Drakron

EA killed Origin. Ultima Online because a "cash cow" and all Origin projects were discontinued in favor of UO support, Ultima IX is a example of EA influence of Origin projects.

First, the DS ending shows the infinite fleet ... tes the Republic is not done yet but it cannot survive it, even if the Sith lose the Star Forge it would be a impossible to stop battle fleet. Second, this is not .Hack// series were there is a liner design for several games and as SWKotOR ended at lv20 (max allowed in d20 system) it pretty much assures that none of the party menbers of SWKotOR can return if using the d20 system and even if they use a new system it will be a dificult to explain why someone that was at the peak (or almost) of their abilities before suddlen gets a hell lot worst. Third, "the good guys win" official endings are a Star Wars license directive and also Ep. V was not a victory to the Empire because Vader failed to destroy the Rebel Alliance (since they escape Hoth) and failed to capture Luke with Solo being the only "victory" to a certain Hutt.

Problem is that all Star Wars official endings is were the good guys win, also there are timeline issues since the Republic was never overthrown in its 25.000 years of existence. Also I dislike the "returning characters", that works on series that continue the story (like BG series or .Hack) but SWkotOR was done as a one shoot deal and there is not much to continue NPCs personal stories that were pretty much done at the end of the game,. Also its always best to avoid using other people characters, any writter will say they rather use their characters that others people since they dont have the same kind of "insight on the character" as its creator. Also lets not forget that Fallout 2 had little references to Fallout with the only link as that the hero was a decendent of the Fallout hero. Trying to do a SWKotOR 2 will always end up as a failure since SWKotOR is a self contained game.

We do, that scene is after the destruction of Home. I like Squall hugging Rinoa FMV better, it shows Squall character growth as Tidus is STILL a moron and Yuna a retarded in the lake scene.

I was talking more of when they crash into the garden and invade it and we see the battlegound as we move into the back entry.

FF VIII had many moments were the scene takes place and we still have control over the character (examples, "the parade" and "the gardens battle") so it is possible.

There are rules and there are rules, for example, the force system of Star Wars d20 provides a better emulation of how the force is despicted in the movies and novels and SWKotOR force system is not a improvemnt over it, its a step back. The crystal upgrade system on the other hand is a welcomed adition. Star Wars d20 have a vitality point system and a wound system, heroic classes have vitality as non heroic classes do not so if a commoner with 10 Constition is hit for 12 damage he pretty much gets killed. Of course the advantage of system system is emulation of the movies and novels were grunts gets killed with one hit (and being able to deal damage to the heroes) and still allow the "epic" battles with players having a the change to survive at low levels. The original intent of skills in Star Wars d20 is to allow players to use character skills to achive goals, it being build a lightsaber, download the TIE Defender blueprints or open a locked door without help from "unlimited items" (true that items that give a bonus to skill do exist is SW d20) to a point were a untrained character can perform a heart transplant with success. Oh but you are wrong, if anything people tend to try to make a "optimal" path that gives then the best solution. And that is why people pump persuade, so they can redeem Bastila and get all the rewards in using such skill since persuade impact on the game is the very high and there is no "eye lashes +10" to give that skill a bonus. I bet some people like spikes, spikes could work if they were required for starting computer hacking access but that is a bit too much of "tracking" (like spell compoments) that bogs down the game into storage magerment. Its a bit like water and food, some people like systems that uses then as other simply dont use then or use a hybrid system.

How? People that like SWKotOR do not because of the existing ruleset but because of other factors. Unless they are the kind that try ti build a "ultimate" character that can do everything alone. Many people are, a lot of people were asking for the "one shoot, one kill" that funny enough IS possible in Star Wars d20. That is due to map layout, it COULD and SOULD made a diference since as it stands there was almost no reason to hack in computers. In Star Wars d20 I could access any computer as long I had enough skill to bypass the DC required and what matters is the DC to access funtions, access the main menu sould require little skill but program all the turrets to fire at enemies would require more skill. So lets take a scoundrel/scout that enters a enemy base and sneaks into a security access and uses his skill to opens the door to the main computer, disable the turrets and locks the the doors to make the corridors relative free of enemies. Now a guardian usually dont have that skills but he can petty much hack his way into the main computer. Implementing the system as original imtented is the priority, I know stuff like noble class favor is dificult (not impossible, favor is simply a diferent type of diplomacy ckeck) and others are donwright impossible but hacking the skill system and making Int a dump stat are examples of bad design.

What on Earth are you talking about? I said the ruleset system is not very logical and does not work too well, the fact every single "uber jedi build" resolves are starting as a scout says a lot. Also the game challanges the player is Taris, Dantooine and the first Star Map and after it the game only ofers some key challanges and most encounters are easy and dont even need player input. Oh I ljust love the mob mentality ... Diablo is considered a running joke in RPG circles because its a actionCRPG despite being one of the most boring games I had the chance to play (and the the second game that managed to hurt why wrist with playing, first one was "Wings of Glory" that really had a bad control system) and you can bet when Diablo 3 comes out it will be record sales.

I agree, Squaresoft have pretty much being using a basic combat system in all their Final Fantasy titles. What Shadow Paladin appears to keep missing is a RPG goes under a rule system and if BioWare wanted to make a action game they could, heck DX was a FPS/rpg hybrid that used outdated tech and its a reference in computer games. But what happened was that LucasArts ask then to make a RPG and SWKotOR is a very bad implemented d20 system and that is what I have problem with, if BioWare had a bad implemented d6 system I would still have a problem with it since I am not playing "system favorite" here (Shadow Paladin on the other hand ...) as I can use any system as long is logical and funtional with SWKotOR is neither much logical or funtional, its a half baked system rush down the door to meet release date.

You dont understand. The d20 system is flexible but any changes to the basis of the system can break and frankly BioWare break it when they implemented the half assed idea of making skills irrelevent to problem solving, it does not matter if you have 2 points of computer use as long you have 60 computer spikes, they can say all they want about "giving everyone a change to do things" but that just looks to be same excuse of DX:IW is using to defend it was not even as good as DX, less time making stupid engines that require a supercomputer to run and more in implementing gameplay like DX did would be better but I guess thats player mentality these days, "all show and no content". Anyway enough rant on that ... Point is if they are using a system its best to FULLY implement that system or have a QA to test that changes (not "oh lets implement 7 skills and cut in half skill points gain to balance it out" because we pretty much now were that leads to) so the system (despite the flaws that will be found) basic funtions as intented, its does not matter if its d20, d6, world of darkness, Grups ... if the system works lets not go around playing around with basic core funtions and then rush it down the door. I really dont mind OE making a Star Wars RPG but then going down the same road as BioWare on rules implementation is something I really do not want to see, BioWare raped the d20 system and have the nerve to claim they know the d20 system and work close with WotC .... Sorry but that claim to me was pretty much the same as calling me stupid. I just want a CRPG with a system that despite its flaws funtions and I did niot get that with SWkotOR.

I am a bit paranoid.

No, bloodlines are not feats they are simply automatic added to a character of course then tend to have a bonus and a penalty to keep then balanced except if you happen to be a Skywalker. That was one of the problems with SWKotOR, they keep saying "oh Revan was powerful" and Revan pretty much sucked compared to most of the other party menbers (expecialy the way they impemented force powers, no wonder most people saved levels) since he was a half baked jedi and a half baked whatever, if BioWare had gone the extra mile and got full use Star Wars d20 instead of copy/paste jobs that did not fool anyone. If OE is doing a Star Wars CRPG for god sake use a rule, I dont care if its Star Wars d20, West End d6, S.P.E.C.I.A.L. system ... I dont want the hack job that BioWare did with SWKotOR that is one of the WORST implementations I seen, make a game for RPG players and not for the "adverage" Xbox player since the fact is Xbox sucks when in comes to games and all the Xboxers will buy Morrowind GOTY because there is nothing else coming out.

Well Star Wars d20 have bloodlines, I dont recall offhand what the Skywalker line abilities actually do but they are kind of "massive bonus" type since all the Skywalkers have been stromg in the force. There are a lot of feats and skills involved with the force system, its pretty hard to find what a force user is good at in a particular field reguading the force, some are just more naturaly inclined to some areas.

They dont have any, I have no idea were some people got that idea but force users dont have any pre cog abilities beyond any natural ones. Heck I have several "I have a bad feeling abou this" experiances and I serious doubt is because I am force sensative.

How many times do I need to say this ... Force users DO NOT see into the future unless they concentrate and use the force to see into a POSSIBLE future. Look at Yoda in Ep. V to see HOW the force allows to see into the future.

Also the force system was completly flawed. Look at the movies, skill manipulation is what makes force uses make force powers and not "level up and select grip", any jedi could try to use any force power with success and failure being a matter of how much skill does the jedi have. BioWare implementation was the same as Jedi Knight series, except instead of map levels they put character levels but as Jedi Knight done it for map layout reasons BioWare had no excuse except if their game engine could not handle it such a system. I really dont want to see another "CRPG Lite" with half baked rules, if OE is doing a Star Wars CRPG then I want a force system as displayed on the movies and table top RPGs, not another "dumb down" syetem.

Star Wars d20 also uses a wound point system, so its not that "letal" (at least for the players) since only heroic classes have wound points. Also armor and AC work diferent, every class gets AC progression and armor instead of giving AC gives DR. Lightsabers in Star Wars d20 ignore armor.

DMs usually avoid it because the character players create is their own creation and DMs sould not step into players area by making characters background. A character is never "taken over" by players, their entire live and background is determined by the players that create then. Only exception is when DMs made "generated characters" to fit their adventure story but I never liked that idea, as it stands DMs already have too much power over the world and reducing player input is a bad thing IMHO. Its not a advantage unless the DM allows to be a advantage. DMs have the right to refuse characters builds and backgrounds and even if I have a character that is a throne heir the DM can work around it or make it part of the campain, the only "catch" to make it a part is what the other players characters cannot be left out. True that PnP allows the ultimate customization of the game story but the only reason that does not happen on CRPGs is because of time/size considerations, a bad thing is that many times they take the easy way out andsimply throw us a story for a generated character but that is not always true, IWD series allowed great character freedom but most of it could only be played by using imagination.

That is what I mean about the Master not active being in the party at start, he sould be avaible to offer advice and being someone the padawan can talk to. As for the jedi ... again Qui Gon did it on Tatooine and was able to not be detected except for Anakin (that recognized the lightsaber), nothing says that force users can detect another, Vader knew Obi force signature but every creature have a force signature.

Ep II have no dialogue saying "I am a servent of the Light now" and so gets extra +1000 points. As for being a Jedi ... well Qui-Gon did hide their jedi status in Tatooine, fact is unless you see a lightsaber you dont know if he can be a Jedi or not. Master/Padawan is not that much of a problem, we could have the master not active being in the party (after all as the comics shown Padawan were many times assigned without a master, even Ep. II had Obi being separeted from Anakin for most of the movie) until the character is high enough level for the level diference being too small to have any significant impact.

Its debatable if that worked in SWKotOR, a lot of the story and dialogue was pretty clich

Even if its true that developers cannot throw away games oportunities there is also a issue of reputation. If OE make SWKotOR2, then makes a NwN expansion and then makes Fallout 3 what publishers will see on OE is a company that makes RPG sequels and add ons and not a company that makes new RPGs. Reputation goes a long way, look at BioWare that is known as a RPG developer of established IP, Jade Empire will determine if BioWare can make games based on their IP ... if JE fails you can bet BioWare will be not in the top of the list of a publisher looking for a RPG game, after all BioWare did made Shattered Steel and I dont seen MS giving BioWare a MechWarrior game to be developed by then. Another thing, games are best developed by the people that created the IP, the best Star Wars games were done back when LucasArts had deveopment teams (TIE Fighter for example).

Fallot is classic. SWKotOR is a summer blockbuster, its good when it comes out it but have no staying power.

OXM was the one that made the KotOR2 rumors. I remenber when the "FF remakes" rumors started and many people (including news websites) help spred those rumors. Now the Games page says: Obsidian Entertainment is currently working on an unannounced role-playing game for PC and console systems. I certainly hope that one of those consoles is not a Xbox because we all know were that usually leads ... six months waiting for the PC verion.