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

[Ghambit]

<6-month old rumor>
Remember, this game has been "playable" for a while now.  It's not like they're spilling the beans on a vaporware title with a few artists renders.  There are CEOs and high-level stockholders running around "x" gamespace having a look see and killing things.

Cryptic claims the same things with ChampO and has promised an April 09 release date for it. Of course, that's in alpha at the moment. If KOTORO (or Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is what I've seen it called elsewhere) launches beta by the end of this year, it could be released Q3 / Q4 next year.

Of course, this is a bit less likely if you see how other MMOs release, but we'll know something within two weeks.

Well, dont be surprised if the release schedule is sooner than you think.  Cryptic claimed the same thing with ChampO fairly recently... Bioware (before they even engaged with Lucasarts) claimed this like last year.  Also, both are running on proven game engines; there's nothing from scratch here aside from the art and game coding.  And KOTORO has the benefit of dozens of prior gaming titles, movies, and gaggles of fictional lore... not to mention Bioware and LucasArts.   Nope, for once I'm actually optimistic at the release schedule for an MMO... I'd almost go out on a limb and say OB by summer '09 (Q3).  As has been said before, KOTORO=MMO development Easymode.   

[Fordel]

Oh, they only have to do the art? 

[Stormwaltz]

I don't know what the planned ship date is (and obviously I can't confirm or deny what the game is), but I think I can mention that its been playable for months. Not complete by any means, but enough to implement and test a wide variety of content and character balance issues.

[ajax34i]

Has it been mentioned in this thread or are we completely off-base and far from guessing what it could be?

[Endie]

Has it been mentioned in this thread or are we completely off-base and far from guessing what it could be?

I don't think that's going to work, dude.

If it does, however, we have 19 questions left.

[Gutboy Barrelhouse]

All I know is that if the game is not in essence "Pre-CU done right" there will be a small but highly vocal group with more time to burn than there are hours in a day to try to sabotage any forums for this game.

(Please note I am not of this group)

People like Jestor for instance.

[Lum]

Maybe they could make a forum. Call it "No Bothans Allowed".

I know nothing about what Bioware is working on but I will bet 800 billion dollars that it will not resemble SWG at all, in any form whatsoever.

[Endie]

All I know is that if the game is not in essence "Pre-CU done right" there will be a small but highly vocal group with more time to burn than there are hours in a day to try to sabotage any forums for this game.

(Please note I am not of this group)

People like Jestor for instance.

Was Jestor that Bounty Hunter guy who played the internet celebrity on Lowca?

[Lantyssa]

Maybe they could make a forum. Call it "No Bothans Allowed".

This makes my Bothan namesake sad. 

Not that such a thing would keep any Bothan worth their Tatooinian salt out.

[Triforcer]

Star Wars...except everyone can be a Jedi...and lore constraints are almost nonexistent...

WIN.  Perfect storm of factors. 

[MournelitheCalix]

I am probably in the minority here but I thought that I would throw it out there.  I think hiring Gordon Walton was actually a fairly smart decision on Bioware's part.  My reasoning is fairly simple but during that whole miserable experience of SWG after Raph left Gordon was the only guy who actually seemed to understand what his audience wanted and improved the game during his tenure at the helm of SWG. 

Anyway /flame away but in all honesty after Raph left Gordon is the only person whom I can think of other than swede who I remember with anything approaching favorability.

[Triforcer]

Wait, someone from SWG is involved in this?  Disregard my last post.  But at least we'll just as many hairstyles, AND probably more hair styling products for my Wookiee to open his salon with!  And if use the hairstyling products in the right order, I could unlock the lightsaber curling iron. 

[Lantyssa]

Three of the big names they used early on were involved with SWG.  I agree with Gordon's tenure being the only bright spot after Raph leaving, but it was three months and barely a noticable blip so I'm not sure how great he is.

[Rasix]

Wait, someone from SWG is involved in this?  Disregard my last post.  But at least we'll just as many hairstyles, AND probably more hair styling products for my Wookiee to open his salon with!  And if use the hairstyling products in the right order, I could unlock the lightsaber curling iron. 

There's a lot of names attached to this that won't fill you with optimism. I'd elaborate, but for whatever reason the prevailing wisdom seems run counter to my thoughts on the rogues' gallery they've assembled.

[Merusk]

Wait, someone from SWG is involved in this?  Disregard my last post.  But at least we'll just as many hairstyles, AND probably more hair styling products for my Wookiee to open his salon with!  And if use the hairstyling products in the right order, I could unlock the lightsaber curling iron. 

There's a lot of names attached to this that won't fill you with optimism. I'd elaborate, but for whatever reason the prevailing wisdom seems run counter to my thoughts on the rogues' gallery they've assembled.

Perhaps because it's not Raph "These things should be worlds! And involve more tedium and work than fun!" Koster at the helm?

[Lantyssa]

Are you mocking us Raph fangirls?

[schild]

Perhaps because it's not Raph "These things should be worlds! And involve more tedium and work than fun!" Koster at the helm?

Not even.

[Merusk]

Perhaps because it's not Raph "These things should be worlds! And involve more tedium and work than fun!" Koster at the helm?

Not even.

Buh? Am I misunderstanding Rasix's post then? Seems the prevailing wisdom is "Despite all these failures, this game will rawx"

Are you mocking us Raph fangirls?

I'm not a fan of Raph's work or thoughts on MMOs in the least.  I've said as much before.  Game > World.

[TripleDES]

I hope world design will be more attractive than SWG. Seeing what was done in KOTOR1/2 should be the baseline (except the silly space orbit city).

[stray]

I don't remember there being much of a world design in the Kotor games.

[schild]

KOTOR1/2 were on rails to the extreme.

[Morat20]

I am probably in the minority here but I thought that I would throw it out there.  I think hiring Gordon Walton was actually a fairly smart decision on Bioware's part.  My reasoning is fairly simple but during that whole miserable experience of SWG after Raph left Gordon was the only guy who actually seemed to understand what his audience wanted and improved the game during his tenure at the helm of SWG. 

Anyway /flame away but in all honesty after Raph left Gordon is the only person whom I can think of other than swede who I remember with anything approaching favorability.

What was Gordon Walton's username on SWG? There were a handful of Devs during the period I played that seemed to "get" the players, although generally they were outnumbered by people who felt if they changed the game, the players would change too.

[Lantyssa]

Don't remember the username.  I want to say he was around December 2004, after the CR had gone up and down several times and the game had no direction.  He laid out a roadmap and in those few short months it was being followed.  Then he left, and it fell apart again.

[schild]

Heh.

[Rishathra]

It was Tyrant.

[TripleDES]

I don't remember there being much of a world design in the Kotor games.

Blah. Visually I mean.

Anything better than shitty fractally generated terrain with some generic houses in a random pattern.

[Endie]

I don't remember there being much of a world design in the Kotor games.

Blah. Visually I mean.

Anything better than shitty fractally generated terrain with some generic houses in a random pattern.

I thought that the KOTORs had more tedious and dreary worldscapes than any of the last three MMOs I've played.  Utterly uninspiring.

I also found their gameplay terribly tedious.

[Velorath]

Announcement coming tomorrow.

[Soln]

let us all take a quiet breath here and elsewhere before this new delusional madness hits.  After tomorrow things again will be different (if only for a few years).  *sigh*

[Azaroth]

So, like. Is there going to be a website and shit to check out, or is this just going to be "Hi, it's KOTORO, so neways c u." ?

[Venkman]

Oh hell, I hope schild doesn't know someone at Bioware who happens to pop by in all their redname glory tomorrow after when this hits 

Although it would be an epic race to 100 between this thread and the WAR State of Game thread...

[SnakeCharmer]

giggity.

[fuser]

Deep down I still pray its shattered steel mmo

[NiX]

I hope it's a joke.

[Fordel]

I want to play a droid, but HK-47 clones would be like, the Drizzt/Legolasses of any KoToR mmo.