Ivan the Terrible

Actually, been there, wasn't impressed. Any army that operated on the guidelines of that Sith academy would disintegrate in upon itself after it's first battle. Imagine an army that not only tolerates, but actively encourages, the assassination of it's officers in the heat of combat by their underlings. 'Everyone for himself' isn't an ideal an army can operate around.

This is one thing that always bugged me about Bioware games. The villains are made so fiendish, so nasty....not just in their actions, but in their everyday conversation....that it's impossible to take them seriously. KOTOR was no exception. Example: the Sith characters you meet. Every last one of them is bullying, arrogant, obnoxious, and apparently without any redeeming qualities. Now, at the highest levels (Darth Malak), this makes sense; he IS a Sith Lord, dedicated to personal power at the expense of everyone else. But shouldn't the lower ranks have some ideal motivating them beyond pure power lust and cruelty? One quickly begins to wonder just how the Sith manage to find recruits when their only ideal is 'let's conquer the galaxy and be mean to people.' I refer to these characters as 'Johnny Quest' villains. If anyone ever watched that show, either the old or new version, you'll recall that there was hardly a single line uttered by the 'bad guys' which wasn't dedicated to showing how evil and nasty they are. You couldn't sympathize with them in the least because they were made purposefully unsympathetic. Remember, even the worst of causes (if it wishes to have any mass appeal) has managed to put some kind of cover on their excesses and lure idealistic recruits. The Nazis potrayed themselves as the defenders of European civilization against Soviet barbarism. The Soviets presented themselves as the defenders of the workers of the world against the enslavement of Capitalism. Hell, even the modern day Islamic extremists aren't just killing people to 'be evil', but rather because of a fanatic belief in the will of Allah. As for the Star Wars Galaxy, one has only to read the manual of TIE Fighter to understand the appeal of the Empire; 'Stability' against 'Lawlessness.' My appeal to the honorable designers of KOTOR II; please don't make the 'Sith Lords' Johnny Quest villains. Make them at least slightly sympathetic; make it so we can understand their actions and choices. Thank you.

Muchos Gracias, Amigo. I would have been surprised if this topic hadn't come up before.

Thanks, this made my day. I was worried I was going to ask, and everyone was going to respond 'sorry, but all those guys moved on to other things.' The idea that such a large chunk of the Torment team are back together makes me giddy. Remember, whatever the sales numbers, there are LOTS of us who regard Torment as a masterpiece; in my eyes, it's the standard by which every storybased RPG is judged, including KOTOR. It's not every new game company that comes complete with a ready-made fanbase.

PS:T is my favorite game of all time. Bar none. The best storyline, the best characters, etc. etc. Truly a classic. So my initial reaction of disappointment when I heard Obsidian was developing KOTOR 2 instead of Bioware changed instantly to exhultation when I discovered Obsidian was formed by ex-Black Isle RPG designers rather than just being a neophyte company. So, just out of curiosity, who at Obsidian was involved with Torment, and in what capacity? Thanks in advance; my hopes for Obsidian are sky high at the moment.