "I hope they never release this game so we can just watch new, amazing Star Wars shorts once a year forever." Quite, and with the scale of this project and MMO launches being what they are, that wish might just be granted.
Next up is 1UP with a Best RPG award. Oddly enough SWTOR doesn't with the Best MMO category and to be honest I'm a tad surprised that it's included in the RPG category at all (which should probably be limited to single-player RPG). Then again the while genre categories thing is generally a mess anyway. Here's what they said with the award:
The Old Republic is the game of every Star Wars fan's dreams. With the ability to play as a variety of races and character classes (yes, you can be a Jedi or a Sith) and the newly announced player owned spacecraft (aka: the best thing ever), as well as PVP battlegrounds and robust character customization options, this game is primed to please MMO nuts and fans of the franchise alike.
And finally there's GameSpot who does give TOR it's Best MMO award. And though these awards are their Editors' Choice awards users can also vote on their favorites for the Readers' Choice awards (where TOR is over two-thousand ahead of the closest runner-up at the moment). Here's what they had to say:
Star Wars: The Old Republic pulls a repeat win in this category from last year as the most impressive massively multiplayer online game at the show. This year, apart from having another really impressive trailer, The Old Republic let us sample the starting content of six of the game's eight professions, and we found each of these experiences to be as in depth as anything we've seen from developer BioWare's other single-player games, such as Mass Effect, Dragon Age, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
The revelation that all players will have their own housing in the form of mobile starships (which will be both a social hub and a home base for your non-player character companions, similar to the Ebon Hawk in Knights of the Old Republic), the fact that specialized advanced professions will become available later on in your character's career, and the intriguing playable content for each class showed us that there's still plenty more of The Old Republic that we haven't seen, as well as more that we want to see (and play).
And finally Eurogamer had an interview with Greg Zeschuk during E3. They cover a number of topics (including his thoughts on the consoles' motion controllers) as well as The Old Republic (which was really the only game BioWare was showing at E3 this year). Here's an excerpt:
Eurogamer: Have you had any negative feedback?
Greg Zeschuk: Not really. The interesting thing is there's a surprise factor. One thing I heard was that up till now people never really got a taste for this whole story thing we've talked about. We've talked, talked, talked about it, and made it a big deal, but you couldn't actually experience it.
The feedback I'm getting is that now people have finally been able to play it, they get it completely. For us, that's very much a win condition because being able to experience and understand how the story is interwoven with the multiplayer experience is the whole point of the game. Just from playing for 30 minutes, it's evident that's really powerful.
And that's it for now.
[link] to Sith Warrior hands on article at MMORPG.
[link] to MMO Report video at G4TV.
[link] to MMO Report TOR segment at YouTube.
[link] to Best of E3 2010 article at Eurogamer.
[link] to Best Games of E3 2010 at 1UP.
[link] to Best MMO award at GameSpot.
[link] to interview with Greg Zeschuk at Eurogamer.
Another E3 has come and gone, the second one attended by The Old Republic. Though I'm sure that we'll be hearing from the show for at least a week more as various journalists get home and write their articles with impressions and such, as videos get encoded for publishing and as awards are being voted on and handed out.
For their final "daily E3" update BioWare edited their E3 post with two announcements; War Zones and Playable Species:
E3 2010 has concluded!
It has been a sensational week for The Old Republic at the E3 Press Conference! Thanks to everyone for checking in throughout the week and supporting The Old Republic. It’s inspiring to see the community charged up with excitement for this game. Thanks for all your support!
To wrap up the week, we have two final announcements to share with you.
War Zones
It’s time to defend your allegiance. As the war heats up, heroes are needed on both sides and it's not enough to fight alone. Unite with your allies from all over the galaxy and travel to the War Zones to defend the Republic or the Empire!
War Zones are specifically tailored for team versus team combat, and players will experience fierce battles between the Republic and Empire, evoking memories of the famous Star Wars ground conflicts.
This week we announced that the first War Zone will be located in the majestic mountains of Alderaan. Players will join their allegiance’s fight for control of several important areas. Over time we’ll reveal more information about the Player versus Player experiences in The Old Republic.
Playable Species
The Ratattaki was the first non-human species we announced in The Old Republic and we showed them being played as butt-kicking Bounty Hunters. Today we are revealing that as a stealthy Imperial Agent you can choose to be a Chiss and as a charming Smuggler you can choose to be a Twi’lek. There is more information coming on these, and other, playable species at a later date, so stay tuned to The Old Republic website.
Originally I thought that any class would be able to be any species, with at most some of the species restricted to certain factions. But based on that wording I now believe that species will be class restricted. This solves a number of problems; a species that's not Force sensitive can now be included as one of the non-Jedi/Sith classes and a species that's traditionally very Force sensitive can be restricted to just those classes. Considering that they'll have to make armor for each class separately anyway it doesn't really make a big difference if you're making armor for species A, B and C or for species C, M and Q (well, maybe not Q, but you know what I mean).
Do note though that they've said which class can be these announced species, they haven't said which classes can't be. I still believe my Jedi Twi'lek will be possible.
Anyway, that's not the only update we get today as we also get another issue of the Blood of the Empire comic. Here's the official news:
In the fifth issue of Blood of the Empire™, Teneb Kel comes face to face with Exal Kressh, the Emperor's apprentice! But what power does she possess, and what secrets will she reveal to the man sent to kill her? Meanwhile, Maggot's night off continues, and new faces observe from the shadows. It's the beginning of a night full of revelations...
And as I'm writing this post I'm just seeing that Sean Dahlberg has a big post on the official forums talking about what this week's "Fan Friday" is (namely the post they've been editing throughout the week). Is also confirms my earlier words on player species:
Hey guys,
I got up at 4am this morning to get back to Austin so I'll make this short and sweet instead of rambling on as I tend to.
We've talked about this before but it bears mentioning again; the updates we do are for the entire TOR Community. We have everything from people who read the site almost every minute to people who visit the site once a week; people who scour the web for data and people who like to be directed to what and where our updates are. So when we do our big broadcast messages, it is directed towards the entire TOR Community.
This week's Fan Friday was special. We've never had a Fan Friday that was updated every day of the week nor have we ever had a Fan Friday that announced any major systems. And from day one, last week, we called out very specifically that we would have an update every day (for this week) instead of just throwing it all out on a Friday.
Some of you knew about all of our updates come Monday. Some found out about the various updates all through the week. But some people won't find out about the War Zones and the Chiss Imperial Agent or Twi'lek Smuggler until today and some won't even see that info until we post it on our other social networks. Some won't even see it until next week.
SIDE NOTE: While we aren't talking about it yet (and I know many of you dislike this but there are various and valid reasons why we do this), we are not saying that you can ONLY be a Twi'lek as a Smuggler. What we are saying is that we are CONFIRMING that as a Smuggler, you can choose Twi'lek as a species. Will there be limitations? Yes, there will be. What are they? We aren't talking about that yet because we haven't come to a final conclusion on some things yet. When we do, you will definitely know but in the meanwhile we are only confirming what we know will not change between now and launch. Back to the point...
We all think it's awesome that we have so many dedicated fans. We really do. We only get to meet a fraction of them and the ones we do are amazing. Just this last week I got to personally meet a wide variety of people who participate in these forums on a consistent basis and it was great to see their excitement for TOR. And it's great to see everyone pull together and share all the information they gleamed from each and every interview they could find across the web (and sorry that my interview didn't really have any big reveals or anything in it).
But, like I said, our updates are crafted for the entire community and while a segment may learn everything before even the first day of E-3 (and some even before the Pre-E3 Press Event, ack!), a large portion of our community doesn't learn about things until later and usually when we are informing them of the updates by posting them on our website and the social networks we participate in.
Now, I know some of you will disagree with me (I have been reading the threads and posts between shifts when doing demos and at night), I personally believe we revealed a lot this week:
Hope - A new cinematic trailer.
Player Ships - Announcing a mobile base of operations and even showing two of them.
Armor Progression - Showed off a few new outfits and gave a small peek at how a character might progress.
Live Gameplay - We've never shown that yet and not only did we show a single-player experience we also showed a group experience. On live television where anything could happen.
Species reveals - Announced two more species; Chiss and Twi'lek.
War Zones - Talked a little about our PvP system; granted, we have a lot more details to give out on that but we have to refine and test things first to make sure we're giving out great and accurate information
Hands-On Demos - We let a lot of people come to our booths and play TOR; yes some were mainstream press and we had a few celebs come by, but we also had quite a few community members come through that work on various fan sites and podcasts (and many that aren't even TOR specific).
And that's not even counting all the information and things talked about during the various interviews. Granted, I'm seeing things from my point of view, but I think we did a lot over the last five days.
Hmm, and maybe I should go back and remove the part about me not rambling... because I think I ended up doing that after all
Quick Edit: And no, not asking for you guys to thank us or anything else. I am just trying to give a little more information on why things are they way they are based on some of the posts I have been reading over the last week.
And speaking of Sean Dahlberg, there's a pretty nice (over 30-minute long) video interview with him over on TOROcast:
In fact TOR-Aid is a pretty decent blog site overall with a number of posts from the last week at E3, including:
Rob Chestney also made a post on the the official forums where he gives some explanation on the standard MMO roles seen in one of the gameplay videos:
Hey guys,
This is a great thread and it's nice to see so many of the discussions that take place within BioWare echoed among the fans. I'm actually in the booth now helping play through these demos (as the Jedi Knight--woot!), and this thread grabbed my attention. A lot of good points have been made already here to clarify what the multiplayer demo implies and what the takeway is, but I think it's worth a few more comments:
- For the purpose of this multiplayer demo, we wanted to keep the 'team combat dynamic' simple and easy to understand. Furthermore, the Consular acts as the healer and as the 'camera' for the demo, so she isn't necessarily playing exactly as she would in a normal playthrough. We wanted her to stay back from the action to provide a wide-angle view of the entire scene. Thus, where she might have run into to strike a few blows for righteousness in a regular group battle, she has to minimize that to keep the view right.
- One of the other things to keep in mind is that these are level 8-10 level characters, and none of them have begun to train as "advanced classes". New strategies for team combat develop as characters get new skills, get higher level powers, and select specializations. Keep in mind also, that the demo is designed so that people who may not be MMO veterans can understand it also.
- There also seems to be some confusion about the primary classes being locked into primary roles. The Sith Warrior has two advanced classes; the Juggernaut and the Marauder. One is a better track for a 'tank', the other is more of a damage-dealer. The paradigm of advanced classes is designed to provide branching options so that all primary classes have at least two options for the types of role they will play in groups. Beyond that even, there are further specialization/customization options that will give characters additional variety in the types of roles they can play.
To sum up, don't assume too much from one example of four-player team combat that we're showing at E3. We hope you like the team dynamic we're showing to folks here, but we don't want you guys to read too much into it. At a later date, we'll definitely try to show you some different strategies and team dynamics so you can get a better idea of the breadth of the experience of team combat in TOR.
Eventually, we look forward to you guys getting your hands on the game to find out for yourselves!
Right off the bat, I felt quickly at home behind the controls. Why? Well, it was in no small part due to the fact that the game's design feels very much like World of Warcraft. Looking down to find a red health bar accompanied by a yellow energy bar, I might have mistaken the smuggler class for a rogue, if everything were a little more fantasy themed instead of futuristic.
Even the cover system -- the smuggler's signature ability -- played very much like going in and out of stealth. Cover reduces the damage your smuggler takes while simultaneously offering him or her more options via new skills which will only appear while in cover. Just as you may have predicted, your skill bar will slide up while the smuggler is in cover, revealing a whole new "stealth" er... "cover" hotbar.
Using skills consumes energy from the smuggler's bar, but energy is rebuilt over time. Much like those of the rogue, the cooldowns I dealt with were short, making their attacks rely on utilizing energy efficiently. During the demo, I got to play with three different attacks -- a normal rapid-fire blaster burst, a set of slow but powerful blaster bursts, and a flashbang to stun targets. Oh, and I was a hot, Twi'lek male smuggler. You know it's awesome.
And that's it for now. All in all I think it's been a pretty awesome E3 for The Old Republic and, as I said at the start of this post, I'm sure that there'll be more articles and such in the days to come.
And then there's a number of other conventions and such to come (PAX, Comic Con, GamesCon, etc). But for now the devs deserve a rest (after all, the better they rest the harder they can work).
[UPDATE] Just noticed that Voodoo Extreme has IGN's Live Presentation of The Old Republic up. Their video player is horrid and the video doesn't have any gameplay, but let me link it for you anyway.
[link] to "The Old Republic @ E3 2010" at SWTOR.
[link] to "Blood of the Empire #5!" at SWTOR.
[link] to "Sean Dahlberg 35 Minute Video Interview" at TOR-Aid.
[link] to "Multiplayer Dynamics Interview" at Gametrailers.
[link] to "Hands on with The Old Republic's smuggler class" at Massively.
[link] to "IGN Live Presentation" at Voodoo Extreme.
The fourth issue of Blood of the Empire is the only update we get this Friday, likely in preparation for the flood of information that's probably come during E3 (in little over a week). Here's the official news on the comic:
In the fourth issue of Blood of the Empire™, Teneb Kel begins his quest to find the Emperor's apprentice and learn the reason she betrayed her master. But a war-torn galaxy isn't always friendly toward Sith, and without a squad of Imperial soldiers to back him up, Teneb must rely on his wits and his lightsaber for protection. Also: what role does the Republic play in Exal Kressh's machinations?
There is some speculation that teh jedi master at the start of this issue might be a hint to Miraluka (made popular by Visas Marr in Knights of the Old Republic 2) as a player species. At the very least Sean Dahlberg seems to confirm that there are some details in the comics that directly relate to the game:
While we can understand some people may be frustrated, I want to say the vast majority of people will forgive us after E3 2010.
Also, there is information about the game in the comics (both in TOP and BotE) - in response to a comment above. While there isn't a plethora of meta-gaming details in there, there are some story elements you will run across when you play the game and some other morsels of info that some day you'll go "oooooooh" when you see it in-game.
Of course, he doesn't actually confirm that seeing an NPC of one species means players can play that species too; if anything he's mostly talking about story threads finding their way into the game.
Hey everyone, we're quickly approaching E3 Expo 2010! In fact, we have just about a week and a half until we're there! We have some great things we'll be sharing with you throughout the week and the team is working to make sure that everyone has a great experience (those who are attending E3 and those who will be following us here from the web that couldn't be there).
In other news it seems that one of Star Wars Galaxies' developers, and apparently a fan-beloved one, has moved on to join the The Old Republic development team. As Massively reports:
Massively has learned some exciting news for Star Wars: The Old Republic and sad news for Star Wars Galaxies. According to his Linked-In profile, the fan-beloved developer, Matt Boudreaux, landed a new job at Bioware's Austin studios working on SWTOR. Boudreaux, known as AdeptStrain on the SOE forums, implemented some of the most ground-breaking additions to the aging game Star Wars Galaxies, such as new Jedi and melee animations, the Appearance Tab, and the Chronicles System. His role on the SWG team was solidified by his role in creating some of the best instances like Hoth and Death Troopers.
His wit and easygoing demeanor gained AdeptStrain quick rapport among fans. Roleplayers, in particular, have a vested interest in his work because of the added character customization given by the Appearance Tab. Some players are even considering moving to SWTOR just because AdeptStrain is now a part of the team. A loss for SWG truly is a gain for SWTOR.
Based on their job postings, it does not seem that SOE are looking for a replacement, but when they do, he or she will have big shoes to fill. We at Massively congratulate Matt on his new position and wish him well.
Matt has also since made a couple of posts on the forums (post 1, post 2, post 3):
Hi guys and girls,
If you played SWG in the last two years or so, you know me as AdeptStrain. For everyone else, nice to meet you!
I'm insanely excited to be working here at BioWare. The magnitude of talent here is quite staggering and I hope to contribute in any way I can to make TOR an amazing experience for all. While SWG will always have a special place in my heart, I'm very excited to put all my energies into TOR and help to try and create something really amazing.
I can't wait to start having some interesting conversations. Till then, I'll be diligently working on my various tasks.
- Matt
Post two:
Thanks for all the <3 guys. To answer a few quick questions, my job title is programmer. My current tasks are... my current tasks.
Replying to questions about his ingame allegiance and class:
I honestly have no idea. I normally like being on the good side of things, but I also tend to find the light side a bit whiny for my tastes (seriously, watch Luke in A New Hope). As for class, I personally think the Trooper class is pretty awesome.
The best of luck to Matt in his new job and congratulations to both him and BioWare on the new partnership.
Though VideoGamer already had the exclusive announcement yesterday, today on The Empire Strikes Back's 30th birthday BioWare officially announced that Hoth is an explorable planet in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
That is not all though, as they also released the third part of the Blood of the Empire comic, as per the official news:
The third issue of Blood of the Empire™ chronicles two formidable confrontations--one between Teneb Kel and his former master, Lord Calypho, and another between Teneb Kel and the Dark Council! And what plans do the Emperor and his mysterious apprentice have in store for Teneb? The mission to determine the future of the galaxy begins here.
I'm definitely liking this comic better than the other one (Threat of Peace) as it seems to have a much more focused story and doesn't just all over the place, three pages at a time.
Of course the main news today is the reveal of the planet Hoth. Here's what BioWare has to say on the subject:
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
Thirty years ago to the day, Star Wars™: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back™ opened in movie theaters, forever changing the cinematic landscape. Bursting with action-packed battles, fast paced dialogue, and characters faced with complex choices, the echoes of this landmark film are still felt today. From toys, to fashion, to punk rock, its influence is everywhere. The Empire Strikes Back has not only changed how we relate to our favorite movies, but has made a lasting contribution to our very culture.
To commemorate this monumental continuation of the Star Wars™ story, we are proud to reveal the ice world of Hoth – the latest explorable planet in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.
Access the HoloNet to learn more about the pivotal battles in the history of Hoth – and to understand why both the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire are interested in the planet. Check out this video to see Hoth’s brutal blizzards and unique wildlife. Don’t forget to visit the Media Section for never-before-seen screenshots, wallpaper, and concept art showing this barren, desolate landscape.
The descriptive text on the HoloNet is pretty much the same as in the VideoGamer article yesterday, but the flythrough video is nice to see. And of course there's a new wallpaper as well:
As noted earlier today's update is indeed another issue of the Blood of the Empire comic. Here is the official news:
The second issue of Blood of the Empire™ takes us to the Imperial capital of Dromund Kaas, as the young Sith Teneb Kel and his companion Maggot leave the war's front lines--only to find new tensions awaiting them at home. Meanwhile, a mysterious Force-user sets her plans in motion on a distant, crime-ridden world. Intrigue and danger abound as the story of Imperial powers continues!
I'm no Star Wars lore expert, but I've got Wookieepedia and near as I can tell the Sith woman in the first few pages is a Zeltron.* Though I don't really believe that the comics are any direct indication of what will and won't be in the game, I do think that these near-humanoid species are probably the easiest to create, the least resource intensive. Just give them a red skin texture (or blue, or white, or whatever) and you're pretty much already there.
Anyway, it's a nice comic. If they keep this up, and don't switch too much between various characters and viewpoints, then this comic is easily better than the Threat of Peace one in my opinion.
I can confirm. She is what the Empire refers to as "pureblood" which means there is enough Sith blood still running in the veins to make her red-skinned although she personally does not have enough to have any of the more shocking facial features.
I still feel that she looks more like a Zeltron than a Sith though, probably because those facial features are missing.
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