Bioware Austin.. damm more Dragons.. or Lightsabers?

[El Gallo]

The only positive to take out of an announcement of a KOTOR-based Star Wars game is that the designers don't have to ass around with huge continuity problems, they don't have to worry about making Jedi rare and they don't have to use any known characters at all.

That and the fact that the use of "KOTOR" gives us some hope that they will try to make a game that appeals to KOTOR fans (i.e. they won't consciously attempt to make "Shadowbane in Space" or "UO In Space").

WoW with Star Wars skins would be more than OK with me.  Current-Bioware's-half-assed-version-of-WoW with Star Wars skins would be good enough for at least a whirl, possibly longer depending on how half-assed it is.

KOTOR would seem to lend itself well to WoW-style quest-oriented diku gameplay.  The game was ding-grats-lewt with some story.  A decent story for a video game, but hardly video Hamlet.  And, hell, the story of KOTOR II makes the story behind any generic lowbie "collect_[number] of [insert local animal]'s [skins/meats/fangs] so I can make [blankets/food/spears] for our local [children/elders/warriors]" quest look, if not like Hamlet, at least like a decent Law & Order episode.  And people still played that, proving to me that (ding-grats-loot) + ("vroom vroom" lightsaber sounds) + (hot jedi lovemommas) = winning game.

Bioware can provide the first two elements, and horny 45-year-old shut-ins will more than take care of the third, assuming the availabilty of appropriate character models.

[stray]

Whether it was Hamlet or not, it was still a story.

Something which isn't going to happen in nearly the same way in an online game.

[Velorath]

Whether it was Hamlet or not, it was still a story.

Something which isn't going to happen in nearly the same way in an online game.

Not in the same way no, but FFXI and LotRO have both shown that you can have a story in an MMO.

[Hoax]

Pics of the hot jedi lovemommas?  I'm curious how sad that is.

[Afropuff]

Well if they are doing a Star Wars MMO, they can WoWize it if they want, but they better not fucking stylize the artwork and avatars.  I do not want my toon looking like that Cartoon Network series.

[Bunk]

Well if they are doing a Star Wars MMO, they can WoWize it if they want, but they better not fucking stylize the artwork and avatars.  I do not want my toon looking like that Cartoon Network series.

Ok, Ill agree with that - we do not want Samurai Jack-Jedis.

[schild]

I do.

[eldaec]

Game should be based on star wars sock puppets.



Nobody has tried that yet.


Lack of sock puppet avatars is what killed S** imo.

[stu]

Pics of the hot jedi lovemommas?  I'm curious how sad that is.

I was looking for a pic to fullfill your request and I came across this index.

NSFW

Ummm... I guess you just have to see it for yourself.

Well if they are doing a Star Wars MMO, they can WoWize it if they want, but they better not fucking stylize the artwork and avatars.  I do not want my toon looking like that Cartoon Network series.

If this game really is going forward, BioWare is probably going to want to set themselves as far apart from SWG as possible, so i wouldn't be surprised if the graphics lean towards an updated version of what WoW has. As long as the game is fun to play, I'd be cool with it. Also, the character models for the new animated series around the corner are are pretty slick.

[HaemishM]

Pics of the hot jedi lovemommas?  I'm curious how sad that is.

I was looking for a pic to fullfill your request and I came across this index.

NSFW

Ummm... I guess you just have to see it for yourself.

Yeah, the scary part is how much time that took to make all those. Why is regular old pr0n not good enough anymore?

[Oban]

I was looking for a pic to fullfill your request and I came across this index.

NSFW

Ummm... I guess you just have to see it for yourself.

Holy crap, somewhere out there in the heartland, some poor company is waiting for their logo and wondering just why the graphic designer they hired for a few hundred dollars is taking so damn long...

I may not know art, but that is a directory of shit.

[Velorath]

Well if they are doing a Star Wars MMO, they can WoWize it if they want, but they better not fucking stylize the artwork and avatars.  I do not want my toon looking like that Cartoon Network series.

Ok, Ill agree with that - we do not want Samurai Jack-Jedis.

Nope.  I could live with a Lego Star Wars MMO though.

[WindupAtheist]

I frothed for SWG at one point as well, but I had the sense to stay away from that shitpile once I saw what it was really like.  SO LEMME ALONE, THIS IS THE ONE POINT IN ITS DEVELOPMENT WHERE I CAN PRETEND THE GAME IS PERFECT!

[Count Nerfedalot]

To all the optimists saying the makers of KOTOR couldn't possibly screw up an MMO version of it, I humbly submit Maxis and their brilliant conversion of The Sims into TSO.  Single player goodness based on either story or flexibility does NOT generally translate well into MMO-land.

[Velorath]

To all the optimists saying the makers of KOTOR couldn't possibly screw up an MMO version of it

Be honest... nobody actually said that did they?

[Hoax]

I was looking for a pic to fullfill your request and I came across this index.

NSFW

Ummm... I guess you just have to see it for yourself.

Holy crap, somewhere out there in the heartland, some poor company is waiting for their logo and wondering just why the graphic designer they hired for a few hundred dollars is taking so damn long...

I may not know art, but that is a directory of shit.

I still don't know what a Bothanese is, but I really really never want to meet one...

On a related note, cgi pr0n still very gross and shitty looking it seems.

[Trippy]

To all the optimists saying the makers of KOTOR couldn't possibly screw up an MMO version of it, I humbly submit Maxis and their brilliant conversion of The Sims into TSO.  Single player goodness based on either story or flexibility does NOT generally translate well into MMO-land.

And oddly enough Gordon Walton was the executive producer on TSO.

[WindupAtheist]

You know, once upon I time I was a SWG fanboy.  Back before anyone actually knew anything about the game.  By the time beta rolled around I had already pretty much written it off.  And yet, here we are again.  With that in mind, I present the...

To be updated once the game is officially announced, and the inevitable process of reality crushing my fond hopes begins.

[stu]

I would have placed Amidala higher- especially after seeing her nekkid in that new movie. 

[Broughden]

Pics of the hot jedi lovemommas?  I'm curious how sad that is.

I was looking for a pic to fullfill your request and I came across this index.

NSFW

Ummm... I guess you just have to see it for yourself.

The Twi'lek pics are hawt.

^ no that was not meant to be green.

[Triforcer]

You know, once upon I time I was a SWG fanboy.  Back before anyone actually knew anything about the game.  By the time beta rolled around I had already pretty much written it off.  And yet, here we are again.  With that in mind, I present the...

To be updated once the game is officially announced, and the inevitable process of reality crushing my fond hopes begins.

Why is Hayden Christiansen on there?   

[Merusk]

It's WUA.. he's not well.

[eldaec]

You know, once upon I time I was a SWG fanboy.  Back before anyone actually knew anything about the game.  By the time beta rolled around I had already pretty much written it off.  And yet, here we are again.  With that in mind, I present the...

To be updated once the game is officially announced, and the inevitable process of reality crushing my fond hopes begins.

Why is Hayden Christiansen on there?   

More to the point, why is he only one step down from OT Vader?

To maintain a linear scale, it would need to go something like Vader, Han Solo, OT Obi, Yoda, R2-D2, PQ Obi, THEN maybe Haden Chrisitiansen.

Your current scale goes....

Winful
Awesome
A bit Rubbish
Crap
Embarrassing
S**

...you're just not taking this thread seriously enough.

[Miasma]

No you guys don't understand what Merusk was alluding to, WUA honestly liked the prequels.  He thought they were great, that's why his scale looks so screwed up to the rest of us.  I am not being sarcastic.  Don't try and drag him into an argument over it either, he has apparently spent a great deal of time over at a forum entirely dedicated to Star Wars defending his controversial ideas.  Just, just let it die...

[WindupAtheist]

It's only a six point scale.  It goes...

Shaft Windu = Epic win.  Flawless victory.  Robot Jesus.
Vader = Pretty awesome.  Lots of people should play it.
Anakin = Well it's not all bad.  Fanboys will play it.
Padme = Weaksauce.  I might play it for the free month, just because.
Binks = Pile of shit.  Even I'm not playing it.
SWG = Total trainwreck.  Hundred-page thread incoming.

And to make this more clear, I present version 2.0!

[eldaec]

Surely...

Shaft Windu = Epic win.  Flawless victory.  Robot Jesus. Hundred-page thread incoming.
Vader = Pretty awesome.  Lots of people should play it. Hundred-page thread incoming.
Anakin = Well it's not all bad.  Fanboys will play it. Hundred-page thread incoming.
Padme = Weaksauce.  I might play it for the free month, just because. Hundred-page thread incoming.
Binks = Pile of shit.  Even I'm not playing it. Hundred-page thread incoming.
S** = Total trainwreck.  Hundred-page thread incoming.

[stu]

Could someone tell me what that gambling card game was in KOTOR? I tried googling it and I'm not getting any hits which actually name the game. Paszak? Pazack? I'd like to be able to play it if the MMO ever gets made.

[Drogo]

Could someone tell me what that gambling card game was in KOTOR? I tried googling it and I'm not getting any hits which actually name the game. Paszak? Pazack? I'd like to be able to play it if the MMO ever gets made.

Pazaak, I believe is the name of it.

[SnakeCharmer]

Sabbacc?

[stu]

Pazaak is the one I was looking for. I had been trying to figure out the name for a little while. Thanks.

[Ratman_tf]

Everyone knows Jar Jar made the prequels great. It's just that no one's willing to admit their love for the Binks.

It's like when you jerked off another guy at camp. You enjoyed it, but you'll never admit it...

[Trouble]

I would have placed Amidala higher- especially after seeing her nekkid in that new movie. 

WHAT MOVIE

[Trippy]

[Dash]

Bioware's name on the game DOES NOT MEAN IT WILL BE GOOD. Especially considering, as has been pointed out, it's Bioware Austin and not the guys responsible for KOTOR in the first place. It's a bunch of guys responsible for failed (in game design terms) MMOG's.

People keep saying this as if it's common knowledge.  Is this one of those things that got said once somewhere and people just accepted it or am I ignorant about something.

http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3155486

Games for Windows: The Official Magazine: How long has your new MMORPG been in development?

Gordon Walton, co-studio director, BioWare Austin: We announced the game around March, but we'd really started on it in the beginning of December 2005.

James Ohlen, creative director, BioWare Austin: We've got a lot designed -- we've got the GDD [game design document] done, we've finished more than three quarters of the detail design documents. We've got a couple prototypes up.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Ohlen

James Ohlen has worked with Bioware since its early beginnings. Initially a minor writer and tester for Shattered Steel, his role in Bioware was brought to a new level in Baldur's Gate where he served as lead designer. Since then Ohlen has played a major role as lead designer for such games as Knights of the Old Republic and Baldur's Gate II. He is considered one of the most important game designers at Bioware today. Right now he is working as lead designer of Bioware's new MMORPG.[1]

Now. Where am I going wrong?

[Signe]

This thread has turned into greasy grimey gopher guts.