Welcome to the new Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ website!

Bioware are excited to unveil the brand new Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ website! They’ve completely rebuilt the website from the ground-up, with the intention of providing you with the latest game updates in an easy to navigate way. In addition to all of the latest news and information that is released, they’re also going to give you much more information about in-game content. Right now, you can check out their updated Flashpoints page on the Holonet, which includes information for each of the seventeen Flashpoints currently in the game.
In addition to information on every Flashpoint, they’ll also be adding much more to the new and improved Holonet. In the coming weeks this will include brand new biography pages for each and every one of your Companion Characters, as well as new pages dedicated to highlighting the many different Operations and PvP Warzones that you can experience in the game.
But this is only the beginning. they’ll be continuing to update the website with an array of new features and functionality, such as Guild support, Skill Trees, Character Profiles, and so much more!
Continue to check out www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com for the latest news and information about the game, and don’t forget to check out our new and improved Community Blog for the additional news, patch notes, and insight from the development team.

Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Expands to New Countries in Europe and the Middle East

Award-Winning MMO from BioWare and LucasArts Launches in 38 New Countries Today

AUSTIN, Texas – April 26, 2012 – BioWare™, a Label of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA) and LucasArts announced today that Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ will officially launch in 38 additional countries throughout Europe and the Middle East. Starting today, fans in those regions will be able to purchase the critically-acclaimed massively multiplayer online game and enjoy the story-driven experience that has captivated critics and fans since the game’s historic launch in December.
Players will be able to choose from the Standard Edition and the Digital Deluxe Edition of Star Wars: The Old Republic at Origin.com* and participating retailers located in Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Bahrain, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, Estonia, Gibraltar, Iceland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. For a complete list of participating retailers and for pricing by territory, please visit http://buy.swtor.com.
The Old Republic is set thousands of years before the classic Star Wars™ movies, with the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire locked in the middle of an epic, galactic war. By choosing one of eight iconic Star Wars characters, including the Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Trooper, Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent, players become the hero or villain of their own personal Star Wars saga. Players team up with friends online, fighting in heroic battles reminiscent of the films, immersing themselves in a galaxy full of vibrant characters and planets, while experiencing visceral Star Wars combat.
Included with the purchase of every copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic is 30 days of access to the game, after which players can continue to play by subscribing** to the current service, which gives players access to new, ongoing content such as the recently released Game Update 1.2: Legacy. For more information on Star Wars: The Old Republic, please visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com, follow the game on Twitter® at http://twitter.com/swtor or “Like” Star Wars: The Old Republic on Facebook® at http://facebook.com/starwarstheoldrepublic. Press assets for Star Wars: The Old Republic are available at www.info.ea.com.

* Star Wars: THE OLD REPUBLIC WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE ON ORIGIN.COM IN ALGERIA LUXEMBOURG OR TUNISIA.
** FOR SUBSCRIPTION PRICING BY TERRITORY, PLEASE VISIT THE OLD REPUBLIC FAQ.

---

About LucasArts
Founded in 1982 by filmmaker George Lucas, LucasArts is a leading publisher and developer of interactive entertainment. With development facilities in San Francisco and Singapore, LucasArts leverages the global skills, technology and resources of the Lucasfilm family of companies -- including visual effects leader Industrial Light & Magic, Lucasfilm Animation and Skywalker Sound -- in addition to strategic partnerships with best-in-class external partners, to further the boundaries of game development. LucasArts is dedicated to delivering deeply immersive, visually spectacular and engaging experiences that inspire and amaze generations.
About BioWare
The BioWare Label is a division of EA which crafts high quality multiplatform role-playing, MMO, social, play-for-free and strategy games, focused on emotionally engaging, rich stories with unforgettable characters and vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world's most critically acclaimed titles and franchises, including Baldur's Gate™, Neverwinter Nights™, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republic™, Jade Empire™, Mass Effect™ and Dragon Age™. BioWare currently operates in eight locations across the world, including Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec, Canada), Austin (Texas), Fairfax (Virginia), San Francisco (California), Los Angeles (California), Sacramento (California) and Galway (Ireland).
In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher. In 2011 EA created the BioWare Label, alongside EA Games, EA SPORTS™ and EA Play. For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com, or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bioware. To join the millions of fans already registered with the BioWare community, go to http://social.bioware.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:EA) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company’s game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.
In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Sims™, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speed™, Battlefield™, and Mass Effect™. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.
LucasArts, the LucasArts logo, STAR WARS and related properties are trademarks in the United States and/or in other countries of Lucasfilm Ltd. and/or its affiliates. © 2012 Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd. or Lucasfilm Ltd. All rights reserved. BioWare and Mass Effect are trademarks of EA International (Studio and Publishing) Ltd. The Sims and Need for Speed are trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Near death, explained

 New science is shedding light on what really happens during out-of-body experiences -- with shocking results. In 1991, Atlanta-based singer and songwriter Pam Reynolds felt extremely dizzy, lost her ability to speak, and had difficulty moving her body. A CAT scan showed that she had a giant artery aneurysm—a grossly swollen blood vessel in the wall of her basilar artery, close to the brain stem. If it burst, which could happen at any moment, it would kill her. But the standard surgery to drain and repair it might kill her too.

For more, click on the link below.
Near death, explained

Expansion into New European and Middle Eastern Countries

 

 We are excited to announce that Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ has officially launched in a wide range of new countries throughout Europe and the Middle East. Fans of the iconic franchise and PC gamers alike can now embark on their very own Star Wars™ saga, and explore a rich and vibrant galaxy with thousands of other players.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is now available for purchase at buy.swtor.com and participating retailers in the following new countries in Europe and the Middle East:

Europe Albania Andorra Belarus (only available at Origin.com) Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Estonia (only available at Origin.com) Gibraltar Iceland Kazakhstan (only available at Origin.com) Latvia (only available at Origin.com) Lithuania (only available at Origin.com) Luxembourg (not available at Origin.com) Macedonia Malta Moldova Romania Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Turkey Ukraine (only available at Origin.com)

Middle East Afghanistan Algeria (not available at Origin.com) Bahrain Egypt Israel Kuwait Lebanon Libya Morocco Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Tunisia (not available at Origin.com) United Arab Emirates Yemen

Two versions of Star Wars: The Old Republic will be available: Standard Edition and Digital Deluxe Edition. The Standard Edition of the game will retail from Origin.com for €54.99/$59.99USD/1200RUB, while the Digital Deluxe Edition, which offers you a number of exclusive in-game items, will retail exclusively through Origin.com for €74.99/$79.99USD/1599RUB. Each version of the game will come with thirty (30) days of game time, and after those 30 days, players will be able to continue playing the game by paying a monthly recurring subscription or purchasing a 60-Day Pre-Paid Game Time Code for €26.99/$29.99USD/1099RUB from Origin.com. Visit buy.swtor.com to buy your copy now*!
Star Wars: The Old Republic has three recurring subscription plans:

• One Month Subscription (automatically billed every 30 days): €12.99/$14.99USD/549RUB per month.
• Three Month Subscription (automatically billed every 90 days): €11.99/$13.99USD/499.67RUB per month (one-time charge of €35.97/$41.97USD/1499RUB).
• Six Month Subscription (automatically billed every 180 days): €10.99/$12.99USD/466.50RUB per month (one-time charge of €65.94/$77.94USD/2799RUB).

For more details on our launch in any of these countries, visit our Additional European and Middle Eastern Launch FAQ.
Remember to regularly check back to www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com for all the latest news and updates on the game, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and ‘like’ our Facebook page.


Courtesy --- Swtor.com

Guild Wars: What keeps fans coming back

Spring is in the air in Guild Wars! I can hear the pitter-patter of speed-enhanced feet coming from the Dragon Arena, the roar of the crowds watching Rollerbeetle races, and the endless grunts of unlucky players on the Nine Rings. It's a celebration -- the celebration of the seventh anniversary of Guild Wars, to be precise.

In and around the annual birthday cupcake hoarding that's going on for the duration of festivities, this year has a few other exciting tricks up its proverbial sleeve. For one thing, a new and limited-edition pet has been made available; the Hound of Balthazar can be unlocked for free by having a brief chat with Ceira, Sworn to Fire, in Embark Beach. For another, the bonuses from all weekend events are active for the anniversary, so players will have to go pretty far out of their way to not reap sweet, sweet rewards for any time spent in-game between now and May 8th.

Seven's a pretty nice number, don't you think? This is something of a special event, as ArenaNet's promise to get Guild Wars 2 shipped before year's end means that this'll be the last birthday that Guild Wars gets to have before the sequel comes along and grabs everyone's attention -- if, indeed, that's not already happening, what with the beta weekend that's going on right this moment. Even with Guild Wars 2 soaking up some limelight, though, Guild Wars is doing its creators proud and aging with grace and dignity. Let's take a look at some of the building blocks of the game's longevity.

50/50 and GWAMM

Ever since the release of the Hall of Monuments reward calculator and the quantitative and qualitative promise of Guild Wars 2 shinies for Guild Wars effort -- golly, that was in October of 2010! -- a large portion of Tyria's active population has been made up of 50/50 (or perhaps more realistically, 30/50) chasers. Since the first 30 points in a player's HoM translate into nostalgic and exciting goodies for her Guild Wars 2 character, many folks have been highly motivated to get back on the Guild Wars horse to fill up some monuments. Others have been drawn into the game for the first time because they can't stand the thought of missing goodies, because they don't really want to play a sequel without having first tasted the original, or because hall-filling is as good a way as any to pass the time until release. However you look at it, the ability to pay some effort forward into Guild Wars 2 seems to be a pretty good incentive for some players.

Filling up the Hall of Monuments and grinding Kind of a Big Deal all the way up to God Walking Amongst Mere Mortals aren't technically the same thing, but they can go so readily hand-in-hand that it's only sensible to lump 'em into the same category. Kind of a Big Deal is a title track that tracks titles a player has earned. It serves as a focal point for some players, as one of the self-set goals to fill the void after campaigns have been completed and stories experienced.

Niche interests

Games need to scratch itches, and people have very different itches in need of scratching. Guild Wars happens to scratch a few pretty specific and compelling itches for some folks, including me. Maybe it's heavy instancing. Maybe it's seven jillion skills and the ability to carry only eight at a time. Maybe it's the team of NPC heroes at your beck and call. These certainly aren't exclusive to Guild Wars, but they're all there, and they're accompanied by a host of other delights. This, of all the reasons to keep coming back to a game, is perhaps the most permanent. Once you've found something in a game that suits you particularly well, you become a lot more willing to forgive the slow but sure encroachment of age on the game itself. As long as there's a chance that I'll find someone hanging around in Umbral Grotto for a VSF or leaving Longeye's Ledge for vaettir farming during event weekends, Guild Wars will fill a very special place in my heart, and that's true of many different special places in many different people's hearts.

The world

This one's another two-fer because the world of Guild Wars is very much grounded in both its story and its aesthetics. Those happen to be two super-subjective categories. I know that people react very differently to the assertion that the game has aged well graphically. As a fan of ArenaNet's visual sensibilities, I've pretty much always been on board with the idea that Guild Wars is lovely, and it hits the spot quite well for many people. The lore of the world, too, can be immensely attractive to folks, whether it's because they're really just lit up by the storyline around the Destroyers, because they've spent so much time listening to Mhenlo and Cynn bickering that they've actually forged an emotional investment in whether the couple is on-again or off-again, or because they enjoy walking up to random NPCs and being greeted with dialogue lines like, "There is a song at the center of the world, my friend, and it sounds like razors through flesh."

Updates

Despite the loving care and attention being lavished on Guild Wars 2, ArenaNet hasn't really let its first-born fall into neglect. Although the campaigns and the single expansion came out fairly early on in the game's lifespan, the Live team has been constantly supporting the game with ongoing balance, bug fixes, and content production. Guild Wars Beyond is part of the efforts to support existing content with new storylines, not to mention that it helps bridge the 250-year gap between Tyria as we know it and the Tyria of Guild Wars 2. An update about a year ago brought in other big content changes: the Embark Beach outpost, seven-hero party options, and improved minion and spirit UI -- it was pretty massive. Each time one of these update crops up, we see the in-game population spike a bit as players come in to see what they think of the changes.

On top of just balancing, the team has also been dedicated to doing fairly thorough overhauls of professions when necessary. The not-so-recent Dervish and Elementalist updates made substantive changes to their respective professions. Guild Wars might not be getting biannual expansions any more, but it's far from stagnant.

Community

I'll let Mr. Colin Johanson take the lead on this one:

One of my most fond memories of the Guild Wars community comes from the holiday festivals, especially for having been tied in to the Live Team for as long as I was. Everybody would pour back in the back whenever the holiday festival would roll around. There was just this feeling of joy and community between all the players. It was amazing how little content people played and how long they spent in the game, talking to each other, putting on costumes and having dance parties. We had no idea what the community would do, that they would strip down in their underwear and do conga lines everywhere, or dress up and put on plays. Every holiday festival after the first would be created people working extra time to put this together. Seeing how the community came together was so special and that's really when we realized that we had a community that wasn't really like any other game community out there. There's such a bond between our players and seven years later there's still this bond and people still playing the game. It's fantastic.

MMORPGs are very much defined by their communities, and Guild Wars is no exception to that. Not only is the community as a whole typically fairly excellent, but everyone loves playing with his or her guilds and buddies -- that's why we have guilds and buddies. The number of people who mill around the game for no apparent reason other than to help out newbies is pretty heartwarming.

This can't be an exhaustive list. So, current players: What keeps you coming back? What's the irresistible lure of Guild Wars?

 

 

Courtesy ----- http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/04/28/guild-wars-what-keeps-fans-coming-back/

Stephen Fry Backs EA in LGBT Row

Acerbic newspaper columnist and games lover Charlie Brooker also lends his support.

 

 

Stephen Fry and Charlie Brooker have both used Twitter to come out in support of EA after the publisher was targeted by anti-gay protestors. Speaking over Easter, Fry said "If you do 0 else today, do join me and @Yoda to help game-maker @ea stand strong against anti gay hate & the dark side". Brooker was equally supportive, saying "Good for @EA for telling the homophobes to **** off."

"They should make *every* character in their games gay for a year just to wind up the bigots. Starting with the FIFA franchise," Brooker added. "In the next Modern Warfare, they should have a special 'gay' gun that's better than all the others, thus forcing online players to use it."

EA has received "several thousand" letters objecting to the inclusion of same-sex relationships in recent games such as Star Wars: The Old Republic and Mass Effect 3. A counter-petition supporting EA has since launched and has accumulated over 65,000 names over the past four days.


Courtesy ---- Ign.com

Star Wars: The Old Republic 1.2 Impressions

Check out the Legacy system, UI customization and the new Warzone.

 

BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic is two different experiences smashed together: a single-player role-playing game fused to a traditional MMO framework. What it does so well – story-driven leveling – abruptly stops when you hit the level cap, leaving you with a decision: unsubscribe, grind through dungeons and PvP arenas like you would in any other MMO, or create an alternate character and start leveling again.

With the 1.2 patch's Legacy system, BioWare encourages you to make another character. By running a character to the cap you unlock a variety of bonuses for other characters, making a subsequent 1 – 50 run a little bit more interesting. Considering how colossal a task it has to be for BioWare to generate unique story content for all eight of The Old Republic's classes, this approach makes sense. There's already plenty of story content in the live game right now, and the Legacy update gives players with enough free time to see it all more ways to have fun.

For those not interested in leveling another character, there's a new PvP Warzone and PvE dungeons.


Have you been playing around with The Old Republic since the patch? What do you think of 1.2? Specifically, what do you think about the Tauntaun Ram pet BioWare is giving out to active subscribers?

This is your reward for playing The Old Republic.

BioWare is also giving 30 days of free game time to players with a level 50 character, which is a little bit better than a Tauntaun Ram pet, no?

Courtesy --- Ign.com

Star Wars: The Old Republic's Epic Loot

A look at the upper tier PvP armor sets added in the 1.2 update.

 

 

The 1.2 update for Star Wars: The Old Republic added quite a bit of content, including dungeons, a PvP Warzone, and a Legacy system to encourage you to create another character and check out the level 1 through 50 experience from another perspective. In addition to a host of performance and systems changes, BioWare also added entirely new sets of armor for you to chase at max level for PvP and PvE gameplay. You can check out a gallery of the PvP sets below, which in most cases feature more diverse, distinct styles compared to the sets already in the game.

What do you think? Are the sets worth chasing?

Courtesy ---- Ign.com

Expanding the World of Star Wars: The Old Republic

The saga of The Old Republic extends beyond the scope of the game. But what comic book and novel tie-ins are worth reading?

Usually the rush of big video game releases has slowed this late into the year, but Star Wars: The Old Republic is keeping the industry buzzing all the way through the holidays. This MMORPG explores a massive war between the Jedi Knights of the Old Republic and the invading Sith Empire several centuries after the events of the Knights of the Old Republic games.

The Old Republic already features an immense amount of content for gamers to delve into, but the mythology extends well beyond the game itself. That's why we've put together a handy guide to all of the tie-in projects that have appeared on the market, both comics and novels. Whether you crave more of the story or just need something to occupy yourself during those annoying server queues, these books will keep you busy.

The Old Republic Vol. 1: Blood of the Empire

Writer: Alexander Freed | Artist: David Ross
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics | Price: $15.99

What it is: Though published as Volume One of the Old Republic comics, Blood of the Empire was actually the second storyline released. This series focuses squarely on the Sith Empire in the period leading up to the game. The story is specifically told through the eyes of an ambitious but troubled trainee named Teneb Kel. Kel is charged with assassinating the Emperor's apprentice. Success means one final chance at redemption in the eyes of his superiors. Failure will make Kel one more casualty in an increasingly deadly war.

Should you read it? The Old Republic has added a number of memorable new characters to the Star Wars mythology, and Kel is no exception. Blood of the Empire reinforces the notion that the Sith can be just as compelling protagonists as their Jedi enemies. While in general the plot isn't vital to understanding the events of Old Republic, this comic does introduce the secretive Sith Emperor.

Even better, Blood of the Empire was originally serialized as a web comic on Bioware's Old Republic website. That means interested readers can experience the story without having to fork over any cash.

The Old Republic Vol. 2: Threat of Peace

Writer: Rob Chestney | Artist: Alex Sanchez
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics | Price: $15.99

What it is: The first of the Old Republic comics to actually see print, the Threat of Peace takes place roughly a decade before the events of the game, during the Sacking of Coruscant seen in the "Deceived" trailer. This story features a wide cast of Jedi, Sith, and bounty hunters on both sides of the conflict, including recurring Old Republic villain Darth Angral.

Should you read it? Unfortunately, Threat of Peace is one of the weaker Old Republic tie-ins. The comic has a habit of throwing numerous characters at the reader with little introduction. The fact that so many of these characters recycle popular personality traits and appearances of other Star Wars icons doesn't help the confusion. The art is also rough and poorly suited to the tone of the Old Republic setting.

Like Blood of the Empire, Threat of Peace was originally serialized as a web comic. As uneven as this comic is, the simple fact that it's available on the Internet for free means there's nothing to lose by giving it a read. In some ways, the original serialized format makes for a better reading experience.

The Old Republic Vol. 3: Lost Suns

Writer: Alexander Freed | Artists: David Daza, George Freeman, & Dave Ross
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics | Price: $2.99/issue

What it is: Lost Suns is the first of the Old Republic comics to debut in print and not online. This slightly longer saga focuses Theron Shan. Theron's name might be unknown, but you might recognize his mother Satele as the powerful Jedi who plays a major role in the game and wields the double-bladed lightsaber in several of the Old Republic trailers.

In this mini-series, Theron seeks out his mother's former mentor, Ngani Zho. The duo eventually battle the Black Sun crime syndicate and a Sith Lord named Darth Mekhis.

Should you read it? Lost Suns retains the creative team from Blood of the Empire, which makes it a return to from after the disappointing Threat of Peace. The fact that this story was created specifically for print also ensures that it reads better in collected form than the previous two books.

Like Threat of Peace, there are some very familiar qualities to the main characters, but with a more limited cast and intimate focus, the story is able to better differentiate Theron and Zho from characters like Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Lost Suns isn't hugely vital to the overall picture, but it does shed more light on the Shan family dynamic, something that also factors heavily into the main game.

The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance

Writer: Sean Williams
Publisher: LucasBooks | Price: $7.99

What it is: The first of (currently) three novels tying into the Old Republic, Fatal Alliance is another tale set during the height of the Jedi/Sith war leading up to the game. Various Force wielders, soldiers, and bounty hunters all attend a Hutt auction with the intention of claiming a rare relic, but find much more than they bargained for in the process. What sets this particular conflict apart is that it forces the various factions to form a temporary alliance to combat a greater threat.

Should you read it? Looking at the Old Republic tie-ins in specific and the Expanded Universe in general, the best stories are the ones that focus at least as much on character as they do plot and action. Unfortunately, Fatal Alliance devotes itself mainly to the latter. Many of the main characters show interesting qualities, but the novel never has space to explore them much despite the 450-page length. As with the Threat of Peace comic, there are too many players for the story to grow organically.

Fatal Alliance features another appearance by Satele Shan, but the fact that it was published so far in advance of the game is testament to how little relevance it has to the overall Old Republic mythology. Fatal Alliance's one real advantage is that it's the only Old Republic novel currently available in paperback format, making it a cheaper read than the others.

The Old Republic: Deceived

Writer: Paul S. Kemp
Publisher: LucasBooks | Price: $27.00

What it is: "Deceived" is also the name of the first of three CG teaser films Bioware released for The Old Republic. That's no mere coincidence. The novel focuses heavily on Darth Malgus, the Malak-like Sith Lord who has appeared in all three teasers so far. The book even chronicles the same battle depicted in the "Deceived" teaser.

But alongside Malgus and his Twi'lek servant Eleena, the book divides its focus among a revenge-fueled Jedi named Aryn Leneer and a smuggler named Zeerid Korr. The book follows all three characters as they encounter hardships and make a series of difficult and fateful decisions.

Should you read it? Only a handful of Expanded Universe characters can truly stand alongside the film favorites in terms of popularity. Malgus is already being celebrated as a new addition to those ranks. Some have even gone so far as to label him the greatest EU villain since Grand Admiral Thrawn. While that may be pushing it a bit, there's no denying that all the main characters in this book make fine additions to the EU mythology.

Most Star Wars tie-ins are heavily plot-driven, with characterization much less of a focus. Deceived breaks that trend by focusing on the characters first and foremost. Malgus, Leneer, and Korr all avoid the usual tropes and become fully realized protagonists. And given Malgus' central role in the game, this is one worth reading.

The Old Republic: Revan

Writer: Drew Karpyshyn
Publisher: LucasBooks | Price: $27.00

What it is: Ever since the release of the Knights of the Old Republic video game, fans of Darth Revan have wondered about the fate of this compelling villain-turned-hero. Where did he disappear to at the end of the game? What mysterious threat was he trying to uncover? This novel finally answers those questions. Taking place both between the two KOTOR games and after, it reunites any of the major players and continues the saga of Revan and the Jedi Exile. It also introduces several key figures who will play a central role in The Old Republic.

Should you read it? If you're intrigued by Revan – and most Star Wars gamers are – you'll want to give this book a shot. It focuses not just on him, but also KOTOR favorites like Bastila Shan, Canderous Ordo, Meetra Surik, and even faithful T3-M4. The book also provides the first real glimpse of the Sith Emperor, the central villain behind the events of The Old Republic.

That said, the novel has elicited a mixed reaction from fans. In a way it does diminish the villains of the two KOTOR games as it reveals their connections to the Sith Empire. It also lacks a truly satisfying finish, instead paving the way for The Old Republic. But still, Drew Karpyshyn continues Revan's story well, and the book sheds much more light on what the character's role in this new game will be.

Star Wars Omnibus: Tales of the Jedi Vols. 1 & 2

Writers: Various | Artists: Various
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics | Price: $24.99 each

What it is: The Old Republic takes place some 3500 years before the Star Wars movies. However, the comics have explored even further back in the timeline. The various stories collected in the two Tales of the Jedi Omnibuses explore the early clashes between the Jedi Order and the Sith as far back as 5000 years before the films. These books debuted some of the earliest heroes in Star Wars mythology, including the Sith Lords Naga Sadow and Exar Kun and the Jedi Ulic Qel-Droma.

Should you read it? There's no direct tie between these comics and The Old Republic, as these were created in the early '90s when the Expanded Universe was still in its infancy. However, much of the mythology present here forms a foundation for the events of The Old Republic. These stories provide a clearer picture of what led to the downfall of the Sith Empire and why they remained hidden for 1000 years.

The omnibuses collect a variety of interconnected mini-series set over the course of 1000 years. With various creative teams responsible for the stories, it goes without saying that some are better than others. And in general, the art quality (particularly the coloring) doesn't quite measure up to current standards. But as a glimpse of a little explored portion of the Star Wars timeline, these omnibuses are essential.


Courtesy --- comics.ign.com

BYOC Summer 2012

BYOC Summer 2012 is coming off this June at the Ambience Mall located in Gurgaon which will bring about 3 days of gaming and lots of tournaments. With the event history dating back to 2007, this recurring event has undeniably been the place to be for gamers in New Delhi. Till now BYOC has 16 successful events and the concept for the same is very simple. Gamers from all over Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon and other regions come out to the event and compete to win cash and hardware prizes. The games featured at the BYOC Summer 2012 are: Counter Strike 1.6, Battlefield 3, FIFA 12, DotA, Call of Duty 4, Need for Speed Most Wanted and Tekken 6.

So Come on unleash a Gamer In you ! :)

For more information about the event. please follow Click Here.
 

IGC – Observations & Suggestions

There have been way too many write-ups laced with highly opinionated and hateful comments, most of which reek of ignorance and personal vendetta towards IGC. What has always irked me as an eSports journalist is the fact that we Indian gamers never get our point across via constructive criticism. We’re either overaggressive and across the fence with our bayonets out or totally submissive with our school-girlish criticism behind a hideous mug who wants to govern the world from her armchair. Let’s face it – India Gaming Carnival could’ve been a huge success if things would’ve fallen into place. WTF and IGC have openly admitted that they made their share of mistakes along with a lot of factors that contributed towards the event going downhill for everyone, including the organizers. Let’s not forget the fact that they refunded a lot of tickets and passes on Day 1 itself which was a huge loss to them along with a bad start.

However, it’s not just the IGC. Any event of this scale can go south if things are not handled properly and via the right channels. I’ve compiled a list of suggestions and recommendations not just for IGC’s consideration but for anyone who wishes to hold a tournament of this scale. Being a Delhi born and bred gamer, I will always have a soft corner for Delhi events and gamers but it’s high time we shove all the talk to the side and get realistic.
1. The Venue: The venue was nice with its vast lawn, parking area and overall capacity. However, the most crucial factor which was Power was missing. I have no insight into the deals with vendors but if they backed out on IGC like this, it’s safe to assume they were a bunch of unprofessional people. This again puts the onus on an event organizer to have chosen people with enough experience with power hungry events like ours. In 2008 and 2009, the Pragati Maidan complex  hosted the Wills Lifestyle Indian Fashion Week or ‘WIFW’ operated by the Fashion Design Council of India. Every year, this venue also hosts exhibitions of all major companies and products ranging from leather items and clothing to toys,  Sports equipments, lifestyle products and services, Medical equipments, Electronics, Job and Book Fairs along with the famous auto-expo. Pragati Maidan is without doubt an iconic place to have an event of this scale as it brings along many advantages of its own as a venue, namely Metro Connectivity, Security and above all – Visibility! We might be oblivious to the complications and procedures in order to book those massive halls in there, but the mismatch between the expectation and outcome raise such questions.
Bottom Line: Logistics constitute 80% of an event or rather, logistics are the event. If logistics fail, the event goes down.
Suggestion: When on a hunt for a venue, leave no stone unturned. We’re an open community so float the question in this open forum and be shameless to ask.

2. Public Relations & Promotions: Advertisements in the Delhi Metro and College Campuses was a great idea. Like I mentioned in one of my other articles, little kids to housewives were being inquisitive about the event and that’s exactly what’s needed to spread the word. In stark contrast however, I recently saw an article in a renowned newspaper on BYOC 2012 that called DotA “Death” of the ancients while it stands for Defense of the Ancients. While the organizers of events cannot be held accountable for this kind of sloppy journalism, they can definitely tighten their hold on who covers the event. A number of gamers are part/full time journalists and can pretty much handle the word-to-mouth publicity along with the power of the written word. The money that was spent on this “half-hearted Press” which had no clue about gaming could’ve been channelized to known gaming coverage websites who would’ve done it for much less money or maybe even free!
The following article for instance was linked on multiple international websites and reflected the wrong dates: http://www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity/53717-gamers-monster-challenge.html
Bottom Line: The promotions were solid, the advertising was good, the posters looked nice.
Suggestion: Involve more gaming websites as official coverage partners apart from doing offline promotions.

3. Ambiguity: Movie- Philadelphia (Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks). Dialogue: “Now, explain it to me like I’m a four-year-old.” A website that serves as a platform of information prior to such an event for millions of eyeballs in the world should not leave anything to the last moment. Assuming that something is obvious is a big mistake. Final list of games, Rules (PDF versions), Registration Procedure, Prices, Updated Prizes, Schedule, Schematic of the venue/Pictures of the venue (outside/inside), SeatMap, FAQs, List of attending teams (international/national) should all be on the website. A perfect example of how to achieve some of the aforementioned objectives would have to be DreamHack’s official website:
http://www.dreamhack.se/dhs12/
Lack of information causes utter chaos and mass hysteria. It also leads to many people simply rushing to your facebook page and asking questions they could not find answers to. While periodic facebook updates are good, they should’ve pointed everyone to the website instead of IGC staff wasting their time in answering redundant questions. Prior to IGC, the information that came out was very hazy. It almost looked like a Question-Answer session where gamers would post things on IGC’s Facebook page and someone from the staff would reply.
Bottom Line: The website could’ve been much fuller in terms of content and clearly laid out information. Remember, your website is your identity. It cannot be incomplete!
Suggestion: Go the extra mile to make sure the reader of your website comes to your facebook page to say “awesome! I’ll be there” instead of asking “what are Fifa 12 rules? Can I bring my controller?”

4. Main Stage, Tournament Area & Layout: A tournament this big is supposed to hype the niche gaming segment in India, to an extent that it looks and feels like something that has never been done before or is simply done better. The tournament area could have been split into two halves. Better yet, given the amount of space at the venue, the main stage could’ve been elsewhere. This could’ve left everyone with tournament area strictly for qualifiers/prelims. The tournament area was not labeled as “TOURNAMENT AREA” and was not barricaded from general public. What this meant was, I could walk into it, unplug a mouse, put it in my pocket and act like nothing happened. Some examples we could learn from:




Bottom Line: There are countless examples in the world to look at and learn from. What’s stopping us?
Suggestion: If an event is to be taken seriously, its layout and spectator friendliness is of utmost importance. A stage, no matter how small it is, is a must and a barricaded and separate tournament area with demarcations for each game (via banners/posters).

5. Hardware: Understanding the needs of each eSports discipline is paramount. 15-inch monitors are not used in any tournament across the world. For first person shooters and RTS games for instance, 24-inch 120Hz LCD monitors are the norm when it comes to tournaments. BenQ’s XL2420T monitors are widely used in most of the gaming tournaments across the world. A decent TN panel monitor like the Dell S2409W does the trick as well. The higher the refresh rate, the better. Gamers have stuck to CRT monitors in the past just for the sake of higher refresh rates. On-board VGA graphics are a crime at a gaming tournament. Each system needs a dedicated graphic card and I guess, it once again boils down to the vendor and the choice of systems. (2 time IEM Champion & QuakeLive player Shane “rapha” Hendrixson @Gamescom with a CRT)


Bottom Line: This is one area that cannot be compromised with. No matter what happens, the hardware should not leave a professional gamer unhappy and prevent him/her from performing to his/her fullest capacity.
Suggestion: This is the core of the tournament so take your time with it.

6. Groups/Brackets: There are many software available online for making brackets. Groups should’ve been drawn as well for each discipline to give the teams a heads-up about their opponents and formulate strategies. This has to happen irrespective of how the event goes, so there’s really no question of hit/miss. They have to be published before the event actually takes place to spice up the competition and have people look forward to that one classic game. A single elimination based tournament could have the following groups drawn in fixtures:
A1 vs. B2
B1 vs. A2
C1 vs. D2
D1 vs. C2

Bottom Line: Can’t run any tournament without these.
Suggestion: Please spend some time in seeding the teams properly so that the top 2 teams in the city/state/country don’t end up playing the first match against each other.

It is pointless to get into the blame game for it ends up being a counterproductive exercise for everyone. Since no other organization has ever stepped forward to get an event of this scale on the road, it is imperative that these observations be shared in open forums for discussions & debates. Finally, I’d like to end this with a request to all the Indian Gamers:
You only have each other. Please get over your petty differences and keep that Volunteer desk somewhat crowded :)

Courtesy --- http://g4menation.com/igc-observations-suggestions/

IGC to sue Vendors, Moscow 5!

India Gaming Carnival might have received plenty of negative PR over their controversial event at the Ayatti Caparo International Center this April but they seem to be in different spirits altogether. Moscow 5′s CEO Dima Smeliy had come up with pretty aggressive comments like “I’ll destroy your whole career” via facebook accusing IGC for not living up to their promise of paying the prize to the winning team in the Counter Strike 1.6 division – Moscow 5. While the entire tournament has been marred with controversy, it doesn’t just stop at Moscow 5. IGC and WTF have also alleged that a number of ex-employees turned their vendors against them leaving them nothing to work with which led to a dismal day 1 with almost all the tournaments getting canceled.
IGC had previously stated that the disbursement of prize money to all the local teams would require 2 weeks while the international teams would have to wait for 4 weeks for the funds to get cleared. This is a pretty bold stance by IGC and WTF Eventz and it remains to be seen what would be Moscow 5′s course of action along with the fate of the vendors involved in the event. IGC have openly acknowledged the mistakes they made with the event and have stated how the vendors turned their backs on them at the last moment resulting in a lack luster show.
Here’s what their Facebook page reads:

Hi all,
There are few points which we would like to clear:
1. IGC was our first event.

2. There were many fiascos related to our event but still we pulled it off.

3. We tried our best but couldn’t get any sponsorship. Later we found out that whichever company we approached closed the deal because few other prominent figures of the Gaming Industry came behind us to spoil the curry. (Fact told by people from Sony & Nvidia). However, even without sponsors we continued with the event and pulled it off, though not in an expected fashion.

4. For all those people who wonder why we were underprepared, ask all the ex-employees, who turned all our vendors against us at the very last moment. Still we arranged for all the infrastructure at the last moment. Not to worry guys, all the vendors are getting sued too!

5. After the first day problems, even the biggest event company on this earth would have called it off. But we stood firm and decided to pull it off even if that meant having a bad face in public.

6. We distributed all on-spot prizes, Tablets (almost 20) and innumerable CDs and many goodie bags. This clarifies, that we never had any kind of escaping intentions.

7. Many of you and few of our ex-employees thought not to support us, even if that meant supporting the biggest e-sporting event of India. We did our share of mistakes, but then were you guys there to support us or to help us in putting a better show?
8. As far as the fake Bank Guarantee is concerned which is doing the rounds on Internet, i would like to assure you that its not from us at all. Whosoever involved, will be punished according to Indian Law. Even M5 is on its way to be sued for their lies and misconduct.

9. As far as the prize money distribution is concerned, we would like to re-assure all the winners that their payment will be made. Disbursement of Prize money takes time as their are various Governmental procedures involved. Just a curious question, did you ever know that even KBC took around 90-120 days to disburse their prize money?
10. For all the ex-employees and people who tried their best to sabotage our image, be prepared. We have the list and we are suing you all.
For all the genuine supporters, we thank you from the bottom of our heart for your support in our valiant effort of putting up a better show.
Regards,
Kushagra
With the recent assault on Mukesh Maurya right outside the venue premises, this whole situation seems to be going south at the moment and it could only get worse henceforth. This could start a whole new slur of back and forth accusations and is bound to get uglier by the minute.


Courtesy ---  http://g4menation.com

M5 scammed, robbed in India

HLTV.org spoke to Moscow Five CEO Dima "ddd1ms" Smelyi about his team's displeasing trip to India Gaming Carnival.

How was Moscow Five's trip to India Gaming Carnival? Atrocious enough to make the Moscow Five boss fear for his players' safety and lives by the end of the event.

It was a clearly upset and shocked Smelyi HLTV.org spoke to when he was awaiting confirmation from the team's manager that the team had passed Delhi International airport's security gates.

Moscow Five, who were one of the two international teams in India, reached the tournament's semifinals. That was when the organizers decided to shut down the entire event.

The event itself was a disaster. It let people to believe it would be one of the year's biggest, spangled events, with well over $300,000 in the total prize pool for the featured games.

Photo: Moscow Five

Reports just days before the event was schedule to kick off even said the event had been cancelled, checks had bounced and later on, during the event, computer tournaments had been called off.

Smelyi confessed he should have listened to advice given by fnatic and Natus Vincere officials, who told him to drop the Indian event.

"fnatic and Natus Vincere managers told me: "Dima, it's fake! Dont visit ICG 2012. I should have listened to them," he wrote in his blog.

Despite all this, India Gaming Carnival did take place, at least to some degree, but failed to an enormous extent to meet any of the expectations set by its organizers, WTF Eventz.

Why did Moscow Five not go any further than the semifinals? According to Smelyi, the organizers decided to call off the entire event, shutting down the venue's electricity in the process.

Smelyi furthermore informed HLTV.org that event officials disappeared from the scene and refused to accept their calls.

All of this happened after the organizers supposedly tried to delay the tournament so that Moscow Five could not play an eventual final, seeing as they had to catch their flight on April 9.

Photo: Moscow Five 

Smelyi, however, saw through the organizers' scheme and booked tickets for April 10, attempting to assure that his team would be able to play the tournament's final, which they were sure to reach.

By the time the organizers shut down the event, the extended return tickets to Moscow purchased by Smelyi turned out to be nothing but an additional expenditure – approximately $2,900. 

While all of this does not sound very life threatening or the cause of fearing for someone's life, it was when the team returned to their hotel the situation became even more suspicious.

As the team and their manager were waiting for a taxi to take them to their hotel after the shutdown, they spotted four thug-like men who were paying attention to them, Smelyi noted.

After getting in the taxi, the Moscow Five players saw the four men got in a car and followed them. The situation did not develop any further, though, and the Russians eventually went to sleep.

However, Moscow Five's team manager stayed up and recorded this video, explaining some of what they had gone through.

Apparently, they were told that the organizers had nothing to do with the event abruptly shutting down and that it was out of their control, followed by several what seems to be empty promises.

Kushagra, who is the director of WTF Eventz, even told Moscow Five that they would compensate their expenses involved with traveling to India and a substantial amount of the first-place prize.

More specific, the organizers offered to cover Moscow Five $10,000 for their participation and reimburse $4,000 in travel expenses in return for not publishing footage of the venue being shut down.

The team had provided Kushagra with necessary contact information, such as hotel room numbers, e-mails and telephone numbers, and he promised to meet them later that day. He did not.

This is not the only recording Moscow Five made during their trip to India. They supposedly filmed a conversation with Kushagra himself, which is believed to be the reason for the thugs appearing.

Smelyi went on and said that when the team woke up, they realized that someone had broken into their rooms and robbed them for money and a 8GB memory stick with all the said footage on it.

The situation has taken a huge toll on Smelyi, who felt it was necessary to wait with telling this story before he knew his team and manager were in safety in the airport, en route Moscow.

The Moscow Five chief will, together with the team's manager, host a live stream this Friday about their experience, mainly in Russian, but with some questions and answers in English.

HLTV.org's coverage of India Gaming Carnival is not over as we have more breaking news to reveal. 

Courtesy ----- http://www.hltv.org/news/8440-m5-scammed-robbed-in-india

IGC offered $100k for CPH Game

Copenhagen Games organizers have revealed that India Gaming Carnival tried to buy out Copenhagen Games.

Following our news about Moscow Five's shocking trip to India Gaming Carnival, Copenhagen Games organizers, whose event coincided with IGC, have shared some interesting info with us.
The Danish-based organizers forwarded us a message sent to them on March 16, three weeks before their event took place. The message was sent via their website's support system, which is meant to answers participants' questions and problems.

The message was signed by Saurabh Khurana, VP of Marketing and Sales at WTF Eventz – the organization behind the scandalous India Gaming Carnival event.

Moreover, the Copenhagen Games organizers contacted Khurana by e-mail in order to verify the authenticity of the message. Khurana confirmed, but his $100,000 offer was rejected shortly after.

IGC board - Kushagra, Ankush Tripathi, Saurabh Khurana 

HLTV.org has been in contact with Zahid Butt, the main man behind Copenhagen Games, via telephone, and he said that making an offer in the way the IGC organizers did, through their support system, cannot be taken seriously.
Butt continued by saying the offer was too low anyway, explaining that their offer did not even cover the rent of their own venue, and Copenhagen Games is not for sale.

Courtesy --- http://www.hltv.org/news/8441-igc-offered-100k-for-cph-games

WTF EVENTZ = What the FUCK|EVENTZ?

Thanks God my team passed registration at Indian ariport, and i can start speaking much louder. Honestly i was really worried about guys health and even their life regarding the latest news from Dehli.
Actually i just wanted to WIN the event and make my player wallet more heavy, but yesterday the event was repidly shutted down and organisers ran away. They hoped M5 will leave the tournament before finals. But i have bought new tickets. So they just TURN OFF electricity  
M5.CS manager recorded all that "indian night carnaval" and when he met the Kushagra (i cant call this son of a bitch Mr.Kushagra) he showed him the video and also did record the conversation with him. 
The Kushagra understood what has happened, that video was important for his reputation. 
While Moscow Five team was waiting taxi on the grass, 4 muscle guys (not gamers looking) was staying and watching at them. When hotel taxi came, those 4 got in the car and followed M5.CS.
M5 players went to sleep, but the manager was making video and uploading it. 
After that he felt asleep too. When guys woke up they understood that cash money was stolen and 8Gb memory stick was ejected from the camera and dissapeared. Nothing else was taken. 
That stupid Kushgara and his helper Mukesh (the IGC organisers-rippers) really think it may save their ass. It will not. The E-Sport community  will know the truth. 
On friday 13th i am gonna make the live stream with M5.CS manager Aleksander Ovsyanko.
The thing is that i dont want you  to take pity of CS players. 
I want you to realise that INDIA must be closed for E-Sport forever. 
Fnatic and NaVi managers told me: Dima its fake! Dont visit ICG 2012. I should listen to them. 
Now i ask all E-Sport community listen to me. Please dont attent to any events in India. You may be fucked even in airport. The mafia may come to your room and fuck you sleeping. I cannot damage to Kushgara and Mukesh physically because im in Moscow, Russia. But i really want... 
I hope indian pro gamers will do that for me.





 English Suptitles included.


PS:


The bank guarantie...


The hotel where you can loose cash and data on MemoryCard while being sleeping

PPS:
Mr. Kushagra
Kushagra@wtfeventz.com
+91-8800221957

Saurabh Khurana
saurabh@wtfeventz.com
+91-9873333377

Mukesh Maurya
mukesh@wtfeventz.com
+91-9873403241

WTF EVENTZ
http://www.wtfeventz.com/
+91-1204550150

Courtesy ----- http://www.moscowfive.ru