The Influence system and my thoughts in general.

[Azure79]

Hi guys and gals.

 

Well I've completed TSL as the lightside Exile, and hmm...I must say my feelings are mixed. I've read the posts by the forum users here and there seems to be people who think its great and people who are dissapointed.

 

I'd have to say that I can understand where both groups are coming from.

 

First the influence system. Granted I've only played through it once and have yet to experience it all, but from what I've experienced during my playthrough I got the feeling that while it worked, it was cut short.

 

Examples,

 

When Mira joined my party after Nar Shaddaa, I had a few conversations with her. Only about after two or three, she was fully influenced towards the lightside and no other dialog trees came up. This was all at once too, meaning I did nothing between the conversations except click on her right after the preceding conversation was over. Was that all it was supposed to be? Do more appear if she becomes a Jedi? My suspicion is no because:

 

Atton and Handmaiden who I influenced to become Jedi had no new dialog trees after their conversion. You'd think they'd badger the Exile with all sorts of questions on the actions and philosophies of the Jedi, but nope. I thought the entire master-apprentice thing would have great if there were multiple conversations on the Jedi or Sith teachings, where you could influence them further into the light or dark. It didn't take much conversation with the two to get them to become Jedi as well. Again did I miss something or was that all?

 

Visas was dissapointing as well. After she joined me I explored all the initial dialog trees, again all at once, learning about her master and her homeplanet and her history. It doesn't really take long since she's just giving the tip of the iceberg. All of the sudden she's fully lightside and in love with me. What? How'd that happen? Is my influence that great? I only had 10 charisma. Besides I hardly knew her, had no options to delve more into her background, or her treatment at the hands of her master, what horrors she must have witnessed and what pain she must have endured.

 

I'm sure there is more to the influence system. I haven't had the chance to fully influence Bao-Dur because of some bug I think. Whenever I started a conversation with him he'd say, "General?" and my only option was "Nevermind" I'm most curious to know what happened between the Exile and Bao at Malachor 5 and I'm sure he could fill me in. I also haven't fully influenced HK-47 and Mandalore. I tried, but maybe because of my alignment I was unable to. I'm sure both have some great stories to tell that I'm dying to hear.

 

I also greatly enjoyed my dialog with Kreia, learning more about the Force and trying to question her motives, learning that she had once trained Revan. That was pretty good stuff

 

G0-T0 was great as well. Haha, he was like the evil droid version of Hari Seldon.(For those of you who have read the Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov) I laughed my ass off when G0T0 and HK meet onboard the Hawk and G0T0 says, "Ahhh HK-47" and HK answers, "Ahh yes, the fat one." HAHAHA

 

Now before any of you staunch K2 defenders rip me a new ion engine, know that I did greatly enjoy K2. I couldn't stop playing the damn thing. Part of this was because K2 did have a good story that kept pushing you to play. Another part for me was because I truly expected to meet my Revan's companions from K1 and of course to discover the fate of Revan himself. I'm sure this was a great motivation to play for many gamers.

 

Sure some people write off the NPCs from K1 as stereotypical and bland, their sidequests boring and have nothing to with the main plot. But when you think about it, when Revan helped each NPC resolve some part of their past or destroy it, he was in fact resolving or destroying a part of himself as well. If you played light, Revan was rediscovering the compassion within himself once more, and if dark he was sinking deeper into destruction and betrayal. If lightside, a camaraderie was formed between the characters. The NPCs trusted you and you trusted them as well. And at the ending when your group received the cheers and adulation, it was like you'd been to hell and back. All of you had triumphed. If darkside, you truly felt evil as you mercilessly cut those down that had given their trust to you, truly falling to the darkside. It had everything to do with the main quest which was redeeming Revan or succumbing to the darkside once more as much as it was defeating Malak. It was great!

 

I admit that the K2 NPC's had more intriguing backgrounds. A darkside Miraluka, an Echani handmaiden, a female bounty hunter who herself is hunted, a floating torture droid...I mean what more can you ask for? But for me they falied to bond with my version of the lightside Exile. Possibly because they were all influenced too easily and readily, without having shared nothing other than a few conversations or in handmaiden's case a few sparring matches. In K1 the NPCs opened up during the course of the game and through the completion of their quests and you felt closer to them because of that.

 

So in conclusion if there ever was one, my great enjoyment from K2 stemmed from K2's intriguing story and the anticipation of discovering the fates of the K1 characters. I can't help but wonder if the latter part was due to the fact that so many of K2's NPCs felt not fully fleshed out and had they been, my curiousity of Revan and the K1 cast would have taken a back seat, thus greatly improving the game experience.

 

I think this is why some players felt dissapointed at the end. Not only did we not discover the fates of the K1 crew but when we were told the fates of our companions from K2 we could hardly care less.

 

Thanks if you read this far, I wasn't going to write this much but it came out as I was writing. Of course you're free to agree of disagree and I'd appreciate some feedback on what all of you think.

 

Now for sleep!

[Jitawa]

With respect to the influence system, it's funny that you mention it, but Mira is the only character that says anything after being "Jedi-ed" to my knowledge. The first conversation after you make her one she has a little comment... that's it, but she does say something.

 

I like what the influence system promised, but it really needed more fleshing out, you're right in that.

[Dark Jedi Master]

Yeah you can turn Mira into a Jedi in 2 minutes. But there are some people in the game that do have a long boring story about their background. Like Hanharr. He complains about Czerka and everything else (which just makes you wanna slab him in the eye with a celery cutting knife). But other than that the Influence system was kinda...rushed and boring. They needed a lot more background storys and missions like they did in kotor1. And Mandalore didnt have any kind of story AT ALL. So he was nothing but a piece of furnature on MY ship.

 

Hopefully in Kotor3, they will have a lot more missions for the campanions.

 

P.S. Azure79 you have alot of time on your hands.

[deganawida]

With Bao-Dur, you have to have an extremely high influence to turn him into a Jedi/Sith and get what happened between him and the Exile. The way to do this? Have him in your party as much as possible, at Atris' be nice to him and have him join you, and have him for some very specific situations. Bao-Dur isn't influenced by convo options, but by actions you take and him witnessing. It does make the story more coherent, BTW.

[Azure79]

Yeah you can turn Mira into a Jedi in 2 minutes. But there are some people in the game that do have a long boring story about their background. Like Hanharr. He complains about Czerka and everything else (which just makes you wanna slab him in the eye with a celery cutting knife). But other than that the Influence system was kinda...rushed and boring. They needed a lot more background storys and missions like they did in kotor1. And Mandalore didnt have any kind of story AT ALL. So he was nothing but a piece of furnature on MY ship.

 

Hopefully in Kotor3, they will have a lot more missions for the campanions.

 

P.S. Azure79 you have alot of time on your hands.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'm nocturnal and need only a few hours sleep to get me functional.

 

If I don't fall alseep before midnight, then my brain kick starts again and my next sleep cycle doesn't hit me until 4 hours later.

 

Fortunately if its dark when I go to bed and light when I wake, I'm pretty much ok.

 

I'm planning to run through the game again as a DS character to influence different people and influence other people differently.

[Lianjie]

Hi guys and gals.

 

Well I've completed TSL as the lightside Exile, and hmm...I must say my feelings are mixed. I've read the posts by the forum users here and there seems to be people who think its great and people who are dissapointed.

 

I'd have to say that I can understand where both groups are coming from.

 

First the influence system. Granted I've only played through it once and have yet to experience it all, but from what I've experienced during my playthrough I got the feeling that while it worked, it was cut short.

 

Examples,

 

Atton and Handmaiden who I influenced to become Jedi had no new dialog trees after their conversion. You'd think they'd badger the Exile with all sorts of questions on the actions and philosophies of the Jedi, but nope. I thought the entire master-apprentice thing would have great if there were multiple conversations on the Jedi or Sith teachings, where you could influence them further into the light or dark. It didn't take much conversation with the two to get them to become Jedi as well. Again did I miss something or was that all?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

There is a TON of dialogue from Atton which was never used in the game. Some of the relevent ones are;

 

"I thought getting in touch with the Force would make me more vulnerable... but it's actually made me stronger."

 

"I think you're taking this 'teacher' thing too far, but alright, I'll try it." <-- not exact, I'm trying to find it again

 

"Alright, I'm game. What did you want to show me?"

 

"I didn't know this training thing was going to be so much work."

 

"Alright, I think I've got it. I'll try to practice it when I get the chance."

 

"Got it. I'll be sure to make use of it."

 

I haven't found dialogue from any of the other characters about training yet because there are just so many files to search through. I've found other files and I assume that you have had to trained Atton to become a Dark Jedi in order to access them, but he's basically telling you how to kill Jedi. Shooting padawans and nearby innocents works well according to him. I don't recall ever hearing that in the game when I played, but maybe I missed it.

[BuckeyeRowe]

With Bao-Dur, you have to have an extremely high influence to turn him into a Jedi/Sith and get what happened between him and the Exile.  The way to do this?  Have him in your party as much as possible, at Atris' be nice to him and have him join you, and have him for some very specific situations.  Bao-Dur isn't influenced by convo options, but by actions you take and him witnessing.  It does make the story more coherent, BTW.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Really?

 

I've only played once, LS male, and Bao-Dur was the first one I got "Jedi-ed". I didn't really have in my party after the military base on Telos, and I just followed his dialogs out to completion (which didn't take very long, he had few dialog choices).

 

In fact, I kind of Jedi-ed him on accident. I just went to talk to him to find out if any new dialogs opened up and pow, we head off into a conversation that at the end gives me two dialog choices, both of which offer to make him a Jedi.

[Sarkus]

The influence system in Kotor 2 is very dependent on the player using the NPC - only the NPC's you take with you outside the ship for extended periods of time will ever completely open up to you. As such, you have the play the game more than once to get all the NPC's back story's.

 

I think the conversion of some NPC's to jedi's is also influenced by how far you are light/dark. If you are strongly committed to one side of the force, it will influence that NPC to that side much more quickly and allow the dialogue options that lead to them becoming jedi themselves.

[Azure79]

Yes, I realized that you should always have the NPCs you want to influence most in your party the majority of the time.

 

However, I don't think the interactions content with the NPCs is there. They feel too short and reveal less, or reveal too much to in too short a time for the influence system to acheive its full potential.

[velocitygirl]

I think I'm probably about 99.9% through the game for the first time and in regards to the original post I'm in total agreement. If that's the extent of your interaction with your playable characters then I am severely disappointed. At the moment I'm playing as a LS female and have been continually badgering my crew to throw me some new lines...and virtually nothing!

 

I thought the previously mentioned cutscene between Atton and Disciple (where Atton tells him to back off, he was saw you first) appeared to hint at some kind of handbags at dawn scenario where you would have to choose between them but so far...nada!

 

For me the involving character interaction was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the first game and it's a real shame if this is all we're getting

[Iseo Tiakan]

I've found other files and I assume that you have had to trained Atton to become a Dark Jedi in order to access them, but he's basically telling you how to kill Jedi. Shooting padawans and nearby innocents works well according to him. I don't recall ever hearing that in the game when I played, but maybe I missed it.

 

You did. It's accessible when he's telling you about his past.

[jpom]

Hi guys and gals.

 

Well I've completed TSL as the lightside Exile, and hmm...I must say my feelings are mixed. I've read the posts by the forum users here and there seems to be people who think its great and people who are dissapointed.

 

I'd have to say that I can understand where both groups are coming from.

 

First the influence system. Granted I've only played through it once and have yet to experience it all, but from what I've experienced during my playthrough I got the feeling that while it worked, it was cut short.

 

...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I would have to agree, I haven't completed the game yet mind you, but from what I've seen so far I'm a little dissapointed.

 

In KOTOR1 the character development was really well done, you actually got to know the characters. But I am not getting the same "feeling" from KOTOR2, maybe it will change as i complete the game, but from what I've read on here it's doesn't look like it. I mean the influence system is a great idea but it needs some serious refinement.

 

I'm dissapointed because I was so impressed with KOTOR1 (I've completed it 5 times now, it's the only game I have ever bothered playing more then once) that I expected KOTOR2 to be just as good if not better. Instead I'm finding that it feels rushed, and not nearly as well thought out/developed, and I'm also dissapointed with the "animation" (or whatever you want to call it) of the characters in the game. It does not feel as smooth as the first one, movies look like ####, and the little glitches with people walking part way through walls, force cages, etc is just annoying. I figure that since they were working with the same engine this stuff shouldn't be this big of a problem, but maybe I'm just being picky.

 

Anyways guess my expectations were just too high because of KOTOR1, but this is just MHO.

[Jad'en]

The only problem i had with the influence system was when i had

Brianna Dark Side Mastery and then i lost influence because i killed someone to indugle by baser emotions :D

[DarthNihilus]

With Bao-Dur, you have to have an extremely high influence to turn him into a Jedi/Sith and get what happened between him and the Exile.  The way to do this?  Have him in your party as much as possible, at Atris' be nice to him and have him join you, and have him for some very specific situations.  Bao-Dur isn't influenced by convo options, but by actions you take and him witnessing.  It does make the story more coherent, BTW.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

U have to be lightside and have it with you ..ONLY him on Nar Shadaa on the Exchange guys who want to collect the money from the poor commoner... you get the right dialogue and BAo-Dur becomes Jedi.

NOT Atton or Kreia in party alongside him because:

1.Atton - triggers his "Jedi code still exists" and u get influence on him only

2.Kreia - her famous "And what do you think you have acheived" line and u get no BAo line

For some reason when an event potentially would get influence on TWO characters ONLY one is triggered...