Knights of the Old Republic

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Tue Dec 18, 2001 9:38 pm

I just checked out the Boiware site, and saw something that really sounds good. Apparently, they are working with Lucasarts to produce the first ever Star Wars RPG, Knight of the Old Republic. This has, I think, a lot of potential, as the Star Wars name is a big one, and has a large cult following. This game is actually set 4000 years before the movies, so it will give us some insight as to the workings of th eJedi, and how they were possibly formed. It will also be interesting to see what the big deal about the Sith was. Another big thing is that it was hinting towards being able to choose between the Dark side, and Light side of the Force. I think this is game we should all be watching for..

fable · Post by **fable** » Wed Dec 19, 2001 4:54 pm

The LucasArts team actually showed an interactive pre-alpha of the game behind closed doors at E3. (It was viewed on a big screen, and controlled by the Bioware team.) Very impressive, for what there was. Basically, all 3D on 3D backgrounds: tons of characters in one screen, all involved in their own tasks and interests regardless of you. If you moved closer to a group engaged in a conversation, the sound actually changed, and you'd hear more of what they were saying--perhaps with the ability to join in. Kewl.

You'll only be able to manage parties of three at a time, but you'll be able to "store" other NPC party types aboard your ship. Party members will be extremely interactive, as in BG2, possibly more so: they'll have lots of information in certain areas, and there will be a total (so Bioware claimed) of close to 200(!) skills.

I believe target date was listed as 2003.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Thu Dec 20, 2001 2:51 pm

I'm really looking forward to this...

Andaar Amberfire · Post by **Andaar Amberfire** » Sat Dec 29, 2001 9:48 pm

Indeed, KOR is sounding very promising. With a a great company such as Bioware developing it, it will surely be a classic. I believe it will be easy for BG-style RPGers to get into aswell...swords = lightsabres, spells = force powers.

I have always been a huge fan of Star Wars...if the release date is truly 2003...well, i will have a goal in life.

Will the game focus purely on the Jedi? Im hoping that I will be able to have a noble Jedi leading my party backed up by a crazed wookie and an ewok with dual blasters

Hehehehe...killer ewoks...anyway...

Andaar Amberfire
Lawful Good Cavalier
Servant of Amaunator

Nightmare · Post by **Nightmare** » Wed Jan 02, 2002 11:14 am

Thank goodness Lucasarts is allowing third parties to develop Star Wars games. Sure, they made excellent games on their own (Tie Fighter made me stay up wayyyyyyyyyy past my bedtime.

Pity it barely works with Windows 95+.

). But Galaxies (Verant), KotOR (Bioware), and Jedi Knight 2 (Raven) look excellent.

They're being made by the very best (Verant made Everquest, Bioware made (duh!) the BG series, and Raven, uh, ... made the GHOUL engine that was in Soldier of Fortune).

Flagg · Post by **Flagg** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 3:13 pm

I must say that this is one of the games that is on my hotlist for this year. Now we just have to hope that it will be released this year....

I think that this game has the potential to win an RPG of the Year award. I know that I am getting way ahead on myself, but still... BG meets Star Wars...

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 7:52 pm

I'm doubtful of it appearing for the holidays this year--but who knows? Bioware certainly has the model down, now, of what they want to do. What they may lack expertise at is how to create a CRPG in the frame of a 3D world: how to structure hundreds of reasonable combat challenges, how to figure the physics on various skills, balance it all, etc.

But yes, I am really looking forward to this one. And I sincerely hope NWN is released, as well, in 2002.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Thu Jan 10, 2002 9:34 pm

With Biowares current track record, I think it's safe to say that they will have another RPG of the year award.

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 1:29 am

Originally posted by Aegis:
With Biowares current track record, I think it's safe to say that they will have another RPG of the year award.

Hell, yes. The thing looked fantastic at E3. I mean, the bit where your character walked into a broad, 3D plaza, with occasional ships leaving closely overhead, and about ten different groups of various individuals (robots and different races) engaged in conversations, repairs, etc, as broadcast announcements occasionally blared overhead--it was amazing. It was BG2 on the ground, in your face, with a lot more activity and reality.

And thank goodness they kept the ability to hit the spacebar, and input commands or check inventory. There's going to be a lot to manage, especially in combat. LucasArts made a very smart move when they paid Bioware's lunch ticket for this game. No one else could have come close.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 7:43 pm

It's because they have experiance. How many other companies have released as many Game of the Year/RPG of the year awards as Bioware? I think LucasArts saw this, and decided to capitilize on it, and kudos to them. BTW, how did you sneak yourself into E3?

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Jan 11, 2002 10:10 pm

Originally posted by Aegis:
It's because they have experiance. How many other companies have released as many Game of the Year/RPG of the year awards as Bioware? I think LucasArts saw this, and decided to capitilize on it, and kudos to them. BTW, how did you sneak yourself into E3?

I didn't. I've written regularly for a variety of magazines in the US for years, covering different kinds of software. And I've been attending E3 since it started up. Don't know if I'll keep doing so, however. The PC side of things was very poorly represented this past year, and I'm curious whether this is a decline that won't be reversed.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Sat Jan 12, 2002 2:11 pm

Cool... Could ya smuggle me in?

fable · Post by **fable** » Sat Jan 12, 2002 3:47 pm

Originally posted by Aegis:
Cool... Could ya smuggle me in?

Heh.

Alas, it's costly, and not especially rewarding any longer. I have a distinct feeling that many of the major companies which have been purchased recently are putting their efforts into console games, under the (IMO, mistaken) impression that everybody gamer is leaving the PC. This, despite all the evidence to the contrary concerning the number of PCs and PC games that are selling, and the age statistics on console users.

So I doubt whether I'm going to plunk down $500 or more in hotel fees, not to mention travel, food, and four days out of my work week, to see a few decently made games in backrooms, while everybody else is revamping the same tired, old things, or setting up booths in the console division.

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but this is the way just about everybody felt after attending last year's E3.

rpgpimp · Post by **rpgpimp** » Wed Feb 13, 2002 6:55 pm

@rpgpimp: This post had nothing to do with the topic of the thread, so I have deleted. In the future, be sure to make any posts in a thread relevant to the thread topic.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Wed May 22, 2002 7:15 pm

For anyone interested, Bioware has recently put up there E3 game trailer on the site. Here's the link:

Knights of the Old Republic Game Trailer

Obsidian · Post by **Obsidian** » Sat May 25, 2002 7:48 pm

Ahhh, poor ol'(heavy on the ol') fable, having to put up wandering through the cutting edge of gaming....

No sympathy

Full of surprises our fable

Game sounds pretty cool however.

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 10:06 am

Just some tid bits for you all...

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Sun Apr 27, 2003 10:15 am

And some more...

LIGHTSABERS - COLOURS
(Derrick Collins)
Hmm... I'm not promising a rainbow here, but don't be surprised if you end up seeing at least a couple of colors besides the basic Red, Green, and Blue...

LIGHTSABERS - STYLES
See for yourself... Click Here

MULTIPLAYER
(Bob McCabe)
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic is a single player game.

TURN BASED OR REALTIME?
(Erithil)
At the heart of it, "real-time" combat describes a system where there is direct action and reaction...input and output. You click on a target, your avatar swings at said target. There are, of course, many variations on this. It can be as simple as a game like Diablo, where you click on a monster and your avatar attacks it until it is dead or you are. You have no physical control over what type of attacks to make, but once initiated, combat happens as time passes, with or without your input. It can also be more complex, like in Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, where you control the attack strokes, your relative position to your opponent, and how you move. It models what a real life dual would be like...if you step back too far, your swing will miss your opponent. If you strafe into his attack, he'll automatically hit you.

You can jump, twist, crouch, and run, all the while controlling when you swing your lightsaber...it can be very fun mainly because it gives you the feeling that you are actually in the fight. And all the while, your opponent is doing the same to you...if you just stop moving the mouse and clicking, your opponent will eventually hack you to bits as the whole fight is happening as seconds tick by..."real-time". Some hybrid systems give you more or less control, but I think Diablo and JK2 are pretty much the extremes of "real-time" combat control.

That is contrasted with turn-based combat, where each side gets a turn to act without the nuisance of reaction from the enemy. Games like Fallout and the original D&D gold box series (Pool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds), as well as war games like Warlords and Fantasy General are played in a turn-based system. Each side gets a turn...hence the name. In the old days, this was about the only way to run multiple party member CRPG's, because the processors couldn't crank through logic algorithims in an acceptible amount of time otherwise. The highest initiative combatant gets to act, moves, attacks, etc., and then when his turn is up, the next highest initiative combatant gets a turn, and so on, all down the line until everyone acts and you start it all over again. This is the method of pencil and paper RPG's, because for a combat to run properly, there has to be order and control.

Many games use a hybrid of the two methods, and KotOR will not be an exception. All of the initiative, attack rolling, who acts first, how far you can move, etc. stuff that typically drives a turn-based system will be "under the hood" of the combat engine, happening so fast that you will never know it's there. The result will be that combats will run as fast as you want to issue commands (or pause the game to take a breath and calmly issue different commands to different party members). A turn-based system is running, but so quickly that it appears real-time, since it's just you and all of those computer-controlled bad-guys! Baldur's Gate was like this, as well as Neverwinter Nights.

Hope that was what you were looking for by way of description.

RELEASE DATE
(Press Release)
Knights of the Old Republic is due out in Spring 2003 for Xbox and Summer 2003 for PC (Autumn 2003 for Xbox and Winter 2003 for PC in the southern hemisphere).

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Sat May 10, 2003 12:56 pm

I've moved this thread for obvious reasons. I'll continue to bring any new news I can to it, though.

Nightmare · Post by **Nightmare** » Sat May 10, 2003 2:42 pm

Any news on when its coming out for PC?