Star Wars: The Old Republic announced

[Arkon]

Perhaps they will implement some sort of permission/approval system so you have to allow a member of cross faction to communicate with you.  I don't know what they have planned at this point as it is currently not limited that I know of.

[Harkonis]

Yet you understand the reasons why.  Dont blame Bioware for this, blame the people playing the game that make it necessary.  I completely understand why they want to limit cross faction communication.  Remember, they say that they are testing communication between faction and not completely eliminating it, so its entirely possible that you still be able to do the things you want.  Considering some of the filth that gets spewed in WoW within faction, I can hardly blame Bioware for at least trying to control that,  Imagine WoW with unfettered crossfaction communication.   "You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious"  seems like an appropriate quote right now.

And yet in SWG nearly half my friends from that game, who I'm still in contact with today, many years later, were from the opposite faction. Sure there were hate tells, but what's wrong with just having a curse filter for those who want to use one and having an ignore function? Bob sent a tell to you saying, "pwned, you shitbox"? /ignore Bob. Bam, problem solved.

Otherwise, what's the point of having rival guilds in their pre-made guild thingie, if you can't actually talk to them? These guilds are rivals for a reason - they know each other. MMO's are a social experience as much as a gaming experience. To cut us off from half the population of the server just because you don't want to tell people to use the ignore function or stop whining is just laziness on BioWare's part.

you lost me when you said you have friends!  you fibber! 

[rshetts2]

They havent said that there wont be Cross Faction Communication, in fact they are looking for viable ways to implement it.  Youre acting like they have put a complete moratorium on CFC, and they havent.  They hope, Im sure, to have millions of subscribers and many of them will be children.  Sure they can put in filters and such and try to minimize the hate but due to the nature if people on the internet when hiding behind anonymity, there will be issues.  They are simply trying to find a way to minimize that without limiting the subscriber base.  Using ignore is all well and good after the fact, but it doesnt solve the overall problem and frankly I doubt theres much they can do to solve it.  I understand your point Cheeba but Im also looking at it from Biowares position.  I dont think they are doing this out of lazyness. 

[CeeKay]

another Fan Friday: http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20110617

The Post-Writing Polish Process: http://www.swtor.com/news/blog/20110617

[Blackjack]

I'm back from my Korea trip (at some point I'll share some photos/vids here, esp. from the Korean War Memorial). Have you guys kept the breathless, hyperventilating, "read too much into everything the Bioware reps say on their forums" fires burning? 

[Blackjack]

I'm back from my Korea trip (at some point I'll share some photos/vids here, esp. from the Korean War Memorial). Have you guys kept the breathless, hyperventilating, "read too much into everything the Bioware reps say on their forums" fires burning?  

I guess the answer was "no."  

Meanwhile, at the forums...

Class Quests: Soloable or not?
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6924370#edit6924370

All Class quests can be played solo. From start to finish.

Release Date Window Speculation
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6922532#edit6922532

The release date window is the second half of 2011, and nothing has changed in that regard. Any other date you may hear at this point is either misinformation or an outright lie.

While you might think it's fun to pick a random date and get others to believe in it, unfortunately it's far too sensitive a topic for many people, and many will not get the 'joke'.

As a result, we've removed posts in this thread related to the meme and will take action against those trying to spread false rumors throughout the Forums. In addition, we'll be keeping this thread closed for a while as apparently it's not a subject that can be discussed without trolling (Yes, this is why you can't have nice things!).

And SWTOR "won" about 83 "Best of E3" awards, which means bupkus (call me when it wins an award as a successfully launched MMO -- "Best of E3" awards are cheap, imho). What maybe is more meaningful is that some gaming pundits unimpressed with it in the form it was a year ago at E3 seem much more pleased with SWTOR in its current form and state of polish (even if that's ongoing), and in its various modes (including pvp, Flashpoints, class-based stuff, etc.).

[Teggy]

So has healing worked out? I know they said that every character can heal themselves, but is it enough for a flashpoint, or will you use a dedicated healer in those instances?

[CeeKay]

I'm back from my Korea trip (at some point I'll share some photos/vids here, esp. from the Korean War Memorial). Have you guys kept the breathless, hyperventilating, "read too much into everything the Bioware reps say on their forums" fires burning?  

I guess the answer was "no."  

OMG, interest in the game is dead before it even releases!




(there, feel better? )

[Blackjack]

I'm back from my Korea trip (at some point I'll share some photos/vids here, esp. from the Korean War Memorial). Have you guys kept the breathless, hyperventilating, "read too much into everything the Bioware reps say on their forums" fires burning?  

I guess the answer was "no."  

OMG, interest in the game is dead before it even releases!
(there, feel better? )

Thank you. You are a true friend.  

From the ever-growing snippiness at official forums, I truly hope open beta is upon us soon. Before things get uglier.  

Teggy, don't forget about the companion each player can bring along. It's not a full replacement for a player, but I suspect a "healer-y" companion or two can make up for the absence of a "full-bore healer" in a group. Just guessing though.   I suspect the companions bring enough flexibility that we won't ever -- or at least most of the time -- have to mope about "we can't do this without a healer!"

[Teggy]

Well it's funny, the reason I asked was I was thinking of playing a healer with my main in the next MMO I played, but it sounds like in SW that type of role won't be needed.

[Arkon]

It is still very much a holy trinity game. You generally aren't going to be running 4 man content with companions providing the healing. Keep in mind companions count as a party member.

My main is likely going to be a Commando which is the healer oriented trooper.

[Razgon]

the commando is a healer???

[Arkon]

the commando is a healer???

If you look at the advanced class page, you can see that each one gets three talent trees.  In the case of commando you have one that enhances DPS, one enhances Healing and one enhances explosives/grenades (this is shared with Vanguard).  Think of the Commando as a combat medic with good DPS potential as well.

[Razgon]

Ah, ok - well, that kinda makes sense. I guess I have a hard time picturing pretty much anyone but a jedi as a healer in the game

[Arkon]

Ah, ok - well, that kinda makes sense. I guess I have a hard time picturing pretty much anyone but a jedi as a healer in the game

For the most part the way the healing is done seems to make sense.  I know folks are all up in arms about one of the smuggler classes being a "healer", but the lore or story behind it looks to be that the Scoundrel packs a ton of gadgets to get the job done.  Including things like a stealth belt and med-packs.  Otherwise what do you do with the two smuggler advanced classes...oh look one is DPS with two guns, the other is DPS with one gun?

[Harkonis]

I've always wanted to play a stealthy healer and it looks like I finally can in this game.  Sounds good to me

[ydejin]

So has healing worked out? I know they said that every character can heal themselves, but is it enough for a flashpoint, or will you use a dedicated healer in those instances?

As far as every character being able to heal themselves, I think that's referring to out-of-combat healing.  Not all characters can heal in combat AFAIK.  Although as others have pointed out, probably every character will be able to pick up a companion character that can heal.

[Blackjack]

Much breathlessness that Penny Arcade's Mike Krahulik was given Bioware's permission to share some (presumably, but Bioware does not have "editorial control") impressions from playing in the beta so far...

Thread about it (MK Tweeted about receiving Bioware's permissions to share some impressions, as opposed to Tweeting pictures of his "junk"  )
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=351520

Bioware's thoughts:
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6964039#edit6964039

So keep an eye out for that today (i.e., Thursday, June 23).   If nothing else, the PA guys don't have a filter -- if they love something, you know, and if they think something is garbage/disappointing, they've never hesitated to say so.
============
As far as the "everyone has a healing spec available" shtick, it did kinda bother me at first. I just don't envision Han Solo or a Commando soldier running around with a "healing gun" and medkits, ya know? But for the sake of situational flexibility, for the sake of people not having to stand in line for an hour begging for a healer, for the sake of an end to this "we don't want you on our team cause you ARE DPS; or we only want you on our team if you ARE dps" sort of anti-socialness/snobbery in MMOs, I can live with it.

I mean, maybe in this game we'll all just group up because it's fun and we want to rather than making me feel like we're picking dodge ball teams as a kid and I'm too fat, skinny, unathletic or just not cool enough to be on your dodge ball team. 

[Arkon]

It isn't true to say "everyone has a healing spec".  A Commando can spec out to be essentially pure DPS if they want to, and would just have a few heal skills on the side.  Or a Jedi Sage could spec to be range DPS like a mage instead of speccing to be Heal/CC.  The Jedi Knight and Sith Warrior don't have an advanced class with a healing spec line.

[rshetts2]

Much breathlessness that Penny Arcade's Mike Krahulik was given Bioware's permission to share some (presumably, but Bioware does not have "editorial control") impressions from playing in the beta so far...

Thread about it (MK Tweeted about receiving Bioware's permissions to share some impressions, as opposed to Tweeting pictures of his "junk"  )
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=351520

Bioware's thoughts:
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6964039#edit6964039

So keep an eye out for that today (i.e., Thursday, June 23).   If nothing else, the PA guys don't have a filter -- if they love something, you know, and if they think something is garbage/disappointing, they've never hesitated to say so.
============
As far as the "everyone has a healing spec available" shtick, it did kinda bother me at first. I just don't envision Han Solo or a Commando soldier running around with a "healing gun" and medkits, ya know? But for the sake of situational flexibility, for the sake of people not having to stand in line for an hour begging for a healer, for the sake of an end to this "we don't want you on our team cause you ARE DPS; or we only want you on our team if you ARE dps" sort of anti-socialness/snobbery in MMOs, I can live with it.

I mean, maybe in this game we'll all just group up because it's fun and we want to rather than making me feel like we're picking dodge ball teams as a kid and I'm too fat, skinny, unathletic or just not cool enough to be on your dodge ball team. 

WHAT!!???  Are you suggesting playing an MMO where you can actually play the character you want instead of being pigeonholed into what the group needs?  You think that its possible to group up for fun?  FUN in an MMO?!    You sir are a crazy person!   

[Blackjack]

Arkon, I don't pay attention to facts anymore. Nobody else does on the Internet, why should I?    Everyone can heal! Spread the disinformation until it becomes TRUE! Fight the truth! Spread lies! Embrace the Dark Side! Ahahahaha! 

Here's Mike Krahulik's SWTOR thoughts from Penny Arcade's site (I haven't found a way to link to a particular news item at their site, so I've pasted it in below):
http://www.penny-arcade.com/
*Gabe doesn't believe in lots of paragraph returns so I took the liberty of inserting some into his giant wall of text...

So I was actually able to get into the current friends and family beta for Star Wars: The Old Republic. It wasn’t too hard since technically I do have a friend over there. The tricky part is that Bioware, like a lot of places thinks of PA as “media” and they don’t want media playing it yet. I explained that we aren’t media, we prefer to think of ourselves as “enthusiasts”. They let me in but I had to pinkie swear that I wouldn’t talk about the game here on the site, or anywhere else for that matter.

I’ve been playing it for a little over a month now and last week I asked if I could share some of my impressions with you all. It took some begging but finally they agreed and to their credit they didn’t ask to see what I was going to write first. Honestly they had no idea what I was going to say which must have been a little scary considering this is PA, but lucky for them I actually really like their game. So this isn’t a review or anything even close. What I’m playing is the beta and honestly changing all the time. I just wanted to share some of my impressions.

First of all, a lot has been made about the new “fourth pillar” of story telling. Is it really all they are making it out to be? In my personal opinion, yes, it really is a big deal and let me tell you why. In the short time I’ve been playing SW:TOR I have already given more thought to my character than I ever did in all the years I played WOW. I’ve had to make hard choices with my Bounty Hunter that have made me honestly think about who he is and what he’s like.

At first I intended to play him as a real asshole but some of the moral quagmires these quests put you in just aren’t that black and white. Do I do what gets me the most credits? Do I stay loyal to the person who gave me the job even it means hurting Innocent people? As a result of all this I have a character that is a hard ass bounty hunter who has a soft spot for people in trouble and children. The only thing I could tell you about my WOW character Dudefella is that he was a mage and a hell of a good dancer.

Of course all MMO’s now are going to have you taking quests but I think the big difference here is that I tend to care more about these quests. I will admit I am not a quest reader when I play an MMO. I click and click until it’s accepted and then read the breakdown on my way out to wherever the wolf bladders are.

Playing a class in SW:TOR is like playing a single player Bioware game. People are talking to you and you’re deciding how to respond and making dialog choices. Turning the quests into an interactive experience makes me care a lot more about them. A quest is still a chance to get XP, money and loot but it’s also an opportunity to advance your character towards the dark or light side based on your decisions. In most MMO’s taking quests is what you do so that you can go play. In SW:TOR, taking quests is playing.

Obviously the setting is a big draw for me but I played the last Star Wars MMO and hated it. So just setting a game in the Star Wars universe isn’t enough for me. With that said I was curious if the Old Republic would be “Star Warsy” enough. I mean, we’re talking about 4000 years before the movies. Would that world look anything like the three films we all love?

The reality is that I think it’s almost too much like the movies. It turns out that 4000 years before Jabba, the Hutts were still crime lords surrounded by Twi’lek dancers and had a habit of feeding people to exotic beasts. For the most part everything you expect to see in Star Wars is there and it hasn’t changed much if at all. I guess the idea is that the Star Wars universe has sort of plateaued. I could hazard a guess that the constant battle between the Jedi and the Sith have kept the universe in a perpetual state of either war or re-building...but if I said that I would be a huge nerd.

Anyway I can understand why they did it from a design stand point. They want people who are fans of Star Wars to feel at home here. The result is that it’s easy to forget that all this is taking place thousands of years before Luke Skywalker kissed his sister.

I’m hesitant to talk too much about the mechanics since like I said they really are changing all the time. I can say that coming over from WOW, it feels very familiar and I don’t mean that in a bad way. I’ve checked out the basics of most of the classes and they each feel unique.

Dropping into cover with the smuggler gives you a whole new action bar similar to popping stealth with a rogue. At level 1 a Jedi Consular can tear a chunk of debris from the earth and hurl it at an enemy. Zapping the shit out of someone with force lightning is just as fun as you think. Firing up into the air with your jet pack and then raining missiles down on enemies does not get old. I will never get tired of slicing a guy in half with my lightsaber and then watching as my character lifts the blade over his head to block a blaster shot from behind without looking.

I don’t want to drill down into too much little stuff about the game but there is one feature I have to tell you about because I think it is really cool. If someone in your party is off grabbing quests while you’re selling junk at a vendor you would have to wait for them to share the quest with you later in any other game.

In SW:TOR you get a little message that someone in your party is taking a quest and do you want to join via holoprojector. The first time I saw this I actually said out loud “Shit yeah I want to join via holoprojector!” and sure enough your character appears there in all his or her shimmering blue glory. You can interact with the NPC right alongside your partner. It’s a little touch but believe me when I tell you the game is full of smart little bits like this.

I honestly think they are making something unique and fun here. I’ve enjoyed my time in the beta even more than I expected and it just continues to improve. I’m excited to see what the final product ends up looking like and how people respond to some of its ideas.

-Gabe out

[Razgon]

Here you go, BJ  ;-)

http://www.penny-arcade.com/2011/6/22/swtor/

[Blackjack]

Here you go, BJ  ;-)

http://www.penny-arcade.com/2011/6/22/swtor/

Most impressive, young Razgon.  

While there's nothing new in terms of information there (I'm sure Bioware appreciates his not over-blabbing about technical details, even if they had no idea what he was going to write), I found them fun to read from the standpoint simply of "Is it fun? Is it cool? Is it Star Wars? Does light side/dark side make any real difference in gameplay or is it just something that reads impressively on a features list? Does the story stuff really make any difference at all?" It seems like most of the answers are "yes," and I'm glad to read that.

I'm sure I'll nitpick apart all the nitty gritty stuff when/if I ever get to play it myself, but it's good to feel like the "big picture" view is positive, even if, in the end, it's just one tester's opinion.

I will be curious to see if long-term, maybe Bioware will call upon Mike K's artistry for some promotional comic strips/artwork as they've done for so many other games (http://www.penny-arcade.com/presents/#). I don't think think they've done anything for Bioware to date in that vein.

[The Grue]

I will be curious to see if long-term, maybe Bioware will call upon Mike K's artistry for some promotional comic strips/artwork as they've done for so many other games (http://www.penny-arcade.com/presents/#). I don't think think they've done anything for Bioware to date in that vein.

They definitely did a Dragon Age 2 comic for Bioware. Can't remember if they did for the original.

[Blackjack]

I will be curious to see if long-term, maybe Bioware will call upon Mike K's artistry for some promotional comic strips/artwork as they've done for so many other games (http://www.penny-arcade.com/presents/#). I don't think think they've done anything for Bioware to date in that vein.

They definitely did a Dragon Age 2 comic for Bioware. Can't remember if they did for the original.

I thought so too, but there's nothing Bioware listed in PA's "PA Presents" archives. I dunno, maybe it was a different copyright ownership agreement and PA can't display it on their site.

Hey, official site has a Battle for Alderaan Video from E3 (I'm not sure it's new, per se, but I've not seen it before afik):
Battle for Alderaan Highlights Video
http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20110624

[The Grue]

I thought so too, but there's nothing Bioware listed in PA's "PA Presents" archives. I dunno, maybe it was a different copyright ownership agreement and PA can't display it on their site.

Here is where the DA2 stuff is.

[Knightshade Dragon]

Hit the front page folks - I've got my preview from E3 as well as that video from Alderaan.  My preview covers a bit more detail than the video for some context.    Enjoy!

[Vindel]

Hit the front page folks - I've got my preview from E3 as well as that video from Alderaan.  My preview covers a bit more detail than the video for some context.    Enjoy!

Great write up! Thanks

[Arclight]

Believe it when I play it.

[PR_GMR]

And Star Wars: Galaxies is dead. Looks like SOE is committing seppuku before SW:TOR hits.

[Blackjack]

On the SWG un-plug, I never really did see it surviving alongside SWTOR, even if their eras are different and SWG's classes seem to offer some crafting-heavy stuff and professions that people really did seem to like during its brief heyday (read, before NGE upset everybody). Apparently (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Galaxies), its coming up on its 8th anniversary as far as the North American release.

Of course now I'm left saying, if they were just gonna dump SWG overboard anyway, then Bioware could've done an SWTOR-type game set in folks' favorite era (the original 3 films) afterall. I mean, I swear I read in interviews the whole reason they couldn't set something in that era was to avoid impinging on SWG's territory. Oops. Talk about moot point. Maybe an expansion...   Yes I realize Lucasarts probably couldn't give two MMO licenses at the same time for that era. So I guess there was really no choice.

And lets rejoice that June is almost over! So now they can say the release date is... *drum roll*... "sometime in the last 5 months of 2011!"  

[Destructor]

Well, SWG AFAIK never recovered when, oh, I don't know, 95% of its subscriber base quit in the matter of a month when NGE came out. Took long enough for them to finally pull the plug.

And there's no way that ToR will come out this year, Blackjack. No way.

[Lockdown]

Maybe it's just me, but I think they need to stop showing combat videos from in-game, cause frankly... they suck.  Either that, or they just don't "translate" well; because watching someone get blasted by laser fire up close over and over, to just stand there and take the shots, is really lame.

But I have felt that way about all games that let that happen.  I remember thinking the same thing in Tabula Rasa.  That being said, I realize the double-standard in the fact that I can rationalize someone in WoW or LotRO getting hit with a sword 30 times before dying, but can't accept it here.  I'm just sayin', it seems way more lame with guns for some reason.  Maybe if I saw the blue shimmer of a personal shield generator defelecting the shots, I could stomach it more, I don't know.

Then again, as I re-read my post, I think it may be even more lame that I'm complaining about something so trivial.   

[Lockdown]

And this post is simply a follow-up as a pre-emptive strike to prevent CK from quoting something I said, to then follow it up with something funny and mildly sarcastic.  I am onto your game, my friend.  Move along.... this is not the post you're looking for.  You can go about your business.

[ydejin]

Of course now I'm left saying, if they were just gonna dump SWG overboard anyway, then Bioware could've done an SWTOR-type game set in folks' favorite era (the original 3 films) afterall. I mean, I swear I read in interviews the whole reason they couldn't set something in that era was to avoid impinging on SWG's territory. Oops. Talk about moot point. Maybe an expansion...   Yes I realize Lucasarts probably couldn't give two MMO licenses at the same time for that era. So I guess there was really no choice.

The other issue with the original New Hope era is it's a bit hard to have thousands of Jedi running about.  Plus they'd have to pigeon hole their stories into the actual SW movie stories, which might cramp their style a bit.

[rshetts2]

Of course now I'm left saying, if they were just gonna dump SWG overboard anyway, then Bioware could've done an SWTOR-type game set in folks' favorite era (the original 3 films) afterall. I mean, I swear I read in interviews the whole reason they couldn't set something in that era was to avoid impinging on SWG's territory. Oops. Talk about moot point. Maybe an expansion...   Yes I realize Lucasarts probably couldn't give two MMO licenses at the same time for that era. So I guess there was really no choice.

The other issue with the original New Hope era is it's a bit hard to have thousands of Jedi running about.  Plus they'd have to pigeon hole their stories into the actual SW movie stories, which might cramp their style a bit.

Agreed.  The era they have chosen gives them the opportunity to provide the player roles people desire, in the basic setting people want.  Does it resemble the Star Wars era even though it predates it by thousands of years?  Why yes, yes it does.  Of course there will be people screaming about continuity and anachronisms but they will be a minority ( most likely a very vocal minority  ) but Im thinking that most people will understand that its a game and give it some latitude for the sake of enjoyment.  Those who are too anal to do so, in the end, will merely ruin their own chance to enjoy what looks to be developing into a very fun MMO.

[Blackjack]

The chatty combat dev Zoeller noted some things about the quest log (you can toggle whether any individual quest is listed, and whether quests not on your current planet are shown, and they don't seem to currently plan to have a limit per se):
http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=7020784#edit7020784

I don't think this (thread title was "Filling Quest Log = Fail") is a concern for us. After years of playing legit characters and testing, I don't even know if there is a limit we are enforcing. And since you can hide quests that are not on your current planet and turn tracking on and off individually for each quest, you're unlikely to experience significant overload either.

From me there's no pressure on SWTOR. It's just a question of whether it'll restore my interest in MMORPGs altogether, or if I'll have to finally get a life. Is that pressure?

I guess I'm fine with the era, as long as we don't all wear rat tails, look like Hayden Christensen and have to take Jar Jar Binks as our first companion.    

[ydejin]

Bioware E3 Fan Highlights trailer.  Not sure, but I think that's Felicia Day at 2:06 in.

Also for us poor bastards that aren't in the beta who simply can't get enough information on SWTOR (that would be me  ) the Betacake blog has bootleg Q&As from some beta players.  The comments are generally quite positive and match what Gabe over at Penny Arcade had to say last week -- for example discussing how adding Bioware story really does make a big difference.  Here's one response:

Q. Do you plan to buy the game and pay the monthly fee even after doing so much game testing? Why?
A. Yes, Yes, Yes.  This is the best game I have ever played.

That certainly sounds positive!  That was from someone who has played a lot of WoW and is a WoW endgame raider.

[Vidiot]

I keep checking my spam filter.. just in case.

[cheeba]

Also for us poor bastards that aren't in the beta who simply can't get enough information on SWTOR (that would be me  ) the Betacake blog has bootleg Q&As from some beta players.  The comments are generally quite positive and match what Gabe over at Penny Arcade had to say last week -- for example discussing how adding Bioware story really does make a big difference. 

LOT of great info on that site, thanks! Looking at the Q&A's, the thing that I find most interesting is how people are clamoring for customization and ownership of the game. People want to name their ships (can't) they want to decorate their ships (can't), they want to personalize things (can't), customize their sabers, etc. People want complexity and I find it amazing that Bioware isn't really providing it. It looks like a fun game, but MMO's have a chance to go much deeper than a normal game and I'm amazed that companies don't allow for it.