New Random Information

Seeing though there are a few new bits of info floating around this week. So I thought I would do a bit of a recap on new info that has come to light.

• Game is only being released on PC.
• Human’s are not the only playable race.
• You can play as a “Grey Jedi”.
• Several classes will have healing capabilities via skill branches.
• Don’t need a healer for Solo play.
• Healing will be unique in SW:TOR.
• Able to upgrade weapons and armors, makes characters look unique.
• Personal, Class and Galactic story arcs.
• Maybe be possible to skip conversations in game.
• PvP is optional
• Planets will be Very Large
• Planets have zones, not confirmed if the world s divided by loading screens
• Will be able to form Guilds
• Combat has been designed towards PvP
• Combat system is more fast paced then traditional mmo combat.
• Companions will react to your actions in-game.
• The Bounty Hunter will have more then one ability the uses the Jetpack.

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Gameplay Screenshots

Here are a few images from gameplay footage that was in the latest Web Documentary. Thanks to CVG for posting these. Check out a few below.

You can see the full gallery here at the bottom of the page. Read More!

Sith and Smuggler Abilities from Screencaps

Take a look at these Screenshots from the game. They show you what some of the abilities are for the smuggler class. These were posted by Jinx in the post here.

• Smash (Sith)
• Force Choke (Sith)
• Electro Dart (Smuggler)

Interesting seeing the descriptions. Seems that each move is a CC move. Electro Dart would be similar to a Rogue’s sap in WoW, Choke and Smash are CC abilities also. Waiting to see what other abilities are also planned. From what has been announced and shown so far, I’m left with alot of questions regarding abilities.

• Are these the only abilities we get?
• Do we start with these abilities straight away?
• Are there more that haven’t been shown yet?
• Do abilities get unlocked as you progress higher through the levels?

The list goes on.

Wonder if they will follow the WoW style of leveling where you get upgrades to that skill every few levels and once in a while get a new ability. Could even be possible that we get every skill when we start, but as you level you get points to place into any ability and make it more powerfull. Guess we’ll just have to wait until things become a bit more clearer regarding how abilities will be gained or even if there are any more.

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Star Wars The Old Republic Leveling System

Today game developer DamianSchubert gave us some new details about what type of advancement system we will see in TOR.

The design team believes that one of the hallmarks of both great Bioware products and of the strongest MMOs is a solid character progression system. By this, we think characters should get stronger, they should gain more flexibility (i.e. more abilities or other choices to make in combat), and they should be presented with different avenues for character development within their class.

There are multiple ways to build an advancement system in an MMO. We did indeed choose to go with a level-based system for SW:TOR. It seemed to be the best system to align with our other goals for the game, including the story progression elements. Our version of advancement gives greater returns for questing and story than simply killing critters.

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Behind the Scenes Interview wth Derron Ross

Here is an interview with Derron Ross, the animation supervisor for Bioware. He discusses some of the behind the scene’s details on the creation of the Cinematic footage from E3 and also about Bioware’s animation department. Footage from IGN.com.

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Planet Overview: Tython

Where the Force was first discovered.

Mystical scholars gathered on the harsh and mysterious world of Tython millennia ago to begin the first studies of the Force, but controversy among the scholars’ ranks created a cataclysm which nearly destroyed the planet. A small group of survivors fled to another star system, put their dark past behind them, and founded the Jedi Order. Read more….

Here are some images from the Holonet:

The Making of Tython

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Fan Friday Update

Its Fan Friday again and the SWTOR team has released an update (Recap is more what I’d call it). They have provided us with a Recap of E3. Here are the Highlights of their E3 demo that was not publicly shown.

• TOR will be the first fully voiced MMO – Every playable character (male and female) and every non-playable character in the game will be brought to life by voice actors – resulting in several thousand speaking roles and hundreds of thousands of recorded lines of dialogue! This gives players a compelling and immersive story telling experience.
• Choice matters – Story drives choice, and choice drives action. Critical choices impact the outcome of your story dramatically. In the demo of an Imperial Flashpoint, attendees had to decide whether to kill an Imperial Captain who disobeyed a direct order, or to spare the Captain’s life. Depending on the choice, the TOR demo went in two different directions, each group seeing unique areas and content. Explore the press write ups below to find out what each path was like.
• Meet the Smuggler – Blast, bargain, and charm your way through the war-torn planet of Ord Mantell. Inspired by Han Solo, the Smuggler can unleash a flurry of bolts from his blaster or dodge a patrolling group of Separatist soldiers all while hijacking enemy contraband.
• Cover System – The first cover system of this type in an MMO! The demo team showed off the cover system for the Smuggler. Gain a tactical advantage by taking cover behind various objects (trees, rocks, buildings, etc.). When in cover, characters can switch to other cover points and also have access to special abilities.
• Unique class stories – Each class story is exclusive and storylines are also specific to each allegiance. For example: the storyline for a Smuggler (a Republic Class) is 100% different from the Bounty Hunter story (a Sith Empire class). You won’t share any content or missions.
• Multiplayer dialogue system – Another MMO first! E3ers got a preview at a new multiplayer dialogue system that allows players to engage in the storyline choices together. This creates a highly interactive and immersive gaming experience.
• Additional TOR features – The TOR team would like fans to know that Star Wars: The Old Republic is a massively multiplayer online game with all the features that players can expect from a MMO.

For the full E3 article from the SWTOR website, check it out here.

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Star Wars The Old Republic, Powered by the HeroEngine.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is being created using the HeroEngine? What is the HeroEngine? It's a powerful new MMO developing tool from Simutronics. It is currently being used in the development of quite a few up and coming games. So why is it so amazing?

One engine to rule them all

Right off the bat, HeroEngine united all aspects of game development under one roof. You have the tools for the artists, world builders, scripters, and even management all packed into the same suite. Your artists have all the tools that they need to do texturing inside of the world, even while world builders are using said textures in their map creations. Scripters can stay on the same page with a script management tool, and management can oversee the whole process by whiteboarding directly on top of the game and using other management tools to keep track of what everyone is doing.

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The Smuggler shipment has arrived!

Bioware has officially announced the Smuggler class today as part of the Fan Friday update.The Smuggler is the second class to be announced on the Republic side.

This won’t be news to many as the Smuggler section of the forums has been open since the start of June and the class was a major part of the E3 show. There has been a few interviews already done on the class by the developers. They have summed up the Smuggler as this:

Making a profit from the desperate needs of a war-torn galaxy is how the Smuggler earns his credits. Transporting contraband, stolen goods, and highly sought-after fugitives through treacherous trade routes is in high demand, and more and more Smugglers are taking advantage of this opportunity.

For more details on the Smuggler, have a look at the below links.

• The Smuggler shipment has arrived!

• Holonet entry for the Smuggler

• Wallpapers

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Possible Player Species

There has been a lot of discussion on the official Star Wars The Old Republic forums lately about the possible player species and this thread caught my eye.

Summing it up, the list of possible player species is:Human

• Kel Dor
• Togruta
• Chagrian
• Twi’Lek
• Nikto
• Trandoshan

You can find more information by visiting the thread above. Read More!

Lightsaber Concept Art

Recently, many new concept art pictures have been added to the Star Wars The Old Republic website, and one that caught my eye was this lightsaber:

“The crafting of one’s lightsaber marks the passage from Padawan to Jedi.”

The quote that accompanied the picture makes you think that it could be hinting at something from in-game. Hopefully we'll be able to craft and fully customize lightsabers in the game. To see more pictures from the concept art gallery, click here.

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Creating the Bounty Hunter

In the latest SWToR developer blog, they discuss what went into creating the Bounty Hunter class. Read the full article below.

Boba Fett, Dengar, Zuckuss, IG-88, Bossk, 4-LOM. This was the lineup that started it all. Darth Vader wanted something done and his own people weren’t up to the task. So he called in specialists. Seeing this motley group of outlandish characters on the bridge rankled Vader’s officers and told us these guys were the real deal. When Vader felt it necessary to specifically look at Boba Fett when he mentioned he didn’t want anyone disintegrated, we understood this was a man with a reputation. When Boba Fett objected to Han Solo being frozen on the grounds that the Bounty Hunter needed Solo alive, Vader didn’t intimidate Fett -- as he did poor Lando -- or choke him senseless. He listened and reassured him in a businesslike manner. He was talking to a professional whose work he respected.

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E3 Interview with Richard Vogel and Gordan Walton

Just found this on Tentonhammer. Kinda serves as an update as to how far they are with the game.

A few things that I picked up from this interview.

• Polishing over the coming months
• They are playing all the classes
• Game is fully playable

This is really exciting, because it means that they are getting there with the game.

Also I read in a forum post that one of the designers stated that the Beta would begin “In the near Future”. Hopefully this is true, because it will mean that the game isn’t far off.

Click here to watch the video interview, well worth the watch!! Read More!

Republic Trooper Dev Blog

The latest Dev blog to be released on the swtor.com site is Happiness is a Warm Gun. Its about the Republic Trooper Class and how it came across.
The author of this Dev blog, Damion Schubert, explains some of the challenges faced with creating the class and also about how it will be played.

Read the full article here. Read More!

Star Wars: The Old Republic Announced!

Today, the developer of the previous Star Wars universe hit games "Knights of the Old Republic" and "Knights of the Old Republic 2" announced their latest venture into the MMORPG genre of video games, with Star Wars: The Old Republic.




I don't know about you, but I am very excited! Check out the cinematic trailer above and feel free to leave a comment! Read More!