rezzzman

It really depends on the Engione Tech and what is already implemented. For example, replaying conversations should be easy, because they are already scripted for the game (Basically just a lot of copy and paste with a few alterations to change the camera angle and auto-select the users responces) However, playing back important fight sequences COULD be much harder. Many games have the ability to record and playback. I think almost any game by ID software is an example. If KOTR already has the ability to record game events and save to a file ... this task would also be trivial. 3 experienced scripters could go through the game in probably 1 week and lay down the needed triggers and event captures to record the sequences. And you wouldn't have all that pausing to make decisions. Fights would go by much more smoothly. But scripting is much easier than programming. If the engine tech doesn't already have the ability to save to file, then yes, it would be quite a development effort. Espcecially this close to release. If the engine doesnt already support recording and playback... then guybrush threepwood is correct... it would never happen in KOTR 2. However, if the engine already has the ability to save game events to file and replay them in a scripted manner.. then it wouldn't be unreasonable for Obsidian to have such a feature in the PC release (You would need a computers HD space to store these event sequence files anyway).

A lot of details would need to be left out. For example, you wouldn't want to watch your character running around opening lots of containers... nor would you want to watch your character spend 5 minutes selling and buying equipment... or playing pazzak... I am just talking about the major plot elements. Conversations... a few fights, a few major events. As an example, for KOTR, you might see the opening video of the Endar Spire getting attacked, then see your character wake up, the trainer guy run in and say "Come on".. then skip to the bit where you and trainer are entering a room and the trainer runs off to battle darth Bandon. As your character tries to open the other door, you see the introduction with carth.. then you watch one battle between your character and the guards outside Carths room... you see your character open the door and carth says "You made it!" and then you see the video sequence of the pod ejecting. There is an example of the first 3 to 5 minutes of the personalized Kotr movie. Do you watch your character fight every fight, or open every container or run down every hallway... no. But you see the highlights of your 60 hour game which should condense down to about an hour and half to 2 hours. Then you could re-experience the storyline without the extra 58 hours of running down hallways, opening containers and doing inventory management.

I can't say anything with 1 or 2 sentences... so bear with me. My Girlfriend loved the original Star Wars movies, but was less impressed by Episode 1 and 2. I told her about this game KOTR I had played and how the storyline was actually better than Episode 1 and 2. SHe hesitated to play the game because ... well... most computer games are either "who can click the fastest" which wasn't her thing or you had to be statistics major to understand how to configure a well rounded character that wouldn't die in 10 minutes. Of course this was one of the great aspects of KOTR1... You didn't need to be an expert with dice, cards and statistics nor were your skills depenedent on who clicked faster. It was more like watching a movie... only the attention was on YOU. You were the main character and you guided your character to the light or dark side. OK... so where is my suggestion in all of this hype that you already know. Well... after spending 3 weeks playing Kotr 1, we went out and rented the Star Wars Trilogy and re-watched it. My girlfriend commented how short the movies seemed after having spent 60 hours playing KOTR. SHe wanted to go back and re-experience the story of KOTR... but she didn't feel like spending another 60 hours on the game. And that is when I had my idea. Wouldn't it have been cool if after playing through all of KOTR (all 60 hours), if at the end, a new option became available to play back my own personalized KOTR movie? Sure, some first person shooter games today will let you record and play back a demo... but imagine an hour and a half to 2 hour long scripted sequence using the portrait that that I chose and wearing the equipment that my character was wearing at the time. A few optional sequences depending on some choice and alignment flags and of course different camera angles to truely give it a cinema affect. (The camera is in the cantina and you see your character walk in). But ultimately something that I could play back and re-watch right along side my Star Wars Movie. I am talking about one of the first major merges between video games and movies. And KOTR 2 could be that great first game that does it for the first time. The graphics card market is ready; computers now have enough hard drive space to store such a rendered sequence. The timing is right. If KOTR 2 doesn't do it, someone else will. If this isn't the first time this has been suggested, well then consider this my vote towards pursuing the idea.