Due to the scarcity of topics about actual role-playing mechanics (or any other sort of real thread about anything TOR-related), I guess this warrants a discussion.

Since BioWare has been particularly mum on the topic of combat, skills, and whatnot, does any here believe that BioWare will use a standard, role-playing system, complete with skills, attributes, feats, and any other RPG elements? Or perhaps, will TOR simply be a skill-less game, more of an action game, than having turn-bases combat, rolls, and other features?

This brings into question the lack of "RPG" in "MMORPG". Since TOR has been primarily listed as an "MMO", sans "-RPG", does this indicate the lack of a role-playing system, and more of an action-adventure influenced game?

I think it will have similar combat to other MMORPGs, with realtime action-based combat but still have skill trees similar to that in Diablo or WoW and have different feats or whatever that you can use in combat. I think people just say MMO because it's easier, I think TOR will be just as much MMORPG as other games in that genre if not more, because of BioWare's history.

I'd say it's probably going to resemble Mass Effect in mechanics. Perhaps you'll be able to pick and choose skills but level them up like ME did.

I think it'll resemble other MMORPG's, in that there will be classes, attributes, skills, feats, Force powers to obtain, as well as levelling your character. The action will be like Mass Effect (plus lightsaber and melee combat), I bet.

I'm thinking it will be a mix- pre-existing mechanics of other MMOs, as well as tier-skills, like in the KOTOR games. You don't simply start off with Force Wave- you have to start off with Force Push, then Force Whirlwind, and finally Force Wave.

Makes since to me. You learn a skill, and then you master it.