Star Wars: The Old Republic is one of the most anticipated games coming down the pike and during Gamescom 2011, MMORPG.com's John Milburn had the opportunity to sit down for a brief chat with Bioware Associate Lead Designer Emmanuel Lusinchi. Check out our exclusive interview and then leave us a couple of comments!
MMORPG.com: What do you feel is the most exciting aspect of the game?
Emmanuel Lusinchi: We wanted to make the game feel more like a story then just another level grinder, we wanted you to care about your character, so that you aren't just playing to get more experience instead you are playing because of the feel that your character is immersed into the story. For example there is a Star Wars scroll that is constantly being updated with your personal story every time you finish a quest to help remind you what is going on, the idea is to get you so involved in the story that you would forget what level your character even was.
MMORPG.com: Where do you see SWTOR 2 years from now?
Emmanuel Lusinchi: There is tons of future features that we want to put into the game but we don't have a ton of time right now to fit it all in, if we tried the game would be released as a huge buggy mess and we don't want that, so our goal is to slowly add these features as time permits, such as more customization for characters, more things for guilds(Giant guild ships etc), and a lot more social stuff as well. Hopefully in 2 years alot of it, if not all of it, will be live.
MMORPG.com: Are there any more mini-games that will come out with SWTOR?
Emmanuel Lusinchi: There are more mini-games that won't make it for launch point but there is definitely more to come.
MMORPG.com: What do you feel is the most annoying monster in SWTOR?
Emmanuel Lusinchi: As far as game play goes that is kind of hard to answer, but for designing I would have to say the droids with 3 legs just because the animation was a nightmare trying to figure out how we were going to move the legs.
MMORPG.com: What do you feel will be the most annoying encounter?
Emmanuel Lusinchi: You are just going to have to wait to play and answer that on your own.
MMORPG.com: What kind of cool updates might you have in the future for the game?
Emmanuel Lusinchi: Well there is a lot we have in mind but if I say most of them I will probably get fired so hmm what can I tell you... Mini-games! There will be a lot of new mini-games coming out in the future.
MMORPG.com: So what can you tell us about boss mechanics?
Emmanuel Lusinchi: Well the final fight in Eternity Vault is really cool and has a very interesting mechanic; we can't wait to release it. However we do expect people will die and die and die trying to figure it out. There is also another fight that is an actual puzzle that you need to solve well you are constantly getting attacked that should prove to be interesting as well.
MMORPG.com: Will there be epic quests or epic items?
Emmanuel Lusinchi: There has been a lot of talk about it and it's an idea that is very likely in the far future. We will try to make it something that hopefully you will need to visit every planet. But at this point there is nothing like that implemented.
MMORPG.com: So is there anything you would like to say about character customization?
Emmanuel Lusinchi: Character customization is going to be tweaked a bit still.
MMORPG.com: So can you tell us something that no one else knows this far?
Emmanuel Lusinchi: There is no appearance tab for SWTOR, but there is something that is not unlike it in concept in what it will allow, we are hoping that everyone will like it. It serves the same purpose, and is built right into the game. It just makes sense to have because we understand the concept of everyone looking the same and nobody wanting to have a twin just because they have the same gear.
MMORPG.com: So what do you feel has been the biggest milestone for you this far?
Emmanuel Lusinchi: For me the most exciting thing was when we were finally able to log in and play the game, it really gave the feeling of "Oh wow we are actually here, we've made an MMO." As our first, that was pretty special.
We tried to get as much information out of the SWTOR team as possible but they wouldn’t let us in on the juicy information because they said even though they have great ideas on paper they didn’t want to be that company to say one thing and then never be able to follow through with it due to unforeseen issues down the road.
They did say they understand that end game is extremely important and they hope to have an amazing one set up. SWTOR team has been dying to talk about the end game raiding, and were extremely relieved to finally be able to show some of it at the show. The end game will be extremely difficult, according to Emmanuel; the version shown was nerfed and people were still wiping.
“The 1st time you encounter any of this stuff it will be extremely harder then what was shown at the Gamescom demos,” said Emmanuel. “It was nerfed at the show due to the fact we didn’t want everyone dying all the time for the presentation.” Let’s just hope we’re all prepared to die.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Beta Test Weekends this September
As anticipation grows, BioWare also proudly announced today that Star Wars: The Old Republic will open "Beta Test Weekends" starting this September. These weekend play sessions will be open to selected players worldwide and create an opportunity for fans to get a sneak peek of the epic stories, worlds, quests, battles and characters in the game.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Secret World's Beta Signup Postponed
Due to technical difficulties we have decided to postpone the first phase of the Secret War experience and the beta registration until further notice.
We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused those of you who had taken time to visit our website on August 26th to sign up for the beta and take part in the first phase of The Secret War. We will be working relentlessly to make sure the experience and the beta registration are up as soon as possible.
We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Funcom
We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused those of you who had taken time to visit our website on August 26th to sign up for the beta and take part in the first phase of The Secret War. We will be working relentlessly to make sure the experience and the beta registration are up as soon as possible.
We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Sincerely,
Funcom
World PVP to Be Revealed at PAX Panel
Each year the Penny Arcade Expo attracts tens of thousands of gamers to Seattle, Washington to preview some of the latest upcoming titles. Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ will have a big presence at this year’s PAX Prime with BioWare and LucasArts in attendance to reveal new information while letting attendees score some hands-on time with the game.
Throughout the weekend of PAX those who visit us at Booth 914 will be able to play through content from each of the four Origin Worlds. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get some experience with Player-vs-Player combat in the Alderaan Warzone, where Republic and Imperial teams clash in an effort to control and hold three different points on the battlefield.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Panel
Starting at 2PM on Sunday, August 28th, BioWare and LucasArts will be holding a Star Wars: The Old Republic panel at the Paramount Theatre, where fans will have the opportunity to be among the first to hear new reveals, take part in a Q&A session with developers and see a live demonstration of the opening minutes of the Eternity Vault, a high-level Operation taking place on the planet of Belsavis.
Community Meet & Greet
On Saturday, August 27th we will be holding a Community Meet and Greet at the Grand Hyatt Seattle hotel, located less than half a mile from the Washington State Convention Center. We’ll be starting at 7PM, so be sure to stop by to meet other fans of The Old Republic community as well as spend time with members of the BioWare team.
We haven’t forgotten about those of you who are unable to make it to PAX Prime. Be sure to check www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com throughout the expo, as well as our Community Forums, Twitter feed and our official Facebook page for all the latest news and information from the PAX showfloor!
Throughout the weekend of PAX those who visit us at Booth 914 will be able to play through content from each of the four Origin Worlds. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get some experience with Player-vs-Player combat in the Alderaan Warzone, where Republic and Imperial teams clash in an effort to control and hold three different points on the battlefield.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Panel
Starting at 2PM on Sunday, August 28th, BioWare and LucasArts will be holding a Star Wars: The Old Republic panel at the Paramount Theatre, where fans will have the opportunity to be among the first to hear new reveals, take part in a Q&A session with developers and see a live demonstration of the opening minutes of the Eternity Vault, a high-level Operation taking place on the planet of Belsavis.
Community Meet & Greet
On Saturday, August 27th we will be holding a Community Meet and Greet at the Grand Hyatt Seattle hotel, located less than half a mile from the Washington State Convention Center. We’ll be starting at 7PM, so be sure to stop by to meet other fans of The Old Republic community as well as spend time with members of the BioWare team.
We haven’t forgotten about those of you who are unable to make it to PAX Prime. Be sure to check www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com throughout the expo, as well as our Community Forums, Twitter feed and our official Facebook page for all the latest news and information from the PAX showfloor!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Updated Crew Skills
"When BioWare introduced us to the system a long while back, only eight crew skills were revealed. However, on Friday, the Community Team gave us a stealth update to the Crew Skills page, revealing all the categories. For example, Archaeology is now listed under gathering skills. Crafting skills will apparently grant players Armstech, Cybertech, and Synthweaving. And finally, we will be able to send our companions on Investigation and Underworld Trading missions."The Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ galaxy is rich with valuable resources, high-tech schematics, and intriguing opportunities, but what hero has time to devote themselves personally to so many pursuits? That’s where your crew comes in. The Crew Skills system allows you to take advantage of everything the galaxy has to offer without getting in the way of your adventure! You’ll assign your crew of companions to gather resources, craft useful and valuable items, and even to undertake their own missions, bringing you and the rest of the crew a variety of benefits and rewards. Crew skills keep you in the action while you take advantage of all the galaxy has to offer!
Your Starship is home base for you and your crew. While you’re exploring the galaxy and progressing through your storyline, you can relay orders back to the ship. You’ll be able to assign tasks to your companions to gather resources, to craft items at the ship’s workstation, or to embark on special missions. Based on their personal backgrounds, some companions will be more proficient with certain skills, and the higher their opinion of you, the better they’ll perform across the board.
You will be able to select three Crew Skills for your team to train in from among these main categories:
Gathering Skills
As you explore planets in the galaxy, you’ll discover a variety of exotic resources and valuable pieces of information. With the right training, you and your crew will be able to scavenge for raw materials, slice computer systems, and track down valuable artifacts. The resources and information you gather can be sold on the open market for a profit, or your crew can use them to craft useful and valuable items. If you like, you can select Gathering skills for all three of the Crew Skill slots available to your team.
Gathering Skills include:
- Archaeology – the ability to seek out imbued items like Lightsaber crystals and ancient artifacts
- Bioanalysis – the practice of collecting genetic material from creatures and plants
- Scavenging – the art of recovering useful materials and parts from old or damaged technology
- Slicing – a skill in accessing secured computer systems and lockboxes to acquire valuable data and rare schematics
Crafting Skills
Whether your team gathers resources or you acquire them through other means, they’ll be the cornerstone of crafting. Depending on how you choose to specialize, your crew will be able to construct armor, weapons, implants, or other types of useful items and gear. You can use these items yourself or put them up on the open market for profit. You’ll receive Crew Skill reports even while you’re away from the ship, and if one of your companions returns with the schematics for a valuable item, you can assign someone else to start crafting the item right away on the ship’s workstation without having to return to the ship! Crafting skills are very specialized disciplines; for your three Crew Skills slots, you’ll be able to select one Crafting skill for your crew to master.
Crafting Skills include:
- Armormech – the ability to work with hard metals and electronic shielding to construct all types of personal armor
- Armstech – the skill of constructing blasters, blaster rifles and upgrades
- Artifice – the delicate work of constructing Jedi and Sith artifacts
- Biochem –the engineering of performance-enhancing chemical serums and biological implants
- Cybertech – the technical expertise to construct gadgets and components for Droids and high-tech armors
- Synthweaving – the art of creating lighter outfits and armors that are imbued with supernatural qualities
Mission Skills
Mission skills are a unique addition to the Crew Skills system. With these skills, you send companions from your crew across the galaxy on various missions to recover information, hunt down loot, or complete other goals to bring you rewards. When you use a mission skill, you’ll select a companion, choose a mission from an
ever-changing pool, and send that companion out after the prize. You can choose from a variety of mission skills – is your crew into conducting research? Participating in diplomatic missions? Trading in illicit goods? There are many options, each with their own set of benefits and rewards. Some can even earn you light or dark side points. As with the other skills, your companions complete these missions on their own time and bring the rewards back when they’re done. Any number of your Crew Skills can be a Mission skill, so get ready to put your team to work!
Mission Skills include:
- Diplomacy – the art of conducting and managing negotiations
- Investigation – the skill of examining evidence and following clues to discover valuable secrets
- Treasure Hunting – the ability to track down and recover valuable items by investigating a series of clues
- Underworld Trading – expertise in the trading of illegal goods and services
Firelands Cleared!
Sorry for the late post, wanted a kill-shot before posting!
On August 11th we defeated Ragnaros, the last boss of Firelands. Rag took a couple weeks to get the mechanics down and what a painful process it was. There was some heartbreaking wipes, or people dying early when we were progressing well through each phase. Ragnaros is a lengthy encounter and probably has the most abilities out of any boss, and the most situational awareness is needed. We are the 11th on the server for clearing Firelands, and we were only an hour too late from the top 10 spot!
Phase one took some getting used to - dodging flame waves, popping traps at the right time, and keeping the tanks alive.
Intermissions were probably the hardest to do. Sons of Flame were giving us headaches and heart attacks for a while. We used everyone to dps, stun and use every ability in the book to do this.
Phase two with engulfing flames and seeds had it's own challenges. We ended up tweaking this part a few times to get it right.
Phase three is probably the most hectic and heart-pounding. Not only do you have to deal with the mechanics from phase one, but we get to kill 2 more adds AND dodge flaming meteors of death.
On August 11th we defeated Ragnaros, the last boss of Firelands. Rag took a couple weeks to get the mechanics down and what a painful process it was. There was some heartbreaking wipes, or people dying early when we were progressing well through each phase. Ragnaros is a lengthy encounter and probably has the most abilities out of any boss, and the most situational awareness is needed. We are the 11th on the server for clearing Firelands, and we were only an hour too late from the top 10 spot!
Phase one took some getting used to - dodging flame waves, popping traps at the right time, and keeping the tanks alive.
Intermissions were probably the hardest to do. Sons of Flame were giving us headaches and heart attacks for a while. We used everyone to dps, stun and use every ability in the book to do this.
Phase two with engulfing flames and seeds had it's own challenges. We ended up tweaking this part a few times to get it right.
Phase three is probably the most hectic and heart-pounding. Not only do you have to deal with the mechanics from phase one, but we get to kill 2 more adds AND dodge flaming meteors of death.
Well done everyone! Heroics are soon to follow.
The Old Republic at PAX 2011
Each year the Penny Arcade Expo attracts tens of thousands of gamers to Seattle, Washington to preview some of the latest upcoming titles. Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ will have a big presence at this year’s PAX Prime with BioWare and LucasArts in attendance to reveal new information while letting attendees score some hands-on time with the game.
Throughout the weekend of PAX those who visit us at Booth 914 will be able to play through content from each of the four Origin Worlds. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get some experience with Player-vs-Player combat in the Alderaan Warzone, where Republic and Imperial teams clash in an effort to control and hold three different points on the battlefield.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Panel
Starting at 2PM on Sunday, August 28th, BioWare and LucasArts will be holding a Star Wars: The Old Republic panel at the Paramount Theatre, where fans will have the opportunity to be among the first to hear new reveals, take part in a Q&A session with developers and see a live demonstration of the opening minutes of the Eternity Vault, a high-level Operation taking place on the planet of Belsavis.
Community Meet & Greet
On Saturday, August 27th we will be holding a Community Meet and Greet at the Grand Hyatt Seattle hotel, located less than half a mile from the Washington State Convention Center. We’ll be starting at 7PM, so be sure to stop by to meet other fans of The Old Republic community as well as spend time with members of the BioWare team.
We haven’t forgotten about those of you who are unable to make it to PAX Prime. Be sure to check www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com throughout the expo, as well as our Community Forums, Twitter feed and our official Facebook page for all the latest news and information from the PAX showfloor!
Throughout the weekend of PAX those who visit us at Booth 914 will be able to play through content from each of the four Origin Worlds. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get some experience with Player-vs-Player combat in the Alderaan Warzone, where Republic and Imperial teams clash in an effort to control and hold three different points on the battlefield.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Panel
Starting at 2PM on Sunday, August 28th, BioWare and LucasArts will be holding a Star Wars: The Old Republic panel at the Paramount Theatre, where fans will have the opportunity to be among the first to hear new reveals, take part in a Q&A session with developers and see a live demonstration of the opening minutes of the Eternity Vault, a high-level Operation taking place on the planet of Belsavis.
Community Meet & Greet
On Saturday, August 27th we will be holding a Community Meet and Greet at the Grand Hyatt Seattle hotel, located less than half a mile from the Washington State Convention Center. We’ll be starting at 7PM, so be sure to stop by to meet other fans of The Old Republic community as well as spend time with members of the BioWare team.
We haven’t forgotten about those of you who are unable to make it to PAX Prime. Be sure to check www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com throughout the expo, as well as our Community Forums, Twitter feed and our official Facebook page for all the latest news and information from the PAX showfloor!
Huttball
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™!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
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