Whether or not you agree with them, BioWare have decided to open the floodgates. Along with homosexual companions, all fears or arguments that homosexual RP should not be permitted have also been quashed. A large percentage of the gaming population identifies themselves somewhere in the LGTBQA community. It stands to reason that many of those players might also want to roleplay homosexual, bisexual, transgender, etc characters. Agree with it or not, homosexuality now firmly exists within The Old Republic's universe.

So, the question I pose to you, the reader, is do you think you will be able to do what your character would do, even if it means missing out on that cool looking armor you've had your eye on? What about if it would affect your relation to a companion too much? How are you going to weigh these IC choices during your character's story? Lets us know what you think!

Welcome to the second edition of SWTOR-RP's Force Reflection scenario week. Yesterday, we asked our members what their characters would do in a situation where they had to retrieve critical data from an enemy base. They had to decide whether their characters would decide on a full-frontal assault, or whether they'd take the sneaky approach, getting in an out undetected. Thank you to those who submitted answers.

For those who have played Mass Effect, this scenario will be quite familiar to you. This particular situation is quite momentous, as your decision is going to have a significant impact on your character's state of mind, well-being, and emotions. Here it is. You are in a battle situation where you've been accompanied by two of your crew members that are dear to you. One of them is someone you love, whether they're a family member, a partner, or someone else who is equivalent to a soul mate. The other is a loyal member of your crew whose skills greatly outweigh the person's whom you love. You're now in an awful predicament. You're in a battle where you're surrounded by enemies. You and your crew members have engaged the enemy in the form of a melee. You've got your hands full, as you fend off attacks from all around you. However, you notice that both of your crew members are in trouble. They've been pinned down and are on the verge of being taken out of the equation. You only have a fraction of a moment to save one, as it is impossible to save both. 

Keeping in mind that you love one, and the other possesses the necessary skills to see the mission through, which do you save? Do you succumb to the selfishness that comes with love? Or do you place the mission above all else? Post your answers in the comments section. 

Everything looks better with a fine polish. Our cars, Playstation 3 consoles, boots, and even bald heads give off an incandescent shine when we apply the right amount of polish. It is no different in the case of computer games, where the right amount of finishing touch-ups can really complete a game and make the experience for the player just that bit more illustrious.

BioWare have released another Developer Blog, touching on the "post-writing polish process." Ian Ryan, a writer from BioWare, explains how polishing a particular zone on one of their planets can really add some extra zest to the story. Here at SWTOR-RP, we place a large emphasis on story. Why? Because we represent the roleplaying community of The Old Republic, and without story, there would be no roleplay. Therefore, knowing that BioWare pay attention to polishing their game brings us much comfort. We've seen examples of their work in Mass Effect and Dragon Age, where their storytelling abilities have prevailed, and other gaming companies have met their inevitable doom.

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What is it in a game that makes the experience momentous and noteworthy? Is it the grueling and gory combat that blows your mind? Perhaps the depth of the story is what pulls you in as an escape from reality? There are numerous game genres out their for customers to sample and scrutinize, including MMORPGs, or massively multiplayer online roleplaying games; a genre that BioWare's latest concoction, The Old Republic, falls into. BioWare are not rookies in the roleplaying and storytelling field, with successful titles such as Mass Effect, Knights of the Old Republic, and Dragon Age. 

Within The Old Republic, there are a number of "game systems" available for players to take part in to fill their many hours of gameplay with. As you see from the image above, there are six main game systems that have been announced so far. Today's Force Reflection is a simple one. What game system or feature are you looking forward to most? Is it the end-game content -- raids for example -- that you anticipate most? Does the social aspect of the game excite you more? Or perhaps there is nothing you look forward to more than to blast enemies ships out of the sky. Whatever it is you ever-so-patiently await to do, let us know in the comments section. 

At the end of the Tatooine walkthrough, we see that a great evil is unleashed in the Imperial facility. First a woman is apparently electrocuted, then she lumbers over to her co-worker and kills him. Then he raises from the dead and the scene fades to black.

Zombies aren't new to games, for sure. In fact, there is a indie Xbox game that makes fun of the gimmick of putting zombies in a game. It's called I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MB1ES!!!1 Even the Star Wars franchise is not immune to the undead disease. The Star Wars novel Death Troopers inspired the Star Wars Galaxies update of the same name. BioWare is famous for it's zombies from other games. The Mass Effect series had its husks and scions.

What do you think of Star Wars: The Old Republic having zombies in it? Are you happy to see this fun gimmick introduced into the game? Is it just expected for any game now-a-days? Or maybe you think it is far over done and it's time to shoot it in the head. Why?

What is it that completes us as human beings? Some say it is the accomplishment of finding your soul mate -- the one that you'll spend the rest of your days with, till death do you part. It is a difficult task, trying to find the one person that you could look at in their seventies and say, "Yep, you're still beautiful." Regardless of how tedious the task is, we always seem to be seeking this companionship on a day-to-day basis. 

The search for romance is not limited to reality. Modern day gaming companies have integrated romancing in to their games, with a prime example being BioWare. Examples of their work exist in Knights of the Old Republic, with Revan and Bastila getting hot and steamy upon the Ebon Hawk. In Mass Effect, Commander Shepard does the horizontal hokey pokey with his choice of love interest, and continues to sweep the ladies off their feet in the sequel. The option to romance a companion will be available to players in The Old Republic, where you will be able to pick a companion character and have them fall in love with your undeniable good looks and charm. In light of that, today's Force Reflection is this: Will you romance a companion? Why? Post your answers in the comments section.