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As most of you who actively play ArcheAge know, it went down a couple of days ago for a pretty major change: one that had been requested pretty much since the game was released. It was to remove the AFK kicker from the game. As something that's been present since ArcheAge was launched, we've grown accustomed to it, with many players attempting to exploit the game in various ways to keep logged in. And now that is no longer needed. Why Are AFK Kickers Needed? Let's face it: there's a time and a place for them. When a game first launches, it's going to have a massive population. This leads to in-game queues, which are only made worse by allowing AFK players to stay in 24/7. In these cases, having the system up and running is great. The alternative is to wait for players to manually log out, which happens far less frequently since there's the fear of not being able to get back in. And with queues lasting upwards of 12 hours after ArcheAge's launch (and that...

As you already know, BioWare released game update 3.2 for Star Wars: The old Republic. This game update is named Rise of the Emperor, and let’s you confront the Sith Emperor’s terrifying assault on Ziost. Below is a blog post from Lead Designer Michael Backus, and below that the new trailer. 04.28.2015 Welcome to Game Update 3.2: Rise of the Emperor Greetings, everyone, and welcome to Game Update 3.2: Rise of the Emperor! I can’t tell you how excited I am for this update. It really marks the start of some big things coming for Star Wars: The Old Republic this year, and I can’t wait to share it all with you over the next few months. Being able to write these words for you, well, it’s … it’s like I just turned off my targeting computer. When last we left you, many of you had experienced the Shadow of Revan storyline, learning the fate of one of our favorite Force users, Revan, while also being drawn into the struggle against the now-released Emperor. This all took place on the b...

We know it’s not easy creating and operating a massively multiplayer online game like SWTOR. That said, it can be equally as difficult to keep it filled with enough content on a regular basis so that players do not get bored. Have you ever wondered how BioWare built enough content to fill The Old Republic and how they continue to give us great content again and again. Some of you might remember back in 2011 when BioWare designer Georg Zoeller did a talk at GDC Online about Star Wars: The Old Republic and explained how spatial analysis can be used to support a rapid content iteration process during the late stages of MMO development. For those of you who heard the talk, he goes on to explain how BioWare’s homegrown ‘HoloProjector’ spatial visualization toolkit was used in the day to day development of the game. It also helped the BioWare devs with decision making, content validation and more. He talks about the lessons the team of devs have learned from these experiences and at the en...

Ziost - Empire Side Cutscenes HQ | Emperor's Wrath | SWTOR - Rise Of The Emperor | Dark Side | 1080p These are the cutscenes from upcoming patch in SWTOR - ' Rise Of The Emperor " on the planet Ziost . Some animations and sounds may be bugged due fact it is recorded on public test server.  The story follows the emperor's wrath path . Enjoy Vitiates return !

MEET THE GEONOSIS JEDI GET TO KNOW THE JEDI WARRIORS WHO WERE THE FIRST TO FIGHT THE CLONE WARS! When Obi-Wan Kenobi got captured on Geonosis by the powerhouses of the Secessionist Movement, Mace Windu decided to lead a task force of 200 Jedi. Meanwhile, Yoda left for the Kamino system where the Republic would make use of the mysterious clone army that had been ordered about a decade ago by Jedi Master Sifo-Dyas. The participation of the Jedi on Geonosis would prove to be an omen of what the Clone Wars would bring for the guardians of peace and justice. The battle showed what the Jedi were and also what they weren’t. The Jedi were compassionate beings who didn’t hesitate to rescue a fellow Jedi in need and who did anything they could to protect the Galactic Republic. But the Jedi had evolved into diplomats and keepers of the peace instead of hardened battlefield commanders. The outcome of the Battle of Geonosis would be disastrous for the Jedi Order, as about 170 of the 200 Jedi...

SOCIAL SCANNER – APRIL 24, 2015 CHECK OUT THE WEEK’S BEST FROM STAR WARS FANS ON SOCIAL MEDIA -- STRAIGHT FROM CELEBRATION ANAHEIM! As a member of the (very small) social media team here at Lucasfilm, I have the honor of reading, responding to, laughing at, loving, and sharing all of your Star Wars conversations every day. Our fans are creative, passionate, funny, and very active across the Internet; every Friday, I’ll share my favorite social media posts from the week in the Social Scanner, so show me what you’ve got! Welcome to the Star Wars Social Scanner: Star Wars Celebration Special Edition! Thank the Force for your social media sharing last week, because it was impossible to catch all of the amazing panels, announcements, and fan excitement inside the halls. Honestly, I’m still catching up! One thing I’m definitely sad to have missed was John Boyega roaming the floor in a clone trooper helmet. I’d like to say that the disguise wouldn’t have fooled me. Ther...

STAR WARS REBELS STRIKES BACK AT CELEBRATION THE CREATORS AND CAST TALK ABOUT THE SEASON TWO TRAILER AND PREMIERE, EXCLUSIVELY WITH STARWARS.COM! Spoiler warning: This article features discussion of the premiere episode of Star Wars Rebels Season Two. Celebration Anaheim will go down as a major, memorable event in the history of Star Wars Rebels. The Season Two trailer — thrilling, joyous, shocking — screened at the cast and creators’ panel before a crowd of thousands. Showing significant glimpses of what’s to come this season, it conveys a real sense of escalation in the series, and on multiple levels. The action is more intense, the animation more beautiful and nuanced, the danger — in the form of Darth Vader — much, much more immediate. It also revealed the return of several fan-favorite characters: namely, Rex and Hondo Ohnaka, joining Ahsoka Tano from Star Wars: The Clone Wars. As such, the ovation was huge and way beyond warm. The creators noticed. “It means everythi...

Tencent Tops Global Game Revenue Rankings for 2014 A friend over at MMOculture have highlighted a new report from games industry market research company, Newzoo. According to the report, the Chinese company Tencent not only topped the rankings of public companies by game revenues, they held onto the number one spot from 2013. As an added cherry on top for shareholders there, they’ve had a 37% Year on year growth. Tencent isn’t a company we’d see here often in the western world but amongst their investments are a minority stake in Epic Games (Gears of War and Unreal) and a majority equity interest in Riot Games. So between Epic and League of Legends, is it any wonder that they’re not so much making money as they are minting it? For the charts, the data is based on analysis of annual and quarterly financial reports published by the relevant publicly listed companies. Tencent revenues are clearly the target to beat for some of the below, if they can. For more de...

Five Things to Know about Ziost A new planet is coming to SWTOR with update 3.2 and you might be surprised at how it was eerily predicted years ago. Those of us who have been following and writing about SWTOR since launch (or even before launch, as is the case with us here at SWTOR Strategies) know that the game has experienced quite the evolution. There are also some fun and interesting memories that have been made along the way. Larry Everett from Hyperspace Beacon knows about this very well and his recent post about Ziost is a good indicator of this. During pre-launch, we were all still learning about what planets would be in the game. Many fans had ideas and suggestions but not all of these would line up well with SWTOR’s time in history. Bespin was mentioned, as was Kashyyyk. Of the many popular planets, some just would not make sense to the time period that SWTOR is set in. So among the guesses of what planets we might see came Larry’s and not everyone thought it was ...

Star Wars Battlefront Playable First on Xbox One Through EA Access Star Wars: Battlefront, which is due for release in late 2015, will be accessible on Xbox One before any other consoles, according to a Microsoft executive. The leader at Microsoft’s games marketing division, Aaron Greenberg, stated to a fan via Twitter that the game will only be playable on the Xbox One before it goes to PlayStation 4 and PC. The reason for this is not explained by Mr. Greenberg, but the most assuming reason is that it will be available for EA Access Members a few days earlier. Currently, EA Access is $5 a month and it gives its members admission to its key releases. Any of the gameplay and saved data will automatically be rolled over once the game is available for everyone. EA tried to give EA Access to PlayStation 4 players as well, but Sony did not accept the membership program. There are also free games that EA Access members get to take advantage of like Need for Speed Rivals...

ROGUE ONE DETAILS REVEALED AT STAR WARS CELEBRATION ANAHEIM Major announcements and several clues about the new Star Wars stand-alone movies were made at Star Wars Celebration Anaheim today when Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy, Kiri Hart, and Pablo Hidalgo were joined in a panel discussion by director Gareth Edwards and Industrial Light and Magic’s John Knoll. Kathleen Kennedy revealed that the upcoming big screen adventures that explore the characters and events beyond the core Star Wars saga will be known as the Star Wars Anthology Series. Up until now, details around the first entry in the Anthology Series, Gareth Edwards’ Rogue One, have been minimal. Edwards revealed that the film will revolve around a rogue band of resistance fighters who unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans and bring new hope to the galaxy. “I couldn’t sit in a cinema and know that someone else made this film,” Edwards said in the panel. Fans were treated to concept art and a bri...

When players got a look at Artillery mechanics in Armored Warfare's Technical Alpha earlier this year, the initial reaction to the mechanics was that they offered nothing new from what players had already seen in other games. This sentiment echoed concerns we had internally at Obsidian as well so in response we shifted resources to focusing on Artillery, evaluating its role in the game and most importantly, how it feels to play and how it feels to play against it. As a result, we have a number of changes that have come to Artillery mechanics since that early Technical Alpha. This article is a chance to discuss these changes, including how they work as well as what the intention behind them is. Incoming Artillery Warning The first major change was adding a warning to the HUD that alerts you to an incoming Artillery shell in your approximate location. The warning shows up as a flashing icon above your reticle making it easy to notice without needing to focus on it. Depe...

The SWTOR Public test server have been updated with patch 3.2.1. Below are the patch notes: PTS Game Update 3.2.1 All content and features on the Public Test Server are not final and are subject to change. Classes + Combat General While on full Resolve, players now receive a 50% Slow in place of any effect that would normally Immobilize them. This Slow effect has the same duration and conditions as the Immobilize effect that would occur under normal circumstances. For example, if the Immobilize can break early when damage is taken, then so can the Slow that replaces it. Immobilizing effects still do not generate Resolve, they simply react differently when they encounter a target that has a full Resolve bar. These changes only apply to PvP combat. Jedi Knight Sentinel New Heroic Utility: Ardor. Transcendence no longer requires or consumes Centering, but triggers a 30 second cooldown when activated. This Utility replaces Force Aegis. Enduring now additionally increases the dura...

When BioWare decided to get into the arena of mmorpg games, they did so in a major way with the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic. While the online game was an immediate hit, it did fade somewhat in the months after launch. BioWare eventually turned their eye to creating another mmo, Shadow Realms, that was vastly different in design and tone from SWTOR and their other intellectual properties. This new game was a combination of high magic, technology, and creepy mythology and had some intriguing features. All that came to naught when BioWare decided to cancel development of the game. While some gamers were sad to see this result, it could have a silver lining. Let's examine why cancelling Shadow Realms helps Star Wars: The Old Republic. To be honest, Shadow Realms was an ambitious project by BioWare. Their focus has been on fantasy (Dragon Age) and sci-fi (SWTOR and Mass Effect) with SWTOR their only true mmo. Shadow Realms was something new that featured a dark fantasy-style...

7 OF R2-D2’S MOST HEROIC ACTS STARWARS.COM LOOKS AT SOME OF THE OVERWEIGHT GLOB OF GREASE'S FINEST MOMENTS! Star Wars wouldn’t be the same without droids. Astromechs, protocol droids, GNK power droids — they all have a role to play within the galaxy, some more important than others. C-3PO and R2-D2, for instance, are key players throughout the Star Wars saga. They appear in all six films, in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, in Star Wars Rebels, and are slated to show up in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The duo is often important to the story’s progression, and in fact, the continuation of the plot has been contingent upon R2-D2 jumping into action and being the hero more than once. The devoted and resourceful astromech has pulled Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, and many others out of certain danger and/or death repeatedly. Artoo deserves a medal just as much as Chewbacca. Here are seven times R2-D2 has saved the day: 1. Stopping the Death Star trash co...

MY FAVORITE EVENTS AT STAR WARS CELEBRATION ANAHEIM FROM MOUSE DROID RACES TO LIVE RADIO DRAMAS, THERE'S A TON TO DO AT CELEBRATION! In our months of getting ready for Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, I work on a schedule that includes spectacular headline and celebrity events. At Celebrations we want to present the very best, and the very latest news to fans. But at the same time I find myself working with creators on other great events and activities that strike me as true “Celebration Treasures.” Some might be quirky, and not all will make the headlines, but they are every bit a part of what makes this a sincere fan festival — truly “by the fans; for the fans.” If I could break away from the work I’m doing during the show, here are some gems I would not miss MSE Mouse Droid Super Madness! (Saturday, April 18; 11 a.m.; Booth 124, Hall C) For years I have been dreaming of a droid demolition derby at Celebration. As they always do, the ingenious R2-D2 Builders fi...