Post by boniato on Sept 4, 2005 12:23:53 GMT -5
Grant McDaniel - Producer: Letter to the Community
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Hi, I am Grant McDaniel. I am the Producer for Star Wars Galaxies at Sony Online Entertainment and have been with the team for over four years. I just returned from the Games Convention in Leipzig, which was amazing (over 100,000 gamers!) and also where we announced our upcoming expansion, Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan.
Over the past few months, a portion of our development team has been secretly working on this expansion, so I am really glad that I can finally begin to tell you a little bit about what we have been doing (just not everything – we have to leave a few surprises!).
Over the upcoming weeks, our community group will be gathering your expansion-related questions from the forums so that I can provide you all with some answers and more information about what we have planned. We have already gathered some of the most common questions from the boards, and I have provided some initial answers to those below. I know there are a lot more questions where these came from, and we will post some answers regularly.
1. Is this a Jedi expansion?
Absolutely not. This expansion has content and adventures for all types of Star Wars Galaxies players.
2. I'm not a Jedi...so is there any reason for me to obtain the Trials of Obi-Wan Expansion?
Of course. All players will be able to converse with Obi-Wan and help him on his quests. Additionally, there will be many other quests as well as other reasons to explore the planet of Mustafar. And, the planet itself is so completely unique when compared to the rest of the planets in our game, that I think many people will just enjoy exploring and adventuring anywhere they can. (A lot more than Anakin!)
3. Trials of Obi-Wan: Will there be a new playable species? How about new NPC species?
We did not add any new playable species. However, Mustafar is home to two new native NPC species that you will find in the expansion (more on them later).
4. Why was Obi-Wan chosen to appear at this point in the timeline since he hadn't yet visited Luke Skywalker?
Events on Mustafar have caused a major disturbance in the Force, unleashing unknown dangers that could empower the dark side if not stopped. These events have led Obi-Wan Kenobi's spirit back to Mustafar to investigate how to eliminate this evil presence. With your help, he hopes to resolve the situation so that he can then move on to help the boy who could be our last hope…
5. What are some of the highlights of the expansion?
Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan takes place on a harsh lava world unlike anything seen in our current game. There, you'll find a lava river and erupting volcanoes, as well as other dark and mysterious caves and dwellings. The expansion is built around the fiction of Mustafar, so there are many new story-driven quests, some of which revolve around Old Republic technology that has been discovered there. There will be lots of high-level loot, cool new reward items and features (including an increase in the number of ground vehicles that can be stored and used by the player), and many more exciting things that I look forward to sharing with you soon. All of these aspects combine to make this expansion look and feel like you are literally walking into the world of Episode III.
6. Is there anything else you can share about the expansion that hasn't been discussed yet?
Yes. There are a lot of new features as I have mentioned above, and they will be revealed over the next few weeks. I would love to reveal them now – but then they would have kill me! However, here is a little bit more background fiction, which gives a hint as to some of what is occurring on Mustafar:
Trials of Obi-Wan
Rumors speed through the galaxy. Tales of
ancient treasure draw intrepid adventurers
and pitiless profiteers toward a little-known
volcanic moon.
Mustafar, once a simple mining planet, now
suffers in the merciless grip of greed.
Some have come for the Old Republic
technology, treasures that lie buried in the
blackened soil. Others seek the truth
behind the charred ruins and mysterious
temple mounds.
But a deeper secret waits. Strange crystal
shards, filled with amazing power, have
drawn dark forces to the burning planet.
And a hero, once thought lost, has returned
to face them…
Each week, as we get closer to the expansion release, I plan to provide even more details to you about the cool and exciting content we are adding with Trials of Obi-Wan. I am sure that you will enjoy it!
Thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing your feedback.
Grant “Rogue_5” McDaniel
SOE Producer, Star Wars Galaxies
-- LiquidTr4nce @ Tue 30 Aug 2005
Print News | Mail News
Hi, I am Grant McDaniel. I am the Producer for Star Wars Galaxies at Sony Online Entertainment and have been with the team for over four years. I just returned from the Games Convention in Leipzig, which was amazing (over 100,000 gamers!) and also where we announced our upcoming expansion, Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan.
Over the past few months, a portion of our development team has been secretly working on this expansion, so I am really glad that I can finally begin to tell you a little bit about what we have been doing (just not everything – we have to leave a few surprises!).
Over the upcoming weeks, our community group will be gathering your expansion-related questions from the forums so that I can provide you all with some answers and more information about what we have planned. We have already gathered some of the most common questions from the boards, and I have provided some initial answers to those below. I know there are a lot more questions where these came from, and we will post some answers regularly.
1. Is this a Jedi expansion?
Absolutely not. This expansion has content and adventures for all types of Star Wars Galaxies players.
2. I'm not a Jedi...so is there any reason for me to obtain the Trials of Obi-Wan Expansion?
Of course. All players will be able to converse with Obi-Wan and help him on his quests. Additionally, there will be many other quests as well as other reasons to explore the planet of Mustafar. And, the planet itself is so completely unique when compared to the rest of the planets in our game, that I think many people will just enjoy exploring and adventuring anywhere they can. (A lot more than Anakin!)
3. Trials of Obi-Wan: Will there be a new playable species? How about new NPC species?
We did not add any new playable species. However, Mustafar is home to two new native NPC species that you will find in the expansion (more on them later).
4. Why was Obi-Wan chosen to appear at this point in the timeline since he hadn't yet visited Luke Skywalker?
Events on Mustafar have caused a major disturbance in the Force, unleashing unknown dangers that could empower the dark side if not stopped. These events have led Obi-Wan Kenobi's spirit back to Mustafar to investigate how to eliminate this evil presence. With your help, he hopes to resolve the situation so that he can then move on to help the boy who could be our last hope…
5. What are some of the highlights of the expansion?
Star Wars Galaxies: Trials of Obi-Wan takes place on a harsh lava world unlike anything seen in our current game. There, you'll find a lava river and erupting volcanoes, as well as other dark and mysterious caves and dwellings. The expansion is built around the fiction of Mustafar, so there are many new story-driven quests, some of which revolve around Old Republic technology that has been discovered there. There will be lots of high-level loot, cool new reward items and features (including an increase in the number of ground vehicles that can be stored and used by the player), and many more exciting things that I look forward to sharing with you soon. All of these aspects combine to make this expansion look and feel like you are literally walking into the world of Episode III.
6. Is there anything else you can share about the expansion that hasn't been discussed yet?
Yes. There are a lot of new features as I have mentioned above, and they will be revealed over the next few weeks. I would love to reveal them now – but then they would have kill me! However, here is a little bit more background fiction, which gives a hint as to some of what is occurring on Mustafar:
Trials of Obi-Wan
Rumors speed through the galaxy. Tales of
ancient treasure draw intrepid adventurers
and pitiless profiteers toward a little-known
volcanic moon.
Mustafar, once a simple mining planet, now
suffers in the merciless grip of greed.
Some have come for the Old Republic
technology, treasures that lie buried in the
blackened soil. Others seek the truth
behind the charred ruins and mysterious
temple mounds.
But a deeper secret waits. Strange crystal
shards, filled with amazing power, have
drawn dark forces to the burning planet.
And a hero, once thought lost, has returned
to face them…
Each week, as we get closer to the expansion release, I plan to provide even more details to you about the cool and exciting content we are adding with Trials of Obi-Wan. I am sure that you will enjoy it!
Thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing your feedback.
Grant “Rogue_5” McDaniel
SOE Producer, Star Wars Galaxies
-- LiquidTr4nce @ Tue 30 Aug 2005