Darth Hater

Star Wars: The Old Republic News, Interviews, Media & Podcast

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: The Huttball Void



    With so many options for PvP revealed in Star Wars: The Old Republic, I can see how Steve might get a little confused from match to match. I think Steve and I share a love for Huttball. We're the kind of guys that dig deep, get down and dirty, formulate plans and plays and methods of execution. In fact, we didn't want to announce it until our plans were more solidified, but we're starting up the first ever Humanoid Huttball League. First game's on Tuesday at your place, have snacks ready.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Swim Free



    The whole immersion aspect of RPGs is a thin line. If you stay the course, and play the game as intended, without thinking of things that aren't directly presented to you by the game's creators, it's almost like living another life, like being another person. The minute you step off that line and question parts of it, like something as simple as being able to swim, the whole facade comes crashing down on top of you. You have to convince yourself of little lies to have the world make sense. Maybe every character in Star Wars: The Old Republic is afraid of water. That could totally make sense. Have you seen anybody in the movies swimming? Oh...right.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Purple Panda Ponytails



    I really was hoping this whole "Mists of Panderia" thing was a simple rumor, but honestly, I think at this point, Blizzard probably needs to start appealing to wider and wider audiences to keep the level of revenue they previously had with their monstrosity going. Kids love pandas. Pandas are cute, and they roll around, and they eat bamboo and stuff. You know what else is cute? Droidekas. They have those scrunchy little faces. They roll around. They kill you, sure, but the way their cute little arms roll back into their bodies as they fire off those rounds of lasers is adorable.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Dang Droids



    It's been a while since the last Pro Tips, but Steve hasn't forgotten, he's just been busy. It is convention season, after all. On the topic of today's comic, who hasn't wanted their own droid to tote around? I'm sure to some people it'd be like carrying around a tiny dog, or others a big pit bull. Maybe it's a status symbol. I bet some people would bedazzle their droids, and others would make fun of them. What is a droid, really, other than a mechanical butler with limited ability? C3-P0 could speak a few million languages, R2-D2 could hack into just about any computer, but what about the suave, sophisticated droid that could speak a few million languages AND hack into any computer? I want that one, and I want it in a compact space. When will Apple start making droids? I'm predicting it now. Meet the iDroid. He'll think for you, do your work for you, go to the bathroom for you, and in 6 months you can replace him with a more expensive version that looks the same but might not get caught in the door frame so easily.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Shield Your Valuables



    Being an Imperial Agent, you can sometimes build up a false sense of security thanks to your portable cover. However, it is important to remember that the galaxys less honorable citizens like to take advantage of this fact. Imperial Agents might want to keep an eye out for their valuables in the process.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Blu-Ray Blues



    The Star Wars saga holds a special place in all of our hearts, with the seeming exception of George Lucas. He's never happy with it. We've all had objects of compulsion like that, where we just had to make something better that was technically fine the way it was. Like a grilled cheese. You don't need to do anything with a grilled cheese, but some people like to put apples on their grilled cheese. They didn't think it was enough that there was cheese on some bread and grilled to crispy goodness. They needed some crunch, and maybe some tough, chewyness to go with it. They 'improved' on it. They weren't content with something that's awesome on its own, and they somehow keep convincing themselves that it's better with apples. I'd like to say, for the record, that apples don't belong on a grilled cheese.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Vette



    Having unique companions can sometimes be a hurdle to immersion when you see them running around with everyone else, especially when one is supposed to be your lover. Now that BioWare allows players to customize their companion's features, some may not go over as well as one would hope.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Grind Those Dark Side Points



    Sometimes you have to do things you don't necessarily want to do to get the things that you really want. Sometimes that includes cutting some people up because the snazzy pants you picked up a while back require a certain dark alignment. Maybe you can put it to the back of your mind and not think about it. The guy probably had a wife and kids, but that's okay, you really need the damage mitigation. Maybe he had a mistress on the side, maybe he cheated on his taxes, any old reason to help you sleep at night in your new jammies. Just light a candle so the demons of your past can't attack you, and you'll be good. Yeah. You'll be good.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Beer Goggles



    We're all recovering from the craziness of PAX Prime 2011, but we're getting around to our normal routine. Steve took a little break last week and instead put up an image of the poster he was giving out during the event. For those of you who got one, covet it, because it's a limited run of 50, and he probably signed it, and his signature is like gold. Many of you may have noticed our post about joining the Curse Network, and I'd like to assure you that nothing will be changing around here. We'll get some beefier servers, sure, but we're the same old Darth Hater you've always known and loved. I promise, and I'm kind of a big deal.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Do It Yourself



    Khem Val probably isn't stupid, but I can see Steve's thought process here. I'm sure there are some missions in the game where if your companion came back empty handed, you could easily mistake them for a caveman. 'Really, Khem Val? You couldn't fly to an uninhabited planet and scoop up some biomass? That was too hard? Here, play with a squeaky toy while I fix your mess.'

    Are you guys ready for PAX? I'll be there. Steve will be there. A bunch of the Hater staffers will be there. We've (probably) got a party going down on Friday night and you're all invited. Details forthcoming.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Rewriting History



    I've been thinking about something, and it's been bothering me. The Jedi Knight and the Jedi Consular, at least in the game, really are murderous devils, regardless of their alignment. What if someone has to grind, even the tiniest bit, to get up a level to complete a quest? They have to run out and aimlessly murder unsuspecting beings, at random. Isn't that akin to serial killers? That should affect your alignment, but I guess that wouldn't be very fun. Then again, as a member of the Jedi Order, it's not your business to have fun.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Silence Him



    James Ohlen is easily my favorite developer, and I realize that's a bold claim to make. The guy is just really excited about this game that he's basically in charge of. Creative Director is a broad, general title, but it means the same thing whether you're talking about advertising, game development, or any number of other industries. The Creative Director is responsible for look, feel, musk, odor, pain level, how much it rains in the morning, whether or not you're allowed to touch ewok nipples, etc. Then again, I'm sure there's countless volatile ideas firing around in that head of his that if he were to spit out every little thing he wanted to add to the game we'd be tired of hearing his voice by tomorrow morning.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Watching Your Figure



    The Hutts are an evolutionary enigma, to be quite honest. They can hardly move, they pretty much use slaves and servants to sustain themselves, and...I mean, come on, cardiovascular problems much? Survival of the fittest dictates that Boba Fett probably would have a fired a rocket up Jabba's ass within the first week and taken over his empire, because that's how the Hunter rolls. That's not to say there's no room for improvement, but then again I'm sure beauty to a Hutt is skewed compared to the rest of us. Hard bodies aren't the images that grace Hutt magazine. There you'll only find the flabbiest, rolliest, squiggliest man meat and woman tender, and maybe a Kowakian monkey-lizard.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Just Let It Go, Please...



    You know, if you really think about it, game writers are nerds. Don't get me wrong, I'm a nerd, you're a nerd, everybody's a nerd, but the kind of guys that study Star Wars lore for days on end and write within the confines of continuity have to know a lot more about this kind of crap than any of us ever will. As a result, it makes sense that the writers on Star Wars: The Old Republic probably think a lot of things are really cool in the Star Wars universe that the rest of us shrug at. Rattataki? Aside from having a ridiculous name that many people confuse with Rikkitiki, Ratatoullie, Rocketcat, and many other equally incorrect words, they don't really have any features that immediately distinguish them from humans. They're white, bald, and evil, and if they're so oppressed and misunderstood and emotionally deep, why are they cast as the main villain in like...every Bond film ever? Pro tip: Wear a helmet and nobody can tell what species you are.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Dog Pile



    It shouldn't be that hard to realize that for the vast majority of people, if you aren't tied down to one specific ability set in a game, you'll have a hard time only performing one role, and when multiple people perform multiple roles, things get a little confusing. BioWare harps on their nontraditional class structure, but is it really a leap forward in game design, or is it going to confuse players to the point of making them simply rush in and hope for the best? For good players this will never be the case, because cohesive groups can generally keep their stuff straight, but for the public and random groups out there, there's a very real chance things could get slimy.

    In other news, we have something awesome prepared for any Pro Tips fans attending the San Diego Comic Con later this week. Steve will be there at his company's booth giving stuff away! Not just anything, mind you, but some limited edition, snazzy original Pro Tips sketches. These are pretty limited (around 20 or so), so if you really, really want one, head to the Cartoon Books booth (2109) on Friday from 12pm - 2pm (that's PST folks) and find Steve. He'll be wearing a shirt (perhaps a recognizable shirt) and some pants, maybe. That's all you get.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: A Galaxy that Shined Bright



    I know I played SWG, and I'm sure many of you did as well. At first, it seemed like the perfect MMO. I loved the class system and how virtually limitless it was. I could be a Bounty Hunter/Dancer, or a Chef/Swordsman (my favorite). I could be whatever I wanted to be. And then I started hitting brick walls, like PvP imbalances, quest lines that took way too long for the small reward of 1 Blue Milk, Imperial soldiers taking down Krayt Dragons with an AT-ST as a pet, and things started to unravel from there. I didn't find my niche until player cities were introduced, managing to start up my own town on Naboo that quickly grew to be the biggest city on Bloodfin. Serving as mayor reminded me of what I thought being a real mayor would be. I told people where to place their houses, where not to place their houses. We even had a city planner. We were probably way too into it. And then our guild fractured and we switched sides, built a new town, raided the old town, and killed everyone. That's what SWG was all about.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Don't Forget to Train



    We've all had those moments. You're out in the wilderness, fighting animals or mutants or...rabbits or something, and you ding to level 12 and get really excited because that brand new skill is available now, but then you realize you need to run all the way back to some random guy in a building in town that literally just met you 5 minutes ago who apparently knows everything there is to know about everything, so that you can give him a few cents and he can headbutt you into understanding some new technique. Like you couldn't figure out how to throw a saber and pull it back with the force on your own, you needed some jerk back at the temple to teach you a three day physics course on the optimum angle to throw and the optimum concentration needed to pull it back. These things are important. It's not like knowledge of the force comes with its own intuition. No, when Obi-Wan Kenobi came back from the dead just to tell Luke to "use the force," it's a good thing Luke took a few hours at a Jedi enclave and learned [Shoot Big Missile Into Tiny Hole] before he went on that strafing run, otherwise the entire rebellion would have been boned.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: It's Only Fair



    Combat medicine has always been an exaggerated field in games. In reality, when your buddy gets shot out in the battlefield, you drag him to a safe place, tear out the bullet with some tongs, wrap him up in a few layers of gauze, and get him to a hospital. In games, you can pretty much find any representation, even down to the crazy ridiculous heal grenade. I say again, heal grenade. Like somebody wrapped a small clump of explosive in Neosporin and figured that would be good enough.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Smuggle At Your Own Risk



    The life of a smuggler seems so...grand. Like Indiana Jones meets James Bond meets MacGuyver, something out of an awesome action movie come to life, but in reality, it's a job. They're really just sneaky barge captains, and in the empty of space it doesn't seem like a bad idea to make a living. What happens when the smuggling bubble bursts, though? Suddenly those cheeky lines get taken out of context. Suddenly the women don't fawn and secretly want to be a part of your miscreant life. Suddenly raisins take on a literal meaning, and you're stuck eating alien sun-dried grapes for the next few months.

  • New Issue of Pro Tips: Shoot to Heal



    Who knew the skills required to fire a pistol could translate over to helping people overcome their battle wounds? What I want to know is what happens when the Smuggler accidentally loads poison darts into that dart gun of his, and accidentally shoots his buddies with anti-healing projectiles? I guess that's the spice of life. Sometimes you get a pleasant dose of whatever bolsters your hit points, and sometimes you get a lethal injection of death juice. Thus is the life of a group member in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
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