OotiniCast Episode 57

This week’s show is all about the Game Update 1.6, which arrived a bit earlier than expected! In our discussion, we explain the mechanics of the new warzone, Ancient Hypergate.

1. Introduction

Hyp’s two new Empire characters:

Hornigina (Sith Sorcerer)

Baldygina (Sith Marauder)

2. Trivia question

One of the well-known Star Wars characters—let’s define as one who appears in more than one of the six movies—has something written either on their costume or on something their character carries. It is written in a foreign language—not the Star Wars alphabet of Aurabesh, but an actual Earth language. And not only that, but the most likely translation of the words shown describe the story arc of that character. Name the character involved and the Earth language used.

If you are interested in being entered in the random drawing for a Tauntaun Fawn code, please send your answer to ootinicast@gmail.com.

3. The Holofeed

4. Force Feedback

We discuss tweets from @ForceChuckle, @Evarwyn, @PadmeAm (Hugo Commandeur), @JediTChalla (T’Challa), @voyak, @EmpireDivider (Chong), @DarthKenji, @Loudshirt0861 and @jerryang128 (Ango-Kyu).

Our guildmate Aio (@JediAio) sent a couple of screenshots, the first featuring his friend McCrash, living up to his name while retrieving a datacron on Corellia:

The second screenshot is Hoth at its bleakest:

Here is Hyp’s Sith Marauder looking somewhat the worse for wear:

Chong tweeted the following “Tane’go Chong is looking to tango…you feel? Brown Chicken Brown Cow… #makelovenotstarwars” with the associated image:

Ray Leamon (@rbleamon) sent us this picture of new armor being worn by an NPC on Korriban:

We also read emails from Jack Holt and Ben Petersen.

5. Sarlacc Digest

We discuss the mechanics of the new warzone, Ancient Hypergate.

6. Outro

Thanks to Redna (@RystoJ), Chong (@EmpireDivider) and Hyp (@Hypknotoad) for joining us this week.

You can email questions and comments about the show to ootinicast@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter via @OotiniCast. Check out our website, ootinicast.com, which has links to our presence on Google+ and Facebook. We are a proud member of the TOR Syndicate! You can subscribe to us on iTunes and Zune, and listen to us on Stitcher.

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OotiniCast Episode 56

Chill and Teo are joined by PvP veterans Redna and Chong to discuss the state of PvP as of Game Update 1.5, with lots of handy tips and tricks for doing well in the current four warzones.

1. Introduction

2. Trivia question

Congratulations to this week’s winner, Christian S!

3. The Holofeed

  • Patch 1.5.2 was deployed during regular maintenance on Tuesday.
  • Another livestream Q&A was held on Thursday, where Jeff Hickman and Damion Schubert answered questions from the community posed by Joveth Gonzalez. Dulfy has posted a summary, transcript and video.
  • In a developer blog titled “The Importance of Player Feedback with the New Free-to-Play Option”, Jeff Hickman announced that Preferred players would be getting 4 quickslot bars (up from 2), 6 account-wide character slots (up from 2), and that the current limit of 50 characters account-wide for subscribers would be drastically increased.

4. Force Feedback

We discuss tweets from @JediAio (Aio), @ForceChuckle, @JediTChalla (T’Challa), @voyak, @KairiahMedens, @rbleamon (Ray Leamon), @StoleTarts (Megan), @EmpireDivider (Chong) and @BillLentz.

@Ryan_B1313 wonders whether the following two NPCs were added to the Imperial Fleet in Game Update 1.5, or whether they’ve been there all along:

Our guildmate Terg models his latest look, which he has dubbed “cyborg samurai”:

We also read an email from Wolfgangamadeus (a.k.a. Fritzdourdan, Hangsgruber and Karlurban) of the Ebon Hawk.

5. Sarlacc Digest

In a wide-ranging discussion, we discuss the state of PvP in Game Update 1.5, leading into some recommended tactics for the four warzones (using the Reddit /r/swtor thread “Warzone education/discussion” as a starting point).

Next week, we’ll continue the PvP focus with a look at Ancient Hypergate, the new warzone coming in Game Update 1.6.

6. Outro

Thanks to Redna (@RystoJ) and Chong (@EmpireDivider) for joining us this week.

You can email questions and comments about the show to ootinicast@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter via @OotiniCast. Check out our website, ootinicast.com, which has links to our presence on Google+ and Facebook. We are a proud member of the TOR Syndicate! You can subscribe to us on iTunes and Zune, and listen to us on Stitcher.

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OotiniCast Episode 55

Chill and Teo are joined by Hyp and first-time guest Redna to discuss the latest news. Our discussion topic centers on the new heroic space missions being introduced in Game Update 1.6. They certainly are challenging!

1. Introduction

Hyp provided a nice screenshot of his Imperial character, Hornigina, sporting the latest fashion from the Cartel Market.

2. Trivia question

We’re extending last week’s question for another week. Please help us find a home for a Tawntaun Fawn!

Detractors of the prequels sometimes argue that George Lucas almost killed the Star Wars franchise. But what other well-known director/writer/producer, who has similarly made at least one sci-fi movie, also came close to killing the Star Wars franchise during the making of the original series, by delaying one of the three original movies for weeks upon weeks and adding 20% to its cost?

Original hint: It is not George Lucas, nor is it either of the directors of Empire Strikes Back or Return of the Jedi.

New hint: The movie in question is Empire Strikes Back.

If you are interested in being entered in the random drawing for a Tauntaun Fawn code, please send your answer to ootinicast@gmail.com.

3. The Holofeed

  • Patch 1.5.1 was deployed during regular maintenance on Tuesday morning. However, it introduced a nasty bug where companion gear did not contribute stats when first summoned; players had to requip all their gear each time. That was quickly fixed in patch 1.5.1a, deployed the following morning.
  • A post in the Customer Service forum indicates that most players should receive their 100 CC (Cartel Coins) per month for having a security key attached to their account around the 15th (based on the date the free-to-play launched). If you add a security key now, that day of the month will be when you get your 100 CC. This allocation is independent of the subscription CC stipend.
  • The advertised free character, guild or Legacy name change that subscribed players could get per month is not yet available, but is coming.
  • In response to player feedback, Preferred status players will be getting 4 quickslot bars (up from 2), in next Tuesday’s patch.

4. Force Feedback

We discuss tweets from @EmpireDivider (Chong), @Rrubb, @ForceChuckle, @bytorsnowdog (Snowy), @grimrok (Grim), @rbleamon (Ray Leamon), @Arveshet, @Ahnog, @Dimbo56, @vayne_verso, @StoleTarts, @JediTChalla (T’Challa) and @JKremss; we also respond to a forum post from DroidDreamer.

Here’s the picture that Hyp took of his bare-chested Scoundrel, along with Teo’s Jedi Guardian and the Party Jawa:

5. Sarlacc Digest

In the first of our two-part series about the content coming in Game Update 1.6, we discuss the new space game missions. They are introduced by Lead Designer Michael Backus in Developer Update: Heroic Space Missions.

From our own experience on the PTS, they are indeed heroic (in that they’re very challenging), especially with the Grade 6 starship upgrades that are currently available. The missions recommend Grade 7+ upgrades, which Dulfy describes in SWTOR patch 1.6 Grade 7 Starship Upgrades and HM Space Missions. In summary, by ship item slot:

  • Ship armor: 500 Fleet Commendations
  • Energy shield: Cybertech schematic (700 Fleet Commendations)
  • Shield regenerator: 150 Daily Commendations
  • Beam charger: 500 Fleet Commendations
  • Beam generator: 500 Fleet Commendations
  • Missile magazine: Cybertech schematic (700 Fleet Commendations)
  • Power conversion module: 300,000 credits
  • Electronic Warfare Pod: Cybertech schematic (200 Daily Commendations)
  • EMP Generator: 150 Daily Commendations
  • Proton torpedoes: (no upgrade)

It seems we’ll definitely be needing to run a lot of existing space missions to accumulate sufficient Fleet Commendations to purchase all of the upgrades; at least the ones for Daily Commendations will be easier to obtain! There is an informative Reddit post (Gearing up for HM 1.6 Space Missions!) giving a breakdown of how efficient the space missions are in terms of time versus Fleet Commendations earned.

6. Outro

Thanks to Redna (@RystoJ) and Hyp (@Hypknotoad) for joining us this week.

You can email questions and comments about the show to ootinicast@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter via @OotiniCast. Check out our website, ootinicast.com, which has links to our presence on Google+ and Facebook. We are a proud member of the TOR Syndicate! You can subscribe to us on iTunes and Zune, and listen to us on Stitcher.

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OotiniCast Episode 54

Chill, Teo and Hyp discuss the release of Game Update 1.5 “HK-51 Activated” and free-to-play!

1. Introduction

2. Trivia question

Detractors of the prequels sometimes argue that George Lucas almost killed the Star Wars franchise. But what other well-known director/writer/producer, who has similarly made at least one sci-fi movie, also came close to killing the Star Wars franchise during the making of the original series, by delaying one of the three original movies for weeks upon weeks and adding 20% to its cost? (Hint: it is not Lucas, nor is it either of the directors of Empire or Jedi.)

If you are interested in being entered in the random drawing for a Tauntaun Fawn code, please send your answer to ootinicast@gmail.com.

3. The Holofeed

  • On Thursday 15 November, Game Update 1.5 “HK-51 Activated” was released, which included making SWTOR free-to-play! The projected 12 hour downtime was extended to around 15 hours, but once it came up things seemed stable. A short downtime was needed the following morning to deploy a small patch (1.5.0a).
  • Jeff Hickman (Executive Producer) and Blaine Christine (Senior Producer) posted a welcome for the update, summarising its features and emphasising the awesomeness of those Cartel Packs.
  • Included with the release was the rest of the pricing information for Cartel Coins (via buy.swtor.com):
    • $US4.99 buys 450 CC ($1 = 90 CC)
    • $US9.99 buys 1050 CC ($1 = 105 CC)
    • $US19.99 buys 2400 CC ($1 = 120 CC)
    • $US39.99 buys 5500 CC ($1 = 137 CC)
  • The monthly stipend was also explained, with more per month based on the length of game time subscribed or purchased:
    • 30 days (1 month) subscription for $US14.99 – 500 CC/month
    • 60 days (2 months) game time card for $US29.99 – 525 CC/month
    • 90 days (3 months) subscription for $US41.97 ($US13.99/month) – 550 CC/month
    • 180 days (6 months) subscription for $US77.94 ($US12.99/month) – 600 CC/month
  • Having a digital (subscribers only) or physical security key attached to an account will grant an extra 100 CC/month.
  • The Friend Referral programme continues, granting a one-time 500 CC when your referred friend subscribes, and an additional 100 CC/month for each month they remain subscribed.
  • A few days after launch, a trailer was released: “A Galaxy of Possibilities” (also on YouTube).
  • For Free and Preferred players, it was revealed that the 2 character slot limit was per account, not per server.
  • Some new frequently asked questions have been added to the Help Center:
    • Physical “Cartel Coin Cards” can be purchased from BestBuy and GameStop in the US, each costing $US19.99, and conferring 2400 CC. A unique account-wide mini-pet is granted the first time a card is used from each retailer (Arctic Manka Lynx from BestBuy, Lobelode from GameStop).
    • Free Player Guilds are guilds created by Free or Preferred players, with a slightly reduced feature set for the Guild Leader.
    • Legacy will unlock earlier now (previously it was the end of Chapter 1), though it has yet to be discovered just how early, or what the triggering event is.
    • Player status (Free, Preferred or Subscriber) does not grant any kind of boost to conversation or loot rolls!
  • There are breadcrumb missions that lead players to Section X (thanks to Hru for pointing these out):
    • Republic Fleet: General Conlath [-4590, -4745] (southern end of the GTN quarter, at the bottom of the steps that lead up towards the Mission Departures elevator)
    • Imperial Fleet: Captain Gostel [4710, 4800] (in the main corridor that runs south from the central hub, at the top of the steps that lead down to the Crew Skills quarter)
  • BioWare’s Damion Schubert (Lead Designer) answered a set of questions from Dulfy in SWTOR F2P & Future content interview with Damion Schubert.
  • Game Update 1.6 is already on the PTS! You can find the current patch notes in the Test Center. Game Update 1.6 includes the new Ancient Hypergates warzone, and six new 50+/hard mode space missions for each faction.

4. Force Feedback

We discuss tweets from @JediTChalla (T’Challa), @Dimbo56 (Dimbo), @ForceChuckle, @tshapedvisor, @VinzerFlinn, @killed_bydeath, @TullyAckland, @JKremss, @HolyCrapItsLate, @SWTORReforged, @IRBountyHunter, @sochobbit, @Thoroughmas, @vayne_verso, @copythat22, @terencemyers, and @voyak.

The irrepressible Chong (@EmpireDivider) provided some pictures for our enjoyment:

Chong has a new pimp speeder. Thanks @SWTOR

@SWTOR The temptation is too strong!

Not only can HK51 one shot your foes… He can also get down!!!

5. Outro

Thanks to Hyp (@Hypknotoad) for joining us this week.

You can email questions and comments about the show to ootinicast@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter via @OotiniCast. Check out our website, ootinicast.com, which has links to our presence on Google+ and Facebook. We are a proud member of the TOR Syndicate! You can subscribe to us on iTunes and Zune, and listen to us on Stitcher.

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OotiniCast Episode 53

Chill, Teo and Hyp are joined by SWTOR Reforged’s Evarwyn on the eve of Game Update 1.5’s release to talk about the latest news. We also examine three case studies of players wishing to take the free-to-play route, and consider how much it will actually cost them.

1. Introduction

Evarwyn, who we were honoured to have join us this week, is one of the hosts of SWTOR Reforged, a most excellent SWTOR podcast. He also co-manages the Quest Gaming Network, which includes many excellent podcasts in addition to SWTOR Reforged.

2. Trivia question

We had some great entries, which you can see in this post; all easily matched or surpassed the coolness of Chill’s original image. The winner was chosen randomly, rather than trying to judge which was the best: congratulations to Chong!

3. The Holofeed

  • The announcement confirming our estimate of free-to-play’s release being Thursday 15 November came not long after we recorded. There was also a press conference that was attended by convention media outlets, including Darth Hater, who provided a summary of what was covered.
  • The second video previewing free-to-play was released (also on YouTube).
  • BioWare released a developer update that gives an overview of the new Section X on Belsavis and the quest line to obtain our new companion, HK-51.
  • A developer blog gives some background into what’s coming with the new Nightmare Mode for the operation Explosive Conflict.

4. Force Feedback

We discuss tweets from @rbleamon (Ray Leamon), @EmpireDivider (Chong), @ForceChuckle, @ActiveNick (Nick Landry), @PedroLopezJr, @IRBountyHunter, @Dimbo56 and @voyak, and comments from T’Challa and Murraugh.

5. Sarlacc Digest

We consider three case studies for players who wish to play without subscribing, and attempt to determine the minimum they can spend to do this. In all cases, we assume that the player will either be a former subscriber, will subscribe temporarily, or will purchase at least $4.99 worth of Cartel Coins, thus permanently granting them Preferred Status.

Where prices are shown, they are given as a range; the higher value (shown first) assumes CC are purchased by the $4.99 packs containing 450 CC ($1 buys 90 CC), followed by a lower value (shown second) which is the cost if purchasing the $39.99 packs (5500 CC, $1 buys 137 CC).

Case 1: Former subscriber with an existing geared 50 who wants to raid

As a former subscriber, we assume they will have already unlocked sufficient inventory modules and cargo bays, and thus will not need to purchase more.

If they purchase the following, their initial investment will be either 2050 CC ($22.75-14.99) for a single character, or 4590 CC ($50.90-33.39) for the same items purchased account-wide:

  • Authorization: Artifact Equipment (1200/$13.31-8.73 or 2700/$29.94-19.64)
  • Unlock: Additional Quickbar (250/$2.78-1.82 or 540/$5.99-3.93)
  • Unlock: Guild Bank Access (600/$6.66-4.37 or 1350/$14.97-9.82)

These are probably the minimum that a former subscriber could get away with. After that is the recurring cost of the weekly pass to access operations:

  • Weekly Pass: Operations (240/$2.67-1.75)

While there is a significant outlay to start, the ongoing cost would end up being lower than a subscription, especially if purchasing the CC in the largest pack.

It’s worth noting that there is no need to also purchase the weekly pass for Flashpoints, as that only is required to obtain more than 3 rolls on loot drops per week. Without the pass, a player can still do hard modes to do the weekly and daily quests.

Case 2: New player who just wants to play KOTOR 3

The assumption is that this player has never subscribed before, wants to play SWTOR for its single-player story, and has no interest in the endgame. However, they may play through multiple times on each faction.

BioWare has actually been most generous for this case, with the only mandatory purchases (we believe) being the following (both account-wide) totalling 1320 CC ($14.65-9.61).

  • Unlock: Additional Quickbar (540/$5.99-3.93)
  • 2 x Unlock: Inventory Module (390/$4.33-2.84)

There are also recurring cost if the player chooses to purchase consumables, such as:

  • Medical Probes (500/$5.55-3.64)
  • Fleet Pass (Single Use) (90/$1.00-0.66)

Weekly passes for Flashpoints aren’t really necessary, as they can be experienced without the pass, with the only limitation being three loot rolls per week. Note that passing on a loot roll does not increment your total (though losing the loot roll does!).

Case 3: New player who wants to do it all, including eventually endgame

This case is more or less a combination of the first two cases. We believe this player will eventually purchase the following account-wide unlocks for 6315 CC ($70.04-45.95):

  • Authorization: Artifact Equipment (2700/$29.94-19.64)
  • Unlock: Guild Bank Access (1350/$14.97-9.82)
  • Unlock: Additional Quickbar (540/$5.99-3.93)
  • 2 x Unlock: Inventory Module (390/$4.33-2.84)
  • Unlock: Crew Skill Slot (945/$10.48-6.88)

Once they’re at endgame, they can then purchase the necessary weekly passes to do operations, Flashpoints or warzones (240/$2.67-1.75). It seems clear that if a player wants unlimited access to two or more of those activities, they’re better off subscribing.

Subscribing for even a short duration is also a good way to unlock inventory space and cargo bays using accumulated credits.

6. Outro

Thanks to Evarwyn (@Evarwyn) and Hyp (@Hypknotoad) for joining us this week.

You can email questions and comments about the show to ootinicast@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter via @OotiniCast. Check out our website, ootinicast.com, which has links to our presence on Google+ and Facebook. We are a proud member of the TOR Syndicate! You can subscribe to us on iTunes and Zune, and listen to us on Stitcher.

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OotiniCast Episode 52

Chill, Teo and Hyp discuss various developer updates, including Jeff Hickman’s State of the Game. We also review the Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia.

1. Introduction

2. Trivia question

This one isn’t exactly a trivia question, but should be fun. Beat Chill’s cool score! He found a fun place to be in game that he didn’t know you could get to, then took a screen shot.

That’s his sorcerer standing on the cheek of the golden statue of Karagga the Hutt on Nar Shaddaa.  Of course, he’d love to be on the hat, but it turns out the brim is too steep.  He’s so high up that the ceiling on this screenshot has partly disappeared and the buildings of Nar Shaddaa show through.

Anyway, to enter this week, send in a screenshot of your SWTOR toon at the coolest or just most unusual or hard-to-get-to place in game.

If you are interested in being entered in the random drawing for a Tauntaun Fawn code, please send your answer to ootinicast@gmail.com.

3. The Holofeed

  • There was a short maintenance this week, on Wednesday (after being postponed from Tuesday) with no new patch. We are predicting that Game Update 1.5, and with it free-to-play, will launch next week on Thursday 15 November.
  • Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer for SWTOR, delivers his first State of the Game.
  • Damion Schubert, Lead Designer, has written the Developer Update: Free-to-Play Option. As Joveth subsequently pointed out, it was actually written a few weeks ago; free-to-play is far closer to being ready than the article implies!
  • We were provided with some background story for our soon-to-be-acquired sixth companion in the Community Developer Blog: HK-51 Classified Intel.
  • There is also Developer Dispatch: HK-51 Activated, a short video (also on YouTube) elaborating on what’s coming in Game Update 1.5.
  • Damion tells us that they’re looking for some more rewards to be added to the Legacy system for those who’ve reached its cap (Legacy Level 50), but we shouldn’t expect them until sometime after free-to-play has launched.
  • He also confirmed that the new warzone Ancient Hypergates will be delivered in Game Update 1.6, following the launch of free-to-play; he anticipates it’ll be out before the end of 2012.
  • In Developer Update: Technical Changes in Game Update 1.5, Ben Cloward (Senior Technical Artist) tells us about his enhancement of the shaders used by the game engine to recreate the effect of light shining through leaves and grass. Chill observed this directly on the PTS; the first image shows a scene with the new shaders on the PTS, with the same scene on live:

4. Force Feedback

We discuss tweets from @rbleamon (Ray Leamon), @ForceChuckle, @Dimbo56, @IamAlana (Alana), @StoleTarts (Megan), @AspisVodox, @copythat22 (Lance) and @thehatfield (Hatfield).

@voyak referred us to this thread on the official forum, discussing how the presence of free-to-play players enrich everyone’s experience in the game, especially subscribers.

You can hear Megan’s (@StoleTarts) husband Bordeau as a guest host on episode 139 of the Darth Hater podcast. His livestream is also well worth watching, mainly for his entertaining commentary as he plays.

5. Sarlacc Digest

This week we finally review the Star Wars: The Old Republic Encyclopedia.

6. Outro

Thanks to Hyp (@Hypknotoad) for joining us this week.

You can email questions and comments about the show to ootinicast@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter via @OotiniCast. Check out our website, ootinicast.com, which has links to our presence on Google+ and Facebook. We are a proud member of the TOR Syndicate! You can subscribe to us on iTunes and Zune, and listen to us on Stitcher.

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SWTOR Reforged Episode 17: Ootini!

We are cross-posting episode 17 of SWTOR Reforged on which Chill and I were guests. We hope you enjoy the show, and consider subscribing to them if you don’t already!

We have FINALLY returned, and the wait was worth it! The crew sits down with Chill and Teo from Ootini-Cast! After escaping the clutches of Slimey The Hutt, Chill and Teo talk with Evarwyn, Lou and Fred about their week in game as well as the MASSIVE news that Disney purchased Lucas Arts and that there WILL be an Episode 7,8 and 9! Also, the guys talk a bit about F2P model as we learn more information, not the least of which being an announcement from Joveth Gonzalez that 1.5 will not be this week, but rather, VERY soon! After our talk, Lou enters the Jedi Archives where he presents to us the origins of the title “Darth”!

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OotiniCast Episode 51

Chill, Teo and Hyp have much to cover this week: Disney is buying LucasFilm, Star Wars: Episode 7 is coming in 2015, EA had its latest earnings call, and there’s plenty of updates on the free-to-play conversion, as it continues to be tested in Game Update 1.5 on the PTS.

1. Introduction

2. Trivia question

Congratulations to this week’s winner, JT Long. He plays Arveshet of the Timor sub-guild of AIE (Alea Iacta Est) on the Jedi Covenant server.

3. The Holofeed

  • The news that George Lucas has sold LucasFilm Ltd to Disney took the Star Wars world by storm this week. The sale includes LucasArts, the company which makes Star Wars games, and which partnered with BioWare to make SWTOR. As part of the announcement, it was revealed that Star Wars: Episode 7 will be released in 2015. A source within LucasFilm indicates that it will be an original story, rather than based on an existing story from the Extended Universe.
  • Fans were quick to create some suggestive imagery reflecting just what the Disneyfication of Star Wars will mean.
  • Patch 1.4.3 was deployed during a long scheduled maintenance on Tuesday. Along with a few fixes, the patch included a beefing up of the rewards offered by story mode operations. It seems they went a little too far when they were reduced in Game Update 1.4!
  • Electronic Arts held its 2Q 2013 earnings call this week, though SWTOR was barely mentioned. No subscriber numbers were revealed, and when questioned, the response indicated the subscribed community was “stable”.
  • Peter Moore, COO (Chief Operating Officer) of Electronic Arts, was interviewed by Wired. Many topics were covered, though a couple of questions directly applied to SWTOR and its free-to-play strategy.
  • Due to an apparent increase in buying credits with real-world money from unauthorised sources, BioWare has warned that the penalties for doing so are severe.
  • There was also plenty of news on the free-to-play front, as Game Update 1.5 continues to be tested on the PTS.
    • Nathan Emmott goes into detail about Preferred Player status, which is earned once a payment has been made for a given account (e.g., purchase of Cartel Coins, subscription). Any player who has previously been subscribed will automatically be elevated to Preferred status once free-to-play is launched.
    • Damion Schubert describes the changes that are being made as testing of Game Update 1.5 continues, including the relaxation of some restrictions on free-to-play players. He also confirms that account unlocks apply to all current and future characters, regardless of server.
    • Blaine Christine answered many player questions about the free-to-play conversion.
    • It’s well worth checking the current patch notes for the PTS, to see the current shape of Game Update 1.5.

4. Force Feedback

Our sincere thanks to Howard for his donation! He also emailed us for some PvP tips for a Gunslinger; Chill was most happy to oblige.

We discuss tweets from @DarthPops (Marshall Carr Jr.), @weihanthekidsun (Weihan Sun), @EmpireDivider (Chong), @John_K64 (Ry), @rbleamon (Ray Leamon), @voyak, @ForceChuckle, @Dimbo56, @StoleTarts (Megan), @AspisVodox, @Rabbi_Shekky and @bytorsnowdog.

We’d like to recommend the Coffee Talk with Niq and Lance podcast, a general gaming show from the former hosts of Pink Side of the Force.

Our guildmate Terg has demonstrated some quite remarkable pumpkin carving skills for Halloween, creating a pretty accurate recreation of everyone’s favourite Sith, Darth Malgus!

5. Outro

Thanks to Hyp (@Hypknotoad) for joining us this week.

You can email questions and comments about the show to ootinicast@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter via @OotiniCast. Check out our website, ootinicast.com, which has links to our presence on Google+ and Facebook. We are a proud member of the TOR Syndicate! Subscribe to us on iTunes and Zune, and watch for us in your Bind on Equip feed.

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OotiniCast Episode 50

With the revelation that Game Update 1.5 will be the free-to-play release, our discussion topic this week is all about the Cartel Market and the restrictions being placed on players who don’t subscribe.

1. Introduction

2. Trivia question

What SWTOR earnable character title is from something said by Princess Leia, and was not used as a compliment?

If you are interested in being entered in the random drawing for a Tauntaun Fawn code, please send your answer to ootinicast@gmail.com.

3. The Holofeed

  • While there was scheduled downtime this week, no patch was deployed.
  • BioWare have released Free-to-play Preview #1 (also on YouTube), a video introducing free-to-play, and teasing some of the goods that will be available for purchase.
  • At least for now, reverse engineering mods that were crafted by others is a legitimate (if unintended) way of learning their schematics.
  • Sith Marauders and Jedi Sentinels (using Rage and Focus specs respectively) are now performing extremely well in PvP, to such an extent that they are over-represented. BioWare is monitoring the situation to see whether this is due to them being the “flavour of the month”, or if they’re overpowered enough that nerfing may be required.
  • In the minefield (Colonel Vorgath) encounter in story mode Explosive Conflict, the Probe Droid’s Cleave ability no longer cleaves (single-target only); also, while the enrage timer for Vorgath himself has been raised, the timer on the minefield remains as tight as ever.
  • Enter now to win a SWTOR-themed Razor laptop! Entries close 4 November.

4. Force Feedback

Our sincere thanks to Mags for his donation!

We discuss tweets from @NULLZERO1, @DarthPops (Marshall Carr Jr.), @John_K64 (Ry), @Rrubb (Rub), @rbleamon (Ray Leamon), @voyak, @ForceChuckle, @Dimbo56, @StoleTarts (Megan), @AspisVodox, @Rabbi_Shekky and @TranscendenceG (The Trancendence Guild on the Prophecy of the Five east coast PvP server).

@JediAio linked us to the old (but great!) Saturday Night Live skit, “Star Wars Auditions”.

@voyak recommends this YouTube video of a flashmob in Germany. In terms of personal flexibility (and possibly fitness), he also suggests we try Star Wars Yoga.

Marshall Carr (@DarthPops) showed us how to make pumpkin-carving fun, at least for Star Wars fans!

Kuze shows us that some bugs in SWTOR can have a funny site.

5. Sarlacc Digest

The Cartel Market has been added to the PTS, thus revealing that Game Update 1.5 will be the launch of free-to-play. The PTS patch notes were updated with the new features. In addition to the Cartel Market, more welcome changes have been added to 1.5:

  • re-specialisations are now free for subscribers
  • subscribers will have access to 2 additional quickbars (giving us 6 in total)
  • our inventory’s currency window now includes a progress bar for each currency, indicating the applicable cap
  • the preview window has been greatly enhanced, showing a fully-animated model of the character, now allowing the equipped (or previewed) weapon to be drawn

Teo spent some time on the PTS playing with the Cartel Market interface, investigating what was for sale:

  • Cartel Packs (the “gambling” boxes) could be bought for 180 CC or 360 CC
  • Cosmetic items included:
    • a minipet for 240 CC
    • an adaptive speeder (matches your current speeder piloting level) for 720 CC, which included Speeder Piloting I
    • Carbonite Chamber for 1440 CC
    • Rancor Holo-replica for 180 CC
  • Unlocks were available, primarily of use to non-subscribers:
    • Authorization: Event Equipment Requisition (175 CC/char or 400 CC/account), one-off unlock
    • Authorization: Artifact Equipment (1200 CC/char or 2700 CC/account),  one-off unlock
    • Unlock: Guild bank access (600 CC/char or 1350 CC/account)
    • Authorization: Crew Member Appearance (325 CC/char or 725 CC/account)
    • Unlock: 10 GTN sale slots (125 CC/char or 280 CC/account), apply 5 times for 50 total
    • Unlock: additional quickbar (250 CC/char or 540 CC/account), once per quickbar [start with two]
    • Unlock: inventory module (175 CC/char or 380 CC/account) per row of 10 [start with three]
    • Unlock: crew skill slot (420 CC/char or 945 CC/account) per slot
    • Unlock: cargo hold access (475 CC/char or 1050 CC/account) per bay
    • each racial unlock costs 350 CC
    • Customization control: display titles, display legacy name (100 CC/char or 200 CC/account)
    • Customization control: hide head slot, unify colors (350 CC/char or 775 CC/account)
  • Equipment could be purchased, all adaptive:
    • chestpieces, suitable for level 15 (150 CC) and level 43 (325 CC)
    • armor sets (containing head, chest, gloves, pants, boot) for 1200 CC
    • weapons (e.g., Gamorrean Axe for 350 CC)
    • +41 color crystals for 900 CC
  • Various consumables useful for both free-to-play players and subscribers:
    • 25% increased XP boosts, in two versions:
      • major, lasting 3 hours, for 120 CC; also 5-pack for 480 CC
      • minor, lasting 1 hours, for 80 CC
    • 25% increased valor (major for 50 CC, minor for 30 CC)
    • single-use (no shared cooldown) fleet pass for 90 CC
    • single-use quick travel (90 CC)
    • 5-pack of medical probes for 500 CC (free-to-play players have a finite number of medical probes, and need to buy these to restock!)
    • weekly passes for 240 CC to give unlimited access to warzones, space missions and operations
    • weekly pass for 240 CC making Flashpoint boss loot accessible

Items purchased from the Cartel Market are intended to be gifted to other players or sold on the GTN, though some will be temporarily bound so that they can’t be parted with straight away.

The restrictions on free-to-play players were discussed, though given they’re currently in flux, we’ll go over them again the next episode. We were happy to hear that free-to-play players will start with two quickbar slots, rather than just one!

Finally, we speculated as to how much Cartel Coins would be worth. Our best guess is that they’ll be priced like BioWare points (used to purchase DLC for other BioWare games, like Mass Effect), which would be $1 for 80 Cartel Coins. BioWare confirmed that Cartel Coins will not initially be earnable via in-game activities.

6. Outro

Thanks to Hyp (@Hypknotoad) for joining us this week.

You can email questions and comments about the show to ootinicast@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter via @OotiniCast. Check out our website, ootinicast.com, which has links to our presence on Google+ and Facebook. We are a proud member of the TOR Syndicate! Subscribe to us on iTunes and Zune, and watch for us in your Bind on Equip feed.

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