LucasArts posts

GDC10: Hands-on with Star Wars: The Old Republic

by Shawn Schuster Mar 15th 2010 at 12:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Events, real-world, Game mechanics, New titles, Opinion, Hands-on, Massively Hands-on, Massively Event Coverage, Star Wars: The Old Republic

I could easily spend this article telling you about the amazing LucasArts Presidio compound, its history and the incredible relics of the Star Wars universe adorning the walls and hallways. But I won't. I could also easily go on and on about how George Lucas and Star Wars inspired my childhood, and how even setting foot in the presence of such greatness was a bit overwhelming. But I won't.

Instead, I will focus on the only reason you're reading this: my first impressions of Star Wars: The Old Republic and the Trooper class.

Once we arrived at LucasArts HQ, we were introduced to a few members of the LucasArts and BioWare crew, then we each sat down to our very own computer with our very own Trooper class character set up to run through our very own test mission. Although we weren't playing together in the game, we were all set up in the same location to run the same mission.

Interestingly enough, we weren't really given an overview of the game or an intro to the gameplay. They sat us down and told us to have fun. There was a print-out of a small cheat-sheet for help with the mission if needed, but I was honestly stuck to the monitor from the second I sat down.

Tags: BioWare, featured, GDC, gdc 2010, gdc-2010, gdc2010, hands-on, LucasArts, presidio, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor, swtor-demo, swtor-screenshots

BioWare details new TOR planet, web comic

by Jef Reahard Mar 12th 2010 at 8:00PM

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.

Tags: alexander-freed, belsavis, bioware, blood-of-the-empire, dark-horse-comics, holonet, lucasarts, star-wars-the-old-republic, the-old-republic, web-comic

The opening volley of SWTOR's great Sith War

by Kyle Horner Jan 24th 2010 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Lore, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

The Sith War in Star Wars: The Old Republic opened with a massive surprise attack that shook the Republic to its very core. That's pretty much all you need to know going into the most recent holorecord lore video, not because it's low on details but because we really don't want to ruin it for you.

However, things are definitely heating up in Master Gnost-Dural's studies of the events leading up to the current situation in-game. Plenty of questions are left over by the end of this video, but more details are promised -- and really that's par for the course of these updates. We're happy to want more, as the only other option is being bored with it and that'd be wholly disheartening.

Tags: bioware, ea, electronic-arts, gnost-dural, holocron, lore, lucasarts, star-wars, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor, the-old-republic, video

The Digital Continuum: Delay? You can't handle the delay!

by Kyle Horner Jan 19th 2010 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Opinion, The Digital Continuum, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Rumor: a story or statement in general circulation without confirmation or certainty as to facts.

Example: Star Wars: The Old Republic will be released in October, 2010.

Yeah, guys, that was never in the wings. The fact of the matter is that the game was never delayed. You need at minimum a projected release date before something can be delayed. I personally find it pretty ridiculous that some people are worried about hype dying down for a game which they themselves thrust a false release date upon because they're so hyped up for it.

Tags: 2010, 2011, bioware, delay, delayed, delays, dragon-age, dragon-age-origins, ea, electronic-arts, featured, lucasarts, opinion, rumor, rumors, splinter-cell, splinter-cell-conviction, star-wars, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor, the-digital-continuum, the-old-republic

SWTOR fan friday introduces 'Developer Corner' feature

by Kyle Horner Jan 15th 2010 at 8:00PM

Filed under: Video, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Fan art and fan fiction are in full effect in this week's Fan Friday for Star Wars: The Old Republic. However, BioWare's added something new to the mix this week -- the Developer Corner. Before getting to that, we'd like to briefly mention that the above preview of scars for our potential characters is superb. We especially appreciate the wide range of options, some of which show of the ability of the game's graphics engine to render subtle details.

The new Developer Corner segment offers the briefest peek at in-progress game elements that are intended to be interesting and completely new. It may not always be a video, but as it happens we lucked out. This week features a short video clip that's void of sound yet full of grandiose level design strokes. Focus is on the Imperial military base of Sobrikill Valley on the planet of Balmorra, where the Republic is raining down laser bombs like nobody's business. Thankfully, the Imperials have setup a large force field overhead, which creates some significant visual oomph. We can only imagine what it must look like from the ground level!

Tags: balmorra, bioware, developer-corner, ea, electronic-arts, fan-friday, lucasarts, sith-empire, star-wars, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor, the-old-republic, trailer, video

Threat of Peace issue #23 goes beneath Dantooine

by Kyle Horner Jan 9th 2010 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

In the newest entry of Threat of Peace -- the webcomic prequel to Star Wars: The Old Republic -- it seems like Jedi and Sith will fight just about anywhere. They'll even make battle under Dantooine, especially if there's some degree of revenge involved in the fight. To be fair, Sith Lords Baras and Master Dar'Nala aren't simply fighting in a cave, they're fighting in ancient crystal caves that make for a much more spectacular setting. Of course, none of this would even be happening if the Jedi didn't blame the Sith for upsetting the peace treaty.

Ah, Jedi, always blaming the Sith for their problems. Well, at least it makes for great showdowns beneath Dantooine! If not for that, well... we're not really sure what these comics would be about. Jedi picnics?

Tags: bioware, comic, darkhorse, ea, electronic-arts, jedi, jedi-picnics, lucasarts, sith, star-wars, swtor, the-old-republic, threat-of-peace

Will Blizzard show their next MMO at BlizzCon 2010?

by Kyle Horner Jan 8th 2010 at 9:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Sci-fi, News items, Opinion

WoW.com's Zach Yonzon takes a speculative look at BlizzCon 2010 and all the possibilities that lie ahead. The article predicts that Blizzard will officially announce their sophomore MMO effort this year, which seems likely given StarCraft II's impending release and Diablo III being a known quantity. To top it off, the developer probably wouldn't mind stifling some of the substantial buzz building up around Star Wars: The Old Republic.

We'd love to see the cyberpunk MMO described in the article, but who wouldn't want a sci-fi MMO that's like Diablo's dark fantasy to Warcraft's light-heartedness? Nobody (well, except for Blizzard) really knows what the future holds, although for now you can read about it and share your thoughts if that helps out -- at least, it helps us feel slightly less helpless when pondering our MMO gaming future.

Tags: activision-blizzard, bioware, blizzard, blizzard-mmo, blizzcon, cyberpunk, diablo-3, diablo-iii, ea, electronic-arts, lucasarts, predictions, speculation, star-wars, star-wars-the-old-republic, starcraft, starcraft-2, starcraft-ii, swtor, the-old-republic, warcraft

Star Wars: The Old Republic releases more intel on the Imperial Agent

by Eliot Lefebvre Jan 2nd 2010 at 11:00AM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Classes, Previews, Star Wars: The Old Republic

One of the frequently-voiced concerns about Star Wars: The Old Republic is the possibility that the non-Force classes will wind up becoming almost irrelevant. Who's going to pay attention to being a spy when you can wield an energy sword and fling lightning, right? As a matter of fact, the Imperial Agent would like very much if no one ever notices they exist. They're quite happy to stand in the background and never be observed, because as the latest developer's entry explains, that's precisely what the Agent does best. They exist in the shadow, the man of many faces and a hundred names, a presence whose influence is strongest when it isn't evident at all.

Star Wars: The Old Republic faces the difficult task of making the Sith -- traditionally the villains of the franchise -- into a playable and likable faction rather than monolithic evil. As the developer entry points out, the Imperial Agent is a major part of that, of giving the chance to look at someone who is quite possibly a proud citizen of the Empire and happy to serve in keeping the peace and bring down the Republic. It's also a look at the parts between the lines of the films, the spies and intel operators whose role was important but whose faces were rarely seen. But you might decide not to look at the full discussion of the class anyway -- and as we've mentioned, really, that's what the agent would want.

Tags: agent, bioware, design-discussion, developer-diary, developer-entry, ea, electronic-arts, game-design, imperial-agent, intel, intelligence, lucasarts, sith, sith-empire, spies, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor, upcoming-games

The Digital Continuum: SWTOR's content conundrums

by Kyle Horner Dec 29th 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: New titles, Opinion, The Digital Continuum, Star Wars: The Old Republic

As excited as I am for Star Wars: The Old Republic, I keep wondering whether or not BioWare can pull off three or four games' worth of content. It's no secret that developing an MMO takes considerable time and effort, but adding in all this extra story content has got to require a massive fleet of creative people doing what creative people do best: work on little sleep and lots of caffeine.

Every MMO that's launched, has launched without all the content its designers wanted it to have. In reality, this is true of every videogame, but for MMOs the desire to "perfect" is significantly stronger because they're an ongoing development project. So, for this game, I find myself wondering what exactly it's going to have missing for launch day. As it turns out, there's a lot of potentials.

Tags: bioware, blizzard, content, ea, electronic-arts, featured, lucasarts, opinion, pvp, star-wars, star-wars-the-old-republic, story, swtor, the-digital-continuum, the-old-republic, world-of-warcraft, wow

The Digital Continuum: SWTOR's content conundrums, page 2

by Kyle Horner Dec 29th 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: New titles, Opinion, The Digital Continuum, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Tags: bioware, blizzard, content, delay, ea, electronic-arts, launch, lucasarts, star-wars, star-wars-the-old-republic, story, swtor, the-old-republic, world-of-warcraft, wow

BioWare on developing the Dark Side of SWTOR

by Kyle Horner Dec 27th 2009 at 12:00PM

Filed under: Video, Classes, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Would you like to know more about BioWare's lengthy effort of creating the dark side classes in Star Wars: The Old Republic? Well, of course you would! We mean, who wouldn't really? Well, probably Jedi, but nobody really listens to those guys anyhow. Except maybe for angst-ridden youth who've just recently discovered their father is a dark lord of the Sith. Oh, wait, nevermind.

In this video glimpse into the game's development, we're treated to some insight on the Sith Warrior and Inquisitor's overall design. BioWare details their thought process behind the various aspects of each class, including lightsaber hilt styles, armor styles and of course overall story focus within the game. Our collective jaws were on the floor during the shots of all the concept art for Sith armor. Players definitely won't find Star Wars: The Old Republic to be a game lacking in depth and breadth of loot.

Check out the full video after the break.

Tags: bioware, developer-dispatch, ea, electronic-arts, jedi, lucasarts, sith, sith-inquisitor, sith-warrior, star-wars, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor, the-old-republic, video

One Shots: An interesting development

by Krystalle Voecks Dec 24th 2009 at 3:00PM

Filed under: Sci-fi, Screenshots, Star Wars Galaxies, One Shots

We think player-run events are absolutely one of the coolest things we generally see in MMOs, as it means there's an active community really making the game world come alive. However, there's definitely something to be said for having a GM or dev pop by and help an event out! Apparently that happened at a recent event in Star Wars Galaxies, and our friend, Petter Mårtensson, was there to capture the moment. He sent in this image to us along with a note to explain the details: Here's a screenshot from Prometheus, Unity's guild city on the moon Lok on the FarStar-Europe server. Our awesome guild master Ziso organized a Christmas event for the whole server a few days ago, complete with costumes for all and a Santa's Grotto that he had put together himself. The devs turned up as well and placed this huge tree in the middle of the city, just for the event! Sadly, it will be gone after the next server reset. I would love for it to be permanent, because it certainly fits there (if you don't count the fact that the rest of Lok is more or less completely barren...)!

Have you seen a really great player-run event in your favorite game? We'd love to hear about all the great bastions of role-play still left in the MMOgsphere. All you need to do is to grab a screenshot of the event and email it to us here at oneshots AT massively DOT com along with your name, the name of the game, and a quick description. We'll post it up here for everyone to check out and give you the credit.

Gallery: One Shots

Tags: lucasarts, one-shots, screenshot, screenshots, soe, sony-online-entertainment, star-wars-galaxies, swg

The Daily Grind: What's your SWTOR class of choice?

by Kyle Horner Dec 17th 2009 at 8:00AM

Filed under: Classes, News items, Opinion, The Daily Grind, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Well, every class for Star Wars: The Old Republic is out for the world to see and discuss, and you know what that means: time to start considering your first class. We find that most people fall into two categories here. They either pick a class archetype they're very familiar with (tank, DPS or support) or go for whichever class appeals to them thematically. You also have those who simply go with something different for the sake of variety.

As for this particular blogger, it's safe to say the Sith Inquisitor is likely to be the first character rolling off the creation line come launch day. Then again, there's always beta to consider as well... hmm, the choices just don't stop, do they?

Well, what say you, good readers?

Tags: bioware, classes, ea, electronic-arts, lucasarts, sith-inquisitor, star-wars-, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor, the-daily-grind, the-old-republic

Sith Inquisitor class page open for business

by Kyle Horner Dec 11th 2009 at 6:00PM

Filed under: Classes, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

The final Star Wars: The Old Republic class page is up and features the Sith Inquisitor. We're pretty certain BioWare has a winner here, because it's difficult to go wrong with a person that can cast copious amounts of force lightning. If you weren't aware of that fact, the new screenshots released alongside the class page will correct that problem quite immediately.

Not only does the Inquisitor wield the iconic lightning blast regularly, it also incorporates the ability into just about every other attack. When stunning an enemy with a force tornado, why not throw a little lightning in to jazz things up a bit? In fact, why not charge a lightsaber with lightning and call it good? The more we hear about this class, the more it's beginning to appeal to our sense of wanting to lay waste to everything in sight with lightning from our fingertips.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Tags: bioware, classes, ea, electronic-arts, lucasarts, sith-inquisitor, star-wars, star-wars-the-old-republic, swtor, the-old-republic

BioWare opens the Jedi Consular's class page

by Kyle Horner Dec 4th 2009 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Classes, New titles, News items, Star Wars: The Old Republic

Emphasis on non-melee abilities? Check. Robes? Check. Hm, if it weren't for those lightsaber moves, we'd almost have to say Star Wars: The Old Republic's Jedi Consular is a "magic" class. BioWare's released the official page for the newly revealed class, and looking through it proves that even in a galaxy far, far away you can find clothies.

The primary difference between the Knight and Consular is how they fight; one gets up close, while the other prefers to hang back a bit. Sure, the Consular can throw down in melee if need be, but when you command a significant degree of force powers why bother? Check out the new Consular screens below, and check out the official class page for all your lore related goodness.

Gallery: Star Wars: The Old Republic Screenshots

Tags: bioware, consular, ea, electronic-arts, jedi, jedi-consular, jedi-knight, knight, lucasarts, star-war-the-old-republic, star-wars, swtor, the-old-republic