With the latest content patch for BioWare's MMO due to hit test servers soon, we hear from lead designer Daniel Erickson and technical design director Emmanuel Lusinchi about what players can look forward to.

Customizing More than the Character

Besides the usual bug fixes and performance optimizations that come with every game update, BioWare is looking to enhance how much we can tweak and refine our characters. Part of that is through the use of augmentation kits, allowing virtually any equipment to gain an augment slot. These toolkits will be made by crafters, who can trade or sell them as desired.

Adaptive gear is also being introduced, in order to make further use of social armor available from vendors. Lusinchi explained that this will always be among the best gear you can wear, helping to bridge the gap into endgame. It'll also allow groups and guilds to coordinate their look around a uniform or style, making them visually impressive on the battlefield.

By far the biggest change is in the Legacy Perks system. Game Update 1.3 opens up a range of new unlockable benefits, each relating to a different aspect of the game. For alt fanatics there are XP boosts for killing flashpoint bosses, running space missions or completing warzones. For crafters, there's the chance to boost your critical success rate when making items. There is also a range of other perks, from repair droids to faster sprint speed.

Beyond Update 1.3

Both spontaneous and satisfying, the Rakghoul plague event crept unannounced onto the servers one afternoon. Players leaped onto the servers eager to find out more about the mysterious goings on, with in-game news bulletins growing more severe as the situation worsened. I asked Daniel Erickson if he was pleased with the effect the event had. "Happily, we learned that players were as enthusiastic about a dynamic world as we are. Not officially part of 1.2, the event, like ones in the future, can take place any time we choose."

While this is officially the end of the Rakghoul quest line for now, Erickson wasn't giving any hints about future events. As the man himself said, "When events become predictable they no longer serve their purpose. So no hints."

Another aspect of Star Wars gaming that we've been desperate to see return is the classic dogfighting days of X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter. Our hopes soared after it topped a recent "Star Wars Fantasy" poll, so we put the question to Erickson. "No details yet, but we've got some amazing prototypes running in the office for various types of enhancements to the space games. Now it's about deciding which ones are the best." On the subject of capital ship guild combat, Erickson was honest where the focus is. "That one is less likely. We're far more interested in the dogfighting fantasy of Star Wars space combat than the slower large ship battles."

Lusinchi also took questions from the floor following his presentation, covering a wide variety of topics. He spoke about damage and healing meters, noting that, since they added combat logs, several sites had sprung up to provide processing and analysis. The team is looking at providing full add-on support in the future and is constantly plugging away at it, but there are several considerations it also needs to tackle.

Legacy relationships are also being looked at, with the possibility of master and apprentice relationships appearing. We can also expect to see new species as player characters, although there are no hints on which ones or when. Rewards for neutral alignment characters are in the pipeline, and companion customizations may be revamped.

There seems to be a lot bubbling away in the SWTOR development cauldron, so how does the development team decide what to put into each patch? Erickson explains: "Each patch has its own flavor and focus. Game Update 1.3 is focused heavily on quality of life features (group finder, Legacy, etc.) and we adjust as we go according to the needs of the game and the response of the community."

With everything we've heard from the last few weeks, we can't wait to have a taste.

Gareth "Gazimoff" Harmer, Staff Writer