Jedi Outcast: General Discussion (was "Jedi Knight 2!!!!!!!!!!!")

Hands On report;

http://gamespot.com/gamespot/stories/previews/0,10869,2761789,00.html

The most popular station at LucasArts' public booth at E3 was undoubtedly the one that was demonstrating Jedi Outcast: Jedi Knight II, the recently announced sequel to 1997's Jedi Knight. As we mentioned earlier, the game is currently in development at Raven Software, and it's powered by id Software's powerful Quake III technology.
LucasArts was demonstrating only one level of the game. While most of the level takes place within a large Imperial outpost, your character, Kyle Katarn, starts outdoors amid a light snow. The outpost is surrounded by jagged mountains and is situated on top of a tall platform. Venturing to the edge of the walkway leading to the main door reveals exactly how expansive the outdoor environments of that level are. While Katarn's ability to venture away from the outpost was limited in this E3 demo, LucasArts assures us that the Raven designers are taking full advantage of Team Arena's terrain renderer to generate expansive outdoor areas.

Katarn starts out with a blaster and a lightsaber. The blaster is equipped with a scope that's capable of picking off storm troopers and other enemies at far distances, and LucasArts demonstrated this feature by picking off guards patrolling the platforms above Katarn. Of course, as a Jedi knight, Katarn is best suited for combat with his lightsaber. When you activate the saber, the camera automatically switches to a third-person perspective, much like the way it did in Jedi Knight. While it'll be possible to wield the lightsaber in first-person mode, LucasArts says that saber control is much easier to achieve while in the third-person perspective. Most of his lightsaber techniques are taken directly from Jedi Knight--such as automatically deflecting laser bolts--but Katarn does have a new use for his handheld weapon: saber throw. At will, Katarn can fling his saber outward toward anyone, slicing them to bits before the sword returns to him like a boomerang. This move does require force points, however. Other force powers demonstrated included force push, lightning, and Jedi mind tricks. Normally, this latter power simply confuses enemies, making it easy for you to slip by unnoticed, but you'll also be able to interrogate victims of the mind trick to extract information from them.

Another new feature in Jedi Knight II is the game's buddy system. Through the course of the single-player campaign, you'll run into several NPCs, some of whom you'll be able to partner with. During the demonstration, LucasArts spawned in one such "buddy" while Katarn was facing a lightsaber-wielding boss character, and the ensuing fight looked remarkably like the spectacular fight between Qui Gon, Obi Wan, and Darth Maul in Episode I. Raven, no stranger to visual splendor, is incorporating a lot of eye candy into the game as well. Lightsabers leave red-hot scorch marks in any surface they touch, including floors, walls, and pillars. Additionally, the developers have implemented the GHOUL 2 animation system from Soldier of Fortune II into Jedi Knight II, and they've doubled the polygon capacity of the Quake III engine.

Overall, the single level we saw was impressive, especially considering that Jedi Outcast: Jedi Knight II has only been in development since February of this year. LucasArts anticipates that the game should be completed by this time next year.

 

This game sounds Most Triumphant!

 

<vader's voice> "Most Impressive."

 

saber throw isn't new....

 

I know, kinda stupid.

I gues MOTS didnt happen...

 

but notice that raven's game, although are great, just dont have this "something".
and that is why i am affraid this game will not be done exactly the way it should be done ( on the other hand, wich of the existing star wars game, maybe except for x wing alliance, are)

 

"saber throw isn't new...."

It's new to main stream Jedi knight games.

Pretty much it was only mara that got to use that power in the expansion pack.

 

still, it was in a game.

lucas arts lies.

burn them //after games are out.

 

I was just looking through some of the posts, and the details on Lucasarts website and had a few thoughts come to mind:

>In the tradition of the multi-award-winning Jedi Knight, rebel agent Kyle Katarn returns in exhilarating first-person action. Several years have passed since Kyle avenged his father's death and saved the Valley of the Jedi from Jerec and his band of Dark Jedi.

Sounds to me like this all takes place before MOTS, before the Vong, maybe even before the new academy is established...

>Allowing his Force powers to languish for fear of falling to the dark side, Kyle entrusted his lightsaber to Luke Skywalker, vowing never to use it again.

I smell a cameo!!! But also this sounds like an excuse to remove all of Kyle's cool force powers he's (rather quickly) learned. Looks like we'll have to go through some levels before he's back up to snuff. Considering the short amount of time he learned his powers to begin with, without a master, his midichlorian count must be above Vader's or something.

>But when a new and menacing threat to the galaxy emerges, Kyle knows he must reclaim his past in order to save his future.

???? Hmmmm, rather cryptic. Where's my holocron? Obviously they have to be saber weilding baddies. What Jedi game is there where the climactic battle isn't against villian sporting a menacing saber?

>Jedi Outcast is being developed in partnership with Activision's critically acclaimed developer Raven Software. Players assume the role of Kyle as they employ a unique mix of weapons, Force powers and your lightsaber in both single- and multiplayer modes.

I read somewhere else that the game takes place in first person, and switches to 3rd when you whip out the lightsaber. Seems to be just like Jedi Knight in that respect. I just wonder what 1st person will look like when you're cartwheeling off the walls. I better pop a few dramamine pills before hand.

* Expanded and enhanced use of the lightsaber features a slew of attack and defense moves

Woo-hoo!! Hopefully this will be a little like the original glyph system in Obi-Wan.

* Tap into the powers of the Force including Jump, Push, Jedi Mind Tricks and more

They must have a better Jedi Mind trick then just turning invisible like in JK. The throwing of the light saber sounds a little different then in MOTS. It now sounds like you can toss it farther, and it spirals aournd the central axis, instead of just spining in a larger arc.

* Employ combat or stealth, depending on the situation. When a fight is necessary, be at the ready with an arsenal of weapons: stun baton, Bryar blast pistol, blaster rifle to name but a few.

Sounds cool, I wonder how powerful the saber will be though. In JK, it took several hits to take down an AT-ST, it would be cool to just be able to slice through a leg and be done with it. And how many Jedi do you see sporting a bowcaster and a carbonite gun these days?

* Explore breathtaking Star Wars locales--Cloud City, the Jedi Academy on Yavin 4, Nar Shaddaa, the smugglers' moon--plus some never-before-seen locations

I can see Yavin 4, but do we have to keep returning to the same locales? At least change the name so the coincidence detector stops going off. Bespin was supposed to be an out of the way place, not a vacation spot for every hero in the galaxy. It's a big galaxy, let's see some cool new planets. And no fair going to Kessel or Ord Mantell (well, I guess I would like to check them out).

* Two multiplayer modes: Jedi training and team-based cooperative play

rool:

* Developed in conjunction with the critically acclaimed Raven Software using an advanced Quake III? engine

Arrrgghhh!! Looks like I'm in the same boat as some of you. Time to put my 166mHz out to pasture.

One last thing, is Kyle finally going to wear some Jedi Robes? Maybe he's just a fashion Outcast?

 

"still, it was in a game.

lucas arts lies.

burn them //after games are out."

It's called marketing they will mention a game that sold more, and was main line release. Overall sales of mots was way below that of the main game. So it's less known. But that still doesn't mean the game will actually forget mots, it may be mentioned in the manual, or within the game.

They are going to market to the widest crowd.

"Sounds to me like this all takes place before MOTS, before the Vong, maybe even before the new academy is established..."

take a look again, the level's include the jedi academy.

"I smell a cameo!!! But also this sounds like an excuse to remove all of Kyle's cool force powers he's (rather quickly) learned. Looks like we'll have to go through some levels before he's back up to snuff. Considering the short amount of time he learned his powers to begin with, without a master, his midichlorian count must be above Vader's or something."

Probably equal to lukes. going by what vader said in dark empire, and what luke says in the audio dramas.

"???? Hmmmm, rather cryptic. Where's my holocron? Obviously they have to be saber weilding baddies. What Jedi game is there where the climactic battle isn't against villian sporting a menacing saber?"

read the press release, the villain is a dark jedi that is creating a machine that can harness the force.

 

"Considering the short amount of time he learned his powers to begin with, without a master, his midichlorian count must be above Vader's or something."

Based on the number of force stars in MotS, I'd say he's got almost exactly the same midichlorian count as Mara, which mean not the most powerful, but not weak either. He just wasn't trained with normal Jedi reservations that Luke's instilling in his students.

 

>"Considering the short amount of time he learned his powers to begin with, without a master, his midichlorian count must be above Vader's or something."

I meant that line as a tounge in cheek joke. JK came out well before TPM was in production and Justin Chin had probably never heard the word midichlorian. I guess the game would have dragged on if there were 17 missions involving finding a mysterious old hermit who forced us to lift rocks, balance on our heads and run around while they clung to our backs [again, this is a bad attempt at humor].

 

Those stars mean nothing it's just a game thing.


What does matter is what luke said to kyle in the Jedi Knight books and audio drama's. Which was similer to what yoda said. Paraphrasing, "Kyle, the Prophecy is for you and you alone to complete, I can not interfere, or I would die."

What also matters is kyle was said to be strong in the force by vader.

Back history for Jerec, was that he was second only to vader in strength. He more powerful than palpatine when he took on the powers of the valley of the jedi.

From that we can infer that kyle is as strong as luke, and took out someone that was vader-liker in strength. Even more so he took out a Near-god which could think Kyle out existence if kyle took too long, to defeat him.

As for kyle in MOTS he was more powerful than mara, it took mara to submit to death, for him to crack out of it. She could not defeat him if she tried.

Stars have nothing to do with midi's they were just gameplay features.

"I meant that line as a tounge in cheek joke. JK came out well before TPM was in production and Justin Chin had probably never heard the word midichlorian. I guess the game would have dragged on if there were 17 missions involving finding a mysterious old hermit who forced us to lift rocks, balance on our heads and run around while they clung to our backs [again, this is a bad attempt at humor]."

Read the books, listen to the audio dramas, for all knowledge known about how he was trained.

 

"Read the books, listen to the radio drama, for all knowledge known about how he was trained."

-Thanks for the tip. I had been meaning to get my hands on the books for some time, but haven't gotten around to it. I had no clue that there had been a radio show. Looks like I've got some catching up to do.

 

Actually I meant Audio Drama's they weren't made for radio, . Just for home listening enjoyment.

 

Remember, folks, he gave his saber to Luke because he was afraid of the Dark Side, so in one level you are DEFINATELY on Yavin 4 to get your saber back.

Man, I can already imagine seeing the Jedi Temple in 3D. . .

 

http://www.gamespy.com/e3/jedioutcast/

"The game will also use the same GHOUL 2 code used for locational hit detection being developed for Raven's other title, Soldier of Fortune 2. "You can tell if you hit them in the head", explains Pettit, "and if you hit them in the head, they die instantly." If you've played the original Soldier of Fortune and severed someone's arm with a rifle shot, you'll have a good idea what to expect in Jedi Outcast when you hack away at enemies with your lightsaber"

 

I'm hoping that the first level is a sort of training level. You go to the temple, there's an ingame cutscene where you get your lightsaber back and talk to luke a little, and then you wander around. In one room Kam'll be there and you can practice saber moves, without taking damage, in there will be dummies set up or something to practice force moves on, and in the meantime just explore around the praxeum.

 

I have to disagree, Mas. I love how JK started off right in the middle of things. The very first thing that happens in the game is that two Grans try to shoot you. If JO started off with some boring ol' slow level, well, it just wouldn't be the same.

[image=http://www.bestanimations.com/Sci-Fi/StarWars/Emporer-01.gif]
~Sithman~

 

If there is a training level it should be like on Half-life. Accessible from the main menu. But not part of the main game(though it would still tie into the storyline some way.)

 

Boy, I totally missed all the references to the Jedi Academy. It just seemed odd that there was no reference to MOTS in description. You'd think falling towards the darkside at least once would be worthy of mentioning.

Seems like Outcast will start out in a similar fashion as Jedi Knight. Kyle is living his non-jedi lifestyle (probably not a bounty hunter, but I doubt he's selling girl scout cookies). The first few levels could be lightsaber-less (an excuse to use a lot of the other weapons). Finally, Kyle gives in and goes to retrieve his saber.

Way back when JK came out I thought it would be cool to have the expansion pack open up with Luke and Kyle sparring in the Jedi Temple. Maybe we'll see something similar this time around.

Any idea yet on how they are going to allocate force powers? Is it going to be like the originals, getting a few points here and there to spend? And there were differences between MOTS and JK. In JK you eventually ended up all good or all bad, with certain powers closed off from you. In MOTS anything was possible, but certain powers were denied because you had chosen other powers in the same "level." In Obi-Wan it sounded like you had access to all, but grew profecient in only certain ones (it's been a while since I read up on it).

 

I hope it's not that building up stars thing again. I'd prefer if you started off with all the Force you were going to get, and over the game, not by choice, really, but by use, your skills would improve. For example, after levels you wouldn't alot more stars to a particular skill, but rather if you used, say Force Throw all the time then your skills will improve more quickly than, say healing if you only use that once or twice

 

"Boy, I totally missed all the references to the Jedi Academy. It just seemed odd that there was no reference to MOTS in description. You'd think falling towards the darkside at least once would be worthy of mentioning."

It's just marketing because more people played the main game then the expansion pack. I bet when the game comes out that it will have refrences to mots in the back story. But right now they are just giving a teaser info, since more people played jedi knight that's why they refrenced it.

 

Bad news for MotS...as you may or may not know, LucasArts has pretty much pulled their old stuff off the shelves and released it under yet another new, collectible "LucasArts Archives" series look. And now, for the first time in months or years, not only is Mysteries not coming with Jedi Knight, but it doesn't appear to be available at all...

 

Yes, it's still available, back in the expansion pack version.

Same with x-wing vs. tiefighter, the expansion pack is being released seperately.

They are trying to milk people out of as much money as possible, by seperating the programs.

Lucasart's starwars games