aggiekevin

Well... just for clarification, I did not intend in ANY way to insult Obsidian. All that was meant by that was it would not be a smart move to ignore these boards (i.e. start a suggestion forum just to appease fans... make them think they were contributing). This, I am sure, is NOT there intent at all. And as far as you saying that a message board isn't a good source of information, I could not disagree more. True, a lot of what is posted on here is a bunch of b.s. Yet still, it is pretty easy to distinguish between what is a realistic suggestion, and what is more a far-fetched desire, or even worse (in terms of the initial intent of this board) a complete joke. I doubt there is a single one of us here who haven't played KOTOR I several times through. We know the game. We are who they are targeting. I'd say we are a pretty decent sample of the population. Of course not everything that is posted here is a realistic desire, but the vast majority of our suggestions (at least at the inital creation of each thread) are genuinly what we'd like to see improved upon in this next release. Sure, we know not EVERTYING is possible, much less probable, but still.... these posts are direct imput from the gamers who know this game. I think it would be a mistake for Obsidian to not record each and every one of these suggestions (the ones they deem legitimate that is), catagorize them, and see what common themes arise, which are most important, and what can be done to fix them before release. Example... if time and time again people on these boards kept posting that they really hated the blue menu screen in KOTOR I, and that they'd REALLY REALLY like to see it be orange this time, then Obsidian should definately take that into consideration and if they can, impliment it if time allows. The one point I am trying to make with this is that, for the most part, our imput here is very valid and should be considered and implimented if the devs feel it really coincides with the direction they want this franchise (and this game in particular) to go.

Thats why i said "if a suggestion is used" not "if someone posts 85,491 times, they get a new game". Damn.... I didn't think so many people would be against the idea of getting a free copy. Facists. (and no.... i am not serious about ANY of this)

I dunno, being in marketing myself, you learn how valuable customer insight truly can be. In short, if you aren't satisfying your customer base's needs, then plain and simple, your product won't sell. As it translates into KOTOR II: as successful as the first game was, the second release is pivotal. Churn out a game that is too similar to the first, and gamers will become bored. Relase one too different, and again, gamers won't be happy. I am pretty sure we are all crossing our fingers that this release is going to be close enough to KOTOR I that we truly feel it is a continuation of our journey, yet at the same time, feel satisfied that there are the right amount of changes so that we don't feel like we are playing the EXACT same game, only on a different map. If the devs can accomplish both, then they will surely see this franchise flourish for a very long time. (Example: if the initial follow-ups to the first Final Fantasy would have been uber disappointing, we definately would never have seen FF IX, X, X-2, etc.) Thus, as brilliant as the folks at Obsidian surely are, they would be monsterously idiotic to ignore these boards. I mean, here is a pure, virtually free method to get direct insight into the customers needs and wants (which in the mktg world, is near impossible to find). We are here b/c we want to be here, not because we have been coaxed into some mktg study. These suggestions are coming from the guys who have played KOTOR I extensively, loved it, and are foaming at the mouth already in anticipation of the next installment. Thus, our desires ARE the customer's desires. Believe me, a few copys of this game sent out to those of us who could make this game an even bigger success than the first is immensly less expensive to LucasArts than it would be to have this game flop.... especially when you consider the ammount of money a succesful KOTOR series would generate over the next several years. Besides.... do you REALLY think they are gonna have a "special thanks" section in the credits that displayed names like "Jedi Killer 9927"???

.....but would it be possible maybe (as a reward) that if a person's suggestion actually is incorporated into the game that he or she receives a free copy of the game when it is released??? :D

even still... I liked in Ep1 when OB1 was kickin some droid ass early in the movie, and as he was finishing the last one he spun his lightsabre around, closed it, and holstered it in one quick, fluid motion. I thought that was awesome, and figured it would be cool to incorporate that somehow into this game. It would add to the fight sequence (particularly the end of it... giving it a nice feel), not to mention making your character look like a bad ass. Plus, it would make you feel like you really had control over your lightsaber during game play, vs. just letting the cpu decide when it was time to holster it. Besides, would any of you really prefer to really let the game decide when it was time to put your toys away vs. giving you full control over it? The realism it would add, at least in my mind, is enough to justify what is most likely a very simple modification. "Of course, thats just my opinion.... I could be wrong."

damn xbox and their "too few button" scheme [/sarcasm]

Even in Jedi Outcast though (to my knowledge) the only way to close your saber would be to switch weapons. I know you could ignite your sabre in KOTOR by pressing (I believe) "Y" on the xbox console, similar to pressing "1" in JK2:JO. I have yet to see a way to close it though by command.

I only have one quick suggestion that I truly hope will be taken into consideration: It was ALWAYS annoying to me in KOTOR when you would finish a battle and your party members would close their lightsabers and yours had to remain open for several seconds before your character closed it. You could open it by pressing a button, so it seems equally fesable that there should be a button you could push that would close it. I would really like to see this implmented into this game. Of course, the obvious downside would be accidently hitting that button during combat and subsequently having a limb chopped off by your opposing foe. Thus, perhaps closing your saber could be accomplished by pressing two buttons simultaneously or something else, just so that you don't close it by accident but still have the ability to close it when you are willing to do so. No matter what, I hope the devs are able to find a solution to this... as it seems relatively simple in nature. P.S. I also REALLY like the idea of holstering your lightsaber, as mentioned in other threads.... but hey... we have to pick and choose our battles