Dec 16, 2011

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Friday Update: The Final One – Choose Your Side – Sith Warrior vs. Smuggler

It’s truly the end of an era. Today marks the final official scheduled Friday update from BioWare on Star Wars: The Old Republic. In this time, they’ve never, ever skipped or missed a Friday Update. But I think we can cut them some slack, since, you know, they’re finally giving us the game and all!

For this swan song, the BioWare community creative team put together another Choose Your Side video, where members of the BioWare development team tell you who they think would win in a bar fight. This time, it’s the Sith Warrior vs. the Smuggler.

So while sit back and enjoy the mayhem occurring in the video, take a moment to reflect on all of the Friday’s you’ve spent waiting for moments like these. And then, calmly, hit alt-tab and get back to playing Star Wars: The Old Republic!

 

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Nov 22, 2011

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The Smuggler’s Blues: Sneak Preview, 5 Credits Only

Introduction

“Kid, I’ve flown from one side of this galaxy to the other, and I’ve seen a lot of strange stuff, but I’ve never seen *anything* to make me believe that there’s one all-powerful Force controlling everything. ‘Cause no mystical energy field controls *my* destiny.” –Han Solo, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Over the last couple weeks, I’ve been fortunate enough to get some hands-on time playing the Smuggler class in The Old Republic beta test, and I wanted to share some of my experiences with other readers. First, I’m going to try and keep this relatively spoiler-free as far as story and quests go – I’ll cover some general impressions, but I also don’t want to give away unexpected plot hooks.

And here, the Smuggler, in her natural habitat.

Now that being said, I think the Smuggler leveling experience does a fantastic job – and, in fact, having played a few classes I’d argue potentially the best – at really capturing that original Star Wars feel to it. If you’re a fan of the movies, you’ll immediately recognize some iconic Han scenes as you play your Smuggler. I think the first one appears around your third quest or so – there I was, just getting the feel of my new Smuggler character and beginning the quests and then bam! There’s my Smuggler, acting in a way that was almost clip for clip from the original Star Wars: A New Hope movie.

Now for me, I loved it – after all, my decision to play a Smuggler was so I could channel a Han-type Scoundrel, and so I really enjoyed the nostalgia from being not only able to recognize certain iconic movie moments, but to actually experience my character acting them out.

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Nov 10, 2011

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The Ultimate Smuggler Walkthru Video

You might be familiar with Awall and TGN.TV from teaming up with Ask A Jedi to bring you the latest TOR news in their show SWTOR Weekly. But that’s not all they do!

Today, TGN released the next installment in their Ultimate Walkthru series, and this time it’s all about the Smuggler! Awall takes you through all of the known information on the class and presents it in the same easy to follow style as all of his videos.

For Smuggler fans and general TOR fans alike, this 25 minute video is well worth your time!

 

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Oct 31, 2011

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The Nerfherder’s Guide To The Galaxy: Ord Mantell

From the crystal-laden caverns of Ilum to the Jundland Wastes of Tatooine, this is your guide to discovering the distant worlds and locales of Star Wars:The Old Republic. Welcome to The Nerfherder’s Guide to the Galaxy!

“This planet was a lifeless hunk of rock before the Republic came here; and if this war goes on much longer, that’s how we’ll leave it. You’re all here because you made some very good or very bad decisions, and I don’t care which. All I care about are the next few days, and seeing peace restored to this world. Now, who’s ready to put some dents in their pretty armor?”

-Commander Antilles, Havoc Squadron

 

Located in the Bright Jewel system, Ord Mantell lies in the middle of a bulge in the northern section of the Mid Rim. It was largely settled some 9,000 years before the Treaty of Coruscant by an expedition of Corellians.

The major establishment of Ord Mantell as a galactic presence, however, came with the world’s designation as an Ordinance/Regional Depot (ORD) planet. This made it an important military base for the Republic during its middle period of expansion.

Ord Mantell’s position in the northern section of the Mid Rim made it a military outpost of great importance. As the centuries passed, however, much of its role in the Republic military was diminished. Though the planet’s name retained a military root, private organizations began to move in and take over.

Many of these groups operated outside of the law, and Ord Mantell became a haven for gangsters, smugglers, and pirates. The political leaders of the Bright Jewel system turned a blind eye to the actions of these groups. Bribes became a standard commodity within the system’s political organization.

Following the Sacking of Coruscant, the leaders of Ord Mantell chose to remain loyal to the Republic. Some of the planet’s citizens, however, supported neither this decision nor the corrupt politicians who controlled their world. Guerrilla assaults from these Separatists over the last two years have plunged Ord Mantell into a civil war.

As the flames of war threaten to be stoked once more throughout the galaxy, Ord Mantell has already fallen into chaos and conflagration.

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Sep 9, 2011

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Friday Update: A Three-For-Friday – Smuggler Armor Progression, Alex Freed Dev Blog And PAX Prime Highlights!

Today’s late Friday certainly makes an entrance, and I think every Scoundrel and Gunslinger would agree that it was worth the wait!

First we have the Smuggler Armor Progression video – it features a variety of good looks for all the scruffy nerf-herders out there. Aside from the Eastwood look, the Subzero-esque look for the Scoundrel was a nice touch, and one I don’t think we’ve seen before.

Couple fun notes: the dropping of the copious amounts of weapons while being held up was a nice touch – and in addition to an Indiana Jones-esque moment, we also saw a Han Solo moment as well – all in all, a good and tastefully comical look at the Smuggler class.

Courtney Woods chimes in:

As your character progresses through the saga of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, you will see them advance as you unlock new skills and acquire or craft superior gear.

Whether running blockades to deliver vital supplies or evading Imperial patrols, the Smuggler must rely on his wit and guile just as much as the blaster at his side. As the price on his head rises and his enemies grow more dangerous, the Smuggler will have to acquire new skills and utilize more powerful weapons and armor to survive.

Get a look at some of the ways the Smuggler can progress and see just a small fraction of the weapons, armor and abilities that become available to him.

We also get a new Developer Blog from Senior Writer Alexander Freed, where he talks about writing Star Wars: The Old Republic material outside of the game:

The first thing that any potential tie-in to Star Wars™ and The Old Republic should do is answer a series of questions: What does this story contribute to mythology of The Old Republic? What does a reader get from this story that changes the way he or she experiences the game? Does it give the reader a new perspective on a character? Does it explain a mystery that isn’t resolved in the game? Does it explore the setting and the timeline in new depth?

As for the last part, it’s the PAX Prime Highlights video. For those of us who could not attend, it offers (perhaps!) your final glimpse of SWTOR at a convention prior to release!

As always, make sure to “Like” Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ on Facebook or follow on Twitter to receive updates!

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