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They are in the process of moving to a new web host. The forums are still available here, and their list of fixes are available from this post here. And if you don't know whether they have been shut down or not, then don't speculate. They haven't, and such sillyness goes around the web before anyone has a chance to correct it...

Yes, this debugging code shouldn't have been left by Obsidian in the 1.0B patch, and yes, it should have been picked up by LucasArts QA, and yes, logic dictates such a silly and high profile error should be patched quickly, but; whether and when it is patched is in the hands of LucasArts and prevarication is what they do best. I can only presume that this is being delayed to make a "super-patch" (like the 1.02 patch for the original KOTOR) and I think this is a mistake. The music and movies has no bearing upon this, as the work was already done during the lifetime of the 1.0B patch (and was only not included in that because LA vetoed the idea because, apparently, of the size of the download - well, hey, we've got to download it sometime and it's not getting any smaller). Yes, developing games that work better for one GPU that another is ultimately self-defeating, no argument there. But the problem derives from the aurora game engine KOTOR is built upon and its use of OpenGL instead of DirectX. The game engine was written by Bioware and not using this engine wasn't an option for Obsidian. The poor implementation of the OpenGL driver, however, is down to ATI, and they haven't shown the inclination to fix the underlying problems since long before the original KOTOR...

The TSL Restoration Project is in the process of moving to a new web host at the moment, and should be backup up shortly - shortly as in not long, as opposed to the definition LucasArts uses... Their forums are still up, and, for the time being, fixes from their web sites' download pages are linked to from this post.

According to whois, it was reserved on the 22nd November last by the same registrar who reserved www.kotor2.com. Whether that means that there will be a kotor3 depends upon LucasArts impressions of how Kotor2 went down, and whether their customers will buy a third installment. I think the questionnaire that was circulating a little while ago whas part of that decision. However it plays out, LucasArts would have already been planning a Kotor3; they would have to to get it out of the door in a reasonable time-frame. Reserving the domain is just a natural response when releasing a game which has a predictable sequel.

It has been reported many times that the PC's repair skill is used to break down at workbenches, but the current PC/NPC's skill is used to create at workbenches. Some simple items will only ever yield 1 component, whatever your repair skill. A brief cast around for information led to a couple of interesting tid-bits: Some workbenches don't seem to work this way at all. An archived post from gamebanshee suggests that some workbenches use the current PC/NPC's skills for both break down and creation. I don't know if this is true, or it is linked to areas where the PC isn't a member of the party, the solo-thing or something else entirely. Lab stations don't seem to work this way at all. Break down and creation use the current PC/NPC's skill. I don't know what to make of this. I would like to think that the workbench limitation is by design to balance the system and lab stations don't work the same way simply because they are much less important. On the other hand, maybe there is a bug behind this. No dev has ever commented. Or, maybe, it is consistent and we're just seeing something that isn't there...

Current black hole theory implies the existance of their "evil-twin", the white hole. According to this theory a black hole can be linked to a white hole, to create a worm hole. If the black hole can be moved, the worm hole could even become a time machine. The problem? The energy requirement exceeds the energy content of the known universe. Also entering the black hole without being destroyed means missing the singularity which requires faster than light travel which is a conventional no-no. You would need a black hole with a singularity ring (which is believed to exist in rotating black holes I think) to avoid this problem. Warp drives are similarly possible in relativistic theory. The idea is that matter cannot travel faster that light, but space can. Don't move the ship, move the space the ship is in, so that the ship is travelling at zero velocity with respect to the surrounding space and isn't breaking any laws. If this sounds silly, it is and it isn't. Current theory indicates it is possible to create a bubble of spacetime around an object, which would allow you to accelerate that bubble independant of the surrounding spacetime. Problem? Energy again. More energy than that produced by a billion stars. And the more space you want to enclose (the bigger your ship) the worse it gets. Exponentially. Also the leading edge of the bubble would become disassociated with spacetime outside. You couldn't see where you were going, and you couldn't even switch your warp engine off. Hyperspace is the great sci-fi "cop out" clause. We aren't moving faster than light in spacetime under relativistic laws at all. We entering a different realm were different rules apply and which can be mapped onto normal spacetime at least at the point of entry and exit. We travel here however fast we need, however long we need, and emerge at our intended destination. Let's not worry about whether such realms exist, or how we could get into them or leave them - everything is dictated by the requirements of the narrative, not science.

Components recovered from breakdown of items depends upon the PC's repair skill, not the NPC using the workbench. After getting Bao-Dur to the first workbench in the military base on the surface of Telos it is easy to get his repair skill to 15 (even if you use the recommended skill point distribution he won't be far off). A repair skill of 15 is the "sweet spot": it gives you a 100% breakdown efficiency. An item that takes 10 components to make will break down to 10 components at this level. Preventing the use of Bao-Dur to do this so early on in the game seems to be a conscious design decision. Someone did post that it is possible to get around this by switching to the character whose repair skill you want to use, and the going into solo mode whilst using the workbench. I haven't tried this, however, so I can't comment as to whether or not it works.

Agreed you should be able to make a LS choice, but why should the choice be accepted? The tomb is presenting you with images designed to shake your certantity in your beliefs. Making you act contrary to your nature may not be a good way of doing that, but it is good DS thinking.... And the key event is the death of Kreia. Once she goes down, all of the other NPC images disappear and the door is opened. Presentation and logic issues aside, this is surely by design - nothing else makes sense. Hmmm... As I remember it rejected your answers, but mysteriously accepted you after seeing you fight - and almost gave the game away in the process. But it also rejected the logically correct answer to the Prisoners' Dilemma, so it wasn't that smart a computer after all... But I also agree that the way it plays out at the moment is confusing and lacking in polish. If you could acknowledge the loop, acknowledge that you were being pushed into making a decision against your nature, would you have still considered it a bug?

I am afraid to say I haven't seen this exact problem, but: I have had Handmaiden and the HK-50 on Peragus become invulnerable with 1 VP remaining. In the case of the HK-50 a quit, restart and reload cured it. In the case of Handmaiden, it happened after installing the 1.01B patch and I couldn't get around it. I trashed all my saves and started again, and it hasn't happened again (so I hope that isn't your problem, too). But you aren't able to reduce her VP at all? What does the combat log look like during this fight? (Just in case you haven't found it: On the journal screen, there is a button at the bottom marked "messages" which will lead to a screen with buttons across the top marked "combat", "feedback", "effects" etc. "Combat" leads to the combat log).

The tomb is DS, so why should it accept your LS choice? If there were dialogue options to acknowledge the "Groundhog day" aspect, I wouldn't consider this a bug at all. Yes, you do need to kill Kreia, but you can simply choose not to pick a side. After the "Apathy is death" bit (I like T3-M4's contribution, here), you can just concentrate on killing Kreia; the others will disappear once she is defeated. And no LS/DS points at all...

Dealing with Kreia shouldn't be a trade between DS points and influence; you've just go to work her character. She wants to be your teacher, but isn't interested in your opinions; she doesn't want to be challenged by you. So stay neutral. Don't express strong opinions unless you are forced to; if the game is trying to make you say something against your alignment back out of the conversation. In short, on the LS path there is only one point you have a direct choice between influence or DS points: when Kreia asks you early on about the acts of charity and mercy. At the end of that conversation you have a choice of saying "I willl consider you as disposable too" and gain DS points, or anything else and loose influence. Everywhere else you can weasel out of it. Personally I'm intrigued by the long multi-part convo with Atton where he tells you about his "past". There is a point somewhere in that where I get DS points (LS points gained, DS points gained, net LS gain), but for the life of me I can't work out where....

Spot on. It's a nod to the technological complexity of an item - the more complex the more components you should recover - but it is a bit uneven in places. A blaster with a "stun" possibility, "powered" armour, armour with damage protection, like sonic or heat; all should be expected to yield quite a few components. Although some of the component scores for the better Jedi/Sith robes are a bit puzzling....

The best way of getting components is breaking down items. In order to do this effectively you need a repair skill of 15; at this level you are breaking down items with a 100% efficiency - if an item takes 10 components to make, you can break it down to 10 components. The Twin Suns drop two Twilek spinning blades in the cantina, and two more on Goto's yacht. Each is worth 500 components, making 2,000 in total. As you make more and more Jedi, non-Jedi armour becomes less and less important. Some of the better armour exceeds 500 components, and some exceeds 1,000. Some of the more exotic vibroblades you can acquire also yield a lot of components - one of the Sith blades breaks down to 650 off the top of my head. All of these of course are things that you find, rather than buy. As regards "working the economy" - selling items to buy a basic commodity to break into components - I haven't seen a scheme that works yet...

It's not just a question having enough influence, it's a question of how the influence levels between the characters compare. The scene between Atton and Disciple, for example, requires you to have more influence with Disciple than Atton (Atton feals threatened). I have gotten too good playing the influence game. I generally switch characters to the ones with low influence whenever I hit a hot-spot. The downside of this is that I leave my first planet with high but equal influence with the main NPCs so I never see these scenes. So I have never seen the scene between Visas and Handmaiden, or the one with Mira because I began playing as a male PC late on. And when the screen fades to black and fades back upon entering the Hawk isn't a bug - it just means that there aren't any more cut scenes to play. That implies that you are very late on in the game - and probably have maxed influences and no chance of seeing these scenes, just like me...

Siding with Kreia means accepting the possibility of her redemption which is an LS/Jedi kind of thing to do. Siding with your ship-mates - even if you agree that Kreia is a bad egg - is the opposite, so is considered DS. Not choosing a side - apathy - is neutral and means no LS/DS points. The tomb is full of the dark side, so it rejects the LS choice, forcing you to try again. The key is to kill Kreia, either by the DS or neutral path. Once she is down you are free to proceed, so ignore the others and concentrate on killing her. Same with the earlier encounter with Malak; once the main target is down the others disappear.

petay12, I've never had a low enough influence with Kreia to find out, but it makes sense. It's a bad move to lose influence with Kreia, as she has many opportunities to gain XP, attribute/FP boosts and backstory through influence based conversation. Indeed, I don't think the story makes sense without some of her backstory. Heckur, are you sure about that cannock on Dxun? There is a cannock to the western edge of the jungle map that is unusual in that it gives a reward without needing to search the remains. If this is the one, then I can't comment on it giving a lightsaber part - I never go here first planet - but it hasn't given me a complete saber in half a dozen play-throughs. I always get crystals. Maybe it doesn't like me....

Mira: In order to make Mira a Jedi, you need to ask her about feeling restless travelling, which leads you into a discussion about Nar Shaddaa. You can then tell her that Kreia showed you how to "hear" Nar Shaddaa. With enough influence Mira will let you take her to the same place and become a Jedi. However, this conversation option ONLY appears if you are talking to her aboard the Ebon Hawk. Elsewhere it just won't be an option. "Yourname" Crystal: If you ask Kreia about the Crystal, she will sometimes tell you that it is no longer in "tune" with you. If you take the Crystal out of your lightsaber (use a workbench or T3-M4) and ask again, she will "tune it" if you ask again. This is possible - I believe - every third time you level up. * EDIT * Pipped at the post by Master Sliath. Lightsabers: Good list Heckur, but you missed Freedon Nadd's (sp) lightsaber in his tomb on Dxun. * EDIT * And I missed Visas' lightsaber - If you make sure that you have already constructed yours before you face her, you will recover hers after defeating her, instead of parts. I always do this - as you say, lightsabers are at a premium.