Interview KotOR questions at GameSpy

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: BioWare; Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

<a href="Http://www.gamespy.com">GameSpy</a> has posted up <A href="http://www.gamespy.com/interviews/november03/hudson/">their interview</A> with <b>Mr. Casey Hudson</b> of <A href="Http://www.bioware.com">BioWare</a>, about their recently <b>GONE GOLD</b> XBox to PC port CRPG set in the <A href="http://www.starwars.com">Star Wars</a> setting, <A href="Http://www.swkotor.com">Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic</a>. It covers some things about mini-games in the game, it being set 4,000 years before the movies even though all the technology looks the same, and this about unique lightsabers:
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<blockquote><b>GameSpy: You've added the <i>Heart of the Guardian</i> lightsaber. Can you tell us more about it, as well as other new weapons, armor, and items in the game?
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Hudson:</b> Without giving away its unique history, the Heart of the Guardian is based on a magnificently shaped lightsaber crystal of unknown composition. It has a unique color that will be especially cool for dark side players. There's also an equally cool new lightsaber for light side players, called <i>Mantle of the Force.</i></blockquote>
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This really makes me wish I'd sat on the <i>+1, +3 vs. Wookies</i> comment until now. Then again, why is the evil one called <i>Heart of the Guardian</i>, which sounds kind of <i>goodish</i>?
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Spotted this at <A href="Http://www.homelanfed.com">HomeLAN Fed</a>
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[Diogo Ribeiro]

It has a unique color that will be especially cool for dark side players.

:shock: A colour that fits the Dark Side! Amazing! Darth Vader must be dancing mad on his grave because he wasn't here to see the new, riveting fashion sense. Then again, does evil go well with any colour? Besides blood red, that is.

 

[Psilon]

It's a black-and-red lightsaber, I bet. Maybe with some k3wl lightning effectz0rs.

 

[Spazmo]

I betcha it's magenta.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Oooh, magenta... makes me feel all evil inside.

 

[triCritical]

Space Opera != Sci-Fi

I have always hated this rationalizing of the Star Wars movies. Why are friggin light sabers different? They certainly didn't look to different in the movies. Considering lightsabers are already a +10000000000 bastard swords, which can kill and dismember anything including metal, does it really make a difference if a sword is +10000000001 or +10000000003 mantle of the l33t force?

Of course, because CRPG = stats you have to rationalize weapons this way right? Well I don't know it just sounds like the same ol shit.

 

[DrattedTin]

They aren't.

Bioware just needs some way to make your power increase overtime.

For a more accurate Star Wars feel, play Jedi Academy.

 

[triCritical]

They aren't.

Bioware just needs some way to make your power increase overtime.

For a more accurate Star Wars feel, play Jedi Academy.

Here's one way -> FENCING!

Here's another -> aptitude with the force!

These are both two skill trees that can be explored to make your chacters POWRE increase over time.

Bottomline, is that the Bioware has the combined intellect of a molerat. They just think that blizzard has a lot of ph4t l00t in their games, so they should too. Even if its totally inconsistent and stupid.

 

[Vault Dweller]

I absolutely agree, powah should come from the skills not items. Somehow Bio shifted the focus from developing a character to developing ph4t l3wt.

What I really like in Prelude is that basically every weapon is available to players from the start. You don't look for a better weapon, you pick one and learn how to handle it.

 

[Voss]

Well, part of the blame here lies with the D&D 3.0/d20 system (and KotoR at least partially uses the SW d20 rules). Items are a huge part of character power, though less so in SW than D&D. Though the Jedi/Force rules more than make up for that

But yes, a good skill system in games would go a long way- particularly one that does combat right. Less +12 Swords of Uber Slayage, and more skills and weapon mastery the modifies base weapon damage (as well as the obvious to hit, and probably AC as well). The ultimate sword master who can kill in a single stroke and can't be beaten with a sword in his hand. Ah well.

 

[Rosh]

triCritical, astute and quite accurate observation. I was about to post something of the same, myself.

In the Star Wars universe, it's the channeler of the force that has the control of the effects. At best, the saber in question would become more attumed and the wielder more capable with the saber.

Luke's improvements to the light saber were mainly to have it fit his personal style of reflecting blaster bolts, while Darth Vader's/Obi's/Luke's original, etc. just absorbed them, I think. Which makes the reflecting blaster bolts a bit of an error in the early episodes. I could be wrong, it has been awhile since I've seen the movies.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

Here's one way -> FENCING!

Yup, I figure this will be my biggest problem with combat, the fact you'll probably get wacked repeatedly by light sabers through the course of the game and not lose a limb or die.

There are lots of ways to handle this, including a system that involves yielding to someone who wins, and they take your stuff. That would be much more consistant with how lethal light sabers are.

 

[Spazmo]

Again, Jedi Academy does it better. As you progress through that game, your lightsaber offense skill increases, unlocking new combat styles and (I think) generally making you more effective. No need for +8 sabers of sabering when you can just increase the character's skill.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Bioware just couldn't come up with a better way to increase your character's proficiency throughout the game without giving him phat loot. This just reeks of unimaginativeness.

Though you have to admit that the prospect of wielding a translucent, midnight blue (or mauve) lightsaber seems pretty cool from a phat lewt aspect point of view.

 

[Jed]

That's it--it's come to this: Star Wars is the new Vampire: The Masquerade.

 

[Otaku_Hanzo]

You know, I really liked the Xbox version. No fancy lightsabers, no +3000 Hackmasters. It was just plain old equipment. The only thing that came close to phat loot was the headpieces you could get that added bonuses to your awareness and things like that. Plus there are cyber implants you can get, but you also have to purchase the ability to use them in character level up. These are explainable given the sci-fi setting. But these 'named' lightsabers is going a bit too far and really makes me think twice about getting the PC version.

 

[Volourn]

I've been playing the game now for a bit, and I have yet to find any ph@t lewt. Not to mention, I have about 400 crdits to my name. By this point in TOEE, I had a 100,000+ gp to my name. Can someone say bias for the people here? I sure can. TOEE is about the ph@t lewt; sof ar KOTOR isn't yet I never hear complaints from you guys about TOEE's multitude of ph@t lewt? Weird..

 

[Vault Dweller]

What ph4t l3wt in ToEE? Comparing to BG2 where my every character had at least several +2 weapons, and IWD2's stores that were loaded with +5 loot, ToEE's loot has no ph4t whatsover. The chaotic swords are good, bad they are not for everybody. So, what bias?

 

[Volourn]

Why don't youa ctually compare it to a game in the same level range, huh? In TOEE, by the time I stopped playing near the end, I had a million + gp, magic items coming out of my ass since I couldn't carry them all in my back pack, and all that. Every character; but one had a +3 weapon as their main one 9the only who didn't had of all things a dwarven war axe), full plate +2, or +3, bracers of x +4 or 6, and on and on. Most of things, btw, were found, not crafted since crafting was too buggy to us eproperly. Compared to BG1; TOEE is definitely monty haul. Heck, comared to BG2 consideirng the level differences; TOE is monty haul. I NEVER had a million +gp in any Bg game - not even TOB.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

Why don't youa ctually compare it to a game in the same level range, huh? In TOEE, by the time I stopped playing near the end, I had a million + gp, magic items coming out of my ass since I couldn't carry them all in my back pack, and all that. Every character; but one had a +3 weapon as their main one 9the only who didn't had of all things a dwarven war axe), full plate +2, or +3, bracers of x +4 or 6, and on and on. Most of things, btw, were found, not crafted since crafting was too buggy to us eproperly. Compared to BG1; TOEE is definitely monty haul. Heck, comared to BG2 consideirng the level differences; TOE is monty haul. I NEVER had a million +gp in any Bg game - not even TOB.

Funny you should mention all that. By the end of ToB, everyone had weapons ranging from +3/+4 to +6. Not to mention, you state you never had much money by the end-game: have you tried selling all your gear? Let me tell you, it would be no small change. Because if you complain about the amount of money you have at ToEE's end, then you certainly worked to have that much money. I've tried several times selling all the loot i came across in BG2+ToB, loot i didn't want, and i got rich to the endgame. Rich enough to buy three times the entire stock of that mage who has been stolen a scroll in Saradush. And that goes for the two times i met him. Thats [the value of all his items for sale on both occasions]^[6]=mucho dinero. And i still had plenty of money to have Cespenar forge whatever items needed money.

 

[Volourn]

I never said I wasn't rich in TOB. I most certainly was. Heh. There's no doubt that TOB is monty haul too. I just said I didn't have a million +gp.

 

[triCritical]

I've been playing the game now for a bit, and I have yet to find any ph@t lewt. Not to mention, I have about 400 crdits to my name. By this point in TOEE, I had a 100,000+ gp to my name. Can someone say bias for the people here? I sure can. TOEE is about the ph@t lewt; sof ar KOTOR isn't yet I never hear complaints from you guys about TOEE's multitude of ph@t lewt? Weird..

gold isn't ph4t l00t, its just l00t. The game design required your characters to have a lot of money.. Oh yeah, and one of the points behind a dungeon crawl is to collect l3wt, it aint an epic sprawling romance CRPG like BG2.

 

[Volourn]

Like i said, Tri, there is a LOT of ph@t lewt in TOEE. I even gave examples. As for BG2, I din't play the game for its romances. Sorry, you are selling that garbage to the wrong person.

 

[Diogo Ribeiro]

I think Tri's point is that, for a "regular" CRPG, BG2+ToB includes too much loot. Phat lewt is expected in dungeon crawlers, as the lewt is there to be the result of combat - in turn, increasing combat success. Note i'm not excusing ToEE in anything, just pointing out ph4t l3wt is expected of it, wheter we make it or find it, as it's imbued into the core gameplay.

 

[Volourn]

Wait a sec. Accoridng to RPGCodex, BG2 isn't even a crpg. Hmm.. I wish you guys make up your mind. TOEE is a crpg so it should be held to the same standards as any other crpg. BG2 has ph@t lewt; so does TOEE. If you complain about on ehalving ph@t lewt; you SHOULD be complaining about the other one as well.. unless you are bias. It's as simple as that.

There's a reason why every crpg I have ever playedhas lots of ph@t lewt - it's because the developers have to make sure that every character for every player has a reasonable number of things to choose from. Unlike pnp where the Dm can do a little bit of cheating to have players' oppoents have ph@t lewt that fits the party. That's why, in the end, ph@t lewt doens't effect my enjoyment of a game unless it makes the character too powerful to make the game unchallenging then that's aproblem. Neithe TOEE, or BG2 sufferf rom that fate so no biggy. NWN does due to a couple of its items that cna hurt the game's challenge level if you use said items so it does lose marks in that regard. Now to get it back on target after forcing a change, from what I've seen KOTOR's ph@t lewt doesn't make the game easier then it should be so who cares if theya dded two special lightsabres for the PC version. Big whoopity do dah.