HoloNet Links #97

The Gray Secant is back! This means the Gree and their sponsored event on Ilum, along with Gree Reputation vendors. Some have voiced displeasure for the return of this event, and I can understand wanting new events, etc. However, in my opinion it is fairly easy missions, plenty of credits, not to mention the ability to raise your reputation, and another way get some daily commendations. We also have got our first piece of news about “planned” service coming in Update 2.2!

Info on 2.2, Richie Branson new album, dev notes & more after the Jump…

• Date set for SWTOR Community Cantina in San Diego

July 18th, 2013, the SWTOR Community will be in San Diego, CA. This is your chance to meet some of the devs and members of the community team. It is important note, like the official SWTOR article states, space is limited for the site of the Community Cantina, so be sure to RSVP. Go to the official article to see how and where you need to submit your reservations for the event.

• First Tidbit on Update 2.2

On the 22nd, Eric Musco gave us our first hint at a possible service/feature “planned” for Update 2.2. Here is his dev post on the subject.

EricMusco Server Transfers, 11 Months Later… | 05.22.2013, 08:24 AM

Hey everyone,
I wanted to give an update on paid character transfers as I know it is something that everyone has been chomping at the bit for. The reason for our silence on the issue is that we are still working through some issues with the transfer tool and so we didn’t want to set an expectation on timing and not meet it. Also, it was very important to us that we informed our APAC players of our plans first, since transfers related to their current issues as well.
With that said I wanted to let you know what our current plans are. As it stands today, our goal is to launch character transfers with Game Update 2.2. Now, as I noted above, we are still working through some things so please note that this is just our goal and that it is entirely subject to change.
I will update you with more information as I get it, thanks!
-eric

BOOM! That is the bombshell of an announcement some players have been waiting to hear for awhile. As someone who played on the Public Test Server, the character copy worked fairly well. Basically that is what character transfers will entail, except to a larger degree and many more variables…player names, how a player’s Legacy will carry over to another server, and I’m sure there are many more. However, BioWare is doing a good thing by one, making an announcement about what will hopefully be on the next game update and secondly working to provide a system the community has been wanting. I am hoping BioWare gets all the bugs worked out when Update 2.2 comes around and server transfers will be possible. This is a step in the right direction for SWTOR and for BioWare to let the players know they are listening. Now it is up to their team to deliver. What is your opinion on server transfers? Will you use the service? Let us know your answers in the comment section below.

• Dev notes

EricMusco Concerns About Players Being Suspended | 05.22.2013, 04:54 PM

Hey folks,
I made a post about this here but I know it will lose visibility off the front page. I have no information right now but we are actively investigating your reports. I may not have an update tonight but I will post information as soon as as I have it. In the meantime, please refrain from making new threads on the topic as they will be deleted. Remember that discussion of action being taken against players, exploits, etc. is against the forum rules.
Thanks everyone, I will get you more information as soon as I can!
-eric

I found about this issue, regarding a player’s account being possibly banned etc. from Reddit. As Eric states above, they are looking into this matter to see what exactly is going on. As with anything on the internet, it should be taken with a grain of salt…yes, ding for another cliché. However, until all the details are known the best we can do is wait to see what happens with this issue.

DamionSchubert Dye modules—Cartel and Legacy armor | 05.22.2013, 05:09 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Magnusheart

Lights on Gree armor WONT CHANGE COLOR. It changes Primary and secondary colors, which on the Gree armor is both black.

My understanding is that the dye packs/color scheme either cannot or looks horrible with textures that glow (‘emissives’), and as such, it is unlikely we will allow those to have their colors changed in the near future.

I can personally vouch for how the dyes work with the Gree armor sets. The color dyes look very weird with the colored lights made into the armor. However, I did use preview with the white Gree armor and light blue/cyan colored lights and noticed secondary color modules do color the white areas on the armor. The Artifice crafted dye module, secondary purple actually looks pretty cool. I’m not sure about using the, unify to chest color, because it appears the white areas on the boots and gloves is a primary color. My best advice would be to use the preview system to the best of your ability. BioWare, it would be nice if we could preview various colors on each piece of armor…just an idea, free of charge

CourtneyWoods The Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Cantina Tour Arrives in San Diego | 05.22.2013, 04:55 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by LeGoonDuVegas

Courtney, any way we can see an actual tour schedule, instead of announcing these things a couple weeks in advance? Some of us would like to attend, but will need more time to get time off requests in.

Hey LeGoonDuVegas,
We try to refrain from posting exact times and locations until we have 100% secured the venue. But here is a list of general dates for Community Cantina Tour locations for the rest of the year:

• June 2013 – Los Angeles, CA
• July 2013 – San Diego, CA
• August 2013 – Chicago, IL
• August 2013 – Cologne, Germany
• August 2013 – Seattle, WA
• October 2013 – New York, NY
• November 2013 – Austin, TX

I can say that we plan most of our events around conventions. For example, our Los Angeles event occurs during E3 and this event is happening during SDCC.
So for Chicago we are looking to have the meet and greet during Wizard World Chicago Comic Con, which is from August 8th-11th.
For Cologne, Germany, we are aiming to schedule it during Gamescom, which is from August 22nd-25th.
The Seattle event is during PAX Prime, so August 30th – September 2nd.
And finally the New York event will be occuring the same time as NYCC, which is from October 10th-13th.
The Austin, TX meet and greet is not happening during a convention so I don’t have a time frame for you there.
Hope that helps!

Awesome question LeGonDuVegas, and thank you Courtney Woods for giving the community a tentative schedule, so people can plan accordingly.

How many of you are planning to attend one of the SWTOR Community Cantina Events? If so which one/s? Let us know in the comment section below.

I’m planning to go to the Chicago one during Wizard World Chicago Comic Con! Looking forward to meeting the development and community members…I have been following since it was announced and writing for Corellian Run Radio for over 2 years. It will be great to meet some of those folks responsible for making SWTOR reality, oh and I hear there will be beverages! Any word on those cookies the Empire promises?

Star Wars Community News & Events

• Corellian Run Radio’s Weekly Nav Coordinates

While you are in between running Gree Event missions why not check out this week’s latest podcast. Carla, Drew and special guest Joe, give us their thoughts on Update 2.1 and what they are looking forward to “possibly” seeing in Update 2.2.

As you read through any of articles or listen to the podcast, please take a moment and submit your feedback and suggestions in the comment sections. We love to hear from you. Thanks again, to you our loyal fans and followers, enjoy the links below!

05/20 Community Checkpoint featuring the Hyperspace Motivators by Jason Taylor
05/20 Episode 96: Customized Cats – podcast

Corellian Run Radio’s Youtube channel

Corellian Run Radio’s Facebook group

We are looking for people interested in helping on the Corellian Run Radio website. So if you would like to write an article or create a video guide or maybe you have another idea altogether, please contact us. You just need to send us an email with your idea and a small writing sample to explain your skills and why you want to help out at Corellian Run Radio. Submit your ideas, a bit about yourself and small writing sample to us at corellianrun@gmail.com.

• Gamer/Rapper Richie Branson setting a Great Example

image via richiebranson.com

I had the great privilege, in HoloNet Links #34, to have a Q&A interview Richie Branson. I interviewed him after coming across his SWTOR inspired music video, entitled “Cold Republic.” He has continued working hard on his music and is due to release his album, “From Guardia With Love” on May 28th. Not only is he setting an example for what hard work can accomplish, but Richie, like he always does, is taking it above and beyond. He announced on his website, that “Every penny that I personally earn from this album will be donated to charity…specifically the Extra Life organization that works with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.”

His reason for this is simple, to give back to those kids that need some help. It is wonderful to see his career take off and more importantly to see Richie is not like several athletes, musicians or actors that get their break and wind-up blowing the money or getting into trouble. Thank you Richie for the nerd/gaming influenced music and most of all, thanks for showing us what it is to remember others in need! Below is a short interview, which also includes his new song, “Level Up.” The song has roots in gaming and other nerd culture references, but listen closely Richie includes an important message about life and reaching that next level – ding!

That’s it for this week’s article. If you have a particular link, story, video, or topic related to SWTOR we would love to hear about it! You can send those to us here at Corellian Run Radio and we can place it in a future article. Just email us the links and/or the details for the event at corellianrun@gmail.com, or you can also leave any link suggestions in the comments below, or in Corellian Run Radio’s Facebook group. See you all next week!

FACT OR FICTION: Can you pick out the true fact? This week’s fact or fiction is all about Update 2.1!

More Episode #96 and Comments after the jump…

FROM THE NEWSNET & BEYOND: Roundup of the most important announcements and news.

1. Revan’s robe not getting fixed…oh wait, yes it is
   http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6256070#edit6256070
   http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6256070#edit6256070
2. Update schedule
   http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6259667#edit6259667
3. Gree Event coming back before Update 2.2
   http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6260144#edit6260144
4. Sith corruption will show in Appearance Designer
   http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6260422#edit6260422
5. Companion healing bug
   http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6261901#edit626190
6. Security Key now available in Europe
   http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?p=6264073#edit6264073
7. Update 2.1 Patch Notes
   http://www.swtor.com/patchnotes/2.1.0/customization

QUICK MENTIONS:

Don’t forget to check out the great articles on CRR this week!

SITH OR JEDI: The Test of the Last Snack

You have been sitting at work, and it is just time for a break. You decide to go get something from the vending machine down the hall. A pair of coworkers come out of a door behind you and start following you to the machine. You hear one of them mention to the other that they are going to get the same snack that you had planned to purchase. The other one responds saying “that should help you get over him breaking up with you.” When you get to the machine, there is only one of that particular snack left. Do you:

1. Buy them the snack. After all, they just went through a breakup. The kindness of a stranger might help.
2. Buy something different. The snack you wanted was a little unhealthy anyway.
3. Buy the snack for yourself. You got there first, and that’s how it works. Maybe next time!

Community Buzz

Update 2.1 Patch notes!

Want your guild highlighted? Drop us an email at: corellianrun@gmail.com

Highlighted Guild

• Hyperspace Motivators – Galactic Republic

This week we welcome the members of the guild, the Hyperspace Motivators to Community Checkpoint. I had the pleasure of researching and getting to learn more about this great group of guildmates. The Hyperspace Motivators enjoy several aspects of the game including endgame Operations, but for them it is about having fun and killing the boss…they couldn’t care less about who did the most damage, as long as the welcome sight of the purple beam meaning loot is coming from the fallen boss. They might have had their start as “orphans” from other guilds, but they have formed bonds that led to their guild presence in multiple games including SWTOR, and most importantly strong friendships built on the principle of taking members “as is.”

Get ready to learn more about the Hyperspace Motivators after the Jump…

• Guild Q&A

How did the Hyperspace Motivators come into being a guild? Is this a new guild or was it known by another name?

The Hyperspace Motivators are made up of, essentially, orphans. We were all in other guilds, and ended up unifying under the CLAW banner (a multigame guild I was part of in another game). Growth was difficult, and there were certain constraints we were bound by. Rather than defy the letter or spirit of those rules, we opted to form our own guild and move out on our own. That happened this past January.

What faction and server are the Hyperspace Motivators associated with? Does the guild have any formal presence with the other faction, even for alt characters?

Most of us are primarily Republic players, and have moved with the server merges from Kaas City, to Canderous Ordo, and then on the Jedi Covenant.  We do all have Imperial alts, however. We have organized our Imperial alts under the Ilum Swim Team banner. We play them less than we used to, these days, as we focus on S&V progression on the Republic side.

Even though this might seem like a smaller size guild, are there other games the guild has a presence in or looking to be a part of in the future? If so what are these games and are they a way to keep friends together or by associating with multiple games to help avoid player burnout?

From the outset, we all wanted to have a community. A group of people we like to spend time with, who take each other “as is”. And while our interest in SWTOR is common to most of the group, others have different interests. Hannock isn’t all that enamored with Sword and Sorcery games, so he doesn’t play Neverwinter with those of us who are. We have folks who play Defiance, we will have folks who try Wildstar, and others still who will try Blizzard’s Titan when it drops. The Vent server, acts as a clubhouse for the community and as often as not more than one game is being played at any given time.

What type of gameplay would best be associated with the Hyperspace Motivators? In this area or areas of SWTOR, what has been some of the guild’s biggest achievements to date?

The best description, to my mind, is casual with an end game focus. We don’t get too wrapped up in the parser as a measure of success. Did you kill the boss is the measure. If the boss enraged, but everyone is alive, then the healers did their job, and we need to find a way to up the DPS. If the boss didn’t enrage, and there’s a purple line coming out of him/it, then everyone did their part. Whoever did the most damage, or had the biggest hit is irrelevant to me. We want to win, and we do our level best every time, but even failing with my friends can be a roaring good time.

I think our biggest achievement, to date, is having remained together. Two server moves, multiple name changes, guild moves, folks having to step away for RL issues (school, personal lives, work, etc.), and the creation of a whole new guild would challenge any group. Through it all, we stayed together, we continued to play, and raid, successfully, and with almost no bickering or drama.  Of course, killing the droid in Toborro’s Courtyard, and dropping Kephess in Hard Mode EC was pretty sweet, too.

Now that Update 2.1 is live and post first expansion- Rise of The Hutt Cartel is SWTOR heading in the right direction? What has been the best thing since the expansion and what would the guild consider the worst?

I really enjoy S&V, and the new HM’s are a real challenge. I personally think that some of the Quality of Life changes are a great step (we have some members who are avid about the same sex conversation options), but others are…not, and they take away from real issues that need to be addressed. I can frown? Great! But I still crash to desktop at the end of Esseles and Black Talon. Of the two, the crashing is a much bigger concern to me.

My single biggest pet peeve is never being sure if one person can grab the objective for the group, or if each member has to wait for the objective to respawn so they can claim it. The fact that it isn’t consistent points to multiple dev teams with differing directives, and few common goals, oh and the Dev’s “balancing” of the crafting skills. <shudder>

Speaking of Update 2.1, what are first impressions of the new customization features, from the character appearance kiosk, introduction of Cathar specie and new armor dye system?

Several of our members are very pleased to have yet another means to set themselves apart from the multitudes on the Fleet. The cosmetic dyes have been a huge hit with several of them. Let’s be honest, being able to change the hair, eye color, and tattoos of the character you’ve been staring at for 18 months is a welcome change. The Cathar is less intriguing for me due to the cost, but several of our members are patiently awaiting their monthly Cartel Coins to unlock the race, and change a character over. I’ll probably buy the race, and then roll up a character from scratch.

Are the Hyperspace Motivators currently recruiting? If so are there any specific class/advance classes the guild is looking for or certain requirements applicants need to meet?

We are always looking for more folks to run with us. We would very much like to have more tanks on the roster, but we don’t have what you might call a quota. Everyone is welcome…Subscriber, free to play, any level, and class. We have Vent, but there is no rule about being in it. One of our members is shy, and doesn’t care to speak in Vent. When you play with your friends, you adapt to their needs, as much as you expect them to adapt to yours. That compromise is part of why we are still running as a group. Our only real “requirements” would be know your class, be on time and ready to run, and be prepared to have a good time. One thing we do NOT tolerate is finger pointing and sniping. We’re all in this together, which means we rise and fall as a team. There will be some frustrations, of course, but singling out a party member for some kind of dressing down of their shortcomings, as you see them, is not acceptable.

“Honestly just being able to log in at night and play with people I like and get along with, the people are more important than the game, although the first time in the Theoretica with a small group of guildees was creepy, like going through a haunted house with friends.” – Hannock

The Hyperspace Motivators is looking to form a guild PVP team, is this correct? How is this venture coming along and what do you foresee this team being? Would you and/or the guild like to see the ability to queue in a full eight person Warzone team?

Not many of us are PvPers, as such. The PvP thread was to complete daily and weekly objectives in Defiance, not SWTOR. However, we do not oppose PvP for those who enjoy it, and I am always prepared to die gloriously if someone needs an extra meat shield for their PvP team.

While going through your forums, I noticed a series of events titled a “Week of Vik-tory,” can you tell us about this and how is the guild helping assist with this list of various SWTOR objectives? Has the new achievement system help bring out members wanting to complete lists similar to this?

Hannock has been taking a break from SWTOR since Defiance dropped, but has recently returned. The Vik-tory week is largely about acquiring comms, while also closing out missions he has been carrying around for months (speeder quests, HM Operations, etc.), while also getting geared. It may not all get done in a week, but it will certainly allow us to focus down on things to get on the schedule, while helping him accomplish his goal. In much the same way, he had a request from one of our members to complete Eternity Vault in Nightmare Mode, so we scheduled it, got everyone together, with someone from our friends list and a PuG, and went and knocked it out.

I’ll attempt anything in the game with these guys, regardless of outcome. And every single member is encouraged to speak up. Nothing is off limits. Anyone can discuss strategy changes, group composition, scheduled events, or guild management, it’s all fair game.

If there are players looking to become a Hyperspace Motivator or find out more information, what is the best way to contact the guild or its officers?

You can always find us by checking out our website. We have a very simple Application procedure, and I try to check every day to make sure no one gets left hanging. Any member of the Hyperspace Motivators can invite, so don’t hesitate to look for us via the /who command if you have any questions, or need an invite.

As the guild leader, what are a few things you would like to see added in the near future to SWTOR to help guilds?

I would love to have a Guild Ship in SWTOR. Have trophies drop off the bosses in Ops and Hard Modes, which can then be displayed on the Guild Ship. Allow members to shuttle to the Guild Ship, on a very short cooldown, and, if possible, a means to shuttle from the Guild Ship to any Ops or Hard Mode entrance.

Most importantly though, I think guilds should be able to communicate across factional lines. Having to log out of your Republic character to log in on an Imperial character to ask a question, or see of someone is around, is grossly inefficient.

Fixi brought up something I missed, which was a means to move quickly to your teammate’s location. You’re on Makeb and need a hand?

Group Travel
…Great idea!

I should be able to click to travel to your location, in the same way I can travel to your instance on Fleet. This would be another one of those Quality of Life enhancements, which make playing the game more enjoyable.

 *image via torhead.com*

That’s it for this week’s Community Checkpoint. I want to thank all the members of the Hyperspace Motivators for their answers and being gracious with their time. Special thanks to their GM, Patchbunny, for all his hard work in helping relay questions and answers and of course all of his time. I want to wish him and all the members of the Hyperspace Motivators the very best in-game and everything they do! If you would like to know more about this guild located on the Jedi Covenant server, be sure to go to their website or look for them in-game.

How exactly can you have your guild, like the Hyperspace Motivators, highlighted on Community Checkpoint? All you need to do is submit your guild/group’s website and some basic information in an email to me at, jason@corellianrun.com. At Corellian Run Radio, we love to highlight members in the SWTOR community, from guilds to the many people working to plan events, contest, etc. We look forward to hearing from you! Thanks and see you next week!

HoloNet Links #96

As many of you, if not all, know Update 2.1 went live Tuesday. The update titled Customizations, features many new ways to personalize your characters, both current and/or future alts and not to mention and entire new species. There is also a new armor dye system, to assist players getting their characters and companions to look more unique. This update is not without its share of bugs or issues that has the player base divided on what exactly is considered good and bad in this latest content offering from BioWare.

My look at Update 2.1, dev notes & more after the Jump…

• Update 2.1: Customizations – My thoughts
  

Many of you that know me understand I rarely bash, but I’m not a fanboy, even though I choose to not be overly judgmental. I say that because, I believe you can discuss, critique, even find fault without being negative. Update 2.1 is all in all a good bit of content. It is like any other similar Cartel Market update. The reason I mention the Cartel Market is because this update is very Cartel Market heavy. I’m not saying that is a bad thing, because facts being what they are, the Cartel Market is a major revenue source for this game and despite my personal feelings it helps keeps BioWare and EA producing content for SWTOR.

Okay, all that out of the way, let’s look closer at some of the elements included in Update 2.1.

The Cathar species are now available as a playable character. Yes, it costs 600 Cartel coins, which is not news, but does not sit well with some. Personally, paying the Cartel coins for the unlock is not unreasonable. The specie itself looks great. I went through the various appearance options just to see what variations of Cathar could be created. I was pleasantly surprised at the variations in patterns, facial looks by selecting the different head choices, the fur colors are good, but could probably have added a couple more for variety. The one area I did find a bit perplexing was the complexion choices. These typically change, just as the choice would suggest the complexion of the character. For the most part this is true, but a few of the complexions added more spots or stripes. So, when you add that with patterns already containing spots or stripes, it looked “busy” on the character’s face. In the complexion selections, I would liked to have seen more variations between light and dark shades of the fur color, or patches or tuffs of lighter fur or even darker fur, or even missing spots of hair from fighting or old age lol.

The next thing and the utility that allowed me to see all the Cathar variations is the Character Appearance Kiosk. SWTOR now has a way for players to change the appearance and even species of the characters.

Okay, let’s get this part out of the way…all the changes cost Cartel coins. I was hoping for a Cartel unlock to use the kiosk, but it is what it is. I will say subscribers do get a pretty substantial discount for using the kiosk, but it is still costing Cartel coins. Again would I rather it use in-game credits…yes, but that is not my real issue with the appearance changes. I could accept paying even Cartel coins for changes, if I didn’t have to also pay unlocks for new hairstyles, hair colors, and skin tones for certain species extra. It is the paying twice that I have the real issue with on new appearance items. Yes, it is true once you make a purchase for new unlocks of hairstyles, hair colors, etc. they are good account wide for future changes to any character or new one you might create. The way the kiosk looks and operates is great and I had no issues with it. I would love to see the character creation get the same makeover.

Another area of customization that was introduced in Update 2.1 was an armor dye system. The system now has several pieces of armor that has one or two color dye slots available. One slot is for a primary color module, and it colors the area that would be the larger areas on an armor piece. If there is another slot for a color dye, that is for a secondary color module, and colors more of the accent areas or smaller portions of an armor piece. There are different ways to acquire the color dye modules. One is buying directly from the Cartel Market. These are similar to how the Cartel packs work; you pay 200 Cartel coins and get a random color dye. Vendors also carry the color modules. Collector’s Edition vendor, Security Key vendor and even reputation vendor, like the Section X vendor, all carry certain color dye modules. Artificers can also craft certain color dye modules. Of course you can also find many of these color dye modules on the GTN. This is nice for those who do not wish to pay Cartel coins for armor dyes. First off to be positive, we have a color dye system that allows us the ability to change out armors to be even more unique. However, not everything is well thought out in this color system, at least in my opinion. If you use a color dye module and perhaps you get that rare armor drop, you cannot remove the color module and use it again. These armor dyes are one time use items. Why is this, an issue? Well, for one, most of the neat colors or rare “drops” are the armor dyes from the Cartel Market. Yes, you can buy them on GTN, but that is only if someone is selling them. Sadly, the colors Artificers get craft are not very exciting, in fact two of the schematics are a brown and a pale gray…I thought the idea was to get color into the game.

image via justpushstart.com

Now so far, those points could be viewed as minor or even whines, but why didn’t BioWare use the same system they already have in-game for removing mods, augments etc. from armor and add the color modules? If there is a developer with a good answer as to why dye modules were not able to be removed and reused, I would love to hear it.

Now as I have said, there are a lot of great things going on in SWTOR. It is a good game and I believe it is heading in the right direction. However, that does not mean we can’t slow down and evaluate certain things. I love the added customizations and even can understand making some require Cartel coins. However, I would like to see the armor dye system adjusted, so colors can be removed and reused, just like the system for removing mods from armor pieces currently in-game.

What are your thoughts on the customizations found in Update 2.1? Please let us know in the comment section below. If you do have an issue, what would you do to constructively change it?

• Dev notes

EricMusco Change species overpriced? | 05.14.2013, 02:18 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by Shingara

So why did you say it was 800 cc before.

This is actually kind of interesting. Our plan, as we stated before, was for the cost for subscribers to be 800cc. Not to get all “programmy” but basically the math of applying a % discount from 1200 got pretty complicated and was working out to fractions, etc. Those are kind of a bad thing when it comes to spending “even” amounts of coins.
Our plan was to apply a 33.3% discount for subscribers which would have hit right around 800, but as stated above, the math didn’t work out. So instead we moved it up to 34% to get in the players favor, which gives you slightly off (but whole) number of 792.
Hope that makes a bit more sense!
-eric

There was some confusion on this, but it happens that in this case it benefitted the subscribers, according to the discounts allotted when using the character appearance kiosk. These discounts also apply even if you are not making a species change to your character. It is important to remember, that if you are making a species change that if a species is not unlocked you will be charged the Cartel coins to unlock this species besides the 792 for the species change. During the species change you can select any body type, head choice, and any other character creation selection except gender change, without being charged more than the price of the species change.

AmberGreen Character name change question? | 05.14.2013, 02:06 PM

Hi there skarvika!
The tooltip for Renames seem to indicate that the item can be reused and has a cooldown. However, renames are consumable items, and name changes can only be applied once every 30 days. Sorry for any confusion; we are going to look at clarifying the tooltip in the future.
On a side note to clear up another question: one free Character Name Change will be given to each subscriber account at a later date, but this is not yet available.

Hopefully this clears up the issue on whether the rename Cartel or GTN purchased item can be reused. It is a consumable and there is also a 30-day cooldown before being able to use another rename consumable. A bit of good news, all subscribers will be given one free Character Name Change sometime in the future. It might not be much, but I’ll take the free consumable.

AmberGreen Safe to Vendor Hollinium and Perfect Carbonic Crystals (devs please respond)? | 05.15.2013, 02:14 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by LetoAtreidesII

In this patch (2.1), the credit values of Hollinium and Perfect Carbonic Crystals were increased, ostensibly because they were previously useless and to compensate for the credits we spent acquiring them.
So could a developer please confirm that these items will always be useless and never be used for crafting anything and that we should definitely vend them all? Thanks.

Hi LetoAtreidesII,
As was pointed out in this thread, the reason these materials were increased in vendor value was because we removed them as rewards. I’ve confirmed with the developers that we do not intend for them to ever be used again. Sell away!

Hmm, this was an oddity when reading patch notes and dev posts leading up to release of Update 2.1. I’m not sure how extra materials all the sudden become obsolete. It’s not like they got rid of schematics that had once used these materials, they never were used for anything. Yet, they were obtained through crew missions. Were they going to be used in color dyes or possibly other new schematics and then changed their minds? Who knows, but looks like sell what stacks of these two materials you have.

Star Wars Community News & Events

• Corellian Run Radio’s Weekly Nav Coordinates

In this week’s Community Checkpoint, I got the chance to meet another great guild, known as Dracon Trading Company. They are a great group of gamers and even if they might be a smaller guild, it doesn’t mean their drive and motivation for fun is any less. I encourage you to take some time to read through the article, especially for those of you on the Jedi Covenant server looking to join a guild.

As you read through any of articles or listen to the podcast, please take a moment and submit your feedback and suggestions in the comment sections. We love to hear from you. Thanks again, to you our loyal fans and followers, enjoy the links below!

05/13 Community Checkpoint featuring Dracon Trading Company by Jason Taylor

Corellian Run Radio’s Youtube channel

Corellian Run Radio’s Facebook group

We are looking for people interested in helping on the Corellian Run Radio website. So if you would like to write an article or create a video guide or maybe you have another idea altogether, please contact us. You just need to send us an email with your idea and a small writing sample to explain your skills and why you want to help out at Corellian Run Radio. Submit your ideas, a bit about yourself and small writing sample to us at corellianrun@gmail.com.

That’s it for this week’s article. If you have a particular link, story, video, or topic related to SWTOR we would love to hear about it! You can send those to us here at Corellian Run Radio and we can place it in a future article. Just email us the links and/or the details for the event at corellianrun@gmail.com, or you can also leave any link suggestions in the comments below, or in Corellian Run Radio’s Facebook group. See you all next week!

Highlighted Guild

• Dracon Trading Company – Galactic Republic

Welcome to another edition of Community Checkpoint. This week we welcome the guildmaster from Dracon Trading Company, Dainan. Although this may not be a well known guild, at least not yet, or even one of the largest guilds, I never place guilds in any type of ranking system. In my opinion, guilds are just as diverse as each player. That is why I believe every guild deserves to present their message to the given game community. In that respect, we should not judge a guild by its size or particular style of playing SWTOR, within their guild structures. Dracon Trading Company, while being small in size, has some very unique RP interests, as well as having one of the more eccentric guildmasters in SWTOR.

Find out how this “company” does business & more after the Jump…

• Guild Q&A

Can you tell us a little about yourself and how you got started in gaming?
Well, I’d rather not talk about myself, but happy to talk gaming!
I started as a college MUDder in 1997 with the character “X-Calibur” on a game called “The Forest’s Edge”. I was promptly mocked for the screen name (someone asked me if “R-thur” was about to pull me outta the rock), killed the character, and made a ranger called Dainan. He’s been around ever since on some game or another.

Dainan T’Kalian
owner of Dracon Trading Company.
Not pictured: Dainan’s sense of humility.

What type of guild is Dracon Trading Company and what is the primary faction base? What is the name of the server where Dracon Trading Company has set up its base of operations?

We are a “jack-of-all-trades” light roleplay/casual leveling themed concept, with the idea that DTC serves as an intergalactic shipper and trader. We are set up on the Jedi Covenant server, and we are Republic through and through.

How long has Dracon Trading Company been in “business?” Can you tell us how the company was founded and for how long?

DTC is portrayed as a family business, founded by Dainan’s grandfather Sid, but I don’t want to get into too many details just yet about its background. (I intend on pumping out a few short stories related to it and I’d hate to spoil it for the five or six people worldwide that might be interested in such nonsense.)

The rumors are that the company has dealings in smuggling, mercenary jobs, etc. Are these rumors true? If it were up to you and the members of Dracon Trading Company, would a potential third faction in the galaxy that people or companies could align with be welcomed?

The rumors are flatly untrue. The very notion that a simple shipping and trading company would act as “guns-for-hire,” and go on intergalactic adventures romancing green women and making piles of credits in the process is simply absurd. What were our operatives doing on Corellia…Just trading. We didn’t take out any Imperial outposts. It was mere coincidence that we were in the GENERAL area, but I digress.

So long as that third faction isn’t Imperial, we’d be fine with them. Hell, I even have an ex-Mandalorian or two on staff. Good people. Kinda sullen, but it is what it is.

Aside from the RP side of things, what activities does the guild focus on primarily? How has the guild done so far in Operations in SWTOR or is this a goal of Dracon Trading Company?

I’d eventually love to hit all aspects of SWTOR, but in specific regards to Operations I’m very interested in home-growing a crack 16-person team. In order to do that, however, we first have to train as a unit and equip ourselves, so the general idea is to stage events and raids with the goal of working toward that as one of our end results

At the end of the day, though, we’re just gamers trying to have fun.

With the recent announcement of various customizations coming in Update 2.1, what is the guild most excited about and why? Is there something the guild would like to see in future updates not yet announced?

We’re excited about all of it. Custom options mean lots of credits for manufacturers, and I just so happen to be a master Artificer.

I can’t speak for the entire guild regarding what we’d all like to see in future expansions, but for me personally, I’d love to have a small central office on Coruscant or Nar Shaddaa or somewhere that players could maybe visit? Other than that I’m still slogging through RotHC material! XD

What does the Dracon Trading Company think of the new expansion, the Rise of the Hutt Cartel? What are the guild’s favorite and least favorite things in the expansion?
DTC wouldn’t exist without the expansion.In order to build a good trading company, one has to have ready access to quality goods – the rarer, the better. By mastering the usage of seeker droids and completing missions for GSI and the citizens of Makeb, we’ll be able to have that ready access and, to a degree, already do.
The least favorite thing about the expansion is, at present, the susceptibility we seem to have to gravity planetside. Lots of repair bills for falling off of cliffs…

Is the Dracon Trading Company currently seeking new recruits? If so what class/advance classes is the guild seeking? Are there any requirements for potential recruits looking to join?

As far as recruiting goes, we’re looking for a specific kind of player – and not too many of them, because a large guild isn’t the goal here. We want to build a quality guild with quality players that are regulars.
At present, I’d love some level 55s, and I’m always hunting for good tanks and healers in training. There are also freelance options available for those looking to score a little extra cred on the side. But once I hit, say, 30 or 40 active members that’ll probably be all for recruiting.

If there is someone looking to join or find out more information about the Dracon Trading Company, how is the best way for them to get in touch with the guild or its officers?

Right now, the best way is either wait until we’re openly recruiting (Fleet/Coruscant) or until you get a letter from an officer. I’ve never had good luck with random requests. When we need someone, we’ll advertise. However, if anyone is interested in learning more about our guild, they can visit our website.

As you have played through SWTOR, what has been your favorite quest personally and what has been the favorite Flashpoint/Heroic/Warzone or Operation to play with other guild members?

image via swtor-rp.com

I, personally, am a soloist, so I don’t group too often. But when I have it’s been pretty entertaining.
I have not participated in Flashpoints or Warzones yet, but my favorite Heroic is “The Long Goodbye” on Tatooine. I always end it by getting eaten by the Sarlaac. XD

Why would you recommend players look to join your guild, the Dracon Trading Company?

I’m not one of those to recommend my stuff among all others just because it’s mine. I say, join us if you’re wanting a little more story, consistent guildmates and a talkative, borderline insane Guildmaster. If not, I would recommend JAWAS TOOK MY BABY instead.
I’d probably join ‘em myself, was it not for this crazy itch to write…

That’s it for this week’s Community Checkpoint. Best wishes to all the members of the Dracon Trading Company guild and thanks for allowing me to research their site for this article. I want to also thank Dainan for his time and help in answering the questions. If you are looking for a Republic guild into some light RP on the Jedi Covenant server, I would suggest heading over to Dracon Trading Company’s website or looking for an in-game recruit on the Republic Fleet.

If you would like to possibly have your guild highlighted on Community Checkpoint…all you need to do is submit your guild/group’s website and some basic information in an email to me at, jason@corellianrun.com, just like Dracon Trading Company did. We love to highlight members in the SWTOR community, from guilds to the many people working to plan events, contest, etc. We look forward to hearing from you! Thanks and see you next week!