Take out your pens or pencils and mark Friday March 18, 2005 as the day that Star Wars Galaxies was saved. Well, alright, I guess Thursday May 05, 2005 would be the better day (when the combat upgrade and expansion is released). Still though, we are learning some very interesting details and that will only continue in the coming weeks.

With this in mind, I wish to inform my readers that the direction of this column will change slightly with the weeks leading up to, and after the combat upgrade. The scope of this update is vast and so many topics will be covered and I want to cover them all! The combat upgrade is the future of Star Wars Galaxies and it would only be prudent make sure all the bases are covered.

This briefing is intended for members of the Alliance who are assisting in liberation efforts on Kashyyyk. It is intended to familiarize you with basic information about the world, its inhabitants and flora. The Empire has shown great interest in this planet as a source of resources... mainly consisting of Wookiee Slaves. They suspect that the Wookiees are getting assistance from the Alliance and are therefore tightening their grip on the system with the help of the Trandoshans. It is of utmost importance that we increase our support to the Wookiee resistance.

• Explore Kashyyyk - the home planet of the Wookiees is being added as an entirely new adventure planet and space zone
  
• Adventure through over 100 story-driven quests - Join the Wookiees in their fight for freedom against their Imperial-supported Trandoshan slavers or support the Empire in their mission of quelling the spread of the Rebellion!
  
• Visit and discover several points of interest and adventure zones including the Wookiee-run tree cities, Trandoshan-controlled slave camps and the safari lands of the affluent Rodians
  
• Pilot new starships inspired by the motion picture Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith including Anakin's Jedi Starfighter model
  
• Enhance your character with radical new cybernetic parts that add special abilities and improve your performance in combat
  
• Embark on daring new space mining missions to recover precious raw materials for sale to ground-based crafters. Surviving slews of pirates will provide unprecedented economic opportunities
  
• And experience the all new combat system featuring new weapons, new armor, new effects and an all new user-interface to make combat even more engaging and fun!

When I stepped out of the temple, I could barely believe my eyes. The place was swarming with stormtroopers and Dark Jedi, and there was even a transport shuttle parked just along the edge of the stone walkway to my left. Just where in the nine hells of Corellia had they all come from?

Galaxy-wide Vendor Search is here!

Have you ever wanted to search for an item to buy without having to travel across the entire planet randomly checking vendors? Well now you can! We have enhanced the functionality of our bazaar terminals to include the ability to search all player vendors for items you may be looking for. This new feature will greatly improve how vendors are handled in the game. Read on for more information.

PA Hall Leadership Succession

In the current live environment, a PA does not automatically handle the case where a PA leader has retired from the game. This condition results in leaderless PAs, often with active members who wish to continue to run the guild. In order to resolve this system, we will implement an automated PA succession system.

Read More...

-- LiquidTr4nce @ Tue 15 Mar 2005


Star Wars Galaxies Dev Team / Stratics House of Commons Chat - March 16th.
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Stratics is pleased to announce a House of Commons with the developers of Star Wars Galaxies on Wednesday, March 16th! It will be at 5pm PDT / 8pm EDT in the #StraticsHoC channel on Stratics IRC.

Wednesday's topics are:

• Galactic Civil War Updates
  
• "Content"
  
• EPIII: RotW

• irc.epaxsys.net port 6667, USA - Colorado
  
• stratics.frws.com port 6667, USA - Colorado
  
• irc.glowfish.de port 6667, EU - Germany
  
• stratics.afraidyet.net 6667, USA - Atlant

Smuggler � Smuggling Experience

The smuggler�s life is defined by danger. He is paid to be discrete, to avoid conflict, and to get his goods delivered on time. In the Star Wars film, we see Han Solo use his abilities to smuggle people through an Imperial blockade and we hear stories of his previous trouble with angry employers.

This experience will be introduced to Star Wars Galaxies through a smuggling quest system. Smugglers will move contraband from one location to another, with enemies at their heels and only their chosen companions and their trusted ship to aid them.

Smuggler � Slicing

Jury rigging hardware is an iconic element of the Star Wars smuggler. Han Solo was known for his ability to make modifications on his ship or equipment and to barely keep things running in the face of trouble. In our game, we have chosen to call this slicing, a slight misuse of the term. Slicing is a core element of the smuggler profession in SWG, its one of the primary methods in which smugglers are able to make money and impact the game environment and economy.

The current slicing model lacks detail and gameplay. A smuggler is able to slice a limited number of values and the results of the slice are random. In addition, certain items let the smuggler bypass the slice completely and always succeed. The goal of the slicing enhancement will be to give smugglers more control over the results of their slices, as well as improve the gameplay element of slicing. Finally, smugglers will be giving some slicing options that can be used inside POB ships.

I stood at the edge of the forest and looked out past the small body of water which surrounded the temple and felt a shiver crawl up my spine. Something about this place didn't feel right. It was like the feeling which Faybren had described to me on our trek to the Temple of the Blue Leaf, as if someone were watching me, waiting. No, scratch that, it was like multiple someones watching me and waiting for my next move. I was willing to bet my life that the Dark Jedi were here and already keyed to our presence.

Here are upcoming fixes/additions heading your way! These should be hitting Test Center in the next few days =)

• 2 new songs (Starwars4 and Funk) and 4 new
  dances (Tumble, Tumble2, Breakdance, and Breakdance2) added to the
  Dancer and Musician skill tree.
  
• Dances that move around the floor will animate properly to observers.
  
• Removal of the timers for Body and Cosmetic changes for Image Designers (this is done in preparation for the Combat Upgrade)
  
• Removal of falling mistakes when dancing
  
• Image Designer points will be reduced by
  16 skill points so that the ability to master dancer, musician and
  image designer can be obtained.
  
• The 15 second delay between stopping one performance and starting a new one will be removed for dancers and musicians.

Tiggs

Join the development team for breakfast at Star Wars
Celebration! Here�s your chance to meet some of the folks that
make Star Wars Galaxies happen and maybe some of the players you�ve
been adventuring with for ages. This morning event will include a
large buffet breakfast, a presentation of never before seen content and
plenty of time for live Q&A; with the devs!

This dev-hosted event is limited to 200 attendees and
will have plenty of time for good food and great discussion before you
head over to Celebration!

Devs confirmed for the Player Breakfast:

• J. Allen Brack, producer - Combat Upgrade
  
• Dallas Dickenson, producer - Rage of the Wookiees
  
• Brandon Reinhart, designer - LIVE
  
• Julio Torres, producer - LucasArts
  
• Diane "Tiggs!", assistant community manager
  
• Jason Ryan, events manager

• Full buffet breakfast!
  
• An opportunity to meet members of the development team and talk about all the finer points of the game we love to play!
  
• A first look at a full demo of the upcoming Rage of the Wookiees expansion and the Combat Upgrade!
  
• And a commemorative badge and t-shirt!
  
• Tickets will go on sale early next week. Over 30,000 people
  are expected at Celebration this year. To keep this event more
  intimate so you have the most quality time with the dev team, seats are
  limited. We're expecting to sell out.

Read More...

-- Reirae @ Wed 09 Mar 2005


Rage of the Wookiees - Press Release
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Just got this in my email from LucasArts...

Marin County, Calif. - March 9, 2005 - LucasArts and Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE) are thrilled to announce Star Wars Galaxies(tm): Episode III Rage of the Wookiees (working title) as the next addition to the popular online Star Wars gaming experience. Rage of the Wookiees, available to current players as a digital download two full weeks before the movie launches, adds a whole slew of content taken directly from the highly anticipated Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith movie, including the adventure planet of Kashyyyk, home to the Wookiees.

On Kashyyyk, players will choose to defend the freedom of the Wookiees or to fight for their Imperial-backed Trandoshan enslavers in over 100 story-driven adventures. Players will also explore multiple locations of Star Wars interest, including Wookiee-controlled tree cities, Trandoshan slave camps and the safari lands of the affluent Rodians. New starcraft like a new Jedi Starfighter model flown by Anakin, along with creatures and mounts taken directly from Revenge of the Sith, will also debut in-game with the Rage of the Wookiees expansion.

Episode III Rage of the Wookiees also introduces a new type of game play: The lucrative but daring space mining adventures allow players to mine asteroids throughout space (including the new Kashyyyk space sector), collecting valuable raw materials for sale to ground-based crafters. Any starcraft can be modified for space mining, but dedicated miners will earn a sophisticated high-end ship, allowing them to traverse space while mining and fighting with up to 19 friends as shipmates!

Star Wars Galaxies: Episode III Rage of the Wookiees will be available for pre-order early April 2005 and available on May 5, 2005 via digital download. For more information, visit www.starwarsgalaxies.com!

We made relatively good time considering how much jungle we had to work our way through. At times, we had resorted to using our lightsabers to cut a path through the foliage. When we were forced to do so, I saw Shri take a slightly pained look on her face, as if doing this act was a perversion to her. But beneath that I saw a resolve that no one human could have ever matched. Her love of Jayce as a friend would beat out any love for the land, at least for the time being.