Nov 18, 2011

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Fan Site Summit: Outlaw’s Den Revealed!

When we headed out to Austin for the latest Fan Site Summit last week, we had no idea what to expect. We were hoping to see some cool new things and of course get our hands on the game for an extended period of time.

Well, I can tell you both of those things happened. And for me, the “cool” and “new” part surpassed all expectations. Perhaps “shock” and “awe” might be a better way to describe it.

What better place than Texas to reveal a brand new open-world area on Tatooine called Outlaw’s Den. The name, as it implies, is a pretty rough place. Just how rough? Well, hold on to your seats – it’s an entire area of the map dedicated to free-for-all combat. Yes, you heard that correctly.

What does free-for-all mean you might ask? Well, it’s exactly as it sounds for the most part. In this dangerous area of Tatooine, everyone is a potential target. This means you can even attack members of your own faction, anywhere, at all times. Even on PvE servers. The only players you can’t attack are any members of the group you’re in, be it a 4 person party or a 24-person Operation group. Beyond that, you can target and be targeted anywhere, anytime.

This is a real gem for old-school MMO players and a bit of a nod to sandbox-style game design. Literally anything goes and although there is loot to be had, the reward is ultimately the wild-west style environment and subsequent rush that you get just from setting foot on this kind of soil.

Here’s an overview of some of the highlights:

  • Free-for-all rules: Kill anyone and everything that isn’t in your own party/group, including players of your same faction
  • Rare vendors – that are killable – and don’t re-spawn on a regular schedule
  • Rare resources for Crew Skills
  • Map designed with objects and architectural features such as arenas and pits – to do with as you please
  • Commerce area with access to your cargo hold (bank) and the Galactic Trade Network (auction house.) Even this area of Outlaw’s Den is not a sanctuary. Always keep one eye open at the mailbox ;)
  • It’s well-marked so players shouldn’t be surprised if they stroll into the area

We didn’t get our hands on Outlaw’s Den, as it was in early stages of development, but we were able to see it in action as Lead End-game Designer Gabe Amatangelo demonstrated. The visuals are very Tatooine, but with a very foreboding feel.

Personally, I can’t tell you how glad I am BioWare is experimenting with this style of gameplay in their MMO. It’s great that they’re really trying to use the huge world they’re creating in the Star Wars universe to offer as many varied play styles as there are players. It may seem hardcore to some, but it’s a breath of fresh air in the genre, and from a mainstream title no less!

If you’re interested in talking about Outlaw’s Den, or anything else from the Fan Site Summit, stop by the Ask A Jedi Cantina tonight, Friday November 18th at 9:00PM EST. We’ll be holding a live Q&A, and while we may not be able to answer everything, we’ll give it a whirl!

We hope to know more about Outlaw’s Den soon, and will of course bring a full report when we do. In any case though, just think: we’ll all have the game in our hands to try it for ourselves in barely 30 days!

Not Outlaw's Den. We don't think.

Not Outlaw's Den. We don't think.


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Nov 18, 2011

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Fan Site Summit: Post Embargo Blowout!

If you thought the Fan Site Summit held last week in Austin, and earlier this week in Galway, Ireland was over and done with, boy are you in for a pleasant surprise!

Today we’re excited to bring you the first wave of coverage from our visit to BioWare’s Austin studio! There’s a lot of information to digest, so we want to provide it in a nice organized manner at a measured pace.

Starting today at 12:00 noon EST, we’ll post one new article each hour, on the hour, until 3:00PM! That will give you some time to read, digest and discuss everything with fellow future players just in time for the next post to be released!

The schedule is as follows:

12:00 Noon – Outlaw’s Den – Now Live!
1:00PM – Directive 7 Flashpoint – Now Live!
2:00PM – Coruscant Impressions – Now Live!
3:00PM – Hammer Station Flashpoint – Now Live!

We’ve got lots of screenshots and even some gameplay videos, so don’t miss anything!

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Sep 24, 2011

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Star Wars: The Old Republic To Be Released 12/20/2011 Worldwide

Just a lazy Saturday morning right? Thought you were going to get up early and mow the lawn? THINK AGAIN!

BioWare Co-Founders Dr. Greg Zeschuk and Dr. Ray Muzyka at Eurogamer Expo today announced what might be the most long-awaited piece of news since… the long awaited announcement of TOR itself!

Star Wars: The Old Republic will officially release on December 20, 2011 world-wide.

Read that again. TOR is coming out this year!

Dr. Ray had this to say:

“This is an incredible moment for everyone at BioWare and our partners at LucasArts who have dedicated their lives to build this extraordinary game. We appreciate the patience from the millions of fans who have been waiting for the game’s release.”

They also announced the subscription plans, and as suspected it doesn’t stray too far from what we’re all used to:

  • 1 Month Subscription: $14.99 (£8.99/€12.99)
  • 3 Month Subscription: $13.99 per month (one-time charge of $41.97/£25.17/€35.97)
  • 6 Month Subscription: $12.99 per month (one-time charge of $77.94/£46.14/€65.94)

No mention was made of micro-transactions or other forms of payment, for now at least.

Absent from the announcement was the start date for Early Game Access, which everyone who pre-orders will receive. Although BioWare’s David Bass was able to provide us with this important insight on the topic on Twitter:

@doctordake: Before Dec. 20 :)

Stay tuned for more on this breaking news, and incredible moment for not only the TOR community but the gaming and Star Wars community as a whole! You can read the official press release here.

[UPDATE] A new version of the Fate Of The Galaxy trailer has been released. It doesn’t appear to be any different, aside from the release date tag at the end.

[UPDATE 2] There’s now a short video of the moment that the Dr.’s made the release date announcement yesterday… thanks to Corellian Run Radio for the find!

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Sep 23, 2011

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Are You With Us Or Against Us? Join Ask A Jedi In Guild Alignment!

If you’re not with me, then you’re my enemy!”  Ok, sorry. Let’s not do that…

In case you missed it Wednesday, Star Wars: The Old Republic moved just a little closer to launch as BioWare kicked off Phase 2 of the Pre-Launch Guild Program! This means that you can now choose other friendly guilds to ally with, and select guilds of the opposite faction as adversaries!

And we would like nothing more than for Ask A Jedi to fill those roles for your guild!

When Phase 1 of the Pre-Launch Guild Program kicked off back in March, we went to work right away to create an official guild for Ask A Jedi. But that was only a Republic side solution – what about all of our readers who are supporters of the Empire? For them, we have Ask A Sith. Whichever side of the galactic fence you’re on, we’re out to build a true Outpost for Citizens of The Old Republic!

And of course, anyone and everyone is welcome to join the guilds with their characters as well – we want to provide a friendly, social place for friends of AAJ to hang out and discuss the game – in the game! Now, we probably aren’t going to be your progression guild, but we will be a great spot to park an alt to mix and mingle with the AAJ community!

So, wether you’re guild defends the Galactic Republic or fights for Sith Empire, no matter if you want to be an ally or an adversary, we’ve got you covered! Click on one of the badges below to jump to the official guild page on SWTOR.com to become our ally, our adversary or our guildmate.

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Sep 1, 2011

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PAX 2011: A Conversation With Gabe Amatangelo

One of the highlights of running a fan site is going to all of these conventions and having the privilege to be able to interview some of the developers, designers, writers and artists that are working on our favorite upcoming game.

During PAX last weekend, I was excited to have a chance to speak with Lead End-game Designer Gabe Amatangelo. While I first met Gabe at the Fan Site Summit in April, we never had a chance to do a one-on-one interview with him.

I sat down with Gabe to talk about some end-game Operation topics, as well as some reader-submitted questions. The interview went great, Gabe was able to provide some answers, and I left the booth happy, headed off to the hotel room to edit some video!

And then it happened.

I discovered that I had not one but TWO equipment malfunctions! Not only did the video camera shut off about halfway through, the lapel mic that Gabe was using wasn’t ever turned on! So, without any of that backup, I can only recall parts of our conversation from memory.

But that’s ok, because some of them really stick out, and I feel are some important points of clarification! Read on for a quick recap of my conversation with Gabe…

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Aug 26, 2011

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PAX Prime 2011: Sleepless In Seattle!

It wasn’t but last week we were in the thick of gamescom, Europe’s largest convention, and now the gamer’s game convention is upon us – PAX Prime! And as at gamescom, BioWare will have a large Star Wars: The Old Republic will have a big presence, so we’re here to see it all first hand! News, interviews, reveals, PAX will have it all!

Keep up with Ask A Jedi as we track all of the important news and announcements coming out of the show, and hopefully bring a few surprises of our own as well! What will BioWare show? Something new? Something old? Something borrowed?

This post will serve as ground-zero for overall PAX coverage, so bookmark it and visit often. Click past the jump for total access!

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