New Year

So I decided to end 2011 with a bit of the plague.  Ok, I can't be sure that's what it is exactly, but it sure felt like it.  It might have been the worst I have ever felt.  The thought of even sitting down at a computer made me sick.  It takes quite a bit to keep me from my electronic addiction.

Today I am feeling better, maybe around 60%.  Thankfully, this week is pretty useless in most industries so it wasn't a huge deal.  Hopefully by the time the 1st rolls around I'll be fully recovered and start out the new year right.

As for New Years Eve, we have young kids, which means I doubt we'll even see 12am. I hope those of you that have something to do and can actually stay awake, have a great time.  See you next year!

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Try before you buy

As I have mentioned before, Custom items are one of my favorite aspects of SWTOR.  Like an appearance tab, they allow you to control the look of your character.  What they do better than an appearance tab is keep the items a part of your gameplay instead of setting and forgetting.

Since Custom items are all about looks, it's important to know what look like before you buy them.  To do this, just CTRL Left Click on an item and viola, a dressing room window.  This can be done on vendors, your inventory and the Auction House.  Also, you can check out companion appearances this way too.

Here I am trying on a new helmet, Commando's Helmet, which is cratfable by an Armortech.  You can also see what it looks like on your companion.  There are no class restrictions in the dressing room either.  So try on those Consular Robes if you want.  You can rotate the model in this view as well.

Sadly, you cannot seem to see what a weapon looks like in this view.  I hope they add that feature soon, as choosing the right looking gun is very important for a fledgling Trooper.

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Christmas Recap

I hope everyone out there had a good Christmas or holiday.  I know I did.  Besides a nice visit with family, Santa ended up being pretty good to me.  I have a pretty big family, so we end up with too many presents.  This is especially true for my kids since everyone likes to buy them stuff.  So what interesting presents did you get?

Here are some of mine...

Star Wars.  I ended up with two Star Wars gifts.  The first I did ask for.  The second was a surprise.  I know they added some 'controversial' stuff to this edition, but how can I resist Blu Ray?

This book was a nice surprise, Star Wars Year by Year:  A Visual Chronicle.   I think it'd be a great coffee table book, the wife does not agree.

Xbox 360.  I got Battlefield 3, Call of Duty: MW3 and Saints Row: The Third. I know, I'm a little late to the party on all three of these.  They will likely last me until next Christmas though.

Lord of the Rings.  This gift was a nice surprise and will have a place on my bookshelf.  Who doesn't love Pez?

Back to the Future.  When I saw these model DeLorean's I just have to have them.  All three will be going up on my bookshelf!

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Happy Holidays

Wow, Christmas got here really quickly this year.  December used to feel like the longest month of the year.  While it may not be as exciting for me anymore, it is sure fun to watch my kids start to enjoy the holidays.  This year I leave you with two versions of a Christmas carol.  One somewhat traditional, the other not so much.

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TOR Nexus Updates

While most of my free time has been playing games for the last two weeks, I did make some TOR Nexus changes recently.  The TOR Nexus is a portal to SWTOR community content, official news and videos.  It could also be described as a rss and video aggregator focused on Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Tabs.  This is probably the most most noticeable change.  I've move all of the data into tabs based on topic.  This makes the site much easier to navigate and cleaner.

Blog.  I've added BioWare's new community blog to the front page.

PvE.  There is now a PvE section which includes tabs for Flashpoints, Operations, World Bosses and Crew Skills.

Moderation.  I now have the ability to remove links from a topic.  It's made the information which gets displayed much more relevant.

Blue Cross. You will see a blue cross after some links.  If you click on it, it will expand and show more information.  Currently, it shows embedded videos.

You can find the TOR Nexus at:  http://www.tornexus.com/

Let me know if you have any problems or ideas, thanks!

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WAR for the Holidays

Sadly, we found out yesterday that the upcoming 1.4.5 patch will not be on the PTS in time for the impeding holidays.  It seems they had some technical issues on their internal servers which forced them to hold off for now.  That doesn't mean there is nothing happening to tide us over for the break.  Be sure to read the rest of James' update.

So what are we getting?

Bonus RP.  For as long as Keg's End runs run there will be a holiday bonus to RP and XP.

Dev Discussion.  They will post some of the details involving relics and forts later this week.

Scenario Update.  The new scenario lineup will be pushed out prior to the holiday break.  This includes two 6 vs 6 scenarios:  Gates of Ekrund and Caledor Woods.

One community member had this idea:

One thing that would be very WELCOMED would be unlocking Eternal Citadel during IC siege and unlocking College of Corruption (6v6) during Altdorf siege.

Sounds good to me, and James also said: "I can look at that for the future as something to do, sure."

While it is disappointing that 1.4.5 did not make it to the PTS, these things happen.  Luckily there is plenty to keep me busy ( Holidays, SWTOR, Skyrim ) in the mean time.

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Since it's launch day

This feels appropriate, and will pass a small part of the queue time away.

Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog - Star Wars - watch more funny videos

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Drinking from the XP Fire Hose

One of the small frustrations I have with Star Wars: The Old Republic is the amount of XP you gain, at least early in the game.  By doing all of the quests given to me, I have started to really outpace the content.  On Coruscant it was especially bad.

By the time I was dealing with the Justicar's, I was already 2+ levels ahead of the content.  At that point I started to skip quests which didn't seem important, same goes for Heroic's and Bonus Missions.  By skipping content, I managed to arrive at Taris only 1.5 levels ahead of the content (17.5).  The next planet, Nar Shadaa, starts at level 20, so I am going to have to skip missions on Taris too.

The fact I am being flooded by XP also makes me reluctant to do Warzones and Space Missions, since they also reward XP.  I could really go for an XP off switch at this point.  I've heard the XP situation improves in the later levels, so we'll see what happens.

I really dislike skipping content.  One reason is I might miss out on Custom item rewards.  The SWTOR item databases available have not tied item rewards to missions yet, and TOR missions do not tell you the rewards ahead of time.  I could always go back and do them later, but that just doesn't feel right.

Another reason is that some of the quests are fun and interesting.  I'd really hate to miss the start of a quest chain just because I need to limit my XP intake.  I've also been avoiding Cantina's so I don't build up any bonus XP.

In the near term, there really isn't much that can be done.  I doubt I'll see an XP off option, or a change to the XP rewards in time to be useful to this character.

Taris

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SWTOR Custom Items

One of my favorite features in Star Wars: The Old Republic is item modifications and custom items.  If you want to read in depth about the system, check out this developer post.  I'll give you a very short version.  Custom items are shells, which you can add mods too all the way through the end game.

That means if you like the look of an item, you can keep it indefinitely.  Custom items (labeled orange) can also be used by your companions.  So you are able to customize their look as well.  This weekend, I did just that and purchased matching A-405 Wraith Projector Assault Cannons for myself and my companion, Aric Jorgen.

I took Armstech as a crew skill, so I was able to upgrade the Barrel on both weapons.  The A-405 cost 14 Coruscant Commendations a piece, but I had plenty.  It looks decent, but I'm sure I'll find something better down the line.

Here is me and Aric with our new toys. 

I love being able to customize equipment for myself and my team.  In fact, I've started to collect Custom gear for companions I may get in the future.  I have a Lightsaber and Blaster from the Esseles Flashpoint, along with some Plasteel pants.

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TOR Datacron: And We're Off!

Early Access began this week for Star Wars: The Old Republic.  From my experience, it could not have gone better.  I've had no problems at all, which is a first for a major MMO launch.  BioWare has been busy during this time, so they will be the focus of this datacron.

BioWare

What's Next?  In a blog post, James Ohlen talks about what we can expect from SWTOR in the near future. I like what I read.  Most of all, I want to see a continuing commitment to solo non-repeatable content.  PvP would be a close second.

Grace Period.  BioWare has relented and given a two day Grace Period.  That means you'll be able to play for up to 48 hours after the game officially launches before you must enter a game code.  This isn't a huge deal for a lot of people since retailers are shipping hard copies early.

Downtime.  It may be a new MMO, but SWTOR still needs scheduled maintenance. In the coming week, they have scheduled several blocks of downtime.  Luckily, a lot of it is being done very early (EST).

Peaks and Valleys.   Invites are still going out for EGA, but today they will start to cover smaller swaths of time.  Back when pre-orders started there was a lot, and now closer to launch there are a lot.  Last i saw, they were getting closer to December, so the end is near!

Comics

Jedi Gambit.  Pages four and five are out for the webcomic, Jedi Gambit.  Drop by and take a look!

Gungans. Funny comic from swtor-life, involving those always popular Gungans.  I'm afraid it's not far from the truth.  In a recent Q&A, BioWare mentioned the possibility of Ewoks.  Please, no Ewoks, unless they can be killed.

Articles

Ilum.  Torwars has a nice post up with screenshots of Ilum.  This planet looks exteremly well done and I can't wait to get there and check it out for myself.

Security Key.  To help encourage players to use an Authenticator, BioWare has made special items available to those that do.


For more TOR news, stop by the TOR Nexus.

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