Let's *All* Play [Star Wars: The Old Republic] Let the hate bro through you.

Mild Confusion

Welcome to the Star Wars: The Old Republic thread!


What is this Old Republic you speak of? You are speaking a foreign language and I will destroy you!

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a fully voiced, free-to-play, massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by BioWare. The story takes place 300 years after the events of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and more than 3,500 years before the events of the films. You can be a part of either of the Galactic Republic or the Sith Empire, but may choose a morality anywhere between the light or dark side, regardless of which faction you choose. It's all about the choices you make in the story.


Return

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mm4JEZudf0c


Hope

http://youtu.be/SAkcolVxDy0


Deceived

http://youtu.be/YdgmH9Vv2-I


The Old Republic Timeline

ATC - After the Treaty of Coruscant
BTC - Before the Treaty of Coruscant


ATC 0 - The Treaty of Coruscant

http://youtu.be/wQDSiwzxfJQ


BTC 7 - The Mandalorian Blockade is Broken

http://youtu.be/x72-QABLy-w


BTC 8 - The Return of the Mandalorians

http://youtu.be/4gpXT6JfuXU


BTC 14 - The Empire Changes Strategy

http://youtu.be/srep__09hTM


BTC 18 - The Battle of Bothawui

http://youtu.be/P31fsYR9TWo


BTC 28 - Onslaught of the Sith Empire

http://youtu.be/vHCPju6amQQ


BTC 103 - Peace for the Republic

http://youtu.be/MgnxKu4YjCU


BTC 303 - The Jedi Civil War

http://youtu.be/Pns_Qpfhsqc


BTC 311 - The Mandalorian Wars

http://youtu.be/xV34yqDNOqE


BTC 347 - The Exar Kun War

http://youtu.be/Xu3WcM3CeTQ


BTC 1251 - Rebirth of the Sith Empire

http://youtu.be/Q7qG8ui0vk0


BTC 1347 - The Great Hyperspace War

http://youtu.be/CWJWDcaeVIo



BTC 3,247 - The First Dark Sith Lords on Korriban

Exiled dark Jedi landed on Korriban and became rulers of the native Sith. They began expanding their empire.


BTC 3,347 - The 2nd Great Jedi Schism

When a small group of Jedi discovered greater power was available from the force, a conflict arose and many Jedi were exiled.


BTC 21,300 - The Jedi Join the Republic

Though much remains unknown, sometime during this period, the Jedi Order swore loyalty to the Republic.


BTC 21,400 - Founding of the Republic

The development of the hyperdrive expanded the known galaxy, to keep order, several star systems formed a democratic alliance.


BTC 22,130 - The Jedi Order is Established

Peace-minded scholars and monks who survived the explosive force war on Tython relocated and established the Jedi Order.


BTC 22,140 - The Force War on Tython

Several Tythonian scholars began using their knowledge of the force to pursue power. A conflict ensued which destroyed Tython.


BTC 32,800 - Force "Discovered" on Tython

Philosophers and scientists from several star systems gathered on Tython to share Mystical Knowledge. The Force was discovered.

This thread is an offshoot of the BioWare thread. Some of us were making little journal entries of our individual stories in the game. While most were small and non-intrusive, a couple (mostly mine) started to grow larger and larger. So I made this thread so that people in the BioWare thread don't have to suffer loading up my many images.

We're hear to talk about The Old Republic and Star Wars in general. I'm also going to use it to continue to share my Old Republic experience. I'm pretty much doing this blind, as the furthest I've ever played before, was with a different class and faction, and for a short time when the game was released.

I also invite everyone who would like to post their experiences here, to do so. It's not just my thread.

There are a couple of places that PA people meet. There is a guild on the Jedi Covenant server for both Empire and Republic players.

For Empire, it's The Lost Squadron.

For Republic, there is a guild with PAers in it, but it's really not a Penny Arcade guild. It's called Dominus Nihil if you are interested in a good casual guild that raids on the regular. Full 10% xp. http://www.dominusnihil.com/forums is where you sign up.

Send @Cambiata a PM if you want to get into either guild.

If you don't want to join a guild, but still wish to chitchat with PA peeps while on Jedi Covenant, Empire side, just type:

/cjoin pennyarcade

That will get you into the chat channel.

Races:



F2P and Preferred are limited to three races; Humans, Cyborgs (humans with metal parts on their face) and Zabrak which come in Darth Maul red if you're playing on the Empire side and regular skin-tone if you're playing on the Republic side. If you want to unlock more races to use right there in the Character Creator or later in-game with the cash shop, it'll cost 600 Cartel Coins (six bucks real-cash). These races are (in locked order on the screen above) Mirialans (green-skinned race that's normally Republic-only), Twi'leks (aliens with head-tails, one of which you may have seen dancing in the third movie for Jabba), Miralukas (aliens with blindfolds on due to having no eyes, also normally Republic-only), Chiss (blue-skinned, red-eyed aliens that got popular due to a Star Wars novel-character named Thrawn, normally Empire-only), Rattatakis (grey/white-skinned and always bald aliens, normally Empire-only) and Sith-Pureblood (red aliens tied to the Sith origins, normally Empire-only). A race not seen there and added with the 2.1 patch for 600 CC (even to subscribers) are the Cathar AKA cat-people.

Classes:

Each side has four classes, with each set of classes basically identical to each other though the non-Force classes have a few differences in gear and resource management to set them apart. If you want a quick look at what they are, take a look (and ignore the charts on the right as this was made in 2011 apparently).



The pair of classes in orange are the Advanced Classes for each main class, which you pick at Lv10. Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, they help focus your role as well as grant you extra abilities tied into that AC. As you can see, the Trooper/Hunter and Consular/Inquisitor are the two classes in which their AC options offer both the opportunity to be a tank or a healer depending on which you choose.

Each class comes with it's own story, with your main missions consisting of continuing this story on different planets while you also handle side-jobs and any general storyline connected to the planet accessible to all classes. I'm not going to spoil them but I will divulge the opening hook for each class' story which tends to change once you leave your starter planet

Jedi Knight: Come to the Academy to learn how to beat people with a glowrod, stay to find out who's riling up the local population of starter mooks.
Jedi Consular: Learn the history of the Academy's planet and earn points with a lizard god without trying.
Trooper: Help the best squad of Republic soldiers as their newest recruit before all your base are belong to the local resistance.
Smuggler: Land on a war-torn planet, deliver guns and le-...wait, why is my ship flying off without me?

Sith Inquisitor: You are Harry Potter, trying to prove you're better then Draco Malfoy in the eyes of the Sith.
Sith Warrior: You are Draco Malfoy, trying to prove you're better then Harry Potter in the eyes of the Sith.
Bounty Hunter: Earn a spot in the biggest bounty-hunting contest in the galaxy at the swamps of the Hutts before the banjos begin to play.
Imperial Agent: Fool The Living Daylights out of a Hutt as a rookie Empire spy with a License To Kill. Goldfinger.

If what I described isn't enough to help you decide which class you want to try out, check out these videos below which were made by Bioware to show off the classes and their ACs.

Republic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuChozXLGaQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA_9BiyOB1A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4z5qKcBmy0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up9crByjT8Y

Imperial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9L1wTWDjMRM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEZ_ziPgeF4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAKwB2tg0lc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRmJh2Qw0HU

Choose your side!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT4cLHU3Yd0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMMRZRsceUc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqn4VAUps7k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqc7dHKda30

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zKupzPFgmQ

DouglasDanger

Star Wars is a cool thing, that's for sure, but there is no way my PC can run this game.

Mild Confusion

Prologue Part 1
Korriban

It's impossible to not begin without a title scroll.

This is the story of Rhaevos the Sith Inquisitor, finally free from enslavement. It's amazing how most of my go-to names are taken in the game. Rhaevos was one of my first MMO names, a play on Rhaegar, from George Martin's books.





This red-brown hole is Korriban, ancient home to the Sith Empire.

Codex Entry - Korriban

A cruel planet of rocky red deserts and crumbling ruins, Korriban was the homeworld of the ancient Sith. Reclaimed by the Empire in recent decades, it is now the site of the Sith Academy, where the Dark Council oversees the training of new acolytes. Only Sith may come and go freely from the academy, and for a non-Sith to visit Korriban is a great privilege.

Surrounding the academy are the tombs of the first Dark Lords. Used as testing grounds by the academy overseers, the tombs remain filled with traps, monstrosities and relics, even millennia after their construction--along with the bodies of a generation of failed acolytes.

Meet Rhaevos. He's the hooded one. No, the other hooded one.



I'm finally off that ship and take my first breath of freedom and right off the bat, some dude shoulder checks me. Since I don't yet have a shitlist, I'll make one now and put him at the top.



But immediately after, I meet this dick Sith trainer dude, named Overseer Harkun, whom is competing for first place on my shitlist. He wants me to find some crazy guy named Spindrall for a "Master Zash", whomever that is.



I also flirt with this girl named Kory, she seems sweet. She's a redhead and I got a weakness for redheads. Scars too, gives character. I like tattoos more though.

But anyhow, off to find this insane guy.

Mild Confusion

Here's a nice view of Korriban's planet scape. Has a few Star Destroyers, it's moon, some statues, and a burial site or two.

My first stop is the Tomb of Ajunta Pall in the Valley of the Dark Lords to find some nutter hermit named Spindrall. He's supposed to give me my first Sith Trial.

Codex Entry - Valley of the Dark Lords

Since the dawn of the Empire, the Valley of the Dark Lords has been the final resting place for the galaxy’s most legendary Sith. Carved into the rock walls and anointed with the blood of a thousand slaves, the valley’s tombs are monuments to the influence and strength of their interred lords. A tomb’s construction can require decades, construction beginning long before death claims its eventual occupant and ending long after.

With the defeat of the Sith Empire in the Great Hyperspace War, Korriban was abandoned with only ancient statues to guard over the valley. Grave robbers and cave-ins wore down the tombs for a thousand years until the Sith returned and restored Korriban to its former glory. Excavations into the rediscovered tombs are now underway, and already Sith wonder who will be the next great warrior to lie among the legends in the Valley of the Dark Lords

.

Codex Entry - Tomb of Ajunta Pall

Before the Empire, before the Sith Order, Ajunta Pall was the very first Dark Lord. Once a Jedi Master, Ajunta Pall learned how to create and shape life itself through the Force–an art the Jedi feared and sought to end. In an act of defiance, he turned his newfound power against the Jedi Order and rebelled.

In the end, the Jedi banished Ajunta Pall and his followers, exiling them to the Outer Rim–where the exiles found Korriban and a Force-wielding native species called the Sith. Ajunta Pall impressed the Sith with his power and technology, and the Sith soon revered the exiles as gods. From his seat of power on Korriban, Ajunta Pall was named Dark Lord of the Sith and founded the Sith Empire.

Upon his death, Ajunta Pall’s body was entombed in the Valley of the Dark Lords. After millennia of sandstorms, cave-ins and warfare, the tomb still stands as a testament to his lasting influence.

Inside the Tomb I met this soldier whom is a chap by the name of Cormun. He seems a decent fellow and is having issues with k'lor'slugs, which I couldn't care less about, but since he was cool, I was cool back.

Codex Entry - K'lor'slug

Hulking, worm-like creatures with pincer legs and gaping maws of teeth, k’lor’slugs are among the most dangerous species on Korriban. Not only can they shear a man in half or swallow him whole, they can project their vile, venomous spit great distances. Hatched from eggs laid hundreds at a time by their queens and blessed with a short incubation period, these hideous monsters can infest and overrun an area in no time.

A century ago, a notorious hunter named Riegenn Hetuu was contracted to bring a live k’lor’slug queen to an eccentric Hutt for a gala celebration. The beast was meant to be a highlight in the Hutt’s annual gladiatorial tournament, but when Riegenn arrived on Hutta and opened his cargo bay, some four hundred k’lor’slugs poured out, consuming the hunter as well as the Hutt. To this day, the sound made when a batch of k’lor’slugs hatch is called “a Hutt’s cry.”

That didn't take long at all. 'Bout thirty seconds really.

I'm surprised I cared about helping him, since I'm kinda resentful on the Empire -you know, for the whole slave thing- and I'd like nothing more than to watch them roast. Slowly.

But!

In order to do that, I need to climb higher in the Sith and acquire contacts and support. So I'll "help" a few people in order to further my own goal of destroying these pigs.

So in light of that realization, I also went and killed a bunch of looters that were trying to sack the Tomb.

Codex Entry - Tomb Raiders (No, not that Tomb Raider)

The ancient Sith tombs of Korriban have long been a target of raiders and treasure seekers with dreams of valuable plunder. While many are the minions and hirelings of Sith Lords hoping to lay their hands on powerful relics, others are daring fortune hunters who come from offworld and risk conflict with the Sith.

Individual pirates and rogues occasionally arrive stowed away on ships, but a more organized group led by an eccentric underworld figure has infiltrated shipments of slaves sent to the red planet. Once on the surface, the “slaves” sneak into the tombs; few ever leave Korriban, but those who survive are paid handsomely for their trouble.

Looking at that top pic of Korriban, surrounded by Imperial soldiers, Sith masters, students looking to prove themselves, a few Star Destroyers, and a zillion k'lor'slugs, I'm actually doing the galaxy a favor by removing these brainiacs from the gene pool. Seriously, what was their plan? Steal from the most famous of ancient Sith Lords in the middle of a Sith academy, then fly past an armada of destroyers?

C'est la vie...

Owenashi

Hey Mild, I know you're off Korriban by this point but tooling around the Academy there last night, I found three lore-entries in the 'library' areas where the trainers are. Two are in the trainer rooms up top and a third is on a shelf on a connected room.. Just follow the typical Datacron sound towards the three.

Mild Confusion

I literally just found those, less than two minutes ago. Not even kidding. I must have missed them earlier, but I discovered their existence when searching for the Codex entries.

Mysst

ha, I just downloaded this last night. I'll start playing after I finish SRIV again and then disappear when GTAV comes out

Mild Confusion

Rhaevos continues to kill the stupid people.

Spindrall is a charmer. Not sure why a laid back, lady killer like him would be hanging out in a cave with a bunch of people with sewn up mouths. Maybe he hates snark.



He assumes I'm there to be tested, but assumptions are the mother of all fuck-ups and I give him some snark.





Fuck...

Jasconius

eight months ago I forgot my password, and was locked out after 5 failed attempts

i can only log in now if I call a 1 800 number to unfreeze my account

in other words, i'll never play this game again because it's not worth a support call

was a fun game but the MMO features felt uber-shoehorned and combat grew stale unfortunately quick

Rock Lobster!

I really want to play this again, but I think the F2P stuff killed it for me. Every time I try to play it again, I just keep smashing into the small but numerous limitations that ultimately end up frustrating the hell out of me and driving me to a choice between quitting or paying the subscription. I just quit.

Still, the F2P stuff works okay enough that I'd still suggest playing through a class storyline or two if you're a person that liked the KOTOR games and doesn't hate MMOs.

Mild Confusion

I just did a temporary subscription. I doubt I'll play past finishing the Inquisitor storyline. Though I haven't ruled out playing as a Smuggler maybe.

I hear Imperial Agent is rather good, but if I did play another story, I'd rather it be Alliance and not a Force user.

Jasconius

i found the parallels between the faction classes to be incredibly frustrating

because I didn't want to play jedis either until I realized that smuggler and agent are 90% the same class

End

when I came back briefly, I discovered you had to pay to hide helm, and it made me really mad

then I paid to hide my helm and then stopped playing

:<

Mild Confusion

Some helmets are better than others. I did manage to get ahold of a really cool looking one. I'm out of town for a few hours, but I hope to get back to playing soon.

I finally got past the prologue, which makes this the furthest I've ever gotten in ToR. I got really bored the first time I tried playing, it was a Jedi Knight cause I love David Hayter's voice. The Inquisitor however is starting to get good. The conclusion of the prologue is what finally sold it on me.

Mild Confusion

No wonder they were all former acolytes.

Anyhow, Spindrall says I passed the trial and that I should go report back to Harkun at the Academy. He also mentioned some mumbo-jumbo on emotions and hating people to gain strength and blahblahblahblahblah. Whatever, I do what I want!

Codex Entry - Sith Academy

Rising above the Valley of the Dark Lords, the Sith Academy is a monument to the power of the dark side and the might of the Sith Empire. Would-be students throughout Imperial space compete for the privilege of studying within the Academy halls, but only those strong in the Force are selected–and most of those perish in the struggle to become Sith.

Beyond the training rooms lay many secrets that remain hidden to all but the most powerful Sith Lords. Higher levels contain chambers for members of the Dark Council, where few living creatures are permitted. Whispered rumors suggest that the Emperor himself has a sanctum within the Academy, but no one has seen the Emperor on Korriban for many years.

Who's this jerk?



Grrrrrrrr! You're on the list!

This is kinda cool looking though:



I like the mixture of asymmetry and symmetry.

Whelp, she didn't last long. Harkun's not a redhead fan I suppose.



I don't like Harkun very much. I think he needs to die. Not because he hates me. Everyone hates me. Or will hate me. Someday. But because he just killed my Leliana stand-in.



Painfully.

Mild Confusion

For my second Trial, I have to assist this special Son of a BitchTM

Inquisitor Zyn.



See, unlike Harkun whom is just an asshole, Zyn enjoys making people suffer. A lot. He appears to have no goal beyond that and seems intelligent enough to be dangerous. Harkun is a mad dog to be put down. Spindrall seemed little more than a hermit. Zash (and her master) is a name without a face. But this guy? He's dangerous. Best to tread lightly.

He wants me to torture a person of interest in an "unauthorized murder"?



Not a fucking problem! I have my own goals to accomplish, after all.

I try to work with the stubborn fool. I even offer to genuinely help him.

Pity.



Never waste my time.

Now sing like a canary!



I SAID A CANARY!



HAH! He drops a dime on some tool named Esorr (two R's?) Kayin, some Dark Council members toy. If he's dumb enough to get caught by this plebe, then he deserves to be dead. Zyn hears the name and congratulates me. He then tells me to forget about it and gives some wise council.

Codex Entry - The Dark Council

While the undying Emperor serves as the unquestioned leader of the Empire, the twelve members of the Dark Council oversee the daily workings of their vast civilization and speak in the Emperor’s name. Each is among the most powerful Sith in the galaxy; to hold a seat on the council is the highest honor and the greatest position of influence a Sith can attain.

The individual members of the Dark Council control their own spheres of influence and pyramids of subordinate Sith–overall Imperial military strategy falls in the hands of one Dark Council member, while study of ancient artifacts falls into the hands of another. These spheres occasionally overlap, leading to conflict. However, every Sith Lord and apprentice is ultimately answerable to the council member at the top of his or her pyramid. Similarly, non-Sith organizations are usually clearly answerable to one Dark Council member or another.

Meetings of the Dark Council are normally held in the Citadel on Dromund Kaas or in the Sith Academy on Korriban. It’s rare for all members to gather at once–power plays among members are frequent, and several of the Dark Lords are virtual hermits. On the occasions when the Emperor summons them, however, all members of the Dark Council are expected to gather and obey.

Best to remember my own goals. I don't give a damn about who killed whom anyhow. I passed my Trial, that's all that matters.

a5ehren

For the vets, does this game ever get to a point where you need to grind for equipment if you're at the appropriate level? Obviously stuff like PvP or high-level FPs would require it, but I'm just talking basic PvE here.

Also, does anyone ever actually do the Heroic quests? The rewards don't seem enough better to bother with spamming chat with LFGs.

Burden of Proof

The F2P model seemed really bad to me, but I only played up to Coruscant on my Trooper. I might go back eventually when I can actually pay for it. The story was pretty fun.

Mild Confusion

a5ehren wrote: »

For the vets, does this game ever get to a point where you need to grind for equipment if you're at the appropriate level? Obviously stuff like PvP or high-level FPs would require it, but I'm just talking basic PvE here.

Also, does anyone ever actually do the Heroic quests? The rewards don't seem enough better to bother with spamming chat with LFGs.

I've only gotten to the very begging of my Act 1 story, but I found a way to keep your character and companions insanely powerful.

I bought a full set of adaptive armor and custom weapons. This can range from super cheap to crazy expensive, depending on if you care what your character looks like. You can probably get a full adaptive armor set for around 20,000 credits. Maybe even less.

The trick with adaptive items, is the modifications. The armor itself will scale to whatever you put in there. So the best trade skill for that is cybertech (scavenging and underworld trading go with it), which will let you make your own armoring and mod slots. You'll have to buy/find enhancements and hilts/gun mods in your own though. But armoring is the big one and covers the most slots in your equipment and will go the farthest in damage and survivability.

Once I figured crafting modifications out, I've been soloing every quest, including heroics and flashpoints.

Yukira

a5ehren wrote: »

For the vets, does this game ever get to a point where you need to grind for equipment if you're at the appropriate level? Obviously stuff like PvP or high-level FPs would require it, but I'm just talking basic PvE here.

Also, does anyone ever actually do the Heroic quests? The rewards don't seem enough better to bother with spamming chat with LFGs.

You really don't need to grind much as most of the quest rewards will keep you geared enough to continue the story. If you get lucky and get your hands on a few moddable items or just plunk down and buy an armor set off of the Cartel store you can just use your planetary commendations to keep the gear updated and rarely have to worry about finding a new piece of equipment or looking like a clown.

Goose!

I played SWTOR back in June and enjoyed it. But I ran into the problem I always run into with MMOs: Lack of teamies. Even when I join guilds through PA I'm usually solo.

Mild Confusion

Overeer Harkun is not impressed.

Harkun really does seem to love his pet. I've passed two Trials, yet he's all over Ffon's (why the need for two F's?) big, red ass for passing his first.

I'm picking up that they don't like me very much.

Codex Entry - Asshole Overseer Harkun

A gruff, hard-line traditionalist, Overseer Harkun believes in the Empire and the superiority of its children. He makes no effort to hide his contempt for acolytes who have risen up from slavery or those chosen from alien cultures. His stubborn rejection of the changes at the Academy–of the need to replace Sith lost in the war with a new and “lesser” generation–has crippled his prospects for advancement, leaving him bitter and spiteful… particularly to those students who represent what he most despises.

Harkun is well aware that his days are numbered. Yet he is determined to exact his revenge on those acolytes unfortunate enough to be placed under his supervision. If he can’t keep the fools of the galaxy from joining the Academy, at least he can make them suffer.

Subtle.



Ffon expresses his intellect by broadcasting how intelligent he is.

I on the other hand, have to go to the Tomb of Marka Ragnos, a place that has killed or driven mad thousands of acolytes, and retrieve a Sith holocron that hasn't been studied in over a thousand years.



Maybe I can pick up some evil milk at the evil Walgreens while I'm out.

Owenashi

Neat fact about your teacher from the TOR-Encyclopedia, Mild. (Korriban spoilers)

He and the Warrior's Overseer are both pals and agree on the same points of the whole 'pureblood vs slave enrollment' argument. The Warrior's Overseer, Tremel, just handles the same (if reversed in the Warrior's story) situation a lot more maturely.

Mild Confusion

Cool!

I'm usually careful on reading spoilers, since this story is actually new to me. I may have possibly had a small portion of my story spoiled for me, since I had general chat turned on for a moment in game.

If the payoff is big enough at the end of the game, I'd be highly tempted to play as more classes. From what I understand, the Inquisitor isn't the best of the stories, but it's supposedly up there.

Mild Confusion

What a lovely scene.

I can't help but think that this was inspired by some of the more awful imagery from history.



These poor fools are traitors of some kind. The only thing I know is that they want to subvert the Sith teachings in some manner. I don't give a shit about the Sith or their philosophy, nor do I give a shit about who wants to subvert it, but I can't afford distractions. I offer to kill them so that I may gain some reputation among the Sith. If they got caught, they're dead anyhow. I might as well profit from the situation. and advance myself.

Rhaevos also finds a sweet datacron. Give me your delicious power...



More slaves...



No! This is not my problem and I cannot waste time on them. If I'm to destroy the Sith Empire, I cannot be distracted by minor issues. My first priority should be self preservation and advancement, only then can I truly destroy this diseased place.

Codex Entry - Slavery in the Empire

In contrast with the Republic, which officially condemns the practice, slavery is widely accepted across the Empire. However, instead of slaves being bought and sold merely on an individual basis, the custom has been fully incorporated into the hierarchy of Imperial society. As the lowest caste, slaves perform menial duties and backbreaking labor, and they possess virtually no rights or recourse under the law.

The ranks of slaves are typically made up of those who fall outside the traditional Imperial power structure: prisoners of war, criminals and aliens from conquered worlds. Children of slaves are born into the same caste as their parents, though it is possible for individuals to be elevated should they show strength and ability that would better serve the Empire in a more distinguished role.

Recently–seeking to replenish the ranks of the Sith Order after the war–even the Sith Academy has started accepting slaves who show a strong affinity for the Force… though many still look on these former slaves with disdain.

Anyhow, this dude is flagging me down. I hope he has money.



Woot, called it! He wants me to kill these fugly pigs for some Varacen dude.

Welp, who am I to judge? As long as it pays, amirite? And it's along the way to the Tomb of Marca Ragnos, so win-win for me.

Ki-yaaa!



That was easy. The Varacen dude is just a flunkie for Lord Renning.

Now I know why he wants with all these pig creatures. He's a cook. An evil cook.

I've never met an evil cook before.



Not sure if I'd like evil cuisine. On the other hand, I did promise Harkun I'd bring back an evil dinner.

Lord Renning's favored pig-monster has disappeared. Guess I'll get his prized pig back, then have some evil pork chops.

Owenashi

Hey Mild, how do you take and host your screenshots from the game?

Henroid

Can I just say that the Hope trailer is one of the best trailers made for anything? Because it is.

Mild Confusion

What happens when the evil and stupid go crazy?

The Lower Wilds are pure, concentrated evil. Lke an evil magnifying glass, burning all the little ant brains. So these Sith soldiers went nuts and are attacking me. Stupid, evil, and crazy. They speak through interpretive dance.

Codex Entry - The Wilds

Nowhere on Korriban is the planet’s dark influence stronger than in the lower wilds. What begins as ringing ears and a cold unease can eventually cripple and dominate an unprepared Sith; weaker minds can be twisted and broken in a matter of hours, leaving soldiers weeping in the sand or slaves frothing, ready to kill.

The source of this corrupting power is unknown. Some believe it is the residual dark energy of the ancient Sith species, while others insist the canyon serves as a focal point for the combined hatred and strength of the entombed Dark Lords. Some even hope the madness is caused by an artifact buried beneath the sands, waiting for a Sith to claim its power.

Though honestly? I think this one is mocking me.



More delicious knowledge.



Tastes like purple.



Rump or flank?

I'm not sure what's the choice cut on a tuk'ata... You know what? Why are there so many goddamn apostrophes on all these fucking creature names? Is tukata too hard? Does klorslug not work (k'lor'slug)?

Or extra consonants. Like Ffon? They didn't exactly spell it Lukke Skywalkerr or H'ann Sol'o or Kashyyyk with three Y's -OH WAIT!-

Anyhow, since I fried the evil pig, I suppose it's evil jerky for evil dinner once finish my Trial.

Speaking of which...




So here we are, deep inside :winky: the Tomb of Marka Ragnos, confronting a Sith holocron of untold knowledge and power. Hundreds have tried to access it's wonders for over a thousand years...

Codex Entry - Tomb of Marka Ragnos

Strength, power and strategy marked the rule of Marka Ragnos. Descended from the original Sith inhabitants of Korriban and the Dark Jedi exiles who interbred with them, Marka Ragnos was destined for greatness. He conquered his competitors in a series of quick, ruthless campaigns and became Dark Lord of all Sith, a title he would hold for more than a century.

The reign of Marka Ragnos might have been short-lived had he not displayed great strategic discipline. Instead of clashing directly with Sith challengers who hungered for his power, he pitted his enemies against each other to weaken and destroy them. Similarly, he was one of few Sith of his era who knew of the existence of the Republic and the Jedi Order. He chose not to attack, and instead focused on strengthening the Sith Empire.

The golden age of the Sith would end shortly after his death, but the legacy and spirit of Marka Ragnos would live on within his tomb in the Valley of the Dark Lords.

We should treat this unique and sacred artifact with the utmost care and respect!



Success!

Like most of life's problems, this one can be solved with lightning.

Mild Confusion

Owenashi wrote: »

Hey Mild, how do you take and host your screenshots from the game?

Fraps. I started off using the in game screen capture, but it turned out to be shit. So I use Fraps now. Which is nice, since I can just spam my screen cap key, and then later select the best screenshots to use.

I host with Imgur, which is free, but I paid for a year subscription. Photobucket is also a good one, but there is a bandwidth limit, so an LP will run that dry fast.

That's why it's taking so long for me to copy all of my posts from the old BioWare thread. I'm converting my old low res shots into something a bit more viewable. I'm almost done with converting, so hopefully soon I can get to my new stuff.

Owenashi

I see. I have to admit, despite my grand failure at a LP years ago here, I'm somewhat tempted to do a run for this thread based on the Bounty Hunter. I have an Imgur account myself but it's free at the moment. It says that limitation-wise, I can only peek at the last 225 images I've hosted using it but I dunno if that means I simply can't see further back or if it just kills the ability for anyone to see the image once it passes the 225-limit. I've never tried Fraps before either. Is it free?

Mild Confusion

You can use more than 225 images at Imgur with a free account. If you go over that limit, your images will still be hosted, they'll just be hidden and you just won't see them on the actual website. They don't delete them if you go over and it won't affect an LP if you host more than 225. The number of images isn't an issue.

The issue is the time limit. They start to delete the images if they see no use after six months. Since LP's tend to take several months, you're risking having parts of it deleted before you finish.

Photobucket doesn't have a time limit, -my avatar is a pic I uploaded back when I first joined PA in 2005- but they do have a bandwidth limit. Which also is a pain with an LP.

There are other image hosting services, but I haven't explored them all, just those two.

Mild Confusion

Henroid wrote: »

Can I just say that the Hope trailer is one of the best trailers made for anything? Because it is.

I prefer the timelines myself. I still hope they finish them one day.

Owenashi

Mild Confusion wrote: »

You can use more than 225 images at Imgur with a free account. If you go over that limit, your images will still be hosted, they'll just be hidden and you just won't see them on the actual website. They don't delete them if you go over and it won't affect an LP if you host more than 225. The number of images isn't an issue.

The issue is the time limit. They start to delete the images if they see no use after six months. Since LP's tend to take several months, you're risking having parts of it deleted before you finish.

Photobucket doesn't have a time limit, -my avatar is a pic I uploaded back when I first joined PA in 2005- but they do have a bandwidth limit. Which also is a pain with an LP.

There are other image hosting services, but I haven't explored them all, just those two.

I see. I did find that I can use Infanview to score screenshots while playing so at least I don't have to download Fraps. I just with my mouse had an extra button to use since right now used Alt+X as the keys to take the test pictures.

Veagle

I want to awesome every post in this thread. I love the story part of this game, but my computer is so out of date that I can barely run it, and I always get burned out on all the boring mmo combat in between the story beats. You're doing an awesome job of hitting all the cool parts of the story. I hope you can keep it up since I've only seen the Inquisitor's story up to Balmora.

I don't often remember to take screen shots, but I've got a couple from the one character I got to the end with.

Here's my Bounty Hunter re-enacting Empire Strikes Back.

And here's some shots of him finishing up his main story line. Warning: there will be some endgame spoilers in here.

So the Empire has invaded the planet Corellia, but they've encountered heavy resistance. Lotah has already handed about a dozen planets over to the Empire for a modest fee, so they call on his service one more time.

After taking out the corporations and freedom fighters still loyal to the Republic, that last obstacle to Imperial victory are the elite Green Jedi.

Here Mako and some troopers watch for reinforcements while Lotah looks for the man in charge.


This punk Jedi thinks he can take me out by sneaking up on me. A quick force push sends Lotah flying over a balcony railing, and the Jedi dives in for a killing blow...


but gets dropped mid-air by a busrt of blaster fire.

I continue onward to find the Jedi responsible for sending hit-squads after me. I can't really remember why he is so mad at me. Something about stealing an advanced Republic warship, and then sending it into a black hole with his apprentice on-board. It wasn't anything personal, I just wanted to win a contest. His reaction was totally overblown.

Anyways, I find him, he insults my ego and tells me I've brought all my problems on myself through my arrogance and quest for glory. I agree to disagree and we get into a fight.




Turns out that while lightsabers are great a bouncing back blaster shots, they suck at stopping a wall of flames.



Lotah then returns to Imperial command with their prizes. Darth Decimus is so happy that he invents a new medal just for me, and gives me a great opportunity to drum up a little more business for myself.

Veagle

After all that, there was just one last target left...

the Republic's Supreme Chancellor Janarus

Boarding his capital ship was pretty exciting, and included probably the hardest fight I've seen in the game, but unfortunately, I don't have any screenshots of it.

After finding my target, we had a nice little conversation about a new business opprotunity.

Warning: again end game story spoilers

He explained that he had been deceived and coerced into charging me with basically every unsolved crime in the Republic, and was willing to clear my name and expose the Jedi responsible. All he asked was for me to spare his life, and take out my employer, Darth Tormen. I figure taking out one of the strongest Sith in the galaxy with boost my reputation a little bit more then capturing a defenseless politician would, so I agree. Plus, Tormen was a jerk and tried to take away my guns when I first met him.

So I returned to Darth Tormen and told him I now had a better offer on the table.

His counter-offer was to rip the table off the floor and attempt to bludgeon me to death with it.


Lotah and Tormen then engaged in an epic duel, but again, no screenshots really turned out. But you can imagine how cool it looked.

After subduing Tormen, Lotah feels like lecturing him on the responsibilities of leadership and proper applications of force for those in positions of authority.


Tormen is pretty furious and rants about how insignificant I am, and how I showed fear and tremble before the power of the Sith.

And with that all wrapped up, the only thing left to do was strike a dramatic pose with my crew, and fly off into the sunset.

I should try and get back into this game. Maybe I can remember to take pictures while leveling this handsome devil.

RT800

I have recently returned to this game as a Free-to-Player.

The restrictions have yet to annoy me terribly, but I'm only level 14.

Plus I'm mostly in it for the story.

Also there's just something about mindlessly grinding in an MMO that I've missed.

Mild Confusion

@Veagle

That was pretty cool. I hear the Bounty Hunter is a rather good story.

Owenashi

Here's some test images I took using Infanview's screenshot-capture option. I'm willing to take any critiques on how to improve my methods.

Mild Confusion

You can get rid of chat bar by disabling it in the interface menu. You can still see chat if you hover over it. I made a second window for PA/guild chat and whispers. It also allows me to turn off general chat, cause I had something spoiled for me earlier.

Owenashi

Oh yeah, I have a third chat tab set to Penny Arcade's channel, whispers and party-talk myself. Almost always have it as my active chat window. I don't mind keeping the little tab on top shown in the screenshots myself unless the sight of it would wreck the precious immersion for too many viewers.

EDIT: Ok, I think I got enough screenshots for an initial post. I just have to wait for Imgur to settle down as it's right now slow-loading and constantly flashing over-capacity messages.

Mild Confusion

So...

A bit earlier a dude named Lord Renning, Dark Cook of the Sith, asked me to retrieve his prized tuk'ata's brain for a special stew that the Dark Council was going to eat and contemplate how black is the new black for next year's fashion trends. But I got counteroffer from his apprentice, Malora, to bring the brain to her first. She wants to add a laxative to it that will make the Dark Council fire Renning and then she can be the new Sith Chef.

Codex Entry - Tuk'ata

These oversized hounds were bred to be fearless and relentless. Left to guard the Sith tombs of Korriban, they have sharp horns, long claws and savage teeth. They are unusually intelligent and seem capable of communicating with one another through unknown means.

It is said that the species was nonviolent and grazing before being corrupted by Sith alchemical experiments that awakened a latent part of their brains and changed them into unnatural abominations. Random mutations now occur that produce some tuk’ata that can live for centuries and grow to immense proportions.

I take her up on her offer cause she looks a bit like Anna Popplewell and I can't resist.

How about a date later?





Hey Renning!



That's how I roll.