A new class for Sith Empire, Mandalorians?
By: Mats @ : SW:TOR : July 3rd, 2009 : Comments (0) : Read more
Or is it a race?
Today Bioware relase a issue in there holorecord about the return of the Mandalorian.
The tagline are ” A new Mandalorian army materialized in alliance with the sith empire”
To me that sounds like the new race/class for Sith Empire are the Mandalorians.
It would be a good counter to Trooper and a strong range figther for the Sith.
We will tell you more how this unfolds.
Until then, here is the video: The Return of the Mandalorians
Gamasutra interviews BioWare
By: Spacefish @ : SW:TOR : June 20th, 2009 : Comments (0) : Read more
Again it’s dry season in swtor land… we’ve known of the Smuggler now since E3, and some more information that was revealed around E3 times, yet time passes slowly and some interviews pops up here and there that pretty much answers the same questions that’s been answered 1001 times :]
In this interview Gamasutra asks how they manage to fully voice swtor, which indeed sounds like a humongous task.
How do you approach a voiceover project that big? Even for a studio that’s done a lot of that already, this is an unusual scale.
RM: Well, it’s been integrated into our production pipeline right from the beginning. Again, it’s definitely not an afterthought or something we’re tacking on. It’s a core part of how we’re developing the story and the narrative, and the tools are all enabling this as well…..More –>Gamasutra
Enjoy the weekend fellas.
Will SWTOR be limited in a certain way?
By: Spacefish @ : SW:TOR : June 8th, 2009 : Comments (4) : Read more
Here are some worrying thoughts that we currently have regarding the game and after the E3 explosion of information, well it’s all more or less the same information that we’ve seen or heard of before but, with more details thrown in.
First let me explain what “mmorpg” means to me. A mmorpg is a online world of choice, where a lot of freedom exists to do whatever you feel from the various things that the game offers. Take WoW for example, you can do quests, you can also grind, or you can pvp, it offers several different ways of participating in the game.
From the information we currently have regarding SWTOR it sort of feels as if BioWare want you to play the game in just one way “–story”, furthermore it is still not clear just how open the game is, and if the game offers other ways to participate and play. Can I go grind at some remote planet if I want, will I still be rewarded? Can you…if you “want” grind for 5 hours for some uber loot? These questions are all valid because a large part of the mmo crowd fast forwards past the “quest texts” and just enjoys griniding, exploring, looting, in a vast open world, with a sandbox type feel. Will SWTOR offer this, or will they “only” offer “their” way of playing the game ie, participating in a story which hopefully wont be linear?
Yes we understand that all classes have a specific story, but let’s make a comparison to Mass Effect or Fallout 3 for example, they too have stories but they are more or less linear, once you complete the main story then what, can you continue on PvPing or grinding or running instances for fun & profit?
Right now, given the information that exists I am a little worried that SWTOR may be Mass Effect with 5000 people per server. I do not want content too heavily instanced, I do not want to play through something linear, I want to be able to choose by “myself” what to do for the moment, if I feel like going to grind some mobs for crafting materials then I should be able to do that! On the other hand if want to go do some awesome story based quests that should also be possible. I believe the key here is CHOICE, don’t limit us BioWare, give everyone the piece of the cake that they want, yes we do understand that you focus heavily on the story content, and that some stuff may need to be instanced for cutscenes and for other reasons too, but don’t leave the “grind-craft-explore-freedom” out of it.
If you are making a Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing game make sure it is massive, and that the player have a lot of freedom to do whatever they feel like, don’t force-guide them through some story unless they want to, otherwise you’ll end up getting only the single-player-rpg lovers playing, and this is a mmo after all, it needs to have all the pieces. I know BioWare has stated it will have the explore, combat etc pillars, just make sure the freedom of choice is there, that’s all we ask :-) anyone else agree?
SWTOR Interview from E3
By: Mats @ : Media, SW:TOR : June 5th, 2009 : Comments (0) : Read more
If you don’t have the guts to read the great article from Shacknews or IGN here’s a little interview for you. Gordon Walton, CO-General Manager of Bioware/Austin talks about the story and the “new” class, Smuggler
There’s a chaotic time for SWTOR and E3. Interviews and rumors are popping up everywhere.
Be sure to check out our SWTOR Monitor for full coverage!
SWTOR E3 Gameplay Demo
By: Spacefish @ : SW:TOR : June 4th, 2009 : Comments (0) : Read more
Basically what everyone is saying is pretty much the same, what they saw was awesome and up to par with what most people are expecting if not more. Shacknews has an extremely well written detailed article describing the gameplay demo in detail.
Here’s a quote:
The Jedi combat in The Old Republic is perhaps the most engaging combat I’ve seen in an MMO yet. Showing off moves directly translated from the recently released cinematic, the Sith jumped forward and backward, deflecting laser blasts and blocking melee attacks. Finishing moves and saber flourishes were carried off at a perfect pacing.@Shacknews
But be SURE to head over there and read ALL of it, it’s long and a great read, while we wait to see if anyone stealth recorded the demo or if they will release some video if it all.
8 Classes in SWTOR and the HoloNet
By: Spacefish @ : SW:TOR : June 2nd, 2009 : Comments (0) : Read more
The HoloNet was recently revealed on the official website:
Finding information about Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ just got a lot easier. We’re introducing the HoloNet— the galaxy-spanning data network in the game which is also now partially accessible to you here on the website. The HoloNet contains detailed records on classes, planets, factions, and a timeline of Old Republic History. Check back often to learn the latest updates on the game’s features and to start planning how your Star Wars™ saga will play out.
What’s interesting is the class info page of the HoloNet, which displays the first two official classes, well now it’s actually three with the recent smuggler reveal from the Gamespot interview, more on that later. For now, take a look at this screenshot from the HoloNet:
Sure looks like there are 8 classes in total with 4 for each side. Class number three would be the smuggler. Directly from the interview with Gamespot:
The smuggler class is meant to evoke the Han Solo fantasy. The story, appearance, character, and the way the class plays in combat are all based on Han Solo, Lando Calrissian, and other great smugglers of the Star Wars universe. As a smuggler, you’ll need to get by on quick thinking, charm, luck, and your ability to outsmart others. Instead of being a heavily armed tough guy (like the trooper), the smuggler has to be one step ahead of his opponents in combat, which is why we have implemented a "cover" system for the class. To succeed, the smuggler has to stun opponents, shoot from around corners, and, yes, shoot first.
Yes, what would SWTOR be without the smuggler? :] So 8 classes, what do you think people? Probably sufficient for a start at least, plus quality not quantity eh ;o)
SWTOR Awesome Cinematic Trailer “Deceived”
By: Spacefish @ : SW:TOR : June 2nd, 2009 : Comments (0) : Read more
Awesomeness comes our way! We got the HD version mirrored right here[224 MB] or if you prefer head over to the official website and take a look at the streaming lower quality version.
AWESOME! This is 3 minutes and 52 seconds of pure awesomeness. We’re going to be swamped with information this week of E3 so be sure to check in regularly! We also got HUGE updates to our site+functionality coming soon.
[HD Version DL] || [Streamed Version]
SWTOR to be first fully voice acted mmorpg
By: Spacefish @ : SW:TOR : June 2nd, 2009 : Comments (1) : Read more
What? Yes, that’s right. Original story @Shacknews .
Thank you BioWare. If any of you played… Mass Effect for example, which is a Sci-fi rpg from BioWare, then you know voice acting adds so much to the atmosphere of the game, great news indeed.
"As you can tell, story means a lot to us," said BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka, who emphasized the importance of real voice acting in the typically text-dominated genre.
SWTOR will apparently have a lot of mmorpg-firsts: (From a recent interview with Gamespot)
Dallas Dickinson: We are showing a lot of "MMO Firsts" at E3, the biggest of which is the fact that we are the first-ever fully voiced MMO (both players and non-player characters have full voice throughout the game). This is one of the largest voice-over projects in the history of games–we’re taking storytelling in MMOs to the next level, with real cinematic conversation. We’re also giving the first in-game look at a couple of classes (the bounty hunter and the smuggler) and a few planets (Hutta and Ord Mantell). The smuggler class utilizes a dynamic cover system in combat, which is also a first for the MMO space. Finally, we’re going to show one of our "flashpoints" to demonstrate the amount of real-player choice that we offer in The Old Republic.
Here is a video from the press coference by BioWare/LucasArts with some more info:
Dev Dispatch Video 03 – Trooper stuff.
By: Spacefish @ : SW:TOR : May 30th, 2009 : Comments (0) : Read more
This Friday we have a new video. We have mirrored the HD version right here if you wish, or you can head to the official site and watch the lower quality streamed version.
Also do not forget that next week E3 opens and BioWare is going to be there, that means SWTOR STUFF! .
We’ll be updating regulary and following the E3 buzz.
Class reveal: Trooper
By: Spacefish @ : SW:TOR : May 9th, 2009 : Comments (0) : Read more
Another Friday and another SWTOR Class, this time it’s the Trooper. More information can be found at the official website.
Lately we all know it’s been rather quiet, as in barely any SWTOR related happenings, except the Friday tidbits and so on, however in a recent interview with Gamespot, it was revealed that BioWare are hard at work on their E3 demo, and if we interpret the interview correctly it seems like they are going to show a bunch of stuff this coming E3. Exciting stuff! You can find a link to the interview below but first a quote:
Right now we’re hard at work on our E3 demo, preparing to reveal to the world what TOR really looks like. People are going to be surprised.
Full interview @GameSpot
Also don’t forget to check out our swtor monitor for the latest and greatest swtor buzz!