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Combat in SWG somehow missed its mark.

Long ago though it may be, I can still recall the day I experienced the Star Wars universe for the first time. The sun was high in the evening sky as I made my way into the tiny local theater, only to be replaced by a blanket of stars by the time I emerged a couple of hours later. In that span of time, my young, impressionable mind underwent a similar transformation: Having witnessed the start of what would ultimately become a global phenomenon, my lifelong passion for all things sci-fi was born.

More than two decades later, Star Wars Galaxies was unleashed on the masses. By that point I’d already discovered an equally intense passion in the form of MMOs, thanks to the three years I spent playing EverQuest. At the time, the marriage of those two things – Star Wars and MMOs – seemed too good to be true, and in many ways that proved to be the case much to the dismay of diehard fans like myself. I quickly discovered that, though the world may have looked the part, combat in SWG simply wasn’t fun. It was as though EQ were re-skinned with a Star Wars theme, and somewhere along the line the excitement of combat scenarios got lost in translation. What followed is now cemented in MMO history books, for better or worse.

With a new Star Wars MMO on the horizon in the form of BioWare’s Star Wars: The Old Republic, it’s hard to deny a certain sense of déjà vu. Many of the same questions are being asked, but one in particular stands out from the rest – how will BioWare handle combat, and can the developer improve upon what was previously done in Galaxies?

Over the years, BioWare has developed a unique approach to role-playing games, with each successive title building on the strengths of those that came before. There’s a direct progression from early games such as Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights up to the more recent Mass Effect in terms of story, character development and combat mechanics. Combat in particular has drawn heavily from d20 systems, which should come as no surprise considering BioWare’s roots in the Forgotten Realms AD&D setting.  

This system was also used to great effect in the original Knights of the Old Republic, and could very well serve as a basis for combat mechanics in The Old Republic. Mind you, the combat system in Galaxies is just a highly modified d20 system as well, but the key difference here isn’t so much in the math going on behind the wizard’s curtain, but rather in how characters ultimately interact with, and react to their environments.

Though little is currently known about the combat systems in The Old Republic, BioWare has stated that it will be a more choreographed experience, which makes sense if you’ve ever watched some of the impressive lightsaber duals in the Star Wars films. This isn’t two people standing toe-to-toe and haphazardly swinging at their opponent, nor is it the kind of circle-strafe nonsense that melee in many popular MMOs ultimately boils down to. Star Wars melee has always been about fluid, graceful movements and ultimate spatial awareness thanks to a strong connection to the Force.

Tactical awareness should factor heavily into ranged combat.

This naturally extends to ranged combat as well. As a recent poster in our forums pointed out, one issue with ranged combat in Galaxies was that blasters were about as effective as a high powered flashlight, which is in sharp contrast to the deadly beams of energy they emitted in the Star Wars films. Looking at past BioWare titles, this is another area the developer nailed perfectly. Avoiding incoming fire is often just as important as getting a clear shot at your enemies, who typically make the latter extremely difficult.

Some of that was made much easier in previous BioWare single player RPGs thanks to the ability to pause the game and consider tactics. Turning that feature off not only ramps up the difficulty, but makes combat an exhilarating experience. Being an MMO, I highly doubt that players will be able to pause the action in TOR to consider tactical options in the heat of battle, but I’m all for keeping the same sense of urgency once the pause option is removed.

Companion AI has been another staple of BioWare titles over the years, so I was thankful to learn this will also play a key role in the world of The Old Republic. These aren’t simple pets you summon with a spell, or a cat you found roaming around the Ghostlands, but living, breathing characters in their own rights. Not only will your companions have an impact on how story is presented in TOR, but if their use in previous games is any indication, their inclusion can add a new layer of depth to combat situations since players need to consider not only their own actions, but those of their companions as well.

A similar approach to player-controlled pets has already proven to be extremely popular in other massively multiplayer titles such as Guild Wars, which has an entire arena tournament series specifically for solo players using their heroes in battle. The beauty of that system lies in letting players make all of the important decisions up front, in terms of which abilities your heroes will use or what weapons they wield. From there, issuing commands on the fly is a breeze thanks to a simple UI interface. Still, this can really ramp up the fun factor in combat once you get begin to consider not just your own skill set, but those of your companions as well.

If any of that sounds familiar, it should, as BioWare has proven a firm understanding of how friendly AI should function across numerous titles. When you consider that these NPCs will also carry the weight of potential emotional attachment, it only serves to add yet another layer of depth to combat situations. After all, who wants to see their friends fall in battle?

Captain’s Log: Stardate 2090.9

Lightsaber combat should be fluid and graceful.

Being a long time fan of both the Star Wars IP and BioWare’s previous RPGs, simply saying I’m excited to experience TOR is a gross understatement. Though I did play Galaxies at different points in its various combat incarnations, the game never really grabbed me from a combat perspective. Running backwards in circles while shooting just felt wrong in a Star Wars setting, even if it might be perfectly normal in other genres or settings. Deflecting blaster fire with a lightsaber should link directly to your connection to the Force – not to an arbitrary stat that you boosted by putting on a new pair of boots.

While I’ve only scratched the surface as to what we can expect BioWare to do differently with combat in TOR, some more concrete answers will be coming your way soon. “How soon”, you may ask? On Thursday, the 19th at 7PM EST, some of the fine folks from BioWare will be dropping by for a very special Vooncast in the Ten Ton Events room on Voon! The topic of discussion will be combat in TOR, so I highly recommend being there on the 19th. If you don’t already have the Voon client installed, you can get it right here, and then check out the rest of our Vooncast schedule as well.

In the meantime, what are your thoughts on TOR combat? Join in on the discussion right here in our forums, or you can always feel free to send a virtual carrier pigeon to my inbox!

Until next time, dear readers, this is Captain Sardu, signing off!