KOTOR 1 / 2

[rhoenix]

After success in getting KOTOR 1 running, thanks to Hotfoot, I thought I'd share the tip I found that allowed it to run properly on my Win 7 PC.

1. Locate the game directory for KOTOR. If you installed it through Steam, as I did, it should be in x:\Program Files\Steam\SteamApps\Common\swkotor.

2. Once you've located and opened the game directory for KOTOR, right-click on swkotor.exe, and select Properties.

3. Click the Compatibility tab of the Properties window, and check the checkbox at the top, labelled "Run this program in compatibility mode for", and make sure Windows XP Service Pack 2 (not 3) is selected.

4. Click the last checkbox on the page, labelled "Run this program as an administrator".

After this, the in-game movies should play smoothly, and the game itself shouldn't twitch, flicker, or crash as it might otherwise on Windows 7.

---

I decided to start with a Soldier for my first run-through, with Two-Weapon Fighting as a bonus feat. Of course, it'll be useless until I at least get the Improved version of said feat at level 4, but I'm planning for the future here. I'm just about to go through Taris - amusing, since I just began the Taris: Bonus missions with my new Jedi Knight character in the SW:TOR MMO.

Finding the crashed Endar Spire in the MMO was amusing, considering the timing of me just getting KOTOR working.

[Josh]

Two weapon is the best way to game the game. Plus it's fun.

[Steve]

I haven't bothered to go through the game since I bought the collector's edition, just haven't found the time or interest (especially since somehow the game looks like ass on my computer, it seems all the old games of a certain time frame look like ass, more than they should given the screenshots I've seen).

[rhoenix]

I haven't bothered to go through the game since I bought the collector's edition, just haven't found the time or interest (especially since somehow the game looks like ass on my computer, it seems all the old games of a certain time frame look like ass, more than they should given the screenshots I've seen).

Normally, I'd agree with you. However, there are very interesting perspectives and thoughts on the Force, and the Jedi & Sith dynamic inherent in Star Wars that are evidently explored in rather interesting directions in KOTOR 1 & 2, from what I understand. So, because I would learn best from my own perspective instead of someone else's, I'm going to go back and play both games now to find out.

A number of us in the late-night shenanigans group have also been discussing a Star Wars RPG again, and since the book about the Force for the system we're looking at should be out next year, it's causing some interesting discussion regarding Force nonsense. In fact, it's the main reason I made the thread (Force nonsense) in the Scifi forum that I did, to explore these nuances and perspectives properly before the game starts.

[rhoenix]

So, I just realized a hilarious tie-in with the MMO, though the timescale is throwing me off.

This is spoiler nonsense for people who already don't know about both games. Read at risk of your own sanity.

Spoiler: show

So, Satele Shan. She's apparently the granddaughter of Bastila and Revan.

Wow.

So after that sunk in, I realized - why is the Endar Spire still there and looking freshly-crashed on Taris in the MMO then, if the Endar Spire crashed when Shan's mother wasn't even a twinkle in Bastila's & Revan's eye yet?

[rhoenix]

So, got to Tatooine, and completed it. After Dantooine though, all the running around in the desert was no big thing. My character being a former soldier and current two-lightsaber Jedi Guardian, the Sand People were more pleasant exercise than an actual threat. The Holy Warrior Sand People gave me more trouble, but since Master Flurry hits 5 times if you use two weapons, they didn't last very long, especially when I have Bastila using Force powers to utterly screw with them. Force Push is fun, but Stasis is great if you have a Jedi Cuisinart in your party, as I do.

I didn't meet Lena until I got to Kashyyyk, so this involved taking a sidetrip back to Tatooine for Griff. Finally seeing the utter uselessness of Mission's brother was funnier than I thought, especially since Czerka basically said he's not worth sending a rescue party for, and the Sand People who captured him don't even think he's worth wasting a bullet on. Ouch man, maybe this should help him to rethink his life choices... but no, no he wanted to borrow money and get rich selling Tarisian wine that he doesn't have any of.

I will also state for the record that Czerka Corporation appears to be there to tempt you into doing Dark Side things to them. Every rep I've met of their corporation has been a reprehensible, sleazy little worm that advocates "indentured servitude" (read: slavery), and doing callous nonsense wherever they go. Seeing their casual attitude toward all of those things on Kashyyyk so far is not winning them any points with me at all.

Also, I'll have to concur with Josh's earlier attitude about HK-47. He's a... very personable droid, but contrary to what I expected, not all that scary in a fight.

[Josh]

It's almost worth nerfing your party just to get the HK-47 commentary, but on the other hand if you just want to slice through everything you go with one of the all-Jedi party configurations. That is kind of one of the downsides to the whole thing- once you get a full roster of Jedi, why bother with any of the others? Carth in particular got to sit his emo ass in the Ebon Hawk for every mission.

[Cynical Cat]

Also, I'll have to concur with Josh's earlier attitude about HK-47. He's a... very personable droid, but contrary to what I expected, not all that scary in a fight.

He's a much better fighter once he's upgraded, but still not a Jedi.

[Steve]

Czerka are pretty much Ye Olde Evile Corporation, and that continues in TOR.

[rhoenix]

So. Finished KOTOR1. The big dramatic reveal was impressive, though some of the lines uttered earlier in the game, coupled with circumstances of events made me somewhat suspect this to be the case beforehand. Even so, it was properly dramatic.

It was also satisfying to beat Malak like he was past due on payments. To avoid spoilers, this fight is one of the reasons I got the advice to have a good ranged attack option, despite my character being a heavy lightsaber duelist. I used Lightsaber Throw for it, though I'm sure others would work as well.

I am tempted to make another Light Side runthrough as a mage type character, simply because Force Wave and Destroy Droid are both so very unfair. In the last stage of the game, all three of my characters were Jedi, and all three had Force Wave. Things died en masse, and they had no chance. Murdering hordes of angry Sith and seeing it as pleasant and amusing exercise was powergamerish as it was, and a part of me wants to take that to 11.

---

Now, onto KOTOR 2.

Courtesy of Nitram's advice awhile back, I installed the Restored Content mod for it (Google the Restored Content mod for it, which is supposed to fix some glitches and add some stuff into the game that wasn't active on release). The game system and combat system is pretty much the same in KOTOR2, though a bit nicer in terms of interface. I played a couple minutes of it last night, and there is already some headfuckery afoot.

This should be good.

[Josh]

KOTOR 2 will kind of break your heart. It should've been so much more.

I never played it with the restored content patch, so I don't know how much they fixed. I do know that the final couple of levels was where it just totally goes to hell with the levels being broken, the editing gone straight to shit, and cutscenes coming straight out of fucking nowhere.

But damn, what was there was so good.

[General Havoc]

KOTOR 2 is a flawed game, but conceptually it's MUCH more ambitious than 1 was. If the restoration patches can restore even a significant part of the missing content (I've never used them), then you're in for a trip...

[rhoenix]

KOTOR 2 is a flawed game, but conceptually it's MUCH more ambitious than 1 was. If the restoration patches can restore even a significant part of the missing content (I've never used them), then you're in for a trip...

So far, I can see already that this is going to be a real trip. I just progressed past the prologue, and it has a much different feel than KOTOR1. In KOTOR1, you are the Prodigal Knight, and the game seems to make arrangements thereof for awesomeness. In KOTOR2, you are alone in this galaxy, without organized allies, and you are being hunted. Run, Forrest, run!

I installed the Restored Content mod before even playing, especially since it's suppose to fix a number of character interactions as well.

Kreia is already awesome. You strongly get the impression that she has her own motivations for helping you, and those motivations do not include fawning admiration for how very awesome you are, like in the first game.

KOTOR 2 will kind of break your heart. It should've been so much more.

I never played it with the restored content patch, so I don't know how much they fixed. I do know that the final couple of levels was where it just totally goes to hell with the levels being broken, the editing gone straight to shit, and cutscenes coming straight out of fucking nowhere.

But damn, what was there was so good.

So far, it's already much better than KOTOR1, and I didn't think I'd say that. The character interactions, the atmosphere, the writing, and integration of writing into game is all better than KOTOR1, and I'm only just past the prologue. I can only imagine how much better it gets from here.

[rhoenix]

The first truly memorable lines I've heard from Kreia so far, and as I said, I've barely graduated from the prologue now. I'm very sure, given her character, that there will be more.

"Apathy is death."

[rhoenix]

To continue with the theme here, Kreia is by far one of the most interesting characters I've seen in a video game. The closest character I can think of that even comes close to her archetype is Mordin, of the Mass Effect games, and even he's not in the same league. He never asks you pointed questions to make you question your own actions as Kreia does; in fact, quite the opposite happens in ME2.

Also, watching Atton not get along with anyone is painfully funny.

What's been shown of the Sith so far is... simultaneously more and less like Sith that I've seen other presentations. They are not the smirking, puppy-kicking evil-doers here. They are true worshippers of death and decay, and act accordingly... which is far more effective to me in a villain, or villains. One should be able to take the antagonist seriously, as much more than simply a roadblock for the hero's awesome, and this game shows this pretty well so far.

I'm still early on in KOTOR2, so I'm fairly certain that I haven't seen all the trippiness just yet, but what I've seen so far is very impressive.

[Lys]

A lot of people didn't get Kreia. I remember seeing complaints about how she will often criticize your actions no matter what choice you make, that there is no pleasing her. That is missing the point, she is not there to give you approval and make you feel secure about following a given path, but rather to always make you question and self-examine every path. Her praise is a rare, fickle thing, and all the more valuable for it. It seems you understand this rhoenix, which is good because it's an important aspect of the game.

[rhoenix]

A lot of people didn't get Kreia. I remember seeing complaints about how she will often criticize your actions no matter what choice you make, that there is no pleasing her. That is missing the point, she is not there to give you approval and make you feel secure about following a given path, but rather to always make you question and self-examine every path. Her praise is a rare, fickle thing, and all the more valuable for it. It seems you understand this rhoenix, which is good because it's an important aspect of the game.

It helped that I talked some with others who've played KOTOR2 before I finally did, so I can't claim to be overwhelmingly insightful in this case. However, just seeing what her responses are for my actions so far (as a Light Sider) have been very interesting, and I can easily imagine Kreia giving the player just as much food for thought if they play Dark side. No matter what you choose, she makes sure to make you think about your actions - and that very much impresses me.

[General Havoc]

Kreia is, hands down, my favorite character from any Star Wars medium. Han Solo and Lando are fun, Darth Vader is awesome, but Kreia is one of the finest raw concepts that I've seen from anything in Star Wars. I've never read the EU, but for the Old Republic, her character, her writing, her philosophy on the Force and on the universe are some of the best stuff I've ever seen. I can sort of see people not getting her, but she absolutely made KOTOR 2 for me, and I based my later Star Wars RPG characters around concepts and philosophies that she introduced to me.

[Josh]

This does tell me we need some kind of Star Wars PBP.

Hm.

[Hotfoot]

This does tell me we need some kind of Star Wars PBP.

Hm.

It's not PBP, but when Eclipse Phase finishes, I'll likely start up a new Star Wars Monday Night thing.

[Josh]

Yeah, I just flat can't do skype. Between my office hours terminating at 8pm, rehearsals for two different shows running into the evenings two to four nights a week now, I'm having a hard enough time just carving out writing time with Kris.

Thanks for the invite, though.

[General Havoc]

This does tell me we need some kind of Star Wars PBP.

Hm.

I'm absolutely down for a Star Wars PBP. I had a hell of a lot of fun in the last one, and that was years and years ago. Unfortunately, Star Wars is one setting I feel unqualified to run.

[rhoenix]

Well, I'd be down for a PBP of Star Wars. There are several interesting stories that I'd like to explore, but that's the same reason I'd enjoy playing in a SW RPG regardless.

[Josh]

Let me ponder and see if inspiration strikes.

[Lys]

It's not PBP, but when Eclipse Phase finishes, I'll likely start up a new Star Wars Monday Night thing.

Man I hope that's not any time soon, I'm enjoying EP way too damn much. By which I mean you're a magnificent bastard who has made me obsess over that damn game day and night without end. I will hunt you down and make you GM for me at gunpoint if you end it before I've gotten my fill.