How Star Wars: The Old Republic’s developers craft choice in the story

A role-playing game can sometimes force the player to make a difficult decision. This could be a dilemma of morality or the question of which sacrifices to make. Star Wars: The Old RepublicMMO with an emphasis on narrative content. This game is a MMO that makes the player sweat. While the galaxy’s politics can change over time, and new enemies appear or are vanquished, the core of the game remains making those tough choices.

The Old RepublicBioWare Austin is the developer. They have been updating this game faithfully since its original release in 2011. Next expansion is Legacy of SithThe expansion introduces endgame content that allows players to chase down the rogue Sith Lord and take him to Manaan (a planet with water). There are many important updates in the game’s early stages. The expansion includes new options for character creation that allow players to match and mix their weapons, abilities and stories, as well as funnel them down the correct route.

“We’re continuing a storyline that kicked off with our last expansion, and even before that with a plot,” said Charles Boyd, creative director on Star Wars: The Old Republic Polygon in an interview. “There’s a lot going on with [Darth] Malgus, and he’s going rogue a bit. There’s also a storyline where there’s a civil war brewing among the Mandalorians.”

One of the greatest points in Star Wars history has been the Sith. The Old RepublicIt is possible. There’s no Rule of Two, which means there are tons of them, and they’re all constantly fighting. That conflict is great for game design, according to Boyd, because everywhere the Sith go, conflict follows: “With Sith, it’s built right in. That’s their instinct, to bounce off each other as violently as possible.”

While there’s plenty of new stuff to explore, it’s still worth stopping to go through those old campaigns, especially since the chaff has been cleaned out. BioWare has maintained a friendly attitude over the years and reduced the number of games that players have to play. It’s possible to skip past the campaign side quests, filler material, and early expansion content like the Hutt Cartels and get right into the meat of intergalactic adventure, evil emperors, and moral choices. Something that makes the MMORPG feel like, well, an RPG is that the early campaigns are still very relevant to the endgame story, and the player’s choices matter throughout.

Even in their early days of playing, the characters they meet can be brought back to life. “We have so many cool characters, anytime we’re establishing a situation we’re like, Ok, so who is the right person to do this?” says Boyd. “We have a wealth of choices that are already established that folks already know and can get excited to see again, but it’s also a challenge because it’s a huge cast. We only have so much canvas to paint on at any one time.”

Image by BioWare/Electronic Arts

When expansions are like Legacy of SithThis huge cast is a great boon when the right characters are available. Lana Beniko and other characters are loyal to their player and offer different interpretations of Sith philosophy. These characters and their impact on the game help to set the scene for Darth Malgus or the Sith as antagonists. Different characters can be encountered in different campaigns. While my Agent might have a good understanding of one assassin, my Smuggler may not.

“Whenever we look at a scene, one of the key pieces we look at is, how can we change this for a Sith Lord versus a bounty hunter versus a Jedi?” says Boyd. “You need the story moving in the same direction for most everyone, because otherwise it’d turn into a big mess. But we also want to honor who you are — or were when you started — and make sure the characters treat you importantly.”

Boyd continues, “We’ll know the general premise of where [the story is]Going, we think Ok, now, which would you choose as the most moral? Sometimes they aren’t even Dark Side or Light Side; it’s about loyalty. Then, we build the story around that and work backwards so we can make it less about morals or your character and more about you personally engaging as much as possible.”

Image by BioWare/Electronic Arts

Legacy of Sith’s new character creation options make going through the campaigns again an appealing option, since you can mix and match weapons and skills from different classes under the tech or Force umbrellas. These stories are still very popular.

Dark Side Inquisitor, for instance, is the most unhinged fun I’ve ever had in an RPG of any genre. I was a complete girlboss and walked the galactic streets, electrocuting anyone who opposed me. And dealing with administrators who treated me as if I were a child with a gun. You can become a dual or triple agent by following the Imperial Agent story.

Legacy of SithIt is scheduled to go public before the 2021 end. This will also be the start of it The Old Republic’s 10th anniversary event, which runs throughout 2022.