[X] My Assistant

[SubRosa]

Since it stirred up a few posts worth of talk in the What Are You Playing topic, I thought I would make the Kotor games a thread of their own.

I'll start with some handy tips for playing them on a modern computer. First off getting them to install on a 64 bit OS is probably not likely. But Gog.com has them for $10 each, and their installs will work on Windows 7 (I haven't tried them on my Win 8 tablet, and I don't have Win 10, but I am sure they work on those OSes as well). There are probably some modder-built installers floating around the internets if you still have the old cds as well.

In any case, neither game can do 1920 x 1080 resolution out of the box. But you can get it on each.


The only way I know for Kotor 1 is to use Flawless Widescreen. You have to start it first, select the Kotor profile, and leave it running. Then start Kotor 1 itself and go to the graphics options to set the resolution there to anything different from what you find it. 1920 x 1080 won't be there the first time you try. But change the resolution to something anyway. Flawless Widescreen is a memory hack, that detects the change in resolutions and then tries to add in the higher resolutions. Exit the game, restart it, and 1920 x 1080 might be there the second time. If not, go for a third time, etc... Sometimes it comes up the second time. Sometimes even after six or seven times it does not. If I go that long I turn off Flawless Widescreen and open it again. Usually then the next time you start Kotor you have the higher resolutions. Sadly, you have to do this every time you play the game.

Okay, I found an update to running Kotor 1 at high resolution. Make a backup copy of your Swkotor.exe file. Download the KotOR High Resolution Menus 1.4. Then copy the 3 hires_patcher files to your main Kotor folder. Run the bat file. It will ask you four questions, such as the width, height, etc... that you want. Then go back to the file you downloaded, and navigate to the folder of the screen size you want. They will first be in ratios like 16-9, and so on. Drill down until you find the one you want. Then copy the files over to your Kotor\Override folder. Done! The menus in the game will look really big. But the hud will be visible in gameplay.

Now a year later, I am having problems with even this method. It just is not working anymore, and I do not know why. But what I did find that works is to download the latest version of Flawless Widescreen here. I used the x86 version. Run that and select the Kotor 1 profile. Then start Kotor 1, go to the graphics options, and 1920 x 1080 will be there for you to change to.

You only have to change the graphics options once. But you do have to start Flawless Widescreen every time, before you start Kotor. It is a bit more convenient than the old way of using Flawless Widescreen however.





Kotor 2 has a slightly more complicated fix, but at least you only have to do it once, and then you will always have the high resolution.

Start the game and set it to the highest resolution available, then exit it.

Run the Universal Widescreen Patcher. Select the Kotor2 profile, tell it where the game is on the computer, and put in the resolution you want (1920 x 1080).

Go to your Kotor 2 folder and open swkotor2.ini file.

Set the following:
Under
[Display Options]
Width=1920
Height=1080

Under
[Graphics Options]
Width=1920
Height=1080

Copy the Widescreen UI Fix to the Kotor2\Override folder.

Done!


Steam has the revamped version of Kotor 2 done by Aspyr. It has the advantage of high resolutions built in without need of all the work above. But other than that it does not really add anything I personally care about. It is all Steam achievements, Steam cloud saves, controller support, and so on. The native 5k support would be handy for folks like ghastley that use multiple monitors though. But I think that can be done as with a hack (not positive though). I am glad I did not buy it this way, as I got everything I wanted from the Gog version, without the added joy of DRM.



On to mods.
Kotor 1 & 2
Kotor Tool - A modding tool that allows you to extract and mod the game's files.

Kotor Savegame Editor - A savegame editor that allows you to modify all of your stats, and those of your companions. It works on both games. One really cool thing about it is that it allows you to edit your inventory, and modded items will show up in the editor. So you don't need to use the command console to add them within the game.


Kotor 1
Lightsaber Choices - When you construct your lightsaber on Dantoine, this mod gives you more options in the choice of your color crystal, what type of saber (standard, short, or double), and lets you create a second one too if you want to dual wield.

90SK's K1 Robes - changes the look of the jedi robes, based on the Bastila robes. A big improvement over the vanilla look.

Deadly Stream has a huge amount of Kotor mods. Of course there is a Kotor 1 Nexus site, and Gamewatcher has a few Kotor 1 mods


Kotor 2
First and foremost is the Sith Lords Restored Content Mod, which puts a ton of stuff back into that game that never got used in the release version. I am using it now for the first time, but since I have not gotten far, I cannot say just how much it really changes. It sounds like it adds an awful lot though.

Again Deadly Stream has a bunch of Kotor 2 mods. The Nexus has a Kotor 2 site and Gamewatcher has a Kotor 2 mod site as well.

This post has been edited by SubRosa: Dec 15 2020, 04:10 AM

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

Cool! I have never done a Scoundrel/Jedi Councilor. I usually do the Scout/Sentinel, and have only done the Soldier/Guardian a few times.

My first play through I did as an Asian character. I forget her name now. I only have a few pics left. Sadly, I do not have any of her saves. That was multiple computers ago. She was a dual wielding Sentinel, and wore the Xia Terashi armor.

I believe your character in the pic is using the same face my new character has, lol. Are you running mods in that pic?

I have a ton of mods. Probably everything on the Kotor Nexus. Her armor also came with the short saber. Plus I have a mod that allows you more lightsaber color choices. I can't remember if the armor Carth is wearing is vanilla or modded. I think it might be a vanilla resource someone jazzed up with the glowing lights. I have a version of it for KOTOR 2 that the Zabrak engineer can wear, which really makes him awesome.

Cool. I saw the list on the very first post in this topic so I’ll check some out. The outfits are just ugly in this game, lol

[SubRosa]

I just found This Unique Party Robes mod on the Kotor Nexus page. It is something new since the last time I played the game. The change to the robes looks good.

Looking through the recent mods, there has been a lot of high definition texture mods that have been added in the last 6 or 7 months. Some of them are insanely huge.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

I just found This Unique Party Robes mod on the Kotor Nexus page. It is something new since the last time I played the game. The change to the robes looks good.

Looking through the recent mods, there has been a lot of high definition texture mods that have been added in the last 6 or 7 months. Some of them are insanely huge.

Ooo thanks I’ll definitely check these out!

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

So I downloaded a bunch of mods, most of which aim to make the game look a bit better. Now I’m tweaking some things and haven’t really gotten into actually playing the game yet (restarted with Xia Zheng). Here’s a couple of pics:

Xia Zheng. Scoundrel. You’d like her. She is wearing a combat suit, to which I have given a new greyscale color scheme using Gimp. You can’t tell much about her face but I edited that too to be a little more to my liking.

Twi’lek Soldier. Just for fun. Also wearing the combat suit.

[SubRosa]

Neat, I recognize the mod you are using for the red Twilek. I don't recognize the one you are using for Xia though. Which one is that? I does not look vanilla.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

Neat, I recognize the mod you are using for the red Twilek. I don't recognize the one you are using for Xia though. Which one is that? I does not look vanilla.

Xia is special! First I used this mod to bring all of the NPC’s and PC heads up to “HD” quality. Then I altered Xia’s face in Gimp to be a bit more to my liking, specifically I darkened the color of her hair and the ribbon she wears in it, and changed the color of her lipstick to a red wine color to match the ribbon. Oh, and I also changed her eye color to a light grey.

This post has been edited by TheCheshireKhajiit: Apr 7 2020, 08:15 PM

[SubRosa]

You inspired me to spend the last 2 hours modding January into Kotor.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

You inspired me to spend the last 2 hours modding January into Kotor.

Khajiit is happy to be of service!

On a note unrelated to superficial improvements, Xia ran into a horrible dialogue bug which makes it so that the NPCs’ voices will not be audible and their dialogue skips to when you respond to what they are saying. This prompted me to download this bug fix mod in hopes of eliminating the issue.

*edit* urrrgh, looks like the above mod won’t fix the issue as it’s a common problem with the game engine that restarting the game will fix.

This post has been edited by TheCheshireKhajiit: Apr 8 2020, 05:15 AM

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

Darkside Xia

[SubRosa]

She looks like Mad Max Xia!

BTW, since you are doing her as a Scoundrel, are you using the Sniper Shot feat? I tried it briefly a few times, and it seemed really underwhelming. I would typically only hit and do 1 or 2 points of damage, with a blaster rifle. But it seemed like the way to go for Scoundrel, since it can stun people, and they get sneak attack damage on stunned opponents.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

BTW, since you are doing her as a Scoundrel, are you using the Sniper Shot feat? I tried it briefly a few times, and it seemed really underwhelming. I would typically only hit and do 1 or 2 points of damage, with a blaster rifle. But it seemed like the way to go for Scoundrel, since it can stun people, and they get sneak attack damage on stunned opponents.

I have been using it but not to any great affect. I think Xia’s blaster skill just isn’t good enough. I’ve never seen it actually stun someone, usually it just takes a slightly larger chunk of health from the enemy when it hits.

[SubRosa]

I am thinking for ranged weapons you are probably better off using either the ranged version of Power Attack, or the ranged version of Flurry. I forget the names, but they do the same things. Then later on once you Jedi up you will probably be using either a Lightsaber or force powers, and the gun stuff won't matter.

Most of my characters just skip using a blaster at all, and go straight to using a melee weapon. The Melee feats work with lightsabers, so they are still useful in the later game. I have had a lot of success with dual wielding and Flurry. You end up with 4 attacks a turn.



Edit: I did some looking at blaster builds. There is a handy thread on it here. Plus another here.

One thing worth noting is that the force speed powers don't improve Sniper Shot or Power Shot. Rapid Shot does. So keep that in mind if you are using the Speed powers.

Also, if you are playing a Scoundrel (and so you have Sneak Attack), the Force Stun and Insanity are powers that will stun your opponents, and give you a Sneak Attack.

It looks like Sniper Shot really is not worth it. Even when looking at calculations of average damage over time, it comes up short compared to Rapid Shot or Power Shot.



I also learned this handy tip for Scoundrels in this thread
The sneak attack modifier (to your chance to hit and damage inflicted, depending on the feat level) is automatically activated by the game when one of these situations occurs: the hostile NPC you're targeting is either stunned, isn't in combat with you yet, or it's attacking someone else.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

I am thinking for ranged weapons you are probably better off using either the ranged version of Power Attack, or the ranged version of Flurry. I forget the names, but they do the same things. Then later on once you Jedi up you will probably be using either a Lightsaber or force powers, and the gun stuff won't matter.

Most of my characters just skip using a blaster at all, and go straight to using a melee weapon. The Melee feats work with lightsabers, so they are still useful in the later game. I have had a lot of success with dual wielding and Flurry. You end up with 4 attacks a turn.



Edit: I did some looking at blaster builds. There is a handy thread on it here. Plus another here.

One thing worth noting is that the force speed powers don't improve Sniper Shot or Power Shot. Rapid Shot does. So keep that in mind if you are using the Speed powers.

Also, if you are playing a Scoundrel (and so you have Sneak Attack), the Force Stun and Insanity are powers that will stun your opponents, and give you a Sneak Attack.

It looks like Sniper Shot really is not worth it. Even when looking at calculations of average damage over time, it comes up short compared to Rapid Shot or Power Shot.



I also learned this handy tip for Scoundrels in this thread
The sneak attack modifier (to your chance to hit and damage inflicted, depending on the feat level) is automatically activated by the game when one of these situations occurs: the hostile NPC you're targeting is either stunned, isn't in combat with you yet, or it's attacking someone else.

Those were interesting reads! Carth is a freakin’ madman with those dual pistols in the early game so I played around earlier with having Carth draw aggro while Xia flank attacks with dual vibroblades. Seemed to be fairly solid. So yeah I think I’m definitely going to go with power attack and flurry which will come in handy when I get a lightsaber/lightsabers.

[SubRosa]

I noticed that about Carth too! He's a beast with dual pistols. The devs were kind to give him to us as a starting companion. Plus he has a great voice actor, and a really interesting back story. He's probably my favorite NPC in Kotor 1 (though it has been a while, so I don't remember the others much, aside from Bastila).

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

I noticed that about Carth too! He's a beast with dual pistols. The devs were kind to give him to us as a starting companion. Plus he has a great voice actor, and a really interesting back story. He's probably my favorite NPC in Kotor 1 (though it has been a while, so I don't remember the others much, aside from Bastila).

Yeah the others are hit or miss. I had forgotten how annoying Bastila is at the beginning, but as the first Jedi member of the party, she makes a big impression. Mission is a bit too “too cool for school” for my liking. Even Zaalbar isn’t safe from being made fun of! Speaking of “Big Z”, he’s strong and tough, but not very memorable. The other 2 Jedi are kinda “meh”. Canderous is ok. Then there is HK-47. I think he’s very amusing with his crazy dialogue! There is that other droid companion but I think I only use it on that one mission you need him for.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

@Subbie:
I’ve been playing through Taris and just ended after Bastila joins the party. I ran through the undercity with Carth and Mission until we picked up Zaalbar. The combo of running in with Carth while the two scoundrels blasted the rakghouls attacking him worked really well. When Zaalbar joined, I noticed he is good with melee weapons right out the gate so I had him join Xia and Mission. This combo is reaaally strong. I was even able to get many stuns with the sniper shots from both Xia and Mission. The Vulker base fell very fast. Oh, and for Xia I used a blaster rifle the whole time. I think even with one level of two handed fighting the penalty still makes it ineffective. I didn’t pick any extra combat feats. I’ll probably just wait to do that when I get lightsabers.

[SubRosa]

That is interesting. So it looks like the secret to the scoundrel is those double-teaming tactics.

The Secret to the Scoundrel sounds like a great title...

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

That is interesting. So it looks like the secret to the scoundrel is those double-teaming tactics.

The Secret to the Scoundrel sounds like a great title...

Yeah Xia seemingly can’t take a lot of abuse; I guess that’s reasonable as a scoundrel isn’t supposed to be a hardened frontline fighter. I’m a bit nervous about taking her into the dueling ring, which is like the only side content we have left on Taris (and the bounty hunter line by extension). May not, but I sure would like to get the bounty for Bendak and his blaster.

[TheCheshireKhajiit]

So after a break and some restarts, Xia is now undertaking Jedi training. We made a save game right before talking to Dorak about our lightsaber crystal, so we aren’t stuck in a chosen class. Now I’m having fun running around Dantooine, trying out the different Jedi classes. I’ve messed around with Consular and Sentinel so now we are about to try Guardian, which I’ve read can be really interesting with Scoundrel as a base. Consular has performed better so far, which I guess is to be expected since it was designed to be the natural choice for Scoundrel players.

This post has been edited by TheCheshireKhajiit: Apr 22 2020, 12:38 AM

[SubRosa]

My ex Jaelyn (who got me into playing Kotor) used to love the Scoundrel/Consular characters. There was always a lot of lightning in her games.