Plano Skywalker

I've enjoyed computer games in one form or other for many years...but the game that really got my attention was KOTOR 1....KOTOR is my PST.

the reason why it would HAVE to be the Planescape setting is the death mechanic....however, as long as you can find another cheap trick that would substitute for that, well, RPGs with amnesia, heavy NPC interaction and dialogue, and heavy backstory are quite doable and I would like to see more of them. (I'm not a huge fan of the "amnesia" thing but it is a powerful storytelling device, no question about it....I can forgive it somewhat if it yields a really good game)

I agree that Sony will probably have to make the PS3 a loss leader and try to make up the difference with titles...they don't WANT to do that and they have never done it before but it is going to be mighty hard to deliver a premium product (Sony only sells premium products) and sell it above the magic price point (which is $400 or less for gaming consoles) with M$ doing that and, presumably, looking at a 360 price drop this Christmas.

absolutely right...that is one reason I went to consoles as my primary gaming solution: as technology increases, consoles are going to be able to deliver the cutting edge technology (required to play the better titles) at a much more scalable and cost-effective price. but one thing I like is the fact that sims, builders, and strategy games have generally not been too greedy in this area....pcs for strategy games and consoles for all else is not a bad way to do it.

my current KOTOR 1 PC looks like THIS (using the Aayla Secura mod) in the past, I have generally used the Keanu Reeves sprite in KOTOR I and the Buddy Jesus sprite in K2 for male playthroughs.

right...but I do know that an expansion pack (still using the Odyssey engine) would be a REALLY good idea. it could even resolve a lot of the dangling threads that we have now and set up a much "cleaner" K3 storyline.

I think we should talk about it...if you are referring to my expansion pack idea, I do not see it as an either/or scenario. Obviously, there will be a KOTOR 3 at some point. You can count on that.

good point

I thought that was heresy to your ears! Ah, well, perhaps you will join in the K2 EXPANSION PACK PETITION.

yup....KOTOR 2 is PST JR. the question is who take the torch from KOTOR 2?

HA! I walked right into that one.

NO, it wouldn't make money? or NO, it wouldn't give PST fans what they are looking for?

I think the PS setting is a bit "out there" as some have indicated and will never have mainstream appeal. I, personally, think that a FR game that features an amnesiac Drizzt Do Urden would sell like hotcakes and, because of all the rich backstory and dialogue, could have many of the things that PST fans are looking for. It could be a cult classic and a money maker.

no expansion pack, then? well, I guess I can settle for K3. :D

I don't have sales numbers so I have to go on what empirical evidence I have. generally speaking, though, titles don't sell at full price in the stores I go to unless it is a hot title. Obviously, I could be right or wrong. I'm just offering up a plausible scenario: KOTOR 2 (which some believe was sabotaged to some extent) still manages to be a profitable title. IF THAT IS IN FACT THE CASE, then I think an expansion pack would make a lot of sense. No need to compete with a winner...just find more and better ways to milk the winner.

have you read anything I posted? look, I don't have hard numbers but the title is still selling at full price where I live. K1 sells for 1/2 price. I don't know but I think that suggests it is still selling quite well.

my point is simply that K2 is still bringing in the bacon and I can see where they would not want anything to trump that, including K3. I just think the conditions are right for an old-fashioned expansion pack that could, in part, be a thinly-veiled end-run around the amateur content-restoration project. It would be more than that but it would also be that.

I actually think a good old-fashioned expansion pack may be just what the doctor ordered. I mean, the game is still selling very well...it would be foolish not to make every cent you can off of a successful title....K3 could dampen K2's sales. This wouldn't be an issue if K2's sells had died down...but they haven't. Sooo, an expansion pack that has Seyleron and Droid World, along with new maps, sidequests, convos, minigames, ship upgrades, optional party members, mod tools, etc would bring in even more dough...especially if it were priced for, say, $20. Yes, we still have a cliffhanger that begs for K3 but if K2 is still selling well, then we fans have to understand the business component here and that may suggest that an expansion pack is what would make the most business sense at this time.

ummm, yeah, K1 has been out longer.

using wings

I think I know why LA has not been in a hurry to talk about K3..... KOTOR 2 is selling like hotcakes! I was in a gaming shop today to pick up a PC format copy of K1, so I can start fooling around with mods and, while I paid $20 for a brand new copy of K1, I noticed that KOTOR 2 is still selling at full price....it sells for what Battlefront II sells for. For a title to sell like that 1 year after its release suggests that it is flying off the shelves.

well, I definitely agree with that....I remember roaming around the countryside in pre-searing Guild Wars and seeing these quaint villages with farms, windmills, etc....EXCEPT, no horses, oxen, mules, carriages, etc (at least that I can remember). I mean, that is just not excusable....at the very least, they need to be part of the landscape.

one way to handle the alignments of Revan and the Exile is to simply base it on a question that the PC gets asked early on. For instance, someone asks, "What do you think of that legendary Jedi Revan?" 1) He attacked the galaxy in order to save it....he did right. 2) He fell to the darkside but was redeemed later. All in all, there is much we can learn from him. 3) He should have never tried to save the Republic...the Republic must fall! So, there we have it...in that conversation, the PC can choose between 1) DS/Antihero, 2) LS, or 3) DS/pro-Sith. The PC is defining his own views and, by default, defining the alignments and perspectives of Revan. Exile does not have to be defined in-game, IMO. He went looking for his old mentor and general and ended up fighting an anamoly along the way. His own alignment does not matter as much...Revan's alignment, though, does have some bearing on the overall story.

about ROOMS...that is in the context of the CRPG...you know, load screens and then you end up in a "room" that looks big because of all the art but is, in fact, a small map. I'm just trying to encapsulate what the "other side" is really saying. Mind you, I dont' happen to agree with them. At any rate, I hope, at the very least, they have pack animals that can share the inventory burden. It would be sad if Dungeon Siege (part I) blew NWN2 away in this area. And hopefully an expansion pack will not just have more content but certain gameplay features as well (such as pack animals and rideable mounts). BTW, none of this will stop me from getting this game. With MCA writing the companion dialogues (building on what he learned creating K2's influence system), this game is going to entertain....no question about it. The OC will blow away the amateur content this time around, I think.

I think one of the arguments against a D&D game having mounted combat is the fact that D&D is, all told, a simplistic system and confined to certain rooms, etc. As long as the expectations fit the implementation, then I say fine. For instance, WHFB gives mounted characters better movement and a +1 to the armor save (and, in some cases, the ability to use a lance on the charge, which increases strength by 2). That's IT. There is also no discernable difference between the mount and rider in WHFB (for the purposes of taking damage). Now that is, of course, how WHFB treats "normal mounts" or "normal cavalry". MONSTROUS MOUNTS (those with more than 1 wound) are treated differently for the purposes of morale (leadership), wounds sustained, etc. Horses are about immersion....mountrous mounts are, essentially, extra party members and do, in fact, increase the survivability of your party. Anyway, my point is that even if a horse only gives me a +1 to my armor save, better movement, and a +2 strength attack ONLY ON THE CHARGE, then I still think it is worth it.