Friday Update: Hoth Revealed, Blood of the Empire, and Fan Friday

As previewed yesterday, BioWare's Sean Dahlberg announced Hoth as the thirteenth playable planet for Star Wars: The Old Republic:

Along time ago in a galaxy far away...

Thirty years ago to the day, Star Wars: Episode IV The Empire Strikes Back opened in movie theaters, forever changing the cinematic landscape. Bursting with action-packed battles, fast paced dialogue, and characters faced with complex choices, the echoes of this landmark film are still felt today. From toys, to fashion, to punk rock, its influence is everywhere. The Empire Strikes Back has not only changed how we relate to our favorite movies, but has made a lasting contribution to our very culture.

To commemorate this monumental continuation of the Star Wars story, we are proud to reveal the ice world of Hoth -- the latest explorable planet in Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Access the HoloNet to learn more about the pivotal battles in the history of Hoth -- and to understand why both the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire are interested in the planet. Check out this video to see Hoth's brutal blizzards and unique wildlife. Don't forget to visit the Media Section for never-before-seen screenshots, wallpaper, and concept art showing this barren, desolate landscape.

Plus, the third issue of Blood of the Empire webcomic is available, which contains a first glimpse of the Emperor (or possibly something else):

The third issue of Blood of the Empire chronicles two formidable confrontations--one between Teneb Kel and his former master, Lord Calypho, and another between Teneb Kel and the Dark Council! And what plans do the Emperor and his mysterious apprentice have in store for Teneb? The mission to determine the future of the galaxy begins here.

Check out the latest issue of Blood of the Empire now!

UPDATE: A late Fan Friday was added to this week's update. It includes the usual community artwork, as well as the Bounty Hunter screenshots from the recent European press event. This week's Developer Corner is a short dialogue video showing the depth-of-field effect in action. There are also a few new avatars to choose from on the official forums.

Welcome to Fan Friday! Today we're giving you a look at some inspiring creations from the Star Wars: The Old Republic community and sharing an inside look at some work-in-progress content from the Development Team.

In addition, we'll be following up on the Electronic Arts European Press Showcase held in London last week, as well as releasing the latest series of official polls and avatars.

Aurebesh translations for Hoth's HoloNet page after the jump.
Subtitle: Icy Graveyard
Left, Vertical: Watch Out For Wampas
Vertical, Right Side of Planet: Umbra Encrypter (Credit to Tyber, Imperialles, and Xicer9. Hat tip to SinisterSamurai.)
Vertical Between Boxes: Chiss Secret Base (Thanks r2d2arm)
Horizontal, Text Box: Captain Valon

Comments

  • Nerf Herder
    darthuser1256's avatar
    • Posts: 9
    #90 darthuser1256 Posted 5/22/2010 3:36:31 PM
    NOOOOO, i hez sad face nao:( I wanted Selkath, not mon cal:( but i'm kay with it anyways... i guess
  • Spice Runner
    darthuser1186's avatar
    • Posts: 185
    #62 darthuser1186 Posted 5/22/2010 2:56:07 AM
    Just found this http://www.swtor.com/news/news-article/20100521_002-0 awsome dialog!
  • Dark Lord
    r2d2arm's avatar
    • Posts: 440
    #63 r2d2arm Posted 5/22/2010 3:07:03 AM
    Yup, very cool cinematic there. I was hoping to see the dialogue options a little better.
  • Dark Councilor
    Xavier's avatar
    • Posts: 504
    #64 Xavier Posted 5/22/2010 3:32:22 AM
    Really late Fan Friday, Sean and the crew need to leave work and hit the bar!
  • Posiden's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #66 Posiden Posted 5/22/2010 3:47:54 AM
    the art style is maturing nicely. Has definitely come a long way since those early screenshots.
  • Spice Runner
    heybarn's avatar
    • Posts: 240
    #70 heybarn Posted 5/22/2010 4:46:42 AM
    The demonstrating depth of field (DOF) clip is really, really nice. The characters look great I have to say. Downloading the flv to watch fullscreen...
  • Dark Councilor
    sado's avatar
    • Posts: 1,754
    #72 sado Posted 5/22/2010 6:28:15 AM
    Added, just got in and noticed.
  • Sin's avatar
    • Posts: 0
    #61 Sin Posted 5/22/2010 2:23:17 AM
    DH you need to get some forums on this site so I can just avoid the SWTOR forums. The more I go there the more I loose my faith in humanity. There are some seriously wack people who have some retarded idea's for TOR.

    EG: Separate servers for people who want to play alone.

    Seriously.......

    Sinphonic -GM- Infensus Obscurum
  • Gamorrean Thug
    Poysun's avatar
    • Posts: 38
    #78 Poysun Posted 5/22/2010 11:36:58 AM
    I feel your pain sinny. But it's not something new. Most of the crazyness derives from older threads that just get ninjanecrod. Every update something new, and something old get's rehashed. It's kind of nerve raddling.
  • Spice Runner
    Elkesai's avatar
    • Posts: 230
    #97 Elkesai Posted 5/22/2010 11:54:31 PM
    I can definitely understand this, and I also lose faith in humanity there.

    I posted my feelings against Hoth here and had a friendly debate, short and sweet. I posted there, and I have a deluge of morons name-calling and showing their true ignorance of the issues.

    But, I would hate to see a forum here turned into anything like that, and the way to prevent it is not to have one. That is my opinion, as unfortunate as it is.
  • Jawa Trader
    Jamis's avatar
    • Posts: 72
    #60 Jamis Posted 5/21/2010 11:20:48 PM
    Wow I'm kinda shocked by the "Chiss Secret Base" being on Hoth. The Chiss are an awesome race, but I was just discussing with my brother the other day how I assumed they wouldn't be in the game since they didn't really make much contact with the Republic until around the time of the Clone Wars. It will be very interesting to see what the Chiss where up to in this time period.
  • Jawa Trader
    indusan's avatar
    • Posts: 73
    #59 indusan Posted 5/21/2010 10:20:34 PM
    Well the main jist of what I came to say (hoth-meh, comic-intriguing), I see already. Except that perhaps we are roughly a year away from launch? Star wars movie release dates seem as good as any, assuming the game is 'ready' by then.


    A New Hope Released/Return of the Jedi, May 25 (wednesday)
    Empire Strikes Back, May 21 (wednesday)
    Phantom Menace (wednesday) /Revenge of the Sith (thursday), May 19
    Attack of the Clones, May 16 (thursday)

    wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars#Future_releases
  • Spice Runner
    fightinghokie's avatar
    • Posts: 110
    #58 fightinghokie Posted 5/21/2010 9:39:57 PM
    HOTH! YEA!


    Oh, and another excellent Blood of the Empire, soooooo much better than the previous comic
  • Dark Councilor
    RogueJedi86's avatar
    • Posts: 3,411
    #53 RogueJedi86 Posted 5/21/2010 9:04:05 PM
    So what sort of creature is that in the foreground of the first shot in the Hoth flyover video? Looks like a Snow Buffalo or something, but it's hard to tell without a close-up. Also, the second shot in the video shows a crashed ship, and on the right side you can see a camp of some sort. Can't tell what faction the camp is though, no visible flags that I can see.

    -edit- Also, is it just me, or does this tower in this Hoth pic evoke the look of the probe droid that was on Hoth in ESB? www.swtor.com/sites/all/files/en/planets/hoth/ss732/SS_20100521_Hoth03_800x450.jpg
  • Nerf Herder
    Pewpewlasersgorawr's avatar
    • Posts: 29
    #51 Pewpewlasersgorawr Posted 5/21/2010 8:36:59 PM
    I was scouring the swtor forums to see if anyone else had decoded vertical right side aurebesh: http://swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=108084&page=29

    evidently it reads, "Umbra Encrypter" (found by a guy by the name of Tyber, and posted by SinisterSamurai)
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