DARKSIDE DEFENDERS

Die Dauer deines frühzeitigen Spielzugangs errechnet sich aus dem Datum und Reihenfolge der Aktivierung deines Vorbesteller-Codes, sowie deinem Wohnsitz und deines Internet-Zugangs.

Morgot hat geschrieben:http://darthhater.com/2011/11/08/fan-si ... angelo-qa/

Ganz viele schicke Infos zu Ilum.

- Ilum ist eine Level 50 Endgame-Zone.

- Der halbe Planet wird für die World PvP Objekte verwendet. Und der planet ist riesig.

- Es gibt 5 Kontrollpunkte in der Zone, eine Republik- und eine Imperiale Basis im Norden und Süden, dazu noch 3 zentrale Unterstützungsbasen.

- Alle 5 Kontrollpunkte müssen eingenommen werden für den Sieg.

- Bestimmte Kontrollpunkte setzen Walker aus, die mit tragbaren Raketenwerfern aufgehalten werden müssen. Es dauert ungefähr 10 sec um einen Raketenwerfer abzufeuern.

- Der Sieg gewährt einen stackbaren Buff, der mehr Tapferkeitspunkte (welche man durch PvP/Warzones erhält) erzeugt.

- Der Buff gilt für die komplette Fraktion.

- Es gibt seltene Craftingmaterialien in der Zone.

- Die Zone kann hunderte Spieler beherbergen.

- Das Design berücksichtig Bevölkerungsunterschiede.

- Maximale Raidgröße ist 24 Spieler (bezieht sich auf die maximal Gruppengröße, nicht auf PvE-Raids)

What we now know as the Voidstar was vaguely described as an "assault-type Warzone" at the Jedi Immersion Day last year. Assault type maps aren't exactly unknown to the competitive FPS or MMORPG communities, and there is a common expectation of how they should work. As far as SWTOR is concerned, assault works exactly how you would expect it to.

At the start of the round, defending players ride a speeder through the Warzone giving them an overview of the objectives. This serves as a useful introduction to players new to the Warzone; they get a general sense of the overall map layout, noting locations of objectives points as well as power-ups. On the other side, attackers prepare behind virtual childproof safety gates waiting for the timer to count down while watching the opposing side setup to defend the two points.

The main objective points are tiered off to separate each section of the Warzone, and the attackers must reach a central computer in order to win the match. Due to the way they are split up into two's, it should effectively split the defenders in half and hinder turtle tactics. However, the timing for bomb planting on the doors seemed rather long; once the bomb is set, the time of the subsequent explosion is rather short. Unfortunately, Amatangelo did not demonstrate how long it takes to disarm the bombs themselves.

Once one of the two doors is gone, the door on the other side opens automatically allowing any excess players on that side to continue to the next objective. Aside from the door objectives, there are also bridges that players can activate by clicking on them - once activated, players can cross the bridge or get thrown off of it with fatal results. During the activation process, the player using the controls is graced with a beacon of light (or death) marking the person. Defenders can hinder the progression of the opposing side by taking quick action to kill the marked player. There are also various points throughout the map that Imperial Agents and Smugglers can take advantage of by using the high ground. I am excited to see how that works out for Agents and Smugglers both post launch.

Once both sides reach the end of the Warzone, they fight to either hold or capture a main computer on the ship. If the attackers succeed in taking the computer, the round ends and the teams switch sides. If the time allotted for the Warzone elapses before the attackers take the final objective point, it ends and sides switch. As like most assault modes of this type, the side with the lowest time of completion wins.

Overall, it seemed like an interesting PVP scenario. There are a few things like the size of it that make it seem a little daunting for an 8v8 but it might be a lack of having a true hands on with the Warzone. We both came away feeling good about how it is shaping up and look forward to play it at launch.

Ilum

If there is one that is going to be hard to explain completely, it is Ilum. There is a lot that is still shrouded in mystery but it is a lot clearer than it was yesterday thanks to the presentation. Gabe started by showing off some of the capture points players can control, such as turrets that you can click to use. These turrets have a decreasing channel time that periodically fires a large bolt of energy down range. Turrets can also be destroyed by the other team, so players defending while using them should take note of this.

As the presentation progressed, Gabe displayed the several objective areas players will need to take as they continue to the opposing faction's base on the other end of the zone. Both sides will collide in the middle of the map where the objectives are for players to complete along the way. Each objective area has its own unique style of objective to capture. To progress the map, players have to take out the opposing side's walkers with a rocket launcher. The rocket launcher has quite a lengthy amount of time to lock on before the rocket actually launches at the targeted walker. During this time, a red light surrounds the player who attempts to use the rocket launcher and looks similar to the way the color loot system works today. This allows the opposing faction to easily find the person they need to target on a chaotic battlefield.

Once the rocket hits the targeted walker, it destroys it in one hit. Throughout the map, there are areas that you can use to avoid the walkers all together or use to flank the opposing faction. These areas are primarily valleys that surround some of the major objective points in the middle of the map. Once one of the sides takes down the opposing side's walkers, transport ships will drop walkers to progress the battle.

There are also several other non-controllable turrets that players can destroy in the same manner as the walkers. When the bigger turrets are destroyed, a swarm of bombers bombard the opposing faction's base. As the factions progress the objectives, quests count down the time in which they have to complete the battle before the objectives re-spawn. Players will have to make use of the momentum they gain when capturing the objectives because it appears that it can quickly turn in favor of the other faction. Gabe did mention during the Q&A that there is a limit to the amount of people that can be in this zone, but it is not one that they expect the area to reach. How the zone limit interacts with balance and server populations is a big, unanswered question.

There is still much to learn, but from what we saw, it looks like Ilum is progressing well. The only thing we could possibly nitpick about is that it felt a little sterile, but what they showed was really really early, so we're sure BioWare will have it polished before launch.

During Gabe Amatangelo’s presentation at the Fan Site Summit, BioWare revealed a new Open World PVP area. Normally this would not be huge news, but what Outlaw’s Den entails is news indeed. Outlaw’s Den is Star Wars: The Old Republic’s first Guild versus Guild, Free for All, Open World PVP area. To find out everything you need to know about this exciting and altogether new area, hit the jump.

Gabe Amatangelo began the presentation by explaining the broad idea behind Outlaw’s Den. Outlaw’s Den is an Open World, Free for All PVP area on Tatooine where Guilds and other random players can congregate and attempt to best each other in a neutral, segregated area. To reach the area, players will travel to a remote location on Tatooine nestled between the planet’s mesas and canyons. Once players reach this area, they will dismount and encounter banners warning them of the trouble ahead. Inside, players of both factions will find conveniently placed obstacles that break line of sight: a large building containing a Galactic Market Kiosk, a vendor, high ground and a pit for small groups to combat each other.

Gabe mentioned that players can group into parties up to the Operation Group size limit, which is currently 24. These parties or Operation Groups can then battle it out in this nice, purposefully designed area away from the major cities. It will offer guilds and websites an opportunity to plan PVP events. The most important part of all of this would normally be the rewards for participating in this type of area. Outlaw’s Den does offer rewards, but not in the traditional sense.

During the resulting Q&A, Gabe cautioned players that they cannot gain rewards from the area when it comes to Valor and Commendations, due to potential exploitation. However, random chests that litter the area contain credits and Mercenary Commendations. These chests respawn over time and appear in random locations throughout the area. Crafters will also have a reason to visit, as the area contains valuable resources that players can collect via their gathering Crew Skills. Gabe did not mention if BioWare accelerated the respawn rate of these collectables in comparison to the rest of the world content. If we were to guess, based on this information, it might be a good idea for a guild to capture and hold the area since it includes valuable resources, random chests and a Galactic Market Kiosk within close proximity to each other.

Oh…and then there’s that vendor.

Located at the rear of Outlaw’s Den is a Gamorrean trader with items and gear available in exchange for Commendations. Players can acquire much of what he sells at other locations. However, he does carry specialty items of a cosmetic nature for players concerned about the look of their characters and Commendations to burn. There is one last thing about this Gamorrean – he enjoys his alcohol and is quite territorial about it. Anyone attempting to take or drink his alcohol will meet his blade. In Gabe’s case, the Inquisitor died in two swipes. Gabe did mention that players can kill him, and encouraged them to do so, as he drops some nice stuff. Gabe also added that when players kill the Gamorrean, he will respawn, but it will take a while. Gabe made no mention of exactly how long it would take for him to reappear or what impact the instancing of zones will have on the vendor.

There are plenty of questions that remain about Outlaw’s Den leading up to release but what we saw was encouraging. If you are interested in hearing more on the area, listen to the Q&A.