TOROZ

Suggestion Box: SWTOR playing time

David Holloway — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:03:26 +0000

This week’s topic of debate is the amount of time you spend playing SWTOR. With Diablo 3 released this week, there’s a lot of people who seem to have taken a breather from SWTOR to kill their wrist clicking a mouse to move their hero round some dark dungeons and cathedrals. Once people have had [...]

Star Wars RP Research: Hutt Space!

David Holloway — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:08:32 +0000

In the course of some studies this evening, I stumbled across a fascinating little research abstract. It’s about a research study looking at a group of Star Wars RP’ers who use a region in Second Life called Hutt Space. The full research article is still a month or two off publication, but here’s the abstract: [...]

Believe It or Not, I’m Walking On Air (Spelunking in SWTOR)

Simon Potter — Wed, 16 May 2012 23:30:12 +0000

Inane references to The Greatest American Hero aside, there’s plenty of legitimate fun to be had in SWTOR and Bioware have promised much more to come in the future. That said, it doesn’t stop some of us from making up our own entertainment and I’m no exception. First a quick disclaimer: it’s almost certain that [...]

SWTOR Patch 1.2.4 Notes

David Holloway — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:39:40 +0000

The servers have been back for a while, so if you haven’t already, check out the 1.2.4 patch notes below. There’s quite a few changes although most are bug fixes. Enjoy: 1.2.4 Patch Notes 5/15/2012 Classes and Combat General The Guard ability can now be reapplied if the player dies with it activated. Previously, players [...]

Fleet Pass: SWTOR Weekly Roundup

Tim Gow — Tue, 15 May 2012 02:46:40 +0000

Fleet Pass is a weekly review of the SWTOR community, a small and non-comprehensive collection of the funny, the insightful, the controversial and any other interesting picks found anywhere but generally in the SWTOR Forums. Have a suggestion? Send it in to us with a source link if available, and the name you’d like to be credited [...]

Server Downtime: 15th May 2012

David Holloway — Tue, 15 May 2012 00:00:18 +0000

Another nice standard four-hour downtime this week: AEST: 5pm-9pm AWST: 3pm-7pm NZST: 7pm-11pm The full blurb below as always! Scheduled Maintenance Date: Tuesday, May 15th, 2012 Time: 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8 AM BST/9AM CEST/5PM AEST) until 6AM CDT (4AM PDT/7AM EDT/12PM BST/1PM CEST/9PM AEST). All game servers will be offline during this period. This [...]

For Our Senior Sith Citizens

David Holloway — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:15:13 +0000

Here at TOROZ we believe in helping out the community, and it’s in that vein that we bring to the attention of our senior citizens, a mobility aid with a difference: It was created by Keith Greenstein – nice work Keith! [via Technabob]

Oceanic Guild Spotlight: Rogue Squadron

David Holloway — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:32:27 +0000

If you’d like your guild spotlighted, just use our contact form to let us know. Or if you like, respond to the questions shown below and send them in – we love to profile guilds and the work they’re doing. The only requirement is that you’re an active oceanic guild. Please be patient if you [...]

SWTOR Video News: Patch 1.3 Speculation

David Holloway — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:20:58 +0000

Asher releases Episode 5 of his video news and it’s another great roundup – notes supporting it are below: Episode 5 off SWTOR News. All news in this video is from the week starting 06/05/2012. Please remember to share, comment and subscribe! Links for this weeks articles: Dev Q&A http://www.swtor.com/blog/community-qa-may-11th-2012 Next Weeks Dev Q&A question [...]

Suggestion Box: Getting a Friend on Board

David Holloway — Sat, 12 May 2012 03:32:19 +0000

With all the news and debate this week about subscriber numbers, it’s a good time to get some feedback on how people tend to tell their friends about the game and maybe even convince them to jump in and have a go. Have you successfully convinced a skeptical friend to give SWTOR a try? If [...]

SWTOR Video News: the 400K Drop Issue

David Holloway — Thu, 10 May 2012 22:17:49 +0000

Asher has backed up with an extra episode of his video news, dedicating an episode to the issue of SWTOR’s 400K drop in subscribers. He makes some interesting points, some I agree with and others I don’t – which is what makes discussing any MMO fun! I too like the point on higher population servers [...]

Server Downtime: 10th May 2012

Toby the News Droid — Thu, 10 May 2012 00:59:42 +0000

Unfortunately there’s an unexpected server downtime tonight, to fix some issues that have arisen since patch 1.2.3. It’s a four hour downtime, affecting us at the usual time: AEST: 5pm-9pm AWST: 3pm-7pm NZST: 7pm-11pm BioWare’s blurb: Maintenance Date: Thursday, May 10th, 2012 Time: 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8AM BST/9AM CEST/5PM AEST) until 6AM CDT (4AM [...]

SWTOR Patch 1.2.3 Notes

David Holloway — Wed, 09 May 2012 08:36:48 +0000

A belated posting of the patch notes for SWTOR 1.2.3 – expect the 1.2.4 notes in the next day or two as BioWare originally had a further downtime tonight which was cancelled at the last minute. 1.2.3 Patch Notes 5/8/2012 Classes and Combat General Corrected an issue that prevented Smugglers and Imperial Agents from taking [...]

SWTOR subscribers drop 400K

David Holloway — Tue, 08 May 2012 23:36:00 +0000

EA have released their financial results for Jan-March 2012, including the disclosure that as at the end of March, there were 1.3 million subscribers. That’s a substantial drop from the 1.7 million peak a month after launch, but still a significant number. Some will interpret the decline as a big negative, and to some extent [...]

Asher’s Aussie SWTOR news: YouTube Style

David Holloway — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:17:33 +0000

Australian SWTOR player Asher Moore has joined the SWTOR news fray, with a great weekly video roundup. As you’ll see if you have a look, the quality is great and the information pertinent – what more would you want? We’ll feature Asher’s broadcasts each week here at TOROZ as well. Let’s kick off with Episode [...]

Server Downtime: 8th May 2012

David Holloway — Mon, 07 May 2012 00:40:52 +0000

Once again, nothing out of the ordinary maintenance-wise, with a standard four-hour downtime this coming Tuesday. The time conversions: AEST: 5pm-9pm AWST: 3pm-7pm NZST: 7pm-11pm Here’s the maintenance blurb straight from the horse’s mouth: Scheduled Maintenance Date: Tuesday, May 8th, 2012 Time: 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8 AM BST/9AM CEST/5PM AEST) until 6AM CDT (4AM PDT/7AM EDT/12PM [...]

Flash Point 32: Turkey Slapping Crystal Gayle

David Holloway — Sun, 06 May 2012 13:32:34 +0000

We’re back on deck for some fun discussion on a bunch of things, including Ed’s ever-popular Lore Update. Apologies for the sound quality in parts – let’s blame Skype. Points of discussion: - Post 1.2 stability - Asia-Pacific server transfers and server merge need - Fleet duelling - Arena-watching from the cantina - New playable [...]

Community Q&A 4th May: Duelling on the Fleet

David Holloway — Sun, 06 May 2012 06:39:24 +0000

This week’s Community Q&A from BioWare is a biggie – which is always welcome. As per usual there’s a bunch of topics covered but the highlights for me were discussions on SWTOR’s economy and BioWare confirming they’re looking into the option of duelling on the Republic and Imperial Fleet. That sounds like it could be a [...]

Toilet talk, SWTOR style

David Holloway — Sun, 06 May 2012 00:54:07 +0000

Kreep, from the Pandamonium Guild on the Darth Bandon server, has created a little fan vid that you may find amusing. It’s premise is a discussion amongst some blokes on toilet-related activities. The last couple of minutes are the funniest so make sure you watch it all the way through. Congrats to the guild for [...]

Suggestion Box: New Worlds?

David Holloway — Fri, 04 May 2012 23:22:05 +0000

Ok, first a disclosure – this week’s Suggestion Box is a direct rip off from BioWare’s request for feedback on the same issue. That said, let’s jump into the debate: in future updates what planets would you like to see playable, either as a fully explorable world or as a base for an Operation or [...]

Oceanic First Claim: Hard Mode Warlord Kephess

David Holloway — Fri, 04 May 2012 01:20:37 +0000

I had a note overnight from oceanic guild Remnants on their successful downing of Warlord Kephess, the final boss in the Explosive Conflict Operation that went live with update 1.2. The details straight from Insurgent from Remnants: Exciting news, after much hard work and some exceptional new recruits, Remnants were able to kill Hard Mode [...]

SWTOR Combat Parsers: No Ban Hammer

David Holloway — Wed, 02 May 2012 22:34:50 +0000

For most players, combat parsers (a summary of all the combat information to show performance of an individual in that combat) aren’t probably a day-to-day aspect of SWTOR gameplay. For some end-game players in particular though, they’re a godsend and currently only available from third-party providers. Allison Berryman from BioWare has clarified the issue today, [...]

The Spirit World Part 3: Re-Entering Earth’s Atmosphere – A Help Guide.

Ken Clark — Tue, 01 May 2012 23:00:42 +0000

(This is Part 3 of an ongoing community-driven story – check out Part 1 here, check out Part 2 here) So, you are in an escape pod re-entering the earth’s atmosphere and there are warning lights flashing inside. Actually I got the warning lights to stop by pressing some buttons. What are you trying to achieve [...]

Explosive Conflict Hard Mode 3/4 – Oceanic First?

David Holloway — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:43:20 +0000

Oceanic Guild Midian have had a cracker of a week tackling Explosive Conflict in Hard Mode, and as of tonight have got quite a ways. They’ve downed three out of four to be exact, knocking over Denova this evening: Here’s the full details from Midian’s site: After multple 3-5% wipes on Firebrand and Stormcaller on [...]

Fleet Pass: SWTOR weekly roundup

Tim Gow — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 07:58:51 +0000

Server Downtime: May 1st 2012

David Holloway — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:10:25 +0000

I’m going to resist puns around May Day and just hit you with the exciting fact that this week’s downtime is a standard 4-hour one. On the bright side – it’s starting earlier so the majority of Tuesday evening is actually available to play the game! Here are the time conversions: AEST: 3pm-7pm AWST: 1pm-5pm [...]

The Casual SWTORian: Staggered Global Release

Ken Clark — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:10:14 +0000

The Casual SWTORian is dedicated each week to those who don’t have the time to immerse themselves in game developments but instead want a very simple roundup of things happening and stuff on the horizon. If you like what you read, tell our casual guru Ken. Do you live in a part of Europe or the [...]

We’re Not In Kansas Anymore…

David Holloway — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:16:04 +0000

That’s for damn sure: (click on the pic for the full size version) I particularly love Agent(le) Lion! With thanks to Alex over at SWTOR Gamers of Oceania

Community Q&A 27th April: Transfers and Achievements

David Holloway — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 23:49:10 +0000

It may be just me but this week’s Community Q&A post by BioWare seems one of the larger ones. There’s a heap of info in there, including some responses on the issues of dual spec (not coming in 1.3), server transfers (coming ‘early summer’ US time) and an achievements system (it’s being planned, with no [...]

Server Downtime: 27th April (unscheduled)

Toby the News Droid — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:15:11 +0000

We’ve got an unexpected server downtime tonight folks – to put in a patch to fix some issues that have arisen (one being companion stats). The local time conversions: AEST: 5pm-9pm AWST: 3pm-7pm NZST: 7pm-11pm So at least for the Aussies, it doesn’t muck up the whole night’s play. The full details from BioWare: We [...]

Suggestion Box: Server Transfers

David Holloway — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 01:02:31 +0000

It feels a bit like the middle of a big storm in SWTOR for those of use who have requested a server transfer. Half of us have been blown away to other parts of the map while there’s a bunch more of us huddling down waiting for something to happen. So that’s the basis of [...]

SWTOR Expands Further in Europe and the Middle East

David Holloway — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:33:38 +0000

BioWare disclosed today that SWTOR has launched in a bunch of other European countries and in the Middle East. It’s great to see more people able to get access to the game and it’ll be interesting to see what impact this has on overall subscriber numbers. Cynics may say that some of the countries listed [...]

Pimp Your UI: Call for Submissions

David Holloway — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 10:14:57 +0000

It’s hard to believe it’s been over a fortnight since 1.2 hit, and one of the things that keeps popping up in discussion regularly is the new SWTOR user interface options. Which is why we’re looking at launching a regular feature called ‘Pimp Your UI’, where you the dedicated SWTOR player get to display your [...]

Server transfers: has your toon made the jump?

David Holloway — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 01:43:39 +0000

We’re into the first 24 hours (of a roughly 7-day period) of the server transfer window for eligible SWTOR players. The reports have started coming in of those who’ve had successful transfers, so things are well and truly underway. If you’ve had your character transfererd, let us know how it went! As per the picture on [...]

SWTOR Patch 1.2.1: full notes

David Holloway — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:06:37 +0000

The servers have been up for a couple of hours now, so if you’re after a break, check out the full notes for 1.2.1: Classes and Combat Jedi Knight Sentinel Zen (with Ataru Form) now correctly reduces the global cooldown of Cyclone Slash. Smuggler General Charged Burst’s damage has been increased by approximately 5%. Gunslinger [...]

What To Do While The Servers Are Down: 24th April Edition

David Holloway — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 04:44:53 +0000

With tonight’s four-hour server downtime coming smack bang in the middle of most people’s playing time, you’ll definitely need some alternate SWTOR activities to keep you going. As it happens, we’re here to provide just that (we’re very altruistic people here), so here goes: 1. Have a listen to our latest podcast, recorded Sunday night. [...]

The Casual SWTORian: Post Patch 1.2

Ken Clark — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 23:00:13 +0000

Fleet Pass: SWTOR weekly roundup

David Holloway — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:38:43 +0000

Server Downtime: 24th April

David Holloway — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 07:59:35 +0000

A four hour pre-ANZAC day downtime this week – the full details below from BioWare but the time conversions are: AEST: 5pm-9pm Tuesday 24th April AWST: 3pm-7pm NZST: 7pm-11pm Pretty civilised all round really. The full blurb: Scheduled Maintenance Date: Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 Time: 2AM CDT (12AM PDT/3AM EDT/8AM BST/9AM CEST/5PM AEST) until 6AM [...]

And the winners of the Tauntaun Fawn are……

David Holloway — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 06:56:58 +0000

It’s time to announce the winners of the ten Tauntaun Fawn codes. We asked everyone to tell us what they’d name their Fawn if they won, and there’s some superb answers. Read the website ones here or the Facebook ones here. The winners were selected using a random number generator, after weeding out those that [...]

Flash Point 31: Gene Roddenberry, Physics Failure

David Holloway — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:49:21 +0000

Lots of post 1.2 chat in this episode on top of another great lore update from Ed and lots of NZ holiday reminiscences from David. All Star Wars related of course. Points of discussion: - 1.2 goes live - new SWTOR website - Legacy rewards - Asia-pacific server transfers (link to Stephen Reid’s explanation of [...]

Community Q&A: A Bit ‘O Everything

David Holloway — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 08:41:10 +0000

A belated post with all the details from yesterday’s community Q&A. The last few have been very 1.2 dominated but now that it’s water under the bridge, this week’s covers a broad number of issues. The highlight for me is the potential for a guild uniform / ‘tabard’ in the future. The full kahuna: BlackMink: [...]

Star Wars Memorabilia: Drool Here

David Holloway — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:12:36 +0000

Having just spent two weeks in the superb country of New Zealand, I was rather pleased to have Star Wars ‘intrude’ on my break in a rather large way. On New Zealand’s South island, just outside the very picturesque town of Wanaka, lies the National Transport and Toy Museum. It’s a ramshackle sort of place [...]

Sith Nazgul: Run!!!

David Holloway — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:47:56 +0000

I know the motivational poster meme is as old as Yoda’s grandmother, but for me it still engenders plenty of laughs, and none better than this: I think Peter Jackson and George Lucas need to put their heads together…. Pic courtesy of here and thanks to Ken for the heads-up

Suggestion Box: 1.3 must-haves

David Holloway — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 23:00:14 +0000

Now that Patch 1.2 has dropped and we’re all happily checking out new content and features, it’s time to focus on what’s next. And what better way than asking you what you think should be coming up in the next big update. Whether it’s something you thought should have been in 1.2, a feature that [...]

The Spirit World Part 2: Escaping Bioware – A Help Guide.

Ken Clark — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 23:59:18 +0000

(This is Part 2 of an ongoing community-driven story – check out Part 1 here) So, you are trapped in a bathroom at Bioware HQ and there is a crocodile man wielding a lightsaber about to storm in and capture you. Yep, that sums up my current situation. What are you trying to achieve from [...]

Asia-Pacific Server Transfer Details Released

David Holloway — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:34:53 +0000

UPDATE 2: It appears the form is now working for some so give it a go as per details below! UPDATE: BioWare are aware that the server transfer page isn’t working properly and are working to rectify it. You can also post any issues you’re having in this official forum thread. ———– It’s been a [...]

New SWTOR website is go

David Holloway — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 20:23:53 +0000

If you hadn’t already checked it out, the official SWTOR website is live after the downtime, and it’s certainly a big change from the old one. For starters it’s a much less cluttered interface with an emphasis on the graphics of the game. If you wait and don’t click through to anything you’ll get to see [...]

What To Do While The Servers Are Down: 17th April Edition

David Holloway — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 05:02:16 +0000

Although five hours isn’t long, this weeks server maintenance provides an opportunity to catch up on SWTOR news that you may have missed. Here’s what we’ve covered over the past week that is worth catching up with: 1. We have 10 Tauntaun fawn pets (which were given out to attendees at Pax East) up for [...]

Fleet Pass: SWTOR weekly roundup

Tim Gow — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 22:46:24 +0000