So this will be the first of two articles on the panels that was held at the recent BioWare Guild Summit, since there's so much I want to talk about from the roleplay panel, and questions I asked of developers. In this article, however, we'll be focusing on the new content that's coming for gameplay in The Old Republic, and new features for guilds to use. We have several things to cover, so I'm going to just dive right in—this article will cover the PvE, PvP, Economics, Crew Skills, and other panels. To start with, the GTN is now "80% less stupid" with a total overhaul, and many new features! Apparently the developers hated the current one as much as we do. Read through to the end, because I'm saving the best for last.

First up I'll cover the Economics panel, because it was surprisingly one of the more interesting. The official spread of players for instance across all servers is 57% Empire and 42% Republic, with a 1% margin of error. While this may seem unbalanced, it's actually better then most MMOs. Also, a whopping 70% of characters are male. Sith Inquisitors are by far the most popular class, with the Smuggler earning the dubious award of least-played class. Crew Skills are getting a major revamp to make all of them useful in the end-game—not just Biochem. We already know about crit-crafted oranges with augment slots, but classes besides Slicing will be able to make augments now as well, with Slicers supplying the materials. Keep reading, I'm not even close to done.

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. 

Also of importance is the mention of a hood toggle coming after Game Update 1.2. The next major update would be Game Update 1.3 which might be 2-3 months later. Either way, it's coming. They seem to be talking about headgear a lot. Companion headgear toggles are currently in the works. No ETA for them, but just good to know it's in the works, right?

Mordecia and all our other gambling entrepreneurs are going to be exciting that /roll has already been added to internal testing builds. BioWare internal testing is said to be 2-3 patches ahead of live, so that means it's likely still a few weeks off at least, but I think it's safe to say /roll will be available soon for RP events. Hopefully this will help spur people to play Sabaac more! Read on and I'll talk about the rest of what was said.

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!

In judging another player, using simple terms to describe or even stereotype them has taken root over the years because it is easy. I can just call someone a heavy RPer instead of explaining everything they do and hope the person I'm speaking with has the same vague understanding of the term that I do. Heavy and light RP don't have clear definitions though which has caused problems in the past. Heavy often becomes a synonym for "good" roleplay, with light taking on a negative connotation. I would certainly be offended if someone called me a light RPer.

So this week to help the community as we always try to do, we will take a look in depth at the terms and what you think they mean. Are they even good for the community or do they just hurt and divide us? Perhaps even just through clearing up the meaning we can remove some of the negatives that heavy and light RP have. These answers and more await, so read on and see what your fellow roleplayers have to say!

While details are few, and the article is in German, we are able to glean that players may be able to sit in cantina chairs as early as tomorrow. Talk about a shocker! Also, as if that wasn't enough, cantinas will have jukeboxes as well. Buy a token, put it in and listen to some tunes. This is an amazing development for the RP community and will surely go a long way to making TOR more conducive to RP. 

In addition to that bombshell, the interview also gives several new tidbits as well, for instance Guild Banks will not be in at launch but coming soon after. There will also be two operations (raids) at launch now instead of just the one we were expecting. We can also expect to do our favorite flashpoints over in "Hard" mode, though what this entails is left out for the moment. There will also be no combat log at launch. Stay tuned here to SWTOR-RP, and we'll keep you up to date with new information as it comes.  Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments!

Introverts and extroverts tend to work in opposite ways. Your typical introvert, locked away in their own world of shyness and independence, will tend to go about their daily business alone. They prefer it that way, as interacting with larger groups just isn't their cup of Jawa juice. Call them your ordinary loner, keeping their head down as they walk through the streets, singing away to themselves like a crazy person. On the contrary, your extrovert cannot get enough of sociality en masse. If a task consists of grouping up with one or more people, your typical extrovert will be there with cow bells on. Perhaps quite literally. And to take the idea of introverts and extroverts a step further by applying them to roleplay, the category to which a person can be assigned to may just determine their style of gameplay. 

In The Old Republic, BioWare have made it clear that the game can be played solo. If your wish is to conquer the game as a lone hero, taking on either the Empire or Galactic Republic with nothing but your trusty side-arm or lightsaber, you can very well do that. However, you'd be missing out on countless amounts of content, including Flashpoints and Operations. Oh, and roleplay. If grouping is what you prefer, you will have the option to take to the streets of Coruscant with your trustiest heroes-in-arms. So for you, what will it be? Are you a solo player? Or will you be a groupie, making much use of The Old Republic's LFG (looking for group) feature? This is today's Force Reflection. Be sure to post your answers in the comments section. 

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.