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

[Ironwood]

Wank.

[stu]

Just because some all of you have had your dicks stepped on in the past doesn't mean this game won't be three layer cake.

I think we all know the real story behind the cake's factuality around here, mister.

Each day I see how happy the cake makes all of you and I hope that KOTORO can do the same.

Putting assassin droids in would be a good step in the direction of awesome.

Do you mean playing as one? 'Cus that would be awesome.

[Ironwood]

Just want to second the idea of actually PLAYING as droids.  I've never seen why not.

[Venkman]

Limited abilities. I mean, a droid would only have access to some abilities, probably needing to be bound to hotkeys, and would have very limited movement probably only in a two dimensional space. Droids would only be able to act or react based on dice-roll-type mechanics, and would likely need to gain some progressive award that eventually let them download/install/"learn" new code/abilities or some such. How fun would that be?!

Oh, wait....

[MrHat]

Limited abilities. I mean, a droid would only have access to some abilities, probably needing to be bound to hotkeys, and would have very limited movement probably only in a two dimensional space. Droids would only be able to act or react based on dice-roll-type mechanics, and would likely need to gain some progressive award that eventually let them download/install/"learn" new code/abilities or some such. How fun would that be?!

Oh, wait....

I laughed.  I cried.

[Ironwood]

Limited abilities. I mean, a droid would only have access to some abilities, probably needing to be bound to hotkeys, and would have very limited movement probably only in a two dimensional space. Droids would only be able to act or react based on dice-roll-type mechanics, and would likely need to gain some progressive award that eventually let them download/install/"learn" new code/abilities or some such. How fun would that be?!

Oh, wait....

Yarp.

[schild]

They did this just to screw over schild's no SWG discussion idea .  Now SWG can be validly brought up in dozens of threads that will be created from now until well after launch KotORO.

... and if KotoRO turns out to be a Wii-exclusive, we'll have the amusing site of schild ejaculating blood all over the forums.

Seriously though, I hearby nominate that the new BioWare MMO be called KotoRO, regardless of what it actually turns out to me. That name is awesome.

"Kotoro angry! Kotoro SMASH!"

I would Kill for it to be on the Wii. Kill! Then I could ignore it completely.

Also, Damion Schubert is combat systems lead, which gives me complete confidence that the bread and butter, moment-to-moment gameplay Will Not Suck. He's always been the "build the foundation properly" guy. If you don't grok why, you haven't been reading his blog.

Anyone can write anything on a blog.

It's much more telling to read his game credits:
Games Credited

    Shadowbane (2003), Ubi Soft Entertainment Software
    The Sims: Online (2002), Electronic Arts, Inc.
    Meridian 59 (1996), 3DO Company, The

Look, I'm not going out of my way to knock the guy or Bioware here.

The writing is on the wall.



Challenge Everything.
Get in the Game.

Things they haven't done since my balls dropped.

If there was ever a "prove me wrong" situation. This is it.

[Miasma]

Sorry to state the obvious, but a KOTOR MMO isn't the KOTOR single player game. There will be no plot twists, because there will be no plot.

But anyway: yeah, a CoH/V-style game would work much better than a SWG-style game set 4000 years earlier. Oh, and any bet for which console it will appear on? I'd have to say the Xbox 360 at this point.

The story line won't be as epic since the universe won't really be revolving around your character but I'm certain it will have one continuous plot, sort of like LotRO.  It will also have some of the best kill X number of spiders and delivery quests ever invented!  The only reason I'm trying to contain my excitement is because I know it is years away.  I have wanted a good sci-fi MMO since forever.

It will be glorious.

[murdoc]

At least it'll make more sense to have Jedis running around everywhere.

[shiznitz]

What about spacecraft? Any piloting in KOTOR?

[Yegolev]

"Kotoro angry! Kotoro SMASH!"

[Dash]

I think it's a good thing.  People saying it's gonna suck before it's even technically announced crack me up though.

At the least I think it's interesting to see the choices game devs make so we can tear them apart or cheer them.

[schild]

People saying it's gonna suck before it's even technically announced crack me up though.

Why?

What do you know about the game's lineage?

Are you saying I'm not qualified to take a laser accurate guess at quality based on heritage?

[Gutboy Barrelhouse]

It will be as easy as the prediction for the outcome of Britney and KFed's kids.

[Venkman]

Are you saying I'm not qualified to take a laser accurate guess at quality based on heritage?

What possible measure exists to gauge accuracy? Nothing. The guesses floating around now are little different from a year ago pretty much because we know no more now than we did then.

It's like blaming the entirety of Blizzard for SC:Ghost.

[TripleDES]

I click the last page page of this thread, read a whole lot of crap about a KotORO, I'm like "woot", then start reading the thread backwards and find it it's just another fucking rumor. Hurrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

[schild]

What possible measure exists to gauge accuracy? Nothing. The guesses floating around now are little different from a year ago pretty much because we know no more now than we did then.

It's like blaming the entirety of Blizzard for SC:Ghost.

What the hell are you talking about?

Swinging Ape != SC:Ghost. Sure, I could blame Blizzard. But I wouldn't do that, BECAUSE I KNOW BETTER.

Bioware Austin != Bioware. It = a bunch of ex UO/UO2/SWG/Shadowbane/SimsOnline/Turbine/ IT'S A REGULAR FUCKING MMOG COMPANY MAKING A REGULAR FUCKING MMOG.

IT'S EXACTLY HOW YOU GAUGE SHIT. BY THE LEVEL OF SUCKITUDE INHERENT IN INDUSTRY NEPOTISM.

[stray]

You forget that he actually likes most of these games.

[Musashi]

a bunch of ex UO/UO2/SWG/Shadowbane/SimsOnline/Turbine/ IT'S A REGULAR FUCKING MMOG COMPANY MAKING A REGULAR FUCKING MMOG.

With a list like that, surely they'll run out of shit not to do eventually.

[Miasma]

They've got the Baldur's Gate/KotOR guy designing the game itself, I'm just going to assume all the other "ex UO/UO2/SWG/Shadowbane/SimsOnline/Turbine" people are there to implement his design.  I don't see the problem with having an SWG dev on the team so long as he's just there to implement the auction house system and isn't proposing HAM mkII.  It would be nice if he also piped up with a "we tried that in SWG and it was a huge disaster" when appropriate...

[Venkman]

You forget that he actually likes most of these games.

The genre, not most of these games :) I draw a thick line between games that are interesting and the relatively few games I actually want to play.

My own opinion of BW Austin is about the same, based mostly on the "the world is WoW so we must be like it too" talk they gave at AGC 2006. I've seen nothing mentioned since from them nor anyone "close to" them that compels a change in that opinion. But at the same time, that's neither a new opinion nor one capable of being changed. That's what I was challenging schild on. Not the opinion itself. There's simply nothing worth getting excited about either way because our net knowledge gain is zero.

[schild]

See Darniaq, you think they're making something.

Unlike Bioware, the one we know and used to love, Bioware Austin is a rogue's gallery that has to prove their worth and ability to MAKE A WORKING TITLE PERIOD.

I could give a rat's ass what their "plans" are.

[WayAbvPar]

It would be nice if he also piped up with a "we tried that in SWG and it was a huge disaster" when appropriate...

That would make the design meetings run 24x7 for months.

[Venkman]

See Darniaq, you think they're making something.

That's a good point. I actually did think they were making something. But now I'm not sure if it's a Darkfall-making-something (vapor), Wish-making-something (barely playable but canned), Gods & Heroes--making-something (very far along but canned) or Something-that'll-launch-making something (other).

[stray]

I could give a rat's ass what their "plans" are.

Their plans are to make an mmo. That's enough to judge it already.

As for the BGS/Kotor guy...y'know... The biggest strength of those games was the writing, world changing multiple choice shit, and npc interaction (it sure as fuck wasn't the combat or gameplay) --- which is also kind of the antithesis of a massively multiplayer game. Even if they tried to implement it, it won't and can't be the same in a big social space, therefore the BGS and Kotor legacy kind of means jack and shit.

[HaemishM]

Sorry to state the obvious, but a KOTOR MMO isn't the KOTOR single player game.

Let's face it, the KOTOR single-player game translated to multi-player co-op style would still be one billion times more fun than SWG in any of its incarnations, even if the graphics engine wasn't updated and there were "Kill 10 krayts" missions galore.

[stray]

I disagree. Kotor wasn't a fun game so much as it was a fun story. The game sucked. Just as bad as SWG.

[Endie]

I disagree. Kotor wasn't a fun game so much as it was a fun story. The game sucked. Just as bad as SWG.

Yeah, I hated the game in places.  But I kinda wanted to know what happened, so persisted.  I suppose I wanted to experience what happened, really, since spoilers were available.

[HaemishM]

I disagree. Kotor wasn't a fun game so much as it was a fun story. The game sucked. Just as bad as SWG.

I liked the gameplay. Tedious in some places, like most RPG's, but still fun. And tons more fun than most MMOG combat.

[Yegolev]

I think they are making something, but I can't say how far they will get.  My guess is they will get to release.  I figure the design is in the bag but the implementation could be OK or crap.

Design?  World of the Old Republic, of course.  Two factions, separate planets, grind your faction, PVP on battlefields, everyone is a Jedi or Sith.  No space combat.  But who knows, really?  Even this KotOR stuff is unverified.

[Salamok]

I think they are making something, but I can't say how far they will get.  My guess is they will get to release.  I figure the design is in the bag but the implementation could be OK or crap.

Design?  World of the Old Republic, of course.  Two factions, separate planets, grind your faction, PVP on battlefields, everyone is a Jedi or Sith.  No space combat.  But who knows, really?  Even this KotOR stuff is unverified.

why no space combat?  may as well include some eve style play, star wars as an eve type space/trading sim sounds like more fun than a game full of jedi/sith wannabi's. 

[WindupAtheist]

why no space combat?  may as well include some eve style play, star wars as an eve type space/trading sim sounds like more fun than a game full of jedi/sith wannabi's.

Fuck that noise.

WoW with lightsabers = TAKE MY MONEY PLEASE
EVE with Star Destroyers = Who gives a shit?

[Yegolev]

Because all of the JtL people are at Spacetime Studios?  Maaaaaaaybe they will put it in there, but I don't think it's a design priority.  You could do EVE of the Old Republic well or World of the Old Republic well, but not both together.  This is all guesswork since I don't have any inside info.  I suppose it is possible, however, since all of these people live in Austin and some of them are even married to each other... which is why schild says the things he says.  It is likely it will be Yet Another MOG from the people who brought us UO and SWG.  I'm hoping it won't but I only have history as a guide.

Also see WUA's comment.

[stray]

To hell with both lightsabers and Eve.

[SnakeCharmer]

zomg it has 2 b star wars becaz shild denned the old swg threads teh day b4!!!1111!!eleventy!!  he noes and he isnt telling us!!!!