Plano Skywalker

this is straight from BioWare's KOTOR website: "It is 4,000 years before the Galactic Empire and hundreds of Jedi Knights have fallen in battle against the ruthless Sith. As the last hope of the Jedi, you must lead a band of freedom fighters in an epic struggle to save the galaxy. Can you master the awesome power of the Force on your quest to save the Republic? Or will you fall to the lure of the dark side? Hero or villain, savior or conqueror...you must choose wisely as you alone will determine the destiny of the entire galaxy!" Basically, the KOTOR time period could be defined as any time between the demise of Exar Kun and the rise of Palpatine. That is what KOTOR is. It is not really Revan's story folks. If I were a game designer and LA came to me with the prospect of making KOTOR III, I would NOT want to have to deal with all the issues that Revan and the Exile bring to the table. I would want both Revan and the Exile dead (while looking into the True Sith threat). So, now, as a designer, I can give the fans the closure they need about Revan and the Exile through conversation and start (for the first time) with a totally open protagonist. As much as we might want to see Revan swing a lightsaber one more time or hear Canderous's voice one more time, I really doubt we will get that kind of closure. We will most likely get closure in conversation and introduce a newbie to fight the True Sith.

the more I think about it, the more I believe that: 1) there WILL be a KOTOR III at some point. 2) LA will need to take complete (and proactive) ownership of the storyline because they now realize what is at stake. 3) Obsidian WILL NOT do KOTOR III. Why not? The main reason is that they need to break out of the BioWare Jr mold. KOTOR III does nothing to help them here. They can do SW stuff but just not KOTOR at this time, IMO. I realize the BioWare tries not to do licensed projects but their new Jade Empire engine is going to be the BOMB for CRPGs. I suspect that LA will try to get BioWare to do it, or, at the very least, have someone else do it with the Jade Empire engine.

Agree. That is another "shorcut" method of storytelling that I would like to see vanish in the future games. However, a Force Ghost teacher would accomplish much the same thing and would be much more palatable, IMO.

obviously, the war scenario is going to be the mainstay with these kinds of games...they just don't have to do it every time. by having one game that is not set in a war situation, this would allow us to see the High Council in all its glory and have the PC slowly rise up the ranks from recruit-padawan-knight-master with the blessing of the Council each time. this would also be a good setting to start having alien PCs as an option.

One of things "we" really need to stop is this idea that your PC is a LIVING LEGEND. Yes, it helped kickstart the franchise but now that the franchise has a good deal of depth, we need PCs that are nobodies and who do not affect the EU storyline. For instance, we should NOT be given the chance to play Nomi Sunrider in a future RPG, IMO. However, I can definitely see playing someone who is apprenticed to Nomi as a padawan. This would allow the PC to be non-human and would not introduce the kind of continuity issues that we have to deal with now with Revan and the Exile. The protagonist's identity needs to be TOTALLY OPEN! And DS and LS paths should lead to much different destinations!

True. I believe we will see some officially-licensed material about Darth Revan and that Revan will end up as a man in the EU. However, they would be wise to wait several years before doing that. Revan is the flavor of the month, he/she will not always be. If they are going to make EU-type movies (which I doubt they will), then they should go with established EU characters first (like Exar Kun). LA arts would be wise to milk the ambiguity of Revan for as long as they can.

Because this is a ROLEPLAYING GAME, and not some twitch game. I don't want it to be like Jedi Academy because it's not SUPPOSED to be like it. If you want that kind of game, then go suggest it on the Jedi Academy forums. People need to stop trying to change the kind of game KOTOR is. <_< <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Agree with you there. There will always be Jedi Academy or an Ep III-type game for people who want more of an action game. I want Obsidian to produce SW ROLEPLAYING GAMES, whether they are called "KOTOR" or not. That is not to say they couldn't introduce some Real Time elements (such as dogfighting) but the main combat encounters should be Active Turn Based (like we have now), IMO.

Mace Windu once said, "we are keepers of the peace, not an army". I would like to play a SW RPG where I am doing what Jedi normally do -- putting out brushfires for the Council. Let's take a break from saving the galaxy...most Jedi never do that. Time period? I would say about 100 years before the time of Exar Kun. (I kind of like the idea of using old Exar as the main reference point in these games). They could also introduce some foreshadowing for a trilogy based on Exar.

Whatever gave you that idea? It's been a busy year for LA. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> What gave me the idea that it is their flagship series? To quote Kreia, "because I am not blind, that is why". True, they have alot of titles out (Republic Commando, et al) but I don't think any of those titles will surpase KOTOR in critical acclaim or in sales. But if you have some hard numbers, I love to see them. I could be wrong.

I'm looking forward to it.

It's hard to think that they will not (as this has become LA's flagship game), however, we may see a non-KOTOR SW RPG before we see KOTOR III. Whether they indended it or not, LA has introduced two characters (Revan and Malak) that are undoubtedly going to have a major role in the EU at some point. I think they realize that KOTOR III is not just about cranking out another game but that all kinds of continuity issues are at stake. They would be wise to take their time and blow us all away with a really good story.

Well, maybe I will give it a second look. You have to understand that this was some time ago and I had a 15" monitor. I now have a 19"....much easier to micromanage from a 19" monitor . To be honest with you, I really liked the way the KOTOR games handled parties. You COULD micromanage but you did not have to. I picked up Arcanum the other day. We'll see how that goes.

Thanks for confirming those points. I actually did install BG2 at one time and then, once I started playing it, I realized that party management was definitely "micromanagement" for this game and I do NOT want that. I will probably not play the BG games for that reason but I will remember that this was a major breakthrough for story-driven cRPGs. Thanks.

Would you recommend either of those titles?

I think the confusion here is "if it's not an IP and not a sequel then what the heck is it?". I'm going to have to agree with those who think that IWD III, KOTOR III, etc would be "sequels" even if the story doesn't have much in common with the rest of the series. Also, just because it may be geared to a next-gen console doesn't mean it will never be ported over to PC. I'm thinking it might be a SW RPG but just not in the KOTOR time period.

I would suggest that they introduce a defensive feat that can be launched during combat. For instance, "Parry Sequence". All you are trying to do is tie up someone's time so that one of your party members can actually do the damage. Could come in real handy if you are playing a Jedi Consular, for instance.

I was also curious about the King's Quest adventure games. I have heard that they did not have any combat at all (at least in the earlier titles). At any rate, they seem to have played an important part in the development of story-focused cRPGs.

Thanks, I'll be sure to check it out.

By and large, I think the Active Turn Based system is the way to go. However, I really would not mind seeing something like Third Age that was more of a true RPG. It is a nice change of pace and a reminder of the pen and paper days that many of us have left behind.

I was wondering if anyone was going to mention Final Fantasy. I guess the fact that it is a console-exclusive title is the main reason we haven't seen that title mentioned until now. I remember when KOTOR I came out, there was a review that essentially said that KOTOR was Western man's answer to Final Fantasy.

Agree. Stronghold was really good in that it mixed a SIM with an RTS (in a narrative format, too) and made for a very immersive, medieval experience. I am looking forward to Stronghold 2.

Well, the MAIN thing wrong with its COMBAT system.

True, but then they could still incorporate the Force. I remember SWG players (when it first came out) talking about how it was impossible to tell whether your character was ever going to be able to go Force Sensitive. There were certain things you could do but you could only be sure when it actually happened. They could that. Your character might become aware of the Force at 5th level, 9th level, 15th level, etc and you would have to burn a bunch of feat slots to realize any real benefit from it. I don't know, could work.

Well, I would agree that it is a *hybrid* turn-based as opposed to TRUE turn-based. I recently started playing the LOTOR Third Age on Xbox and that is TRUE TURN-BASED and it is rather fun (though, it is not really an RPG as there is no dialogue other than cut-screens). The hybrid turn-based is good, especially with the d20 system since you can interject feats (as in real time) but you don't have to micromanage. The only thing that is missing in KOTOR's combat is a decent AI.

I guess you might say I am "hardcore" in this area. I believe one of KOTOR's biggest strengths is that it used TURN-BASED combat. True, it was a well-disguised turn-based system but turn-based nonetheless. With a better AI, it would have really rocked, IMO. I do, however, like the idea of being able to go RT with boss battles (and only boss battles).