FortranDragon

Point 7: Yep, it's buggy. Blame LucasArts for that since they are the ones that did the QA. Either LA botched the QA or completely ignored the QA department in order to get the X-Box version out for Christmas. Point 8: The fact you met Hanharr and Mira late in the game is a result of how _you_ played the game. You could have gone to Nar Shaddaa first after Telos. ;-) Also, Kreia wasn't a Sith or a Jedi. She had her own agenda separate from either group. She simply used bits from each that she found useful. (You can even ask her in the game if she is Jedi or Sith.) Keeping Hanharr alive simply furthered the goals she had for the Exile. As far as Mira killing Hanharr, she's not a ruthless killer. In fact Mira will tell the Exile that she hates what is happening to her when she is around the Exile. (Killing becomes to easy an option.)

Point 2: Kreia addresses the point about using the Force in the game. Inconsistency, seeming or actual hypocrisy, conflicted motives. They all seem to be what Kreia is all about. It is these all-too-human actions and emotions that elevate Kreia about the stock Star Wars Sith Lord. Point 3: Like those that see TSL as wholly sexist, I think you are seeing/reading too much into the game. Your comments seem to be more of how you see the world than what the game is presenting. In a way these varied reactions to the same subject matter show just how deep, ambiguous, and rich a story Obsidian strived for. Weep for its incompleteness. Point 4: Nihilius was extremely weakened because he needed to feed. He needed another Katarr (sp), but what he got was nothing. Given that the two were so alike it allowed the Exile to defeat him.

I don't think the immersion is broken for a Star Wars game. Star Wars itself has never attempted to be realistic, just a bit of fun escapism. R2-D2 and C-3PO running through weapons fire at the start of the first movie is a sign of that. If you a game that tries to be closer to the real world you might want to take a look at the Brothers in Arms game. You're never going to get want you want in a Star Wars game simply because of what Star Wars is (light, escapist entertainment). Also, as someone that has done a fair amount of hunting and has things such as a Springfield Armory M1A in his gun cabinet, I would say that I'm not working against my motor skills. Obviously, YMDV, but for me, when I have my hand on a *mouse* I expect it to behave as a mouse. However, if I had my hand on a *joystick* I would expect it to behave as a joystick. (Which I would prefer for the mini-games.) I think you would be a lot happier if you tried to meet the game on its own terms. Otherwise you just end up wishing that Josef Stalin was more like the Dalai Lama. ;-)

It's a game. Specifically, it is the D&D, excuse me, D20, game system. It was never intended to be realistic, just fun and easy to use. The flaws of the D&D/D20 system of have been argued since 1973. (This reminds me of the old AH vs SPI wargame design methodology debates of the 1970s. ;-)) Obsidian and Bioware before them were faithful to their source material: Star Wars. The idea is to have visually exciting combat with the flavor of the movies. To look cool, have fun, and not be tedious. To want something different out of a Star Wars game is to have unrealistic expectations. It's bubble gum for the mind. After all, Star Wars itself harkens back to the space opera pulp movie serials of the 1930s and 1940s. Until you can have an SCA-type of experience in a game realism isn't going to happen. Verisimilitude yes, realistic, no.

You had lots of points I'd like to address when I have more time. One thing I would like to point out is that your way of setting the Y-Axis is a tiny minority. Forward == up and back == down is the default way the mouse works on the computer. Leaving it that way works *for* the vast majority of gamers since flight-sim gamers are a minority even in the hardcore gamer groups. Yes, it would have been nicer if you could set that mouse options separately for the mini-games, but Obsidian went with the one that would be more 'natural' for the casual gamer. Who is, after all, the bulk of the gaming crowd. Oh, from an XP viewpoint, letting those Sith on the Ebon Hawk was a better value. ;-)

Check out this thread.

You are in the spoiler forum. You have to expect these things. ;-) Oh, by the way, whatever image you are using in your sid doesn't work. All we get is an image that states 'remote linking of images not allowed'.

I don't mind it when it is used to move an NPC's story arc along. Visas and Mandalore on the Ravager didn't bother me because it made sense story-wise and wasn't too long. Also, having my party split into two groups for a mission was fun for a single event. It adds to the immersive feeling that the NPCs exist outside of you. The thing that I wished was that the solo-as-NPC was less used in Nar Shaddaa. Switching once per planet is ok (e.g., T3 on Peragus), but having three switches on Nar Shaddaa wasn't so enjoyable. I wished that I could select who would distract the bounty hunters (a la, the Leviathan escape in Kotor 1), or even have all my NPCs be distractions for the other bounty hunters. The situation with the PC needing to be rescued on GOTO's yacht didn't sit well with me. Let my character be the prime mover of events. If it had been the case where the PC broke out and disabled the cloak so that the NPCs could find the yacht I would have been happier.

Thanks. :-D Shodan is one of my favorite villains. She's Insanely Evil in a way that's disturbing. Kreia is new favorite because she rose above the generic evil template that's all too common in Star Wars. Cool desktop picture. I like those 'visions of an unknown place' images.

I'd say I'm more like Jolee. A willingness to break the rules for a greater good. The loss of a much-loved spouse. The perspective on life that comes with age. Without the lightsaber. Or Force powers.

Nope, the original D&D books (the three little brown books ;-)) have STR, INT, WIS, DEX, CON, and CHR. The only classes were "Fighting Men", Magic-Users, and Clerics. Alignment (Law, "Neutrality", Chaos) was also in the original books. I believe it was the 1st edition of Advanced D&D that added the familiar 3x3 alignment grid (Good <-> Evil, Lawful <-> Chaotic).

Here's a link to an older version of my desktop. Yes, it is OS X. :-D I on my Powerbook most of the time. I only fire up my Windows box to play games.

Yes, sometimes we need to be kids again, even if some people , including us, get hurt in the process... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yet without that risk of getting hurt one will never have the chance to find something wonderful. Assuming you are talking about love and/or relationships. )

I'm sorry that our blatant fan-gurlism disturbs you UUF *Ahem* I mean HadesOne. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Some of us guys enjoy it. ;-)

I picked Handmaiden, but really any of the ladies (since I'm a guy ;-)) would be fun on a date. They are different enough from each other that each date would be fresh and exciting. So, to add to the topic, what kind of date would you go on with your pick?

Since we have no insider knowledge of what happened, speculation is all we have. While having an person in upper management override a department's recommendation -- in this case, QA "the bearer of bad tidings" -- is a cliche, it is a cliche because it is so often true.

And if the QA staff was saying that it wasn't ready to ship?

Thou hath lost an eighth!, err, Dark side points gained. ;-) And if QA got over-ruled by someone higher in the organization at LucasArts? Someone else makes the ship/no-ship decision...

I disagree. While manipulation can be useful, it can also backfire if people figure out out what you are doing. There's a reason why manipulation generally has a negative connotation. Leadership, especially by example, is usually a surer method of influence.

Bastilla reminds me of the typical young person (say, 18 to 25, ;-)) that has been tossed into a position of authority/responsibility with little or no support or coaching/consulting. She's made the bog-standard mistake of trying to control and/or micro-manage everything. She gets very defensive about anything that might question her authority or fitness to be in charge because she knows inside just how unprepared she is. It is just that she's been told she can't be undecisive or hesitant because "it's bad for moral". :sigh: I'm very tolerant of her because I know from decades of experience that leadership (and management, too) are skill sets that are learned and take time to build/honed. Tossing someone in to 'sink or swim' all to often results in a dead body on the beach somewhere. Bastila didn't get the support she needed: another indictment of the failure of the Jedi Council.

Welcome. Your specs should be just fine. If you get a slowdown in an area (:cough: Dantooine :cough:) just fiddle with the settings while you are in that area. Other than that, save early, save often. :-D

A woman who is bossy gets old. A woman who has the courage of her convictions and is willing to fight for what she believes in never does. A partner who is willing and able to be strong is a blessing.

I tried that once and it didn't work. I had to talk to Mira on the Ebon Hawk for that particular option to open up. Interestingly it was also the only time I've triggered Mira and Handmaiden talking about men. It's amusing in a perverse way that I'm getting some increased replayability because of the bugs in the game. ;-) I never quite know what dialogs or events are going to happen...

Don't even mention Lucasfarts, because they probably had nothing to do with the decision to use the low-quality music tracks anyway... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Considering LucasArts handled all the music related work, it might really be better to address them. It also wouldn't surprise me that Obsidian was contractually obligated to only release patches through LA. Yelling at Obisidian when they (probably) can't do anything is useless. Go bug LA, because if LA gets convinced then LA can get Obsidian working on the issues. (That is, pester the people paying Obsidian.)

It is the basic dichotomy in role-playing from the very beginning: is the role or the adventure most important part to the player? Some folks want to act, to subsume themselves in another identity and fully realize it. While others want to go, do, see new things and be world shakers. Both are different paths to the same goal of having fun.