Star Wars: The Old Republic to be a global launch
Today LucasArts and BioWare announced that the release date for Star Wars: The Old Republic in Europe has been bumped up to December 20, the same date it is being launched in North America. Now the game will launch simultaneously across both regions. Launch information for Asia and Oceania are still pending, but BioWare has been performing small scale game tests to help determine the launch in Oceanic regions.
Friday Update: Operations Game Systems, New Trailer
As The Old Republic gets closer to launch, more information has come out over the recent weeks on Operations, one of the types of endgame content for SWTOR. A new game systems page has been added to the official site for Operations, detailing the game type and the kinds of encounters players will have. You can watch the trailer and a developer walkthrough for the Eternity Vault, one of the first revealed Operations, over at the game systems page.
A new gameplay trailer has also been released, titled Signs of War. It is narrated by Satele Shan and features several characters from previous cinematic trailers, such as the Trooper who damaged Darth Malgus’s jaw, and Darth Malgus himself. Check it out below.
New Operations Game Systems Page
Over the past several weeks we have talked more and more about the Operations in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. Operations are high-level, multi-group missions where you and your friends will face the most menacing threats in the galaxy. The new Game Systems page offers more details about Operations and offers a look at one of the Operations that you and your allies will be able to explore.
Head over to the new Games Systems page to read up on the content that players have to look forward to with Operations in The Old Republic, and be sure to check out the developer walkthrough for the Eternity Vault to get just a small sample of the challenges that await you. (Source)
Signs of War
As the Treaty of Coruscant dissolves, the galaxy finds itself back on the brink of all out war. Chaos and corruption run rampant, and the mighty armies of both the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire prepare themselves for the inevitable showdown.
Watch the build-up to battle in the new Game trailer for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, Signs of War. (Source)
Facebook Image of the Week: October 12, 2011
In this week’s featured screenshot on Facebook, a smuggler with his Wookiee companion tries to charm a Jedi in a cantina. See all previous Facebook images here.
Flanked by his companion Bowdaar, a Smuggler attempts to use his wily charms on a nearby Jedi.
Class Focus: Imperial Agent
With a release date of December 20th in full view, I thought it would be wise to prepare ourselves for The Old Republic’s launch. So for the next eight weekends we will focus on each of the selectable classes in The Old Republic. Hopefully this will give you, as well as myself, more insight on which class fits best for you and maybe get those creative juices flowing. We don’t want to see Revan’s everywhere we go.
Fact Sheet:
- Species: Human, Chiss, Cyborg, Zabrak, Rattataki
- Starting Planet: Hutta
- Combat Type: Ranged
- Weaponry: Sniper Rifle, Blaster Rifle, Energy Blade
- Armor: Light/Medium
- Ship: X-70b Phantom
- Famous Agents: Zam Wessel, Grand Moff Tarkin
Summary
The Assassin of the Empire the Imperial Agent relies heavily on stealth, cunning and long range devastation. Masters of infiltration, deception and sabotage; any time the Empire requires a little behind-the-scenes action the Imperial Agent is the obvious choice. Lighter state-of-the-art mesh armor provides the agent with a stout defense without hindering their movement and flexibility, while their stealth upgrades and long range sniper rifle allow them to strike without ever being noticed. Read more»
Friday Update: Companion Characters Blog, Part 2
This week’s Friday Update follows on from one made a few weeks ago, where Senior Game Designer William Wallace shed some light on how companion characters work.
This second instalment takes a look at companion AI, and their roles at various points in the game. See below for an excerpt.
When it comes to the amount of control over their companion, players have different, often diametrically opposed preferences. Some players do not want to manage their companions any more than they have to, wanting instead for their companions to act autonomously without the need to manually trigger abilities or actions. Others want direct control over their companions, playing them almost as a second character.
Facebook Image of the Week: October 05, 2011
This week’s Facebook image sees a Jedi Knight and a Sith Warrior locked in a deadly fight to the death.
A lone Jedi Knight does battle against a disciple of the dark side.
Friday Update: Explore the Galaxy!
An update to the Star Wars: The Old Republic official site this week contains an interactive Galaxy Map added to the Holonet. With this new tool, you can explore five sections of the galaxy and view profiles of each of the planets. You can also view each planet, as well as each player starship, in a 3D model viewer. Check it out at the official site.
The Star Wars™ galaxy is massive and you will be able to visit numerous worlds during your travels in the The Old Republic™. To give you an early taste of what the experience will be, we’ve added a new feature to the website, allowing you to explore the Galaxy Map for yourself. You’ll get to see the five major sectors of the Known Galaxy, check out profiles of the planets, and even examine interactive models of the player Starships.
Access the new Galaxy Map page through the HoloNet!
Accidental emails sent out to SWTOR community
Last night, many members of the Star Wars: The Old Republic official site received an email that was not intended. This email was about taking a survey for the game testing program. Understandably, there has been a lot of confusion and BioWare has responded to the issue, stating that the email was purely accidental and does not reflect anyone’s chances of being accepted into game testing. The community team explains below.
Earlier today, two e-mails were sent to members of the Star Wars: The Old Republic community. These e-mails were sent to a larger group than intended, and have caused some confusion in the community. We can confirm that these e-mails were from EA and BioWare and apologize for any confusion they have caused. Please note that receiving these e-mails does not affect your chances to be invited to test the game. Thank you all for your understanding!
A follow-up to this as there have been, understandably, a few more questions:
Does receiving these emails have anything at all to do with my Game Testing status? As I received the emails, am I on the list to receive an invite now?
I’m afraid not. These emails were sent in error to a portion of our mailing list, and do not relate to selection for Game Testing.
Am I now not eligible for selection for Game Testing?
Everyone who received the emails – assuming they are not already in Game Testing, and are already signed up to test – is still eligible for selection in the future. We’re continuing to invite more testers and our next Beta Testing Weekend is being planned right now.
Who were supposed to get these emails, anyway?
A small group of game testers as part of ongoing market research.
How come I got an invite and my [friend/significant other/guild mate] didn’t?
While a lot of emails were sent in error, they didn’t hit our entire mailing list, which means a lot of people wouldn’t get them.
As I got this email – does this now mean any eventual Game Testing invite is now going to hit my inbox?
This email was actually sent from a different email address than the one used by our Game Testing invites. To ensure you see a future email invite, make sure to add no-reply@bioware.swtor.com to your ‘safe senders’ list. As always, if you believe you have been invited to Game Testing, you can login at swtor.com/tester and check your status.
Facebook Image of the Week: September 28, 2011
In this week’s Facebook image a secret underground lair is shown off belonging to the Gormak.
The Gormak, in their never-ending bid to dominate Voss, have built large complexes underneath the planet’s surface.
SWTOR Release Dates, Subscription Fees Announced
“This is an incredible moment for everyone at BioWare and our partners at LucasArts who have dedicated their lives to build this extraordinary game. We appreciate the patience from the millions of fans who have been waiting for the game’s release.”
Announced in a keynote address by Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk at the Eurogamer Expo 2011, the release dates for The Old Republic have been revealed as 20th December for North America and 22nd December for Europe.
All copies of the game will come with 30 days of playing time, before players can choose from the following subscription options -
- 1 Month Subscription costing $14.99 (£8.99 /€12.99)
- 3 Month Subscription costing $ 41.97 (£25.17/€35.97)
- 6 Month Subscription costing $77.94 (£46.14/€65.94)
And as already announced, everyone who has pre-ordered a copy of the game will also be eligible for the Early Game Access program.
