Darth Hater

This is OpsCom, where we bring you a weekly dose of Operations-related content from the world of Star Wars: The Old Republic. This column will serve as an inside scoop on new content, developer feedback and community gossip. Stay tuned in the coming weeks, and we will keep you up to date on all the news you need to stay on the cutting edge.

This week in OpsCom, we look at a particularly driven discussion on the topic of Free to Play and how it could affect future content. Also, we'll check in with a player that gives their opinion on the state of Operations design and difficulty. Lastly, we'll hear from a true diehard Star Wars fan, and see exactly what they expect from a game based on their favorite franchise. For all this, your weekly community spotlight, and more, hit the jump.

Weekly News Roundup

For this week's Q&A, Damion Schubert handled the entire affair, and there are some particularly good bits in there with regards to the future of PvE content. Head over to the Q&A and have a look.

An interesting discussion happened recently on the official forums, specifically on the subject of the upcoming Free to Play model and how players feel it may affect content. For the full story, take a look at the thread.

On the official forums, user Jingadingdangdo made a really well thought out post on the nature of Operations difficulty and design, and had more than a few things to say. This has since blossomed into a great discussion. Pop on over to the thread and weigh in with your opinion.

It's safe to say that most of the people playing this game are pretty huge fans of Star Wars in general, and user OrphenRyder isn't any different. They made a post that I'm sure you'll all want to read on what exactly it is that Star Wars fans expect from a game based on their favorite fictional setting. Head on over and take a look.

Community Spotlight

In this week's Community Spotlight, we're looking at a very unique group of players. Under the overall name Follow the Force, they are technically aligned as two guilds, one on each side of the struggle. Force of Light, the Republic guild, and their Imperial sister guild Force of Darkness, recently moved to The Shadowlands, having previously been on Giradda the Hutt. With guilds on either side, you're sure to find a place amongst them. They are presently focused on PvE, but also do some light PvP content, and are currently looking for more. Head on over to their site and see what you think.

Are you interested in having your guild featured here? Send us an email at darth@darthhater.com and give us a general run down. Submissions should include Guild Name, Faction, Server and how far your guild has progressed. Bonus points for a YouTube video of any boss kills that we can feature in this section.

For this week's video, we're going to look at some genuine fun, as a group of players attempt to 4-man Eternity Vault. Enjoy!

Op-Ed: Jumping at Shadows

Let's face it; things haven't exactly been sunshine and rainbows recently. With recent rumors emerging of various higher-ups leaving BioWare, to the seemingly infinite shadow that's been stretched over the game in recent weeks, things aren't exactly as stable as many players would like. While it's no secret that TOR hasn't performed perhaps as well as anticipated, it's not that bad, right? The opinions of players on this topic spread the full spectrum, ranging from the truly diehard and positive, to the utterly negative and unsubbed.

Personally I think that it's worth sticking around and seeing how this all goes. Undeniably it could go south much to the chagrin of a dedicated fanbase, myself included. But let's not forget that it could also turn around and do better than it ever has before. We have yet to see how the Free to Play option will affect present and potential future players, as well as if we'll see the frequent content updates that we've been promised. In truth, only time will tell how things will play out, but you can bet that I'll be sticking around to see how things go, and to be honest it's been a great ride so far.

Having said that, it's time for this week's polls. I'm curious as to how this has affected you all, so do me a favor and cast your votes. In coming weeks I'd like to start featuring your opinions in this column, so if you have a particular opinion on something, or just want to voice a concern, send your mail to darth@darthhater.com. Please be civil about anything you send in, and if you make a good enough point in a rational enough fashion, we may just feature it here. So, get writing!

Poll