In order for swimming to be actually worth the implementation and time, we’d want to do it right – meaning content built around it, maybe a water centric planet, etc. Absent that content – there are no water worlds in this game – we’ve decided to focus on other things that are more important to us.

Beginning of a Legend

At the beginning of the event Daniel Erickson gave a briefing to the 7 journalists in attendance. A quick overview of what we could expect: We will start as a Bounty Hunter or Imperial Agent at level 1 and can advance as far as we could, in 2 days. In addition a PVP session in the Alderaan Warzone with level 20 characters was planned. For the first time players would meet other players on an instanced battlefield, more on this later. At the end of the briefing we changed into a room with 8 PCs. On the left side 4 PCs which awaited the first mission of the Imperial Agent, on the right side Bounty Hunters stood at the ready. We decided us for the Bounty Hunter for hire. The adventure of Boba Fett's ancestor starts on Nal Hutta, homeworld of the Hutts. A group of experienced NPC Bounty Hunters took us in as a junior associate. Braden, the leader, is convinced that we have what it takes to take part in the "Great Hunt". This is not a weekend trip with the goal to blast a few Womprats. The great hunt is organized by Mandalorians, a nomadic warrior cult made up of many different species. As diverse the Mandalorians are in appearance as unified are they to produce the greatest warrior of the galaxy, the so called "Mand’alor". To find recruits with enough potential they stage the great hunt. At the end of the Bounty Hunter storyline one has the chance to become a member of the glorious Mandalorians. But it is just one possibility and not a given. Here TOR differs from most MMOs, who offer every player only one outcome. If you're becoming a Mandalorian or "just" another successful Bounty Hunter dependes on your many choices you make during the game.

Merciless Opponent

Back on Nal Hutta the long trip to the maximum level 50 begins. According to developers this usually takes 200 hours. At the moment we are a young up-and-coming Bounty Hunter who completes contracts for the slimy crimelord Nem'ro the Hutt. A competitor massacres our entire crew. Only the beautiful human female Mako survives. Since the crew was her surrogate family she's out for revenge. This presents the player with a problem: the rules of the great hunt state that one cannot kill a direct competitor. The murderer of your crew - Tarro Blood, is in the great hunt as well. One has to decide: career or revenge? Your choice also influences the loyalty of your companion. Similar to Mass Effect, Dragon Age or KotOR you collect several of these over the course of the game and take them along with you on missions. If you take care of your relationships with your companions, he or she will stay loyal to you and even open up new quests. Act against their wills and pay the price (i.e. refuse to kill Tarro Blood and the beautiful Mako might leave you).

The End of the Beginning

Nal Hutta is the starting zone of the Bounty Hunter and the Imperial Agent. While Agents work undercover as gangsters to infiltrate the criminal organization of the Hutts, the Bounty Hunter is working on standing in of Nem'ro the Hutt's good graces so he will sponsor you in the great hunt. When Nem'ro's enemies are of no concern anymore, the real adventure begins: the long awaited passage to the imperial capital world of Dromund Kaas. Here the Bounty Hunter Guild has their headquarters. The travel to Dromund Kaas can be done via two different means. Either you fly via shuttle directly or you can take a special imperial transporter into an instanced adventure, a so-called flashpoint. This adventure can be done only by groups of at least 2 players with 2 companions. Once on board a droid is asking for your attention. His master, a Sith Lord, is offering you a mission: make your way to the bridge and make the captain attack a republican cruiser (yes, it is that flashpoint). The mission is delicate because officially there is a truce between the Empire and the Republic. The captain opposes the order because he is convinced that the imperial transporter is no match for the cruiser of the republic. But the Sith Lord is unrelenting, on the enemy ship is an imperial defector, who must be eliminated.

Murder or Mercy

Dialog and the resulting choices are big challenges for the developers when players are grouped up: a digital throw of the dice decides who can give an answer and decide the course of the group's story. But what about other group member who wanted to make a different choice? Bioware's solution is not elegant but effective: The dice throw in the instance decides the dialog options, but every player can pick his own options which morally count for them and their companions. One example: as Bounty Hunter we decide to let the captain live, while the grouped up Imperial Agent wants to order his death. The agent wins the dice throw and in a cut scene draws his blaster and kills the unruly captain. Our companion Mako honors our try to exact mercy and acknowledges in her reaction our decision not to kill the captain. Thus our relationship with her improves. For the rest of the flashpoint the captain is dead and his first officer is in charge of the ship.

Ready to Board

After we defended our ship against republican boarding parties we jump ship and take a shuttle to get to the enemy ship. The final boss: a Jedi Padawan who protects the defector stands in our way. A Force-user against two regular mortals, is that fight even winnable? Of course! Not every Jedi and not every Sith are masters of their trade. Our quartet of Bounty Hunter, Imperial Agent and companions are more than a match for the single Jedi Padawan. Though the lightsaber takes huge chunks of health points off our Bounty Hunter, we get healed from Mako and the Agent. Once the Jedi is finally one with the Force we confront the the defector: a chubby, old general, his body scattered with war wounds and prosthetics. Under pressure he confesses: he saw a terrible weapon under construction by the Empire. To keep the galaxy in balance he wanted to warn the republic. But now we have the choice to execute him on the spot or take him prisoner and give him to the Sith Lord. "He's not worth much dead" we think and decide to arrest him. The IA wants to make short work of him but we win the roll and give the prisoner to the Sith and collect our credits. The way to Dromund Kaas is free.

The Imperial Center

Once on the imperial capital, Dromund Kaas show it's best side: lightning storms reign in the sky, the jungles full of bloodthirsty monstrosities, in between loyal imperial troops which serve a renegade Sith Lord, who uses methods, which are too much even for the Empire, to develop new weapon systems. A perfect scenario for a BH out to make a few credits and make a name for himself. Slowly, the quests get harder. Next to classic solo missions we discover "heroic" labeled areas in which quests for groups take place. Nobody should go there on their own. We want to advance our story and visit the Bounty Hunter guild HQ and prove ourselves worthy to take part in the Great Hunt. But before we can do that we must complete three tasks. One of them is to complete a murder for an imperial admiral. The target: his own daughter!

Hitman

The daughter is apprentice to the renegade Sith Lord and refuses to leave her master. That would disgrace the whole family and plunge them into despair. That is why she must die. So we fight our way through the defense ring into the heart of the enemy base. In a remote room we meet the young Sith. When she sees us she only mocks us. Only a Sith Lord or a mighty Jedi master, on a good day, has a chance to best her in combat. Not a rotten mercenary like us. After a short fight we convinced her of the opposite and on her knees she is begging for her life. Now we have three choices: take her prisoner, killing her painless and killing her cruel. We decide to act professionally and raise our blaster "Close your eyes. I'll make it quick." When we report our success to the Admiral he turns away in disgust. "Here are your credits! And now leave! You understand that I cannot bear to see the face of the murderer of my daughter any longer." We answer cool: "Then you should avoid mirrors for the future." And leave the broken man. Class quests like these are usually instanced. A green or red light over an entrance indicate if you can enter or not. If there are players in your group from other classes they can accompany you. If you are alone that’s not a problem. Class quests can be solo-ed.

The Great Hunt

Once all three tasks were completed, we achieved the right to compete in the Great Hunt. But we are not alone. There are competitors, like our arch-nemesis Tarro Blood, who got accepted as well. But another problem presents itself: how do we reach all the exotic places in the galaxy?

A spaceship is the answer to that question. But where do you get one without credits? Our budget is not enough so we act as a starship thief in our last quest on Dromund Kaas. With blaster, rockets and flamethrower we make our way through a hangar and enter our D5 Mantis patrol ship for the first time, a sturdy, slightly older spacer. Inside we meet the droid PO-12, whose voice reminds us of C-3PO. He is our second companion who we can take with us on ground missions. But he's not made for combat he quickly adds. I wonder if he’s any good as a protocol droid or even slicer? Quickly we make our way to the bridge where a hologram of the galaxy awaits us. Now everything is open to us. First stop: Tatooine.