Mod News M4-78 Droid Planet Mod for KOTOR2 Released!

[Infinitron]

Tags: Obsidian Entertainment; Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords; The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod

The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod team, who released the final major version of their mod last year, have followed it up with the release of the long-awaited M4-78 Enhancement Project, which adds the famous cut "Droid Planet" back into the game. From the update on Mod DB:

​

M4-78EP offers an entire new planet, on your search for Master Vash.​

Features:​

* Brand new planet consisting of seven new, unique locations!​

* Over two hours of additional gameplay!​

* Explore the mysterious Droid's Planet in a dialog-heavy adventure, with over 1000 lines of voiced dialogs!​

* Your actions on M4-78 have impact on other planets, making it feel like a legitimate part of the game!​

* Restored previously unavailable unique droid items for your party members!​

A new version of TSLRCM itself has also been released, containing many new bug fixes. You can get M4-78EP here and TSLRCM 1.8.2 here. Can't wait to check this out!

 

[Infinitron]

By the way, Kevin Saunders was asked about this mod on Formspring: http://www.formspring.me/ksaun/q/410471885726306395

Have you seen the KotOR2 game mod that restores M4-78 to the game? (There's two trailers for it on YouTube under "M4-78 Enhancement Project") If so, do you have any thoughts?

I haven’t played the mod (or thought much about KotOR2 over the last eight years!), but after reading your question (thanks for bringing it to my attention!), I watched the three YouTube playthrough videos made so far by JC (C842vids).

I love that people are passionate about some games, and interested enough in game development, to invest the time and energy to mod them, and this enhancement project is a great example. I thought the environment for M4-78 looked great, so particularly for that reason I’m excited that this project was undertaken – it’s good to see that work be brought to light, while giving the modders a physical environment to work with so that they didn’t have to make it from scratch.

Some history: M4-78 was my first assignment when I began working at Obsidian Entertainment in April, 2004, as a senior game designer reporting to lead designer (and company creative director) Chris Avellone. A brief outline of the area had been written by Dave Maldonado – that was a starting point, but Chris let me take it wherever I wanted and modify the previous plans as I saw fit. I don’t recall exactly, but perhaps I worked on the area for about a month all told before we wisely decided to cut it. There was just too much work to do to complete the game and we had to focus. Given the options, M4-78 was an obvious cut to make – if I recall correctly, the contenders were M4-78 and Nar Shadda, and the latter was far more central to the plot. As has been noted by the community, I was able to repurpose some of the M4-78 content to allow G0T0’s yacht to be implemented more quickly later in the project – it also might had to have been cut otherwise. (I remember Chris was talking with me about how, reluctantly, the yacht might need to go – all of the art was done, but very little of the design and we were close to the end of the project. I committed to him that I could design and implement it in within a week. He trusted me to do so and, while it wasn’t our best area =), it felt great to deliver it for Chris and the game.)

Back to the M4-78 Enhancement Project – it was definitely the right choice for the team to run with the design and craft their own experience. JC’s videos don’t yet cover the entire new planet, but I like the direction the team seems to have taken and (from what I’ve read in forums) how they’ve held true to Chris’s vision for KotOR2, while seizing ownership of this section of the game. That’s how you get the best gameplay experiences – when the people implementing the actual content are empowered to do what they feel is best, while guided by a clear vision. I’m excited that community members took on and completed this ambitious undertaking – I hope they are proud of their accomplishment (as they should be!).

 

[Maiandros]

Infinitron damn, but you are fast..sheesh..

 

[MicoSelva]

Maybe it's time to finally replay this game. Now, where's my lightsabre...?

 

[Jaesun]

How do they address the additional EXP gained from this new planet?

 

[thesheeep]

The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod team, who released the final version of their famous mod earlier this year

Hmmm....

 

[Infinitron]

The Sith Lords Restored Content Mod team, who released the final version of their famous mod earlier this year

Hmmm....

 

[sea]

How do they address the additional EXP gained from this new planet?

It's not like the game is especially well balanced to begin with.

 

[Aurelius]

I don't know, the trailer looks kind of generic. Some of the voice acting also seems a bit off to me, and what's up with the horrible framerate at some points (for example at 1:00)? I'm skeptical, but I might try it, since judging it from the trailer alone might give off a wrong impression. I'd also like to hear some impressions from someone who actually played it.

 

[Jaedar]

How do they address the additional EXP gained from this new planet?

It's not like the game is especially well balanced to begin with.

Doesn't the game have an intrinsic level scaling?

In any case, I doubt they have addressed it, or the money gain at all.

 

[Infinitron]

I don't know, the trailer looks kind of generic.

Seems like "generic" is the new "popamole" on the Codex these days.

 

[Aurelius]

Seems like "generic" is the new "popamole" on the Codex these days.

What I'm trying to say is I don't like how the trailer looks like your typical movie trailer with theatrical music playing etc., and I thought "generic", while being an overused word, was fit to express that notion. Of course this is no real indicator for the quality of the mod itself, but it may provide some insight on the approach the modders took.

To specify my first impression: I'd have liked it better if they simply showed off some coherent gameplay from the mod instead of just putting together some random battles.

 

[Larendav]

 

[Maiandros]

my old backed up patches don't work !!!!




...
mommy?
...

 

[Roguey]

Given the options, M4-78 was an obvious cut to make – if I recall correctly, the contenders were M4-78 and Nar Shadda, and the latter was far more central to the plot.

They both should have been cut. Fuck the second half of Nar Shadda.

Doesn't the game have an intrinsic level scaling?

I don't know for certain but I thought it was pretty keen how Avellone had an in-game justification for level-scaled Sith Assassins by explaining that they get their strength from the force aptitude of their would-be victims. Of course they're all trash mobs regardless of when you fight them.

 

[Severian Silk]

Can I install this mod without restarting? I have just landed on Telos' surface so I am not far into the game.

 

[Infinitron]

Can I install this mod without restarting? I have just landed on Telos' surface so I am not far into the game.

If you're using TSLRCM already, then I think so, yes.

 

[Indranys]

Great news indeed.

I'll replay the game in the near future then.
Last time I failed in the Atton vs Darth Sion session.
Guess I'm really shitty in RTwP combat games.

 

[Wise Emperor]

KOTOR 2 is probably the easiest cRPG I played in last ten years and I got the smarts of 12 year old COD player and reflexes of eighty year old grampa, so you are doing something terribly wrong.

Eh last year I replayed it with the Restoration patch 1.7 so I will pass for couple of years.

 

[Indranys]

KOTOR 2 is probably the easiest cRPG I played in last ten years and I got the smarts of 12 year old COD player and reflexes of eighty year old grampa, so you are doing something terribly wrong.

Eh last year I replayed it with the Restoration patch 1.7 so I will pass for couple of years.

No excuse, I'm just suck.
Don't really have much time to play a lot of RPGs.
I'm having a blast with AoD Demo, Fallout, and KoTC combats though.

 

[EG]

I had thought this would come out years ago . . . and now it has.

Development of any form is a lengthy process, isn't it.

 

[CappenVarra]

They both should have been cut. Fuck the second half of Nar Shadda.

QFT

 

[Severian Silk]

How do you trigger the appearance of the planet? It does not appear on my galactic map.

 

[80Maxwell08]

How do you trigger the appearance of the planet? It does not appear on my galactic map.

Go to Korriban first then when you get to where Vash would be will be a bag and the computer next to the cage will have a datapad stuck in it that says where the droid planet is. It should show up then.

 

[Severian Silk]

I watched the staticky Holovid on Korriban, and then had a chat with T3-M4 about the planet. It still doesn't appear on my galaxy map.

I do have the Jedi Temple mod installed, though I installed the M4-78 mod on top of it if that makes a difference.