greylord

Sorry, bioware is running a coverup in their forums it appears, they promptly deleted my post. (edit: Found out it's not a coverup, they are actually just reviewing my post since I stated the only way that I've found assured of making it so that the virustype stuff isn't running, which unfortunately involves some program manipulation of the Game...which is understandable considering their policies. That post WAS almost strictly for a heads up for them...this is a backup for that, as well as a heads up for forum goers here on these problems in general seeing this is a general forum). Concrete evidence. I can't really provide that here unless some of you want to experience it. I wouldn't suggest it. Here are some games NOT to use would be in the Act of War:High Treason expansion timefram (so starting around the May time period to at least the June time period, maybe they've changed it since then. No problems with Storm Reach however, but that was released prior to the other two). First time installing the game, I try to run it, it asks to unblock for the firewall...easy enough. It then request unblocking again...and again...and again...and finally disables the vid drivers for the video card. Then NOTHING will run. However, of course, that MIGHT not be the games fault, perhaps something with the computer...right? So then it's isolation time. At the same time of installing these would be Rise and Fall, civilizations at war, DarkStar One (which was actually More of the game I would expect to have tech problems with than atari games), and Galactic Civliations. Reinstall basic OS to have completely clean installs for these new games...once again, do the Atari games...same result. However, doing it with all the other games the result cannot be duplicated (which doesn't bother me much since it ALWAYS happened right after Atari game installs). Now I personally was pissed at this point...I don't like ANYONE thinking they can disable my videocards...but I'll continue. So when I restart the systems however, and get everything running, if I uninstall the atari games, my drivers actually work....interestingly enough, with no problems. So then it's narrowed down to if the Atari games are installed and then run = disabled video drivers. If they are uninstalled, video drivers = work. Which seems odd. And it's ONLY atari games...as I said, all the others work fine. Then we try the next step...different what happens if someone takes away the copy protections, since it seems to happen at the beginning of the games... Well, not that I would do something like that...but when somebody does do that...surprisingly NO problems with the video drivers, no problems with the games...they actually ran nicely. Which pretty much at that point narrowed it pretty well down to the cause. However, we retried it on several computers includinng, and sorry, most of my computers that meet the reqs are Nvidia machines... Nvidia 6100, 6200, 6600, 7300 go, and 7600. The problems arose with the 7600, and all the 6000 series. The 7300 go for some reason ran it well enough. No apparant problems. I think it could be the DVD player, since that is a brand new computer less then a month old. The others have DVD players ranging from 6 months and older up to 3 years of age. Results typically were the same on all of them. Atari games that I installed recently that had no problem (but these ARE older games were D&D games such as Stormreach, as well as UT2004, Act of WAr: High Treason (the AoW expansion) both seemed to have similar problems.

I think Atari is using a new copy protection scheme...and its a BAD one. I mean REALLY bad, like prevent legit users (what's new there...but I've always been able to somehow get their games working...this one absolutely requires you to hack the game to get past) from running the game...period... Put a longer post in the NWN2 forums for a heads up for the makers there (I think it's Atari slapping on CD protections without seeing how compatible they are with the programs and different CD/DVD readers which is causing the problem, they need some bughunting AFTER they slap on this CD protection stuff I believe). Runs on some computers (normally has to be a pretty recent drive as opposed to anything over 6 months to a year it seems from the various computers I've tried these tests out on, and testing shows only one anomaly, it's always the Atari Games, and normally their protections that are the disabling feature, and yes, these are store bought games, so no hacked games and no pirated games...ALL legit (I don't pirate and don't believe in pirating, and wouldn't bring up bug reports relating to it since those are bound to be bug bound by the ones who hack them in the first place). Just a heads up here, not just for NWN2, but any atari game released in the past month or two...you're taking a chance. It could run great (I've had computers that ran their games superbly), but it might also run it really badly (I've had it try to disable my video card...literally, and it suceeded, my drivers were beaten up by their protection...that's some protection let me add...not my type...more like a virus I'd think). So buyer beware...and if you do, hopefully you get lucky instead of unlucky.

You bought Lionheart twice? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I have a wife...and she likes to clean....

It was 3.5, and yes it came out in September of 2003. I think I should know, but maybe we're playing different...ToEE's??? I'm pretty certain it was 3.5, why don't you fire it up and take a look at the game... Added: Actually I'm not just certain, I'm positive it was 3.5 edition. I admit I haven't played it in a while, but my memory hasn't gotten THAT foggy yet.

Haven't played many games have you? I know of a great number just in the year it was released alone... I know of a great many just inclusive of D&D games...for example POR with it's classic removal of your OS bug...or NWN with it's less well known and more minor removal of your OS bug...both of which I think are more significant with just that bug alone (much less the others) since that erases your harddrive entirely. Talk about a bug... Then there were the timing problems on the original release of the silver archives, and the bugs with D&D online. That's at least four games I'd put as more buggy on release (okay three, since technically the Silver Archives had been release previously, and weren't optimized for the system/OS of the day they were released on) than ToEE...and that's just with D&D games. Luckily I'm normally pretty tech savvy (of course, who do you expect but the one who figured out how to run NWN so long ago ON A VOODOO card!!!) so these normally don't bother me, but that doesn't mean I don't know ABOUT the bugs. Just because you suffered more from one game's bugs than you did from other games bugs...doesn't necessarily make a game the most buggy game...maybe for you (but then see my first statement), but bugginess is more about the bugs encountered by all then just one person. On the topic of the IE engine or ToEE engine...BG did AD&D much better, as ToEE never did AD&D, only 3.5 for it's time. Added: and I suppose that would also apply vice versa. As for NWN and ToEE, it would all devolve into whether you want SP or MP. As for NWN ruling because it involves a DM and players and hence is superior...That same argument holds true for MUDDS. Hence the stupidity arguement that this is a stupid point should hold sway. Instead use the MP vs. the SP arguments, in which case rulewise ToEE is out of the running for MP, and NWN really doesn't implement the rules in and SP game as well as ToEE, though there have been some rather good mods that make the SP game rather interesting and can be good replications of rules in some ways (though I'm NOT a HARDCORE ruleset fan for NWN myself, and many of those changes aren't looked upon favorably by me...but to each their own).

Jumping might actually hinder the game. Jumping is typically available in FPS games now, and one big thing people do to avoid getting shot is jumping...a LOT. Now in reality, that's just stupid. Give me a rifle, and see which one will get you killed faster (Okay, I'll hit you either way, but if you jump, it's just going to slow you down and make you a better target). Better to jink and jive. But if you allow jumping I'm betting you'd have people jumping all over the place as a legit way to fight. I'd toss flying in that as well. Give me a rifle, and make yourself a big black target against the sky there...and you'll just be like tossing up pucks. I can see how these items could be useful...but I'd much RATHER have a good game with good gameplay, a good story, and good solid playtesting prior to release than worry about whether it has the ability to jump or fly in it.

Anyone remember this game? I was walking down in a Big Lots recently, and saw that they surprisingly had a computer games section. In it I found a cheap copy of Max Payne and of all things, Lionheart. They were $5 each. For that cost I figured it was well worth the money. I know some don't like Lionheart, but for that amount, I can't lose. They also had Riddick:Butcher Bay, apocrypha, and some other games, but those were the only two I wanted. I thought I got a bargain. I already had copies, hadn't played them in ages though. So now it's time to play them all over again I guess.

I found mine right off the start...I believe it was actually one the first item that I found in conjunction with Light Sabers when I was playing a LS character. By the time I created my Light Saber I hada Purple, a green, and a Silver crystal. I went to Dantooine first on that time through the game...probably gained it because of random loot generation.

That would be my bet on the real reasons of why the forums might actually close.

I can't say I agree with everything in the review but I enjoyed you putting one down. It's a welcome relief to read a REAL and BALANCED veiw for once more than all the whiners here who are screaming the game stinks because of the ending. I for one am VERY pleased that yet one more approached this intelligently and gave what I would consider a good review...whether or not I agree with all of it. After hearing so many people who wouldn't know a balanced view if it hit them in the face here, it's always welcome to hear someone give a reasonable report of the game. But then, most of the time you were at least somewhat reasonable in the past, so that's a good thing.

I think the ending with Atton as a force ghost personally seems corny and stupid. And partially ridiculous if it had been implemented. Especially with some of the dialog there. But that's my own opinion.

Most of the people at Obsidian learned that lesson a few years ago. The people at Lucasarts learned it a few years ago, and then forgot it after Jedi Knight: Dark Forces 2. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Huh? Inform me what I missed with JK: DF 2, perhaps I'll want to go explore the disk now that you've perked my interest. Did they cut endings out of JK 2, and JK: JA as well? More on topic though, give it two or three years for development of KotoR 3 with a new engine and make it for Xbox Next/Xbox 2.

Does anyone know if uninstalling the game, but keeping the save game folder, destroys the record of how many vids you have? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Here's an odd bug for you, whilst not exactly unlocking all the movies...when I first installed it to an AiW Ati Video card machine, the game had a lot of movies unlocked when I first started it up. I had NO idea what they were too or how they got there. I think some of them I haven't seen (only gotten through once) and one was as someone stated above with the Hawk firing on the Asteroids, as opposed to what I did when I escaped. After uninstalling it on that machine and installing it on others, the bug hasn't seemed to crop up again. It was an odd bug however, the movies didn't seem to follow any real pattern as they were from all sorts of different segments of the game (which I realized later as I actually played the game through).

make your time.

The starter post was a good post! Thanks.

Constructive criticism...yes. Whining and most of what I've heard and seen...that's not constructive, more like destructive if I've ever heard of anything. perhaps that's the problem... What's even worse are some of these people are putting down a game which a great many who can actually play it have enjoyed and thik is actually pretty good...at least thus far. At least from most of the "publics" reviews (as opposed to game reviewers who actually have been much harsher than what one would call the general public scores where the just about anyone can rate it, especially from more notalbe and reliable sites which try to allow only one review and/or rating per person)l

I don't think people are asking for a "nice little ending" - its just the shock of this really excellent RPG suddenly falling off a cliff, story-wise, after the Jedi meeting on Dantooine. After that its just hack and slash, cheesy spliced-in "prophecy" from Kreia, and roll credits. We know there was more to the story, we know that Obsidian didn't intend to leave all those plot lines dangling, relationships unresolved, and absolutely core issues - the Force bond with Kreia, the impact of the influence system on the end game - unaddressed. Even the parts that *did* make it into the end game felt strangely truncated - what the hell happened with Mira? how did the droids resolve their little dispute, on which the "fate of the galaxy" was hanging? We got nothin' Even the boss fights were just bleh - Malak in KOTOR 1 was a real challenge, these guys were all just pushovers. Somebody forced the game out on the XBOX before it was done, to cash in on the holiday sales. All we're saying is hey, its on the PC now - for the sake of artistic integrity, for the sake of the fans, patch back in the rest of the story. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> So just accept that you enjoyed the story and got sucked into it enough to actually care. That's the sign of a good RPG, not a bad one like people are trying to make it out to be. sarcasm on As I said, if you want a POR:ROMD where storylines are all finished (what there are of them) and a nice little movie at the end, whilst ignoring the other things that most of us would rather have fixed that aren't the "forum elites" then that seems the perfect game for you. Afterall, you don't have to worry about all those hanging story lines eh? sarcasm off There are some things that would be nice to have...however, the exceptional crassness and arrogance of people on the forum stating a really good game is terrible because they think something should be handled differently is to me rather stupid and petty. Perhaps none of them everplayed BG or BG:TOSC which has a LOT of loose ends in many ways, and in some ways seems to have just as rushed an ending depending on how you go through it. Luckily they made a BG2 that showed a lot of the resolutions for certain characters. Of course the characters in BG1 weren't normally as deep as those in BG2 or KotoR2. BG1 DID have a nice little movie at the end of it however...though at the time it was released, it didn't make tons of sense if you really think about it... The thing is, the ending isn't as bad as some of the people are making it out to be. In truth, the ending to POR:RoMD in my opinion is worse, even with the "more resolution" to it in some ways...in fact, there are a TON of endings that are worse than KotoR2. And yes, there are those that are better as well. However, seeing some of the reactions, I'd imagine that some of these people never had gotten to the end of a game before, or at least haven't beaten many games...which is odd because I could swear many of them have played a lot of the games I know of when we all were back at the old Interplay and Black Isle boards. And some of the endings they want back in...I swear, if they took these same attitudes towards star wars, they'd be demanding the idea of han dying in Return of the Jedi be put back in along with the film that was supposedly rumored to fool Hamill into thinking that Luke died in the film as well! Yep, real emotional...guess that would have been one heck of a great ending to the Star Wars Saga with the two main male characters being killed off. Some of the endings I think might be spectacular if put into the game...however, I'm not crying over spilled milk. The fact that so many are crying wolf at such a small thing in a great game...seems to me that these might be the same people that cried out about BG2 when it was first released...about if memory is correct, the exact same things almost. How Deja Vu. and then of course I was worried about bugs even then...I suppose things never change.

That's from the Exile's point of view. However, what if the reasoning wasn't just because the Exile went to defend people, but they veiwed it that the Mandalorians were such a grave threat that it was basically the enemy, or the republic...one or the other would have to be exterminated. If that's how it appeared, that would explain why the Jedi council was EXCESSIVELY reluctant, perhaps even to the point which people wonder how they were even Jedi, in trying to debate their decision. If given the choice that they would probably have to commit genocide in order to win a war...would the Jedi council do such a thing? I think perhaps it was that very question which made them sit and take no action...and why the exile's arguments in some ways have weight. They WOULD have taken no action if that was the choice, unless they could find a better alternative, but if no alternative presented itself. As you can do as the Exile, you can point out that billions would have died and the Republic would have fallen... What do you think would be worse then that? Of course the Jedi Council knew this...and disagreed with Revan's, Malak's, and the Exile's reasonings. I get the idea that the genocidal tendencies weren't a new thing, and in fact, the struggle was that desperate as to make that the ultimate choice...a choice of them, or us. I don't think the Jedi condone genocide...and hence the moral decision. Typically as we've seen in the Star Wars the Jedi can take rather quick action when circumstances dictate...so unless there was a very difficult dilemma (aka the decision of genocide) it seems unlikely that they would be paused over such a dramatic matter as the probable fall of the Republic unless they went to the aid of the Republic.

This was explained in game. Revan was off elsewhere, while your character was leading the soldiers on Malachor V. The Jedi/Republic forces were losing, but the Exile kept them fighting on because the place was critical to Revan's plans, or so the Exile believed. Bao-Dur, either at the blessing or direct command of the Exile, built the weapon that turned hte planet into what you see. It killed everything around from both sides, or near enough (there were some survivors, just not a whole lot). From what I understand, it killed by condensing everything and/or destroying the Force in the lifeforms. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> But what I'm saying is that it did far worse than just that...but the entire war was boiled down to committing genocide? Hence why the Jedi council were so opposed to it in the first place, that the Jedi didn't leave with the intent merely to defend, but to WIPE out the enemy...completely. It was just there that the fruition of their plans began to be shown?

It seems one of the items that people want to know is what occurred on Malachor V (sp?). If I recall, during the Mandalorian wars, the race was almost wiped out, and it was scattered (mandalorians). In essence, some populations of theirs were completely wiped out...devastated, destroyed. From what I gather, your character was the one making these choices perhaps, either in conjuction with the two former Sith from KotoR 1, or by themself...and was in essence responsible for the nigh extinction of the race...perhaps a decision stemming from there...hence his crime would be even more terrible than percieved by some...for he in essence tried to commit genocide? Other ideas or am I waaay off track do you think?

PST was a great game. Only thing I disliked about it was the combat. I really really enjoyed KotoR 2 as well. I have to say however, the puzzles were a little to tough in some regards, and I was stuck at some points. There was also the thing where some of the areas seemed a little sparse as far as design goes. The areas of KotoR 1 seemed more full of life somehow which KotoR 2 seemed lacking. KotoR 2 was a great game however, I didn't like it as much as KotoR 1, but KotoR 2 beats the heck out of just about anything I've played recently. I've played all the BI games when they were out, but I too didn't really care for Fallout when I finally tried it. It just wasn't a game I enjoyed much...but I did enjoy all of the other BI games...even Lionheart, though perhaps LH would be more towards the bottom of the list. But KotoR 2 is definately a good game. I'll add my accolades and bravo here as well.

I have to say, I think the droid planet WOULD be fun. The ending was completely Black Isle...they typically have short brief endings IMO. A long ending is more of one like the hack and slash Diablo 2 (well movie wise at least) or some of the endings in a few of the console anime RPG types. I wouldn't mind a smoother running ending I have to admit. However those items would be at the bottom of my list. I enjoyed the game tremendously, however, until I installed it on the only Nvidia machine I had, I had a heck of a time getting it to run on an Ati Machine, and when I did on the more updated one, I had bugs galore...on the Nvidia it runs just about perfectly. Comparing my situation to what the some of the whiners here are complaining about, I'd say I have a HECK of alot more to complain about, and yet...strangely enough, I enjoyed the game enough to say, hell it was a great game! For those who think it's so bad, I suggest they go try Pools of Radiance:Ruins of Myth Drannor from a few years back, try the original game... Oh, at least it has a nice little ending with a more indepth movie...that should please those complainers here...afterall, after hearing them it seems that this is all they care about. I enjoyed the game, the experience was a good one. Hence I'll defend it staunchly. I've seen buggier games, I've seen worse endings, and in my mind, the gameplay itself is FAR more important than how long or short or in depth an ending is. For those who think that an ending (which isn't as bad as people make it out to be, though it could be smoother and more informative about what is occurring) is more important than the bug fixes...let me let you try playing not only on an Ati Card (a more recent one would be too nice to you as at least that runs the game, even if it has bugs) like a 7500 and see how much your assessment stays that way.

sarcasm on I doubt that criticisms about BG2, IWD, and IWD 2 would drive Black Isle into the ground... sarcasm off I know about the endings...and I had my response...but you know, I've had a lot of games with worse endings...at least you got a good fight...even if there was no long extended cut scene it seems some people wanted. They are exaggerating about the end and grossly so...I mean, in essence, BG2 had just as bad an ending except that it had a movie at the end...you beat the bad guy, but your romance...goes nowhere...your companions...so they stick with you...and what happens afterwards...who knows...you simply fight Irenicus and that's it...take out the movie and your about at the same spot as KotoR 2. In fact, BG1 had a pretty terrible ending as well...so you chase Sarevok into where...where in the heck did this area come up, why is he down there? You fight him, and that's it! It's not until BG2 that you get more resolution to the end. In fact, PST is the only one I can really think of that actually had what I'd consider a "good" ending that was better than KotoR 2, and though it was accoladed by many, it sold terribly. There are MANY other items that I'd rather have fixed up in the game itself...though don't get me wrong, I like the game immensely. Some of those items probably would make the end game flow smoother...and a few more lines could resolve a lot...however...people griping about something like that to the extent above...would make one think a PoR:RoMD episode was breaking out here...which it isn't. You know what bothered me FAR more than the ending...that the game only seemed to run on my Nvidia machines. My Ati machines had massive problems with the game. I pity those with Ati machines as they probably either have to update drivers to current drivers...or if they have older Ati Cards are waaay out of luck and can't even play. Even those that do get it to play will have some massive bugs in the game as they play. That's a far worse item than these idiots crying foul and bloody murder over the ending. However, being a gamer myself, I'm not that bothered with it...though of all the things with the game, THAT is the item that actually would bother me the most. I like the game, and I enjoyed it immensely. IF they make a KotoR 3 I believe most of the questions about characters could also be answered there, as a resolution, and a much more fullfilling one probably. On the plus side, they can change the resolutions to fit the story better for KotoR 3 as well. It's not that we (the general public) "don't know" about your rants (if you had seen me at the end of the game perhaps you'd realize that we know a lot that you know, and ascribing that those not here don't have the technological know how is about as arrogant as all git), but simply that we find most of the people here acting ridiculously about them whilst thinking arrogantly that they are addressing the most important issue about the game...when point blank...they are not. The patch I hope will be for the General public, and not the elites of this forum when it comes out...lest you all get your little endings that you are all complaining about, and the Ati users still have a buggy game to deal with. I'm glad a patch is coming out...I enjoyed the game, and as long as the patch is made for the majority of people playing the game instead of the whiners here, I expect that it will patch a great deal of the majority of the bugs making a great game even better.

FYI, that post can easily be interpreted as the exact opposite. People see what they want to see, I guess... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> From everything I've seen thus far that's actually true. The big criers and gripers seem to be the longtime Obsidian/Black Isle followers who suggested and suggested other items that led Interplay to ruin! If I might be so bold as to state that. They complained even then...about Icewind Dale, about Icewind Dale 2, and oh yeah, they even complained about BG2, that it was too buggy, and the ending stunk because it left more questions... I have to admit though, I am amongst those who have been around long, though after their move to being obsidian, I haven't posted much, and in fact been elsewhere until the news of a general riot amongst Obsidian's boards as opposed to what others were telling me...was heard. What do you know, maybe you can run OE out of business too eh? personally I hope you don't. Everyone I talked to stated the game was great...overall, and though they had complaints, it wasn't really about the ending at all. It's only on the internet really that I've heard this big push for these ending items. The REAL concerns that most have had don't deal with the ending...but with gameplay and design. However, for those here they'd rather have an ending however they deem as they would want. In my opinion, with the time table they had, Obsidian did an outstanding job, and as I've said it before here, I'll say it again, KotoR 2 is the best RPG to come out in months.

Isn't it odd, I still think they make good games. In fact...KotoR and KotoR 2 are good games. sarcasm on Oh, I forgot, those who don't like KotoR 2 like games either like Pools of Radiance 2 which had a nice ending with a movie and all (sure it had bugs...but it sure had that ending), or like Planescape Torment (which sold all of what...80,000 copies). sarcasm off Seriously, I enjoyed PST, but I've also enjoyed my experience with KotoR 2. It's not perfect, but it sure beats the socks off any other RPG I've played in the past few months on PC, PS, GC, or Xbox. That's worth something to me, and if it shines that much comparatively to the other games, to diss on it seems rather absurd.