High-Level Goals
Chris Avellone: When we sat down to set up the high concept and the overall design for The Sith Lords, we recognized that a core part of what made KOTOR I so great was the story and your companions, and that was our intention in the sequel as well. So, we wanted to see how we could add more depth to those interactions, and went from there. We borrowed a set of tools from previous Black Isle games, incorporated more skill checks into dialogues and quests, set about creating an influence system so that your dark and light side struggles could be mirrored in the companions (plus it also reinforces one of the main story aspects of the game), and gave the companions as much depth as we could. Then, we made sure we let the exploration of these companions' pasts be optional if the player desires.

We weren't seeking to stand out from other RPGs; we just wanted to create a game with a great story. We wanted deep characters, lots of interaction with people in the world, the sense that your fate and those of others are the most important things in the galaxy, and most of all, we wanted to play in the Star Wars universe and put our own spin on the events and physics of that world.​