Star Wars Galaxies Combat Revamp Delay Q&A

IGN PC cornered LucasArts producer Haden Blackman to find out why the company has decided to delay Star Wars Galaxies' long-awaited combat revamp until Jump to Lightspeed ships. A snip:
Q: It seems that you're neglecting the MMO side of the game in order to introduce a radically different style of game. Even though Jump to Lightspeed completes the Star Wars experience, it seems that MMO-oriented players would be more interested in seeing the ground combat revamp before getting their hands on the expansion.

A: That's completely not the feedback we're received from the bulk of our community. The bulk of our community has been waiting for this and, though not necessarily upset, frustrated that they haven't been able to jump into the cockpit of a starfighter and go into space.

In terms of the gameplay, the response has been overwhelmingly positive -- that it brings a sense of action to MMORPGs, that it captures the feel of Star Wars combat, that it resurrects the TIE Fighter/X-Wing feel that a lot of the Star Wars fans really enjoy. We did pretty extensive focus testing, not only at FanFest but also independent of that. All the current Galaxies players who've had hands on time with Jump to Lightspeed have said it feels great, they enjoy the fast-paced combat, and it's a nice departure from the ground combat. There are two different styles of combat so you can pick what suits you at the moment and switch between them.