Bioware discuss SWTOR player ships, group gameplay and PvP at E3

Fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic have been spoiled at this year's E3, with new game trailers and talks on what we can expect from the game when it launches. Earlier today, we learned the surprising fact that each player would get his own starship and got a first glimpse of what lies ahead for SWTOR's PvP. At their latest presentation, Bioware have now confirmed that space exploration will be a part of the game, using a system very similar to that used by Mass Effect's Normandy. They went on to disclose two of the classes of ship players will be able to get in the game. Players siding with the Republic can get their hands on the Corellian Vanguard light corvette while Imperial players can get the Fury Class Imperial transport.

Skip past the cut to watch this awesome video of SWTOR's ship interiors and find out what's in store for PvP and group gameplay.
Borrowing ideas from other well-established titles, Bioware went on to discuss the game's crafting and PvP systems. Crafting will be "unique but WoW-like", though no specific details have yet been published on it. For PvP, the game will feature some large open PvP areas in addition to instanced warzones. These are intended to act like World of Warcraft's battlegrounds, pitting teams against each other in instanced matches. Transitioning from the game world into an instance is smooth, with absolutely no load time. If it weren't for the glowing green area, you might not even realise you'd entered an instance.

Bioware further announced their plans to push the small group experience in almost every possible way. In a demonstration of group gameplay, they showed a combat scene with a squad of players defending a base. A Trooper acted as the group's main tank, a Jedi Consular healed and the Smuggler ducked from cover to lay down some damage. The Jedi played the role of off-tank, taking care of any additional enemies that strayed into the battle. Keeping the game accessible to the current MMO fanbase, the game will also include raids and a gear progression system. In addition to affecting stats, gear interestingly also affects the abilities your character can use. We got to see some customisation for the Bounty Hunter class, with awesome endgame equipment like rocket launchers and a jetpack.

That's not all we have on SWTOR! Keep an eye on Massively's E3 coverage tonight as we'll be publishing our exclusive interview with Rich Vogel, Vice President and Co-Studio owner of BioWare. Stay with us during E3 as we bring you up-to-date information on SWTOR as we get it.