MMORPG.com's Dana Massey recently traveled to the LucasArts compound for a demo of Bioware's upcoming MMORPG, Star Wars: The Old Republic. While there, he got a look at the recently announced Imperial Agent.

The recently revealed Imperial Agent class in Star Wars: The Old Republic provides the Empire with a hefty dose of subtlety and intrigue. While many classes, like say the Sith Warrior, barge through levels with their lightsabers blazing, the Imperial Agent uses stealth and tactics to quietly creep up on her enemies.

LucasArts and Bioware put on a press demonstration last week in San Francisco to give us the first chance to see these guys in action. While it was quite clearly very early - we were told to imagine the "stealth" effect as the character snuck around on a massive theatre screen in the LucasArts compound - this class adds something to the Star Wars world that has never really been the focus before: subtlety.

Read Impressions of the Imperial Agent.

Originally posted by Stradden

The recently revealed Imperial Agent class in Star Wars: The Old Republic provides the Empire with a hefty dose of subtlety and intrigue. While many classes, like say the Sith Warrior, barge through levels with their lightsabers blazing, the Imperial Agent uses stealth and tactics to quietly creep up on her enemies.

LucasArts and Bioware put on a press demonstration last week in San Francisco to give us the first chance to see these guys in action. While it was quite clearly very early - we were told to imagine the "stealth" effect as the character snuck around on a massive theatre screen in the LucasArts compound - this class adds something to the Star Wars world that has never really been the focus before: subtlety.

 

"the Imperial Agent uses stealth and tactics to quietly creep up on her enemies."

Shouldn't be his/her... his or her.

Link to the article doesn't seem to work for me, takes me to the latest 'features'

My problem with stealth classes in Bioware games is that stealthing is a chore, since you have NPC party members that don't stealth. So you have to leave them at the door somewhere, stealth ahead of them, and then go back for them. So in Bioware games where I did play a class that could stealth, I never put points into that ability since I hated leaving my crew behind or having to go back and get them.

they dont use stealth, but use a magical belt of invisibility that allows them to pass by unseen......

Originally posted by leumasx7

Originally posted by Stradden

The recently revealed Imperial Agent class in Star Wars: The Old Republic provides the Empire with a hefty dose of subtlety and intrigue. While many classes, like say the Sith Warrior, barge through levels with their lightsabers blazing, the Imperial Agent uses stealth and tactics to quietly creep up on her enemies.

LucasArts and Bioware put on a press demonstration last week in San Francisco to give us the first chance to see these guys in action. While it was quite clearly very early - we were told to imagine the "stealth" effect as the character snuck around on a massive theatre screen in the LucasArts compound - this class adds something to the Star Wars world that has never really been the focus before: subtlety.

 

"the Imperial Agent uses stealth and tactics to quietly creep up on her enemies."

Shouldn't be his/her... his or her.

 

A lot of RPGs identify a class with a certain gender, that's just the way it's worked for a long time, even back to the days of some PnP games.

Originally posted by Phry

they dont use stealth, but use a magical belt of invisibility that allows them to pass by unseen......

Have you ever played KotOR (the series that ths MMO is based on)? That's the way it works.

 While such a class can be a lot of fun in a single player game, I have serious misgivings about it in an MMO.  Yeah, it's really cool that the player is able to clear an entire level without triggering an alarm, but what are his friends doing in the meantime?  Alt+tabbing so that they can play hearts while they wait?

Originally posted by aurick

 While such a class can be a lot of fun in a single player game, I have serious misgivings about it in an MMO.  Yeah, it's really cool that the player is able to clear an entire level without triggering an alarm, but what are his friends doing in the meantime?  Alt+tabbing so that they can play hearts while they wait?

What friends? everyone will be running solo missions through the class story arcs and using henchies for flashpoints (instanced missions/dungeons) instead of players.

This game is going to be a single player Rpg with the option to play CO-op through instance missions, dungeons and pvp.

Ill be surprised if people could even see each other outside flashpoints and major cities.

Edit: I'm not trying to troll, I will honestly be shocked if this game resembles a normal MMO at all. Too much is going into story and player choice. It seems more like a single player Rpg with co-op options than a mmo.

What the fuck are you blatering of?

This game has all the MMO elements you would ever need, from social activities to economy, crafting&harvesting, PvP combat, raids and everything else. They already confirmed it.

Otherwise, how could they even think of challenging World of Warcraft? Don't forget that Electronic Arts is set to do exactly that. They tried Mythic and Warhammer with WO, now they are putting their money on Bioware and Star Wars. And this time, they may actually succeed.

Until now, Bioware only talked about their unique take on MMOs which, unsurprisingly, involves deep storylines, class arcs, NPC interactions just like the ones we are used to in their single player games; except now they will be applied to a MMORPG, which is a massive innovation by itself for the genre.

After playing Dragon Age, I have even more faith that Bioware can pull it off. They showed they can do great dungeon, bosses and story with a gameplay very akin to MMO ones, especially WoW. Beta will come soon anyway, and everyone will be able to judge then.

I noticed now that you're a sandbox fan. Well, I like sandbox too and I've been deeply involved in checking every sandbox out there, from Mortal Online (I am in beta now) to Darkfall Online, Fallen Earth, EVE Online etc.

The only successful sandbox MMO is EVE Online right now, and I don't like to be an astroship. All the rest is largely incomplete, to the point that the best theme park MMOs are more satisfying and entertaining. To create a successful sandbox MMO like DFO, MO and FE tried you would need massive experience as a developer and consistent funds.

Maybe CCP will pull it off with their new World of Darkness MMO, but until then I will be on SWTOR or STO, provided they are good enough.

Originally posted by XAleX360

What the fuck are you blatering of?

 

This game has all the MMO elements you would ever need, from social activities to economy, crafting&harvesting, PvP combat, raids and everything else. They already confirmed it.

Otherwise, how could they even think of challenging World of Warcraft? Don't forget that Electronic Arts is set to do exactly that. They tried Mythic and Warhammer with WO, now they are putting their money on Bioware and Star Wars. And this time, they may actually succeed.

Until now, Bioware only talked about their unique take on MMOs which, unsurprisingly, involves deep storylines, class arcs, NPC interactions just like the ones we are used to in their single player games; except now they will be applied to a MMORPG, which is a massive innovation by itself for the genre.

After playing Dragon Age, I have even more faith that Bioware can pull it off. They showed they can do great dungeon, bosses and story with a gameplay very akin to MMO ones, especially WoW. Beta will come soon anyway, and everyone will be able to judge then.

It seems like you have already judged. You have just reached a different verdict.

PvP, crafting,raids? Well, if there is one crafting profession, one arena for team-based PvP, and a couple of raid-size 'dungeons', then what they have claimed will be factually accurate.

Will it be satisfying to the general MMO crowd? You tell me.

AS for popularity - well, swords and sorcery tends to be more popular than Science Fiction. Look at the numbers of each type of MMO out there.

Star Wars is a huge IP - but this isn't the Star Wars of the movies - it's KOTOR. A much smaller IP.

Check back with us on December 3rd and we'll have for you a preview of each of the final two classes left to be revealed

 

Looking forward to it.

actually, it isn't even kotor. if anyone pay attention to biowares site for the game. its planned as a pickup years/ centuries after the end of the movies. and all.

Also, combat system does not work like kotor. more faster paced really.

Originally posted by XAleX360

What the fuck are you blatering of?

 

This game has all the MMO elements you would ever need, from social activities to economy, crafting&harvesting, PvP combat, raids and everything else. They already confirmed it.

Otherwise, how could they even think of challenging World of Warcraft? Don't forget that Electronic Arts is set to do exactly that. They tried Mythic and Warhammer with WO, now they are putting their money on Bioware and Star Wars. And this time, they may actually succeed.

Until now, Bioware only talked about their unique take on MMOs which, unsurprisingly, involves deep storylines, class arcs, NPC interactions just like the ones we are used to in their single player games; except now they will be applied to a MMORPG, which is a massive innovation by itself for the genre.

After playing Dragon Age, I have even more faith that Bioware can pull it off. They showed they can do great dungeon, bosses and story with a gameplay very akin to MMO ones, especially WoW. Beta will come soon anyway, and everyone will be able to judge then.

While I do enjoy sandbox games I am also looking forward to TOR.

The last good MMO/CO-Rpg that released with a great story was Guild Wars.

I'm hoping TOR delivers a single player rpg type experience. If that means the game will be 99% solo centric then so be it.

Leaving out repetitive raids,dungeons and pvp mini game may be bad for the mmo crowd but it would totally turn me onto the game.

I don't want EQ/WoWs version of the SW universe.

Sounds like they've already been shown the last two TOR classes.

Well, I guess those will make a nice post-Thanksgiving treat for the rest of us lol     

 Why are her arms so thin? Looks stupid.

Originally posted by Alienovrlord

Sounds like they've already been shown the last two TOR classes.

Well, I guess those will make a nice post-Thanksgiving treat for the rest of us lol     

Aye, though they may as well have just said "the last class".

Unless I missed a PR (I honestly haven't been following the game as closely as I used to), then they still haven't released the Jedi class, and I think it's pretty much a given that there's going to be one. Especially since they have the sith warrior. Which would mean 1 last class + the jedi class.

Will be interesting to see what they come up w/.

Originally posted by aesperus

Originally posted by Alienovrlord

Sounds like they've already been shown the last two TOR classes.

Well, I guess those will make a nice post-Thanksgiving treat for the rest of us lol     

 

Aye, though they may as well have just said "the last class".

Unless I missed a PR (I honestly haven't been following the game as closely as I used to), then they still haven't released the Jedi class, and I think it's pretty much a given that there's going to be one. Especially since they have the sith warrior. Which would mean 1 last class + the jedi class.

Will be interesting to see what they come up w/.

Jedi Knight was already revealed a few weeks ago.  Six classes are revealed with two left.  One for Republic and One for Empire. 

 You missed something.  Jedi Knight has been revealed.