Ganden posted Apr 2, 12
-
Allusis, Athiss, Author: Ganden, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Gabe Amatangelo, GigasFist, Guild Summit, Jar Jar Binks, Legacy System, LucasArts, Mandalorian Raiders, Month In Review, Nar Shaddaa, Norri, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Sebaya, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, Tenebras, The Old Republic, The Phantom Menace, TOR
Welcome to another edition of the SWTOR-RP Month In Review, where we sit back beneath the twin suns of Tatooine and reflect upon the articles that have passed through the front page. The month of March holds significant meaning to a number of staff—including myself—as we were fortunate enough to receive one-on-one time with a number of key developers from BioWare.
Gabe Amatangelo visited Sydney, Australia, for the official launch of The Old Republic in the Oceanic region. Additionally, Sebaya ventured off to the first ever Guild Summit in Austin, Texas. More on that later.
Continue reading below as we review some of the work of our Reporters during the month of March. We'll revisit some of the in-character articles, interviews, game updates, and some of the topics covered by our columnists.
Ganden posted Mar 1, 12
-
Australian Launch, Author: Ganden, BioWare, Chat Bubbles, Cross-Faction Communication, Darth Vader, David Holloway, EA, Electronic Arts, End-game, Flashpoint, Gabe Amatangelo, Galactic Republic, Gav Daragon, Huttball, Jedi Knight, Legacy System, LucasArts, Luke Skywalker, Operations, Outlaw's Den, PvE, PvP, Republic, role-play, Roleplay, RP, RvR, Sith, Sith Empire, Smuggler, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, TOROZ, Warzone
On March 1st 2012, The Old Republic officially launched in Australia. A new roleplaying server— Gav Daragon—was created, along with another PvE and PvP server. To celebrate the regional expansion of BioWare's and EA's largest ever online project, an official Australian community launch event was held in Sydney. And who other than me, your Australian Editor-in-chief at SWTOR-RP, should attend the event to receive one-on-one time with EA's special guest, Gabe Amatangelo— The Old Republic's Principal Lead Flashpoint, Operations, and PvP Designer?
In our time together, we discussed a number of topics ranging from roleplaying features, PvP, Flashpoints, and Warzones. I also tried my best to find out some exclusive information about Game Update 1.2 and the upcoming Legacy System, but as always, BioWare are very good at remaining tight-lipped about their upcoming features. The good news? We only have to wait one week for all the goodies that will accompany Game Update 1.2.
Earlier in the day, our friends at TOROZ also exchanged banter with Gabe. Be sure to head on over to TOROZ to view their video interview. David Holloway asked some great questions about PvP, and in turn received some great answers from Gabe. But in the meantime, continue below to view SWTOR-RP's very own interview with Gabe Amatangelo.
Ganden posted Jan 23, 12
-
Allison Berryman, Author: Ganden, BioWare, David Hunt, EA, Electronic Arts, Gabe Amatangelo, Game Update 1.1, Georg Zoeller, Ilum, Jedi Knight, Kira Carsen, Legacy System, LucasArts, PvP, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, Weekly Dev Tracker
BioWare recently implemented Game Update 1.1 onto all of the live servers for The Old Republic, introducing a bunch of new features, as well as fixing some old, annoying bugs. Jedi Knights can finally get groovy with Kira Carsen with the recent fix of her companion affection story. However, the update was not the "be all and end all." Game bugs still exist, and there is still plenty of work to be done to appease the needs of the millions of players, including us roleplayers.
For those of you that missed it, BioWare spoke about some of the upcoming features to TOR. The elusive Legacy System is going to be revealed some day soon, and we can only hope that it assists roleplay rather than hinders it. Despite this controversial game feature, recent forum activity is focused on completely unrelated topics. PvP on Ilum and ability delay have been the most talked about topics earning the attention of the developers. Check out some of the latest developer forum posts in your SWTOR-RP Dev Tracker Report below.
Whilst we're on the topic of the official forums, please head on over and check out the official SWTOR-RP thread in the roleplay section. Feel free to show your support for the site by posting in that thread.
Ganden posted Jan 12, 12
-
Author: Ganden, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Flashpoints, Gabe Amatangelo, Ilum, LucasArts, Massively, Operations, PvP, Rakghouls, Rise of the Rakghouls, Roleplay, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR
Flashpoints and Operations in The Old Republic offers players some of the most awe-inspiring and epic quest stories and battles in the game's entirety. Playing the game solo by closing your chat window and only undertaking quests that you can complete as an individual can be fun, but you're going to be missing out on the mind-blowing events and encounters that take place in The Old Republic. For those of you who have played through the Maelstrom Flashpoint, you know what I'm talking about. Absolutely and utterly epic.
If you've already hit level cap and have taken on all the game has to offer in regards to Flashpoints and Operations, BioWare has a treat specially for you. Massively recently sat down with Gabe Amatangelo who revealed some of the content soon making its way to TOR in future updates. Flashpoints, Operations, and PvP was the focus. If any of those game systems floats your starship, you might want to continue reading.
We learn that the new Flashpoint coming to TOR is Rise of the Rakghouls – a level fifty Flashpoint that Gabe says is his personal favourite. The hallways are dark, and players must make use of their flashlights to illuminate the room. The Flashpoint is difficult, as enemies swarm you from all directions, yet it is only the opener to a two-part story. The second part of Rise of the Rakghouls will be added in a future update.
Also revealed in the one-on-one with BioWare's Lead PvP Designer are details of a boss fight with a Hutt, as well as changes to PvP on Ilum. Gabe described clashing swords with a Hutt as "fun and funny at the same time." A cinematic with the Hutt also provides players with some giggling candy – something we can all look forward to. And as for the changes to PvP on Ilum, a number of "improvements" will be made with the 1.1 patch. You can view the patch notes on the public test server post here.
Be sure to head on over to Massively to view the full article. But before you swander off, check out the Rise of the Rakghouls trailer below. It is like a mild Star Wars horror scene. Enjoy!
Tziena posted Nov 18, 11
-
Author: Tziena, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Fan site summit, FFA, Free-for-all, Gabe amatangelo, LucasArts, Outlaw's Den, Player versus player, PvP, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, The Old Republic, TOR
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.
Vaanthe posted Nov 11, 11
-
#SWTOUR, Author: Technopixie, Author: Vaanthe, BioWare, Empire, Fansite Summit, Gabe Amatangelo, Jedi, Prototype Ship, PVP, PVP Warzones, Republic, role-play, Roleplay, RP-PVP, Sith, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, Voidstar
The Voidstar. Its very name has an ominous ring to the ears.
The noises on the old ship are eerie with the occasional metal creak, though the rest of the vessel is so... quiet. It always got the tech at how old some of these ships could be, yet the bridge appears almost as if the long dead crew could appear at any moment. Annowyn almost expects to see the Republic ship show up and...
The alarms going off are the first real indication that something is truly wrong, and not just Annowyn's imagination. The undercurrent of her inner mental soundtrack is abruptly severed in its live feed just as her efforts to retrieve the ship’s data core are also interrupted. An explosion bubbles outward as a nearby door is blown open. Looking grim, the woman returns to her work at the consoles and with the ship’s computer.
Ganden posted Nov 10, 11
-
Achievements, Author: Ganden, Baraslan, BioWare, Companions, Coruscant, DarthHater, EA, Electronic Arts, Empire, Facebook, Fan Site Summit, Flashpoints, Fragworld, Gabe Amatangelo, Galactic Republic, Georg Zoeller, Hope, Hope Cinematic Trailer, Hoth, Ilum, Image Designer, James Ohlen, Jedi, Jolee Bindo, Knights of the Old Republic II, KOTOR II, LucasArts, Mantell Syndicate, MMO, Operations, Phasing, PvP, Republic, role-play, Roleplay, RP, Sith, Sith Empire, Social Points, Star Wars, Star Wars Galaxies, Star Wars The Old Republic, Starships, SWG, SWTOR, SWTOR-RP, The Old Republic, TOR, TOROcast, Tython, Tziena, Vaanthe, Wampa, Warzones
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 Republic at 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.
Sebaya Keto posted Sep 16, 11
-
Animation, Author: Sebaya Keto, BioWare, Gabe Amatangelo, PvP, Q&A, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, Studio Insider, SWTOR, The Old Republic, TOR, Video, Warzone
This week we were in for an interesting sunrise. BioWare has released a new Studio Insider article that details their work in creating the animations for The Old Republic, as well as a Q&A with Lead PvP Designer Gabe Amatangelo. If you haven't seen much on game animation design before, it's definitely an interesting read, especially the video that details the modeling of different attacks and how they evolved. You can find that short snippet at the end of this article.
On the PvP front, we get some hints into what will be coming post-launch. The current warzone and open world PvP system seems to be a familiar topic now, so they focus on coming features such as rankings and dual-spec characters. It seems like the goal is to make PvP class powers more like PvE with taunts and other abilities that will work on opposing players, in addition to making PvP less about slaughter the healer and more about complex tactics.
For an RPer, there may not be as much to it as you might like, but there is dual-spec information and a few other interesting tidbits that still make it worth reading. You can click below to see the animation video or one of the links to go to the full article on the TOR main site.
Tziena posted May 6, 11
-
Author: Tziena, BioWare, EA, Electronic Arts, Force Reflection, Gabe Amatangelo, LucasArts, Player vs. Player, PvP, PvP server, Roleplay, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, The Old Republic, TOR
We found out a lot of information about PvP this week from other fan sites who visited BioWare in Austin a few weeks back. We also knew there were going to be severs dedicated to PvP. Obviously, the means open world PvP. Some roleplayers believe that PvP actually enhances roleplay; whereas, others believe that PvP destroys it. We did find out from Gabe Amatangelo, the lead PvP designer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, that even traditional roles such as tanks will have an actual role in PvP content besides flag carrier.
So my question today isn't just if you will PvP but why or why not? Do you think PvP adds to the realism of the situation your character is in? Do you think it's realistic for someone for the opposite faction to suddenly attack you while you're having a drink in the cantina? Here is a bigger question: Why should I agree with you? Let me know in the comments below.
Tziena posted Jan 5, 11
-
BioWare, Chris Cao, Daniel Erickson, EA, Electronic Arts, Gabe Amatangelo, LucasArts, perspective, Rawr Footage, Roleplay, Star Wars, Star Wars The Old Republic, SWTOR, The Old Republic, TOR
O death, where is thy sting? Can thou not take me from the horror of being a roleplayer Many roleplayers claim that they are the underdog -- that they are hated by most MMO players and will never earn the respect that PvPers have. As some of you know, I speak with industry professionals on practically a daily basis. What I have found most interesting is that a large majority of the people who make the games we play would be considered carebears and noobs. In fact, the only ones that I can think of who are true hardcore players are Chris Cao from DC Universe Online or Gabe Amatangelo, the SWTOR PvP designer. This is not to say that others are terrible at playing the game or that they dislike PvP. In fact, I would say that they enjoy all aspects of the game, and do not tend to segregate themselves. In fact, even Cao and Amatangelo have touted claims of how important storytelling is for PvP. If you talk to Daniel Erickson, the Lead Writer for our favorite yet-to-be-released MMO, for any extended period of time, you will find out that he is an "ol skool" pen and paper roleplayer, and that he and the rest of the developers are trying to bring that aspect back to a genre that has been without that feeling for quite some time (if it ever had it in the first place). So how do we overcome this feeling of inadequacy? Are we laying claim to a state of existence that is untrue or at very least unwarranted? We can talk more about that by tapping on the "Read More" link below
|
