So one of the coolest things about Warhammer (yes, despite bleeding players almost as crazily as Age of Conan, it did have some really good features), was something called “The Tome of Knowledge”. You can read more about it here.

Basically it’s a virtual book that records your character’s progression throughout the game.

It is something that people seemed to universally love. Even people who were quitting the game for other reasons. The Tome of Knowledge always got kudos.

I think it’s a total no-brainer for TOR to have something similar. I’ve cheekily referred to it at the “Datapad of Knowledge”, but obviously that skirts some copyright issues, LOL.

But, as a concept, I think it’s more than sound… I think it’s essential. Who’s with me?

In the original KOTOR we could take over our group members to do things like slice doors, if our character wasn’t as skilled.

It really begs the question, will we be able to take complete control over companions in TOR, in a similar fashion?

Part of me thinks “Yes, it’s a no-brainer…” but part of me isn’t so sure. I kind of like the sense that these companions are truly unpredictable people who might choose to agree or disagree with us, depending which way the wind’s blowing, ie: they’re not slaves who will do each and every thing we tell them to (the epitome of which is, obviously, taking over their body and running around as them instead).

There’s a common phrase bleated on the TOR forums from time to time: “Let TOR be TOR!”

It’s repeated, mantra-like, as if we’re part of some kind of hippie commune, most often when someone says they’d like TOR to feature a mechanic from {insert name of a popular, or sometimes not so popular, MMO here}.

Fair enough, at face value. But I find myself asking, more and more. “So what is TOR?”

I mean, if people are repeating this mantra-like phrase, what does it actually mean?

With the lack of information provided, TOR could prove to be something that a large proportion of us don’t want to play… it could feature game mechanics that send people home in disgust… it could be anything. Quite literally.

So why do people have this zeal to shout, “Let TOR be TOR!” when we’ve hardly scratched the surface on what TOR is?

There’s an expression, be careful what you wish for because it might come true, and I think people should consider it, next time they join the group chanting of, “Let TOR be TOR!” I mean, do you really know what you’re blindly supporting?

If BioWare puts in voice for NPCs, and related stuff, they NEED to ensure it lasts the length of the game. Not do an Age of Conan and have everyone talking Level 1-20, and then silent beyond. It’s the kind of thing, I think, that needs to be all or nothing.

Now, given that the single player KOTOR games had voice, it would seem a no-brainer to do, however, MMOs are such large beasts, it would truly mean a herculean effort if BioWare wanted to do it uniformly across the board (which I think it needs to do). What do you guys think?