Here we are. It's the eve of the eve of the first anniversary of the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic and what do we wake up to? Presents!

Talk about light speed.

It's possible you're familiar with a little game called Star Wars: The Old Republic, and how that game recently transitioned to a free-to-play business model. If you weren't before, you are now. And now that we're all on the same page, BioWare wants to hear from us.

Editorial: When I first heard about Star Wars: The Old Republic moving to Free-to-Play, I cheered BioWare on for making a smart move. As it became increasingly squashed under the weight of a number of summer releases, the switch to free would breathe new life into the game just as Christmas approached. At least, that was the theory.

What actually happened was an onslaught of concern and criticism over what would generously be described as “overly aggressive monetization”. When patch 1.5 went live on the public test server, and we were able to try out life as a free-to-play newcomer, I was stunned. Lower XP rates and no rested XP? No ability to hide an equipped helm? Only two hotkey bars?

Are you ready for a good story? I hope so, because Massively's Larry Everett took some time to chat with BioWare's Hall Hood, lead story-wrangler on Star Wars: The Old Republic.

For those unfamiliar, Hall is a member of the old guard and has been with the SW:TOR team since early in the development process. I personally had a chance to meet and interview him at Star Wars Celebration in Orlando several years ago, and he's a great guy. So, he's been around to see it all, which gives his input on game issues - especially when it comes to story - tons of value.

The fine chaps over at BioWare want everyone to know that they're going to be hosting their second-ever Star Wars: The Old Republic LiveStream Q&A event very soon. Not only that, but they would like you to actually attend and participate in said event! Here's the info you need:

Date: November 29, 2012

Time: 3:00PM - 3:30PM Central Standard Time (Convert to your time zone here.)

Place: Offical Star Wars: The Old Republic LiveStream Channel

Were you anticipating Star Wars: The Old Republic's update as much as I was? And not just for HK-51, as the devs explain here, because there's a ton of new content coming, including the Nightmare Mode for Operation: Explosive Conflict, the Dread Guard gear set, a new mount, and best of all Section X on Belsavis with a new scaling monster and pseudo-stealth segments. 

Julian "Mirai" Williams

We’ve known for a while that Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) was looking to introduce a free-to-play option. We spoke with Jeff Hickman about it at Gamescom, and recently saw the planned changes on the Public test Server. The final piece of information that eluded us was when the changes would go live.

The answer is sooner than you think. The transition to free-to-play, together with Game Update 1.5, the HK-51 droid quest line, and the introduction of the Cartel Market, will happen on Thursday 15th November.

Instead of switching completely to free-to-play, BioWare is adopting a more flexible approach. At one end are newcomers, who can get into SWTOR and experience some of the best storytelling in any MMO, right through to level cap. While free players have several restrictions on their accounts, such as inventory size, character slots and PvP access, subscribers will continue to have full access to every aspect of the game. As an added bonus, anyone who subscribed before August 1st and has an active subscription when Update 1.5 goes live gets a free Party Jawa!

For Star Wars: The Old Republic, the upcoming transition to a free-to-play game has given BioWare plenty of reason to stand atop the tallest skyscraper on Coruscant and shout about the changes players can expect to see this fall. Yesterday, Executive Producer Jeff Hickman took an opportunity to address fans with his first "state of the game" in that role.

Whether you currently play Star Wars: The Old Republic or used to, there's no denying that BioWare realized a beautiful, stylized Star Wars universe. Well, that universe is about to get just a little bit more beautiful in Game Update 1.5.