The Star Wars: The Old Republic ( swtor ) community is eager for new information, and we want to answer as many of your questions as possible. Next month’s Q&A will focus on questions regarding player versus player combat (PVP) in The Old Republic. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask via our Forums or on Facebook. Make sure to get your questions to us no later than July 22nd if you want to be considered for the next Community Q&A.

Today, Senior Audio Artist Scott Morton answers a few of your questions about sound design in The Old Republic.

Q: Will the NPCs have monologues or dialogues with each other that players can hear while walking nearby? – mmZero

A: Yes, they will. As in other BioWare games, ambient conversation is a part of the world and will help the player tune into the general goings-on of his or her surrounding area. Companions will sometimes voice their thoughts and opinions as well, as you travel the different worlds in The Old Republic.

Q: Are the voices used in the class videos just a storyteller or is that the voice of the actual character in-game? - Verico

A: When a player class is speaking a line or narrating in the class videos, you’re hearing the voice of the actual actor who will be filling that role. We’ve worked closely with LucasArts to cast voice actors that are able to capture the essence of each class, and help players identify with their characters on a deeper level.

Q: Are we able to switch the different sounds louder and quieter as we please? For example, turning off sounds of voices while the background music is still on? – Blumilein

A: Yes. Players will be able to set their own audio levels when it comes to voice, music, ambience, and sound effects. Being able to customize your mix and your experience is important.

Q: How many voice actors voiced this game? – DigitalMaster

A: We are working with a very large number of voice actors… possibly more than any other game made so far. Recent counts put the number at over nine hundred actors across all three languages, and that number is still growing.

Q: What percentage of the in-game music is original for The Old Republic and what percentage has already been used elsewhere (movies, other games, etc.)? – Nahte

A: We’ve written a huge amount of original music for the game. There are over six hours of original score that have been produced specifically for The Old Republic, plus an additional hour and a half of brand new cantina music. In addition to the original score, you’ll also hear the scores for both Knights of the Old Republic I and Knights of the Old Republic II. Lastly, the game just wouldn’t be complete without John Williams’ material from the Star Wars films.

Q: Will special ability sounds change as you upgrade your weapons, or will they stay consistent throughout the leveling process? For instance, the Trooper’s ability that launches a grenade - you get this fairly early on with your basic equipment, but will it sound the same at end-game with an epic rifle? – Noobinator

A: Certain abilities will have fixed, signature sounds while others will dynamically change based on the weapons you have equipped. When you loot a new Lightsaber or blaster, you’ll notice that it almost always makes different sounds than the one you were previously using. We’re really happy about how weapon sounds can blend with your abilities to make your combat sound unique. Rare weapons are even more special – you may find a rare weapon that also has a rare and more powerful set of sounds associated with it.

Q: Does The Old Republic use any of Ben Burrt's original sound effects from the films? – MorgonKara

A: We’re definitely tapping into some of Ben Burtt’s classic material and integrating it into the game in different ways, sometimes as a layering approach and sometimes processing it to make something new. You’ll definitely hear some of his original material from the films too (it wouldn’t be Star Wars without it)!

Q: Will the Mos Eisley cantina music be in the game? – ChavekToth

A: Peter McConnell, Jared Emerson-Johnson, and Steve Kirk have written an hour and a half of brand new cantina music for The Old Republic. The goal was to expand off of the existing material we’ve all heard and try to fill out the rest of the set list. If you were to hang out in the Mos Eisley Cantina, what would the remainder of Figrin D’an and the Modal Nodes’ concert have sounded like? What does a longer set sound like from The Max Rebo Band? What kind of music might you hear in an Imperial cantina? It all grew out of the cantina music in the original films. But, keep your ears open for those few classic tunes, too; I’m sure they’ll turn up somewhere!

Q: Is there any dynamic use of sound or music? Maybe on certain boss mobs, when your health gets lower (or the group's total health), or when you come upon a certain viewpoint? - Unknown

A: Our music system is dynamic and very responsive to gameplay situations. We’re also doing some cool things with some of the combat sound to make movement, foley and weapons more varied and alive.

Q: Do bad guys (Darth Malgus, etc.) get their own cool theme songs? - ZeroGravTrooper

A: The music of Star Wars is definitely rooted in the tradition of representing characters with themes, and the music in The Old Republic is no different. The approach we’ve taken, however, varies slightly in that classes and locations have themes within The Old Republic, rather than trying to score every single specific character. As such, a Jedi would have a different musical experience than a Smuggler because they each have their own unique class themes woven throughout their stories. They also begin on different origin worlds which in turn have their own themes and unique music.

Q: How is the music “playlist” handled? For example, when traveling from one location to another, how does the music fade or change at the end of every song? - Altheran

A: Our music system is adaptive and is designed to respond based on what you’re doing and where you’re going. If you’re entering a cinematic conversation, the music will smoothly adjust and follow the dramatic events of that scene. If you’re exploring the world, music will highlight points of interest, and shift into a more ambient role when necessary. The music will also respond appropriately based on what sort of choices you make and actions you take in a conversation. Our goal with music is to always support the situation you’re in without compromising overall musical flow and integrity.

Thanks for joining us for this Studio Insider! We hope you enjoyed the inside look at the opening class cinematics from Brian Arndt, as well as the Q&A with Scott Morton. We know you have a lot of questions, so we’ve opened a new Community Q&A thread relating to PVP in The Old Republic.

If you want learn more about audio in Swtor ,watch the swtor video creation

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