Stars Wars: The Old Republic: review, description, system requirements. Official F.A.Q

  • 24.04.2020

The release date is the timeline after which the game is considered released, which usually means that it can already be downloaded and tried out if purchased licensed copy... For example, the release date for Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) is December 20, 2011.

IN recent times more and more often developers allow to buy a game in advance - to make a pre-order. In response to support from potential buyers, who believe in the success of the project so much that they give money for it even before the release, the developers are sharing various bonuses and exclusive materials. It could be a soundtrack, artbook, or some mini-addons for the game.

Thus, pre-order actually allows you to buy the game before its official release, but this does not mean that the announced release date loses its significance, since you can play fully only after the release.

Why do I need to know the release dates of games?

If only because it is more convenient to plan your time and finances this way. If you know, for example, when Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) will be released, then it will be easier for you to navigate: set aside money in advance for its purchase, plan things so that you can dive into the game as soon as it comes out.

Many gamers keep track of the release dates of games using special calendars and thematic articles about the most important releases of the month or season. You can find both on our game portal site

How do developers choose when to release?

They are guided by many factors at once. First, it is important for them to know that their target audience will be able to immediately join game process, so games are less likely to come out during the holiday season, as well as in those months when the rush is usually at work, and the students have a session.

Secondly, for a successful release, developers try to compare their plans with the announcements of potential competitors. For example, if it comes about a shooter, then releasing it simultaneously with the new Battlefield or Call of Duty is not very reasonable.

Thirdly, the release date marks the so-called deadline - the very line after which the game is ready. This means that it needs to be completed on time. Alas, this does not always work, and therefore the release date of the game can be shifted one or even several times.

In addition to this, the release of Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) on PC and consoles may differ - often the developers try to release one version first, and only then move on to the next.

Name: Star Wars: The Old Republic
Released: December 20, 2011
Genre: MMORPG
Developer: Bioware
Publisher: Electronic Arts, LucasArts
Platform: PC
Publication type: Official client
Version: 1.5.0a
Interface language: English, German, French
Voice Language: English, German, French
Tablet: Not required

Description: Discover the time in the Old Republic when, thousands of years before the advent of Darth Vader, the war between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire divided the galaxy. Create your own character after many of the classic Star Wars heroes. Make decisions that will shape your personal story and choose between the Light or Dark side of the Force. During your adventures, you will be assisted by your own team. Awesome battles, interact with other players to overcome the toughest challenges and explore the stunning worlds of Star Wars!

System requirements:
Operating system: Windows XP SP3 / Vista SP2 / 7 (32 or 64 bits);
Processor: Quad-core AMD / INTEL, 2.5 GHz or higher;
RAM: 4 GB or higher;
Video card: DirectX 9 compatible with 512 MB of memory and support for pixel shaders 3.0 (NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 or ATI Radeon 4850) or better;
Hard disk space: 25 GB
Broadband Internet connection: from 512 Kb / s

Features:
Create your Star Wars story - Choose from eight classes and become the hero of your own adventure - with an interactive storyline, cinematic, fully voiced dialogue.
Choose Your Own Path - As you make decisions during your adventures, you will pave your way into the light or dark side of the Force.
Build a Team - Build relationships with your companions who join you to fight by your side.
Challenge yourself in incredible battles - Take part in thrilling lightsaber duels, space battles and massive battles with other players.
Get Your Own Spaceship - Earn a spaceship to serve as your base for planning your operations as you explore the galaxy and engage in epic space battles.
Fully Functional MMO Content - Join your friends in PvP duels in special zones (Warzones), dungeons in a group of friends (Flashpoints) and real challenges for a large number of players (Operations). Join a guild, trade at auction houses, craft your own items, drive vehicles, and much, much more!

Installation and launch:
The client is completely ready and installed
Create an account on http://www.swtor.com/ by clicking the Sign Up button in the upper right corner of the site
Then you have a choice: The game switched to a mixed payment system on November 15, you can play the Free-to-play version of the game with a sufficient number of restrictions, but which can be withdrawn for real money in the in-game store. Or you can buy the game and enjoy the full version.
After creating an account, run launcher.exe from the root folder where the game was installed
Next, enter your username and password for your account and click login. At the first start, after checking your data, one of the secret questions that you asked during registration will pop up. Only you know the answer to this question, because entered it themselves
If there are new updates, the game will download them itself
After all these manipulations, the game is ready to launch, you just have to press the Play button

Answers

  1. What is Star Wars: The Old Republic?
    Star Wars: The Old Republic introduces a new approach to online entertainment, featuring an immersive story, dynamic combat and new characters. The game takes place in the Star Wars galaxy approximately three hundred years after the events of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
  2. What is LucasArts?
    LucasArts (owned by Lucasfilm Ltd.) is the leading creator and publisher of interactive software worldwide for console video games, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco, California (www.lucasarts.com), LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive nuance of vision for his modern, multi-faceted entertainment company.
  3. How is Star Wars: The Old Republic different from other MMOs?
    Star Wars: The Old Republic will be similar to other MMOs, but with a few innovative differences. Traditionally MMO games are created by three factors: research, combat and progress. BioWare and LucasArts, I believe there is also a fourth - story. Our mission is to create the best story-driven game in the world. We believe that implementation is interesting storyline Star Wars: The Old Republic is a significant innovation in MMOs and will bring an unprecedented experience unlike other games.
  4. What characters and what classes can I play?
    We are going to announce the characters and their classes shortly.
  5. Will I be able to travel to other worlds?
    Yes, you will be able to travel to many of the planets mentioned in the Star Wars films and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. There will also be new planets and star systems to explore.
  6. Will I be able to play as the Light or Dark Side of the Force?
    Yes, during character selection you will be able to join either the Republic or the Sith Empire. In addition, throughout the game you will be faced with many decisions that can change your path by switching to the light or dark side of the Force.
  7. How long does Star Wars: The Old Republic take place in relation to Star Wars films?
    Star Wars: The Old Republic takes place 3,500 years before the rise of Darth Vader. The most powerful Sith Empire in history emerged from the depths of space to attack the Republic and its legendary guardians, the Jedi. After decades of war, a minor truce has formed between the Sith Empire and the Republic, but the events that appear in the game bring the galaxy back to war.
  8. How does the events in Star Wars: The Old Republic relate to the events in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic?
    The events of Star Wars: The Old Republic take place approximately 300 years after the events of the Knights of the Old Republic. At the end of the Jedi Civil War in KOTOR, Revan hid in uncharted parts of the galaxy in search of a great threat to the Republic, the sprawling Sith Empire ruled by a mysterious Emperor who planned revenge on his ancient enemies, the Jedi. Revan never returned from there, unlike the Sith Empire, which unleashed a war with the Republic that lasted decades. Now, despite an uneasy truce negotiated by the Treaty of Coruscant, tensions among the scattered star systems threaten to divide the galaxy once again.
  9. Will I see familiar characters from the Knights of the Old Republic?
    Many characters have died as the game takes place 300 years after the events of KOTOR, but their legacy still lives on in the form of their descendants, who will play an important role in Star Wars: The Old Republic. In addition, some droids can function for a long time.
  10. When will Star Wars: The Old Republic be released?
    No release date has yet been announced for Star Wars: The Old Republic. To be aware of the status of the game, subscribe to our newsletter. We also encourage you to visit the official website to view constantly updated content.
  11. How do I get the Beta version?
    We haven't announced the Star Wars: The Old Republic Beta yet. We advise you to subscribe to our newsletter or follow them on the official website, so you can always be the first to know about new information.
  12. Will the game be released in many countries?
    Star Wars: The Old Republic will be released simultaneously in multiple countries around the world and the services will be localized in multiple languages. More details will be posted later.
  13. How much will the Star Wars: The Old Republic cost?
    The price of Star Wars: The Old Republic will be determined and announced later.
  14. What will be the age limit for the game?
    Star Wars: The Old Republic does not yet have the restrictions assigned by the ESRB. You can see the current rating on the website.
  15. What are system requirements Star Wars: The Old Republic?
    The exact system requirements will be published closer to the release of the game.
  16. How do I get into Star Wars Community: The Old Republic?
    All you need is to register by clicking on this link and fill out a short form, entering your e-mail and date of birth. You will receive a confirmation link to your address, and by clicking on it, you will activate your account.
  17. What benefits will I get from joining the Fellowship?
    Notices and updates will be sent to members of the Star Wars: The Old Republic as soon as they are posted. They will be able to subscribe to news, which in some cases will contain exclusive information, and they will also be able to communicate with other members of the Community on the forums. If you feel you can help the Community, you can reply to articles, rate official and visitor posts, or even publish your own blogs.
  18. What are Star Wars: The Old Republic newsletters?
    Approximately every fourth of eight weeks, letters are sent to every member of the Community who subscribes to Star Wars: The Old Republic news. This news will bring you the latest updates to the game making process. In addition, the highlighted last news, may contain information not publicly announced.
  19. Will the http://www.swtor.com sites be localized in other languages?
    The official website for Star Wars: The Old Republic will be localized in many languages. Follow latest updates localization news.

Unofficial Star Wars: The Old Republic Questions & Answers

Questions

General issues

Answers

General Questions

    This is partly true. There is no official press release, so it is logical to assume that the press release will appear sometime in 2008, for example, at an exhibition in May / June or E for all for developers in July.
  1. LucasArts and BioWare announced the development of a new "interactive entertainment product" ...
    Yes, it was announced. However, note that the words "Star Wars", which are the intellectual property of LucasFilms, are not mentioned anywhere - so there is no direct proof that this will be SW KotOR III. It could be role-playing game under the brand Indiana Jones ...

Are there any more confirmed rumors? Send by mail or report in a separate topic of our forum, while always with a link to the source. Otherwise, it's just a rumor.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is an MMORPG by renowned developer BioWare, based on the popular Knights of the Old Republic franchise. The game takes place about three centuries earlier than the events of the first two Knights of the Old Republic games. New game will keep basic principles and the gameplay capabilities of older versions of Knights of the Old Republic, while bringing the action into a new and expansive environment.

According to early information, at the beginning of the game, users will be able to join either the Sith Empire or the Galactic Republic. The choice of the player will affect the definition of the hero as "good" or "evil", in other words, it will show which of the forces he will play, for the dark or for the light. Bioware mentioned that it hopes to recreate a more structured story in Old Republic than most other MMORPGs. The player will be able to create "their own epic stories" within the galactic turmoil. The game will use many common MMORPG aspects, including skills, guilds and PVP (player versus player) mode.

The Old Republic's visuals mix realistic and more animated styles, without any inclination to go to extremes. Thanks to this approach, the game will be able to run on not the most powerful computers... It should be noted that the size of the lightsaber in comparison with the one shown in the screenshots will decrease in the game (not much).

The official announcement of Star Wars: The Old Republic was made at a live press conference held at LucasArts headquarters in San Francisco on October 21, 2008. Development confirmed for PC only, tentative release date - spring 2011.

The game will feature full voice acting ( game characters, companions, NPCs). Bioware has brought in prominent voice actors (like Lance Henriksen). The latest budget estimates reported the $ 180 million needed to play the game. It is not only Bioware's most expensive game, but also the most expensive video game in history.

Info since E3 2010

  • Each player will receive their own ship that serves as a base and companion gathering center.
  • The game has elite NPCs.
  • There is no "body race" after death. You respawn at the medical center with all your equipment.
  • PVP mode (player versus player) has been implemented.
  • Group limit - 4 people.
  • Skills are taught by an instructor.
  • You can only talk to NPCs if the nearest group members are not fighting.
  • There are chat channels, including trading ones.
  • Multiplayer dialogues allow all players to choose an answer and roll the dice to see which option is chosen.
  • The territory of a certain radius is assigned to the mobs. This means that they will stop chasing the player from a distance and return to their original location.
  • The game has vehiclesallowing you to move around the world (worlds), including high-speed motorcycles.
  • The process of creating a character is similar to that of the game. Dragon age: Origins.
  • There are three levels of danger, blue, yellow and red. Blue - no danger, yellow - player alert, red - player in battle.
  • For completing quests, certain rewards are given, such as items, money and experience points.
  • You can guide heroes through green portals. The red color of the portal means its inaccessibility for the hero.
  • All classes have the ability to revive other players and companions (but not during combat).
  • You can inspect the belongings of another player in your group, regardless of the location of that player.
  • Players can influence the course of the war. The player's actions determine who controls the planet and who is on which side.

Character history and development

The Old Republic's stories will be based on character class choices. Each character will have their own unique storyline with the possibility of many variations. The plot is an epic tale of saving or destroying the galaxy, each quest has an impressive scale, regardless of the degree of progress in the game.

Players can acquire a number of companion characters. However, you can only travel with one companion at a time. These characters develop depending on your choice. You can even start romantic relationships with companions. Companions can react positively or negatively to your choice. There are special companion quests, the completion of which will strengthen your connection with them. If you anger your companion to some extent, some as yet unnamed consequences will occur.

Gameplay mechanics

Space battles

In Space Combat, players use spaceships... The battle system is similar to tunnel shooters like Starfox Star and War Rogue Squadron.

Cover system

A feature never seen before in an MMO. The Cover system is available for some of the ranged combat classes called Smuggler. When this system is activated, the class gains alternative abilities that are otherwise unavailable.

Interaction of classes

The unique interaction mechanism is based on the classes available in the group. For example, a character of a certain class can blow up a door so that the group can complete a mission. It is not known how missions will be completed without characters of certain classes. Probably, in the example with the door, it will be possible to break it through the data terminal, or destroy the lock with a lightsaber. That is, missions may have several options for passing.

The PVP system will be an important part of the game. Players fight against each other in special "war zones".

Space

Each character will receive a customizable ship that will serve as a base and a tool for space battles.

Star Wars is one of the most famous and popular universes around the world. Currently across the universe " Star Wars"seven feature films have been filmed and many computer games... Star Wars dates back to the late 1970s and remains in demand to this day. One of the games that will be discussed is Star Wars the Old Republic. The game review includes a description of the plot, mechanics, gameplay, graphics, general experience of the gameplay, and much more.

A bit of history

Star Wars is the brainchild of George Lucas. The first film in the saga was released back in 1977. The largest box office was not long in coming - the picture was breakthrough for its time and still remains quite watchable.

Over time, the developers of computer games turned their attention to the fantasy universe, because it was an unplowed field. Legendary games Jedi-Knight has become a favorite not only among Star Wars fans, but also among fans of high-quality computer RPGs.

Further, many projects related to the saga came out. They include games under the logo and Lego theme, and two parts Force unleashed, and the infamous Battlefront. The sequel to the last mentioned game came out quite recently. But this article will focus on Stars Wars the Old Republic, a review of which will definitely appeal to fans of the series. For those who hear about this project for the first time, it will be an excellent opportunity to get acquainted with the game.

A whole separate culture has developed around Star Wars. The developers of computer games could not ignore this niche. Combining the overly popular MMORPG genre and the universe seemed like a clever solution in the form of Stars Wars the Old Republic. The review will help you figure out whether the creators succeeded in making a successful project or not.

Game history

As mentioned above, Star Wars the Old Republic is a multiplayer game with unique features and features that it will be a little bit later. This project was released in 2011, or rather just before the New Year. The Bioware development studio released the game on time, which affected the quality of the optimization and the overall experience of the players, but this did not stop the real fans in the least. The project remains afloat to this day. However, publishers and developers have had to make many concessions to maintain their popularity. The reasons for such decisions will be described below.

Game development

The game has been in development since 2008. Even then, the studio promised a different MMORPG. The emphasis in the project was on the plot. Since BioWare was renowned for its good story-driven RPGs, there was a lot of hope for Star Wars the Old Republic. Moreover, the combination of a multiplayer game and a full-fledged storyline at that time seemed quite curious, since almost no one had done this before, or the implementation was lame.

In 2009 at game exhibition E3 presented the first trailer of the project. A couple of months later, the developers announced the recruitment for the closed beta test of Star Wars the Old Republic 2011. A review of the game servers of that time suggests that the company was not doing well. Due to the huge popularity and millions of people who want to plunge into game world of the Star Wars universe, the project's servers simply could not withstand the loads. Even the official website did little to cope with the flow of visitors.

In the summer of 2010, a second trailer for the game appeared. Exactly one year later, the final third video about stars game Wars The Old Republic. An overview of the features and innovations for the genre as a whole - this is how these 3 trailers can be characterized.

On June 21, 2011, publishers began accepting pre-orders for the game and released it in December of that year. Published by Eletronic Arts.

However, a year later, the popularity of the project fell sharply. To raise the ratings and demand, the publishers decided to switch to the Free-to-Play model in order to attract new players. With this distribution approach, visitors and players don't have to pay a subscription fee. All investments in the game are limited to donation, which, by the way, is not at all necessary for a full and comfortable gameplay.

Scope of the project

Star Wars The Old Republic can be considered the largest and most complex game in the Star Wars universe. This conclusion immediately comes to mind after reading the following figures. Firstly, the development period is over 3 years, which allowed us to make a really high-quality game. Secondly, a huge budget - about $ 200 million. The development of the project was carried out in parallel on four continents by more than 800 specialists from various industries and areas of game development. Third, due to the strong and voluminous storyline, BioWare had to bring in over a thousand voice actors for all of the unique characters. According to the developers themselves, if they had the opportunity to invite a unique actor for each character, they would do it. It is worth mentioning that the number of playable characters is about 4 thousand.

Stars Wars the Old Republic: concept overview

Even before going out to open beta testing the project was positioned as a multiplayer game with a subscription fee. Access to it could be purchased for an amount not exceeding one thousand rubles. At the same time, there was also a donation in the game, which influenced the gameplay. Why developers and publishers have embraced such two incompatible distribution concepts at the same time is unclear. However, later this move played a cruel joke on them.

Star Wars Old Republic (online): game technical data review

The project has a game engine HeroEngine. This platform has been specifically designed for online multiplayer games. The engine copes with its task successfully. The engine concept fits perfectly with BioWare's way of working. Because of the sheer scale, programmers have to work on the same elements simultaneously from different parts of the planet. HeroEngine provided just such an opportunity.

System requirements

To run the game, you must have a computer running Windows XP or later. The processor must have a frequency of at least 2GHz, for example, a Core 2 Duo from Intel or an analogue from AMD. The minimum amount of RAM is 2 GB. The amount of video memory must be at least 512 MB.

Game optimization

Despite the fairly low system requirements, star game Wars The Old Republic is very poorly optimized. Even on configurations that exceed those described above in terms of power several times, the game manages to slow down and lag. FPS sometimes drops to unplayable 10 frames per second.

Plot

As stated above, main feature project - a deep and thoughtful plot. The setting in the game is a huge number of planets from the Star Wars universe. The events unfold 3 thousand years before the events of the films. The player will have to choose one of the sides: either the Sith Empire. In the story, the Sith captured the main republican capital. However, the rebels are not going to put up with this state of affairs, so the war does not subside. It is in it that you will have to take part.

The development of the characters and their personal stories is the main pride of the developers of Star Wars The Old Republic. A video review with a unique description has each meaningful plot character... Basically, the player will have to deal with reading dialogues and watching plot videos.

Gamplay

However, the developers also did not forget about the MMORPG component of the game, although they were pushed into the background. This is where the first problems of the project begin to appear.

Playing Stars Wars The Old Republic like a regular MMORPG is pretty boring. Therefore, after passing story missions and tasks in the game to do practically nothing for those who came only for the sake of their favorite setting and story.

At the same time, fans of classic MMORPGs will like a variety of dungeons, instances and PVP modes. It is recommended to constantly dilute the passage of the story with the usual social and rpg elements, otherwise the game can quickly get bored. However, after completing the story for one character, you can go through the story for another faction, or create a new unique character and choose new answers in dialogues that will lead to different consequences.

Otherwise, Stars Wars The Old Republic is a boring and rather drab MMORPG, despite its high ratings after launch. Side missions primitive - kill, collect and bring back, or go and activate several elements in some dungeon and kill final boss... True, the deplorable situation with side quests is saved by unique and non-repetitive NPCs with unique voice acting.

For the first 10 levels, your character is in a kind of training mode in the initial location. The player is introduced to the mechanics and control through the plot of the plot and a small set of third-party tasks. After reaching level 10, you will be sent to free swimming. This is where Stars Wars The Old Republic is good: the freedom to choose locations and planets allows you to feel part of the universe and a real explorer of distant galaxies. Of course, you will not be able to conquer all places from the first minutes - after all, the class of equipment, the level of the character directly affect the complexity of opponents and quests on various planets.

The locations are truly beautiful and never repeat themselves in Star Wars The Old Republic Origin. An overview of each unique planet is usually remembered for its color palette, weather conditions and nature.

Star Wars The Old Republic: class options

Considering Star Wars The Old Republic, a class overview is helpful. The same number of classes is available for each of the factions. Smugglers, Paratroopers, Jedi Consul, and Jedi Knight will be available for those who choose the Republic. The smuggler is the local counterpart to an assassin or a thief. The Marines are the faction's main Damage Dealer. Knights are tanks, and Jedi Consuls are analogous to mages and wizards.

The following classes are available for the Sith Empire: Bounty Hunter, Empire Agent, Sith Warrior, and Inquisitor. The classes are completely similar to the classes of republican characters.

At the beginning of the project, the balance of all classes was simply disgusting. But over time, the developers conducted tests, interviewed the players and listened to their opinions. As a result, all classes are perfectly balanced: unique skills and abilities complement each other and there is no "imba" class.

Outcome

During the existence of the project, 4 were released to it plot additions and many updates to the game content and the server itself. This proves that the game still feels great. The influx of new players, although small, is still there.

Fans and fans of "Star Wars" will be satisfied with the game. Perfectly rendered setting and atmosphere of the universe will not leave them indifferent. Casual players won't be offended either - combat system, pumping and dialogues will not cause any difficulties even at the first meeting. The only category of gamers who were unhappy with the game are hardcore MMORPG fans, as they are unlikely to like the small amount of small details. For example, a simplified system for pumping or improving items. But there are many other multiplayer projects for such players. Perhaps soon the gaming community will receive the announcement of Star Wars The Old Republic 2. The review, in general, turned out to be positive. Despite minor flaws and adjusted for the plot of the game, we have a unique and curious project of its kind. It is not necessary to stay in it for a long time, but at least it is definitely worth getting to know it.