SWTOR Info

[chaos5061]

Hello everyone, we wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance for five hours on Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012 from 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8AM GMT/9AM CET/7PM AEDT) until 7AM CDT (5AM PDT/8AM EDT/1PM GMT/2PM CET/12AM AEDT). All game servers and SWTOR.com will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than five hours, but could be extended.

For our new players, this weekly maintenance is done in order to make general improvements and to check performance of the game so that we can continue to provide a consistent, quality experience. Quite often (but not always) after a maintenance period there will be a patch to download. After the maintenance, please login via the launcher to download the latest patch. If your launcher was open during the maintenance, you must close and reopen it for a fresh login.

Scheduled Maintenance

Date: Tuesday, April 3rd, 2012

Time: 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8AM GMT/9AM CET/7PM AEDT) until 7AM CDT (5AM PDT/8AM EDT/1PM GMT/2PM CET/12AM AEDT)

All game servers and SWTOR.com will be offline during this period. This maintenance is expected to take no more than five hours.

Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.

[chaos5061]

Fellow PvPers,

We believe competitive measure is an important part of a complete PvP experience. As such we are excited to be introducing the first phase of that to Star Wars™: The Old Republic™’s PvP gameplay in Game Update 1.2: Legacy, with Pre-Season of Ranked Warzones. We want to emphasize this is Pre-Season while the community and development teams collect data and refine the system in preparation for Season One, which will begin with the inclusion of cross-server Warzone queuing. The Pre-Season ratings will be reset when Season One officially begins.

Ranked Warzone Queue and Matchmaking

In Game Update 1.2, any level 50 player will be able to queue up for Ranked Warzones by themselves or in a group of any size up to eight players. Performance will be tracked on every player who participates, as a rating that will be adjusted with every match won or lost (leaving counts as a loss and prevents you from re-queuing for several minutes) considering the ratings of all other players in the match. In other words, if the enemy team has an overall much higher rating than you and your team, your rating would only go down a small amount if you lost. Players will have a separate Solo and Group rating, meaning only the rating for which the player queued will be affected by each match.

The Ranked Warzone matchmaking system will match full groups of eight against one another, solo players against one another, players with similar ratings, etc. However, in order to ensure that players won’t have to wait too long for a match to occur, the system will become more ‘flexible’ over time. Solo and group queued players might be pulled together after a while if needed to launch a match. If a match cannot be made for extended periods of time, then Normal and Rank queued players (except those who queued as a group of five or more) might be pulled together to launch a ‘mixed’ match. Players will always be notified when a mixed match is made on the Warzone enter prompt. The rewards received in mixed matches will be based on how the player queued (type of commendations, rating adjustment if any, etc.).

We know that the flexible matchmaking and mixed matches are not ideal. They are only in until cross-server queuing is available and are the primary reason Ranked Warzones in Game Update 1.2 are Pre-Season, along with the opportunity to collect data and refine various systems in preparation for Season One.


Note, Rank queued players will never be prompted to backfill a match. So you’ll never be placed in a match that is about to end that could cause you to suffer a negative rating adjustment. Additionally, the Group rating is adjusted regardless of the size of group you queued up with and groups of five or more players are never called into mixed matches. So for complete control over the fate of your group rating, we suggest you queue up with your seven closest buddies that are good at PvP!

Warzone Rewards

Game Update 1.2 will include several changes to round out the Warzone reward system. They will affect both normal and Ranked Warzones.

Continuing on the changes introduced in 1.1.5, normal and Ranked Warzone Commendations can now be used to directly purchase gear. This is to help ensure commendations maintain their value throughout progression and thereby the inherent Warzone reward mechanics.

Ranked Warzone Commendations in tandem with the equivalent Battlemaster piece can be used to purchase pieces of the brand new set of PvP gear called War Hero. There are no other requirements for purchasing or equipping this gear.

Additionally, there is a set of Rated War Hero Gear and mounts which do have Highest Rating requirements to purchase and wear. Rated War Hero Gear has the same stats as regular War Hero Gear, except with a more prestigious appearance.


The final score for your team at the end of a match now always directly affects the rewards of all players on your team. So, high scoring games will reward more. Thereby better preserving reward meaning for continued good team performance - even if it looks like your team is losing. Experience reward is an exception to this. It will be a factor of time in the Warzone and participation.

Players who earn few to no medals will have their overall rewards reduced. For example, if a player goes ‘AFK’ for some reason and gains no medals, they will receive no rewards.

There are twelve new objective medals awarded for thresholds of objective offense and defense points which are earned for various objective accomplishments and participation (e.g. help defend a door in Voidstar, passing for score and scoring in Hutball, heal allies near an objective in Alderaan, etc.). These medals are intended to add to the objective oriented incentives as well as ensure players of all classes and skill levels can earn at least the minimum for no reward reductions provided that they participate in the objectives for the duration of the match.

There are several new medals awarded based on how quickly your team won the match. This combined with the medal reward cap introduced in 1.1.5 incentivizes winning matches as quickly as you can.

Level 50 Warzone quests now award a handful of commendations but the bulk will be earned by performance in Warzones. This ensures the focus remains on the direct Warzone reward mechanics.

Note that all rewards are still not given until the end of the Warzone.

AFK Vote Kick

Players will be able to vote to kick AFK players out of a Warzone. Any player can vote to kick a player through the group context menu. This will not initiate a vote prompt, but rather must be actively sought out by multiple players. Once a player has received several votes they will receive a prompt indicating that they’ll be kicked from the Warzone in a few seconds if they do not engage in combat or defend an objective. A player who is kicked from the Warzone in this manner will be returned to their original location before they queued, and will not be able to queue up again for several minutes.

PvP Stats

In addition to Ranked Warzones Solo and Group Ratings, players will now have several other PvP stats tracked including:

Player Kills
Medals Earned
MVP Votes Received
Total Warzone Wins
Solo Ranked
Wins
Losses
Highest Rating
Current Rating
Group Ranked
Wins
Losses
Highest Rating
Current Rating
Players with high Highest Solo and Group Ratings will be visible to other players on inspection and on the Who List. We intend on making the other stats visible to other players in a future update.

New Warzone: Novare Coast

Republic and Empire are locked in a brutal conflict by air and sea on the new planet, Denova. An Imperial drop ship has crash landed near the Republic coastal base and quickly established a fortification. The teams will need to turn the mortar cannons on the opponent’s fortification to bring it down. However, both fortifications are shielded. One mortar cannon is not enough to purge the shield. A team will have to control at least two to inflict any damage on the enemy fortification.

This is a majority three-point domination map with a tug-of-war style objective control. Control progress is saved when interrupted and then can be resumed by a player of the same team or worked back through by player of the opposing team. A training simulation themed variant of the Warzone supports same faction vs same faction matches.

Hopefully this gives all of you some insight into the changes we’re making in Game Update 1.2. We’d love to hear your feedback on the changes and hopefully we’ll see many of you on the Public Test Server. Don’t forget, the details given here may change slightly before Game Update 1.2 reaches the live servers, as we react to feedback from testing!

[chaos5061]

Weekly Q&A 6 Pt.1

In this week’s Community Q&A we’ve searched out questions on Game Update 1.2, which is currently available to test on the Public Test Server, and coming to live servers soon.

With so much new content and additions in Game Update 1.2, we found plenty of questions – and got you plenty of answers! However, we’ve got so many questions and answers that we’re going to extend this Q&A into next week as well. After that, we’ll return to taking new questions from everyone. As always, we have edited some questions below for clarity or brevity.

If you’d like to discuss any of the answers in this week’s Q&A, please use this Forum thread.



Clone_troope: I still don’t get how the Legacy system works. I have a level 50 Jedi Knight Guardian and a level 50 Smuggler Scoundrel. With the Legacy system can one ‘inherit’ the abilities of the other and vice versa?

Daniel Erickson (Lead Game Designer): Each class has one iconic ability that can be unlocked for your entire Legacy, which means every character on your chosen server. This ability is only available for use during the Heroic Moment ability (which means you need to have your companion with you, and that you only have a limited window to use it). In your case, that means your Guardian would unlock Legacy Force Sweep and your Scoundrel would unlock Legacy Dirty Kick. Each could then use the other’s ability as could any additional Legacy characters you might have, or create.



Cylht: I don’t want to have to leave my guild mates and go play Empire to unlock alien species. Will credits be able to purchase all species or will I have to grind them?

Daniel Erickson: All species have an alternate unlocking method that requires a minimum Legacy Level and credits, making them all purchasable.



Lstn: If I hit 50 as a human, what benefit do I get with the Legacy system, as humans can be any and all classes?

Daniel Erickson: Reaching level 50 as a human results in a sizable Presence bonus to all of your Legacy characters, making all current and future companions more powerful.



Shaynae: Would it be possible to add companion icons to the Legacy family tree?

Daniel Erickson: It is not possible now but is definitely something we want to do in the future.



AetherMcLoud: Is the Legacy Rocket Boost usable in PVP? I sincerely hope not, because if it is that would extremely unbalance Warzones between stinking rich people and people with a more moderate amount of credits.

Daniel Erickson: The Legacy Rocket Boost is most definitely not available in Warzones.



Wesleycrushers: In terms of Legacy unlocks, what do we get for leveling the ship droid to max affection? Is he considered a healer, or is he a different type of companion? Also, do the unlocks carry across characters, so if I max affection with my companion character healer for one character, will I get that bonus applied when I play a different character?

Daniel Erickson: The ship droid is primarily a crafting tool so increasing his affection results in crafting bonuses, but provides no additional Legacy rewards. He is not considered a healer in relation to Legacy unlocks. Maximizing your first companion character healer - and your first of any of the five companion character types - provides a bonus that applies to all Legacy characters. Maxing out additional companions of the same type provides a small Presence bonus that also applies to all Legacy characters.



ViciousFett: Light and Dark active ability Legacy unlocks are obviously Alignment +/- 10000, but what about Neutral? Is it simply a matter of staying between light and dark 1? Or perhaps having at least 5k in each?

Daniel Erickson: The Neutral Legacy reward will not be coming in Game Update 1.2 I’m afraid, as true grey alignment advancement did not make the cut. It will appear as part of the full grey alignment advancement package in a later Game Update.



Aymi: You guys are including a whole bunch of things to motivate us to reroll and unlock stuff through Legacy, but if I’m playing on one server because the community is great, I’ll be limited to eight characters. You said during the Guild Summit you were going to think about it at some point, any update on that?

Daniel Erickson: We are 100% committed to providing more character slots per server in the future but unfortunately we’re not ready to talk about how that will work.



Players have expressed some dissatisfaction with endgame armor sets – can you comment on your plans for future endgame appearances?

Daniel Erickson: We have heard the community loud and clear when it comes to armor sets. What we’ve heard the players say is, “I don’t care how high level I get, I still want my core sets to look and feel like Star Wars and like my class - cooler but not crazy. Keep the crazy to optional gear.” I will warn that creating new armor is a part of our game with long lead times so it will take a set or so before players see a strong shift in direction but we’re already working on some stuff I love and I think players will too.



Asphen: Can we get an option to turn off the combat error text in the center of my screen?

Damion (Principal Lead Systems Designer): We will be looking at adding the ability to move and/or turn off banner text and error text (the two kinds of text that appear in the middle of your screen) as part of the GUI customization system in a future patch. This isn't a trivial issue, however - in some cases, fairly vital information is given to the player here, and we'd need to be sure that in these cases the text gets rerouted someplace for a player to review. So short form, yeah, we're thinking about it, but no ETA for you at this time.



What rewards do I get from the new dailies on Corellia?

David Hunt (Systems Designer): Daily Commendations, with a weekly quest that gives Black Hole Commendations. Some new items have been added to Daily Commendation vendors, and Black Hole Commendations come from multiple locations as a means of buying high end gear.



Magnalorian: I have been acquiring champion gear pieces for the sole purpose of pulling those nice level 56 mods and enhancements out of them to put in my sexy Jedi Battlelord set, which currently makes it roughly equal to Columni I have kept the hollowed out remains of the champion gear I have pulled these mods from, leaving only the armoring which currently can't be removed. Will they turn blue right away in 1.2, remain purple as they currently are (cannot uneqip the armor slot), or will they remain purple and allow me to pull the armoring from them as well?

David Hunt: As a general rule for gear updates: Any mods that you’ve changed will remain changed. Any mods you haven’t changed will update if the gear changed.

In this case, it means your currently empty Champion gear will be purple and show a filled/extractable armoring and empty mod and enhancement slots. Those mods and enhancements will still be present in your Jedi Battlelord set.



Exaro - Will crit crafted orange gear with the tier 4 mods in it and an additional augment be required to get the best possible stats or will the stand alone purple tier 4 be just as good?

David Hunt: Augments are required for the highest possible stats, but augmented gear is not required for any existing content. A fully augmented set of endgame gear will put you above the stat curve.

[chaos5061]

Weekly Q&A 6 Pt.2

ZudetGambeous - Is it possible to use Reverse Engineering on PvP gear and Operations gear in 1.2 to get the appearance shell for those items? If so, has the ability to trade bound items for Reverse Engineering been added, or can you only use Reverse Engineer on those items if you have them yourself... I.E will my alts have to start rolling need on my main’s Operations gear so I can use Reverse Engineering?

David Hunt: You can use Reverse Engineering on Operations gear but not PvP gear. You can purchase PvP appearance schematics for credits, but the appearance schematics may have additional equip requirements. For example, Battlemaster appearances require Valor even though normal Battlemaster items do not. This is because the recipes to produce Battlemaster appearances do not require PvP activity, while purchasing Battlemaster gear requires PvP commendations.

It is not currently possible to trade Bind on Pickup items for Reverse Engineering.



Arnathis: Can we please get an in-depth explanation of how gearing is going to work in Game Update 1.2? I understand that you can reverse engineer the gear and possibly learn the schematic but is that for everyone or just the people with the appropriate Crew Skills? Will this apply to the tier sets as well?

Georg Zoeller (Lead Combat Designer): This is a very broad question, but I’ll try to answer as comprehensively as possible, as the system is rather complex.

First off, in an ‘under the hood’ change to the game, end game items have more stat variety, allowing for significantly improved item customization for players that like to fine tune their stats.

The most important change for gear in Game Update 1.2 is that all previously modifiable purple gear has all their mods exposed, including the so called ‘base mod’ (Armoring, hilt, barrel). These can be freely moved into any empty (orange) appearance shell, giving you a lot more choices in your character’s appearance.

New end game gear (e.g. “Campaign Gear”) introduced with the Game Update has the added benefit that it keeps information about its set bonus on the armoring – but comes with the limitation that the extracted armoring can only be moved into an item of the same slot type (chest to chest, boot to boot, etc.). The reason for this ‘Bind to Slot’ behavior on armoring is that we do not want players to farm the initial boss of an Operation as the easiest way to obtain a full set of end game mods.

This means you can now take any custom (orange) appearance and imbue it with all the benefits of your end game set. As an added progression option, you can also acquire a critical crafted orange item with additional augment slots for even better stats.

Reverse Engineering has also received considerable improvements with Game Update 1.2.

For one, when attempting to reverse engineer an item (for which you indeed need the appropriate profession) you will now be able to see in the item tooltip what your chance to successfully reverse engineer a new schematic is (or if such a chance exists at all).

Many of the new end game items (and end game items going forward) can be reverse engineered to learn schematics based on the original item:

Reverse engineering an item with mods leads to empty orange equivalents of the end game items. This can be done after the mods are extracted and used in a different item!
The item you learn to create is commonly Bind on Equip, as we want to encourage a more lively market on the Galactic Trade Network.
Many different mods can now be reverse engineered which will grant you a schematic to craft that mod. (This is not possible on armoring that carry a set bonus.)
Reverse engineering non-modded items usually leads to a schematic for an equivalent item.
Reverse engineering an end game item also provides materials needed to craft these items. Operations materials are also Bind on Equip now, creating a more diverse market.
A crafting critical on these schematics will usually lead to an augment slot. For item mods, it results in an extra item.
Effectively, this means you can sell nearly full end game items (including augment slots on a critical success) one component at a time. However, doing so requires a significant upfront investment, it’s certainly not easy. This also means every profession now benefits from Reverse Engineering and can trade items.

Armormech produces certain Augments, Augmented Tech Armor
Armstech produces certain Augments, Augmented Weapons
Artifice produces Color Crystals, Enhancements, Augmented Shields and Relics
Biochem produces Augmented Implants
Cybertech produces Mods and Augmented Earpieces
Synthweaving produces certain Augments, Augmented Force Armor
Augment schematics (green) are found via Slicing missions and blue and purple variants of these augments can be researched via reverse engineering by the appropriate crafters. It is not possible to reverse engineer legacy augments obtained from slicing before the game update arrives, however. These are technically different items.

Because we do not want players to gamble with reverse engineering custom appearances (orange items) which are often unique quest rewards, the schematics for these items are obtained via mission discoveries for various gathering skills and are set to Bind on Equip to encourage active trading.

Finally, a word on augment slots: with Game Update 1.2, crafters are the only source of augment slots in the game, significantly elevating their ability to contribute highly desirable items into the more open trade economy while enabling players to engage in end game using an appearance of their choice.

We have also heard at the Guild Summit and through community feedback on the Forums that many players have built up a significant stack of custom appearances for future use in their cargo holds and would really like to upgrade these with an augment slot to make them fully competitive as end game gear. We absolutely support this and will be introducing the ability to do so in a future Game Update.



Thanks for all of your questions, and thanks to the team for answering them. Be sure to come back next week for more Game Update 1.2 questions and answers!

[chaos5061]

Biowares April Fools Day Gag.

Cruising around the galaxy in your own personal starship is an important aspect of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. The player’s starship is like a home, and the player’s companions are like a family. No one knows this better than the dedicated Ship Droids who maintain the vessels: C2-N2 for Republic characters and 2V-R8 for Imperial characters.

Jedi Knights, Smugglers, Bounty Hunters and the other class characters may be the heroes in the wider galaxy, but on board the starship, the Ship Droids are the heroes. That’s why, as part of Game Update 1.2, you will soon be able to assume direct control over your Droid’s actions with Ship Droid™, a brand new mini-game coming to The Old Republic!

Features of this mini-game include cleaning the cockpit windows, calibrating the ship’s food processors, and several other exciting maintenance duties:


But that’s really only the beginning. No Star Wars: The Old Republic mini-game would be complete without the fourth pillar of “story.” In addition to your character’s personal storyline, you can also experience the storyline of these loyal companions! In Ship Droid™, you will be asked to make decisions that have a meaningful impact on the story and greatly affect the climate aboard your starship.


Another feature of Ship Droid™ is the Etiquette Points System. Not unlike social points that you can earn during regular conversations in The Old Republic, players living out the adventures of C2-N2 or 2V-R8 can accumulate these Etiquette Points in conversations and use them to unlock special features within the mini-game. Ship Droids earn these points in conversations with the class characters as well as conversation with other companion characters. We can reveal that companion to companion romance will be just one of the Etiquette Points unlocks.


We don’t want to spoil all of the Etiquette Points unlocks. We’ll leave those details for you discover when you play Ship Droid™. However, we do want to reveal that there will be an exclusive in-game vendor for Droids that will be selling and add-on mini-game especially for your C3-N2 or 2V-R8.


To be clear, earning maximum etiquette points in Ship Droid™ will not be an easy task, but if you are able to achieve it, you unlock the ability to really turn the tables. Playing as the ship Droid, you can become the main hero and your class characterwill become the companion.


If you weren’t already excited about all the new content coming in Game Update 1.2, we certainly hope you are now. We weren’t 100% certain that we could get Ship Droid™ to the necessary of polish to release with this update, and that’s why we’re extra-excited that it’s come together so well.

Thanks again for joining us in this epic adventure, and we hope to see you online soon in The Old Republic!

[cabby]

Pitty that's an April Fool's gag, that might be interesting, taking the ship droid and earning enough points to turn him into the hero.

[chaos5061]

1.2 PTS Update 4-4-12

Star Wars™: The Old Republic™
Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes


These notes detail changes made to the PTS server on 4/4/2012. These changes apply ONLY to the PTS server.


Flashpoints and Operations

Flashpoints

Lost Island
Corrected an issue that caused Hybrid Rakghoul Brutes and Gunners to respawn during this Flashpoint.

The False Emperor
Removed an invisible barrier that could prevent completion of this Flashpoint.
Operations

Explosive Conflict
Toth uses his Area of Effect Smash less frequently.
Toth is no longer invulnerable during his berserk phase.
An issue that could cause Zorn to execute Baradium Heave at an incorrect target has been addressed.
The Stormcaller Blast tank can no longer be taunted while it is activating Double Destruction.
Corrected an animation issue affecting Kephess Walkers.
Kephess' Area of Effect ability is now shown in the correct place for all Operation Group members.

Legacy
Localized versions of Legacy emotes now work correctly.


PvP

General
Daily and weekly PvP missions now reward 99 Warzone Commendations.

Warzones

General
The PvP matchmaking system for Ranked Warzones now searches for a longer period of time before matching a large queued group of players with a smaller one.
UI

Galactic Trade Network
GTN searches now take the level range entered by the player into account when searching "Usable By" (instead of automatically searching for a +5/-5 level range).

Miscellaneous Bug Fixes
Corrected an issue that could cause players to get stuck in a falling state on some terrain.
Character eyes no longer appear to be pink if Character Texture Atlasing is set to the "High" option.
Desktop resolution is now restored correctly when the game is exited if its fullscreen mode resolution differs from the desktop resolution.
Added an appropriate error message for a guild issue that may occur under extremely rare circumstances.
Some minor mapnote, cinematic, text, and art issues have been corrected.

[chaos5061]

A Quick Look at UI Customization

[chaos5061]

New PTS update today sometime this afternoon.

[chaos5061]

1.2 PTS Update 4-6-12

Star Wars™: The Old Republic™
Game Update 1.2 PTS Patch Notes


These notes detail changes made to the PTS server on 4/6/2012. These changes ONLY apply to the PTS server.


Classes and Combat

Imperial Agent
Adrenaline Probe's sound effect no longer repeats itself.

Crew Skills

Crafting Skills
Crafted PvP (Battlemaster, War Hero, and Rated War Hero) gear now correctly binds on equip (instead of on pickup).

Flashpoints and Operations

Operations

Eternity Vault
Cover classes can now take cover on platforms when fighting Gharj.
The reliability of Soa's Ball Lightnings has been improved, and an issue that could cause them to deal damage twice has been addressed.

Explosive Conflict
Turrets at the start of the minefield no longer deal damage outside of their intended range.
Kephess' Savage Wound debuff now has a tooltip.

Items

General
Three mainhand War Hero weapons that required offhand weapons for purchase now correctly require the appropriate mainhand weapon.

Vendors
Items to purchase with Unassembled Rakata Implants have been added to the Rakata vendors on the Fleets.

Legacy
The Operations Training dummy no longer spawns the Warzone Training Dummy.


PvP

General
A button that appeared erroneously in the Warzone queuing UI has been removed.
Warzones no longer end early due to differing team populations.
Corrected an issue that could prevent players from being added to the Operation Group in Warzones.


Warzones

Alderaan Civil War
The speeder bikes that transport players to the East and West turrets have been resinstated.
Novare Coast
Players now receive an appropriate message when they defend an objective.
Defending the East turret now grants objective points.

Space Combat

General
Corrected an issue that prevented non-repeatable Space Combat Missions from awarding Fleet Commendations.
UI

General
Adding a level range argument to the /who command now correctly returns filtered results.
Corrected the icons for Imperial Agent Advanced Class selection.

Guild Bank
The record of Guild Bank activity is now maintained in the ledger for players that have left the guild.
Leaving and re-joining a guild no longer resets weekly Guild Bank limits.

Groups and Targeting
The Assassin and Sorcerer class icons are now associated with the correct Advanced Class.

Miscellaneous Bug Fixes
Some minor text and localization errors have been corrected.
An issue that prevented players from modifying equipped companion gear has been addressed.
Corrected an issue that caused area loot and autoloot options to occasionally cease functioning upon area transition.

[chaos5061]

That was fast wasn't it lol.

[chaos5061]

Weekly Q&A 7 Pt.1

This week’s Q&A continues on from last week where we answered a number of questions about Game Update 1.2. We had so many questions we broke the Q&A into two parts! Next week we’ll return to answering more general questions you might have. We’ll open a Forum thread for you to contribute as normal.

As a reminder, two weeks ago we suggested a shift in focus in your questions. As development plans are always subject to change, questions about future features will often get vague answers which can be repetitive and sometimes annoying. With that in mind, the development team is more interested in questions about current in-game features or systems, or questions about why development decisions were made. You’re still welcome to ask questions about future features and we’ll continue to answer them where appropriate – just expect the occasional ‘soon.’

We have now opened an official thread for next week’s Q&A, which will stay open until 2pm CDT on April 10th (7pm GMT/8pm CET). We welcome your questions in that thread and hope you enjoy the answers below. As always some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.



Thangunis: Soon I will hit level 50 and was wondering what to do with my commendations. If I understand correctly the new Recruit gear set is more PVP oriented and has less PvE stats? Is the old gear worth buying or should I wait for the new Recruit? I would like to buy Battlemaster directly with commendations but I can only have 1000 commendations, right?

David Hunt (Sr. Systems Designer): PvP gear going forward has more Expertise than the initial PvP gear, which includes the Recruit set. The Recruit set is also purchased for credits. You have a few options for handling your existing commendations, but what you should do depends on what types of commendations you have.

Centurion, Champion, and Battlemaster Commendations: These currencies are getting deprecated in Game Update 1.2. There are a few miscellaneous things you can purchase in Game Update 1.2 that are currently on the vendors on PTS. Most players will be best served by spending any of these commendations that they have now before 1.2 goes live.

Warzone Commendations: The cap on Warzone Commendations is increasing in Game Update 1.2, and they buy many more valuable items. Characters that do not have Battlemaster gear will probably benefit the most by spending Warzone Commendations to stay below the cap, but should try to keep 1,000 commendations for 1.2 to spend them on Battlemaster gear.

Unassembled PvP Tokens: These currencies are deprecated and have no value in Game Update 1.2.



Giolon: I read in patch notes that sniper rifles will no longer drop for Republic players - what about Risha and Zenith? These companions use sniper rifles. How are we supposed to gear them up if sniper rifles no longer drop for Republic players?

David Hunt: There are still several ways to get sniper rifles for Republic players – this change primarily removed them from boss drops. Sniper rifles can still be crafted, purchased from vendors, and modded. And with Game Update 1.2, weapons that drop more frequently on one side can always be mailed across from the other side with legacy characters.



CamoCladn: If I reverse engineer orange items, will I be able to obtain the schematics for them in Game Update 1.2? It would be great if I can get schematics to attempt to get augment slots as this would grant the ability to look just like I want.

Patrick Malott (Systems Designer): While in reverse engineering mode, items that can provide research variations will display a ‘Chance to Research a Schematic: x%’ tooltip. Otherwise, the tooltip will read “No Research Available.” Reverse Engineering to get Armormech Schematics pertains to the new endgame tier of Operation items and PvP Battlemaster/War Hero items.



Ironcleaver: I was under the assumption that the three crafting classes would gain the new augment schematics through their trainers... but seeing what's listed under Slicing, does this mean the schematics are only gained as critical rewards through Slicing?

Patrick Malott: Correct. Augment schematics are not learned via the crafting trainers. They are acquired as Sliced Tech Part mission critical rewards through Slicing.



Shaynae: According to the patch notes: The chance of researching schematics via reverse engineering has been significantly increased. However I'm not seeing this on the stuff I'm trying, in fact I am getting purples from blues much less often than on the live servers. Yes, I do understand that some of it is luck. I found the Tier one stuff came pretty easier, but now the Tier three stuff I'm having either a really long run of bad luck or there is something wrong.

Patrick Malott: As stated earlier, while reverse engineering, items that can provide research variation will display a ‘Chance to Research a Schematic: x%’ tooltip. This chance will currently either be 20% or 10%. Pre-Game Update 1.2, Artifact items (Purples) had as low as a 4% chance for research. In addition, the “You already know that schematic” bug we fixed for this patch was preventing some research variations from being learned. Research chances overall should be significantly higher in 1.2.



Babouine: Will you guys add new stuff to the VIP area on the Fleets?

Daniel Erickson (Lead Game Designer): We will definitely be adding new items to the VIP areas on the fleets in the future, but we can’t give you an exact estimate on when just yet.



Xsmspiffs: Could we get an option to allow others to see the Guild Ledger, and show the Guildmaster on it?

Damion Schubert (Principal Lead Systems Designer): The Guildmaster not showing will be corrected in Game Update 1.2. We will eventually allow the Guildmaster to set who can see the guild ledger via permissions - this will not make 1.2, but is definitely coming in a future update.



Alexbeav: I love the new Smart Camera toggle option! However, I have one observation to make: when you move (with smart cam off), the camera does not rotate, but when you use an ability, the camera resets back behind the player. The same thing happens when traveling by taxi. Is this an oversight or is it intended?

Damion: That's a bug - good catch! I'll get a bug into the system, and hopefully we'll get a fix either in Game Update 1.2 or a patch shortly afterwards.



Mysquine: Whilst trying to do "/who x" (x being level) or "/who x-x" it does not return anything, if you type "/who x [planet]" then it will return the appropriate results. Is this intended?

Damion: That's not intended. I will investigate.



Leonalis: When will we get the titles promised for playing on PTS? Will it be for all my characters?

Stephen Reid (Senior Community Manager): Short answer: after Game Update 1.2 goes live and yes! There are two in-game titles that will be granted to anyone who created a new character on the Public Test Server. Both titles will be placed after your character’s name. The first title is given for attaining Level 10 with any new character on PTS, and it is ‘First Line of Defense’. The second title is given for finishing Chapter 1 with any new character on PTS, and it is ‘The Cutting Edge’.

We’ll be granting these titles soon after Game Update 1.2 goes live, and you’ll receive the titles across your account for all characters, both existing and new. You’ll get the titles via in-game mail, similar to the Founder’s Medal, so keep an eye on your mailbox. In addition, these titles will still be available to be gained from playing on PTS in the future.



Daezihang: Are Mortar Volley and Death from Above actually functioning the same now? How much faster does MV start its damage?

Austin Peckenpaugh (Senior Designer): Yes, this was the motivation for the change. Mortar Volley and Death From Above now fire projectiles at the same time and those projectiles travel at the same speed, dealing the same damage. As for how much faster MV starts its damage - the answer is "much faster."



Rystet: I have done extensive testing on the Training Dummies and I have spent over 2 hours beating on the Operation Training Target. I have not had any attack Dodged or Parried. Is this a bug?

Austin: Training dummies currently do not parry/dodge as intended. We are working on a fix for this.



PerfectDuke: Are you really removing the giggle/laugh for scoundrels when Upper Hand procs in Game Update 1.2? As a healer, having the audio cue is great for focusing on... well, healing. Especially if the proc comes off of my hot, slow-release medpac.

Austin: The change was intended to prevent sound fatigue when lots of these procs were going off in a small area (especially in operations). We are looking into ways of making this proc more visible going forward.

[chaos5061]

Weekly Q&A 7 Pt.2

Zilvra: I have a level 32 Scoundrel Scrapper. I am already having problems killing my on level bosses due to the 1.1 nerfs. What will the 1.2 nerfs do to me in PVE? It seems really unfair to the purely PVE players when the nerfs hit?

Austin: Many of the class story bosses are intentionally very difficult. This is something that all classes face and is not unique to Smugglers. The fact of the matter is that Scrapper DPS is closer to target in 1.2. Understandably, if you were already struggling with an encounter, you may view this as an undesired change. For clarity, we don't agree that this is "unfair" for "pure PVE" players as the changes are not meant to (despite popular perception) specifically target PVP over PVE.



Thanks for all of your questions, and thanks to the team for answering them. If you’d like to put forward a question for next week’s Q&A, please visit this Forum thread!

[chaos5061]

Forum Maint. Only

Hello everyone,

We wanted to let you know that we will be performing scheduled maintenance on the SWTOR.com website for four hours on Tuesday, April 10th, 2012 from 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8AM BST/9AM CEST/7PM AEST) until 6AM CDT (4AM PDT/7AM EDT/12PM BST/1PM CEST/11PM AEST). SWTOR.com will be offline during this period, but game servers will be up and running. This maintenance is expected to take no more than four hours, but could be extended.

Enjoy the game!

Scheduled Maintenance

Date: Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

Time: 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8AM BST/9AM CEST/7PM AEST) until 6AM CDT (4AM PDT/7AM EDT/12PM BST/1PM CEST/11PM AEST)

SWTOR.com will be offline during this period but game servers will be up and running. This maintenance is expected to take no more than four hours.

Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.

[chaos5061]

1.2 Release 4-12-12

Hello everyone!

We will be bringing down servers for eight hours on April 12th, 2012 from 12:01AM CDT (April 11th, 10:01PM PDT/1:01AM EDT/6:01AM BST/7:01AM CEST/3:01PM AEST) until 8AM CDT (6AM PDT/9AM EDT/2PM BST/3PM CEST/11PM AEST) in order to deploy Game Update 1.2 - Legacy. All game servers will be offline during this period. SWTOR.com will be available. This maintenance is expected to take no more than eight hours, but could be extended.

Please note the timing on this maintenance period, which is beginning earlier than usual.

Game Update 1.2 – Legacy introduces new content and features for all Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ players. Earn new rewards and build your family tree with the expanded Legacy System, explore Lost Island, a new Flashpoint, challenge the new Operation: Explosive Conflict, and face off against your foes (or your allies) in Novare Coast, a new Warzone. You can also experience new daily missions on Corellia, customize your User Interface, create a new Guild Bank for your guild, and more! Learn more about Game Update 1.2 here!

After this maintenance is over, restart the game launcher to patch to Game Update 1.2. This patch will be up to approximately 1Gb in size, depending on when you last updated the game.

Scheduled Maintenance

Date: Thursday, April 12th, 2012 (See PDT timing below)

Time: 12:01AM CDT (April 11th, 10:01PM PDT/1:01AM EDT/6:01AM BST/7:01AM CEST/3:01PM AEST) until 8AM CDT (6AM PDT/9AM EDT/2PM BST/3PM CEST/11PM AEST)

All game servers will be offline during this period. SWTOR.com will be available. This maintenance is expected to take no more than eight hours.

Thank you for your patience as we maintain service for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™.