The Old Republic Release Date Update

 Star Wars: The Old Republic won't be arriving until sometime in EA's 2012 fiscal year according to a recent report from Gamasutra. According to the report, EA CFO Eric Brown went on the record for the first time about the targeted release timeframe for SWTOR at the Credit Suisse 2010 Technology Conference. The initial targeted release was set to be spring of 2011 according to a post made in January by former SWTOR CM Sean "Ashen Temper" Dahlberg. EA's 2012 fiscal year starts in April of 2011:

"While we have not announced a specific date, we can confirm that we are targeting a spring 2011 release for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™."

Spring of 2011 does fall within EA's 2012 fiscal year, if at only the beginning of it. As always, we'll keep you updated as we hear more.



(via Gamasutra)


Update:  TORWars has an Insightful analysis  with some very good points. Check it our here

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Gamebreaker SWTOR Video Blog #18

In the latest Gamebreaker episode, Gary Gannon and Jay Hegard are dissecting SWTOR’s latest Inhabitant Update and Damion Schubert’s responses to the World Chat and the Survey.

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May the schwartz be with you: Lando is the man!

As we’ve probably said in the past we get sent a lot of videos here at swtorstrategies. Many of them are, shall we say, not worthy of sharing with you. Some, however, demand attention and need to be shared. Blackstar Warrior is one of those. This morning I noticed a headline which spoke of a Lando Calrissian-centered blaxploitation film, "Blackstar Warrior."

Of course I clicked. How could I not? The trailer I discovered there -- which apparently screened at San Diego Comic-Con back this summer -- stars Leonard Roberts in the role made famous by Billy Dee Williams. I immediately recognized Roberts' smirk from "Heroes" (he was phase-shifter D.L.), but some might also know him from an arc he had on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." I recognize the Han Solo actor, but I can't recall his name.

Lando Calrissian is the baddest mother in space in this blaxploitation-style trailer for Blackstar Warrior. The spoof trailer, for a spinoff movie that puts the Cloud City player in the center of the Star Wars action, boasts badass punch lines and some sexy stormtrooper babes.

The spoof isn't quite as self-aware as last year's "Black Dynamite"; it's played pretty straight for the most part. It's fun though, and if this thing were actually developed into a feature-length film (don't hold your breath), I'd be there opening day.



Don’t miss the three-part mockumentary below about the “black Star Wars” that goes along with it. Check out Lando Is The Man for more info.

Part 1


Part 2



Part 3

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Playable Species of SW:TOR - Zabrak

Zabraks were a humanoid species born with vestigal horns native to Iridonia. They were born with vestigal horns and well-developed mental willpower. The species was divided into a number of different races, each exhibiting different horn patterns. Zabrak were also fond of intricate facial tattoos designed to reflect their individual personalities.

The Zabrak were one of the earliest spacefaring species in the Galaxy. Their homeworld of Iridonia was a frighteningly harsh planet, which led many Zabrak to settle on other worlds, including Talus and Corellia. The Zabrak also maintained eight colonies throughout the Mid Rim region of space, and most Zabrak identified themselves by their colony first and foremost.

Most Zabrak spoke both their native tongue Zabraki and Galactic Basic. Agen Kolar spoke in a "gentle Zabrak baritone," suggesting that that vocal trait was common among the Zabraks.

Zabrak Warrior Gameplay part 1

Physiology
Zabrak resembled Humans to some degree, but had a number of significant physical characteristics that set them apart from baseline humanity. The most striking of these were a series of vestigial horns that crown the heads of both males and females. These horns grew at puberty in varying patterns and signified that the time of their rite of passage was drawing near. The horns were among the one trait shared by the many Zabrak subspecies, which were divided by a number of physical characteristics which differed from subspecies to subspecies. These could include different skin tones (which included peachy white, yellow, red, tan, brown and black) horn patterns, hair growth (though it should be noted that Zabraks, unlike humans, could not grow eyelashes, eyebrows or facial hair) and eye color (which have certain pigmentations that humans lack, such as purple, yellow, red and orange). Many inner physical differences exist between Zabraks and humans, including Zabraks' two hearts.

Another of the traits that made Zabrak instantly recognizable were their facial tattoos, which were made up of thin lines received during their right of passage. These could symbolize many things, including but not limited to family lineage, place of birth, or even a design that reflected their individual personalities.

Zabrak Warrior Gameplay part 2

Personality
Zabraks were often seen by most other species as being single minded, an exclamation that was not terribly incorrect. This single minded determination came from the fact that they were a race with a strong sense of self assuredness, confident that they were able to accomplish any task that they set out to do. However, this did not lead a Zabrak to develop a sense of prideful superiority towards others, though there was often the occasional competition between colonies. This was not seen as a negative, however, for the Zabraks believed that the various experiences of the different colonies only served to add values to the race's overall value to the Galaxy.

Zabrak from Iridonia were considered to be more war like than Zabrak from their colony worlds, most likely due to the rugged terrain that made up their home world. For that reason, they developed a highly physical style of martial arts, which were a requirement for young Zabrak to learn. It was not uncommon for Zabrak from Iridonia to be among the best hand-to-hand fighters and weaponsmiths in the galaxy. Zabrak from colony worlds also shared that drive for excellence, but encouraged their children to express it in other ways. It was thus not surprising to see that the Zabrak met with success in many fields, ranging from medicine to entertainment.

History
As one of the earliest spacefaring species in the Galaxy, the Zabrak played a major role in Galactic affairs. Like the early Humans, the Zabrak established many colonies outside their home system early in their history. The Elomin species was believed by some xenoarchaeologists to be descended from Zabrak colonists who settled Elom in the distant past.

The Sith had made contacts with the high council of Iridonia in order to hire the services of their most talented mercenaries. This influence remained with the Zabrak people long after they were thought to be wiped out at the Seventh Battle of Ruusan, though it remained more closely associated with the Zabrak of Iridonia than the Zabrak of their colony worlds

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How Stuff Works: Mass Shadow Generator

The Mass Shadow Generator  was a superweapon used in the Battle of Malachor V. It was created by the Zabrak tech specialist Bao-Dur, under orders from the Jedi Knight Revan, in the year 3,960 BBY. The weapon was the centerpiece of a trap with which Revan hoped to bring about a conclusive end to the Mandalorian Wars. Overseeing the device's use was a Jedi General (later known as the Jedi Exile). Revan lured the Mandalorians to Malachor and a massive fleet battle ensued in orbit. During the fighting, his loyal general commanded Bao-Dur to activate the secret weapon with a single, silent nod. Moments later, a significant portion of both fleets were suddenly drawn from orbit into a vast gravity vortex that was powerful enough to crush the countless ships into the planet's crust and fracture Malachor V to its very core.

In 3,951 BBY, the The Mass Shadow Generator was activated a second and final time. During her campaign against the Sith Triumvirate during the First Jedi Purge, the Jedi Exile traveled to Malachor V in pursuit of the Sith Lord Darth Traya. At the Trayus Academy, she fought the Sith forces occupying the planet and defeated both Darth Traya and Darth Sion in combat. Soon after, The Mass Shadow Generator was activated by Bao-Dur's remote and the weapon destroyed what was left of the planet.

Malachor V, transformed into a cluster of planetoids assaulted by tectonically-generated storms

The Mass Shadow Generator utilized the unique gravitation fields of the Malachor system to destroy everything within close range of the planet Malachor V. Little is known about the precise inner workings of the device, but it is possible that the weapon acted as a giant inertial compensator, thus forming a sphere of intense gravity around Malachor V which crushed anything within range.

Alternatively, the field produced by an Immobilizer 418 Cruiser is referred to as a "Mass Shadow," so this device may simply be a massive version of the Imperial Gravity Well Generator.

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Know your Lore: Bao-Dur

Bao-Dur was a Zabrak cyborg from Iridonia who served under the Jedi Exile during the Mandalorian Wars. He was a skilled inventor and was responsible for the design and construction of the Mass Shadow Generator. Years after the war he helped the Exile in stopping the echo in the Force caused by the Mass Shadow Generator. Wherever he went he was accompanied by a small, spherical remote which he built as a child.

Biography
During the war Bao-Dur was a technician who fought under the Jedi Exile; years after the conflict was over he still referred to the Exile as "General." Bao-Dur was the inventor of many new weapons, shields and other accessories. One of these included a new mechanical arm able to replace the one he lost in the Battle of Malachor V. This new cybernetic appendage was incredibly strong, and made Bao-Dur a formidable opponent in a fight. The arm also had the power to destroy force fields and shields. But his most infamous weapon was the Mass Shadow Generator, which he designed and built after getting a Republic military commission as a Lieutenant. This weapon ended the Battle of Malachor V in the blink of an eye by completely obliterating the Mandalorian fleet and inadvertently killing many Republic soldiers and Jedi on his own side of the battle. This guilt haunted him a great deal throughout his life. The Exile (who later befriended Bao-Dur) gave the command, thereby killing almost everyone fighting in the battle above Malachor V and (as the Jedi Council perceived it) creating a massive wound in the Force which cast echoes throughout the Galaxy.

Bao-Dur concept art.

When Bao-Dur met the Jedi Exile again years later, he was working as a technician on the surface of Telos, a world that had been destroyed prior to the events of the Jedi Civil War. He was in charge of the shield system that cordoned off areas on the Telosian surface and provided protection for any animals introduced there. He worked there so that he might help to add back into the galaxy some of the life he took away at Malachor V. Bao-Dur hated Czerka Corporation, and generally wished to see kindness spread throughout the galaxy. He was an accomplished warrior, however, despite his pacifistic side and his long absence from combat. After traveling with the Exile for a while and gaining her trust, Bao-Dur agreed to be trained in the ways of the Force.

Atris and her Handmaidens generally thought highly of Bao-Dur's skill with machinery and technology; in the words of Brianna, "his skill with machinery is something beyond what most can even aspire to." She then went on to add that "his shield designs surpass even those of the best Echani power architects" - sublime praise coming from someone who was an Echani herself, and moreover a warrior.

Bao-Dur is the only companion of the Exile who did not have a clear prediction to his future. Not even Darth Traya could find out what happened to him.

Bao-Dur

Interesting stuff:

Bao-Dur's remote's stand with G0-T0 on Malachor V was supposed to have been longer, with them being interupted by HK-47 and the new HK-51s. Depending on the aligment of the Exile, HK would either have G0-T0 destroy himself or he would blast the remote.

While referred to as "Bao-Dur" throughout most of the game, he is credited as "Bao Dur", without the hyphen. This form also appears at some points in the game, mainly in rushed conversations like his hologram's final order to the Remote.

Bao-Dur, immersed in the dark side

On the voice test on LucasArts' Knights of the Old Republic II website, there is a line where Bao-Dur says "Make my sacrifice matter." This has lead some players to believe that Bao-Dur was supposed to have died, whereas others believe it is just a reference to his lost arm.

Bao-Dur's character class, Tech Specialist, did not appear in the first KotOR game and is unique to him in the sequel, although it does exist in the Star Wars Roleplaying Game. If the Exile chooses to train him in the ways of the Force, he becomes a Jedi Guardian.



If Bao-Dur is seduced by the dark side, he begins to display Sith tattoos similar to those of Darth Maul. He is the only character in the game whose fall is marked with the appearance of synthetic additions, as opposed to just physical decay.



On the cut material, no mention of Bao-Dur was made at all. It is highly speculated that he and Mandalore (although he can be seen with Visas on the Malachor surface loading screen) did not join the Exile on the trip to Malachor V since they were not mentioned to attack Kreia at the end of the game. It is rumored that he was to be killed on M4-78, since he only appears as a hologram on Malachor. It is also possible that Kreia's inability to predict his fate was meant to leave room for his character to reappear along with the droids in a possible third installment in the series.

This article uses material from the "Bao-Dur" article on the Star Wars wiki at Wikia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike Licens

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Friday Update: New Inhabitants on the HoloNet

BioWare added five new entries to the "Inhabitants" section of the HoloNet; two creatures, a humanoid species, and two droids. Here is the official news:

Details on five new galactic inhabitants are now available on the HoloNet! Read up on the dangerous Terentatek and Vine Cat – you don’t want to go up against these creatures unprepared. Also, find information on the legacy of the red-skinned Sith Pureblood, descendants of the original Sith species. And don’t forget about the droids! You’ll find data about the M3-M1 Medical Droid and the S3-F5 Inclement Condition Probe.

The galaxy is full of fascinating occupants, so make sure to check the Inhabitants holorecords frequently for new updates!

Because it might be a bit tricky to find the new entries among the ones that were already there, let me list the links to the new entries here:

• Terentatek
• Vine Cat
• Sith Pureblood
• M3-M1 Medical Droid
• S3-F5 Inclement Condition Probe

If you haven't browsed through the HoloNet yet, you should definitely check it out for all sorts of information on Star Wars: The old republic.

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Bioware sends out another wave of beta invites in the form of a survey

Several Users from the SWTOR Forums got the following Message via Mail

Here is the official Statement from the swtor crew:

Some of you may have received an email from Magid, regarding a survey concerning Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. As there has been some confusion, we wanted to let everyone know that it is indeed valid.

We are partnered with a third-party agency, Magid, to conduct some focused playtests for TOR. These are part of our ongoing Game Testing Program. As part of that testing, a number of emails were sent to registered community members like you who’d opted in for game testing.
What to do now? If you were sent an email and haven’t clicked through to the survey yet, well, go ahead and click. If you haven’t been emailed, don’t bother asking someone else to share; the surveys are individually linked to email addresses. If you are selected for testing, we’ll let you know – with an official email, this time!

Of course, I have to remind everyone that everything to do with Game Testing is bound by the Game Testing Agreement – and that means if you’re selected, apart from telling people that you’ve been selected, everything else is confidential.

Happy Thanksgiving to all Stateside!

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WoW Commercial Parody SWTOR Style

A parody created by Aaron G. Thompson of the Un-Official Star Wars The Old Republic Vodcast, based off of the WoW commercials (Mini Me, Mr. T - etc), and set in the SWTOR world. 

The Un-Official Star Wars The Old Republic Vodcast (USWTORV) hosted by Aaron G. Thompson illustrates news, current events, and community of the Star Wars The Old Republic MMORPG fanbase in a productive video format.

USWTORV was created in September 10' for the sole purpose of communicating released information of Star Wars The Old Republic (an MMORPG by Bioware) in a video format to the mass audience. Aaron G. Thompson who has worked professionally in theatre, film, and taught (improve comedy) class to groups; took on said project in hopes of sparking that artistic view he once had.

Being out of the "arts" eyes for 5 years, he needed an outlet -- a burst of confidence to get him motivated back into public speaking and beyond. That outlet is USWTORV. Aaron's latest obsession is the MMORPG Star Wars The Old Republic -- with that being on his mind, him having a nice camera; and an editing program. He thought, "What the hell?"

Aaron is re-learning sound, lighting, photography -- speaking for the masses to develop the best MMORPG fan-based informational show out there! Working over 24 hours per week to produce a show lasting 7-15 minutes is either crazy -- or dedication? I say a bit of both.

Join Aaron and the latest news from SWTOR every Sunday for a good fun time -- as the show progresses, EVERYTHING GETS BETTER! Check out his facebook page here

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No World Chat?

Currently there is a thread going on the official forums called "no world chat?" The thread is all abut how the chat system is going to work in Star Wars: the old republic . Normally threads like this is all pure speculation, but today Lead Systems Designer Damion Schubert choose to give us some new goodies.

Each planet has chat channels that allows you to communicate with other players on the same planet. Yes, we have different channels for general, pvp, trade, etc. You will be able to turn off the channel, flag another player as a spammer for Customer Support’s review, and ignore problem players.

Disregarding whether or not they are realistic (and the presence of technology makes them much more realistic here than in fantasy games – you only have to look at a CB Radio for an analog), chat is very good for the community. Of particular note, some of our best content areas are the awesome multiplayer fights our worldbuilders have been setting up. If to fight those, you had to go to town and wait for someone else to wander by, life would suck, and this content (which I want to stress, in my opinion, is usually wicked fun) would never get done.
We currently don’t have any global channels that cover the whole game. General rule of thumb in an MMO is that if your chat channel has more than a certain number of participants, it becomes spammy and unusable (something that we’ll be keeping an eye on in our earlier planets).

Damion also provided some insight as to companion options and Crew Skills in a thread entitled Crew Missions: Emergency Recall:

Currently, you can recall your companion at any time from a mission. You lose any progress he has made, as well as any upfront costs, but he returns immediately. This may be adjusted as we test further, but it seems to offer a decent balance.

You can also have a companion stop crafting an item at any time. In that case, you lose no materials (but all progress will be lost).

All pretty interesting news, as it tells us there will be some risk involved if you send a companion off on a crafting task or mission, and decide later that you need him back.

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Gamebreaker Video Podcast dissects recent QA

Gamebreaker published their “The Republic” Video Podcast yesterday. This time , they covery QA Questions from the latest Fan Update and the darkside corruption. To me Jay comes off as an Uber Nerd, but he really doesn't know much about SW:TOR or Star Wars for that matter. He can't comprehend that the reasons AOC and WAR failed were not because they were WoW clones, but that they were way too focused on PVP and were rushed products. Had either of those game had the time they needed and cared at all for their PVE content they could have done really well.

I will say that I'm not shocked somebody else is complaining about the overzealous mods on the TOR boards killing threads. I can't wait until the game launches and they can't handle the massive amounts of posts on the forums. They'll probably ease up on the insane amount of moderation when that happens.

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The lost scenes of Star Wars: A New Hope

At Star Wars Celebration V, George Lucas finally made the big announcement that the entire Star Wars saga would be released in a Blu-Ray box set in Fall 2011. Speaking about what will be included, Lucas said, "They'll be different kinds of additional material," adding, "I think you've seen enough behind the scenes (material) for a lifetime. There's some really good material that will be included in there, (including) more deleted scenes that you haven't seen yet." Lucas said these newly released scenes would be kept separate from the film itself.

There is lots of material that never made it into Star Wars:  A new hope floating around the internet. Most of it is in so bad shape that it is almost impossible to see and understand what is going on. Some of the material comes from "the lost cut" which was the first edit of Star Wars, edited not by George Lucas but by John Jympson. This version of Star Wars, according to an article in Star Wars Insider #41 by David West Reynolds, contains about 30-40% different footage from the final version. There are scenes that have never been seen elsewhere as well as alternate takes of scenes we know from the finished version.

To this day the Lost Cut has been seen by very few eyes. But recently, a large section of the footage from the Cantina was included in the Behind The Magic CD ROM along with the Biggs and Luke cut scenes. Also, a few short snippets from the Lost Cut were used in the Star Wars Holiday Special to introduce the "Life On Tatooine" segment of the program. Other than these small glimpses, the Lost Cut remains an intriguing but unseen artifact to most of us.

It's still possible to see some of the stuff that should have been included though. Continue reading to see some of the best scenes.

Anchorhead Extension

This video includes both of the omitted Biggs Darklighter scenes from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope in the sequence where they would have appeared in the film.

They both take place at the Tosche Station in the settlement of Anchorhead on Tatooine

While those scenes are interesting, it's shoving too much at the viewer all too soon. It's also not the best way to introduce Luke's character or the stakes at risk. The way the actual film carries is an excellent pace.


The Search for Artoo

This next small scene originally was to happen while Luke and Threepio are rushing off in the landspeeder to search for Artoo-Detoo.

Here we have Threepio driving the landspeeder while he and Luke discuss Artoo and how much trouble Luke will be getting into.

You can see remnants of this scene in the final version of the film: a distant shot shows Luke talking to Threepio and gesturing, but the dialogue does not seem to match what is shown. The part that is cut has close-ups of their extended conversation, and a shot of the landspeeder's display showing where Artoo is. The scene appears in the Lost Cut with a rather unconvincing effect of Tatooine landscape going by outside the speeder, done with rear projection of moving footage. This is probably part of the reason this portion was cut out, since the effect didn't come off so well.

Commander Bast

This next scene was to come right after the scene where Han Solo encounters Jabba the Hutt in Docking Bay 94, and right before our heroes enter Docking Bay 94 for the first time. Here we see Darth Vader and Commander Bast talking together regarding the missing droids, Leia's resistance to her interrogation, and Governor Tarkin's "foolish plan". It is here we see also that Vader may not feel so confident in Tarkin's command, since he seems to go along with Bast's bold criticism of Tarkin. Most likely this scene was cut for time considerations. It is not crucial to the story, and doesn't really add anything new to the plot. Cutting it shaved a minute or two from the finished film.

This scene was re-dubbed for The Holiday Special. You can tell by the cheesy, overdramatic musical score that this had no place in the original film.

This last scene will properly never be be part of the blue ray edition, as it was changed, but still worth a look.

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Playable Species of SW:TOR Miraluka

The Miraluka were a Near-Human,Force-Sensetive species. Their language was Miralukese, although some, like Visas Marr, preferred Basic. They differed from Humans in that they lacked pupils or irises, instead bearing only vestigial white orbs (or in some cases, such as Visas Marr, empty sockets), and perceived the environment around them through the Force instead of regular vision. This vision was so strong that if a Miralukan looked upon a Jedi or Sith they could "see" the Force radiation off them. For moral reasons, Miraluka hid the appearance of their eyes by wearing a headband, a mask, or similar concealing headwear. As a Force-using species, Miraluka were often quite shocked if shown life not connected to the Force.

The Miraluka that lived on Katarr were strong enough that even they felt the Battle of Malachor, though it is possible that they felt not only that battle.

History
Their adopted homeworld was Alpheridies, a planet the Miraluka migrated to when their original homeworld became uninhabitable. A colony world of the Miraluka named Katarr was stripped of all life by Sith Lord Darth Nihilus in approximately 3,952 BBY, during a Jedi convocation.

Society and culture
Miraluka were a thoughtful, cautious, and deliberative species. They had little interest in personal gain or glory. For social reasons, Miraluka hid their appearance by wearing a headband, a mask, or similar concealing headwear. As a Force-using species, Miraluka were often quite shocked if shown life not connected to the Force. The Miraluka that lived on Katarr were strong enough that even they felt the Battle of Malachor, though it is possible that they felt not only that battle.



Miraluka in the galaxy
Because of their connection to the Force, many Miraluka have been drawn to the Jedi Order. Miraluka Jedi fought in the Sith War, and helped shape the Jedi Order for centuries to come. In the waning days of the Old Republic, there were not only many Miraluka Jedi, but many Miraluka, unsuited to becoming full-fledged Jedi, who served the Order as teachers and administrators. Miraluka Sith were seemingly rare, as the species' own outlooks on life and the Force are largely incompatible with Sith teachings. However, as with all who feel the Force, a fall to darkness is possible with the Miraluka just as it is with any other.

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All about The Old Republic's PvP with TOR's Lead PvP Designer Gabe Amatangelo

Hundar from machinima.com awkwardly cornered Gabe Amatangelo and roughed him up for all of Star Wars The Old Republic PvP info he could wring out of him. They discussed in detail some of the PvP mechanics and what they’ll bring. Swtor-life.com has summed up the highlights:

• There will be experience awarded for PvP
• There will be token awards to get “identifiable” gear (so you get recognized as PvP player)
• There are different levels of PvP gear (level 15 and level 50)
• Alderaan warzone usually lasts between 5 and 15 minutes
• Next warzone (derelict starship one) will have Assault type game mechanics

At the point of talking about whether there will be “seasonal updates” of PvP gear (so that it gets upgraded once first set of PvP gear gets “outdated”), Gabe Amatangelo mentioned that: “Yes there will be multiple level 50 PvP sets“. This leads us to believe that Level 50 is the max level we will be seeing in The Old Republic.

Check out the movie below:



Via swtor-life

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Everything about The Old Republic with Daniel Erickson

Picture stolen from swtor-life

Hundar from machinima.com talked with Daniel Erickson about everything we can expect to see in The Old Republic... and we do mean everything! 

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Friday Update: Flesh Raiders, and Fan Friday

Yes! It's Friday again, and that means two things: Weekend with lot's of beer and more news from Star Wars: The Old Republic. This time we get the monthly "The Studio Insider" wich gives us a glimpse of what it takes to produce a multi-million dollar MMO. In this issue of the Studio Insider, concept Artist Diego Almazan shares another step-by-step demonstration of the creation of the Flesh Raider, from base sketch to fully tricked-out creature.

When starting a concept, it’s important to get as much information as possible to help make the creature or object fit best in its place in the game. For this concept in particular, I was excited to take on the task of creating an alternate Flesh Raider which would fit alongside the current set.


After gathering and studying art work and other assets related to the Flesh Raider, I started off with a base which is a rough body sketch similar to an existing one in the game. At this point I was not exactly sure how far we wanted to stray from the original design, so in terms of the head and protrusions on the body I threw out some different ideas on what could be done. I tried not to spend too much time on the base, but wanted to give enough detail so there was a clear idea of what I have in mind. I even threw in a crazy wacky one to see if the team wanted something completely that deviated from the current Flesh Raider model.

Of course they go for the crazy one! I have not added any armor yet, so naturally this model has the most striking silhouette.

The article also highlights some questions about gameplay from SWTOR forum members answered by Lead Writer Daniel Erickson. Don't miss the full article on the official site


This month’s Fan Friday features tons of new fan art, fan fiction wallpapers, avatars, and smilies.

Community member Yssta created some beautiful painterly pieces of Star Wars art. They are listed in The Work of Sturman (Yssta) with the most recent works at the top. Fantastic details!

WovenKash from the community is showcasing some Lightsaber images in the forums. Browse through the thread to get a look at all of these remarkable 3D concepts! Stunning!

Community member Xanfel was inspired by all the concepts art for The Old Republic. Get a look at some gorgeous Jedi and Sith paintings in Xanfels Art Thread. Great work!

Fan Fiction

"Nothing is 'pure', Simplicio. Emotions do not have defined beginning and ends, even though we pretend that they do by giving them arbitrary names." The story Master and Apprentice: Secrets of the Sith written by community member Darth Slaine follows a Sith master and apprentice through their experiences. It provides an in-depth and thoughtful depiction of Sith teachings, mixed with a decent amount of humor, action, and suspense. This is a cleverly written, must-read piece of fan fiction!

"Therion Foxglove meditated. His muscular chest rose and sank in a steady rhythm of one breath per minute, his eyes unseeing, his mind like the surface of a wintry lake hardly moved by emotions, while he reviewed the events of the day. A ripple of sympathy and care for the younglings he had lectured earlier came with the memory, and as with all emotions he acknowledged it, studied it, and allowed the disturbance to subside until the emotional content of the memory was discharged and his mind was again unmoved in the cool, clear light of the force. There was no emotion, there was peace." Read more of community member’s blauregen story titled Foxglove. A Jedi Knight.

Finally, two polls have been added to the Surveys and Polls section of the official site. Don’t forget to vote:


* First poll: What is your Star Wars weapon of choice? Vote here.
* Second poll: What excites you the most about the Crew Skills system? Vote here

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Interview with Stephen Reid

Star Wars – The old Republic has a  new Community Manager. His Name is Stephen Reid and everybody wants to have an Interview and of course everyone wants to know : ” how is the game progressing and how do you like it ?”. Massively  is introducing  the new guy on the ship and his opinions about the game.

Massively: We just had an article come out that was about whether or not the community should be agitating for the devs to change things to suit future players’ desires. That’s like the big community debate now… do you think it’s a worthwhile effort?

Reid: This is kind of an eternal debate, especially for MMOs, which tend to have long development times, and especially for games like this one [that] have had a long announcement cycle, too. I absolutely think that healthy discussion and debate around a game’s development is fine — everyone’s entitled to their opinion, and we want to hear it, as long as it’s constructive.

Via Massively

Interview with Daniel Erickson on companion integration

In a recent Interview with Darth Hater Daniel Erickson covered the Crew Skills. Now he is going a little deeper into the companion integration and recipe mechanics.



via Darth hater

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When Should You Talk To Your Kids About Star Wars?

It's never too soon to teach your kids about the power of The Force. Unless their heart is full of fear and anger. We don't need another Darth Vader. This is A public service announcement for fathers who are looking to introduce their children to Star Wars.

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Weather Report: A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away

Cristian "Kit" Paul Made these excellent weatherer forecasts from A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.

I burst out laughing at Alderaan's report. But expected Dagobah to be a lot warmer. Also, Hoth was never threatened by the Death Star, too far away to be reached from the galactic core. But the little Tauntauns were cute.

Tatooine
At the moisture farms in the Dune Sea on Tatooine every day is double-sunny and double-hot, including today. There are 38 degrees right now and this is as hot as it'll get for the day. Expect a few squalls kicking up desert sand.

Double-fine day on Tatooine. © Cristian ·Kit· Paul.

Hoth
An icy cold night tonight at Echo Base on Hoth—with a slight chance of flurries, light snow showers and annihilation. Please make sure that no tauntauns are left outside or they'll turn into popsicles. A waning crescent Death Star will be visible through the cracks in the clouds.

Cutting cold with a chance of kaboom at at Echo Base on Hoth © Cristian ·Kit· Paul.

Cloud City
A balmy day today up in Cloud City, with a day's high at 24 degrees and the cloud sea low enough to offer a decent sight. The visibility is expected to improve even more in the afternoon. Keep it up, folks!

Balmy weather up in Cloud City. © Cristian ·Kit· Paul.

Alderaan
Nice and sunny in Aldera today, on beautiful Alderaan. Some showers are expected tomorrow. Unfortunately there seems to be a glitch about Tuesday's high temperature and no readings from Wednesday on for some reason—we apologize for the technical difficulty. On the bright side, we have a new artificial moon called The Death Star and it's crescent is clearly visible and awesome. Enjoy.

Weird glitch in future weather readings on Alderaan. © Cristian ·Kit· Paul.

Dagobah
In the steaming bayous and petrified gnarltree forests of Dagobah it is awful wet—as usual—and it won't get better for a while: we're expecting a lot more fog, mist, rain showers, and murky weather. Hold on in there you try. Hey, just kidding!

On Dagobah, murky weather it is. © Cristian ·Kit· Paul.

ABOUT CRISTIAN KIT PAUL
CRISTIAN KIT PAUL is a founding partner and Creative Director of Brandient. Before setting up the brand consultancy with his partners in 2002, he worked for 10 years as art director and creative director with the advertising agencies Graffiti/BBDO, Tempo Advertising and D’Arcy in Bucharest and also as a freelance graphic designer in Bucharest and Singapore. Some of his advertising campaigns won national and international nominations and prizes.

Over the past years he grew as one the most important brand designers in Central and Eastern Europe, with international design prizes at Rebrand100 (US), Identity Best of the Best (Moscow), EULDA (European Logo Design Association) and Pentwards, as well as being featured in books and publications like LogoLounge, LOGO and Design USA. Most recently, in April 2009 he got the highest recognition at ReBrand100, as a Best of Awards winner for his identity rebranding of Dedeman, a Romanian DIY retail chain. In another recognition of his stature, he was invited to jury international design competitions like LogoLounge (US) and Identity: Best of the Best (Moscow).

Kit is leading the creative team and ensures the Creative Direction for all strategic projects at Brandient. His experience is built on the hundreds of brand projects designed and creatively supervised, from household names like Fulga and Zuzu to large retail chains Flanco and Domo to state companies like Radiocom (Societatea Națională de Radiocomunicații). He also was the Creative Director for the high profile job of rebranding CEC Bank, the oldest Romanian bank.

He is permanently concerned about the role of design in communities and the social responsibility of the designer.

Check out his blog here of follow him on Twitter

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