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So we have our date for 7.1: the 2nd of August. 

It would perhaps be expected by some that I make harsh comments against BioWare, accusing them of breaking their "promise" made last July that this year would be exciting and with updates every other month, and expressing my view that a 6-month delay to the other half of 7.0's content is nothing short of insulting.

I'm not going to do any of that.

Yes, the 6-month delay is concerning, and it indicates that among all the changes that BW have made to the gearing systems that were originally announced to be coming in with the operation - mods at 328 and 330 instead of strictly at 334, and VM R-4A allowing players to get up to 340 rating armour pieces instead of maximum 334 - that something more is going on behind the scenes at BW.

I won't attempt to try and delve into all the potential issues going on with the studio, but it's clear that for whatever reason BW aren't in the position they want or need to be to be delivering the content the way they would have wanted. 

It's unfortunate, but that's game development, especially under the umbrella that is EA. If they say jump, you probably have to ask "how high?" or risk getting fired.

So, no, I will not attack BW for "lying" about the stuff they "promised" to do. This is not the first time that a game studio, not even BW with their handling of SWTOR, has indicated their intent to do something and then had to walk back after exploring options or getting criticism for it, or whatever. And sometimes, that walk-back proves to be absolutely necessary and even celebrated - look at the scrapped plans to implement CR 301 - 400, for example. 

The potential factors behind these walk-backs are concerning, of course they are, but ultimately not those that are likely in BW's control at the moment. Hopefully they can begin to get themselves back on track ASAP without burning the current team out in the process. Is it disappointing that things are as they are? Of course it is. Nobody, not even BioWare, I think, can deny that this has definitively been one of the worst years for SWTOR from a development perspective. It will, I'm sure, recover, but the question remains of just how much the studio needs to recover itself in the process. Time will tell.

In other news, Charles Boyd, the current lead writer, is departing on the 5th of August. I wish him well in all future endeavours, and I feel he's leaving a strong team to take over with his departure. His presence has always been a delight in streams, and I enjoyed chatting with him at the Star Wars Celebration booth in London in 2016. I shall miss hearing his voice in streams and seeing his sheer enthusiasm for the world he's helped create, but again, that's life. People move on. 

The reveal of the release date for 7.1 also ties in quite nicely to this being the week I had chosen as my "taster week" for getting back into things. I was always intending to restart on a Tuesday, since before leaving for my holiday in France back in May, I finished off the last week of a login calendar, so picking the game back up on a Tuesday meant that the daily and calendar resets now align at long last.

Yes, I still have OCD.

I took my trooper through a couple of daily zones just to reacquaint myself with combat etc., as well as completing her Conquest, but ultimately I feel that it's just too damn hot to even begin to contemplate at the moment whether I feel that the spark is still there. I hope everyone reading this is able to keep safe and cool if you're affected by the current heatwave.

I'll keep at it, just chipping away here and there, and hopefully I'll get a better understanding of where I stand by the weekend. I'm still very much on the fence about raiding, and I don't think I'll have made my mind up fully even by the time 7.1 launches. I know my guild is busy ramping up to take all three teams into R-4A in the first week, and I wish them the very best of luck with seeing what's what. It remains to be seen whether I shall be there or not, and I'm not willing to commit either which way at the moment.

One thing I am determined to miss out on with 7.1, however, is the Nar Shaddaa Nightlife. I will not get involved with any more virtual gambling. No more.