We lay low in the shell holes for there are no longer any proper trenches. The continuous bombardment reduces their depth in some areas to less than a meter. It is enough to lay down and close one’s eyes and wait for the next shell to claim him.

Kat and I never stay in one place too long. We move from hole to hole, crawling beneath wire and leaping over pools of gas and blood. The gas came regularly for a time but it is only dangerous in the low places now and we have removed our masks.

The sun is well up and we are clearly seen by the enemy. Snipers shoot at any hints of uniform or helmet and often their bolts find flesh and bone. A sergeant lost his hand when he tossed out his smoke stick.

Tags: Bioware, EA, Electronic Arts, Galactic Republic, Kat, LucasArts, Mike Kern, Shiod, Sith Empire, Star Wars: The Old Republic, SWTOR, Thirty Six Hours, TOR, Vanmere

When the weekend rolls around it’s time to relax, grab a cold one, sit down with your squad, and catch up on some scuttlebutt. RT is here to provide you with some things that are worthy of talking about over a good pint with a few friends.

BioWare Bringing Down the Hammer!

I’ve always hated cheating. In fact, I think what makes heroes so much more interesting than villains is that they manage to win even without resorting to underhanded tactics. At the same time I’m not a snitch, and I’ve always been more likely to tell someone he’s being a negative member of the community (perhaps a bit more graphically) and let him go about his shady dealings until the real authorities catch him red-handed. Well, BioWare has been gearing up The Old Republic to do just that and I wish them continued success in bringing down all those who knowingly exploit the game.

Tags: 38 Studios, Baldur's Gate, Bioware, community, Copernicus, Crowd Control, Darth Hater, EA, Electronic Arts, Ken Rolston, LucasArts, MMOs, Republic Trooper, RPGs, Star Wars, Star Wars: The Old Republic, SWTOR, TOR

Always in Motion is The Future is our column that deals with general news and information regarding The Old Republic based facts and finally spiced with the unique perspective of Republic Trooper.

The Legacy system was one of the core features which were highlighted by BioWare long before The Old Republic found its way onto millions of PCs spanning the globe. A system that builds upon each character’s achievements to pass down power, knowledge and items to later generations…

The Legacy system is a treasure trove for players who enjoy playing several different characters. There are some problems inherent with the system however. Most notably is the fact that nearly all of the features currently implemented with the Legacy system are tailored only for that single purpose of playing multiple characters, colloquially known as “alts” in the MMO-space.

In my opinion this accentuates an already common problem with The Old Republic, and that is the fact that players don’t feel particularly invested in any single character. Roleplaying games often build community around a player playing a particular character, and even when alting many players are still referred to by their “main” character’s name. Alting has become more and more common over the evolution of the MMO however, and The Old Republic seems to be the first title to take such a keen focus around the idea with the Legacy system.

Tags: AoE, Baldur's Gate, Bioware, David Souza, Dragon Age, EA, Electronic Arts, EverQuest, Fortification, Jade Empire, Knights of the Old Republic, Legacy System, LucasArts, Mass Effect, Millenium Falcon, MMOs, Slave-I, space combat, Star Wars: The Old Republic, SWTOR, TOR, Trooper

Welcome to the Mess Hall, where every other week we will lay bare a new topic to be discussed on the upcoming episode of Combat Chatter. This is the Mess Hall, so eat up, get loud and say what you have to say! There are no ranks here…

One of the most controversial features that MMOs have offered for over 10 years is the inclusion of live events in a game. I say this not because such events aren’t usually welcomed by the majority of the playerbase, but more because the actual success of such promises has been dubious at best. In some cases the events are so sporadic as to be nearly non-existent, while in others the quality of the events is lackluster. Still yet some games offer live events that never manifest once the game launches.

The Old Republic has always been under heavy scrutiny by both players and critics alike, and that scrutiny has only intensified since BioWare successfully pulled off the largest AAA MMO launch to date. With few exceptions, however, BioWare has remained steadfast in its promises and has delivered one of the largest content updates any title has ever seen only four months after TOR went live.

Tags: Bioware, EA, Electronic Arts, LucasArts, MMOs, Star Wars: The Old Republic, SWTOR, The Rakghoul Pandemic, TOR

The earth heaves under the barrage and throws up gouts of rock and dirt in every possible direction. We run, hunched over like animals. In places we are reduced to rodents, scurrying on hands and knees as the trench is eroded above us. I hear nothing but the booms and cracks of shells. I see nothing but flashes of intense daylight when the star shells explode overhead. In those moments the world is reduced to what is before me. The trench is my world, the mud my home and Shiod and Kat my brothers.

A shell lands behind us. I hear its whistle and scream a moment before impact and fall flat, covering my head. I feel the explosion before I hear it, a deep, angry rumble that turns into a terrible vibration. It tears at me, rips the trench apart on all sides. Mud and dirt and human viscera fall upon me.

I scream, not from fear but from anger and resentment. This is the reality, this shell that lands so randomly, kills so effortlessly. It is the only important thing. Lenmerer will die a traitor because he felt compassion for one girl, one! Yet this shell is sent to us blindly and will kill us for no other reason than the degree of the barrel was good.

Tags: Bioware, EA, Electronic Arts, Galactic Republic, Kat, LucasArts, Mike Kern, Shiod, Sith Empire, Star Wars: The Old Republic, SWTOR, Thirty Six Hours, TOR, Vanmere