Star Wars Galaxies Producer Looks Toward 2011

Tony "Teesquared" Tyson has published his December Producer's Note for Star Wars Galaxies, and it mainly focuses on the content that was recently added to the game in Update 19: Wookiee Life Day, the Witches of Dathomir quests and the Price of Victory expansion for the trading card game. Perhaps the most noteworthy news comes at the end of his letter regarding future updates for the Star Wars MMO:

The long awaited Officer update will be coming out early next year. Hjal has already started discussion with the Officer Senator and the work has begun. The Galactic Civil War 2 update is also first on the list for next year. As mentioned before, this update will have a focus on space and player cities. We will also be adding more ways to discover Rare Loot System chests that don't involve combat.

The dev team likes to give out surprises. Every once in a while we find surprises too. We discovered some, what we believe to be, "never before released" structures in our game. Well we'll be giving these to you next year as well.

For more details, check out Tyson's Producer's Note. What are your thoughts on Game Update 19?

Life Day, TCG Set Launch in Star Wars Galaxies

Game Update 19 is now live in Star Wars Galaxies, and it adds a ton of content to the game. Not only does it introduce new Witches of Dathomir quests and tasks, but it also marks the start of Wookiee Life Day and the launch of the newest Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game expansion!

The SWG team has added some new content to the Life Day holiday event this year, including a storyteller tree token, paintings, an ornament, and a red robe for Wookiees. For more details, check out the recent Life Day blog entry on the official site.

The Price of Victory expansion for the Star Wars TCG is now available and celebrates the 30th anniversary of "The Empire Strikes Back" with more than 20 movie-themed loot cards. Lucky players will earn loot like Yoda's Dagobah Hut or a C-3PO backpack.

SWG: The Price of Victory TCG Loot Revealed

Sony Online Entertainment has opened the loot page for the upcoming Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game expansion to give players a glimpse at all the in-game loot items that will be available in the MMO.

The Price of Victory expansion focuses on The Empire Strikes Back in celebration of the movie's 30th anniversary, so it makes sense that the loot items have been taken directly from the film. Do you want to live in Yoda's hut or wear Lando's cape? You'll get the chance if you can get your hands on these loot cards.

More loot cards will be added to the page in the future, so keep checking back to see what else is coming in the TCG expansion.

Come Back to SWG and Earn Indy's Whip and Fedora

Sony Online Entertainment is inviting players back to Star Wars Galaxies and offering them a special gift: the fedora and whip of Indiana Jones! Players who left the game in good standing between Jan. 1, 2008 and Sept. 15, 2010 will have their accounts activated once again until Tuesday, Nov. 30.

Now let's get back to the whip and fedora. If you log back in by Nov. 30 at 4 a.m. PST, you'll earn these items for your in-game house. If you convert your account back into a paying subscription and log in before Dec. 31 at 11:59 p.m., the items will become wearable clothing!

If you're a Star Wars fan, it's safe to say you're an Indiana Jones fan. Will you be logging back into SWG to get Indy's prize possessions?

Producer's Note Covers TCG Expansion and More

Tony "Teesquared" Tyson's November Producer's Note covers a lot of ground, from announcing that Wookie Life Day will kick off in mid-December to reminding players that the Witches of Dathomir Prologue is now live in the game. He also mentions that players can no longer send unsolicited tells and mail while in the tutorial, which should help address spam issues.

Perhaps the biggest news is that the seventh expansion for the Star Wars Galaxies Trading Card Game, The Price of Victory, is coming soon to help celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back. The set offers more than 20 new loot cards, including the first ever Yoda and Cloud City housing structures, plus the Single-Pod Cloud Car player vehicle.

To end the note, Tyson says, "we have a surprise planned for our community (both current and former) for the week of Thanksgiving. I cannot give you any details right now, but it is something that I think you will be 'thankful' for and should also whip up some real excitement across the community." The comment was paired with an image of a character dressed like Indiana Jones, which you can view after the jump.

Star Wars Galaxies Players Host Halloween Events

The Halloween-themed Galactic Moon Festival is scheduled to launch on October 19 in Star Wars Galaxies, but players are making sure that the festivities last the entire month. The SWG team encouraged players to host events as part of Galactic Moon Festival Event Month, and it looks like the community listened.

The Third Annual Galactic Moon Festival Costume Ball will be held tonight, Oct. 15, at 8 p.m. EDT on the Starsider server. Many activities will be held, including a costume contest! You can read more about other Halloween-themed events that are being held this month after the jump.

Will you be participating in any of these events in Star Wars Galaxies?

Claim your 7th Anniversary Year 6 Gift by Oct. 7

Time is running out! On October 7, the Star Wars Galaxies team will be removing access to the SWG 7th Anniversary Year 6 Gift, the Portable Bazaar Terminal, and releasing the ability for players to claim their Year 7 Gift. So if you were ever planning to take a peek into SWG to claim some neat prizes, perhaps before October 7 would be best, as you could then get your Year 6 gift, as well as your Year 7 gift!

Double win!

Producer's Letter Focuses on Anniversary Event

Tony "Teesquared" Tyson has written a new producer's letter, and this one covers a variety of topics. The finale of the Star Wars Galaxies 7th Year Anniversary Celebration will go live this week, and the Halloween-themed Galactic Moon Festival will launch on October 19.

Tyson says that the two in-game gifts for the anniversary are "awesome" and will lead to the addition of more functionality in the game, such as a portable bazaar terminal. Also, the new Rare Loot System will go live with the finale of the anniversary celebration.

Tyson also mentions that the fishing update is live and players will receive a communication message from an iconic Star Wars character when they get a record catch. It may be a small addition to the system, but Tyson hopes that players enjoy it.

October is Galactic Moon Festival Event Month

The Halloween-themed Galactic Moon Festival is scheduled to kick off in Star Wars Galaxies later this month, and the team is encouraging players to host events throughout October that fit the theme of the festival. In fact, the team is hosting a "meet and greet" event tonight, Oct. 1, at 10 p.m. EDT on Starsider to give out some party planning tips and kick off Galactic Moon Festival Event Month! Here are the details:

Who: Jod_Iegemai and Zatozia
What: Meet and Greet - GMF Event Month Kick off Event
When: October 1, 2010
Time: 10 PM Eastern/ 7 PM Pacific
Where: Flame's Hold, Talus
Galaxy: Starsider
Why: Because everybody loves a party!

Have you ever hosted an event in Star Wars Galaxies? If so, let us know in the comments section below. Enjoy all the in-game Halloween festivites in honor of Galactic Moon Festival Event Month!

New SW:TOR Dev Blog highlights space combat

Another friday, another dev post from the team over at BioWare! This week, BioWare decided to focus on their interesting addition of Space Combat to their highly anticipated Star Wars MMO: The Old Republic. You can follow the link to their uploaded video, which showcases some impressive cinematics and game play of ships blowing up other ships, although for fans who are craving some free-wheeling exploration, it does seem like these are more "guided" missions than just blasting out into the middle of space (and really, that's a lot of work to do!). In the dev post, the team notes that there will be faction-based missions involving "epic space battles," with the core focus on space combat. Those flight scenarios look pretty darn nice!