Star Wars Galaxies Chapter 6 Interview

Located amidst several hyperspace routes, the inhospitable desert planet Tatooine is a source of many minerals and other resources for those able to harvest them. Its residents include both hard-working locals and a criminal element led by the Hutts. The Empire has a presence, as do Rebel sympathizers. Endor is a forest moon orbiting a gas giant bearing the same name. The former's terrain incorporates treetop villages built by the teddy bear-like Ewoks, the Gorax caves and various other unspoiled areas. Naboo is a geographically diverse planet with regions that range from the murky Lianorm Swamps to the icy Gallo Mountain Range, verdant jungles and thick forests, all teeming with unusual creatures. Home to both the warlike Gungans and peaceful humans, it is an Imperial stronghold; the Emperor's stunning retreat there is often the site of summits with high-ranking officials.

Star Wars Galaxies is the online world based on the famed property that has expanded far beyond its cinematic origins. A collaboration between developer Sony Online Entertainment and publisher LucasArts, it takes place during the Galactic Civil War in a game universe that includes the planets named above plus Han Solo's homeworld of Corellia, Yavin 4 where the first Death Star was destroyed, Dathomir, Lok, Rori and Talus. Players can select from professions such as Jedi, Bounty Hunter, Smuggler, Commander, Trader and Medic, and can also take part in a space combat element where skilled pilots can introduce adversaries to the taste of their blasters. Updates are introduced on a regular basis; the major ones, known as Chapters, launch roughly every couple of months. LucasArts Producer Jake Neri and Associate Producer Tim Temmerman agreed to tell us about next one.

Includes four exclusive screenshots

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Jonric: What is the main new element that Chapter 6 brings to Star Wars Galaxies, and what was the process that led you to add it?

Jake Neri and Tim Temmerman: Chapter 6: Mastering the Wild is due to go live in Star Wars Galaxies this week, and will introduce the new Beast Master system to the game. This feature gives players the ability to harvest DNA from creatures all over the galaxy, and use it to create new beasts they can then keep or trade, train, and ultimately adventure with.

The Azure Cabal is a series of quests that allows players to work for and with a group of mercenaries that operate throughout the galaxy. A woman named Loruna Scathe is the leader of the group.

Our community has been asking for a system like this for some time now, and we've really wanted to give it to them, but we had other things that we needed to do to set the groundwork for this effort. Fortunately, after a year of implementing the profession expertise system, we're finally at the point where we can put Beast Master in the game, and have it make sense and be fun in context of the overall design. We really believe it is the most robust and cool pet system in any MMO to date.

Jonric: Why do you believe this will be attractive to players who have been in the game for a while, and also to those who started relatively recently?

Jake Neri and Tim Temmerman: When SWG was first released, it included a profession called Creature Handler that was ultimately removed from the game when we re-vamped it in 2005. It was a well-loved feature though, and players had been asking for this functionality to return to the game for some time. The team took a look at what players loved about Creature Handler, and expanded on it, ultimately creating the Beast Master system.

The entire development team spends a great deal of time listening to current player feedback in the forums, on the test center, and in community chats, and well feel really good about the features we're releasing in Chapter 6, and how the players will respond to them.

As far as newer players are concerned, they should definitely enjoy this new, robust pet system that will allow them to have a stable of pets suited for all types of gameplay. Jonric: How does this new expertise system actually function? What kinds of creatures will characters be able to create and raise?

Jake Neri and Tim Temmerman: Beast Master is a very robust system that introduces a host of new features to the game, allowing players to create, collect and customize pets for use in their adventures. They can now collect beast DNA from any of the creatures in-game, and use it to grow the eggs of all-new ones. During the egg incubation process, they can adjust a number of factors and attributes to customize the resulting pet, such as changing the color and making it more offensive or defensive. More than 150 types of beasts are available through the system, and it's even possible that a mutant creature will develop from the process!

Any player, regardless of species or profession will be able to become a Beast Master. The system is accessed through a new, third tree in the profession expertise system, so players will have to pick and choose where they want to spend their talent points. A player who is more interested in growing and trading pets can put points in the creation talents. Those who want the ultimate pets with which to fight and explore the galaxy can spend their points in those skills. Jonric: What would you like to tell our readers about another new feature announced for this update, the Azure Cabal quest series?

Jake Neri and Tim Temmerman: The Azure Cabal is a series of quests that allows players to work for and with a group of mercenaries that operate throughout the galaxy. A woman named Loruna Scathe is the leader of the group. Through the quest series, she introduces her operatives, from whom the player has to earn trust. Once the series is completed, which takes about eight to 10 hours, the player will be able to access the Azure Cabal's contracts for ongoing, repeatable mercenary quests that will earn them great rewards.