1st flashpoint trailer released

slpr

An interview and the new trailer with gamespot:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/starwarstheoldrepublic/news.html?sid=6287811&mode=previews

If you prefer you can watch the video here in HD, sorry about the 3 minutes black screen but it's just a placeholder:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyZsdtB743Y

Vormir

Nice preview!

The combat though... looks slow and clunky. I do hope I'm wrong.

Gormok

WoW, the graphics have really come a long way. Boy i can't wait to get my Star Wars on, until than i'll be happly enjoying CO free for all.

slpr

Originally posted by Vormir

Nice preview!

The combat though... looks slow and clunky. I do hope I'm wrong.

The combat is not slow, it just seems that way in the trailer for showing purposes. All the testers till now say the combat is very fast paced, also were is the last mmo you played were you faced 3 4 or more enemies at once?!

Dameonk

Ugh.. maybe it's just me, but every time new videos are released for TOR I get less excited about this game.

Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised, I hope so, because right now my expectations of this game are in the negative digits.

jusomdude

Looks epic!

artemisentr4

A nice look at a level 32 flashpoint. And it will take at least 90 minutes, the average length for a flashpoint. And could take two hours if you want to complete everything. Sounds good to me. Thanks for the post. In case you didn't read the Q&A. Here it is.  

GameSpot: Give us an overview of the Taral V flashpoint. What's the purpose of this area in the game's story, and how will successfully conquering it change the outcome of a character's adventures?

Jesse Sky: The emperor is holding a powerful Jedi captive in his personal prison--a massive space station at the heart of the Maelstrom Nebula. Only a Gree computer is capable of navigating the treacherous cosmic storms that surround the prison. Fortunately, the Republic has learned that the Empire guards just such a device on the remote jungle world of Taral V.

Your mission is to infiltrate the hidden Imperial fortress on Taral V and recover this computer. Success will mean that the Republic fleet can launch an assault on the prison where you can, perhaps, rescue the Jedi prisoner.

GS: Without spoiling anything, can you give us a quick run-through of what it will be like to try to conquer this flashpoint? What kinds of enemies will players be up against? What kinds of player skills and tactics will be important? How many hours is the flashpoint intended to take?

JS: You and your friends will form a covert strike team and land a shuttle in the jungle beyond the walls of the fortress. You'll face vicious beasts, battle an entire legion of Imperial soldiers, and confront the ruthless Sith who oversee operations on the planet. The fortress on Taral V doubles as a research facility, so you should come prepared to deal with some advanced weapons technology.

Taral V can be played in roughly 90 minutes, which is about the average length for a flashpoint. A completionist play-through would probably take more than two hours. If you have any stealthy friends, you might find them particularly useful on this mission. 

GS: How does Taral V fit into The Old Republic in a larger sense? Approximately what level should characters be when they try to tackle it? Will it require large groups of players to conquer?

JS: Taral V is intended for players at level 32 or above, and it's balanced for a full group of four players.

GS: Let's talk about flashpoints in general. How many are intended to be in the game at launch? How will the game guide players toward them, and how important will they be to a player's overall experience? For instance, we understand that player-versus-player (PVP) battles are intended to let players play them continuously, gaining all their levels and loot through them--can we say the same for flashpoints?

JS: I won't get into our launch numbers, but flashpoints are a core part of the game experience and will challenge you from a relatively early level all the way to endgame. You could spend a large chunk of your time playing them, for sure, and there are plenty of incentives to do so.

GS: In many massively multiplayer games with different types of content, you often see certain players gravitating toward one specific way to play over others--some people are crafters, others only want to do quests, and some people only want PVP. Is there a specific kind of player that you're targeting for flashpoints?

JS: Flashpoints are designed to be enjoyed by everyone, but they will hold the most appeal for players who like cooperative gameplay. I would also say we're sympathetic to players who are a little bored with the "traditional" dungeon experience. My team loves playing dungeons, but we want flashpoints to be an evolutionary step toward something more engaging. My hope is that even players who traditionally solo will be attracted to them and seek out groups.

On a personal level, I'm targeting my friends. I ran a Star Wars pen-and-paper campaign in college, so building cooperative, story-driven missions in this universe is very exciting to me. It's like sitting behind the game master screen again, except I'm joined by a host of talented people, and we have powerful tools at our disposal.

GS: While flashpoints are clearly intended to be challenging experiences, once you've completed one, are you finished with it forever? What incentives are planned to get players to run a certain flashpoint multiple times? Alternate difficulty levels? Randomized loot? Some kind of points system that earns you prestige for successfully completing these areas?

JS: Flashpoints are repeatable by design, and we strive to include elements that keep them fresh for multiple play-throughs. The gameplay focus in a flashpoint is very tight, which contrasts a bit with adventuring in the open world, but it lets us empower players in some really interesting ways. For example, you might explore the area and discover a secret that changes the mechanics of a boss fight. Or you might make a story decision that alters the course of the gameplay.

Naturally, you'll find some of the best equipment in flashpoints. There will be other reward structures in place as well, but our main focus is making them fun. Fun is my favorite incentive.

GS: Could you give us a general update on the game's development? Which aspects of the game is the team focusing on?

JS: Development is going very well, and we're all happy to be heading into our home stretch. We've been receiving some incredibly positive feedback from our ongoing game testing program, which has let us better balance combat, item drops, and quest flow, plus plenty more. It's been a huge morale booster to get feedback from real players that we can use to improve the game. As for my team, we're still hard at work building more flashpoints. The whole studio is very busy.

GS: Finally, is there anything else you'd like to add about flashpoints, or the game in general? 

JS: Many of us play the game in our free time for as many hours as we work on it during the week. It's very exciting. I have a difficult time pulling myself away to play other online games lately, and that speaks volumes.

GS: Thank you.

 

Foomerang

Sweet!
Well lets see. So far, they have covered:
Personal story
Space combat
Companions
Warzones
Housing
Ground combat
Crafting
Exploration
And now Flashpoints

All that is left to disclose is large scale content for both pvp and pve. Space combat is the only thing that hasnt met my expectations. Everything else has exceeded them. And the graphics are looking better than ever.

VegasGambler

Looks better with each update it seems.  Can't wait!!!

slpr

Originally posted by Foomerang

Sweet!

Well lets see. So far, they have covered:

Personal story

Space combat

Companions

Warzones

Housing

Ground combat

Crafting

Exploration

And now Flashpoints

All that is left to disclose is large scale content for both pvp and pve. Space combat is the only thing that hasnt met my expectations. Everything else has exceeded them. And the graphics are looking better than ever.

Honestly i was also a little disappointed with the space combat, but recently i saw a little of it in the jace hall show (ign) and it looks fun! And they will had multiplayer and pvp later, probably in the 1st expansion or so.

Theres still missing alot of things... raids, guilds, more crafting details, details on how weapons can be customized, etc, etc.

Elikal

I like slow combat. All this DCU hectic made me mad.

Looks promising. I didn't know that Yoda was THAT old however.

But what Is a Flashpoint? Is it PVP or PVE? <.<  >.>  <.<

 

EDIT: Why are there so many bald men in SWTOR? :O

spookydom

Originally posted by Elikal

(edit)

 

EDIT: Why are there so many bald men in SWTOR? :O

Becouse to many Midichlorians makes your hair fall out.:)

Sovrath

Originally posted by Elikal

I like slow combat. All this DCU hectic made me mad.

Looks promising. I didn't know that Yoda was THAT old however.

But what Is a Flashpoint? Is it PVP or PVE? <.<  >.>  <.<

 

EDIT: Why are there so many bald men in SWTOR? :O

They seem like they are essentially LOTRO skirmishes but fitting for the Star Wars Universe as well as the style of SWToR.

slpr

Originally posted by Elikal

I like slow combat. All this DCU hectic made me mad.

Looks promising. I didn't know that Yoda was THAT old however.

But what Is a Flashpoint? Is it PVP or PVE? <.<  >.>  <.<

 

EDIT: Why are there so many bald men in SWTOR? :O

A flashpoint is kind of a dungeon like in other MMO's. Bald men? probably because they are still working on character creator and don't want to show the options right away.

Swanea

Very nice video of the flashpoint.  <.< I sure hope there is an option to hide helms because that consular one is just over the top <.<.

slpr

Originally posted by Swanea

Very nice video of the flashpoint.  <.< I sure hope there is an option to hide helms because that consular one is just over the top <.<.

Yes there is an helmet toggle. And for example if you are a trooper and wear the helmet all the time, when you enter conversations with Npc's your trooper will remove the helmet for conversation purposes and later put it on again.

whilan

Nice trailer.  Graphics are getting better.  So we got a new flash point, updated graphics, an interview and it's not even Friday yet  

Swanea

Originally posted by whilan

Nice trailer.  Graphics are getting better.  So we got a new flash point, updated graphics, an interview and it's not even Friday yet  

Which most likely means friday will be a "wrap up" of what was presented.  I did not know about the helmets, thanks yoda dewd!

whilan

Here is Darth Haters breakdown of the trailer. some interesting things in there that might have been missed in the flash of action going on

http://darthhater.com/media/gallery/taral-v-flashpoint-trailer-dissection/image/1687

Nazgol

Wow, nice find. Nice fast paced battles. Was that Yoda or someone else of his species?

BarakIII

Originally posted by Nazgol

Wow, nice find. Nice fast paced battles. Was that Yoda or someone else of his species?

Someone else of his species, Yoda hasn't been born yet in this timeline. He was 'only' 900 years old after all.

MDarkbladeM

Originally posted by Nazgol

Wow, nice find. Nice fast paced battles. Was that Yoda or someone else of his species?

It's not Yoda, that for sure. I believe Yoda has not even born yet on this time period.

Vormir

Thanks for the info buddy

I'm looking forward to this game, but the combat there just got me worried.

One thing I learned in the industry is never judge a game by its trailer. Needs to be hands on

And in AoC the combat is great and you face 3-4 mobs all the time. About the SW:ToR only the combat worries me by the way. I know how Bioware develops story lines and the graphics look great over all So bring it on Bioware.

Only people that didn't play Mass effect or Dragon Age might have doubts about this.

 

EDIT: Duh forgot to click quote instead of reply. Post intended to the OP Cheers

whilan

Take a look at this video (it's got music over top so you may not like the music, it's not ingame music though)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWx5gcrubiA

 

Gives you some idea of what combat will look like if you took the HUD off.  Granted this is over half a year old but still you can get the general idea.

jpnz

Now that the proper graphics are being shown maybe that ridiculous thread about 'graphics sux' can finally die.

 

They mention 'home stretch' so hopefully it isn't too far away.

I really think they have to get it out by July-ish..

Will a double release of DA2/ME3 + SWTOR work? DA2 if early 2011, ME3 if late 2011. I can't see that happening. 

This does bring up a sad fact, there will be no more new BW games next year. T__T

Williac

Graphics are great! But for the love all that's good and pure in this world, please make those lightsaber hilts smaller.