Plano Skywalker

the "selling point" for a sequel could be Josh's ability to keep the special effects costs, and overall production costs, in line. obviously, he would probably want to do more in a sequel but could keep that aspect down if it meant the difference between production and non-production. of course, there has been talk of a made-for-tv and "straight-to-DVD" production but I'm hoping any sequel will start off on the silver screen. I think this has the potential to fill the vacuum of space opera on the silver screen.

I recently finished watching all Firefly episodes and, also, the movie Serenity. I have to say I was quite impressed by the immersive, "I can almost see this happening" kind of feel. I doubt the show will ever resurface (at least not with the same name, cast, and story arch) but more movies could be made. It has been reported that, thanks to strong DVD sales, the movie is profitable. Hopefully, there will be a sequel (s). http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread...?threadid=59843

well, Zayne could end up be a true *protagonist* in an already crowded field. I think he may well be Nihilius though, especially with that Visas look-alike always following him.

KOTOR is very much a moving target. I'm sure there are some hard core SW fans that have the ear of GL who want Darth Bane to continue to be the first "Darth" and just write off KOTOR as Infinities. While I don't think that will happen, the point is that everything is on the table. I think one of the main reasons there is even a KOTOR comic is to sort out the continuity insertions and contraditions in the games. I also think any future games from this time period will have better continuity. We shall see what they do. If they do decide that Revan and Malak are "Sith names", then they will have to come up with a way to explain why Malak referred to Revan as Revan in the Dantooine tomb flashback. Neither Revan nor Malak had been kicked out of the Order yet. Other than that, I see no reason why the Jedi or anyone else in in-game present time would not use their Sith names to refer to them (even when speaking of past events) as that is what they now are and are known by.

all I'm saying is BioWare had a pretty free hand and they pretty much did what they wanted. they used first names and "darth names" interchangeably. Revan and Malak are also referred to as Darth Revan and Darth Malak. This is actually a huge continuity shift...that is one reason I think it will be corrected....it will be revealed that Revan and Malak are "darth names" not given names. The KOTOR comic writer has hinted (in interviews) at the general idea of telling us the real names and not just the darth names. Of course, there are a number of characters to do that with and we will not know if Revan and Malak are included in that thinking until it happens.

other than Wiki crap, where does it say definitively that Revan is a given name? I think they can do whatever they want with it and I think Revan and Malak will, ultimatley, follow the SW tradition of having "Darth names" that are different than the given names.

NWNs has always been a 3-legged stool: * single player campaign (s) * multiplayer * toolset it is the multiplayer aspect and the toolset that set it apart... nothing really to write home about with regard to the single player aspect. and if it is multiplayer you want (for free) Guild Wars is probably much better anyway. now, if you want to see what others have created and enjoy playing amateur content, then NWNs may be worth getting. no other RPG has as much amateur content available. same thing applies if you want to *create* your own content. I am something of a graphics ***** and I have not been impressed with NWNs screenshots. I think NWNs2 is going to blow it away in, essentially, every aspect. I also like really good interparty interaction and dialogue (i.e. KOTOR2). That will be there in NWNs2. I, personally, will probably not get the Diamond Pack and just go for NWNs2. (oh, and Jade Empire is the best cRPG of the last decade followed closely by KOTOR 2)

yeah, I once thought he was one of the primary characters in the games. but it would seem that he can't be Revan because the Jedi Order is already helping out the war effort and that was something that would not be going on without Revan's intervention (not to mention all the dark side elements in the Order). still, he could be Exile, Nihilius, Sion, etc. I wonder if they will "hard code" Revan and/or the Exile after all. I suspect they will. And we will learn that Revan is not someone's first name nor surname but someone's "Darth" name.

I got it. I generally agree with your assessment. But at least the story is moving off-world now and there is something of an "adventuring party".

when I think of "secret police", I do, indeed, conjure up images of Soviet-style KGB...an all-encompassing force that will arrest you for, among other things, having points of view that are not authorized. I don't think "free societies" need this nor is it in their best interest to have it. However, there is a recognized need for more "domestic security", even if that sometimes involves spying on citizens. Rapid Response Teams are nothing new--it is how they obtain actionable intelligence that is cause for concern. It is a very amorphous line. I think the best bet is to have legislation that sets some very clear lines of demarkation with regard to privacy while giving law enforcement the ability to share information with the military and with the intelligence community and vice versa under certain narrowly-defined circumstances.

if you like DSers, then Exar Kun is your guy....he was defeated but not killed (at least not for several thousand years) and he was never redeemed. generally speaking, though, DS + the Force can only go one way...it will always lead to domination. that is why it will always be opposed. it really is that simple.

hmmm, that is a tough one. on the one hand, the fact that there are no aliens or empaths, etc would steer me to say no. on the other hand, the Terminator-style SENTIENT ARTIFICIAL HUMANOID who has feelings is really well done and lends itself to the sci-fi label. it's kind of like Firefly...not sure what to call it...I just know that it is good stuff.

they may have thought about adding Hoth at one point but decided against it. the main reason not to use Hoth is that the planet is named after a Lord Hoth, who, if I am not mistaken, does not yet exist in the EU timeline. an ice planet *like* Hoth, though, would be nice.

a story-based game will definitely have a "yellow brick road" but I like it when the yellow brick road forks into a gold one and a beige one for a few hours. it ultimately comes back together though.

in Jedi Outcast, they have "seeker drones" which are a lot like disposable Remotes. kind of neat.

eh, OK Beavis.

they had an awful lot of freedom with KOTOR 1 even though there are certain parameters that have to be respected. those are obvious enough.

why should they stop now? :D

based on what I have heard from SWG fans, one of the biggest problems with the game was the out-of-character (for that period) fact that it is easy to be a Jedi. they have tried at least 2 ways to deal with it but anything they do is fundamentally flawed since Luke, Ben, and Yoda are the only Jedi alive canonically. Hopefully, BioWare will have full artistic freedom and, hopefully, they will move the story forward and only allow Jedi once the story enters the New Republic era.

perhaps a better article on the same story: http://www.gamespot.com/news/show_blog_ent...pic_id=24466266 snippet: Given Galaxies' bumpy ride, and the fact that many game contracts expire after three years, it is not inconceivable that LucasArts, holder of all Star Wars rights, might want to shop around the license. According to informed sources in the industry, that's exactly what the company is doing. Two shops have been mentioned as talking with LucasArts--Cryptic Studios, home to MMORPG City of Heroes, and Canada-based BioWare, maker of the action RPG Jade Empire. Of the two, BioWare appears the more likely candidate. Besides the fact it developed the critically acclaimed and wildly popular Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, the developer just founded a new studio in Austin, Texas--home of SOE's Austin branch--which employs several ex-SOE staffers. The shop's sole project is an unidentified MMORPG set in a science fiction universe, just as Star Wars: Galaxies is.

absolutely....it is fantasy (more than sci-fi)...that is why it works so well in CRPGs.

true, except it doesn't work that way in Star Wars. In this franchise, there is very little in the way of technological advancement. technology is more or less a constant. the Death Star, of course, is an exception.

we could also use more "Boba Fett" type gadgets (flame throwers, jet packs, etc)

whether you use "stun guns" and such things for your PC is up to you. I'm just saying they should be part of the gameplay universe. in ANH, they had guns that could be "set for stun" that pretty much laid you out in one blast.

it doesn't make sense for a Jedi to play Pazaak? What about use the bathroom?