Official KOTOR: AE FAQ

[mgnails]

This is the KOTOR AE OFFIcial FAQ for all who have questions on the project. I started this so that all questions can go in here and so that we dont spam the boards too much more than what we have already (speaking in terms of team members not you all). I am suprised and I appreciate the fact that Obsidian has tolerated all that has been posted thus far about this off-topic discussion. So, if you have any questions about things such as what will be in it and where the heck are the screenshots then fire away!

 

Questions would be best answered at the KOTOR: AE forums but it seems no one has an intrest in those forums as I have said they are open to new members and only one person from these forums have joined.

[GhostofAnakin]

Here's my question:

 

Is this mod going to actually ever be done (or even started, for that matter), or is this just an elaborate plot to keep our attentions until Obsidian releases KOTOR: TSL?

[Dead Skin Mask]

Star Wars Episode -1 Attack Of The Mod Threads. I think I will pitch that idea to George Lucas based on my experience in these forums.

 

 

 

Cheers!

[Craftsman]

What exactly will the improvments be?

[mgnails]

Ummmm, the mod was started months ago and will definately be completed. Improvements will be plenty. Though some of our improvements it seems most of the kotor gamers wouldnt agree on. ONe of them will be the combat engine. Hopefully when you go into combat, it will be something like this. You will have your usual 3 options when you go into combat where you can choose your feats and powers for your character to do. But, there will be a fourth option that will take you to FPS style combat so that you can control the character yourself instead of just sitting back and watching him/her do the feats and powers themselves. This way, we won't ruin the whole RPG by turning it into an FPS. The FPS style combat will be an option and not forcive. If you want complete info on improvements Craftsman, I suggest you join our forums and Ill let you into the Team Members Area where all of the important info is. But that combat engine will be the biggest improvement I think. There will be new models of course and a new storyline. One improvement will be that you will have the option to wield two staff sabers at once. Actually, most of your enemies (Sith Elites) will be wielding two staff sabers at a time.

[mgnails]

ANd before anyone can ask, there will be new lightsaber colors. We have some blade textures that were made by chemix and are quite cool. They simulate a lightsaber underwater effect and will probably be used as chenges to your lightsaber textures when you go underwater. But that might be a waste of time as you dont go underwater except on two planets so those lightsaber blades will probably be just unique lightsabers

[Craftsman]

Can you show us some screenshots?

[Bull]

I finally found the download for some sort of model extractor and I thought it was Element X's but I was a bit suprised when he uploaded cchargins extractor instead of his own and I keep pming him saying upload the freaking thing but he kept giving me the link to a site that didn't work.

How can you continue to promise new models / multiple' new' (not recolored / retextured) planets when you don't know if the extractor promised by elementx even exists?

 

http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?threadid=129349

[mgnails]

It really doesnt matter. We are still going to do new models because they will be ingame. If ElementX doesnt produce the Model program then I have faith that cchargin will because he is getting closer to fully cracking the format every day. Ill get some screenshots up in a bit. There wont be any combat recoding screenshots yet because that part isnt close enough to completion to have screenshots of. I have no clue what you want screenshots of though, tell me. We dont have any new recoding screenshots and we dont have any new models ingame yet but we will in time. SO just ask me for what screenshots you want and Ill see what I can do.

[EnderAndrew]

Here's my advice.

 

A mod needs to have a plan. You need to know what you're capable of, and what you are going to do.

 

Your mod is in the pre-planning stages. Regardless of any work done to this point, you still don't know your capabilities of what can be changed, and what you will change. I've heard a lot about focusing on changing the combat engine. Yet, you're not sure this is feasible. Frankly, I like to be supportive, but I doubt it's feasible. Since you don't have a real gameplan, you're still in the pre-planning stage.

 

Don't promise or promote features until you pass the planning stage. Your mod will receive far less criticism, and more support.

 

Go back. Take an evaluation at what you can accomplish with tools "in-hand". Then prioritize and departmentalize tasks. What are you going to change? What projects go where? Break down how many man-hours each project might take. If you don't have a way to estimate, then gauge from the first week or work. (I need X new textures. It took me Y hours to do textures this week)

 

Then be firm with your team. How many hours can you realisticly commit each week? Set goals (not deadlines since these are volunteers). Then when you have an idea of what each department's workload is like, you will have an idea of what departments need more help.

 

Communication is important. Go get a webpage with your own forums. Keep in touch. Make sure everyone knows the plan of attack, and what their responsibilities/role is. Have a lead for each department. Make sure each department communicates internally. If a lead disappears for a lengthy period of time, get a new lead. Make sure someone is in place to step in for you if you disappear and delegate authority.

 

These pieces of advice will greatly increase any change of finishing and releasing a major mod. If you don't think you can do these things, then I'd reconsider the major overhaul.

[Volourn]

Meh. Gonna sound too nice ( to Ender); but that's some of the best advice one can find on these baords amongst these Hooligans.

 

I feel so dirty.

[mgnails]

Thats good advice, but I already have a plan. It involves me working mostly but I am capable of any sort of modding except retextureing, modeling and coding. So all of this will be ingame though the combat options is a bit iffy because Element X might not be online to give us the coding at the time the majority of the mod is completed. And figuring out hours isnt necessary because with chemix on modeling and me on basically everything else, it will get done faster. We both have alot of free time and I am out on summer break so it should only take me a few weeks to do my part.

 

But that is damn good advice.....you wouldnt be interested in joining the team as an advisor would you??

[Darque]

Ok, here's my questions.

 

What is it?

 

Where is it?

 

Why should I want it?

[mgnails]

What is it?

It is a new game which is using the kotor engine but will have all new stuff added in like planets, characters, dialogue ect.

 

Where is it?

Its not done yet but you will get the most info out of this forum: http://www.elementx.org/Forum A site will be up soon hopefully.

 

Why would I want it?

I can't really answer a question like "Why would I want it?" That is entirely up to you. You decide whether or not you want to download it when the time comes.

[Child of Flame]

Why would I want it?

I can't really answer a question like "Why would I want it?" That is entirely up to you. You decide whether or not you want to download it when the time comes.

To expand on this, should this reach completion, even though it is called a mod for legality's sake, it is really more of an entirely new game. If you've ever played Half Life, than think of the difference between the original game, and Counterstrike, and you should have a fairly good idea of why you would want it. It will basically add a buttload of gaming time and replayability onto the original KotOR....for free.

[EnderAndrew]

Such mods are usually called Total Conversions.

[mgnails]

It is a Total Conversion. Dang near everything new except a few things to actually make it look like a KotOR sequel. But since KotOR 2 is being made we can only have it take place before KotOR 2 making it a KotOR 1.5.

[Craftsman]

OK. So you gonna make this huge mod. How big will it be?

[sniggy]

how many people are working on this?

 

i can't remember any mod that big- all total conversions i've seen so far suffered greatly from the obvious limitations of hobby-developers.

 

look at the fallout community- there are a lot of dedicated fans out there and thought the fallout editor has been released a while ago, no big additions yet.

 

i think that your project is quite utopic and doubt that we'll ever get to see any of it. work on dialogue and quests alone ist mind-baffling. how will you ever get around to doing the art? or the scripting for that matter?

 

nice speculation, but i (as well as some others) just don't buy it.

[Chemix]

Take a look at the Unreal community or Q3 communities. They have incredible mods popping up all the time. I'm not so up on RPG modding though since I haven't played any rpgs except for KOTOR and thus haven't been in their communities. I'm not sure what MG wants to do with the combat thing now. hmmmm whatever. Alot of people are working on this, and rather than alot of doubts we'd appecriate some enthusiasm if u don't mind. It's kind of anoying to keep reading "it'll never get done" while ur working. Mods are made for the community, and the community should appreciate the efforts of those who try. We work long and hard retexturing, modeling, writing, scripting, coding. If u have constructive comments and suggests about how we might better the mod then please post them, post ur ideas. Deconstructive comments about our imment failure however are not welcome. We do not work to be constantly told that it will fail, it will collapse, ur liars and cheats. U don't like the mod? fine, don't download it. We've posted screenies and still the onslaught of doubt comes. What do u want from us? a demo? we're not far enough along. We only started a month or so ago. I've seen great mods with demos that take "YEARS" to create, and those were just the demo. We hope to get alot done in a few "MONTHS" major canges have not been as of yet completed. Therefor u would whine constantly unendingly about how little we had done. I'm not trying to offend u, I am trying to explain something.

[Raven]

dude, like i said before, this should be in off-topic, this is a section for Kotor2, not your kotor1 mod

[mgnails]

And like servant of Eru said, when the obsidian moderators get tired of it they can move it. And this isnt a KOTOR 1 mod, how many times must we say that. There are about 30 team members with hopefully 20 coders on the way.

 

And Im sure that we are having disagreements on completion because we know how to mod and most of you all don't. You dont know how easy it is to mod and we do. There is no art. Scripting is easy, Dialogues are easy. Models are coming around to make new areas. Textures take about 5 minutes with photoshop 7 and it will all be voice acted. From the team's size and ability there is no reason why we cant get this KOTOR 1 sized game done in a few months.

[Raven]

And like servant of Eru said, when the obsidian moderators get tired of it they can move it. And this isnt a KOTOR 1 mod, how many times must we say that. There are about 30 team members with hopefully 20 coders on the way.

not 'team members', you guys dont have yet a clue what your doing! if its not a mod for kotor1, then what is it?!

[TekkarEdorf]

Is this MOD, going to replace the entire kotor 1 game? or is it supposed to "pop" in after you're finished with the Star Forge Levels?

[mgnails]

No, it is a totally seperate game with a totally seperate launcher and wont reaplace a thing. Its just a copy of the kotor directory with major changes to it. Thus since its an entirely new game can't be labeled mod because although it is an edited KOTOR, it will not be attached or replace anything in KOTOR 1. And Raven, you shouldn't talk like you know everything when you don't, it sounds so stupid. If you want to know whats going on then join the team or just at least visit the forums and find out almost EVERYTHING that we are doing to allay your doubts or your i know everything about nothing talk.