ZAM News (full)

ZAM News (full) http://www.zam.com/ ZAM gaming news rss feed More than 3 Million SWG Quests Created in a Month [Star Wars Galaxies] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20641 Sony Online Entertainment announced today in a press release that more than three million user-created quests have been made in Star Wars Galaxies using the Chronicle Master system since its launch just over a month ago. This number includes one individual who has created more than 6,000 playable quests! That's definitely a dedicated player. In addition, the Star Wars Galaxies: The Complete Online Adventures Premium Plus Pack is now available on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/24170/" target="_blank">Steam</a> and <a href="http://www.direct2drive.com/8745/product/Buy-Star-Wars-Galaxies:-The-Complete-Online-Adventures-Premium-Plus-Pack-Download" target="_blank">Direct2Drive</a> for 50% off for a limited time. Players who purchase the pack through these sites will receive three exclusive <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=1021664" target="_blank">in-game vehicles</a>, including an AT-RT, a Queen Amidala Transport Ship and a General Grievous Wheel Bike. Hotfix Adds Double Chronicles XP, Tokens [Star Wars Galaxies] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20437 A <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/news_archive.vm?id=68509&month=current" target="_blank">hotfix</a> was implemented today on Star Wars Galaxies servers that enables double Chronicles XP and tokens, as well as adds a bazaar to the Dathomir quarantine zone. The patch also fixes a handful of bugs related the to Death Troopers update. You can read the full patch notes for hotfix 14.5 after the jump and discuss the game in our <a href="http://swg.allakhazam.com/forum.html?forum=16" target="_blank">Star Wars Galaxies forum</a>.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> Star Wars Galaxies: Hotfix 14.5 Chronicles <ul> <li> Enjoy double Chronicles XP and tokens! </li> <li> Shared quests will retain the number of quest tasks from the original quest. </li> </ul> Death Troopers <ul> <li> NPCs Escorted from one camp to the next will no longer use ranged weapons. </li> <li> NPCs Escorted from one camp to the next will no longer use AOE attacks. </li> <li> Blackwing canisters should no longer sink under the ground. </li> </ul> Vendor/Bazaar <ul> <li> Bazaar Added to Quarantine Zone, Dathomir </li> </ul> Misc <ul> <li> Dathomir comlink collectable moved so that players can collect the object. </li> </ul> </blockquote> Death Troopers Update is Live (or Dead) in SWG [Star Wars Galaxies] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20120 The Death Troopers <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/en_US/players/content.vm?page=Current%20update#gu14" target="_blank">update</a> is now live in Star Wars Galaxies, so keep an eye out for zombies on Dathomir. According to the release notes, "while rumors have circulated that restricted areas are being used to contain a biological threat, no official report has been confirmed or denied by High Command." I think it's safe to say the threat is very real, so make sure you complete the "Something is Obviously Wrong" quests from Update 13 to gain access the Death Troopers quest line. You can read the full patch notes after the jump. While you're at it, interested players may want to pick up the new "Death Troopers" <a href="http://www.randomhouse.com/delrey/starwars/deathtroopers/" target="_blank">novel</a> by Joe Schreiber. It was just released yesteray, so check it out for more details on the horrific tale. Also, the <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/buddy/galactic.vm" target="_blank">Galactic Buddy Initiative</a> ends tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. PDT, so invite your friends to play Star Wars Galaxies as soon as possible to earn various rewards, including an exclusive Light-Bending Podracer. A biological disaster is the best time to invite your friends into the game, right?<a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> Star Wars Galaxies: Game Update 14 -- Death Troopers Publish Notes, October 12th, 2009 Death Troopers After a mysterious turn of events the Empire has mustered an enormous military presence in a remote location on Dathomir. Imperial High Command has issued a travel warning to notify citizens to avoid travel to the planet if possible. Citizens that cannot avoid travel to Dathomir should be aware that certain locations are now considered restricted areas. Unauthorized travel by citizenry to these restricted areas may result in fines, arrest or both. While rumors have circulated that restricted areas are being used to contain a biological threat, no official report has been confirmed or denied by High Command.   <ul> <li> Players that have already completed the Update 13 "Something is Obviously Wrong" quests will be contacted and given a quest upon login. </li> <li> Players that have not already completed the Update 13 "Something is Obviously Wrong" quests will need to finish up to have access to the Death Troopers quest line. </li> <li> Players that have not started the "Something is Obviously Wrong" quests can kick off the content by using the publish gift named "Jabba's Comlink." </li> <li> To participate in the Death Troopers content, players will first need to complete the "Something is Obviously Wrong" quest line. </li> <li> Added Chronicles relics specific to the Death Troopers content </li> </ul> Death Troopers - Known Issue <ul> <li> After further experimentation with the Blackwing virus, we discovered that the Sullustan race was particularly susceptible to the infection. Sullustan's who have been infected will exhibit symptoms including mood swings, cold sweats, and white eyes. Rest assured we have an inoculation ready and it will be administered in the next update. </li> </ul> Vendor/Bazaar <ul> <li> Search By Attribute: You can now search by attribute factory crates by the attributes of the item contained inside the crate. If the Misc->Factory Crate node is selected, you must first specify the Type search attribute to indicate the type of item you are looking for, and based on the specified item type, additional search attributes for that item type will be added to the attribute list. If an item type node under the Misc->Factory Crate node is selected, the attribute list will be automatically populated with the search attributes for the selected item type. </li> <li> Fix issue where the Offers and Stockroom tab return all items regardless of what is selected in the Object Type Filter tree. </li> </ul>   Chronicles   <ul> <li> If your Chronicles Reserve has something in it, you will see a reminder message when you log in. </li> <li> Reward items inside of a Chronicles Holocron will no longer appear in a junk dealer's list. </li> <li> You will now be able to move objects inside of a Chronicles Tent up or down. </li> <li> Generic Location tasks in a Holocron built directly from a draft will point to the correct location. </li> <li> If you are claiming more than 500 tokens from your Chronicles Reserve, you will now get the correct amount. </li> <li> Chronicle relics are no longer of any interest to junk dealers. </li> </ul> Game Update 14 Gift   <ul> <li> Undead Rancor Statuette </li> </ul> TCG   <ul> <li> FG 8T8-Twin Block2 Special Podracer: Driver uses the correct riding position. </li> <li> The AT-AT Head ITV will now cancel sending you to a location if you choose "Cancel" in the confirmation window. </li> </ul> User Interface   <ul> <li> Chronicle rating now shows the rating to the tenths place, this provides a bit more accuracy. </li> </ul> Misc <ul> <li> Navari Trik (Painting Distribution Specialist) is back in Mos Eisley with some new paintings for you. </li> </ul> </blockquote> Galactic Moon Festival Set to Begin on Oct. 20 [Star Wars Galaxies] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=20089 The Galactic Moon Festival is set to return to Star Wars Galaxies servers on Oct. 20, and the team has published <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/news_archive.vm?id=68475&month=current" target="_blank">a guide</a> to help players get the most out of the Halloween event. All you need to do is visit the organizers outside of the Moenia and Mos Eisley Starport to get a costume for trick or treating and buy festival items. The costumes last for 30 minutes unless you enter space or combat. If you don't like a costume, you can cancel the effect and get a new one in a few minutes. Try scaring various NPCs, but don't be surprised when droids and some celebrities aren't shocked by your costume. Keep reading after the jump for more information about the event, including a FAQ section.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> When the crypt goes creak and the tombstones outside the cantina quake, you'll know it's time for the Galactic Moon Festival! Beginning October 20th, residents of Star Wars Galaxies can take a shuttle to Moenia and Mos Eisley and celebrate the Galactic Moon Festival in style...if you dare! That's right, fright fans! The Festival has returned. Here's an overview from last year's fun, along with other information to help you enjoy the festivities. Galactic Moon Festival In an effort to gain more support from the planets Naboo and Tatooine, Jabba the Hutt has decided to throw the annual Galactic Moon Festival once more so everyone can celebrate the horrifyingly awesome haunts of the season. Jabba has grown tired of all the love festivals, celebrations of life, and other saccharine events. Thus, it is my duty to report to you that he has taken it upon himself to throw the scariest festival of the year! Jabba has sent me, Aponte, to give you a quick preview of some of the great things he has planned for the big celebration. In order to participate in what is sure to be the ghoulest happening this year, all that citizens have to do is visit the Galactic Moon Festival Organizers who can be found outside of the Moenia and Mos Eisley Starport (waypoints 4790 -4777 and 3523 -4806 respectively). Here, citizens can obtain a costume to use for trick or treating, purchase special Galactic Moon Festival items, and find out more about the festival. Costumes All costumes have a thirty-minute timer, which will give you plenty of time to wander around and take in all of the frightening sights and sounds the Galactic Moon Festival has to offer. Costumes can be worn outside the city but will be removed upon combat. Jabba doesn't want anyone mucking up his property! We have added several new costumes this year including the Gamorrean Guard, Kowakian Monkey-lizard, and the Burning Ewok costume. The costumes that are available have been specially chosen by Jabba himself for this great galactic fright fest. If you don't like the costume the organizer has given you, right click the icon to cancel it (similar to canceling a buff), wait a few minutes and try again! Just don't tell Jabba you didn't like your costume; a festival is no time to be eaten by a rancor. If you're in a trick or treating mood, be sure to approach any poor unfortunate souls hanging around and say, "Trick or Treat!" If your greeting isn't frightful enough, you may want to try using a Trick or Treat device. The person on the receiving end of your trick will be sorry they didn't like your costume, that's for sure! Galactic Moon Festival Organizer If your costume is fearful enough, citizens will have Galactic Moon Festival coins to give you which can be used to purchase special holiday items that the organizer has to offer. Just like last year our organizer, Z'ozpheratu, has plenty of unique items on offer. You'd better get to trick or treating, though, because some items are much more expensive than others. Samples of items on offer by the organizer include house decorations, bat pheromones, Sith O' Lanterns, and a brand new sign for you to hang outside of your house. To change the sign on your house to the new Crescent Moon House Sign, radial your new sign and select the change sign option. If you want your old sign back, use the terminal inside your building to replace it. When you use/consume it the first time, it is destroyed and added to your character as a skill modifier, and is an available option when you go to manage signs. Players will be able to see their available sign count on their character sheet. Max Rebo's Collected Classics: Dirge Jabba has graciously made the last of Max Rebo's songs available for purchase from the organizer. Sold exclusively to Entertainers, this song is sure to be a hit at parties and ghoulish gatherings year round! Other Tricks and Treats There are plenty of other tricks, treats, sights, and sounds to be had during the Galactic Moon Festival but Jabba would literally kill me if I were to spoil them all for you. As you explore Moenia and Mos Eisley, be sure to watch out for any grim grinning ghosts that might materialize before your eyes.  Who knows what terror awaits you around the next corner but I will share just a few more treats with you now: Rotta the Huttlet backpack (<a title="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rotta" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rotta">http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Rotta)</a> Rotta, nicknamed "Pedunkee Mufkin" (Punky Muffin) by his father and "Stinky" by <a title="Ahsoka Tano" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ahsoka_Tano">Ahsoka Tano</a> and <a title="Anakin Skywalker" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Anakin_Skywalker">Anakin Skywalker</a>, was a <a title="Hutt" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Hutt">Huttlet</a> around the time of the <a title="Clone Wars" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Clone_Wars">Clone Wars</a> and the offspring of <a title="Jabba Desilijic Tiure" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jabba_Desilijic_Tiure">Jabba Desilijic Tiure</a>, grandson of <a title="Zorba Desilijic Tiure" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Zorba_Desilijic_Tiure">Zorba Desilijic Tiure</a>, and grand-nephew of <a title="Ziro Desilijic Tiure" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Ziro_Desilijic_Tiure">Ziro</a>, <a title="Jiliac Desilijic Tiron" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Jiliac_Desilijic_Tiron">Jiliac</a>, and <a title="Pazda Desilijic Tiure" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Pazda_Desilijic_Tiure">Pazda</a>. Z'ozpheratu's jacket as a player wearable (<a title="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Z%27ozpheratu" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Z%27ozpheratu">http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Z%27ozpheratu</a>) Z'ozpheratu was a male <a title="Twi'lek" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Twi%27lek">Twi'lek</a>. He helped organize the <a title="Galactic Moon Festival" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Moon_Festival">Galactic Moon Festival</a> in <a title="Mos Eisley" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Mos_Eisley">Mos Eisley</a> and <a title="Moenia" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Moenia">Moenia</a>. Some of his most recognizable features were his glowing <a title="Yellow" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Yellow">yellow</a> <a title="Eye" href="http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Eye">eyes</a>. Be sure you don't miss out on anything during this phantasmic festival! Season's screamings everyone! The spooks and fright aren't just in-game this year -- bring the Galactic Moon Festival to your desktop with this wallpaper! Z'ozpheratu is keeping a careful eye on you at home, at work, and at play on this one-of-a-kind desktop decoration. Beware! <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/images/features/general/wallpaper_halloween.jpg">Click here to download the Galactic Moon Festival Wallpaper. May the Fright be with you!</a> You can check out these great guides: <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=764802" target="_blank">Galactic Moon Festival Guide</a>; <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=764718" target="_blank">Galactic Moon Festival Tips, Tricks, and Treats</a> for more information on the festival!   <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=764802">FAQ's</a> on the Galactic Moon Festival: What costumes are there? <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal">Hutt - big fat slow slug, aside from looking cool and talking out of his butt I personally suggest dumping this costume if you get it, it's half the speed of any other costumes.</li> <li class="MsoNormal">Jawa - the coolest of the cool, this costume rules (except he has a tiny snare to account for his short legs)</li> <li class="MsoNormal">Salacious Crumb - tiny little blighter, has a slight speed boost over a player normal speed</li> <li class="MsoNormal">Toydarion (Watto) - flying costume, has a bigger speed boost over a player normal speed</li> <li class="MsoNormal">Droideka - second only to the Jawa for coolness, same speed boost as Watto.</li> </ul> How long do costumes last? 30 minutes, unless you enter space (including traveling using a starship) or enter combat, in which case you will lose the costume. You can also cancel a costume by talking to Zoz for a new one or right clicking the buff icon. How long before I can get a replacement costume? Five minutes. The count starts when you get the costume, so if you get one, use it for 10 minutes, then you can get a replacement straight away. What happened to my gun? All weapons (and instruments) are unequipped when a costume is put on. You will have to manually re-equip the weapon if you get into combat. I saw a really cool Jawa running around Theed. How'd that happen? You can travel while in a costume if you use a ticket and shuttle, not a starship, so you can reach anywhere in the galaxy. Who can I scare? Most NPC's in Mos Eisley or Moenia can be scared. Droids, I'm afraid, had their humor chips removed by order of the emperor (the lesser known order 67 implemented after C-3PO tried to tell Anakin a joke) and a few famous folk aren't happy with Jabba so aren't taking part. Note: you can scare NPC's who are white on radar, yellow on radar (i.e. cops) AND red on radar (i.e. swoop gangs on the outskirts of Eisley) as well as the factional troops walking or guarding the two cities. Why is this NPC not being scared, system message says he is ashamed? There are three groups not taking part in the festival, droids and celebrities noted above but also a few very old NPC's (for example the two chiss arguing with the stormtroopers for five years in the Eisley cantina). There were technical issues getting them to function with the system so they have been excluded and should be ashamed of themselves (as well as those two clearly needing anger management classes.) These NPC's are mostly in small groups of two or three NPC's which appear to be in conversation with each other using telepathy. Why did he attack me after I scared him? 'Cause you got too close. The NPC's follow the normal rules on agro, so if you have too low a faction rating or they are red on radar and you get too close they will attack you, scared or not! How can I scare more efficiently? Get a better projector. The Mk2 is available for 200 coins from Zoz, and he can upgrade the Mk2 to the Mk3 projector for 700 more coins. (Note: this is a conversation option, not in his list of sale items.) You can also macro part of the process. The macro I used is as follows: /say trick or treat;/pause 0.5;/ui action toolbarSlot00 Put the projector in the first slot of the toolbar and the above will fire the projector, pick the trick and click ok to scare them. Note the /say is important or you end up spamming guildchat or whatever chat tab you are on. Why can't I scare this NPC? He says he has just seen me. Each NPC has a timer of 4 minutes, once you scare him or her you need to give them a break (they have short memories). Note: someone else can come along and scare him; you'll still have to wait as they remember you for the 4 minutes. It's too busy in Eisley. I went to Bestine but no one is responding to my cool Jawa costume! Why not? Unfortunately Jabba's only distributed coins in Moenia and Eisley; no other citizens can be scared. I can't tell who I scared in the last 4 minutes. Who should I scare next? Try to stay methodical and move around in a planned way, stay on course and you can get around Eisley in around 15-20 minutes and will be around 5-600 coins on one run around. My route in Eisley starts from the Starport, heads past the profession counselor to the crowd in front of the guild hall, from there back past the Shuttleport and through past the cantina (can go in for a few extra NPC's), head out of the city and scare the swoop gang (not recommended for low level toons) and come back into the city past the collector NPC, head out and hit the other swoop gang and then back into the city for the cloning centre, bank and smaller cantina (note most NPC's inside can't be scared, but the crowd outside can) and then back to Starport where I normally cap out. My projector only says it is going to last 20 days. Will it disappear? Yes. The Mk1 and Mk2 projectors are temporary, after the end of the event they will vanish. The Mk3 projector is permanent and can be placed in a house as decoration. It will project fog around a room and when a player enters will fire a random trick at them. What tricks are there? <ol type="1"> <li class="MsoNormal">Spiders</li> <li class="MsoNormal">Skulls</li> <li class="MsoNormal">Ghosts</li> <li class="MsoNormal">Fire (don't try this at home! only available on Mk2 or Mk3 projector)</li> <li class="MsoNormal">Wormhole (only available on Mk3 projector)</li> </ol> Why should I get a better projector? Better chance to scare/terrify and the Mk3 one is permanent. What else can I buy? Prices in GMF coins (NT indicates item is no trade, U indicates it is unique): <ul type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal">Badge/Title (NT obviously)- 900 </li> <li class="MsoNormal">House/shop sign (NT) - 900 </li> <li class="MsoNormal">Painting (NT)  - 900 </li> <li class="MsoNormal">Song (NT)  - 900 </li> <li class="MsoNormal">Mk2 projector (NT,U)  - 200 (Mk3 (NT) upgrade 700) </li> <li class="MsoNormal">Storyteller tokens - 400 (Token is permanent but has max 2 uses per day) </li> <li class="MsoNormal">Krayt mini skeleton - 400 </li> <li class="MsoNormal">Webs - 200 </li> <li class="MsoNormal">Lanterns - 200 </li> <li class="MsoNormal">Candles - 200</li> </ul> Pheromones (NT) are 5,000 credits. Pics of some items from Shad-O in <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=758503" target="_blank">Galactic Moon Festival Goodies</a> How can I use a pheromone? Use it like a projector. Place it on the toolbar and "fire" it at another player (or target yourself). The effect lasts five minutes and will use on cube. The cubes can also be used as decoration. How long will the event last? The stuff in Eisley and Moenia will last for several weeks Am I collecting something? I keep hearing "Utinni." No, you are wearing the cool costume and when you scare someone without the projector, your costume has a built in sound effect. Other costume use other sounds (for example, the infamous Hutt laugh.) How many coins do I need? How long is a piece of string? It depends what you want to fit out your character or house. See prices above for what you can get. If you have any more questions, ask away. I'm now at work but will check back at lunch. Added in poppit's Q on the old NPC's.   <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=1006656">Click here to join the discussion</a> Thanks to <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/user/profile.m?user_id=55208">Red-Dwarf</a> for his compilations that helped in making this article. </blockquote> Chronicles Launches; Producer Discusses System [Star Wars Galaxies] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=19984 The <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/news_archive.vm?id=68457" target="_blank">Chronicle Master System</a> is now live in Star Wars Galaxies, which means players can design and build quests using relics. Tony "Teesquared" Tyson focused on this new system in his <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/news_archive.vm?id=68469" target="_blank">producer's note</a> for October. "Many of you understand what we are trying to do with the system – make generating user content a fun and rewarding game in itself," he said. The Death Troopers and Galactic Civil War updates will also contain Chronicle-specific content, and new relic types will be added in the future. Speaking of the Death Troopers update, Star Wars Galaxies will be featured in a full-page ad in the upcoming "Death Troopers" <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Troopers-Joe-Schreiber/dp/0345509625" target="_blank">novel</a> by Joe Schreiber. Tyson expects it may draw some readers to the MMO, but only time will tell. Tyson's full letter can be found after the jump.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> Update 13 – Star Wars Chronicles Chronicles is live! The dev team has been working really hard on the system and it feels great to have it on our live servers. We enjoyed demoing it at SOE Fan Faire 2009 and SOE Block Party and we couldn't wait to get it in your hands. Right now, we are enjoying seeing players create quests using the tool we worked hard to give you – and the quests are really amazing. When Chronicles hit public test, we received some great feedback and I think together our community and the team did a great job identifying and addressing the top issues. Many of you understand what we are trying to do with the system – make generating user content a fun and rewarding game in itself. If you are challenged to make content, having fun doing it, and well rewarded, the end result will be some compelling content everyone will enjoy as well. One concern I have heard is regarding the Chronicle rewards being no-trade shared instead of tradable. The point of the Chronicles rewards is to offer incentives for players to create new quests and complete other player's quests. Doing so will earn tokens that you use to buy the new rewards. If you could buy or trade these rewards without tokens, it would defeat the goal of the system. Instead, buy and trade relics and quests and earn the tokens you need to get the rewards you want. In the near future we will be doing double-token and double-chronicle-xp events on live which will give you a chance to really rack up some tokens. We also put a nice surprise in for players who consistently complete Chronicles quests. Just hang in there; we'll make sure you will have fun earning those cool rewards. We will also continue to expand Chronicles. Death Troopers and the GCW update will also have Chronicles specific content. Want to write a creepy quest line? Well we'll be adding Death Troopers specific relics including new destroy, location, and comm. versions. We will also be adding new relic types in the future like spawn – yep, you will be able to spawn mobs with real loot, name them, and let them say a phrase like "Teesquared shall be avenged!" There were some other advanced Chronicles features that we know you felt were important to the system but didn't make the initial public release. Some of them were self-comm, resizable Quest Builder (this one should be on TC/TCP this weekend), and the Chronicle vendor. Going forward we'll keep listening to your feedback and watching the Chronicles activity. We will keep enhancing the system over time. If you haven't taken the <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=1003573">GU13 poll</a> yet, be sure and <a href="http://forums.station.sony.com/swg/posts/list.m?topic_id=1003573">cast your vote</a>. DevH & I have a small bet going on what wins the poll. Update 14 – Death Troopers I'm glad to report that Star Wars Galaxies will be featured in a full page ad in the upcoming release of the Death Troopers novel. Keep your eye out for new players drawn to our game to check out this book inspired content. Make sure you scare them first and then give them a hand … and an arm … and a leg … Also, the Death Troopers key-art we created for the Fan Faire poster was included in last month's Star Wars Insider magazine. The next issue will have more detailed coverage of our game's Death Trooper content. So we have been showing a lot of the visuals, what about sounds? Our studio sound team is currently in the process of creating some eerie sounds made just for this update. This will include grunts and groans of the afflicted, some bone crushing noises, and the always pleasant gnawing on flesh sounds we all know and love. We'll also be getting some ambient sounds and possibly some new music. Overall this new content is shaping up to be some of the best we've put into Galaxies yet. Update 15 – Galactic Civil War … In the beginning there was the design ... Star Wars Galaxies will have open worlds where players will be able to place harvesters, structures, and cities ... terraforming the lands and establishing themselves as property owners in the Star Wars universe… and they will be happy … … And then the designer's decided that they too must world build in order to add more Star Wars content to the game … but the players had placed objects there already … and the designers were sad … For the GCW update, we needed to reserve locations on some of the planets to put some static bases. These planets also support player housing and/or harvesters. In order to make sure we didn't slap down some new GCW content inside someone's city we first ran a database query to gather the locations of the player place-able objects on each planet across all the servers. This data was parsed and an image was created which overlays the planet. This allows designers to place no-build regions in locations where no player structures exist on any servers. This reserves the location for future world building needs. These new GCW no-build regions have already been pushed to the live servers. Some new stuff will be showing up in those regions when GCW goes live. </blockquote> Program Offers Rewards for Recruiting New Players [Star Wars Galaxies] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=19781 <img style="margin: 6px;" src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/142561.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="167" /> Sony Online Entertainment is asking Star Wars Galaxies players to help recruit new members of the Rebel, Imperial and neutral forces as part of the Galactic Civil War. To participate in the <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/buddy/galactic.vm" target="_blank">Buddy Initiative</a>, all you need to do is have your friend download the 14-day <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/buddy/SWG_122.exe" target="_blank">free trial</a> and try out the game. Once they convert their trial account to an active account, both of you will receive rewards. The new recruit will get a Holocron of Knowledge that will raise any new character to level 50. The veteran buddy will get a token that can be claimed for one of four rewards, including an exclusive Light Bending Gasgano Podracer. A veteran player can get all four rewards on one character by inviting four friends to play Star Wars Galaxies. The offer ends on Oct. 15 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. STAR WARS GALAXIES â€“ 12 SERVERS CLOSING [Star Wars Galaxies] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=19685 IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR STAR WARS GALAXIES™ ACCOUNT – 12 SERVERS CLOSING ON OCTOBER 15, 2009 - 09/14/2009 <div class="article">Dear Star Wars Galaxies™ Account Holder, Due to the overwhelming success of the recent Free Character Transfer Service, we want to inform you that on October 15, 2009, at 5:00 PM PT, Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) will close the following 12 Star Wars Galaxies servers: <ul> <li>  <ul> <li>Corbantis</li> <li>Europe-Infinity</li> <li>Intrepid</li> <li>Kauri</li> <li>Kettemoor</li> <li>Lowca</li> <li>Naritus</li> <li>Scylla</li> <li>Tarquinas</li> <li>Tempest</li> <li>Valcyn</li> <li>Wanderhome</li> </ul> </li> </ul> </div><a name="pause" title="pause"></a>Character creation will be disabled on the affected servers beginning September 15, 2009 at 4:00 AM PDT. In accordance with the server closure date, the Free Character Transfer service has been extended through October 15. 2009. Between September 15, 2009 and October 15, 2009 at 4:59 PM PT all characters on the affected servers are eligible for a one way, one time Free Character Transfer* to any of the remaining thirteen (13) Star Wars Galaxies servers. After October 15, 2009 at 5:00 PM PT, any characters and their associated items and structures remaining on the identified servers being closed will no longer be accessible on your Star Wars Galaxies or Station Access account. Please visit <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/freects/">http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/freects/</a> for complete details on how to transfer your character using the Star Wars Galaxies Free Character Transfer Service. We appreciate your loyalty and commitment to Star Wars Galaxies and value having you in the community. We hope that you will continue to play on one of the 13 thriving Star Wars Galaxies servers and look forward to sharing many more new and exciting Star Wars™ themed adventures with you in the coming months as we introduce the Chronicle Master System, Death Troopers, and the upcoming Galactic Civil War enhancements. <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/news_archive.vm?id=68443">Server Closure FAQ</a>   Sincerely, Sony Online Entertainment *Terms and Conditions Apply: <ul type="disc"> <li>In connection with the identified servers, Free Character Transfer Service will be available through 4:59 PM PDT on October 15, 2009. This "Free Character Transfer Service" only applies to a one-time/once per character move from an identified server to be closed to one of the remaining galaxy servers as determined by SOE in its sole and absolute discretion. All characters much be transferred to and from the same Station account. </li> <li>Your character must be located on one of the original 10 ground planets at the time of your transfer request to perform a server transfer.  The original 10 ground planets are Corellia, Dantooine, Dathomir, Endor, Lok, Naboo, Rori, Talus, Tatooine, and Yavin 4. </li> <li>For purposes of this Free Character Transfer Service, the identified servers closing October 15, 2009 include: Corbantis, Intrepid, Kauri, Kettemoor, Lowca, Naritus, Scylla, Tarquinas, Tempest, Valcyn, Europe-Infinity and Wanderhome. </li> <li>Valid destination servers include: Ahazi, Bloodfin, Bria, Chilastra, Eclipse, Europe-Chimaera, Europe-FarStar, Flurry, Gorath, Radiant, Shadowfire, Starsider, and Sunrunner. </li> <li>To access the Free Character Transfer Service, you must login to Star Wars Galaxies with the character you would like to transfer. You will be notified that your character qualifies for the free character transfer service opportunity when you login. Eligible characters may also enter "/freects" to begin the transfer process. Only one character may be transferred at a time. Please read and respond carefully to each question and answer entry you type. All Character Transfers are considered final and cannot be reversed. </li> <li>Free Character Transfer Service terms and limitations: Please be aware that Vendors and contents of Vendors will not transfer. Items equipped by the character (and/or contained within items equipped by the character) will transfer. Items in the character's inventory (and/or contained within items in the character's inventory) will transfer. Items in the character's bank (and/or contained within items in the character's bank) will transfer. Items in the character's datapad (and/or contained within items in the character's datapad) will transfer. Items that do not qualify as either "items equipped by the character" or "items in the character's datapad" as noted in the aforementioned terms, will not transfer. </li> <li>Please note that any items that are connected to your in-game structures must be packed up with the structure(s) or they will not be transferred. </li> <li>Character names are not guaranteed on galaxy-to-galaxy transfers. If the character's name has already been used on the Galaxy you wish to move to, you will be able to enter a new name in the field provided (subject to the terms and conditions of the Character Naming Policy). </li> <li>Character transfers from one account to another are not part of the Free Character Transfer Service. </li> <li>If you attempt to transfer characters in violation of these guidelines, restrictions, the Terms of Use for Star Wars Galaxies, the Software License and Limited Warranty agreement or the Rules and Policies (for instance, attempting to transfer characters from another person's account or to or from an account purchased by or for you for another person on which you are not the original registered user of that account), the characters will not be moved, your request will not be processed or approved, and your account(s) will be subject to review and appropriate disciplinary action taken. </li> <li>Any characters that are not transferred before the October 15, 2009 server closure date will be removed from your character list.</li> <li>Sony Online Entertainment and LucasArts do not ensure continuous or error-free access, use or availability of any game content, feature, game-play or server and may change, modify, disable, suspend or remove any such content, feature, game-play or server at their sole discretion. </li> </ul> <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/news_archive.vm?id=68443&month=current">Original Link</a> STAR WARS GALAXIES™ SERVER CLOSURE F.A.Q. - 09/14/2009 <div class="article"> Which servers will be closing? The following 12 servers will be closing on Thursday, October 15 2009: -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Corbantis -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Europe-Infinity -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Intrepid -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Kauri -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Kettemoor -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Lowca -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Naritus -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Scylla -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Tarquinas -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Tempest -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Valcyn -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Wanderhome When will these 12 servers be closed? These servers will be closing on Thursday, October 15, 2009, at 4:40 PM Pacific Time. Why are you closing these 12 Star Wars Galaxies Servers? The Free Character Transfer Service launched earlier this year with the intention of allowing players to transfer to servers with more active communities, creating a more vibrant and memorable Star Wars Galaxies gaming experience. The Free Character Transfer Service was a phenomenal success, leaving the less active servers in an undesirable position. In order to help streamline the current and new user experience, we have made the decision to close the less active servers and focus on the thriving Star Wars Galaxies servers. Can I move my characters off of these servers? Yes, you can move any character from the 12 identified servers up until Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 4:59 PM PT. Please see <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/freects/">http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/freects/</a> for terms and conditions. Will I be charged to move my characters from these servers? No. If you take advantage of the Free Character Transfer Service before Thursday, October 15, 2009 at 5:00 PM PT, you will not be charged to transfer your characters to one of the 13 destination servers including: -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Ahazi -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Bloodfin -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Bria -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Chilastra -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Eclipse -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Europe-Chimaera -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Europe-FarStar -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Flurry -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Gorath -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Radiant -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Shadowfire -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Starsider -<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none;">          Sunrunner Where can I find out more information on the Free Character Transfer Service? <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/freects/">http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/freects/</a> What if my account is inactive/closed but I want to move my characters off of these servers? You must reactivate your account by visiting the <a title="http://www.station.com/" href="http://www.station.com/">www.station.sony.com</a> and entering a valid credit card or Game Time card. Once your account is active, paid, and in good standing you will be able to transfer your character using the Free Character Transfer Service through October 15, 2009. What happens if I am not able to transfer my characters from these servers before October 15th 2009, can I move my characters after October 15th 2009? Beginning October 16th, 2009 at 12:01 AM PT you will be able to contact Customer Support and for the standard Character Transfer fee of $50.00 you will be able to schedule a transfer for your character, eligible structures and inventory. Please be aware that the Character Transfer Service from closed servers does not guarantee that all inventory items will be transferred. Due to the unique nature of moving a character from a closed server, the Character Transfer Service may take additional time to process. For more information on the Character Transfer Service visit: <a href="https://store.station.sony.com/cts/charactertransfers.jsp">https://store.station.sony.com/cts/charactertransfers.jsp</a> <a name="12"></a>What if I don't want to change servers?  Unfortunately, if you're on a server that's slated to be closed you will have to make the move in order to continue playing Star Wars Galaxies. I like playing the game by myself and don't care how many players are on my particular server at a given time. Can you just leave me be and let me keep playing? Sorry, but in an effort to improve the gameplay experience for everyone, all characters on the identified servers must be moved. We encourage everyone to take advantage of the Free Character Transfer Service before October 15, 2009 so that you can move your character at no charge. Does this mean you're shutting down Galaxies? No, not at all. We have lots of new content and updates planned for Galaxies and remain committed to making the game an enjoyable and engrossing experience. The server closure is an effort to improve the gameplay experience for all of our players. <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/news_archive.vm?id=68444&month=current">Original Link</a>   </div> Publisher's Note Gives Details on Updates 13-15 [Star Wars Galaxies] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=19578 Tony "Teesquared" Tyson, who <a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=19195" target="_blank">replaced</a> Chris "Dotanuki" Fields as the producer of Star Wars Galaxies last month, has published his <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/news_archive.vm?id=68435&month=current" target="_blank">producer's note</a> for September, which focuses on the next three game updates. Tyson outlined some changes that are coming to the bazaar in Update 13: Star Wars Chronicles and they include increasing the bazaar buy now limit to 10,000,000, increasing the vendor price limit to 833,333,333 and adding a Galactic Reserve feature where you can store up to 3 billion credits in "long term" storage. As for Update 14: Death Troopers, Tyson provided a couple screenshots of the "horrific stuff" that's going on in the update. You can view a zombified Trooper after the jump. Here's what the producer had to say about Update 15: Galactic Civil War: "We are working on establishing the static GCW regions. These will be strategic planetary regions. Each faction will compete to control these regions in order to gain its benefits and shift the war into their favor." In addition to working on the Star Wars Galaxies updates, The SOE Austin studio hosted <a href="http://www.llts.org/" target="_blank">the Syndicate</a>, the oldest guild in the history of online gaming, last month and Tyson demoed Chronicles for the group. "I created and ran a quest called 'Amuse the Syndicate' which required the player to destroy a massive number of bugs in order to amuse the guild. Upon completion you received a congratulations comm message from the big man himself, Jabba the Hutt," Tyson wrote.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a><img src="http://www.zam.com/Im/Image/141077.jpg" alt="" /> Source: SOE Plans to Launch New Star Wars MMO [Star Wars Galaxies] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=19543 Is Sony Online Entertainment working on another Star Wars MMO? According to <a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/73904" target="_blank">Ten Ton Hammer</a>, an inside source at the <a href="http://www.zam.com/news/tags/PAX_09" target="_blank">Penny Arcade Expo</a> has confirmed that SOE has partnered with LucasArts to launch a Star Wars game set during the Clone Wars. Apparently the game will use the browser-based Free Realms engine and will most likely be targeted toward casual players. Ten Ton Hammer doesn't believe the new game will attempt to compete with BioWare's upcoming <a href="http://www.zam.com/game.html?game=236" target="_blank">Star Wars: The Old Republic</a> MMO. It is more likely that the game will be based on the <a href="http://www.starwars.com/clonewars/site/index.html" target="_blank">Clone Wars</a> CGI movie and animated series. So what are your thoughts on the possibility of another SOE Star Wars MMO? Would you play it? What would such a move mean for Star Wars Galaxies? Only time will tell. It's also best to consider this bit of news as a rumor until SOE confirms it as truth. Hotfix 12.1 to be Added Today During Maintenance [Star Wars Galaxies] http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=19252 Game Update 12 <a href="http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=19233" target="_blank">went live</a> this week, but it's already time for <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/players/news_archive.vm?id=68405&month=current" target="_blank">Hotfix 12.1</a>. All U.S. and European galaxies will be brought down at 2 p.m. PDT today for server maintenance and to implement the update. Basically, the update just adds some Engineering Trader fixes, makes it so the Anakin Skywalker Replica Cybernetic Forearm can be bio-linked, and lets you craft Cybernetic Arms and Legs with two sockets. You can read the full <a href="http://starwarsgalaxies.station.sony.com/en_US/players/content.vm?page=Current%20Chapter#gu121" target="_blank">release notes</a> after the jump.<a name="pause" title="pause"></a><blockquote> Star Wars Galaxies: Hotfix 12.1 Publish Notes, August 12, 2009 Engineer Trader <ul type="disc"> <li>Removed droid combat module command levels using the old expertise from combat modules (Flame Jet Level, Electric Shock Level, etc) </li> <li>Droid command cooldowns for all generic commands have been split into their own cooldown categories. </li> <li>Droideka Shield commands are now in their own cooldown group. </li> </ul> Content <ul type="disc"> <li>Anakin Skywalker Replica Cybernetic Forearm can now be bio-linked. <ul type="circle"> <li>This bio-link will persist through crafting. </li> </ul> </li> </ul> Cybernetics <ul type="disc"> <li>Cybernetic Arms and Legs can once again be crafted with 2 sockets. All Cybernetics crafted previously will now show 2 sockets once more, as long as you didn't put a skill tape in them. </li> </ul> </blockquote>