Star Wars: The Old Republic Crew Skills Revealed

BioWare Austin brings us the very first details on some of the skills our companions will be able to employ while traveling around the galaxy in our Star Wars: The Old Republic starship. On crafting:

Whether your team gathers resources or you acquire them through other means, they’ll be the cornerstone of crafting. Depending on how you choose to specialize, your crew will be able to construct armor, weapons, implants, or other types of useful items and gear. You can use these items yourself or put them up on the open market for profit. You’ll receive Crew Skill reports even while you’re away from the ship, and if one of your companions returns with the schematics for a valuable item, you can assign someone else to start crafting the item right away on the ship’s workstation without having to return to the ship! Crafting skills are very specialized disciplines; for your three Crew Skills slots, you’ll be able to select one Crafting skill for your crew to master.

Crafting Skills include:

* Armormech the ability to work with hard metals and electronic shielding to construct all types of personal armor
* Artifice the delicate work of constructing Jedi and Sith artifacts
* Biochem the engineering of performance-enhancing chemical serums and biological implants

And here’s a trailer highlighting the skills:

Why can’t these types of mechanics be present in single player RPGs, too? Must I play an MMO to experience any real depth anymore?