Star Wars: The Old Republic is going to shock the MMO world.

[DiscoBiscuit]

If you haven't heard about it, Star Wars: The Old Republic (swtor) is an upcoming MMO from Bioware (makers of Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, and Dragon Age). The Game will focus heavily on the players story and how that weaves into the greater story of what's going on in the Game Universe. Also, it will be the first MMO that will be fully voiced (including the player character).

I've been following this game's development since they announced it in '08, and I think it will change the entire industry.

Here are the three cinematic trailers they've released over the last three years at E3.

[YOUTUBE="DOvbv-LkK6w"]Deceived[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE="1ToztqqDcaY"]Hope[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE="MfNhs6sh3_Q"]Return[/YOUTUBE]

I hope I'm not the only one here who is going to play this game, it looks incredible.

Here are a few progression videos of several of the in game classes.

[YOUTUBE="8y20xZQ2eUM"]Jedi Knight Progression[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE="_h12gIcovuI"]Sith Warrior Progression[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE="2zKjfgAJu_s"]Republic Trooper Progression[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE="z4OT2GgrtqA"]Bounty Hunter Progression[/YOUTUBE]

Here are a few trailers for some of the other classes.

[YOUTUBE="X6MNcbQdS24"]Inquisitor Trailer[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE="uh20VA5PBOY"]Smuggler Trailer[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE="HBBb3ad-8D4"]Imperial Agent Trailer[/YOUTUBE]

I couldn't find a good Jedi Consular trailer, but they're basically a more force power focused Jedi class like the Inquisitor is for the Sith.

These videos are just the tip of the ice berg. The game is set to release sometime in the second half of this year and I can't wait.

Hopefully some of you guys know about this game, and are looking forward to playing it just like I am!

More to come.

 

[kelric]

I've been a big BioWare fan for years, back to the Baldur's Gate era, grew up loving Star Wars, and spent way too much time on MMO's back in my day, so I definitely had interest in this. It certainly does look like it has potential. Ironically, it was Knights of the Old Republic that threw me off of MMO's (I was surprised at how much more fun I had with KoToR than MMO's). Having said that, this is a *lot* to bite off, in terms of fan expectations... BioWare and Blizzard are the only two developers I'd really give much of a chance at doing it (EA, however, who bought BioWare, is *not* among them... but as most of this was designed pre-EA, I'd say it still has a chance).

I do wonder how they're going to keep the Star Wars mythos alive, though... it's always seemed to me that an overwhelming number of people would want to play Jedi/Sith... and providing any incentive to play other classes in terms of game balance sort of diminishes the setting of Star Wars. It will be interesting to see if they can pull it off, though.

Having said that, I'm not planning to play. My time playing MMO's ended years ago. As enchanting and gripping as they can be, the model is almost inherently imbalanced... I've got a fair bit of experience playing them (understatement ), and they seem to always devolve into a Skinner Box rat-race. The content is simply too expensive to create for anything but a subscription model, which always drives a "how do we keep people playing longer" style of gameplay.

So yes, I'm interested in it (those videos are impressive), and hope that it does well... but won't play .

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

I think my first character might be a trooper actually.

That second trailer was really the clencher for me.

It's the most expensive project EA has ever worked on (which is saying something), and I have full faith that Bioware is pulling the strings, while EA just signs the requisite checks.

The reaction the game is getting from beta testers has been pretty universally positive.

Most have said that after playing swtor it's pretty difficult to go back to playing other mmo's.

 

[knight]

<most likely to play a storm trooper, imperial agent or bounty hunter.

 

[Octarine]

It looks good, but I too won't be playing it because it's an MMO. Looking forward to hearing some of the music by Lennie Moore and Mark Griskey though.

 

[InvisibleJim]

This thread with its many videos certainly shocked my world. No doubt I will dip my feet in sooner or later.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

[YOUTUBE="dMuwLbcTICI"]Swtor interview with Bioware and Lucas Arts[/YOUTUBE]

[YOUTUBE="Eab0Ys7znH4"]Player ship space combat[/YOUTUBE]

 

[entropie]

I am following the development of SWTOR now to for some years and am always eager to read new articles in the local games magazine. I will most probably not be able to play it and if only very rarely. I have gotten so involved in real life lately, my job is demanding more and more responsibilities, I am working on my doctor degree ( PhD ) and I am about to found a family and build a house. I'ld be able to play with my gf MMO's b ut she's no StarWars fan. I played WoW with her for 5 years but now times are changing.

I hope for SWTOR to become a success, I do not think it will revolutionary change the MMO world but it will most definitly replace WoW. I imagine WoW to die out slowly like counterstrike back in the days, if anyone of you still know that game. I tho do think they will not get full control of the Jedi / Sith balance. This was difficult in the last StarWars game and will be in the next. Dunno, I hope they do and I hope for spacefights aswell

 

[Totenkindly]

I have the same concerns about class balance vs Jedi/Sith ,but I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out once it's released. It's a great franchise, despite how much Lucas himself tried to wreck it with the latter three movie releases, and it thrives well in the hands of people who actually know what they're doing.

 

[JocktheMotie]

SWTOR is a unique puzzle for me. Everything I've seen in terms of actual gameplay scream cookie cutter and dull MMO fare, with nothing in terms of interesting twists or new game mechanics to build on the MMO formula. However, the focus on the personal hero story has me intrigued. I'll most likely treat it as a single player game, play through a couple of classes to experience their stories, and be done with it. Without the Star Wars license and the focus on telling a story I think the game would be very uninspiring and mediocre.

 

[Gish]

I've been playing it in beta form, probably not supposed to say anything, but it's a lot like KOTOR, just taken to an MMO level. It does contain a lot of the typical MMO bullshit, can't really say any more of that for fear of being legally pursued by Bioware. It's solid, but I wouldn't say revolutionary. Music is fucking incredible, though.

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Lucky bastard.

I was a huge fan of Kotor, and have pretty much loved every Bioware game to come out.

I sure do wish I had gotten in the Beta. I applied, but no dice.

 

[Gish]

They just started a new wave a few days ago, keep your eyes out for an invite.

 

[Octarine]

It's solid, but I wouldn't say revolutionary.

Who really has time to play a game that is merely "solid" these days?

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

I'm pretty sure that I'll think it's incredible, but then again I guess fun is in the eye of the beholder.

 

[JocktheMotie]

Yeah, if you're not really an MMO player and not used to the formula, it's going to feel like a fresh experience. I'm sort of a weirdo in that I like MMOs simply because the game is huge and there's a lot to do, lot to learn, lot to throw yourself in to and I'll typically play them for my free month without once partying up or talking to anybody. I'm sure it will be a highly polished and fun final product.

I'm a bit torn, as the Jedi Consular looks a bit more fun to play, but I'm more interested in the Sith Inquisitor's storyline. Jedi are so boring.

 

[entropie]

I need a good rogue or tank class. Something that either kills fast or can take on a lot at once. Hope the smuggler is fun otherwise I'll go for a Jedi Knight. If that both sucks it sure will be an imperial agent

 

[JocktheMotie]

I need a good rogue or tank class. Something that either kills fast or can take on a lot at once. Hope the smuggler is fun otherwise I'll go for a Jedi Knight. If that both sucks it sure will be an imperial agent

The Sith Assassin is stealthy/roguey, while Troopers and Knights seem tanky. Like I said, everything I've watched and read of the game's mechanics suggests completely cookie cutter in terms of class roles, so I'm sure those will all be covered.

 

[entropie]

Sounds cool.

I hope I'll have some time to play that game, maybe I can still coerce my gf to play the game with me

 

[DiscoBiscuit]

Each one of the classes has two advanced classes that you can choose from at level 10.

So instead of there just being 8 classes there are really 16.

I'm probably going to play a:

Republic trooper, with commando as my advanced class.

A jedi knight, with sentinel as my advanced class.

A bounty hunter, with mercenary as my advanced class.