Official: Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO

[vkaraoke]

It's official, today Lucasarts and Bioware reveal the "secret" Bioware MMORPG.

The official website: http://www.swtor.com/info
Gamespot Interview about the game: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/starwarstheoldrepublic/video/6199708

BioWare and LucasArts have officially announced Star Wars: The Old Republic, the second massively multiplayer online role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe. While technically not a replacement for Sony Online Entertainment's Star Wars Galaxies, BioWare brands the ambitious MMO, set in the time period of previous Knights of the Old Republic games as a sequel of sorts to those games — events occur some three centuries after KOTOR II — calling the MMO "Knights of the Old Republic 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12-plus."

 

[spuddyt]

IT....WILL.....SUCK

you just CANNOT have every single person in the world given the same "I made a difference" feeling if there are hundred of people doing the same retarded objectives, you Just Can't

 

[dagger]

IT....WILL.....SUCK

you just CANNOT have every single person in the world given the same "I made a difference" feeling if there are hundred of people doing the same retarded objectives, you Just Can't

It's Star Wars fans we're talking about. They will be doing the exact same things.

Anyway, I've played KOTOR 1 and 2, and can't imagine how they can replicate the feelings in a MMO. It'd be sad if they ruined good games.

 

[rayzor]

I will remain hopeful...I trust BioWare greatly in this matter. Above all else, they really seemed focused on character development and story in their gamespot interview.

If they find a good formula for making this combo work (great MMO, great story) then I think we have both a revolutionary game and the 'savior' of pc gaming on our hands!

 

[vkaraoke]

I’ll give Bioware the benefit of the doubt since they have not disappointed me yet. They strive to continue developing quality-story driven games. My only concern with SW:TOR is the art direction they decided to go with. It kind of reminds me of Star Wars: The Clone War which is leaning towards a CGI-cartoony look. The developers have stated that the screenshots are taken from the pre-alpha stages of production and many things can change since then. I believe the graphics will definitely improve throughout the course of the development cycle but it won’t get any more realistic than what you see today simply because of the Hero engine.

Bioware is using the hero engine for developing SW:TOR and more information about the engine can be found here: http://www.heroengine.com/

 

[pr2thej]

" Star Wars: The Old Republic represents a new approach to online entertainment, featuring immersive storytelling, dynamic combat, and groundbreaking companion characters. "

Exactly what is new here?


I have mixed views of Bioware. KOTOR good, Mass Effect dissapointing.
I was expecting something much more open ended going by all the hype they put out.

 

[dagger]

I don't like how the graphics is worse than KOTOR. While it's understandable MMOs tend to be lighter on graphics than typical games of its time, it's comparing against a 5 years old game here.

 

[VoidNull]

At least its not Obsidian Entertainment this time around.

 

[jalek]

Will they also limit the installations of this? It doesn't have to make sense for it to happen.

EA doesn't publish games, it distributes DRM.

 

[VoidNull]

EA: Buy in your world, Rent in ours.

 

[VoidNull]

Or perhaps:

EA: Challenge everything, except why you cant reinstall the game you just paid for.

 

[rayzor]

I don't like how the graphics is worse than KOTOR. While it's understandable MMOs tend to be lighter on graphics than typical games of its time, it's comparing against a 5 years old game here.

Easy now...it could still be a couple of years before this game hits shelves...let's not waste breath criticizing the graphics just yet!

And if there is any studio capable of melding a great, story-driven single player rpg with an mmo, it's bioware.

 

[vkaraoke]

I don't think EA will implement DRM into the MMO because the business process is different. When EA published Warhammer Online there were no install limits or limited activations.

For those of you who are concerned about how the story won't work in an MMO setting you can refer to these great articles written by ign. There will also be information avaliable soon about the art direction and why they decided to use it.

1st Article: Explores the use of story to drive the action, both in terms of the individual player narratives and the shared experiences driven by the game's social nature.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/922/922115p1.html

2nd Article: Examines the overall history of the galaxy, exploring the two factions and the moral issues that players will face.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/922/922656p1.html

3rd Article: (will be avaliable on IGN Thursday October 23, 2008) Looks at the game's art style and share art director Jeff Dobson's commentary on the screenshots and concept art.
http://pc.ign.com/articles/923/923056p1.html

Even with all the thought that's gone into the art direction, it's important to realize that the visuals are still being revised and debated even within BioWare. They're tweaking things here and there, and even pulling entire assets when they don't seem to fit the right mood. This shot of the Jedi Temple on Tython is a great example. The team just doesn't feel that it suits the mood they're trying to create, so they're planning to cut it and start again from scratch. They're hoping to find a suitable place to use the old version of the Temple, but they're dedicated to making sure that each element feels like it belongs in its setting in terms of story and mood.

*Edit: Added in third article

 

[amdfangirl]

It's Star Wars fans we're talking about. They will be doing the exact same things.

Anyway, I've played KOTOR 1 and 2, and can't imagine how they can replicate the feelings in a MMO. It'd be sad if they ruined good games.

How will I play a sub subscription game? Hopefully Lucasarts realizes their folly. They lost of of their biggest market ~ naive under 14 yr olds

I don't like how the graphics is worse than KOTOR. While it's understandable MMOs tend to be lighter on graphics than typical games of its time, it's comparing against a 5 years old game here.

I see. Lucasarts trying to cash into the WoW clone market...

Hopefully the Sith lords restoration project finishes soon

 

[pr2thej]

Sith Lords restoration project?

Is this a reference to an upcoming game or am i just lacking in caffeine today?

 

[dagger]

Sith Lords restoration project?

Is this a reference to an upcoming game or am i just lacking in caffeine today?

Restoring lost content from the old KOTOR2. It was released half finished, with much of the original content cut.

 

[VoidNull]

Sith Lords restoration project?

Is this a reference to an upcoming game or am i just lacking in caffeine today?

The three spoken dialogue, non cut scene endings that made little sense in context to the rest of the plot in KOTOR II didn't clue you in that perhaps the endgame was a little rushed?

 

[pr2thej]

Didnt finish it.
System i played it on back in the day couldnt handle the fancy DX 9c lighting and smoky business and im only just putting together an upgrade.

Its on my "list" of things to get through