SWTOR players will trek across Hoth [Updated]

This morning's breaking news of twitter feeds, email, blog posts included a story from videogamer.com about a hands-on preview of Star Wars: The Old Republic. (It's an informative article. A SWTOR fan should read it.) However, the items that drew attention away from the article were the unrelated images scattered throughout the post. After clicking about for a while it was determined they were not just any images, but rather paintings and screenshots of a yet-to-be-announced playable planet of Hoth. This was confirmed by Stephanie Bayer, a community manager for the game, via Twitter, "Have you checked out Videogamer.com today? No? Thar be #SWTOR exclusive stuff there! It's totally HOT(h)! "

Who would have guessed the planet named after the famous Jedi Master Lord Hoth will be explorable in SWTOR? For those who may have skipped the best Star Wars movie of all time, this is a frozen wasteland made famous at the beginning of the Empire Strikes Back. Although in the Old Republic time period there is not much interest in the planet. It is mostly the home of tauntauns, wampas, and the occasional crashed spaceship. Fringe members of both the Imperial and Republic factions will conduct their nefarious business on this frozen desert.

To read the whole article about Hoth or view the paintings and screenshots hop over to videogamer.com.

[Update: the official SWTOR site has updated their Holonet entry with Hoth -- check it out past the break!]

Reader Comments (25)

It's actually against the law for a Star Wars game to not have a Hoth level.

Omg flashbacks of seeing the Rogue Squadron Hoth level for the first time on N64..
Totally awesome =)

And now we know why Republic Commando failed: lack of a Hoth level. :(

You know, learning about the game is cool and all, and I don't mean to bash anyone or anything, but since SWTOR isn't coming out in 2010 or 2011...who cares? :x

1.) If you don't like articles about TOR then don't read them. There is no need for people to troll every article.

2.) TOR scheduled to come out in spring 2011. Could be less than a year!

3.) TOR is easily the most anticipated MMO. Massively would be stupid not to report on it. I can assure you, plenty of people care.

The linked article was good. It wasn't the usual "OMG! STAR WARS!" PR fluff piece.

The writer was shown some solo bounty hunter action, but his reaction was the same that many commenters have: okay, great, solo combat is cool. But how the hell are you (bioware) actually going to pull off all the innovative story experience you're talking about in a true multi-player game?

As the writer says at the end:
"With E3 2010 fast-approaching, it's time for the game to show us what it's really got."

Hmmmm.

There's a part of me wondering if the good folks at BioWare might have painted themselves in a corner in choosing that particular planet. At least in the movie/GCW era there's a compelling reason for people to want to go there, considering the big battle from Episode V. Mention Hoth and that's what most people immediately think of. Beyond that whole sequence of events from the movie, I'm hard pressed to come up with compelling reasons to want to travel there. That, and the say-so of LucasArts, is more than likely the reason Hoth only exists as a Heroic encounter in SWG. It's a ball of snow, what are you going to do there? lol

I think BioWare is going to have more than a challenge making that planet compelling and interesting WITHOUT making people think immediately of Episode V (and subsequently making fair and unfair comparisons). They seem to be setting a lot of hurdles in their own way with TOR at times, and for their own sake I hope they can clear them. The disappointment and e-rage that would take place if they don't clear them would be epic indeed.

I agree. I get that they are trying to tie in the 30th anniversary of Empire with the planet but I don't think it's going to be how people really imagine. Trying to be objective say there isn't siege vehicles and a base (and we haven't heard a thing about space) it sounds like a giant snow arena more then anything.

And there are other ice planets whose lore would still fit better with TOR. And in tying it in with the movie I would have rather seen Cloud city. It's like adding Normandy to a historic game based in 1720. Yes Normandy will be an important part of history. But right now.. it really isn't that important

"Who would have guessed the planet named after the famous Jedi Master Lord Hoth will be explorable in SWTOR?"

Considering the namesake Lord Hoth won't be born for another 2500 years, I definitely wouldn't have guessed that a planet named after him would be in the game. This doesn't make any sense at all. Lord Hoth participated in the Battle of Ruusan around 1000 years Before the Battle of Yavin, while TOR takes place 3500 BBY.

doh. the slaughtering of canon begins. i'm starting to have reservations about TOR for different reasons and actually sent massively.com feedback asking them to do an article on the topic because its something every other media outlet seems to be overlooking. hopefully massively will step up to the plate.

Okay I read on wookieepedia, and nothing says who was named after who. But who would name their kid after some icy hellhole no one's heard of? Was his brother named Lord Rhen Var? And his cousin Csilla? How about old Uncle Alzoc III? And we can't forget Grandpa Mygeeto.

I don't think it's a matter of who would name there kid after a
planet as nothing points to that as well. All we know is that in 4000
BBY Gudb mentions the planet by name saying "That's nothing compared
to the hole I'll make in you if you don't freeze like a ice cube on
Hoth!"

So we know the name and the planet existed long before the Jedi so who knows where he got his name. I did find the family names you gave rather funny though. ;-P

If they want to violate canon by eliminating all references to "midichlorians", I'm all for it.

I'm inclined to agree with RogueJedi, and I'm feeling slightly less insane knowing there is at least one other person who takes exception to Hoth. Another gripe: perhaps (I hope) this would be explained in the story, but saying that itwas of no interest to the Republic until it became the site of a massive defeat, would seem to beg the question... why was the fleet there in the first place? Sending a large fleet of proto-type ships to some random system completely off the charted hyperspace routes, seems a bit far fetched. Seems to me an attempt to cater to the casual gamer, much like introducing a Force class to Galaxies when that was revamped. Personally, I wouldn't have minded seeing Rhen Var make a return as a canonically established ice-world explored at that particular point in Star Wars history... even has some Jedi ruins.

-JundlandBanshee

I WANT, I WANT, I WANT!!! GIMMEGIMMEGIMME!!!

Just release the dadgum game before the end of the world! We only have 2.5 years!

I wonder how many planets they will have for launch?

I thought last week's Massively podcast said it wasn't coming out in 2011. Maybe it was fiscal year 2011 instead?

Oh well.

Since MrGutts didn't reply to you directly, I figured I would do it to draw your attention to his post below. Watch that video he posted at the 2:10 point and just listen to the guy.

Also sir, that was hardly trolling. ;P

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SWTOR players will trek across Hoth [Updated]

Reader Comments (25)

Posted: May 20th 2010 12:06PM Wisdomandlore said

Posted: May 20th 2010 12:13PM Rayko said

Posted: May 20th 2010 12:14PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 20th 2010 2:08PM RogueJedi86 said

Posted: May 20th 2010 12:21PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 20th 2010 12:38PM Rive said

Posted: May 20th 2010 12:26PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 20th 2010 12:50PM willflynne said

Posted: May 20th 2010 1:15PM Interitus said

Posted: May 20th 2010 1:11PM RogueJedi86 said

Posted: May 20th 2010 1:39PM karnisov said

Posted: May 20th 2010 1:44PM RogueJedi86 said

Posted: May 20th 2010 2:41PM Unshra said

Posted: May 21st 2010 10:32AM Blacknimbus said

Posted: Jun 19th 2010 8:47PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 20th 2010 1:42PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 20th 2010 1:56PM Lateris said

Posted: May 20th 2010 2:11PM (Unverified) said

Posted: May 20th 2010 3:21PM madbassman39 said

Posted: May 20th 2010 2:11PM (Unverified) said

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