As Fantasy Becomes Reality...

As release date inches closer and closer, I must wonder whether or not the excitement of The Old Republic will be worth it and justified. As I was lucky enough get to try out the game at E3 this year, I can say for sure that it will definitely be fun but there is still that uncertainly that comes with every new MMO. In fact, the knowledge of some of my friends getting into beta only raises the nervousness and tension created by a galaxy almost ready to be explored. Hence, the release of the game itself marks a new transition from a simple period of "waiting" into something that is actually "playing". Yet, "playing" the game is no easy task since there will be lots and lots of things to do.

Are you really ready for this?

Choosing The Right Class: To start off, what class am I going to play and how do I know I have made the right decision? The thing with classes of any new MMO is that no one has played them yet. Picking a class, and later an advanced class will be a heavy choice that will impact how you play and enjoy the rest of the game. No doubt, the first character you create will be the fondest memory you will every have despite how many characters you create in the future.

With that being said, you should pick characters that play to your strength and your own idea of fun. Obviously, a person who likes to be right in the middle of action, should pick a melee character since it will augment his own sense of enjoyment as well as play style. On the flip side, someone who rather sit in the back and leisurely pick people off should go for a ranged class. Those who are a little more tactical or adventurous can try a "hybrid" class where they can engaging both on the melee front as well as ranged. Keep in mind however that with every strength of a characters comes a disadvantage. Knowing these disadvantages will affect how good of a player you are and frankly, how "bad ass" your character will be.

Now that you're here, what will you do? 

A Guild and Why It's Important: Now, you know all those motivation posters that tell you "success is in the journey and not the destination?" Well, it's true but a journey into the unknown can definitely be a frightful thing. Imagine the RPGs of the old, where you would walk into an area and get instantly killed by a bunny (FFXI, I'm looking you!). Wouldn't you rather have someone there with you to tell you not to go into that forest...or better yet, to help shoot that darn bunny while it was taking a juicy bite off your arm? I know I would and in fact, I would rather have a "Han shoots first" attitude where multiple of my allies unleash a barrage of unrelenting laser fire into that innocent looking "bunny" before it can even get near me.

Well, that is what guilds are for. Finding the proper group of people who can get your back will not only make the game easier, but will also be more fun socially. Keep in mind that this is a Massive Multiplayer Online game where this is definitely possible so why not take advantage of it? Discovering the right guild takes time, but when you found the one guild where you can build a sense of camaraderie, there is no other feeling like it in the world. Whether teaming up to take down a Master Jedi/Sith or simply hanging out and chatting about your adventures, the galaxy will be much less lonely with allies at your side.

The journey is better with friends...

All in all, The Old Republic is going to be a blast, but only with proper amount of planning. In an online Bioware game with plenty of permanent choices, it is simply better to be prepared than make a mistake somewhere down the road that you will regret. Keep in mind that you should enjoy this game and choices made with knowledge are choices not wasted. Besides, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, you journey has just begun.

Some SWTOR Pictures from E3!

Greetings everyone!  As some of you have asked, I did take some pictures from E3 and although most of the pictures are of the show's floor, I did manage to catch a few pictures from SWTOR's booth that you may interested in. Keep in mind that these were taken with a 3.2MP camera phone and the quality is low. Without further adieu, here are the photos:

 

Welcome to E3 2011. Seeing these lights for the first time...

 Although it says EA Sports, the Star Wars magic happens inside here...

 Both Bounty Hunters are accounted for...the Powertech, the Mercenary and Blizz...

 

For the first time, we see a group of people gathering for a quest...(From Left to Right: Sniper (female), Sorcerer, Powertech (female), Operative, Powertech (male), Sniper (male), Blizz)

 If you click on the glowing machine, something will happen... (On the right there you see the Marauder, the Mercenary, and a robot companion)

Although this looks EXACTLY like a blue glowy Jedi, it is just a normal officer... (Notice that people in cut scene dialogue have a black speech bubble their heads - picture above)

Here the Sith Sorcerer casting the out-of-combat heal...(Animation for this is he paces back and forth and radiates a black aura...kind of emo -_-)

Sith Sorcerer Moveset...(Lightsaber attacks are top left, self buffs are lower right, out of combat heal is top right, spells are top mid, and CC's are bottom left)

 

  What we are seeing here appears to be on of the Bounty Hunter's movesets... (I believe this is the Mercenary b/c the Powertech was flamethrower spec...keep in mind the moves are arranged in a similar way on all characters...)

 Here is one way the Sith Assassin will be able to Tank (*hint hint*)

 Here we have a map of Tatooine, where both factions can visit...(Aside from what you see on screen, there are lots of caves to explore....)

Lastly I will leave you with this...yeah....( Lolz! )

And that is it for everything SWTOR related at E3. I hope you all enjoy and please feel free to ask me any questions. I do have more E3 photos but since they have nothing to do with SWTOR I will leave them out for now. Thanks for reading guys and hopefully this offered you some more insight into the game.

Questions Concerning Imperial Agent: Operative

Greetings everyone! Recently, I have received a couple of questions regarding the Operative class and thought it would be a good idea to create a blog post about them. This way, everyone will be able to benefit off some of the answers. Please keep in mind that these answers are based off of my E3 play session and not Beta. Here they are:

 

Kaliyo-Djannis in ACTION!!!

Did you get to play the male or female Operative?

The operative I got to play specifically was female. However, I am aware that there was another Operative class that was male and dressed the same gear with the same skill set.

Who was the companion for the Operative? 

The companion available at the E3 demo was none other than Kaliyo-Djannis. Although not perfect (sometimes she would just hang out while I am being shot at...cute), she was adequate in her damage, providing acceptable DPS and covering fire. Her "kit" was a grenade toss that was not all that impressive when compared to her default auto attacks.

When you hear others say that the companion characters feel like "pets" in other games, this is mostly true. What really disappointed me was the lack of commentary as I traversed the land, unlike in Mass Effect 2 or Dragon Age.

What is the "look" of the Operative class?

The Operative class really does look like a Jack-of-All-Trade type in terms of designed. If any of you were disappointed that the Empire did not receive a Smuggler type character in terms of looks, be disappointed no more! The typical color pallet included a blue coat with tan inner workings and a standard white shirt accompanied with belts...lots and lots of belts.

 

Trench coats are the look for Operatives.

Is the Operative a ranged nuker or melee fighter? 

Operatives exceed at close-to-mid range combat. Although during my experience at E3 I used a lot of Stealth and Back stabs, this doesn't necessarily mean that the class absolutely has to be played this way. In fact, walking the Tatooine Developer Video, we can see that Operative used no melee ranged moves at all. If would have to describe the class in one sentence it would be: Ranged DPS with Poisons, Heals, and Survivability (Reads: Good for PvP.

Does the Operative need Stealth to be viable?

Currently at level 26, the Operative can only Stealth outside of combat and Back stab when in Stealth. While it would be nice if everyone died Assassin's Creed style in one hit, this is not the case with MMOs. Hence, for time after your opening move, you are presented with various ways to dispatch the enemy. Within the E3 demo, there were standard pistol attacks (charged up shots, barrages, double taps), poison/damage over times droid probes, bleed affects, heals, and melee. How you choose to play and spec your Operative will be determine what type play style your character will have. What is nice to know, however, is that all these options are available to you within this Advanced Class. (Respecs anyone?)

 

Oooo...all the pretty lights!

What is the Operative's "role" in PvE versus in PvP?

Everyone knows that "hybrids" are controversial in MMOs, but there is no denying that is what an Operative is. In PvE, expect to dish out consistent damage via melee or ranged, while spot healing time to time to save an ally. Depending on the way you are built, you can be the person to keep everyone alive, the one to dish out insane close range burst damage, or the person to slowly wither all enemies health through poisons. In addition to combat, the Operative is indeed a "rogue" type character who will open locked doors leading to treasure or alternative routes to within a Flashpoint. (Exciting, no?)

I can write a whole article about the "potential possibility" of the Operative in PvP, but just know this. This class is made for people who like to think on their feet and generate a plan in their head. Being given a wide variety of skills (Stealth/Cover), there is definitely an answer to everything an opponent can throw at you. With the additions of poisons and heals, expect the Operative to be a very hard person to take down. If taken down, the other team would have to sacrifice a great deal. Keep in mind that while the game will be balanced, having an answer to every situation is something not all classes can say.

E3: Imperial Agent Operative Impressions

Greetings everyone. As you may already know, this past week was E3 and many developers came to showed off their game demos to the rest of the industry. Our beloved Bioware was there with The Old Republic and presented, for the very first time, the planet of Tatooine. Being the BioFan I am, I waited for 4 hours for a chance to play the game and my wish finally came true.

After being lend into a small, circular room by our favorite British community manager, Mr Stephen Reid himself, we were treated to a 10-minute video explaining what the demo will entail. Basically, the video explained the situation the Sith Empire has found itself in on Tatooine and how the assaults from Sand People have have devastated their facilities and put strain on their personnel. As the video continued, instructions on how to play all the Dark Side classes (including Advanced Class) were shown. Trust me when I say...some people really needed this part.

Anyways, when the short film finally came to a close, we were kindly directed out into the playing area where 2/3rds of the computers for set up for Tatooine and the rest were for Jedi Origin worlds. Being unfortunately seated in the back during the video presentation, I frantically looked for the IA: Operative but could not spot the station. Eventually, I sat down at a Sith Warrior console only to stand up to see another person at the Operative station. Eager to play Operative, I kindly tapped him on the shoulder and asked him to switch. He agreed (probably because we were next to each other in line) and I secretly cheered in my head. Finally, time to see what this class can do!

To start, I clicked on the holo display to get my first "quest" telling me to find a Sith Lord who was out in search of secrets within a ruin and hasn't returned. The conversation was something else and I must say that having convincing voice actors in place of a page of text is well worth it. Finishing the dialogue, I frantically searched by two bars of skills of the speeder bike, determined to beat others to the quest. Despite my enthusiasm, finding the skill was much harder than I thought and it was not until someone showed me was I able to take off.

With the 20 minute clock ticking away, I fought the urge to explore and sped along all the way to my quest waypoint. The map was very helpful in this aspect as it automatically becomes transparent as I began to move, allowing me to navigate accordingly while in transit. Once I became stationary, it would solidify, granting me a clear view of the map. Upon arrival, I saw my enemies: Tusken Raiders, some alone, some with group of frees. Oh boy this is gonna be fun...

Now before combat actually began, there were a few things I had to consider: Should I open with a melee attack? Should I go in gun blazing? What about my companion...what will she do? Will I have to heal during combat? Well, the best way to answer is to jump head first in with my level 26 Operative.

"Being the badass she is, she shrouded herself and her companion in a Stealth field as they slowly made their way towards a group of unsuspecting Tusken guards. A moment of surprised caught the Tuskens offguard as they began to realize someone was among then. It was too late however as this moment of panic was all she needed. She quickly Backstabbed one of the guards causing him let out a scream as her companion unleashed a deadly Barrage of suppression fire upon another guard a little further away. As the first guard flinched back in pain, he caught himself and pulled out a stun baton ready to land a devastating blow with his weapon. Luckily, back at the academy, she had learned the skill art of melee Evasion and carefully dodged out of the way. 

As the Tusken tried to regain his footing in the aftermath of blow, her hands were already on her rifle. A couple quick Debilitating Shots later, he began to bleed out. The gasps in his breathing told her that he was done for and all that was left to do was to finish the job. She approached him slowly, took out her electroblade and with a quick Shiv, the Tusken crumbled to the ground. As the electricity coursed through his lifeless body, she looked up to check upon her companion, only to see the last laser bolt strike through the remaining guard's chest. The battle was over and they had won."

Back in the real world, I began to greedily search the bodies for some epic loot and of course the quest item only to find some rubbish that was definitely NPC vendorable (yes I just made up this word). Eventually after several more battles, I was able to find the "quest item" but had trouble navigating the inventory window only to realize there is a "Quest Item" tab where the Sith Lord's Locator was...located. After feeling like a complete newbie, I traveled onwards through a cave where more Tusken Raiders would awaited. By the time I got to the Sith Lord, the demo time was up.

Being herded out the room, we were compensated by a generous selection of loot which included T-shirts, baseball caps, and posters. I couldn't resist taking a red T-shirt with a Sith Empire's logo on it as well as a poster with Darth Malgus directing a battle. All in all, it was definitely worth the wait and trip to E3. If you had to ask me if SWTOR was ready for launch, I will say the following:

The Old Republic is 80% more polished than most of the games on the show floor and even more polished that some games that are going to be released before it. It is a good time to have hope.

5 Updates Before E3!

It is less than one week away from E3 and the Bioware Austin Team has some interesting updates going out that you should be aware of. The first of which is their Advanced Class breakdown, allowing you to see some of the specialize movies in the Old Republic. The display of the advance classes are very visual and provide compelling insight into the gameplay style of each class. Be sure to check out the website especially if you are looking for information on some lesser advance classes.

Building on the idea of advance classes, MMORPG.com also has an exclusive interview with Georg Zoeller on the impact of advance classes, when you make them, and exactly how they will provide a different experience from each other. Here is an except in case you are interested:

"Advanced Classes are introduced once a player has reached level 10 and left the relative safety of their Origin World. Their class quest will lead them to the capital planet of their faction (Dromund Kaas for Imperial players, Coruscant for Republic players) where they can make their Advanced Class choice. This choice is not optional."

The 3rd update comes in the from of E3rd...I mean E3 where Bioware continues to tease show attendees about new content which appears to be another Flashpoint and some cool looking costumes and NPCs. Check out the image below:

Now for some of the lesser updates: A new comic based on the adventures of eventual Grand Jedi Master Satele Shan is also available. A finally, SWTOR will come out with special box versions but will only be exclusively downloadable through EA's new service cutely dubbed "Oracle". This should hint into some release planning going on internally =).

Trooper Progression Video

It is now less than 2 weeks before E3 and you would be expecting Bioware to withhold information so that it can impress on the show floor. However, they have decided to treat us this Friday with a Trooper Progression Video, which means that they may have something more impressive ready to show at E3. It is alright to now be excited for the show and at the rate these videos are being released, you can definitely expect a release soon!

Georg Zoeller on SWTOR Cover System

Recently, questions have arisen concerning the importance and impact of the 'Cover' mechanic in SWTOR. To shine some light into issue, Georg Zoeller, one of the designers, had something to say regarding the matter. He goes on to explain how choosing different advance classes will result in different usage for the cover system:

"All Smugglers have access to cover, but depending on Advanced Class and Skill set, cover plays a less or more important role for your gameplay. A Gunslinger with lots of points in the Sniper tree will have made cover a core part of their combat routine, with abilities like 'Entrench' and 'Cover Pulse' improving the utility and protection their cover ability offers, while utilizing several 'cover only' abilities for heavy frontloaded damage. There's some interesting dynamics in this kind of setup as well, such as a skill that makes your next Snipe instant after rolling to cover... A Scoundrel on the other hand will have fewer abilities that modify their cover mechanic and can be played in a way that does not rely on cover very much or at all. Their Stealth Field generator allows them to approach targets unseen and they have a decent arsenal of close to mid range scatter gun abilities and melee moves to round out their blaster capabilities. Unlike the previously described Sniper (who values a very deliberate, planned approach to combat), the scattergun specced Scoundrel is much more about getting deep into the action, guns blazing..."

Bioware's Doctors Speak Out on How to Make Great Games

During a recent interview with Gamesutra, Bioware founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk provides some very interesting information on how to make good games, the constant challenge of change, and the core values that drive Bioware to become one of the best companies. To keep the company focused, the leaders have some things to say about keep their company and various development studio on track:

"Ray Muzyka: We set vision statements. We talk about core values a lot, and we try to live them. We set a vision. Our vision for our group within [parent] EA, for BioWare, is create, deliver, and evolve the emotionally engaging games in the world."

"Are you ready?"

Ray goes on to state how when each employee knows exactly what they are getting to when they join Bioware and if they do not, a thorough orientation is presented on Bioware's history in game. Because of this, teams and individuals can focus on producing great games that do not sacrifice over content. He goes a little more in-depth on how Bioware changes with the feed and adapt to improve their games:

"It's about learning, being able to admit you're wrong, and learn from your mistakes. It's about trying to improve each game, try to make it better than your last, never sitting on your laurels, never resting. It's a very active word. It's a very bold word. It's a very confident word, in many ways, because it's sort of a willingness to say, "Yes, we're ready to change, if we need to change, based on feedback."

 

"Droids. Why does it have to be droids?"

Finally, the doctors offer some very interesting feedback on working and developing The Old Republic and how they are going to be handling the game post-launch:

"For us, it's kind of challenging, but we really do have a lot of people on the team that have done this before. It doesn't make it easy, because when you look at a game as ambitious as Star Wars: The Old Republic, the amount of content in it is probably equivalent to all the content from prior BioWare games combined. You know, we've got to deliver that to the fans enough to keep them occupied for a long time. You know, we have to continue to deliver more content over time afterwards, too."

"Silent, but Deadly"

Check out the rest of the interview after the jump: Gamesutra.

PAX East Day 1 Media Wrap Up

Greetings everyone! Although I personally could not make it to PAX East this year. Other fansites have been providing excellent coverage of the event. Here are some of the excellent videos provided by them. Please visit their sites for more information.

  Fate of the Galaxy Trailer!

  Space Combat Demo Courtesy of Darth Hater

HD Taral V Jedi Knight Gameplay Courtesy of Ask A Jedi

 I would to thank everyone in the fansite community for being so helpful! As you know, this is Day 2 of PAX East so look forward to more great footage at the end of today! :)

Bioware Founders Talk about The Old Republic

Thanks @Rockjaw for this video. Here's a little insight into the goals for The Old Republic.

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

Exclusive: Taral V Flashpoint!

Feeling Heroic: Putting the RPG in MMORPG

Bioware has a long history of making successful RPG's. However, many of you may recognize their work from more recent titles such as Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age, and of course the perennial Knights of the Old Republic. For those who have had a blessing of playing these fine games, you will notice one thing that stands out between their games and other developers: Story. The story of every Bioware game is rich and fills the world with life, making it believable through its living, breathing environments where its strange inhabitants naturally reside. This suspension of belief not only affects the world they are trying to create, but also the player himself/herself. Every game is crafted with a heroic tale where you feel you are the center of a crucial plot point in the history of the world. With the ability to affect the world and those around you, it is up to you to decide what you want to do and how you are going to do it. It is allowing the player choices that he/she can feel involved in an epic tale about to unfold. How then is this possibly going to work when millions of players want to be the hero of their own tale and change the galaxy to their liking?

This could be you!

The first part to achieving this is creating a believable story. Bioware has opted to achieve this through two means: good writers and voice talent. By establishing a core story for each class, Bioware has tailored practically 8 individual tales neatly woven into an immense intergalactic struggle. The writers they have hired for this project are veterans who have or are going to write books based in the Star Wars universe. Hence, these professionals are not only familiar with the universe itself but also hold some pride over their work. Having dedicated individuals working on something they are passionate about creates an astounding result that caters to the fans.

What are you fighting for?

Secondly, Bioware has hired familiar voice talents that have proven themselves in the past. These voice actors contribute some things not realized in other MMOs before and those are personal touch and attachment. Bringing characters to life not only immerse the player more into the experience, but also allows the player to care for the NPCs, their small struggle in the galaxy, and form attachments otherwise not found through conventional text boxes. Having someone speak to you about something they need help with is much better than opening a text box clicking "accept" and going to the designated way point just to level up as quickly as possible. Bioware knows that dialogue is important and through their polls from Mass Effect 2, they also know that ~78% pay attention during the dialogue sequences. This majority alone not only allows them to tailor their game in a cinematic style but will also attract players to The Old Republic.

Imperial Agent, a man of many mysteries.

The third key to success is having valuable companions and meaningful side quests. Everyone knows that playing alone is not as fun as when playing with others. We are attracted to other people because socially they are very different from who we are. By creating complex and interesting companions to travel by your side, it adds a sensation that the story revolves around you. These companions, with their own personalities and nuances contribute much more than just a gun for hire. They have their own viewpoints, fighting styles, contribution to crafting, and special skills which may be helpful to the you. Like Mass Effect 2, these companions' loyalty must be won through crucial, fleshed out side quests that let you form deeper attachment to who they are and who they become. If you are going Light Side, will you turn your most cynical companion into a true believer of your cause? Or if you are Dark Side, do you turn a once innocent slave into someone who believes they should enslave others for power? The choices are yours and that's what makes The Old Republic so intriguing.

Friend? Enemy? The choice is yours.

From these aspects and their past history of excellence, we can clearly see that Bioware knows exactly what they are doing to immerse the player in The Old Republic. As both a fan of Bioware and of Star Wars, I highly anticipate The Old Republic and encourage you to do so as well. Just like when Obi-wan encourages Luke to have faith in the force, please have hope in Bioware and receive their much dedicated project later this year. :)

Destiny Awaits