There are two safe zones on Tatooine. Anchorhead is the space port and Republic safe zone. Mos Ila is the space port for the Imperial side. Everything in between is PvP. There is even a small area that you can go free-for-all called Outlaw’s Den.
Here are a few things I’ve noticed. First, I play Republic, and on a PvP server. As I roam the sands of Tatooine, I see very few Imperial players. I am not sure if it’s just how the quests are spread out, but as I leveled on this planet, and coming back for a visit to refresh my memory, I saw very few Imperial players. Continue Reading »
Stephen Reid has been spending some time responding to frustrations that players have been expressing with server maintenance and lack of communication from the development and community teams regarding the recent patch.
David Murphy at pcmag.com recently posted an article discussing statements made by Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council. In his statement, the FRC president is speaking out against BioWares decision to include same-sex relationships in future content, and calls for supporters to head to the official forums and make their voices heard. For those unfamiliar with the FRC they are a nonprofit organization that identifies themselves as the “the leading voice for family in our nation’s hall of power.” They can often be seen and heard on the front line against homosexuals, bisexuals, transgendered individuals, as well as fighting against pro-choice supporters across the nation.
The debate over whether or not to include same-sex relationships in SWTOR is nothing new to long time followers of the game. In 2009 community manager Sean Dahlberg stated that “Gay and Lesbian are terms do not exist in Star Wars” (despite the fact that Juhani, a companion character from BioWare’s Knights of the Old Republic, is widely believed to be the first homosexual character in the Star Wars universe) and the debate about the issue of same-sex relationships has burned on ever since. The latest news from BioWare is that a future patch will allow for same-sex relationships between the player and their companion characters, and the only reason it was not included in the game’s launch was a logistics issue.
For many players the debate is a non-issue. Sure there are some rather vocal members on both sides, but most have a “if it’s in it’s in, if it’s not it’s not” approach to the whole matter. Perhaps the FRC’s statements will begin to fuel the flames of the debate once more, but for now players should still expect to see same-sex relationships coming to TOR before long.
One last thing to add, the tweet by David Murphy promoting his article was one of the cleverest I have seen in a while, enjoy. “You can let the Wookiee win; you just can’t let him be gay”
You can read David’s article here, and the statement made by the FRC here.
If you head to the SWTOR forums today looking for an explanation as to why the servers were taken down for 5 and a half hours you will find only a single item in the patch notes.
Improved service to reduce the number of player disconnections to the player select screen.
Does this mean that was the only issue addressed? Not at all, but it is the only information revealed to us at this time. Players who have been suffered unexpected disconnects will be more than happy to see that single note however.
In a recent blog post BioWare announced that they will be taking the servers down early tomorrow morning (CST) in order to deploy a patch to deal with recent issues that some players have been experiencing. No word on what particular issues will be getting patched, or exactly what time the patch will be released, but BioWare promises updates and notices when more details are able to be released.
We will update this post as more details are released, check back for more information as it becomes available.
Update: The servers will go down from 2AM CST (12 AM PST/3 AM EST/8AM GMT/9AM CET) until 6AM CST (4AM PST/7AM EST/12PM GMT/1PM CET). As always there is a chance the servers come up earlier or be down longer as the situation warrants.
The good folks over at TOR-Talk recently had a chance to sit and talk with Stephen Reid, Community Manager for Star Wars: The Old Republic. During the interview Reid discussed the features highlighted in the recent “Coming to TOR” video, including upcoming legacy system features and UI customization. Important talk points include:
Confirmation that Same-Faction vs. Same-Faction gameplay will be in the upcoming Warzone
The UI Customization in the “Coming to TOR” Video was just a small glimpse of what the Dev Team is working on.
Mods and Macros aren’t off the table and may be implemented in the future and UI customization remains one of BioWare’s highest priorities.
Confirmation that the “Legacy System” will carry over specific races between the two factions. New Class & Species combinations are incoming!
Today Bug Fixing is currently BioWare’s main focus on SW:TOR with a number of Devs still developing much upcoming content.
Changes will be coming to Crew Skills and the “GTN” (Galactic Trade Network).
Guild Ships remain on the table of discussion with BioWare Developers,however, no guarantee a “guild space/area” will be implemented as a guild ship. Guild halls and guild housing have also been discussed.
TheGuild Headquarters that was on the forums in the past will be returning and it will be better. Along with that BioWare is considering other potential elements seen from other MMOs to be implemented on SWTOR.com in the future.
You can listen to the interview in its entirety over at TOR-Talk.com
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“I still don’t feel right about it, master. She’s young and impressionable,” the Zabrak Padawan muttered as he joined his master at the bottom of the ship’s boarding ramp.
“You’ll get over it, Tarik. You’ll have to.” Master Kendris scratched the thatch of gray beard on his chin and surveyed Coruscant’s surroundings with a suspicious eye. “I know your feelings toward the smuggler. And you know the reason why such relations are forbidden by the Order.”
Anxious to get away from the losing argument of Yulel’s innocence and continuous attempts to hide his feelings for her, Tarik said, “Are you certain this is a safe place to be? I mean… Don’t you think the Jen’Hutis would be safer on Tython?”
His master’s response was unexpected considering their history. “Well… I think you’re actually right about that, Tarik.”
That’s when the young Zabrak noticed the private docking bay was even more private than it was moments ago. The refueling technicians, the mechanics, even the droids had vanished. “I have a bad feeling about this, master.”
Game Director for StarWars: The Old Republic, James Ohlen, recently sat down with the folks over at IGN to talk about the various difficulties associated with creating and maintaining a game with the scale that TOR has. He applauds the great job that the team at BioWare has done in creating such a massive game while still maintaining the type of gameplay that players have come to expect from BioWare, namely high level storytelling and character development.
Ohlen goes on to talk about how the team at BioWare has become even busier since the games launch, not yet having much of a chance to rest after making the game available to the public. They are constantly looking at both their own metric system and player feedback to see where they should implement improvements. As an example he attributes upcoming improvements to the Global Trade Network to the player feedback that BioWare has received.
The Zabrak are a popular race in Star Wars due in no small part to the species’ most famous member, Darth Maul. Their horned heads and tattooed faces cultivate an image of a fierce and intimidating race, and in truth they are a fiercely independent and tough species. Yet for all their harshness they carry with them a great sense of pride and self-determination, not unlike humans. Today we will take a closer look at the Zabrak and what sets them apart from the other numerous species in the Star Wars universe. Continue Reading »
Lead End-Game Designer Gabe Amatangelo sat down with Cynical Brit staff member John “Totalbiscut” Bain to talk about PvP, faction balance, mods, and other interesting topic that all fans of The Old Republic should find quite informative.
Anyone familiar with Cynical Brit knows that they don’t pull any punches when it comes to interviews and this interview is no different. Have a listen and soak up all the great information Gabe drops on us.
