Gaming Target - Xbox: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic

Written by Nick Doukas on April 14, 2003

First Impressions: The Force is with you, young Skywalker. But you are not a Jedi yet....

Since May of 1977, Star Wars has left an indelible mark on our popular culture. Fans across the globe can't seem to get enough of the Galaxy far, far away. With the summer 2002 release of Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, fans finally got to see first hand the events that led to the destruction of the Old Republic, and the eventual rise of the Empire. This summer, Developer Bioware will take gamers back 4,000 years, to the golden age of the Republic, when both Jedi and Sith numbered in the thousands. With the Galaxy still reeling from a recent conflict with the Dark Lords, the centuries old battle between the Jedi and the Sith rages on. Your actions determine the outcome of this colossal galactic war, and your destiny as a Jedi.

Knights Of The Old Republic is an RPG set in the Star Wars universe. Bioware, developers of the popular PC RPG Baldur's Gate, have teamed up with LucasArts to bring Xbox owners a unique and immersive Star Wars adventure that will take players to the furthest reaches of the galaxy, in an epic tale of heroism and honor. The title has been in production since 2000, with Bioware handling all aspects of the game (engine, story etc.) with the exception of the sound, which is all being done internally at LucasArts. The game's structure will be similar to the RPG standard; however, the team at Bioware is working diligently to create an experience that transcends anything gamers have seen before.

Players will be able to choose from several different character classes including: soldier, bounty hunter, scoundrel (for all you Han Solo types out there) scout and Jedi guardian. All characters are customizable and will evolve throughout the adventure. Gamers will establish a party of wanderers to accompany them, which can include Humans, Wookies and droids, as well as other species .To quote producer Mike Gallo (of LucasArts): УIn the beginning of the game, you won't have a lot of choices as to what you can pick. But you will be able to pick up others-for example, you might run into a Jedi guardian NPC you can have join your party or a droid or things like that.Ф Your journey will span ten different worlds (and will feature extensive space travel) with locations that include: Tatooine, the Sith world of Korriban, Jedi academy on Dantooine and the Wookie homeworld of Kashyyyk. The game will entail a huge quest, and players will be pleased to hear that their base of operations (as well as transportation around the galaxy) will be a ship called the Ebon Hawk. Clearly related to the Millennium Falcon in design and spirit, sources indicate that the ship is extremely detailed and stylized, featuring a myriad of small touches, such as the ability to view well-modeled areas beneath the floor grating. Screenshots of the grasslands on Dantooine reveal tall, swaying fields of golden stalks, bathed in exquisite lighting effects. The planet of Kashyyyk features a beautifully modeled city in the trees, complete with bump mapping and vertex lighting. Graphically, the game is looking stunning, and seems to truly capture the epic feel of the Star Wars universe.

The game is slated to feature a full compliment of traditional Star Wars weaponry, including: Blasters, rifles and Lightsabers (both single and double bladed). Producer Mike Gallo explains the battle system: УIt's a rules based system. The goal is to make it look like it's real time and just make it look cool. It's basically the way the rule system interprets what happened and how it plays it. But in this case, we want to have it be visually dynamic. So a heavy Lightsaber attack will have a list of animations the game can pull for that attack, and then, depending on what the rule system saidЧwhether it hit, missed, or was deflectedЧit will pick a set of animations for the other character and match them so it will look cool. It will look like the movies rather than someone stepping forward to attack and then stepping back.Ф This should work well, as reports of a segment detailing a battle between Sith and Jedi on the planet of Teris feature fight sequences reminiscent of the Episode I duel between Obi Wan Kenobi, Qui Gon Jinn and Darth Maul, complete with spinning sabers, back flips and high kicks. All combat will be done on your main play screen, and you'll have direct control of your character. While you'll always have the choice of real-time combat, you will also have the abilty to pause the game, at which time you can choose your method of attack a bit more strategically. Of course, a Jedi is strong with The Force and, according to the Developer, these Force powers will act as the games magic system.

Characters that are set to appear in the game include Humanoids, Rodians, Hammerheads, Wookies and other bizarre alien creatures. Players will be treated to wildlife indigenous to each planet, including the famous Krayt dragon (the skeleton of which was seen briefly in Episode IV: A New Hope, in the background as C3PO wanders the desolate landscape of Tatooine) Mike Gallo describes the party system: УThe other characters are AI controlled. When you're in combat, you'll be able to take more specific control of them and have them do things you want them to. You can also switch to any character and control him or her, but there are times when we have to limit that. Your main character is probably always going to be in your partЧobviously, because the story is about him or herЧso we do limit, in certain spots, who can join your party and who can't. The Ebon Hawk kind of acts as a home base where you can store all the characters you've talked to who can join your party. They'll travel with you and they'll be on the Ebon Hawk doing repairs or whatever and you can go back and switch someone out if you need someone that has a skill you need. For example, if you need more security skill, you can swap that person in and then be able to go pick a lock or something like that.Ф Gallo continues: УYou have several ways to get through an area and you might need a character who has a specific skill to do that. If you want to go through with your guns blazing, you can, but then you'll want to have a warrior or soldier type. Or if you want to try and sneak in, you might want to have a droid with you that can access the security computer or a person with good computer skills. You know the characters we have in your party are important and will play a role if you use them that way.Ф To this end, the game promises a deep and compelling campaign, which should clock in at a minimum of 60 hours of game play, including side quests, mini-missions and mini-games (including a sequence in which you take control of a ball turret and fend off enemy fighters, as well as some good old pod racing). Obtaining certain side quests will depend on the nature of your character (will you choose the dark side of The Force or the light?) and NPCs' will react to you depending on your status as an evildoer or a defender of the Republic. The team is building so many areas, such as massive worlds, spaceships and the like to explore, that Gallo guarantees Уa ton of gameplay.Ф

The Xbox hardware is being put to good use, and the team is looking to rely on the hard drive to decrease or possibly eliminate load times. A rock solid frame rate, locked in at 60 fps, is the goal for visuals, as well as a game engine that puts the GeForce through it's paces. The engine itself is based on the Neverwinter Nights engine, but has been almost completely rewritten for KOTOR. The approach to the games score is interesting. Mike Gallo elaborates: УThe goal is to have a completely original score. There are some themes from the Star Wars films we can use, but there's so much that's specific to characters and locations in the movies from John William's score. It will be a Star Wars score, but it will be all original.Ф The game ships this July, and if you're a Star Wars fan (or a fan of RPGs') you'll certainly want to get your mitts on a copy ASAP.