Suggestions To The Devs.

[Gorth]

I like sewers 

 

It was slightly disappointing, that there wasn't one of those garbage compressor things on board the Leviathan.

You my friend, represent all that is wrong with RPGs. Don't tell me, you like giant rats too? <_ src="//s3.amazonaws.com/uploads.forums.obsidian.net/emoticons/default_original.gif" alt=":)">

[Nartwak]

I can't stand the concept of sloshing ankle deep through excrement.

[prsrulez]

No voice for the PC... please!

[Karzak]

I can't stand the concept of sloshing ankle deep through excrement.

Then why on earth are you here?

[Nartwak]

This is trash, not biological waste. Garbage doesn't bother me.

[Karzak]

This is trash, not biological waste. Garbage doesn't bother me.

You better take a second whiff

[Ferret]

I have to say I'm tired of parties being thrown into jail, prison, dungeon, Leviathan, etc. in RPGs.  It's been done.  Unless we get to escape Sith Nazis via a swoop bike, I just don't see the need for the player to be imprisoned.

Please don't read anything into this post. I'm just talking about games in general, because this is something I ponder late at night.

 

Getting captured happens in a lot of games, but I think it's a situation that does have its merits. I kind of like having to break out of someplace and have to use new items instead of my old uber gear for a time. It makes me reexamine the game, which I think can be refreshing if done properly.

 

-Ferret

[Lucas Trask]

Getting captured happens in a lot of games, but I think it's a situation that does have its merits. I kind of like having to break out of someplace and have to use new items instead of my old uber gear for a time. It makes me reexamine the game, which I think can be refreshing if done properly.

While I don't completely disagree with you, what I like about RPGs are the stories, and seeing the same plot devices get rehashed over and over again gets old. It gets as predictable as the red shirts dying in the old Star Trek. The last time it really, really got to me was the opening sequence in BG2 when it's explained how you wound up in Irenics's dungeon. It seemed way too much like waking in the Mortuary in Torment to me. That could just be me.

 

If you want to get the player to focus on different aspects of the game, and discover the use of different items and skills, there has to be different ways to deal with it. Even just getting mugged in a game would be reasonably new (and might even make a good scripted intro to a crime syndicate). It's not that I'm against rehashing plot devices. I just want to see the jail plot device laid to rest for a while.

[Cord]

Here's a bit I wrote in another thread on the "Last man standing" mechanic. (i.e. If a party member's hitpoints are reduced to 0, he goes unconcious until all nearby enemies are defeated.) I thought it might be worth repeating here since it'll be a bit more on-topic.

 

If you'll entertain a suggestion for a moment, I felt there was room for improvement with this particular game mechanic...

 

First of all, it does tend to jar you out of the game a bit when your party-members quietly sit a battle out and then get up, without fail, the moment the last enemy bites the dust 20 feet away. It would feel more immersive if those party members needed help to get back up. This help could take the form of using a medkit on them or simply giving them a leg up off the ground, however, it would have to take a couple moments to do this so it wouldn't be too exploitable in combat. It would also introduce a new strategy element to longer battles such as the ones on the Star Forge in KOTOR. If your buddy goes down, do you try to fight it out without him/her, or do you position your party so that one person is free long enough to get him back on his/her feet?

 

This sort of system would also neatly sidestep one of the bugs in KOTOR. I remember in one level (Possibly the Sith Acadamy) a member of my party went down and stayed down without an enemy in sight. I had to hunt through all the nearby passages for the little sucker that got away so I could get mobile again. I couldn't zone with him layed flat out in the middle of the level. I'm not sure how common this particular bug was, but it jarred me right out of the game and was one of the few times I can recall thinking of Bioware as a bunch of idiots. (Which they most certainly aren't!) With the above change in effect you could get your party member back on his feet without a problem.

 

Of course, implementing this would make a few other changes necessary. What happens if you forget where your party member wentl down or simply don't help him/her up? A good solution would be to set a time-limit on how long a character stays down without help. When they get back up they'd catch up on their own and, possibly, give you heck for not helping them up. (Just a verbal whine and maybe a rude gesture for some characters. There's no need to cut to the dialog interface.) If you attempt to zone with a party member down somewhere, the game should let you zone and have the party member come out with you, although, preferably giving you heck as if he/she just caught up after getting up on his/her own. As for the animations required, physically helping the other character up would involve contact between models which I'm sure your animators would flat out refuse to do. However, just having a character kneel next to the fallen fellow and perhaps wave a hand around a bit in a authoritative medical looking fashion would serve almost as well and be relatively simple to implement.

 

Another feature of KOTOR2 which sounds intriguing is the new and improved light-sabre customizations. One thing that would be nifty, if it hasn't already been thought of, would be for components to have different effects based on your alignment. This would make the powers of a sabre more personalized for each character. It would also be a nice alternative to using light-side/dark-side item restrictions. If you wanted to restrict an item to the light side, for example, you might just make it's dark-side effects negative. This would mean that a character who suddenly decides to sell out his own mother and turn to the darkside might suddenly find that his trusty sabre has turned on him... An interesting dynamic to be certain!

 

You needen't necessarily limit these to a simple light-side/dark-side toggle either. You could implement them as a sort of slider where you get both light and dark-side effects at the same time, but the ammount of each depends on your alignment. An extreme-dark side character might get 100% of the dark-side effect and 0% of the light side effect, and vice-versa, but a neutral character would get 50% of both effects. Getting back to the light-side/dark-side restrictions again... You could actually limit items to pure-light and pure-dark this way too by putting a highly negative effect on the undesired alignment. For example, you could make an upgrade that offers a huge bonus to 100% light-side characters that has harsh and debilitating effects the moment they commit one dark-side act. A sort of paladins sword, so to speak.

[Volourn]

Cord, and his idea wins.

[kobsidious]

I have to say I'm tired of parties being thrown into jail, prison, dungeon, Leviathan, etc. in RPGs.

[mR.Waffles]

I just noticed this thread after I wrote another one, *shrug* whoops.

 

Less **** light side force powers. The lightside blew in KOTOR unless you were a Guardian.

 

One more thing:

 

Doesn't it seem odd that when you slice someone with a lightsaber they are okee... all they lose is a few HP. I find this disturbing because a lightsaber is supposed to kill in one hit. Instead of HP they should make it a block o meter... how much longer till your enemies saber cuts you in half .

[jaguars4ever]

I have to say I'm tired of parties being thrown into jail, prison, dungeon, Leviathan, etc. in RPGs.

[sniggy]

Another feature of KOTOR2 which sounds intriguing is the new and improved light-sabre customizations. One thing that would be nifty, if it hasn't already been thought of, would be for components to have different effects based on your alignment. This would make the powers of a sabre more personalized for each character. It would also be a nice alternative to using light-side/dark-side item restrictions.

 

in d20, there's the possibility of imbuing objects with the force. also, one can create mastercraft weapons (lightsabers, too)- so maybe a combination of those would be nice? imagine having an old jedi / sith shrine (or something like that) where you can meditate and upgrade your saber

 

btw, a dark cave / dark pool or something similar would be nice to have. the character could cleanse the place, gaining light side points and experience or use the place to become stronger in the dark side (say, using the pool gives dark side point and a dark side power upgrade)

[MrMidas]

Escort/guarding quests and such things a great idea!

My favourites have been bounty hunting and assassination. More of these means more things to do on the same few planets. Being sent back to places you have already been gets you running around a little more and thus making the one-after-the-other approach a little less linear.

 

My personal request would be to make the game harder. In KotOR a guardian with "master speed" power seems to kill even the toughest character in seconds.

[sniggy]

My personal request would be to make the game harder. In KotOR a guardian with "master speed" power seems to kill even the toughest character in seconds.

well, the hard dudes at least. i still remember the sith on the unknown world going "i increased my power tenfold blahblahblah". ZZZZZZZZZZT! "arrgh"

 

i mean, come on. i was ALONE. they should've at least had some chance against me, what with being sith and all...

 

(who's the master? who's the funky jedi master? that's right...)

 

 

more evil lords with more cinematic (meaning LONG) fights. else it'll be just like in kotor. some quotes to make my point:

 

"our master will be most pleas-"ZZZZT! "aaakkk"

"die jed-"BZZZBZZZBZZZT! "aaaiiiieee" (thrown lightsaber)

"you may have killed that pathetic bounty hunter, bu-- khhk hkkhhk. aakkkkh" (choke)

"GROWLGROWLGRO-" ZZZZT! ZZZZT! (two lightsabers on dimwit wookie)

[Child of Flame]

My personal request would be to make the game harder. In KotOR a guardian with "master speed" power seems to kill even the toughest character in seconds.

well, the hard dudes at least. i still remember the sith on the unknown world going "i increased my power tenfold blahblahblah". ZZZZZZZZZZT! "arrgh"

 

i mean, come on. i was ALONE. they should've at least had some chance against me, what with being sith and all...

 

(who's the master? who's the funky jedi master? that's right...)

 

 

more evil lords with more cinematic (meaning LONG) fights. else it'll be just like in kotor. some quotes to make my point:

 

"our master will be most pleas-"ZZZZT! "aaakkk"

"die jed-"BZZZBZZZBZZZT! "aaaiiiieee" (thrown lightsaber)

"you may have killed that pathetic bounty hunter, bu-- khhk hkkhhk. aakkkkh" (choke)

"GROWLGROWLGRO-" ZZZZT! ZZZZT! (two lightsabers on dimwit wookie)

It's sad how true that last part really is.

[Dead Skin Mask]

I would like to suggest better stealth kill animations in KOTOR 2. In the first game you just uncloak and get an attack bonus or was it an instant kill? Anyway I would like to see some cool stealth kills and the ability to break somebody's neck so you can stay cloaked. Also it would be cool if blaster carrying PCs and NPCs would be able to grab somebody from behind while cloaked and use them as a human shield! I think hat would be freakin sweet! Maybe I've just played too much Splinter Cell 2.

 

Cheers!

[kobsidious]

I have to say I'm tired of parties being thrown into jail, prison, dungeon, Leviathan, etc. in RPGs.

[Dead Skin Mask]

Reminds me of the days of "X-wing" where you had to 'escort' a convoy

 

That's exactly what gave me that idea Jaugar!  Rogue Squadron & Crimson Skies 

Just as long as its optional that would be cool because I freakin hate escort missions! :angry:

 

Cheers!

[kobsidious]

My personal request would be to make the game harder. In KotOR a guardian with "master speed" power seems to kill even the toughest character in seconds.

well, the hard dudes at least. i still remember the sith on the unknown world going "i increased my power tenfold blahblahblah". ZZZZZZZZZZT! "arrgh"

 

i mean, come on. i was ALONE. they should've at least had some chance against me, what with being sith and all...

 

(who's the master? who's the funky jedi master? that's right...)

 

 

more evil lords with more cinematic (meaning LONG) fights. else it'll be just like in kotor. some quotes to make my point:

 

"our master will be most pleas-"ZZZZT! "aaakkk"

"die jed-"BZZZBZZZBZZZT! "aaaiiiieee" (thrown lightsaber)

"you may have killed that pathetic bounty hunter, bu-- khhk hkkhhk. aakkkkh" (choke)

"GROWLGROWLGRO-" ZZZZT! ZZZZT! (two lightsabers on dimwit wookie)

Ha hah sniggy's a joker I love it i'm gonna use the second last one as my signature from now on!!!! :D

[redcell]

Better robes and more of them and maybe diffrent colors styles.

[Meshugger]

- A "sad" ending option where your PC dies would add some flavour.

 

- A planet that gives the same "safe" feeling that Dantooine did.

[sniggy]

i'm gonna use the second last one as my signature from now on!!!! :D

nice.

 

i hope that kotor2 won't cause me to collect similar quotes.

 

just imagine- you being the last known jedi, standing in front of the sith, them going "you- jedi! we kicked your ass good. now you will see the power of the si- khhhk. akkkh. khh-"

 

(choke)

 

"i ain't no jedi."

 

...i just hope the lightsiders will be as fun to play as the darksiders.

[sniggy]

I would like to suggest better stealth kill animations in KOTOR 2. In the first game you just uncloak and get an attack bonus or was it an instant kill? Anyway I would like to see some cool stealth kills

isn't that the whole point of stealth attacks? i rarely used that in kotor as the attack would still get noisy and draw attention. also, you couldn't just stun people- aren't jedi supposed to value life? stun attacks! stun attacks!