Ganden posted Nov 5, 11
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Author: Ganden, BioWare, Darth Malak, Drew Karpyshyn, EA, Electronic Arts, Friday Update, Knights of The Old Republic, KOTOR, LucasArts, Revan, Revan Novel, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
The fate of Revan, dubbed as the prodigal knight in Knights of the Old Republic, is unknown. At the conclusion of the events in the game where Darth Malak was killed and the Star Forge destroyed by the Republic, Revan ventured off into the Unknown Regions, leaving behind not even the slightest of bread crumbs for others to follow. What was it that Revan sought out? Was there an evil not to be reckoned with that Revan sensed deep within the far reaches of space? What happened to his closest friends and companions that aided him through thick and thin? All these questions and more were left unanswered, until now! Well... not now, exactly. But soon.
Drew Karpyshyn --Lead Writer at BioWare -- will reveal all the details about Revan in his novel, named after the character himself. The novel will follow on from the end of the Knights of the Old Republic, revealing Revan's true fate. The release date is set for November 15th, but if you cannot wait until then, be sure to check out BioWare's Friday Update which provides fans with the third and eleventh chapters from the novel. If you haven't pre-ordered the novel, check out the retailers provided by BioWare in their news article. Revan may just keep you entertained with your TOR appetite slightly satisfied until the game itself is released on December 20th.
Ganden posted Oct 22, 11
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Alienware, Author: Ganden, BioWare, Collector's Edition, Darth Lanfear, Darth Malgus, Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Dr. Ray Muzyka, Dreddon, EA, Electronic Arts, Eurogamer, Eurogamer Expo, Fan Friday, Friday Update, LucasArts, Master Gnost-Dural, Mesamune, Pre-Order, Return, Roleplay, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
Fans of The Old Republic should be well appeased after viewing BioWare's Friday Update, consisting of not one, not two, but three news features, all of which contain some fantastic goodies. Each month, BioWare spotlight some of the community's great artistry in what they call a Fan Friday. For the month of October, be sure to check out art pieces by Mesamune, Darth Lanfear, and Dreddon. As you can see in our header image by Dreddon, the detail is amazing! Additionally, new concept art imagery and wallpapers from the Return cinematic trailer have been made available for download. You can view it all in BioWare's Fan Friday.
Did you miss the Eurogamer Expo? Well don't stress, as BioWare have released a highlights video of some of the best bits. It was here that BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk announced the much anticipated release date for The Old Republic. In the short video, fans of The Old Republic who queued up to play the game share their experiences. One fan decided to take an early Christmas holiday, whilst another said he felt immersed in the story and combat of the game -- something that roleplayers hope to do when the game finally launches. The setup at the expo looked great, with numerous Alienware laptops spaced out for fans to get their hands on some of the action.
Ganden posted Oct 16, 11
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Author: Ganden, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Friday Update, Game Systems, LucasArts, Mon Calamari, Operations, Roleplay, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
Europeans and members from other non-US countries can rejoice. BioWare have announced via a Friday Update that The Old Republic will be now launch globally on the 20th of December 2011. Originally, Europeans had to wait an extra two days for the game to be released. After an outcry, it seems Electronic Arts and BioWare have given in and changed the release date to appease everyone equally on the same day. Australians, New Zealanders, Africans, Asians, and even the ice-goers from Antarctica who have pre-ordered the game can now zone in at the same time as the Americans. Have you got your annual leave booked in?
Also in BioWare's Friday update was the announcement of the new Operations page which can be accessed via the Game Systems menu. You'll find a brief overview of Operations -- BioWare's version of raids -- as well as some in-game footage of the challenges you'll face tackling the difficult scenarios. Do these Operations have potential for roleplay? Who knows! We'll have to play them to find out. From the images on the Operations page, however, you'll have to figure out how to immerse your character in a roleplaying story whilst facing an oversized Rattataki foe.
Be sure to head over to head over to BioWare's official announcements of the global launch, as well as the new Operations page for more information.
Ganden posted Oct 8, 11
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Author: Ganden, BioWare, Companion AI, Companions, EA, Electronic Arts, Friday Update, LucasArts, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, William Wallace
We all know that companions are going to play a pivotal part in our gaming experience in The Old Republic, whether as roleplayers we use them for roleplaying purposes, or if they're used merely in combat situations. We know that they'll interact with you, fight alongside you, and even go as far as crafting some of your best armour and weaponry. What we don't know as this stage is which companions we'll be able to choose from, as BioWare still haven't announced a full list of companions for each combat class. However, what has been announced in a Friday Update are the details as to how we'll be able to configure the AI of our companions in combat.
William Wallace, Senior Game Designer at BioWare, has posted an update detailing some of the ways we'll be able to control which abilities our companions use in combat. It isn't mandatory, as players have the freedom of choice as to whether or not they configure the companion AI, or leave the settings to their defaults. Here are some of the customisation options as detailed by William Wallace:
- Players may choose to disable some area-of-effect abilities when using crowd control or when fighting tough single enemies.
- Players may activate special modes or stances for their companion, causing them to focus more on damage or tanking, or on a single target versus groups of enemies.
- Players may want to manually activate buffs and powerful special abilities on long cooldowns, as opposed to letting the companion pick when to use their most powerful attacks.
For further information about the companion system in The Old Republic, be sure to check out William's latest companion update in the official Friday Update.
Sebaya Keto posted Sep 30, 11
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3-D, Author: Sebaya Keto, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Friday Update, Galactic Map, Galaxy, Lore, LucasArts, Planets, Regions, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
This week's Friday Update is a bit different from what we're used to seeing. Instead of an article, BioWare has given us a huge 3-D galactic map of The Old Republic. It seems to include several regions of space, as well as all of the currently in-game planets and where they are on the map. Beyond just looking nice, this is a great chance to get your bearings in the TOR universe.
While not much by itself, the map does a good job of teaching Old Republic lore by showing where everything is and linking that image to the currently available lore pages for the planets. If you've been feeling fuzzy about the background of The Old Republic, this is a good chance for visual learners to wrap their heads around the Star Wars galaxy.
Ganden posted Sep 10, 11
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Alexander Freed, Author: Ganden, BioWare, Blood of the Empire, Deceived, Developer Blog, EA, Electronic Arts, Friday Update, LucasArts, Revan, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Lost Suns, The Old Republic, Threat of Peace, TOR
Our stories define us. The journeys we've endured and the challenges we've faced make us who we are. It is the details in these stories, journeys and challenges that make for a great read, whether it be in a novel, in a comic book, or on the big screen. As roleplayers, stories are the centre of our creations and experiences. In The Old Republic, it is one thing that we'll never be short of. The story for the game is huge, and for that reason, novels and comic series relating to the game have been birthed. There is a large story to not only fill with life and vivid scenery, but there is much to also clarify, hence the reason for comics preceding the timeline of the game, including Threat of Peace, and Blood of the Empire, as well as the novels Deceived and Revan. We then have the latest comic, The Lost Suns, which ties in at the same time the game takes place.
Alexander Freed, Senior Writer at BioWare, has posted a developer blog as part of a Friday Update, where he discusses the tie-in editions to The Old Republic, and what rules need to be considered before giving such projects life. He makes a number of very valid points, some of which as roleplayers, we should pay close attention to. Consider these questions before writing a story for The Old Republic:
"What does this story contribute to mythology of The Old Republic? What does a reader get from this story that changes the way he or she experiences the game? Does it give the reader a new perspective on a character? Does it explain a mystery that isn’t resolved in the game? Does it explore the setting and the timeline in new depth?"
Alexander's blog does more than talk about the ins and outs of creating tie-in novels and comics; it provides roleplayers with handy information for creating mind-blowing stories that'll leave readers and fellow roleplayers wanting more. It is a must read for any roleplayer, no matter how much writing experience you may have. Be sure to view the full blog here.
Ganden posted Jul 16, 11
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Sith Warrior, Author: Ganden, BioWare, Brian Arndt, Comic Con, Comic-Con, EA, Electronic Arts, Friday Update, LucasArts, Roleplay, Smuggler, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, Studio Insider, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
That is an image that will stay with Star Wars fans forever. It is the first image we see at the beginning of any epic Star Wars story, whether it be in a movie, game, or novel. The Old Republic is no different. In this round of BioWare's Friday Updates, Brian Arndt, a Senior Video Editor from BioWare, has posted a new edition of the Studio Insider, explaining the steps involved in creating the class intros. Each class has it's own introduction, starting off with the typical Star Wars prologue text, before moving into a class-unique cutscene movie. Head over to the Studio Insider to catch a glimpse of the Sith Warrior introduction, as well as an in-progress short snippet of what Smuggler's can expect in their own story opener.
Also included in the Friday Update is the details of the next expo that BioWare will be featuring at. The San Diego Comic-Con event will be held between July 21st and 24th, with The Old Republic panel being set up on Thursday the 21st of July at 3.30pm, in room #6BCF. Based on BioWare's news update, we can expect a whole bunch of new goodies to drool over, building up even more anticipation for the game to hit store shelves. If you can't make it onto the showroom floor for Comic-Con, BioWare will be holding their own little fiesta at the Hilton Gaslamp Quarter Hotel. If you want more, there will also be a meet and greet at the hotel on Saturday the 23rd of July, starting at 7pm.
You can view all of BioWare's Comic-Con details here, and don't forget to check out Brian Arndt's Studio Insider which concludes with a community Q&A session.
Tziena posted May 6, 11
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Author: Tziena, canon, codex, Damion Schubert, EA, Electronic Arts, exploration, explorer, friday update, lore, LucasArts, Roleplay, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, The Old Republic, TOR
Oftentimes, roleplayers will have conflicting sources regarding canon. If we look at the original Star Wars trilogy, we still do not have a set standard for Imperial rank badges. Sure we have an idea, but there are so much conflicting information that we eventually have to pick one piece of information over another. Thankfully, Star Wars: The Old Republic takes place in time where current Star Wars canon has little affect. However, it does present a challenge to roleplayers because lore will not be readily available to us prior to creating a character. Enter the codex.
The SWTOR codex is much like the codex you find in the DragonAge and Mass Effect games. It is a history and encyclopedia of nearly everything you will find in The Old Republic. In the latest developer blog, Principal System Designer Damion Schubert details the intention behind the codex. He says, " [We use] our codex to not only elaborate on the settings you fight in and the creatures you kill, but also to plant seeds of knowledge relating to key personages and concepts from your class story and long-lost lore meant to give more feedback at large." Granted, the pieces of the codex will only be obtainable by exploration, but the truth of the matter is a great majority of roleplayers are explorers anyway. We will have the 120,000 word codex filled in no time.
Ganden posted Apr 30, 11
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Author: Ganden, BioWare, Friday Update, Michael Voigt, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, The Old Republic, TOR, UI, User Interface
As followers of The Old Republic, we love to see explosive and feature packed updates, like those we see in BioWare's cinematic trailers. Every Friday, BioWare releases new information on their upcoming Star Wars themed MMO, whether it be something new that we've never seen, or a Fan Friday where we get to see some of the great artwork and efforts of The Old Republic's community. In all the updates that we've seen to date, we've come to neglect something that we'll be looking at almost all the time -- the User Interface.
Michael Voigt, the Lead UI Artist at BioWare Austin, has written a developer blog as part of a Friday update, explaining the steps involved in creating a user interface. The blog begins with an analogy that his team used to kick off the interface production process. Productions then move on to creating a number of different interfaces, where the strongest creations are chosen to continue down the line. The blog consists of numerous images to assist in Michael's explanations. Be sure to check the blog out here.
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