Friday Update: Eurogamer Expo Highlights, CE Unboxing, Fan Friday
Today there have been three updates made to the official website. First, a video highlighting The Old Republic’s presence at the recent Eurogamer Expo has been released. See fan reaction to the announcement of the release date, and their impressions from playing the game at the show. Check it out below.
A second video released this week shows off what you can expect to see included in the Collector’s Edition of the game. The video goes into detail on both the physical items included in the box and the digital items purchasers will have access to in the game. A yellow and black lightsaber / blaster color crystal? Really?
Lastly this week is Fan Friday, where community creations are shown off in an official news post. In addition, official concept art and new wallpapers from the Return cinematic have been posted. Check it all out in the news post.
Eurogamer Expo Highlights Video
Fans at this year’s Eurogamer Expo had the chance to be part of a once-in-a-lifetime experience as BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk announced the long-awaited release date for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™! Throughout that weekend we caught up with fans, both on the showfloor and at our Meet & Greet, and asked them to give us their opinions on what they thought of the game. (Official Forums)
Collector’s Edition Unboxing Video
The Collector’s Edition of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ includes an exciting variety of exclusive material. Take a look at this video to see all of the physical collectibles and the in-game items available in this limited edition. (Official Forums)
STAR WARS: The Old Republic Fan Friday
Each Fan Friday we shine the spotlight on just a few of the incredible pieces of work that are done by the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ community. This month we’re highlighting some of the awesome artwork and stories created by the fans, as well as sharing new Return wallpapers and forum icons. (Official Forums)
Friday Update: Fan Friday, GamesCom Plans
As is typical once a month, this week’s update to The Old Republic official site is a Fan Friday. Of course, there are several parts to this update.
Two new polls have been created: Which set of forum icons would you like to see in the next Fan Friday? and What most excites you about pre-ordering STAR WARS: The Old Republic?. Make sure to vote if you feel strongly about either.
There is also several pieces of fan creations on display, as well as new wallpapers. Check it all out in the news post.
In addition to Fan Friday, additional details on The Old Republic’s presence at GamesCom 2011 have been revealed. Let us know if you will be attending in the comments.
STAR WARS: The Old Republic Fan Friday
With each Fan Friday, we feature creations from some of the clever members of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ community. This time around we’re shining the spotlight on some of the incredible artwork done by our fans.
Be sure to check out this month’s Fan Site Spotlight where we talk to Chimaera, a great French site dedicated to bringing you the latest from The Old Republic.
Also, we compiled a number of images from the “Return” cinematic trailer for you to download and use as your desktop wallpaper. (Source)
The Old Republic at GamesCom 2011
GamesCom is less than a week away! Taking place from August 18th through August 21st in Cologne, Germany, GamesCom is one of the world’s largest video game convention and this year BioWare and LucasArts will be in attendance to reveal new information and give gamers from all over Europe the opportunity to get some hands-on time with Star Wars™: The Old Republic™! (Source)
Friday Update: Fan Friday, Developer Blog, and E3 Awards
This week there is a trio of updates to the official website! Unfortunately they are not the kind you’re going to get excited for. I tried.
This week’s Fan Friday showcases several artists’ work from the official forums: community members Micah_Vale, CuriousOne, and skinryder.
Ask a Jedi is this week’s featured fan site and they answer some questions on what goes in to running a fan site.
There are also two new polls on the official forums: What did you enjoy most from our E3 coverage?, and What is your favorite piece of extended universe content relating to Star Wars: The Old Republic?. Make sure to vote and have your voice heard.
Along with Fan Friday is a new developer blog, written by Ian Ryan on the topic of The Post-Writing Polish Process.
Lastly, with E3 coming to a close last week, many sites give out awards for the best games present at the show. As is becoming customary for the BioWare team, The Old Republic took home numerous awards including many calling it “best MMO”. Check out the full list of awards the game won.
STAR WARS: The Old Republic Fan Friday
Each and every month, Fan Friday highlights just a few of the many creative and talented members of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ community. This month we highlight some awesome works of art from you, the fans!
The Fan Site Spotlight this month highlights Ask a Jedi, an incredible online resource for news relating to The Old Republic that is run by some truly dedicated fans.
In addition, we’ve created a new set of forum icons for you to use on our message boards. This latest batch of icons highlights the emblems used by many of the iconic factions in the Star Wars™ universe.
The Old Republic was a Big Hit at E3
Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ garnered a lot of praise at E3 and has won over a dozen E3 awards!
We showed off a lot of new and exciting material during the week, starting with our new “Return” Intro Cinematic which one viewer called “an epic video that captured so many aspects of the Star Wars™ universe I know and love.” Attendees at the show also had the opportunity to see the iconic world of Tatooine for the first time as well as an exciting group mission on Alderaan.
The Post-Writing Polish Process
Writer Ian Ryan lets us in on what the writing team is up to during the polish phase.
Writing is complete on Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. The last lines of dialogue are off for recording and translation; only pickups and polish remain. But at BioWare, a writer’s job doesn’t stop at the written word…
Friday Update: Fan Friday, Studio Insider, Fan Site Summit Report
This week’s update to the official site is Fan Friday. As always, there are several components to this update. This week spotlights SWTOR Life in the Fan Site Spotlight. There are also several new works of fanart by community members, including Kelzack, Nick of Time, and SteveTwo.
There are two new surveys posted in the official forums: Which companion character are you looking forward to meeting most? and What is your favorite area of the HoloNet?.
BioWare and LucasArts have also announced the events that The Old Republic will be at through the rest of the year. Check out the events page for more details.
This week’s Studio Insider post comes from Audio Designer Scott Morton as he guides us through the process of creating the perfect mix of music and sound effects. Read the full Studio Insider to learn more about how audio is implemented. In addition, this week’s Community Q&A about the art direction has been answered by Senior Concept Artist Clint Young. If you have questions for the developers, make sure to check out next month’s topic, which is sound design.
STAR WARS: The Old Republic Fan Friday
With each Fan Friday, we shine the spotlight on some of the many talented and creative members of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ community. We continue this with some awesome fan art from you, the fans.
Studio Insider: Combat Audio
In this Studio Insider, Audio Designer Scott Morton guides us through the process of creating the perfect mix of music and sound effects to complement the combat experience, from the initial conceptualization to the final implementation.
Also, in this week’s Community Q&A, Senior Concept Artist Clint Young answers your questions about the art direction in The Old Republic. If you have any burning questions you’d like to ask the developers, be sure to leave them in the Community Q&A Thread!
Fan Site Summit Report
We brought 15 fan sites from around the world to Austin, Texas to visit the BioWare studio and play Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.
For two days, the sites met with developers of The Old Republic and played various parts of the game for the first time. Did they enjoy their time here in Austin? Watch the video report to find out!
Friday Update: Weekend Edition
If you have yet to see Friday’s update to the official Old Republic website, read on! This week’s update was another Fan Friday, featuring another round of new fan art, a new fan site spotlight, along with official concept art and new forum avatars. In addition, this week’s Community Q&A is on the topic of classes, so if you have anything you’d like to know about classes, make sure to head over to the official forums.
Community Q&A
The Old Republic™ community has a lot of questions, and we want to answer as many as we can. In fact, we’re starting this new discussion on our forums dedicated to finding out what you want to know. Each month, we’ll create a new thread for you to ask questions in. We’ll be reading and reviewing all of your questions and featuring some of them to be answered in a future Community Q & A section of the Studio Insider!
This month, we want questions focused on the game’s Classes. Please feel free to ask us anything you want to know about them!
Some things to remember when posting:
- Please keep questions courteous and respectful
- Don’t ask a question that has already been asked
- Ask only one question in the thread
- Do not bump posts.
Keep in mind that there are some questions we’re not able to answer right now, so please don’t feel upset if we do not select your question, and please do feel free to ask it again in the future!
Thanks! We’re looking forward to your reading your questions!
The Old Republic™ Team
Fan Friday
In every Fan Friday, we put the spotlight on the enthusiastic, talented Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ community. This week, we continue our tradition of highlighting some community creations that inspire us. Enjoy the excellent fan art!
We also interviewed TORWars this week for our Fan Site Spotlight, and we hope you’ll check them out.
Studio Insider: Cinematic Animation
Studio Insiders are designed to take you behind the scenes with the developers of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. In this edition, Animator Andrew Lauretta explains how animations are created for in-game cinematics.
This week’s Community Q&A focuses on questions you had about Flashpoints. World Designer Jesse Sky has supplied answers with more details about these replayable multiplayer challenges. If you have a burning question about Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, don’t miss your chance to post a question in the new Community Q&A Thread!
Friday Update: Fan Friday, Sith Temple Studio Insider
Yes, it’s Sunday. But this past Friday there were two updates to the official Star Wars: The Old Republic site.
The first, Fan Friday, once again features community fan art, but also introduces a new section called Fan Site Spotlight, in which a SWTOR fan site is, well, spotlighted. The first installment features Mos Eisley Radio, one of the most popular podcasts covering The Old Republic. To read the interview with the podcast hosts as well as view the spotlighted fan art, check out the Fan Friday post on the official site.
Going along with Fan Friday, a new Studio Insider has been posted, this time focusing on the Sith Temple concept art. The art and insight that went into creating it, as well as the latest community Q&A, can be viewed here.
This week’s community Q&A topic is flashpoints. If you have any questions you’d like answered, head on over to the official forums and ask away.
STAR WARS: The Old Republic Fan Friday
As always, members of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ community continually inspire us. We have so many talented community members, and we’ll continue our tradition of highlighting some of our favorites in this week’s article. Enjoy the excellent fan art!
We’re excited to present our very first Fan Site Spotlight this month featuring Mos Eisley Radio, and we also have more details about The Old Republic at PAX East.
Studio Insider – Sith Temple
In every Studio Insider, we take you behind the scenes to give you an exclusive close look at the development of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ and answer your questions about the game. This week, Concept Artist Diego Almazan tells us how he created the concept for this imposing Sith burial ground.
Don’t miss the Community Q&A! This month, ask us your questions on Facebook, Twitter, and on the forums. (Source)
Community Q&A: Flashpoints
The Old Republic™ community has a lot of questions and we want to answer as many as we can. In fact, we’re starting this new discussion on our forums solely dedicated to finding out what you want to know. Each month we’ll create a new thread for you to ask questions in. We’ll be reading and reviewing all of your questions and featuring some of them in a future Community Q & A section of the Studio Insider!
This month, we want your questions about Flashpoints. Please feel free to ask us anything you want to know about them!
Some things to remember when posting:
- Please keep questions courteous and respectful
- Avoid asking questions that have already been asked this month
- Ask only one question in the thread
- Do not bump posts.
Keep in mind that there are some questions we’re not able to answer right now, so please don’t feel upset if we do not select your question, and please do feel free to ask it again in the future!
Thanks! We’re looking forward to reading your questions!
The Old Republic™ Team (Source)
Around the Holonet: December 20, 2010
Welcome to another roundup of recent content and info coming out of the official Star Wars: The Old Republic website. This past Friday, we were treated to several updates. The first was a studio insider post taking a look at the development of Coruscant. In addition, a number of community questions were answered.
In this Studio Insider World Designer Eric Young gives us a glimpse at the brilliance of Coruscant, and Dallas Dickinson answers your questions in the Community Q&A.
Quote:
They call me Eric Young. I’ve been a World Designer at BioWare for almost four years now; my job is to design the layout of planets, place buildings and mold terrain into mountains, valleys and roads. I work from the writers’ storylines to make sure the environment makes sense, and plan out roads and landmarks so that players can figure out where they are and where they need to go. It is a job that gives me the opportunity to interact with lots of talented people across multiple departments, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
It also featured a new Fan Friday which showcased some community fan art and fiction, as well as new official wallpapers and avatars. Check out the latest Fan Friday here.
The novel set in the time period of The Old Republic, Deceived, comes out March 22, 2011, but in the meantime you can preview the first two chapters. The first chapter is available at the official SWTOR website, and the second chapter is located at StarWars.com.
Lastly, there are two new polls up on the official forums that ask the following questions:
Are you looking forward to playing Warzones in The Old Republic?
What is the first thing you do when you log into your MMO of choice?
Also, make sure to welcome the new Senior Community Manager at BioWare for The Old Republic, David Bass.
Friday Update: Studio Insider and Fan Friday
Studio Insider is a new feature update on the official website where the developers give fans quick looks at work-in-progress art and other assets. This week we’re given a look at the progress on Flesh Raiders.
Check out what the devs have to say here.
A community Q & A session with Daniel Erickson is also featured:
Q: What happens when a group member leaves during a quest, or even in the middle of a dialog *disconnects*? Will any AI take over?
A: No AI takeovers, the quest or conversation continues without them. You can hit escape and leave a conversation (multiplayer or otherwise) whenever you like.
Q: When getting a group quest, can you get 4 Bounty Hunters or do you have a specific class requirement to start the quest? How will we know which quest we need?
A: You can make a group of any mix of classes, including four of the same. There are several play groups here that enjoy doing just that. Full Trooper groups seem to be the most popular and look pretty amazing coming over a hill.
Q: Can I turn my helmet on/off?
A: Helmets will be on a toggle so you can show or not as you like. The cinematic team has an additional override control they can use to turn it off in conversation (in case you like to keep your Trooper helmet on with the awesome voice processing). That way they can override it occasionally to keep you from wearing your helmet during your romantic kiss scene (bonk!).
Q: Will the Advanced Classes be locked into a particular role, for example: Will a Juggernaut be locked to only a tank, or if he could fulfill other roles as well?
A: Each of the advanced classes is a full, flexible class with various trees that allow specialization. So although the Juggernaut is perhaps best suited to play a ‘tanking’ role, a player could specialize in other roles depending on what skills they choose and the tactics they use with their companions.
Q: Are the origin planets simply starting grounds, or will we come back to them past level 10?
A: You definitely have reasons to come back. Korriban, for instance, is where the Dark Council often meets. There are also reasons later for all of the classes to go to some of the other classes’ origin worlds. It’s important to us that lower level characters get to see some high level players strutting their stuff early on.
There is also a fan friday post this week with lots of great community-made art, fan fiction, and even costumes to check out. In addition there are new wallpapers and forum avatars, as well as this amazing smilie:
Friday Update: New Biographies and Fan Friday
This week’s update included three updates to the biographies section on the official site as well as spotlighting community work in Fan Friday.
New Biographies
Meet more of the compelling characters you’ll interact with in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. New additions have been added to the Biographies section of the HoloNet!
This update includes profiles of some of the most enigmatic characters in The Old Republic Era: the renegade ex-Republic General, Bouris Ulgo; the disillusioned Republic diplomat, Diab Duin; and the mysterious Imperial Spymaster known only as “Keeper“.
If you haven’t visited the Biographies section in awhile, you’ll notice that a few companion characters have been added as well. There are still more to come, so check back regularly. (Source)
STAR WARS: The Old Republic Fan Friday (October 2010)
Welcome to another exciting Fan Friday where we shine the spotlight on creative accomplishments from The Old Republic™ community, as well as share a behind-the-scenes look in the Developer Corner. We also have new avatars and smilies, and don’t forget to vote in the polls we posted up! (Source)
Developer Dispatch: Designing the Light Side, Fan Friday
This week a new developer dispatch video is released on creating the Jedi classes. In addition to hearing from the developers we also see some space combat footage.
In addition there is a new fan friday featuring new fan art, art from the developer corner, and updates to the events and wallpaper sections of the site.
Check out all the new art at the post on the official site!
