It seems that fear of the unknown drives a lot of debates, in and out of the gaming realm, but ESPECIALLY in the MMO space – After all, if you plan on investing countless hours within a particular game world, you’d have a pretty strong feeling towards any changes that might impact your experience. Will my class get nerfed? Will they add this type of weapon? Will they add the ability to dual wield? What about PVP balance?? It’s an exhaustive process and one that often takes a toll on the minds of MMO players.

Well, this trend is no different in BioWare’s upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic, as one of the most heavily debated features right now is Economics. With almost 400 PAGES of official SW:TOR forum traffic, it’s one of the most touch button subjects for fan hopefuls of a truly well rounded MMO. Crafters vs. Loots? Credits vs. Gameplay? Should you get better gear because you are a better player, or because you have more ‘virtual money’? WTF? What makes you a ‘better player anyway??! A player driven economy, or a loot driven economy? One fan has gone so far as to create his own crafting system that you can check out right HERE! On a side note, it’s interesting to see the difference in the fanbase, where a majority of Star Wars Galaxies players refer to it as “Crafting” while some of the other MMO community figures often refer to it as “class gear”….

So, if you’ve ever played an MMO and particularly if you’re pumped about SW:TOR, here’s the big question: How do you feel economics in SW:TOR should be handled to provide balance within the game?

As someone who has invested a considerable amount of time in both SWG and WoW, I’m curious what our AxeHead community feels about the subject. At any rate, don’t give in to the fear of the unknown..because we all know where that leads..fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate…and hate..leads to twinkies…

Hit up the EBA forums or comment below to offer up your opinion!