Is this a sequel to Star wars galaxies. Conveniently shut down just before this one comes out?
Or is it completely different?

completely different

its the OLD rpeublic era on which KOTOR were based

I love this game so much, I picked it up on release day, I'm only level 14, but if it carry's on the way it is right now, it'll easily be my favourite game ever :D

I'm feeling extremely bipolar about this game. On one hand, I LOVE IT!!! On the other hand.. I have serious issues with it that bother me so much I feel like quitting and never playing again.

The story is great and fantastically done. Voice acting is superb. Gameplay starts off extremely boring but gets a bit more interesting later on.

One of the things I hate most about this game is the trading system. People can specialize in 3 of 18 skills (i think it's 18) and they get different items depending on what skills they use. Unfortunately, certain skills are used extremely extensively in the armor/weapon/part making process, and those who don't use this skill are severely punished.

I do cybertech, underworld trading, and slicing. I need lots of scavenging materials for my cybertech stuff, but literally NO ONE sells anything on the trade network. They're getting their own supplies and using them themselves. They level up fast enough that they never get an excess amount of crafting items. It makes them completely self-sufficient and in need of no one's help. But then, at the same time, it leaves me stranded. There are over a million players, yet only one person has been selling "phobium" (a low level material) on the trade network the past 24 hours. He's been pricing them outrageously high and there's no other way for me to buy the material. No one else really cares to sell or buy it, because they're doing scavenging and getting it themselves.

It sucks. This game is FAR too self-sufficient for players. Every 10 minutes you get a new gun, new armor, new everything, just by going through the story. Why would you buy special made armor and weapons from other people? You don't. You just go through your story and keep getting better equips every few minutes. It's too self-sufficient.

I'm used to playing MMOs where there are LOTS of skills and everyone pitches in to buy/sell items. Star Wars is not an MMO. The most people you ever see by you is like 5... and the most on your entire planet seems to be a tiiiny bit over a hundred, even when the server is full. Yeah there are multiple worlds, and I'm sure there's over a thousand people logged into the server, but i still feel isolated and not in an MMO working with other players. I feel more like I'm in a single player game that's self-sufficient and there happen to be other people playing this single player game along with me.

I'm not saying all of this from the view of a noob. I'm already level 32.

I think the problem with the trading is that very few planets have a Galactic Market kiosk. It is such a pain to travel all the way to the fleet station just to access the Market. Also most players (myself included) are so absorbed in the questing/storyline that crafting is a very low priority. I know I hardly even bother with it. I'm Armortech/salvaging/treasure hunting myself and lvl 28. I've sold rare crafting materials to vendors just because I didn't want to go to a Galactic Market kiosk. This is something I'm sure Bioware will address soon. Once they have GM kiosks everywhere I'll get serious into crafting and trading, but for now I'm too absorbed with the story and questing.

As far as player density, I have never been in an area totally by myself. I've never had a problem getting help from a nearby player with a difficult mob/ quest.

Remember, this just launched and I'm sure Bioware will be fixing and adding stuff all the time. I've been playing so much my eyes hurt and I have to take breaks and come here :)

bunch of my friends already got it and love it. I would get it, and it looks awesome, but with so many other games to play, and other RL things, i can't justify spending $15 a month for something i won't be on that much

I agree, I have had very mixed feelings about this game ...

On one hand Star Wars: The Old Republic is a very unoriginal highly derivative MMORPG that lacks refinement, and on the other hand I see many highly innovative and original ideas that have been well executed. I actually wouldn’t mind how derivative a large portion of the game is had Bioware broadened their research to borrow gameplay elements from MMORPGs besides World of Warcraft. While they certainly were not nearly as successful as WoW, Warhammer Online, Age of Conan, Dungeons and Dragons online, and Everquest 2 all did many things much better than WoW that were worthy of being ripped off.

if you need something, get it, play it for 1 month you get for free.
in that month you can do it all, then quit... the game is good while it last, but not like other mmos
you hit end game and then your done. the end game content isn't good either

this is probably why its called TORtanic, the ship is sinking fast for bioware.