Wild Space: TORWars, Darth Hater And Corellian Run Radio

It’s a big galaxy our there, and Wild Space can be a dangerous place. Worry not, explorer – each week we’ll navigate you safely through the lost hyperspace routes of the Deep Core and track down the great articles and entertainment from around the SW:TOR fan community, all in less than 12 parsecs, of course!

For our inaugural week, we start with TORWars, the self-described Star Wars: The Old Republic Online Magazine. This site’s features are quite extensive including in-depth articles, exclusive video interviews, and a thoroughly entertaining podcast. However, what I specifically wanted to mention from this week are the photo galleries that the site posted from SDCC. Some of the photos are fun, some are nerdy, some are downright creepy (thanks for that, Jeff,) but all are worth a look. Head on over to the TORWars site to check them out.

Jeff and David from TORWars with their new friend.

Next up is the Darth Hater fan site. When you think about Darth Hater, only one word comes to mind: tenacious. They have made a name for themselves by doing “dissections” of all of the videos and screenshots that are released by BioWare. This means that they will poor over a video or screenshot and look for anything in the shot that we might not have seen before. It could be an ability animation, a new NPC character, new player customization options, or just a simple tooltip description, but in any case, very little seems to slip past Sado and the gang.

As usual, Orange text tells the tale.

On Friday, the Esseles gameplay developer walkthrough was released and Darth Hater wasted little time in compiling one of their trademark dissections. I would like to call your attention to images 8, 33, 34, and 35. These images detail boss fight mechanics that we haven’t seen in SW:TOR to this point. Even though these mechanics are fairly standard to the MMO realm (“Don’t stand in the fire!”, knockback, temporary immunity, and stun effects, respectively), it’s exciting to see that BioWare is including these mechanics at such an early level (9) which is sure to make the players feel all the more heroic. One other thought to consider: since BioWare is including these standard mechanics in the very first flashpoint your character will encounter, can you imagine what new tricks they will have up their sleeve once you hit the level cap? It is very possible that these flashpoints will get more and more complex and interesting as you get closer to level 50. I can’t wait to see for myself! Thanks to Darth Hater for their great work.

Finally, I’d like to take a second to talk about the fabulous podcast over on Corellian Run Radio. Led by the three femme fatales, Carla, Kathy, and Roxanne, this podcast offers a unique perspective on SW:TOR. Since they can do a better job of explaining their podcast than I can, here is an excerpt from their about page:

“[The hosts] keep things lively with their divergent points of views and rye humor.  In addition to the usual news recap,  Corellian Run Radio adds unique segments such as  “Sith or Jedi,” which measures the hosts Dark and Light side tendencies in real life, and “Fact or Fiction?” which tests the hosts’ ability to pick out truth from rumor.”

Carla (left) and Kathy (right) with the Conductor, Stephen Reid

The Sith or Jedi feature is my favorite part of the show, primarily because it leads to some truly hilarious conversation. The “puppy test” this week was particularly funny (for the record, I would go with option 1). This podcast is on my weekly “can’t miss” list and has been ever since I discovered it. Thanks to Corellian Run Radio for their awesome work!

Thanks to all the great fansites out there and until next week, take care!