PLanets the same size? what?

[Mr. Teatime]

Just read an interview where they said planets will be roughly the same size as KOTOR ones. So that's two areas per planet? Wookie planet apparantly consists of some tree houses and a swamp. Artifacts have been lost for thousands of years... where could it be? Oh yeah, it's at the end of this swamp.

Please, don't do this obsidian.

[Seth Tansill]

Just read an interview where they said planets will be roughly the same size as KOTOR ones. So that's two areas per planet? Wookie planet apparantly consists of some tree houses and a swamp. Artifacts have been lost for thousands of years... where could it be? Oh yeah, it's at the end of this swamp.

Please, don't do this obsidian.

lol, yeah that was pretty funny imo. Same for Tatooine, nobody has ventured further than 200m from Anchorhead to find a Star Map :D At least Manaan and Korriban had some explanation.

[Pope]

Yeah, that was one of the things in KotOR that annoyed me too. For planets, they were pretty damn small... I felt too confined in them, sorta like an FPS, where a level is one long tunnel and you have to reach the end of it.

 

 

On the other hand, creating an entire planet is pretty damn tough.

[Seth Tansill]

I have no qualms with the level size as such, I think it's just you want to feel as if you're actually on a PLANET. Taris did this pretty well, because although the actual levels weren't all that big, you felt a part of a bigger world, since you could see lotsa skyscrapers in the distance. Tatooine's desert was a good idea but the fact there were 'Czerka markers here! Can't go past or you'll die!' everywhere sorta ruined that experience. Let me die for venturing too far damnit! Korriban would've been better if you could see more vast canyons in the distance, etc. Manaan was acceptable considering it was one city on the whole planet. I never hada problem with Kashyyk apart from that Star Map being too 'findable', and the paths on the forest floor being too, 'path' like, I mean they could have stuck trees in between or something to make it feel like a forest.

[Malon]

I like it better as Taris size planets, it took me long enough that it felt like I was exploring a good part of it, not just a couple of meters of it like on the other planets.

 

Even if they could just put more puzzles in it to make the planets seem larger and longer to complete would be interesting enough.

 

Then again, it is pretty hard to even make one of the size of most of them in KoToR...

[Mr. Teatime]

Taris was good, and the rest a disappointment. It would have been better to save the bigger planets until last IMO.

[mkreku]

I hated that first city: when you went underground to that village and the villagers were all like "we sent out our strongest fighters and they haven't returned, please help us" and then you went 20 feet outside the village gates and there they were dead or dying in a heap. Sort of. Everything you had to look for in the entire game was always within an arms length.

 

You guys should play Gothic/Gothic 2 if you want an immersive game. One of the quests in it consist of finding 12 altars (I think it was 12) and let me tell you, it's not easy! That's a lot of running. Of course, Morrowind/Daggerfall were even bigger, but their worlds felt "automated", like a soulless machine had designed them so they don't count

[LostStraw]

I felt like there was too much running around the maps in KOTOR. Some places felt cramped with too many things too close together while other places were huge expanses of nothingness (desert anyone) and having to run across them was rather tiring. The second time through the game I just killed all the sand people so I wouldn't have to run back. <_<

[Meshugger]

According to a preview(don't remember which), there will be 7 planets in KotOR II(suprise!) with 70 different locations. When looking at the walktrough at gamebanshee.com, i could count the amount of locations in KotOrR to 77.

 

So KotOR II will be pretty much at the same length as its predecessor, if not shorter, depending on the cheer size of those locations.

[Malon]

You guys should play Gothic/Gothic 2 if you want an immersive game. One of the quests in it consist of finding 12 altars (I think it was 12) and let me tell you, it's not easy! That's a lot of running. Of course, Morrowind/Daggerfall were even bigger, but their worlds felt "automated", like a soulless machine had designed them so they don't count

Ack, I hope it isn't like Legend of Zelda: Windwaker at the part where you have to find all the Triforce pieces in the water. That part kinda killed the fun in the game. The boss fight at the end was awesome though.

 

Back on topic, if there're 70 locations, I'm not sure if we can judge the amount of space yet...For all we know, those locations could be reeeeaaaally big. Or maybe there's a lot more things that occur in these places, like more cinematics or puzzles, things like that.

[sniggy]

solving the planet size would be easy. take these into account:

 

if you're on a planet like tattoine, it's very likely that you won't travel into the desert by foot (unless you are suicidal)

 

on a planet like manaan, there would be transports going from one section of the city to the next (there actually was one- the one to the station below)

 

so, there are two different kinds of planets:

 

those with a lot of distance between different areas

and

those with structural seperation between different areas

 

in either case, it is easy to "simulate" a large environment.

 

in case one:

use a landspeeder! that would also explain why only TWO companions join the main character at any time. the actual distance between areas could be much larger. of course, one could CHOOSE to travel by foot, yet this would take far too long (or your companions would refuse to do that)

 

also, having a land transport might lead to side-quests (your speeder breaks down, you are attacked, you meet people on the way etc. etc.)

 

face it- i am supposed to be travelling through the desert of tattoine with only two other guys? and i am WALKING? doesn't make too much sense

 

case two:

if i have arrived in a large metroplex like manaan city or taris, it will take time to get from one section to the next. so, i am likely to board air taxis, rail transports, tubes or similar means of transportation. these could pass by the landscape in order to give simulate a large city.

 

this could also lead to side-quests (air taxi has a crash, tube gets stuck, rail transport is kidnapped etc)

 

however, i am aware that obsidian is already deep into development and will not be able to implement any of this. i hope that there will be a kotor3 though and that they might take these suggestions into consideration for another sequel if they choose to create one

[Malon]

in case one:

use a landspeeder! that would also explain why only TWO companions join the main character at any time. the actual distance between areas could be much larger. of course, one could CHOOSE to travel by foot, yet this would take far too long (or your companions would refuse to do that)

*cough* Atton Rand *coughcough*

[sniggy]

is there actually something you wanted to say or are you just having a cold? care to indulge me in your stream of thoughts?

[Craftsman]

The devs better think this out. Ins not that much effort to make areas bigger. Like in the first game. Tattoine was 4 rooms a cave, and sandpeople home. All that one one planet. If you have been better if there were MUPTIPLE cities ect on each planet.

 

So instead of just choosing which planet to go to from the Ebon Hawk, you can chose which PART OF THE PLANET AS WELL.

 

Thats idea RULES.

 

Devs?

[Malon]

Sad thing is, I have a cold in real life.

 

Anyways, the whole Landspeeder thing would be fun, especially if you could drive it. Maybe we'll be lucky and the Devs thought of this before you did. It'd be cool if it was some sort of mini-game like the racing, except you're trying to dodge the trees. Maybe you should post this in the "Questions to the Devs" topic.

 

Multiple cities is a good idea as well, to see the difference between the two. Maybe one is owned by the Republic and another by the Sith; perhaps there's even a war between the two. Little stories like this on the planets would make the game more interesting.

[Taran'atar]

Well, I'm personally kinda glad that I didn't have to spend half an hour running through 200 areas in order to find the star maps in the first game.

[Opus131]

Well, I'm personally kinda glad that I didn't have to spend half an hour running through 200 areas in order to find the star maps in the first game.

You were glad the game was short ?!? What ?!? o_O

[Nartwak]

He probably means he is glad that he didn't have to waddle through miles of backalley, bleak dunes, or undistinguished forrest. In real time.

 

Like in say... Morrowind.

[Maria Caliban]

Morrowind was da bomb. It's contruction set was better than the Aurora Toolset, as well. The only thing I didn't like was the red sand. I don't mind running everywhere but running when you can't see past your sword tip is annoying.

[Nartwak]

Morrowind was da bomb.

 

 

I do not share your sentiments. Well, except about the construction set.

[Maria Caliban]

I did have the boots of blinding speed. That helped a great deal with travel time.

 

Yes, I'd have to say Morrowind is one of my favorite RPGs if not my favorite. After I finished with it I picked up NeverWinter Nights and hated it. I was so used to multiple plots, non-linier game design, and wide-open spaces that NWN felt no different from Diablo. It took me at least a year before I could appreciate it for its own sake.

 

I think the only thing I didn't like about Morrowind was the aggressiveness of pesky creatures and the end of Tribunal. I changed both in the editor, though, so there was no problem.

[Child of Flame]

It would kick ass to have a speeder bike chase like that in RotJ. Sucky movie, but that was an awesome scene. :D

[darthillinovex]

Getting back on topic, I too feel that the planet sizes were much to small. There was really no exploring to be done. (Walk forward, turn left...ahh, star map).

I would hope that all the planets were at least equivalent to the size of Taris.

 

Please Obsidian, make the levels a more realistic size. I wouldn't mind if doing that would delay the release date for a bit. Afterall, the original KOTOR was delayed over 6 months. As long as the delay implies a better game, then go for it.

[sniggy]

Sad thing is, I have a cold in real life.

 

Anyways, the whole Landspeeder thing would be fun, especially if you could drive it. Maybe we'll be lucky and the Devs thought of this before you did. It'd be cool if it was some sort of mini-game like the racing, except you're trying to dodge the trees. Maybe you should post this in the "Questions to the Devs" topic.

 

Multiple cities is a good idea as well, to see the difference between the two. Maybe one is owned by the Republic and another by the Sith; perhaps there's even a war between the two. Little stories like this on the planets would make the game more interesting.

Oh... sorry about that. hope you get well soon.

 

i have posted a question on vehicles before, but didn't get an answer. so, maybe they are thinking about it or already have it- otherwise they'd just have said no

 

multiple cities would be real nice, but as they said that kotor2 will be about the same size...

 

it would be fine by me, if they'd skip the ebon hawk thing alltogether and would place the story on a single planet- lots of cities, lots of locations...

[sniggy]

I did have the boots of blinding speed. That helped a great deal with travel time.

 

Yes, I'd have to say Morrowind is one of my favorite RPGs if not my favorite. After I finished with it I picked up NeverWinter Nights and hated it. I was so used to multiple plots, non-linier game design, and wide-open spaces that NWN felt no different from Diablo. It took me at least a year before I could appreciate it for its own sake.

 

I think the only thing I didn't like about Morrowind was the aggressiveness of pesky creatures and the end of Tribunal. I changed both in the editor, though, so there was no problem.

combined with the ring (?) of jumping and the featherfall spell, you could have quite a lot of fun...

 

the one thing that really annoyed me with morrowind was the dialogue system. after a while, it became really difficult to keep track with the conversations.

 

a kotor with the size of morrowind would be great...