KOTOR3 or KOTOR2 Expansion?

[Mahf]

So I was wondering, would you rather see:

 

1-KOTOR3 developed farther down the line, but on an entirely new engine, meaning it will likely be 2 or more years away, but instead an expansion pack or two (much like NWN's HotU and SoU) in the meantime, in which the story won't be as long or as involving as TSL will be.

 

or

 

2-KOTOR3 developed at the same pace KOTOR2 was, in which the same engine is used but a brand new full length story is created, much like KOTOR2 is to KOTOR1.

 

Personally, I'd vote for #1.  I'd be satisfied with an expansion pack or two to tide me over while KOTOR3 is developed down the road on a new engine and using whatever new technology that engine would allow.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Personally, I don't think that the KOTOR series is very conducive to expansion packs. The Downloadable Content for KOTOR1 provided some cool items, but in my opinion did not add anything to the story or the game overall, and I don't think Xbox live capabilities were justified just for that one thing.

 

The KOTOR games are self-contained but interconnected stories. It'd be like releasing extra chapters to a book. It would most likely feel forced and out of place. I think I'd be much happier if they did KOTOR 3 on the same pace and completed a whole trilogy on one engine and one system (2 if you count PC) both because its a good engine, there is much room for improvement within that engine, and because it would make the world and story feel consistent through the whole trilogy. Then they could start a new trilogy on the next system they'd like to work on, and the engine would be a lot more powerful and whatnot. It would be kind of like the OT vs. the NT movies.

[Ekkest]

The problem of doing a KOTOR 3 in the same engine is that by the time it comes out, the graphics will have fallen far behind many other games, despite small improvements. If they make a KOTOR 3 I would hope it is a new engine.

[Planar Jedi]

The 1 choice, without the expansions, because Kotor is a trilogy,and an expansion is supposed to expand a world's game.The wasted time for an expansion could become more time for the development of an even better game

[Stargate: 2000]

They would have to be like BG expansions.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So what does that mean? keep in mind I never played a RPG before KOTOR and the only other such RPG I have played (heck I am not even sure if it is one for sure :"> ) is Lord of the rings: return of the king.

[Judge Hades]

man, then you missed out on of the best dungeon designs in a CRPG ever. Durlag's Tower was the best. Too bad Watcher's Tower was complete shat. BG 1's expansion was and Add in style, meaning they added material into the main main game. SoU and HotU was mostly Add On styled, meaning they added on a whole new adventure and most of the new material won't work in the main OC.

[Stargate: 2000]

man, then you missed out on of the best dungeon designs in a CRPG ever.  Durlag's Tower was the best.  Too bad Watcher's Tower was complete shat.  BG 1's expansion was and Add in style, meaning they added material into the main main game.  SoU and HotU was mostly Add On styled, meaning they added on a whole new adventure and most of the new material won't work in the main OC.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

ok thanks for clearing that up

[Kazic]

i also want obsidian to handle the job becuase i am very pleased with how they handled kotor 2.

 

I know what you mean, but thats still kind of silly to say without playing the game

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

i know its silly to say without playing it but, i like obsidian's taste for a darker game and i think they are a really good company. and with a little luck they will prove it on the 6th

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

To play devil's advocate here, how do you know they are a good company. Don't get me wrong, I agree with you whole-heartedly, but as far as a track record goes- they have none.

[213374U]

I would like an expansion that maybe explained a bit more in depth the mandalorian war, but from TSL char's perspective, if that makes any sense with TSL plot. Like a prequel of sorts, not to K2, but to K1. It would add the character background depth so much lacked in K1, and hopefully it would clear up a bit all the Revan/Malak business in the Outer Rim, as well as giving more insights about K2 char's past and motivations.

[Lacan]

To play devil's advocate here, how do you know they are a good company. Don't get me wrong, I agree with you whole-heartedly, but as far as a track record goes- they have none.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Chris Avellone worked on Torment. That's enough for me (until he proves otherwise).

[envida]

Would be cool if they added a expansion pack where you would play as some of the other characters from TSL.

[GhostofAnakin]

Would be cool if they added a expansion pack where you would play as some of the other characters from TSL.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I would like an expansion that maybe explained a bit more in depth the mandalorian war, but from TSL char's perspective, if that makes any sense with TSL plot. Like a prequel of sorts, not to K2, but to K1. It would add the character background depth so much lacked in K1, and hopefully it would clear up a bit all the Revan/Malak business in the Outer Rim, as well as giving more insights about K2 char's past and motivations.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I like both ideas. I think a short (in comparison to KOTOR and TSL) story about one of the above would make for a nice expansion pack.

[CoM_Solaufein]

I prefer an expansion. It would use the same great game engine, most likely stick with the story and it would be out far sooner than a new game.

[Naso]

It's really hard to make a good expansion. I mean, an rpg is usually about the story, and so you need something equally gripping. Maybe it is just Buggyware's horrible generic campaign design for everything they do, but it was really hard to care about SoU and HotU was much better, but still was sorta missing something somehow.

[Muad'Dib]

With KOTOR2 all but ready to hit the store shelves next week, there's not much more to speculate on that hasn't already been speculated already.  So let's try something new (or atleast something that hasn't been mentioned in a couple of months).  Assuming KOTOR2 is a huge sucess (so far, that seems like a reasonable assumption), the inevitable question arises: "Will there be a KOTOR3?".

 

However, there's a second option if Lucasarts and whomever they approach to work on further KOTOR installments, decide to further the series.  That is, rather than a full-fledged sequel, they create expansion packs instead.  For some, this might mean the exact same thing, but for others it might not.

 

So I was wondering, would you rather see:

 

1-KOTOR3 developed farther down the line, but on an entirely new engine, meaning it will likely be 2 or more years away, but instead an expansion pack or two (much like NWN's HotU and SoU) in the meantime, in which the story won't be as long or as involving as TSL will be.

 

or

 

2-KOTOR3 developed at the same pace KOTOR2 was, in which the same engine is used but a brand new full length story is created, much like KOTOR2 is to KOTOR1.

 

Personally, I'd vote for #1.  I'd be satisfied with an expansion pack or two to tide me over while KOTOR3 is developed down the road on a new engine and using whatever new technology that engine would allow.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Your original question is a very good one Ghost. To be brutally honest I don't really know, although I might lean more towards 2 than 1.

 

While I want a beautiful looking game, for me graphics are not the end all be all to judge a game. I don't really need to see every single sequel in a game line have a brand new engine each time, frankly it kinda bothers me that it seems that has become expected now, if it doesn't have a new engine then it's crap or it's an expansion like was said about JA. The most single important aspect of a game for me (Especially in an RPG) is the story and characters. As long as both of these are really well developed and they are intriguing and moving then I'm more than happy to see the same old KotOR graphics.

 

Expansions I've found are usually not to my liking. Aside from being too short for the asked price which sometimes is almost as much as a brand new game, they usually just finction as a self contained mini-game that truly doesn't enhance anything in the original, just adds a couple of extra things for the new mini-campaign which hardly ever lives up to the story of the real game.

 

In any case I'd be more worried as to what the following installment of KotOR was going to be about and how good the story will be than what kind of engine it will use. So I guess I'd pick the less popular 2 as long as I get a superior story and very well developed characters. But this is just me.

[Meshugger]

If they do make a third I do think they should use the same base engine, in order ot keep consistancy, but make considierable upgrades.  Similar what Obsidian is doing to NWN 2.  Same base engine, but use a secondary engine for the graphics system.

 

If there is going to be a KotOR 3 it better be done either by Bioware or Obsidian.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Last time i heard about KotOR III that it would an in-house project.

[Naso]

Well JA was bad not because of the graphics but because the gameplay additions made multiplayer really random and were really dumb. The katas and stupid combos really took multiplayer down a notch, and then the damage model was kind of random. Headshots doing more and everything would have been really great if it always happened, if sabers hadn't sometimes just gone right through people doing nothing, and if they hadn't actually REDUCED the amount of control in some ways. The staff and the duals were essentially worthless in mp too because they were just a string mo-cap moves that left you wide open and couldn't really be adjusted like a normal saber swing. Oh, and there wasn't a working server browser for a month. That really helped too.

[Muad'Dib]

I sympathize with you Naso but I really don't like Multiplayer to begin with so I wasn't affected by those problems which I know pissed off the MP community of the game.

 

Not to deviate from topic so much but I liked JA just fine, was my favorite of the series in fact, save for not enough story and character development...oh and Rosh, man I wanted kill him from the first scene.

 

Meshugger: I thought I heard that also, but wasn't the entire team scrapped? I thought I read something about that. Maybe it will be given to a proper developer instead of being made inhouse...I can only hope as their last inhouse games had less than stellar records.

[Meshugger]

I sympathize with you Naso but I really don't like Multiplayer to begin with so I wasn't affected by those problems which I know pissed off the MP community of the game.

 

Not to deviate from topic so much but I liked JA just fine, was my favorite of the series in fact, save for not enough story and character development...oh and Rosh, man I wanted kill him from the first scene.

 

Meshugger: I thought I heard that also, but wasn't the entire team scrapped? I thought I read something about that. Maybe it will be given to a proper developer instead of being made inhouse...I can only hope as their last inhouse games had less than stellar records.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

As far as i know, yes, the whole project was put on hold.

[Grandpa]

They only stated that the in-house KOTOR 3 team was laid off. They, from my reading, never mentioned a developer. It was assumed by the authors of the articles that the game was scrapped, but L.A. never actually said that. They said that a team involved with KOTOR 3 was let go. For all we know OE has it in their mitts and are making plans to start work on it.

 

"...appointment of Peter Hirschmann as vice president of product development. Hirschmann, a two-year LucasArts vet and former Electronic Arts producer, had been managing the development of Star Wars: Battlefront and Mercenaries.

 

'the company will be concentrating on fewer titles,' read the statement. While Star Wars: Battlefront and Star Wars Republic Commando remain at LucasArts..."

 

Of course, you keep YOUR titles when you're promoted to head honcho and told to scale back a bit.

 

Now, if it is true that KOTOR 3 is in mothballs, and KOTOR 2 gets as good or better reviews than KOTOR 1 (maybe even GOTY) mMr. Hirschmann may have a bit of 'splaining to do to GL as to why he cancelled the most successful line in LA history. And if Battlefront continues to get the mediocre reviews it's been getting, he may have to do that sooner.

 

My bet is that whatever in-house development may have been cancelled, but they are talking with OE and/or Bioware about KOTOR 3. It just makes good business sense to capitalize on a winner.

 

That's my two cents, and I may be totally incorrect.

[mastaGAW]

An expansion would suck because I have an X-Box and most people who have the game have an X-Box so this would leave us out.

[CoM_Solaufein]

Another reason why the pc is superior to the xbox

[Darthmicro]

No matter KotOR 3 is coming out on Xbox 2, so they would need a new engine I think, correct me if I am wrong.

[ampulator00]

No matter KotOR 3 is coming out on Xbox 2, so they would need a new engine I think, correct me if I am wrong.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

What you just said is simply speculation. Perhaps maybe correct later, perhaps not. We shall see.

[Naso]

Well as I think this'll be the last LA game I ever buy, it doesn't matter so much to me, but better hope that it was cancelled to put it with a real dev, because LA has shed most of it's good talent over the years and remains but a shell of evil and cheap cash-ins.

[yodaman115]

I personally like the idea of having expansions, but I don't think that they would fit into the series that well. Unlike games like Diablo 2 (the only other RPG I have played), the story is not linear for everyone. Different people experience different parts of the story and attempting to add an extra quest would be overly generic.

 

My biggest fear for KOTOR 3 is that it will be impossible to follow up KOTOR 1 and 2. I would also like to see KOTOR 3 have an "ends all," somewhat like Return of the Jedi. This would draw an excellent parallel to the original source. You begin with an introduction that has an ending that wraps up the story (just in case it should flop), then you move on to the darker story, and it should end with a large finale utilizing all the characters that have been important to the first two. Of course, if the third game is a hit, you can progress to either a prequel trilogy or a semi-related sequel trilogy. I would love to see what people could do outside of this Sith vs. Republic box that we are in now.