Star Wars: The Old Republic Interview

Darth Hater has conjured up a three-page Q&A with BioWare associate producer Cory Butler about his role on Star Wars: The Old Republic, the implementation of flashpoints, the changes they’ve made based on closed testing feedback, and more.

We saw many different systems in their preliminary stage at PAX East. What is the challenge of integrating all these systems (space combat, guilds, Flashpoints, War Zones, Crew Skills, questing, social, etc.) so they all work together seamlessly?

The Old Republic is a huge game with several innovative systems. And the key to making sure all these systems play nice with one another is game testing — both internal and external. Is it challenging? You bet it is. But, each and every one of the systems add to player immersion and overall fun factor. There is literally something for all kinds of game players in The Old Republic.

What is the mantra internally to fulfill what we hope is the smoothest historical MMORPG launch?

Launch Days are always an exciting time especially for an MMO. Honestly, our hope is that as important and exciting as it is, Launch Day is another day at the office for us. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to downplay how significant a smooth launch of the game is to us. It is just that we are working on plans and backup plans and backups to the backup plans for quite some time now, so we’re ready to execute all these plans at launch. Looking at the experience from our players’ perspectives is our primary motivation. Of course it is important to us that players have a great experience playing the game, but it is just as important for us to provide players with a live service that is up to the BioWare quality people have come to expect from our games.