MMOs, Console Games and anything else with buttons
No, I’m talking about getting through the first 25 levels or so of SWTOR by the 25th December. I’m talking about this obvious display of Xmas affection with a distinctly Sith tinge:
A Xmas tree that cool would just remove my Grinch attitude to the season, how about you?
[via Gail Muir]
Time to look at the latest progression video. This time it’s for the class that our poll shows will be the most commonly rolled primary toon: The Sith Inquisitor.
As usual there’s lots to see in the video – I particularly like the head-gear on the advanced classes. That’s probably why it’s going to be such a popular class: we all still have a subtle love affair with fancy hats and masks.
Anyway, have a look for yourself:
People already lining up for their copy of SWTOR at Best Buy in NY. Ok, not really but it adds atmosphere to the story
So for a mere sixteen to twenty hour flight you can turn up and mix with the glitterati at the SWTOR launch.
Trouble is, everyone else will have reached level 50 by the time you get back to play the game.
A separate site has been set up for launch, which you can check out here. I’m checking it every ten minutes or so, so I don’t miss when the Hobart and Christchurch launches are announced!
[Photo courtesy of Wikimedia]
What a day. As we’ve already discussed today, early access to SWTOR for those who pre-ordered, is getting close.
However, a more important issue for Oceanic players is the confirmation that there will be no grace period.
The Pre-Order FAQ now states this:
So that means: even if you get early access, you can’t continue to play the game until you have your SWTOR product code. For most of us down this end of the world, that means waiting for a boxed copy to arrive from overseas. In my case, Amazon US is stating a delivery date of the 10th January 2012 as it won’t be shipped until the 21st December, the day after launch – even though I pre-ordered back in late July.
There’s some other interesting points made on the issue in a thread on our own forums – and from doing the rounds of other forums, not surprisingly there’s a lot of unhappy people.
Bioware’s Stephen Reid has said they are working with Amazon to speed up shipments but that availability of product on launch date is unlikely for Oceanic players. So that doesn’t sound too promising either.
To attempt some balance though, these events need to be viewed through the prism of launch territories. Because the decision was made by Bioware to launch in the USA and in parts of Europe only, the grace period issue is pretty much negated in those areas as people will get their copy prior to launch date. The rest of us can’t expect the same given we’re not in the launch territory. I’m by no means saying I agree with the way the launch areas were determined, but it’s a reality and there are ramifications from that decision, of which the grace period is one.
So what can you do about it? I’ve gone a relatively extreme route given here at TOROZ we intend on reporting on SWTOR news throughout the launch period. I’ve ordered a second copy of SWTOR and had it shipped to a friend in the US (with delivery date of 20th December), who will then kindly let me know the product code so I can continue to play once early access finishes. Would I normally do that? No. Do I like having to buy two copies of the same game to be able to play? No – but for me it’s a necessary evil. The only other option you have is to enjoy whatever early access you have and then psych yourself up for a Xmas/ New Year break from the game and hope our postal services aren’t too laid back after a few days off.
Over to you: what’s your take on the grace period?
One last thing, thanks to TOGmmog on our forums – Hitler’s take on the no grace period issue:
Bioware have released a more succinct summary of what people should do if they’ve pre-ordered and want to be ready for the early game access from the 15th December.
Essentially, if you played in a beta session from 25th November onwards, you can log in via that client and it’ll patch some updates to make it launch ready. If your beta access was only prior to the 25th, then uninstall the client you have and download the new one.
The same applies if you’ve not had any beta access. As stated in the update, here’s how you download it:
In order to download the game client before Early Game Access begins, you need have already logged into your account and redeemed your Pre-Order Code. Once you have done this, you can download the game client by clicking on “My Account” in the upper-right of the window and then click “Pre-Order.” On your Pre-Order page, click the large button that says “Download Game Client” to begin download of the game!
So with emails going out on the 13th December (more likely first half of the 14th for Oceanic players), get a downloading if you want to be off the starting blocks right away.
In case you don’t follow SWTOR’s official presence on Facebook, they’ve been releasing a music track from the game each day.
These tracks are additional to the ones buyers of the Collector’s Edition will receive, so jump in and have a listen. We’ll update this page with each new track added. Each track listed below has the Youtube version and a link to listen to or download the MP3.
Tython, The Wellspring
The Mandalorian Blockade
Korriban, The Homeworld
Yesterday’s Jawa
Average Brown Wookiee
Ord Mantell, The Battleground
Nal Hutta, The Glorious Jewel
If you’d like your guild spotlighted, just use our contact form to let us know. Or if you like, respond to the questions shown below and send them in – we love to profile guilds and the work they’re doing.
The only requirement is that you’re an active oceanic guild. Please be patient if you don’t hear back from us immediately – we will only be spotlighting a guild every week or so.
Name of guild
The Emperor’s Reach
Guild website
http://www.swtor.com/guilds/32522/emperors-reach
History of your guild’s name?
We wanted a name that could represent a possible elite and shadowy unit within the Sith Empire, similar to “The Emperor’s Hand” from Star Wars novels. We aren’t a role-playing guild, but the name is cool.
What sort of guild so you intend on being?
Mostly PVE based with a focus on endgame raiding. We welcome both regular raiders and people who may not necessarily be able to attend every raid such as shift workers. Adjustable raid difficulty means that we can tune the difficulty to the group, which will hopefully mean turning it to 11 for our main team. Experienced WoW raiders who are focused on optimising their class will provide guidance to others. We are a mature and friendly guild that does not tolerate harassment of other players.
Why did you choose to be a Sith guild?
As we will primarily be focussed on PvE, it will be nice to play against a faction of noobs for our organised PvP sessions.
You have one minute to convince someone they should be in your guild – what would you say to them?
Grownups with real lives and real commitments that enjoy working as a team to topple progressively more difficult content are welcome. If you enjoy a laugh on vent without hearing screaming rage children and like a group focus, come along.
What are your predictions for the first 6 months of the guild’s existence post-launch?
Different players will enjoy different playstyles and foci. I predict that we will have full clears of current content on lower difficulty levels and be progressing to harder difficulty levels. I also predict that we will have dedicated PvP players and even social players who contribute to the guild through sharing of crafted items and expertise.
I love a good piece of viral internet information, and one in particular that’s amused me over the past week is the speculation that’s built up over this tweet:
New Aussie Classification — “PAPER, SCISSORS, STONE” by… “BIOWARE & LUCAS”? Huh?
What that tweet is referring to is this little entry on the Australian Government’s Classification website (click on image for full-size):
That’s led to a bunch of gaming sites getting excited that it means that SWTOR is going through the approval process with the Classification Board, Review Board and Classification Branch.
So what?
Even if ‘Paper, Scissors, Stone’ is SWTOR in disguise, and it’s an obvious possibility – was anyone thinking SWTOR wouldn’t ever be released in Australia? I’d have actually been more surprised if EA / Bioware hadn’t started the process of approval, even if a local release is 6-12 months off. New Zealanders: sorry you may not get even a glimpse of an approval process given your more laid back laws that only require submission for approval if there’s a likelihood of the game being refused release.
Anyway, to jump on a week-old bandwagon, I’m pleased to announce that based on the above image, SWTOR should be coming out in Australia sometime in the future.
And of course, when we do have a launch date, I’ll be the first to move away from my grumpy old man persona and declare it a great step forward, but I’m not sure a standard game approval process is really that much to get excited about.
Or is it? Post your thoughts.
If you haven’t heard already, on the 10th December the official SWTOR forums are getting a chainsaw facelift. Allison Berryman has announced the changes, which include a new community blog.
For regular forum-goers, the biggest news is the removal of all posts / private messages to date:
The launch Forums will be a fresh start: all threads, posts, and private messages will be removed and warnings and infractions on your account will be deleted. If you have any special posts or private messages that you would like to save, please do so now! When Early Game Access begins, only those who have redeemed their Pre-Order Code will be able to post on the forums, though everyone will be able to view them. Then, when the game officially launches, only those who have active game time will be permitted to post.
As Allison herself says, if you got stuff you want to save from the forums, now would be a good time to do it. As you can see from my profile pic, I wasn’t the most prolific poster on the forums, but a compulsive lurker. Vale SWTOR Forums Mark I.
Over to you: do you like the idea of a clean restart or are you a little wistful for all the ‘history’ that’s going to be lost?
Now that the beta is over, one’s mind turns to other Star Wars related activities. One obvious one is practising your own Jedi mind tricks.
Thanks to Reddit, there’s a great thread on just that. Some examples:
“Whenever you are negotiating take long…very long pauses before you ask questions. It makes people vomit the truth”
“If you’re being confronted by people handing stuff out, put your hands in your pockets or behind your back. If they’re in front of, you’ll somehow always end up with the flyer. Also, if you do take it, they may be encouraged to start talking it up. Take it, look at it, and then firmly hand it back. They’ll be so confused they’ll shut up. If a religious person asks you if you’re going to Heaven, tell them that you believe in God and you’re definitely going to Hell. If someone is going door to door, open the door naked. Or my favorite, open it just a crack, give them a scared look, and say something like “You gotta go quick, my mom/dad/roommate/SO is a (insert name of group that hates them.)”
There’s dozens more, but be aware some have some strong language. And try any at your own peril. Especially this one:
“If you want to keep the seat next to you free on a crowded train/bus/etc. Look at the people walking towards you and tap the seat with your hand.”
Thanks to TOROZ reader Phil for the heads-up!
In case you hadn’t heard, Bioware have announced that this weekend’s beta test marks the end of the testing program for everyone.
So for those lucky enough to have had beta access, it’ll be quite a wrench having zero access for a little over two weeks.
On the other side of the coin, it’s an expected milestone in the progression to launch. It’s also a damn good opportunity to go out, get lots of exercise and healthy food, buy the odd Christmas present if that’s your thing, and generally enjoy all the aspects of your non-SWTOR life.
Because from the 15th December onwards….
Over to you: did the beta experience have any impact on your perceptions of SWTOR, positive or otherwise? How will you fill in the time until launch?
Gaming is a bit like owning a car, it will give you hours of fun, cause you to neglect your girlfriend and best of all, you can soup it up anyway you like. After all, it’s your car, you can pimp it out till the cash runs out, so long as you’re not trying to run the thing on nitro or installing hood mounted cannons. Games should be the same too, right?
Welcome to the world of add-ons, custom UIs and all the other shiny things that make our games work the way we like best. So when Bioware announced ‘no add-ons at launch’ there was an understandable blow-up by many commentators. Over-reaction, much? To paraphrase Daniel Erickson: Absolutely!
The first point: all that’s been said so far is that there’ll be ‘no add-ons at launch’. How can anyone take issue with that? After all, a rushed or poorly implemented add-on could break the game. Then there’s the crazy notion that perhaps it’s a good idea to actually play the release version before thinking about what colour go-faster stripes you want to stick on it.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve no issue with add-ons as long as they’re used in the right spirit. Most of us have used them to improve our game experience and make things easier or quicker, so much so that if we were forced to do without them some would feel, in some way, gimped. I suspect that is why some in the community felt dread at the thought. But is a vanilla experience really such a bad thing? I would suggest it’s not for two reasons. First we’ll all get to start fresh and on a level playing field. No one is going to have an advantage, we’ll all be like new born lambs skipping about the dewy meadows of [insert starter zone here]. Okay, in the case of Hutta it’ll be a polluted bog and Ord Mandell, a shell-cratered wasteland, but you get the idea. The second point is that it’s going to force us out of entrenched behaviours and while that’s going to be painful for some, it’s probably long overdue because there are some out there who have gone waaaaaaay overboard. I’ve know people who endlessly finesse their customised UI but you need a penicillin shot just to walk across their loungeroom.
However, not everyone is going to like being made to go cold turkey. Let’s face it, opinions range from SWTOR not being different enough from earlier MMOs, to the polar opposite of it not being similar enough and providing avenues for all the nasty little habits we’ve developed. If you are in a gaming rut so deep you need a team of sharpers to get out, I’d take the assist and stop complaining that daylight hurts your eyes.
Apart from wanting a fair and consistent experience for every player, I think it’s clear that the lack of add-on support demonstrates Bioware want YOU to play the game, not an augmented you. Case in point – no auto attack. If you ain’t hitting the keys then you ain’t attacking. All your character is going to do is a series of beautifully animated blocks. This forces you to stay involved in the moment, to maintain situational awareness and I’m all in favour of this. I like a little RP in my RPGs, I want my character to be an extension of me, not be insulated from it. To be honest I find that many things I used add-ons for are already catered for, so I’ve not suffered any withdrawals, but to my hardcore raiding friends and OCD PVP amigos, I’d recommend chillaxing.
To use the car analogy again, it’s the difference between driving an automatic or a manual.
I’ll take the manual anytime.
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