blur & Blueneko from www.beskar.net talk about Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Part one concentrates on an EA investor call; the mid-week announcement of phase two of the guild phases; the Friday update concentrating on companion characters and some reader mail, featuring several great questions (and answers!)
Part two concentrates on reader mail, featuring several great questions (and answers!)
Click here for the two-part playlist.
There are a few comments that get thrown around regularly in the guild section official TOR forum, yet many of them are built on shaky foundations and only seem to remain in currency via the fact people keep saying them, rather than by actually being factual.
One of the classics runs something like, “Man! I’m going to play Republic, because there’s so few of us! It will be a massive challenge! We’ll be the underdogs!”
And, sure, it sounds all gung-ho and might excite people to hear someone say it, but consider this:
BioWare will, to the best of its ability, be trying to balance the population of Republic and Imperial characters via the guild process.
As such, when it comes to your server, you will see the Republic and Empire actually balanced pretty well. It’s the whole point of the guild process.
So just some food for thought, next time you hear someone say, “Man! I’m going to play Republic, because there’s so few of us! It will be a massive challenge! We’ll be the underdogs!” do consider the reality of the guild process and what it will achieve.
These Republic martyrs really aren’t quite what they portray themselves as.
blur & Blueneko from www.beskar.net talk about Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Part one concentrates on the Friday update which, this week, included TOR at the upcoming Eurogamer Expo 2011 in Earl’s Court, London; a Studio Insider article on Combat Animation; and a Community Q&A. The team also tackle their listener mailbag.
Part two sees the team still tackling questions from their listener mailbag, on topics as diverse as mature guilds; Mandalorian knowledge; and same-gender romance arcs.
Click here for the two-part playlist.
blur & Blueneko from www.beskar.net talk about Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Part one concentrates on the Friday update which, this week, included a developer blog, video feature from Pax Prime, and a Smuggler progression video.
Part two, three and most of four is an interview from blur with Brehon, the guild leader of Unconquered as well as the driving force behind Bootleg Radio (www.tormonger.com/bootleg) and its flagship program, Galactic Underground.
Click here for the four-part playlist.
Trying to find out whether our characters can have one name or two names has been one of my ongoing missions since the TOR forum opened. Yet whether we can, or not, is a secret that’s still up there with UFOs, Bigfoot and Elvis being spotted at 7-11. It’s been asked a million times and, only recently, we got the, “it’s still under discussion” brush off.
(Really? Something so simple still under discussion after all these years…?!?)
So it was interesting to read Daniel Erickson’s comments (reproduced below), not in the sense that Darth will be off-limits when creating names… that was always a given. And not even in the sense that you can become a Lord or Darth or some other title through what you do in the game… I’ve pretty much always believed that would be the case.
No folks, what his comment suggests to me is that we’re now going down the path of single character names. And why? Simple. If you name your character, “John Smith”, becoming “Darth John Smith” looks terrible… not only because of the extra name in there (“Darth Smith” or “Darth John” would be much better in a pinch), but also because a Sith would typically change their name when becoming a Darth anyway… and I doubt the game will allow for people suddenly changing their name entirely, or dropping a first or last name to be replaced by their title later on.
(But hey, if the game DOES allow that… great… I just don’t think it will…)
So this, more than anything, suggests to me that we are heading for one-name characters and perhaps the reason Bioware is being so cagey with this information is because it knows there’s a ton of RP people out here who are going to freak out when they are told that their character can only be known by one name and, if that character doesn’t attain a title, will ALWAYS be only known by one name. Honestly, some people are going to absolutely hate that concept.
Your thoughts?
Hey Folks,
Darth and Lord are ranks in the Old Republic time period and while they represent an increasingly smaller percentage of overall Sith, they are clearly not at as rare as only having one or two running around in the galaxy. There are already numerous Darths (Baras, Malgus) we’ve seen who are not on the Dark Council.
It will likely not come as a surprise to most people that the titles of Darth and Lord are story-based rewards (one does not become a Darth by grinding frog-dogs) as are Master, etc. What may come as a surprise is that not everyone who completes a Sith or Jedi story will achieve them. There are always choices and those choices matter in many ways, including your notoriety and the rewards or reputation you earn. Darth will absolutely be off-limits when creating names.
Hope that helps!
Daniel Erickson
It has come to our attention that there are multiple individuals and sites claiming to sell testing accounts, “beta keys,” or other offers of access to our Game Testing Program. All of these offers are false. BioWare is not issuing invites to Game Testing via any method other than those we outline here on SWTOR.com.
We must caution you that these offers are often scams designed to steal your money, credit card information, or identity. While we understand that you are eager to participate in Game Testing, your security is extremely important, and attempting to participate in these offers could put you in very real danger.
Furthermore, the sale of accounts with access to the Game Testing Program is strictly prohibited by the Game Testing Agreement. We closely monitor the activities of all accounts involved in the Game Testing Program, and are quick to notice accounts that change hands. In the event that an account in the Game Testing Program does change ownership, we immediately take action to the fullest extent possible, including permanently banning the account from the Service.
When we send out invites to the Game Testing Program, the first step is receiving an e-mail from no-reply
bioware
swtorcom. After you receive this e-mail, you will also be able to see the invitation and further instructions at www.swtor.com/tester (if you are logged in to your account). You may encounter e-mail scams that indicate you have been invited to the Game Testing Program – please make sure to thoroughly examine the e-mail and don’t click any links unless you are sure it is authentic (make sure to expand the information about the sender, and check for spelling errors or other tricks that scammers often use). If you receive an e-mail and are in doubt or are concerned about its validity, please forward your concerns to bwacommunitysupportbiowarecom.
If you discover a scam pretending to offer access to the Game Testing Program, please forward all relevant information to us at bwacommunitysupportbiowarecom. Your security and the security of your fellow community members is important to us, and we appreciate your help.
If you live in the US and are able to make it, PAX East will be the place to see all the latest TOR builds in action and, if my Spidey senses are correct, to hear at least one big announcement. Interested?
Here’s some good information; everything you need to know, straight from Bioware:
PAX East begins in just one week and Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ will be there! If you’re heading to the show, all you need to remember is to visit Booth 912. Our show floor Booth hours are:
- Friday, March 11th: 10AM – 7PM EST
- Saturday, March 12th: 10AM – 6PM EST
- Sunday, March 13th: 10AM – 6PM EST
Even if you can’t make it to the show, we have some exciting events planned that we want to tell you more about. Read on for all the details.
World Gameplay Premiere – Flashpoint: Taral V
Hidden deep within the Maelstrom Nebula, a top-secret Imperial prison holds a Jedi Master who is invaluable to the Republic war effort. As part of a Republic strike team, you must assault a heavily defended compound on the jungle world of Taral V…
Inside the main PAX East exhibition hall, visitors to Booth 912 will be among the first in the world to play the mid-game Republic Flashpoint, Taral V! Taking the role of a Trooper, Smuggler, Jedi Knight or Jedi Consular, you’ll team up with other players in an extended hands-on gameplay experience. This is a challenging mission which even MMO veterans may find difficult, but we will prepare everyone who plays with a tactical briefing at the booth.
A Flashpoint is a challenging, cooperative mission that takes place entirely within an instance, which only your group can enter. Visit the Flashpoints Game Systems Page and the Building Flashpoints Developer Blog to learn more and to watch previously revealed in-game footage of Taral V.
PAX East Gameplay Premiere – Tython, the Jedi Homeworld
In addition to fighting through the Imperial forces on Taral V, visitors who want a briefer gameplay experience – or just find themselves drawn to the Dark Side – will get the opportunity to play on any of the Origin Worlds of Star Wars: The Old Republic.
For the first time at a consumer event, all eight of The Old Republic classes will be available for attendees to play, including the much-anticipated debut of the Jedi Knight and Jedi Consular. From the heavily armored Republic Trooper to the Force-wielding Sith Warrior, everyone will get a chance to experience the unique story-driven gameplay of The Old Republic.
Presentations and Live Q&A
Conquered Taral V? Experienced every Origin World? There’s still more. Throughout all three days of PAX East we’ll be giving presentations of Star Wars: The Old Republic from our booth stage, including live Q&A sessions with Developers from the BioWare Austin team. Ask James Ohlen (Lead Designer) and Daniel Erickson (Lead Writer), as well as other team members, your burning questions.
Community Meet and Greet
That’s not all! Once the show floor closes on Saturday, March 12th, the Community team for Star Wars: The Old Republic will be hosting a Community Meet and Greet event at the Westin Boston Waterfront hotel, conveniently located right next to the PAX East convention center. Come along to meet the Community team in person, your fellow Star Wars fans, and of course members of the Development team. We’ll bring the food and drinks!
Entrance to the Community Meet and Greet is by invitation only, and capacity is limited. Visit Booth 912 to pick up your invite, but arrive early to ensure entry.
Can’t make it to PAX East?
If you can’t make the trip to Boston, never fear… we’ll be keeping you up to date from the show floor via our Community Forums, our Twitter feed and via our official Facebook page.
It’s been a very exciting time within Beskar these past 24hrs, with the release of lots of Bounty Hunter-related information (Bounty Hunters make up a sizable percentage of Beskar members).
Get on the wrong side of the wrong people, and you’ll find yourself pursued by a Bounty Hunter, the most dangerous professionals in the galaxy. Bounty Hunters do what it takes to cash in on their marks, utilizing the best in weapons and defensive technology to bring in the target – dead or alive. The technology your Bounty Hunter uses is up to you; choose to specialize in prototype shield and heavy armor technology to become an unstoppable Powertech, or spend those hard-earned credits on the most destructive arsenal available as a Mercenary.
There’s much more to the Bounty Hunter, and we’ve compiled all the details for you:
- Meet Mako, an orphaned computer slicing prodigy from Nar Shaddaa who can join your Bounty Hunter as a companion.
- Discover more about the Rattataki, a species with a violent history perfectly suited for Bounty Hunting.
- Tracking marks through the galaxy requires the perfect ship. The Kuat Drive Yards D5-Mantis Patrol Craft satisfies all the Bounty Hunters’s needs – speed, efficiency, and unstoppable firepower.
- Check out the new Bounty Hunter class video to see a Bounty Hunter in action, and hope that you’re never on the receiving end of this dangerous professional.
Since TOR first raised its head in 2008, I’ve lost count of the sheer volume of people on its official forum saying they wish it will come with a lifetime subscription model. And that’s understandable — the Star Wars IP is intoxicating and, assuming TOR isn’t another Star Trek Online and drives people away, screaming in terror, they will probably want to play it for ages and ages and ages.
Look at the people who still try and play poor old broken Star Wars Galaxies in the present day. And why? “Because it’s Star Wars…” No more, no less. Stick “Star Wars” on it and they will come.
But I don’t think Bioware will offer a lifetime sub. Want to know why?
1) Lifetime subs are the domain of under-achieving games
Look around at all the games that offer lifetime subs. There’s a curious parallel between them offering lifetime subs and tanking on the market. Even LotRO, which didn’t tank but still had to flip to F2P in the end, offered a lifetime sub at first, in addition to a $9.95/month deal for founders instead of the usual $15/month; showing that — to my mind at least — Turbine knew it didn’t have a world beater on its hands, and wanted to pull in as many people as it could, with whatever means it had at its disposal, from the start. If a game developer thinks it has a world beater, however, lifetime subs are never mentioned. And what does Bioware think TOR will be? A world beater. What do we think TOR will be? A world beater. So, do you really think they’ll do a lifetime subscription?
2) Bioware will value its DLC and expansions too highly
Bioware has already shown through Mass Effect and Dragon Age that its all too happy to take a small bit of extra gameplay and toss it out there for a few extra $$$. Multiply that by a bunch of DLC releases (perhaps a different DLC release for each different class?), and that’s some serious coin being raked in. Then there’s the whole concept of expansion packs which, by rights, will cover all classes and be quite large and expensive projects in their own right — they will cost a fair amount of money; probably $20-$40 apiece. Now, do you REALLY think Bioware will toss away all these micro-transaction opportunities by selling lifetime subscriptions to us, upfront? Some extreme optimists might, but I certainly don’t! The only way I see it happening is if… and it’s a big if… if a TOR lifetime subscription only covers the monthly fees and you still have to pay additional money for the DLC and expansion packs. But that isn’t really what a lifetime subscription means in most games.
Between these two facts, I’m sorry, but I really don’t see TOR being offered with a lifetime subscription option; at least in the way we understand a “lifetime subscription” to work, ie: pay once and everything going forward is free. So who knows? Bioware might indeed offer a new take on what “lifetime subscription” means by creating a lifetime sub where you’re still having to pay for things going forward; something akin to those games companies who now think “open beta” means a limited number of keys obtained through gaming sites, rather than actually being “open”.
It seems you can just invent your own interpretations in the MMO market, these days.
