Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

With the MMOG launch season officially over and only a smattering of expansions and content updates left to be released, our focus shifts forward to games currently in development. One of the most popular of the class of 2010 is Star Wars: The Old Republic, the newest envisioning of the Star Wars universe in multiplayer format.

BioWare and LucasArts recently hosted a hands-on preview for members of the gaming press at the LucasArts HQ in San Francisco. Tucked into a pristine business complex in the historic Presidio, the surroundings were as visually appealing as the new game turned out to be, and provided the perfect backdrop for a conversation with game producer Jake Neri.

Join Ten Ton Hammer as we share a beverage and conversation with Mr. Neri, under the shadow of the Golden Gate Bridge, and gain some insight into the development of SW: TOR, the relationship between the BioWare and LucasArts, and the vision for where the game will take us.

Ten Ton Hammer: Both Lucas Arts and BioWare are known for their story telling, it’s been a cornerstone of many of the games. Do you find adding the MMOG element to be a hindrance or a boon to that aspect?

Neri: For us, yes it’s a challenge; telling multiplayer stories is absolutely a challenge, but it is one that we took on right out of the gate and have been working to make a reality. We have shown, in some of our early releases, the multi-player conversation system which allows players to group, have a conversation, influence that conversation and have a good time. We test it constantly so we can work out those edge cases of griefing while maintaining the player’s ability to do what they need to do and add certain things they can’t do. I really think the stories being told here take what BioWare does and push it to the next level, not just simply because of the volume of lines and permutations, but we have fully voiced NPC’s and player characters; you’re hearing your voice and that makes a huge difference.

Join us here to read the rest of our informative interview.