Posted by Momus | 19 Comments

An Armor Not Color Unified Cannot Stand

Associate Lead Designer Emmanuel Lusinchi posted on the Community Blog today about the popular option of matching color to chest. He added some insight into why it was removed and what the future holds for this setting.

Pretty much from the start of the project, one of our goals was to solve the ‘mismatched color’ issue that exists in many MMORPGs. This initiative has actually been driven directly by James Ohlen, our Game Director, as this is an issue close to his heart.

He goes on to bend the rules a little:

While we have a policy not to give details on a system in progress, I do want to talk a little about the worst design issue we encountered. As implemented, Color Match had a subtle but ultimately perverse effect: from the moment it was turned on, the player would perceive far less diversity in their loot. In some cases, to be honest, there are only so many differences we can create between two pairs of boots apart from their color scheme. Take away their color differences – thanks to the Color Match system – and you are left with a game that feels a bit less rewarding; where, sometimes, putting on your exciting new gear barely changes the appearance of the character. Depending on your personal preferences and your play style, this may or may not seem like much… but an MMO is a complex system of challenges and rewards and, as designers, we must stay vigilant in that regard.

And then he drops the hammer.

The bad news is… well, this won’t be in for launch.

But finally: catharsis:

The feature (or, to be exact, something I consider a better version of the feature) will return.

Read the lengthy blog for yourself – there’s a lot of good info for the players and game developers out there.

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Posted by Momus | 3 Comments

Friday Update: Sith Inquisitor Armor Progression and Community Blog Announced!

You all waited – now, give in to your hatred!

That’s right, the Sith Inquisitor Armor Progression video has finally been published. Watch it in all of lightning-filled, dark side-fueled power (of unlimited quantity)!

Even within the Empire, Sith Inquisitors are respected and feared for their deception and control over the Force™. Channeling their hatred, they bend the Dark Side of the Force to their will to crush their enemies while manipulating their allies. See for yourself just a few of the many paths of advancement for this wielder of the Force in Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.

Also included today was Courtney Woods‘ announcement of the TOR Community Blog! The Community Blog will become your go-to place for news; Woods explains below.

In anticipation of the upcoming launch of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, we wanted to ensure we have a place to communicate the latest game status updates, community-focused news and developer thoughts as efficiently as possible to our fans. While our Forums are a great place to go for discussion and debate, this blog allows us to talk about things in greater detail, and to keep updates collected in one place.

Unlike our previous schedule of Friday Updates, this blog will be updated more frequently and at any time during the week, with updates being both big and small. Over time we plan to expand the blog to showcase the passion and excitement of our community, but we’ll start small and get bigger as we move forward. Initially, we’re going to use the blog to re-post a few recent (and important!) posts from our Forums, as the Forums are going offline for an overhaul before launch.

This will replace the Friday Update as a regular source of news – make sure to keep your attention on the blog, which can be found here.

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Facebook Track of the Day #9

BioWare has released another new track from the soundtrack for the game, their ninth in the series. The ninth track on the ninth day – almost sounds ominous!

Today’s new music track from STAR WARS: The Old Republic is Coruscant, The Capital, composed by Lennie Moore. You can listen to the embed on Facebook, download the MP3 directly, or listen via the Youtube below.

BioWare is releasing one track each day from the game until launch, and it’s of note that these are tracks that are not included in the Collector’s Edition sound track! So if you gotta get ’em all, make sure to check back every day! And don’t forget to “Like” TOR on Facebook to have them delivered right to your wall.

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Facebook Track of the Day #8

Continuing the inexorable march to release, BioWare released the 8th in their series of music tracks from Star Wars: The Old Republic today.

Today BioWare brings us a new music track from STAR WARS: The Old Republic, Dromund Kaas, The Seat Of Power, composed by Mark Griskey, Jesse Harlin & Gordy Haab. You can listen to the embed on Facebook, download the MP3 directly, or listen via the Youtube below.

BioWare is releasing one track each day from the game until launch, and it’s of note that these are tracks that are not included in the Collector’s Edition sound track! So if you gotta get ’em all, make sure to check back every day! And don’t forget to “Like” TOR on Facebook to have them delivered right to your wall.

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Posted by Momus | 3 Comments

Facebook Image of the Week #41

Despite all the crunch time surely happening around the BioWare Austin studio, our favorite developer still managed to stick to their schedule and give us a great new image on their Facebook page!

A deadly Rancor! The Imperial forces are valiantly attempting to fend him off. Certainly one of the most iconic beasts of Star Warslore. Great to see that they are in fact in-game!

Make sure you head on over to Facebook and “Like” Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ so you get these great images posted directly onto your wall!

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