Swtor

[svartalf]

Global Launch: instead of 22nd December it will be 20th.
Star Wars: The Old Republic | News, Updates, Developer Blogs

Global Launch for The Old Republic









Today BioWare and LucasArts are excited to announce that the new global launch date for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ will be December 20th, 2011. Updating from previously announced plans, the release will now be simultaneous in North American and European launch territories!



Those who have pre-ordered the game and redeemed their Pre-Order Code at the Code Redemption Center before the game’s official release are eligible for Early Game Access as well as an in-game ‘Color Stone’ to change the color of your weapon’s visual effects. If you haven’t yet reserved your copy of the game, be sure to visit our Pre-Order page and secure your place in the Old Republic now!



Additionally, be sure to check back to StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com as well as our Twitter and Facebook pages for all the latest news and updates on Star Wars: The Old Republic.





Discuss this article



Tags

global launch

 

[SilverHood]

Good stuff. I played the beta, and while I can't say anything about it, I will certainly be playing retail :worthy:

 

[pito]

To me so far it has been dissapointing so will not be getting it on release, will most likely wait a few months and see how it settles and developes.

 

[Xandax]

Global Launch: instead of 22nd December it will be 20th.
Star Wars: The Old Republic | News, Updates, Developer Blogs

Guess they found out that if they send out boxes a few days earlier, they can be in the store a few days earlier.
Never understood their reasoning for the 22nd either, so that's at least a plus they change it.

 

[old.Tohtori]

To those in the beta;

How's the fluff?

As an example; vanity pets and barber shops in wow, useless items that do silly things etc?

Also how are the huttball and spaceflight aspects? Or was spacecombat in yet?

 

[SilverHood]

Not going to break NDA. But there's an impression of the game here:
Penny Arcade - SW:TOR

 

[Aada]

I really am looking forward to it, any idea what the system requirements are yet?

 

[rynnor]

Put in my pre-order - looking forward to it

 

[Ctuchik]

I really am looking forward to it, any idea what the system requirements are yet?

Yes, but as that info is at the top of the search list in all search engines i'd rather waste time typing this then copy&paste that.

 

[Aada]

Yes, but as that info is at the top of the search list in all search engines i'd rather waste time typing this then copy&paste that.

Asshole!

 

[old.Tohtori]

Not going to break NDA. But there's an impression of the game here:
Penny Arcade - SW:TOR

I've got the CE in pre-order anyway so it won't change anything, was just curious on answers like "Yeah there's extra sh*t to do for RP stuff".

 

[Ctuchik]

Asshole!

You betcha! :kissit:

 

[svartalf]

Interview with Drs.

TGL Interview: The Doctors from BioWare talk The Old Republic

CommentOctober 17th, 2011 15:45



BioWare are known for creating rich and meaningful worlds. Now they are turning their energy into the already crowded MMO space in an attempt to create a loyal Star Wars experience -- but what can they offer that the competition can't? We recently sat down with the founders of BioWare in the newly established BioWare centre in Galway to talk everything from the economy to what fans can expect from Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Here's how we got on.

The Gaming Liberty: Why Ireland? What attracted you to Ireland? And what do you think Ireland can offer that, for example, the UK can't?

Ray Muzyka: Well we looked at different countries and different regions within countries, but Galway stood out because of the talent, experience, workforce and great Universities. If you think about it, it really acts like a nexus point to the rest of the world -- in a global context. The people here are passionate gamers, passionate BioWare fans, so it's going to be our customer support network centre for the world. Having access to really smart and passionate people made it a pretty easy choice. You see people like working here, they like living here, it's a great place and it seems that there's a good quality of life here too.

TGL: That's the funny thing -- a lot of Irish would look at Canada and think that's a good place to live, with a good quality of life!



Greg Zeschuk: Well there's always pros and cons -- but try joining us in January and see how you feel "laughs".

RM: There's also a fair, reasonable tax and regalatory structure the government here has provided for us which creates an entrepreneurial environment for us which is a big bonus too.

TGL: Obviosuly job creation, considering the turmoil in the economy, is an important and positive result for Ireland. What are your aspirations for the centre here in Galway, and what do you think the centre can do for BioWare?

GZ: Well right now we have three main areas. The first is the customer support element to it. When you're playing the game, if you have a problem, you can literally ask for a GM to come help you, talk to you and even guide you through parts of the game. Secondly there's what we call the "network operation centre"; which are a group of keys guys that keep an eye on the entire network, all the data centres and the machines. It goes around the clock between here and Austin and it goes 24/7 -- they watch every single server -- they're also the guys that will fix things, which is really cool. Finally there's the folks that are testing. There's the QA of the game, so if there's any issues, or problems at any time, we'll try to figure out what's going on -- which means we're really keeping an eye on everything.

Over time we'll see if the game takes off you know? It could be a super-duper success and if it does well, we'll keep on growing.



TGL: Well now with the downturn in the users on WOW -- The Old Republic is really well timed.

GZ: Yeah, maybe timing is good. Well there's that chance it can get really big, you know? As time goes by, and as opportunites present themselves, we'll always be considering locating here for future plans and future growth.

TGL: For the Old Republic, where did you draw reference points from? Did you research and focus on the films soley? Or did you expand into the books, comics and more?

RM: Well all of them really for an inspirational perspective. Knights of the Old Republic was set thousands of years before the movies, and Tales of the Jedi was the only extended thing at the time.

GZ: Yeah it was very limited.

RM: There was 6 comic books, from Dark Horse, so we took that as inspiration and set a game that was in that general timeline. It's a time that is really interesting with Sith, Jedi and lightsabers all over the place. Everyone gets to be a hero. You can still be a bounty hunter, smuggler, trooper, agent and there's also four Sith and Jedi classes there too. But yeah, we definitely look at all of the materials for inspiration. We also get a lot of feedback from LucasArts. There's a lot of collaboration -- our teams are continously in contact so we get a lot of feedback from the designs and more; so it's a very collaborative relationship.

TGL: With such a deep history in Star Wars, did you guys feel any pressure to live up to the expectations from the Star Wars fans? Or did you simply focus and hone down your idea and run with it?

GZ: We don't specifically feel pressure from the license by any stretch -- it's a kind of 'given', you know? Fan expectations are high in general when they see the BioWare logo, so the way I see it is "Well, we're already under pressure -- what's a little more?" "laughs"



TGL: Well that's very true!

GZ: I also think that we're in a good position thanks to loyal Star Wars fans on our team. So in terms of going head to head with the lore, I think we're well equipped. We obviously have a real passion for it. We've worked on very few licensed games so I think we take on games that we really really want to work on and feel very passionate about. We're aiming to make it feel as authentic as possible.

TGL: Well it does feel like it alright. Some of the guys here at TGL are fans and it really feels "part" of the Star Wars world.

GZ: Well thank you. The interesting thing is that you'll never satisfy everyone, you know?

TGL: Never, that's very true.

GZ: The scale of what we're doing is so big -- there's going to be flaws occasionally. If there's an issue we can just go and fix it. But because we're striving for high-value, and if we nail it and get it just right -- I think this could be really successful.

RM: Well we always, in terms of feedback, take it very seriously. One of our core values, as an organisation, is humility. For us, what that means, is that we take in the feedback from fans and treat it very seriously, we'll work on it and then build on it too. Our goal is to launch a game that might exceed people's imaginations, if that's possible. We're commited to this long-term, in terms of improving the service and launching new content features. We're taking players feedback very seriously, in terms of content packs and expansions packs for years to come.

That's the two big things that players look at from MMO games when we did research; they want the game to be supported not only at launch, but long-term. Not only in content though, but in features, general content, accessibility and more.

TGL: Speaking of quality through play, the build we had hands-on with contained some pop-up questionnaires about how to improve missions -- will the full game support this? And if so, what are the pros and cons of these pop-up forms?

RM: What you seeing there is the raw data.

TGL: So we shouldn't have cancelled it. "laughs"



GZ: Well we'll do that, a little. We might periodically surprise players. There's a few ones in there but one I find enjoyable, irritating and funny at the same time is the one that asks you "What are you doing right now?"

TGL: We're dancing!

GZ: "laughs" Yeah! Then there's a drop down asking you "Did you have fun?" and "How would you rate the experience?". Jokes aside though, it is cool because it helps us grab a glimpse of the game at that very moment you know?

RM: I'd type "I'm busy having fun -- go away!" "laughs"

TGL: Or "we're chatting to BioWare -- see 'ya!"

GZ: "laughs" It's kinda' neat though, but the only thing I'd have is WWWWWWWWWW - like they just held the W key down to get rid of the screen.

RM: "laughs" Thankfully it doesn't appear during combat anymore.

TGL: We'd imagine that would be problematic alright.

GZ: What's cool about it is for the people that like to give feedback -- they can really help the development, and in turn, help us.

TGL: So there's been a real push to promote the cinematic experience that The Old Republic can offer people. But we want to know, direct from you guys, what you think it can offer gamers that say, other MMOs can't?

RM: Well we have the best features you can expect from MMOs. We have amazing progression and customisation -- so you can really shape your avatar. We also have exploration, but one thing that sets this apart is that it's set within the Star Wars world -- so that in itself is very cool. We also have combat that's exciting and tactical, but it also has lightsabers. Coupled with the animations -- it's quite beautiful to watch really.



Wrapping everything together is the story -- and that's one of the big difference between The Old Republic and other MMOs. For those familiar with BioWare games, they will be very happy with it. Every player, every character, every NPC has a voice, and although it's subtle -- the difference that makes is incredibly powerful. This helps to add a greater sense of purpose and depth to it. One of the most common things we're already hearing is that people seem to find it hard to go back to other MMOs once they play The Old Republic; because there's a real sense of purpose to everything.

Another interesting thing is that we have real choice for the game. There's a hero journey for each class, there's things you can share, but you can also join in on someone else's personal quest -- even if you're in a different class. But because there's personal choice, there is always personal consequences -- there's no going back you know? You can't simply load up a previous save game and see "what if". That's really exciting from a moral perspective, because it's personally impactful. We've found a way to integrate group combat, with group exploration, group stories and explorations -- yet, there's still a great sense of a personal story. People couldn't imagine how you could pull that off in the MMO space -- and we did that.

TGL: Finally guys, and we know you've heard this a lot, what made you explore the MMO space instead of creating the next Knights of the Old Republic game?

GZ: Well interestingly -- we always wanted to make an MMO. We ended up making a Star Wars MMO and we're incredibly happy with that. The fans will be so suprised I think when they play it -- I mean, you can play this completely solo if you want.

RM: Yeah, we found that some players enjoy playing MMOs like 60% of the time by themselves -- so this game is completely solo in some ways, but enhanced by other players. At any point you can get a group together, play the story together or even apart, explore together, flashpoints and more.



GZ: We know people complained a little, but I think if they try it I think they'll be blown away.

RM: Another dimension on the story front is the companion system. People love the companions in BioWare games, like the companions in The Old Republic are very powerful. They have unique abilites, unique actions, they comment on your actions and if anything; they're like a lense to your world. They're a big part of how we tell the story and in time they'll mirror your actions back at you.

TGL: Sounds awesome! Thanks a lot guys.

GZ: Thank you, it was a pleasure.

RM: Thanks.

EA and BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic venture launches December 20th. You can check out our hands-on with the game here.

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Posted in : TGL interviews

Tags: Bioware, Ea, Greg Zeschuk, MMO, Online, PC, Ray Muzyka, Star Wars, the old republic

" Previous Entries
Next Entries "

• Hands On Impressions: Star Wars: The Old Republic (1)
• A trip to Bioware Ireland (2)
• Star Wars: The Old Republic will release on December 22nd (0)
• New Dragon Age: Origins Awakening trailer! (0)
• Mass Effect 3 Confirmed For Xbox 360, PC .....PS3 (5)
• Funcom and EA to Co-Publish 'The Secret World' MMO (0)
• First Mass Effect 3 details leak out (0)
• Dragon Age 2 Will Be Announced Tomorrow By Bioware (0)

 

[rynnor]

Interview with Drs.

Why Ireland?

Its the subsidies stupid plus we can all buy a house for the price of a big mac...

 

[svartalf]

Why Ireland?

Its the subsidies stupid plus we can all buy a house for the price of a big mac...

To be fair, he does say it's because of low tax and exploitative human conditions/wages (austerity, to you and I) they have in Ireland:

RM: There's also a fair, reasonable tax and regalatory structure the government here has provided for us which creates an entrepreneurial environment for us

Expect to hear the sound of screaming and whips being cracked in the background whenever you call those cheery irish customer service leprechauns.

 

[Ctuchik]

I'll call them just to hear them talk. I love that accent...

 

[Ctuchik]

Interview with Drs.

Question!

How the hell can you be arsed doing all those "reports"?

 

[old.Tohtori]

Probably the same way i post fallout mods; see one, copy/paste over here. It's not really effort if you're interested and read them anyway

 

[Bahumat]

The Irish make the best csr's because they are so mystical! They can turn milk into cheese, make biscuits soft or cakes hard! One time an Irish Chap turned his hand into a fist and I slept for a whole week!

 

[svartalf]

There's a video on the original page, here: http://www.swtor.com/info/systems/warzones

SEE ALSO: Flashpoints

Warzones are...

Warzones in Star Wars: The Old Republic are instanced areas where Imperial and Republic forces battle each other in objective-based Player-vs-Player combat. Eight players from each side enter the Warzone and then compete to defeat other players and accomplish the mission they've been assigned. To emerge victorious, players will have to work together strategically, leveraging their strengths and exploiting their enemies' weaknesses. At the end of each match, the winning team will be recognized, and individual players on both sides will be rewarded according to their contributions to their respective teams.

Voidstar is an assault-style Warzone in which one side attempts to fight its way to access the ship's data core, while the other side defends the ship and attempts to prevent the other side from reaching the data core. The battle takes places across multiple sections of the ship, through blast doors and across elevated bridge spans where taking a fall is almost always lethal. The attackers battle their way through each section, drawing ever closer to the ship's data core, while the defenders seek to halt the attackers' progress at various control points

The match is broken up into multiple rounds. After the completion of each round, the teams switch sides between being the attackers and the defenders. The winner is determined by whichever side reaches the data core the fastest. In the case that the defenders win both rounds, the winner is determined by whichever side came closest to achieving the objective.

http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/gamesystems/warzones/voidstar_screenshot1.png

http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/gamesystems/warzones/voidstar_screenshot2.png

http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/gamesystems/warzones/voidstar_screenshot3.png

In Huttball, two teams meet inside the deadly confines of 'The Pit,' an arena unlike any other in the galaxy! The teams battle for control of a ball which appears in the center of the arena. Whichever team has the ball must run with it, pass it, or use whatever means necessary to get it across the opposing team's goal line, while simultaneously battling the enemy team and avoiding the many fire, acid and anti-gravity traps that litter the playing field. At the end of the match, the team with the most points wins.


Huttball is also the only Warzone in Star Wars: The Old Republic that allows teams from the same faction to play against each other, meaning it can be played Republic vs. Empire, Republic vs. Republic, or Empire vs. Empire.


http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/gamesystems/warzones/huttball_screenshot1.png

http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/gamesystems/warzones/huttball_screenshot2.png

http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/gamesystems/warzones/huttball_screenshot3.png

In the "Alderaan" Warzone, Republic and Imperial players clash on the scarred battlegrounds of the iconic world. High above the battlefield, two troop transports, one for each side, continuously supply their faction with reinforcements. In order to claim victory, one side must knock the other's transport out of the sky. In order to do this, players must battle for control of three laser turrets that are spread out across the battlefield. Once one team takes control of a turret, it will open fire on the enemy transport!

As more turrets fall under the control of one faction, the firepower unleashed on the enemy transport intensifies. Once the enemy transport's structural integrity is depleted, the ship will explode and the battle is over.

Control of the turrets can change hands several times during the course of the fight. Teams have to practice a careful balance of offense and defense to maintain a steady volley of fire on the enemy transport.

http://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/gamesystems/warzones/alderaan_screenshot1.pnghttp://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/gamesystems/warzones/alderaan_screenshot2.pnghttp://cdn-www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/gamesystems/warzones/alderaan_screenshot3.png

 

[svartalf]

Here is some stuff...

BioWare launches phase three of SWTOR's guild program

by Jef Reahard

on Nov 3rd 2011 11:00AM

Betas, Sci-fi, Guilds, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic


Those of you looking to get a leg up on guild creation in Star Wars: The Old Republic will want to head to the game's official website this morning and have a look at the latest news blurb. It seems that phase three of the pre-launch guild program has begun, and BioWare says that "any guild that meets the pre-designated criteria [will] be transferred into the game for launch."

You'll also want to make sure that at least four members of your guild have pre-ordered the game (and redeemed the associated code). BioWare notes that it has removed the requirement for the guild leader to log into the website and confirm an active guild.

Finally, each guild page has been given a status indicator that shows the number of member pre-orders as well as whether or not your guild meets the deployment criteria. More info is available via the Guild HQ page and the official site.

• Source: Phase 3: Deployment
• More coverage: SWTOR main site

Tags: bioware, ea-bioware, electronic-arts, guild, guild-imports, guild-registration, guilds, hype, pre-launch-guild-program, sci-fi, star-wars, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor

 

[svartalf]

More stuff...

Star Wars: The Old Republic releases server details

by Justin Olivetti on Nov 3rd 2011 1:30PM

Sci-fi, Guilds, PvP, PvE, Roleplaying, Star Wars: The Old Republic

On top of the exciting news this morning that Star Wars: The Old Republic has launched into its third guild phase, CM David Bass posted a healthy wall of text on the forums listing the server types and details associated with each.

It will probably not come as a shock that SWTOR is sticking with the four core server rulesets: PvE, PvP, RP-PvE, and RP-PvP. In PvE, players have to toggle an option to engage in PvP outside of specifically designated combat areas, while on PvP servers everyone is automatically flagged outside of safe areas, such as the starting zones. The RP variants are similar, except that BioWare encourages players to roleplay in character on those servers. There's no word as to whether or not GMs will be enforcing such actions.

Because RP-PvP was a very recent addition to the server ruleset list, guilds participating in the pre-launch deployment program will not be able to choose those servers for launch. Instead, BioWare says that players interested in this ruleset will need to manually form a guild on their faction's homeworld after the game releases.

• Source: SWTOR forums
• More coverage: Star Wars: The Old Republic official site
  

Tags: bioware, david-bass, homeworld, pve, pve-rp, pvp, pvp-rp, roleplaying, rp, rp-pve, rp-pvp, ruleset, server, server-ruleset, server-rulesets, server-type, server-types, servers, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor

 

[Athan]

And it's now clear how long Early Access will be, 5 days pre-official-release:

http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20111104-0

I only redeemed my code on the 28th Oct though, so will be towards the back of the queue

 

[Athan]

I really am looking forward to it, any idea what the system requirements are yet?

http://www.swtor.com/info/faq#171060

What are the system requirements for the game?

Processor:

• AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual-Core 4000+ or better
• Intel Core 2 Duo 2.0GHz or better
  Operating System:
• Windows XP or later

RAM:

• Windows XP: 1.5GB RAM
• Windows Vista and Windows 7: 2GB RAM

Note: PCs using a built-in graphical chipset are recommended to have 2GB of RAM.
Star Wars: The Old Republic requires a video card that has a minimum of 256MB of on-board RAM as well as support for Shader 3.0 or better. Examples include:

• ATI X1800 or better
• nVidia 7800 or better
• Intel 4100 Integrated Graphics or better

DVD-ROM drive – 8x speed or better (required for installation from physical editions only) Internet connection required to play.

 

[svartalf]

Agent Progression: http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20111104 (includes video)
Original massively report: http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/11/04/agent-progression-revealed-for-star-wars-the-old-republic/

Agent progression revealed for Star Wars: The Old Republic

by Eliot Lefebvre

on Nov 4th 2011 6:45PM

Sci-fi, Trailers, Video, Previews, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic


It's been a day for news about Star Wars: The Old Republic as we move still closer to release. The latest character progression video has been unveiled for the Agent, showing both the differences in equipment and abilities players can expect as they level up as one of the subtle hands of the Sith Empire's will. As players grow in power, they can either take the route of the stealthy and aggressive Operative or the resourceful ranged Sniper.

On the Operative route, armors tend toward hooded attire as the character employs a variety of blades, bombs, and short-range blaster attacks to keep enemies pinned. Snipers, meanwhile, are sleekly armored ranged dispensers of death, with their abilities culminating in a large-scale orbital strike to take out inconvenient enemies. If you're itching to play an Agent, you'd be well-served to take a look at the full trailer to see all that the class is capable of doing in the name of the Empire.

• Source: Agent progression video
• More coverage: Official Site

Tags: agent, bioware, bioware-mmo, bioware-mmorpg, bioware-star-wars, bioware-swtor, class, classes, ea, ea-bioware, electronic-arts, imperial-agent, lucas-arts, lucas-arts-mmo, lucas-arts-mmorpg, previews, progression, progression-trailer, sith-agent, star-wars-game, star-wars-mmo, star-wars-mmorpg, star-wars-the-old-republic, star-wars-tor, starwars, starwars-the-old-republic, sw-tor, swtor, the-old-republic

 

[Ctuchik]

Sigh, why can't i get exited over this game? I've been waiting for a properly made star wars mmo since SWG and now that it's here i cant be arsed to care about it...

 

[svartalf]

I don't mean to pour cold water on this great idea, but if so few people control so much wealth, why would the powerful care that lots of people are moving a relatively small amount of money?

What are you excited about at the moment, or is it just general dismay?

 

[Corran]

Sigh, why can't i get exited over this game? I've been waiting for a properly made star wars mmo since SWG and now that it's here i cant be arsed to care about it...

Im looking forward to it, but not going to get excited about it. Just a way to get let down by another poor MMO. lol

 

[svartalf]

I'm looking forward to full voiceover in an MMO. That could be completely incredible, but I hope I can get it to auto-mute teamspeak/vent.

 

[BloodOmen]

I still think this is just going to be a massive flop. I'll try it regardless tho as I do with all new mmo's.