Check out the trailer for the “jesus” 1.2 game update:

and another quick video for you all to watch, the trailer for tonights episode of The Big Bang Theory in which SWTOR is shown!

–

Jono

A quick post with the Guild Summit live stream for you all to watch!

electronicarts on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Want to watch it on the EA Live Stream Page? http://livestre.am/yK4H

Server Forums!

Hey everyone! You’ll notice that the new Server Group Forums and the Suggestion Box are now available! We configured [...]]]> It seems like the guys over at Bioware Austin have been working over time to get as many responses out to game issues as possible. Here are some of the big ones!

Server Forums!

Hey everyone! You’ll notice that the new Server Group Forums and the Suggestion Box are now available! We configured the Server Group Forums to require you to select a forum name tag for each thread, so there is no longer a requirement to enter your server name manually – you’ll just select it from the drop-down menu when creating a new thread. Thank you all for your patience. We’re looking forward to your feedback!

- Allison Berryman

Ability Delay!

Hi everyone; I wanted to give you all an update on the ability delay situation.

Thanks to constructive feedback from the community, including some great videos, we were able to identify an issue that could cause abilities on global cooldown to appear available to the player, resulting in unresponsive/ignored player input. A fix for the issue is currently scheduled to go to the public test server with our next update.

Additionally, we have located an issue that would cause player input for certain instant abilities to fail in frantic combat situations, resulting in unpredictable and frustrating gameplay issues for the affected player. A fix for the issue is currently scheduled to go to the public test server with our next update.

Finally, our engineers have identified an issue introducing a significant delay between player input and ability execution in certain game situations, most notably (but not limited to) fast paced PvP. The magnitude of the delay varies with a number of factors, including processor hardware, but can, especially on dual core CPUs, result in a very perceivable reduction in game responsiveness. We are in the later stages of testing a fix for the problem and hope to be able to roll it out to the servers very soon.

We’re still investigating a number of additional issues, along with some usability and quality of life improvements for responsiveness regarding player input, but the above mentioned developments should provide a very measurable improvement in combat responsiveness.

Thanks again for your patience and support and we hope to see you on the public test server to help us validate these improvements before pushing them to the live servers.

Georg Zoeller
Principal Lead Combat Designer

- Georg Zoeller

Valor Rollbacks

After Game Update 1.1 went live, we discovered that the Open World PvP area on Ilum was not working as our PvP design team intended. As many of you know, large groups of players began capturing the Ilum control points, then ‘camping’ at the enemy’s base. This led to a very frustrating experience for a number of players who were unable to leave their base and fight back against their attackers. It was not a fair gameplay experience. In addition, some players on the attacking side gained more Valor points than designed for the time they spent in PvP.

The amount of Valor granted from these activities was significantly more than intended and we are now carefully investigating players who were on Ilum during this period, and present at some of these ‘camping’ events. I can reassure you that those who were involved and who gained an unfair advantage over other players inappropriately will be carefully reviewed and action will be taken to restore game balance. This could include Valor adjustments or account actions in accordance with the severity of the issue.

We have made the decision not to enact a mass ‘rollback’ of Valor points for all players in the game, or even on Ilum. This would unfairly penalize some players who may not have been present during this event. Rest assured though, anyone and everyone who is found to have exploited the situation to an unreasonable degree will be investigated and actions taken as needed. Our in-game metrics are able to give us precise details on where players were, what they were doing and what rewards they gained.

We take any sort of situation where one group of players gains an unexpected or unintended advantage over other players very seriously and will act to ensure that all players can have a fair and fun game experience.

Thanks for your patience while we worked to resolve this issue. Our team worked diligently to get a patch ready to address this and other issues, and we’re already seeing the results in improved battles on Ilum. As always we welcome your feedback and will continue to improve moving forward!

Jeff Hickman, 
Executive Producer – Live Services

- Jeff Hickman

Scheduled Maintenance

Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for six hours on January 24th, 2012 from 2AM CST (12AM PST/3AM EST/8AM GMT/9AM CET) until 8AM CST (6AM PST/9AM EST/2PM GMT/3PM CET). All game servers and SWTOR.com will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than six hours, but could be extended.

For our new players, this weekly maintenance is done in order to make general improvements and to check performance of the game so that we can continue to provide a consistent, quality experience. Quite often (but not always) after a maintenance period there will a patch to download. Please be sure to update your launcher after any maintenance period.

Scheduled Maintenance

Date: Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Time: 2AM CST (12AM PST/3AM EST/8AM GMT/9AM CET) until 8AM CST (6AM PST/9AM EST/2PM GMT/3PM CET)

All game servers and SWTOR.com will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than six hours.

Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. 

Founder Title/Medal

We would like to thank each and every one of you for helping to makeStar Wars™: The Old Republic™ one of the most successful MMO launches of all time. To show our appreciation, from now through March 19th, 2012, 12:01AM EST, we are rewarding early members of The Old Republic community with a unique Founder’s medal* and title.

So how do you earn the “Founder” title? This reward is only available to players who have completed either one of the following transactions (by March 19th, 2012, 12:01AM EST; Pacific: March 18th, 9:01PM PST; European: 4:01AM GMT, 5:01AM CET):

• Billed at least once for an active Star Wars: The Old Republic subscription

OR

• Redeemed a Star Wars: The Old Republic Pre-Paid Game Time Code

Once you become eligible for the title and have surpassed your 30 days of game time included with your official Game Product Registration Code, you will be notified by email. The Founder’s medal will be delivered to all your characters through in-game mail. From the in-game mail, simply right-clicking on the medal to unlock the “Founder” title to your character. This title is permanently bound to your account and will carry over to any character you make in the future. (NOTE: It may take up to 7 days for the “Founder” title to be applied).

TIP: You can choose to show the Founder’s title or any other title you’ve earned in-game by opening your character sheet and selecting a title from the character name drop down. Once applied, the title will show next to your character name on your nameplate.

If you haven’t picked up the game yet or need to purchase a Pre-Paid Game Time Code, be sure to purchase one now! To redeem your Game Time Code, visit the Code Redemption Center. Finally, to sign up for a recurring subscription, log in to www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com and visit “My Accounts > Subscription.” Star Wars: The Old Republic has three recurring subscription plans:

• 1 Month Subscription (automatically billed every 30 days): $14.99 per month (£8.99/€12.99)
• 3 Month Subscription (automatically billed every 90 days): $13.99 per month (one-time charge of $41.97/£25.17/€35.97)
• 6 Month Subscription (automatically billed every 180 days): $12.99 per month (one-time charge of $77.94/£46.14/€65.94)

For more information about how to unlock the exclusive Founder’s Medal and title, visit theRewards page.

*OFFER EXPIRES MARCH 19, 2012 AT 12:01AM EST; MARCH 18, 2012 AT 9:01PM PST; MARCH 19, 2012 AT 4:01AM GMT; MARCH 19, 2012 AT 5:01AM CET. GOOD ONLY FOR PURCHASES OFSTAR WARS™: THE OLD REPUBLIC™ WITH REDEMPTION OF A PURCHASED GAME TIME CODE OR BILLING OF AN ACTIVE GAME RECURRING SUBSCRIPTION WITH AN APPROVED PAYMENT METHOD. VALID WHEREVER GAME IS SOLD. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED, TAXED OR RESTRICTED BY LAW. CUSTOMERS WILL ACCESS THE ITEM IN-GAME. VIRTUAL ITEM ONLY. ITEM WILL BE APPLIED TO ALL CHARACTERS UNDER USER’S ACCOUNT. PLEASE ALLOW 7 DAYS FOR NOTIFICATION OF DELIVERABLES.

The current situation with end game gear and item modifications isn’t final and, in fact, many community members like yourself have correctly guessed at what our plans to correct the current design are.

Since this is a fairly important issue to many players, let me [...]]]> Emmanuel Lusinchi updates us all on Endgame PVP/PVE Armor/Weapons!

The current situation with end game gear and item modifications isn’t final and, in fact, many community members like yourself have correctly guessed at what our plans to correct the current design are.

Since this is a fairly important issue to many players, let me disclose more details about what is currently in the work regarding purple items and mods:

- All partially moddable purple items will be made fully moddable again, allowing the removal of the armoring, hilt and barrel. 
- The set bonus of end gear purples (PVP and PVE) will be transferable to custom items. 
- Some item modifications will be restricted to a certain item type. For example, some item modifications will only fit on helmets, while other will only fit on chests, etc.

As usual, the caveats about unfinished work apply, but this should give you and the community a very good idea of our intentions. We are serious about making custom gear an entirely valid alternative to end game gear and we support the players’ ability to customize their appearance all the way to (and including) end game.

 

Visit the original thread here: SWTOR Thread

Gather round boys and girls and throw your name in to the mix for the KWSNi 4v4 Saturday match-up! We are organizing a 4v4 match on Company of Heroes for the 14th of January 2012 (That’s a Saturday of course), and your all invited to join… well until we have 8 players anyway! The [...]]]>

Gather round boys and girls and throw your name in to the mix for the KWSNi 4v4 Saturday match-up! We are organizing a 4v4 match on Company of Heroes for the 14th of January 2012 (That’s a Saturday of course), and your all invited to join… well until we have 8 players anyway! The idea is, we will be setting a ‘rules light’ approach to the match and all 8 player’s will be drawn on their sides and may play as any Faction on the side they are drawn to. We will be using the Annihilate Gamemode with one change, there is no Population Cap limit. So have as many units as you like, well that you can afford at least. The match will be recorded and posted on the website for all to see as will the results. Game requirements, rules and a sign up thread are HERE.

Below is an image of the map we shall be playing on. Look at those wonderful open areas, those dangerous choke-points and the river can be crossed too. Have fun!

Fellow PvPers, thank you for taking on the challenge of player vs player combat in The Old Republic!

In the first week after launch there were over a million Warzone matches played, with nearly half of all [...]]]> Game put this post up a while back, on what we can expect from PvP in SWTOR!

Fellow PvPers, thank you for taking on the challenge of player vs player combat in The Old Republic!

In the first week after launch there were over a million Warzone matches played, with nearly half of all players participating in Warzones. Bad news for Republic players, though – the Empire currently leads overall, having won 53% of all Alderaan Civil War and Voidstar matches (across all servers). Huttball has been played the most, accounting for 39% of all matches – and yes, we’ll be adding a new same faction vs. same faction enabled Warzone in the future.

We are all really excited at the tremendous volume of participation we’ve seen in PvP thus far. Your interest and demand dictates what we’ll be delivering in the near future. I wanted to give you some insight into where we are with PvP development and where we are going.

First and foremost here is what we are addressing as a top priority:

Level 50 Bracket Warzones: Level 50 players will have a bracket of their own, playing in separate Warzone matches to lower level players. This is something we have wanted to do for some time and now that there is an increasing number of level 50 players we will be implementing the feature in January.

Open World PvP on Ilum: The planet of Ilum currently allows for open world PvP even on a PvE server, but the mechanics and incentives of the planet are not in as intended yet. We’re working on longer term goals for the planet and for other PvP areas, but expect to see some interim adjustments in January – such as more respawn points to focus conflicts, restricting Companion Characters from the area, and revisions to rewards. Ilum will also become a major source of Valor. Valor buffs will increase and decrease based on the objectives your faction owns. These buffs increase the amount of Valor you receive per player kill. However they do not give anything in and of themselves, so players will still need to defeat other players for significant Valor rewards. Additionally, daily and weekly missions will require player kills to complete. Player kills for quests and Valor credit will have diminishing returns per player killed. So, the more players that are fighting other players, the better it is for everyone.

Combat Gameplay: You’ll see several optimizations come online in January, and we are going to continue to tune this as time goes on.

We also have other exciting features coming in the near future including Ranked Warzone Matches, PvP Stat Tracking, Open World PvP Loot Drops, more Warzone medals for different objectives, Guard Optimizations and Target Optimizations.

Additionally we’re looking at ways to enable team vs. team, more level brackets and the ability to choose which Warzone you want to play in.

This is not a complete list of everything we’re working on that’s PvP related, but we have to keep some surprises for later! Thanks again for all your feedback and please keep it coming. We read as much as we can then cross reference with metrics to take action on features and tuning the game to ensure an enjoyable and competitive PvP community.

Gabe Amatangelo Principal Lead PvP, Operations & Flashpoints Designer

I’ve just sent this e-mail out to everybody in the SWTOR group. Keep checking back here for an updated status on which server we will be joining!

Hello;

That is right. We have been assigned to “THE RAVAGER”.

I’m currently contacting our Allies & Adversaries too see where they were placed. Hopefully it’ll be the same server!

Take a look at the current guilds [...]]]> Moments ago, BioWare posted up our server assignment!

That is right. We have been assigned to “THE RAVAGER”.

I’m currently contacting our Allies & Adversaries too see where they were placed. Hopefully it’ll be the same server!

Take a look at the current guilds on the server: http://www.swtor.com/guilds/search?shardName%5B%5D=he6000

- Jono

Last year Killing Floor did a special event that involved releasing a new map, new weapons, new achievements and switching out our favorite Zed’s with more zed’s that keep in spirit of the time of year such as this nice collection of zeds below;

Anyway, since it’s coming up to Xmas, our [...]]]>

Last year Killing Floor did a special event that involved releasing a new map, new weapons, new achievements and switching out our favorite Zed’s with more zed’s that keep in spirit of the time of year such as this nice collection of zeds below;

Anyway, since it’s coming up to Xmas, our lovely friends at Tripwire have decided to bring back those wonderful seasonal and very deadly Zed’s along with another new map, Ice Cave, 7 new weapons and a whole bag of new achievements to grab. Here’s the new trailer showing off the zeds, weapons and map.

Also to top it off, Steam are throwing it on sale at 75% off! That’s $4.99/€4.49/£3.74 for the game! Or grab the Killing Floor Bundle which contains every DLC pack released and the game for $7.98/€6.80/£5.35!

We have our very own Killing Floor server! Check out our Killing Floor page for more details (Under Games->Killing Floor at the top menu). You also find more information on what Killing Floor is.