14 DAY TRIAL // It might be more than one year away from launch, if financial information offered by publisher Electronic Arts is taken at face value, but the developers at BioWare seem to be pretty interested in talking about the big ideas that will power Star Wars: The Old Republic, their upcoming MMO based on the well known science fiction universe.
And it appears that the way Dragon Age: Origins, their pure role playing game launch of 2009, is one of the big inspirations when it comes to how players will be handling companions in the new videogame.
An official BioWare statement on the issues reveals, “While traveling the galaxy, your Companion Characters will provide commentary, information on plots and directions to points of interest - all from their own unique perspectives. Companion Characters may act as your conscience, and try to influence your decisions. In turn, you will influence them, and change how they develop as the story progresses. Based on your choices, some Companions will become your closest friends, others may become your lovers, and a few may even become your enemies!”
BioWare is using a system named Affection at the moment and the developers are promising that each of the classes in the Star Wars MMO will get companions that are designed to complement some of their weaknesses and make it easier to progress through the narrative. It will be important for the player to make sure that they keep those who fight along them content in order to make sure that they perform at their best.
The idea of having companions that can be directly influenced through the actions undertaken by the player have always existed in some form in BioWare titles, but was fully fleshed out in Dragon Age: Origins. The move to add them to Star Wars: The Old Republic is part of the developers’ efforts to make sure players are able to enjoy the MMO as a classic role playing experience if they wish so.