Well, I'm not usually an Outlaw type of person but this one is strangely appealing so far. The world building is impressive at the game level and the BTS is cool to see how interactive this process has become.
Spoilers All Things STAR WARS - News, Speculation & Spoilers Thread
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The livestream also had a separate breakdown/commentary of the footage with some of the senior devs, but they don't seem to have posted a video of that (yet.)
Overall; it looks good, but I'm always suspicious of these kinds of "vertical slice" demos. Obviously all pre-recorded, and everything runs a little too smooth, so it's likely staged or otherwise massaged to make it look better than it probably is. Performance issues on launch are almost a given, these days, and I would be surprised if this one (especially for being open world) is an exception.
Some random thoughts and lore observations: -
Overall; it looks good, but I'm always suspicious of these kinds of "vertical slice" demos. Obviously all pre-recorded, and everything runs a little too smooth, so it's likely staged or otherwise massaged to make it look better than it probably is. Performance issues on launch are almost a given, these days, and I would be surprised if this one (especially for being open world) is an exception.
Some random thoughts and lore observations: -
- Nix is a Merqaal. a rare & exotic creature who's homeworld is said to be "unknown" (we'll see if that's just fluff or if there's a story there too). Kay has had him most of her life, and so is more family than pet; indeed he sounds like the only family she has. Gameplay wise, he's used to indicate when something's off, or when there's an opportunity. He also has utility in both stealth and combat situations.
- Interestingly, they used what seems to be an actual puppeteer on the capture stage. I know Henson has been developing an advanced rig for real time digital puppeteering, but this is just a very basic hand-puppet that happens to be covered with tracking dots. I've been wondering when someone would try this, since it seems such a no-brainer. All of the performance expertise of a puppeteer, and none of the usual hassles in having to hide them from camera. Seems like only a matter of time before some production gets Frank Oz to perform Yoda this way.
- Kay is about what you'd expect; a thief/smuggler/all round scoundrel. Young, daring and very much beholden to nobody. I like that they mentioned that she's not a "go in guns blazing" type, and prefers to steer around violence, but still very capable and adept at improvisation when the shooting inevitably starts anyway.
- She starts the game already with a bounty on her head (for what, we don't know yet), and falls into the underworld to survive, but decides she actually likes the life.
- As one might expect from a game like this: her blaster is upgradable. The also implied what sounds like a skill tree and other equipment upgrade for Kay herself.
- There's also a reputation system, so what jobs you do with which syndicates will have some kind of impact. Presumably if your reputation gets low enough, they'll send hunters after you. Gaining a high Imperial "Wanted" level can also make things very difficult. Remains to be seen if that's more of a GTA thing that can magically disappear and won't follow you around, or if it works in parallel with the syndicate reputation system.
- One thing I noted is that the chop-shop the demo starts in is taking apart not just Alliance ships, but what looks like a yellow Mining Guild TIE Fighter. Also spotted a Sienar-Chall Utilipede transport in the background.
- A somewhat novel feature for a modern game is that enemies can drop weapons in combat, and you can have Nix retrieve them for you (an A300 in this case.) Though if the gameplay footage is any indication, they don't seem to last long.
- As suspected, this location is a newly created world; it's a moon named Toshara, covered in open savannas and craggy mountains. It's run by the Empire, but deeply corrupt. The capital city is Mirogana, and is carved into mountain you saw on the poster and in the announcement trailer. While the main hub gameplay wise seems to be the little outpost called 'Jaunta's Hope'.
- The BX commando droid is called ND-5, and he's a Clone Wars vet turned underworld enforcer. He seems to be along for the ride with Kay for more than just the one job, but the implication in the trailer is that he's working for Jaylen and I'd guess he's mostly there to look after his interests, no Kay's (at least at first.)
- I don't know why, but I like that the fence is a female Mon Cala. I guess I'm enjoying Star Wars continue to get away from the idea of species as monolithic, so we're seeing traditionally "heroic" species in less than heroic, even villainous roles, and typically "bad guy" species. Like that asanine thing the EU would often get stuck into where just because Greedo happened to be a bounty hunter, that means all Rodians are obsessed with bounty hunting and that's all any of them want to be!
- As suspected, they have indeed created a new syndicate for this game called the Ashiga Clan.
- The new hero ship is called 'The Trailblazer', an EML 850 Light Freighter from the Republic era. So old, but not ancient. No word on whether it's upgradable too, but I wouldn't be surprised. The design has a kind of "blank slate" vibe to it that makes me think they want players to make it their own.
- Speaking of; not only is there space combat, there's also some space exploration gameplay. Probably more salvage and treasure hunting than actual exploration, and the ship combat (as with the speeder chase) looks to be very much on rails.
- Some other locations glimpsed at include; Akiva, which played a significant role in the Aftermath novels and home to Norra Wexley & he son Temmin, aka: Snap from the ST.(fingers crossed for A Mr. Bones cameo!). A tropical rainforest lake planet. What very much looks like Tatooine. Kijimi. And what looks like it could be Nar Shaddaa, but could be Coruscant underlevels, or similarly dense urban quacta hole. I hope it's Nar Shaddaa. Woudn't feel right to have a smuggler's game that didn't visit the smuggler's moon, and we do know the Hutt Clans are involved with the plot.
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There is a preliminary Star Wars Outlaws thread.
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/new...ming-from-ubisoft-and-lucasfilm-games.306882/
Not sure if anyone wants to go talk there or keep things here in this thread.
https://www.trekbbs.com/threads/new...ming-from-ubisoft-and-lucasfilm-games.306882/
Not sure if anyone wants to go talk there or keep things here in this thread.
Some new reveals from SDCC; mostly on the publishing side, but there's also an exhibit of 'Ahsoka' props and costumes (a lot of it was also at SWC, but I think the sabres are new additions.)
SDCC 2023: See Ahsoka Props and Costumes from the Lucasfilm Pavilion
Main takeaway here is that as I suspected from the teaser, and contrary to what some have claimed: Shin Hati's sabre is not Kanan's and just has a similar tsuba-ish styled guard. Interestingly, both hers and Baylan's have a touch of the Old Republic about them. The former's emitter definitely reminds one of Revan's hilts, while latter almost looks like it's straight out of the TotJ comics.
Ezra's hilt also seems to have been changed a bit; mostly just the extra details, embellishments and weathering one would expect when translating an animation design into a physical prop, but the addition of a double emitter shroud seems significant. (plenty more reference on The RPF of course)
SDCC 2023: 10 Reveals from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel
Some neat stuff here, but mostly about what you'd expect. One thing I'm enjoying about the whole High Republic project is how they're aging up the younger characters with the audience. So Phase I's junior reader characters are now the focus of Phase III's Young Adult books.
SDCC 2023: HasLab's The Ghost Announced and Other Reveals from the Hasbro Star Wars Panel
As someone that was once a toy collector several decades ago and no longer, I'm both relived that I'm not compelled to put money down for this kind of thing, and a little jealous at the level of detail even the smaller scale figures get these days. Oh and that 'Ghost' playset is both ridiculous and awesome, and likely to be the final straw in a number of divorce filings next year. I've spent some time researching and modelling that ship inside and out, and I'm impressed at how faithful they've been able to be with it (I have an unreasonable amount of affection for Hera's seemingly handmade wooden chair.) Merging the common room and galley together is a neat touch and something they probably should have done on the show, since the latter's small awkward side meant it never got much use beyond the first season.
ETA: Oh and I don't know when it happened, but it looks like they finally got around to adding Official Episode Guides for Visions, Vol 2.
SDCC 2023: See Ahsoka Props and Costumes from the Lucasfilm Pavilion
Main takeaway here is that as I suspected from the teaser, and contrary to what some have claimed: Shin Hati's sabre is not Kanan's and just has a similar tsuba-ish styled guard. Interestingly, both hers and Baylan's have a touch of the Old Republic about them. The former's emitter definitely reminds one of Revan's hilts, while latter almost looks like it's straight out of the TotJ comics.
Ezra's hilt also seems to have been changed a bit; mostly just the extra details, embellishments and weathering one would expect when translating an animation design into a physical prop, but the addition of a double emitter shroud seems significant. (plenty more reference on The RPF of course)
SDCC 2023: 10 Reveals from the Lucasfilm Publishing Panel
Some neat stuff here, but mostly about what you'd expect. One thing I'm enjoying about the whole High Republic project is how they're aging up the younger characters with the audience. So Phase I's junior reader characters are now the focus of Phase III's Young Adult books.
SDCC 2023: HasLab's The Ghost Announced and Other Reveals from the Hasbro Star Wars Panel
As someone that was once a toy collector several decades ago and no longer, I'm both relived that I'm not compelled to put money down for this kind of thing, and a little jealous at the level of detail even the smaller scale figures get these days. Oh and that 'Ghost' playset is both ridiculous and awesome, and likely to be the final straw in a number of divorce filings next year. I've spent some time researching and modelling that ship inside and out, and I'm impressed at how faithful they've been able to be with it (I have an unreasonable amount of affection for Hera's seemingly handmade wooden chair.) Merging the common room and galley together is a neat touch and something they probably should have done on the show, since the latter's small awkward side meant it never got much use beyond the first season.
ETA: Oh and I don't know when it happened, but it looks like they finally got around to adding Official Episode Guides for Visions, Vol 2.
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Well this is good news: -
Donald Glover and Stephen Glover to Write Lucasfilm’s Lando Series as Justin Simien Exits
At least it will be once the strike is over and they'll actually be able to get to work on it.
Donald Glover and Stephen Glover to Write Lucasfilm’s Lando Series as Justin Simien Exits
At least it will be once the strike is over and they'll actually be able to get to work on it.
And then the Journals of Enfys Nest.
Nice to have some actual news on one of the 10 things they announced in December 2020! 
We’ve had Bad Batch, Kenobi, Visions and Andor. Ahsoka is very soon, Acolyte some time after.
Rogue Squadron and Rangers of the New Republic are goners. So besides Lando there’s only “A Droid Story” left now to either cancel or update us on.
We’ve had Bad Batch, Kenobi, Visions and Andor. Ahsoka is very soon, Acolyte some time after.
Rogue Squadron and Rangers of the New Republic are goners. So besides Lando there’s only “A Droid Story” left now to either cancel or update us on.
And then the Crazed Ramblings of Darth Maul.
Are the Loth Cat and Ahsoka's ship an actual puppet and model used on the show or are they CGI on the show and these were physical display made just for SDCC?
So Phase III is jumping back ahead to after Phase I?
Is Life Day Chewie the first Holiday Special figure we've ever gotten? I'm in a mild state of shock that we're actually getting a Holiday Special figure.
Last I heard, Rogue Squadron is still in some kind of active development . . . well, it was before the strike anyway. I've been trying to keep the OP up-to-date with any new developments, but it's possible I've missed something.Nice to have some actual news on one of the 10 things they announced in December 2020!
We’ve had Bad Batch, Kenobi, Visions and Andor. Ahsoka is very soon, Acolyte some time after.
Rogue Squadron and Rangers of the New Republic are goners. So besides Lando there’s only “A Droid Story” left now to either cancel or update us on.
The Loth-cat is indeed an animatronic puppet built by Legacy Effects. As for the T-6: I doubt they're going to go full old-school motion-control on this one, so it's almost certainly a study model used as the basis for the digital asset, which is something they seem to be making more of a habit of agin since the Razor Crest. It certainly does wonders for capturing the old school practical modelling aesthetic, and I think a lot of people don't realise this is also how they did it during the prequels.
I'm no expert on the merch, but I'm pretty sure there's been redecos of Boba Fett with the Holiday Special colours before now, if not specifically customised sculpts.
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Cool, I've noticed that more and more production do seem to be going back to puppets for things like the Loth Cats the last few years. I forgot they do make the physical reference models for the ships and things like that.
Now that you mention, I think I do remember seeing those.
They did use the physical Razor Crest for simple flyby shots.
So it's possible they did the same with the T-6 Shuttle.
Found it. Also an almost identical version branded instead for the Droids cartoon (since apparently they both used the same colour scheme.) I think I saw a much more current version somewhere too (possibly black series?) also with the 'Droids' branding. Doubtless there are others.
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Yes, there are others too. Hasbro has been doing a wide variety of Fett decorative figures not associated with OT or the shows. It's amusing to the collecting community, if frustrating.
Not surprising considering the original Kenner Boba Fett is probably one of the single most popular action figures ever, and it's a character design that lends itself very well to repaints. I'm going to take a wild guess and assume the only Star Wars figure designs that have more variant paint jobs than Fett's is the Clone Troopers.
I remember that initially coming out as a special offer' that you could order from a comic book add. Even though it said not to send cash, my 9-year old self (living overseas, no less) was desperate enough to send cash, hoping beyond hope. Well, stupid is as stupid does. Never did see that Boba Fett figure. Whoever opened the envelope got three bucks of my money- a not insubstantial amount for a kid in an era when a coke was a quarter and a new paperback was about a buck fifty.
