Massively

BioWare's Freed talks Wookiees, relatability, and story-based MMOs

Jef Reahard — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, New titles, News items, Races, Star Wars: The Old Republic

What's up with the lack of Wookiee player-characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic? BioWare scribe Alexander Freed says it has to do with both development costs and a concept called relatability.

"There are enormous technical obstacles, there is building all the lip synching, all the emotion into the face of the human is incredibly difficult and time consuming, doing that for something like a Wookiee -- and we couldn't half do it, we couldn't let Wookiees be only a third as expressive as humans," Freed explains in an interview at VideoGamer.com. He also touches on the fact that BioWare (and Star Wars) stories have traditionally revolved around human characters due to the ease with which most gamers relate to more familiar avatars.

Freed also mentions TOR's grand scope, and opines that other companies looking to follow BioWare's lead may have a rough time. "Even we didn't know what we were getting into at the start. I think it will be difficult for people to attempt it the same way. I kind of hope they do -- it will be interesting to see," he says.

[Thanks to Emily for the tip!]

BioWare's Freed talks Wookiees, relatability, and story-based MMOs originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

BioWare hints at new SWTOR content, tops one million players

Jef Reahard — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:15:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Game mechanics, MMO industry, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Star Wars: The Old Republic is less than a week old, and many players are already wondering if and when BioWare is going to add new content. Yes, there are some 50s on the servers already, and James Ohlen has penned a post on the game's official website that should excite those who have already rushed through the game's content.

For starters, January will bring a new flashpoint to the game as well as an expanded operation instance. The former "takes place on a brand new world and involves some pretty epic battles." The latter "takes the existing Karagga's palace scenario and more than triples it in size."

Ohlen says that's just the beginning, too, and BioWare plans on releasing similar new content with regularity. Finally, players concerned over the company's ability to add new story (and voiceover content) will want to check out writer Alexander Freed's post on the official forums. In a nutshell, he says not to worry, as BioWare does have voice actors under contract and can proceed with development without adding much time to the content creation process.

Finally, our sister site reports that TOR has topped one million registered players and over 28 million hours played!

[Thanks to Scratches for the tip!]

BioWare hints at new SWTOR content, tops one million players originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 23 Dec 2011 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Backstabbing galore: Daniel Erickson talks about the Sith Inquisitor's story

Justin Olivetti — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Interviews, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

The blog Sith Inquirer wrote in to BioWare to, well, inquire about Star Wars: The Old Republic's Sith Inquisitor class story and received a response from none other than head writer Daniel Erickson.

In the interview, Erickson said that the story for the Sith Inquisitor was entirely written by Rebecca Harwick, who drew inspiration from Emperor Palpatine as well as Alex Freed's Blood of the Empire series. Inquisitor players will begin their saga by investigating "forgotten regions" on different worlds as they look for the secret of ancient Sith power.

The team had a few issues writing around Purebloods being portrayed as slaves, although this was ironed out as BioWare placed a priority on allowing players to pick the race they wished. the class is being voiced by Euan Morton (male) and Xanthe Elbrick (female).

Will there be plenty of backstabbing, political or otherwise, as part of the storyline? "More than you can possibly imagine," Erickson replies.

When it comes to the Sith Inquisitor's companions, Erickson tantalized fans by saying, "Khem has one of the most amazing storyline developments for a companion and the (as yet unseen) Inquisitor romances are not your normal fare at all."

Backstabbing galore: Daniel Erickson talks about the Sith Inquisitor's story originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 01 Nov 2011 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyperspace Beacon: The Lost Suns

Larry Everett — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, Opinion, Comics, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

This week, we are taking a break from studying the class powersets, although I do plan to return to them eventually. As I was contemplating what to write, it occurred to me that I really haven't covered any lore for quite some time. While my editors and I are talking about doing a specific series of lore-based articles leading up to the game's release, I definitely wanted to focus on more of the canon history behind the game. After all, this is Star Wars: The Old Republic, and it epitomizes the fourth pillar of MMO design: story.

I finally got my hands on the latest comic book with direct ties to SWTOR this past week. It's called The Lost Suns, and while it's fresh on my mind, we should probably discuss some of the main points and characters in the story. BioWare writer Alexander Freed and comic book artist Dave Ross collaborated to bring us this first of a five-issue comic book series about Theron Shan. As Freed said on the official TOR forums, "I like to describe The Lost Suns as our 'ninth story' -- every class in The Old Republic tells its own Star Wars epic, and Theron's tale intersects with the other eight and pushes the greater game story forward, just as they do." Follow after the break to discover how this "ninth story" is starts out.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: The Lost Suns

Hyperspace Beacon: The Lost Suns originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SWTOR reveals plans for E3, advanced class powers, and a new tie-in comic book

Larry Everett — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:30:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Events, real-world, Lore, New titles, PvE, Star Wars: The Old Republic

BioWare descends on the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 7th, but its exact plans regarding the Star Wars: The Old Republic show were held close to the chest -- until now. Thanks to the community team in Austin, we now have a good glimpse at what will be shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

An ancient threat grows restless on the planet of Belsavis; the entire galaxy is at stake; and both the Republic and the Empire will suffer. A group of heroes is deployed to Belsavis to counter this terrible evil in the next revealing trailer for SWTOR called Eternity Vault.

Visitors to E3 will witness two in-game plotlines. First, a showdown of patriots and a usurper who has laid claim to the throne ignites the planet of Alderaan. Second, players take on sand people on one of the most iconic planets in the Star Wars universe: Tatooine.

Also, The Old Republic birthed a new tie-in comic book. Alexander Freed, a lead writer at BioWare Austin, penned this latest tale titled the Lost Suns. The comic book features a spy named Theron Shan, who is combing the galaxy for clues to what the Empire has been doing since the Treaty of Coruscant. Freed expounds on some of the hidden secret on the official site.

Lastly, more detail has been revealed about the Advanced Classes on the official site, including specific powers for each tree. For a complete breakdown of revealed powers watch the Hyperspace Beacon on Tuesday.

For the rest of the gory details be sure to visit the official SWTOR website and don't miss our live coverage from E3 all next week.

SWTOR reveals plans for E3, advanced class powers, and a new tie-in comic book originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyperspace Beacon: Rule of one

Larry Everett — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, Endgame, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

I hate doing this. I really do. But sometimes one little phrase stands out way too much. One tiny thing a developer says can create an oh-@#$% moment. "Your ship's cargo hold is, indeed, your bank." That small phrase uttered by Lead Combat Designer Damion Schubert on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic forum was one of the phrases that made me do a bit of a double take. The concept of SWTOR changed for me. I began to question -- again -- whether this is truly a multiplayer game.

We know the developers at BioWare have stated that they hope to put the RP back into the MMORPG; however, are they taking out the MMO? We know now that your bank is on your ship. Although they can be utilized from just about anywhere, Crew Skills are centered around your ship. There will be PvP and Flashpoint queuing, which can be done from your ship. Your companions are on your ship. What isn't on your ship? Trainers? Leveling quests? Many developers have said you don't have to group for your leveling quests, implying that they can be completed solo from beginning to end.

It appears to me that perhaps there is something that I am missing. What part of the game is going to require -- or at very least, encourage -- me to actually play with other people? Force leap through the cut and let's discuss this further.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Rule of one

Hyperspace Beacon: Rule of one originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 22 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Hyperspace Beacon: Proper PAX preparation prevents poor PAX performance

Larry Everett — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Events, real-world, New titles, Opinion, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Hyperspace Beacon

Welcome once again to your guide through everything Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is soon to be released by EA-BioWare. Larry Everett presents the Hyperspace Beacon.

Deborah Shin, the Marketing Manager for Star Wars: The Old Republic told TOROcast at E3 that PAX was going to be the game's biggest event of the year. When I heard that announcement about a month and a half ago, I decided that I would have to make it to this event. Prior to that I was willing to let others do the reporting while I snagged some stories at home. I want Massively to be your source of SWTOR news, so how could I not go to the biggest SWTOR bash of the year?

This week's agenda is quite simple in scope, but a bit more complicated in execution. I hope to give you a very brief overview of what we know of our favorite game going into PAX, followed by a few directions I could go with information gathering. Ultimately, I want the fan's opinion. What information do you want to see come out of this fan-tastic exposition? Follow me after the jump, where I break down the possibilities.

Continue reading Hyperspace Beacon: Proper PAX preparation prevents poor PAX performance

Hyperspace Beacon: Proper PAX preparation prevents poor PAX performance originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

SDCC 2010: A SWTOR Managing Editor who doesn't solve problems by killing all the kittens

Larry Everett — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Interviews, New titles, Comics, Massively Event Coverage, Star Wars: The Old Republic

We all know that know that story is the fourth pillar for The Old Republic. We also know BioWare has the reputation for having some of the most compelling stories in the gaming industry. In fact, story is written into its mission statement: "BioWare's vision is to deliver the best story-driven games in the world." So it is no surprise at all that when the team came to Comic-Con this past weekend, it consisted of mostly writers.

Massively's Dan O'Halloran nabbed the Managing Editor on SWTOR, Alexander Freed, for a conversation. Freed has scribed much of the story and dialogue for this epic MMO, as well as been the writer for the exciting adventures of Teneb Kel in The Blood of the Empire webcomic.

Continue on after the break to catch Alexander Freed's insight into what the different types of quests will be available in SWTOR, what compelling choices players have to make, and what it takes to write for a project of this magnitude.

Continue reading SDCC 2010: A SWTOR Managing Editor who doesn't solve problems by killing all the kittens

SDCC 2010: A SWTOR Managing Editor who doesn't solve problems by killing all the kittens originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 26 Jul 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

BioWare details new TOR planet, web comic

Jef Reahard — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Video, MMO industry, New titles, Wallpapers, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

BioWare has released preliminary details on another planetary play field from their upcoming Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG. Belsavis plays host to an ominous Republic prison facility, apparently used to process all manner of Sith, Mandalorians, and troublesome aliens of various species. Check out Belsavis' HoloNet entry, don't forget to watch the video, oh and there's also the media section featuring screens, wallpapers, and lore.

BioWare has also partnered up with Lucasarts and Dark Horse Comics to bring you Blood of the Empire, a new web comic by senior writer Alexander Freed. The title, set prior to the Treaty of Coruscant, promises to shed some light on the machinations of the Emperor's inner circle as well as inform portions of The Old Republic's extensive back story.

Check out a preview panel from the forthcoming comic.

BioWare details new TOR planet, web comic originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments