E3 2011 Predictions and Speculations about SWTOR
Going to a convention for a game you are following is always a magical time, especially if it is Star Wars The Old Republic MMO by Bioware! Join me, SwtorCrafter, as I get ready to go to E3 in Los Angeles on the 6th!
Bring the awesome Bioware, I double dog dare you! 😛
I am starting to get the hang of the convention thing, I think. If you follow our travels in the last few months you might remember our latest incursion into the Bioware Studios in Austin Texas. The SWTOUR event -aka- the Bioware Fansite Summit #1 was a magical time. It was a chance for me and my partner in crime “Serge” Stanarevic to reaffirm our love for this project here at SWTOR-Life.com following the development of SWTOR, and our love for Bioware as a company and people, on so many levels.
I am now, in one week going to embark again from the South Central USA, this time headed to the Con Center in Los Angeles CA. I have had my airline reservation and hotel confirmation made since we got the news that we would be accepted for a full media pass for the E3 show the 7th through the 9th of June.
At this time I have one week to get ready for the “big boy” of the convention scene. E3 as described from their “about me” page describes it as the following:
E3 Expo is the world’s premier trade show for computer and video games and related products. The show is owned by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies, publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. For more information, please visit www.E3Expo.com or www.theESA.com.
E3 Expo draws tens of thousands of professionals to experience the future of interactive entertainment. The most influential people leading the most innovative companies in the business attend E3 Expo to see groundbreaking new technologies and never-before-seen products for computers, video game consoles, handheld systems and the Internet.
Who Attends?
In 2011, leading computer and video game companies, business partners, media and industry analysts from over 80 countries will converge on the Los Angeles Convention Center.
E3 Expo 2011 will welcome software developers, buyers and retailers, programmers, distributors, entertainment industry representatives, financiers and venture capitalists, importers and exporters, manufacturers, resellers, researchers, educators, financial and industry analysts and worldwide electronic and print media.
Based on this description and from what I have witnessed following this event in the past live from television, I know this to be the place where companies really like to shine. A environment that is ripe for major announcements from a game development studio when they are seeking to capture the media to get the word out about their projects.
We here at SWTOR-Life have gotten many invites to private showings of other titles that will be listed at E3, there are a ton of them going on! Honestly though, we are focused on one thing and that’s SWTOR. That is where our focus is and if you follow this site you know that’s what we aim to get from E3. We will be reporting live from the show floor with a developer interview with either James Ohlen or Daniel Erickson on Tuesday the 7th (unless the plans change between now and then with which developer will be available)
Because the show starts that day at 12 noon we are hoping that will give Bioware time to showcase their big presentation and gives us a chance to hone our interview questions to reflect on the hot topic or current information being reveled at the show to get you guys the most informative answers we can. Be sure to also see this thread on the official forums asking for your input on the developer interview questions we should ask, (link to official forums thread here)
We have also been given confirmation of a exclusive hands on time on Wednesday in which we will be given VIP access and hopefully be able to play what is being shown by Bioware at the show. The invite we received for the EA press conference on the 6th details what this material will be covering but we have been asked at this time not to reveal what that is and to honor Bioware’s wishes we will do just that.
Regardless, I am excited to be going. I am excited to see just what Bioware has up their sleeve. Me personally on top of the other information that I know will be there, I am hoping for a release date announcement for SWTOR. I think the time and place is right. I feel that this game is solid enough based on my last playtime experience and from following the game for the last two years, and I feel it is getting close to the end of it’s development cycle.
*In my best armchair developer voice, rampant speculation here*
Me personally I think Bioware has come to the point to where they have nailed down a final pass of systems and mechanics that are to be included at ship. I hope to see the next stage of the normal development cycle take off and see them also greatly increase the amount of testers they allow to get in there and get these systems hammered out.
I am hoping at E3 we will get some sort of confirmation of a expanded testing phase beginning very shortly, possibly a date by which testing invites hit might hit the public. I know that is wild and rampant dreaming on my part but if I am going to dream big then I also might hope that we might be able to acquire beta passes from this event. That would be epic.
In any event, what ever is shown and revealed I know it will be a great time and I am looking forward to bringing it to you as quickly as I can. Giving you an inside peek to the life of a gamer geek and his love for Star Wars The Old Republic MMO!
Be sure to follow me and my partner Serge on twitter @SWTORCRAFTER @SwtorLife for the quickest updates from us, and links to all material we will post on this site. Get the news as soon as it hits here folks and join us as we soldier on to E3!
Thanks for reading!
11 Responses to “E3 2011 Predictions and Speculations about SWTOR”
I’m definitely excited to see what sort of treats are in store for us at E3 – I have it in my head that we’re going to see something “cool” either there at E3, or during PAX (August 26 – 28).
Might not be the appropriate place to ask, but i’ve been curious about a few swtor focused bloggers…
If the game is ( very unlikely to be, and heaven forbid) awful, and i mean unplayably awful, what direction would the blog take during testing if you’re invited and would you feel obliged to carry on with the blog after release?
HYPOTHETICALS, how ’bout em?
@micro
Take a look at Warhammer and you can see what happened there. Most of the more popular ones turned to other things, and this happened quickly. Even the ones that stuck around lessened their War blogging and did side blogs they moved more to gradually.
thankfully, I see Swtor heading the other direction than what Warhammer went
@micro
As an independent fansite, the great thing I suppose is that we are not beholden to anyone else, and are under no obligation to continue following the game or sugarcoat its coverage in any way.
As far as the testing scenario goes, our obligation first and foremost would be respecting the NDA. SWTOR-Life has a great relationship with the devs right now, and the last thing anyone here wants is to see that jeopardized. Everything in beta is subject to change, but after launch, it’s a different story. Speaking for myself here, if something doesn’t feel right, I will be respectfully vocal about it (again, this being post-launch). Constructive criticism is excellent. There is a line however, dividing constructive criticism from just being negative. Maybe it’s just me, but as a reader, I think I’d tune out pretty quickly if Blog A spewed nothing but bitter diatribes against some game.
I think if anything, being passionate about the Star Wars universe in general would spur me to continue posting in an effort to correct any perceived shortcomings that the game may have after launch. Like Boruk did above me, I don’t anticipate this happening, so I hadn’t given it much thought. I have every intention of continuing after launch, regardless, and feel no obligation to do so other than just having an enthusiasm for the community and for Star Wars in general.
I’m really hoping for a release date announcement more than anything else, but I’m not very optimistic about that right now. I can’t wait to see your coverage, and hopefully I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
@micro
honestly I can say that if I am invited to testing I am going to bring all my past experience with me (12 years of alpha/beta testing MMO’s) to try and ensure that the game is as good as I can help it to be before launch. I take my role as a tester serious in that I don’t view it as a “free to play” experience like so many do nowadays, forgetting the real task at hand.
I am anxious to get into testing because I want to ensure that my experience about what makes a MMO great is heard and there are crucial systems (to me anyways) like crafting and crew skills, PVP, PVE, Flashpoints, Warzones, etc that I really, really want to see done right.
If the game sucked, (which I know first hand based on play experience that it does not) I would still give it the fair shake and my best effort during testing whether I liked how it was turning out or not.
About this website, even if the game is so bad that I cant handle playing it, I am still maintaining my presence and direction here as co-owner regardless. I love star wars that much and need this outlet for my creative energies and I feel that the community needs it too.
What Dalqak said above I quote for truth as well. Bioware has shown us a great amount of trust over the last few months and I would not betray that for anything.
@aldric
thanks man we appreciate it for sure! 🙂
I am also hoping for some kind of release date during E3.. I got a bunch of people at Work and even on WoW excited to play the game as much as I do. I kept getting asked when a release date would be given out.. And I told them to tune in and listen at E3. Alot of people claim E3 is when they will give us a release date but others say it’s to early for that. I’ve never tested an MMO before… I was curious to why Bioware wouldn’t give us a release date at E3 and do most MMO’s have a beta or test run for awhile before launch? Is it possible for an announcement for a open beta AND release date at E3? ^_^
@Totalpackage
I am hoping for it as well, but the only thing that is troubling me about it is that quote from Stephen Reid about how “we would know when it was near”, I haven’t seen them hyping it or anything so I am like ???
I am going to be so frustrated if they don’t do it at E3 and then do it somewhere stupid for a MMO release date like SDCC (my opinion anyway)
Good read sir.
Have a good time next week and i look forward to the coverage!
Thank you Rammi, I appreciate your time you spend here for sure 🙂
Awesome job! I look forward to what you will be sharing! Thanks