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:
Fan Friday: Community Creations, Developer Corner, Events, and More
There is a lot of new media shared with us this week, both from fans and developers.
Community Creations
Community member Tanq is developing a new comic and has shared some of the initial art. Check it out below:
Community member Vitellius has made a CG video showing a Sith infiltrating a Republic base.
Another community member, Oxyjin, has made a painting of what he wants his character to look like. Check it below:
Developer Corner
Events
Yesterday marked the start of San Diego Comic Con 2010. Get connected with Star Wars: The Old Republic at several booths as well as the “Beyond Solo” panel taking place today at 1PM PST. Check the Events page for more information.
Curious to know what events The Old Republic might be attending? We’re excited to announce that you’ll get your chance to see The Old Republic at this year’s Star Wars Celebration V in Orlando, FL from August 12th to the 15th, GamesCom in Cologne, Germany from August 18th to the 22nd, as well as the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle, WA from September 3rd to the 5th. As we get closer to these shows we’ll be updating the Events page with more information.
There were also new wallpapers released, new avatars, and an update to the fansite kit. Check it all out at the official site!
Sith Inquisitor Added to Holonet
The holonet entry for the last revealed class in The Old Republic, the Sith Inquisitor, has been added to the official site, as well as some new media. Check out new screenshots, concept art, and wallpapers and read up on the lore side of the Inquisitor.
Jedi Consular Holonet Page and Threat of Peace 21
This week there are two updates to the official site, though we already knew about the Consular, and Threat of Peace isn’t much of an update, so really it’s like there’s one total update. You can check out all there is to know about the Consular from a lore perspective in our game info section, along with a few new screenshots, concept art, and wallpapers.
You can read the latest issue of Threat of Peace on the official site.
Alderaan Revealed for The Old Republic
The latest planet present in Star Wars: The Old Republic has been revealed and it is Alderaan. Famous for being blown to bits by the Death Star in Episode IV, now is our chance to see the planet’s natural beauty when it was still thriving. However, not all is well as civil war has recently erupted. Learn more about the planet at our game info page and check out new screenshots, concept art, and wallpapers!
Assassin, Saboteur, The Empire’s Secret Weapon
We already knew the Imperial Agent was the next official class in The Old Republic, first from some leaked images, and then from an official confirmation last week on the official community forums. This week the official site made it, well, even more official, adding a holonet entry for the class as well as all new concept art and wallpapers. Learn all about the newest playable class now!
