Game Update 1.2: PvP Preview
Game Update 1.2 brings with it a plethora of PvP changes, including a new set of gear, join us for a look at what's to come.
Patch Notes 1.2: Legacy
The highly anticipated Game Update 1.2, Legacy, has finally arrived. See the patch notes for the huge amount of changes that await in game.
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.
SWTOR release date depends on beta feedback
EA exec Frank Gibeau has revealed that the release date for Star Wars: The Old Republic is “definitely tied” to fan reaction of the ongoing beta.
“We’re driving towards a date,” said Gibeau in an interview with CVG, “but the very issue you raised is why we’re not announcing a date yet because you want to make sure that these services can last a decade.”
EA is being very careful about avoiding what has happened with other games, and wants to ensure as smooth a launch as possible. “We don’t want to happen to us what happened to WoW and a couple of other services where in the first week there were queues trying to get on to the servers, the entire service crashed – we don’t want that to happen. So we need to nail and make sure that it’s up 24/7 and it’s high quality.
“We need to nail and make sure that it’s up 24/7 and it’s high quality.”
While Gibeau says feedback from the beta has been “so far, so good,” they are “totally focused on quality” and will not make concessions to get the game out the door.
PAX 2011: Beta Weekends Starting Soon!
Remember the announcement of those beta weekends starting in September? Well September is now right around the corner, and this weekend at PAX in Seattle, BioWare confirmed that many more beta invites will go out starting Friday, September 2nd. That is this weekend! Invites will be going out throughout the entire month, so don’t fret if you don’t receive one right away, and make sure to keep an eye on your inbox.
If there is actually anyone out there who hasn’t yet signed up for the game testing program, get on that before this weekend!
Guild Testing Program Details Revealed
Recently it has been revealed that entire guilds will begin to be allowed into the game testing program as part of a guild testing program. Details of how this program will work, how guilds are selected and what is involved in guild testing has been posted on the official forums by David Bass.
For starters, guilds need to be registered on the official Guild Headquarters, and have a minimum of 10 active members. Check out the full details below.
We are very pleased to announce the start of Guild Testing for STAR WARS: The Old Republic! This program will allow guilds to be considered as a whole for inclusion in the Game Testing Program, allowing us to gather important data regarding how guilds play The Old Republic, as well as how organized groups deal with various mechanics and systems in the game. The program is already underway, as we’ve invited the first wave of guilds into testing, however we’ll be adding more over the coming weeks alongside the general Game Testing invites.
How do I sign my guild up for Guild Testing?
All you need to do in order to have your guild considered for Guild Testing is to have an active guild with at least 10 members registered in our Guild Headquarters. We also recommend creating a recruitment thread on our forums, but please make sure you are following the Recruitment Guidelines we’ve set forward. Guilds that spam recruitment messages after multiple warnings, for example, will not be considered for Guild Testing.
How are guilds selected for Guild Testing?
In general, guild testing is done randomly from all eligible guilds (that is, those with at least 10 registered members in the Guild Headquarters). Throughout the program, we will be looking to let in both large and small guilds, so as long as your guild meets the minimum requirement, you have an equal chance of being invited to testing. In addition, we may, at our discretion, choose a few select guilds that are active and helpful in the community, since we could use that sort of helpfulness in-game and on the Testing Forums. Note that this will be done in rare circumstances, in order to reward our dedicated community members. Please do not contact any BioWare staff requesting access to Guild Testing, or else your guild may be removed from consideration.
How do I know if my guild has been selected for Guild Testing?
Guild leaders will be contacted directly with detailed instructions when their guild gets selected for testing. It’ll be their job to pass the appropriate information to the rest of their guild in order for everyone to be sent testing invites.
What is involved in Guild Testing?
Guild Testing works the same way as Game Testing does, however by being invited as a guild, you gain the advantage of being in the same testing group and being on the same server, allowing for more coordination amongst the guild for testing group content. You’ll still be a part of the general Game Testing population as well, and will have access to the general testing forums as everyone else does.
Are European guilds eligible for Guild Testing?
European Guild Testing will begin at the same time the European Testing Program begins in the near future.
If you have any other questions about the program, feel free to post in this thread or email us at guilds@swtor.com. Again, please do not contact us asking for Guild Testing consideration or your guild may not be considered for testing.
“Beta Weekends” To Start in September
In conjunction with pre-orders starting today, BioWare has also announced information about beta access for the game. While game testing has been going on for a while now, this sounds more like a traditional closed beta.
As anticipation grows, BioWare also proudly announced today that Star Wars: The Old Republic will open “Beta Test Weekends” starting this September. These weekend play sessions will be open to selected players worldwide and create an opportunity for fans to get a sneak peek of the epic stories, worlds, quests, battles and characters in the game.
In addition, Dr. Ray Muzyka commented on the game’s upcoming release, fueling speculation on a potential release date: “We are targeting Star Wars: The Old Republic to be one of the biggest launches of holiday 2011.”
Read the full press release here.
“High-Scale” Beta for The Old Republic to Begin Soon
Speaking during a conference call with Chicago-based William Blair & Company, an investment firm, EA CEO John Riccitiello made mention of a “high-scale beta” for Star Wars: The Old Republic to begin at the end of June. It was not clarified how this would differ from the current game testing that has been ongoing. Following this phase at the end of June, a decision would be made about the release date. When asked for comment, BioWare simply stated that “game testing is ongoing”.
Update: Stephen Reid has posted some clarification on the official forums:
Take a deep breath, everyone…
Game Testing is currently ongoing for Star Wars: The Old Republic. This isn’t news – it’s been ongoing for quite a while. At different points in the process, we have invited a number of people to test. Some of those people tested for short periods, some for longer periods.
We’ve recently transitioned into longer-term and larger-scale testing. We have more people testing the game now than ever before. We are allowing them to play for longer than ever before. We’re also continuing to invite people to test, so if you haven’t signed up for testing yet – now is a good time.
We will be allowing more and more people to test The Old Republic before launch, and that means occasionally we’ll spike in our invite numbers. It doesn’t mean everyone who’s signed up for testing is going to be invited in one block.
What we’re doing now, essentially, is similar to a ‘Closed Beta’ for other MMORPGs, but we call it Game Testing. It’s invite-only, and it’s limited in size. That gives us the most ‘bang for our buck’ in terms of getting meaningful, actionable feedback. However, we’re still ramping up, we’re getting more people in… and we’re still aiming to launch in 2011.
E3 2011: No Open Beta Planned
During an impromptu interview during GameSpot’s “LiveCam” tour of E3, Daniel Erickson Lead Writer for SWTOR, confirmed that an open beta is not very likely. Erickson also mentioned that if there were going to be a closed beta it would be very close to the release date of the game.
Jump to 1:24 to hear what Erickson has to say…
There are a lot more questions that are answered during the interview, but if you’ve been following The Old Republic it should all be old news to you. However, if you’re just now punching your ticket aboard the hype train, then the full video may be worth a watch to help you get caught up on some of the details we know about the game thus far.
The Old Republic Beta Launch Portal Found
Two swtor.com forum members Ianril and Zechio have located a previously hidden part of the official SWTOR website, the game testing portal page. The URL of this site is launch.swtor.com and Sean Dahlberg confirmed that this will be the login page for the beta.
You have indeed found the login portal for Game Testing. That said, this is not a new page and we are not ready to make any additional announcements about our Game Testing Program. When we are ready, we will make sure The Old Republic Community is the first to know!
If you haven’t signed up yet to be a tester or wish to learn more, access our Game Testing Portal.
If you have a swtor.com account, you can log in to the launch page, but there are no features available.. Does the fact that the game testing portal is live mean that the beta is coming soon? Speculate away!
Sign Up For The Old Republic Beta
Today LucasArts and BioWare have announced that users can volunteer for the closed beta of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Everyone that signs up will not be admitted, so if you are interested, it’s probably best to sign up soon. So far it seems limited to members at the official site.
Currently, the official site is down for “scheduled maintenance”. Once it is back up, you can go to the My Account section on the site, or this Game Testing portal to opt-in for the beta. Good luck!
