OK, so seeing the "Star Wars" trilogy for the first time in two years (thank you, DVD) got me hyped, and reminded me why I loved editing these games in the first place.

So I started a new project, and I expect to finish this one. It's not as technically ambitious as "Party Crasher" (which was due to the expansive prequelness of it), so I probably won't balls up the framerate like last time. In fact this is going more for an atmospheric "Doom 3" type setting.

I haven't really come up with a story yet, except that you control Darth Vader leading an Imperial squadron through some Rebel base. I will come up with a proper story, and it should be very good (with some cool twists), as well as extremely dark. The perfect sort of level to play in time for Episode III.

I haven't done much yet (I basically started this thread for future use), but here's a couple of screenies showing some incomplete architecture:






I realise these screenshots are pretty rubbish. I always start these threads quite early, just so people can see the entire span of progress. Expect some better ones within the next couple of days.

Also, anyone know where I can get a decent Vader saber hilt (one that doesn't replace Kyle's one)?

[edit: Just wanted to point out that I only started this today, and I spent more time putting Vader into the game than I did on the actual level. Took me ages just to figure out an effective way to have his breathing sound in the game.]

<3 Piggott

if(getThingFlags(source) & 0x8){
  do her}
elseif(getThingFlags(source) & 0x4){
  do other babe}
else{
  do a dude}

What are you going to offer us as far as new gameplay, cutscenes, and hopefully storyline here? It'd be nice to see ample use of force push and pull on the atmosphere, for pulling bridges down on enemies, slicing cables with the lightsaber, throwing gripped enemies into a group of enemies. I really want to feel like a dark jedi would. I'd like to note how lightsaber combat is far different against enemies with blasters, and I hope you have some good suggestive ideas for the player. Especially how, instead of Qui-Gon and Ben, we'll be more malicious, and likelly to take extreme overkill on our opponents.

Perhaps some crazy fatalities, like rotating meat grinders positioned just below the bridge, where 4 rebel gunners stand, blasting at you. Some battle camera positions would also really improve the gameplay, where if you pull off a "Vader" move, the camera switches, and we get a cinimatic view of the scene.

Seriously, you're messing with VADER here, I assume you realize the reprocussions for not delivering.

JediKirby

Exactly, Kirby! What do you think I'm making this level for?

Expect some just plain malicious play in this level. You'll get to slaughter puny Rebels (and if you like, incompetent Stormtroopers) in some cool pre-determined ways.

I'm trying to make Vader as menacing as ever in this, I already mentioned the trademark breathing will accompany him all the way, I've also made him the proper height, as well as a nice, thick, deep red lightsaber. Also, I replaced the strong stance with Desann's stance, as it is very Vader-like (lot's of one-handed combat) and seeing him fight with it is nothing less than cool.

I managed to do some pretty cool stuff with cutscenes in "Party Crasher", I expect to top that as well.

I'm doing away with dynamic music in this too, John Williams' music sounds so much better uninterrupted (shame on George Lucas for his soundtrack edits in the Special Editions).

[edit: I'm thinking of some sort of deep, psychological emphasis on Vader's part, somehow related to the prequel trilogy. Maybe some flashback sections where the player briefly controls Anakin. Anyone got any ideas?]

Just don't have any lightsaber vs lightsaber combat. Might want to take out all the pansy wall-running, too. Oh, and rolling, and katas, and....

Oh hell, just use a better game.

As far as anikin goes, I'd suggest you give us some good dual lightsaber combat vs some jedi. Perhaps throw a bunch of Jedi at him, where he combats and kills all of the Jedi order. Maybe have each ground-breaking fight? Yoda, Ben, Mace, a pooload of Jedi, etc? In whatever case, make it short, and as less prequil as you can. Try to have your OWN style, rather than try to make a legitimatelly flowing storyline with the prequils.

As long as you write new Jedi AI files, because the current are so easy it hurts.

I just realized: Throw as many rockets at vader as humanly possible. I'd just love to see some cool effects where vader force-pushes some rockets away, and they slam into large groups of stormtroopers.

Maybe a more war-like atmousphere would work for this level. A nice vader-ish speeder bike where he rides around the battle-field slicing off heads and toppling buildings and other structures onto large groups of peons, republic or no.

Seriously, the coolness potential is there, but the let-down potential is even higher.

JediKirby

I don't intend to have any lightsaber duels. Can't anyway, all the Jedi would be dead at this point. I've actually slowed Vader down a bit, and only given him one star force jump, although I might even take that away if the level doesn't need it.

Added an edit on above.

Cool ideas Kirby.

I don't want this to be epic, this is going to be quite a claustrophobic affair. Don't expect huge battles and crazy action.

I'm going to keep with the story of the prequels, but I will definately try to have my own sense of style in it. Anything featuring Anakin won't be to anything we've seen in the prequels, but something made up that somehow fits with them.

Wait a minute, don't take out the heavy stance kata...that's the coolest thing ever.

The Desann stance does the job, and it's more in-tune with the character.

Welcome back Piggott, hadn't seen you in a while.

Personally, I believe that you should keep it simple for the most part, Vader is in an assualt group into a rebel base. Maybe you could have Vader come in right in the middle of the main base assualt, where the battle is as heated outside as it is inside. You could be leading the troops into a hanger and boom, in blasts a wall. If you decide to make it an assualt, make it an ASSUALT.

If you made the assualt at night, it would be pretty cool. Espically if you could have a few sections outside where you could see the ATs bareing down and mowing down the defenses.

As switching between Aniakan and Vader, maybe after a particularly large battle inside, he could flashback to the scene in Ep. 2 where Aniakan finds his mother and slaughters the Tuskans.

Yeah, expect the initial story to be simple. I don't want to start this with a long cutscene, or force players to read a lengthy readme with an elaborate prologue before playing it. The story will unfold before the players' eyes. This was the approach I was taking with "Party Crasher", made for a much more entertaining experience.

The level will be set at night, but I'm not sure if any of it will take place outdoors. The base will be built into some sort of rock (maybe a mountainside, or underground), and it'll be very dark. Might do some enviornmental dangers, rocks collapsing, so forth, I enjoyed doing that stuff in ToaM1.

I don't know whether I should bother to get excited over this one. You're 0 for 2 on the Outcast-Academy engine so far, and besides that, it offers the least control over SP projects out of the entire DF/JK series. And what you do have at your disposal is only accomplishable in the slowest, most cumbersome way.

If you really do have the courage (or craziness) to go on with another JA project, I suggest you hold auditions for the inevitable voice-overs. As versatile as DAK is, his performance as Vader isn't exactly timeless, and I still blame him for the giant delay that was Party Crasher.

Woo! Another Piggot SP level! I love your stuff man.

DAK wasn't the least bit responsible for the cancellation of "Party Crasher". He did nothing less than hard work for the level, and I was very pleased with what he came up with. Cancelling the level was my decision, I wasn't happy with it and (despite all the hard work poured into it) made the hard decision to cancel it.

But perhaps you have a right to be cautious. If this level doesn't go the way I want it, I'll cancel this as well. But on the other hand, I learnt from a lot of the mistakes made on "Party Crasher".

[edit: Not entirely sure if I'll use him for Vader, but I'm definately asking DAK for a part in this level, he's my De Niro to Scorsese.]

Vader's saber was always more orange than red, but that's just a minor detail.

I've noticed in the DVD that it looks a bit pink sometimes, weird.

Dude, he's back!

Same here. I look forward to this, although I'd rather see TOAM3. :p

make sure you have lots of stormies around him too, vader doesn't go directly into battle by himself, he gets his minions to decimate. he then just walks in after everything and clears out the few left

vader should definitely have full-strength force grip and saber throw. anything less would be an insult.

As far as force jump... I just can't see vader doing that. he never did it in the movies (although ROTS may reveal something new) but since hes half machine anyway, I don't know if he could do it convincingly and still feel like vader. He's not the healthiest man in the galaxy, so it would seem a little bit strange for him to be jumping around everywhere.



How about setting the level after ROTS when the jedi purges are happening, so you get to fight several jedi. To me, vader seems like the type that wouldn't bother with anything less than a jedi personally. If it was just rebel troops, he would just send a bunch of Stormtroopers to do the job.

Hmm... if you ask me, the lightsaber effect in JA looks just fine as is. I wouldn't change it. I would also tone down the breathing to a whisper, as it might get annoying after a while. Not movie accurate, as his breath mask is loud, but a good gameplay sacrifice. (I got annoyed by the gas mask breathing sound in the original Dark Forces, so maybe it's just me.) Though, some variations in the way he breathes when he swings his lightsaber or whatever would be kinda cool, and very ESB-like.

You have good potential here. I wouldn't do flashbacks, because that would take away from the overall experience of being Darth Vader. But some probing into his psychological underpinnings would be a good thing to pursue, as long as it's subtle enough. Something like the scene in A New Hope where he's being bullied by Motti, and retaliates by choking him because he doesn't want to appear weak. You have the DVD, and probably have listened to the commentary, so you know what I mean hopefully.

As for actually pacing it, the whole level can't just be a bunch of Stormtroopers following you around. I don't know what else could be done, but it needs to be mixed up a bit so it doesn't get repetitive. Judging by your work in BoaM and LoaM, you can mix up the gameplay and locations well, while making it a fun ride. Good luck with your project.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and I agree with 7. Starting the level walking in after some battle occurred would be cool. This could also work as a cutscene.

So this is where everyone is while I sat watching tumbleweeds roll by at TACC...

Good to see you working again Anthony, now lets try and get lazy-butt McHale out of retirmenent as well!

Nice shots...looking forward to it! You have this Vader thing dont you? Repressed feelings of anger at not getting to ride the pony at the school fair when you were six years old?

The return of AK is certainly a news I didn't expect, but it makes me glad indeed, and grants me extra hope JA still struggles on. Cancellation of Party Chrasher was a shock back then but this will more than make up for it, I hope.

I don't really have any advice to give to the author of "How Cutscenes Should be Made", so I only wish you luck. I'm eagerly expecting the results.

It'll be cinematically cool, but I've already got some concerns about it being too easy. Might have something like, he gets broken away from the Stormtroopers due to a cave-in.



Already done. Saber throw had limited usefulness in the original game (it was completely useless against Jedi enemies), Vader using guns just seems wrong, so it'll be perfect for range attacks. I also toned down/removed powers that just aren't suitable for Vader, you can make him too powerful you know.




Yeah Page, I would like to set it shortly after RotS, but I wouldn't be comfortable doing that until I've seen the film.



Meh. He went after Princess Leia in the first film. She wasn't a Jedi. He also flew his TIE Fighter in the end battle. I guess Vader gets his hands dirty with the commoners sometimes.



Yeah, I'm pleased with how the lightsaber looks. I already made the breathing a lot quieter, but I might louden it up for cutscenes.



I like that. There has to be some sort of inner struggle, but it shouldn't be as "in-your-face" as some of the stuff in the prequels.



Call this a remake. No, a re-imagining. That level was incomplete, this is my original vision, but I didn't have the technology to do it properly at the time. Expect CGI Ewoks, thousands of them.



Well I was five. And it was a donkey. And more of a fete than a fair.

Good to know you're back in the editing scene!

Good grief - all hail the return of AK Piggott - it's been too long now... :). I still remember that you were the first JK editor I ever emailed to ask how you did the "multiple levels" cross-over.... and that must have been years back now.

It's always good to see the return of a very talented editor and I like the potential that this project holds (especially Kirby's ideas - he's always good for those, I find ).

Keep up the (potentially) good work

-Jackpot

Welcome back AK, though I wouldn't remember you... You have a very good idea going on here. If the level's arround the time of the Jedi Purge, I might reccomend making Vader's mission to personally see the destruction of any Jedi Knights that might be hiding in the base. No crappy battles like in JO or JA, but a quick, challenging boss battle. (Try reducing their near-100% block rate)

'oi, Piggott, this definately has potential to be cool. I enjoyed playing Mace Windu in Party Crasher(Shame you never released it...?), and it'll be a blast to play as Darth Vader.

I really like your earlier thought about tying it with the prequel that the story would sometimes shift back to Anakin when he might've possibly visited the space station, and work it into the storyline. Perhaps he was aiding a fellow apprentice whom Anakin had to leave behind after some bloody accident... then fast forward a few years, the apprentice is still very much alive, an older Jedi Knight now, and well... Darth Vader's job is to kill any of the Jedi left.

(I know that you mentioned earlier that there wouldn't be any saber battles, but still... the thought of cutting down a Jedi as Darth Vader is a nice opportunity if you ask me)

Well, it's still in early stages so I suppose anything could happen from this point.

The level may even end with Darth Vader coming out the closet, spraying his suit pink and changing his voicebox from "James Earl Jones mode" to "Graham Norton mode".

plz no

Actually, that sounds as if it might have potential.

OMG, the AKPiggott, master of modding, has returned!

*bows*

I would have suggested to wait until Republic Commando, but the Jedi element won't be there . . .

Looked at the screens..
Looked at the number of replies..
Realized something didn't add up..
Oh. AKPiggot. Here's to hoping this project doesn't go the way of your last project.

Does anyone like the idea of the Emperor narrating the story? I want to find a decent excuse to re-use DAK's Emperor impression.



You want more screenies?

Here's one more for the sake of it...





A true ANS fan. The threads may be dead, but its spirit will live on...

[sniff]

DAK is an awesome voice actor. It would be a crime if you didn't use him for the voice of Vader again!

Will we see another cameo by a crazed George Lucas? The one-liners in ToaM 2 and the entire performance in ToaM 2 BTM were hilarious.

Ooh.. didn't think of that... potential force grip action.