Galaxies: Rage of the Wookiees Interview

We were given the opportunity to have Julio Torres, LucasArts producer on Star Wars Galaxies, answer some questions concerning the upcoming expansion, as well as a few on the Combat Upgrade and upcoming features. On top of that, we were given a half-dozen screenshots of the expansion, including two of the new mounts and speeder.

You mentioned on the website "content straight from the long-awaited last movie", can you give us any hints as to what we'll be seeing?

We?re adding the entire planet of Kashyyyk, which appears in Episode III Revenge of the Sith, to Star Wars Galaxies with Rage of the Wookiees. On Kashyyyk, players will learn the story of the Wookiees? struggle against their Imperial-supported Trandoshan enslavers through a series of adventures.

Because Star Wars Galaxies exists in the timeframe between Episodes IV and V, we?re in a unique position to take advantage of all of the content added by the prequels. In addition to adding the entire planet of Kashyyyk, we?re also able to add some really cool content like Clone Wars relics, star craft like Anakin?s Jedi Starfighter and General Grievious?s ship, as well as the BARC speeder vehicle.

And available on May 5th ? two full weeks before the movie debuts ? with the download of Rage of the Wookiees, players will receive a Varactyl, Obi Wan?s mount ?Boga? in Revenge of the Sith. The Varactyl makes a loyal and most speedy mount ? a very cool and rare means of transportation while adventuring throughout Galaxies.

What Points of Interest can we look forward to on the ground or in Kashyyyk space?

There are many very cool points of interest to explore on Kashyyyk. Adventuring through the Rryatt Trail for example, reveals the Wookiee?s sacred right of passage into adulthood. Young Wookiees must pass through the challenges of the Rryatt Trail before they?re considered adults.

Players will also investigate the Myyydril Caverns, home of the Myydril tribe of Wookiees and some pretty intense and vicious creatures. Along with the Rryatt Trail and the Myyydril Caverns, players will discover a number of cities perched high in the mighty Wroshyr trees that populate much of Kashyyyk.

Episode III Rage of the Wookiees also adds the entirely new space sector for Kashyyyk. Players will take missions exploring throughout space and will also be able to dock at The Avatar Station, where they?ll find a good challenge, some seat of your pants excitement and plenty of loot!

What will asteroid mining be like? Will it be similar to sampling, or will there be more interaction involved?

Space mining will provide players will some very valuable natural resources for sale back on the planets. Most any current craft can be modified to allow for some mining. Space mining is a fast paced ? and at the higher levels dangerous ? way to earn a living. The action will be arcade-like and there will be plenty of pirates to contend with, especially for the more valuable ores to be found.

What certifications will be required to pilot the new starships, especially the Episode 3 ones?

The new Episode III ships in the Rage of the Wookiees ? Anakin?s Starfighter, Grievous?s Starfighter and the ARC-170 will not be faction specific and the required pilot certification for all the expansion ships will be tier 4.

You've mentioned cybernetic parts that will add special abilities and improve performance - do you see these as being necessary for high end combat (PvP or otherwise) or will there be drawbacks to using these body replacements?

The use of cybernetics components hails directly from both the classic trilogy and the new movies. We?ve taken our inspiration from Luke, Vader and Grievous. In Star Wars Galaxies, cybernetic parts have both enhancements and hindrances to keep them balanced in the game. To acquire them you will need to explore and finish a series of story driven quests. They will not be required for engaging high end content and/or Player versus Player encounters, but using your new cybernetic enhanced limbs may very well facilitate a win in a battle.

How will the GCW Planetary Control System fit with Kashyyyk?

Kashyyyk naturally has a strong Imperial presence; rebels are welcome to come to the planet to see how they fair against their challenging opposing factions. Since the planet does not have player cities and or player bases at this time the planetary control system is not in place in Kashyyyk.

Can you give any information on what the "Digital Download" advertised on the SWG site is? From the description given it appears to offer the expansion a week earlier than the retail box...

Actually, the digital download will be available to subscribers on May 5th, two full weeks before the movie releases. And anyone currently playing the game that downloads the new Rage of the Wookiees expansion will automatically get the Varactyl mount as an added bonus for downloading.

Folks new to the Star Wars Galaxies experience can buy an all-in-one pack starting may 26th that will have the original ground game, plus Jump to Lightspeed (the ?space? part of the game) and the brand new Rage of the Wookiees expansion. The all-in-one pack also comes with the BARC speeder from Episode III Revenge of the Sith as an Exclusive item.

With the Development team having been expanded a while back to work on this Expansion, will they be moving to new projects once it is released, or will they be staying to tighten aspects of the core game, or otherwise?

Star Wars Galaxies is an on-going online immersive experience that we?re continually adding to and improving. We will always have core teams working on improving the current player experience as well as others dedicated to the next adventure area addition a la the Death Watch Bunker and to the next expansion like Rage of the Wookiees.

How will Skill Attachments work in the CU?

The skill trees will function like the original game, the main changes for this area are the re-arrangements of the rewards in the skill trees, the new armor certifications and the new weapons making the skill trees a much more compelling advancement system.

Are there any plans to expand GCW Planetary Control to the outlier planets?

The first Galactic Civil War change was just phase 1 and it covered Tatooine, Naboo and Corellia. The GCW planetary control system will expand to other planets with time through our regular content publishes.