They hype of this game since the official announcement from Bioware and LucasArts has increased substantially. I’m actually quite amazed at the amount personally, I didn’t quite expect this much. I covered The Force Unleashed (www.forceunleashed.org) and it wasn’t even close to the amount of hype The Old Republic is getting when it was announced. It really tells the scope and popularity of The Knights of the Old Republic series.

There is still no news on a single player version of The Old Republic or a single player KOTOR 3 (which is doubtful now), but a lot of us are still hoping. To be honest, personally, i’d rather have a single player version, i’m not into MMO’s much.

Some more infomation on The Old Republic will be up on this site soon, but for now, some information was posted on The Old Republic official forums (SWTOR.com), which include a barrage of Frequently Asked Questions.

Some include:

Will there be space flight?
The developers are not yet talking about the space experience and likely will not be ruling it out any time soon.

What classes will there be?
At this time the only announced classes are that of the Jedi and Sith. Though the Sith is also technically a race as well. It is unknown if you can play as the Sith race.

What races will there be?
The only confirmed race is that of Humans. However given the timeframe Mandalorians have not been ruled out, and no confirmation about whether potential Sith classes are in fact part of the Sith race.

Will there be instancing?
Yes, there will be instancing. However just because a MMO has a story driven foundation, does not mean that there will be too much instancing. While delivering a quality story to players is important, the developers realize just how important interaction with other players is.

What are companions?
Companions are non-player characters (NPCs) who will help the player form two person group. In combat he NPCs recruited become directly controlled by the player, or allowed to think for themeslves. Players can have several companions over time, however players may only have one active companion with them at any one time. Companions help players find a balance between strong melee chracters, characters who wield guns and weapons, and those that provide different types of auxiliary support, such as smugglers. The characters interact with the player and each other during the game, and are a vital part of the atmosphere and story of each character.

What kind of companions can we expect to see?
Undoubtedly droids as well as other NPC characters and classes.

Will there be PvP?
Yes, according to the Kotaku article there will be some PvP in SWTOR. However at this time it has not be publicly discussed and likely the details of which will not be revealed in the near future.

Will there be Crafting?
Yes, there will be crafting. Lightsaber crafting is an important part of any force sensitive user. Moisture farming however, likely will not be. With such a story driven foundation players will most likely find that crafting is suited to enhancing the game rather than detracting from it.

Is this a MMO?
Yes, Star Wars: The Old Republic is a MMO, or “massively multiplayer online game”. Star Wars: The Old Republic will allow thousands of players to explore, adventure, and fight in a single game session.

How does Star Wars: The Old Republic differ from other MMO titles?
Star Wars: The Old Republic will be similar to other MMOs but with several key innovations. Traditionally MMOs are built on three pillars; Exploration, Combat, and Progression. We at BioWare and LucasArts believe there is a fourth pillar: Story. Our mission is to create the best story-driven games in the world. We believe that the compelling, interactive storylines in Star Wars: The Old Republic are a significant innovation to MMOs and will offer an entertainment experience unlike any other.

While there are some tasks that cannot be completed without the cooperation of others, the majority of the game can be accomplished by playing alone.

What Species and Classes can I play as?
We have yet to announce specific playable species and classes.

Will I be able to travel to other worlds?
Yes, you will be able to travel to many of the planets featured in the Star Wars movies and in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. There will also be a number of new planets and star systems to explore.

Will I be able to play on the Light or Dark side of the Force?
Yes, during character selection you will align with the Republic or the Sith Empire. In addition, throughout the game you will also be faced with many decisions which can change your path down the Light or Dark side of the Force.

When does Star Wars: The Old Republic take place in relation to the movies?
Star Wars: The Old Republic takes place more than 3,500 years before the rise of Darth Vader. The most powerful Sith Empire in history has emerged from deep space to attack the Republic and its legendary Jedi guardians. After decades of war, a tenuous truce has been established between the Sith Empire and the Republic, but events occurring in the game are leading the galaxy back to an all-out war.

How does Star Wars: The Old Republic relate to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic?
Star Wars: The Old Republic takes place approximately three hundred years after the events of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR). At the conclusion of the Jedi Civil War in KOTOR, Revan disappeared into unknown space in search of a great threat to the Republic, an expanding Sith Empire led by a mysterious Emperor who planned vengeance for his ancient Jedi enemies. Revan never returned from unknown space, but the Sith Empire did, kicking off a war with the Republic that lasted for decades. Now, despite the uneasy truce created by the Treaty of Coruscant, the tension among the divided star systems is threatening to once again tear the galaxy apart.

Will I see any characters from Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic?
Given that it is approximately 300 years since the events of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, many of the characters have passed away. However, their legacy does live on as many of their descendants will be part of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Some droids can last a long time as well.

When will Star Wars: The Old Republic be released?
No release date has been set for Star Wars: The Old Republic. To keep informed as to the status of Star Wars: The Old Republic, be sure to join our newsletter. We also encourage you to visit the official website to view regularly scheduled content updates.

Will Star Wars: The Old Republic be released in multiple countries?
Star Wars: The Old Republic will be released simultaneously in various countries of the world and the service will be localized in several languages. More details on this will be released at a later date

How much will it cost to play Star Wars: The Old Republic?
Pricing for Star Wars: The Old Republic will be determined and announced at a later date.

What are the system requirements for Star Wars: The Old Republic?
We will detail specific system requirements closer to the release date.

All I can say, after following the announcement of Star Wars: The Old Republic, it seemed like the hype of the game just exploded!! I couldn’t believe all the sites that had information up, including screenshots, inside information, story plots ect.. it was crazy, I couldn’t even keep up. Not long after the announcement as well, the official site went up. It was weird, not knowing anything about the game and then all of a sudden, bam!, we know lots.

So far i’ve heard mixed reactions, which is to be expected. A lot of people love the idea that it is going to be a MMO and a lot are despised at the fact. It would be nice to have both a MMO and a single player version offline, but guess what, I doubt that’s going to happen.

Here’s some additional information so far on the game:

Shacknews.com also examines companion characters. Excerpt below:

‘”Companion characters–we want them to be more than pets,” said creative designer James Ohlen. “We want them to be virtual friends. We want you to interact with them and become friends with them.”

There will also be plenty of interaction between the player and the companions. “You’ll be able to form friendships, romance companion characters, or even to trade them,” added Ohlen.”

1up.com covers the possiblity of a future console version of TOR:

‘”We’re definitely looking at the opportunity to bring the MMO experience to console, without question,” Gibeau said when speaking to Eurogamer. (Frank Gibeau is president of the EA Games label) “We’ve got this product, and we’ve got Warhammer at play. So we’re trying to look at the primary research required to understand how would you deploy it, what the client size looks like, how big is the back-end, what the play experience looks like… Once we’ve got some of those questions answered, we’ll be able to decide which is the right play to go after.”

When pressed whether he was specifically talking about the potential of console versions for both WAR and TOR (those acronyms fit together nicely, huh?), Gibeau replied, “They’re both under consideration,” although he also added, “We’re not really in a place to commit or announce anything specific with regards to those.” But by the sound of it, it sure seems as if there’s a high probability we’ll be seeing a console version of at least one of these games eventually.”

Source: TheForce.net

Shortly after the announcement, GameSpot.com came out with a great article as well as some video coverage of the game.

According to BioWare cofounder Dr. Ray Muzyka, although the traditional massively multiplayer game focuses on such things as combat, exploration, and character progression, the new game will attempt to introduce a “fourth pillar–story.” Indeed, story will play a significant role in the game and will drive the motivations of all characters, including your own. In addition to choosing a profession from what LucasArts refers to as “a variety of…classic Star Wars roles,” your character will also be able to pursue an education in the mysterious ways of the Force, either as a Jedi padawan learning the Light Side, or as a Sith apprentice, learning the ways of the Dark Side. The game will also feature “companion” characters that will join you in your quest and either fight alongside you, or betray you, depending on their motives…and yours.

Because the game takes place in the universe of KOTOR, fans of that game can expect to see people, places, things, and story elements they may already be familiar with. The game takes place in the wake of what is considered in the Star Wars universe to be a controversial political decision–the Treaty of Coruscant, which called for an uneasy peace between the once-united Republic and the increasingly powerful Sith Empire, led by Emperor Naga Sadow. Unfortunately for the Republic, the treaty was more or less a surrender agreement that ceded control of many planets to the growing forces of the Dark Side, even as the many defeats that the Republic suffered at the hands of the Sith divided the hearts and minds of Republic citizens across the galaxy, even going so far as to foster mistrust of the Republic’s traditional guardians, the mystical Jedi Knights. The inscrutable Jedi, themselves, have withdrawn their central council from the planet of Coruscant to the traditional Jedi homeworld of Tython, where a new council grapples with the Republic’s loss of faith in the Order, as well as with the discovery of ancient ruins that may house dark secrets, and an incursion of settlers of the Twi’lek race (the race of humanoids with long tentacles extending from their heads, such as Bib Fortuna from Return of the Jedi and Mission Vao from the KOTOR game)

The press conference then showed off a gameplay trailer, which showed brief looks at the revealed worlds of Tython and Korriban, the latter of which resembles a more-developed version of what we saw in the original KOTOR. Like in that game, the world includes a desert valley leading to the tombs of fallen Sith Lords, but to help indicate that the new game takes place 300 years after the events in the original KOTOR games, the valley is far more developed and has more and larger mining machinery to excavate the relics from the Sith tombs. It also showed several combat sequences, including a duel between a Light side jedi and what appeared to be an alien bounty hunter with a wrist-mounted flamethrower

Check out the full article here.