Preview: Star Wars: The Old Republic

There is still a lot up in the air when it comes to The Old Republic. Fans are speculating to no end and BioWare is being careful to not release too much information about the game too soon. When the game was announced last October, not a lot was revealed about the game aside from the fact that it was set in The Old Republic and it was trying to add a fourth pillar to MMO gameplay: story. The game will replace any single-player KotOR 3 RPG that many fans were waiting for as it’s said to essentially be KotORs 3, 4, 5, 6, and beyond.

Since then, we have had a few announcements and revealings, but still not much is known. Gameplay specifics are few and far between. We know there will be an experience-based leveling system, but not what the level cap will be or about how long it will take to reach max level. So far, the only class officially announced is the Bounty Hunter, though we know there will be Jedi and Sith classes as well. Rumors say there will be 8 total classes, and judging by the fact that Bounty Hunter is exclusive to the Sith faction, it’s safe to say there will be 4 unique classes per side, but each having a counterpart for the other faction. For example Jedi and Sith, and don’t be surprised to hear about a Smuggler class for the Republic to match the Bounty Hunter for the Sith.

Each class in The Old Republic will have their own class story, so you will not see the same quests when playing as different classes. At least that is the plan. This is why BioWare has touted the game to have more content than all previous BioWare games combined. Quite a declaration when you look at games like Baldur’s Gate II which you could sink over 100 hours into.

Companion characters will also be a huge part of the game. Similar to your party members in the two Knights of the Old Republic games, you will have to make choices which will affect how your companion thinks of you. You will also have the ability to betray your companion or even engage in a romance with them. It is not yet clear how exactly the companion system will work; one potential problem will be whether you will see other players with a similar or even clone of your companion. Hopefully BioWare already has this system in place where your companion is unique to you in appearance and name at least. The game is supposed to be one where no two players will have the same experience, but if too much dialog is shared between different companions it may not pan out this way.

Everything in the game is supposed to be of epic proportions. The choices you make will have influence on the world around you. Rather than simply doing quests and receiving credits as a reward, the fate of the galaxy is supposed to be at your hands with every decision you make. The game will probably be different from Galaxies in this regard, in which you can play as a merchant class. There is nothing epic about basket weaving, but BioWare has said there will still be a crafting system in the game.

Staying true to it’s KotOR roots, you will not start the game off defined as good or evil. You definitely pick and stick with a faction (Republic or Sith), but the choices you make in the game will influence your alignment. So you can be a good person who just ended up as a Sith, or a Jedi who turns to the Dark Side.

Several planets have been announced so far. Initially confirmed were Tython and Korriban, the Jedi and Sith homeworlds, respectively. Since then, we have learned that Hutta and Ord Mantell will be in the game. It can also be reasonably assumed that Coruscant will make an appearance.

There is still a lot to uncover when it comes to The Old Republic. Even with all of the above knowledge, we still know relatively little about how the game will actually play. Look forward to The Old Republic coming to a galaxy near you in 2010!