TOR Hangout Update and R2!

Everyone loves R2-D2!! And the community has received the idea of the 'Tor Hangout' very well!! So why not combine both!?!?!

When you have time head on over to R2-DB sign-up for an account and start to follow the TOR Hangout!

You can also follow the TOR Hangout through these other sites:
TOR Hangout on Google +
TOR Hangont out Youtube.com

Also checkout the most recent episode!!  TOR Hangout 11 - Troll-b-Gone Coming to a Forums Near You!

It's probably the best and only community drive product for SWTOR!  We love it.  The show is live on Monday's at 7:30 BioWare time.  You can catch the feed on good old Twitch.tv.

12 Day Grudge Match

Yes YES ... we know its been a long time since our last post.  The beta, work, and well Christmas, has had us pinned down. 

But finally - we have time, motivation, and well something.... damn cool. 

GameBreak.tv - Does the 12 days of Christmas



And well its pure comedy.  After watching we honestly did not feel it was sligted towards either game.  Just a good bash on both.  Great humor.  Thanks GameBreaker! 



TOR Hangout 8 - Beta Weekend Withdrawals

For those interested in a community based TOR show checkout the TOR Hangout!  It's a small crew from the G+ SWTOR community that get together every Monday and talk about SWTOR.  The event is run by the GM from Redeemed.  The hangout also includes other people from the community to voice their opinion.  If you're interested in attending checkout the G+ page for the TOR Hangout.

This weeks show reviews the highlights the most recent beta weekend without crossing over the NDA too much.  They also cover the new book from Drew, the Trooper vs Inquisitor, and other great subjects.

If you have time check it out!!! We love it.

BioWare Hates Thanksgiving

We have been thinking about shutting down the site given our lack of content updates.  But after seeing the latest news from BioWare via Twitter, Facebook, forums posts, other news sites, and an email from some guys mom that was clearly not intended for us.... we had to post about it.

Where is everyone!?! ...oh playing SWTOR

We are targeting November 25-28 for our upcoming Beta Testing Weekend – our biggest testing weekend yet! If you haven’t got your code already, pick one up from the sites listed in this news article!

Well that's just crazy and awesome for those that have not played this game.  So basically anyone that wants to play is going to get their chance.  Those that played last weekend are probably wanting more.  For those that get to play JUST AFTER THANKSGIVING (more on that later) will have that fresh hook inserted into them for this game.

It's pure genius!!  Blizzard did something similar with their open beta just prior to the launch of WoW.  Everyone got the chance... they enjoyed it and all wanted more.

And to top off this marketing move.... they're going to destroy Thanksgiving and Christmas.  They want people to play just after Thanksgiving and before Christmas!!! OH THOSE EVIL EVIL PEOPLE!!!!  Two great American holidays TROLLED by the power of StarWars and BioWARE!!!  gg BioWare GG.

TOR Hangout 6 - Epic Beards

TOR Hangout is a weekly round table discussion held on Google+ We use the G+ Hangout feature to get together and talk about Star Wars The Old Republic...

The Hangout is hosted by the GM of Redeemed an up and coming RP guild on the West Coast. They have 70+ members strong.

That latest episode is of course Halloween themed with the girls dressed up looking great and the guys sporting some epic beards! And one cowboy.

The show dives into the most recent PvP update from BioWare, Q&A, and even a special question from Mr Zoller himself.

It's a great show with a strong community presence.

The Republic.... PvP Episode 63

Following up from BioWare's PvP Friday - The Republic's latest episode reviews the Voidstar and other PvP elements from SWTOR.

They have a special guest from their Rift series Ed “Taugrim” Park from "The Sanctum".  Ed has a great deal of experience playing PvP in Rift and other games.  And it was refreshing to get perspective from someone that has not been on the show before.

Larry Skywalker

Welcome once again to a galaxy far, far away! Gamebreaker.TV hyperjumps its way from the Star Wars: The Old Republic universe to your living room. This totally wizard episode features guest host Ed “Taugrim” Park from The Sanctum. Of course, our regular hosts Gary Gannon, Justin Lowe, and Larry Everett all weight in on today’s topic of PvP.

If you have time checkout the show.  These guys do a great job and are always interesting to follow.  It's probably one of the better SWTOR productions out there today.

Two TOR Gamers.... Over

TwoTOR Gamers was an extension of Guild Beskar

Some odd/sad news today in the world SWTOR and podcasts.  Easily one of the most popular pods out there for TOR has ended.  Having survived 6+ months the show has called it quits.


Two TOR Gamers bids you farewell...

We're shocked and surprised after some 26 episodes.  These guys had all the right pieces.  Energy, information, and good pod personalities.  They did their best to attend the events for more information.  We wished they had used another format other then youtube to broadcasting their product but oh well....

To Blur - we wish you all the best! Good luck and please return to the world of pod-casting soon.  Good like your in your adventures with The Old Republic

100 HATER PODS!

darthhater.com

This is actually pretty impressive news.  The guys over at Darth Hater released their 100th episode of their pod back on 10/25/2011.  That's 2+ Years of Dedication to the community with their show and their website.

While this is not our favorite pod to listen too they do the best job of presenting the news.  They also have more information about the game than any other pod out there.  We hope they continue to provide coverage for SWTOR long after the release of their game.  It's great to have such a strong non-media powerhouse website providing news for the community.

Hopefully they will be here for another 100 episodes!  And we will always continue to listen.

Henry the VIII and SWTOR....

We all love Mr. Abs, the lead writer for (the very popular in production that few have played featured on the hottest Sci-fi IP) Star Wars: The Old Republic.  Daniel Erickson on Friday the 28th gave us this great nugget via google+:

New build and it's silky smooth from home. All moments not spent dressed up like Henry VIII this weekend will be spent testing my new sniper.

Daniel after reading this epic line one has to wonder.... Henry the VIII?  Really?  With those abs you wanted to go as The Defender of the Faith? 

played by Daniel Erickson...?

One can only hope that Daniel pulled it off along with the 6 wives...  

Fan Friday is Warzone Friday!

Lets Do this.... with Glow STICKS!

BioWare continues its Fan Friday run with a hug for all the PvP fans.  Featuring screen shots from all 3 of the initial warzones for the game.  It's one site for their major short movies giving you an overview of the zones.  It's a great preview for those that have wanted to learn more about the PvP aspects of this game.  However it does leave us wondering if BioWare plans to follow Blizzard with its warzones/battlegrounds approach. Will there be an arena for others to compete in?  1v1, 2v2, etc?

We look forward to more information from BioWare on this subject.

A Sith Parking Garage

"Warzones in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ are instanced areas where Imperial and Republic forces battle each other in objective-based Player-vs-Player combat. Eight players from each side enter the Warzone and then compete to defeat other players and accomplish the mission they’ve been assigned."

And for those fans that just don't enjoy reading or just want a little extra - VOIDSTAR.  BioWare provided a very short movie showing off the last of the three revealed warzones.  It's a bust the next gate style warzone.  The Republic forces move through the ship trying to access the core while Imperial forces have to stop them.  What will be interesting is that BioWare have setup their PvP to be either Republic vs Republic or Empire vs Empire depending upon the queue.  So for the lore nuts - why would two Republic groups fight over it? Or you look at it for what it is.... a game.  And who cares? :)

What did you say about my Mom?

VOIDSTAR - How does it compare to the others?  For us its so so.  It's a great idea and we have seen it done in that other MMO but with more gates.  Right now we have more interest in the other two.  They seem very different then anything else we have played.  But we will give the Void its due when the game releases on the 20th.

The Republic: Beta Reveal

For those that have missed Gamebreaker.TV's coverage of the recent media NDA drop might want to check out the show 'The Republic'.  It's one of our favorite news sources for the The Old Republic.

Their first episode can be found here:  Embargo Lift Special.  The follow-up is located here:  Beta Reveals.  The first episode has the main crew covering Larry's initial impressions of the game.  The second show Larry was in a position to give his impression after some period of reflection.

Checked out The Republic for a great source of SWTOR info.  They cover the game with humor, information, and common sense.  They also have a great deal of knowledge about the game which other pods and sites lack.

Keep in mind Larry was only allowed to report up to level 15 on the Republic side.  Larry's focus was on the smuggler and consular.

TOR Hangout 5 "WOW With Lightsabers?"

Number 5 is ALIVE! 

While we follow a few pods here and there (see below) it's great to get some perspective from the community. Or rather a larger portion of the community where there is no bias of any kind, lame sound effects, silly commercials, or scripted material.

So where can one go to enjoy such interesting conversation....  Every Monday night (while not trying to compete with The Republic) the GM for Guild Redeemed conducts a SWTOR Q&A Hangout using Google+. The hangout features fans of the all over the world who are trying to build a strong SWTOR community.

The 5th episode is posted below and runs about an hour long.  There is no NDA breaking just good SWTOR conversation.

Thanks and Enjoy!!!

Cantina Band is Back!

What!?  We had no idea!  And we're very very sorry.  Our lack of involvement in the SWTOR community due to certain events has caused us to miss out on one of our favorite pods.

While there are a few we love like TWOTORGAMERS and the usual Darthhater.  This one as we have said before comes at you with energy and a degree of common sense.  They also do some of their home work as well.  Combine that with quality and not as many silly sounds effects makes for a good listen.

Again though - our major drawback is the frequency in which they record.  We also hope they get Scott Johnson back for future shows.  And we have to admit the sponsor section is a little...long.

This episode is great.  Given that we found out about it 16 days too late.  They still cover a good amount of information with positive comments.  Subjects .... Release Date, Marketing, Pre-Orders, PvE vs PvP(which their coverage on this subject is great).  Their special guest is from PC Gamer and provides a good degree of perspective from the industry standpoint.  Which we have not seen on other pods before.

You won't be upset with following this pod and we hope they continue their work.  They're back! And we're very happy!!!

NDA - Don't Do IT

In an effort to avoid being negative and argumentative on the subject of the NDA.  We wanted to provide people a list of reasons why its a bad idea to break the NDA....

First though - we're sorry for the break and lack of news.  Our last news post was just so amazing we wanted to wait.  And well... we have been busy :)

So the NDA...

There has been this constant outcry from the community for BioWare to lift the NDA.  Reasons being...

• We feel we're entitled to know whats going on.
• We want to see gameplay and game movies to make an informed decision about buying SWTOR.
• We want to learn more about the game.
• We want to see game mechanics and story mechanics played out.
• We want to understand the flashpoint system so we can prepare our guild.
• We want to learn more about the user interface...

The list goes on and on and on.  Well people we're hear to give you some perspective on why its a bad idea to drop the NDA.  And to give those that are currently breaking the NDA some reasons to stop.

BUGS!  BioWare have admitted many times over there are still bugs in their product.  Daniel Erickson on a live webcam from E3 even showed a few examples.  If game footage is released with these bugs it could deter those from buying the product.  It also sends the wrong message about the quality of the game.  

FINISHED?   BioWare are still tweaking the way combat works, the way story elements work, the way parts of the game we don't even know about work....  BioWare are still probably making major decisions about how companions work in the game.  Examples - Companions going from not being able to customize to having a slew of customization options.  Then the addition of new forms of companion orders.  

STORY.  There are people out there that don't want to know.  The plot, story elements, characters, companions.  Imagine if someone had ruined the 'WTH' moment in KOTOR before you made it there.  Or someone ruined the popular HK-47 character for you.  

BIOWARE.  It's BioWare!  They know what their doing.  They have made many different games before that all have varying levels of interest.  From Neverwinter Nights to one of my all time favorites - Jade Empire.  We have to trust them and more importantly we have to respect them.  

Please don't break the NDA its there for a reason. 

So It Begins...

BioWare has done it.  Their most recent build out, Beta Weekends starting backup soon, and the knowledge that Blizzard is going after Q1 2012 with Diablo 3.  Star Wars The Old Republic has a release date....

London, England – September 24, 2011 – Today during their keynote address at the Eurogamer Expo, Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founders of BioWare™, a label of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS), announced that Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ will launch in North America on December 20, 2011 and in Europe on December 22, 2011. Set thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader, Star Wars: The Old Republic is a massively multiplayer online game challenging players with epic quests, featuring dynamic combat across iconic worlds in the Star Wars™ galaxy such as Tatooine, Alderaan, Hoth and more. Each of the game’s eight primary classes will enjoy their own unique trilogy of storylines, all of which are fully voiced with a sweeping musical score. Anticipation for the award-winning MMO is at an all-time high as Star Wars: The Old Republic has broken EA pre-order records and won over 95 industry awards and accolades from game critics worldwide.

And here at Tales From TOR we're overjoyed!!! We had expected a November release date but with so many games coming out in November it seems like December is a logic release month.  In addition it gives BioWare just a few more weeks to test and prepare the game.

You can read all about this incredible news at SWTORs main site.  In addition we also have the not so surprising price model.  They're not going after World of Warcraft so they can't out price their main rival. 

BioWare and LucasArts are pleased to announce that Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ will launch on December 20, 2011 in North America and on December 22, 2011 in the European Launch Territories! The announcement was first made by BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk during their keynote address at the 2011 Eurogamer Expo in London, England. Speaking to a packed room of press and fans alike, Dr. Muzyka acknowledged the weight of the moment and the patience of the fans.

“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.”
Each copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic will come with 30 days of subscription time, after which you have the option to continue playing with one of the following monthly subscription fees:

• 1 Month Subscription: $14.99 (£8.99/€12.99)
• 3 Month Subscription: $13.99 per month (one-time charge of $41.97/£25.17/€35.97)
• 6 Month Subscription: $12.99 per month (one-time charge of $77.94/£46.14/€65.94)

Those who have pre-ordered the game and entered their pre-order code onStarWarsTheOldRepublic.com are eligible for Early Game Access. If you haven’t yet reserved your copy of the game, be sure to visit our Pre-Order page and secure your place in the Old Republic now!

We want to thank you for your continued passion, dedication and support. Though one part of this incredible journey is coming to an end, we are confident that you all share our excitement for this new beginning. Be sure to check back to StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com as well as ourTwitter and Facebook pages for all the latest news and updates on Star Wars: The Old Republic.

This is a great day for TOR fans a great day for Star Wars fans and a great day for MMO fans in general!  We can't wait!!!

Companion Luvin

Star Wars: The Old Republic - Developer Dispatch - YouTube:

This was too amazing to pass up and post tomorrow. This in our opinion is by far the most interesting of the developer series movies from BioWare. And it covers one of the biggest reasons we really want to play this game. Woven into the story of SWTOR our the companions for each major class. And they help drive the story and the game play experience.

The Republic: EP 56

We have not been linking to their show lately.  Mostly due to time and well I don't think they need the help from such a small site like this one.  However their last episode might just be one of the best shows I have seen on their network so far.

BIOWARE says same sex relationships are in, The PvP Q&A, your questions, and more!

SO much so we need to call it out.  It was pretty much pure comedy from beginning to end.  And Gary as always does a good job of keeping the jokes flowing.  If you have not checked this one out .... do so!

Get To Know a Dev: Georg Zoeller

Mr. Z! The Man!

Get To Know a Dev: Georg Zoeller

Everyone's favorite BioWare game developer has done a short piece with Force Junkies. It's a good short read that covers a lot of interesting facts about Mr. Z.

Can you explain what you do for BioWare and what a typical day might be like?

My business Card says Principal Lead Combat Designer, which means I act as the ‘Product Owner’ for everything related to Combat and makes me responsible for requesting and organizing the assembly of all the individual components of the game (systems, art, animation, etc) that make the final combat experience based on the Game Director’s vision. 

I also manage the Combat Design team which handles design and implementation of classes, combat balance for PvP and PvE, companions and all those hostiles you encounter in your travels through Star Wars: The Old Republic. A part of this job also involves collaboration with our Live team which handles game testing and analysis of tester feedback and metrics.

Huge thanks to Force Junkies for the great read.  Rocket launcher armed Jawas....?  Really!?  NICE!

Guild HQ - Round 2

BioWare has started its second stage of 'Guild Alignment'.

Back in March we initiated our Pre-Launch Guild Program, where members of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ community could search for already established guilds or register one of their very own through the Guild Headquarters page. We are thrilled to announce that we have begun the second phase of our Pre-Launch Guild Program!

With Phase 2: Alignment, we are introducing new features which allow guilds to set their allegiance with other guilds in The Old Republic. Now a guild leader, along with members who have the proper permissions, can select up to three guilds as either Allies or Adversaries, depending on their faction affiliation. Qualifying guilds that are marked as Allies and Adversaries of other guilds will have the highest chance of being placed in the game together, allowing these guilds to coexist on the same server.

Another feature being implemented with Phase 2 is the ability for guild leaders and members with the proper permissions to invite friends to join their guild via email. You can start recruiting new members today!

To learn more about guilds in The Old Republic, check out the Guilds Game System page for details, and to search for or join a guild, visit the Guild HQ now! Also be sure to visit the Guilds FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions.

So what does this mean for you and me?  Well not much unless you're in a guild.  And if you want to make sure you land on the same server with a guild you have strong ties too.  So overall an interesting move by BioWare. Not something we can remember any other game doing in the past.

Some things to remember though - You must have at least 4 accounts in a guild with a pre-registration code.  It's one simple rule that will allow your guild to be pre-created on a server at launch.

So You Want To Be A Beta Tester...

And just like that it's back on... POW BAM KABOOM!

Mr Yellow Text!  Mr. RockJaw!  Mr. Stephen Reid! goes BETA crazy with a major update and what appears to be a quick fire round of questions and answers.  The man was on a mission tonight.  And from our point of view he completed it with a force choke.  (yes we know - that sounded cheesy).

Today we re-invited all testers who were invited to our Beta Testing Weekend #1 back to a future Beta Testing Weekend (which will happen on as yet unspecified date). I wanted to give you a little insight into why, and clear up confusion.

These testers were not re-invited to a Beta Testing Weekend for this weekend. We're still internally testing the next major build of the game. As we've said before, when we're ready to give everyone a date for the next Beta Testing Weekend, we'll announce it.

Why are they being re-invited? Because we feel for a significant proportion of those invited to test during Beta Testing Weekend #1, they did not have an optimal testing experience. As I mentioned before, we had some issues, including some people not receiving an invite, and others being unable to get the client in time because of issues with their acceptance of their invite. With those factors in mind, we felt that because many people did not experience the game, it was worthwhile to re-invite everyone.

Where does that leave everyone who hasn't been invited to test yet?

First, I realize that we previously stated if people were invited to test, they would not be invited again. Although that policy may change in future, we're not changing it right now. However we feel that this situation is unique enough that we're re-inviting this weekend's testers. We expect this to be a one-off situation. I hope anyone who's waiting to get into testing realizes that if they had similar issues, we would 'do the right thing' by you too.

Second, it's important to realize as we've said before that future Game Testing Weekends are planned to be much, muchlarger than the first. This weekend's entire testing population is actually just a small fraction of the total number we're planning to invite to the next weekend, and our number of invites will go up after that. (Indeed, we'll probably just increase our numbers overall and add the re-invited testers onto that total number.)

In summary, we had some issues and we wanted to ensure those invited to test, got to test. This is, we feel, a unique and one-off situation, but it's also the right thing to do.

The rest can be found here.  WOWZERS!!!  

As for the Q&A.... well it can be found in the following links:

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3,4,5,6

Question 7, 8

Question 9, and Math Example  

In summary the beta weekend program is back on.  With those returning from the first week for a better chance to play.  In addition they will add-on to those each weekend and slowly grow the program.  The hope is to give a large number of people interested in playing the chance to play.  KUDOS to BioWare and to the fan-base for getting a shot.  This is great news for everyone.  

Chess....

Most of us are just little pawns in what appears to be an epic game between Blizzard and BioWare. As we approach the final three 3 months of the year we wanted to take a look at some of the outstanding moves left in this game.  It's BioWare vs Blizzard, EA vs Activision, SWTOR vs Diablo3/WoW battle for our money...

SWTOR Beta/September Beta
BioWare had started to make what looked like it's move to mate.  A series of weekend tests planned for the month of September to conduct a number of performances tests to see if the game was ready for release.  With the tests completed EA/BioWare had possible intentions of announcing a release date.  However we all know the end result...  What started with one weekend also ended with one weekend.  But there was the promise of a new build for internal testing. 

SWTOR: The Old Republic: Revan
November 15th.  Revan who appears to be turning into a central character (based on pure speculation) has his own book coming out.  The book will take place after the end of KOTOR 1.  It's possible the story in this book will help drive the story for SWTOR.  A release after this book would make sense if there is a connection. 

SWTOR: The End of SWG
December 15th.  While many considered this to be a good indicator it seems to have lost weight over the last few months.  Would LucasArts want 2 Star Wars MMO's running at the same time?  Or would it be better to start SWTOR as SWG ends?  But then again is EA/BioWare concerned at all about the last 15,000 or so gamers that currently play SWG?  It's hard to say what role this game plays in the final outcome of BioWare vs Blizzard. Our take... nothing.

Blizzard: Diablo 3 Beta
It's started.  In what appears to be a move to counter BioWare's SWTOR beta the Diablo 3 beta is underway.  In initially started as Friends & Family - typical for companies releasing a game.  But Blizzard have taken a different approach.  They announced the beta, the target month, and even threw in a talent calc.  Not only did they announce the beta they seemed to have delivered with people popping up all over the place installing and playing the game.  Building hype ....

Blizzard: World of Warcraft: 4.3
Deathwing can finally be killed.  Transmogrification included.  Darkmoon revamped.  And that's just what we know...  BioWare are good at keeping secrets right up to BlizzCon and beyond.  But are contents of this patch enough to keep WoW'ers from making the switch.

Blizzard: BlizzCon/Titan
Set for October 21st at the Anaheim Convention Center. Blizzard are in a position to either set the tone for the remainder of the year or counter any prior moves made by BioWare.  In a sense they can bring down the thunder.  BioWare could well have a Diablo 3 launch date, Titan news, and a possible WoW expansion, all on the table.  And with 11.1 million players still in WoW they could hype SWTOR out of this galaxy. 

SWTOR: Pre-Orders....
Last but by far not least.... 443,836 pre-orders.  BioWare continues to build up steam and they don't even have a release date.  What this tells us is that people are willing to put money down on a game that has just a window for release.  That's a great deal of FAITH being placed into BioWare... And its a small message to Blizzard that a new challenger may be coming...

SWTOR: Release Date
The one thing the fans have been craving.  While many can accept Holiday 2011, others feel they need that exact date and time.  Sure people want to take vacation.  Stock up on snacks and code red.  It could be the icing on the cake that sets off this ball of wax. 

Conclusion.
With so many events happening between now and the release of either SWTOR or a Blizzard nugget this could be a great end of year for gamers.  BioWare and Blizzard will do what they can to win over your money.  Which means quality games....

Fan Friday is Fan Smuggling Day!

If you ever wanted to consider switching from one of the two Jedi classes to say something else.... here is the first major compelling piece of evidence to sway the mindset.

Basically put the following video is so impressive many people have a new starting class come launch.  

As your character progresses through the saga of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, you will see them advance as you unlock new skills and acquire or craft superior gear.

Whether running blockades to deliver vital supplies or evading Imperial patrols, the Smuggler must rely on his wit and guile just as much as the blaster at his side. As the price on his head rises and his enemies grow more dangerous, the Smuggler will have to acquire new skills and utilize more powerful weapons and armor to survive.

Get a look at some of the ways the Smuggler can progress and see just a small fraction of the weapons, armor and abilities that become available to him.

BioWare does a great job of showing some humor while adding in some unique instances of style and abilities for each of the two advances classes.  Paying homage to Indian Jones and the great Han Solo run and scream was indeed the perfect end to a long week.  

And don't forget to check out the bonus PAX footage.  Really really well done.

Guides - Ultimate Starship Guide

Guides - Ultimate Starship Guide - TGN

If you need information on the ships and what we know about their abilities take a gander at this movie.

While I am not a big fan of the fan made you-tube guides. But this one was well done and short to the point. The creator Ned also pulls information from various posts from everyone's favorite yellow text to provide more information.

Thanks Ned! Well done.

BioWare Beta Bomb

A large group of players are still looking in....

The mood of the SWTOR community just want BOOM.  While a few might have seen this coming due the recent delay for Europe the majority did not.  Stephen Reid dropped the beta bombshell on the fans of TOR tonight.  

Hello all,

There is no Beta Testing Weekend scheduled for this weekend. There may be further Beta Testing Weekends during September, but we're not going to guarantee it. The weekend that just finished was really our first dry run of Beta Testing Weekends as a whole, and we have plenty of data to crunch, and decisions to make before we start things up again.

Further to that, as Chris Collins explained in another thread, we are about to roll out a major new build for The Old Republic. That build won't be ready for this weekend. Just as we did not feel it was a good decision to ask potential EU testers to download our client only to have to download it again, the same applies for this weekend.

That does not mean, however, that as soon as our new build is available we'll be rolling out a Beta Testing Weekend immediately. As with any new build of the game, we need to get feedback from internal testing and our ongoing Game Testing program before rolling it out to a massive audience. That process takes a while, and that time varies depending on how testing goes.

We rolled out this previous weekend as a relatively small scale event; from now we will do bigger and bigger events, but that doesn't mean it happens every weekend. When we do resume, we'll be inviting many more people in.

While many of you are excited and anxious to know what's happening regarding Testing Weekends, I want to point out that a lot of posts on the subject with a lack of corresponding posts from us does not mean that we're not listening, or not aware of your interest. It shows your interest in the topic, which is understandably high, but we will not always be able to react instantaneously.

In the past couple of days we've been preparing a comprehensive FAQ regarding Game Testing Weekends as a whole, along with some details about the weekend that just happened. We'll post that tomorrow - in all languages, as we know the subject is of interest to everyone.

It's a challenging situation BioWare find themselves in right now.  The community was running under the assumption that beta weekends would continue through the month of September.  And those signed up had a great chance at playing the game.  But BioWare looking at the results of their first weekend and knew they where just not ready to continue the beta.  Mostly due to the changes related their new build which now requires additional internal testing.    

The end result could be devastating for BioWare.  The backlash of hate posts has already begun along with the rallying support from some of the fans.  And in the middle of it all is Stephen Reid the community manager.  Who tonight has take all the heat as the public spokes person for TOR.  Reid if you read this - go drink a beer buddy and sleep in tomorrow.  

For us and many other fans the wait continues.  But we should still hold out hope that BioWare can still release the game before the end of the year.  A new build is always one step closer to release.  

Good luck BioWare.  

Following The Blogs

Since the begging of our journey to follow this game we have relied on many different sites for information.  Now we have discovered a new set of sites that have opened our eyes to another avenue of information - PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE.  

Simply put we have started to read/follow some sites that are giving their own personal touch to the news of SWTOR.  We also believe these will have more impact on the community after SWTOR goes live.  We hope you enjoy the initial few we have found.  And we will post more as we find them.  

BloggingTOR

Inquisitors Roadhouse

DpsHealTank

You can find out more about these sites in our new Fellow Bloggers page.

Facebook Blah

Concluding a fierce battle on the battered world of Corellia, a Jedi Shadow strikes down the last of an Imperial patrol.

Sorry we missed the FB update for the week.  We forced ourselves over there and took a look.  But the taint of FB was strong that day and we had to go into hiding.  Any-who .... here is the facebook image of the week.  More Shadow.  Which is not a bad thing at all.  Who says BioWare hates the Republic? :)

Fan Friday is.... GamesCom Friday!

Kicking SOME Empire ASS R2!!!

BioWare gives back some love to Germany with a pretty decent summary of their GamesCom presence.

We had an incredible experience at this year’s GamesCom, with Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ winning the 2011 GamesCom Award for Best Online Game as well as being a huge hit with everyone that attended! The air was electric from the excitement as fans and journalists filed through our booth to get some hands-on time with both Origin Worlds and Alderaan Warzone PvP! The reaction from the fans at the show left us feeling incredibly grateful for having such a passionate and dedicated community. 

Knowing that not everyone could make it to Cologne for the show, we wanted to share our experience with all of you. Thank you for all of your continued support and enthusiasm for the game!

We have to admit we saw this coming.  With all the work going into September Beta's this had to be expected.  The team is focused on getting people into the game to play.  So head on over to SWTOR.com for their Fan Friday update.

However if you just want to wait patiently for your invite and avoid the current hate fest from the fans avoid the forums tonight.....

The CE Statue We Really Wanted!

Shae Vizila - Oh What Could Have Been....

Joking aside we probably would have paid more for a statue of Shae Vizla in the CE than BioWare's boy Malgus.  Shae was seen in the 'The Return' trailer blasting republic soldiers and for a few seconds in 'Hope' trailer.  It's that hot bad-ass bounty hunter that everyone loves.

Don't get us wrong Malgus is pretty dang impressive with his arm pointing out towards all the people he wants to kill.  But the dude is 80% ugly and 20% Darth Vader armor.  I don't think we need kids or spouses asking that question - "Good lord who is that on your desk?  Vader without his mask?".  Instead we want to hear ... "What's with the hot red head and can I get her number?".  BioWare/EA oh it would have been great to have the option between Malgus or Shae.  Maybe even a Republic type option.

Shae just like Malgus is made by the guys at Gentle Giant LTD.  And you can find out more about the statue as well as add yourself to the waiting list at their site.  Shae will cost you about $80 and while that does not include her phone number it could still be a good buy for the average collector.

PAX PLUS PRIME Post-Game

So what have we learned.....

The following is a collection of notes from various sites and the podcast 'The Republic'.  And all of it just sounds jaw dropping amazing.....  So huge thanks to DarthHater.com and The Republic.  Two sites we can't function without and their amazing coverage of this game.

PvP News
1.  Groups of 4 can queue for a PvP battlegrounds at launch.
2.  Open world PvP planet - Illum. Both sides fighting for control of either buildings on the planet or the planet itself.  Probably both.
3.  Combat is very visual - leading to eSports.
4.  At lunch there will be battle rings.... ?

Point 3 and 4 lead us to believe that there could be open spectator games/events.  Ladders and leagues to come etc.

Raid News - Specific to Eternity Vault 
1.  5 bosses in total to challenge you.
2.  3 hours total to run the entire instance.
3.  Split between ice, jungle, lava, prison, etc....  So a wide range of areas.

Character Information
1. It looks like the '-' can be used in a character name.  This is just from a beta shot so its not confirmed.  Thanks to The Republic for this one.

2. Mod-able gear - "Take a 10th level jedi knight robe and mod it from content at the highest level to make it just as good" - James Ohlen

3.  With the best gear - you will only be 10% better then those at your level.  Which implies the game is not based primarly on gear but on skill.

Beta Weekends! September
It's finally coming! For those of us that have been sitting on the sideline forever begging to get in.... Well we might just finally get to cross the line.


Release Date - Probably not the most important to some, but every important to many....  EA and BioWare are hoping to give the actual release date for the game after the September Beta Testing!  If everything goes well.

Fan Friday is Epic Eternity Vault Day

In what appears to be a mega showing of footage from BioWare but at the same time similar to what has already been released we get a much more detailed view of the Eternity Vault.  For those that just started to pay attention to this game the Eternity Vault is one of the two end raids in the SWTOR.

It's possible the footage was taken from the BioWare raid team that performed in Germany a few weeks ago.  Regardless Dallas does a good job as usual to walk us through the events.  And while he looks like he has had more sleep then normal someone needs to iron his shirt next time :)

Gameplay Movies = Happy Times!

You asked for it you got it!!!  Good lord.... its almost as if the NDA has been lifted.

Of the movies we have found this is our favorite.  PvP Warzone footage of a trooper.   In fact this was more enjoyable then many of the pre-canned movies made.  It's also a good example to other fan sites (Yes 'Darth Hater' i mean you!) of how to do a game play movie.  The commentating never gets annoying and makes us want to fly to Austin, TX and beat down BioWare's door.  It also makes us a tad more interested in the class.

But it gets better....   The following is the Sith warrior play through of the first mission or two on his origin world of Korriban.  It shows us basic combat and abilities with some minor intro into the classes story.  With a great running Q&A.

And here is part 2 that begins to show us the plot thicken....  While some may wish to not be spoiled we could not help but watch.  Honestly it did not cover enough of the story to ruin it for anyone on release.

ENJOY!! And huge thanks to the sites able to post this information.

Facebook Wednesday With Rockjaw Bonus!

It's Wednesday.  And its the one day of the week we have to load up facebook.  CURSE YOU FACEBOOK!!  But here it is...

The Jedi Shadow stands alone after an intense battle inside an Imperial encampment.

Now the Shadow is actually one of the classes we really want to checkout.  It almost sounds like some kind of stealth ninja mage.  But don't let us try and explain it. Please take a look at BioWare's description:

A Shadow serves the Jedi Order by being a silent observer and, when action is necessary, a subtle hand. To avoid rash decisions on the part of the Council, Shadows go unseen, gathering information and quietly thwarting those who seek to threaten the Jedi order. Employing Force techniques that cloud enemy minds, Shadows slip into hostile territory,and when necessary, they strike enemies down with deadly efficiency.

Additional Jedi Consular Information

But not only did we get a facebook image.  Mr Reid himself gave us a glimpse of their upcoming PAX Prime.

PAX! Wish we could go :(

Probing the PODS: The Cantina Band

We have a new POD that requires listening.  These guys are nothing short of interesting in a sea of bland boring SWTOR pods.  None of which we will name here.... 

Moving into our short list of PODS to listen too along with Darth Hater, The Republic, and TwoTORGamers, these guys have managed to grab our interest.  It's odd - but we think it has a lot to do with their level of excitement.  It's a positive listening experience from people that you would probably drink a beer with at your local.  In addition they had Scott Johnson from FrogPants Studios. 

Why is this great!?  Well Scott has the pod process down to a WoW.  Intro, schedule, quality sound and humor.  Humor being the key for us.  They also take the view of common sense.  And by that it appears they want all the information before making a call.  The voice of reason if you will.... something "The Instance" is known for among the WoW community. 

The show is hosted by Brian Brushwood and Adam Paulauski.  They do a great job and we recommend checking them out.  We also hope Scott makes a regular appearance on the show.  For more info head over to The Cantina Band.

Once Again BioWare Clears the ORIGIN Air....

To those that for some odd reason hate competition in an industry that always needs it and only want to use one product to download games Mr. Reid has a little to say in a thread called "EA has crossed the line".

Regardless of what other games may choose to do in their integration with Origin's desktop client, here's what our situation is:

You are not required to use the Origin desktop client to download, patch or play the game client for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

This applies whether you purchase The Old Republic via Origin.com or from a retailer in boxed form. You will not be forced to install the Origin desktop client.

There are still various consumer benefits to the client itself, but it's not required for The Old Republic.


This info of course has been released a few times.  Hopefully its the last time we have to talk about this service.  It's only used as a device to download the game.  Or for those that want to play BF3 and the next COD. 

Hopefully we can move forward and Mr. Reid can comment on the Sept Beta, or plans for release, or why the smuggler is going to face own the Bounty Hunter.  Things of IMPORTANCE PEOPLE!!!

EU Beta Q&A

To our friends in Europe Mr. Reid had something to say... rather he had a lot to say! 

So without much waiting..... Mr Reid, if you would please:

ou guys and gals have been busy. As have we; Gamescom was a very big and very busy show. Now I'm back Stateside (and nine hours removed from Germany) I can answer a few questions.

You may not get all the answers to your questions here, but we will hopefully be able to answer all of them in time. Thanks to Shingara for gathering together a bunch so I can answer concisely.

I will say that the one big question you probably all have ("When do Beta Testing Weekends actually start?") won't be answered for a little while, but we're working on that.

Stephen has of course elaborates in his wall of yellow.  Not the wall of crazy we so often hear from BioWare, but a wall of yellow text!  Honestly head over to the EU Beta thread for a ton of great information.  We have a few friends on the other side of the pond and we can only hope this helps. 

Fan Friday is Fan Foozball!

Well we did not see this coming at all.  Huttball.  It's a faction mixed warzone on the planet of Nar Shaddaa.  But before we dive into Huttball - Dallas Dickinson is finally looking ok!  Healthy and happy.  No more bags under his eyes or the look of a man with the weight of the LucasArts and EA sitting on his shoulders.  So Kudos to Mr. Dickinson!

A new event has captured the hearts and minds of the citizens on the Smuggler’s Moon of Nar Shaddaa. Known as “Huttball,” two teams clash for the amusement of the masses and to win favor with the famed Giradda the Hutt in this new video that highlights just one of the Player-vs-Player (PvP) Warzones in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™!

This offers a lot of promise as a fresh approach to MMO battlegrounds.  We also hope that we will see other ideas very different than the standard fair found in todays MMO battlegrounds. Kudos to Daniel Erickson and his brain child:

Hey Folks,
Totally fair question. I wrote Huttball personally and gave it my big stamp of approval. Huttball came from a request by the pvp team to have a mode that could mix sides in the event of unbalanced factions. So it's not Empire vs Republic playing insane death sports, it's anyone who wants to win some prizes and flex their muscles going to Nar Shaddaa, gambling center of the galaxy, and blowing off some steam. Story is important but so are alternate, setting-appropriate activities that give some depth and variety to the world and the gameplay experience. There is a crazy Hutt that likes running huge arena events for his amusement. Your choice if that's the way your Bounty Hunter enjoys spending his downtime.

Hope that helps,Daniel Erickson

Kiting SUCKS! - The Life of A Smuggler

We wanted to cover some quick interesting points about the Smuggler in a little bit longer then normal post.  First off.... Don't KITE!

• Try kiting a Sith Warrior, who can force charge up to 30 meters and can throw their Lightsaber.
• Try kiting a Sith Inquisitor, who has powerful control effects and the ability to enter Force Speed for a few seconds, with greatly increased movement rate.
• Try kiting a Bounty Hunter, who may have the ability to use their jetpack to catch up to you or use a grappling hook as well as good range with their blaster rifle.
• Try kiting Imperial Agents why may have a sniper rifle with long range equal or better than your own.

It just does not seem to be the best option.  In fact it does not sound like an option for any of the classes:

There's certainly the option to make use of environment/line of sight and advanced players will find that for example Warriors can be made miserable by a Smuggler dodging around in their dead zone (out of melee range, not yet in Force Charge range), hitting hard with the scatter gun (15m range) - but kiting overall in our game isn't simple due to the wide range of utility all classes have.

I have to admit - this sounds amazing.  I have never liked the concept in WoW being stuck unable to have full movement while looking at another class that is picking me off. 

So why would you want to play a Smuggler?  Come on you get that classic Wookie Side-Kick!  Or we let Georg Zoeller handle this one for us:

• A Smuggler can be a Medic, healing and supporting his allies.
• A Smuggler can be a marksman, entrenched in cover and decimating the enemy with devastating single target attacks.
• A Smuggler can be an explosives specialist, leaving craters and blown up Imperial squads in his wake.
• A Smuggler can be a stealthy mid range scrapper, approaching enemies unseen and hitting them hard with his scatter gun.
• A Smugger can be a daring risk taker, running and gunning into close range and finishing enemies with a few good kicks into places where it hurts.
• A Smuggler can be a Smuggler, delivering his group behind enemy lines unseen.

Well that's a damn good summary for us.