Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2 - Restored Content Mod + M4-78 Droid Planet Mod Thread

[wahrk]

So is this restoration mod still the best one?

edit: ok found some info?
https://deadlystream.com/topic/139-whats-restored-in-tslrcm/

Yes, although there’s a few mods that add other bits in like Extended Enclave. You also might want the TSLRCM tweaks mod, it un-restores some of the restored content that doesn’t really fit well.

 

[deuxhero]

Going to try this again after my first TSLRCM run died due to a bug during the civil war battle (one of the gates wouldn't open during the civil war battle and it's deep enough into a linear sequence I didn't want to experiment with how far back I needed to go in saves to fix it after the first few attempts failed to fix it). Thinking of going Consular with 8/14/14/12/14/15 stats with awareness persuade and repair, using lightning to kill trash mobs and stasis to make anything stronger unable to fight. Thoughts?

 

[Absinthe]

Seems fine. Honestly most melee combat can be handled by flat damage and buffs anyway. Even with lower strength than that, you can kill things with a combination of gauntlets, Power Attack, and force powers that buff attack. Jedi powers are pretty damn strong so Consular is pretty good, with its huge amount of force powers and force points (although you can always use Force Body to compensate for poor force points). Force Barrier and Energy Resistance are probably the best powers to make combat into a joke because you won't take much damage, especially if you use a shield item on top. Battle Meditation is also a really good party buff later on. One force power I would definitely recommend early on is Force Speed, simply for Quality of Life purposes, since walking everywhere slowly will make you want to kill yourself. The bonus attacks are also very strong, assuming you want to do that (and between Battle Meditation, Force Valor, and Power Attack, you can do that) as opposed to just flattening enemies with force powers.

As for skills, a lot of the time you can use party members to handle skillchecks for you, which makes the main character's skills not that important, as long as you have all bases covered between your party. Remember there's a lot of good stuff you can craft with them. Your picks seem solid.

If you want to plan out a build, here's a resource: https://strategywiki.org/wiki/Star_Wars_Knights_of_the_Old_Republic_II:_The_Sith_Lords

 

[deuxhero]

Playing some more and just reached the base planetside on Telos. I've noticed Obsidian actually tried with the encounter designs, but the inherited mechanics just ruin nearly all of them. Enter a T junction from the bottom and come to enemies on both sides? Well if you want to try to hide in a corner to limit the number of enemies that engage you, you've got to force on solo mode so Anton doesn't run into the melee. Mixed enemy types? Well nothing except nuking melee first is functional due to movement limitations. Ranged attackers behind mine fields? No mater what you try, Bao-Dur will just blow himself up (perhaps don't give the player a melee focused party member then immediately have an area gimick making melee poor). Even just single blaster+rapid (which is dex based) is good enough for clearing most remaining foes when out of FP since repair lets me upgrade blasters to +3 already. One of the most annoying things is the game likes to add a bunch of normal attacks to everyone's action queue, even when Kreia has plenty of FP she'll often waste turns because I didn't catch this in time.

 

[U-8D8]

One of the most annoying things is the game likes to add a bunch of normal attacks to everyone's action queue, even when Kreia has plenty of FP she'll often waste turns because I didn't catch this in time.

I assume you've put her on Jedi Support? I find that they spam support powers, too much in fact, if you do that. Fiddling with behaviors might fix Atton running into the thick of things too, as if I remember correctly setting him to stationary can achieve the same thing as solo mode without the hassle. I empathize with your wrangling problems though. I don't know if it's a bug that can be fixed with mods, but I swear that when party members autofill their action bars they sometimes use lower level abilities than they have access to, like improved power strike instead of master. Early game you have to watch them but one, (perhaps the only one) benefit of the overall low difficulty is you won't have to fix their mistakes every fight.

Honestly the most fun you can get out of KOTOR 2's gameplay is having a high skill character that can tweak your upgrades to perfection. That's why I sometimes do a build high focused into constitution and intelligenced because with the implants you get with a high constitution, you can make up for a lack of attributes/feats in almost every way.

 

[plem]

As for skills, a lot of the time you can use party members to handle skillchecks for you, which makes the main character's skills not that important, as long as you have all bases covered between your party. Remember there's a lot of good stuff you can craft with them. Your picks seem solid.

well, there's some key skill checks that can lead to attribute bonuses or story beats. namely, persuasion and awareness are often used in dialogue (has to be your PC) and repair and computer use for repairing droids.

also, sometimes you can't bring your companions.

Playing some more and just reached the base planetside on Telos. I've noticed Obsidian actually tried with the encounter designs, but the inherited mechanics just ruin nearly all of them. Enter a T junction from the bottom and come to enemies on both sides? Well if you want to try to hide in a corner to limit the number of enemies that engage you, you've got to force on solo mode so Anton doesn't run into the melee. Mixed enemy types? Well nothing except nuking melee first is functional due to movement limitations. Ranged attackers behind mine fields? No mater what you try, Bao-Dur will just blow himself up (perhaps don't give the player a melee focused party member then immediately have an area gimick making melee poor). Even just single blaster+rapid (which is dex based) is good enough for clearing most remaining foes when out of FP since repair lets me upgrade blasters to +3 already. One of the most annoying things is the game likes to add a bunch of normal attacks to everyone's action queue, even when Kreia has plenty of FP she'll often waste turns because I didn't catch this in time.

some of this can be helped by tweaking stances. with the mining fields, put everyone on stationary or go in stealthed, and put force users in jedi support. I'd also recommend being very selective about the powers you give your force users, with Kreia make sure she doesn't have any of the same buffs you have and with everyone else just give them the few buffs you want them to cast every time, all the time (which is what they'll do with any friendly force powers they know in jedi support).

 

[Absinthe]

You may want the Improved AI mod.

 

[deuxhero]

it cause some problems with one scene on Nar Shaddaa (you might be unable to select a third teammember during a cutscene so have to do some hard battles with just Bao-Dur and Atton).

What a shame. Maybe I'll grab it after that if it's safe to install mid-game.

 

[deuxhero]

And traveling to Nar Shadda is a black screen. So much for that playthrough.

 

[deuxhero]

Where's the latest version of Skip Peragus? I find reference of needing a latest version for compatibility with the restoration mod, but the only one I can find is OLD.

Also: How much has Kreia's philosophy changed since she was Jedi Historian pre-mandalorian wars? It was clearly already regarded as unusual and somewhat heretical even then, but is there any indication for how much of it was shaped/evolved after leaving?

 

[KörangarTheMighty]

Where's the latest version of Skip Peragus? I find reference of needing a latest version for compatibility with the restoration mod, but the only one I can find is OLD.

Also: How much has Kreia's philosophy changed since she was Jedi Historian pre-mandalorian wars? It was clearly already regarded as unusual and somewhat heretical even then, but is there any indication for how much of it was shaped/evolved after leaving?

As to the pre-war, it's all rather vague. Disillusionment at the fall of her most beloved apprentice combined with a higher intelligence and not buying into the Jedi-truth regime since it was still producing too many failures in her eyes. ("heretical" nails it.) She was a historian that was actually examining the history and seeing the patterns of repetition, inevitable outcomes that the Jedi were ignoring. Morally, she was trying to teach her pupils to be human, but that produced more or less the same disastrous results so long as the Force had influence. Jedi were meant for a higher purpose that they had no say in and she viewed it as unjust that they were deprived of forging their own paths, that a special doom was placed upon them. Demoralized, she left the Jedi and began seeking alternatives.

Another turning point for her was the betrayal of Nihilus and Sion. My thoughts are somewhat incomplete since she already styled herself "Lady of Betrayal" before this, but I would say that it seemed to me she pivoted from being a true-believer to more of a pragmatist after this event. I believe she even says to the Exile that to truly hold an ideal you have to be willing to betray it. Utopia is not meant for the instruments that bring it about and she was a child of winter. Before that, she was operating under the assumption that she was the answer to the Force question. That changed upon finding the Exile, proving to herself that life could go on even after being "disconnected" from or deafened to the Force.

 

[deuxhero]

Started playing again. Think the issue was a mod conflict (didn't use one that let you repair the speeder after Nar Shadda endgame this time). Beat Nar Shaddaa. Was the no-MC sequence this long pre-restored content? It's longer than I remember it. My MC is now the lowest level party member due to how much XP there was in that and my MC not getting any. I think Dantooine will be next due to a dire need for lightsaber crystals.

Two things I'm wondering
1: How did Atton get to Peragus anyways? He clearly wasn't a miner.
2: Why did they make Goto's prediction for the Republic's destruction so short? Containing the entire game in a month with Old Republic level hyperdrives seems way too short.

 

[U-8D8]

Started playing again. Think the issue was a mod conflict (didn't use one that let you repair the speeder after Nar Shadda endgame this time). Beat Nar Shaddaa. Was the no-MC sequence this long pre-restored content? It's longer than I remember it.

All the fights aside from Atton's with the Twi-lek sisters are added be TSLRCM. Personally, I think it's to the game's detriment as Narr Shaddaa already leans a little too heavily into the whole "party members fighting on their own" thing without adding trash mobs to the mix. Plus the pacing of the segment is better in the original.

1: How did Atton get to Peragus anyways? He clearly wasn't a miner.

I've seen some people say he was the original guy that the miners on Peragus were going to use to smuggle out the exile, which would mean he was probably a crewman on a cargo ship before he got detained. That or he was a crewman on a cargo ship but just got locked up because he violated regulations, probably bringing a blaster onto the station. Don't ask me what Kriea did to get onto the Ebon Hawk though, because that's just a clusterfuck I can't make heads or tails of.

2: Why did they make Goto's prediction for the Republic's destruction so short? Containing the entire game in a month with Old Republic level hyperdrives seems way too short.

Keep in mind that GO-TO's prediction is based on the galaxy being just as turbulent as it is at the beginning of the game. The player handling stuff like the Onderon civil war, Telos' fuel crisis, and the conflict between the Dantooine settlers and mercs probably forstalls that eventuality by quite a bit. Although technically you could do Narr Shaddaa last and I'm willing to bet he'd have the same line. Go figure. Maybe he's being pessimistic as that's in line with his character.

Not related but by any chance do you have the TSLRCM tweak pack installed?

 

[deuxhero]

Started playing again. Think the issue was a mod conflict (didn't use one that let you repair the speeder after Nar Shadda endgame this time). Beat Nar Shaddaa. Was the no-MC sequence this long pre-restored content? It's longer than I remember it.

All the fights aside from Atton's with the Twi-lek sisters are added be TSLRCM. Personally, I think it's to the game's detriment as Narr Shaddaa already leans a little too heavily into the whole "party members fighting on their own" thing without adding trash mobs to the mix. Plus the pacing of the segment is better in the original.

Hmm, well I did like the T3 segment, aside from having to face 3 HKs at once (though it did force me to use a shield which is a mechanic that game rarely forces on you). The war on the streets did sell the whole bounty hunter truce breaking down, but I'm really glad I got Atton to Jedi before that segment started. Didn't like that you couldn't leave the planet after getting the invitation (for no real plot reason), but I think that was in the original. The Jek Jek Tar was kinda a mess in the original game (it 180s twice on poison being breath based or being contact based. First you can go in masked to no issue, then you can't, then you can go in but only survive thanks to "breath control".) so it would make sense that part was undergoing revision when the rushed released had to happen.

1: How did Atton get to Peragus anyways? He clearly wasn't a miner.

I've seen some people say he was the original guy that the miners on Peragus were going to use to smuggle out the exile, which would mean he was probably a crewman on a cargo ship before he got detained. That or he was a crewman on a cargo ship but just got locked up because he violated regulations, probably bringing a blaster onto the station.

I was thinking Atton had to some crewhand, but that still raised a lot of questions (never mentions the rest of the crew leaving him, doesn't really talk about being part of a freighter crew). Him being the one that was going to smuggle the exile out would explain why he never mentions it and why he can recognize the MC so easily ("talking about" makes little sense in retrospect).

2: Why did they make Goto's prediction for the Republic's destruction so short? Containing the entire game in a month with Old Republic level hyperdrives seems way too short.

Keep in mind that GO-TO's prediction is based on the galaxy being just as turbulent as it is at the beginning of the game. The player handling stuff like the Onderon civil war, Telos' fuel crisis, and the conflict between the Dantooine settlers and mercs probably forstalls that eventuality by quite a bit. Although technically you could do Narr Shaddaa last and I'm willing to bet he'd have the same line. Go figure. Maybe he's being pessimistic as that's in line with his character.

Not related but by any chance do you have the TSLRCM tweak pack installed?

I thought Goto was talking about Nihilus rather than instability given the dialog after it. As for the tweak pack, I don't have it.

 

[U-8D8]

Hmm, well I did like the T3 segment, aside from having to face 3 HKs at once (though it did force me to use a shield which is a mechanic that game rarely forces on you). The war on the streets did sell the whole bounty hunter truce breaking down, but I'm really glad I got Atton to Jedi before that segment started. Didn't like that you couldn't leave the planet after getting the invitation (for no real plot reason), but I think that was in the original.

I forgot about the vanilla T3 segment. I didn't mind that one, I'm a sucker for droid shenanigans. I just feel that the added mobs didn't do much for the game when you're already hurting for your main character. it's worse if you pick Narr Shaddaa as your first planet and can't get Atton to be a Jedi beforehand. And yea, locking you out was part of the vanilla game. Very annoying if you're in the middle of some quests and you can't get to the docks without Mira spawning and incapacitating you.

The Jek Jek Tar was kinda a mess in the original game (it 180s twice on poison being breath based or being contact based. First you can go in masked to no issue, then you can't, then you can go in but only survive thanks to "breath control".) so it would make sense that part was undergoing revision when the rushed released had to happen.

You're probably right. They did change direction with Narr Shaddaa in the middle of development. Originally, that assassin's guild from KOTOR 1 was supposed to be there and GO-TO would've rescued you from an imploding Jek-Jek-Tarr. Presumably, the whole gas business was a last-minute contrivance to allow Mira to impersonate you.

I thought Goto was talking about Nihilus rather than instability given the dialog after it.

I have to admit I've got a hazy memory of the specific conversation and was thinking primarily of the quests he has for you when he is a companion. Dunno how accurately he could predict Nihilus's movements though.

As for the tweak pack, I don't have it.

My bitching about TSLRCM's changes reminded me of it. I know it's far beyond the point where you can add a mod like that, but if you play it again in the future you might want to pick it up, as it corrects some of the questionable decisions TSLRCM made. Case in point this abomination is by far the worst change.

Spoiler

Think of it as less of a spoiler and more of a portent of things to come. I also believe they reimplemented a line where Kriea says she somehow manipulated the Jedi council into banishing the exile, which just seems pointless considering it's well within their characters to have done so anyway and it adds nothing aside from pushing believability.

 

[deuxhero]

Neat, I found an answer on pre-Exile Kreia/Kae's philosophy: If you ask her about Atris she mentions "Atris' path is one I walked long ago, and it is a chapter of my life that has been read and closed [...] the righteous anger, the spoken judgments, the lack of forgiveness." Kae appearing as a holocron gatekeeper would be interesting at the very least.

edit: Zez-Kai Ell pronounces Kae as "kay", Kreia as "Kai". Kreia's VA is great, but some of her pronouncations are very off (lightsaber form "sheen"). On the other hand, I think she's the definitive source. Thoughts?

 

[KörangarTheMighty]

Kay and She-en for me.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

). On the other hand, I think she's the definitive source. Thoughts

Don't believe her lies.

 

[deuxhero]

Seems Mical is another "Kay".

Is there a "correct" solution to troop placement in the new battle of Dantooine stuff in restored content, or does it just make the final fight inside slightly easier like vanilla tasks? Guess it's off to Duxn. Any suggestions for who to take into the city proper? It's a lightside playthrough and I've got enough influence with Atton, Mira, Visas, Kreia, Brianna, and T3 already, plus will likely have Bao-Dur done by the time I'm done with the moon (looking at a guide and it seems there aren't a lot of influence options for him).

 

[Snorkack]

For some strange reason, I found some time for gaming and also craved some Star Wars, so I finally started playing Kotor2 for the first time. I mildly enjoyed the first one and since 2 gets a lot of praise here, I thought this must be a blast.

Well so far it sucks. After the first 15 minutes or so that were really intriguing, I found Peragus to be a real boring slog. HK50 was quite amusing, but I feel like I've seen him before...
The escape from Peragus then was one of the most dislodged, jarring, illogical set of scenes I ever witnessed in a videogame. Starting to understand why people claim it's unfinished.
Off to Telos then! This must be a fascinating alien World then, right? No! Miles of empty and sterile corridors while I have to play through a bootleg version of Police Academy and listen to the galaxy's worst cantina band.

So my questions:
-Is this getting better? Where is the praised Avellone writing?
-Does the restored content mod 'fix' peragus and telos, and if yes is it worth playing through again?
-Can I install the mod midway through a playthrough? Playing the standard steam version.

Much obliged men!

 

[Nutria]

It starts getting good right around when you leave Telos.

 

[mediocrepoet]

-Is this getting better? Where is the praised Avellone writing?

Depends on what you mean by "better". The "gameplay" is what it is. If you hate it at 15 minutes, you'll hate it at 15 hours. You'll get more abilities and prestige classes as you progress, if that's your thing. Otherwise it is what it is.
The writing and story does get more interesting after you start getting into the game. Really, this is about the only reason to play it, but it is still a fairly linear experience.

Can't speak about the mod as I've never used it.

 

[Snorkack]

Alright guys, that's what I needed to hear.
I'm mostly hoping for more interesting characters than I-got-a-bad-feeling-about-this-man and more nuanced quests than 'help treehuggers for light side points or greedy megacorp for dark side points'. Add some more varied environments to it and I'm satisfied. Gameplay and linearity is fine.

 

[Camel]

It starts getting good right around when you leave Telos.

But with progressively less content and plot:
Telos>Nar-Shaddaa>Dxun and Onderon>Dantooine>Korriban>disastrous endgame.