Improvements you appreciated

[Janson]

I was playing KotOR1 today and found myself wishing for some of the small, but crucial improvements the second game makes to the gaming experience. Not to mention that, thanks to the latest ATI drivers, KotOR1 now runs far worse on my computer...

 

I did a search and read several posts that talk of the improvements that were made, but none that really discuss them to any degree. So what were people's favourite aspects of the second game?

 

For me:

 

1) Larger, cleaner interface. It wasn't until I reinstalled the first game that I really noticed how small the menus were!

 

2) I thought the maps were generally better designed. Smaller, more indicative of where you were supposed to go. I hated Tatooine in the first game - those huge wide open stretches of sand that took forever to cross!

 

3) Speeded up walking in the space-suits; walking in the space-suits/diver suits in KotOR1 was painfully slow.

 

4) You don't have to use the gun turret on the Ebon Hawk (except when on Peragus, and then it doesn't matter if you don't get all the Sith) - this filled me with dread in KotOR1.

 

5) The dialogue in many places feels a lot more 'natural' - in KotOR1, especially in the beginning, some of the dialogue sounded stilted and intended to provide the player with specific information rather than sounding like normal conversation.

 

Other improvements are much more my own opinion...I like the NPCs a lot better in the second game, but then I really did detest Bastila in the first game

[jaguars4ever]

• Weapon Quick Switch
  
• LS/DS point animation and jingle
  
• Cursor hover reveals empty containers
  
• Datapads automatically open upon retrieval.
  
• Item Creation
  

[Laozi]

I appreciated the lack of an ending. I hate that games get bogged down by the conventual idea that a story should have some sort of closier or even a coherent sequence of events leading up to the finish

 

Heres to thinking outside of the box

[RoadReaction]

* Better Interface

* Better Workbench (As in most items can be upgraded, and creatible items)

* Prestige Classes

* Character Influence

* Cool sounds and colored smoke when light or dark side points are gained.

* Attribute + Damage fixes ( stats and damage no longer "Max out" a high strength with a strength based weapon will deal Arse* loads of damage for instance :

 

Old Double-Bladed Lightsaber

 

15-43 <- thats about as high as you can ever hope to get.

 

New double-Bladed Lightsaber

 

37-89 <-Much better (this alone is easy to acheive, although he or she must be a guardian class and a melee prestige class and high level)

 

* Lightsaber and Force forms

* More Weapons, Armour, and Items

* Implants no longer require a feat or two or three

* More useful and intresting feats and Character abilities

 

The only downside is that many parts of the game couldnt compare to the first however the new game system is AMAZING!!! (w00t)

 

Nice Job on game engine improvements Obsidian

[Osiris]

the spacesuit walking looks silly in KOTOR2, but it is nice to go faster. But it looks sooo stupid. And I liked wide open areas. K2 feels cramped sometimes. I want a world as big as Morrowind . Okay I realize that isn't possible, but I want more freedom.

 

anyways what is better in K2.

 

influence. Even though it still has problems. If you turn certain characters to the dark side, you still have to do nice things to gain influence, and vice versa.

 

Creating/breaking down items. Pretty damn cool.

 

random loot. for the most part it works. a few weird things here and there.

 

empty container designation. So nice. sweet.

 

Increase to ranged weapon effectiveness (with the good upgrades).

 

weapon switch is kind of cool. Though kind of awkward to do it in combat (takes a whole round it seems). And it doesn't seem to work automatically, but that's okay. I don't want it to

 

edit: oh and datapads opening. So cool.

[sacoroth]

The only thing that I feel needed improvement was the ending and the graphics, but like the majority of people, I knew that the graphics weren't going to have any huge improvements.

[Yst]

For me, it's about writing, writing, writing.

 

KotOR II is just a better written game, and it makes all the difference.

[Mess]

1. Dialouge. Quality over quantity anyday. Though quantity in some parts of the game would be nice.

 

2. Romance. It was subtle, and did not take away much from the story. Though I wish you could romance someone who was playing hard to get...

 

3. Saving system. Thank God. Whole lot better than the first.

 

4. Switch weapon button. 'Nuff said.

 

5. Empty containers.

[Yst]

The only thing that I feel needed improvement was the ending and the graphics, but like the majority of people, I knew that the graphics weren't going to have any huge improvements.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Oddly enough, I'm glad the graphics didn't change. It would feel like a different gameworld if the graphics had changed much at all. Returning to Korriban completely retextured and remodeled wouldn't feel like the same Korriban. So really, I'm glad it was much the same.

[Llyranor]

For me, it's about writing, writing, writing.

 

KotOR II is just a better written game, and it makes all the difference.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bingo.

[Zach Morris]

I enjoyed the containers now saying "empty".

[Jarx Xun]

I went back to play KOTOR and that only emphasized the great improvements in Kotor 2:

 

The Interface is ALOT better, I love the filters and such.

 

Two weapon configurations are hot.

 

Marking containers as empty

 

I agree when you walk in a space suit it's... WEIRD

 

I like the weapon creation system and the random loot is good.

 

The datapad management is also WAY better.

[Gorth]

random loot. for the most part it works. a few weird things here and there.

Yeah, I still haven't figured out why an automated gun turrent was wearing meditation gloves...

 

Technical stuff:

 

I could actually play through the entire game in 1280x1024 (that crashed a couple of cutscenes in K1)

 

The interface was just soooooo much nicer to look at when searching for something in your inventory.

 

Weapon switching.

 

Datapads. No more overlooking them because you "just grab the loot"

 

No more wasting time searching empty containers.

 

Animations were nicer.

 

Faces seemed to be higher resolution/better quality on pc/npc's (It might have been my imagination, but it really looked that way when you got the scenes with Bastilas face for comparison)

 

The workbench(es). Only niggling point was that you couldn't switch directly from upgrade to create/breakdown.

 

The different character slots for save games.

 

Gameplay

 

Interesting new feats, perhaps just too many feats (as in you get too many, not that there was too many to choose from) ?

 

You could actually use guns to kill people/droids.

 

Lost interesting loot. Probably also too much (in my first game, I hoarded like 27 different interesting medium/heavy armours, gloves, robes etc., but never got around to use them) ?

 

(Note: like the above mention spiritual equipment for gun turrets. I also got a good laugh from the "Princess Leia" costume, +2 to persuade and the "Grey Jedi robes +2 to Charisma", I sort of pictured Gandalf running around in of those for some reason >_

 

It made sense to have skills (for dialogue, getting stat boosts, for opening locks without destroying content etc.)

 

Something that was great fun (for me at least) was the screentime given to your NPC's, doing their own thing away from the protagonist. A lot more of that please ?

 

I would have loved to mention the influence system here, but the "ending" sort of removed the entire point of having it It did look interesting what was there of it though.

 

Visuals

 

Generally decent looking. If only they had added some big rotating fans, some flashing bright ligts and I would have sworn that Nar Shaddaa was something from Bladerunner.

 

The engine generated cutscenes were mostly superior to the FMV (or whatever they were) scenes... next time do all of them "in-game" ?

 

Already mentioned the characters and animations. The new critters where quite decent looking too. I almost felt sorry for the poor Cannouks (Sp?) when I ran around and butchered them just for sport.

 

Nice to see slightly different world "themes", jungle, arctic, plains, mining facility etc (I would still like a Dagobah type swamp world though, there wasn't enough sewers in the game. I like sewers). Minor niggling point, there was so much more that could have been done with the surface of Telos... I'm thinking of the wasted (you did have a space suit after all) and the arctic parts.

 

Other stuff

 

I liked the NPC's. Found them way more interesting than the first batch (K1)

 

The darker theme in the story was definitely there ('nuff said, other very popular threads deal with story and conclusions)

 

Despite the darker theme, I actually found more humour in K2 (Bastially force tripping Mission being the only funny thing I can remember from K1). Both in the party dialogues, the extras, the way you could abuse force persuade, lots and lots of little detail. The dialogue between the two droids in the Czerka mainframe room was hilarious as was T3's dialogue options in the store room (1. Lie/Persuade Dwoot tweep, 1. Persuade Dweeep tweeep deet, 3. Zweet tweep dooo)

 

The game had plenty of these nice little touches.

 

Meh, I could probably continue for a long time yet. I think I'll go back and continue my current game...

[Icon]

Something rather small that I don't think anyones commented on yet. The badguy of the moment, i.e. the Sith Lord your gunning for, is always at the start of the game on the load page. It changes as you progress through the game. But, when you play darkside and win, it puts up a picture of YOUR character. One of the many little things this game did right that few folks notice...

 

Gotta say, having NPCs only in your party was good twist as well. People may complain the game is too easy, but on my first run through my npc only party died a few times. It also adds yet another touch of realism.

[Mondo]

The Dialog/Writing was better in Kotor 2 but Kotor 1's Npcs seemed better placed on the maps.

 

The bigger interface a ton of other stuff you guys mentioned I liked as well.

 

Showing if a container was EMPTY was awesome. Datapads as well.

 

Icon that is pretty cool.

 

BACK OFF Republic dog!

[Haitoku]

I really liked the Weapon Switching and the fact that Blaster weren't completely useless by the end of the game.

 

I also dig the new lightsaber upgradable parts, and in general the hole item creation thing, that made having high skills not so useless =)

 

The new combat animations are wicked.

 

The datapad and empty container things are awsome too!

[Darth_Radnor]

The best part was having "empty" containers when you took their content.

[gamesneal]

Switching weapons

marking empty containers

datapads showing up on screen as you found them

Inventory subdivided into quests. usuable items, weapons, etc.

breakdown and creation of items

face at bottom of load screen very easy to tell which save games

Much better AI scripts

[Gorth]

I sort of remembered few more things...

 

The aliens made a better attempt at not being *too* repetitive in their speech. K1 Could really make me racist, wanting to exterminate all non-basic speaking species.

 

My partymembers actually noticed that my PC look a bit tired and worn out (like, with red glowing eyes and veins standing out in my face).

 

Pazaak was slightly more varied (and the Pazaak Den and The Champ was a nice touch)

 

I would have sworn after the first game, that trying to give T3 any kind of personality was a lost cause...

 

[SteveThaiBinh]

A very small thing, but...

 

When one character interrupts another in the dialogue, they actually do interrupt quickly, without a lame pause in the middle. I've never seen this done properly in a game before.

[caradoc]

Best single improvement IMO was the usefulness of skills (item creation, dialogues etc.).

This made Sentinel the most useful starting class (especially if you took starting INT of 14).

 

Side note: Sentinel's stun/paralyze immunity also made the Traya battle easier given the fact

that she was very keen on using Stun/Insanity ... powers (that I had been kind enough to give

her when leveling up) against my PC <_<

 

Other nice improvements were:

- taking turns in pazaak (made the game much more playable)

- empty containers shown

- the influence system (albeit this could be improved as discussed in other threads)

[Janson]

Best single improvement IMO was the usefulness of skills (item creation,  dialogues etc.).

This made Sentinel the most useful starting class (especially if you took starting INT of 14).

 

Mm, I hadn't really thought about that...but now that you say it, I've always played Guardian before, but whereas this didn't really matter in the first game, I did often find myself lacking skills in important areas in KotOR2. I might have to play through as a different class.

 

I also have to agree with everyone who mentioned the empty containers and automatic datapad opening, those were both very useful things I forgot to add.

[Haitoku]

Best single improvement IMO was the usefulness of skills (item creation,  dialogues etc.).

This made Sentinel the most useful starting class (especially if you took starting INT of 14).

 

Mm, I hadn't really thought about that...but now that you say it, I've always played Guardian before, but whereas this didn't really matter in the first game, I did often find myself lacking skills in important areas in KotOR2. I might have to play through as a different class.

 

I also have to agree with everyone who mentioned the empty containers and automatic datapad opening, those were both very useful things I forgot to add.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well You could. But at the same time, your other party members can make items for you

[Janson]

Best single improvement IMO was the usefulness of skills (item creation,  dialogues etc.).

This made Sentinel the most useful starting class (especially if you took starting INT of 14).

 

Mm, I hadn't really thought about that...but now that you say it, I've always played Guardian before, but whereas this didn't really matter in the first game, I did often find myself lacking skills in important areas in KotOR2. I might have to play through as a different class.

 

I also have to agree with everyone who mentioned the empty containers and automatic datapad opening, those were both very useful things I forgot to add.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well You could. But at the same time, your other party members can make items for you

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Oh, it wasn't creating items I was referring to It's the quests that require your main character to have certain skills - healing the man on Nar Shaddaa, for example, requires 3 points in Treat Injury. Noticing that there's something odd about the vaporisers on Dantooine requires an Awareness of 5. I was utterly unable to get any more information/holos from T3 because my character had no repair or computer skill.

[Haitoku]

Best single improvement IMO was the usefulness of skills (item creation,  dialogues etc.).

This made Sentinel the most useful starting class (especially if you took starting INT of 14).

 

Mm, I hadn't really thought about that...but now that you say it, I've always played Guardian before, but whereas this didn't really matter in the first game, I did often find myself lacking skills in important areas in KotOR2. I might have to play through as a different class.

 

I also have to agree with everyone who mentioned the empty containers and automatic datapad opening, those were both very useful things I forgot to add.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well You could. But at the same time, your other party members can make items for you

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Oh, it wasn't creating items I was referring to It's the quests that require your main character to have certain skills - healing the man on Nar Shaddaa, for example, requires 3 points in Treat Injury. Noticing that there's something odd about the vaporisers on Dantooine requires an Awareness of 5. I was utterly unable to get any more information/holos from T3 because my character had no repair or computer skill.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Bug perhaps? I remember... I never got the Bastilla hole scene after repairing him completely