The Official Merged JK4 Speculation Thread!

[Floppythegod]

I wonder when jedi knight 4 will be? Any news?

[Kurgan]

No information is available from either Raven or LucasArts.

 

No word on if there will even be a "Jedi Knight 4" or anything similar.

 

About the only thing we know is that IF such a game is made it probably won't be on the Q3 engine (*waits to hear the cheers and tears of joy from the new engine-hype gallery*) since Raven said JA would be the last game they'd do on that engine.

[lukeskywalker1]

I hope they make a new engine from scratch. Anyways, if there will be a JK4, then it wont be for/ at least 2 years.

[StormHammer]

I'd certainly like to see another game in the series - but I have a feeling they would want to change the format. Raven wanted to do something new with JA, and it worked to a certain degree (the tiered mission format - okay in principle but slightly flawed in the execution). Many people have already complained that JA was too similar to JO in terms of the gameplay dynamic, and some simply viewed it as an expansion pack - which is a bit unfair IMHO. Nevertheless, the whole game industry at the moment seems to be trying to reinvent the wheel for no good purpose (other than to widen the target markets), so I would imagine any more games in this series would undergo some fundamental changes. An engine change is pretty certain for starters.

 

There's nothing to say Raven would even be involved in another instalment. Lucasarts can engage any other developer they like - or once they've cut their teeth on Republic Commando, take the whole thing back in-house to develop on the Unreal tech.

 

I strongly doubt that they would build a completely new engine from scratch. Coding a new engine is no simple task, and can take years of development. Just look at the Source engine from Valve - they've basically been working on it since Half-Life was released. Building an engine takes time and resources - and you have to be pretty certain there is a big payoff at the end to justify the costs. It's far more economical to take an existing engine and modify it to suit your needs.

 

Who's to say? Only Lucasarts has the answer...

[--ZeeMan--]

*hello operator..could you please connect me to lucasarts?*

 

 

shhh....I'M HOLDING!

[Crow_Nest]

Y'know if there is a JK4 in the future, i hope it uses the same engine as KOTOR or doom 3.

[StormHammer]

Originally posted by |GG|Crow_Nest

Y'know if there is a JK4 in the future, i hope it uses the same engine as KOTOR or doom 3.

 

The Doom 3 tech might be good.

 

I'm not so sure about the KOTOR engine, though.

 

The Unreal tech is more modular in format, so probably a bit easier to change around.

 

Other engine contenders would have to be the Cry Engine (as used in Far Cry) and the X-Ray engine (as used in the yet to be released STALKER).

[Obi_Kwiet]

They MUST use the Unreal 3 engine! From what i hear its incredible. Course it ran laggy on ATI's and Nvidia's new prototype chipsets. On PCI express. And with the fastest procesors avalible. And the 6millon poly modles. But they can tone them down to 6500 and they look almost as good.

[GothiX]

Raven is part of Activision, so that'd be DooM 3.

[-=DarkZero=-]

If they make a new JK game, I just hope it doesn't SUCK!

Personally, I think they ruined JA, it could have been so much better

[DarthMuffin]

Originally posted by Dante Vandetta.

If they make a new JK game, I just hope it doesn't SUCK!

Personally, I think they ruined JA, it could have been so much better

 

Agreed.

They should not have included duals and staves.

 

me = a purist who thinks that jedi and sith are supposed to have single sabers

[Tyler_Durden]

Last i heard, there was supposedly development going into a third person game starring vader. Third person....... rrrrr

[Samus Aran]

'd certainly like to see another game in the series - but I have a feeling they would want to change the format. Raven wanted to do something new with JA, and it worked to a certain degree (the tiered mission format - okay in principle but slightly flawed in the execution). Many people have already complained that JA was too similar to JO in terms of the gameplay dynamic, and some simply viewed it as an expansion pack - which is a bit unfair IMHO. Nevertheless, the whole game industry at the moment seems to be trying to reinvent the wheel for no good purpose (other than to widen the target markets), so I would imagine any more games in this series would undergo some fundamental changes. An engine change is pretty certain for starters.

 

first Lucasarts DO have the resources to develop a new engeine.

But it will problably take some years.

 

2nd why shouldn't they hire Raven again? I mean they have developed JA JO. But im not sure if they also developed DF II.

But if they did they are abou 75 procent that they will help developing it again.

 

The game would also be pretty hard to start.

I mean they have to find a default skin for Jaden.

or also if you would be playing him again.

 

and there would be 2 different tracks in the start one for light and one for dark.

They problably wil go together some time but still]

[BobaJango]

I would love to see a third person game starring vader. No need for sabers, just choke them to death! (From 15 feet away?!)

[_PerfectAgent_]

Originally posted by Samus Aran

first Lucasarts DO have the resources to develop a new engeine.

But it will problably take some years.

Just like they did with Dark Forces and Jedi Knight.

 

But im not sure if they [Raven] also developed DF II.

That was done by LucasArts, back in the day when they used to make their own games.

[babywax]

I would like to see it on the source engine or the cry engine, but it almost certainly will be done on the Doom 3 engine. Oh well, real time lighting along with lightsabers will look very cool anyway.

 

Assuming they make a JK4 of course.

 

I would just love to see all the physics interaction with force powers in the source engine. Although I hear Doom 3 has physics, I have a feeling they will not be quite as big a part of the game as in HL2.

 

I would love to see a new combat system, one where you can control exactly where the saber goes (using inverse kinematics). Think about how cool that would be, REAL parrying!

[_PerfectAgent_]

Though that might be interesting, there are problems...

 

[*]The pace would be too slow, which would be out of sync with the rest of the game (guns).

[*]The saberists would be annihilated by the gunners.

[*]You can only control the mouse in a 2-D plane, X and Y; unless you use predetermined swings, but that's back to square one.

[/list=1]

[StormHammer]

Originally posted by Samus Aran

first Lucasarts DO have the resources to develop a new engeine.

But it will problably take some years.

 

I never said they didn't have the resources - but I did say it would probably take years to develop a new engine that would be 'current' when it is finally completed. It is usually cheaper to simply buy a license for an existing engine to fast-track game development. I don't know about you, but I'm one of those people who doesn't want to spend another four years in limbo waiting for the next title in the series.

 

2nd why shouldn't they hire Raven again? I mean they have developed JA JO. But im not sure if they also developed DF II.

But if they did they are abou 75 procent that they will help developing it again.

 

I'm not saying they shouldn't hire Raven again. Personally I think they did a good job with JO and JA - although I still think the level design is too linear. But it's basically down to Lucasarts. As I said, they could decide to take the project in-house. You also have to consider that Raven itself may have other commitments, and may not be available to produce a new title in the series. In the past they've usually had about 3 games in development, both internal IPs and external licenses. I only know for sure that they are working on Quake IV - whatever else they have in the pipeline is a mystery to me. Maybe they're working on a JK4 as we speak - maybe not.

 

I think it's relatively safe to say, though, that the majority of people would want to see another in the series.

[lukeskywalker1]

If they do that saber thing your talking about, it would be a cool as it gets, just... extremly hard.

[Kurgan]

Dark Forces = New engine from scratch (although some rumor-mongers allege that LucasArts "hacked the Doom engine looking for ideas" and this explains why they never released the source (rather than for their well known stringent liscensing practices I guess). The engine was called "Jedi."

 

Jedi Knight = Same design team (basically) as DF1. New engine from scratch ("Sith").

 

Mysteries of the Sith = Modified Sith engine, some people that worked on JK returned, but otherwise same design team as "Outlaws" the only non-SW FPS made by LucasArts.

 

Jedi Outcast = Raven, using modified Q3:TA engine.

 

Jedi Academy = Raven again, using further modified engine as used in JO.

 

JK4 = nobody knows who will make it (if they make it) and using what engine, we can only guess. ; )

 

A lot of us are guessing if Raven DOES do it they'll do it using Doom3. But again, that's pure speculation.

[FiEND_138]

Originally posted by Tyler_Durden

Last i heard, there was supposedly development going into a third person game starring vader. Third person....... rrrrr

 

 

 

I read the same thing. On TF.net, I believe. All unsubstantiated rumor, but would be pretty damn sweet non the less.

[Khier]

I've played with around ideas on this and with some of the games that have just recently been released or are still being worked on, it's clear that a sequel to JA must have a new engine, whether it be from scratch or using an existing engine (HL2, Far Cry, Doom 3 are definite candidates).

 

If they do develop another sequel, I believe they will expand upon the "create a Jedi" theme for SP.

 

I think acrobatics like wall running, wall flipping, etc. should feel a lot more practical and useful as well as looking cool (read: Ninja Gaiden), of course that would entail practical level design to incorporate practical use of such acrobatics (JA's levels were better than JO, imo, but could have been better still).

 

I also think the saber swings and movemements could look better, maybe mixing in a sort of kendo style influence or something, but the staff and dual animatons look totally out of place and generally goofy looking, and those staff kicks look pretty horrible (sure wasn't Ray Park doing the motion capture), and I still puzzle about the terrible walking animation for staff/duals.

 

Ah well, I can always dream that someone will create a game of the year sequel to JKA.

[Weiser_Cain]

I for one would like the game slowed down. It's insanely hyper now. People flailing about with two lightsabers of a staff twirling through the air. It just doesn't feel like starwars. As for blasters they're too acurate in JA, they're supposed to have some serious kickback, I can snipe with a blaster in JA. And as for defelecting blaster bolts it could be a button or maybe use the right mouse button, which could also be used for parrying. The combat system need to be redone anyway. I should be able to control the timing of my swing. One way is to have the mouse control the swing while the left mouse button is depressed and function normaly otherwise.

[StormHammer]

Originally posted by Khier Serakk

I think acrobatics like wall running, wall flipping, etc. should feel a lot more practical and useful as well as looking cool (read: Ninja Gaiden), of course that would entail practical level design to incorporate practical use of such acrobatics (JA's levels were better than JO, imo, but could have been better still).

 

This may be unrelated to the Jedi Knight series, but there is a game in development called Advent Rising, and your character will have psi abilities that grow stronger as the game progresses. I think I've mentioned the game before, because you will be able to levitate objects - and if you watch the trailer available from the official site you will see some nice acrobatic moves, along with what looks like a Force Push move right at the end.

 

Although it has a cartoony appearance, it's pretty stylish, and the character animation is very good. That is the sort of quality I would want to see in a potential JK4.

 

I believe Advent Rising is using Unreal tech as a foundation.

[Tyler_Durden]

whoever develops the next game (if any) i hope they implement a 1st person mode, dammit. You may now rebuke.