Yay! The non-disclosure agreement has been dropped from Star Wars: The Old Republic, and our friends at Beyond the Grind spill the beans about everything. OK, not everything, but at least when a topic comes up, the hosts are free to voice their opinions completely. We still aren't sure if that's a good or a bad thing. However, our very own Vaanthe joins regular hosts Baraslan and Shaddoe to not only balance out the testosterone with the woman's point of view, but also give her insights from the Fan Site Summit.
If you have not read anything from the Fan Site Summit yet, or if you just can't get enough of talking about roleplayer in The Old Republic, then you absolutely have to check out this week's Beyond the Grind podcast!
It is never easy holding secrets close to your chest when all you want to do is let it all out for the world to know. We know of BioWare's modus operandi in regards to secrets where if they're not willing to share, it remains that way until they're ready to spill the beans. For Tziena and Vaanthe, the secrets that were held close to their chests were the safe-kept details of The Old Republic'sFan Site Summit. They were given a backstage pass to some of the never-before-seen areas in the game, until today. The red tape has been cut, and as you've probably noticed, we've unleashed some greats news for the world to see. And by world, we mean the ever-growing roleplaying community for The Old Republic, exclusively here at SWTOR-RP!
Has free-for-all PvP been something you've craved ever since the details of PvP for The Old Republic began to slip through the cracks of BioWare's impenetrable vault? Well, consider your craving now appeased! Tziena reveals the details of Tatooine's free-for-all PvP arena, dubbed Outlaw's Den. Unless you're grouped, consider any other player, regardless of faction, to be your enemy. You may ask yourself, "Did that Smuggler just kick my Jedi's nads?" The answer to that question would be yes, he probably did. Why? Because it is free-for-all PvP, and almost anything is possible. Tziena goes further to reveal the details The Hammer – a Flashpoint consisting of a asteroid-spewing space station. Tziena shares the experiences had with the Trooper, which appears to pay close resemblance to the Trooper depicted in the Hope cinematic trailer. He can hold aggro, can blow stuff up (including Sith Lords), and packs a wicked punch. See the resemblance?
Further in the SWTOR-RP exclusive, Vaanthe talks about her experiences on Dromund Kaas, as well as another Flashpoint called Directive 7. Meatbags beware, as HK-47 appears to have some influence over the droids in The Old Republic. Whether you're a die-hard fan of the Sith who seeks an insight into the Sith homeworld, or if you're someone who despises droids and their very existence, be sure to check out Vaanthe's adventures in two of the locations she visited at the Fan Site Summit.
Be sure to check out our galleries as well, as we've added some pictures of The Hammer, Directive 7, and Dromund Kaas to further appease your TOR appetite. Enjoy!
West of Anchorhead on the desert world of Tatooine lies the Jundland Wastes. Scoundrels, thieves, and other ne'er-do-wells frequent this rocky valley. Perhaps criminals of all colors find a home here because its brown and red peaks contain rare metal that disrupt even the most modern sensors, or maybe they just like the Sand People. Whatever the case, the most lawless place in on this already lawless planet sits in the center of No Man's Land. Travellers call it Outlaw's Den.
After the break, we will visit this true home of scum and villainy. Find out why this PvP area is so special for Star Wars: The Old Republic, and discover how this could easily be the roleplayer's haven of hope in this upcoming MMORPG.
Last week, Tziena and I attended the Fan site Summit held by BioWare in Austin. Once there, we learned a lot of things. While I think that many players by now have experienced things themselves in the beta, I finally got an opportunity to play the game for myself.
While most people there had played the game in beta, I had not, so I was more than a bit excited to get my hands finally on the beta build to see what it was like. From the character creation screen, I had a few choices available for me that included all the classes that you can go out with in the game. Each character was already set to level 10 which got me off the starter world and onto the next one with a companion all ready to rock and roll. After a moment, I picked Bounty Hunter, which is the primary class that I will be playing in the game. I didn't want to play enough to ruin the story for me, but to get a good idea of what the class is like so far. My choice was a level 10 Bounty Hunter that was human.
What is a threat that is enough to have both the Republic and the Empire worried about their fates?
An uprising of droids threatens to bring both sides to destruction as news is received of this rebellion. On a remote moon, these droids have developed a technology that could end life as organics know it. Groups from both sides of the Republic and the Empire have been dispatched with the directive of ending this threat before the droids accomplish their goal. Perhaps HK-47 had some influence upon these droids with the words about "meatbags." It's a classic story of artificial life created to serve beings of flesh struggling against their makers. Such parallels can be found in other areas of fiction such as the struggle of the Cylons in the popular television series, Battlestar Galactica.
Tziena and Vaanthe are back from the second Fan Site Summit, held with the developers from BioWare and the selected fan sites for The Old Republicat the BioWare base in Austin, Texas. Game Director and Lead Designer James Ohlen, Lead Combat Designer Georg Zoeller, and Lead End-Game and PvP Designer Gabe Amatangelo participated in interviews and Q&A sessions during the Summit. Want to know what they discussed? We've compiled the best bits in another wrap-up where you'll find information on achievements, chat bubbles, social points and some of the items you'll be able to purchase, as well as details for character's wishing to maintain some neutrality on the light and dark side scale. PvP is discussed, as are game metrics used by BioWare to monitor specific in-game activities. Continue reading to soak up the best bits from the Fan Site Summit Q&A with the developers.
Achievements have been popping up in both PC and console games of late, and The Old Republic won't be seeing any shortage of them. James Ohlen kicks off proceedings by touching on the achievements system which will be available at launch. It is a system that can be easily expanded upon, and we'll be seeing more achievement additions in future updates implemented by BioWare. Don't expect to find achievements at every corner of the game, as it is still in the works, as well as being a system that James Ohlen believes is used more often by players making use of end-game content.
For those keeping records, Sunday was actually day zero. However, all day today at day one, we were treated to a tour of the BioWare studios and a lot of game time in Star Wars: The Old Republic. I'll be right up front: A lot of the things discussed at the studio cannot talked about right now. But we can talk about the Q&A that we had with Creative Director James Ohlen. When we get back, we will have the full audio to the Q&A. However, I would like to give you the highlights.
The first roleplay-related question that I want to touch on was asked by Baraslan of the Mantell Syndicate. He asked about the story instances -- the areas behind the red force field that you cannot get into accept via your class story. James said they are looking at possibly opening up those areas to everyone. However, there is no way this feature will be in at launch because the instances are such an integral part of the game that it would require some major restructuring.
After the break, we get answers to a few more of your questions. Keep reading!
We've previously announced that two of the senior staff here at SWTOR-RP, Tziena and Vaanthe, will be heading to the second Fan Site Summit being held at the BioWare base in Austin, Texas. We were privileged enough to have received an invite from Community Coordinator David Bass, and we'll be attending alongside some of the big guns of fans sites for The Old Republic. Ask A Jedi, DarthHater, and Mos Eisley Radio are amongst the thirteen fan sites who will be attending. However, the announcement of our invitation and who will be attending is old news. The new news is... the Summit has begun! Tziena and Vaanthe are now in Austin with the developers from BioWare. Envious much?
Tziena and Vaanthe will be keeping us up to date with the happenings from the Summit. Be sure to follow our Twitter page for all the news. If you don't have a Twitter account, perhaps now is the time for it. We hope to see a number of tweeted pictures from Tziena's and Vaanthe's experience with BioWare, and be sure to stay tuned to SWTOR-RP for further updates when they become available.
Last April, BioWare invited 15 different fan sites to tour the Austin studio where the developers scramble to to put the finishing touches on the Star Wars: The Old Republic. On November 7th and 8th, thirteen fan sites will again make the pilgrimage to mecca of BioWare Austin studios to tour the facility where the most anticipated game is being created. This time around, Community Coordinator David Bass asked us if we would like to join him for the Second Fan Site Summit. How could we say no?
On November 6th, your community manager Tziena and forum administrator Vaanthe pack up and fly to Austin, TX as your representatives to BioWare. Of course, they will be shown the inside of the amazing headquarters of SWTOR, meet the developers of the intense MMO, and speak to the community team about the future of the game itself.
Where do you fit in? They visit BioWare as representatives of not only this site but for roleplayers throughout the game. What do you want to find out about the game? Bear in mind, they will ask as many questions as they can, but unfortunately, they might not get to them all. Also, there is an embargo on much of what they see and hear there, so they might not be able to talk about everything immediately afterward. However, that doesn't mean they can't ask your questions. Place them in the comments below.
They are extremely excited about representing you to BioWare! They hope you're excited, too!
[Update: Jump past the break to see some of the other sites that will be attending.]
