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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. 
Mishka Kalrook Wow, gandon, great job. Still wondering if legacy will allow for customisation of current characters . . . guess we'll ...
Ganden
Thanks guys. Really enjoyed the interview. He's great to talk to ...
Pan You managed to pry more -new- information outta him than most, and for that, you are awesome. Though, 1.2 better be a d ...

 
How often do we see someone cause misery for the sole sake of making others miserable? Rarely, I'd say. With the exception of people like Tom Brady (go Giants), the vast majority of people are human beings, and I, personally, believe that we're all good people. That said, people don't get on with each other all the time, and some more than others. We have people we don't like, people who aggravate us. We have our villains, and they're a sad, if unchanging, part of life. In roleplay, it's the same – can you imagine an Old Republic without the crackling, forboding voice of Darth Malgus? The problem with creating a villain, however, is that quite often they can antagonize players just as much as a character, and when this happens, roleplay falters. In this Datapad Notes, we'll be exploring the ways that players can create memorable villains without antagonizing others.

Do you play a character that irritates, attacks, or doesn't always do what their faction expects? They can be a Jedi Knight, irritatingly superior with harsh morals that often aggravate the people they work with. Perhaps they're an Imperial Agent, willing to side with the enemy to ensure that the greater good survives. Or, alternately, they could be a Sith Inquisitor, determined to make the Republic fall to its knees, so the galaxy can, once again, know true order. If you do, good work. Hopefully, you haven't run into the problems that come with creating an antagonist, counterpart, anti-hero, villain. If you have, perhaps this will help you work on keeping people interested out-of-character, or improve your character. We'll be discussing how a villain can contribute to roleplay, the importance of backstory in making a character, and we'll also touch on how to handle the delicate inticracies between players and characters, and how to keep them happy.

Buckle up, folks, and get ready to fall to the Dark Side.
WingedThing First off: I vastly appreciated this article, particularly the distinction between "villain" and "evil.&q ...
Sien Zoth Very, very well said. You did an amazing job on this article Kovani, but that's to be expected with your previous awesom ...
Vira'rose back in my IRC days there was this demon who every time someone killed him he showed back up a week later. (sometimes ...


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. 
Laz'are Wow, are people always that obnoxious on the official forum? No wonder I don't go there myself.


Welcome to another edition of the SWTOR-RP Dev Tracker Report. In today's collection of developer posts from the official forum, we've left out majority of the complaints about the games' minor bugs. Most of us are aware of them, and the development team are most likely on top of it. However, we've compiled some of the more interesting posts by the developers that relate to gameplay and – potentially – roleplay. PvPers may have noticed a reduction in healing whilst engaged in PvP combat, and Georg Zoeller comments on that issue. So when you jab a shot of kolto into a fellow Republican or Imperial during PvP, be sure to emote a curse at your medic at their incompetence in healing. Connection to roleplay. Voilà. Also mentioned after the break is the colour unification system, Quesh's difficulty level, the problems that coincide with hitting the level fifty cap too soon, and the 1.0.2 public server patch notes. Enjoy!
Sinreiko From what little I have seen of Quesh, it is a noticeable difference in difficulty compared to previous planets/areas, a ...
Alor THE FOLLOWING IS ALL THAT I GOT FROM THESE Q&A: .....Wait, people had trouble with Quesh? ._. o_o 0_0 O_O xDDD ...
.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, every character had the same surname. Hang on, what? If BioWare were the creators of Star Wars, this may have been the case. Jar Jar Skywalker. Yoda Skywalker. Bossk Skywalker. They've got a ring to them, don't they? Actually, no they don't. If you haven't picked up on it yet, we're mocking BioWare's Legacy System. As much as we're all in love with BioWare's work that they've conducted over the last three years – perhaps even longer – we can't help but gape in shock at the decision made by a company that claim to be exactly what we are – roleplayers. The Legacy System allows a character that has finished Act I in The Old Republic's story to select a surname. That surname applies to all of the characters on the one account. What this means is, you'll have one big happy family!

As roleplayers, surely we're not that keen on the idea. We like diversity in games with our characters, but in The Old Republic's case, it won't be possible. What is possible, however, is completing removing any sign of the Legacy System from our characters. There is an option in-game that allows you to hide your Legacy surname. This works for roleplayers, as we don't want your Jedi Knight being mistaken as the sibling or matrimonial partner of your Sith Inquisitor. But just how against the idea are roleplayers? Sa Chi covered the topic of the Legacy System in an edition of All The Galaxy's A Stage where he included a poll, but the results weren't flattering for roleplayers. Head on over to the article to view the results.

What do you think of the Legacy System? Is it a blight on the roleplayers of The Old Republic? Does it work for you? Or are you undecided? Come on, you're roleplayers. You all have opinions!
Glzmo I generally like the Legacy system. What I don't like is that surnames are tied to it and have to be uniquely bound to t ...
Zentoyo If I was a non-RPer, this Legacy system wouldn't bother me I don't think. As a RPer, I have -made- it so it didn't both ...
Kashemia I'm actually ok with it. I managed to get my own Legacy name yesterday, and tried to pick something that could go with s ...


When you think about a BioWare game, the first thing that comes to mind is usually its story. The Old Republic is no different. It has been touting as adding a new fourth pillar to the MMO genre – story. But is the addition of a story for our characters really a good thing for roleplayers? In this week's The Darker Side of Life, we dig into the issue, and using your responses try to find a measure of understanding in the chaos. 

Most of you reading this have played TOR's beta already, so you've had a chance to see the class stories in action. Don't worry, nothing will be spoiled for you. Snape kills Revan. The stories themselves though have gotten a lot of attention. They're fun, and for the most part on par with something you would expect the folks at BioWare to have written. While that may be great for the game's success, how many Bounty Hunters are going to win the Great Hunt? How many Jedi Knights can be Orgus Din's apprentice at once?

In one of the first issues of The Darker Side of Life we discussed the use of companions in roleplay and ran into some very similar problems. In the end the consensus seemed to be you could always use them as extras, different characters, or just not at all. In the same way we've seen Sith Inquisitors offer up different backstories as to why they were enslaved, but will it be enough to differentiate them from the pack? Can you really build a strong character off the class story? Can you add a planet to The Old Republic? Read on and we'll find out
papagolfwhiskey I'm planning to buy TOR largely in part because I have loved Bioware's Rollercoaster rides and their awesome illusion o ...
Mai Cash I completely didn't think about this when the questions were up, but my character concept doesn't fall quite exactly wit ...
Sareth Great article. I know I for one wanted to take some inspiration off the main story for my SI; but when I sat down and pl ...


In an article miniseries based on Daniel Wallace's instruction book for students of the Jedi Order – The Jedi Path – we've taken you through some of the lessons taught to Initiates and Padawans, as well as discussing some of the roles available to Jedi talented enough to make it to the rank of Jedi Knight. The Jedi Path: Teachings of the Jedi Order has acted as a guide for roleplayers who wish to learn more about the lore covering the different ranks within the Jedi Order, exclusively on SWTOR-RP

Note that most of the knowledge extracted from the book has been of the teachings after the Ruusan Reformation – an event which occurred much later in the Star Wars timeline than the events which take place in The Old Republic. However, any major differences in the structure of the Order have been pointed out in Parts I through IV so far of the miniseries, with the major difference being the manner in which the Jedi Trials are carried out. The Jedi Code, teachings of Initiates and Padawans, and the different roles of the Jedi Knights discussed in Part IV can be said to be very much the same in the era of The Old Republic, as there is no evidence to the contrary. 
Zyle Thanks alot for this series of articles. I've enjoyed reading them and felt I've learned much about the Jedi.


The path of a Jedi during their years as an Initiate and Padawan learner is difficult and demanding to say the least. In Parts I, II, and III of The Jedi Path: Teachings of the Jedi Order, we've taken you through some of the activities that an Initiate and Padawan may have to partake in to progress through the ranks. After years of endless training and tutoring by senior peers, a Jedi Padawan must pass the Jedi Trials in order to obtain the rank of Jedi Knight. However, the learning does not end there. In The Jedi Path, a Jedi lore guide written by Daniel Wallace, we learn from the perspective of Grand Master Fae Coven that there are more Knights than any other rank in the Jedi Order, and for good reason. Demands for the services of the Jedi are high, as the Order serves to protect all living beings, especially those aligned with the Galactic Republic. The galaxy is a large place, and crime fills every corner of known space. 

We all have our masters, and we all have our students. They will come and go over time, whether they're your boss at work, an older family member, or a child of yours that follows in your every footstep. We pick up our life lessons from our masters, and we pass them on to our students. So really, any bad habits that any of your students pick up can be blamed entirely on you. Hopefully your students don't pick their noses and eat their snot, because what will others think of you? Tsk tsk. 

Jedi have never been seen picking their noses, however, as their teachers come from a moralistic and philosophical group of individuals that place importance on selflessness, discipline, and immense meditation. A Jedi's career will usually start off at the rank of Initiate as a youngling. Eventually, a Jedi will progress through the ranks to Padawan, then to Jedi Knight and perhaps one day a Jedi Master. Along the way however, the Jedi will have picked up numerous teachers who would have taught them all they know, allowing that knowledge to be passed on to many students. 

In The Old Republic, immersing a character into a life within the walls of the Jedi Temple is very much a possibility. The Jedi Temple on Tython has many halls and rooms for teaching and sparring practice, allowing for characters to roleplay a Jedi Master-Padawan relationship within the grounds of the Jedi Temple. In today's Force Reflection, tell us whether you will be participating in such a relationship with another roleplayer, and if so, let us know how you plan to implement it. Pop any thoughts or ideas in the comments section of this article. 
Darth Acious I don't have a padawan and I never plan to have one, my past experiences have been bad.
Leanore I've been RPing a Padawan named Rhosyn with Sven as her Master. It's been a lot of fun. We've been RPing together and wi ...
Jerent My character is a padawan, and though he has learned a lot from a previous master, he has a lot left to learn. I won't b ...


Do you ever wonder how it is that the Jedi are so ruthless and precise with their strikes, parries, and blows whilst using the unforgiving lightsaber? Not only do the Jedi have access to the almighty Force to anticipate the attack and defence strategies of their foes, but they also have access to the knowledge contained within the forms of lightsaber combat which have been studies for centuries. In Part III of this article miniseries based on the book, The Jedi Path, we take you through the lightsaber forms used by both the Jedi and the Sith, as well as touching on sense abilities. We will then conclude the Padawan chapter of the book written for students of the Jedi by taking you through the Jedi Trials – the tests that determine whether a Padawan can be deemed ready for Knighthood within the Jedi Order.

For those of you still getting familiar with Jedi lore, there are six forms of lightsaber combat, each with their own style. Form I, also known as the Determination Form or Way of the Sarlacc, is the first style of lightsaber combat taught to the Jedi Initiates and Padawan learners of the Jedi Order. As previously stated in Part I of The Jedi Path: Teachings of the Jedi Order, Form I aims at the major strike zones of the body, consisting of the right and left sides of the body, as well as the head and legs. Disarming or temporarily incapacitating an enemy is the main aim of Form I. It is when we move onto Form II, also known as Makashi, and the Contention Form or Way of the Ysalamiri, that we begin to move onto the more stylised forms of lightsaber combat. Makashi was predominantly used for lightsaber-on-lightsaber combat. It is the most elegant of the six forms, using light and precise strikes at its opponents. The stance of Makashi consists of having one foot in front of the other in a line, moving forward and back upon this line. Disarming strikes with spins and twirls of the lightsaber are the more natural movements of this form.
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