Star Wars: The Old Republic built from HeroEngine
by Jason Dobson 
{ Dec 10th 2008 at 4:20PM }
Simutronics, itself a developer of such online games as CyberStrike and GemStone IV, states that its technology allows devs such as BioWare to collaborate on development in real-time from multiple galactic locations. Additionally, the company boasts that HeroEngine can shave as much as 2 years off a project's development cycle, which, if true, could mean we might be wiping away cobwebs from the Old Republic sooner than we thought.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Dec 10th 2008 4:29PM
Seeing how it might be free-2-play, I might possibly start giving a shit now.
That's probably BioWare's strategy seeing how even the toughest fanboys will check it out at some point...if it can keep them hooker - PROFIT!
Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Dec 10th 2008 4:33PM
lol, Freudian slip...
Moptimus Slime @ Dec 10th 2008 4:44PM
http://kotaku.com/5106091/star-wars-old-republic-mmo-to-be-microtransaction+based
http://www.sadtrombone.com/
Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Dec 10th 2008 4:51PM
Don't see the 'fail' in this. Sure Micro-Transactions suck but MMO's have to evolve to sway the population from WoW:WotLK and a free MMO seems a whole lot more accessible than the ones you have to pay for.
Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Dec 10th 2008 5:02PM
Oh wait it's EA...Portable Death Stars/Mass Shadow Generators...Cortosis Power Armors...Rancor Mounts...all for $4.99...
FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!
juju187 @ Dec 10th 2008 6:33PM
Sith quest pack 1200 credits
Master Bruce @ Dec 10th 2008 7:39PM
Actually, the micro-transaction thing was a mistake and has been retracted.
jumpshot @ Dec 11th 2008 4:11PM
The introduction of Rancor Armor... 2.99
MDS @ Dec 10th 2008 4:33PM
Hopefully Bioware will move more quickly than Simu's own property work - HeroEngine was designed via their own desire to get into graphical MMOs, and Hero's Journey has been in dev hell for nearly a decade. They went public in 1999. On the other hand, a large chunk of their work is done via volunteers.
The engine is good-looking, I admit, and I played one of Simu's text MUDs for a long time, so I can say their coding is generally solid. Still looking forward to seeing what BioWare puts out.
Strategy_Panda (the artist formally known as Titanium_Orchid) @ Dec 10th 2008 4:33PM
The HeroEngine seems like a pretty easy to use creation tool.
Have any other MMO's used it? Or will this Star Wars game be the debut?
Jakka ( The Order of Haters of Balance) @ Dec 10th 2008 4:49PM
Universe Online looks pretty good with it.
http://www.colonystudios.com/gallery.html
Tez @ Dec 10th 2008 5:20PM
Man, this game look awful. :( Prove me wrong, Bioware.
Nate @ Dec 10th 2008 6:05PM
The SWTOR community has known since almost it was announced that they were using the hero engine.
juju187 @ Dec 10th 2008 6:38PM
Free star wars mmo...
there goes a black hole in there other galaxy
Razorlution @ Dec 10th 2008 6:41PM
I think this is a necessary step in the MMO market, a company canot afford to waste time, effort and $$$ to an engine that does not need to look great.
Take WoW, is the graphics engine great?? No, yet it doesnt stop 9 million gamers from playing
go4broke @ Dec 10th 2008 6:57PM
So basically this is an untested engine. AND it looks like micro-transactions for a game?
Neither of which inspire me with confidence.
Further I've yet to find a micro-transaction game that I like. I prefer subscriptions to getting walloped for every crap thing in a game, most of which tend to be necessary to play the game at a decent level.
WE, that is americans are not Koreans and the american market from what I've seen with the exception of the under 15 crowd has not been enamored of micro-transaction games.
and if this game is aimed at the under 15 crowd we might as well give up hope now for a good game.
Snowblind @ Dec 10th 2008 7:26PM
Everyone is assuming it will be a Korean microtransaction type of thing, where you have to pay for each new piece of equipment.. And I think that is *very* unlikely.
If the game does indeed support itself via microstransactions, then I think it's far more likely it will follow the Guild Wars model, where you pay for mini-expansions that add in new areas, missions, and equipment, etc.
And personally, I think that's a far better method than being forced to pay monthly. Again, the only way I'm going to be remotely interested in this game is if it doesn't have a subscription.
Riley @ Dec 11th 2008 12:31AM
no, GW is not a microtransaction model, they've only come out with what, one "pack" and it was like $20, and each of the expasions was like $50 when it came out, a microtransaction is maybe $3 at a time
Snowblind @ Dec 11th 2008 5:46AM
The Bonus mission packs for GW is around $3, and you can also buy upgrades, skill unlocks and character slots. GW2 is said to be supported through smaller expansions than the first as well, that you just buy online which I imagine is how Old Republic will work, if it is indeed taking this route.
There's no way they'd be stupid enough to sell individual pieces of armour or weapons that would completely break the game.
Jared @ Dec 10th 2008 8:28PM
Ugh. That looks like an Xbox launch screencap.
Can the Hero engine run Doom?
Asylum Night @ Dec 10th 2008 10:01PM
Joystiq seems to be obsessed with using old screenshots for this game.
http://www.swtor.com/news/article/media-update-20081128
Try these on for size instead.