Designer Ramblings: New Cast of Companions

[Rylock]

Well I read a thread on Bioware Forums a long time ago, where Karpyshyn and Gaider were both posting, and Gaider said that he's responsible for Bastila's ending while whole character was invented by Karpyshyn who also wrote bulk of her life story and dialogs. Karpyshyn confirmed.

 

I'll give a link to the thread if I manage to recall how that thread was titled.

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I wrote most of Bastila's romance dialogue, including the scenes with her mother. The only other dialogue I wrote for her was when you encounter her on the Star Forge... the final confrontation with her where you can convert her back to the Light Side. I don't know if that's the "ending" for her, per se, but it's certainly near the end.

 

Drew Karpyshyn wrote the rest of Bastila's dialogue, essentially everything that happens outside of the romance and including the stuff that happens on Dantooine and the Unknown World.

 

David Gaider

Design, Bioware corp.

[Meshugger]

Well I read a thread on Bioware Forums a long time ago, where Karpyshyn and Gaider were both posting, and Gaider said that he's responsible for Bastila's ending while whole character was invented by Karpyshyn who also wrote bulk of her life story and dialogs. Karpyshyn confirmed.

 

I'll give a link to the thread if I manage to recall how that thread was titled.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I wrote most of Bastila's romance dialogue, including the scenes with her mother. The only other dialogue I wrote for her was when you encounter her on the Star Forge... the final confrontation with her where you can convert her back to the Light Side. I don't know if that's the "ending" for her, per se, but it's certainly near the end.

 

Drew Karpyshyn wrote the rest of Bastila's dialogue, essentially everything that happens outside of the romance and including the stuff that happens on Dantooine and the Unknown World.

 

David Gaider

Design, Bioware corp.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

This was unexpected. A response from a Bioware dev at this board?

 

Btw, why did you have two diffirent people writing the dialogue for one single character?

[Plooby]

I wrote most of Bastila's romance dialogue, including the scenes with her mother. The only other dialogue I wrote for her was when you encounter her on the Star Forge... the final confrontation with her where you can convert her back to the Light Side. I don't know if that's the "ending" for her, per se, but it's certainly near the end.

 

Drew Karpyshyn wrote the rest of Bastila's dialogue, essentially everything that happens outside of the romance and including the stuff that happens on Dantooine and the Unknown World.

 

David Gaider

Design, Bioware corp.

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*falls at David's feet* (w00t)

 

I am not worthy, O'Creator of the Ever-so-yummy Men of Bioware! (w00t) (w00t) Can I touch her hand? Squeeeeeeee! I am such a fangirl, but let me count the ways... Anomen , Valen , Carthi-delicious ... did I leave anybody out?

 

Oh, squeeeeeeeeeee... *faints from the excitement*

[Rylock]

This was unexpected. A response from a Bioware dev at this board?

 

Why not? My internet access is the same as yours.

 

I also happen to be tapping my fingers waiting for the current build, so...

 

Btw, why did you have two diffirent people writing the dialogue for one single character?

 

It's not unusual. Writers were assigned jobs on KotOR according to area (I, for instance, was assigned "Korriban" so pretty much everything that gets said there is from me) or by plot. Drew was writing the critical path, for instance, which included all of Bastila's "main" dialogue, and I was writing the romances. He then ended up doing some extra romance edits for Bastila near the end of the project when I was busy doing something else.

 

In other words, sometimes it just ends up that way. Generally, though, one writer will be responsible for maintaining the "sound" of the character. For Bastila, that was Drew.

 

David Gaider

Design, Bioware corp.

[Rylock]

Oh, squeeeeeeeeeee... *faints from the excitement* 

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Heh.

 

Thank you. Thank you very much.

 

[Meshugger]

This was unexpected. A response from a Bioware dev at this board?

 

Why not? My internet access is the same as yours.

 

I also happen to be tapping my fingers waiting for the current build, so...

 

Btw, why did you have two diffirent people writing the dialogue for one single character?

 

It's not unusual. Writers were assigned jobs on KotOR according to area (I, for instance, was assigned "Korriban" so pretty much everything that gets said there is from me) or by plot. Drew was writing the critical path, for instance, which included all of Bastila's "main" dialogue, and I was writing the romances. He then ended up doing some extra romance edits for Bastila near the end of the project when I was busy doing something else.

 

In other words, sometimes it just ends up that way. Generally, though, one writer will be responsible for maintaining the "sound" of the character. For Bastila, that was Drew.

 

David Gaider

Design, Bioware corp.

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Sure thing, i guess that i don't know enough about the industry know exactly how it works in those areas.

[volodja]

i have to say, that i really loved the new characters and fully support the game developers in their choises. when i played TSL the first time i was really stunned by the dialogs and the improved system how you gain the peoples trust.

[Universal Soldier]

i have to say, that i really loved the new characters and fully support the game developers in their choises. when i played TSL the first time i was really stunned by the dialogs and the improved system how you gain the peoples trust.

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Apart from GOTO I agree

[Calax]

GOTO is difficult to work out... personally. i'm also wondering why this thread has been revived after 6 mths. Ah well i wish that the devs would come around more often.

[jaguars4ever]

Designer Ramblings. Ah, the memories...

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Where did you dig up this old fossil.

[SteveThaiBinh]

Interesting to read this. The developer post makes a good case for why Kotor 2 didn't use the same characters as Kotor 1 - and of course, the same case can be made for Kotor 3 not using the same characters as Kotor 2. It's one reason why the 'Empire Strikes Back' ending didn't work - because we know these characters aren't coming back.

[jodo kast 5]

Hey Chris, good rambling.  A couple questions though.  What are the real names of the Handmaiden and the disciple?  Which companion is the Echani?

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handmaiden-Brianna , Disciple-Mical , the handmaiden is echani.

[Darth Flatus]

DIE THREAD, DIE!!!

[Volourn]

What's funny is that 3 of the KOTOR2 companions *are* from KOTOR1. Go figure.

 

One of them was made with the same quality.

 

One was made worse.

 

One was made better.

 

 

Guess which is which is which!

[Eden]

1) TM-3 or whatever that droids name is

2) HK-47

3) Canderous

[Volourn]

No.

 

TM was better.

 

HK was the same.

 

Canderous was worse.

[Weiser_Cain]

Hmmm it would have been nice if the story had worked better with the first one, either tracking down revan the sithlord behind all this chaos or revan the savior and teacher for your jedi once she/he found out Kreia's secret and parted ways.

Depending on the choices made you could run into the surviving members of the first party to find revan on the unknown planet. I would have at least expected to see mission as she was so young, and of course I am a big fan of Juhani so... Would have been more satisfying to me to pull the two games together story-wise anyway.

[Plano Skywalker]

It's one reason why the 'Empire Strikes Back' ending didn't work - because we know these characters aren't coming back.

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true....ESB was a true cliffhanger becasue of a surprise revelation, 2 different perspectives being advanced (Yoda's vs Vader's), and the realization that practically everyone who had a major part (including the antagonist) would be returning. The ending of KOTOR 2 did not have that, except for, perhaps, the "surprise revelation" which wasn't that much of a surprise.

 

I think what it boils down to is that there are some things you can do in movies that you just can't do in games. In a movie, you have them for 2 hours...in a game, you have them for 40 hours....big difference.

 

And if you are going to have trilogies, you need to pace the games for that. If I am not mistaken, the highest level you could obtain in BG1 was 7th level. And, of course, you can export your character from BG1 to BG2. I wouldn't mind seeing that in the KOTOR games but the games would have to be paced for that.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

Your missing one thing though. The characters are Obsidians this time around and they havnt yet completed their journeys. Only taken their first steps as Jedi.

 

Plenty there to work most of them into a new game if you wanted to.

[kalimeeri]

Your missing one thing though. The characters are Obsidians this time around and they havnt yet completed their journeys. Only taken their first steps as Jedi.

 

Plenty there to work most of them into a new game if you wanted to.

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I disagree--they pretty much have completed their journeys. Either way you look at the ending, cut-content or Kreia-speak, except in a couple of instances the companions were full circle. Their paths diverged, mostly toward already well-trodden ground ... which is not where the main storyline was headed. As far as a separate game(s) based on these companions, meh. I really didn't care about them that much. The only one with any real spin-off potential was Jolee Bindo from K1, and there again, you're writing someone else's creation.

 

I'd say it might be time for some Bioware/Obsidian collaboration. Yeah, I know, dream on.

[ShadowPaladin V1.0]

I disagree--they pretty much have completed their journeys.  Either way you look at the ending, cut-content or Kreia-speak, except in a couple of instances the companions were full circle.  Their paths diverged, mostly toward already well-trodden ground ... which is not where the main storyline was headed.  As far as a separate game(s) based on these companions, meh.  I really didn't care about them that much.  The only one with any real spin-off potential was Jolee Bindo from K1, and there again, you're writing someone else's creation.

 

I'd say it might be time for some Bioware/Obsidian collaboration.  Yeah, I know, dream on. 

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The cut content isnt part of the game Kreias futures are deliberately vague. One of the reasons it may have been cut was to allow the characters to be used again without having all that "well in my game so and so is dead". Taking the cut content into account you would have a continuity nightmare.

 

Another thing about the characters is that when away from the exile they wont be the same as when they were around him. Which again gives you a lot of room for growth without anyone being able to say "in my game so and so was DS"

 

Mira could star in her own game.. Bet she would look better in third person than Boba Fett did :D

 

I have no objections to an entirely new cast of characters anyway.

[Plano Skywalker]

The cut content isnt part of the game Kreias futures are deliberately vague. One of the reasons it may have been cut was to allow the characters to be used again without having all that "well in my game so and so is dead". Taking the cut content into account you would have a continuity nightmare.

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true...I have made this point before...I think the Malachor cut content was to make K2 more of a cliffhanger--IMO, it was NOT cut for the same reasons Droid World was cut (time constraints).

 

 

Another thing about the characters is that when away from the exile they wont be the same as when they were around him. Which again gives you a lot of room for growth without anyone being able to say "in my game so and so was DS"

 

Mira could star in her own game.. Bet she would look better in third person than Boba Fett did :D

 

I have no objections to an entirely new cast of characters anyway.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

IMO, the best bet (for a new PC anyway) is to have a new cast of companions with the Ebon Hawk and the droids as continuity but to use characters like Mira, Jolee and Bao-Dur as NPCs that will train you in the Force and having different ones at different stages in the game and different based on alignment.

 

There may be a time in this franchise to have a padawan as PC but the K3 protagonist is not your run-of-the-mill Force adept and he should not be bound to just one teacher, IMO. This kind of thing would also help create the illusion of open-endedness.