Stephen Read

News concerning transfers and group-finder can come as soon as next week.

Mr. Stepehn Reid shared some interesting info on twitter yesterday. Apparently we are getting closer to a server merge. This is great news as many servers feel like ghost towns after Diablo 3 launched. This is not because  SWTOR is dying, but the game got 280+ servers. TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY! Now, iIf you take that 280 servers then break it down into how many freaking instances and individual planets and other zones it’s no wonder the game feels like a ghost town. I play on one of the healthiest servers and I still find the population lacking compared to release. I think I haven’t fought a single Empire on PvP Warzones for the past week with my 50s toons. Merging servers now will solve the group/operations finder problem, PvP problems, lack of items on GTNs… I wonder who in BioWare can’t figure this out now. They need to merge servers if not now at…

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Cross-Faction Chatting

One question going around the forums this week was in regards to cross faction chatting in SWTOR. While there are obvious reasons why it might not be good to have cross faction chatting, there are also some reasons why it would be beneficial. Many of the RP elements of the game would be taken out if players had no capability for cross-faction chat at all. So some fans are asking if there will be cross-faction chat in certain local chat or in shared towns and cities. Many believe that local chat should be open to both sides.       Stephen Reid, Senior Online Community Manager addressed this issue on the forums stating, “That’s one of the options that’s being looked at right now. As I said, a final decision hasn’t been made, and this is a feature that’s in testing. Your opinions on the topic are welcome, as long…

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E3: Stephen Reid Updates – No release date and NO preorder details

In a post on SWTOR.com yesterday, Stephen Reid confirms that there will be no release date and no preorder details at E3 2011. While I’m not really surprised, it’s still great to have the official word so we’re not sitting on the edge of our seats waiting. Reid says, “While I know many of you believed a release date announcement was going to happen – which is understandable – as I’ve said before, an announcement of that size will effectively be ‘pre-announced’, and we will not ‘bait and switch’ you. We aren’t going to lay a trail of subtle clues that lead to a release date announcement. We’ll be obvious. We’re just not there yet.” Reid also had some words about the trailers and the release of “Return”. “’Choose’ was always going to be shown at the E3 press conference. Unfortunately for us, we had a timing issue which put…

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Will SWTOR players be separated by language?

Language is important in an MMO where players depend on communication with others to make the game fun and enjoyable. But with a large game like SWTOR that gathers a varied fan base of multi-cultural fans, it’s no surprise that language would become an issue. Some are calling SWTOR racist and to say the issue is of importance would be an understatement. The available languages and in what manner they will be available is important to gamers, particularly those of the English, French and German languages. Players are very concerned that they will have to be grouped together in one large multi-language server where everyone speaks in their native tongue. Stephen Reid explains that there are not concrete plans as of yet on how the servers will be set up but like most other MMOs there will be servers dedicated to players who speak one common language. “While we can’t…

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Will SW:TOR Release Be Announced at E3?

Stephen Reid, Senior Online Community Manager for SW:TOR answers a forum question regarding more release date debate. GamewizX was trying to locate a quote from Reid regarding the release date announcement and a possibility of a connection to E3. Who would then pop into the thread to clear up the confusion? Why, none other than Stephen Reid himself: “Or I could just say it for you right here. I seem to recall I was trying to address the idea that the ‘only’ time a release date would be announced would be at a major show (this was pre-PAX). I have no idea where this idea started, but it’s not a definitive suggestion. It’s just a possibility. That said, if we chose to announce a release date at any show, E3 would be a good choice, as it’s probably the most high-profile games industry show on the calendar. (It’s not the…

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BioWare panel appearances at PaxEast

BioWare Senior Community Coordinator Stephen Read posted an update regarding Bioware staff appearances at PaxEast earlier today. In this he stresses that there will be no panels or events dedicated to Star Wars: The Old Republic at PAX East, but several BioWare employees will be taking part in some more broad panels: Hello from Boston! With PAX East 2011 just a day away – well, give or take about eight hours, given my late post – I’m very pleased to tell you about a few guest appearances BioWare staff members will be making on various panels over the weekend. Please note, these are not official panels for Star Wars: The Old Republic. They are panels on various subjects that we were asked to provide speakers for. If you attend any of these panels, there is no guarantee that The Old Republic will even be spoken of… well alright, it’s pretty…

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