HerbieZ Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Yes i desire knowledge again my minions. I would like to know what was the defining touch for you with the game. I know this question is a little vague but i believe the question i am trying to ask doesnt have a word im looking for. It's that little something, the X factor, the Zing or Oomph that just made you gawp in amazement at Kotor 1. I will give you an example: Kotor 1 was a bordom purchase about half a year after it's release during touring HMV looking for DVD's. I am a huge fan of Star Wars but for some reason i overlooked this game mainly because of the engine and roleplay thing which did not interest me. I looked at the box and though hmm well i don't have much to do in the holidays so i might give this ago. My expectations wern't high. I installed the game at the same level of null excitement and played it, i went through the Endar Spire level slightly chuffed at the simple tutorial like level and thought this how how the game was going to play out, a linear one tracked path right to the end. Then it happened. Taris. My eyes ejaculated at the sight. I fell in love. It is hard to describe my feelings but i was breathtaken. Suddenly i was released to all this freedom of walking around Taris. It was huge. The peaceful music blended in with the sounds of distant swoops and urban chatter. People dotted around talked and acted like this was a massively multiplayer game. From walking around i got the impression that this Ecumenopolis (wikipedia it) was sitting on a troubled past and grim future and so it was. The music also showed this as it slowly peaked at times which for me was aurally amazing. The sunlight glistening through the towers and buildings tricked me into thinking the game had it's own day and night cycle to which i stared at the city for two hours solid watching the shadows and do you know what i found. It did'nt have a cycle, but i had not wasted my time. I just fell in love with every small detail. I knew from this point on, this was my favourite computer game of all time. You know what else is so excellent about it, was there was no multiplayer so that meant no comptetion, no people slagging the game off saying it's going downhill. Only me and the Ai who act different every time i play. I kept playing and i could not stop, i still hav'nt. For me this game was a get away, I had and still have bad problems in my family life right now and back then (not due to playing the game). This game totally immersed me and stripped away all that is my real life, i would forget about ALL of my problems and i mean all of them. Whenever i need to relax i put the game on and stare out into the plains of Dantooine or the Scapes of Taris and just stare and dream and i can honestly say from the whole of my heart, there is nothing more in this world i love more than what this game gave me in the past few years. *Cries* *Accepts Oscar Nomination* *Wins Oscar* Seriously though, i mean all of it. I would like to know if Kotor affected any of you in a similar way? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MachineCult Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 I thought it was really good and extremely well made but it didn't really affect me... Not as noticably as it affected you, how old are you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbieZ Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 18. I had a troubled year the year i bought Kotor and it just made such an impression mainly with the music and everything. It started me on an appreciation for classical music and all things relaxing. I guess you could say it made a sort of cult status with me and changed me, for the better i feel. I have a much more philosophical view on life. Also adding to the original post. It was in the middle of Summer, i had blue skies and warm beams of sunlight basking upon me so it probably added to the heavenly mantle of this game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tk102 Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 There was a moment for me on Dantooine overlooking one of the estates. I just stopped and looked out at the skyline with the water mirroring in the foreground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue15 Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 odd, i kept thinking it was changing from day to night on Taris as well. Dantooine is what did it for me, the music while trying to solve the murder crime and becoming a jedi, good experience. I was a big fan of The Phantom Menace game for pc, and loved how you could choose which dialogue to use, but when playing KotOR for the first time, it was like being in paradise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Char Ell Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 There was a moment for me on Dantooine overlooking one of the estates. I just stopped and looked out at the skyline with the water mirroring in the foreground. Was it at the bridge where you run into Bolook and there is a waterfall there? I really liked that area. More likely it was the view from the Sandral Estate. I have to admit that some of those horizon graphics BioWare did were almost realistic for me. I took the time to enjoy a couple of views on Dantooine, the view from the end of the tombs on Korriban, and the view from about any opening to the ocean on Manaan. I know the graphics are working for me when I get a sense of immensity similar to the one I get after I've hiked to the top of a mountain. Funny how HerbieZ mentions how he decided to buy KotOR. My experience was somewhat similar. My little brother was home for the holidays and is into video games more than I. We were at the local Best Buy and on a whim I decided to buy KotOR so he could have something to play while he was in town. He ended up leaving before he finished the game and, well, I took over from there and the rest is history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbieZ Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 This is what im talking about. It's those moments where the music, setting, sounds, voices, graphics, animation, everything hit at one moment and compelled you. The Dantooine one is excellent, that did have a big impact, it was like walking around a perfectly trimmed zen garden. For me it's what gives the game endless replayability for me because i want to see these things again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus Q'ol Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Yes, Yes, Taris, of course... I remember. That's where it all started for me too. ...well, for everyone actually. But you're right, the music played such an important part of the experience. The zen-like qualities of the soundtract, the unobtrusive background noises and wind, the sudden liberty to explore an unknown enviroment while trying to deal with your character's own inadequacies. It was unlike any other Star Wars interaction I'd experienced before. I would always stop outside the jedi academy and meditate facing the setting sun. Peace resides there. There were a few other spots on Dantooine where the view was worth a "stop and look-see". ...also on the bridge from Dreshdae to the sith academy, you'll find one of my favorite meditation spots. "Setting sun and red canyon glare holds me stogid and commands my stare..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChAiNz.2da Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 My eyes ejaculated at the sight. Well.. not too sure about the game, but that one line has made all the time I've spent on this Forum worth it. Definitely a defining moment You deserve that Oscar hehehe... --------------------- OT: Nothing really major in the game, even the cutscene movie isn't "all that".. but when I first played the game.. the moment I completed Dantooine, you know, the Jedi Trials, getting your 1st saber and discovering about the StarMaps and the mission you now have been "handed"... at the moment the Ebon Hawke lifts off the landing pad and you blast off into space... that one moment where you weren't too sure what was going to happen next.. but you know it was going to be one helluva ride... That was the defining moment for me... fueled my love for the game... One of the other moments was the final tomb on Korriban.. where you have to go it alone. Playing it for the 1st time, I had no clue what to expect.. making it worse, I really depended on my Party members for a few things.. so I was all in knots wondering if I would be able to make it through.. "alive". I swear I stood at that door leading further into the tomb for about 5 minutes, double-checking my inventory, seeing what weapons I had..cussing myself for selling those frag grenades just to get a few credits... hehehe... total paranoia.... That kind of tension made a lasting impression...I loved it... Between those 2 moments and of course, the 'plot twist'... man, I feel like *I* robbed LucasArts for only paying $30 for it (at the time)... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carthaholic Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 The first thing that got me addicted to KotOR was certainly not the graphics. My system and video card were very outdated at the time so everything was set to low. I dunno if you guys have seen how the game looks like in low graphic settings, it's horrible. Anyway, what first blew my mind was all the audio, every single conversation has audio and combined with the facial expressions I thought it was really amazing. I come from games like Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights and these only have audio for the really important dialogues, so yeah, KotOr is a lot more immersive that way. But what totally blew my mind is when we get captured by the Leviathan, I just really didn't see it coming. I was heading to Korriban to get the last Star Map, nothing unusual there, but then WHAM! We're under attack! Greatness right there. And everything else that happens on the Leviathan was great as well. So that's what did it for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurora Merlow Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Yeh i loved the twists in it too, thought they were great. But i have to agree that what gave me the feeling that puts this game above all others is the settings. Taris was amazing, the towering buildings and the ambient music (which i've downloaded), i loved looking over the edge and seeing the sun set behind the skyscrapers. Then there was Dantooine, again beautiful sunsets over the plains. But to be honest for some reason it was Kashyyyk that really sold it for me. I mean you get to walk among the tree tops and when you look out from the walkway or the villiage you see birds flying around and an endless sea of monstrous trees, something about that view, whether it was the flicker of lights breaking through the canopy i don't know but i just loved it. The music was perfect for every planet even Mannan looking out over the ocean. i would always save my games on each planet looking out over something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igyman Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I've been keeping track of the development of KoTOR before it was released, I saw the screenshots and the graphics was really stunning, but when I bought the game, heard the music and the story, and then... Taris. I was amazed, the graphics, the music and the sounds were way better than I could have ever expected, all that really made me feel like I was actually there and when I heard the voice acting, it was really professional and added up to the atmosphere. I also knew Tatooine (which I don't consider a very interesting planet) would be one of the places to visit during the game, I've seen how it looked like in Jedi Academy and was very disapointed, but when I saw it in KoTOR... it was great, that broken Sandcrawler and the Tusken raiders who looked slightly different from that appearance in the movies and their history and... well I think I've said enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jae Onasi Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Well.. not too sure about the game, but that one line has made all the time I've spent on this Forum worth it. Definitely a defining moment You deserve that Oscar hehehe... You know, I looked at HerbieZ's quote on ejaculating eyes and said to myself, "You know, I don't believe they taught us about that in Eyeball School...and I have a bad feeling about learning anything more about this." Back OT.... My hubby and son picked out Kotor for me for a Christmas present in '04. Prior to that year, our computers had dinky hard drives and really didn't have the specs needed to play any decent games. And, what with college, work, raising a family, and feeding my scrapbooking addiction and all, I just plain didn't have the time to devote to any serious gaming other than D&D in college. My last console gaming was on an _Atari_ (don't laugh about age), where I was the family Circus Atari champ (and happily, I can play it again on PC now). As you can imagine, the graphics technology, like all other tech, has made enormous strides in the last 15-20 years. Nonetheless, I was expecting something better than 2-D graphics, but I was thinking, from what I'd seen on ads and store displays, that it'd still look rather cartoonish even if 3-D. I read through the little guide that came with it (thinking, wow, that's a lot of stuff), installed the game, got it running right, and started to pick out a character. I looked over the array of choices and couldn't believe how life-like they were and how much choice you got. I started the first game, and hear the music the first time--not some tinny, fake music, but real Star Wars-style orchestra music. I started playing, and while lots don't like the Endar Spire tutorial, I sure needed it, because I'd never played anything like this before. So, I'm busy equipping myself and Trask, checking out remains, firing off a gun and killing the Bad Guys, using a vibroblade, throwing some grenades, finding that medpac, see Jedi fighting, make dialog choices (you mean I get to choose what to say? Cool!), meet up with Carth, and pretty much just get blown away with the scope of it all, and all in about the first 10 or 15 minutes of play. I play on a laptop with poor graphics, but the game still looked fabulous to me, and the music was fantastic. I enjoyed looking out the windows on Taris to see the scenery, too, and I remember being surprised at all the little details they put into just the backgrounds of the scenery, much less the things or people you saw up close. One of the best things for me was all the humor they built into the game with the witty comments from some of the characters frequently (like HK or Jolee), and some of the hilarious little asides between NPCs from time to time (like Bastila explaining to Carth how she lost her lightsaber and him laughing). It just gave that extra touch to the whole game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HerbieZ Posted February 22, 2006 Author Share Posted February 22, 2006 Yeah it's those little touches specially like that doomsayer on Taris talking about aliens and how they shouldnt be on the planet. I don't think there is much interaction with him but he just shouts it as you run past and you think, heh why is he there if not for the small amount of interaction you have. I think Kotor 2 would have been even better if they had a longer work time for it as i feel it would have had the same effect as Kotor 1 even though it was still massively influencial with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurora Merlow Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 all that really made me feel like I was actually there and when I heard the voice acting, it was really professional and added up to the atmosphere. That's a really good point which i didn't think about. The reason it was sooo good was that it did just that, made you feel like you were there. Each planet had a different feel to it, that wasn't like you were on another level of a video game but actually there on a different planet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediMaster12 Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 To tell the truth I bought KOTOR because it said Star Wars. It was either that or Ancient Empires. I was at Target and I decided to treat myself to my first PC game. I spent maybe twenty minutes deciding what I wanted and giving in to my scifi passion, I got KOTOR. What I was excited about was the movie like quality of the opening scrawl. Going through the game, I had a mixture of emotions based on the situation. My defining moment was when HK-47 says Commentary: I say we blast the meatbag and save you the trouble master...Negative. I just don't like organic meatbags, except for the master of course. hehe. That actually made me burst out laughing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cygnus Q'ol Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Yes, it was so cool to experience a smart-alec, assasin droid. Droids in the films are good and don't really venture outside their programming, kinda boring. (except for R2). The only droids that compare in coolness to HK-47 are the IG series from Holowan Labs in the book, "Tales of the Bounty Hunters". Self aware and programmed for presicioned mayhem, IG 88 and his compatriots gave Fett a nice hunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbag Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 I am one for "feeling" a shown place, and understanding it. Each of the worlds in KoTOR had a whole backstory feeling like thing, Dantooine was full of tranquility, and so was Manaan. I got into the games because of everything. And the large amounts of Twi'leks. It feels very real. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediMaster12 Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Too many if you ask me, not that I wasn't pleased with Mission. I liked her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meatbag Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 How about the one in the Nar Shaddaa Pazaak Den? And one can't compain about Bastila, Visas and Brianna... and all other well-built characters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JediMaster12 Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Well the one in the pazaak den looked like the genric look they gave Lena and the Twilek who talked of Bastilla's mother. I'm just overreacting a bit but I still like Mission. She was just that oomph KOTOR needed as far as personality goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gandiva Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 Again, Dantooine is the one that made me just... what's the word... um... absolutely love the game. The music, graphics, story, everything made me feel like I was really in the game; in another world. KOTOR is the best game I've ever played and I think TSL comes after that. The music was my fave part of the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth InSidious Posted March 2, 2006 Share Posted March 2, 2006 The plot twists tied me into a knot. And trying to find the Dantooine crystal caves kept me up 'till 6 AM once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Point Man Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 Since my wife already had the game on her computer and I had seen it a bit, I didn't have that epiphany early in the game. The destruction of Taris impressed me, as well as the cutscene of the jedi training on Dantooine. I thought it was cool how I could see my character (Talon Kale) training with Bastila and Zhar to become the Jedi I always wanted to be. However, the part that really impressed me the most was the beautiful scenery as you land on the Unknown World. I thought, "Wow, is this place gorgeous!" I like to go up to the cliff and look out over the beach. It reminds me of some great relaxing times on tropical beaches (boy, the pina coladas in Panama are great!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy Allen`` Posted March 4, 2006 Share Posted March 4, 2006 I first rented the game and thought it was quite good, and some time later decided that it was worth purchasing. I think the first thing that made this more than just a great game and one that I kept playing was the overall story, how it really pulled you in and you had to discover what happened next, and when it was revealed that you were Revan, when Bastila sacrificed herself, when she later showed up having joined the Dark Side, you had to keep playing through to the end to see it through. Then there were the characters, they very much defined the game and gave it the same appeal that Luke, Han, Leia, ect did twenty five, thirty years ago. For the most part (I'm not crazy about Canderous) they go above being party members and become people you care about. And then you can always go back and play the game a diffirent way, you hear about funny dialogue or cool things you can do and go back to see them, then you realise how cool Revan looks and have to take screenshots of her... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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