BioWare doesn't want you to pick flowers in its upcoming massively multiplayer game, Star Wars: The Old Republic.
No, this isn't a propagation of a secret anti-floral agenda. But BioWare's aversion to forcing players to rummage through bushes for crafting materials plays a significant role in its innovative approach to resource collecting and item creation.
MMOs typically suffer from extremely mundane crafting systems, but TOR's introduction of non-player companion characters — a staple of BioWare games — cleanly takes care of all the muckwork inherent to crafting.
The secret? Delegation.
"We drew a line in the sand when it came to boring tasks in The Old Republic," says Lead Writer Daniel Erickson. "We constantly ask ourselves, 'What would Darth Vader do?', and it certainly wouldn't involve making 60 pairs of boots."
TOR's "Crew Skills" system is split into three main categories: gathering, crafting, and missions. The whole shebang is designed for a player to capitalize on their retinue of companions that join up throughout the course of the game.
"You can take one companion with you for questing, but what about the rest of the group left behind on your ship?" Erickson asks. "The Crew Skills system was created to put them to work for you."
And the entire process can be completely hands-off. "We're giving the player the power to say, 'Hey, I'm in charge, and I've always got something for my crew to do,' which adheres to the heroic theme of the [Star Wars] films," Erickson says.
For example, the gathering aspect of the Crew Skills system can be used to tap into hard-to-reach resource nodes. Spotted some tricky mineral ore behind a formidable beastie? Grab its attention and send your companion after the node. They'll scoop up the precious cargo and lope back to your side.
In fact, players can set their companions to automatically harvest any nearby resources, allowing you to focus squarely on more important matters, like killing things in the name of the Sith Empire or the Republic within the much touted story-driven gameplay.
Crafting takes place entirely on your ship. Once more, you don't have to lift a finger to get results. Simply call forth your minio…er, crew members and give them orders to get crafting. Afterwards, you can kick back in your captain's quarters, relax, and fire up a game of sabacc while your team toils away at the workbench.
And even though crafting times vary "from five minutes to 23 hours," according to Erickson, "You don't have to be online to progress your projects." Essentially, this liberating feature turns TOR's crafting into a measure of time rather than an arbitrary skill number. "Set your jobs, give your crew something to craft, and sign off. They'll keep right on working until the next time you sign on."
Erickson spells it out even further. "What are the great parts of crafting? The social aspect, the prestige, and being able to show your stamp of approval on the things you make. What's not exciting? Watching a status bar 60 times in a row while staring at wall."
And finally, even brave, silver-tongued heroes need a break from adventuring and hobnobbing with prominents throughout the galaxy. Enter the Mission system, perhaps the most lucrative, risky, and unique feature of Crew Skills.
Companions can be sent on a variety of missions ranging from diplomatic negotiations (which earn you Dark side or Light side morality points) to chance-heavy treasure hunts.
"You're looking for a crit," quips Erickson. "And every companion is better suited for specific types of missions, and hence a higher chance to get that sweet piece of loot or an extra bunch of morality points." Sending the spunky Twi'lek Vette — whose resume includes the occupation of "treasure hunter" — to find loot will usually yield better results than sending someone else. Assigning the witty Kaliyo Djannis to conduct talks can nudge you a little further towards the Light side or Dark side.
Ultimately, Crew Skills empower players to "do something interesting and active" with their companions. And while the notion of fashioning dozens of boots may not jive with Darth Vader's aestethic, your faithful crew's eagerness to gather resources, produce ever-higher quality items, and complete missions for you certainly increases the fun factor in a galaxy far, far away.