Early First Impression

[DarthDoGooder]

So far it has been very very easy. I'm on my third planet right now. And I'm a sentinel who put most of my attributes into int, char and wis! So for a guardian it should be extremely easy. If you played Kotor 1 alot you will find this game very easy. Granted it's still early in game so it can change...but by then I will be so powerful...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh good. That was what I was planning to do the first time through so that I could pick up more storyline. Im glad to hear that it won't kill my combat abilities.

[ken the great]

Whats wrong with 20 fps?  I have been working with 20 fps for years and it looks decently enough to me.  Only recently with my new graphics card was I able to get 50 fps with NWN and 30 fps with KotOR 1.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, the human eye sees at 30 frames per second, so anything less than that will not appear to be live motion video.

 

As for the graphics, the Xbox version is definately not as sharp as the PC version of KOTOR1. I expected this, so it isn't a big deal. I just wasn't ready for how big the differnce would be. The Xbox is definately capable of better graphics than what is being presented. That said, the graphics are quite acceptable and I have not experienced any stuttering yet. The load times aren't too bad, about equal to the PC load times for KOTOR1 if you had the graphics settings jacked up.

 

I'm only 3 1/2 hours in and I am enjoying the game immensely. Your skills seem to matter this time. You get extra dialogue options if your various skills are high. Persuade seems to be really important this time around.

 

I definately had "one more turn" syndrome last night.

[Judge Hades]

An easy game? Well, there goes my hopes for a good challenging game.

[jedipodo]

Whats wrong with 20 fps?  I have been working with 20 fps for years and it looks decently enough to me.

Well, the human eye sees at 30 frames per second, so anything less than that will not appear to be live motion video.

 

The human brain can't tell different frames apart if there are more than about 24 per second. Animations with higher frame rates than 24 will already be seen as a fluent movement.

 

The very first films had a frame rate of 18 fps, so it is not really that tragical.

[Product of the Cosmos]

My first impressions: lol Easily, the Game of the Year IMO.

 

I'm only 20 or so hours in, but I must say, I haven't played a game this fun, possibly ever.

 

The characters in this game are extremely interesting to me(in contrast to the other kotor where some were not). Its like I actually care what happens to ANY of them.

 

The areas I have been to amaze me. And are extremely fun to play. The music is not bad either.

 

The skill/class system is way better then the first kotor. It is very balanced and well thought-out. Much props for whoever did that.

 

The only thing so far that I would even have a small gripe about, is at times the framerate is not butter... But not like thats a big thing.

 

This game in just 20 hours has been about the fun Fable and Halo 2 combined were for me...

 

I have been taking my time, and 20 hours in I estimate I'm something like 20% done with the story..

___________________________________________

 

 

And whoever says it's easy, change your difficulty, and play solo.. lol.....

[Volourn]

"And whoever says it's easy, change your difficulty, and play solo.. lol....."

 

Why? The game is menat to be played with 3 characters in active aprty and on 'normal' setting. Anything other than that is artifical.

[ken the great]

Why is it artificial?

 

The difficulty settings are just an attempt by the developer to balance out the differing skill levels of the players.

 

And the game is meant to be played with up to three characters. If it was meant to be played with only 3 characters, then you wouldn't get the option to go with just one character.

[Volourn]

The battles are likely balanced for 3 characters I would wager. That's why. They give you an option to play with just one as it's a RPG and they give you ya chance to role-play a 'lone wolf' type if you so wish. Nothing wrong with that.

 

As for the diffculty level. no matter how ahrd or easy a agme may be I always play on the pre set setting simply because that's what the game is intended. The others are artificial because they do silly stuff like 25% more or less damage to the PC. I find that kinda stuff weak way to make a game tougher or easier.

 

IMO of course.

[Product of the Cosmos]

The battles are likely balanced for 3 characters I would wager.

 

Probably. Which would be why I say, if you think it's too easy, play solo(or with one other character), and change the difficulty to the highest setting. The means to adjust your difficulty is in your own hands is my point.

 

Also: I think this is my favorite game ever played.

[BC83]

My first impression, though there are a lot of similarities between both KOTOR and KOTOR 2, very shway. :cool:

[J.E. Sawyer]

The human brain can't tell different frames apart if there are more than about 24 per second. Animations with higher frame rates than 24 will already be seen as a fluent movement.

A very large number of people can tell the difference between 24 and 30 as well as 30 and 60, especially in a game. One of my co-workers is able to say, definitively, if a game is running at 30 or 60 just by looking at it for a few seconds.

 

http://www.100fps.com/how_many_frames_can_humans_see.htm

[ampulator00]

The human brain can't tell different frames apart if there are more than about 24 per second. Animations with higher frame rates than 24 will already be seen as a fluent movement.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A very large number of people can tell the difference between 24 and 30 as well as 30 and 60, especially in a game. One of my co-workers is able to say, definitively, if a game is running at 30 or 60 just by looking at it for a few seconds.

 

http://www.100fps.com/how_many_frames_can_humans_see.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

You are correct. Actually, it becomes harder to tell the difference between a set of FPS's after 60. Before that, it's not hard.

[TSAdmiral]

Agreed, once I past about 70 frames, it's nearly impossible to tell. Ideally it would be best to run around 90 frames so that any sudden drops in performance would go undetected.

[jedipodo]

The human brain can't tell different frames apart if there are more than about 24 per second. Animations with higher frame rates than 24 will already be seen as a fluent movement.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A very large number of people can tell the difference between 24 and 30 as well as 30 and 60, especially in a game. One of my co-workers is able to say, definitively, if a game is running at 30 or 60 just by looking at it for a few seconds.

 

http://www.100fps.com/how_many_frames_can_humans_see.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

What about TV? Can you or your co-worker actually SEE single frames there? In Europe they have not without cause decided to take 25fps in television. The visible effects you see in games are caused by extremely rapid camera movements which films don't have.

[J.E. Sawyer]

The visible effects you see in games are caused by extremely rapid camera movements which films don't have.

Huh? Movies never have rapid camera movements and games always do? Ninja Gaiden on Xbox doesn't have rapid camera movements (in fact, except for cuts, the camera pans in very small amounts during battles usually), but the fact that it runs at 60 fps is clearly beneficial.

[bodrock]

I'm now about 11+ hours in, and on the 2nd planet -- I have rare stutters for a second here and there, but honestly, it doesn't affect me in the slightest. I have the combat flowing so it only pauses when I first see an enemy, or switch targets, and am playing on Difficult (I figured I mastered the first, and it applies to the gameplay here, seeing as they're virtually identical). Of course, I'm going with force powers that're new, and I like the additions so far! Having them makes it ok that we don't instantly have a lightsaber, imho, as I can still whip out combo attacks with up to 2 others to kick ass. heh, And flurry is still my favorite melee attack!

 

I found the graphics to be superior, honestly. Not a whole helluva lot, but better -- backdrops seemed larger and more active than KOTOR's, and the animations look better as well. The characters also don't look goofy like they did in the last game -- the style is better, although there's plenty from the old game as well. If I've been disappointed with the graphics (and not really), it was when I saw my PC's head on an NPC (I'm the asian dude with bangs, Sentinel).

 

The gameplay is the same, and to me, that's a good thing -- I really enjoyed KOTOR's combat, and it allowed me to begin kickin ass immediately. I was relieved that the 'Y' button was still in effect, cuz I love hittin it after all enemies have been destroyed!

 

The voice-acting is superb -- I haven't heard a single annoying actor so far, and the dialgoue incites laughs, intentionally! Unlike the original RESIDENT EVIL, lol. It was one of my concerns, as I loved the dialogue in the first game. Also, the dialgoue options are better in variety, and there's more of them. Lastly, the dialogue options aren't nearly as black-n-white as the last, and that's a very good thing. Not to mention your characters and their motivations! They all got me guessing, and I'm simply enjoying the ride. I'm more than hooked, and very happy.

[LightTitan]

im about 10 hours in, and i have had one time where it got choppy, and it was only for like a second. it hasn't happened since so i am hoping it was an isolated incident. That is really my only complaint. imho i think the environments and textures look just as good if not a lil better than kotor 1, the new force powers rule, as do the new animations. the story has got me totally sucked in. i am definitely one of those people that takes their time and talks to absolutely everyone, and tries to do absolutely everything. i think its the best way to play a game like kotor 1 or 2. The voice acting is bad ass, and there are just alot of lil things that they took care of that i remeber fans asking for after the first one came out. things like being able to walk faster in the spacesuit, or having the dialoge go faster while talking to aliens (before they would talk forever til u went to the next dialoge box, it was kinda annoying and weird), theres alot of lil changes like that. all in all so far it feels like a tweaked kotor 1, and thats a good thing!!

[Tainted Mustard]

The voice-acting is superb -- I haven't heard a single annoying actor so far, and the dialgoue incites laughs, intentionally!  Unlike the original RESIDENT EVIL, lol.  It was one of my concerns, as I loved the dialogue in the first game.  Also, the dialgoue options are better in variety, and there's more of them.  Lastly, the dialogue options aren't nearly as black-n-white as the last, and that's a very good thing.  Not to mention your characters and their motivations! 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

You summed up the game's best features (in my eyes, anyway). Especially the fact that not all dialogue options are easily identifiable as 'Light' or 'Dark', just as the Mandalorian War was. I remember that I was sometimes confused as to what would take me down the 'Light' path, and eventually I just gave up on being 'Light' and just responded in conversations as I thought I would.