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DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.




Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is a 2003 role-playing game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. It's also one the best Star Wars games out there and one of my favorite games of all time. Seriously, I've played through this game probably 20 times over the years, although most of those runs were between 2004-2006 and it's been a pretty long while since my last complete playthrough. Knights of the Old Republic takes place approximately 4,000 years prior to the rise of the Empire (3,956 years before A New Hope), in a time period previously explored by the Tales of the Jedi comics in the 90s, although the overall presentation is still closer to "modern" Star Wars than the far less technologically advanced style seen in Tales of the Jedi. Setting the story so far back in time, BioWare didn't have to worry about movie continuity or anything of the sort, and were able to create a Star Wars adventure that feels familiar in many ways but still has its own distinct feel.

KotOR was followed up by a sequel, 2004's KotOR II: The Sith Lords by Obsidian Entertainment, which is also an amazing game but very different in tone. The Sith Lords is probably the better game of the two and holds up better in retrospect, especially with the first game being the origin point of many of the BioWare cliches we know and love today, but the original was still a Big Deal when it came out and was just what Star Wars fans needed at a time when the most recent Star Wars film was Attack of the Clones. The KotOR games were eventually followed up by an MMO called The Old Republic, but we don't talk about that one.

The basic story is still rather familiar to any fan of Star Wars. It is a time of galactic civil war as the Sith, portrayed here as the ancient precursors to the Empire, are terrorizing the galaxy and the Galactic Republic is doomed unless someone manages to defeat the Sith and their seemingly undefeatable fleet led by Darth Malak, who took command after the recent death of his master Darth Revan at the hands of a Jedi strike team. The Jedi who took down Revan, Bastila Shan, is a key part of the Republic's war effort due to her expertise in Battle Meditation, a rare and incredibly powerful Force skill which can completely turn the tide of any battle. As you might expect, the Sith want this power for themselves to land the killing blow on the Republic once and for all. The player character, on the other hand, is no Jedi or war hero. They're a recently recruited Republic soldier, assigned aboard a cruiser named the Endar Spire which just so happens to be transporting Bastila when the game's story kicks off...

KotOR was initially released on the original Xbox and PC, with later ports to Mac, iOS and Android. I am playing the Xbox version on Xbox One X, because the PC version is kind of a pain to record reliably (last time around, I was literally grabbing screenshots in Fraps while playing the game, and I'm NOT doing that again). Playing on BoneX means the game is running at a rendering resolution close to 4K and adds 16x anisotropic filtering, so it looks almost as nice as the PC version and also runs really nicely compared to the often sluggish performance on original Xbox hardware.

This is a light side playthrough with a story focus. In this case, story-focused means that this absolutely should not be used as a guide for any character builds, because despite all the hours I've put into this game I never really learned the best ways to build a character and still make some completely idiotic decisions on that front every so often. I apologize in advance to any D&D fans out there (the game uses the d20 system).

UPDATES

Part 1: The Fallen Spire
Part 2: The Mysterious Stranger
Part 3: Friends in Low Places
Part 4: The Mandalorian
Part 5: Wanted Dead or Alive
Part 6: Ghouls' Night Out
Part 7: Obligatory Sewer Level
Part 8: Super Charger Heaven
Part 9: Queen of the Death Match
Part 10: Wings of the Hawk
Part 11: The Three Trials
Part 12: The Grove
Part 13: Family Feud
Part 14: The Overseer
Part 15: Communication Issues
Part 16: Anchorhead
Part 17: Ghosts of the Sand
Part 18: The Storyteller
Part 19: Family Matters
Part 20: The Madclaw's Return
Part 21: The Ritual Beast
Part 22: Behavioral Reconfiguration
Part 23: Post-Kashyyyk Roundup
Part 24: The Sith Academy
Part 25: The Double-Double-Double-Cross
Part 26: Valley of the Dark Lords
Part 27: Something Left of Me to Save
Part 28: The Leviathan's Prey
Part 29: A Shattered Memory
Part 30: The Aftermath
Part 31: Let's Break KotOR
Part 32: Riddles in the Light
Part 33: Sunry vs. The Sith Empire
Part 34: Ahto Confidential
Part 35: The Verdict
Part 36: Minor Diplomatic Incident
Part 37: Deep Fear
Part 38: Deep Hurting
Part 39: Unknown World
Part 40: Council of Elders
Part 41: The Temple Summit
Part 42 (FINAL): The Star Forge

:wookie:

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Mar 11, 2020

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DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 1: The Fallen Spire



I miss these guys. They made or at least published some of my all-time favorite games.



I miss these guys as well. They also made some of my all-time favorite games. Yes, I know BioWare is still around, but in such a sorry state that I'd rather pretend they weren't.



The Xbox version has this FMV at the start. I believe this was the game's launch trailer, and like all trailers it's rife with spoilers so I'm not showing it. It was removed from the PC version for whatever reason, and before KotOR showed up on the Xbone backwards compatibility list I had not seen this trailer in well over a decade.



Anyway, welcome to Knights of the Old Republic. There was an Xbox-exclusive Press Start screen, but I cut that out because who cares. Let's do this! First off, we're gonna have to create a character. A lot of the commentary in this section is carried over from my original LP, but I've made changes wherever I've felt like it.



There are three character classes in KotOR, all of them available for both male and female characters. We're picking the latter for this LP for no particular reason. The canon main character is male, but having seen what the Old Republic MMO and its tie-ins did with the story of this game and the sequel I'm more than happy to toss the official canon out of the nearest airlock.

Soldier is obviously the tank of the bunch, with a ton of health and great attack and defense stats. They don't get many skills or feats to play with, though, so they're boring and only good for killing things. Scout is the middle of the road type of guy, decent at everything but doesn't shine at any particular area. They do, however, get access to stat-boosting implants from the start. As I tend to roll rogue-type characters in RPGs, with a focus on talking my way out of trouble, we're picking Scoundrel as our starting class. Scoundrels have the lowest combat stats, but make up for it with their versatile skill set.

Strangely, it's the Scout that starts off dressing up like Han Solo, instead of the Scoundrel like you'd expect. From what I recall, old Star Wars expanded universe stuff made that outfit into the official Corellian smuggler uniform or some nonsense like that.



If you want to, you can simply pick the Quick Character option to get straight into the action. Obviously, we're not picking that because we want to set everything up ourselves, but the option is there.



There's a decent number of appearance options for both genders, although a lot of them look pretty crummy nowadays and weren't all that great in 2003 either. This Asian female character model is perhaps my favorite in the game, so we're choosing that one. Sadly, there is no customization of any sort, so the appearance you pick is what you'll be stuck with.



If you're having trouble understanding all the RPG stuff, the game has these handy tutorial popups. They can also be disabled if you prefer.



Here's our stats sheet. You can click Recommended to distribute the 30 available attribute points in a way the game deems optimal. I usually do that and then fine-tune the stats to my liking instead of putting all the points in manually. In this case, I've gone for a DEX/WIS/CHA build, as that'll suit our character quite nicely. KotOR uses the d20 system from the third edition of Dungeons & Dragons, but no knowledge of D&D is needed to play the game as it explains itself quite well. Full disclosure: I've never played D&D in my life and don't know all that much about the deeper workings of the d20 mechanics, so you should not expect this LP to double as a minmaxing guide or anything like that.

I'll admit 10 STR is a bit worrying, but we'll find various ways to increase that as the game progresses. 10 INT, on the other hand, is perfectly fine because 10 is the cutoff point for the extra skill points you get as a Scout or Scoundrel.



Having set our attributes, next up are our skills. As the game is explaining here, skill use is all based on your skill ranks, the appropriate modifiers from your attributes, and d20 rolls.



So, let's see what we've got. The recommended skill point allocation focuses heavily on Demolitions (setting/disarming mines) and Stealth, but I am never going to use Stealth and don't need Demolitions just yet so I just put a bunch of points to Persuade and Security instead. I also put a few points into Computer Use and Repair (which are cross-class skills and therefore require two points for each rank), because those are always useful.



Next up, we've got feats. The game explains them better than I ever could with that popup.



We start with a number of feats already unlocked at character generation, and annoyingly they don't all fit in a single window. Armor Proficiency: Light means our character can equip light armor; Critical Strike increases your melee attack's Critical Threat range and can stun enemies unless they make a successful Fortitude save; Sniper Shot is Critical Strike for ranged weapons; Weapon Proficiency: Blaster Pistol and Weapon Proficiency: Melee Weapons means our character can equip blaster pistols and melee weapons respectively (as you probably already figured out); and Sneak Attack I is the first level of a Scoundrel feat that adds extra damage to attacks against stunned or immobilized enemies. Finally, there's Scoundrel's Luck, which grants a passive defense bonus (+2 at the initial rank).



I add Flurry to my combat feats. Critical Strike is going to be our main combat feat as it can stun enemies and allow us to get in a sneak attack for extra damage, but being able to make an extra melee attack during a turn is nothing to sneeze at either and can wreck trash mobs. The problem with Flurry is the hefty Defense and Attack penalties at the first rank, as we'll leave ourselves kind of open and will also whiff a lot until our Attack modifier is sufficiently high to offset the penalty and we unlock Improved/Master Flurry to reduce the penalty.



Finally, we have to decide on a name for our character. Since I have no imagination, I'll just let the randomizer do its thing. This particular name is definitely not going to cut it, though, so let's press the Y button another 439 times.



I was tempted to go with this one, but didn't want the Brinstar theme from the original Metroid to be stuck in my head for the entirety of the LP.



About 742 Y button presses (and many suggestions that incorporate existing Star Wars names such as Leia, Padme, Mothma, and Mara) later, I got one I found decent. I didn't want to spend any more time in this screen than I already had, so Zila Galcyon it is. Of course, now I'm going to have that one Orbital song stuck in my head instead of the Brinstar theme, but I can deal with that.



So, that's our initial character. 7 HP isn't great and our Fortitude sucks, as does Will to a slightly smaller extent, but we'll manage. At least we are reasonably hard to hit, even if we will eat poo poo pretty much as soon as something worse than a stiff breeze manages to hit us. But now that that's done, it's time to start the show!



A very, very long time ago.



VIDEO: Opening Crawl and Intro Scene (not my upload because I don't want Mickey Mouse to show up at my door and break my kneecaps)



Four thousand years before
the rise of the Galactic
Empire, the Republic verges
on collapse. DARTH MALAK,
last surviving apprentice of
the Dark Lord Revan, has
unleashed an invincible
Sith armada upon an
unsuspecting galaxy.

Crushing all resistance,
Malak's war of conquest
has left the Jedi Order
scattered and vulnerable
as countless Knights fall in
battle, and many more
swear allegiance to the new
Sith Master.

In the skies above the Outer
Rim world of Taris, a Jedi
battle fleet engages the
forces of Darth Malak in a
desperate effort to halt the
Sith's galactic domination....



As the opening crawl mentioned, a space battle between the Republic and the Sith rages on above the Outer Rim planet of Taris. What looks to be a Republic capital ship is under heavy fire from Sith fighters.



That... is less than ideal.



The crippled capital ship begins a slow descent towards the planet below.





Meanwhile, aboard the ship, Republic soldier Zila Galcyon is resting in her quarters after a shift.



The explosion we saw in the FMV shakes the entire ship, waking Zila from her sleep.



Pictured: more convincing "I just woke up" facial animation than we saw in Mass Effect: Andromeda.



Just as Zila gets up and is trying to figure out what's happening, a fellow soldier enters her quarters.



Slow down, champ. First off, we have no idea who this is.



We tell him as much. We can also ask about the Endar Spire, but that'd be silly because surely Zila knows the name of the Republic cruiser she's stationed on.



Trask here is Zila's bunk mate and she's never seen him until now. Sure. Apparently, the soldiers' quarters on Republic ships are co-ed as well, which seems a bit irregular.





Zila doesn't know who Bastila is either, so hopefully Trask can fill us in.



One of our primary duties is to guarantee her survival in the event of enemy attack! You swore an oath just like everyone else on this mission. Now it's time to make good on that oath! I know all about your reputation, how you used to smuggle spice and blasters along the Corellian Run. I guess the Republic figured since they couldn't catch you, they might as well hire you. And I'll admit, the Republic is in desperate need of someone with your kind of skills. Desperate enough to overlook your shady past. But now that you've signed on for this mission you're part of the Republic fleet. And Bastila needs all troops at her side during this attack!

Okay, jeez. I was just asking. At least we got some of Zila's backstory in that spiel.



Since we are Republic soldiers here, we should do our job instead of complaining so let's get on with it.





Right, let's find our equipment then.





We also get the first entry in our quest journal. I probably won't be showing the journal all the time, but since this is the first update I thought I should at least take a look at it.



The footlocker in our quarters contains our gear, all of which sadly doesn't fit in the window. We also get a computer spike (used for hacking), a security spike (for picking locks, although our Security skill is more than enough for any locked doors we might encounter at this time), and two medpacs. Regular medpacs heal 10 HP + Wisdom modifier + our Treat Injury rank.





Let's just equip our clothes and blaster pistol. That is all we have in terms of equipment right now, but since we're here we might as well go over the different equipment slots. In the top row we've got slots for implants, headgear and gloves, the middle row has the body armor slot and one energy shield slot for each arm, and the bottom row has weapon and belt slots.



By default, the Party Inventory screen shows all items you've got. Since there is no carry limit that I know of, this tab will get very cluttered unless you use one of the sorting options.



The Character tab. Nothing super exciting here at this point, but might as well show it off for posterity. We've gained a grand total of 50 XP, which we earned by retrieving our gear from the footlocker. The Scripts option lets you choose from a few AI presets for your party members, but we'll take a look at that when it becomes a bit more relevant.



Alright, looking good. Hey Trask, check us out!



We should stick together; you'll have more success with a party than on your own.



And so, Trask joins us as our first party member!



We can have two party members following us around, and this screen is where you choose them. Obviously, at this point we only have Trask.





I know it's supposed to be the tutorial and all, but this just sounds awkward. Why not just say "Let me unlock the door"?



Anyway, let's take a look at Trask before we use him to unlock the door. He doesn't have any cool equipment for us to steal.



Here's Trask's character tab. We can see he's got a good amount of health, which will come in useful because Zila is made of paper at this point. I forgot to look at his skills and feats, but it doesn't really matter because he's not going to stick around for very long.



The right shoulder button (or the black button if you're on an original Xbox) switches party members. Right, Trask, get that door open!



Trask doesn't want to lead for some reason. Maybe he's just one of those people who prefers taking orders to giving them.



Okay then, let's move out.



We manage to take about three steps before we're interrupted by a message from Carth here. He wants us on the bridge, stat.



If he says things are bad, you better believe it. We have to get to the bridge to help defend Bastila! There's a map of the Endar Spire and a copy of Carth's message in your electronic journal, just in case we get separated.

Let's move out.



The white button, or the left shoulder button on later Xbox controllers, pauses the game, letting us issue commands to our party members without pressure. I totally meant to press the button here to show off the tutorial, I wasn't just pressing buttons randomly because I forgot which button did what.



Same here, obviously. In combat, we can queue up multiple actions such as combat feats or items, and Y is used for clearing queued actions.



Then there's Solo Mode. Make your own Han Solo or even Ben Solo jokes if you feel like it. Solo Mode lets you wander around as one of your party members while the rest stay behind, which can be useful for things like stealth or disarming mines but isn't really something you'd use all that often.



Alright, with all that out of the way, let's finally get going.



Wait, how is that door locked? That's the only way to our quarters, and presumably Trask came through that same door to get to us! Did he lock it behind him or something?



If I didn't know better, I'd assume there is no Sith ambush and Trask just woke us up because he realized he locked himself out of the rest of the ship.



In the next hallway, we encounter a Republic soldier fighting two Sith troopers.



Naturally, he gets gunned down.





Trask Ulgo, a true patriot. :911:







It's our first combat encounter, and that means more tutorials. While we can move around in combat, all the actual mechanics are based on dice rolls. Moving will also cancel your current combat action, so it's probably not a good idea to run around like a headless chicken.



These Sith go down easily, even with our crummy starting weapons and stats. If they get a couple of lucky hits in, they can take down Zila pretty quickly due to her abysmal HP pool but Trask should still be able to tank his way through each encounter at this point.



As we loot one of the dead Sith, we get to see a power conduit explode and take a utilty droid with it. There are many random explosions going on during this section, but all of them are purely for show.



KotOR had to run on the original Xbox, so the maps are split into smaller chunks with load screens in between. The game also autosaves on many zone transitions, but not all of them so you should save manually pretty often. Saving manually and in different slots is also recommended in general because this game can be somewhat glitchy, especially on Xbox. Of course, you don't need me to tell you that you should save often and in different slots. You've played CRPGs before, right? If you have fewer than 30 save files, you're doing it wrong.



Unsurprisingly, the next area contains more Sith trying to blast us. This one actually manages to land a hit, but fortunately it's only for 2 HP.



This footlocker contains a couple of swords and some frag grenades.



More importantly, it also contains a combat suit. More defense is very much appreciated.





Pushing forward, we run into more Republic and Sith soldiers engaged in combat.





One of the Republic soldiers gets unceremoniously blown up.



Another falls victim to this Sith trooper's double-bladed vibrosword.







As it turns out, the Sith don't care if one of their own guys gets blown up by a frag grenade along with the Republic soldiers.



We should probably heal just in case.



Since we do have some grenades and those Sith are grouped up like that, I think we all know what to do here.



Nice. Trask will easily mop up the survivors.



Oh look, more Sith soldiers. Seems to be a running theme. Nothing special about these guys, so we'll move on to the next door.



Yes, staying back does seem like a good idea in this situation. I wouldn't worry about getting in the way so much as getting chopped to bits by the Sith's lightsaber.



As we look on, the Jedi manages to slay her Sith opponent. Nice work, maybe she could tell us where to find Bastila, and even if she can't it'd still be handy to have a Jedi on our side.



Er... never mind then.



Maybe we could still retrieve her lightsaber? We're not trained or anything, but I'm sure we could still take down some Sith with it.



Sadly, no lightsaber for us. Must have been destroyed in the explosion. We do manage to find a vibration cell, which is a melee weapon upgrade part. Adrenal Strength, on the other hand, is a stimulant that boosts our strength temporarily. Stimulants are fairly easy to come by and the boosts they provide are very useful, so injecting yourself with enough drugs to kill a bantha is a viable strategy for many fights.



We've finally reached the bridge, so let's just head through this door and see what's waiting for us on the other side.



I should equip a melee weapon, too. Either that, or I'll have to stay back and use my blaster.

What if they have lightsabers?

Your melee weapon is made using a cortosis weave. It's strong enough to stand up against anything, even a lightsaber.

Ah, of course. Cortosis, the rare and super resistant metal that appears frequently in the Star Wars EU. It clearly wasn't that rare in 3,956 BBY, so all melee weapons we get our hands on are made using a cortosis weave.



Unfortunately, our pitiful STR means our noodle arms can barely lift a sword, let alone hit anything with it. Still, we'll equip the long sword because Trask won't let us progress if we don't equip a melee weapon.



Despite our lack of strength, we manage to do a decent amount of damage with the long sword and gain a level in the process. Leveling up restores all your health, so it can sometimes save your rear end.



The Sith want Bastila alive, but once she's off the ship there's nothing stopping them from blasting the Endar Spire into galactic dust!

Of course she wasn't on the bridge, that would've been too easy. And since Bastila's no longer on board, the Sith might blow up this hunk of junk any second now. Yep, escape pods it is.



You can let the game handle levelups if you prefer. Obviously, we won't do that for Zila because we want to have full control over her attributes, skills, and feats, but the auto level up feature can be handy for leveling up your other party members.



Grabbing another rank of Computer Use, as well as a couple of Awareness ranks.



For my level 2 feat, I select Two-Weapon Fighting because, well, I want to specialize in two-weapon fighting. Essentially, this means our attacks will whiff more often, but will dispatch enemies very quickly when they hit. Reducing the Attack penalty from dual-wielding applies to both melee and ranged, and the penalty is reduced further as you unlock the higher ranks of this feat.

I originally took some really lovely feats here, so I rerolled my character and got these instead. The rest of this update is from the original recording, but I just decided to show off the feats we're actually using for the playthrough.



The ship is still spinning out of control as the battle rages on outside. There is nothing we can do, so we'd better stop admiring the view and abandon ship before we go down with it.



So, off we go.



Yes, there usually is something behind a door. Excellent observation, Trask.



Okay, that is bad.



Was that Sith just going to stand in that tiny hallway and wait for someone to show up? What would've happened if Trask hadn't opened the door? That is not the way to the escape pods!



We may never know. However, what we do know is that Trask is toast. He certainly didn't need to heroically sacrifice himself so we could live, because again he could've just ignored that door and let Darth Whatever stand there like an idiot until the Endar Spire blows up, but that's just not how Trask rolls. He's going to sacrifice himself and that's that.



No time to mourn Trask even if we cared, because we need to get going.



Bastila's escape pod is away - you're the last surviving crew member of the Endar Spire! I can't wait for you much longer; you have to get to the escape pods!

Working on it, Carth!



Naturally, there are plenty of hostile Sith soldiers between us and Carth, and we're now on our own so we can't rely on Trask's bundles of HP any longer. I've actually managed to get a game over here on a previous playthrough, because you still don't have a lot of HP as a scoundrel and I think I also forgot to equip the combat suit.



I've played through this section more times than I can be bothered to count, and it definitely doesn't get more exciting on each playthrough.



You could reprogram the damaged assault droid to help you, if you have enough repair parts. Or you could use computer spikes to slice into the terminal and use the Endar Spire's security systems against the Sith.

Eh, it's just a few Sith. I'm sure we could take them. We've been doing fine thus far.



But since we have these computer spikes and repair parts, we might as well take a look.



First, the security console. Let's see what we are dealing with here.





Okay, that's not so good. Four regular troopers, and an elite trooper or officer of some sort in the red armor. For some reason, I thought for the longest time that the red-armored Sith just had the regular silver armor on the Xbox version, but clearly that is not the case.



Anyway, I'm going to hold on to my computer spikes because we'll need them later, so let's fix this droid instead.





We could activate the droid's shields with another four repair parts, but I'd rather hold on to those as well. Just engaging patrol mode is more than enough to handle the Sith in the next room.



Alright, droid, do your thing.



The droid proceeds to do its thing, quite efficiently too. We'd have gotten some extra XP if we had used the console to overload the conduit AND repaired the droid with the parts, but not so much that it'd have been worth all those computer spikes.



The Sith in the red armor had an ion blaster, which is normally useful against droids but didn't help him so much. He also had a prototype vibroblade, which is an upgrade over our long sword because it can be modified. We did pick up that vibration cell earlier, so we'll shove that into the vibroblade as soon as we can find a workbench.



Oh, hey Carth.





Bastila's escape pod's already gone, so there's no reason for us to stick around here and get shot by the Sith. Now come on - there'll be time for questions later!

Carth makes a good point. That is a sentence you will not see many times in these updates, but there it is.







For some reason, the game gives us an option to step away from the escape pod. I assume that's just in case you forgot to pick up some items or something, but I've never felt the need to use it. It'd be funny if choosing that option caused an instant game over, but I don't think it does that either.



Somehow, we've escaped the Endar Spire with our lives.



The Spire itself has fallen.



VIDEO: Crash Landing



While we may have gotten off the ship, that is still a very hard landing because some idiot decided to put a building in our way. Next time, we'll start our search for Bastila if the crash didn't kill us.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 21:16 on Jan 11, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Night10194 posted:

You know, having played D&D, watching you take a skill feat and then toughness in quick succession is a very painful experience.
Sorry about that. :eng99: I usually take a combat feat at the start and really have no idea why I chose Empathy this time, aside from the obvious reason of me being a complete moron. It doesn't matter that much anyway because this game is not difficult.

That said, now that you mention it I'm kinda tempted to start over and actually pick something sensible for those first feats this time. The only problem there is that I've already recorded about three hours of gameplay so far, although if I were to start over I'd of course be able to skip through dialogue and that kind of stuff so it'd be a lot faster.

quote:

E: It's been like ten years since I played KOTOR. I can't remember, do you get Feats more often than in D&D?
How often you get feats is apparently based on your character class. If I'm getting this right, Soldiers get feats every time they level up whereas Scouts and especially Scoundrels get them less often.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Dec 22, 2019

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


FoolyCharged posted:

Kotor save editor is super cool, and works on both games. Dunno how hard it is to port saves to and from the xbox version to make it work.
I think the save editor itself would work on the Xbox version, but the actual saves for backwards compatible Xbox and Xbox 360 games are stored on the Microsoft cloud so getting access to those is probably going to be difficult if not impossible.

mateo360 posted:

Oh hey, and no GMArcturus to get pissy at you this time :V
My original LP of this wasn't very good and I realized it wasn't working out (playing the restored content mod was a big mistake because all of that stuff was cut for a reason), so he kinda did me a favor by giving me an excuse to abandon it. Now that I've got more experience with SSLPs, I can actually give it a proper go. Well, it'd also help if I was vaguely competent at the game itself, but at least I now know how to put together an LP! :v:

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


I've replayed the first couple of hours of the game, and this time my build choices are a bit more sensible at least in the long term. That being said, Zila is now even less durable than she was the first time around, so if I get the opportunity I'll probably grab at least one rank of Toughness later on because we are going to need that extra HP at some point.

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Fivemarks posted:

Urgh. Why does every LP of KOTOR have to go with a female scoundrel? What next, you're going Dark Side too?
I already said this is a light side playthrough!

As for why every LP of KotOR has a female scoundrel as the main character, I have no idea because I've never really watched or read any of them (or, to be more specific, I always lose interest after the first episode because they're always dark side playthroughs and I don't have any interest in watching some rear end in a top hat shake down every inhabitant of the galaxy for their lunch money). I always roll a scoundrel character because their skillset is more interesting than the basic meathead soldier or whatever the scout is supposed to be, and I chose a female character because my previous one (not the one in the abandoned LP) was a dude. I guess I could always start over as a male soldier! (I will not start over as a male soldier)

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Dec 22, 2019

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 2: The Mysterious Stranger



Alright, before we get started, I should note that I've rerolled my character because the feats we picked in the last update were pretty dumb. I also decided to move two points from Constitution to Strength, because we do want to be at least vaguely competent at melee combat early on. We'll be doing a lot of it, even though at this stage I'll mostly be using blasters since their Attack modifier is based on our DEX. The feats I took this time (Flurry and Two-Weapon Fighting) have been added to the first update.

With that preparation out of the way, let's get back to where we were.



We seem to have found a bed and are moving, which would imply we weren't killed when our escape pod crashed. That's good news at least, even if Zila seems to be having bad dreams judging from the way she's thrashing about.

VIDEO: A Strange Dream







Well, perhaps not bad dreams per se, but certainly strange dreams.



Zila stirs awake, unsure what to make of her dream about lightsaber fights.



I'm Carth, one of the Republic soldiers from the Endar Spire. l was with you on the escape pod, do you remember?

Of course we remember. Who could forget Carth?





We're in an abandoned apartment on the planet of Taris. You were banged up pretty bad when our escape pod crashed, but luckily I wasn't seriously hurt. l was able to drag you away from our crash site in all the confusion, and I stumbled onto this abandoned apartment. By the time the Sith arrived on the scene we were long gone.

I guess I owe you my life. Thanks.

You don't have to thank me. I've never abandoned anyone on a mission, and I'm not about to start now. Besides, I'm going to need your help. Taris is under Sith control. Their fleet is orbiting the planet, they've declared martial law and they've imposed a planet-wide quarantine. But I've been in worse spots. I saw on your service records that you understand a remarkable number of alien languages. That's pretty rare in a raw recruit, but it should come in handy while we're stranded on a foreign world. There's no way the Republic will be able to get anyone through the Sith blockade to help us. If we're going to find Bastila and get off this planet, we can't rely on anybody but ourselves.

I don't know, Carth. That does sound like a pretty bad spot. Still, at least we can make some use of our extensive alien language skills we've picked up in our travels around the Outer Rim.



Zila still isn't sure why Bastila is so important. We know she was our commanding officer on the Endar Spire, but we just lost the entire crew of that ship. Certainly, it'd suck if she died, but what's the big deal about her that makes it so crucial for us to find her?



Bastila is the key to the whole Republic war effort. The Sith must have found out she was on the Endar Spire and set an ambush for us in this system. I believe Bastila was on one of the escape pods that crashed down here on Taris. For the sake of the Republic war effort, we have to try and find her.

How can one person, even a Jedi, be so important?

Bastila is no ordinary Jedi. She has a rare gift the Jedi call Battle Meditation. Bastila's power can influence entire armies. Through the Force Bastila can inspire her allies with confidence and make her enemies lose their will to fight. Often, that's all it takes to tip the balance in a battle. Of course, there are limits to what she can do. But from what I understand of her ability, it requires great concentration and focus to maintain her Battle Meditation. The attack on the Endar Spire happened so fast she never had a chance to use her Battle Meditation. Like us, she barely got out alive.

Battle Meditation is a Force power in KotOR II, but in that game it can be used instantly in any fight. Presumably, that version of the power is much weaker than what Bastila is capable of, and consequently doesn't require as much effort.





Nobody will be looking for a couple of common soldiers like us. And if we're careful we can move about the planet without attracting notice; a luxury Bastila won't have. She's going to have half the Sith fleet looking for her. They know how important she is to the war effort. The whole planet is under quarantine. No ships can land or take-off. So if Bastila's going to escape Taris, she's going to need our help. And we'll probably need hers.

Having a Jedi with us would certainly help, although we're not sure how we are supposed to get off this rock with the Sith quarantine in place. Somehow, I doubt they'd let us leave if we asked nicely.



While you were out I did some scouting around. There are reports of a couple escape pods crashing down into the Undercity. That's probably a good place to start. But the Undercity is a dangerous place. We don't want to go in there unprepared. It won't do Bastila any good if we go and get ourselves killed.

Not much to go on, but it's a lead so we might as well follow it and see where it gets us.



First off, though, let's ask Carth a couple of questions. This is completely optional, but learning a bit more about the game's backstory and the planet we're on is always useful.

I'll tell you whatever I can, though I...l don't know how much help it'll be.

What do you know about Malak and the Sith?

Everything I know about Malak is pretty much common knowledge. He escaped the trap that killed Darth Revan, his Sith Master. With Revan's death, Malak became the new Dark Lord. It's obvious that Malak's a ruthless tyrant who'll crush anyone who stands in his way... just like Revan was. Experience has shown that the Sith won't stop until the Republic lies in ruins. Malak and his Sith don't respect anything except raw, brutal power. It's hard to imagine how someone who used to be a Jedi could become such a monster!

A Jedi? What do you mean?

Malak and Revan were once both part of the Jedi Order, but they were young and headstrong. And against the wishes of the Council they went to battle the Mandalorians on the Outer Rim. Something happened out there. Something corrupted them and drew them over to the dark side. Or maybe there was something rotten inside them all along. I don't know. They formed an army of ex-Republic soldiers and Jedi who had fallen to the dark side, with Revan at their head... until Revan was killed by Bastila's Jedi strike team.

The Mandalorian Wars and Revan and Malak's role in them are explored in more detail in KotOR II. We'll get some more lore about that period in this game as well, but KotOR II is where it really gets fleshed out.



"Or was it the Outer Wilds? I always get those two confused."



Taris was once a magnificent planet-wide metropolis of towering skyscrapers. But that was a long time ago. The Upper City, where the rich citizens live, is...is still pretty safe. If it wasn't for the Sith occupation and the planet-wide quarantine it might not even be that bad a place to live. But farther down things have degenerated. The...the Lower City is nothing but a slum overrun by swoop-bike gangs waging a never-ending war for control. And the Undercity is, well, even worse. The lowest level of Taris is a wasteland overrun by rakghouls; mindless, diseased mutants that attack on sight. I've already entered all this info into your data-pad journal.

And of course, we're heading to the Undercity at the first opportunity.



I understand why you want to know more about me; l...l kinda get the feeling we'll be spending a lot of time together over the next while. But this isn't really the best time for long introductions; we should stay focused on the task at hand. There'll be time for that later.

Fair enough. We can always learn more about Carth later on.



Good idea. We can use this abandoned apartment as a base, and we can probably get some equipment and supplies here in the Upper City. Just remember to keep a low profile.

Somehow, I get the feeling that trouble's going to find us no matter how hard we try to keep a low profile. That's how these things tend to go.



But I figure if we don't do anything stupid we should be okay. I mean, after all, they're... they're looking for Bastila, not a couple of grunts like us. Alright, soldier, let's move out.

We would prefer to keep our mind where it is, so we'll be careful.



The abandoned apartment will serve as our home base on Taris. There's not much of interest in the apartment, just this locker and the workbench next to it.



We did pick up that vibration cell earlier, so let's go ahead and put that in our prototype vibroblade.



Obviously, we can also upgrade other weapons and armor, but those options are greyed out since we don't have the necessary components.



A nice +1 bonus to damage, bringing the total damage bonus of our vibroblade to +2. Nothing spectacular, but every bit helps.



That's all we can do here, so let's head out.





I like how he just stares at you in this shot. "drat right you will have to take me, and there's nothing you can do about it!" We wouldn't leave him behind even if we could, though. Carth is not a fan favorite character, to say the least, but I don't mind him. Besides, another party member fighting alongside us always comes in handy.



So, let's take Carth along and get going.



Oh, fantastic. We get out of the apartment and can't even take two steps without running straight into a Sith officer.



One of the Duros talks back to the Sith.



That turns out to be a bad idea.





They're Republic fugitives! Attack!

So much for keeping a low profile, I suppose.



We could end this fight instantly by tossing a grenade at the Sith and his droid friends, but they're so weak anyway that there is really no reason to do so.



Hell, the surviving Duros manages to land the killing blow. That's some nice XP, by the way.



This isn't the first time the Sith have come here to cause trouble for us, but hopefully it will be the last.

Won't someone come searching for this patrol?

Don't worry about the bodies. I will move them so it looks like they were killed elsewhere. That should throw the Sith off the track. With any luck, they won't be bothering us again for a while.



The Sith officer has some decent loot on him, including a bunch of grenades and stimulants as well as a blaster rifle. The blaster rifle is an upgrade over our basic blaster pistol and has increased range, but it also sells for 120 credits so I'm going to offload it the first chance I get.



We can enter the various apartments in the complex, but most of them don't have anything exciting. So, we'll ignore them for now and have a chat with this Twi'lek instead.





Gotta love those dialogue options. Either you're an overly formal goober or a petulant 5-year-old. But yes, this is Larrim and he runs a store here at the apartments.





Might as well hear the sales pitch. We could just tell him we know everything we need to know about energy shields, but he's actually got some pretty interesting lore for us so we'll give it a listen.

When you use one it surrounds you with a radiant aura-particle mesh that absorbs blaster bolts. Pretty handy in a fight. The shield even protects against Iightsabers, or so I hear. The shields aren't perfect, of course. They can only absorb so much energy damage before they burn out, and ion blasters will take your basic dueling shield down pretty quick.

And I can tell you from experience that they aren't any good at all against a simple vibroblade. That's why the Republic has been training soldiers in hand-to-hand and melee combat.

I've heard rumors of the Echani using shields like this, but I never saw anything like them around here. Not until the Sith came. Where they discovered the technology is anybody's guess. The shields are too rare and too expensive to hand out to an entire army, but a shielded strike team can take out a whole battalion of soliders armed with conventional blasters. It gave the Sith a huge edge in the early battles, but it wasn't long before the Republic was able to copy the technology and come up with energy shields of their own. Now both sides are scrambling to come up with new weapons to slice right through the shields, but until they do you're going to see melee combat coming back to the forefront in this war.

There we have our explanation why so many people fight with melee weapons in KotOR. It's not just because it's 4,000 years in the past, but also because energy shields are so powerful and prevalent that blasters might not do the trick as effectively as you'd hope. This also means that melee combat might just be a better bet for us as well, since plenty of enemies use energy shields and blasters won't do anything to them for the first few turns. Larrim also mentioned the Echani, who are a warrior race we'll learn more about in the sequel. In KotOR 1, we just get a bunch of Echani gear which is quite fancy.



You want to see what I have in stock? I know my kiosk isn't much to look at, but my prices are reasonable and the merchandise is sound.

Why do you have a kiosk set up here?

I run a little shop here in this old building, selling basic equipment to the illegal aliens renting out these apartments.

You mentioned something about illegal aliens living here.

By law, most aliens aren't allowed to have a residence in the Upper City of Taris. They allow a few of us Twi'leks up here, but for the most part it's humans only. But no self-respecting Upper City human would want to live in the apartments in this dump. So the landlord has been renting out the apartments illegally to aliens. Better than letting them sit empty, I guess. Otherwise you get squatters and peopIe hiding out from the authorities living in the abandoned apartments, and they don't pay rent.

Aren't you worried about getting caught?

The Taris authorities pretty much turned a blind eye to this place. A few illegal aliens just weren't worth the bother. And once the Sith took over, they felt the same way. Besides, I don't live here myself. I just run a small business providing supplies to the residents. You want to see what I have in stock?

Right, so Taris has always been kind of a shithole full of racists, and the Sith just continued along the same lines. I will have to call bullshit on Larrim's claim about the Sith not caring about this place, because we just saw what happened back there with the Duros.



Further along, we run into this gentleman.



Well, alright then. No hard feelings. My name's Kadir. I'm the janitor for this building. You must be the new tenant here, right? I never thought they'd rent that abandoned apartment. Hmmm.... you look like an off-worlder. What happened, you get stuck here because of the quarantine? Can't see any other reason someone would want to rent that old apartment.

I want to ask you some questions.

Don't know how much I can tell you, but seeing as how you're new here I guess I can try and help you out.

Tell me about Taris.

Decent enough place to live, I guess. Except for the lower levels. That's where the swoop gangs hang out. Just stay in the Upper City and you'll be fine. You also might want to check out the cantina. I used to go there when l was younger. Good place to get a drink and find out what's going on in the Upper City.

Where is the cantina?

Just keep following the apartment complex ring until you come to the elevator. It'll take you out to the Upper City streets. From there just head south a ways. You can't miss it.

Kadir finds the Upper City a pretty decent place and doesn't even mention the treatment of the aliens.



Well, the best place to go is probably Kebla Yurt's store. She's right across from the cantina, so you can stop in for a drink if you get thirsty while you're shopping.

What do you think of the Sith and this quarantine?



I prefer to keep to myself, mostly. But there's plenty of people at the cantina who'll be more than happy to tell you what they think about the Sith and their quarantine.

Yeah, he doesn't give a poo poo.



We'll just leave Kadir to his cleaning.



Let's get out of here and check out that cantina. Maybe someone there knows about the escape pods.



KotOR has a limited fast travel mechanic that allows us to instantly travel to our base and back. While the game is telling us the function is disabled in most action and combat areas, that mostly refers to dungeons. Areas such as the Lower City, which as we'll soon see is crawling with swoop gang members, allow us to fast travel just fine and I... might make use of that on a couple of occasions.



Anyway, welcome to the Upper City of Taris. The area is not that massive and only has two main zones, as well as two apartment buildings and a few businesses including the cantina. Just offscreen to the right is our crashed escape pod, but there's nothing to see there so we'll just move on.



Well, we would move on if Carth didn't have something to say.



Yes? What's on your mind?

I'd like to know some more about you, Carth.

Me? Well, I've been a star-pilot for the Republic for years. I've seen more than my share of wars... I fought in the Mandalorian Wars before all this started. But with all that, I've never experienced anything like the slaughter these Sith animals can unleash. Not even the Mandalorians were that senseless. My home world was one of the first planets to fall to Malak's fleet. The Sith bombed it into submission, and there wasn't a drat thing our Republic forces could do to stop them!

I'm sorry, Carth. This must be very painful for you.

I'm just a soldier; I go where the fleet Admirals tell me to. I follow my orders and I do my duty. It just... *sigh* doesn't seem right that doing that means I failed them! I didn't!



Yes. No... no, that's not what I mean. I mean... I'm sorry. I'm not making much sense, am I? You probably mean well with your questions. I'm just not accustomed to talking about my past very much. At all, actually. I'm more used to taking action... keeping my mind focused on the business at hand. So let's just do that. If you have more questions, ask them later.

Oh, we will. We'll be hearing a lot more about Carth and his past as we make our way through the game.



For now, though, we'll head to the cantina. Maybe we won't find out anything about Bastila, but at least we'll be able to get a stiff drink. It's been an extremely rough day.



Cozy. Let's go and introduce ourselves to the nearest person.



Uh, right. Pazaak (not to be confused with sabacc, which is another card game in the Star Wars universe) is the primary minigame of KotOR, and we'll get an introduction to it very soon. That guy in the red shirt, by the way, is the self-styled greatest pazaak player on Taris, and we'll ignore him.



This older guy, on the other hand, we do want to talk to. Well, I normally wouldn't, but this is a special case.



Just fifty credits and I'll sell you all my cards. I'll even throw in a free lesson to boot. It's a great deal, if you can afford it.

See, talking to him and spending 50 credits on his deck is how we get started with pazaak. I'm not going to actually play pazaak, but I do at least want to show it off once.



My name's Garouk. I used to be a card shark - one of the best Pazaak players on the Outer Rim. But that was before I retired from the gambling life.

You're giving up gambling? Why?

Don't get me wrong, the game's been good to me over the years. I've traveled the span of the galaxy, from the Core Worlds to the farthest reaches of the Outer Rim. I've won countless fortunes... and lost countless more. But that was long ago, and things have changed. Gambling is a young man's game. That's why I'm looking to get out. My offer still stands - fifty credits gets you my old Pazaak deck and a free lesson. A great offer if you can afford it.

Sure, I'll buy your deck.

How could I possibly refuse?



Good luck. I hope the game's as good to you as it was to me. Now, is there anything else I can do for you?

I'd like a Pazaak lesson.

I'll just let the in-game tutorial take over for a moment.







Not really, but those are literally all of my cards so I don't have much of a choice.





Pazaak is space blackjack. Sabacc is more along the lines of space poker.









Well, we certainly don't have any negative cards at the moment, so this advice is useless to us right now.





Do not accidentally pick End Turn when you mean to pick Stand. Or vice versa, I guess. In both cases, you'll probably be screwed.



Okay, cool. Let's get on with this.





Hey, that wasn't too bad.



I take that back. I'd like to blame the computer for cheating, because it tends to do that, but in this case I had this in the bag until I accidentally selected End Turn instead of Stand and lost what would've been an easy win. Then I proceeded to lose the next two sets as well. Oops. Well, hopefully you enjoyed this introduction to pazaak, because this is the only time we'll be seeing it in this LP.



Well, that didn't go so well, but at least it was just a lesson so we didn't lose any credits. Let's go and talk to this person next.



You're from the military base? You don't look like one of the Sith.

I don't wear my uniform when I'm off duty. It's not allowed. In fact, anyone in uniform is banned from entering the cantina.

Aren't we technically in uniform right now? At least Carth is, I'm pretty sure.



The officers don't even like it when we show up here off duty. Don't like us fraternizing with the locals, I guess. But it gets pretty stale hanging around the base all the time. Besides, the Sith don't own me. Being a soldier in their fleet is just a job, you know? A job with long hours and low pay, I might add.

Not to mention a good chance of getting shot by us!



When I signed up I was promised adventure and excitement in exotic locales. Instead, I end up stationed at a military base on some backwater planet on the fringes of the galaxy. If I could just find some other way to earn some credits I could give this lousy job up. Retire my uniform, so to speak.

I'll be going now.

Oh... Okay. See you around. Say, do me a favor and don't repeat all the stuff I just told you. It might not go over well with my superiors.

That wasn't very informative. Let's try another one of the patrons.



That's not too useful either.



Tarisian Noble: Get away from me - I can't be seen talking with the common rabble. It wouldn't be proper for a man of my standing.





I knew this game was pretty bad about reusing character models, but they're not even trying to hide it here.



What do you think of our local music? The band is quite good, wouldn't you agree? They're on the verge of intergalactic stardom, you know.

It's different, but I like it.

Obviously you have an ear for music. Mark my words, they'll be famous soon enough. They were about to go on tour before this Sith quarantine stranded them here. Would you like to meet the band after the show? Maybe have a brief brush with fame before they become intergalactic superstars? I can arrange it, you know.

Eh, that's okay. We have more important things to do than meet some random band.



Are you certain? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity - meet the legends before they were famous. All it will cost you is a small handful of credits. I have a standing arrangement with one of the Rodian bodyguards backstage. For the small sum of 20 credits he'll let me set up a meeting with you and the band.

Sounds like you're running a scam to me.

Okay, so this is obviously a scam as Zila pointed out, and a lousy one at that. 20 credits? Seriously? You can't even buy anything with that.



That's too bad. They really are charming fellows. Very well, then - I hope you enjoy the music. If you change your mind come speak with me again.

If you pay him the 20 credits, he runs off to "arrange the meeting." Afterwards, a woman who was fooled by him earlier comes up to you and tells you you were scammed.



In the opposite corner, we have another gentleman with the same outfit as the last two guys. Must be in style this winter. Anyway, he is another Sith officer, just like the woman we talked to earlier.



Same dialogue options here, as well.



Nice to meet you, Yun. I'm Zila Galcyon.

I'm actually surprised you're talking to me at all... most of the people here on Taris can't stand us Sith. It can make this a pretty lonely job.

I wonder why people around here would have a problem with the Sith. It's not like they conquered the planet or anything... I mean... err... right.



Oh, great... I can see where this is going: the Sith are evil; why did I join them; blah, blah, blah. I don't need a lecture from the likes of you.

You seem pretty touchy about this. Maybe you feel a little guilty about what you do.

Maybe we shouldn't antagonize the Sith, but you know what? gently caress these guys. We could get an invite to a Sith party where they no doubt would show us how to party like it's 19 BBY, but a Sith party is the last place we want to be at this moment in time.



I don't think we have much else to say to each other. Let's just keep this civil and go our separate ways, okay?

We could talk to Yun again and apologize if we really wanted to go to that party, but we're not going so this is the last we'll see of him.



So far, we haven't had much luck finding information in this cantina. Let's see if there's anyone in this area who might be able to help.



I hate this planet.



*whisper* Careful what you say. I get the feeling this spoiled brat could cause us more trouble than she's worth.





You know what, let's just play along. I don't feel like causing a scene, even if this person must be impossibly stupid to mistake a heavily armed soldier in a combat uniform for waitstaff.





I swear this planet is populated by clones. Are we sure we're not on Kamino? Anyway, all's well that ends well. If you fail the Persuade check, she will run off and you'll have to fight some of her hired thugs outside the cantina when you leave.



One more room to check.





Hm, wonder what this is all about. They did mention fighting, so maybe something interesting is happening. Also, there's yet another NPC with the same outfit. You could probably make a drinking game out of this, but you probably shouldn't because you'd die of alcohol poisoning very quickly.





Well, let's check out this fight then. The spectators didn't seem to think it was going to be too exciting, but maybe the combatants will surprise us and put on a good show.





What kind of name is that?



That at least sounds like an acceptable name for a duelist.



Cue "The Grand Duel" by Luis Bacalov. Or maybe not.







I'm no duelist or an expert on dueling, but dropping your weapon as you draw it probably isn't a good thing.





Nope, definitely not good.







I wouldn't celebrate too much, Gerlon. That was sad for everyone involved.



Let's see if the duel spectators have anything to say about the five-star classic we just witnessed.





Apparently not.



Twitch here was the female spectator's favorite. Maybe he'll have some fun anecdotes to share from his dueling career.



:stare:





:staredog:



We'll just leave him to it, I think.



Bye, Twitch. Maybe Deadeye Duncan is more of a conversationalist.



Who are you?

l'm Deadeye Duncan, the number five ranked duelist in this cantina. You must have seen me in the dueling chambers, right?

You're the number five ranked duelist? Out of how many?

Uh... five. But it's an elite group, okay? It's not like just anyone can step into the dueling chamber! Well, actually anyone can... but not many do!

You don't look so tough. I think I could beat you in a duel.

Big talk. Go speak with the Hutt in the corner to back it up - he's the Duel Organizer. I'll look forward to our match. Fresh meat is just what I need to end my losing streak!

Our combat prowess isn't exactly our biggest strength, but even then we should probably hang up our guns forever if we were to lose to Deadeye here. Before we sign up for a match, though, we should talk to the other duelists as well.



I want to step into the ring.

Good to see some new blood in the fight game. Things have gotten pretty stale around here lately. If you're serious about this go talk to Ajuur the Hutt. He's the Duel Organizer. He'll probably start a rookie like you out against Duncan.

Will do. Two more competitors to talk to first, though.





I'm just here to take care of business in the dueling ring. For some reason every woman who comes in here thinks we should have some kind of female bond. Guess what? We don't!

Wow - that was cold!

Now you know why they call me Ice. If you're looking for a match, go talk to the Ajuur. He's that big Hutt over there in the corner. Otherwise, just go away.



Surely there has to be one person in this room who'll give us the time of day.



Were you expecting me?

No, we've never met. It's just that most people who come here to watch the duels are bored nobles looking for a little excitement in their drab lives. But you're different. You look like you know a thing or two about combat. I'm guessing you didn't come here to sit on the sidelines and watch a duel. Are you looking for a match?



Well, we have killed plenty of Sith recently, so you could say we know a little bit about combat. Marl here does seem a lot friendlier than the others, so let's see if he could tell us something about the duels.



If you're interested in setting up a match - or if you want to place a wager - just go speak to Ajuur. He's that Hutt over in the corner. He'll make all the arrangements.

Goodbye.

Goodbye, stranger. Maybe we'll talk again later.



That's enough chatting, time to get signed up for some fights. The other duelists mentioned Ajuur here handles all the booking, so he should be able to get us set up.



My name is Ajuur. I organize all the duels here. We need a new face in the dueling game, human. Maybe you want step into the duel ring? It can be a highly profitable venture.

I might be interested - what's in this for me?

I can arrange for you to fight in the duel ring. If you win, you get the standard contract: 10% of all wagers. And don't worry, nobody dies in the duel ring anymore. Death matches are illegal now. Most fighters in the duel ring use vibroblades or stun sticks because the ring's pretty small, but a few of the duelists use blasters. Use whichever you prefer.

That seems somewhat... irresponsible.



Carth would agree.



Well, sure, but what is this nonsense about ten percent? We deserve more than that.





No, you get the same as all the others - ten percent. That's my final offer.

It was worth a shot. I don't think you can actually succeed at that Persuade check no matter what you do.





You're an off-worlder. You're new here, people won't recognize you... I know! From now on in the duel ring you'll be the Mysterious Stranger!

That's a terrible name!



That's what I said!



The Mysterious Stranger is a perfect name for you. You've got no past, no history... it makes you seem like you have some big, dark secret. People like that. Makes them bet more.

Still, "Mysterious Stranger"? Come on, put some effort into it.



Who said anything about real names? I was thinking more along the lines of "Silver Phoenix" or something cool like that.



I'm ready for a duel.

Yes! You fight and people bet and I make money! It's all good. Only one rule - nobody dies. Your opponent goes down, you don't finish them off. Death matches are illegal now. You new at this, so I'll start you off easy. You get to fight Deadeye Duncan. Are you ready to go into the ring now?

Let's do it.







You know, that does sound kind of cool when the announcer puts it like that.







That was slightly anticlimactic, not gonna lie. Sure, it was Deadeye so you can't expect much, but that was downright shameful.



Announcer: But really, are any of us surprised? Deadeye losing isn't news. You have to do better than that to impress us, Stranger!



Despite the less than impressive fight, we did gain enough XP to level up. No feats this time around, all we've got is a few skill points to invest.



I keep investing in Persuade and Security like a proper scoundrel, and also put two points into Demolitions because even though I don't plan to specialize in that skill, it'll still be handy to be able to disarm the occasional mine without having a Demolitions expert in the party.



We also unlock the next tier of Sneak Attack, increasing the attack bonus on stunned or otherwise immobilized opponents.



Gerlon isn't too impressed by our performance. Can't really blame him for that.



Wow - you sure have a bad attitude.

Gee, I wonder why? Couldn't have anything to do with being the WORST duelist on Taris, could it? Even a rookie like you got the better of me! Look, I admit it - you're better than me. Everyone is better than me! A blindfolded, one-legged tach with a rusty knife could probably beat me, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear? You satisfied yet? Are you happy now that you've taken the last shred of dignity I have?

Yep, that's about right.



Slime-rat.

I realize it's bad form to rub your victory in the loser's face, but Deadeye was talking so much trash earlier that he kinda deserves it.



I always pay my debts. You won, so you get paid. Ten percent of the purse - that was the deal. Here's your credits. You come see me when you're ready to fight again.



100 credits isn't too bad for that level of effort.



You fought well last time. People like you, Stranger. They bet lots on your last fight. They'll bet more on your next fight. You get ten percent, same as always. You handled Duncan pretty well. I think you're ready to fight Gerlon Two-Fingers. Just remember - Gerlon uses blasters in the ring sometimes. You ready to step into the arena?

I'm not sure if we're actually strong enough to take on Gerlon at this point, but might as well give it a shot anyway.



Our introduction is the same as last time, so I cut that out. Let's see how we do against Gerlon in the fight itself.



Gah! Not very well, it turns out. This calls for desperate measures.



If you use healing items from the inventory menu, it's faster than using them normally via the combat interface. This can save your rear end in an emergency. It's also very obviously cheating.





Announcer: Gerlon losing to a rookie: is this a sign that his injuries have finally caught up with him? Or is the Mysterious Stranger for real? Only time will tell!



That was not even remotely "fair and square", Gerlon.



In any event, we'll go grab our winnings from Ajuur. We don't stand a chance against the other duelists at the moment, but we'll be back. Right now, though, it's time to head back to the Upper City. Next time we'll see if we can actually get any closer to finding Bastila.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 21:18 on Jan 11, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


rchandra posted:

Is Suvam Tam in this version?
Technically he is, but the Yavin station was free DLC in the Xbox release and can no longer be downloaded so unfortunately we're not going to see him or get any of the items he sells.

FoolyCharged posted:

Out of curiosity are you planning to do the bug associated with the end of the dueling quest line?
I had to look up what this glitch was just now because I had never heard of it, so that would be a no since I've already recorded the entire Taris part of the game. :v:

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 11:14 on Dec 24, 2019

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Das Panzer posted:

This brings back memories.

As a mechanical question, is there any real difference between the console version and the PC version of KOTOR? I've owned it on PC forever, but I'd be interested to know if there's any particular benefit to running it on console or if it's more down to personal preference.
There isn't any real difference between the two versions. The PC version looks a bit nicer, includes the Yavin station which was DLC on Xbox, and has some bug fixes but that's really the extent of it.

The PC port is my preferred version of KotOR, and the main reason I'm playing the Xbox version is simply that it's easier to record on my setup. The PC version switches display modes whenever it plays an FMV, which isn't too hard to work around if you're just playing the game but can wreak havoc on capture programs, as I discovered on my previous attempt at this LP (some programs didn't even need the game to play an FMV, they'd just cut off the recording when there was a loading screen or in-game cutscene). Playing the game in windowed mode usually helps, but since I'm now on a 4K screen the game window is basically the size of a postage stamp. For some reason all the scaling options for swkotor.exe are greyed out as well. There's probably some way to sort this out, but I figured it was a lot simpler to just stick with the Xbone in this case.

Cooked Auto posted:

I think the PC version has some objections with modern hardware and the resolution options are very non-widescreen compliant.
Basically this, yes. There exist widescreen mods and such to improve things, but the end result is still a bit janky no matter what so I didn't want to deal with that stuff.

e: I gave the PC version another shot with the widescreen patch and upscaled HUD elements and FMVs installed. Runs pretty well all things considered, but the only way I can actually record it is with OBS window capture and that's not exactly optimal, and even then it won't record the FMVs. Even with the patches, the UI at higher resolutions is also super tiny, so you would need a magnifying glass to read the text in the screenshots. It's a bit of a mess. This is all academic anyway because I am NOT playing through Taris again anytime soon. :v: (well I suppose I could use my Xbox footage for the next few updates and then use the Skip Taris mod and switch to the PC version, but the UI/font size would be a huge problem)

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Dec 26, 2019

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Regalingualius posted:

BioWare didn’t get bought by EA until some time before ME2 (I forget if Dragon Age 1 was their last game pre-buyout).
Dragon Age was post-buyout. I mostly remember this because of the THIS IS THE NEW poo poo trailer and the way the game keeps pestering you to buy DLC.

The PC port of Mass Effect 1 was the first BioWare game with EA branding, although that port was actually developed by a different studio.

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 3: Friends in Low Places



Last time, we had a couple of informative chats with Carth, and visited the cantina to mingle with the locals and start our illustrious career as a professional duelist. "Fight for the honor, fight for the splendor," as they say. Frankly, I'm not so sure about the honor and splendor at this point, but we did earn a nice amount of credits from our two fights so let's visit Kebla Yurt's Equipment Emporium and see if she's got anything worth buying.



You looking to buy some supplies? My shop's the largest one in all of Upper Taris. Best selection on the planet. Whatever you need, I've got. Well, mostly.

Mostly? What do you mean by that?

The Sith confiscated all my heavy weapons. And they impounded all my ships and swoop bikes. But I've still got a real nice selection, if you're interested.

Let me see what you've got for sale.

Ah, just so you know, the prices on the items are final - no bargaining here. This isn't a swap meet, ok? I only deal in top notch stuff.



Kebla's got some nice weapons and armor for sale, although some of the better armor in particular is too expensive and we can find even better stuff for free pretty soon. I thought about picking up the Echani Ritual Brand, which is a double-bladed melee weapon and quite powerful, but our dual-wielding isn't good enough yet to make it worth it. So, I'll leave this one for later.



This, however, we will pick up right now. At the moment, we don't know what we need it for, but... well, something tells us a permacrete detonator might come in handy soon. Call it a hunch or a vibration in the Force, or something.



Finally, we'll grab some medpacs because we had to use a few in our last fight.



That's all we're gonna get from Kebla right now. Let's head back out.



Again? Okay then Carth, what's up?





:wtc:

Carth. Carth, please. I don't like where this is going.



We'll tell him as much.



Yeah, I've got some ideas.



That'd be chief among them.



loving hell, Carth! This is why everyone hates you. Well, maybe not just this specific thing because most players probably choose the male protagonist, but it certainly doesn't help matters.





I assumed Carth was over 12 years old, but I'm no longer so sure about that.





Carth. Carth, please stop.



Well, at least we get to call him a sexless marsh-toad. That's something, I suppose. We could also just have told him this was ridiculous instead of insulting him.



I don't want to hate on Carth too much because everyone does that, but he's making it really difficult to resist.



If you find Carth's antics charming for some reason, you can tell him as much. We'll just keep telling him he's out of line, not that he's going to smarten up anytime soon.



I just would like to know you better.

Oh. Well, if it's an interrogation you wanted, why didn't you say so?

This isn't an interrogation. I never said that.

No, l was just joking, though you do seem to be full of questions. It's rather refreshing, to be honest. Let me ask you something first, though. I've been going through the battle aboard the Endar Spire over and over in my head since we crashed. Some things just don't add up for me. Maybe you could tell me what happened... from your perspective.

Well, we woke up when half the ship blew up, then me and Trask fought our way through a small army of Sith, and Trask decided to sacrifice himself for no reason.





We lost the ship and a lot of good people... and for what? On the hope that Jedi powers would save us, somehow. Not that Bastila had much of an opportunity to act. We didn't choose that battle, anyway. It got forced on us. Hell, I'm just surprised that any of us are alive to talk about it. Come to think of it, it's more than a little surprising that you happen to be here, isn't it? Just what is your position with the Republic fleet, anyway?

I used to be a smuggler, if you must know. I was recruited into the fleet for my knowledge.

A smuggler? I should have guessed. Isn't it odd, however, that a smuggler who was added to the crew at the last minute just happens to be alive?

Are you implying *I* had something to do with the crash?



What?



Carth's paranoia aside, the apparent fact Bastila requested us aboard the Endar Spire is rather odd. Why would she do that? And why weren't we informed?



Considering your connection to Bastila and the Jedi... whether you know it or not... your presence here seems a little convenient. I'm probably wrong and this is probably nothing, I know. I learned a long time ago not to take things at face value, however. And I *hate* surprises.

It's like he expects us to betray him or something.



I expect you're right. I've got no real reason to suspect you of anything. Still... it's better to be safe than sorry, right?

You do know we're on the same side, right?

Look... it has nothing to do with you, personally. I don't trust anyone, and l have my reasons. And, no, I'm not going to discuss them. So can we just keep our mind on more important things?

You haven't heard the last from me on this.

Alright, alright. You must be the most damned persistent woman I've ever met. We'll talk about it... but later. Right now I just want to get going.

Another stimulating conversation with Carth Onasi. We will learn more about him and discover that he does have a valid reason to be the way he is (at least in terms of not trusting people, not so much his questionable attempts at hitting on the female protagonist), but until then we'll have to deal with more passive aggressive bullshit. Maybe Carth wouldn't be so hated if all this stuff wasn't so front-loaded, but as it is you'll have to deal with it for many hours before he finally explains what his loving problem is. That doesn't exactly endear him to the player, especially when you also have to deal with him being a pushy creep.



But with that out of the way, let's continue on. There are two more doors at the other end of the map. The one to the north will take us to North Upper City.



The door on the opposite side leads to a medical facility. We don't need healing at the moment, but might as well go check it out and see if they've got any supplies they could sell us.





Medical facility? Is this some kind of hospital?

This is a hospital of sorts, though my resources are quite limited since the Sith quarantined the planet. I provide basic medical services to all citizens of and visitors to Taris.

Tell me about the rakghoul disease.

The terrible affliction has plagued Taris for many generations. It is spread by the rakghouls, horrible monsters that live in the Undercity below Taris' great skyscrapers. Prolonged exposure to the Undercity breeds the disease and those infected will eventually mutate into rakghouls themselves, becoming mindless beasts that feed on the flesh of others.

Is there no cure?

There is no antidote for the disease, though I heard the Republic scientists at the military base here on Taris were close to perfecting a cure. Then the Sith arrived. They overran the military base and now they refuse to allow anyone access to the laboratories inside. The Sith are keeping all the serum for the patrols they send into the Undercity. If I could just get my hands on a sample of that serum the rakghoul disease could be wiped from the face of Taris forever. But I don't see how that's going to happen.

Well, that's clearly a job for us.



I don't see how anyone could get their hands on the serum. The military base is crawling with Sith guards. Breaking in there would be a suicide mission.

So clearly, we're going to be breaking into the military base at some point. Anything else?



That sounds like a challenge.



We could tell him straight out that we'll get the serum, but saying that out loud might be unwise because Zelka might be accused of suggesting we attack Sith patrols or break into the base. So, instead, let's just see what he's got in stock.





The Bio-Antidote package would be quite useful because it completely negates the effects of poison (which is no joke in KotOR), but we can't equip implants in the first place and that is also a level 3 implant, so we'd require all three levels of that feat before we could actually make use of it. Instead, we'll pick up a couple of advanced medpacs. He's also got some stimulants and antidote kits, but we'll get plenty of those elsewhere and I don't want to spend all of my money.





Just taking a look at the quest log again. Nothing too exciting, but there you go.



Before we leave, we should take a look at this locked door at the back. Our Security skill makes quick work of the lock, so let's open the door and see what's lurking behind.





Some people floating in kolto tanks, that's what. Kolto is the precursor to bacta (you know, the stuff they put Luke in after his encounter with the wampa on Hoth) and serves the same purpose. I'm not sure why they didn't just use bacta in this game, but maybe it's because some other Star Wars expanded universe work already established that bacta comes from a certain planet and BioWare wanted to include a plotline about it on one of the planets in KotOR, so they came up with this near-identical healing liquid with a different origin.



Needless to say, Zelka isn't too pleased about us barging into the employees-only area.



However, these aren't just some random guys. These are Republic soldiers from the Endar Spire.



[Persuade] I'm a friend of the Republic. You can trust me.

[Success] I guess... I guess I better tell you what's going on. I only hope the Sith don't find out what I've done. Since the space battle overhead, people have been secretly bringing in these Republic soldiers who crash landed on the planet. I had to take them in. What choice did I have? Their injuries are terrible, most won't survive. But at least I can make their last days more comfortable. And at least here they are hidden away from the Sith.

We could've gotten the same information by threatening Zelka, which would've required less Persuade skill but I think it would've also given us some dark side points. We have as many points in Persuade as we can at this point, so this check is not a problem for us in the least.



I hate to imagine what the Sith would do if they discovered these soldiers here. But since their initial questioning the Sith have not returned, so it may be my fears are unfounded.

Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me.

Thank you for keeping my secret. I only wish there was more I could do, but medical science has only come so far. I'm afraid there is nothing more anyone can do for these soldiers. Now, if you'll excuse me I should return to the front in case anyone comes in needing medical attention.



As we try to leave the medical facility, this shifty guy stops us. He's got some sort of offer for us, and I think we can all guess where this is going.





Davik Kang? Who's that?

Oh, come on - everybody knows who Davik Kang is! He's the big boss around here. Gambling, smuggling, extortion - he's got a piece of all the action on Taris.

Why does Davik want the cure so badly?

Davik's interested in anything that can turn a profit. He could make a fortune selling the serum to anyone infected with the disease - not like Zelka, who'll practically give it away.

Why do you care who gets the cure?

Look, Zelka can't afford to pay me much. If you sell the serum to Davik, I can probably get a nice finder's fee for directing you to him.



Gurney here should do his own dirty work if he wants to get paid, so we'll tell him to gently caress off.





Ah, modern healthcare. Carth also says this line if you ask where to find Davik. Sure, the dialogue option does say that you want to give Davik the cure and that's why you wish to know where to find him, but I feel like that might be useful information even if you never plan on giving the cure to him.



We will not be doing that. Well, we are going to visit Zax at the bounty office for unrelated reasons, but we're not giving him the serum.



We're done in Upper City South for the time being, so let's make our way towards the north.



First off, though, there appears to be some type of commotion near the Upper City North entrance.





This doesn't sound too promising.



And Davik seemed like such a nice fellow from what Gurney told us.



But I don't have that much! How can I give you credits I don't have?

That's too bad. Davik's going to want to make an example of you! You're coming with us.



No, they're not.



No, we are not.



Davik doesn't like witnesses.

I don't like your attitude. I better teach you a lesson.





This goes about as well for Davik's thugs as you might expect.



Now I can't pay him back. It's not good to owe a crime lord money. He'll just keep sending more bounty hunters after me until I'm dead!



Let's see what gigantic sum the old man borrowed from Davik. We could also shake him down for the rest of his money if we were giant assholes, but obviously we won't do that.



100 credits? This massive loan that caused Davik to send his goons after you is worth 100 CREDITS? That buys... let's see here... two and a half medpacs. Why not add a zero at the end or at least double the amount to make this a little bit more sensible? That really goes for a lot of situations like this in KotOR. The economy just doesn't seem to add up.



In any event, we'll hand him the 100 credits. Frankly, I think he could go fight Deadeye Duncan and have a decent shot at winning.



It's 100 credits, dude.



It's 100 credits, Carth. We can find more than that just lying around in garbage bins.



Well, at least we did our good deed for the day.



And you know what that means - we earned our first light side points! The main character's alignment bar (seen in the Character section of the menu) is a scale of 0 to 100, where 0 is Darth Hitler and 100 is Jedi Jesus (so technically, you don't earn dark side points, just lose light side points). You start right at the middle, i.e. 50 points, which doesn't grant any sort of bonus so you'll definitely want to be at one end or the other. Party members have their own alignments, but those are fixed and they can't earn any points in either direction.



Davik's thugs have 154 credits in total, so we actually made a small profit there.



Now we can finally continue on to Upper City North.



The low-res skyboxes look slightly jarring when the rest of the game is rendered at a higher resolution, but I still quite like the way this part of the city looks. To the north is the entrance to the North Apartments, which we'll visit in a little bit.



We're not here to stare at the scenery, though, so we should move on. Up ahead, we see two more doors - to the left is Janice Nall's droid shop, and to the right is the way to the Lower City elevator and the Sith base.





Before we get there, though, we'll have to deal with some local gentlemen who have been hitting the Tarisian ale just a tad too hard. I'm not entirely sure what makes these fellows think we're "shlummies" as they so eloquently put it, because we're clearly dressed for combat and armed to the teeth. The best case scenario from the drunks' point of view is that we're soldiers who don't have any time for this kind of bullshit. Worst case scenario, we're Davik's thugs who really don't have any time for this kind of bullshit. In either case, if you're bunch of drunken idiots you do not want to get in our face. Then again, no one said drunken idiots were smart.



Thanks for the contribution, Carth. Much appreciated.





This is a very easy Persuade check that doesn't require any points in Persuade whatsoever. We could also tell them we're too much for them to handle, or just kill them if that's your thing (which you shouldn't do, because that'll lock you out of a funny scene a bit later). We'll be nice this time, though.



I think we said the magic words.





Later, boys.



The drunks shamble off in search of adventure, and we gain some more XP and light side points. From what I recall, you don't get any points if you threaten the drunks, and killing them will obviously give you dark side points.



With that potentially dangerous situation defused, we'll make our way onward. Our destination is still the Undercity, and that means going down the Lower City elevator. Before we can get there, though, we run into some crazy old man ranting about a terrible scourge sweeping the planet. Somehow, I doubt that refers to the Sith occupation.



Great, let's hear it.



The name Gorton Colu has to be a reference to Gordon Cole, the FBI agent David Lynch played in several episodes of Twin Peaks. The name is pretty much where the similarities end, though. Gordon Cole is a great guy and quite possibly the best character on the entire show.





That is why I, Gorton Colu, have formed the Anti-Alien League. The time has come for action! We cannot sit idly by while aliens blight our glorious planet!



Gorton Colu, on the other hand, is just a racist grandpa in space, and should be treated accordingly.



Come on. We should keep moving. Kook or no, people like him can make trouble for us.

My actual favorite response to Gorton is to slowly back off while saying "I see... well, good luck on your crusade", but he's too dumb to understand sarcasm so he thinks you're actually supporting his cause.



This important-looking elevator is obviously the way to the Lower City.



The northernmost part of Upper City contains the Sith base. We don't have any business in there right now, and even if we did we couldn't get in. No amount of security skill will get us through that front entrance.



So, back to the elevator we go. Unfortunately, there is a problem with that as well.



I'll be going now.

Move along then.

We need some way past the guard, and sweet-talking him is not going to be an option.



And there's our immediate objective - find a Sith disguise.



Now, we could go back to the cantina and apologize to Yun to get back in his good books and eventually receive an invitation to the Sith party taking place in the North Apartments. However, we don't want to party with the Sith, do we?



Let's hit the apartments and see what else we can discover.



The interior of the North Apartments is largely identical to the South Apartments. This apartment here is where the Sith party would be, but it doesn't look like anyone's shown up yet.



The apartment next door, however, has a Sith guard at the door. That seems promising.



We'll see about that.



Please - I'm only a visitor to Taris, trapped here by your quarantine. I know nothing about the Tarisian underground or your missing Sith uniforms!



Well then. I think we might have hit the jackpot.



*whisper* I know all about Sith interrogations. This isn't going to end well.



I don't think the Sith would really be able to tell one Aqualish from another, to be honest.



carth you're blocking the shot



Just stay out of this, if you know what's good for you!

I won't let you kill a defenseless prisoner!



Time to tell this civilian the penalty for defying the Sith!



We're at pretty close quarters here, so I decided to switch to the prototype vibroblade. The fact you can't actually switch loadouts without going into the equipment screen and manually changing weapons is kind of a pain in the rear end, and was thankfully fixed in the sequel.





The Hidden Beks? Who are they?

In the Lower City there are some who do not bow to the conquerors. Swoop gangs like the Hidden Beks are gathering resources to one day strike against the Sith oppressors. If you wish to strike another blow against the Sith you would be wise to journey to the Lower City and speak with Gadon Thek, the leader of the Hidden Beks.

Well, we'd love to do so, but there's the matter of getting past the elevator guard and I'd hope this fine fellow could help us with that.



You would have to ask Gadon Thek to know the answer to that question. They approached me, and my only role was to obtain the Sith uniforms for them.

Can you take me to Gadon?

Access to the Lower City is restricted, l have never actually met Gadon. My only dealings were with members of his Hidden Bek gang.

Can I get one of those uniforms from you?

I am sorry, but all the uniforms I had were given to the Hidden Beks. I suppose you could take the uniforms from the bodies of the Sith soldiers in this room if you wanted.

I should be going now.

As should I. The Sith know my face now, I must find somewhere to hide on this world. Thank you once again, human.

Sadly, the Aqualish didn't have any uniforms to spare and suggested we just pick up a uniform from one of the dead Sith. Not really the optimal way to do it, but I guess it'll have to do.



The footlocker in the apartment contains some underwhelming loot and the Sith guards didn't have much either, but the commander can be looted for his armor and blaster rifle. I hope the blood and blaster marks on the armor won't be too noticeable.



The Sith armor doesn't offer that much in the way of protection, but it also doesn't restrict your DEX bonus as much as most other sets of armor.



Now that we're suited up, we can head back to the elevator and gain access to the Lower City. Carth doesn't need a uniform of his own, although at one point in the game's development that was actually required to get past the guard. At least that's how it works in the KotOR 1 Restoration Project. I feel the change was for the better, because we already have to run back and forth a lot on Taris and anything to streamline the experience is welcome in my book. Before we return to the elevator, though, we should go say hello to some old friends.







I love that bit of dialogue. You can walk around in your Sith uniform and scare various NPCs, but most of it just feels kind of dickish. This one is great, though, and I love the fact BioWare included it in the game even though most people would never see it.



Feel free to stay and listen if you wish. You'll find my message most enlightening.

Sadly, Gorton Colu has all the necessary permits, so we can't put a blaster shot between his eyes.



But that's enough of that. We need to get to the Lower City, so let's talk to the elevator guard.



"I could've sworn I saw that guy before... eh, it's probably nothing."



Next stop: Lower City.



We won't need the Sith armor anymore (spoiler: it doesn't help us get past the Undercity elevator guard) so we'll re-equip our combat suit for now.



Looks like there's about to be some action.





Meet the Black Vulkars and the Hidden Beks - the two swoop gangs vying for control of the Lower City. I am noticing a distinct lack of swoop bikes here.







The Beks get absolutely obliterated by the Vulkars. We haven't really seen enough to make a proper judgement on which group is stronger, but the Vulkars definitely had the upper hand in this skirmish.



They're not done, either, because they've spotted us and decided to attack. If you're wearing the Sith uniform here, this line is replaced with "Sith aren't welcome here!"



The fights up until this point have been relatively unchallenging, with weak enemies that are easily disposed of even if your character isn't exactly specced for combat. That changes now. The Black Vulkars are an order of magnitude stronger than anything we've fought so far.



Case in point: a Vulkar just hit Zila for 15 points of damage with his Power Attack (+5 to Damage, so even without that bonus he already hits like a truck at this point in the game). Had she been at full health, she would've just barely made it.



Fortunately, Carth is able to handle the rest on his own. This will happen multiple times while we're down here, because Zila just doesn't have enough HP to survive anything.



A quick fast travel trip to the hideout later, we're back at full strength and able to continue on. The Undercity elevator is at the end of this curved hallway, but before we make our way over there we should check these other points of interest along the way. First in line, we've got Javyar's Cantina.



Noted. Let's go inside.



The entrance area of Javyar's cantina serves as the pazaak room. We can buy pazaak cards or play some games here, but we won't.



What's this all about, then?







One.

One? What that mean? You be funny, tough guy?

You know who we are, Calo? We're members of the Black Vulkar gang! You don't want to be getting funny with us, tough guy.

Two.

Me no understand. One? Two? Why he count? He trying to count how many of us is against him?

It's three against one, Calo. What do you think about those odds? Well? You have something more to say?

Three.





Calo throws a grenade on the floor.



It turns out to be a flashbang, or possibly a smoke grenade. It's kind of hard to tell with these graphics. While the light/smoke floods the room, multiple blaster shots are heard.



The end result is three very dead Vulkar thugs.



We can try to talk to Calo and compliment him on his handiwork as he walks past us, but he'll just repeat the three-count and you do not want him to finish it unless you want to get a game over for a really stupid reason.



As we make our way further inside, another cutscene activates. Looks like more Vulkars trying to harass a young Twi'lek girl, which I presume would at least be slightly less hazardous to your health than picking a fight with the most notorious bounty hunter in the galaxy.



I think we've found one of those "teenagers with attitude" I've heard so much about.



Who you calling a little girl, Chuba-face?

Little girl needs lesson in manners!

I'm pretty sure "Chuba" is Huttese for "you". That insult doesn't even make any sense.



The Twi'lek girl is noticeably unconcerned about the fact she's got a bunch of swoop gang members getting in her face, and we're about to figure out why that is.



Quit complaining... you can finish eating later. Besides, you need the exercise so get over here.



She happens to be friends with a Wookiee.



You got a problem with me, then you got a problem with Big Z. So unless you want to take on my furry friend, I suggest you greenies hop on out of here.

"Greenies"?



Not particularly looking forward to having their arms ripped out of their sockets, the Vulkars run off.



If you try to talk to Zaalbar, he's not going to be too sociable. You'll also notice Zila is able to understand Shyriiwook, which is the language of the Wookiees. The fact I know that and the correct spelling without having to look it up is extremely sad.



Say, I don't recognize you and I know pretty much everyone in the Lower City. You must be new down here. I guess that makes me and Big Z your official welcoming committee!

That's weird: a Twi'lek who speaks galactic Basic!

It's not that strange. Most aliens can speak Basic, they just prefer to use their own language. But I grew up here on Taris so I just sort of got used to speaking the native tongue.

Twi'leks usually speak Huttese, and at least in the newer animated shows they often speak English (or Basic, I guess I should say) with an accent. That is not the case with our new friend here, who speaks perfect Basic and is actually voiced by Catherine Taber a.k.a. the voice of Padme Amidala in the Clone Wars shows.



My name's Mission Vao and this big Wookiee is my best friend, Zaalbar. I'd offer to give you a tour, but the streets down here aren't safe. But if there's anything else you need...

How do a Wookiee and a Twi'lek street urchin end up as best friends?

We just kind of fell in together. It ain't easy on your own here in the Lower City - everyone's always looking to push you around.

So we noticed. Still, you seem like an odd pair.

When I met up with Zaalbar it seemed like a good match. I knew we could look out for each other. With my street smarts and his muscle, we make a great team.

Yeah, seems that way. Since we've found someone who isn't trying to kill us, maybe we could see if she could point us in the right direction in our quest.



Well, you came to the right person! If you want info on Lower Taris I'm the one to talk to! Davik, the Lower City gangs... I've even got the scoop on that bounty hunter Calo Nord!

Tell me about Davik.

Davik's part of the intergalactic crime syndicate, but I guess everyone knows that. But I hear he's got a new ship for his smuggling operations - the Ebon Hawk. I don't know much about space travel, but I hear that ship's fast enough to break the Sith blockade. Of course, this is all just second hand rumor.

That does sound like something we should investigate.



If Davik does have a ship, he's got it locked up in his estate. Nobody gets in there, except the people working for Davik and the Exchange.

Tell me about the Lower City gangs.

There's only two gangs worth worrying about here in the Lower City: the Black Vulkars and the Hidden Beks. Sometimes Zaalbar and I hang out at the Bek base. The Beks are led by Gadon Thek - he's a good guy. Lost his sight in a swoop bike accident a few years ago, but even blind he's a great leader. Not like that traitor Brejik! Before he took over the Vulkars he was a Hidden Bek. Gadon considered that ungrateful space slug his adopted son.

Why did Brejik leave the Hidden Beks?

When Gadon went blind everyone figured he'd step down and appoint Brejik in his place. But Gadon figured Brejik wasn't ready yet. He wanted him to wait a few years. But Brejik was too impatient. He left to join the Vulkars, and ever since he's been waging a war to wipe Gadon and his Beks from the face of Taris! This gang war in the Lower City is totally the Vulkars' fault. They're the ones killing everything that moves out on the street. It's like they've gone insane.

Yes, we noticed. One more question left.





He hangs around Zax's bounty office, but I don't think he's looking for work there. All the postings there are small time - way beneath a bounty hunter of his caliber. I figure Calo's been hired by Davik to do a special job for the Exchange. l'd wager a thousand credits that as soon as the quarantine ends, he'll be getting off this rock.

That didn't really help us find Bastila, but we did learn some very useful information so asking the questions was well worth it.



Anyway, that's all we can learn from Mission for now, so let's get a move on.





Can't you think about something besides your stomach for five minutes? Come on - we'll go see if there's anything good to eat at the Bek base.



With that, Mission and Zaalbar wander off. We've still got some stuff to do here at the cantina, but this update is already long enough so we'll get back to it next time.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 14:59 on Dec 31, 2019

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


That's some spoiler-rear end spoilers for both this game and the sequel at the bottom of the previous page, please edit that out. I know these games are old and all, but I said multiple times I do not want any spoilers in this thread.

edit: Thank you. :)

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 17:43 on Dec 30, 2019

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 4: The Mandalorian



Greetings from the far-flung future dystopia of the year 2020. Sadly, I have to inform you that flying cars have not been invented yet. Anyway, last time on KotOR we reached the Lower City of Taris and made our way to Javyar's Cantina, where we met some new friends. Speaking of friends, let's have a chat with... whatever this guy is.





Okay, you're not here to offend we. What do you want, then?

I want to ask you some questions.

Questions? What kind of questions.

What planet are you from?

You couldn't say it, and don't have the ears for it. Two voices create the name, and four ears hear the true sound. But your kind would call our home Sorjus, a small world far off the Perlemian trade route.

What kind of creature are you?

In your one voiced-tongue you would call our kind Paaerduag.

Can you tell me about your home world?

Talking about our home only makes this quarantine more difficult to bear. Forgive us, human, but we do not wish to be reminded of it.

Hm, fair enough.





What do you know about Taris?

Nothing. We were only stopping here to get supplies when the Sith attacked. They imposed a quarantine on all ships that had landed on Taris. Now we are stuck here on a world that hates non-humans... not a good place to be.

I'll be going now.

Good. Leave us alone. We just want quarantine to end so we can go back home.

That's another completely optional conversation that serves no other purpose than providing some extra lore for worldbuilding nerds like me.



The large open room is the bounty office, and that must be Zax.



Are you looking for work? There are many bounties available here; legal and otherwise. But they all pay quite well. Or are you here for information? Everyone knows I'm one of Davik's best agents... I'm the Hutt with all the answers.



Might as well. More credits would come in handy.



I can't see anything wrong with getting rid of people like that - as long as we don't end up on the list of their victims.

But not all the bounties are dangerous. Davik got some special contracts. One's for a girl named Dia - she attacked Holdan, one of Davik's men. Another's for a man named Largo who owes Davik money.

Okay, I don't know about Davik's special contracts. Justice is one thing, but doing a crime lord's dirty work is something else.

And then there's Matrik. He used to work for Davik, then he betrayed the Exchange and now Davik wants him dead. I'll put all this information in your datapad.

Davik's bounties sound more like contract killings.

Davik works for the Exchange. They don't play games. If you don't pay your debts or you betray them or you attack them they get even. People bring Davik's bounty on themselves. Anyway, if you don't like them you don't have to take them. Collect the other bounties - government contracts. Those people are ruthless killers. They need to be stopped.



Okay then. While he did say all the information is in our datapad, we can learn a lot more about the bounties from Zax if we ask him.



Tell me about the assassin Selven.

Selven's a government bounty; she's a very dangerous woman. When she started she was just another killer working for Davik. Then she began freelancing to the highest bidder. One day she killed six citizens in the street... and their bodyguards, too. They were all Ulgos, a powerful merchant family with many enemies. Selven was hired to kill off the whole family. She was very good at her job. Each day, more Ulgos died. Poisoned at home, shot down in the street; guards and droids couldn't protect them. After a month there were no Ulgos left on Taris. Not one.

Ulgos, huh? Any relation to our dearly departed friend Trask?



It was never proven. But after the Ulgos were all dead, the Organa family demanded the government put out a contract on Selven. They said nobody was safe as long as Selven was still free.

Organa? Any relation to the Organa family on Alderaan?



But Taris politics aren't your concern. You're just a bounty hunter. You kill Selven, you get the credits. That's the only important thing, right?

Tell me about Bendak Starkiller.

Bendak's a government contract, but he's a legend on Taris. He started out as duelist in the Upper Cantina. He never lost, but he only fought death matches. He killed hundreds in his day. Then death matches got banned. Duel rings switched to non-lethal combat. But Bendak wasn't ready to retire. He kept dueling on the illegal, underground circuit. He kept killing people. Finally the government had no choice but to put a bounty out on him. But Bendak's a big folk hero, so not too many try to collect. Those who do all wind up dead, anyway.

Tell me about this girl Dia.

Dia's one of Davik's private bounties. She used be a waitress in the cantina here until she had a fight with Holdan. She cut him with her vibroblade, almost killed him. That was a mistake. Holdan works for Davik, he's not one to let her get away with that. When he was recovering in the medical bay, he put out a bounty on Dia. She's been hiding ever since.

I get the feeling there's more to this story.

Maybe. Doesn't really matter to me. I get the bounty from Davik's men, I don't ask questions. You can talk to Holdan if you want to know more - he's inside the cantina.

Tell me about this merchant Largo.

He's nothing special, just another of Davik's private bounties. He borrowed money from Davik for his business. But things went bad and he wasn't able to pay Davik back. So he ran. Davik doesn't like it when people who owe him money run. He put out a contract on Largo to send a message to the other merchants who owe him money.

Tell me about Matrik.

Davik is very interested in this bounty. Matrik used to work for Davik. He wasn't important, but he was there a long time. He saw lots of things that it was wise to keep quiet about. Then one day he betrayed Davik. He went to the Taris authorities and testified at trials against the Exchange. Lots of people were arrested and Davik's operations shut down for a while. It cost Davik thousands and thousands of credits to get business back on track, and he lost lots of good people. Of course he's not about to let Matrik get away with that.

But didn't the government protect Matrik after the trials?

They hid Matrik for a while, but when the Sith took over they shut the witness protection program down. It's expensive, and the Sith didn't care if Matrik died.

Whew! That does it for the information dump. Again, not crucial information, but still nice to know.



Before we leave, let's see what's going on in this corner.



Who are you?

Name's Bib Surool, manager for the Starlight Entertainers: the top performing troupe in this sector of the galaxy. I was here scouting new talent when the Sith attacked, and now I can't leave. You'd think the Sith would let me go so I could get back to my troupe, but I guess they just don't appreciate the arts. So, since I'm stuck here, I figured I might as well continue with my auditions. I'm supposed to be auditioning Lyn, but I think I'm wasting my time. Lyn's got all the moves, but I need to know if she can pull them off while sharing a stage with her partner.

Where's her partner?

She doesn't have one. That's the problem. Aren't you listening to me? Dancers don't perform solo, so I need to see if she can work with someone else before I get her up on stage.

Dancing? Sure, Zila is a mighty dancer. She can totally help out.





On the other hand, I'm not going to hire her unless I can see her in action with a partner. Maybe she's desperate enough to give you a chance. You'd have to ask her, I guess.

Only one way to find out.





Why don't you have a partner?

My last partner left me. She was always trying to upstage me, even though it was obvious I had ten times her talent. When I finally told her that, she stormed off. I guess the truth hurts. My partner before that was even worse. If I wasn't tripping over his staggering feet I was ducking under his flailing arms. I ditched him after less than a week.

Well, she's certainly got the attitude down. She's going to go far, and we'll help her do exactly that.



I admit I'm getting desperate: I'd hate to blow this audition. But I don't know if I'm ready to just pair up with a random passer-by. How do I know you're any good?



Famous last words. Obviously, you'll need a bit of Persuade skill for this because Lyn's not going to let just anyone come in and screw up her audition.



Mr. Surool, I've got a partner now. I'd really like to audition for you again.

Okay, Lyn, you've got one more chance. I'll give you a minute to get your partner set up, then let's see what you've got.





But don't get in too close if you can't handle it. I don't need some clumsy oaf tripping me up. Try not to screw this up for me, okay?

No clumsy oafs, got it. Let's get this show on the road.





We should keep it simple to start with, so we'll just dance beside Lyn for now.



Not too exciting, but at least no one's fallen on her face yet.



Look, I know you're trying to be careful about screwing up, but you've got to give me a little more than that. Bib's seen thousands of dancers: we need to do something that will impress him. The next dance is a little different, so watch me for the steps then jump in.



The basic dance moves are the same, just with an added awkward fist pump.



Let's get a little bit closer this time. I think we can handle that just fine.



I don't think dancing was much of a consideration when this game's animations were designed.



Okay, one dance to go. Bib looks happy. As long as we don't screw up I think we've got it! Follow me and please, just keep it simple.



The same two moves from before, but now we add what I can only describe as waving your hand around like you're doing a Jedi mind trick.



If you really want to be an rear end in a top hat, you can gently caress up Lyn's audition at the last second. Obviously, we're not doing that, and just dancing beside Lyn probably won't cut it this time so we're gonna have to go for something flashy to finish things off.



More poorly animated dancing ensues.



Well, what did you think? Do I get the job? Do you want me to dance some more? I can do another one for you if you want.

Relax, Lyn. You made it. You've got the job. Welcome to the Starlight Entertainers.

I made it? I really made it? This is incredible. I... I don't believe it!

And all she needed was just a little bit of help from her friend, or at least some random person. She must be extremely grateful after this.





Oh. Well, that's okay, I suppose.



I don't think we'll have time for that anytime soon, but we'll keep the offer in mind.



Now that we've dazzled everyone in this cantina with our amazing dance moves, we should head on over to the Hidden Bek base and see if Gadon Thek can help us in any way.



The Bek base is right opposite the cantina.



Sadly, she did not see us kill a bunch of Vulkars as soon as we made it down here.



I guess we'll give this a shot.



Between the Sith conquest and the Vulkar gang war Gadon has more enemies than he used to. We're being careful about who we let in now.

This game's script constantly misuses apostrophes. I'll generally fix them when transcribing the text, because it irritates me to no end.



Well, we do need all the help we can get. And you don't look like you're with the Vulkars or the Sith. Besides, it's not like you can do anything to harm Gadon in the heart of his own base. Not with Zaerdra watching his back. Go in and speak to Gadon if you want. Just remember to be on your best behavior... the Hidden Beks are watching you.



The interior of the Bek base doesn't have a whole lot to it. Most doors are locked, the ones that aren't don't lead to anything interesting, and the only one you can really talk to is Gadon. So, let's make our way to him and introduce ourselves.



This must be Zaerdra.



You're too trusting, Gadon. Brejik and his Vulkars want you dead. Anyone we don't know is a potential threat, and it's my job to make sure you're safe!

Do you want us to start attacking strangers on sight, Zaerdra - like the Vulkars do? I will never let it come to that! Now step aside and let them pass.

As you wish. You can speak to Gadon if you want, but I've got my eye on you! You try anything and you'll be vaporized before you can say "Vulkar spy"!

I don't know, I can say "Vulkar spy" quite fast. I'm sure we won't have any problems, we'll be on our best behavior.



The problems with the Sith haven't helped things. Zaerdra seems to forget that I know how to look after myself! Now, how can I help you?



We should go straight to business. Gadon and the Beks seem decent enough, but we don't want to waste their time too much.



They might be spies, Gadon! They might be working for the Sith!

Calm down, Zaerdra. If the Sith thought we knew anything useful they'd have a battalion of troops kicking down our door. No, I think this offworlder has her own agenda.



Pictured: Convincing arguments we're not with the Sith.



The Vulkars stripped those pods clean within hours after they landed. It's too bad we didn't get there first, considering what my spies reported the Vulkars found. A female Republic officer named Bastila survived the crash. We Beks don't believe in intergalactic slavery, but the Vulkars aren't so picky. They took her prisoner.

This just keeps getting better, doesn't it? Sounds like Bastila is alive at least, so that's something.



Normally the Vulkars would take a captured slave and sell them for a nice profit to Davik or an off-world slaver. But a Republic officer is no ordinary catch.



Hey, that'd mean we wouldn't have to do anything. It does make sense, though. Bastila's a powerful Jedi, what chance would a bunch of idiot thugs have against her? How did they manage to take her prisoner in the first place? Maybe she got knocked out in the crash like we did.



We still haven't seen any swoop bikes down here.





By putting up such a valuable prize Brejik hopes to win the loyalty of some of the smaller gangs. Their numbers will allow him to finally destroy me and my followers.

So how do you propose we go about rescuing Bastila, then? We can't fight all the gangs.

The only hope you have of rescuing Bastila is to somehow win the big season opener of the swoop race.

I was afraid he'd say that.



Before we enter any races, hear us out here, Gadon. If Bastila is going to be the winning prize for the swoop race, presumably she'd be present at the race venue. If that's the case, why can't we just go to wherever the race is held, blast our way through any Vulkars dumb enough to get in our way, free Bastila, and get the hell out? The real reason is of course that BioWare really wants us to try out their racing minigame, but it would've been nice to have an alternate option for those who suck at racing or just don't like the minigame.



What are you proposing?

The swoop race is for the Lower City gangs only. I could sponsor you as a rider for the Hidden Beks this year. If you win the race, you'll win your friend's freedom. But first you have to do something for me. My mechanics have developed an accelerator for a swoop engine. A bike with the accelerator installed can beat any other swoop out there! But the Vulkars stole the prototype from us. They plan to use it to guarantee a victory in this year's swoop race. I need you to break into their base and steal it back.

The cheating bastards stole the engine tech we were supposed to cheat with!



We can walk right up to the doors and even kill the guards, but that won't help us get inside because the doors are sealed.



Oh, that's convenient.



Mission's explored every step of every back alley in the Lower City. Plus she knows the Undercity sewers better than anyone. If anyone can get inside the Vulkar base, it's her.

I wish we'd known this fifteen minutes ago.



She and her Wookiee friend Zaalbar are always looking to stir up a little excitement. They like to go exploring in the Undercity, despite the dangers. Your best bet is to look for her in the Undercity. But you'll need some way past the Sith guard post at the elevator.

I've got some Sith uniforms to disguise myself.

Even if you go to the Undercity elevator before talking to Gadon and confirm that the uniforms do not help you get past the guard, this dialogue doesn't change at all to reflect that.



Luckily my gang ambushed one of the Sith patrols headed down to the Undercity. They never made it, and their security papers fell into my hands. Since we're working together now I suppose I could give them to you in exchange for your uniforms. With the security papers you won't need a disguise anyway.

Okay - I'll trade the uniforms for the papers.

Good choice. Thanks for the uniforms. You won't need them with these security papers anyway. Now, is there anything else I can do for you?



Well, I suppose we could ask Gadon here a few questions while we're here.



You said you were having problems with the Sith?

A foreign army invades Taris, declares martial law and locks down all travel to and from the planet? You drat well bet I have a problem with that! If the Sith ever moved in down here all the swoop gangs would unite against them. We'd use hit and run guerrilla tactics to pick them off... their casualties would be enormous!

Don't fool yourself. The Sith would never commit to that kind of operation. They'd... they'd probably do something much more grand and deadly.

But so far the Sith have stayed out of the Lower City and our strength is wasted on this stupid gang war! I tried to explain this to Brejik, but he and his Vulkars won't listen.

Is there any way off this planet?

Not while the Sith quarantine is in place. Even the fastest smugglers' ships can't break the blockade of the fleet surrounding the planet without the proper launch codes. Any ship leaving the Taris atmosphere without the proper codes would be instantly disintegrated by blaster cannons fired by the Sith fleet's automated targeting systems.

That does sound like something we'd like to avoid. It definitely complicates things, because even if we find a ship to get us off this planet, we'd need some way past the auto-targeting systems.





But with my occular implants I can still see well enough to lead this gang, and I knew Brejik wasn't ready to take over yet. Unfortunately, Brejik didn't agree with me. In a rage he left to join our arch rivals, the Black Vulkars. A lot of the younger gang members followed him, and soon he and his followers had taken control of the Vulkar gang.

But why start a gang war?

Brejik is a proud man. My decision was a public humiliation for him. Maybe if I had stepped down this gang war could have been avoided.

Seems doubtful. Brejik sounds like the kind of guy who was going to start this gang war of his no matter whose colors he was flying.



Zaerdra is inclined to agree.



I'll be going now.

Feel free to come back anytime. We're not like those Vulkar savages - strangers are welcome in the Bek base.

As I said before we had our chat with Gadon, there's nothing of interest at the Bek base so we should move on.



But first off, let's take another quick glance at our journal.



Naturally, we have to deal with more Vulkars as we make our way down the Lower City corridor. Based on the restored content mod, there were supposed to be Bek gang members walking around and helping us fight the Vulkars, but they were cut for reasons unknown. Presumably, the Xbox had performance issues with all the guys running around and blasting each other, so the Beks got cut. That kind of sucks, because their help would've been very welcome.



What's going on here?







The Vulkars seem to think they shouldn't have to pay Davik his protection money or whatever this racket is about, so Davik's sent one of his goons to collect. He seems hopelessly outmatched, though.



That is a very large gun.





It's been five years since the end of the Mandalorian Wars, which saw the Mandalorians at the height of their power as they brought the Republic to its knees until the Jedi Revan and Malak turned the tide of the war. Since the end of the war, the surviving Mandalorians have been scattered around the galaxy, with many of their warriors now working as mercenaries for various crime syndicates and mob bosses as we see here.



As you might expect, most common thugs aren't too enamored by the idea of throwing down with a Mandalorian warrior such as Canderous here.



I think that typo was fixed on the PC release.



Davik's agent walks off, and Canderous turns his attention to us.



Thankfully, he isn't looking for a fight.



Sounds like Brejik isn't satisfied just running things in the Lower City.





Canderous is voiced by the late John Cygan. You may remember him as the voice of Solidus Snake in Metal Gear Solid 2, but more importantly he voiced Dash Rendar in Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire.



Canderous doesn't have time (or interest) for chatting with random idiots. I should point out he was the one who decided to talk to us in the first place, though.



Naturally, there are more Vulkars for us to fight. This right here is a Vulkar Enforcer, a stronger version of the basic Vulkar enemies who hits harder and takes more punishment. I threw a sonic grenade at him here.



Before we proceed, we still have a couple of apartment buildings to check in the Lower City. There's one near each end of the Lower City, and we'll start by exploring this one because it's the closest to us. I'm cutting the update here because the full thing was going to go over the character limit and this was the best cutoff point I could think of (about halfway through, which is okay but all the action is in the back half), so expect the next installment very shortly.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 04:42 on Jan 1, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 5: Wanted Dead or Alive

This is really just the second half of update 4, but I'm naming it Part 5 because otherwise the LP Archive won't like it.



Oh, hey. Looks like we're interrupting something again.



Calo Nord's character model is actually a lot shorter than most characters in the game. His official height is listed as 4'11".



We saw what happened to the last group of guys who tried to harass Calo Nord. This doesn't seem like it's about to end any better for these Rodians.





That's the plan.







Hi, Calo. Bye, Calo.



The Lower City Apartments look the same as the Upper City ones, but are populated by hostile Vulkars and other lowlives instead of NPCs cowering in fear of the crazy person who broke into their apartment. There are also groups of Vulkars just walking around and occasionally spawning in out of nowhere, so the Apartments can be a pretty hostile place when you're not specced for combat, especially at such a low level as ours.



Speaking of levels, we kill enough Vulkars to reach level 4.



I ended up putting the one extra attribute point to STR. An odd number doesn't increase our attribute modifier, so this might look like I'm wasting the point, but it very much does get us closer to that +2 modifier and the fact is we are going to be doing a lot of melee combat in this game so you'd generally want your STR to be at least somewhat decent, since unlike in KotOR II there is no ability to let you use DEX instead of STR for your melee attack modifier. It'd probably be more optimal to keep pumping our points into DEX as that'd help us get hit less often, but whatever.



Some more points in Computer Use, Persuade and Security. Now, I realize that technically you don't even need to put any points to Security because most if not all locks can be bashed with no penalty. However, smashing through every door like a caveman just seems so... uncivilized, and from a role-playing perspective it makes more sense for a rogue-type character to invest in lockpicking.



A common strategy for KotOR 1 players is to avoid leveling up until they reach a certain point in the game and unlock what could be described as a prestige class, letting them spend their unused points on abilities that only become available for those classes. I'll mostly be leveling up as normal, because I want more Sneak Attack and Scoundrel's Luck bonuses.



Oh good, this again.





You're probably one of the most skilled women I've ever met. You've saved my butt more than once and I'm lucky you're here to help me, no question. But that doesn't mean I'm going to stop watching you or being wary. I'm just not built that way. Period.



At least he's not hitting on us this time, I guess.





Look... I'm not trying to insult you. This is just the way I am, no need to take it personally.

I'm beginning to wonder if you're even capable of trusting anyone.

Well, you can stop wondering. I'm not.

I don't need someone around me who doesn't trust me.

And I don't need all these questions. What I do need is to try and save the galaxy, if that's even possible.



We don't have time for this, so can we please just... drop it. For now? Can we pick it up later if you really must, I... want to get underway.

Well, that was pointless.



We picked up an energy shield from one of the Vulkars we killed. Might as well equip it, we'll need all damage protection we can get. To use an energy shield, you activate it using the combat interface just like you'd use any item.



We also seem to have located the assassin Selven. In case you can't tell from the fact we're glowing and have those arrows on our character portrait, I activated the energy shield and took a bunch of drugs before talking to Selven.



I'm here to collect the bounty on your head, Selven!





This fight can be really tough if you're not prepared for it. Thankfully, Selven will let you leave without a fight if you're polite enough, so you can go pump yourself full of drugs or what have you before you attempt to fight her. Of course, we already took care of the preparations, so let's throw down.



We found a poison grenade at some point, so we'll use that to weaken Selven.



Thanks to our drug cocktail and energy shield, we're more than capable of holding our own. That takes care of Selven's bounty.



Selven has a scope we'll fit on Carth's blaster later, along with an Adrenaline Amplifier belt and a Neural Band head accessory. Let's take a look at what those do.



Our Fortitude saves are really the ones that need a boost, but improving Reflex saves is fine as well.



Our Will saves were also pretty bad, so this'll help a little bit.



The problem with KotOR headgear is that it's always completely hideous. In the past, I've actively avoided wearing headgear in this game because it makes you look like a dumbass, and later on I might end up doing that in the LP as well for fashion purposes. If you're on PC, you can install the Invisible Headgear mod, which does what it says on the tin. No such option for us on Xbox, of course.



Vulkar Gang Bosses are the most fearsome Vulkar enemies you'll run into down here. I may also have slightly blown us up with a grenade. That doesn't help. At least I think that was my grenade, I don't think the Vulkars use grenades in combat. Some enemies certainly do, and it's always a fun time.





These two groups of Vulkars spawn in right after we kill the gang boss. I don't know if that's a scripted event or if they just spawn in randomly, but it's still not great for us. Carth also gained a level in all of that, so let's see what we can do with him.



Carth's skillset is pretty useless, so I usually just give him what the game recommends. In this case, that means some more points in Treat Injury.



Sure, why not.



Here's Carth after his levelup. We also found another Combat Suit for Carth, so he got a defense boost at the cost of his default outfit being replaced with the generic combat uniform. Again, I might keep some party members in their default gear for fashion purposes later on.



Hm, this looks interesting. That force field around the foot locker indicates the locker has been rigged with a mine trap, which is triggered if you walk into the force field radius.



We've got enough Demolitions skill to disable this mine. If you're skilled enough, you can also recover mines, which is a decent way to make money early on because mines sell for a nice amount of credits. I'll make use of this whenever I have a Demolitions expert in the party.



Now that we got rid of the mine, we can take a look at the terminal and check out the message, which reads as follows:

Message posted:

Hey, Elam! How's life on Taris? I heard your brother left for Tatooine to become a miner. Did he at least leave Hyperdrive behind to keep you company? I hope you're still practicing with that blaster I gave you. Remember what I taught you, because you might need it. Taris isn't like Alderaan: it can be dangerous there. Stay away from those swoop gangs, and keep everything locked up in that old strongbox. Nobody's going to be busting into that thing! Hope to hear from you soon.
Uncle Louie



[Because this box is an older, off-planet model there is no interface for you to try and slice the system. You'll have to figure out the password if you want to get inside.]

Well, I think it's safe to say that Elam either joined a swoop gang or got involved in some other way, so we shouldn't feel too bad for breaking into his strongbox.







Hyperdrive was mentioned in the message, so we'll choose that.



The message was from an Uncle Louie, who mentioned giving Elam a blaster. (What kind of Star Wars name is Louie, anyway?)



The message said Taris was not like Alderaan, and while that doesn't confirm the family came from there it'll be as good a guess as any.



Why, thank you.



The Republic Mod Armor is an improvement over our basic combat suit. It has a Defense bonus of 5, with a max DEX bonus of +4, and can be upgraded. That'd be more useful if we weren't going to find an even better replacement soon.



That's all we can do in these particular apartments, so let's head back out.



The bouncer from Javyar's cantina will actually help you in a fight if you lure enemies close enough to him. This was actually one of the Vulkars guarding the hideout, we got in a fight too close to them and ended up having to retreat because Carth got knocked out. Carth eventually got up, but the Vulkar was still following us.



Since we had to return to our apartment anyway for a heal, let's check out the place next door.



I'm sorry. I was just investigating the area.

That's no excuse. You can't just go around barging into people's apartments because you're curious! But at least you're more polite than that pig, Holdan.

This, of course, is Dia.



We know who Holdan is. He put the bounty on Dia.



What do you mean?

l... I don't want to talk about it. I'm in enough trouble already. Besides, I don't know if I can trust you.





Holdan's a spiteful little Hutt-slug. He went and put out a bounty on my head for what I did! That's why I'm hiding out here.

We know all this, of course, not that any of our dialogue options reflect that.





Maybe I could speak to Holdan for you.

You could try, I guess. He usually hangs out at the cantina in the Lower City. It probably won't do any good. Holdan's used to getting his own way. That's one of the fringe benefits of being a goon for Davik. Working for the local crime lord lets you get away with things. Still, I appreciate the offer. Goodbye, and good luck. I hope you can talk some sense into Holdan.

Well, we heard Dia's side of the story. Time to head back down to the cantina.



Here - 300 credits. That's the price for all bounties.

First off, inform Zax we took out Selven. 300 credits is okay, but we can do better.





You do good work, human. There's lots of bounty hunters on Taris, but most are lazy. Maybe if you keep cashing in bounties they'll work harder.

Zax is a lot more receptive to bargaining than Ajuur, so you can get 400 credits for every bounty you turn in. Now that we got that out of the way, let's see if we can find Holdan.



Don't worry, honey - alien girls aren't really my thing. I'm much more interested in an attractive female of my own species.

Here's our boy. A real charmer, he is. We'll tell him we want to talk about Dia's bounty.



I can't let her get away with what she did - that wench tried to cut me with her vibroblade!

Why would she do that?

Because she's crazy! She started screaming that I was making advances, and the next thing I know she's coming at me with a knife.



Even Carth realizes that this guy is a jackass.



Sounds like maybe you got what you deserved.

Hey - you weren't there. She totally over-reacted!

I'll bet.



Okay, enough screwing around.



Although I do feel a little guilty about all this. Dia's a good looking gal - it'd be a shame to kill her. Tell you what - I'll take 200 credits in exchange for lifting the bounty.

No, that's not good enough.



I was a bit hesitant to choose this option because it kinda reads like we're encouraging him to kill Dia himself, but he did say he doesn't actually want her dead.



Don't worry - I'll stick to my end of the bargain. I'll go tell Zax right now that the bounty is off the table.

That's that. We earned some light side points for our efforts, and now we just need to tell Dia the good news.







Wait a minute... I know! I don't have many credits, but there is something I can give you. It's a family heirloom. It's not much, but it's something.



We could refuse the reward for maximum light side points, but that's dumb.





Err, thanks. It'd help if the game told us what the item we got actually is.





Okay then. That's not too bad, let's visit the workbench and upgrade our stuff.





That takes care of the upgrades. Next stop, the other apartment building in the Lower City.



Same deal as last time - a small army of Vulkars itching for a fight. Thankfully, we can repair this sentry droid to even the odds a little.



After murdering some more Vulkars, we gain another level and find a heavy blaster, which'll be a nice upgrade over our basic blaster pistol.



We'll invest the points as we've been doing thus far. I tend to alternate between Computer Use and Repair to keep them roughly equal. They'll eventually become class skills, so it'll only take one point per rank.



A bigger sneak attack bonus is always appreciated, even though we haven't really been stunning enemies all that much so far.



That should make dual-wielding actually worth using.



We're also well on our way towards the light side of the Force.



Yep, dual-wielding is actually a viable option now because we're actually able to hit things other than our own leg. We'll stick with double blasters for now.



That looks interesting, let's see what it's about.



The desk in the corner has a datapad containing the following message:

The Twisted Rancor Trio posted:

Guts and Glory: A Chronicle of The Amazing Story of The Twisted Rancor Trio
By Gilthos Uksaris
(A work in progress)

The origins of what would eventually become the most famous band in the galaxy are surprisingly humble. The brains behind the group, manager Gilthos Uksaris, founded the Trio to earn a date with a young singer named Elinda.

The ploy worked, and Elinda became the first member of the band. Gilthos scrambled to find musicians to back her, and signed a Bith named Ujaa to be the lead musician. Soon after that he signed Ujaa's brother Ujii to complete the trio.

The band struggled at first. Elinda was a fantastic singer, but Ujaa wasn't much of a musician. When Elinda threatened to quit, Gilthos fired Ujaa and signed another Bith named Loopa.
Of course this didn't go over well with Ujaa's brother, and Ujii quit. Fortunately, Loopa knew another musician named Fodo, who joined to replace Ujii.

Led by Elinda's singing, the second incarnation of The Twisted Rancor Trio became quite popular on their home world of Taris, eventually attracting the attention of local legitimate businessman Davik Kang.

Davik asked Gilthos to bring his group in for a command performance. Gilthos agreed, realizing this could be the band's big break. Unfortunately, Elinda had heard certain unsubstantiated rumors about Davik Kang and his connections to the Exchange. Fearing for her life, she refused to go to his estate to perform.

Many felt that without Elinda's singing the band would crumble. But Gilthos came up with a brilliant plan to save the group by hiring Elinda's sister, Ashana, as the new lead singer on the eve of their scheduled appearance at Davik's estate.

Gilthos knew he was taking a risk. If Ashana couldn't perform at Elinda's level, Davik's infamous temper could have dire consequences for the entire band. However, if Ashana could match her sister's performance then Davik was likely to sign the band to a big time touring contract.

It was a risk, but The Twisted Rancor Trio was founded on "Guts and Glory".

[There are no further entries.]

Doesn't seem like Guts and Glory was quite enough in the end, sadly.



The strongbox in the center of the room will open if you activate the holograms in a certain order. The names on the holograms match the band members in the story, so all you need to do is activate each hologram in the order the corresponding band members are mentioned. If you activate them in the wrong order once, nothing will happen, but if you screw up again the entire room will blow up and take you with it.



The correct order is of course Elinda, Ujaa, Ujii, Loopa, Fodo, Ashana.



For solving the Twisted Rancor Trio puzzle, we earn a few credits and the Echani Fiber Armor.



The Echani Fiber Armor has a defense bonus of 5 and max DEX bonus of +5 and can be upgraded, making it the best armor we can get for free for quite some time.



Behind a locked door, we encounter this Twi'lek who is understandably not happy about us breaking into his apartment.



None of your business. Just turn around and go back the way you came, if you know what's good for you.

[Persuade] Are you in some sort of trouble? Do you want to talk about it?

[Success] I... I guess I could tell you. You'll probably find out on your own eventually, anyway. Zax is giving his bounties away like candy, or so I hear.



My testimony helped put some of the biggest criminals on Taris away for life. But Davik didn't like seeing his friends go down, so now he's got a bounty on my head.

So yeah, this is Matrik, one of the bounty targets. We know his story and don't have any plans to haul him in, so let's see what else we can do.





Maybe you could fake your own death?

I've already thought of that. I even came up with a plan of how to do it. But I can't pull it off while I'm holed up in here.

Tell me your plan and I might help you out.

The trick is getting Davik to buy it when there's no body found at the scene. If it looks like I died in a massive explosion, he won't be suspicious when my corpse never turns up. If I had an accomplice go back and tell Davik that they were the one who set off the explosion to eliminate me, I think I'd be home free. I have some demolitions experience from my own days in the Exchange so I could set it all up. But I'd need to get my hands on a permacrete detonator.



As luck would have it, we just happen to be carrying a permacrete detonator with us. The Force truly works in mysterious ways.





Okay, the timer's set! Now let's get out of here before it blows!



That explosion was disappointing.



Okay, that's better, even if we can barely see it as the screen is fading to black.



There was a footlocker with random contents in the apartment that we could've looted before giving Matrik the detonator, but I doubt it had anything particularly useful.



So good luck, and goodbye. Now that I'm 'dead' I can't be seen wandering the streets.

What are the odds he'll run smack into one of Davik's bounty hunters the instant he exits the apartments?



That apartment is going to need a bit of work. Not our problem, though.



Oh, wonderful.







Ha! Can't say I've met a woman quite like you before. You're really something. I just don't trust easily, and for good reasons... which are my own.



Ahhh, drat it. I suppose I won't get any rest until I talk, will I? You want to know why I don't trust anyone? Fine, here goes. Five years ago the Jedi had just finished the war with the Mandalorians. Revan and Malak were heroes. I was drat proud to have served in their fleet. It was completely unexpected when they turned on us, invading the Republic while we were still weak. Nobody knew what to think, least of all me. Our heroes had become brutal, conquering Sith... and we were all but helpless before them. Think about it... if you can't even trust the best of the Jedi, who can you trust?

What do I have to do with Malak and Revan?

It... it's not that. It's... That's not what I mean. There were... there were others. Good, solid, trusted men who joined them. Malak and Revan and the Sith deserve to die for what they've done... but the ones who fled the Republic and joined them are even worse. The dark side has nothing to do with why they joined with the Sith. They deserve no mercy!

I haven't joined the Sith, Carth.



It's just... never mind. Let's just continue with what we were doing. I'd rather not talk about it.

Well, we've finally learned something about Carth's past and ongoing trust issues. I can see that being very rough on him, his friends and comrades from the Republic joining up with Revan and Malak and the Sith.



Anyway, we're done with the east apartments, so let's go tell Zax that Matrik is dead.



It's good Matrik's dead but maybe you went overboard, human. Next time use a blaster, not a bomb! Bombs are messy. But at least the job is done.

Erm, sure. That was easier than expected.



We're almost done in the Lower City, so let's upgrade our armor with some parts we found in the apartments.



After that, we're finally ready to head down to the deepest and darkest parts of Taris.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 02:27 on Jan 1, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


achtungnight posted:

That headgear makes us look like Lando's number two guy from Empire Strikes Back. I always thought that guy was pretty cool.
Yeah, Lobot. I think his headgear was actually supposed to be cybernetic part of some sort.

Also, I just realized that I hosed up the majority of the images in these updates when I was cropping and resizing them. Originally, I was cropping them to 1440x1080 and then resizing to 900px wide, but that left a vertical line a couple of pixels wide at each side of the image so I tried to get rid of that. Because I'm an idiot, I accidentally set the new crop settings at 1396x1080 as my brain was thinking the original crop was 1400 instead of 1440 horizontal pixels. The end result is that the images are cropped slightly too much now. The good news is that you don't actually lose any important information and the aspect ratio doesn't get stretched, so I'll leave the images as they are now and will fix the error in the next update!

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 07:07 on Jan 1, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


wedgekree posted:

It okay to talk about alternate ways to go about things in some of the missions completed so far in non spoiler ways?
Sure, go ahead.

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


MechaCrash posted:

Also, of no real relevance to the subject immediately at hand, but I hope that you bench Carth as soon as you have enough people that you can, and then let that choady motherfucker ride the pine for the rest of the game.

I assume that Pazaak is being skipped for reasons of dullness, but as I recall, you can make some pretty good money with it once you get the good cards. Getting the good cards takes a while, though, and by the time you have those and don't need to rely on savescumming, the money that Pazaak hustling brings in is kind of a pittance.
Carth is getting benched at the earliest opportunity, yes. I'll complete his personal sidequest, but he will absolutely not be a mainstay in the party.

As far as pazaak goes, I'm indeed skipping it because I don't care for it. Generally, I don't like any gambling minigames in RPGs and always ignore them as hard as I can. Pazaak, dice poker, gwent, Caravan, I never play any of that stuff unless I need to show it off for an LP.

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think the Vulkars spawn endlessly, there's just a couple of points in the Lower City where the game spawns a group or two of reinforcements and they'll stop coming once you kill them all.

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


When we get to maximum MUCHA SHAKA PAKA (those of you who played this probably know which specific quest I mean), I'll include a video in the update because that deserves to be seen and heard in its full glory.

And yeah, KotOR is pretty much where all the BioWare cliches started, and it hasn't necessarily held up super well in hindsight. If this is your first experience with KotOR after playing all the games they've produced since then, I completely understand why it might seem somewhat underwhelming.

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 6: Ghouls' Night Out



Last time, we finished our business in the Taris Lower City, which means we're now ready to head down to the Undercity and meet the horrible diseased rakghoul monsters we've heard so much about. Without any further dawdling, let's get to the elevator and make our way down.



Or not.



That headgear looks so, so dumb. The next time I record, I'll remove any and all headgear and won't be using it for the rest of the game because these horrible things are seriously cramping our style. Yes, that means we'll miss out on various bonuses, but this game is easy enough anyway and fashion is very important.



Let's just get on with this, Carth.



Listen, sister... just because we're working together does not mean you get to badger me with constant questions!

Do we have another problem, now?

Blast it if you aren't the most frustrating woman to talk to! Isn't there someone else you can harass for a little while?

No, sadly there isn't. If there was, that'd really break up the monotony of having Carth as our only conversational partner for the first few hours.





Carth just doesn't get it. Hey! I see a swoop bike!



I... *sigh* Okay, I give up. You win. Look, I suppose I... could use someone to talk to. I'm just not used to it. And I don't know why you're so interested. But here goes.



I'll get back to you in a second, Carth, but more importantly we've got more swoop bikes! I don't think I've ever actually noticed those in the background before. I suppose it makes sense that they'd be traveling on what passes for a road here, instead of being in the pedestrian areas. But yes, I believe Carth was about to finally tell us more about his past.





Saul was my commanding officer back when the Mandalorian Wars first began. He taught me everything about being a soldier... and I looked up to him. Saul approached me before he left. He talked to me about how the Republic was on the losing side... and about how I should start thinking of my survival. I know now that he was trying to recruit me into the Sith, but I couldn't have conceived of it back then. I argued with him and he got angry and he left. I never saw him again.





I just... I couldn't conceive of it. He... he couldn't be serious. I was wrong, of course... he not only left us for the Sith, he... he gave them the codes to bypass our scanners. I remember waking up as the first of the Sith bombers snuck past our defenses and began destroying half of our docked ships. I knew right away what had happened. I... could have stopped him. I could have stopped it all.



I don't know. Maybe. He might have killed me if I'd tried, or I might have killed him. I was stupid, however, and I let him go.







But I don't want to talk about it right now. Let's go.

So, Carth was betrayed by his mentor, the man he admired most in his military career. That will go a long way towards explaining his uneasiness around us, but there's still more to the story and we'll learn about that eventually. For now, though, we should get going.



That is a lot of blaster turrets. Keeps the swoop gangs away, I suppose, and ensures we won't be fighting our way into the elevator.



Unless you've got the proper security papers you better just turn around and go back the way you came.

I've got my security papers right here.

Let me see... hmmm, these look to be in order. Okay, you can go down if you want. Can't say I envy you, though. The Undercity is crawling with mutants. Rakghouls, they call 'em. If you see anything moving down there, shoot first and ask questions later.



Noted. Let's go.







We've reached the Undercity, and immediately someone's trying to shake us down. That's not a very promising start to our visit, although at least these guys don't appear to be rakghouls.





I think we might be able to afford that, but I doubt the elevator actually belongs to these fine fellows. Yes, there are two beggars here, they just look exactly the same.





Here in the filth and darkness we claw out a wretched existence, scavenging and begging just to survive long enough to see another wretched day.

This is our village. We live here in the undercity. You have to pay us five credits for using our elevator.

Sure, okay. I guess we can spare some credits to these poor souls.



Credits, my brother! We have credits! Now we can buy food and medicine!

Hush, or the others will hear us! They'll want our credits! We have to hide them!

Err, did we accidentally do a bad thing there? (No, that's just how you get more light side points, and these guys will never show up again)





Carth, don't be rude.





Well... I suppose it does look quite nice. It's just a shame about all the people.





Gendar, the leader of our village, tells me I should spend more time trying to improve things down here and less time dreaming about something I can never have. Maybe he's right. You probably think I'm a fool, having dreams of a place I've never even seen. But when l was little, Rukil used to tell me stories of what it was like up there.

Rukil? Who's that?

Rukil's the oldest man in the village. The kids call him Rukil Wrinkle-Skin, but he's a kind man. He used to tell me the greatest stories when I was a little girl. I still like to listen to his tales about the Promised Land, even though I know they're just legends. But it helps to make the Undercity seem less... less dark, somehow.

The Promised Land? What's that?

It's... it's just a story to make little children smile. Rukil believes in it, though. Sometimes I can almost believe it myself, but then I look around and I see the ugly truth. *sigh* I guess we have to make the best of what we have though. If you really want to learn more about the promised land you should speak to Rukil.

Where can I find Rukil?

He's wandering around somewhere on the south side of the village. He doesn't move too far... it's hard on his bones. He's over 100 years old! The children laugh at him and people think he's crazy because of his stories about the Promised Land, but he's really just a kind old man.

Where can I find Gendar?

He'll be somewhere in the village. I couldn't say where for sure. He's always busy, doing whatever he can to make the lives of the other villagers easier.

Have any other up-worlders come through here recently?

There were quite a few people from the surface marching through the village, but none of them bothered to talk to me. Gendar might know more about them.

Do you know anything about the escape pods that crashed into the Undercity?

I don't know anything about that, but maybe Gendar could help you. Sorry... is there anything else you need?

Well, not really, but since it doesn't seem like Shaleena gets to talk to visitors very often we might as well ask her about the Outcast village.





Some of the people have given up all hope; they've become bitter and depressed. But most of us are good people... despite what our ancestors may have done. Gendar could probably tell you more. Or maybe Rukil. You could talk to them if you want.

So hold on a second. These people have been living down here for generations after some of their ancestors got banished to the Undercity ages ago? Their village is RIGHT NEXT to an elevator leading to the Lower City, and there is only one Sith guard (and even he hasn't been there for that long, considering that the Sith only occupied the planet recently). There are several blaster turrets, yes, but those do not shoot on sight and presumably have to be activated by the Sith guard. Yet, for HUNDREDS OF YEARS nobody here has apparently thought about getting into the elevator and making a break for it. I know for a fact the Outcasts have weapons and armor, we'll meet a merchant in the next five minutes, so that wouldn't be a problem either.

Yes, if they all tried to force their way up top, there would likely be casualties but presumably that would be worth it for not having to live amidst a bunch of literal monsters. Do people still get banished down here? If so, who does the banishing? The Sith? Am I missing something? Because if I'm not, nothing about the continuing existence of the Outcasts makes one iota of sense. Am I playing Fallout 3 all of a sudden? What is happening?



I suddenly have a terrible headache.



Unfortunately, that's all Shaleena has to say to us and we can't tell her more about ourselves either.



The Undercity in all its glory. As you might expect, it's dark and depressing, and hopefully you like grey and brown because those are the only two colors we'll be seeing for the next hour or two. Shaleena mentioned Rukil and Gendar, so let's go introduce ourselves and see if either of them knows anything.



Erm...



The what now?





Despite Carth's concerns, Rukil doesn't seem dangerous. A bit crazy, probably, but not dangerous.



Maybe we can get him to explain himself a bit better, because right now we have no idea what he's babbling about.



Perhaps I can make things more clear. Some things, at least. My name is Rukil, the oldest Outcast here in the village. Rukil Wrinkle-Skin, the children call me sometimes.

It's a shame the game only had the one old man NPC model, because Rukil does not look like someone who has lived in this pit for 100 years.





The true path? What does that mean?

No, no, no. Not yet. I must be wary. Careful. You may be a false savior. Dare I share my secrets with you? No... not until you prove yourself.





Please, up-worlder - will you help an old man? Will you seek out my apprentice in the Undercity? Her name is Malya. I must know of her fate, whatever it may be. I must know what she... found.



Sure, we can keep an eye out. It's doubtful we'll find a whole lot, though.



I'll be back if I find anything out.

I wish you luck, up-worlder. Come speak to me again once you have discovered the fate of my apprentice.



Well, that didn't help us very much, but we'll help him out.



Carth's journal entry has been updated as well.



Maybe Gendar here will actually have some useful info for us.



Carth, please behave yourself. You're not wrong, but please behave.







I am Gendar, the leader of this village: as my father was, and as was his father before him. Many of us have been here for generations, our ancestors cast down long ago. There is no return to the surface for us, or our descendants. But somehow we manage to survive amidst the filth and roaming bands of deadly rakghouls.

You live next to the elevator. You have guns and armor. Why is this so difficult?



But life goes on, and we must try to make the best of what we have. And maybe someday we will find a better life... Ha! Listen to me. I'm starting to sound like Rukil.

So people are still being cast down? How does that even work? I'm sorry I'm harping on this one thing, but I forgot how silly the whole setup was.



The rakghouls are monsters, hideous mutations who feast on the flesh of our villagers. Their diseased jaws can infect those they attack, transforming the victim into one of those abominations. We know of no cure for the disease, and for the good of the village we must banish any who become infected, lest they transform and turn on us.

I want to ask you some questions.

Ask your questions, up-worlder. I will answer to the best of my knowledge, though I know little beyond the borders of the Undercity.

You said something about other up-worlders who came by here recently?

Our village has seen many visitors from the surface recently: armored troops, swoop gang members, mercenaries. They come to search our sunless world. They are even searching the sewers.

I'm looking for a Twi'lek named Mission Vao.

Yes, I have seen this Twi'lek many times, though I have never spoken to her. She and her Wookiee companion often pass through our village on their way to explore the sewers.

How can I get to the sewers?



If you dare to travel those dark tunnels you would be wise to go heavily armed, unless you wish to become a meal for the rakghouls and other foul creatures.

Great. Sewer level incoming. Most people who have played KotOR tend to hate the Taris section with a passion, to the extent that "Skip Taris" is one of the more popular mods for the PC version, and stuff like this is why.





At least we now have some idea where to head next.



We can talk to the random Outcasts wandering around the village, but they don't have anything of real interest to say.



This guy does, however.



Carth really isn't enjoying his time in the village, but he's not wrong when it comes to this particular Outcast. He sounds very shady.



How do you manage to run a store here in the Undercity?

If a villager comes across any useful salvage in the Undercity they bring it to me. Every so often members from the Lower City gangs come down to trade for the salvage. They'll exchange food and medicine for engine parts, old blasters and the like. Sometimes they even give me credits if I have some really good stuff.

Let me see your inventory.

It ain't the best stuff - mostly salvage and such. But the prices are right.



First off, we're gonna need some antidote kits because we WILL get poisoned at some point.



We'll also buy this heavy pistol for a nice damage boost. By the way, don't sell your stuff to Igear unless you're desperate, because as an Outcast he's not very rich and can only pay you half the default selling price.



Looking good. Weapons in this game have different models, although it's often kind of hard to tell and their textures are extremely low-res.



At least they had the sense to build a wall around their village to protect from the rakghouls.



As we approach the gate, this cutscene activates.





This scene was quite a bit longer when the game was still in development, but got cut down to what we see here. There were some more shots of the rakghoul pursuing Hendar, for example.







And if I open the gate they will kill us all!

Do we have to do everything down here? (yes, yes we do)



Anyway, there's our first glimpse of a rakghoul. They are these creepy humanoid mutants running around on all fours and trying to bite and slash at everything that moves. In the original version of the cutscene, you got a much better look at it.



I can't open the gate... not while the rakghouls are so near.



You would risk your life for a stranger? Heh. You are brave, up-worlder. I will open the gate for you, but you've got be quick. In a few seconds I must close and lock it again.



Hendar, you were supposed to run.



Hendar does not run, and instead chooses to fight the rakghoul with his staff.



Okay, that's not good. Thankfully, much like a Resident Evil protagonist, we can't get infected with the disease that transforms people into flesh-eating horrors. However, the rakghouls can poison us on hit and and inflict weakness, which causes your attribute points to go down by 1 every six seconds, for 36 seconds. As you can probably guess, that will gently caress you up.



Case in point. If you get poisoned here, you're basically toast. You may have time to use an antidote kit, especially if you do the inventory screen exploit, but usually you just get wrecked and there's no point wasting healing items. Fortunately, Carth is able to dispose of the rakghouls.





All's well that ends well. Except for us, because we're seriously injured and in dire need of healing after all that.



Thankfully, this Outcast healer can help us put our guts back inside where they belong.



For our own sake, I'd prefer if she healed us.



Aside from the obvious, of course. Please, can this wait? We can talk later.



Yes, we've established as much. Would you kindly heal us before we bleed to death here?



For the sake of the village, we have to keep the infected ones locked away. And when they finally do transform into rakghouls we'll let them destroy each other.

There must be something someone can do!

Nothing can be done for the infected villagers. Even the serum to counteract the rakghoul disease wouldn't be any use, now. Nobody would be foolish enough to risk going into the pens to give them the cure: the infected ones could transform into rakghouls and attack them at any moment.

Great, sounds fun. Could we please receive some medical attention now?



That shouldn't have been as hard as it was. We can go into the cage right now, but since there's no way we can help the infected ones we shouldn't do that.



Now that we got that out of the way, let's finally head out to the Undercity proper and see if we can find anything. That's a Sith patrol up ahead, maybe they have some of that rakghoul serum we heard about.



However, before we can continue on, Mission stops us. She's clearly in considerable distress.







Me... me and Zaalbar were just wandering around here in the Undercity. You know, looking for stuff we could find, just kind of exploring. We do it all the time.

I guess with a Wookiee at your side you've got to figure you can handle the odd rakghoul attack.

Only this time they were waiting for us. Gamorrean slave hunters. We didn't even have a chance to run. Big Z threw himself at them, and he roared for me to run! I... I took off; I figured Zaalbar would be right behind me. But there were too many of them - he couldn't get away. They're going to sell him to a slaver - I just know it!

Do you know where they took him?

Please don't say the sewers.



Gah!



It's a deal - as soon as we get Big Z back, I'll show you a way into that Vulkar base! Now, come on - We have to find Zaalbar before they sell him to slavers - or worse!

Do you know where he's being kept?







And with that, we finally have more than one party member. Let's see what Mission is all about.



Mission comes equipped with a stealth field generator, which I'm sure would be very useful if we were ever planning to use stealth. She also has her own custom vibroblade, which we'll equip for the time being.





She is also a level behind, so we'll just get her up to speed. Mission is really good at stealth as well as demolitions, the latter of which will come in handy soon. Her security skill is also excellent, but so is ours.



I ended up giving Mission the extra combat suit we had lying around to boost her defense a little.



Now that we're done with that, let's see what the Sith soldier up ahead has to say.







We've already lost one patrol... we figure the rakghouls got them. We've had so many encounters with those things we've actually run out of rakghoul serum. Plus we've had several skirmishes with looters from those Lower City swoop gangs. I'm telling you, we should just stay in the Upper City where we're in control!

At least we didn't have to fight the patrol, I guess. Sadly, they're out of rakghoul serum, so we'll need to find that someplace else.



Oh, is that why you're down here? Search and rescue? I didn't think they would send anyone. They were in the southern section of the Undercity when we lost contact. I would have gone to investigate, but my orders are to search for those crashed escape pods... even if it means leaving another patrol to die.





Come on patrol, let's get back to it. The sooner we get this search done the sooner we can get out of this mutant infested hole. Move out!



Mutant infested hole is right. This place is absolutely crawling with rakghouls, including some stronger ones such as the Rakghoul Fiend.



This isn't really the time, but why not.



"Mission, could you come a bit closer so I can hear what you're saying? Carth is in the way, too."



I want to know a little more about you, Mission.

Really? You want to know about me? Nobody's ever really been interested in me before. What did you want to know?





This was before the gang wars were out of hand, but even then the Vulkars were scum. A few of them were hassling Big Z, trying to pick a fight - but he wasn't looking for trouble.

That seems like a bad idea.





Anyway, I don't like Vulkars at the best of times. And when I saw them picking on this poor Wookiee - all alone on a strange planet, overwhelmed by the big city - I just lost it. I screamed out 'Leave him alone, you core-slimes!' and charged right at them. One of them saw me coming and slapped me so hard he just about knocked me cold.

That also seems like a bad idea.





Those Vulkars didn't scare me. They're nothing but cowards. I knew how to deal with them. Of course, I never got the chance. I guess Zaalbar didn't like seeing me get smacked around. He let out this howl and yanked that Vulkar a meter up off the ground and held him there by his throat.





The other two screamed and ran off. Can't say I blame them. The first time you see an angry Wookiee up close it isn't a pretty sight. I thought Zaalbar was going to rip that punk's arms off and beat him to death with his own fists. The Vulkar was so scared he fainted. Or maybe Big Z's breath just knocked him out. I keep telling Zaalbar to brush those choppers of his, but he never listens. Just stay upwind when he's speaking and you'll be fine. Anyway, I knew those Vulkars would be back with friends, so I grabbed Zaalbar and we took off. Ever since then we've been a team. We look out for each other, you know?



We're pretty far from Kashyyyk.



Doesn't much matter to me, though. I accept him for what he is, not what he was. Me and Zaalbar like to live in the present.

How did you survive before you met Zaalbar?

What's that supposed to mean? You think I can't take care of myself? I've got street smarts! I know how to get by on my own! In fact, I look out for Zaalbar more than he looks out for me, you know? Big Z's a little bit too gullible to make it alone on the mean streets of the Lower City.







My brother's a touchy subject, you know? It just so happens I don't really feel like talking about him right now. Nothing personal. Let's just get back to the business at hand, okay?

Yeah, I'd wager Zaalbar might be more appreciative of us saving him from the Gamorrean slave hunters than talking about him, so let's get a move on.



More rakghouls.



Even more rakghouls. In case you hadn't noticed, there are lots of rakghouls down here.



As we cut a swath through the horde of rakghouls, Mission levels up. Generally speaking, I'll be going with the recommended skill point applications for the party members, so from here on out I'll only show the Skills screen once for each companion so you get a general idea of their skillset.



Mission has the Dueling feat, which means an attack and defense bonus of +2 while using single one-handed weapons. Because I tend to prefer dual-wielding, I actually never noticed until right now that Dueling actually applies to both melee and ranged weapons.



I really wish there was a cosmetic option to keep the party members' default appearance regardless of the equipment they're actually wearing, like RPGs these days tend to have. The brown combat uniforms are just so tedious to look at.



Eventually, we come across a dead Sith soldier who obviously got on the wrong end of a rakghoul attack. He's got a bunch of goodies on him, but the one we're after is the rakghoul serum. We'll take this to Zelka at the clinic once we make it back to the Upper City, but that'll be a while so we'll hold on to it for the time being.



Party members can also have conversations with each other, and they're often a lot of fun.



Yeah, but that's only since the Sith occupation. Before that... well, I guess it wasn't all that different, really. Hmm... maybe Taris ain't as great as I thought, you know?

Trust me, Mission. There are a lot of worlds better than Taris. There are worse, too. But Taris is no place for a kid to live on her own - even a kid who's got a Wookiee to look out for her.

I'm sure Carth means well, but he should know already that Mission does not take kindly to people calling her a kid.





It's like we're traveling with a bunch of children. Well, Mission actually is one despite her protests, but you know what I mean.



Guys. Guys, please. We're supposed to be rescuing Zaalbar, not bickering amongst ourselves.





Carth just got owned by a teenager.



To the northeast, we see a crashed escape pod. We also see several mines of the Minor Frag variety, so we have Mission recover them to be sold later on.



The only thing of interest near the pod is this Republic soldier, who must be a survivor from the crash. We should have a chat with him and see if he knows anything about Bastila.



Well, that's not going to help.



Fortunately for him, we've got the rakghoul serum and enough doses for several people, so we're able to help him out.



To administer the serum, Zila walks over to the soldier and stares at him.





Bastila? She wasn't in this pod. We were tracking her pod just before we hit the planet's surface. It went down somewhere to the west. We lost the signal when our own pod crashed. Maybe... wait - what was that? Did you hear that? I thought I heard something.

I didn't hear anything.

That'd be because there was no sound effect or anything to indicate something's going on.





The terrified soldier runs off before we can question him any further...





...and proceeds to run directly into the claws of a waiting rakghoul, which he really should've seen because he was looking right in its direction. Well, that's one dose of the serum down the drain.



However, we earn some light side points and that's what matters. We kill the rakghoul and its friends and continue on.



Here's one of the entrances to the sewers. We're not going there just yet, because there are still things for us to find here in the Undercity, specifically the western part of the area.



As we head west, we run into Canderous and some of Davik's men.





Hm... by looks of you I'd say you're down here for the same reason we are: to salvage something from those downed Republic space pods. Let me give you some advice: forget about it. Do yourself a favor and just head back the way you came.





This isn't a good place to stand around chatting. The Undercity is crawling with rakghouls. I've already lost half a dozen men to those monsters.



More rakghouls? What a surprise.



And here they come. Time for yet another rakghoul fight.





Pictured: Yet another rakghoul fight



Okay, boys... we're getting out of here before I lose anyone else. I can't carry all this salvage back by myself! You'd be smart to get out of here as well. Even if you can handle the rakghouls I doubt there's anything worth finding anymore.





But the Lower City gangs got here first. Anything worthwhile in those Republic pods is probably in their hands now. Davik won't like that.

What can you tell me about Davik?

What are you, an off-worlder? Everybody knows Davik. He's a member of the Exchange. You know - the interstellar crime syndicate. Smuggling, gambling, extortion - Davik controls it all here on Taris. That's why I'm working for him. But lately the Lower City gangs have been giving my boss some trouble.

What do you know about the Lower City gangs?

This isn't really the place to have these kind of conversations. But I guess I could spare a couple seconds for you - after all, you did help us out with those rakghouls. The Lower City is overrun with gangs, but the two most important ones are the Hidden Beks and the Black Vulkars. Used to be the Beks were the big dog and kept the others in line. But lately the Black Vulkars are moving in on Bek turf and challenging them for control. The Vulkars are even starting to defy Davik! Take these escape pods, for example. Everyone knew Davik would want first crack at them, but I know for a fact those drat Vulkars have already sent their own salvage party down here.







Looks like he's only got one of the boys left at this point, the other two apparently got killed by the rakghouls that attacked us just now. Davik's gonna have to hire some replacements.





Carth levels up and learns Sniper Shot.



Yet more rakghouls. I'd also like to point out that Mission is fighting three or four rakghouls on her own there, and winning.



...good work, Mission. Not even a scratch on her.



Past the rakghoul horde, we come across a dead Outcast.



This is Rukil's apprentice Malya who, sadly but not entirely unexpectedly, has lost her life in search of whatever it is Rukil sent her out to search for.



Her journal is intact, though, so maybe that will shed some light on the situation.

Promised Land Apprentice Journal posted:

This journal details the search for the Promised Land carried out by Rukil's Apprentice. Most of the entries are mundane; however, the last entry is quite interesting:

"I have uncovered evidence that others have been seeking out the fabled land, and that their treks have led them into the sewers. I have decided that I must go there as well."



Interesting. Next time, we'll take the journal to Rukil and see if we can learn more about this "Promised Land", and then we'll head down to the sewers to fight more rakghouls and a small army of pig men!

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 16:14 on Jan 6, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 7: Obligatory Sewer Level



Last time, we explored the Undercity and fought a couple dozen rakghouls. In our travels, we came across the serum that cures the rakghoul disease, as well as something called a Promised Land Journal. The journal was kept by Malya, an Outcast who was the apprentice of Rukil until her untimely rakghoul-related death, so we'll give it to Rukil.



Your apprentice is dead. I have her journal.

It is as I feared, then. She joins the list of those who have given their lives in the service of our cause. But though I am saddened by this news, there is yet hope. By finding my apprentice you have proved yourself worthy, up-worlder. You are to be the beacon on our path to salvation. You will guide us to the Promised Land!

We will?





I am old - I have lived a hundred years in the Undercity, cast down into the darkness. I know the legends and history of our people - and now you must learn it, too.

Very well - tell me the history of your people.

The great city of Taris covers the entire surface of this planet. There is no land to grow food. Kelp harvests and the creatures of the sea are our only food source. A century ago rising levels of toxic pollution poisoned the oceans and famine swept the planet. The rich hoarded food for their own use, and the poor were left to starve and die.



Excellent observation, Carth. Please let the man speak.



The rebellion was crushed in the end, thousands were taken prisoner. The jails could not hold them all, and so the practice of banishing all prisoners to the Undercity was born.

I'm still waiting for someone to explain why these banished prisoners, who apparently numbered in the thousands, didn't try to fight their way back at any point instead of resigning to their fate and sitting here for a century.



Many brave men and women were banished here to the Undercity for their part in the rebellion. People like my father and grandfather were cast down, along with their families.





I still don't think... oh, whatever. I give up. The Promised Land. Let's do this.





For many years I searched for the Promised Land, just as my grandfather and father did before me. When I became old and gray my apprentice continued the search on my behalf.

What? Why in the hell would someone build a self-sustaining "paradise" beneath the Undercity of all places? "This way, one and all! Come visit us at our beautiful self-sufficient colony of wonderment, where the finest Tarisian ale flows freely and droid servants attend to your every need, and we do mean every need! The entrance is to the southwest, behind the 583th pack of rakghouls." Or was it built by some ultra-rich recluse who wanted to get away from other people?



Carth has a point for once, and it's completely understandable how most Outcasts treat Rukil as a weird old lunatic. The Promised Land sounds too good to be possible.



But I know my father and grandfather each had journals where they recorded their own discoveries. Perhaps with their journals I could at last uncover its hidden location.

Still, Rukil seems to be convinced the place exists, so we'll humor him.





I'm afraid that only with all three journals - my grandfather's, my father's and my apprentice's - will I be able to discover the location of the Promised Land. I will leave this journal with you for safe keeping for now. Perhaps it will aid you in your search for the others. I wish you luck, up-worlder - for the sake of the entire village.

We'll get on that. First off, though, there's something else we need to do in the village.



We did get the rakghoul serum, and the Outcast healer said they had locked some infected villagers in this quarantine pen back here. Maybe we can do something to help them out.





I'm going through those gates to try and help the infected ones!

I can't stop you from going through the gates, up-worlder. But if the infected ones have already transformed into rakghouls you'll be walking into your grave.



Good, they haven't transformed yet. Maybe we still have time.



Certainly, just let me give you a dose of this serum and...



...well, poo poo.



So, here we get to observe the actual moment of transformation. As it turns out, the infected person will appear fine until the mutation triggers fully and the infected is engulfed in a flash of bright light.



The one on the left seems quite happy to be there. :yayclod: This scene is unbelievably goofy for something that's clearly meant to be dramatic and horrifying. I realize they didn't have the tech for gruesome Resident Evil mutations, but even then this looks incredibly silly and probably should've been cut out because it utterly undermines what is supposed to be a serious moment.



In any event, we at least give these poor bastards a dignified end.



How about these two, then?





I'm pretty sure these guys will turn if you spend too much time asking stupid questions, so we'll just give them the cure immediately.







Hey, they actually bothered to animate it this time. That's just the medpac/stimulant animation, but it's better than nothing.



Thank you, up-worlder. You have saved us from a fate worse than death. I only wish I had some reward to give you. Maybe you can find something worthwhile in the wreckage of that Republic escape pod.



We already checked that and found nothing, but never mind that. At least we managed to help these folks and stop them from turning into ridiculous monsters.



With that, we earn some more light side points and level up.



I decided to work on our Demolitions a bit more because I had to put those points somewhere. Another rank of Computer Use/Repair or even Treat Injury would probably have been more useful because we're too dumb to effectively use Demolitions and can't really disarm anything at the moment, but if we put enough points in the skill we'll eventually be able to do something with it. We won't be lugging Mission around all the time, after all.



More importantly, reaching level 6 nets us Improved Scoundrel's Luck, which increases our Defense bonus by a further two points.



I wish I had some type of reward to give you, but we Outcasts have nothing. All I can offer is the gratitude of the entire village.

It's fine. Now that we're done with that, we should head back out and get to the sewers.



As we head towards the gate, Igear stops us.



You know, most people don't believe his stories - they figure he's nothing but an old kook. But I think there might be some truth in what he's saying. That's why I want to stop him!



For an Outcast, I've got things pretty good. The village relies on me to bring in food and supplies - I'm an important man. If it wasn't for Gendar I'd be running this place.



But if Rukil ever finds his Promised Land, I'm sunk. People won't need to rely on me anymore. I'll just be another nobody like all the rest of the villagers. I won't let that happen!

That would truly be the greatest tragedy of our time. I'm pretty sure I wrote this exact comment when this same scenario popped up in the Jade Empire LP.



We'll tell Igear to gently caress off.



The two explorers who went searching for the Promised Land might have found something. They might have found clues or evidence - just like Rukil's apprentice! They would have recorded that information in their journals. I'll pay you if you bring all three journals to me - the two from the explorers and the one from Rukil's apprentice. Then I can destroy the evidence and make sure nobody ever finds the Promised Land! I've saved up enough credits from my business here to make it worth your while if you help me.



Apparently, there was some part of "gently caress off" he didn't understand, so we'll tell him again.



Once you have all three journals just bring them to me and I'll give you a decent reward. Now, was there something else you needed?

No. gently caress off.



Now that we got that out of the way, let's actually make our way to the sewers.



wait hold on







"Why are we misspelling the word 'embarrassing'?"



I never knew my parents, my brother always looked out for me. He's the one who brought me to Taris. I was just a kid, only five. But I remember the trip - if you could call it that. We were stuffed inside a packing crate in a star freighter's cargo hold with just enough food and water to make the trip. Not exactly first class, you know?

:stonk:





The only way to get off the planet was to smuggle ourselves out. I mean, I don't want to make it sound like we were criminals... well, maybe my brother was. See, this is why I don't like to talk about it. It makes Griff sound worse than he really was. My brother had his problems, but he always looked out for me.





He showed me how to slice into a computer's security system; how to get inside a locked building without the entrance codes, and how to spot a wealthy mark for a quick shell game.



Considering her former line of work, it'd be quite hypocritical for Zila to moralize about this stuff.



I really miss him since he left. I keep hoping he'll come back some day. He promised me he would.







I don't want to talk about Griff and Lena - just the thought of that space tramp makes my blood boil! Subject's closed as far as I'm concerned! If I'm going to be any help to you I can't be worrying about my brother running off with some intergalactic skank! So, is there something else you need?

I like how they specified "space" tramp and "intergalactic" skank.



Setting aside Mission's family history for a moment, we head down to the sewers. Lovely.



The sewers are crawling with Gamorrean raiders, as expected. The basic ones aren't too nasty, but there are some stronger guys as well and they pack a punch.



Since the Gamorreans use their war axes for combat and there's not a lot of room to maneuver around in the sewers, we should switch to melee weapons. Our two-weapon fighting ability is finally decent enough for two swords to be a viable option, so we equip the prototype vibroblade and a short sword, which has a smaller off-hand penalty than regular swords. That is a decent increase in our damage output, although we'll be likely to miss more often.



There is a button to twirl the swords around on command, but I couldn't find it on the Xbox controller.



The sewers are a maze of ugly, brown tunnels with entirely too many doors, and I always end up going through the wrong ones at first.



This one leads to a dead end with a bunch of rakghouls, but there is something actually important here.



Namely, the second Promised Land journal.

Promised Land Journal posted:

This journal is a record of the long and difficult search to find the Promised Land. It contains many half completed maps and cryptic notes, all attempting to decipher whether the legend is true or simply a child's fable. By itself this journal does not contain enough information to solve the mystery, however it could be a valuable piece of the puzzle.

We can't make heads or tails out of it, but maybe Rukil is able to decipher the notes and maps.



More doors. More Gamorreans. More fun!



This door leads to a force field. That path leads to the upper sewers and the Vulkar base, but we can't do anything with it until we rescue Zaalbar.



Seriously, too many drat doors. To our right is the Gamorrean compound, but I want to find the last Promised Land journal before we do anything else.



Hey, we managed to stun something with Critical Strike! That rakghoul is dead as poo poo, or at least it would be if its buddies weren't blocking the path.



Some of these ladders lead back to the surface. Don't go back to the surface, because the enemies here will respawn.



Guys, would you please stop ganging up on us? I know it's a good strategy to focus your attacks on the target with the lowest amount of health, but it's very rude.



Even more doors. As someone who easily gets decision paralysis when presented with multiple paths in RPG dungeons, I despise this place.



I guess we'll go through the door in front of us, which leads to more rakghouls.



These doors actually lead directly to the Gamorrean compound, as we did a loop and kinda came in the back way. This is not optimal, because had we come in through the front we could've reprogrammed a nearby combat droid to help us with the angry Gamorreans.



This was a really bad idea.



A really, really bad idea. The Gamorrean elites are bad enough, but the chief hits like a freight train full of trucks made of lead. His regular attack damage is bad enough and will easily cleave off half of Zila's health with a single swing.



Then he hits a loving critical on Zila and one-shots her. I think her max HP is 36 at this point!



Many bad things are happening right now. Somehow, we manage to take down the chief before he is able to kill anyone else, which will make the situation much more manageable.



We're also helped massively by the fact this Gamorrean elite is too lazy to join the fray. Not having him swinging his axe around already helped, but since he's not attacking us right now, Zila is also able to get up and heal. That was a bit more intense than I would've preferred, and that's why you should repair the droid and go through the front door.



At least we survived, just about.



The nearby weapons locker contains Zaalbar's bowcaster, so Zaalbar himself is probably nearby.



One of the Gamorreans also dropped a belt that increases our Fortitude saves from 0 to 2.



You can't use conventional security spikes on these old locks, but don't worry. I've come across them before. I've rigged up a little device that should do the trick.

A bomb?



I guess not.





Who's that with you?

These are my new friends, Big Z. Without them I never could have got you out.





You have saved me from a life of servitude and slavery. There is only one way I can ever repay such an act: I will swear a lifedebt to you.

A lifedebt? Are you sure about that, Big Z? Think about it carefully. You better be sure about this.

I am sure, Mission. This is an issue of great importance to me. Because of our great physical strength, Wookiees are being used as slave labor on our own homeworld. They see us as brutes and animals to be exploited. Over the years slavers have taken many of my people; we must always be on guard against raids against our villages. When the Gamorreans captured me, I thought I was doomed to a life of servitude. l have been saved from such a fate, and the only way I can repay that is through a lifedebt.

I think KotOR was the first time I actually saw Wookiee dialogue translated to English.





That is very much what that means, yes. Note the "subtle" callback to the original Star Wars film, where Leia calls Chewie a walking carpet.



A lifedebt is the most solemn vow a Wookiee can make. It means he'll stay by your side for the rest of your life - wherever you go, whatever you do, Zaalbar will be with you.

In the presence of you all I swear my lifedebt. Forever after I will be by your side, Zila Galcyon. May my vow be as strong as the roots of the great Wroshyr trees of Kashyyyk.







The rear end in a top hat responses seem to be extra assholish here for some reason.



Oh, right, the Vulkar base and the prototype swoop accelerator. I almost forgot why we were going into the base in the first place.





I can't remember exactly how to get there, but I know it was somewhere here in the sewers. Over to the northeast, if I remember right. I just hope the rancor monster isn't still there.





Luckily rancors aren't too bright. I was able to sneak past it before, so I'm sure we'll figure something out. That is, unless you want to change your mind.

Eh, what's the worst that could happen?



Okay then, off we go. Like I said, somewhere to the southeast. Just look for the force shield and we'll know we're there.

You said NORTHeast, Mission.



[You can switch party members using the PARTY SELECTION screen, accessible by pressing A while on the map screen. This button is disabled in areas that are considered dangerous.]

Having sworn a lifedebt to us, Zaalbar is now a party member! :wookie: The Party Selection button, by the way, is actually enabled while we're in the sewers, so clearly this is not considered a dangerous area.



We'll take him along because we've spent more than enough time dealing with Carth for now.



Your first instinct might be to equip Zaalbar with his bowcaster, but he's much more useful out front as a melee fighter due to his obscene strength and constitution. As a Scout, Zaalbar is also able to equip implants, but we don't have any at the moment.



You can do a lot of things with Zaalbar, but I just end up boosting his Treat Injury skill so that he's even harder to kill. If you go for the recommended points allocation, Zaalbar will end up quite handy with computers, which I always though was pretty amusing because I can just about imagine him hunched over a keyboard. I'd love to see artwork of Zaalbar using a computer. :3:



Since Big Z's going to be a melee combatant, we'll give him Improved Flurry. It reduces the defense and attack penalties from the basic Flurry feat by 2.



Holy poo poo, look at that HP and STR and CON. Extremely low charisma, though, because the developers are clearly racist against Wookiees. He's also not going to dodge very many attacks with his 11 Defense, but he's got so much health that it doesn't really matter.



We still need to find the remaining Promised Land journal before we can proceed, so let's wander around some more and kill more Gamorreans.



In fact, now that I think about it, your breath has been pretty rancid ever since we rescued you from those Gammorean slavers. What did they feed you, buddy?

Yes, they misspelled Gamorrean in the subtitles.







"Arm of a guards"? Come on now, guys.



Wookiees do not brush their teeth, Mission! It... it just isn't done! What humiliation will you use on me next? A comb?

Okay, relax. No toothbrush. Sheesh. Just try to eat something else to cover up that smell, okay? Stay away from anything that's smart enough to lock you in a cage this time.

*sigh* I'll take care of it as soon as I can, Mission. For now, let's stay focused on the task at hand.

These two are so much better than Carth.





In the room with the combat droid we could've reprogrammed to help with the Gamorreans, we also find the last Promised Land journal. We can't decipher this one either, so let's return to Rukil.







Hmmm... yes. Yes! Of course! Now I understand - it all makes sense! Now I see why the Promised Land has been so hard to find! It is so obvious! You have done a great thing, up-worlder - a selfless act that will bring great joy to all the people of this village! I must take this to Gendar right away!

Apparently, there was something useful in those journals after all.





What... no. It can't be! Are these real, Rukil? Is this information accurate?

I swear to you everything in these journals is true, Gendar. The Promised Land - I told you I would find it!

The entrance is far from here, Rukil. It will take us weeks to get there... perhaps even months. And we will have to cross many rakghoul infested areas.

I do not deny the journey will be hard, Gendar. But surely it is better than the miserable life we have here!

Wise words, Rukil. Our supplies are high right now - we could leave by nightfall! I will tell the others to prepare for the journey.

Thank you once again, up-worlder. I will say a final goodbye, for where we are going I fear you cannot come. The journey to the Promised Land is long and arduous.



I'd really like to see this Promised Land, but we have a job to do so we can't exactly drop everything and run off with this bunch. So, we'll just bid Rukil and the Outcasts farewell and wish them luck on their quest.





And thus, the Outcasts set out for their long and arduous journey to the Promised Land. Will they find it? Will it be as amazing as the stories described it? Will the Outcasts have a happy ending to their story after all? (According to The Old Republic, the answers to these questions are "yes", "no", and "gently caress no" respectively, because no one in KotOR or KotOR II is allowed to have nice things in the Old Republic continuity)



We are left in a now very empty Outcast village. There's nothing else for us here, so we'll return to the sewers.



Now then, let's get rid of this force field.



I picked them off the pocket of a Black Vulkar who had a little too much to drink in the cantina one night. Here, let me get that energy field down for you.



Mission enters the codes into the console, and the path to the upper sewers is open.



The upper sewers look very much like the lower sewers. The one interesting thing we see in this area is a bunch of rakghouls having a fight with Gamorreans. Who's going to win?



If you guessed the rakghouls, congratulations! Give this guy a high five!



More doors to choose from. This time around, only one path contains anything of note and that is the actual way forward.



Further up, we run into this malfunctioning droid which will shoot us on sight. Mission could probably use stealth to get rid of that mine without alerting the droid, but I use stealth so rarely that I completely forgot to even consider that option.



It doesn't even matter, because the gas mine completely fails to poison anyone anyway.



One of the dead ends has a Gamorrean raid leader, who seems fearsome but is easily disposed of with Critical Strike and Sneak Attack.







You're making this up! I groom every day! My hair is not tangled, and it's not going gray!



You know what, let's tease Zaalbar a bit.

Don't worry, Big Z. It's nothing I can't fix. A little trim, a splash of coloring and you'll be as good as new. Best looking Wookiee on the planet. Maybe a nice suit...





Close enough. Now I want to see a picture of Zaalbar dressed in a suit, operating a computer.





Okay, okay. Sheesh. Try to offer some constructive criticism and this is the thanks I get? Let's move on. You can just stay naked and scruffy for all I care.



I don't even want to know what this is doing here, but it is holding something.



That something is a Hidden Bek datapad, as well as some sort of synthesized odor.

Synthesized Odor posted:

This appears to be a timed release device for a strange substance. The liquid has a very pungent odor.

Maybe the datapad will tell us what this thing is for.

Bek Datapad posted:

This datapad seems to detail plans the Hidden Bek had to get into the Black Vulkar base. Of note is the following:

"We have synthesized a substance with an odor that resembles a favorite prey of rancors. If we place the bait properly, we can lure the rancor into eating something lethal enough to kill it."

Interesting, though it clearly didn't help the former owner of this arm very much. Presumably, he tried to flee the rancor and ran for this hallway, but got chomped before the door closed.



Well, so much for hoping the rancor had quietly wandered off.





The corpse pile here contains items that don't seem particularly crucial. Instead of picking them up, you want to switch to the Give Items menu, which up until this point has never been used and first-time players might not even have noticed the option existed (back in the year 2003, 16-year-old me slowly raises his hand and doesn't know why).



So, what you want to do is place the synthesized odor in this pile to lure the rancor out. You can also place some other crap if you want to clean out your inventory, but the synthesized odor and at least one grenade are important.



The rancor notices the odor and is clearly intrigued.



For some reason, I always found it funny they decided to subtitle the rancor's snorts like this. Not even *Snort*, but "Snort, snort" like the rancor is actually saying the words. I'm quite easily amused.



The rancor, on the other hand, is not amused by the surprise we left in its dinner.



Poor guy.





Mission and Zaalbar level up, but there's nothing particularly interesting to show off there.



Now, if you were so inclined, you could attempt to fight the rancor or try to sneak past. Neither of these options is recommended because the rancor will very easily kill you in a single hit, but you can give it a shot.



Past the now deceased rancor is the path to the elevator leading to the Vulkar base. These guys aren't going to pose much of a problem.



Next time, we'll break into the Vulkar base and go racing.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 20:33 on Jan 7, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Cooked Auto posted:

The second image after the first rakghoul sewer fight is from the intergalactic skank conversation.
Also [4149] at the Rancor conversation.
Yep, I typo'd the filenames there. Should've been 7098 and 7149 respectively, and it's fixed now. I was in a bit of a rush earlier and didn't have time to look over the update properly.

edit: also had 7090 where 7100 should've been, that's fixed as well

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 20:25 on Jan 7, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Let's maybe hold off on the endgame chat and talking about who does or doesn't get killed or marooned on a planet, even if it's about the dark side path. I will go over all that stuff in due time and we'll get to discuss it plenty once we get there, but we haven't even got out of the tutorial zone yet. :)

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 8: Super Charger Heaven



Last time, we rescued Zaalbar here from 30-50 Gamorrean slave hunters, and he swore a lifedebt to us. As you probably know, that means he's going to follow us around for the rest of our days, but that's not a bad thing because who doesn't want a Wookiee buddy? We also made it through the sewers and into the Black Vulkar base, and now that we're here we should start looking for that prototype swoop accelerator they stole.



Cripes, that is a lot of rooms to check out. During development, the Vulkar base was a lot bigger than it is in the final game, and if you want to see how it used to be you can install various restored content mods for the PC version. The area was presumably cut short because someone at BioWare decided to make Taris less of a slog to get through, but that's just my guess.



Okay, that makes sense. You wouldn't leave something like the prototype accelerator just lying around.



The corridors of the Vulkar base are patrolled by a motley crew of Vulkars and combat droids. We repaired the droid on the left to help us out, although it's not going to help us all that much outside this one encounter so saving the parts might've been smarter. At least we got some XP out of it.



Let's see if we can do anything with this security panel. Mission currently has the highest Computer Use skill rating, so she'll get to slice into this thing. I should've taken the recommended points allocation for Zaalbar, he'd outrank us in Computer Use by now.



Well, that didn't work. Looks like we have to find the main terminal.



Even the Vulkar cook wants us dead. I suppose we did break into their base and all.



The bartender and the bouncer droids also decide to get in on the action.



We'll talk to this waitress in a bit, but first we'll explore some more.



This is the way out. We already killed the guards out front and they apparently don't respawn, so when we're done here we can just waltz right out of the front door.



This door is guarded by two sentry droids, so whatever is inside must be important. Could this be where they're keeping the accelerator?



The answer to that question is no, as this is just the armory. The door is locked, but we have more than enough security skill to get in here. You could also spend a few computer spikes to unlock the door... or just bash it, I suppose.







There is some pretty decent loot in the armory, so it's worth visiting. Concussion grenades stun enemies, making them perfect for setting up Sneak Attacks. Meanwhile, ion grenades are effective against droids and shields.



Now that we've murdered everyone patrolling this floor, we can go talk to the waitress. We actually could've talked to her earlier and it wouldn't have made a difference, but doing it this way seems more logical.





Don't worry, I just want to ask you a few questions.

Well... alright. I still don't know how much help I can be. But I sure hope you get rid of all the Vulkars. I hate them!

Let's see if she knows anything about Bastila.





I guess she's too important to be a slave here in the kitchens, getting pawed and groped and kicked and spit on like me. Brejik must have taken her somewhere safe.

Where can I find the prototype swoop engine accelerator?

What? I... I've never heard of such a thing. I guess it might be in the garage on the lower level - that's where all the Vulkars go to work on their swoop bikes. But I've never been down there. The elevator is protected by a security system - only the Vulkars are allowed to go down there.

Right. Makes sense that a slave wouldn't know a whole lot about the Vulkars' schemes.



Jesus, that loving one-liner on the dark side choice. That's almost physically painful.





Like I said, it makes more sense to free her after all the Vulkars are dead, not just the ones in her immediate vicinity.



With that, Ada gets the hell out of Dodge.



We, however, still have a job to do. This security panel is the main terminal, let's check it out.



We've got menus for security cameras and system commands. Let's take a look at the cameras first.



I'm not going to bore you to death by showing every single camera feed, just the important ones. We'll start with the barracks.



Hm. That is a lot of Vulkars. We could probably take them in a fight, but it might be a better idea to look for an alternative solution.



That'll do it.





The overloading conduit zaps all but one of the Vulkars, and our job gets a hell of a lot easier.



"What did I tell you guys? I always said you shouldn't loiter around the power conduit, and you all just laughed at me! Well, who's laughing now? Huh?"



The Vulkar base also has a pool, although there isn't any water in it at the moment. There is a footlocker in there, though.



The garage elevator has some hefty security, so we probably shouldn't attempt to fight our way through.



We have more than enough spikes to simply shut down the security right now and head right in, skipping the rest of the rooms on the main floor, but come on. Of course we want to explore those rooms! This is an RPG, there might be important loot in there!



I didn't really need to open the security doors via the terminal because we could've just picked the locks. We won't upload the area schematics (i.e. a map of the base) to our datapad, because it's not as if navigating this place is difficult. If you're too stupid to live, you can also select the "Overload terminal" option, which does exactly what it says on the tin and kills you instantly.



Zapping all the Vulkars in the barracks earned us another level, so let's see what we've got.



Business as usual with the skills.



Reaching level 7 unlocks Sneak Attack IV, improving the Sneak Attack bonus even further. The damage bonus on stunned or immobilized targets is now a whopping 4-24. That will be the last Sneak Attack bonus Zila is getting, because the next one unlocks at level 9 and I'm not leveling her starting class to level 9.



One of the rooms we unlocked has another Vulkar fight. Nothing special, or is it?



This Vulkar is actually a bit different, as he surrenders the instant you put the hurt on him.



That was easy.





Then Brejik and his followers took over and turned our gang into a bunch of violent thugs and bloodthirsty punks. Now they treat all us original Vulkars like second class citizens. Take me, for example. I used to be one of the highest ranking Vulkars in the gang. Now I'm stuck on guard duty here in the back, all thanks to Brejik!

The pirate base in Jade Empire has an older pirate in the same situation, who has almost exactly the same dialogue with the names changed. We all know BioWare likes to recycle a lot of things between games, but I didn't remember it was quite this blatant.





Brejik and his followers are the real traitors. They turned on Gadon and now they slaughter the Beks in the streets... and anyone else they happen to run across. Brejik knows anyone with character will never willingly follow a leader like him, so he uses brutality and violence to stay in power.



This guy isn't going to be of any use to us, so we'll just let him run along.



Working on it!



The barracks are next door. The last Vulkar standing tries his best, but is no match for us.



One of the many dead Vulkars has a pass card on him. This'll let us into the elevator.



But first, the pool area. If we had 5 repair parts - which we don't - we could reprogram the pool droid to crawl into the pool and self-destruct. Why would you want to do that, you ask? Well...



The pool has several gas vents that poison us if we try to get to the crate on foot.



Totally worth it, though, Plasma grenades are pretty great, and we also get some nice upgrade parts and an accessory.





All that's left to do on this level is to insert our pass card into the elevator console.



That takes care of the security system and ensures we don't get ventilated by the turrets.





Down we go.



Here's the swoop garage area in all its glory.



If you need assistance and have enough parts, there are some droids you can repair near the entrance. We don't have enough parts, of course, so we'll just do this the old-fashioned way.



The patrol droid is nothing, but the garage head puts up a decent fight despite Zaalbar giving him a roundhouse kick to the face.



We can see mines down the ramp, so that must be the way to progress.



These garages have some Vulkar guards and swoop mechanics, none of whom pose much of a threat.



One of the garages also has a workbench, so we get an opportunity to upgrade our stuff.



The swoop accelerator is behind this door. We could go in right now, but first we'll check out the other path leading down from the main garage level.



This one right here, to the west.



The only point of interest down here is the garage head's office. The desk contains some pazaak cards we'll never use, a blaster upgrade part, and the garage head's personal keycard that can be used with the nearby terminal.



Let's have a look at the engine lab. That's the room behind the big security door we saw.



Four Vulkars, and that's the prototype accelerator on the upper right. Unfortunately there's no way for us to blow these guys up remotely, but at least we know roughly what to expect.



Before we head in, we'll make sure to activate our energy shields because things might get rough.





Yeah, we were the ones who were supposed to use it to cheat in the swoop race!







The Beks have gang colors?



Yeah, yeah, we know where this is going. Just give us the accelerator so we can get out of this dump.





No, really, we don't care.





So yes, if you're playing a dark side character you can join up with the Vulkars, kill Gadon and represent the Vulkars in the swoop race. Naturally, we won't be doing that.





Kandon's bodyguard here is very eager to get rid of us.





This fight can be a bit rough because Kandon has high defense and is difficult to hit, especially with our less than ideal dual wielding abilities. The bodyguards blasting away at us can be a bit annoying, but Kandon is the biggest threat so Zila and Zaalbar focus on him while Mission tosses grenades at the bodyguards. One of the grenades may have slightly hit Zaalbar earlier, which is one of the reasons his health is so low at this point.



Eventually, the whole crew eats dirt.



Kandon has a ton of stuff on him, including a response package implant and a disruptor pistol as well as the items we see here. The Sith Energy Shield absorbs 30 points of damage instead of the usual 20, the Military Suit is medium armor with a +6 defense bonus and max DEX bonus of +3, and the Verpine Headband offers a +3 bonus to Will saves and +2 to Awareness.



All that's left to do here is to grab the accelerator and get out.



The Verpine Headband does at least look a whole lot less idiotic than the Lobot headgear we've been rocking for these last couple of hours, but it's still a crime against fashion.



Anyway, that was the Vulkar base. We can now just walk out and head back to Gadon.



I was beginning to wonder if you would make it. The race is tomorrow, and my mechanics need time to install the prototype into the swoop engine of our bike.





And I'm even going to go one better - I'm going to let you ride the swoop bike with the prototype accelerator installed on it. Without it, you won't stand a chance.

Sure, sounds great. What's the catch?



That too, I guess. Shouldn't this super engine booster be reserved for someone who has some idea what they're doing?





Oh. Well, that figures.



If you can complete the track before the accelerator overheats then you'll win for the Beks. If you die, then one of my other riders could still come through for me.

Hmm...



...I have a bad feeling about this.



Still, we can't exactly back out now, can we?





What's the worst that could happen? Aside from us exploding to bits, that is?



But I've got good instincts, and you have the look of a racer about you. Just try to relax and in the morning we'll take you to the swoop track.

Sure. Here's hoping there's gonna be enough left of us for someone to take back from the track.





Gadon mentioned that you've never done this before. You want me to run over the basics of handling a swoop bike for you?



Sure, might be a good idea to actually know how to ride one of these overpowered beasts.



All swoops are equipped with dynamic deflector systems, so hitting an obstacle won't cause you to crash. But it will shake you up a bit and slow you down. The track also has accelerator panels built into its surface. If you fly over one it'll give your swoop a boost of speed, so try to hit 'em when you see 'em. When the engine starts running hot you'll get a warning and you'll have to switch gears. Other than that just try to hang on. You'll be fine.

Well, that didn't tell us a single thing about actually handling a swoop. Thanks, buddy. I'm sure we'll figure it out as we go, so let's start those engines already.





Normally a rider can run as many heats as they want, but I don't know how long the prototype accelerator on your swoop will hold up. No more than four or five races, I'd guess.

We get exactly five attempts. If you fail to get the best time on that fifth attempt, you blow up and have to reload your save.





Sounds like you're ready. Go talk to the race announcer over by the counter. He'll give you the time to beat and get you out on the course. I'll be waiting for you here after the run so I can make any tweaks or repairs to your swoop in case you want to go out for another heat. Good luck. And don't worry about the prototype overheating and exploding while you're out on the track. That *probably* won't happen.

Right, we can't actually blow up during one of our attempts, so that's something at least.



We can talk to some of the spectators before entering the actual race. This guy is one of the Beks.



I'll be careful.



It's not that hard to understand. It's the biggest race of the year, so obviously you're going to get some hopefuls entering the race and trying to win it. Kinda like how one-off entrants will participate in the Indy 500 to get a shot at the glory, although those drivers are at least experienced in other disciplines of motorsport (to be fair, there have been some dubious entrants in past decades) and nowadays those entrants are mostly just IndyCar drivers who don't have a full-time seat for the season.



Thanks for the confidence boost!



These two are Vulkars, and obviously they're gonna be talking all kinds of trash.



We'll see.



This is Redros, the Vulkars' swoop champion and our main rival in this event.



He doesn't think much of us.



There's Bastila in the cage, guarded by one of the Vulkars so no one gets any ideas. They've also fitted a neural disruptor collar on her to keep her under control, so she won't respond if you try to talk to her.



Ah, you're riding for the Hidden Beks I see. Always liked them... I hope they can show these Vulkars a thing or two. But I digress.

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, it's time to get on the track and see what we can do. The announcer seems to be not-so-subtly rooting for us.



Lost only one rider today? It's like the Isle of Man TT over here!





Don't worry... they scraped what was left of him off the track already. Just remember to hang on and you should be okay. You can hit the track whenever you're ready.

This dialogue might sound absurd. Surely, racing events could only be run like this in fictional stories! However, if you know anything about the history of motor racing, you'll probably also know this is exactly how things used to be even at the highest levels. Hell, some of the very real horror stories I've read from the 60s and 70s make the Taris swoop race organizers seem downright professional.



We should probably know what the current fastest time is before we get out there.



That's... not even remotely a good time. Did he just do a shakedown run at half speed? (Yes, I realize that's just because the time should be easy to beat even if you're a beginner, but it's pretty silly when you actually race one of your heats and see what the actual times look like)



Okay, let's get you out on the track.



Right, so, here are the basics of swoop racing. Press A to accelerate at the start, and press it again to change gears whenever the gauge at the bottom is full or close to it. It'll prompt you to press the button, so you can't really screw that up if you're paying attention.



LIGHTS OUT AND AWAY WE GO



That doohickey next to us on the track is a boost pad, the function of which I'm sure I don't need to explain.



That right there is one of the obstacles you'll want to avoid. If you hit one, your swoop will slow down.



On this first run, I'm actively avoiding some of the boost pads. There's a good reason for this.



That's our first run. 0:26:41 is not a spectacular time by any means, but it is 12 seconds faster than the initial fastest time so we're comfortably in the lead.



Celebratory fistpump!



Our mechanic seems to be pleased with our run.





The first run was just meant to be for practice. Here's where the actual race for the best time begins.



Let's get back to it.



The announcer stole my bad joke! I was supposed to say that! The current best time, by the way, is 0:26:16. This is why I held back on my first run, because if you go all out on that first attempt you might genuinely have trouble beating Redros' improved time.



We just about manage to overtake Redros for the top spot.



I guess Gadon knew what he was doing he picked you to ride for us. Now the only thing is to wait for the time to become official and go collect your prize.

To be perfectly honest, I thought Redros was going to do a third run, so I was still holding back. Had I gone all out and hit all the boost pads, I'd easily have shaved at least two or three seconds from that time and obliterated Redros. However, it turns out this was enough to win the race.





Zila, please put those swords away. You'll put someone's eye out.





So that's Brejik.



Hey! I mean, he's not wrong, but I can smell a sore loser from a mile away. Naturally, if you race for the Vulkars on the dark side path, he will suddenly be completely fine with cheating.





He'll still withdraw the prize no matter what, because he doesn't think anyone except him should be allowed to get their hands on Bastila. He does promise to compensate you, though.



You old fool! Your traditions are nothing to me - I am the wave of the future! If I want to withdraw the prize and sell this woman on the slave market myself, nobody can stop me!







Brejik might have gloated too soon.





Bastila seems rather gung-ho for a Jedi. Of course she's been imprisoned by these idiots for the last couple of days or so, so we can't really blame her for being angry even if it's against the teachings of the Order.



For some reason, Brejik will demand your death even on the dark side path. Either he was always planning to double-cross you, or, well, :effort:



Just like at any good victory lane celebration, a giant fight breaks out.



Brejik and Redros are pretty tough (both also have Sneak Attack, so don't let them flank you), but in no way a match for Bastila. Bastila is actually invulnerable in this fight, so if you're having trouble you can just sit back and have her take care of everything.



Before you talk to Bastila, remember to loot Brejik. Not only is he carrying his own custom belt, arm band and gloves, but he's also got Bastila's double-bladed lightsaber. I don't know if you can actually miss out on getting the lightsaber regardless (although I do know that one version of the Skip Taris mod I installed years ago did not give it to me, which leads me to assume you need to manually grab it here and the modder forgot that), but be sure to grab it anyway.



Wait... I don't believe this! You're... you're one of the soldiers with the Republic fleet, aren't you? Yes, I'm sure of it. How did you end up racing for these swoop gangs?



Can't go wrong with the classics, right?



Bastila is voiced by Jennifer Hale. Jennifer Hale is the best, even when she's berating us in a British accent.



Brejik and his Vulkars would have left you for dead if I hadn't stepped into that fight. You're lucky I was here to get you out of this mess!

Honestly, she's not wrong. We would've gotten wrecked if she wasn't there to help us.





If I'm going to figure out a way for us to get off this planet I need to know what kind of resources we can draw on. First, are we the only two survivors left from the Endar Spire?



"We also picked up a Wookiee and a teenage girl, both of whom I like more than Carth."



Maybe I misjudged you. Carth wouldn't have sent you if he wasn't confident in your... abilities. Forgive me - despite my Jedi training, I still tend to act a bit rashly sometimes. Please, take me to Carth right away. Between the three of us I'm sure we can figure out some way to get off this planet before the Sith realize we're here.

Are we sure she's talking about the same Carth Onasi? Well, whatever. We've rescued Bastila, so now we should get back to our apartment and see what we can do about getting off this planet. But first, Zila is struck by another vision of Bastila.

VIDEO: Another Vision





Once again, we see Bastila fight some Sith. She's not alone this time, either.







Revan does not respond and simply assumes a fighting stance. Unfortunately, I'm not a big enough nerd to be able to tell you which lightsaber form that is.



However, before any lightsaber combat can commence, there is a violent explosion on the bridge of Revan's ship.



Bastila is the only one left standing.





The Dark Lord has been defeated, but it was not Bastila who landed the killing blow. But if she wasn't the one who killed Revan, who was?

That's going to be a mystery for a later date, because our vision is over and we're back at the apartment.







I see. Now that I'm back in charge of this mission, perhaps we can start doing things properly. Hopefully our escape from Taris will go more smoothly than when you "rescued" me from Brejik.

Hey, you're welcome. Always happy to lend a hand.





My Battle Meditation ability has helped the Republic many times in this war, and it will serve us well here I am sure.

To be honest, I think all that meditation might have left our Jedi friend here with a severely inflated head.





For the record, Carth is right and Bastila is being an arrogant jackass, but we should try to defuse the situation rather than incite either of them any further.



Of course we've all had a rough time here, but none more so than Bastila. As I said earlier, it's no wonder she's not quite acting like the calm and collected Jedi you might expect her to be. Bastila is also very young and not even a full-fledged Jedi Knight yet, just a Padawan learner who has been thrust into a position she's in no way ready to handle yet as the Republic's single greatest war asset and the biggest and best hope for the galaxy.



Well said, Carth. And the sooner we start looking the better; I've already been a prisoner of the Vulkars and I don't plan on being captured by the Sith.

Can't disagree with that.



I think we'll need some help getting off Taris. Maybe if we ask around one of the locals can help us out. We should probably start by asking around in the cantinas.

Before we do anything else, we should ask Bastila what the hell that vision was just now.



Something weird happened when we first met. Like a vision.

A vision? A vision of what?

Of you. Fighting a dark Jedi. Revan, I guess.

This is... strange. Such visions are often a sign of Force sensitivity.

Does that mean what it sounds like?





It is possible that in the excitement of the battle's aftermath the Force allowed you to witness one of my more intense memories.

So she doesn't know either. Got it.



Maybe we should also mention the fact we already saw a different vision of her earlier, when we weren't anywhere near her.



Once we escape Taris we can seek the guidance of the Council, if you wish. They will understand the significance of your vision... if there is any. However, I think it would be best if we all stayed focused on the task at hand right now. We can't afford any distractions; we need to find a way off Taris.

Yeah, that does sound like a decent plan for the time being. We can talk about Force sensitivity and all that when we get off Taris. Let's get out of here and start looking for clues.



Last we checked, yes.



Who's this guy, though? An adoring fan?



Why would Canderous want to meet us? He works for Davik.



That said, if he's with Davik, maybe he'll know something useful. We'll go meet him as soon as we can.





Before we end today's update, let's just quickly level up Carth and Bastila. The game is recommending Toughness for Carth, and while that's not a good feat I really don't give a poo poo what Carth gets.



Here are the attributes Bastila starts with, plus that extra attribute point we put to Charisma to get the modifier up to +3.



Again, I've never really bothered with the skills for most party members because the main character is the designated skill monkey and handles most of the important stuff.





As a Jedi, Bastila can obviously use Force powers. I said earlier that staying at a neutral alignment doesn't provide any perks, but one thing that does do is make light and dark side powers equal in terms of Force point cost.



At level 4, we don't have that many good powers available, and since our next destination will have plenty of droid enemies (as does the game in general), Stun Droid is a solid investment and is what the game recommends here as well.



For Bastila's level 5 power, we choose Energy Resistance. It's basically an energy shield, but instead of a physical shield you're using the Force to protect yourself. It also doesn't absorb quite as much damage as energy shields, but it's still very handy to have. As far as I'm aware, it also stacks with energy shields and damage resistance items.



Force Immunity: Stun is a Jedi Sentinel feat that, as the name suggests, makes the Jedi completely immune to any kind of stun effect. The Stun power, Critical Strike, Sniper Shot, concussion grenades, all of that. This is the second Force Immunity rank, obtained at level 6; the first one protects from Fear and the last one from Paralysis. Knight Sense is the second rank of Jedi Sense, which provides a passive defense boost (currently +4).



Since Bastila uses a double-bladed lightsaber, she'll want to be as effective at two-weapon fighting as possible.



At level 6, Bastila becomes able to learn the Cure power. Obviously, we're going to want that. You know, I used to think being able to use the Force like an RPG cure spell was silly and just one of those videogamey things, but... well, it's official canon now, isn't it?



Finally, we'll have Bastila equip her lightsaber. I still remember how exciting it was to finally get a Jedi party member with her own lightsaber the first time I played this.



Hell yeah. Probably shouldn't wave that thing around in public, though. In any event, next time we'll go see what Canderous wants, and take care of the remaining sidequests on Taris.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 21:37 on Jan 8, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


CommissarMega posted:

Ah, Toughness. Truly the perk Carth deserves.
The game recommends it, so it knows! :v:

I usually just auto-level Carth because I don't give a poo poo about the skills and feats he gets. As someone who has literally never played D&D, I'm also not sure why Toughness is bad because more HP doesn't seem too terrible to my idiot brain. :downs: Is it just that the limited feats you get would be better used for something to improve your combat abilities?

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Got it, thanks. That makes sense. No one else is going to be saddled with Toughness from here on out, aside from maybe the next party member because I already set their initial skills and feats and might've taken whatever the game was recommending. Can't recall for sure, though. But yeah, definitely no more Toughness after that!

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


TitanG posted:

As far as I remember, it's actually done surprisingly fair. IIRC if you get under 25 or 24 seconds you win outright in the first heat. If you barely beat the first time and barely beat it again (your second time is over ~30 seconds) you need to beat it a third time to actually win the race.
Wait, really? I'm looking at a walkthrough on StrategyWiki and it just says Redros will beat your time by a quarter of a second no matter how fast you go. Maybe I should go do some testing.

I do seem to remember getting a time like 0:23:40 on the first run on one of my playthroughs, and then having to beat Redros' improved time.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 17:26 on Jan 9, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 9: Queen of the Death Match



Last time, we raced some swoop bikes and rescued Bastila from the Vulkars. Our next order of business is to get off Taris as soon as possible, but as of right now we've been summoned to the cantina by Canderous Ordo, the Mandalorian mercenary on the payroll of crime lord Davik Kang.



Hm? Sure. Is this about the vision we saw?



How can I help?

You want to talk to me about something?





Yes, I realize that of course. But surely there was more to it than a simple search. I doubt there were flashing signs pointing you in my direction; yet somehow you found me. You also avoided detection by the Sith, discovered I was a Vulkar prisoner, gained sponsorship for the race and became the Taris swoop champion. That's quite a resume.



:smug:



Seriously, though, we wouldn't have gotten anywhere without Mission's help.





The Force is in all of us, though for most people it is a barely measurable whisper. But there are some individuals outside the Jedi Order that we considered 'Force Sensitive'. It is obvious to me that the Force has been working through you. There is no other explanation for your great success, though I am not certain what to make of this discovery. Perhaps if you weren't - well, if you were younger the Jedi might take you for training. But as it is...

Right, we're too drat old to be considered for Jedi training. Instead of accepting talented adults such as ourselves, the Jedi generally prefer to take away people's children and mold them into nice, obedient little Jedi younglings who learn at an early age to control their emotions and not to question the wisdom of the Jedi teachings.





Hopefully between your abilities, my Jedi training and the skills of our companions we can find a way off this planet.

Erm, okay then. Enough standing around, let's go to the cantina and meet up with Canderous already.







But lately Davik hasn't been paying me what he promised. I don't like getting cheated, so I figure it's time for me to break the Sith quarantine and get off this backwater planet.

Sounds good. Got any more details?





Right, the "escape Taris" part does sound very nice, so what does this job entail?



Thanks for the warning, Carth.



I saw you win that swoop race, and I started thinking. Anyone crazy enough to race like that is probably crazy enough to break into the Sith military base. I need someone to steal the Sith launch codes from the base. Without those codes any ship leaving the atmosphere will be disintegrated by the Sith fleet's automated defense guns.





That sounds a little too good to be true. What's the catch?





Okay, so let's say we accept the job. The Sith aren't going to let just anyone walk into their base, so how do we get in?





Lucky for you I know just the place to get a droid like that. Davik was having one custom built by Janice Nall. Just tell her Canderous sent you and she'll sell you the droid. Then you can use it to get the launch codes from the Sith base.





Normally I'd do this myself, but everyone knows who I work for. If I broke into the Sith base, they'd send an army down on Davik's estate to get those codes back. That's why I need you.

Makes sense, I guess. Canderous can't exactly blast his way through the Sith base without the whole thing being connected to Davik.



As it stands, we don't really have a choice, and if Canderous keeps up his end of the bargain this will be our ticket off Taris.



Bastila seems to believe Canderous is on the level, so that's good enough for us.



We'll go get the droid soon enough, but first there's more dueling to be done.



I think you're ready to go against Ice, human. She's tough, but so are you. There'll be lots action on this fight... a huge purse! You ready?

Always. And yes, Ajuur actually says "there'll be lots action on this fight" there. I'm assuming they meant to write "betting" instead of "action" because that'd make sense in the context of the huge purse, but there you go. EDIT: I've been informed that "action" is actually old-timey tough guy slang for "betting", which makes sense so I guess "lots action" just means "lots, as in many people, betting" and isn't necessarily another example of dubious grammar. Fair enough!





Hey, the announcer updated our introduction.



Before we start, we'll take some performance-enhancing drugs. We could probably handle Ice just fine without any of those boosts, but might as well.







And that's all she wrote.



So, who's next?



You've got a real talent for this game, Stranger. I think it's time you fought Marl. He's getting up there in years, but he's still very, very good. He used to be the duel champion.

Let's do it.







Okay, that's not a good start.



JESUS CHRIST :gonk:



Not even close, old man!



With some inventory-related shenanigans, we're able to get back to full health and claw our way back into the fight.



That was more tense than I would've preferred.



Announcer: Twitch is waiting in the wings... do you dare take a shot at the champion himself? Will the wild-eyed wonder finally be unseated?

Before we find out, let's talk to Ice and Marl and see if they've got anything interesting to say now that we've beaten them.



First it was just Twitch I couldn't handle. Now it's you and Twitch. Pretty soon there'll be another young hotshot clawing past me in the rankings. This game's been good to me, but my time is done. I need to get away from the duel rings for a while, think things over. Goodbye, Stranger - I wish you all the best.

Having been beaten by Twitch and now us, Marl has decided it might be time to retire. If you ask me, he's still very much got it and he would've easily beaten us if we didn't cheat by exploiting mechanics.



You're good - very good. But you're wrong if you think that means I'm suddenly going to warm up to you. Truth is, I really don't have anything more to say, so you might as well move on.

Ice is still... well, Ice.



Before we start the championship match, we'll take all the drugs again and activate our Sith energy shield. We know Twitch prefers to use blasters, so the energy shield might be quite helpful at least until we get in melee range.



You've beaten almost everyone, human. I think you ready to fight Twitch. Twitch might be crazy, but he's the best in the game. If you can beat him, you'll be the new champion.



I'd love to see how Twitch would actually fight without the limitations of the Aurora engine. I bet it'd be pretty spectacular to watch.



Huh, apparently these fights are supposed to be taking place on different nights and we're not actually cutting our way through the entire dueling ring roster in 15 minutes.



Here we go.



The Sith energy shield does a good job absorbing the blaster shots that would get past our defense early on. So far, so good.



Twitch can be dangerous with his vibroblade, but I honestly feel Marl is the tougher fight. We manage to stun Twitch with Critical Strike, which leaves him open for the finisher.



And with that, the Mysterious Stranger is officially the dueling champion of Taris!



Now, all that is left is to get our winnings from Ajuur and then have a little bit of the bubbly.



The bad news is that I don't have anyone left who wants to fight you - you're too good for your own good. Nobody wants to go in the ring with you. The only one left who'll fight you is Bendak Starkiller, but he's retired. Too bad. People would pay a fortune to see you fight Bendak.

Hey, that's the guy the government wants dead for murdering his opponents in illegal death matches.



drat right.



We can also bask in the adoration of the public (represented by the two spectators here).



Um, what? Did you not see the match just now? Who cares about Gerlon and Duncan, tell me how great I am.



That's better. Suddenly, everyone is talking about Bendak Starkiller and how they'd love to see us take him on.



Shows what I know. Enjoy your time at the top, Stranger. Sooner or later someone will come along to knock you down here with the rest of us grinders!

I'm pretty sure Deadeye would still very much be the designated jobber around here.



But don't get cocky, kid! One day it'll happen to you too! Time catches up to us all, sooner or later. Well, everyone except Bendak Starkiller.

Again with Bendak Starkiller. Well, if everyone wants to see Bendak Starkiller, we'll give them Bendak Starkiller.



See, there he is! Bendak will appear in the cantina when you start the dueling ring quest, but he doesn't have much to say until you actually win the championship.



But I only fight in death matches, and not too many people are willing to step into the ring knowing they won't ever come out. How 'bout you, Stranger? You think you got what it takes?



Sure! What's the worst that could happen?



Oh yeah, that. However, if we want to collect Bendak's bounty, we'll need to take him out and that'll only be possible if we accept his challenge. He's got standards, he won't have a barfight with us like some sort of ruffian.



Looking forward to it. Before we duel Bendak to the death, we need to take care of some other business, so let's start by heading to Kebla's shop next door.



You know Bendak's never lost a match in his life, right? You need to take a look at my weapons and armor.

Hmh. News travels fast.



While I do like our dual swords, there is something to be said for the elegance of a double-bladed Echani ritual brand, used by Echani Firedancers in their combat rituals that more closely resemble dancing than fighting. In the Echani rituals, both blades are heated and cause burns to any opponents struck by the weapon.



The Echani ritual brand gives us a nice damage boost, which we'll need.



It also looks cool, which of course is very important.



Since we're not currently at full HP, it might also be a good idea to visit Zelka at the clinic again to get healed up. While there, we'll be able to give him the rakghoul serum as well.



But first, we've got another scene with our party members.



Fair enough. But I've seen you Jedi in action. There's no way those thugs would have stood a chance against your lightsaber.

My Iightsaber was... misplaced. I couldn't find it after the crash. I looked *everywhere* in that pod. The Vulkars came and overwhelmed me even as I was searching for my weapon.

Well, that would explain how a powerful Jedi like her got captured by a bunch of thugs.



Carth's having a field day with this information.



Hell, let's join in on the fun.



Would a Jedi be able to sense where their lightsaber is, or use the Force to just summon it regardless of where it actually is (as long as it's in the general vicinity and not at the bottom of Cloud City or something)? I suppose Bastila would've been too exhausted to be able to do that anyway.





I like this scene a lot, because it is a much-needed lighter moment with Carth and Bastila that allows the two of them to show some charm and humanity. So far, the only thing resembling levity we've gotten with Carth has involved his terrible attempts at hitting on the female main character, which is the opposite of charming, and Bastila has just been too busy berating us.



Of course, Zelka is utterly floored by the fact we actually managed to retrieve the serum. We didn't even need to kill anyone for it, but he doesn't want to hear the details.



We gave a few doses to people who needed them, but there should still be plenty left.





The people of Taris owe you a debt they can never repay. Please, take this small reward. It isn't much, but it's all I can afford: a few credits and two spare medpacs.

And just like that, we've cured the rakghoul disease on Taris. We're not getting a massive reward for doing so, but helping people not turn into ridiculous monsters is enough of a reward on its own.



We could refuse the small reward Zelka gives us or try to strong-arm him into giving us more stuff, but the former is dumb and the latter is just dickish.



I'm sure.



After you give the serum to Zelka, he'll start selling it for 50 credits. I guess this is just in case you forgot to cure the infected Outcasts before taking the serum to Zelka.



"Mother of moons! What the hell have you been doing out there?"



Gurney is less than impressed, but who cares what he thinks? Now that we're healed up again, it's time to return to the cantina and fight one more time. Not just for the honor, splendor and pleasure this time, but also for our life.



Not too many people want to fight a death match anymore. Some are scared, others think it's wrong to kill someone else for credits. I guess that's why they're illegal now.



If you want to wuss out of the fight, you can tell Ajuur you don't want to kill someone for credits. He'll still let you change your mind, so you're not locked out of anything. Also, the Sith energy shield effect looks absolutely ridiculous in these close-up scenes. There are mods to disable these effects, but they do serve a gameplay purpose since you'll generally want to know when your energy shield runs out without having to look at your character portrait.



I'm ready!

Good. Excellent. High wagering means lots of credits for the winner on this match. Come see me after the fight to collect your credits - if you're still alive.





Announcer: And who would be crazy enough to step into the ring with such a lethal legend? Who would be mad enough to face almost certain death merely for your enjoyment?

Take a wild guess.





Before we start, I do have to ask - how exactly did the energy suppressor work its magic on our vibroblades to make them non-lethal? Obviously, I know the real answer is "because the energy suppressor, like the suppression magic at the Imperial Arena in Jade Empire, is literal magic and really just a technobabble excuse for why people aren't getting killed left and right, and you shouldn't think about it too hard."



When you enter the illegal death match against Bendak, you earn dark side points because killing people for money is bad even if they're wanted murderers.



Bendak starts the match by throwing a plasma grenade, and we return the favor. Actually, I'm not sure which one of us threw first, but it was probably Bendak because we had enough time to avoid the blast.



Bendak has a ton of health. Even after three direct plasma grenade blasts, he's still got two thirds of his health left.



Our next move is to toss an adhesive grenade at Bendak. It stops him from moving, but he can still attack.



Looking good so far. We're managing to deal a good amount of damage to Bendak, and he's missing his attacks (if he hits you with that Power Attack of his, you'll have a bad time).



That was far too close for the concussion grenade, so we stunned both ourselves and Bendak.



Bendak misses another Power Attack, and is now on his last legs. Is this the end of Bendak Starkiller?



A stab to the heart and you're down.





That was by far the most difficult fight we've had thus far. Our health just isn't high enough to withstand Bendak's attacks, so even with copious amounts of drugs and inventory cheating I still had to retry a few times. If you're a Soldier, you'll probably have a much easier time here.



Ajuur is over the moon after the fight.





If you exploit a glitch, you can actually earn another copy of Bendak's blaster here. You can talk to Bendak immediately after beating Twitch, before getting the reward from that fight. Then you fight Bendak, kill him and get the reward from Ajuur normally. After that, you can talk to Ajuur again, and he'll give you the dialogue for beating Twitch but with the rewards from the Bendak fight. I didn't do it here because I forgot it was a thing, but it's easy to pull off.



You know what, let's try to persuade Ajuur this one time. It didn't work when we were just starting out, but we just killed Bendak loving Starkiller. If that doesn't give us a massive cred boost with Ajuur, I don't know what does.



Everyone will be talking about you now, Stranger. They're all going to know you were the one who killed Bendak Starkiller. You're famous now.



Indeed, Ajuur is a lot more receptive this time around and increases our fight purse from 700 to 900 credits. Before we leave, we should chat with our fellow duelists one more time and see if they've got anything to say about our glorious victory against Bendak.



Um, sure, Deadeye. You go right ahead.



I mean, nobody's going to be stupid enough to go up against you anymore - not even Twitch! Kind of funny, isn't it? You win the big match, and you kill your career!

Going out on top sounds good to me, honestly. The Mysterious Stranger, the undefeated dueling champion of Taris.



As a little girl I used to dream of meeting him one day. When I finally did, the guy was a complete slime ball. Made me realize I had to be cold and ruthless to survive, like him. And now he's dead. There's probably a lesson in there somewhere. Something for me to think about, at least. Congratulations again, Stranger... and goodbye.

Our win over Bendak has also made Ice reconsider some of her decisions.



drat right.



What? This loving guy, I swear.



That's more like it. I think his dialogue is bugged.





Bastila has leveled up and learns the Disable Droid power. Again, we'll be fighting a ton of droids in the near future.



We still have one more bounty target to take care of, and he's in the North Apartments. There seems to be some sort of commotion going on in front of the building, so let's see what that's all about.





Listen kid, someone with a face model like that has no place calling someone a goggle-eyed freak.



Little bastards.



I doubt that, but we'll try.







That went about as well as expected.



The third option here is to threaten these little shitheads with physical violence, but that might be going a bit too far and will also give us dark side points.



Good. Scram.





You are too kind, human. I thank you for your generosity. Most of your kind here on Taris care little for aliens like myself. Once more, thank you for saving me from those human children. I must take leave of you now. My life mate will be wondering where I am.

That's some more light side points. Now then, where is this guy?



We find Largo the merchant hiding in a locked apartment.







You mean you're not here to kill me? But... I thought you were one of Davik's bounty hunters. If you're not here to kill me, what do you want?

Maybe I could help you with your problem with Davik.

I don't think anyone can help me. I owe Davik money, and l was late with the payment. So he went to Zax in the bounty office and put a price on my head!

Right. How much money are we talking about?



...are you kidding?



You'd give 200 credits to a stranger just to help them out?! I... I don't believe it! Thank you!

Wow, that was sure generous of you. I just hope we don't end up needing those credits later on.

Yes, Carth, I'm sure those 200 credits will end up deciding the fate of the galaxy. For the record, we currently have 3000+ credits on us.



That takes care of Largo's bounty. We're obviously not getting paid, but we did get more light side points and that's useful as well.



Now that we're done with the bounties (we'll go inform Zax of Bendak's demise a bit later), let's get back to our main objective. We need to buy this fancy astromech droid from Janice Nall's droid shop.



Definitely looks like the right place, with droids of all shapes and sizes everywhere. One thing I should maybe point out is the fact Canderous didn't actually give us money to buy the droid, so whatever it costs will come out of our own pocket.



Always good to see a new face - customers are hard to come by. A lot of the Taris citizens won't even come in here; they refuse to shop at a store owned by a Twi'lek.

What do they have against Twi'leks?

That's not a very difficult guess.





No, no they won't.



My selection is a bit limited right now - the Sith confiscated all my assault droids. But I've got a utility droid you might find interesting.

Canderous said you'd sell the T3-M4 to me.

Oh, Canderous sent you! Well why didn't you say so? Okay, the droid is ready. You can have it for 2000 credits.

2000?! Must be some droid, that's ten times the amount Largo's life is worth! The normal going rate for an astromech droid is 50 credits, or at least that's what it costs to buy the droid next to T3-M4. If you buy that one, it'll blow up (hey, just like R5-D4 and its bad motivator in the movie!) and you can get a refund from Janice.



Now, you can haggle the price down to 1500 credits (or threaten Janice to get the droid for free and earn some dark side points), but the only reason she gives you the discount is that she's afraid of getting on Davik's bad side. It doesn't seem like Janice's store is doing particularly well in the first place and she could use a customer who isn't a complete rear end in a top hat, so we'll just pay the 2000 credits. From a purely mechanical perspective, this is stupid and a waste of money. However, this game is still an RPG, and I feel that sometimes some actual role-playing is in order.





And now we've got an astromech droid!



There he is. Carth is getting benched and will not return to the party until much later.



Here are T3-M4's starting stats for posterity.



The extra attribute point at level 4 goes into DEX to get the modifier up to +3.



As a utility droid, T3-M4 is extremely good at Computer Use, Repair and Security.





We also want him to be able to dual-wield blaster pistols, so he'll get Two-Weapon Fighting and Improved Two-Weapon Fighting to make that viable. He also automatically gets the Tactician Logic Upgrade, which provides a +4 Defense boost.



Finally, T3 gets Droid Upgrade Class 2, allowing him to equip class 2 equipment such as armor plating.



We'll give him Bendak's blaster, because why the hell not. It's not like there's anyone else in the party who would need it at the moment.



Droids can also use special weapons such as this stun ray. Most of these weapons are limited to ten uses, but others can be used indefinitely. We don't have any items for the Sensor slot or the two Utility slots in the top row, so we'll have to leave those empty for now.



With our new, horrendously expensive droid in tow, we make our way to the Sith base.



Okay, droid, do your thing!



The droid does his thing, and the door is now open.



Next time, we will enter the Sith base and kill a lot of Sith. It's gonna be fun!

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 10:22 on Jan 11, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Oberndorf posted:

“Action” actually is old time slang for gambling, implying that a whole lot of folks will be betting on the fight, which is exactly what Off-Model the Hutt is implying. Since Star Wars is based on old westerns and sci-fi serials, I suspect they just gave him a 30s tough guy speech pattern and rolled with it.
I guess I was just confused by the use of "lots action" which I thought was a mistake, but if it literally means "lots, as in many people, betting", that makes sense.

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 10: Wings of the Hawk

Last time, we became a living legend in the Taris dueling ring, and used the money from our fights to purchase an astromech droid to help us break into the Sith military base. The base is where the codes to bypass the Sith fleet's auto-targeting laser cannons (and thus escape Taris, with the help of Mandalorian merc Canderous Ordo who's sick of doing the crime lord Davik's dirty work and has promised to help us steal Davik's spaceship) are supposedly kept.



Hm. I suppose the Sith base would have someone working the front desk. We don't need to alert the entire base just yet, so let's see if there's some way we can talk our way out of this.



Perfect. This cannot possibly fail.



Oh. Well. Fair enough, that was a pretty terrible attempt.



[Persuade] Look, here's 50 credits - just don't hit that alarm.

[Success] 50 credits? You've got a deal! The Sith have made my life a living hell ever since they took over this base. You know, it's about time someone stood up to these Sith! Just do me a favor and wait until I'm out of here before you start blasting the place up.

I'd really like it if the game would make up its mind on whether 50 credits is a small fortune or the rough equivalent of five bucks. All the dialogue and the fact we can buy an astromech droid (the one that isn't T3-M4) for 50 credits suggests the former, but when you actually go shopping for items everything even remotely good will cost several hundreds or thousands of credits. I guess it's just one of those RPG things.



In any case, we have two doors (actually three, but one of them is just set dressing) leading out of the reception area.



Before we do anything with either door, we'll have T3-M4 slice into the terminal to take a look at the security cameras and see if there's anything we can do here to make our job easier.



The main barracks. Two droids, two Sith soldiers and a Sith captain, but no way to thin out their numbers. At least none we can see right now.





The secondary barracks have some Sith standing right next to a conduit, and we know exactly what to do with that.



The control center. There isn't actually anything important there, aside from another terminal.



In the elevator, we find a scary-looking droid and a couple of automated blaster turrets. There is also a conduit, but we can't overload that one for some reason.



We can, however, disable the shield on the droid. I think you can do this without using any spikes if you get a certain keycard in the secondary barracks, but I kinda forgot about that. We have plenty of spikes anyway.



The droid's shield is now gone, but we still need to do something about those turrets.



The armory is guarded by another set of turrets, so those need to be taken offline as well. Well, we could just walk in and smash them, but we'd rather avoid a direct fight with these things.



We'll take all the turrets and sentry droids offline. We would get more XP if we just fought them, but whatever. I can't be bothered to deal with all of those. Again, we could use the Sith passcard from the barracks to do all this without expending our computer spikes, but in the process of getting there we'd end up fight a bunch of this stuff anyway.



Now that we've taken care of some of the base's defenses, let's see what is behind the door on the west side of the reception area.



Err, hello.





You absolute fuckers! What the hell was that?!



Before we do anything else, let's set Bastila and T3 to Jedi and Droid support respectively, so we can actually make use of their abilities without being in direct control.



I do end up taking control of Bastila for most of the fights here in the Sith base anyway, because she's got so many useful abilities. Right here, though, we'll just cut our way through these grenade-spamming jerks.



The Sith technician at the back drops a datapad which gives you a hint on how to get rid of the elevator guard droid's shields if you didn't use the computer to disable them. Smash the conduit next to the droid!



The medical area doesn't have much of interest. I'm not sure what's going on with Bastila's lightsaber in this shot, but I'm guessing she's in the middle of igniting it as she hits the droid with the Disable Droid power.



With the sentry droids disabled, we can walk through a good chunk of this base without any trouble. What's going on here?



Right. I remember you.

I am in need of your help once again. The Sith are going to execute me for removing the Sith corpse from your apartment complex. Please, help me get out of this cage.

How do I get you out?

Switch all the panels on the wall to the red "off" position and I will be released. It is not as simple as it sounds - switching a panel will also switch the panel beside it. You must be careful as you do this, human. If you set all the panels to the green "on" position my cell's termination program will engage and I will be executed.

Right, so we've got a good old-fashioned lights out puzzle in front of us.



Time to start pressing buttons! You can do this in three moves (leftmost button, rightmost button, center button) if you know what you're doing, but I'm terrible at this sort of thing so it took me five moves to unlock the cage.



If you engage the termination program and kill the Duros by activating all the green lights, you earn dark side points.



Now I must leave this place before the Sith discover I have escaped. If you are wise, you will do the same. If the Sith capture you I doubt anyone else will come by to set you free.



There are hallways to the west and east of the detention area. The east path leads to the elevator, whereas this one goes to the control room and the main barracks.



Again, nothing important in the control room, but might as well get rid of the Sith while we're here.



That's the door to the main barracks. We disabled the sentry droids to thin out the enemy numbers, so we should be fine just kicking the door down. Zila has also gained a level, but we're not leveling her up again until she unlocks her prestige class.







gently caress! Not again!



Well, that was some bullshit. I'm not fighting these dickheads with just Zila, so let's reload our latest save (which is thankfully right there in the control room). I wish the Xbox version had quicksave and quickload like the PC version.



This time, we'll send Bastila in to take care of this jerk before he's able to throw a grenade again.



One of the guys at the back is still tossing frags at us, but at least it's just one guy.



Serves you right. Nobody in the main barracks has anything of interest either, and neither do the boxes in the room, so we could've skipped this room entirely and only missed out on a bit of XP.



The armory lies at the end of this hallway. Since we disabled the turrets, we just need to get rid of this mine to get to the lockers.



There isn't anything super important here, but the droid flamethrower is pretty ridiculous.



That's a fixed 30 points of damage, 15 if the target manages a successful Reflex saving throw, and it can also inflict horror on low-level targets and debilitate them. Because I'm dumb, I don't equip it on T3 yet.



We've explored everything except the eastern hallway leading to the elevator, so let's head that way.



Here's the passcard, which would've been more useful if we hadn't already used our computer spikes to hack the system.



Only one more door left, and we know what's behind this one.





When we encounter the droid, the door locks behind us. We're not running away from this fight, that's for sure.



The Disable Droid power is a godsend here. The assault droid succeeds at its saving throws a few times, but eventually its luck runs out and it gets stunned. You know what Zila can do to stunned or otherwise debilitated opponents.





That clears the path to the elevator, so let us proceed.



Only one way forward on the second floor.





This pleasant fellow is a Sith Governor, presumably the guy who runs things around here.





This meeting is a stroke of luck for me - my master will surely reward me with my Iightsaber once I kill you!

Do the Sith not build their own lightsabers? Maybe he means his master will give him the crystal so he can build one. It doesn't matter, because the only lightsaber this idiot is getting anytime soon is Bastila's double-bladed saber through his torso.



Went for the concussion grenade + Sneak Attack tactic, but sadly Governor here didn't get stunned.



The Sith Governor likes to use a variety of Force powers, such as Stasis here. Stasis is the upgraded version of Stun, lasting longer (12 seconds/4 combat turns!) and physically enclosing the target in a force field instead of just stunning them for a moment.



The Governor apparently doesn't like droids, so he decides to focus his attacks on T3. That gives Bastila a great chance to deal some damage from behind, and would be a fantastic opportunity for Zila if she wasn't currently in stasis.



Gah! Drain Life is an annoying dark side power which, well, drains 10-40 points of life out of the target. We don't have Force Resistance/Force Immunity (not to be confused with the passive Force Immunity abilities Jedi Sentinels get) yet, so all we can do here is take it and hope the dice rolls don't gently caress us over too badly.



T3 gets knocked out in the melee (I really should've equipped the flamethrower, but I guess I was hoping he'd manage to stun the Governor with one of his stun rays so we could wreck his poo poo with Sneak Attack), but that's okay because the Governor isn't going to be doing any more governing around here.



And there we go, the launch codes we need. He's got some other good stuff as well, including Strength Gauntlets which provide a +1 bonus to STR. The strongboxes in his chamber also contain some items and 500 credits.



Now that that's done, we can return to Canderous. Before we do, let's just quickly pay a visit to the Beks and see how they're doing after the swoop race.



I'm sorry Gadon can't be here to thank you in person, but he has retired to the safety of his private chambers. I'm afraid he's grieving over Brejik's death.



Brejik violated the customs and traditions of Taris. He dishonored himself by refusing to honor his wager. He got what he deserved - even Gadon has to realize that. Even so, I think Gadon hoped that somehow Brejik could be made to realize the error of his ways. Despite everything he had done, Gadon probably would have forgiven him. But he isn't out of danger yet. The surviving Vulkars will still want him dead. He's a prime target now - as are you. You better be careful out on the streets.

I don't think there are any surviving Vulkars, but thanks for the warning. I guess Gadon did consider Brejik his son at one point, so it's no wonder he's broken up over what happened even if Brejik was a piece of poo poo. Anyway, now we can return to Canderous!





So what do you say? We join forces and I can get you inside Davik's base - and right to the Ebon Hawk. We can go right now.

I have a few things to take care of first.

Fair enough. But don't take too long. As soon as you're ready to get inside Davik's estate, come speak to me. The sooner we get off this rock the better.

Just one last thing to take care of.



That's another 400 credits for turning in Bendak's bounty.



Now we can proceed.



I'll say I brought you in so he could check you out. He'll have you stay at his estate for a couple days while he runs some background checks on you - that's standard procedure.



You got another plan, sister? Or are you just objecting 'cause you didn't think of it?

No, I... don't have another plan. I would rather not place my life in your hands, however.

I can say the same about you. That makes us even. Fortunately we both want to get off this rock, right?

Unsurprisingly, there is a certain degree of mistrust between the Jedi and the Mandalorian.





Canderous can regenerate his health, albeit not at a rate that would make it particularly useful during combat.



Naturally, we have to take Canderous when we go to Davik's estate. Bastila joins us because, well, she has Force powers and a lightsaber. Both of those things will come in handy if/when things go south at Davik's humble abode.



Meanwhile, in orbit above Taris...



No prizes will be awarded for correctly guessing whose ship that is.





This is Admiral Saul Karath, Carth's former mentor who is currently in charge of the Sith fleet.



Darth Malak has had enough of waiting around. While the Sith do want Bastila alive, Malak also doesn't want her to escape Taris and return to her allies.





Of.. of course not my Lord Malak. I will do as you command. But it will take several hours to position our fleet.

Then I suggest you begin immediately. You are dismissed, Admiral.



So that's the big crime boss.



Of course, we already know Calo Nord very well.







Ah, yes - now I recognize your companion. The rider who won the big swoop race. Very impressive... as was your display in the rather heated battle afterwards.



We'll just play along and be polite for now.



With a recommendation from Canderous - and a thorough background check - you could become part of the Exchange. Many would kill to prove themselves worthy of this honor.



Come with me - I will give you a tour of my operations. I'm certain you'll be most impressed.



The shields are completely impregnable. Nobody can get past them without the codes to try and steal my baby. Unfortunately, the Sith military blockade has grounded my vessel. The Ebon Hawk can outrun any vessel in the galaxy, but even she isn't fast enough to avoid the auto-targeting laser cannons of the orbiting Sith fleet. I am, of course, working on acquiring the Sith departure codes so that I may come and go as I please. However, progress has been slow... but we should continue our tour.

Ah, yes. Good luck obtaining those codes, I'm sure you'll get your hands on them soon.



If all goes well with your background check you will be invited to join the Exchange. I'd advise you to accept the offer when it comes - or suffer the dire consequences of refusaL



You will stay in these rooms as my guest for the next few days; I will not accept no for an answer. Feel free to visit the slave quarters at any time during your stay. I must warn you that if you are found anywhere outside the guest wing during your stay - or if you bother my other guests - my security forces will deal with you most harshly. I will return after the investigation into your background is complete. Until then, make yourself comfortable. Come, Calo, let us leave our guests in peace.



Yes, leave us. We have a lot to talk about.



No sense waiting around here, though. The sooner we get off Taris the better.

Okay, let's get out of here. First off, we'll equip the military suit on Canderous to improve his defense.





Hey, I didn't give him Toughness and instead gave him something genuinely useful! :toot: No, I'm pretty sure I gave him Toughness.



This is what his stats look like at level 7. Now that we've sorted that out, let's go and explore Davik's estate.



A male character would be able to request a massage here, to the understandable chagrin of his party members. We're not here for that sort of thing! Apparently there is supposed to be a male slave here, but I certainly didn't see one.



Most of these locked rooms in the guest area aren't particularly interesting, you'll just run into Davik's other guests who will tell you to gently caress off and might go hostile if you don't manage to defuse the situation. This room, however, is somewhat special.



This is Calo Nord's room, where we can take a look at his hunting trophies and steal his belongings. The footlocker on the left doesn't have anything good, but the other one is worth checking out.



The items in it aren't amazing, but it does contain Calo's personal datapad. Let's see what it says!

Datapad posted:

This datapad contains a record of Calo Nord's trophy kills... sentient and otherwise.

The last entry is an account of a recent Rancor hunt.

"What the Rancor lacked in intelligence it made up for in size, strength and ferocity. Conventional blasters were all but useless against its impenetrable hide, and I was forced to resort to more unorthodox methods to bring the beast down.

Some well placed mines near a watering hole were the first step, their explosions herding the creature into a dead-end canyon where I lay in wait, perched among the rocks.

As soon as the Rancor was below me, I dropped down onto its massive neck. It reared back, bucking and clawing in an effort to dislodge me, but I had the perfect position.

Unable to shake me, the monster opened its mouth in an outraged howl, and I was able to flip several frag grenades down its gaping maw.

The explosion blew me clear of the shredded corpse, but luckily the head was still intact. If I take it to Taris, I'm sure Davik will mount it in his trophy room along with the other heads I have collected for him.

Davik's also expressed interest in hiring me. I may take him up on his offer, even though I still have yet to claim the greatest hunting trophy of all: a pearl from one of the Krayt Dragons of Tatooine."

Krayt dragons, huh? That must be some hunt.



Next door, we find this gentleman.



As well as his companion for the evening. Looks like we might have slightly ruined their night.





[Success] Okay, I guess it was an honest mistake. Give me the credits and I'll forget this ever happened. You better pay more attention to where you're going. Opening the wrong door around here can get you killed. Now get out of here and don't bother me again!



At the center of the estate is an actual throne room. Davik, I know you're the big crime boss around here and all, but people are going to make fun of you if you overdo it like this!



There are a few paths out of the throne room, and we'll choose the one to the northeast. After we kill Davik's guards, we'll take a peek at the security cameras to see if there's anything interesting.



The "Guest" Room (yes, the quotation marks are there in the game as well) has these pleasant accommodations. There looks to be someone enjoying Davik's hospitality in that energy cage, but we can't really tell who that is.



That, on the other hand, is our destination.



We could use spikes to disable the security on the hangar and skip most of this area, but of course we won't do that because we want to explore.



Let's head northwest this time. This is where the "guest" room is.



what the gently caress



WHAT THE gently caress



:dogbutton:

Right. Well. That was fun. So, one of these torture droids here has an advanced flamethrower, which deals SIXTY POINTS of heat damage if you fail to make a Reflex save (and half of that if you succeed, so it'll still gently caress you up). That was enough to wipe the loving floors of Davik's estate with our party. Also, my last save was at the start of the area, because I totally forgot you can get annihilated by these droids.



Let's explore this hallway instead.



It leads to the hangar bay door. At this point, I'm strongly considering using our spikes to bypass the security and leaving the torture droids well alone, because that was ridiculous.



This is the spice lab, where the magic happens. He who controls the spice controls Taris. Or something to that effect. There's nothing of real interest here either.



Back to the northwest hallway. Before we attempt to fight the droids again, let's check the door to the left.



How can Davik expect me to invest in his ventures with this kind of incompetence on display? I should summon the other guards and report you to your commanding officer!



[Success] Well, I suppose I can forgive the intrusion in this case. Tell Davik I admire a host who has his underlings check up on the well-being and comfort of his guests. I don't require anything right now - you can tell Davik everything about my stay has been most pleasing so far. Here's a five credit chip for your trouble, sirrah.

Thank you, sir.



We'll scurry off as soon as we finish ransacking his room for 500 credits and some items.



The bounty hunter patrolling the hallway has a computer passcard, but we'll still need some other way to unlock the hangar door.





This time, the droids are nothing. They don't use their special weapons at all, except for a single use of the advanced stun ray on Canderous. So basically, this encounter can be comically easy or "lol gently caress off", maybe something in between if you keep your distance so that you're out of reach of the flamethrower. The droids can and will follow you, though, and the flamethrower has fairly decent reach so you'll still want to be careful. With the droids out of the way, we can use the cage release switch to free the "guest".







I used to be the pilot of the Ebon Hawk - Davik's flagship. I know the codes to disable the security system protecting it. I'll load them into your datapad now. You can use those codes to steal the Ebon Hawk right out of its hangar. Sell it to the highest bidder, ransom it back to Davik - whatever you do you'll make thousands!

This is Hudrow, the former pilot of the Ebon Hawk, and he just gave us exactly what we needed.



It won't be long until Davik figures out I'm free. I have to get out of this base before that happens.

With that, he runs off, and we're pretty much done here.





There are some more rooms with Davik's goons in them, but nothing worth showing off. Let's get off this backwater dump of a planet.



Next stop: the hangar and the Ebon Hawk.



When we get to the hangar, we find that all hell has broken loose. The Sith have begun their planetary bombardment, and Davik and Calo are scrambling to escape aboard the Ebon Hawk.



Yep, that was the idea.



Make it quick, Calo. The Sith mean business. If we don't get to our ships and find somewhere safe, the bombs they're dropping will kill us all.



We manage to stun Calo with a concussion grenade as soon as the fight starts, so this should be a formality.



When we take down Calo, Davik gets killed by a laser blast from the Sith fleet.





You were saying?



How in the hell did he survive that?





Well, the second blast seems to have done the job.



We can't really tell if Calo's dead or not, but he looks pretty out of it and it's not like we're going to free him from there and take him along with us.



Even though the hangar is about to fall apart, make sure to loot Davik on the way out because he's got some good stuff on him. His war suit offers a good defense bonus, and can also be sold for a hefty profit.



I think you can get hit by some of the blasts here, but we managed to avoid it this time.



Do I ever!



No, we'll just stand here and watch the Sith destroy the planet. I guess you get the option here just in case you forgot to loot Davik's corpse.



VIDEO: The Destruction of Taris







The city is in ruins.



And that is exactly what the Sith are doing.







This method of destroying a planet might not be quite as efficient as the Death Star turbolaser, but that is still 4000 years in the future so the Sith just have to use what's available. It seems to work okay for them.







The Ebon Hawk barely manages to take flight before the hangar explodes behind us. We'll still need to pick up the rest of our crew, so hopefully they're still alright.



With everyone on board, we finally flee Taris, and not a moment too soon.



Of course, we're not safe yet. The Sith have sent their starfighters after us.



In the cockpit of the Ebon Hawk, our crew considers their next move.



That seems like a good bet right now. Hell, anything is better than our current situation.







First off, though, we need to get rid of the fighters following us.







At the start of these space combat minigames, it's usually a good idea to fire wildly in front of you because that is where the enemy ships will spawn and you'll be able to take out at least a couple early on before they scatter.



The blue gauge on the lower right is our shields, the red is our health. If the shields get depleted, you will hear a warning sound to indicate you're about to bite the dust. However, if you're any good at this minigame, that is unlikely to ever happen.





Eventually, all six enemy fighters go down and we are out of harm's way. We've escaped Taris and evaded the Sith fleet.







Next stop: Dantooine, and a new beginning.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 10:33 on Apr 21, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Cooked Auto posted:

Another Bioware staple I feel, pretty sure they pulled the same on you in Dragon Age Origins.
Jade Empire as well, although in that game it only took me five updates to get out of the starting area. Probably would've been even fewer if the first couple of updates hadn't been kinda short. :v:

Here, we've spent ten (well, nine, but I count the Endar Spire as well) updates and about eight hours on Taris. You can get through quicker if you skip content, but who does that?

Night10194 posted:

It's literally just the Millennium Falcon with a few superficial differences to pretend it's a 4000 year older design.

Like almost everything in the 'ancient' time in Star Wars.
That's what I really liked about Tales of the Jedi - the presentation was completely different and it actually looked like it was taking place thousands of years before the films. I seem to recall that Tales of the Jedi is on Marvel Unlimited, so at some point I might do some more comics posts like I did for the Spider-Man PS4 LP.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 21:23 on Jan 11, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


I flipped through some of Tales of the Jedi on Marvel Unlimited, and I can kind of understand why BioWare went for the more familiar Star Wars presentation rather than the weird (but cool) poo poo we see in TotJ. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if LucasArts mandated it.



Tales of the Jedi: Dark Lords of the Sith #2 (1994)

One issue has a star cruiser built into the exoskeleton of a giant insect, and then there's stuff like the Onderonian beast-riders, ancient Sith magicians and all sorts of weirdness. I don't know if I'd call these comics particularly good, but they're certainly different. This was also before the prequels, so no one really had any idea what the Jedi were supposed to be all about.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 22:45 on Jan 11, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


gently caress the MMO canon. :colbert:

I like to think the Sith are equally bad shots as the Stormtroopers, even with their orbital cannons, and that they missed everyone important on Taris :v:

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 11: The Three Trials

Last time, we narrowly escaped Taris aboard our new ship Ebon Hawk, as the Sith began their orbital bombardment of the planet. I like to think that the Sith are such poor shots that they somehow missed all the people we helped, if only to try and convince myself all the content on Taris was worth doing.





Even the Sith would think twice before attacking Dantooine. There are many Jedi here, including several of the most powerful Masters of the Order. There is great strength within this place.



Both Carth and Bastila have solid enough points, but we need to contact the Jedi Council anyway to make sense of these visions we've been having, and discuss our potential Force sensitivity. We should be fine for now.



Maybe you're right. It isn't easy to witness the annihilation of an entire planet. I know Mission must be taking it pretty hard.

She will find a way to come to terms with her grief. She is stronger than she appears. We just need to give her time. Now I must go speak with the Council. I need their advice on... recent developments. After I have met with them I will meet you outside the ship.

I would recommend we land on the planet first.





First mentioned in A New Hope, Dantooine has appeared in various Star Wars expanded universe media over the years, including in the Tales of the Jedi comics most of this game's background lore is mined from, but the first time I got a proper look at it was in KotOR. The lush grasslands of Dantooine are also a very welcome change of scenery after eight hours on Taris.





Here we are. The Jedi enclave.



Uh, okay then. Lead the way.



I'm sorry, Carth, but I cannot tell you. All I ask is that you trust in the Force and the wisdom of the Council.

Well, I don't like being left out of the loop, but I'm not looking to get you in any trouble with the Jedi Masters. We'll do things your way for a while.

Carth is not happy to be left out of the loop when it comes to all this Jedi business, but he doesn't have much of a choice. He should get used to the feeling, because he basically disappears from the plot for the next 15 hours.





Okay fine we're going



Right. We could talk to the Twi'lek to our left, but there will be plenty of talking in this update as is so I'll leave him for later. Even if you do talk to him here, he'll just repeat the same lines next time around.



So, we'll keep heading towards the Council chambers.



l have not heard of any new apprentices being accepted for training recently. What brings you to this place, if I may ask?





That... isn't really how that went down.







Same to you, Deesra.



At this point, I'm entirely sick of looking at the fashion disasters that are the headgear in KotOR, so I'm unequipping our Verpine headband right now. I also didn't show off what Davik's visor does, so here it is. The answer, it turns out, is "gets sold to a merchant for a large sum of credits."



Here's the central courtyard of the Jedi enclave. We see a named NPC, so we're clearly about to have another conversation.



Do we look like a Padawan?



We don't even have the silly Padawan braid. Come to think of it, neither does Bastila who actually is a Padawan. Maybe that was a later invention. I'm sure there is a 40,000-word Wookieepedia article I could consult to find the answer, but I'd rather not.



But as for you... you claim you are not a Padawan? I find this hard to believe. The Force is strong within you. I can feel its presence. If this is some type of jest, it is in very poor taste. The Jedi Order is not a subject for jokes.



Please forgive the abruptness with which I first greeted you. It was harsh, and perhaps unfair. My Master often warns me I must learn to control my emotions. I see I have much left to learn. I wish you a pleasant stay here on Dantooine. May the Force be with you.



We'll have another chat with Belaya later, but right now we should stop wasting time and go meet with the Jedi Council already. They'll be right past this door.



So, naturally, we take the door to the north instead. This leads to the guest rooms.



NO



Okay, fine. Carry on.



Thank you, Carth.





Sorry about the repeated lines here, I just wanted to get shots of all the important Jedi.



Here's Master Vrook Lamar, better known as Master Ed Asner because he's voiced by Ed Asner.



Master Vandar is there because come on, this is Star Wars and the Jedi are involved so of course we need Yoda in this thing. That's really the extent of Vandar's character. He's also voiced by Tom Kane, who's done Yoda's voice in a lot of Star Wars stuff including the Clone Wars series, but speaks regular English (or Basic) instead of using similar speech patterns to Yoda's. Vandar actually has a surname (Tokare), which is interesting because members of Yoda's species generally don't have those.



Master Dorak is so forgettable I can't even remember his last name. Hold on a sec while I check Wookieepedia... oh. He actually doesn't have a last name. That'll explain why I didn't remember it.



Naturally, we'll start with the important questions.



Makes sense. Of course, the only Jedi Council the audience would be familiar with at this point is the one on Coruscant in the prequels, so it's nice you get the option to ask about that.







Let's not make it about ourselves just yet.



With this power she can swing the tide of nearly any battle in our favor. Which is why Malak was seeking her so fervently.

And if he could not have her, he would see her destroyed. Taris was just in the way.

We need Bastila in our fight against the Sith. Indeed, we need every Jedi we can muster, since the Sith have been hunting us down at every opportunity. Which brings us to you...





I thought we were too old.



Also, when they come out and say it like that, we're suddenly not so certain if we can handle it. Sure, we're pretty good at what we do, but are we ready to shoulder the responsibility that comes with being a Jedi? (The actual reason I picked this option was that I didn't like the bootlicker option at the top or the "Strong in the Force?" option at the bottom. We know we're strong in the Force, Bastila said as much)





Vrook doesn't seem quite as convinced as his fellow Masters.





Vrook is a dick.



The Jedi training is long and difficult, even when working with a young and open mind. Teaching a child is hard. How much harder will it be for an adult to learn the ways of the Jedi?



Here, we get another excellent set of dialogue choices. ":shobon: Eh, I guess I'll give it a shot" ":byodood: gently caress YOU, TRAIN ME AND STOP CALLING ME OLD", and literally "[Lie] Of course, great Jedi. I will learn your ways and follow the light." The latter is the first of many opportunities to lie to the Council if you're a dark side character, but picking it here doesn't give you any dark side points.



The most notable example around this time period would be Nomi Sunrider, who became a Jedi after the (unintentionally hilarious) death of her Jedi husband and ended up doing pretty well for herself in general. I'll have more to say about the Sunriders later.



Are you certain Revan is truly dead? What if we undertake to train this one, and the Dark Lord should return?

We should discuss this matter more fully in private. Bastila, you and your companion must go. This is a matter for the Council alone.



That didn't really seem to go anywhere, although we at least know the Council is considering us for Jedi training and we're ready to give it a shot if they decide to train us.



So, for now, we'll return to the Ebon Hawk and get some rest. Zila doesn't look like she's resting too comfortably, though. We've seen this happen before.

VIDEO: Revan and Malak in the Ruins



Yet another vision, this time of Revan and Malak. We can't really tell what they're doing, but they seem to be exploring some sort of ruin.



That's our first glimpse of Malak without his jaw contraption.





Presumably, what we're watching is the moment Revan and Malak went over to the dark side or at least started on that path.



Revan doesn't care about Malak's protests, knowing that Malak will fall in line.



The decision has been made. Whatever this Star Forge is, Revan wants it.



As the soon-to-be Sith Lords find what they're searching for, the vision fades.



Well, Bastila did mention that you should go to the Council chambers before she left. It is no doubt urgent, so you shouldn't keep them waiting.

Did she say anything else?

No, she didn't. She didn't seem well, as I recall... and for that matter neither do you. Are you alright?



Nothing to worry about, I'm sure.





We can pick our party members here. It doesn't really matter who we pick at this point (if anyone), so we'll just take T3 and Zaalbar and get going.



I went to visit this merchant near the Ebon Hawk first, but he didn't have anything that caught my eye. The one item from him I actually want (more like need) is in fact not in the original Xbox version. It was added to the PC version, and apparently was also included in a balance patch you could download via Xbox Live but that patch never made it to the backwards compatible version. So, we're not getting Calrissian's Utility Belt (previously owned by a Galduran Calrissian, who had to sell off his belongings to ensure he wouldn't be the last Calrissian in the galaxy), which is a shame because that essentially means I cannot get our Repair skill high enough to access some content (which, thankfully, is really just dialogue and I found a full transcript so it will get shown off). The vanilla game on Xbox literally has no Repair-boosting equipment! Anyway, back to the Council.



These ruins have long been known to us, but we believed them to be merely burial mounds. Perhaps they are more than we first suspected, if Revan and Malak found something there.



I think they said something about a Star Forge.





We've been having them since the start of the game!







You and she are linked, as is your fate to hers. Together, you two may be able to stop Darth Malak and the Sith.

But do not let your head be filled with visions of glory and power! Such thoughts are the path to the dark side.





Another opportunity to lie if you're a dark side character. I believe this one actually does give you dark side points.



The Sith hunt the Jedi down like animals, ambushing and assassinating our brothers wherever they are found. We fear it is only a matter of time until they discover even this hidden refuge.

You know, I'm genuinely amazed by BioWare showing enough restraint not to shoehorn "Do or do not, there is no try" into these conversations with Vandar.





Perhaps our hope lies in the dream you and Bastila shared. The Council has come to the conclusion that you and Bastila must investigate the ancient ruins you dreamed of.

That seems like it might be worth a shot.





Being able to lie to the Council is one of the few ideas on the dark side path that are actually kind of cool. Well, at least it would be, if the actual lines they give you weren't ridiculous and didn't sound like you're obviously trying to be a passive-aggressive rear end in a top hat. But hey, passive aggression is a step up from the usual level of dark side writing this game offers you.



Before we send you to investigate the ruins, you must be trained in the ways of the Jedi so that you can resist the darkness within yourself... within all of us. Otherwise you are doomed to fail.



It appears the Jedi have no choice but to train us. We're going to have to follow in the footsteps of Revan and Malak, and who knows what's waiting for us out there? We are strong in the Force, that much is obvious, and that also means we'd be a prime target for the dark side if we weren't formally trained to control the Force and our emotions.





Only one way to find out, right?



And so, our Jedi training begins and we are treated to this little montage.



This montage is supposed to take place over the period of maybe two or three weeks. That's not a lot of time for Jedi training.











Despite having such little time for training, we seem to be doing pretty well at this whole Jedi thing, and Master Zhar says as much.







And so, after only a few weeks of intense training, we are officially granted the rank of Jedi apprentice. We obviously still have a long way to go, but you have to start somewhere and it shouldn't take too long until we can take the next step and become a Padawan learner.



Yes, that's what I said, aside from the "prove yourself worthy" part. Let's find out what that entails.



Actually, before we do that, let's ask about Revan and Malak. If we're going to follow in their footsteps, we should probably have some idea what those two were all about. We know a few things, but not nearly enough.



When I was still on Coruscant Revan and Malak often came to me for additional training. In particular, Revan's hunger to learn seemed insatiable. I should have recognized this as a warning sign. But I perceived the young Padawan's lust for knowledge as simple exuberance and eagerness. Revan was my most promising pupil, one I felt sure would someday become a champion of the Jedi Order.

What happened?

The Jedi Order moved too slowly for Revan and Malak; we were too cautious in their eyes. They always sought to learn far quicker than their Masters felt was prudent. It is one thing to understand a lesson, but to truly comprehend it takes a wisdom that only comes with time. Several years ago, when the Mandalorian threat first arose, Revan and Malak were eager to journey to the Outer Rim to defeat the enemy of the Republic. But the Council felt it best if we moved with care and caution. The true threat, the Council feared, had not yet revealed itself. But Revan would not be dissuaded. Charismatic and powerful, it was inevitable many of the Order would flock to Revan's seemingly noble cause. Malak was the first to join his closest friend. Others soon followed, many of our youngest and brightest, intent on saving the galaxy from the Mandalorian threat.

It seems like Revan and Malak had the right idea there, unless we're missing something. So what happened? Does it have to do with the vision we saw?





Their ideals became twisted, their spirits were tainted and they fell to the dark side. There is a lesson in this, a lesson you would do well to take to heart: the dark side can corrupt even the most noble of Jedi.



That is clearly not the full story, though.



But that is enough about Revan and Malak for now, because we need to prove ourselves so we can become a proper Jedi.







First I will test your knowledge of the Jedi Code. These tenets must always guide your actions, in everything you do you must always be conscious of their wisdom. You must prove you have a Jedi's understanding 0f the Code. Return when you feel you are ready for this challenge.

The Jedi Code... sounds important. Surely that must have come up in the writings at some point. Maybe Bastila can remind us.



Thanks.



I was trying to talk to Vandar, not him, but whatever. Vrook must know the Jedi Code, so let's ask him and hope he doesn't bite our head off.





Well, no, because none of you apparently found it important enough to teach us in the last two weeks!



Learn these truths, apprentice... or we shall all regret the decision to accept you into the Order.

Seems simple enough, so simple in fact that nothing about the Code even needs to be explained further. If it was that simple, why didn't they just tell us about the Code on our first lesson?



As a chronicler of the Academy here on Dantooine, I feel it is my duty to share the history of our Order with the newly initiated. Unfortunately, our recent history is one of tragedy and bloodshed. The Mandalorian Wars, the fall of Revan and Malak, the rise of the Sith: there are important lessons to be learned from these events if we do not wish to repeat the mistakes of our past.

I am eager to learn, Master Dorak.

Of course I could not tell you the entire history of our Order; the Jedi have existed for thousands upon thousands of years. We are as old as the Republic itself. Instead, I will begin forty years ago with the war of Exar Kun. Like Malak and Revan, Exar Kun was a Jedi who fell to the dark side and led an army against the Jedi and the Republic.

Exar Kun's fall is also covered in the Tales of the Jedi comics.





Twenty years ago the Mandalorians, aware the Republic was in a weakened state, began conquering small worlds on the Outer Rim. They were careful to choose only planets outside the Republic's jurisdiction. After much debate, the Senate chose not to intervene. As long as the Mandalorians avoided planets that were members of the Republic itself, there would be no retaliation.

Clearly, there was no way this could ever backfire on the Republic.





The Mandalorians stockpiled resources from their conquered worlds, preparing for a massive assault. Seven years ago they launched a simultaneous attack in three separate sectors of Republic space. The Senate had no choice but to retaliate with the entire Republic fleet. The Mandalorian Wars had begun.

Had the Republic intervened sooner, the Mandalorians would not have been able to stockpile all the resources they needed for a full-scale assault. Hindsight is of course 20/20 and it's understandable that they didn't want to throw a bunch of ships and men at the Mandalorians in some remote corner of the galaxy where the Republic didn't even have jurisdiction, especially so soon after the Exar Kun war, but as it is they really got caught with their pants down by the Mandalorians. Where were the Jedi in all this, anyway?





While the Jedi Council preached patience, there were many among our Order who were eager for us to join the battle. Two young Knights in particular demanded immediate action: Revan and Malak. They rallied many of the Jedi to their cause and, against the wishes of their Masters, joined the Republic fleet battling the Mandalorians. Revan was a brilliant military leader, and the Republic fleet began to win victory after victory. Four years ago the Mandalorians surrendered unconditionally.

So, Revan and Malak saved everyone's rear end while the Council was too busy doing nothing.





Instead of returning after the war's end, the ships under Revan's command went deep into unexplored space. They claimed to be searching for the last remnants of the Mandalorian fleet. All contact was lost. For many months it was assumed some great disaster had befallen the entire fleet. Everyone thought they were dead. There were unsubstantiated rumors of Revan and Malak being seen on a number of different planets during these months - scattered sightings that were never confirmed. Perhaps they simply went far beyond the edges of Republic space. Maybe they found previously undiscovered hyperspace routes to the ends of the galaxy. Nobody knows for certain. Three years ago, Revan and Malak returned at the head of a massive invasion fleet. Revan had assumed the title of Sith Lord; the hero had become a conqueror.





Some of the ships in the Sith fleet are those that were under Revan's command during the Mandalorian Wars. But many more are of an alien design we have never seen before. The source of the Sith soldiers is, unfortunately, much easier to understand. Initially the bulk of the force were former Republic soldiers who had served under Revan. With each conquest thousands more flocked to join the invaders, swelling their numbers. Even many of our own Order have betrayed us, lured by Sith promises of riches and power.





In desperation we set a trap for the Dark Lord. Bastila was with the strike team that tried to capture Revan, as you probably know. She was there at Revan's end. That was nearly a year ago, but things have not improved. Malak has stepped in and assumed the mantle of Dark Lord for himself, though he is far from Revan's equal in strategy or tactics. Still, his fleet continues to grow in both ships and soldiers. If we do not find some way to stop the Sith soon, Malak will overwhelm us with sheer numbers.

That is an important note - Malak is not nearly as good at his job as Revan was, but the Sith have such vast resources at their disposal that Malak can pretty much brute-force the whole thing and still win the war. If Revan was still calling the shots, I bet the Sith wouldn't have destroyed Taris. Malak got frustrated and decided to burn everything down, figuring that if he can't get Bastila alive he'll just blow up the entire planet and her with it, but Revan would probably have understood that Bastila is too important an asset to simply destroy and would've come up with some other plan.



Revan's tale shows us how even the greatest of Jedi can fall to the dark side. You must always be on guard against the evil that dwells within you. Think hard upon this lesson.

I will think on this, Master Dorak.

May the Force be with you.

Right, that was the long version of the recent history of the Jedi Order.





l have faith that you will achieve the rank of Padawan soon. Master Zhar is most impressed with your progress. May the Force be with you, apprentice.

Okay, thanks, but we want to ask Vandar here some questions as well.







Bastila was there when Revan was slain. Did you know that?

Uh, yeah. We've been told that several times, like just now by Master Dorak.



Or I guess we'll say that then. Sure.



But Bastila knew she had to set her personal feelings aside for the sake of the galaxy and the Republic. The Force is strong with her now, and without her skill in Battle Meditation we would have lost this war long ago. The way ahead will be difficult for young Bastila... and for you. But you must draw strength from each other. May the Force be with you.

Is there anything you can tell me about Revan and Malak?



Obviously we got the full story from Master Dorak already, but it might be useful to hear what the other Masters can tell us about Revan and Malak.



And when Revan fell to the dark side it was inevitable Malak would fall as well.



It does seem like Revan was the one making the decisions and Malak just followed along, so it makes sense he'd follow his friend to the dark side as well.



Now Malak leads the Sith armada against the Republic. Hate and vengeance for his master's death draw Malak ever further down the path of the dark side, fueling his powers until they surpass those of his old master. Only you and Bastila together can stop Malak now.





Fair enough. Let's go ask Master Vrook himself what he thinks about Revan and Malak, or about us.



What can you tell me about Bastila?

Bastila? The young Jedi holds great promise... and great danger. She can do much for both the Republic and the Council. Without her skill in Battle Meditation the Sith armada would have conquered the galaxy long ago. But despite her command of the Force Bastila is still young. She is a Jedi, but she has not attained the rank of Master. The Council would do well to remember this before we lay the fate of the galaxy on her slender shoulders.

Despite being the resident curmudgeon, Master Vrook is also the only one who seems to have any concern towards Bastila as a person rather than the Jedi's greatest weapon against the Sith, and the only one who dares suggest that hey, maybe the Jedi and the Republic shouldn't be so quick to put all this responsibility on a young Padawan who hasn't fully mastered her powers yet.







When the Mandalorian invasion came, Revan seized the opportunity it presented. Many Jedi flocked to the Outer Rim to follow the charismatic young Knight... and many fell under the sway of the dark side.

What happened on the Outer Rim to corrupt Revan?

I do not believe Revan and Malak were corrupted on the Outer Rim. They had begun their journey down the dark path long before the Mandalorian threat appeared. Here on Dantooine they discovered a sinister cave, a place where the strength of the dark side overwhelms the light. Perhaps this discovery was what first corrupted them... or perhaps they sought the cave out because they were already corrupted. Whatever the explanation, the Order was unable to turn them back to the light. Had the Council taken more decisive action in this matter, perhaps Revan and Malak could have been stopped. But in this we failed.

Interesting. Master Vrook seems to think there was always something dark inside Revan and Malak, and whatever they found out there on the Outer Rim was just a continuation of the path the two were already on. While he's blaming the Council for not acting in time to stop Revan and Malak, I doubt any attempts at doing so would've had much success.





Now the Republic may be destroyed because we, the Jedi, have failed them. Revan and Malak were paragons of the ideals the Order seeks to uphold, yet they succumbed to the temptations of the dark side. When Revan fell, Malak took up the mantle of Dark Lord of the Sith. Should Malak be stopped, what is to stop another Jedi from taking his place? This is the burden we Masters must carry. Only through strict training and relentless lessons can we prevent the Dark Master from being reborn. That is why the Order can brook no failure in our apprentices and pupils. That is why I can accept nothing but perfection from you.

Right. Harsh but fair, I suppose. But enough about that, because it's time for us to take the first of the three tests!



There is no emotion...

There is peace.

There is no ignorance...

There is knowledge.

There is no passion...

There is serenity.

There is no chaos...

There is harmony.

There is no death...





Excellent. What's next?



I like where this is going.



The blade is made of pure energy, focused by polished crystals in the hilt. As the second test, each Jedi must construct her lightsaber with her own hands. And now it is your time. Speak with Master Dorak and he will guide you through the choosing of a crystal.



The time has come for you to choose the color of your lightsaber. This color also reflects your demeanor and position within the Order.





Yellow is the color of the Jedi Sentinel. This Jedi ferrets out deceit and injustice, bringing it to light. They focus less on combat and more on other skills and abilities. Green is the color of the Jedi Consular. This Jedi seeks to bring balance to the universe. They mediate between other groups, using their powers to end conflict and preserve peace.



The Jedi Consular is the one that gets the most Force powers to play with, so naturally we're choosing that.



A woman and her small child are beset by a desperate-looking group of thugs. They are menacing her with weapons and she screams to you for help. What do you do?



Do we really need this aptitude test? We know what we want. Anyway, yes, generally you'll want to figure out the situation before you cleave anyone in half with a lightsaber.



You are in combat with a Dark Jedi allied with the Sith. There is a pause in the combat. What do you do?



While attacking him again or trying to turn him from the dark side in the middle of a saber fight is all well and good, it seems like it'd be a better idea to find a weakness in the Dark Jedi's technique, potentially allowing us to neutralize him without using lethal force and capture him.



There is a locked door and your goal lies on the other side. What do you do?

That really depends on the situation. Are we breaking into a Sith base here, or just trying to get through a locked door?



Because unless we're specifically breaking in or know for a fact there is someone hostile behind the door, why wouldn't we knock first?



You are the head of an Enclave on a contested world. The Dark Jedi have infiltrated and are causing unrest across the planet. What do you do?



Well, we could try to hunt them down, that is the first option. Or we could lure them out to a trap, that might work too. However, since we are dealing with infiltrators here, it would help us considerably to actually identify them before we do anything drastic.



As I suspected, you would be most suitable as a Jedi Consular. Which color and path do you believe yourself most suited to, apprentice?



Jedi Consular, just like we said in the first place.



And with that, we unlock our prestige class.



This is why you may want to save some of your levelups on Taris, as more Jedi levels means more powers to work with.



That's the last STR point we'll take, any remaining extra attribute points we get will go into WIS.



I'm still working on improving our Repair skill for one very specific purpose, but that purpose is essentially doomed without Calrissian's Utility Belt being available. Consulars, you see, only get one skill point each level regardless of their INT, and there literally aren't enough points available for us to get enough Repair points without the accessory, especially since our 10 INT means we don't get an INT modifier for skills. I'll keep putting points into Repair for now, but in a few hours I will realize it was all for naught and will start investing in Persuade again, although there's no functional difference between Persuade rank 13 and 18 and I probably won't be able to make it to the next threshold. Oh well.



Weapon Proficiency: Lightsaber means we can now wield lightsabers, as you probably figured out by now. Jedi Defense allows us to deflect blaster bolts. We also gain Force Focus (adds to the difficulty class of saving throws against our Force powers), Jedi Sense (passive +2 Defense), and Force Sensitive which adds 40 Force points to our base total.



For our feat this level, we'll grab Improved Critical Strike to triple the critical threat range of our melee attacks, as opposed to doubling it like regular Critical Strike did.





And then, our first Force powers. Cure and Force Push are basic powers we'll make use of a lot, of course.



Now that we have the Force well and truly coursing through our veins, we can build our lightsaber.



Apparently, all you need to do to construct a lightsaber is to just mess around at the workbench a bit, which is somewhat anticlimactic. In more recent media, you see Jedi manipulate the Force to put all the parts together.



There we go. The emulation on the Xbox One release has a minor glitch with the borders of the alpha texture around the lightsaber blade in this screen (and sometimes the whole blade will disappear for a split second), but none of this is a problem during actual gameplay. Anyway, lightsabers can be upgraded with a variety of crystals. The focusing crystal in the middle just determines the color of the saber (with a couple of notable exceptions), with the other two slots reserved for crystals that will actually alter the stats of the weapon.



Building your first lightsaber in this game is still very satisfying despite the lackluster workbench animations. I also discovered that the Y button is the one that lets you twirl your weapon around on command, which is of course all-important. For some reason, it didn't seem to be working earlier, but it does now!



These crystals are very rare, found only in certain caves strong in the Force. By adding crystals to your lightsaber you can alter or enhance its properties. There have even been unconfirmed rumors of certain Force-sensitive caves here on Dantooine that may hold these crystals.





But you must learn first to use your lightsaber and take care when drawing it. Your lightsaber identifies you as a member of the Jedi Order. With such recognition comes honor and respect... and the attention of dangerous enemies. The Sith and Dark Jedi will seek to destroy you, apprentice. And you must prove yourself worthy in battle against a foe who also wields a lightsaber. Are you ready to face the final challenge, apprentice?



Let's hear it.



Even here on Dantooine there are places where the dark side holds sway, twisting and tainting nature itself. The ancient grove once used for deep meditation by the Jedi is now tainted, a wave of darkness perverts the region around it. The kath hounds in the area have become savage and ruthless. They have become a threat to the settlers, a threat the Jedi have promised to stop.





That's it? Not much to go on.





But remember this, my young apprentice: a Jedi acts with patience and care, and those on the dark path are not always lost forever. The dark side still taints the ancient grove. Your lessons cannot continue until the spreading corruption of the dark side has been stopped. This is your task, apprentice. May the Force be with you.



Okay. Well, we don't really know what we're meant to be doing, aside from some vague idea of cleansing the taint in this ancient grove, but we'd better get on that anyway.



Soon, he feels, you will attain the rank of Padawan. Then you will truly be a full-fledged Jedi. How are you enjoying your training?

First off, we'll have a quick chat with Belaya.



Maybe she knows about those caves Zhar mentioned.



I wish you luck in your training, apprentice. There is much you must yet learn. May the Force be with you.

I'm sure we can handle whatever is in there.



Just a quick look at the quest journal before we finish up here. Not much information about our task in there either.





Zaalbar also gained a level, so I chose to have him follow his true calling as a computer toucher. He also learns Uncanny Dodge 2 (retains DEX bonus to Defense even if ambushed by camouflaged enemies), and we give him the Dueling feat to improve his melee attacks with single one-handed weapons.



Finally, we'll equip the prototype vibroblade in our off hand to boost our damage output. We'll replace it with another lightsaber when we find one, but for now the vibroblade will do fine.



Right. Time to embark on our first adventure as a member of the Jedi Order.



This is where we'll stop for today. I was hoping to get to some action in this update, but the Jedi talk so much there just wasn't enough room. Oh well, we'll more than make up for that soon enough!

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 18:37 on Jan 12, 2020

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Cooked Auto posted:

This next part is where I stopped playing the game because it made my PC chug like crazy back in the day.
It's also the only part I really remember of the game as well for some reason. :v:
I'm pretty sure that happened on every PC unless you added Disable Vertex Buffer Objects=1 under Graphics Options in swkotor.ini. :bioware:

As far as I know, adding that line doesn't change anything in terms of visuals, just makes the grasslands of Dantooine actually playable.

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


TitanG posted:

Also, I got a question for DocM as I had a bad flashback yesterday: do any of the run speed mods/cheats work on your version?
Not to my knowledge, and I don't even have Burst of Speed at this point (I've got most of the game recorded and Zila is currently level 16) because I didn't want to waste a power on that :shepface:

turol posted:

In other news, you inspired me to install this game and start again. I'm going for darkside female playthrough with the aforementioned mod. Should I (try to) post screenshots of some of the more hilariously dickish dark side options?
Sure, as long as they're not spoilers from later in the game. I personally cringe too much at the hamfistedness of this game's dark side choices to want to look at your screenshots, but I'm sure others in the thread would appreciate them. :v:

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


I'm sure I'll take Burst of Speed soon enough, I've just been prioritizing other stuff (speaking of which, god help you if you forget to take Force Immunity like I did once :gonk:). While the default slow running speed does get annoying when you're trying to get things done, it's never really bothered me that much. I guess I just don't mind a more leisurely pace.

Regalingualius posted:

poo poo, you can be an outright unarmed monk and still do pretty decently with the right feats and powers.
Was Jedi Jesus in Scorchy's KotOR II LP an unarmed or blaster build? I forget.

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Speaking of that extra content, the Yavin station DLC was actually patched in to the Xbone release a few months ago, so we will in fact be seeing that in the LP!

DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


The Old Republic MMO and its tie-ins do such a thorough job retroactively ruining both KotOR and especially KotOR II that it's almost impressive.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 22:04 on Jan 12, 2020

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DMorbid
Jan 6, 2011

Hello! I see you.


Part 12: The Grove

Last time, the Jedi Council on Dantooine trained us as a Jedi apprentice and talked a lot. To become a proper Jedi, we need to complete the three tests which, unlike the three trials of Melee Island, do not involve sword mastery, thievery, or treasure huntery. Instead, we had to recite the Jedi Code, build our first lightsaber, and as our final test we need to cleanse some sort of dark taint from a nearby grove. I think Master Zhar mentioned something about spooky perverts, or something like that.



The kath hounds are being affected by the darkness, so they've recently become aggressive and started attacking settlers. That's one of the reasons we need to cleanse the grove.



Sure is, but we're in a hurry and you're kind of in the way.



Is there something I can help you with?



We could ask about the task and Nemo here would give us some extra hints, but we don't need his help. Instead, we'll ask about him.





As I have said, I believe, my name is Nemo. I am here by the will of the Jedi Council.

You are a Jedi?

Indeed, my young friend, that I am. I have served the Council for many years, and have seen many apprentices pass through this Enclave.

Are you a member of the Council?



What? No! We were just asking!



Okay, enough of that. We've got more named NPCs up ahead, and we know what that means.



Err...



Ah. I'm sorry. I was mistaken. Does the Council require our presence?

How in the hell are we supposed to know? When we left, they didn't say "Hey, tell the old man waiting outside the Enclave that he can come in now!"



Oh, I see. I am mistaken. How may I be of assistance?

Who are you?





...live on one of the northern farms. But the kath hounds and the Mandalorian problem has been getting really bad of late, and we're here to ask the Jedi Council to help.



Ever since the Republic beat them years ago, little groups have been roaming all over the place. With the Sith invasion, the Republic doesn't have the manpower to hunt them down. The Jedi are even worse off because Malak has been hunting them specifically. They're worried that he might even be supporting these raiders, so don't want to face them directly. That puts us in a kind of hard situation. Is there anything else I can help you with?

You mentioned kath hounds?

Recently the kath hounds have been acting much more aggressively. They've even attacked some of the settlers! Those Mandalorian raiders have been milking the outlying farms dry, too... I hear Jon got hit really bad. Too bad about his daughter. I'm not sure exactly what the Council will do about it, but we need some help with this. I only hope they'll listen to me...

Sadly, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were him.





Jon? Is this the same Jon who was mentioned by Gar just now?





Can't really say he's wrong, at least if what Gar said is any indication. The Jedi don't seem to be doing a lot to help out here.



Those Mandalorian brutes have killed my daughter! They came to our land, demanding our livelihood. But Ilsa, my Ilsa, said no...



There was nothing I could do... Too many of the Mandalorians and their Duros allies... I've come here to ask you, please, master Jedi, stop these raiders and get revenge for my daughter.



We're not exactly a full-fledged Jedi yet, and revenge is not the Jedi way. However...



I will give you all I have, just please, annihilate them from the face of this planet!

...since it seems the Council is worried about the Mandalorians potentially being allied with the Sith, they're not going to do anything for fear of Darth Malak materializing at their front door. It's obvious these Mandalorian raiders are dangerous and the Jedi are simply leaving the settlers to their own devices, so someone has to step up before the Mandalorians wreck everything. We kind of have a miniature Mandalorian Wars scenario here.



Lots of named NPCs in this area.



What happened to you?

I am a victim, a refugee, yes. I flee... fled from my world once the Sith fleet comes. They bomb my world, destroy it, yes? They scour the continents, boil the oceans. Sith are bad, yes. But I run here, find the Jedi already here, unknown. They take me in... one left of a billion, yes... The Republic fights, but does not win. Not you to blame, of course, no. The Sith are strong and destroy those who would oppose them, yes. My thanks you have, and your Order. Is there anything else you require?

Yes. I mean no, not really.



That was exciting.



Nothing else on this side, just some generic NPCs with equally generic lines.



So, let's head east towards the grove.



This lady clearly wants something, so let's hear it.







I heard the door to the house open, but not close. I went to see and found it wide open! I searched everywhere, and could not find him! I worry so much. I need him back so badly. I wonder if he... Could he have been kidnapped?



Not that I know of... Er... *ahem* None of my neighbors really know he's there.

Oh! Scandalous.



Kath hounds are not intelligent enough to open doors. Although they have been more vicious lately... No, it must have been someone who could open the door by himself. Come to think of it, the door was locked!





what





But he is very valuable to me all the same! He is the last piece of my poor, passed-away husband that I have left. He is very dear to me, my precious is. I don't know what I'd do without him!





Concerned about his current situation or the fact this lady seems slightly too attached to him?





He is a personal assistance droid. My husband was a genius at constructing droids. He made this one capable of taking care of me for the rest of my life. As the last legacy of my husband, for my own personal ease of mind, I need him back! His absence gnaws at me like a gaping wound. Please, I beg of you, return my droid to me!



Well, we can't promise anything, but I suppose we can keep an eye out. For now, we'll slowly back off and go talk to the Rodian opposite to her.



This is Adum Larp, who runs a shop out here. He's not selling anything particularly interesting, so we'll keep our credits for now. Well, we do spend 4 credits on maps and grab some concussion grenades, but that's it.



I also put Mission back in the party because T3 is sadly kind of boring. Mission's gained a level as well, so we set up her skills. She also learns Sneak Attack IV.



Now that we've spent entirely too much time talking to these people, let's finally get a move on. I want to actually get somewhere in this update.



One of the kath hounds, I presume.



Now that I'm actually getting a good look at these things, they really don't look very much like hounds at all.



A small pack of regular kath hounds is no trouble whatsoever, especially with Improved Critical Strike.



Further to the east is the location of the ruins we saw in our vision, the ones visited by Revan and Malak years ago. We're not allowed to go there yet.



So, we'll make our way towards the south instead.



For some reason, we didn't get a map for this area, only the courtyard and the grove.



Hello, what's going on here?



Some poor settler getting shaken down by a Mandalorian raider, apparently. We should step in before this turns violent.



Actually, never mind. Carry on.





Okay, that's enough of that. The Mandalorians in KotOR are basically just generic raiders for the most part.



Huh, Force Push straight-up doesn't work on him.



This, however, does work quite nicely. Those are some half-decent damage numbers.



Can't forget about his little buddies here, either.



That first Mandalorian was a pushover, but as the journal suggests, things will get much more difficult soon enough.



We're not taking the path east just yet. There's nothing stopping us from exploring the entire grasslands area, but right now we'll focus on the task given to us by the Council and that means heading further south.



If you're playing this on PC, you may experience crippling frame rate issues in this area regardless of your configuration. That is a known bug and is easily fixed by adding the line Disable Vertex Buffer Objects=1 under Graphics Options in swkotor.ini. The GOG.com release has this fix applied right out of the box, so you won't have to mess with the INI file. Well, not for this reason, anyway...



Okay, we're heading in the right direction.





The horn kath hounds are much more dangerous than their basic brethren, and still don't look anything like hounds.



To the east is our destination, the ancient grove. The Sandral family grounds are further to the south, but we have no business there at the moment so let's continue on our merry way.



Zaalbar murders enough kath hounds to gain a level, so he gets another attribute point which goes to DEX (to get his DEX up to 14, although I forgot he was already wearing some DEX-boosting gear so his DEX is now an odd number). He also learns Implant Level 3, meaning he can now equip any implant in the game.



Mission levels up as well and gets another DEX point as well as Improved Sniper Shot.



Hm? Who's this? Looks like he's wearing a Jedi Knight robe, although that doesn't necessarily mean anything in this game.



Who are you?





I was going to handle this case myself, but now that you are here this could be an excellent opportunity for you to demonstrate how well you have been learning your lessons at the Academy. Though you are not yet a full Jedi, perhaps you could assist me in sorting out the truth from the lies.

I quite like this little bridge area. And yes, apparently Bolook here wants us to assist him on what seems to be a murder investigation.



Listen to the stories given by the two suspects. I have brought an information retrieval droid with access to the archives both at the Jedi Enclave and the planetary capital.

Seems simple enough.



Consider each man's account and check the facts with the information droid. Once you have gathered all the evidence you think you need, run through the possible scenario with me. If you are unable to come to a satisfactory resolution, then I will take these men to the Enclave and deal with this myself.

Alright. Let's do this.







Err... that guy has been dead for a very, very long time, Bolook. Are you sure that's the victim?



Both men say they did not do anything, and that they came across the body. But both also accuse the other. Obviously there is more to this than what we have been told.





If there is anything else you need, I will remain here while you question the witnesses.

Okay, got it.



We should probably start by getting all the known facts from the information droid.



I am an information retrieval droid. I can assist you by accessing the records of both the Jedi Enclave and the central government facilities here on Dantooine. If you have any need of my services, please do not hesitate to talk to me. I have already retrieved some information from the archives on Calder Nettic, Rickard Lusoff and Handon Guld. I have also had time to examine the body of Mr. Nettic. Is there any information you require?

What did you find out about the body?



As for why BioWare chose to use the "long-dead desiccated corpse" model for the murder victim who died three hours ago, your guess is as good as mine. I know they had at least one non-hosed up corpse model, which they used for the dead Outcasts in the Undercity (and looked nothing like any of the Outcasts, and certainly not Rukil's apprentice Malya as the model was an old man). This kind of thing isn't a big deal or anything, but it just feels odd.





There have been over 35 catalogued attacks on settlers by kath hounds in the last 2 weeks. A general advisory was given out three days ago to carry a weapon at all times when on the plains. Small farms and holdings dot the plains, and can provide safe refuge for those in need.

Okay then, that'll get us started. Time to question the two men at the scene.



We'll start with Rickard.



I'm Rickard Lusoff. Maybe you can figure this out and let me get out of here.

Tell me what happened.



So I shoot it and it drops. I walk over here and find Handon standing over Calder's body! So why don't you get this whole farce over with and send that whiner Handon to the prison he belongs in!

Hm. Okay. Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet, Rickard.



What have you got for us, Handon?



I am Handon Guld, perhaps you've heard of me?



Um... I guess, under the circumstances, no. Well, I presume you wish to hear my story then? I shall tell you, of course, but there is not much to it. I am sure that you'll agree that Rickard is quite obviously guilty of murder.

Obviously. Let's hear your story.



When all of a sudden I heard a shot coming from over here. I ran over and found this man Calder lying on the ground dead!

Uh huh. Anything else?





Well... there, that's my story. Now please hurry this up and arrest Rickard so I can get on with my day!

Well, we've heard both men's stories and gotten all the facts from the droid, so we should present our findings to Bolook.





Handon said that he was nearby and heard a shot and ran over, only to find Calder already dead. He said Rickard came out of the shadow of the rocks holding a blaster in his hands. Rickard said that he was hunting iriaz, saw one through the glare of the sun and shot at it. It is possible that Rickard may have shot Calder accidentally and Handon may have found the body, but that seems a very unlikely explanation. It is more likely that at least one of them is lying. Obviously one of these men is not telling us something, but where does the truth lie?



This one is easy if you've been paying attention.





Bolook mentioned the weather that morning had been cloudy, so there would've been no sun glare in Rickard's eyes. This is the correct answer, although technically the first option would also be correct because there literally are no iriaz in the game, as they were cut out at some point in development. Still, that does not count as a correct answer for the purposes of this quest, so the only acceptable answer is to point out the weather conditions.



It seems I was correct in assuming you could help me with this case. This lie doesn't prove Rickard is guilty, but I think you have taken the first step in unravelling this mystery. We should proceed on to the next point. We need to find a motive for the killing. Maybe you should talk to the men about their relationship with the victim.

Got it. We'll start with Rickard again.





*sigh* Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on him... especially now that he's dead. We actually got along pretty well most of the time. We just had our... differences. We were actually business partners. We were involved in some orbit-to-ground transport operations for Aratech. Can I leave now? I should probably be the one to give the news to his wife.

Why would someone want to kill him?

You Jedi are so predictable. Always seeing some greater purpose behind everything, when the simple answer is usually the right one. Can't you see that it must have been Handon? I found him standing over the damned body! I don't know why this is causing you so much trouble. You almost seem as lost as this Bolook guy.

Your observation has been noted. Okay then, Handon, what do you have to say about the victim?



I never really associated with him that much. In truth, I didn't really want to. He had a... reputation. Very inconsiderate of family, I heard. But merely having heard unkind things about someone wouldn't make me want to kill him!

Why would someone want to kill him?

Um... well, you see, Calder was involved in some pretty sordid business from time to time. More often than not, I've heard. Disreputable business practices, even more disreputable clients. I've even heard he had dealings with... a Hutt! A Hutt here on Dantooine! Now I bet you're wondering if I had any reasons to kill the man, but I tell you I hardly knew him! Saw him once or twice, yes, and I have heard some pretty unkind things about him, but... Certainly nothing that would make me want to kill him!

Okay, good. Droid, your turn.





What can you tell me about Calder and Rickard?

According to the municipal authorities near the Garang spaceport, there had been news of violent drunken activity in a cantina attached to the port. Apparently a Mr. R. Lusoff was making accusations at a Mr. C. Nettic about cheating him in a business deal. Jedi Tooka was dispatched to the scene and restored order.

Interesting. It appears there was bad blood between Calder and Rickard, and the two recently got into some drunken fisticuffs over a business deal. If Rickard thought Calder was cheating him, that'd potentially provide a motive for killing Calder. However, we shouldn't jump into any conclusions yet, certainly not before talking to both men again.



Handon claimed he barely knew Calder, but the two rented a speeder together. That in itself is not evidence of anything other than Handon lying to us, though, so we should confront Handon about the matter.



What's this now?





Yikes!



It may have been my own fault for driving my wife away. I must try not to take the law in my own hands. I was just out running, trying to clear my head for the divorce proceedings, not stalking him to kill him. Running is not a crime.

Well, he changed his story quick, and that means he's also got a motive for killing Calder. Before we inform Bolook of this, we still need to talk to Rickard again.





We've been partners in that business for well over twenty years, and we've been doing just fine the way we are.

Okay then, Rickard doesn't seem to think there was actually any bad blood between him and Calder. Maybe the episode at the cantina was just a drunken altercation and nothing more?



Handon told me he barely knew the victim. On the other hand, Rickard and the victim were business partners. However, according to Rickard they got along quite well. On the surface, neither man seems to have a motive for killing Calder.



With Rickard it could go either way, but Handon is most definitely lying.







You might want to see what information the witnesses and the information droid can provide you about the blaster found near the body.

On it. Rickard, let's hear about the weapon found by the body.



Always wished I could get myself a rifle like the one he had... That blaster ain't it, though. Calder only had the one rifle, too, so he either must have borrowed that... or it's someone else's.

According to Rickard, the weapon did not belong to Calder. Let's see if Handon knows anything about it.



I hardly have enough money to afford a single blaster, let alone another. I can't tell you how important it is to have a weapon on hand with all these ravenous kath hounds around. Even an iriaz can take a man down if it gets in the mood. Every settler has a weapon. It's our most prized possession. I would most appreciate it if I could have that back after you determine that Rickard is the killer.

Hm. Apparently, the blaster is Handon's, but it was stolen recently. We should ask the droid if it has any information on the weapon.





Is there a report of Handon's blaster being stolen?

If it was such a prized possession of his, surely he would've filed a report when he discovered the blaster was missing.



I thought to find the record of the missing weapon report Mr. Guld filed with the authorities, but there does not seem to be one.

How about that. The case is taking shape, so let's bring our latest findings to Bolook.





There was a blood sample on the weapon that had been sent back for analysis just before you arrived. Perhaps you could inquire with the information droid about it.

We shall do exactly that.



The blood on the weapon is definitely not Calder's. Unfortunately there was a bacterial contaminant in the sample that had been taken back to the laboratory, and it had become degraded. We cannot get any more specific analysis from that sample other than the fact it did not belong to Calder.

Hmm... Bolook did mention both men were showing some signs of injury. You okay there, Handon?





Great, just checking. Rickard?





Thanks, Rickard. That'll be all.



So, we'll inform Bolook that the blood was not the victim's.



Rickard said he sprained an ankle, but that isn't going to bleed profusely.



That leaves Handon.





He insists he's fine, but it doesn't seem like he's just out of breath from running.







It would seem there is one logical scenario: Handon killed Calder for having an affair with his wife. Rickard was out hunting and accidentally shot Handon after he had killed Calder.

Why would he accidentally shoot Handon, though? That doesn't add up.





We know Calder was having an affair with Handon's wife, but what possible motive could Rickard have for wanting Calder dead?





Handon found him first and shot him because of the affair Calder was having with his wife. Shortly after, Rickard arrived on the scene. From a distance he saw Handon and thought it was Calder, so he shot him in retaliation for the credits Calder had cheated him out of in their business. Handon would have dropped his blaster - the one we found at the scene covered in blood. He probably thought Rickard was going to kill him so he called us, hoping he could convince us it was Rickard.



Thanks for the admission of guilt, Rickard!



I place you both under the arrest of the Jedi Order, and will escort you to holding facilities in the Jedi Enclave.

Bye, guys! Have fun!



Good day, and may the Force be with you.



If you fail to figure out both suspects were guilty, you'll get less XP from the guest. The easiest way to gently caress that up is to forget to ask Handon about the speeder he rented with Calder, because then you will not be able to establish a motive for him. If you get completely stumped, you can just let Bolook handle everything but you don't get anything if you do so.





Zila levels up, and I make sure to teach her Force Resistance. If the dark side is affecting this grove in some way, it's not too far-fetched to imagine we might run into a Force user here. In that case, Force Resistance is an incredibly handy power to have as it mitigates the effects of powers used against you. Its upgraded version, Force Immunity, is even better and one of the most important Force powers in the game as we will be facing off with some very powerful dark side users down the line. I also put another skill point to Repair.



Further into the grove, we encounter some more horn kath hounds. Nothing special.





Also, more Mandalorians. These guys have some goodies on them, such as the Eriadu Strength Amplifier which boosts STR by +2, meaning we can get Zila up to STR 16 and a +3 modifier. They also have a couple of datapads:

Mandalorian Datapad posted:

Jarg, did you remember not to take the XT-model bike out today? There was something funny with one of the intakes, and I thought it could jam.

Ha! Consider yourself lucky! If someone was dumb enough to take that thing out he would have ploughed right into the ground within a kilometer.

Another Mandalorian Datapad posted:

Jarg went missing in Sector B, then Reeza saw someone moving south of there. Take a couple troops and find out who it is.

If they look suspicious: terminate.



We're almost at our destination, but there's something else we need to do before we proceed. Some Force powers, you see, are restricted by armor for reasons related to game mechanics, and we don't want that.



So, we'll equip our regular Scoundrel outfit, which has some powerful Ned Flanders skiing suit energy on both male and female characters. We shouldn't dwell on that, though, because we seem to have located the source of the darkness in the grove.





??: I WILL BE YOUR DOOM





Mission and Zaalbar aren't going to be of much help in this fight. Whoever this is, we'll face her alone.



This is Juhani, a Cathar Jedi who has fallen to the dark side. Here in Finland, Juhani is a common male name (albeit pronounced differently than it is here) and was presumably chosen for this character because BioWare thought it sounded exotic. Or maybe it was a coincidence, who can say? This, of course, isn't the first time gratuitous Finnish appears in a Star Wars work - I'm sure we all remember Teräs Käsi, which literally means "steel hand" both in-universe and in Finnish (although it's supposed to be a compound word, i.e. teräskäsi).

Erm, where was I? Yes, the fight. We don't really need Force Resistance against Juhani because she won't use Force powers often unless you try to run away. Energy Resistance or an energy shield would be more useful.





Our critical strikes and saber/vibroblade combo make quick work of Juhani. Once you get her health down to 25%, the fight ends.







The Cathar are supposed to be a race of cat-like humanoids, but the visuals here just kinda make it look like she has a hosed-up face. Speaking of cats, Juhani's original name was inspired by a certain Egyptian feline goddess. That name was... Bastila Shan, after the goddess Bast. There's concept art of her with the name Bastila Shan floating around. Why did they change it, you ask? I'll tell you, but first let's hear what Juhani is doing here in this grove.



When I slew my Master, Quatra, I knew I could never go back. And now I revel in my dark power. Power enough to crush the life from someone such as you... or so I had thought...



So, Juhani fell to the dark side after striking down her Jedi master, and she has been here for some time. Her dark side powers caused the kath hounds to become aggressive and start attacking people.



But... it was not enough... *sigh* What is it you want? Why do you bother me?



Somehow, it doesn't seem Juhani has fully embraced the dark side. She seems confused and lost more than anything, so perhaps the best option for us would be to simply talk and listen to her.





You can kill Juhani if you want, but that just means you're killing your next party member and that just seems counter-productive even if you're a dark side character. Personally, I don't kill party members in RPGs unless I absolutely have to. Yes, massive spoilers, Juhani will be a party member.



I am pathetic. I sit here and think myself to be great by embracing the dark side, but I am nothing! There is no way I could be turned back! I always thought they held me back, were jealous of my power. But it is only because I was not good enough to meet their standards... I never have been.



You don't actually have to persuade Juhani to spare her. If you find your Persuade skill lacking, you can simply pick the options that most closely follow the tenets of the Jedi Code and it'll do the trick just as well. If you fail a Persuade check, you can just talk to Juhani again to retry.



You seem to know just what affects me... I seem to still have much to learn... Both about being a Jedi, and about myself. But I wish the cost of my ignorance had not been so high. I wish that my Master had not suffered because of me.



Juhani, by the way, is voiced by Courtenay Taylor aka Jack/Subject Zero from Mass Effect, of "I WILL DESTROY YOU" fame. Juhani's battle cry of "I WILL BE YOUR DOOM" kinda sounds like it's coming from Jack with some kind of vaguely Russian accent.



If she were alive now, there would be so much I would say to her... So much I would apologize for. I think, in my own way, I truly loved her... Oh, how can the Council ever take me back with what I have done? Striking my Master down in anger is unforgivable!



Juhani has done a terrible thing, but she can still redeem herself.



Maybe, just maybe, they would accept me back. Do you think they would? Could it be possible after what I have done?





I will return to the Council, then. I shall submit myself to their judgment, and hope that they will forgive me. If only there was some way I could make this up to you... Again, I thank you. I am sure I will hear great things about you in the future.



Mission accomplished. The ancient grove is now free of the dark side influence, and while the kath hounds will still be aggressive they should calm down eventually. More importantly, we've managed to convince a fallen Jedi to abandon the dark side and return to the light. Our three tasks are now complete, so next time we'll return to the Enclave and officially become a Padawan.

Before we finish this up, let me get back to the whole Juhani/Bastila thing. The character that became the Bastila we know was originally supposed to be Vima Sunrider, the daughter of Nomi Sunrider from Tales of the Jedi. However, due to a legal issue with the name Sunrider (apparently having to do with the fact Tales of the Jedi author Tom Veitch owned the name and had used in another work - it most likely wasn't an issue with the Jeep Corporation and their Sunrider model, as was often rumored), BioWare couldn't use Vima so they had to come up with a different character. Presumably, they then took the name of the Cathar Jedi they'd created and gave that to their Vima Sunrider replacement, and the former Bastila Shan became Juhani. I'm not 100% certain this is how it all went down, but it at least makes sense based on the information that is out there.

DMorbid fucked around with this message at 23:40 on Jan 13, 2020

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