Whenever the 'Gree Event' dropped last (May I believe?), I recall slightly dabbling with a few missions. While my character was leveled high "enough" to partake in this affair, I was also desperately struggling in battle. Anyhow, I finally decided to give this event another go-around last night with my Level 59 Merc, and found this experience to be rather enjoyable - despite the choppy lag on Ilum. While the 'Relics of the Gree' back-story still feels a bit confusing in comparison to the Rakghoul Event (for example), the overall game-play was solid and provided a decent challenge. At least I was able to finish a handful of dailies (minus the PVP missions) - although, I really wish I had more time this week to really tap into this event. Speaking of which, does anyone know how often this event occurs? Every 3-4 months? Thanks.

My thoughts exactly. In fact, I've been hoping Bioware would do the community a favor and simply make the 'Nightlife Event' a permanent feature on Nar Shaddaa. Granted, at least these slots are open for a few months each summer - enough time to aim for that elusive Rancor Mount I suppose. With that being said, I still came-up short this time when trying for the Rancor Jackpot, and now I'm forced to wait another 9-10 months before the casino re-opens (so-to-speak). Besides, I highly doubt I'll ever accrue enough in-game credits to snag one of these bad boys off GTN. Furthermore, if Bioware did choose to make this a year-round fixture, it would provide more incentive to visit Nar Shaddaa on a frequent basis, while also fully utilizing the Casino area. Like others have previously mentioned, without the slots up-and-running, there's not much activity happening unless it's 'Bounty Contract Week.'

"The Emperor does not share your optimistic appraisal of the situation."

From my own personal experience with the ' Jedi Covenant', I've also found this particular server to be quite "laid-back". Not to mention, there seems to be a fairly bustling population.

Well said, my young padawan.

These posts are always refreshing. Welcome to the Community my man and thanks for sharing your story... I'm glad you've been enjoying yourself thus far. The Old Republic is TRULY a remarkable interactive experience where anyone has the opportunity to indulge their ultimate Star Wars fantasy. As a slightly older gamer myself at 36 (who's also seen his share of health complications), I definitely enjoy finding the time to evade the daily drudgery and delve into SWTOR whenever the opportunity arises. Something about the world Bioware has created just calms me to the core - and you'll NEVER run outta' stuff to dabble with. Seriously, the endless amount of content within this title is baffling. Anyhow, God Bless ya in all your future endeavors and I hope the health stays solid. Needless to say, I keep finding myself comin' back for more, since SWTOR only gets better with time invested.

Yep, my bad... you're absolutely right. Thanks for the clarification. The Nightlife Event only dispenses "Golden Certificates" - whereas, the Contraband Slot Machines located in Strongholds do provide "Cartel Certificates" (which is kinda' nice). In fact, I have a Contraband Slot in every Stronghold of mine, and I DEFINITELY recall receiving Cartel Certificates as a reward.

I appreciate the replies from everyone. Like many individuals, I find it MUCH easier to accumulate in-game credits, rather than hoping to nab these elusive Cartel Market Certificates. Besides, I usually prefer to save my certificates for the more difficult to find / expensive rep vendor items. Considering my Merc is nearly maxxed-out (level-wise), racking-up credits from missions isn't much of problem and I'm constantly selling a fairly steady stream of Cartel Packs on GTN whenever needing a quick 150-300k for something. Whatever the case may be, thanks for the reminder that Cartel Certificates can also be acquired through the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife and I believe the Contraband Slot Machines as well. Like another poster mentioned, the random drops for these certificates (in Cartel Packs anyway) seems to have dwindled over time... or, perhaps my luck has been getting worse?

I'm hoping someone could please "confirm" whether or not Reputation Items ("decorations" to be more precise, since these only can be re-sold) on GTN are purchasable by individuals who fail to meet certain rep experience to buy them from their respective vendors. For example, I've had my eye on the 'Yavin Guard with Spear' on GTN - which also can be acquired through the 'Freebooters Trade Union' Vendor, but I naturally lack the 'Champion Standing' required to buy this decor from the vendor. Therefore, if I would purchase this item off GTN for say 300k credits, will it still unlock and be added to my inventory without the 'Champion" rep? Anyhow, I'm constantly decking-out my strongholds with new pimped-out stuff and I've been ruminating over this particular question - hoping to find the answer from past purchases. Needless to say, I can't recall if I've managed to buy anything under these conditions. Thanks for any help.

Sweet, thanks for the info. By the way, the Maintenance / Patch implementation sure went quick... 30 minutes at most?

Agreed. While 4 GB of RAM is enough to run SWTOR half-way decent, this game is known to run significantly better with more memory. Case in point, my last Tower running on a MAME Cabinet was only rockin' 4GB RAM (and while serviceable), left much to be desired whenever I'd fire-up The Old Republic. Anyhow, I'm currently playing SWTOR with a 6GB RAM lap-top and it definitely runs much better than my other system from a few years back. Even still, I'm hoping to again upgrade soon to a better set-up so this game runs flawless with maxxed-out settings. Whatever the case may be, The Fleet is usually a lag-fest most days anyway (at least for me) - regardless of specs and connection. However, during non-peak hours it does calm down considerably. Like another poster mentioned, installing more RAM or even playing during late-night hours will DEFINITELY help.

Thanks compadre. Anyone have different pics of the two launchers by any chance, just to compare? Or do they look similar?

I understand it's a "band-aid" of sorts, but why would it leave GB's worth of data if you wiped the original install and re-downloaded from scratch? Two separate downloads? Please elaborate, thanks.

This whole issue is kinda' strange. Usually during patch days I'll customarily wait until the maintenance window is officially over and then begin the game client. However, for some reason this morning I was already signed-in to my profile within 'The Launcher' before everything was up-and-running, and I heard the sound / chime of sorts your receive once the downloading of a patch is completed and it's ready to play. Apparently (to my surprise), the recent patch automatically downloaded a good hour or two in the background before maintenance was finished and the website was back online. Well, after booting-up the game within the last hour, I wasn't quite sure if my version was going to match the update, and if I was going to need to re-download the patch (or perhaps everything) once again. While I'm not using 'Bitraider' (or whatever it's called), as I reside in the US, SWTOR is thankfully working alright for now. However, the game "hanging" upon exit still continues to hamper my experience a bit, and it even froze twice since the patch, needing a complete reboot of my system. Most likely though, this issue is on my end since my PC specs aren't all that note-worthy. While it sounds unpleasant to have some of these issues that people are discussing in this Thread, at least the main work-around by re-downloading the entire 13 GB (or what-have-you) should solve any and all problems to some extent... provided, you're willing to be patient with having to re-download from scratch.

I couldn't agree more. Being a HUGE fan of Nar Shaddaa, it's disheartening to think that the 'Nightlife Event' only comes around once a year... give or take. While it's still better than nothing I suppose, but why not make it a "Permanent Fixture" on this planet - rather than some sporadic event that only surfaces for a few months and then disappears? After running around the Star Cluster Casino / Club Vertica areas last night for a bit, I immediately began wondering why these beautiful environments aren't being more utilized. Granted, I still have a 'Contraband Slot Machine' in each one of my Strongholds to help scratch that gambling itch whenever it arises, it would be nice to spend more time within this section of Nar Shaddaa. Seriously, just imagine how bustling with life this area would become? In my humble opinion, the Casino would unquestionably rival the Promenade when it comes to fun-factor if they simply added a few more activities to enjoy.

Although I've been playing SWTOR since launch, I find myself occasionally questioning certain aspects of the game. While I'm almost certain this topic has been discussed before in further detail (and I apologize in advance if this seems like a rather trivial ordeal), my teeming curiosity has me wondering why the 'Appearance Modification Station' is a Cartel Coins ONLY affair? Don't get me wrong, this minor quibble hardly detracts from my overall game-play experience in any way. After all, my account usually retains a fair amount of Cartel Coins and I rarely use the Appearance Kiosk in my Strongholds much... other than tweeking random Tattoo / Jewelry changes from time to time. Even still, last night after dropping 40 CC on a relatively minor alteration, I began contemplating as to why you're unable to use "In-Game Credits" for this particular transaction? Personally, I'd rather save my Cartel Coins for more conventional Cartel Market items. While I understand the Appearance Modification Station is some-what tied to The Cartel Market, since you can buy / unlock different races for your character - having the option to use In-Game Credits would be a welcomed addition. Heck, if they provide the option to use either forms of payment for unlocking extra Cargo Bays or Stronghold Rooms, why not allow both for appearance changes to your character as well? Although, I suppose the argument could then be made to include "In-Game Credit" transactions within the Cartel Market and so on. Argh, sorry for rambling. Thanks for any help.

There's no doubt the pricing feels pretty STEEP for this 'Grand Nightlife Pack' (1000 CC for only 4 measly items). However, considering you're "guaranteed" a Super-Rare Item (such as the beloved and difficult to acquire Rancor Mount), the overall enticement to make a purchase increases exponentially. Anyhow, I was just browsing the contents of these two Nightlife Packs on Dulfy.net to see what ultimately constitutes as a "Super-Rare" item. While I'm not absolutely certain which items fall into the Super-Rare category, the mounts (especially the Rancor) are a given and will be highly sought after. Sheesh, I've been clamoring for a Rancor since last summer. Since the darn 'Nar Shaddaa Nightlife Event' hasn't seen the light of day since last August, these Nightlife Packs are basically the only method of tracking down this mount - that is, unless you have 10-15 million to drop on GTN. During the Holidays, I scooped-up a Star-Cluster Hypercrate while they were available, but didn't get a Rancor... surprise surprise.

They should just rename it... "The Controversial Contraband Slot Machine."

I've been itching to become more active in these Forums since I returned to SWTOR this past May (after a 2 year hiatus), but just haven't found the time because of my hectic schedule from all the daily drudgery of real-life issues. Even still, I've (thankfully) been investing plenty of time into the game itself (currently a Level 47 Bounty Hunter / Merc) and naturally felt compelled to chime-in regarding this whole 'Contraband Slot Machine' ordeal. Anyhow, I must first tip-off my hat to the GENIUS minds at Bioware for creating the definitive interactive Star Wars experience. Considering the overall massive scope of this game, the sheer amount of content within, and the meticulous attention to even the smallest of details - SWTOR is (in my opinion) as close to "perfect" as a title can be. Seriously, there's very little I have to complain about, and even the relatively minor shortcomings can be over-looked because this MMO is "JUST THAT GOOD". With that being said, my overall thoughts on this current 'Slot Machine' topic are as follows. First off, these devs clearly read my mind by implementing some form of "usable" Slot Machine into the Strongholds for players to enjoy. Since the Nar Shaddaa "Nightlife Event" only comes around a few times a year at best (instead of once a month like the 'Bounty Contract Week'), it provides access to "another" FUN activity at your Sky Palace / Homestead, and is DEFINITELY a welcomed addition. While I certainly understand the slight controversy as to how this 'Slot Machine' could (and probably will) affect various aspects of this game, I'm just thankful it adds another ENTERTAINING layer to the grand scheme of things... plain and simple. Now, perhaps I'm feeling a bit biased because I somehow managed to score one of these 'Contraband Slot Machines' on the first Acolyte Pack I opened, instead of buying a Hypercrate or dropping millions of in-game credits (which I don't have) for one on GTN. That's the thing however, individuals must somehow either acquire these Slot Machines with some effort involved - or otherwise, find some random Stronghold to play them on. Not to mention, these Cartel Chips still cost a whopping "500 Credits" a pop... not exactly cheap if your character's a lower level or their bank-roll is already dwindling from other expenses. Furthermore, the in-game rewards from playing these slots are still kept to a minimum - which in essence, is only a small fraction of the overall breadth of content included in SWTOR or found in Cartel Packs. Granted, I've already seen a slight change in prices for certain items on GTN - but overall, everything has a tendency to balance itself out in different ways. Besides, now the excessive grinding in certain areas will be less daunting and more accessible to people - not to mention, more affordable for gamers who have limited time to play. While I can understand why many sellers on GTN might be slightly perturbed at the change in their overall profits, they'll probably still benefit by purchasing other (random) items for a lesser amount. Plus, this should probably cut-down a bit on the greedy price gouging many of these jokers enjoy reveling in. Seriously, I often-times shake my head in disgust at what many of these people charge for certain content - while it's doubtful they even need the few extra credits to begin with. All in all, this recent addition to SWTOR will hopefully be embraced by most of the Community, even if the minority of folks will continue to shun Bioware for providing another fun outlet to partake-in. Furthermore (because of the influx of whiners), the devs will most likely tweek these "in-game" slot rewards to some degree. Either way, I'm just grateful I have another interactive item to whittle away my precious time with on my Stronghold(s). Bottom line, the Community will likely adapt to the necessary changes and everything will find a way to balance itself out. In my humble opinion, Cartel Packs and Hypercrates will still remain sought-after items in the Cartel Market and GTN. Again, it's such a small piece of the SWTOR pie, and will hardly interfere with the enjoyment most people extract from this AWESOME game.

Sweet man. As a fellow SWTOR fan myself, any extra guides with detailed info are always welcome in my book.

Ahh yes, good 'ol KOTOR 2 on the original Xbox. Even though this title definitely had its issues, it was STILL a worth-while gaming experience - and one that I'm glad to have finished... err, eventually. Anyhow, I still remember being about 8-12 hours into the game when my character was faced with a "show-stopping bug". Just my luck. For some reason, I recall not being able to open a specific door to advance any further, so I kept coming back to this saved game month after month. Thankfully with enough persistence, I FINALLY proceeded beyond that glitch and was able to experience 'The Sith Lords' in all its glory. While the story wasn't quite on par with the original KOTOR, the sequel was still a worthy successor in my humble opinion.

Well, I completely forgot that the 'Nar Shaddaa Nightlife' Event was popping-off these last few months - and merely swung past the Star Cluster Casino today while polishing-off a few random missions. Anyhow, I managed to win a Vectron Magnus with the very first Kingpin Bounty Chip I tossed into the machine (no joke). At first I wasn't certain what I won, since the immersion from actually winning anything what-so-ever felt surreal. Whatever the case my be, this little speeder is pretty sweet. Granted it's no Rancor, but I'm not gonna' complain... after all, it's better than nothing. For only about 10k Credits spent, I walked-out of the casino (or should I say, cruised-out on my shiny new Magnus) with 3 Golden certificates as well. Sheesh, once I finally reside in the Nar Shaddaa Stronghold with my Bounty Hunter, I'll be visiting this darn casino even more frequently. Ha ha, good times.

While I CLEARLY understand many gamers will probably scoff at this Thread (and potential fix) that I've posted, please understand that I've been SUFFERING the same frustrating FPS / LAG nonsense as everyone else since Patch 1.2. In fact, here's a link to my aforementioned previous Thread regarding these particular issues... http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=423457 Whatever the case may be, I've BARELY touched this game since 1.2, because my overall game-play has been virtually UNPLAYABLE and a complete mess. Needless to say, I was getting HOPELESS myself until today... as I felt (like many others) I had ultimately expended all my options to make this title workable once again. Funny sometimes (at least in my case), that the SIMPLEST fix is somehow the answer. Seriously, I tried tweeking every last little setting and for whatever STRANGE reason, I didn't slide "JUST" the 'Grass' down to ZERO. Now, I'm NOT saying that my fix is going to solve everyone's problems... OBVIOUSLY. In fact, I'm still willing to bet that Bioware COMPLETELY jacked-up something on their end during the big 1.2. After all, I can pretty much guarantee that many individuals will still continue to have a problematic game-play experience (unfortunately). Personally, my game was running just fine with the "Grass" all the way up before the patch - but for some odd reason, NOT NOW. All in all, I'm just hoping that my findings can help a few people out... at least until the devs create a solid patch to fix 1.2. In the meantime, this "Grass" fix will have to suffice - at least for me. Hey, at least I can play again. The only down-side is a lackluster tundra to run through... err, for now.

The reason I found this odd, is because it's ONLY the "Grass" setting that is ruining my performance. Who would've thunk? It's definitely not "news" so-to-speak... but it SURE fixed my problems.

Like many SWTOR gamers, I've been utterly FRUSTRATED following the wake of Patch 1.2 - suffering the endless bouts of FPS Issues (jittery frame-rates) and LAG problems (excessive slow-downs). In fact, I recently created an entire Thread (last week) regarding these ongoing technical hiccups and many folks also pointed-out having similar ordeals. Thankfully however, I believe I've FINALLY found the culprit after much trial-and-error. Now, whether or not this (rather) simple fix will make a significant difference with other players and their respective computer set-ups, I obviously cannot guarantee. But hey, it's worth a try, right? Therefore, I'm merely speaking for myself in this regard - and by posting my findings, perhaps a few other individuals might benefit in the process. Anyhow, after constantly tweeking various aesthetic settings, I "TURNED OFF" the 'Grass Quality' setting under the Graphical Preferences. I kid you not, IMMEDIATELY after dropping this number down to "0" (ZERO), my frames jumped ASTRONMICALLY and I can keep just about everything else Maxxed-out (sans Shadows of course). All in all, I'm just hoping this fixes my issues for good... and I suppose only time will tell. If this relatively SIMPLE fix does make everything playable once again, then it's worth telling others. Please feel free to post any positive results... and if not, then at least it was worth trying on your behalf.