Kotaku Obsidian Article

[Torgo]

Agreed, It is really sad to know that so many interesting ideas were cancelled. Especially the Aliens RPG, KotOR 3 and even Alpha Protocol 2, I can only hope one day at least one of them may get a second chance.

 

I will also join in the chorus to call for a remastered KotOR 2. I know it really is out of Obsidian's hands, even more so now with LucasArts owned by Disney, but I would love to see The Sith Lords restored. Even after 8 years, I still believe it one of the most interesting Star Wars tales ever told.

[Leferd]

Cool article, Bro.

[C2B]

About BG III by Anthony Evans

 

Oh, it was quite the dream team... Many of us who worked on NWN2 and the expansions went on to Baldur's Gate 3, and there were some talented folks from other Obsidian projects that were borrowed, stolen or taken at sword-point.

 

Some members of the BG3 team included me (lead designer), Kevin Saunders (lead producer/martyr), Rich Taylor (lead programmer and friend to the animals), Paul Boyle (the one system designer to rule them all), Bobby Null (leading expert on D&D, whose middle name is Merlin), Matt Festa (tech designer and dark cleric of SketchUp), and Anthony Davis (of Legend). Forgive me for the names I left out. Fingers... cramping...

 

When BG3 was cancelled, many of us moved on to Dungeon Siege 3. Others said "f**k it all" and moved to China or left the game industry entirely. Some are biding their time, waiting for the batphone to ring so they can re-assemble, put their elf ears back on, and make the best damn D&D game known to man. Actually, I'm joking... Or am I?

 

Also the saddest quote by George Ziets

 

I came back to Obsidian in 2009 specifically to work on BG3. Then it was canceled about two weeks after I arrived. Ha!

Edited December 18, 2012 by C2B

[Gorth]

Yay, finally a bit more information about project New Jersey

[Giantevilhead]

They talked to Ubisoft. "We almost did a Might & Magic game," Urquhart said. It didn't happen: Ubisoft instead contracted a company called Arkane Studios (best known for this year's hit Dishonored) to make Dark Messiah of Might & Magic—probably, Urquhart said, because both Ubisoft and Arkane are French.

 

"I call [ubisoft] every year and I say ‘Hey, we'd love to make you a Might & Magic game," Urquhart said. "And they go, ‘We know.'"

 

A Might and Magic game by Obsidian would be awesome, especially if the story follows Heroes of Might and Magic 4.

 

I hate how badly Ubisoft has been treating the franchise.

[Hassat Hunter]

but I would love to see The Sith Lords restored. Even after 8 years, I still believe it one of the most interesting Star Wars tales ever told.

Ehm? TSLRCM?

[thracian]

they were about the make bg3... twice

[WorstUsernameEver]

they were about the make bg3... twice

 

The Black Hound was Baldur's Gate III in name only, and got the name after Interplay lost the D&D license (it was originally conceived as a totally separated D&D title). I presume Obsidian's treatment of Baldur's Gate III was meant to be truer to the franchise, in some way or another.

[Monte Carlo]

I don't know if there are still legal issues, but could anyone from Obz give us a clue as to what the gist of BG3 might have been?

 

Please?

 

Like an Xmas present.

[Orogun01]

Maybe depending on the success of PE they can make those games,plz?

[rjshae]

They talked to Ubisoft. "We almost did a Might & Magic game," Urquhart said. It didn't happen: Ubisoft instead contracted a company called Arkane Studios (best known for this year's hit Dishonored) to make Dark Messiah of Might & Magic—probably, Urquhart said, because both Ubisoft and Arkane are French.

 

"I call [ubisoft] every year and I say ‘Hey, we'd love to make you a Might & Magic game," Urquhart said. "And they go, ‘We know.'"

 

A Might and Magic game by Obsidian would be awesome, especially if the story follows Heroes of Might and Magic 4.

 

I hate how badly Ubisoft has been treating the franchise.

I got seriously bored with M&M by about the fourth game. Advance four square, fight some monsters; advance two more squares, fight some monsters; advance three squares, fight some monsters.... There was little tactical feel to the combat and it all got very repetitive.

[JFSOCC]

but I would love to see The Sith Lords restored. Even after 8 years, I still believe it one of the most interesting Star Wars tales ever told.

Ehm? TSLRCM?

I used to be a beta-tester for the team gizka one. Unfortunately that one never got finished. a shame because it had gotten almost to the end. (only a little genoharadan piece had to be finished.) And the voice acting for Kaevee was so much better than the TSLRCM. most voice acting was better imo. Edited December 18, 2012 by JFSOCC

[GhostofAnakin]

Feargus says he wants to work on a KOTOR III, but I'm not sure what it would be about if Drew Karpyshyn's novel 'Revan' is canon (and I believe it is). Both Revan and the Exile would be ... indisposed.

 

IMO, that novel and the subsequent TOR ruined any chance of a good KOTOR III single player game being developed. At least in terms of providing a satisfying resolution to the Revan and Exile characters, as well as remaining plot points after KOTOR II.

[GhoulishVisage]

Feargus says he wants to work on a KOTOR III, but I'm not sure what it would be about if Drew Karpyshyn's novel 'Revan' is canon (and I believe it is). Both Revan and the Exile would be ... indisposed.

 

IMO, that novel and the subsequent TOR ruined any chance of a good KOTOR III single player game being developed. At least in terms of providing a satisfying resolution to the Revan and Exile characters, as well as remaining plot points after KOTOR II.

 

That's why my hope is that if Obsidian manages to do another Star Wars game it won't be in The Old Republic timeline.

The Old Republic Timeline has become far too full and busy.

A new Star Wars RPG should start on a fresh page, so to speak.

Edited December 18, 2012 by GhoulishVisage

[Hassat Hunter]

And the voice acting for Kaevee was so much better than the TSLRCM.

You've got to be kidding me.

 

I can't say the TSLRCM Kaevee is great, but TSLRP's made you want to grind your ears out. Probably more due to the extreme low quality mic than the actress, sure.

 

Besides that, there aren't any 'new lines' in TSLRP, except for Obsidian ones. And... thus they aren't any different.

 

So, again, seriously?

I do agree it's a shame TSLRP never saw the light, but Kaevee and GenoHaraden wrre by far the weakest link in the product.

 

EDIT (new posts);

Yeah... if KOTOR3 it best ignores all that stuff, and starts from KOTOR2 with only that (and KOTOR1 of course) as base.

Edited December 18, 2012 by Hassat Hunter

[Tamerlane]

Yeah, I'm not sure what to make of a possible KotOR 3. I figure it'd be best if they either ignore the **** out of the novels and The Old Republic, which probably wouldn't win them any points with anyone, or give it a setting and a story where none of that **** really matters.

[WorstUsernameEver]

Feargus says he wants to work on a KOTOR III, but I'm not sure what it would be about if Drew Karpyshyn's novel 'Revan' is canon (and I believe it is). Both Revan and the Exile would be ... indisposed.

 

IMO, that novel and the subsequent TOR ruined any chance of a good KOTOR III single player game being developed. At least in terms of providing a satisfying resolution to the Revan and Exile characters, as well as remaining plot points after KOTOR II.

 

As far as I'm aware Knights of the Old Republic is more of a timeline rather than a specific storyline, given that it was also used as a title for the comics. Either way, I'm sure a creative writer could come with dozens of potential ideas that still fit the larger canon. Can't say I can see Disney/Lucas being interested right now, though.

[Darth InSidious]

Yes, but given the previous two games and TOR, there's going to be a lot of pressure on for it to resolve the Revan/Exile narrative.

 

Plus, I thought I read that Disney was planning to shut down LucasArts and/or scale back on Star Wars games...

[Tamerlane]

Yes, but given the previous two games and TOR, there's going to be a lot of pressure on for it to resolve the Revan/Exile narrative.

There was already a book that did that, though.

 

 

The Exile dies and Revan get possessed or something. Or so I hear.

 

[Hassat Hunter]

Plus, I thought I read that Disney was planning to shut down LucasArts and/or scale back on Star Wars games...

On ingame LA titles yes. They did wanted to branch them out to third party developers. And KOTOR is a perfect example of a good outsourced LA game .

[GhostofAnakin]

As far as I'm aware Knights of the Old Republic is more of a timeline rather than a specific storyline, given that it was also used as a title for the comics. Either way, I'm sure a creative writer could come with dozens of potential ideas that still fit the larger canon. Can't say I can see Disney/Lucas being interested right now, though.

 

It is, but at the same time one would assume that adding a "III" to the title suggests it, like KOTOR I and II, are set within the same relative time frame, with the same events taking place during. Fair or not, fans of the series are also going to expect a third installment to wrap up all loose ends from the previous two games.

 

Like someone else said, if it's not going to be about Revan, the Exile, or the "True Sith" that was mentioned constantly by Kreia, they might as well make it in a different time period.

 

Of course this is all moot since I doubt any sort of KOTOR-esque game gets made.

[Death Machine Miyagi]

Yes, but given the previous two games and TOR, there's going to be a lot of pressure on for it to resolve the Revan/Exile narrative.

There was already a book that did that, though.

 

 

The Exile dies and Revan get possessed or something. Or so I hear.

 

 

The awfulness is in the details.

 

 

Revan is kept alive by the Sith Emperor so that he can be used as a disposable raid boss for Sith players in TOR. Meanwhile, In the Revan novel, the Exile has the proverbial bridge dropped on her so hard Kreia probably felt it. If you can stomach reading it, the novel in question makes it pretty clear Drew Karpyshyn wasn't really paying much attention at all to anything that happened in KOTOR2, even before that game came apart at the seams near the end, and pretty obviously didn't want to think too hard about it.

 

 

Basically, you've got a Star Control situation: there has been a 'canon' sequel to KOTOR and KOTOR2, both in the book Revan and the game TOR, but that canon is pretty bad and in an ideal world would do well with being replaced with an Obsidian-made KOTOR3. It won't be, though, because TOR is ongoing and its canon stands.

 

In short, a KOTOR3 that continues the Revan-Exile storyline is a lost cause. Better to accept that and move on, I think.

[JFSOCC]

 

I can't say the TSLRCM Kaevee is great, but TSLRP's made you want to grind your ears out. Probably more due to the extreme low quality mic than the actress, sure.

 

Besides that, there aren't any 'new lines' in TSLRP, except for Obsidian ones. And... thus they aren't any different.

 

So, again, seriously?

I do agree it's a shame TSLRP never saw the light, but Kaevee and GenoHaraden wrre by far the weakest link in the product.

 

EDIT (new posts);

Yeah... if KOTOR3 it best ignores all that stuff, and starts from KOTOR2 with only that (and KOTOR1 of course) as base.

I feel exactly the other way about kaevee's voice acting, though the low quality mic was definitely noticeable. And yeah, genoharadan was a weak part, I agree.

 

Yes, but given the previous two games and TOR, there's going to be a lot of pressure on for it to resolve the Revan/Exile narrative.

There was already a book that did that, though.

 

 

The Exile dies and Revan get possessed or something. Or so I hear.

 

 

The awfulness is in the details.

 

 

Revan is kept alive by the Sith Emperor so that he can be used as a disposable raid boss for Sith players in TOR. Meanwhile, In the Revan novel, the Exile has the proverbial bridge dropped on her so hard Kreia probably felt it. If you can stomach reading it, the novel in question makes it pretty clear Drew Karpyshyn wasn't really paying much attention at all to anything that happened in KOTOR2, even before that game came apart at the seams near the end, and pretty obviously didn't want to think too hard about it.

 

 

Basically, you've got a Star Control situation: there has been a 'canon' sequel to KOTOR and KOTOR2, both in the book Revan and the game TOR, but that canon is pretty bad and in an ideal world would do well with being replaced with an Obsidian-made KOTOR3. It won't be, though, because TOR is ongoing and its canon stands.

 

In short, a KOTOR3 that continues the Revan-Exile storyline is a lost cause. Better to accept that and move on, I think.

How about they ignore the expanded universe canon for the horrible crap that it is.

[Revan91]

Great article.

 

About KotOR III, I hope they get the chance to make it, finally, or at least some kind of spiritual heir if they can't continue the storyline of the first two games.

[Hassat Hunter]

AVG *really* hates TSLRP. Dozens of alerts. I had to deactivate it to install. And it happily crashed swkotor2.exe because I was using it.

 

Also, I was thinking you were crazy, but in 1.0b10 (I really should actually run through that one in it's entirety, haven't done it yet) it does sound leaps better than the abhorrant mess it was in the leaked beta (1.0b08) on which I based my previous assumption.

For those interested... comparrison!

(and then, back on the topic )

http://youtu.be/5SjsZzxzuKk

Edited December 20, 2012 by Hassat Hunter