The fine people over at Inquisitor’s Roadhouse had a chance to ask some questions of Systems Designers David Hunt and Patrick Malott about the upcoming changes to Crew Skills in patch 1.3. Here’s a quick quote, but make sure you read the full interview so you can get prepared for all the upcoming changes.

Q: Can you share with us your thoughts on gear itemization and how that was actually playing out in game versus what you intended that lead to this change?

A: Although the details weren’t decided until recently, all the post-launch itemization systems in SWTOR have been things I’ve wanted for months. Especially with 1.2, I wanted something like augment tables but we didn’t manage to get a system in to go along with the changes to open up mods in the endgame. It sucks when you have an expansive stat customization system and then we throw out caveats like, “Oh, it only works on this small subset of items.” The more freedom and consistency, the better. Player feedback to Public Test for 1.2 indicated to us that there would be strong support for a system that opened up more viable gear, and we felt that augment tables aligned with both our goals and the needs of the playerbase. That feedback helps us get it expedited to try to get it ready ASAP. It might have been cool to get this out between Public Test 1.2 and live 1.2, but the scope of the system meant it would need much more time to do it right.

Along with the feedback we’ve received, the way itemization has played out on live has encouraged us that embracing the full mod route is the right decision. While it may not be apparent, many of the complaints players have had about itemization are concerns we share and are working on addressing. While item mods existed in beta for quite a while, some of the fundamental tech pieces didn’t exist until shortly before launch. Internally, mods make our items inordinately more data-complex and intensive than the items in the average item heavy game, and those complexities are compounded by a live environment.

Source: Patch 1.3 Crew Skills Changes: Q&A with SWTOR Systems Designers David Hunt and Patrick Malott

Since the launch of Star Wars™: The Old Republic™, the Crew Skill system has been incredibly popular. Every week in-game, 52 million items are produced or harvested, 4.5 million item mods are installed and more than 35 million items change hands. Players actively participating in the Crew Skill system are generally better geared and have more credits in the bank than pure consumers.

That said, we still believe the Crew Skills can be made better. Without further ado, here are some of the things you can expect for your profession when Game Update 1.2: Legacy goes live.

Day one of the Guild Summit was all about Game Update 1.2 and the future of the Old Republic. The majority of the event was live streamed over the internet so those who did not have a chance to attend in person got to see and hear all of the great information coming out of the Summit.

Game Update 1.2 is the first major content patch for SWTOR and it’s bringing some amazing features. In fact four hours of day two are reserved for play testing 1.2. Additionally day two will feature a panel from the marketing group, and a panel on quality of life features for the game.

Overall those in attendance were pleased and excited about what was presented. Is everything getting fixed in added in Game Update 1.2? No. Game Update 1.2 is definitely a game changer, and there are more features in the pipline for 1.3 and 1.4. This game is continuing to grow and grow.

Every week BioWare puts out a Q&A session to answer player questions.  But occasionally BioWare will say something that might require you to read between the lines.  That’s what I’m here for.  This week’s Q&A can be found HERE for all of the questions and answers in their entirety.

But if you want to learn about the things not expressly said, or learn about what other interviews and posts tie into these answers to paint a larger picture, then you have to click that “Continue Reading” button.  That’s just how this works.

Quick tip today for those who might get frustrated by not having the Crew Skill missions that you want. When you board and exit your ship, the missions available to you are reshuffled and different ones are available. So if you see missions you don’t want and don’t feel like waiting for them to shuffle back in, just walk in and out of your ship and.. Voila! You will have a new set of missions to choose from.

Introduction

Hello all, my name is Elicas and I will be writing about the Imperial Agent class, as someone mostly interested in end game PvE. There will be some PvP writing, but it will not be a focus of my articles.

This piece details my impressions of leveling and playing an Imperial Agent, from the point of view of someone playing the Medicine and Lethality trees, I will not be playing Concealment at any point in the near future. This article, and subsequent articles, will have absolutely no mention whatsoever of the story, outside of which planets you recieve your companions (excluding hidden companions, find those yourself!). I’m not here to spoil peoples evenings giving the game away.

The Imperial Agent is a suave, seductive and deadly force within the Empires ranks. Recruited and trained to carry out the most sensitive and dangerous of the Empires missions, they utilise their proffessional perfection to get the job done. At level 10 they can choose to specialise in either the Sniper advanced class, or the Operative advanced class, which is the focus of this article.

Late last week, SWTOR updated their Crew Skill page. Instead of going over what’s new and what has changed, lets take a quick glimpse at everything at once. Your crew is there to assist you in gathering, crafting and finding loot while you’re out adventuring in the galaxy. As your character progresses through the story, he or she (or it) starts to build their crew. Unlike other MMOGs, SWTOR lets you send out your companions, from your ship, out to gather materials so you don’t have to spend hours on a Saturday afternoon running in circles mining Ore.