How many of you were aware of April Fools'? Were you subject to an April Fools' joke? Fans of The Old Republic who follow the game's news on the official website would have seen an update of a new game feature, dubbed the "Ship Droid Experience!" As much as it embarrasses me to say, I thought this was completely legit. I had my Reporters jump onto the news of this alleged new game feature, and the very next day we published our own coverage. I logged on the next day and saw some of the comments. "April Fools!" read a comment by one our members. Suffice to say, I slowly sunk lower into my chair and dropped my head in shame. However, I doubt I was walking alone on Naivety Street that day. Who else was fooled? Come one now, put your hands up! Help a brother out!
Despite this minor setback, April was an exciting month for players of The Old Republic and the members at SWTOR-RP. Why? Legacy! Game Update 1.2 went live, and we finally got a glimpse of what the Legacy System was all about. How many of you were relieved to discover that connecting your characters wasn't limited to family? Not only can you create your own dynasty, but you can also link your characters as allies and foes. Pure brilliance, I say.
The month of April also housed a number of other exciting updates here at SWTOR-RP. We continued with our Flashpoint and story progression in-character entries, bringing the in-game events to you in an exciting breaking news format. Some of the servers held some unique roleplaying events which we covered on our front page, and we saw the birth of a new column by our esteemed Reporter Norri. Read up on all of this plus more in our April edition of Month In Review.
The hours went by slowly as the evening wore on, as the first annual "Mister and Miss Nar Shaddaa" pageant unfolded in the grimy and rather stark surroundings of the location known simply as the Blood Factory. Fourteen hopeful contestants gathered in the space as seven judges decided who was the fairest of them all. Any contest on Nar Shaddaa isn't complete without accusations of foul play, bribery, or other suspicious possibilities. Some questions arose for those that attended the pageant, and speculation apparently ran rife when the results were finally announced after a rather lengthy deliberation process as the host, Vaanthe, and a Jawa or two worked over the results of the judges' accumulated votes.
The winners were announced with Franky Fourfingers, a known Huttball player, being crowned as Mister Nar Shaddaa, and Ali’anjya Elyse Fayn as Miss Nar Shaddaa. The runners up were Vertigus Abd'Zoth, apparently known for his prolific supply of offspring, and Briah Silvertongue. The two newly crowned beauty 'king and queen' will reign for a year, with the two others stepping in if something should happen to the winners.
Larrick Haldo here, giving you the news on what is happening where and how to do it with the least amount of legal ramifications possible. After my recent…stink on Nar Shaddaa, I hadn't planned on making an appearance there for a while until I was sure specific events had been forgotten. However, my Hutt-loving editor decided that I needed to return sooner than I had expected. I contemplated faking my own death for a few weeks and shacking up with a local Ithorian dance troupe until the whole thing had blown over. Alas, Ithorians don't make the best dancers, and after hearing what he wanted me to cover, I took my per diem, self prescribed medication, and got on the next shuttle to Nar Shaddaa.
I've never been a big sports fan. Never made much sense to me. This could be due to the fact I am not very athletic, or the fact that the sport I created was never really accepted in popular culture. (For whatever reason, ingesting a massive amount of hallucinogens and chasing school children with sticks in an effort to gather the various candy strapped to their chests is not considered very sporting. I retain I am simply ahead of my time.) However, while I am not a fan of most traditional sports, I am a very big fan of violence overall. Especially violence involving fire, blasters and explosions. And the event hosted by the aptly named "Blood Factory” appeared to be my kind of event.
Now, a disclaimer: those who aren't accustomed to traversing the wilds that are the lower levels of Nar Shaddaa, be warned. Simply getting to this place is work enough, and if you aren't willing to shoot a nice little old lady in the face for looking at you funny, you may want to reconsider taking the trek down. Luckily I have a history of shooting at senior citizens, so I felt completely prepared to delve into the belly of Nar Shaddaa and see what was being digested.
Nar Shaddaa is the home to some of the galaxy's most notorious criminals, outlaw gangs, and to top it off, it is controlled mostly by ruthless and territorial Hutts. If you've got a bounty on your head, Nar Shaddaa is the one place to go to disappear. The streets are full of life, dazzling colours, and endless party, gambling, and racing events – there is so much happening on Nar Shaddaa, its bustling subsistence with engulf you. Although, amongst all the hostility and busyness on the planet, the Hutts still know how to draw people into their cantinas. Just over one day ago, the Yocola Tonka Cantina, located in the lower level of the Promenade on Nar Shaddaa, officially opened its doors for the first time to patrons in its Grand Opening event.
The cantina was filled with individuals of all shapes, sizes, colours, and personalities, including my own. I was granted exclusive reporter access to the event where I was privileged enough to experience the Yocola Tonka's vibrancy in entertainment, beverages, as well as its staff. Live singers accompanied by a band were on stage, the music filled the room from wall to wall, and the bar was overworked as if its stocks would be disappearing from the face of the galaxy the following day. Twi'lek dancers swayed about on podiums, and everybody seemed to of had a jolly good time. Despite Nar Shaddaa's usual clientèle, the cantina was trouble free – at least for my short stay.
Part of my exclusive reporter access granted me an audience with one of the Directors of the Yocola Tonka. Vaanthe, also head of security, took a moment to talk to me about the cantina. "Yocola Tonka means 'drink up' in Huttese," she explained. "We are a business run within the cantina here, under the ownership of a Hutt, as many things on this planet are. We are a social venue, with our staff, to provide entertainment and so forth within the walls."
If you're stopping by Nar Shaddaa, head on down to the Yocola Tonka. With security as tight as it was to ensure everyone's limbs remained intact, you probably won't find a more secure place for entertainment. Be sure to view some of the images taken of the event below.
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!
As an Imperial Agent, of course, I knew that the corruption of the Galactic Republic would eventually cause the delicate fabric of their government to be split apart. However, even I didn't realize just how torn the Republic was already. Imperial Intelligence discovered a secret weapon of mass destruction designed to literally launch asteroids into the surface of a planet causing massive if not planetary-wide destruction. The Republic calls it The Hammer, and Lord Malgus wants it as a prize for the Empire. And I intend to get it for him.
At the fan site summit held last week in Austin, Texas, Vaanthe and I experienced many facets of Star Wars: The Old Republic that have not been revealed yet. The sparkly newness of Drumond Kaas and Flashpoints filled our eyes with wonder and excitement. On the second day of the summit, the BioWare community team sat us in front of brand-new NVIDIA desktops, whetting our appetite with virgin level-16 characters just begging us to play. We were allowed to spec our avatar as we wished – specifically, which Advanced Class we would like to play.
After the break, follow the adventure of my Republic Vanguard as he tackles The Hammer and prevents it from falling into Imperial hands.
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.
