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[tsl] KOTOR: Revenge of Revan


logan23

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Hey Logan, this looks great. I have followed this mod for years now and have to say I thought it was a joke at first (no offence)... I just played the demo the other day and it was amazing, hope you keep up the good work man

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Hello everyone,

 

I finished reading all the pages on this thread and made an account on the forums just to post here and offer my support. First I want to say I'm very impressed by the tremendous amount of work, dedication and passion Logan, RedRob and everyone on the team is putting in this mod, you have my deepest and most sincere respect! I also want to congratulate Logan for his new job (from the post on DeadlyStream), I hope it is in game development, as he wished, and wish him all the best!

 

I would be most happy to help with this mod in any way I can. At the moment I can think of 4 ways to help:

1. I am an IT technician, specialising in hardware repairs and data recovery, and an experienced System and Network Administrator. I came up with an idea to help centralise the files for all members of the team working on this project, for easy access, archiveing and to ensure the files don't get lost on the computers of each member of the team (this issue has been discussed on this forum before). I was thinking to set up a local dedicated server at my home office with at least 200 GB of space and a permanent high speed internet connection (300 mbps). The machine is to be used only for this purpose and will be permanently on, backed up by a UPS and the connection will be secured by a Cisco router with built-in hardware firewall. To prevent data loss the server will also use 2 HDD units in mirroring mode. Each modder will have acces to a specific directory on the server (modules, dialogue, skins, etc.) or subdirectory by a username and password, where the modder will submit his / her work for the project. Of course Logan and the most important staff will have acces to the entire content. The content will be password protected and even encrypted if needed. If You think this is a good idea I can start setting up the server right away!

2. Beta-Testing. Durring college I worked as a beta tester for an important videogames company, and have over three years of experience in this field. If beta-testers for this project are still needed I would be more then happy to help!

3. Dialogue / description / any ingame text writer. I have a Master Degree in Film Script Writing and could help with the writing for the mod or at least to do grammar checks and corrections. I can also write scripts in CeltX but any text editor will do.

4. Music composing. My wife is a musician who just graduated the Music Academy, she could help with the composing. Unfortunately she does not know to use synthetisers or any special software to make the music sound as played by an orchestra, but she could write scores for multiple instruments and she can also play the violin and piano.

 

I am currently studying scripting for modding Kotor, as soon as I get the hang of it I plan on beggining work on my own mod, which will be the highly demanded TSL Mira Romance Mod, that will allow the male Exile to romnce Mira! The mod is currently in preproduction, I am writing the dialogue and as soon as I manage to properly script it it shouln't take too long to complete.

 

I apologise for this post if it is too long / boring or if it is not in conformity with any forum rules!

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I am currently studying scripting for modding Kotor, as soon as I get the hang of it I plan on beggining work on my own mod, which will be the highly demanded TSL Mira Romance Mod, that will allow the male Exile to romnce Mira! The mod is currently in preproduction, I am writing the dialogue and as soon as I manage to properly script it it shouln't take too long to complete.

 

Just a heads-up: If you want, I can help you learn the scripting for both games. We can either do it via PMs (here or DS) or we could do it through Skype if you preferred. It shouldn't take too long, but sometimes people get stuck on this or that...

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Hey everyone

 

Update time-

 

I wanted to let you guys know that I will be sending out my laptop to get it's GPU replaced- a defective one

 

 

This means I will have no computer for maybe up to 2 weeks. (hopefully less)

 

 

The next update will be - to tell you that the laptop is back and I can continue to mod =)

 

 

@Turbo_Racer-

I will reach out to you over DS's PM and we can talk more.

 

 

thanks

 

Logan

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Just a heads-up: If you want, I can help you learn the scripting for both games. We can either do it via PMs (here or DS) or we could do it through Skype if you preferred. It shouldn't take too long, but sometimes people get stuck on this or that...

 

Thank You very much for the support, right now I'm going through the scripting tutorials on this forum, and soon I will start doing my first practical scripting attempts for my mod. Your help is most welcome, and probably I will also ask for help with my mod in the near future.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ahh I figured it out! Just began playing it today! And I do indeed love it so far! Can't wait for the VO's! And the full game!

 

Logan I am learning modding and I start school next month to begin learning coding, if u need help on ANYTHING let me know I'd be glad to do something to help. I am also currently picking up unreal engine 4 and learning it slowly.

 

So if I can do anything just ask! U can reach me here or moddb or email me at ssomeguy1990@gmail.com

 

Great work so far I have followed this for a long time and am happy to play the demo at Least now!

 

 

Also where does the demo end? I just got put in prison.. And when u open the door after it cuts if u reload the game all u see is the ppl talking and it's all a blue map lol. Is that normal considering it is the demo? Just making sure lol.

 

Sorry I keep editing this but I thought I'd report this idk if it's a bug. Sometimes during scenes when npc's talk it will turn to a npc to seem like he should talk after another npc finishes talking but he doesn't say anything then it goes back to another npc and continues. I had this happen multiple times.

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  • 2 weeks later...
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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi all

 

 

What i will be showing here through the use of images is how a player can make choices and how it can be used for later in the game and how we are going about with their use-

 

 

 

 

 

The player is faced with an issue- behind this door - two republic soldiers

The player can either open the door and kill them or look around the area to find another way to neutralize them

The game will take note of with choice you make

GoUlisk.jpg

 

 

Here the player is going to use the kolta chemicals to create a gas that case knock them out

Basically while kolta is used to heal it also can relax the body to the paralysis if the mixture is to pure -

HV5SEMt.jpg

 

 

Player now places the device with the gas so it will travel to the next room

iojgQzC.jpg

 

 

 

 

Here you can see the soldiers are knocked out

ET2Bnoe.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

The player could have killed or not kill the characters

Killing Republic soldiers/officials will impact events and future choice options and relationships with characters

 

 

 

 

 

Below the player must deal with this situation-

Again will the player kill this republic officer when he is just doing his duty

G9ImK3o.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

 

Player decided to Force Push the officer during the dialogue scene- this will also be noted in the game

YoI9RDl.jpg

 

 

 

 

Later in the game, conversations will happen and these events above could come into play- the party member/or NPC will make note of these past choices

0Db26Hb.jpg

 

 

 

 

Choices like this and other will shape how the party interacts, others see you from other factions and even the ending

 

 

This is a quick example how we are using them and giving players some freedom when we can.

 

 

thanks

 

 

Logan

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Nice! Very ambitious, it reminds me of the game Life is Strange, in the way that nearly every decision impacts minor to major things later in the game, namely character interactions and ending of episodes (obviously not every decision in RoR will have consequences, but if theres several of these that will still be awesome!). And I love life is strange ;).

 

Btw, I hope that the light side decisions are harder/more lengthy/have drawbacks, as I really dislike in games where it blatantly in the 'good guy's' favor, and discourages different choices in future/current playthroughs. Look at Mass Effect, where paragon = win (You can get more xp, better outcomes). Renegade is only for roleplay reasons. I think blurring the lines of obviously good and obviously bad, so you question if you are helping or hindering yourself by going out of your way. Or if the ends will justify the means (e.g imagine if in KotOR1 you had a choice of giving the rackghoul serum to a corporation who would charge more but be able to reach and help more people - but with the chance of many dying as they can't afford it, or giving it to a small amount of people for free, to save their lives as they would die if you choose option A.) Maybe I have overthought this, but I guess it's food for thought, and I think would make for a better story driven game.

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Looks amazing, guys!

 

Also, I believe I've told you this before, but please take this from the perspective of a writer (me): You really might consider changing the name to Revan's Revenge. It sounds so much better. "Revenge of Revan" sounds sort of . . . I can't quite put my finger on it. Comical, I guess?

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I've been following this mod for over 4 years now and this is the best Kotor mod I can think of! I am totally sure that the year it will be released it will easily win the "Mod of the Year" award that year, to that I have no doubts. The amount of work put into this project is tremendous. Major Kudos to Logan and the RoR team, You did a grest job!

 

Although there is a thought that comes to my mind now...

There's no such thing as truly 'finishing' a work of art. At some point, the artist has to put an end-state to it and shove it out of limbo and into the world. If Logan doesn't learn this, then the mod is basically going to be stuck forever as vaporware.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Since it is a total conversion, a good rule of thumb is to make a copy of your vanilla game folder, store it somewhere on your hard drive, and then install the mod. If you don't like it, then just delete the game folder and replace it with that initial vanilla copy.

 

It's not compatible with TSLRCM because it is a total conversion.

 

Having that original, vanilla copy of your game folder will give you lots of flexibility as far as large mods go. You could even have a Revenge of Revan game folder and a TSLRCM folder and just switch them out.

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  • 4 weeks later...

If Disney bought all the rights to the Star Wars franchise, then are the official legal modding rules still under the same Lucas Arts jurisdiction?

 

This is a very important question, because this could change whether the assts porting restrictions between Kotor 1 and 2 are still in effect! If that would be allowed it would help this mod tremendously (elements of Taris could be used to create Coruscant, etc).

 

Does anyone know if Kotor still falls under the same Lucas Arts legal jurisdiction? If not we should contact Disney and ask if the legal limitations for modding may have changed...

 

Quote from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LucasArts article describing Star Wars franchise legal status:

 

LucasArts was acquired by The Walt Disney Company through the acquisition of its parent company Lucasfilm in 2012. On April 3, 2013, Disney halted all internal development at LucasArts and laid off most of its staff. However, LucasArts remained open so that it could retain its function as a licensor.[5][6][7]

 

Development of games based on the Star Wars license will be performed by Electronic Arts, through an exclusive license, for the core gaming market. Disney Interactive Studios retained the ability to develop, and LucasArts retained the ability to license, the franchise for the casual gaming market.[8][9] Development of video games based upon other Lucasfilm properties will now be assumed by Disney Interactive Studios or licensed to third parties.[10]

 

This mod is a total masterpiece, so innovative in every way. Major Kudos to Logan and the entire modding team.

 

This great work MUST get the public appreciation it deserves... A mod like this should defintely be in the top 10 MODDB projects currently in development, and when it will be released it definately deserves the "Mod of the Year" award!

 

More promoting of this mod would surely bring it great benefits... It should start being promoted online through gaming bloggers, streamers and gaming journalists and magazines!

 

There is a fan made Revan movie based on the book: http://www.projectrevan.com

This movie was supported by a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. Even today, three month after release, they still accept donations.

How were the creators of the movie legally able to have a donation campaign while they have no license or permission from Disney (that now holds all rights to the Star Wars franchise).

If they did it, why aren't we allowed to make donations to support RoR? Its creators really deserve it for all their work, time and passion they are continuing to put into this project, and it would serve as a further encouragement for them not to abandon this brilliant mod.

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I was trying to avoid playing the beta so I could wait until the full thing was done but I just caved and played it. That was really good and I can't wait for the full product!

 

I'm not that great of a modder but if you're still looking for voices I may be able to help, particularly with the Yoda character there since I can do that voice.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'm a big fan of Star Wars since childhood, and I discovered the Kotor series when it came out, i was in my 20's, it actually inspired me to choose to work in the gaming industry :D I have allways wished for a real sequel produced by Bioware, but unfortunately it never came out, so when I found out about Revenge of Revan I immediately fell in love with it!

As a girl I specially enjoyed the attention to narrative details and the presence of romance possibilities (I know many will laugh at me for that :)) ). It was like reading a really good novel or watching a Star Wars movie plus the immersion specific to a videogame!

 

I started my work in the gaming industry as a beta tester while in college, and after graduation I got promoted to the Marketing departament, and now I have the privillege to work as a Markting specialist at an importang gaming company.

Loving this project so much I thought I should give some free professional advice :) , that's the least I could do...

 

As a Marketing and Business Intelligence Analyst, after going through all the 47 thread pages (wow, that sure is a lot to read!) like through a novel and playing the demo two times (actually I plan to replay both Kotor games and the RoR demo this Christmas Hollyday :p ) I made myself an impression of this mod and thought I could share my thoughts and some advice with you... It's just an educated opinion, so if you don't agree with my advice please don't throw eggs and tomatoes at me :)) Anyway, here is my opinion as to what can be improved, from a marketing expert standpoint:

 

1. As we all know, Disney is doing a re-launch of the Star Wars franchise with their anticipated movie "The Force Awakens". Star Wars will become a major trend (it already begun being one) during the December 2015 - April 2016 period. The Star Wars franchise will be in the spotlight in this period more than anytime in the last decade, since the release of the last movie "Revenge of the Sith" in 2005 (I was in college that time, lots of fun memories from that year :D )! This being said, it is a no-brainer that this it the best possible period to release a Star Wars product of any sorts, be it a toy, game, fanfilm, you name it!

So my warm and friendly advice would be for Logan and his team to launch something special this season... From what I read and all the information I pieced together it seems that Act I is something like 80% complete, with work being done to polish it and do some tweaks, one of the issues being that it is not probably voiced yet... So my suggestion would be for Logan to release some early beta Act I, just the way it is, with its bugs and glitches and all the problems. While this would not seem like a wise choice, please note that we are talking about a non-profit fan work, and it needs all the exposure, feedback and encouragement it can get! LucasForums sadly being a not very large community these days (maybe less then 100 active members), a forum member-only downloadable release of an Act I beta would actually be a nice Christmas present and this would be the best time for a release given the trending Star Wars period! It would let fans know this project is alive and kicking, and it would receive all the love and encouragement it deserves in exchange.

Actually early access is used by lots of game developers, especially indie game devs but not only, paid alpha being a trending option for funds gathering and especially valuable feedback from the mainstream audience. There are those who eant to wait up until the project is fully polished and oficially released before playing the ctual game, and they are free to do so, and there are the others who would love to play it as-is and offer valuable feedback in the process!

 

2. Revenge of Revan should have a more "open-doors" attitude, I know Logan is trying to keep it as professional as possible and is acting like an actual gaming company (and the quality of the work IS BioWare grade!), but let's not forget it is still an unfinanced, non-profit fan work unfortunately...so a more transparent, open attitude would be really encouraged, the game should be either split into smaller episodes that are released as they are completed, either released in its current beta state on an open platform like GitHub,and updated as it is finished! That will have two benefits, first will become more popular and attract more fans, and second lots of help will come, as many modders will help fix and optimise and polish the beta, making it better and better and considerably reducing development time! The constant feedback from a larger audience would also enhance the gameplay experience, with Logan being able to tweak the game and fix issues as they come up and from an earlier state, avoiding scrapping a large portion of the game later in the case that a plot element is found uninspired and a large part of the game was built on that particular element. Why all the secrecy...really, closed beta testing?!? (As a comparision, we have more beta testers and playtesters working on a title then ALL of the people who downloaded the demo together). This constantly updated beta released system worked great with Trex's "Kotor 3: The Jedi Masters", and would definately work at least as well with this mod.

In general, all modders should have a more transparent attitude. For example, in the case when a great mod was worked on for years and there is at least some partially playable content, and the team splits up or drops work on the mod for any reason, all that hard work should never be thrown to the garbage bin or locked in a drawer, it should be made public, so that other modders may continue the work from that point further, with all the proper credit given to the original team! It is sad so many great Kotor mods died like that and most likely all the work has totally vanished :( .

 

3. As another user suggested, someone should check with Disney to find out whether a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for this game could be legally made. While my friend from our legal department thinks this would be perfectly legal and ok, someone should still check up with Disney and BioWare / Obsidian. If possible it would be some great moral support! I happend to watch the Revan fan-move in cause and it was ok for a fan movie, but Revenge of Revan so far is WAY better :D ! If they could get financial support for the fans then why can't RoR get it too, as it is 1000 times better then the Revan fan film!

Anyway, at least maybe parts of the movie could be used as cutscenes for the game with the creator's permision!

 

Again, this is just my advice as a Marketing specialist, that is what I would do if my company made this mod, so please don't get angry on me if you don't agree!

 

Also, if Logan wants me to look on some of his work for a professional opinion feel free to drop me a message, I'll be more than happy to help in my free time!

 

Kisses and best wishes,

Anda (Astromech_technician)

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Disclaimer: Hi, Astromech_technician. While I am not Logan23, I do work closely with him and we talk a lot on Skype about modding and RoR. Just to let you know that I'm not some nobody chiming in his two cents, I've been around here for just over four years as of next month, I've beta-tested Trex's The Jedi Masters before Trex released the 2.0 public version one December, and I've been the driving force behind K1R getting done.

 

I'm a big fan of Star Wars since childhood, and I discovered the Kotor series when it came out, i was in my 20's, it actually inspired me to choose to work in the gaming industry :D

 

This I can totally respect, as KotOR modding has turned me into a hobbyist programmer. :)

 

As a girl I specially enjoyed the attention to narrative details and the presence of romance possibilities (I know many will laugh at me for that :)) ).

 

Even more respect since you're a woman. Then again, is the marketing department more equal, or is it still a male-dominated group?

 

1. As we all know, Disney is doing a reboot of the Star Wars franchise with their anticipated movie "The Force Awakens".

 

As far as I've been aware, they're doing a continuation with a new trilogy, not a reboot of the whole series...

 

So my warm and friendly advice would be for Logan and his team to launch something special this season... From what I read and all the information I pieced together it seems that Act I is something like 80% complete, with work being done to polish it and do some tweaks, one of the issues being that it is not probably voiced yet... So my suggestion would be for Logan to release some early beta Act I, just the way it is, with its bugs and glitches and all the problems.

 

All I can say is that this close to the holidays, Logan has a lot going on and isn't in a situation right now to release much of anything.

 

While this would not seem like a wise choice, please note that we are talking about a non-profit fan work, and it needs all the exposure, feedback and encouragement it can get!

 

We definitely agree on the need for exposure. Personally, I can understand your reasoning on the "Release it as-is for Christmas", but as you've said, LF doesn't have much more than 100 active members, and a member-only release would only mean that around 100 people could play it, instead of an open release where a lot more people could play it.

 

2. Revenge of Revan should have a more "open-doors" attitude, I know Logan is trying to keep it as professional as possible and is acting like an actual gaming company (and the quality of the work IS BioWare grade!), but let's not forget it is still an unfinanced, non-profit fan work unfortunately...so a more transparent, open attitude would be really encouraged, the game should be either split into smaller episodes that are released as they are completed, either released in its current beta state on an open platform like GitHub,and updated as it is finished! That will have two benefits, first will become more popular and attract more fans, and second lots of help will come, as many modders will help fix and optimise and polish the beta, making it better and better and considerably reducing development time!

 

On the one hand, I understand and support the open-doors policy (I mean, all that takes is a regular update saying, "Hey guys! This is what's going on IRL right now, but I've gotten this done (insert list) and ran into these problems (insert list) (possibly insert pics)"). On the other, there is a definite new issue that would require a new "pipeline" of effort, time, and resources to combat when it comes to something like a GitHub for other people to mod the mod and "optimize" it: keeping continuity, theme, quality, and tone all in check and on-board with where Logan wants to take things. That'd be a monster in and of itself, I fear. I'd combat it, but then that would be time I couldn't spend on the project itself...

 

The constant feedback from a larger audience would also enhance the gameplay experience, with Logan being able to tweak the game and fix issues as they come up and from an earlier state,

 

There is that, but I imagine Logan has plans for how to get the feedback he'll need.

 

Why all the secrecy...really, closed beta testing?!? (As a comparision, we have more beta testers and playtesters working on a title then ALL of the people who downloaded the demo together).

 

Well, the secrecy around big projects has always been there (and going by gaming companies not spilling their guts about their games...); it's also to avoid spoiling the mod. Why play a big mod that you could invest 20 or more hours in if you already know what happens and there's no secrets for you to find?

 

In general, all modders should have a more transparent attitude. For example, in the case when a great mod was worked on for years and there is at least some partially playable content, and the team splits up or drops work on the mod for any reason, all that hard work should never be thrown to the garbage bin or locked in a drawer, it should be made public, so that other modders may continue the work from that point further, with all the proper credit given to the original team! It is sad so many great Kotor mods died like that and most likely all the work has totally vanished :( .[/Quote]

 

There is "transparency" (which I agree with you heavily on) and then there is having a public backup in case you can't mod anymore. A lot of the old modders we used to have hear (like Drewton, a well-known texture guy) didn't do this and they vanished, leaving all their work who knows where.

 

And part of the fun of the game is releasing your mod and seeing people discover and enjoy all the work and time you've put into the mod by playing through it with no idea what to expect...

 

Again, this is just my advice as a Marketing specialist, that is what I would do if my company made this mod, so please don't get angry on me if you don't agree!

 

It would be pretty petty of me to get mad for not having the same opinion, so I think I'm quite calm. :)

 

Cheers,

Fair Strides

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Hi, Fair Strides

Thank You for Your kind response, I am happy you found part of my ideas useful!

I am happy to hear that Star Wars KOTOR also fueled your passion for programming!

 

Then again, is the marketing department more equal, or is it still a male-dominated group?

Right now at our company at the Marketing department the employees are about 60% female actually, one of the valued abilities being our attention to details and the ability to observe contemporary cultural trends ;)

 

Well, the secrecy around big projects has always been there (and going by gaming companies not spilling their guts about their games...); it's also to avoid spoiling the mod. Why play a big mod that you could invest 20 or more hours in if you already know what happens and there's no secrets for you to find?

 

And part of the fun of the game is releasing your mod and seeing people discover and enjoy all the work and time you've put into the mod by playing through it with no idea what to expect...

 

I strongly agree with you on this one, when I said there is too much secrecy I was actually thinking about releasing an early alpha / beta version to a broader public for feedback, not about releasing it in an unfinished state as an official release or posting too many details about it on the main thread...

While the classical "closed-doors" policy has been used by major gaming companies for decades and is still mostly applied today, as times are slowly changing, an emerging trend is on the rise, especially for indie productions. Alpha / Beta early access is being used by developers to advertise and encourage funding for their work, and to obtain feedback from a broader audience (as we all know that testing a product exclusively in-house will lead to a supraapreciation of the product because of an excessive subjective approach).

Early access, alphafunding, or paid-alpha is a funding model in the video game industry by which consumers can pay for a game in the early stages of development and obtain access to playable but unfinished versions of the game, while the developer is able to use those funds to continue work on the game. Those that pay to participate typically help to debug game, provide feedback and suggestions, and may have access to special materials upon release of the game. The early access approach is a common way to obtain funding for indie games and may also be used along other funding mechanisms including crowdfunding.

The main reasons for secrecy in the gaming industry is preventing a competitor company to learn about innovative technologies used in the game development process (new game engines, new innovative gameplay elements / styles, etc.)

Traditionally, game publishers do not release unfinished versions of their products to the public, instead relying on in-house testing non-disclosure agreements. This prevents such versions from becoming the target of software piracy, and limits what information can potentially be shared with competitors.[1] As such, publishers will fund the full development of a game through its completion, but will be less willing to take risks on experimental titles. In some cases, publishers have found ways to allow players to win or buy into access into a game's beta state in a controlled environment. For example, an invitation to the beta version of the multiplayer portion of Halo 3 was bundled with the game Crackdown, attributing to that game's strong sales.[2]

For indie games, which are typically distributed without a publisher, the source of funding for development is not as readily available. Many smaller indie companies use personal funds, while larger ones may get investments from other sources, and more recently crowdfunding programs like Kickstarter have proven viable for both. Another difficulty for indie developers is the means of testing their games prior to release, lacking the resources of a publisher and not obtaining enough feedback prior to release.[1]

There will be fans who will want to wait up until the entire project is completed and polished and oficially released (probably the majority).

On the other side, there will also be fans that will love at least a limited form of early access, offering valuable feedback or even help in return.

While a pre-release would not be considered a good idea by the first category, it is their choice not to play through the early version...they can just wait up until the project is properly finished and ignore the pre-release and avoid spoilers, there is no need for us to "babysit" them :D

Anyway, as the development progresses the final product might be a very different experience from the early beta...

 

Thank You again for the kind words, and wish You and all the RoR project team my kindest regards and best wishes!

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