star-wars-the-old-republic posts (Subscribe to this feed)

BioWare not worried about MMO competition, Jedi way cooler than orcs

by Griffin McElroy { Jun 19th 2009 at 3:30PM }

Most MMO players are already deeply entrenched within their virtual world of choice -- an irrefutable fact that makes it extremely difficult for developers to break into the online realm. Competition between MMO devs is as heated as you might expect -- though BioWare isn't too concerned about other massive titles as it continues to push its upcoming online debut, Star Wars: The Old Republic, through the development process.

BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk summarized the developer's feelings on its fellow denizens of the MMOscape with a simple comparison -- in a recent interview with Gamasutra, Zeschuk explained, "If you're betting on Jedi versus orcs, that's a good bet." From what we've seen of the game, we'd probably bet on its rich cutscenes and unprecedented capacity for MMORPG storytelling -- but, hey, Jedi are pretty great too, we guess.

Hands-on: Star Wars: The Old Republic

by Griffin McElroy { Jun 4th 2009 at 11:30AM }

There's an unnavigable divide between the world of MMORPGs and the art of good storytelling. Not writing, mind you -- the gang at Blizzard know their way around a word processor -- but rather, the actual sharing of a story. It's not a genre that supports the relaying of intricate plotlines. Most players are in it for the grind, for social status or notoriety. The option to enable "text skipping" doesn't exactly lend itself to plot development. Even if the mass interest was there, all of the game's players are receiving the same storyline. No choice, no branching, no consequences.

Attempting to build a bridge with which to cross this divide would be an extremely ambitious undertaking. Fortunately, Bioware is a studio well versed in ambition -- and, if our brief time with the game is any indication, Star Wars: The Old Republic is going to irrevocably change the way MMOs tell stories.

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Star Wars: The Old Republic's 'Trooper' class detailed

by Randy Nelson { May 9th 2009 at 9:00AM }

BioWare has declassified data on the Trooper class that'll be fighting alongside the Jedi in its upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO. Yes, as you can see on the class' data page, they do look surprisingly similar to the troopers who fought in the Clone Wars -- but hey, those were wicked cool, so we'll just be thankful for this tweaking of pre-film canon.

As BioWare describes them, the Trooper is an elite special forces element of the Republic's military, a.k.a. a good guy. They're evidently highly effective at close-quaters combat, carry sticky grenades and have access to numerous enhancements for their standard "modern rifle." That and myriad armor variations that will boggle any fanboy's mind. Check out these bad boys (and girls, hopefully) in motion at the official site.

The Old Republic dev diary shows how to make a planet

by Griffin McElroy { May 3rd 2009 at 7:00PM }

Developers of licensed Star Wars products who decide to stray from the franchise's immutable canon often find themselves suffering the slings, arrows and extendible plastic weaponry of their target audience. Fortunately, it looks like the team behind BioWare's upcoming far-far-away MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, are keeping the Word of Lucas firmly in their minds as they build the title's virtual environments. Check out the video above to see BioWare's incredible attention to detail in action!

BioWare's Old Republic policy on homosexuality reconsidered

by Alexander Sliwinski { Apr 29th 2009 at 11:15AM }

Recently, Star Wars: The Old Republic's Community Manager, Sean Dahlberg, stated that he'd filtered out words like "gay" and "lesbian" from the game's forums because "these are terms that do not exist in Star Wars." ... And the internet gasped.

Turning things around faster than the Millennium Falcon making the Kessel Run, Dahlberg issued an apology to accompany BioWare's removal of the filters. Although Dahlberg likely had the best of intentions in forming the policy, it helps if MMO community managers learn from a time not so long ago nor far, far away -- World of Warcraft tripped over a similar drama three years ago. More recently, Microsoft's Xbox Live handled a less clear case of discrimination just this year.

Star Wars: The Old Republic video needs more fighting

by Justin McElroy { Apr 8th 2009 at 8:55AM }

Hey Star Wars: The Old Republic, want to know the best way to suck the excitement out of your upcoming space opera MMORPG? Show us a bunch of still pictures not taken from the game, while a guy who sounds like Sam Elliott's less commanding brother, Denny, tells us a super boring story about galactic diplomacy.

Seriously, if the video was capped by a young Jack Palance playing a guitar solo while he kills a bunch of guys with a lightsaber (that's also an electric guitar), it still wouldn't be enough to wake us from our coma. Can we all agree to leave boring in books, where it belongs?

Bioware profiles first Old Republic class: Bounty Hunter

by Griffin McElroy { Mar 21st 2009 at 11:30AM }

If your prospective career path in Bioware's upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic doesn't involve lightsabers or force powers, you might want to turn your attention to the game's official site, where the developer recently posted the first class profile page, giving details, screenshots and short videos about the cutthroat, money-wise Bounty Hunter.

It looks like Bioware is preserving the intricacies of the manhuntin' profession as detailed by the films -- those who roll a Bounty Hunter will find themselves with a sweet arsenal of handheld ordnances, Mandalorian armor, jetpacks, wrist-mounted flamethrowers, and the ability to get totally sad when you see your dad get decapitated right in front of you.

[Via Massively]

The Old Republic to give players their own 'personal Star Wars saga'

by Griffin McElroy { Mar 15th 2009 at 3:30PM }

The second installment in Bioware's series of video documentaries for its upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, reveals how the developer is planning on viciously and irrevocably hooking subscribers. Instead of tapping into whatever mystical, stat-driven formula World of Warcraft has divined, Bioware is focusing on getting players to become invested in the overarching stories of their characters, hoping that players will create "their own personal Star Wars saga."

The documentary gives a brief example of how this will work -- each class will apparently have their own hundreds-of-hours-long storyline to pursue, aided by cinematic pseudo-cutscenes and major, story-altering decisions the player will be forced to make. Check out the video after the break!

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BioWare and Dark Horse release first issue of Old Republic webcomic

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 27th 2009 at 11:14AM }

If you're chomping at the bit for scraps of information regarding BioWare and LucasArts' upcoming long ago and far, far away MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic, you'd be wise to turn your attention to the first issue of the game's Dark Horse-produced online comic, "Threat of Peace." With writing from BioWare's Rob Chestney and art from JSA Classified illustrator Alex Sanchez, it's higher caliber work than your usual webcomic fare. Sure, it's a scant three pages long, but with future installments dropping every two weeks, it should prove an invaluable resource for the KotOR-uninitiated who can't tell their Kashyyyks apart from their Coruscants.

New Star Wars: The Old Republic screenshots preview Hutt home world

by Griffin McElroy { Feb 15th 2009 at 1:50PM }

Sure, they're slimy, revolting creatures, but if there's one thing you can say about the Hutts, it's that they know how to live. If the grim consequences of unadulterated hedonism are morbid obesity and an irreversibly polluted atmosphere, well, that's a price we'd be more than happy to pay. You can catch a glimpse of the Hutts' luxurious lifestyle in the latest screenshot salvo from Bioware for Star Wars: The Old Republic. There's no bikini-clad vixens or rancor pits to speak of, but man, those love handles are just unbearably stylish.

New Star Wars: The Old Republic vid visits the Jedi 'hood

by Randy Nelson { Feb 3rd 2009 at 7:30PM }

Star Wars fans: you Hoth to see this. The latest "Developer Dispatch" out of BioWare Austin -- developer of Star Wars: The Old Republic -- not only shows off some of the effort going into creating the Jedi-starting world of Tython (ancient home of the first Force users); it actually contains gameplay footage from the LucasArts-published MMO that lasts longer than your ability to stomach a speaking scene between Padme and Anakin Skywalker. Plus, it's hotter than ... let's see ... high noon (noons?) on Tatooine. Hey -- what are you doing with those lightsabers? Those could hurt someone ... oh.

First Star Wars: The Old Republic gameplay footage debuts

by Randy Nelson { Dec 12th 2008 at 3:15PM }

BioWare has unleashed the first in-game footage from its upcoming Star Wars MMO, The Old Republic. Presented in documentary format, it's quite heavy on lightsaber dueling (thankfully with ones less chubby than those in the above screenshot).

The footage also shows a few brief glimpses of world traversal and combat against NPC creatures, including a K'lor'slug. Unfortunately, the video quality doesn't show off the game's visual nuances all that well, but LucasArts has told us that an HD version of the documentary will arrive on Monday, December 15.

You can watch the current video after the break. And for the deep analysis, head over to Massively.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic

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Star Wars: The Old Republic built from HeroEngine

by Jason Dobson { Dec 10th 2008 at 4:20PM }

You can add one more item to the short list of details we know about Star Wars: The Old Republic, as Simutronics let slip that BioWare's inaugural MMO will be built upon the middleware firm's MMO tech, HeroEngine.

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.

Massively week in Review

by Joystiq Staff { Nov 4th 2008 at 6:00AM }

Joystiq's sister site Massively.com has all the news you'll need about MMOs. Here's the best, brightest, and most interesting stuff from the last week, all in one convenient place for your MMO minute.

	World of Warcraft cranks it up to 11 (million) Just two weeks before Wrath of the Lich King descends upon the denizens of Azeroth the world over, Blizzard has announced that World of Warcraft has reached the 11 million subscriber mark. That's yet another milestone for the oft-celebrated MMO from the house that built Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo.
	The Digital Continuum: Let's talk about the Fallout MMO What's always been in the back-burner of my mind is whether or not the Fallout license would be necessary for a post-apocalyptic to flourish. While endlessly exploring our own personal post-apocalypticia is incredible fun, do we want a massive one?
	Please make George Lucas stop Dear Massively, What exactly are "they" smoking over at the Skywalker Ranch, or wherever it is that LucasArts has set up shop these days? "Star Wars: The Old Republic will be bigger than World of Warcraft" ?!?!?! Is Jar Jar Binks working in their PR department?
	The Best of Massively: Our five all-time greatest hits Three of these are top five articles, so we're three-fifths of the way to making a top five top fives list, it would seem. The numbers don't lie, though, so enjoy!
	Tabula Rasa finally gets an FPS camera view Have you ever wondered why a game like Tabula Rasa never utilized that classic first-person view, considering the fact that it's billed as an FPS-style MMO? The over-the-shoulder view never really did it for most players who were looking for more of a shooter aspect in their game. Rest easy in knowing that the FPS view is finally coming to this NCsoft sci-fi MMO, according to the latest Feedback Friday.

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Massively week in Review

by Joystiq Staff { Oct 29th 2008 at 4:00AM }

	The Old Republic Unveiled: Overview, space combat, and Star Wars Galaxies We have a high level overview to kick us off. Join us below the cut to get some insider information on why BioWare is making the game, the four pillars of BioWare storytelling, what little they can tell us about space combat and vehicles, and .. perhaps most interesting ... an affirmation of LucasArts' commitment to Star Wars Galaxies.
	The Old Republic Unveiled: Combat, PvP, and Heroics BioWare might have what it takes, though, and we have the details about what they're hoping to do. Join us as we learn about the meaning of heroic, why being outnumbered is actually a good thing, and watch as we get told we can't know anything about PvP yet.
	The Old Republic Unveiled: Classes, Jedi, and Crafting While obviously we're no where near knowing what SWTOR's classes will be, we do have a few thoughts from the BioWare Austin heads about class-related issues. Join us as we find out some information on Jedis vs. non-Jedis, the fun of being a rogue, and the all important issue of crafting in the game.
	A WoW burnout's guide to Wrath of the Lich King Does Wrath of the Lich King, the second World of Warcraft expansion, have enough new, interesting and worthwhile content to give longtime burnout players a reason to come back again? What about players who've recently hung up their Azerothian hat? In this feature, we're taking a burnout player's perspective and looking into all of the interesting things about the soon-to-see-release title expansion.
	The Best of Massively: Five stories that scandalized you This week we're listing five stories we wrote that caused a lot of people to get very angry -- sometimes at us, sometimes at game developers or other industry figures, and sometimes at all of the above!