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Star Wars: The Old Republic

发布：2009-07-09　浏览：204

Editor's Note: This article presents 12 ideas for classes in Star Wars: The Old Republic, which still has three unannounced classes. The article is the opinion of the author and is not the actual list Bioware will use. The hype-level for Star Wars: The Old Republic is through the roof and some might consider this curious. After all, according to an article on Kotaku, our most accurate timeframe for a release is "less than a decade," but that hasn't stopped skeptics and fans alike from speculating wildly about the game. Of course, one of the most contentious issues is that of the classes to be featured in The Old Republic. The developers at BioWare have stated that they want fans of Star Wars at every level to be able to recognize and much more importantly, identify, with the available classes in the game. Indeed, the most recent class unveilings have easily recognizable analogues to characters from the films, and BioWare hasn't been shy about the fact these analogues played an important role in determining the implementation of the game's classes. The problem then, is this: there are five classes left to officially reveal (we know Jedi and Sith are coming, come on) but there aren't many "classes" in the films that would make sense while also filling out important roles in gameplay. This isn't to say that BioWare will only stick to the films for their class choices, I do definitely think they will both pull from their own previous Star Wars games, other existing Star Wars games, and of course the Expanded Universe. But there is a definite sense they are going for the "iconic" classes where possible. BioWare has stated in a recent interview that they do want to appeal to MMOG fans and as part of that they aren't looking to totally revolutionize combat with The Old Republic. Instead, fans can expect traditional roles to be present, with tanks being focused on while the ranged DPS do damage. This causes some interesting issues. For one, as mentioned previously, there aren't too many obvious examples of "classes" in general from the films, and the list is narrowed even further if you have to think in class roles. With that said, that brings us to our first issue, and our first two potential classes: The Healing Conundrum Picking out tank or DPS classes that fit within the game and aren't exact copies of each other is a challenge, though a surmountable one, but what about the healers or healing abilities within the game? Will everyone be able to heal themselves to some extent? Will there be dedicated healing roles? There is, of course, the theory that companions will handle healing, and this would definitely make room for more interesting classes if it were true. But if we want to go along with BioWare's statement with regards to their acceptance of tank and DPS roles, it only makes sense that healing roles will be filled as well. #12 Imperial Medic (Sith Empire) Truthfully, I haven't figured out the Sith Empire answer to this issue. A medic class of sorts would make sense, but it is quite boring. Then again, consider the fact the Trooper class isn't necessarily as exciting as say, the Bounty Hunter, so there is some precedent here. There definitely isn't a film analogue to this class, but there were many "healers" in the Expanded Universe, ranging from doctors, to even Jedi and Sith healers. It was either this or Sith Lord using lifetaps. The straight up medic or combat medic type seems more likely. My inability to really sort out the healing issue for the Sith Empire is what still gives me hope that players will simply be able to heal themselves using medpacs and such, but then there is this to consider... #11 Jedi Consular (Galactic Republic) As I will get into further later in the article, it is my belief that the Sith and Jedi classes will have specialization trees or sub-classes, and one such specialization for the Jedi would be the Consular. The Jedi Consular is present in previous Knights of the Old Republic games, and in the Pen & Paper games. Let it be known that I would hate for the Jedi Consular to fill the healer role for the Republic, but there is precedent for this type of gameplay in the Knights of the Old Republic games. It would also make sense for BioWare to want to allow Jedi players to be able to specialize in force power usage. Of course, they wouldn't be tossing out bolts of lightning, but instead would have crowd control, buffs, and most importantly, healing abilities. This class or specialization would be a convenient and easy to imagine solution to the healer issue, at least on the Republic side. Would it be popular? I'm not sure; it depends on who you ask. I don't want to see Jedi sitting in the back healing anyone as much as the next Star Wars fan, but some concessions have to be made for gameplay purposes, so I consider this a potential class. Use The Force As I touched on briefly in the healer issue, I believe The Old Republic will allow for specializations, or specs, for all classes announced, and one could speculate wildly as to what this would mean for other classes, but the Sith and Jedi are a bit easier to tackle, even this early on. Below are some potential Sith and Jedi sub-classes or specializations: #10 & #9 Sith Marauder / Jedi Guardian (Sith Empire / Galactic Republic) I'm sure many of you are familiar with these two if you've played Knights of the Old Republic II. These two specializations would fill two important gameplay roles: DPS and Tanking. Both classes focus more on lightsaber combat and less on contemplations of deeper aspects of The Force. If you'd like, think of a Warrior in World of Warcraft. I know WoW examples make you cringe, but work with me here. Making use of various traditional (stances) or new mechanics, the Guardian or Marauder could switch between tank and DPS roles. #8 Sith Assassin (Sith Empire) This class draws directly from the Knights of the Old Republic lore. Sith Assassins were captured Jedi and Sith soldiers that were sent to the Trayus Academy (featured in Knights of the Old Republic II) and trained in stealthy, ambush based combat. Sith Assassins also had a tendency to use other more exotic weapons, such as force pikes, which would fill the gaping hole that is the apparent lack of non-lightsaber melee combat. The Sith Assassin would also be a viable counter to the Smuggler on the Republic side as the Sith Empire's stealth class. #7 Sith Lord (Sith Empire) Again, another class straight out of the Knights of the Old Republic games, the Sith Lord would be a specialization for players who want to focus on force power usage. For the Palpatines everywhere who just want to see people writhe in agony as they are assailed by a cascading torrent of force lightning, this would be your class of choice. Functionally, the class would also fill the mage-like ranged nuker role. Face it, some people who play aren't going to care about Star Wars and will just be wondering, "Where the hell is my Fireball?" so the Sith Lord being a class would be a win-win situation. The Sith Lord: A class for the fans, and for those who can't tell a Mynock from a Womprat. The Diplomat brings to mind such characters as Chancellor Palpatine, Padme Amidala, and especially Leia Organa, but why the heck is this a pet class? The answer is easy, bodyguards. It is pretty commonplace for diplomats or politicians to have bodyguards, so the class would draw most of its combat abilities from their pets. The diplomat would perhaps be allowed more choice in companion characters, more companion characters than would be normally allowed, etc. To use Queen Amidala as an example, you might even see special pets in the form of decoys, trading some combat capability in order to confuse your foes. The diplomat would also be helpful in groups. For example, it has been revealed that BioWare has essentially made dialogue multiplayer in The Old Republic. While that is its own can of worms (Kill him! No, spare him!), it also provides some interesting possibilities. A diplomat would be handy in group situations to perhaps help a friend get out of a sticky situation in a quest dialogue event, or gain access to information that would otherwise be unavailable, etc. #5 Crime Lord (Sith Empire) This is the Sith Empire's answer to the Diplomat; this class would be largely the same, though perhaps more focused on offense and underhanded techniques. Domination or bribery dialogue options, bribing (charming) NPC enemies, perhaps even turning a diplomat or other players' companions on their masters, are potential abilities of the Crime Lord. Think of the Mastermind in City of Villains, or you know, Jabba the Hutt. Just having Hutts playable would make my day, I mean come on, who doesn't want to make a Hutt named Pizza the Hutt? Ah, but I digress. #4 Droid Engineer (Sith Empire / Galactic Republic) Droids are loved by many Star Wars fans and there are many gamers who appreciate all things mechanical, so naturally some sort of droid engineer would be a clear fit. The droid engineer would make use of powerful droids in and outside of combat. How about an army of HK droids at your disposal to put the fear of God into those damned meatbags? Or maybe, even some medical droids to assist in healing your allies? The possibilities are pretty deep. Droids also have a wide representation within the films and Expanded Universe filling a multitude of roles from Protocol droids like C-3PO to well, being useless, like MSE-6 Mouse Droids (ok, they're cute, but what do they DO?!). Consider this class or a class like it pretty likely. Stealth #3 Imperial Intelligence Agent / Sith Spy (Sith Empire) Some people are divided on whether the Bounty Hunter is the "mirror" of the Smuggler, or whether the Bounty Hunter "mirrors" the Trooper. If you subscribe to the latter theory, then there is a hole, at least right now, where a mirror to the Smuggler is concerned. I did mention the Sith Assassin as a potential option, but there is also the Imperial Intelligence agent or Sith Spy to consider. A recent thread on the official Star Wars: The Old Republic forums lends some credibility to this theory. Many fans, including myself, were confused to see what appeared to be a Smuggler in the Deceived trailer shown at E3, assisting the Sith against the Galactic Republic. After all, the Smuggler is a Republic class. What gives? The thread in question shows an early screenshot from The Old Republic of a character in a uniform that closely resembles that of the Twi'lek in the trailer, making use of the cover system and wielding a pistol. While it could be considered somewhat of a stretch, the possibility of a Sith Spy is there. Wish List / Honorable Mentions: #2 Pilot (Sith Empire / Galactic Republic) No one knows whether Star Wars: The Old Republic will launch with space gameplay, but if it did, what about a pilot class? Fans of the old LucasArts space games such as X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter, X-Wing Alliance, or even Rogue Squadron would be in heaven (I know I would) if the game included space gameplay with a storyline as deep as what we can expect from the other classes. The problem, of course, is what would they do on the ground? Call in air strikes? It's hard to say. Though there is an argument to be made for this as an "iconic" class. After all, Luke spent a large portion of his adventure as a pilot in the films before he really came into his own as a Jedi. This class is much less likely, though something I would personally be excited for were it announced. #1 Slicer (Sith Empire / Galactic Republic) Fans of the Expanded Universe would love to see a slicer in The Old Republic. The best real world comparison to a slicer would be a hacker, or more appropriately, the Hollywood version of hackers. Slicers often lived double lives, having different identities and selling information. Armed with a datapad and technical know-how, a slicer can get you the information you need, or into areas otherwise inaccessible. Most examples of slicers are found in the Expanded Universe, but they received a subtle mention from Mon Mothma in Return of the Jedi with the line "Many Bothans died to bring us this information." Bothan spies are notorious for being excellent slicers. This class would be a sure fan favorite if announced for The Old Republic. Unfortunately, there aren't too many practical applications for a slicer's skills in your everyday combat situation, so I don't see this as a likely class to appear in the game. Perhaps, like Smugglers in Star Wars Galaxies, the gameplay options will be available through a feat tree, but hopefully unlike Star Wars Galaxies, that slicer gameplay won't amount ridiculously "slicing" gear to upgrade for players. Slicer gameplay would make excellent sense for a Sith Spy / Imperial Intelligence Agent as well. At the very least, expect slicer companions. Atton Rand, a companion character in Knights of the Old Republic II was also a slicer. That about wraps it up for our list of potential Star Wars: The Old Republic classes. Got your own ideas for potential classes? Let us know in the forums!

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