I suppose it doesn't make sense for this particular game since the overall story arch is fixed regardless of any choices. No, I haven't played a Dark Side Jedi or Light Side Inquisitor yet. Yes, I have played Bounty Hunter and Sith Warrior. I was extrapolating, obviously I was mistaken. However, had the story arch not been set in stone, I still don't think the Jedi Council would allow a Dark Side Jedi anywhere near them or to influence the Republic's actions. And, yes, I do believe that they would change their allegiance (or, at least, not be sided with the Republic.) The Dark Side clouds your judgment and corrupts you. A Rank V Dark Side Jedi's goals and ambitions should be at complete odds with that of the Republic (YES, I realize that's not how it the story goes,) and neither the Jedi Council or the Republic would tolerate it. I guess this would be more for the Star Wars lore than the game. Also, I have zero interest in that MMO. I can't stand anime. I tried WoW for a few months that came with the game, didn't care for it. Star Wars is pretty much it for me.

I had two ideas in regards to class stories. One is to introduce a Hard Mode option when creating a character. This would make all the enemies more difficult, worth less XP than usual for their level, and in general, play out the story over a much longer period of time. Incidentally, I was at the developer Q&A, and a question was asked about disabling XP so people can do PvP without XP so they don't level outside of their story line. Unfortunately, it's on their Crazy Wall List of Things To Do™, which means not any time soon. I think it'd also be an excellent option for RP players so they can go on adventures without leveling outside their story line. My second idea is to hold a contest to immortalize your favorite character in Book form for the Extended Universe. The game already largely follows events from the Old Republic era books, and this one would be a parallel story just like the game, except it follows the unsung hero that helped change the galaxy (either for good or bad). Write up a short story about your character's past before the start of SWTOR, characteristics, mannerisms, personal conflicts, family, etc. The author would have some creative license, of course. Darth Loves-To-Knit probably wouldn't make a good character name outside of the game.

Forum was titled Star Wars Discussion, and I was hoping to get a discussion about Star Wars. Guess I missed a subforum somewhere. It's not just for Jedi, hence the vise versa. I was just giving an example. Even if allegiance is independent of alignment, I still don't think a Dark Side Jedi would get anywhere. As for Sith... I don't know. If they're a competent fighter, they could justify their actions by defeating anyone who challenges them; surround themselves with allies to keep them safe. However, if there was an option to switch, personally I think it would be a cool idea.

Been a long while since I've posted. What do people think of the idea about having the option for a Rank V Light Side Sith or Rank V Dark Side Jedi -- upon finishing their story and perhaps reaching level 50 -- start again on the opposite faction at level 1 with some sort of Legacy perk for switching (and maybe a title, like "the Redeemed" or "the Corrupted") Perhaps the Legacy perk would be allowing your character to use Dark Side items even though you're pure Light Side, and vice versa. Perhaps Dark Side or Light Side level based on the number of characters that have switched, to a maximum of 5. I figure if you're a Jedi and you're going full on Dark Side, there's absolutely no way you'd be allowed to continue on as a Jedi Master. You'd 've been corrupted to the point of Sith anyway, might as well make the conversion.

Never thought I'd see the day when Android / Windows PC users complaining about apps only being written for an Apple product. For the past 20 years I've pretty much had to own a second computer just so I could play all the games not available on the Mac. You have zero sympathy from me, my friend.

Might as well go with 16GB, memory is at an all-time low right now. Pro Tip: You can't have too much memory.

That's a pretty good deal, worth checking out.

The trick is to find a store that'll price match. I just use Microcenter out of convenience. I've added Windows 7 64-bit Professional to the options below, but many people transfer their Windows license when they upgrade. If you have at least Windows Vista, it should be fine. I recommend against XP 64-bit, it's too cumbersome. I find that the stock Intel CPU cooler is fine if you don't overclock, if a bit noisy. This is a budget PC afterall. You can, of course, upgrade the cooler if you like and add more fans. I welcome suggestions for good deals on coolers and fans. Please post your finds in the thread.

Updated for March. Sorry it took so long, I'm in the process of moving.

Sorry about the hijack, but I created a thread around the same time as this one (and also v1.0 before the forum reset) for the sole purpose of building a budget PC capable of playing SWTOR at high to maximum settings. I, along with contributors, have done the hard work of finding the lowest prices already. http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=158940 I would encourage people to post additional builds and vendors. We especially need help from people outside the U.S.

Maybe put the Modification Table to use and make the social armors upgradeable to medium and heavy.

Actually, we could really use your help if you're in the UK. All my prices are US based. You're absolutely correct about hard drives. Every time I update the PC build, the hard drive gets smaller, but the price stays the same. Before the flooding in Thailand, I could get a 1TB 10k RPM HDD for $60. Now I can barely get a 500GB 7.2K RPM HDD for $80.

Updated for February 2012. Prices are higher now that the holiday specials are over, but I also included a more expensive GEN3 motherboard in the configuration per ShakeNBakeUK's excellent tip. My brother picked up a Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T computer case. I just wanted to point out that it's a very Star Wars-ish case. The black and white accents remind me of a Stormtrooper, and its side panel is just begging for a cool vinyl decal.

Edit: now included in the 1st post. I thought I'd update the prices a little bit on some deals I've found. These are decent prices for a had disk drive, Blu-Ray drive, and Windows 7 OEM to round out my budget PC. I'll keep my eye out on a better deal on Windows, sometimes you can find it for as cheap as $70. Blu-Ray is a bit excessive, especially for a budget PC. You'd do better with a generic DVD drive for under $20. ------------------------------------------------------------------- LG N1A1DD1 3.5" Network Attached Storage - 1TB * 1TB * SATA II With the instant rebate, it's cheaper than a HDD by itself. Think of it as a free networked storage case with your HDD. $89.97 [$149.99 - $60.02 Instant Rebate] http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=500755&CatId=2671 LG Black 12X BD-R 2X BD-RE 16X DVD+R 12X DVD-RAM 10X BD-ROM * Blu-Ray and DVD read, write, and playback. $64.99 [$6.99 shipping] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136239 Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit * Includes free Microsoft Wireless Mobile Mouse 3500 GMF-00046 Gold $99.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116986

I'd also like to recommend monoprice.com for any adapters, cables, or mounts that you might need. Their prices are unbelievable and the quality is pretty darn good. Also, if you live in California like I do, their overnight shipping is only $5 (might also be available for Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon.) Order an HDMI cable, get it tomorrow for super cheap. It's crazy.

Good tips. If I could offer one regarding power supplies, it's that you should never skimp on the power supply. Stick to major brands. There's an important difference between "cheap" and "good value." A cheap power supply can cause your entire investment to literally go up in smoke. Motherboard, CPU, video card, memory... kiss it all good bye.

Excellent, keep the suggestions coming. If anyone is outside the U.S. and has suggestions, that would be helpful. I didn't include a hard disk drive or copy of Windows in my build, or a display. Often these are things you can transfer over from your old computer. Also, a new hard disk drive right now is pretty expensive because of the flooding in Thailand, so be wary of the prices. If you want to upgrade to a new copy of Windows, your best bet is an OEM copy of 64-bit Windows 7 Home from the usual places (NewEgg, TigerDirect, etc.) You probably don't need Windows 7 Professional.

I've found this review to be immeasurably helpful for video cards. They're very thorough. http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/fastest-graphics-card-radeon-geforce,3067.html

First, try turning off shadows in the graphics preferences. I run the game on a 13" MacBook Pro, and it runs just fine once I turn shadows off.

If you're comfortable with putting your own computer together, I've created a thread so people can put together an affordable, but decent computer for playing Star Wars (or any other game, for that matter.) http://www.swtor.com/community/showthread.php?t=158940

Edit: Updated for March 2012! Edit: Added DVD and HDD to the total price. Edit: Added Windows 7 64-bit special deal at bottom. This is a challenge to all other SWTOR players to help put together the best budget gaming PC capable of playing Star Wars: The Old Republic. I've put this thread together for budget conscious players. The economy is really tough right now, so I thought that a thread about building the best performing PC for the lowest dollar might be really helpful. My suggestions assume you're a U.S. resident and that you have a Microcenter computer store (or at least a store that will match their price.) They have a killer deal if you buy both a motherboard and CPU as a bundle. This PC is the best price to performance ratio I could come up with. It includes an Intel i5 2500K microprocessor. This CPU has the BUS multiplier unlocked so it can be overclocked. The bundle also includes a Radeon HD 6770, and for the price, it is the best budget video card on the market. This machine should (conservative estimate) let you play Star Wars: The Old Republic at high settings on a typical 1080p display. With two video cards in a Crossfire configuration, you should be able to play at maximum settings on a typical 1080p display. Now includes ASUS GEN3 Motherboard; supports Ivy Bridge CPU and PCIe 3.0! Don't forget that mail in rebates expire on the postmarked date. So you have up to and including the date of the expiration to mail out any rebates. As far as prices are concerned, I've put the earliest rebate expiration date as the cutoff. So these prices are valid until posted date. I've included two prices. One is how much you pay to buy each item, and the second is how much it will cost you in end after you get all your rebates. Keep in mind rebates can take anywhere between 1 and 6 weeks, so don't spend any money you don't have. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Local: Yes. [Any Microcenter location] Region: United States Valid: 03/14/2012 ------------------------------------------------------------------- Now for the details: ASUS P8Z68-V GEN3 * GEN3 Motherboard, Supports Ivy Bridge and PCIe 3.0 * DDR3 2200 Dual Channel, 32GB Max * SATA 6Gb/s * Quad-GPU SLI & Quad-GUP CrossFireX * PCIe 3.0 x16 [2] * PCIe 2.0 x16 [1] * PCIe 1.0 x1 [2] * PCI [2] * USB 3.0 * 10/100/1000 Ethernet * Digital Optical Audio * $50 instant rebate with CPU purchase 129.99 [$179.99 - $50 IR; exp 03/31/2012] http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0378096 Intel Core i5 2500K * 3.3 GHz; 3.7 GHz Turbo * 4 Cores * 6MB L3 Cache * Unlocked BUS Multiplier; Overclock $179.99 http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589 XFX HD-667X-ZWF4 Radeon HD 6670 * 1GB 128-bit GDDR5; 1200MHz [4.8Gbps] * 800MHz Core Clock * PCIe 2.1 x16 * Eyefinity * Crossfire $74.99 [$99.99 - $25 MIR; exp 03/15/2012] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150577 Pareema 8GB [2x4GB] * DDR3 1333 PC3 10600 * Dual Channel $34.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820576006 OCZ ModXStream Pro 600W * Modular * SLI & Crossfire Certified $39.99 [$74.99 - $10 IR - $25 MIR; exp 3/14/12] http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341017 Cooler Master Elite 430 Case * Mid Height ATX * 6 Fan Mounts $46.71 http://www.nothingbutsoftware.com/catalog_type.asp?ProductCode=132104&ai=1550 Samsung 24X SATA DVD+/-RW * DVD-RAM/±R/±RW * 24x DVD * 48x CD $20.49 http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-SH-222AB-BEBE-Internal-Writer/dp/B004W3J7F0/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1331247815&sr=1-3 Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM * 500GB * SATA 6.0Gb/s $84.99 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822148767 ================================================ Total Price for the PC before Rebates: $662.14 [$60 in Instant Rebates] Total Price for the PC after Rebates: $612.14 [$60 in Instant Rebates, $50 in Mail In Rebates] ================================================= Windows 7 Professional 64-bt $82.99! - Free shipping, No Tax. Windows 7 Professional 64-bit $82.99 http://snaggstuff.com/microsoft-windows-7-professional-64-bit-full-oem-branded-fqc-00765-brd.html

Your computer has an "integrated" video card. This means that it shares the system memory of your computer instead of having its own. This is a much slower way to process graphics on your computer, but it is also much cheaper. It is usually sufficient for day-to-day operations, but not desirable for games. Everything else about your computer should be just fine for playing the game. You have a modern i3 CPU, plenty of system memory, and 64-bit Windows 7 to take advantage of said memory. Looking at the specifications for your computer, you should have 1 available 16x PCI Express slot. Your best solution would be to buy a "discrete" video card, which means that it has its own dedicated memory. This is much, much faster. If you're looking to play the game at under $100, I recommend the AMD Radeon HD 6670. It is low cost and doesn't require additional power cable from your computer to run the video card. For $50 more at about $140, you can get an AMD Radeon HD 6790. This card has roughly twice the bandwidth and should have a significant increase in performance over the other card for only a little bit more. Dependent on your budget, of course. I think either of these two cards will get you playing with minimal investment. For an immediate improvement, I recommend turning of Shadows in the preferences of the game. This seems to offer the biggest improvement in graphics speed for most computer and laptops utilizing integrated graphics.

High affection reduces the time it takes to complete a task, and increases the chance of getting bonus items such as plans for crafting or missions.

I find this frustrating. I can't get any Light or Dark Side items for my character because I actually play it as they should be played. This isn't even on a RP server, just regular PvE. I have a Bounty Hunter who's barely Dark Side I, but only because I have 3000+ Light Side, and 4500+ Dark Side points. I play it as a character that keeps contracts, and does things to the letter (which, if dealing with Sith or Hutts, this is very important RP-wise, as they'd be likely to kill you for straying from their very specific and direct orders.) Sometimes that involves killing people as per the contract, but other times it doesn't. If I were to keep in line with the character's class, it'd be very difficult to make a Dark Side or Light Side Bounty Hunter without breaking most of your contracts. What I keep doing (and it takes a long time) is complete the Black Talon flashpoint, which results in 200 Dark Side points and a net positive affection with Mako, so it works out the best for my character. The problem is that it takes 15 minutes per 200 Dark Side points, so it's not practical past the Dark Side II tier. What I'd like to see are premium Neutral items. This would work great for Revanites, too. Items with a minimum of both Light Side and Dark Side points. Characters that strive (or by happenstance, like my Bounty Hunter) to maintain a balance of both light and dark.

If you look at the bottom of the iMac, there's actually a small door with 2 screws. You just unscrew it to have access to the memory slots. It is a user degradable component, so don't worry about voiding your warranty if you have AppleCare. If you're uncomfortable with handling electronic components, you can ask an Apple Genius at any Apple Store Genius Bar to do it for you for free. The 2009 iMac uses PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM @ 1066MHz. Crucial is a good brand. I recommend their discount brand so long as it has a lifetime warranty. Generally speaking, RAM either works or it doesn't. It isn't often that RAM fails after it is installed. I recommend an 8GB kit containing 2x4GB modules. Your 2009 iMac has the 64-bit EFI firmware. Regardless of the version of OS X you're running, you can install 64-bit Windows 7. Your Windows 7 box should contain both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the OS. As long as you're running 10.5 or newer, you should be fine.