HoloNet Links #33
Our top story on HoloNet Links has to do with an announcement from Drew Karpyshyn. After twelve years with Bioware, Drew is officially retiring from the company and video game developing. He let his fans know in his blog February 15th. Drew talks in the blog entry how he plans to use the time for other projects, writing novels, screenplays and playing some more golf.
More on Drew’s announcement & the rest of this week’s HoloNet Links after the Jump…
“I’m leaving to focus more time and energy on my novels and other non-video game related projects. But even though I’ll no longer be working on games for BioWare, I’m not going to be severing all ties with them. Many of my closest friends still work at the company, and I’m also in the process of writing the next Star Wars: The Old Republic novel, though I can’t say too much about it yet.”
Drew, you will be missed, from both Bioware and the video game industry. I personally want to thank you for creating my favorite character in the entire Star Wars Universe…Revan. May the Force be with you, in all that you do!
- Belated Valentine’s Day ideas for your SWTOR companions
This past Tuesday was Valentine’s Day. I hope that you were able to celebrate and spend time with the ones you love outside of the gaming realm. That said, did you remember your companions? Did you get them any special gifts? If not maybe you can help mend the relationships with a new look. Nothing says love like a Star Wars: The Old Republic “facial.” I’m talking about the many customizations kits found throughout the galaxy. So, now you know what to get your companion, where can you find the customizations kit? Well, Dulfy’s Healing Corner has you covered. Not only does she have the locations and some sneak peeks at how the appearances look, but she has verified the locations. So get that spice back into your SWTOR relationship by visiting Dulfy’s article, “Companion Customization list.”
Dev notes
- Quitting in the future Warzones could result in penalties?!
GeorgZoeller PvP -> People leaving wz is now out of control.
Patch 1.2, among many other PvP changes, will remove the reliance on daily quests for your gear progression (and therefore increasing the value of the commendations you get for playing a match to the end) and penalties for quitters.
All I can say…thank you Bioware! There has been needed a penalty for those not willing to stick it out and help the team during a Warzone.
- Georg talks when fix for Operative Medical Therapy will be fixed
GeorgZoeller Operative -> Operative Medical Therapy does not work
Update: The fix for this is scheduled for weekly patch 1.1.4.
— Georg
- Finally…looks like conversation bugs might be cleared up
AmberGreen Customer Service -> Companion Conversation Bugged
Hello everyone! Thanks for your patience while we implemented a resolution for this issue. It’s wonderful to see your enthusiasm over the knowledge that our Companions really DO want our company when they say they do.
Remember that we’re always looking to improve the game, and we know that things such as this can make a big difference.
This has been a bug that has been driving me crazy. My companion’s icon to chat would come up, so I head back towards my ship and then to get there and they don’t want to talk…ugh. Thank to the testers and developers for hopefully getting this bug fixed.
- Possible new rolling system for companion needed gear
DamionSchubert General Discussion -> Do not roll “Need” for companion gear.
Need vs. greed isn’t as simple in our game because of companions, as well as Orange Gear and mod extraction.
We will probably limit the ‘need’ button to only people who match the primary class the gear is meant for, and add a new button in between need and greed for players to choose if they intend the gear for these purposes – this will allow CC users to roll against each other without competing with the guy who wants to sell the gear for credits.
I don’t have a timeline on this for you guys right now, though – certainly not in the next major patch. In the meantime, I strongly recommend that players who care clearly decide the expected need/greed role behaviors (‘no companion need rolling or you’re out!’) when a group is initially formed. In the meantime, I’ll work on getting this feature in the works.
Not sure exactly how this will work. I do know that there should be a better way than currently, but that said if you actually communicate with the group members, everyone usually understands if you need an item for a companion. Perhaps class quests should drop more companion items and let Flashpoints, Warzones, general loot drops and Operations be the source for a player’s gear…Oh, let us not forget Crew Skills. Maybe schematics that are companion specific could be added for the crafting system.
What are some ideas you can think or to help with companion gear needs? Let us know in the comment section below.
- Emails have been sent out for Guild Summit
DavidBass General Discussion -> Guild Summit Application Status
All emails have now been sent out. Please check your inboxes if you applied for the Guild Summit, and email guilds@swtor.com if you do not receive an email within the next hour or so.
For those who have been put on the waitlist, we’ll contact you sometime within the next week if a space opens up for your guild.
For those who did not apply but are anxiously awaiting more details about the Summit and the livestream, we’ll be providing that once we’re much closer to the event. For now, I can tell you that the livestream will run on Monday, March 5th for the majority of the morning and afternoon. Once we nail down the exact schedule, we’ll provide it to you so you can plan around it if necessary.
Thanks again to everyone who applied! We look forward to seeing you in Austin or on the livestream!
Be sure to check your email, including your spam folder for a possible invite to the first Guild Summit held in Austin Texas. If you are like me and did not get an invite, don’t fret the entire event is going to be on a livestream and recorded to watch. I am encouraged to see what Bioware plans to unveil for guilds and also things like UI changes etc. Be sure to mark your calendars now for Monday, March 5th!
Star Wars Community News & Events
- Corellian Run Radio’s Weekly Nav Coordinates
This week we had a new staff writer add their talents to the website. Timothy De Block’s article “So, You Think You Can Fly,” is a really great start for him here at Corellian Run Radio. Be sure to check his article and all the rest over the past week submitted by the site’s writers. Please be sure to take some time and leave your comments for our writers. We appreciate hearing what you think, or even what you would like us to cover in future articles.
02/12 So, You Think You Can Fly by Timothy De Block
02/13 Episode 47: Carla & Deirdre Talk Ilum Woes and More – podcast
02/13 Guild Checkpoint featuring Redemption by Jason Taylor
02/14 My Two Credits: Tankage by Maer
02/15 Force Lore: Happy belated Valentine’s Day by Daniel Sperelli
02/15 Force Lore: Korriban by Daniel Sperelli
- SWTOR Video Fun
Huge shout to the video creator SwtorLEGIT (Riley Hastings), composer Mark Griskky and the vocals by artist Richie Branson. Trust me after this video you will, “pledge allegiance to the Cold Republic!” Sit back press play and enjoy! I am looking forward to share more videos from Richie and his crew in the future.
Have you created something like Richie and his friends that you want to share with the SWTOR community? If so we would like to help! Just send your in-game footage, music video, video parody, game tips, fan fiction, creative artwork… As long as it’s related to SWTOR the possibilities are endless – NO SPOILERS, Please.
Send links for your work and it might just get highlighted in future HoloNet Links articles. You can email me at corellianrun@gmail.com, or you can leave link suggestions in the comments below, or in the Facebook group. See you all next week!