Sith Holocron

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Blog Entries posted by Sith Holocron

  1. Sith Holocron
    The premise is that you have up to 2,000 dollars of pretend money to spend. What sort of computer could I get for that? Assume I have a mouse and keyboard - everything else is up for grabs. It would also have to be able to play SWTOR on maximum settings.

    Have at it - and provide links and pictures if possible, please!

    Update: Instead of creating a whole new computer, I plan to rebuild my current computer. For reasons, I plan to stay with Windows 7 for the time being. Here are the parts I plan to carry over to the new computer.
    iBuypower ARC 647 CASE ATX Mid Tower Case PowerColor Radeon R9 270X 2GB Video Card Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (I will likely add another Hard Drive as well though.) Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler LG UH12NS30 Blu-Ray Reader, DVD/CD Writer Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 OEM 64-bit
    I will be updating my drafts for the computer with this list on PCPartPicker.com.
  2. Sith Holocron
    I have a number of characters that I've created on SWTOR but I think I probably should have made my Sith Inquisitor light sided as I found the Chapter 3 ending a better one when going light sided. I've decided to redo my Inquisitor using the same character design.
     


     
    My legacy name is "Sev'n-ate" as a play on M4-78. (Har har.)
     
    Any suggestions on a character name that breaks the original mold? Character List
  3. Sith Holocron
    I'm considering doing an expansion pack for my NPC Portraits for KotOR 1 mod covering characters from Brotherhood of Shadow: Solomon's Revenge that would be released separately. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, I'll need some questions answered and perhaps a few save games.

    (1) Which characters in that mod can become temporary NPCs in your party and therefore have portraits that would be used in the game? I've found the following names . . .

    Akirakon (This is short for "Akirakon Sin", IIRC.)
    Channa (More on her in the next question.)
    Charlie (This might be "Verbal". It's been a long time since I've looked at this and I've never played the Solomon's Revenge version.)
    Kob (This is short for "Kobayashi", IIRC.)
    Malak (This is a past version of Malak before he turned, before he had his jaw damaged.)
    Mech (I think this is "Mec Han'ic", the Rodian captain of the ship in the version of the mod that I played a long, long time ago.)

    (2) It appears the Shadow/Sera Degana/Channa character seems to have more that one portrait. Could someone confirm more than one is used? Here's what I've found . . .

    http://imgur.com/lBC0RbV
    po_channa.txi

    http://imgur.com/030Bw7S
    po_channa2.txi

    http://imgur.com/7noaTAh
    po_channa2d.txi

    http://imgur.com/pSfTOZs
    po_channa3.txi (Was this used as a portrait? It looks more like a capture from the character alignment screen.)

    http://imgur.com/yiCQCME
    po_channa3b.txi

    If it is actually the case that all of these are used, at what point does she use each portrait?

    (3) What would be best backgrounds to use for these new portraits? Keep in mind that the backgrounds would have be able to support anywhere from 8 to 12 frames of animation.

    (4) Following up question (3): Can you provide saves that would position the player in front of those particular areas to be used as backgrounds to save me some time? (If your background is used, you get credited.)

    (5) Does any one have warp codes for the new areas exclusive to Brotherhood of Shadow: Solomon's Revenge?

    I have asked Quanon if he'll do the renders like he's done before my other packs. I hesitated to do so because I'm sure he'd much rather be working on his own projects and I don't want to more than a pain than I already am. (I haven't heard back from him yet.) However, if you would like to do the renders so you can match the characters as closely as possible to the angle and facial expression of the original portraits, that would good too! Leave a message here and I'll let you know what size I'd need the picture to be. You should probably wait until we have the other questions worked out first.

    Update: This is slightly off-topic but the reason I tend to lock my status updates is so people will comment where I direct them to. In this case, replying here in this blog - rather than on an update which could be off the main page in less than a day - works best for all of us.
  4. Sith Holocron
    Hey there folks!  The next soundset I plan to release will be the Imperial Agent from SWTOR.  However, I'd like your help choosing the picture for the soundset, if you don't mind.   Here are your choices.
    1. The Standard Picture: On the Bridge
     
     
    2. The Agent in Conversation

    (This will be cropped to remove HUD elements)
     
    3. Agent walking away from an explosion.

    4.  Same pose as picture number 1 but I replace the background with another locale from the SWTOR universe (which you'll have to suggest)
  5. Sith Holocron
    I'm looking for folks to contribute voice lines.  The delivery of the voice lines should be for a TV announcer delivering lines indicating that's it's time for a commercial break during a TV show? 
    Line 1: "And we'll be right back to The Star Wars Holiday Special right after this brief commercial break!"
    Line 2: "And it's now time to return to the Star Wars Holiday Special!"
    If you wish to include your own take on the lines above, you're welcome to do so.  However, keep the lines G-rated.  And I'll need the two requested lines first.
    Contributions are preferred in a YouTube video without music or sound effects.  MP3 or WAV files are also accepted.
    This open casting call is open to men and women.
  6. Sith Holocron
    Spelling guy is back with another lesson. Whether it was me or that Star Wars movie with "Rogue" in the title, I think you might have that one firmly in your head. Now it's on to the latest spelling annoyance.

    Here's an example of the latest target - being used incorrectly.
    Oh, N-DReW25. I shake my head in disappointment.


    hangar
    ˈhaNGər/
    noun
    noun: hangar; plural noun: hangars

    1.
    a large building with extensive floor area, typically for housing aircraft.
    Correct Usage: The Millennium Falcon escaped the Death Star's hangar.
     

    verb
    verb: hangar; 3rd person present: hangars; past tense: hangared; past participle: hangared; gerund or present participle: hangaring

    1.
    place or store in a hangar.
    Correct Usage: Before the abrupt departure, the Millennium Falcon was hangared in Docking Bay 94 on Tatooine.


    hanger

    ˈhaNGər/

    noun
    noun: hanger; plural noun: hangers; noun: coat hanger; plural noun: coat hangers

    1.
    a person who hangs something.
    Correct Usage: Jabba's interior decorator hired a very good hanger for Jabba's prized possession.


    2.
    a shaped piece of wood, plastic, or metal with a hook at the top, from which clothes may be hung in order to keep them in shape and free of creases.

    Correct Usage: The Nazi thug Toht hung his leather coat on a hanger.
     
  7. Sith Holocron
    Canon and cannon are very often confused and used improperly. Although the two nouns are pronounced identically and spelled similarly, the only difference being one "n", these words have completely different meanings and should never be used interchangeably in writing.
     

    Cannon (noun): A mounted gun for firing heavy projectiles; a gun, howitzer, or mortar.
     

    A ship's cannon
     
    Example of word in use: Before Darth Vader and his accompanying fighters chased Luke Skywalker in the Death Star's trench, the turbolaser cannons stopped.
     

    A turbolaser cannon
     
    Canon (noun): The body of rules, principles, or standards accepted as axiomatic and universally binding in a field of study or art.
     

    The Chronicle of Narnia canon
     
    Example of word in use: Though the books are numbered, there is still debate over which Narnia book should be read first due to the series' internal chronology.
     
    So to review . . .
    Correct Usage:
     
    Women writers have been fighting to find their place within the male-dominated literary canon.
    Women writers have been fighting for their place in the male-dominated literary society with cannons. (Grammatically correct, but perhaps not factually correct.)
     
    Incorrect Usage:
     
    The guns are bad enough, but now the enemy has canons!
    If you try to put Admiral Thrawn in the new movie, you'll get smacked by Disney because they removed him from the cannon.
  8. Sith Holocron
    This version of the content permanently replaces my old version.  It was 10 years old and it was showing it's age. It needed some work on it.  Hopefully the effort shows!
    A little background: To those that always wanted to see the cut romance ending to Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic for Dark Sided female characters, now you can. (Yes, I know Revan is canonically a male, but you have to play as a female to use this mod.) 
    Thanks again to JdNoa for creating this great mod. 
    To download this mod for yourself, visit here: JdNoa Alternate Female Romance Ending 
     
    REQUIREMENTS:
    In order for you to be able to make the mod work you’ll need the following things to happen in your game:
    Your PC is female. You have followed the Carth romance as far as possible before the Unknown Temple (i.e. you got the "I think I could love you" conversation and responded appropriately). You took the DS path at the Unknown Temple.  
    FAQ:
    I know Revan is canonically male, but you can't romance Carth as a male without additional mods, nor would I want to. (He has too many trust issues.) 
    Yes, Revan is invulnerable for the fight with Bastila but this video isn't about the fight, but for the lines that Carth says. 
    This new version adds new titles, new end credits - that likely led you to this description - and adds the Star Forge falling into the sun with an appropriate fadeout. 
    This mod was created from pre-existing sound files that always existed on the KOTOR game discs. They were not re-voiced. 
    I cut together some of the various conversation options to make a smoother experience . . . and so I didn’t have to show each conversation more than once.
    To those that will inevitably ask/state/yell “Hey Carth, the ship is RIGHT BEHIND YOU!”, please realize that Carth didn’t want her to survive the Star Forge’s destruction.  He was sacrificing himself and hoping she would do the same.  Who’s to say he didn’t tinker with the Ebon Hawk so they *couldn’t* take off, right?
     
    CREDITS:
    I used the following mods (or portions of them) with the aforementioned mod by Jdnoa in this video. They are listed in no particular order.
    Kexikus’ High Quality Starfields and Nebulas 1.2 –
    Fenharel’s Female Player Corruption – https://www.nexusmods.com/kotor/mods/1232
    Curtis1973’s Star Forge Plus CM Effects Pack - https://www.nexusmods.com/kotor/mods/1138
    Crixler’s New Saber Crystal Pack version 2.5 –
     
     
    Redrob41 Party Model Fixes and HD Bastila –
     
    DarthParametric’s Revan’s Hoodless / Maskless Flowing Robes for K1 –
     
    Sithspecter’s Revan’s Flowing Cape and Belt Fix – https://deadlystream.com/forum/files/file/709-revans-flowing-cape-and-belt-fix/
    ZimmMaster’s Revan’s Jedi Robes – https://deadlystream.com/forum/files/file/466-revans-jedi-robes/
    (Note: the TXI file needed for ZimmMaster's mod is included in DarthParametric’s mod listed above)
    Drewton's Darth Malak - Dark Lord of the Sith (2.0) - https://www.nexusmods.com/kotor/mods/773/ 
    (Note: I turned the armor to greyscale as I thought it gave him a better look. He's not in this video for very long though. LOL)
    DarthParametric’s KOTOR Comic Republic Uniforms for K1 -
     
    and finally . . .
    Sith Holocron’s Remove the Menu Beeps from KOTOR and TSL - https://deadlystream.com/files/file/313-remove-the-menu-beeps-from-kotor-and-tsl/
     
    SPECIAL THANKS:
    To Reddit user “tmnfrog” for providing the save.  That user saved me countless hours so I could jump straight to where I needed to record.  Thanks!
    Here's a link to the video.  I've made a link rather putting the video here so YouTube sees the actual engagement.  Please leave likes and comments there so I know what you liked about the video on YouTube. And please subscribe to the channel so you don't miss out on future videos.
  9. Sith Holocron
    Let's start this off with a quote from an old post.  It won't be the whole thing but it's more to remind our more seasoned members about it.

    Found in the TSLRCM section, that's a quote from the the READ ME FIRST thread.  You know . . . it's the one that folks are supposed to read first before jumping straight in using mods with the TSLRCM.  This page is supposed to act as a safety net. It helps folks manage the most basic modding of the game as many folks that come are need to the game by knowing the right way to ask questions.  It's also a filter: to help those that are more familiar with modding and/or troubleshooting this game to give the new folks a quick answer to common problems. It wound up being so helpful that the TSLRCM (and M4-78 EP) teams made it a requirement to answer bug reports for the game.
    So why am I rambling about this now?
    I'm not a staff member as has been mentioned previously.  Yet . . .  I still get messages complaining about certain individuals.  I'll continue in this post without specifically revealing either the reporter or the subject of the reporting.  Aat what point does it go past mere willful ignorance and into the realm of trolling when a member can't follow the rules as clearly stated on the READ ME FIRST page.  How long should it take someone to figure out how to ask the questions.  A week?  A month?
    If someone has been a registered member here since (at least) 2014, shouldn't they have figured it out?
    Because - in case you don't know - this is also part of the Site Rules.
    I even provided a solution in that READ ME FIRST thread for those of you that are upset about this person (and some others) that continue to do this. 
     
    I didn't post any screenshots of the person in question as I'm not calling out the person but the behavior.  For those reading this thread looking for juicy drama, I instead suggest posting the quote as suggested above.  Perhaps with enough post (or reports) , you'll finally be rid of the menace.  And maybe I'll stop getting complaints about this troll.
  10. Sith Holocron
    Before we get into the nitty gritty, let's talk about these armors first.  There are several varieties of the armors.  However, they are all BoE (Bind on Equip) armor pieces.  They are designed for level 70 characters and the special abilities that are currently on them are rescinded at level 75.  Why would you want these?  Cosmetic reasons, I suppose.  If this turns you off, you may as well skip the rest.
    Still interested? Let's continue.
    Luckily, as I was researching one of the armor sets, I found a convenient Reddit thread that described all of the armor sets you can find. Here's the thread on Reddit if you want to read the whole thing but here's the relevant parts quoted.
    There's a few very similar armor pieces that are rare BoE drops. You can sometimes find them on the GTN, but they have very generic names. You can search for Adaptive Armor with a level range of 70-70 to find them. There's 4 distinct appearances and they have the following names (some names repeat but have a different icon and look):
    Head: Faceguard, Cap, Helmet (x2) Chest: Suit, Armor (x2), Shirt Wrists: Cuffs, Bracers (x2), Armgear Hands: Gauntlets (x2), Handwear, Handgear Waist: Girdle (x2), Waistcord, Belt Legs: Greaves, Legwraps, Leg Guards, Legguards Feet: Kneeboots (x2), Shoes, Footgear They have the following affixes (Except for Wrists and Waist):
    Accuracy: Wanderer's Shield: Resolute Absorption: Stalwart Captain's Alacrity: Trickster's Critical: Exile's Wrists and Waist items have the following affixes:
    Power: Aggressor's Defense: Protector's They come in green, blue and purple quality. Purple has a set bonus for extra stats, but it stops working at level 75.
    What do they look like?
    Well, here's a picture from the aforementioned thread...

    Here's an example Armor in the original colors.  This mostly made up of the Trickster's Amor.  It has a Wanderer's belt.

    Here's a side view of the same armor with the Trickster's Dual Saber.

    And here's the front view dyed.  For this color scheme, I used the "Ceremonial Yellow" dye which on this is basically a Gold primary and a  secondary Dark Grey.  It dyes rather well.

    How to Start:
    On Ossus, there's a Daily mission called Crossed Wires.  Here's how SWTOR describes it.

    The second of these two droids is named R8-4XL and it can be found on the eastern side of this map in the area indicated with a poorly drawn green border.

    It is not necessary to pick up the mission "Crossed Wires" in order to farm the armors but as you'll be in the area anyway, you may as well complete the Daily while you're there.
    In this area, there are two types of clickable crates: Valuable Supplies and Forgotten Troves.
    This is what the Valuable Supplies look like and a random selection of what you might find inside.


    These have a very small chance to have the armor described above and if you do get them, they'll be the green variety.  However, I recommend grabbing them anyway as you'll likely only be getting these as cosmetic items.
    The other type of clickable crate are the Forgotten Troves. Here's what they look like and a random selection of what you might find inside.


    These have very high chance of have the armor pieces and these will be the blue versions.  Very rarely, they may as also be purple but that rate is very low. The setback is that these crates only appear once every half hour (approximately).  Granted, you can probably decrease your wait times by hopping different instances but still . . . that's a long wait.
     
    In order to cut down on the waiting, here are the 3 locations that SWTOR has decided to place the Forgotten Troves so if they're not present in any of the three, you can go ahead and do something else.



    Happy hunting!
  11. Sith Holocron
    Let's start this off with a very recent quote.
     
    I've thought that very thing too!  Which led to a recent Status Update of mine.

    Wow.  That's a lot of engagement on that Status Update.
     
    In case you're coming late to this party of sorts, let's bring you up to speed.  I'm talking about a recent modder which I will not mention by name.  In fact I will refer to them as "the modder in question" from here on. The modder in question has proved . . . problematic.  In short, the modder in question is a spammer.
    Besides the previously alluded to inundation of the Status Updates section, this fellow loves make threads too.  And a blog.  And presumably, lots of Private Messages too.  (I was a recipient too until I blocked them.)
     
    I won't even name the mod in question by the modder in question.  But ask yourself this question: how often have you seen this picture posted lately?

    If it's more than once, you may have an idea about who I'm talking about.
     
    When you have a singular mod you're working on, how many WIP threads do you need for it?  And I'm not talking about threads tangential to the mod that seek advice on how to do something.  Oh no.  I'm just talking about a WIP thread. 
    The answer you're likely thinking of is one. 
    The modder in question apparently doesn't feel the same way.  The modder in question seems to think that posting several threads about the project is the correct way to go. Threads (in several sections), Status Updates, and PMs. Until very recently, there were two threads by the modder in question in the Works in Progress section alone.  One of my last acts as Staff was to merge those two threads in the WIP section together.  (Apparently, the Retirement papers took a few days to be filed.)
    But then, there was a new thread posted in the General Kotor/TSL Modding section. And it's basically yet another WIP thread. You know . . . by the modder in question.
    My musings aren't about a need or lack of one for the mod.  (I could have another blog dedicated to that whole topic but I fear that may be overkill.) My issue is how the site itself appears to be gamed - or to use Effix's word "Bombarded" - in order to force folks to volunteer to make the mod for the modder in question.  How many times must a thing be spammed before it's called a violation of the rules?

    Just wondering out loud.
  12. Sith Holocron
    By request, here's how I make portraits and how I make them relatively quickly without having you use GIMP, NWMax, or other 3D programs.
    Of course, if you're making portraits for a Recruit mod, you wouldn't be doing such this until you had your model working in game, had the writing finalized, made new textures for your character if needed, and if it was essential - had your new voice lines finished with appropriate lip syncing.  Because making portraits before then would be really dumb, right?  Right?
    Anyway, on to the instructions.
    1. In the game, engage the person you want a portrait of in a conversation.  That'll give you a close up of the face to work with without having to adjust the position of the player character. 
    2. Take a bunch of screenshots when the camera is focused on the character that isn't your PC. If you have FRAPS, have it set to take snapshots every second and have it saved to BMP format. Otherwise, use the traditional screenshot function in the game.
    3. Choose the best picture (or pictures) of your choice. Let's say it's Dustil Onasi, for example.

    4. Crop the background out of the picture.

    5. If necessary, crop the area left in the picture to what you want in your portrait. You may find that having it as a perfect square may help you gauge things. I recommend leaving enough that what you have will fit on a 1024 by 1024 background. This is larger than the standard portrait size which is why they tend to look a bit crisper than the vanilla portraits you find in game. Note that the Dustil pictures are not for a 1024 background but merely for illustrative purposes.

    6. Place the cropped image on to one of three backgrounds (LS, DS1, or DS2).  Make sure you don't leave any space between the bottom of the background free picture you copped and your new background or your portrait will look like it's floating. I have three templates background templates - one for LS, DS1, and DS2.  I only have three backgrounds as I tend not to make PC portraits for K1.

    (If you want to see someone else's take on the background, I believe DarthParametric may have made some as well.) If you want mine instead of hassling DarthParametric, then just grab these examples that I’ve archived on Dropbox.
    7. Optional step: Personally, I blur the edges of the cropped character you placed on the background.  This is barely noticeable when you see it in game but it seems to make a world of difference to some people. YMMV, of course.

    8. Save file to name needed. Repeat as needed for the other portraits.
    9. Profit.
  13. Sith Holocron
    I am an old man. I recall seeing this station work-project in one of my mother's magazines and feeling pangs of jealousy of those that had someone build it for them.
     

     

     

     
     

    Reading the original article describing this station and downloading the building instructions can be found here.
     
     
    I wonder if anyone on the site is handy enough to build it - as I certainly am not.

    There was a second time this magazine discussed play-sets but it wasn't as cool as this one was. (I can bring that one up folks are interested but links can be found through this I linked to above.)
  14. Sith Holocron
    This blog post is actually for my own reference so I don't have to seek out which of the many posts I've mentioned it in.
    When folks mention their "big modding project" or their "huge overhaul" of either KotOR1 or KotOR2, here's what I used to quote...
     
     
    If you actually wish to see if a large scale project will make it to release, see if they follow this advice.  If they don't, that project likely won't make it.  You may use the above quote to remind folks when "the next big thing" rolls around.
  15. Sith Holocron

    Happy Holidays!

    By Sith Holocron,

    Seasons Greetings!  Hope you all have a Happy Life Day, or whatever holiday you do (or do not) celebrate!
    This is my 2020 display which is appearing this year on my bookshelf.



     
  16. Sith Holocron
    Remember the last KOTOR Reboot project to come along called Project Black Light?
     

    (I'll use my version of their logo because their logo has a really bad Star Wars logo slapped on it.)
    No? Here's a refresher if you truly want it. (It isn't necessary to view the video to understand the conversation below.)
     
     
    However, some new folks have decided to reboot Knights of the Old Republic. These folks are starting with the first game!
     
    Oh boy - let's pick this one apart. I will be setting up a check list for you so you can see the flaws more clearly.
     
    No, I'm not including the link for the site. I'll let you do a web search for this.
     

    "Apeiron"? Really!?!
     
    Bad font for the "Star Wars" logo? Check. (Especially note the "W".  The "R" is a bit off too.)
     
    OK, let's move on . . .
     

    First nitpick. Why ask the same question twice? (Don't worry, folks. You'll see that the same question will appear the very next picture.) Apeiron, this should properly be called the "Frequently Asked Questions" section.
     

    Repeat of initial question? Check. Not using capitalization of the game's title? Check. Not using a standardization of the game's title? Check. Incorrect spelling of "companions"? Check.
     
    Use of a Kickstarter ready buzzword? Check. (That buzzword is "Indie", if you're playing along at home.) Mention of a studio that we've never heard of? Check. Not including a link to this unheard of studio? Check.  

     
    Begging for assistance from the public?  Check. Claims of being "professional people" without backing those claims up?  Check.
    Claiming the project is "legal"?  Check. Answering that question with a badly spelled word?  Check.  (It's "absolutely", Apeiron. Invest in a spell checking program.) Not spelling "successful" right?  Check.  (I guess they aren't successful.)  
    For my gentle readers, this is the meat of their faulty argument? I'm hungry for new KOTOR stuff and you're likely to be too as you've read this far. Is this meat OK to eat? Let's delve further.
     
    They ask "Can you make a Star Wars game?" They don't mention if you can legally make one.
     
    They then cite examples of other fan created reboots that aren't Star Wars games to back up their case. This appears to be a case of a sweeping generalization. I will explain through an example that I found at logicalfallacies,info.
     

    Let's look at one of the cases cited here: Black Mesa.

    What did Black Mesa have on their side?

    Black Mesa is a complete ground-up remake of Half-Life using the Source engine, everything is made from scratch, there is not a single asset that came from Valve. That is: They used their own voice actors, their own soundtrack, their own props and remodels, and their own engine. Valve offered the Black Mesa team their own contract. However, Valve isn't Disney who owns the copyrights to all Star Wars items. Valve also isn't Electronic Arts who handles all of the Star Wars games as licensed by Disney.

    As Apreiron isn't . . .
    - dealing with Valve
    - dealing with Electronic Arts or Disney
    - has made no statement that they plan to create their own soundtrack, their own voice actors, their own props, and their own engine

    . . . then Apeiron has offered a false equivalent.
    Soldiering on . . .

     
    Spelling "intellectual" wrong?  Check.

    A game could be "under the banner of intellectual property" but it's not "under intellectual property." Use your legal terms correctly.

    100% Free!  Until we beg for donations.


    And there's the extended hat...
    Do we accept donations?  No!  But we can and we will at some point down the road.  Even though the mod will be 100% free.
  17. Sith Holocron
    Previous topic title: A Celebration of Life Day!
    Yes, I'm early on this one but this will require planning.

    My thought was to celebrate Life Day by having one of my characters sing a Christmas song in my Nar Shaddaa Stronghold. Several rooms have a Life Day theme in them. I though it might be fun to have to make a cheesy video with Deadly Stream folks partying it up in my Stronghold ' "Emfour's Lair of Shadows" - drinking, dancing, and carrying on.

    I haven't found a song yet to sing but it'll probably be a Christmas standard. I'll have to find a song with no leading vocals on it so I can sing over it karaoke-style.

    BTW, here are a few pictures of the setting so you can picture the concept in your head. My Stronghold is on the Jedi Covenant server.
     
    Or . . . here's just a few random pictures of my Nar Shaddaa Stronghold in SWTOR.
    Far away shot of the stronghold.

    Medium distance of the balcony.

    Overview shot showing of the landing pad and entry way.  I may have over did it on holo-trees but this is a Life Day themed stronghold.

    Fireworks display.

    I've turned the main area into a greenhouse.  In between the plants, I've sneaked in some utility decorations for my Biochem character.

    At the bottom of the staircase.  Love that chandelier!

    I've done what many people have done with the staircase - covered the walls with Banners.  However the datacrons are split between the two staircases.  This one is the dark sided staircase. 

    One of the smaller side rooms near the entrance.  This is my Czerka room. HK-51 is disguised as a Czerka bot, Vette is wearing a Czerka jacket, Guss Tuno is wearing a Czerka Corporate outift, and Dr Lokin is in disguise as Czerka security.  And yes, that's a HyperMatter logo light on the ceiling but Czerka didn't have one as cool as that one so in my canon, Czerka bought HyperMatter. 

    And here's the intro video, for good measure.
     
  18. Sith Holocron
    Now that it's 2016, let's review a list of works in progress that we haven't seen an official release or even a recent update for. When I say recent, I'll be specific. If it's been over 6 months since the project lead has commented on a project, it's not a recent update. No pictures of the mods are included here. Links to the appropriate posts in their announcement threads are listed - and they do have pictures.

    This thread is going to annoy some people. Sorry about that.

    In no particular order, let's get started on my list!

    1) K1 - The Night and Day Mod

    First announced on Lucasforums way back in February of 2012, the Night and Day Mod is supposed to do the following: add a day to night cycle in the skyboxes on Knights of the Old Republic I.

    Last update for this? June 2015, on DeadlyStream.

    2) Quanon's many, many, many projects

    He certainly announces a lot of projects but most of them don't quite get released, do they?

    (Notable exceptions - released in 2014 - can be found here)

    What hasn't been released yet? Here's a brief overview:
    - Scrapyard Games (Yes - I know - this one is being worked on)
    - Nar Shaddaa: Crazy Nights project
    - Korriban Expanded
    - Darth Bandon, reskin + helmet
    - Lightsaber Pack
    - The "City of Light" project

    Let's hope at least one of these gets released in 2016. More than one would be better!

    3) Rhen Var - A new planet mod for Knights of the Old Republic II
     

    Darth InSidious - at least give us an update, will ya?  Besides this one...
     

    Are any of these near release?


    5) Darth Hayze's Unfinished WIPs.

    After a well received Extended Enclave release, more projects were announced. Namely:

    Oh modder, where art thou?


    Not seeing the mod you thought you would? Well - after you PM the author for an update, feel free to post your comment on a seemingly abandoned project below. (Seriously though, do PM the author.)

    If any of the authors wish to either provide an update or cancel a listed project or projects, this is probably a good place to mention it as well. (If announced on DS, we can arrange to lock the thread if you so desire.)

    So . . . How many of you took this way too seriously? (Comment if you get the humor. )
  19. Sith Holocron
    In a blog from June 25th 2018, @ebmar discussed a song by Trivium that discusses a Revanchist that could be directly applied to Revan.  I've kept my eyes open for a song that could also apply to the Exile - at least canon female version of the Exile.  I haven't found one for the Exile but I may have found a song that could apply to Brianna and/or Visas especially with a dark sided male Exile. Lyrics follow the song embedded below, and I'll highlight some particular lyrics so you can see what jumped out at me.
    What do you think? I'd like to know.
     
  20. Sith Holocron
    I was asking DarthVarkor about skins he'd be using for his next movie.  He mention that other than using Xarwarz's skins for Dantooine, that he was pretty open to suggestions.  Let's tackle an area that we know that'll be in next movie . . . the Ebon Hawk.  When you set up your ideal Ebon Hawk, what mods you do use?  Please list the mods that you use below for both the interior and the exterior of our favorite star ship.  You can mix and match here so if there's parts that you like from one set of skins and you substitute a few of them from another mod, let us know which you use.  (You can let us know why you do so as well!)
    In addition to skins, let us know if there are other Ebon Hawk mods you use - fixes and other things - that you use as well. For these, I'd definitely like to hear your rationale for using these. (You don;t have to explain the area model fixes as that's just common sense.)
    Finally, feel to add pictures to illustrate your points.  Don't attach a link to make us see it on another page though.  Have an IMGUR link (or something similar) or put it right in the post.
    If you have questions, feel free to ask.
  21. Sith Holocron
    On the X-Box, the following trailers apparently played before the KOTOR games officially started. I've only ever played the game on PC so I've missed out on this factoid until recently.

    Here's the one for Knights of the Old Republic.
     
     

    And here's the one of Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords.
     
     
     
     
     


    I was wondering if anyone has the KOTOR movie making chops to remake the video using highest resolution - while keeping the original audio of the clips?

    With all of the talent that's out there, I imagine a few of you are up to this sort of challenge - especially if they can put in their own favorite versions of the main character to replace the nameless Exiles and Revans in the videos.

    One more note:

    In addition, folks might want to change the following portion in the KOTOR2 trailer


     
     
    to something like "RELEASED WINTER 2004"

    Is anyone game?
  22. Sith Holocron
    A formerly unreleased remnant of the unfinished chapter of the M4-78 Documentary

    M4-78: The Problem with Master Vash

    One thing that I don’t think I’ve previously discussed is the problem of voice overs of the character Master Vash – the Jedi we’re seeking in the M4-78 materials. Did you know that there are two voice actresses for the lines that appear in the game?

    When we first see and hear Master Vash, it’s an old video that T3-M4 plays of your Exile’s trial on Coruscant.  The voice actress for Vash in this scene is Vanessa Marshall.  

    Vanessa Marshall has played a number of parts over the years, including a few characters in the Extended Universe including: Master Bela Kiwiiks (from SWTOR), Hera Syndulla (from Star Wars: Rebels and Forces of Destiny) and assorted characters in KotOR2. [ed: insert pictures of the various characters]   I’ll put an IMDB link to her CV in the video description below. 

    Here’s where things take a turn. Vanessa Marshall isn’t who we hear on the planet of M4-78 though.  That completely different voice actress is Kath Soucie.  In the Star Wars EU alone, she’s played the female Smuggler and minor characters in SWTOR, Mira Bridger and Minister Maketh Tua in Star Wars: Rebels, Mon Mothma from the Star Wars: The Clone Wars cartoon, the Nightsister in Star Wars Empire at War: Forces of Corruption, Mara Jade in Star Wars: Empire at War, and the list goes on and on with other non-Star Wars roles. [ed: insert pictures of the various characters]  I’ll put an IMDB link to Kath Soucie’s CV in the video description below.

    There are two people doing the work of one character.  Most folks don’t even notice the actress change up as each section has few lines and they are separated by a decent amount of both in-game and real-world time.  Let’s be honest - most people aren’t making off like a shot from T3’s Trial video to go straight to Korriban so they can meet Vash right away.

    Why bring this up though?

    One of the limitations of any of the versions of M4-78 mods is severe limitation of lines that can be used for what Vash can say in the mod.  There’s not a lot.  Since they are two different voice actresses, you can’t grab sample from one Vash iteration and hand it off to the other.  It won’t sound right as they aren’t trying to actively mimic each other.  An enterprising modder could technically grab lines from other games to try to extend Kath Soucie’s lines from one of the games listed below.  However that modder would have to limit themselves to lines where Soucie’s lines sounded like her Vash impression that were left on the KotOR2 disc. Then they would run into the same issue of limitations of what the actress can say based on those lines.

    The answer to this would seem to be to recast the part of Master Vash entirely.  Whenever this has been brought up, there’s been pushback.  The most common reasons is a connection to the few lines that appear in the Coruscant files that appear in both modded and unmodded versions of the Coruscant trial scene – which as pointed out earlier – isn’t even the same actress as the one on Korriban.  
     
  23. Sith Holocron
    I've got two missions that I'm having difficulty completing in SWTOR and I'm looking for folks that might willing to join me on these missions so I can finally be done with them. Both of these missions are on a Republic character on the "Star Forge" server. On with the mission descriptions!
    1) The Shroud Revealed
    "The Shroud Revealed" is the final mission in the Republic line of the Macrobinocular Missions.  In it, you finally take on the character called the Shroud personally.

    BTW: Yes I know it isn't "the final time" that you deal with the Shroud as I do know all about the HK-55 bonus mission but let's move along to the topic at hand . . . 
    Due to the way this mission is set up, you have to have 4 people to take part in this mission. That's because the players have to press buttons to access certain areas.  It's a puzzle oriented mission with some combat thrown in.  Sadly enough, I technically completed this mission yesterday morning but the folks I was playing it with were skipping the conversation cut-scenes. I was recording the mission.  As I want those cut-scenes in my recordings, I didn't wind up turning in the mission so I still have it active.
    If you're interested in assisting me, you'll need to read the guide listed in the link above.  You'll want a well geared character.
    Why I want to finish this mission: I don't even care about the what pitiful gear they offer for the mission.  It's mostly for the achievement.  And this achievement needs to be grabbed so I can grab another one on the Star Fortress. 
    Speaking of the Star Fortresses...
    2) Defeating the Voss Exarch in the Star Fortress 
    I've beat all of the Exarchs - the final boss on the Heroic Star Fortress - except the Star Fortress above Voss.  Quite frankly, this guy is a pain in the ass.  This is the Exarch of the Voss Star Fortress: Andur Melor.

    He hits like a truck and spams heals . . . a lot.  If you want to know more about the whole Star Fortress line of missions, you should probably consult this page on Dulfy's site for a general overview.  As I'm a healer, I suppose I'm looking for tanks on this one. If you're interested in assisting me, you'll need to read the guide listed in the link above.  You'll want a level 70 character and that character should be well geared.
    Why I want to finish this mission: Though I want to beat this guy partly for the achievement, it's mostly so I can acquire the last of the Star Fortress companions.
    Update 18SEP2019: Finally soloed the Voss Exarch shown above!  Here's a video of all of the events that occurred on the Star Fortress over Voss.  It should be noted that this is a lengthy video so feel free to skip to the portions you wish to see.  Though I did some trims here and there, most of the action is here in the video.  I even kept my first unsuccessful attempt at Andur Melor in this session in the video, where my companion and I died.
    And so I got the last Star Fortress related companion, the Gormak companion Rokuss.

    I saved the brief footage of his official recruitment into the Alliance after the destruction of the Voss Star Fortress but I was unsure if anyone was interested in seeing it.   Post below and tag me if that's something you'd like to see.
    The only reason I may go back to the Star Fortress now is to get the Hidden Achievement to find the Shroud's orbiting satellite.  But I'd need to finish the last Microbinocular mission before I can attempt that. So I guess I'm still looking for assistance on that one.
     
     
  24. Sith Holocron
    For this blog, I’m not covering other larger mods and their compatibility patches.  These will be simple quality of life selections that will – in my humble opinion – enhance your playthrough.  As this section is essentially an opinion piece, your mileage may vary.

    1) M4-78 Movies Remade - Provides higher resolution versions of the landing and take off cut scene movies that are currently in the mod.

    2) Console M4-2K - It's the console from M4-78. A high-res, animated take on the vanilla version. Includes an updated model for illuminated surfaces, non-mirrored screens, and restoration of two surfaces that were maybe originally intended to be screens but ended up as flat metallic surfaces. Also includes non-animated options.

    3) Droid Testing Console Texture Upgrade - I was dissatisfied with the textures that I made for the Droid Testing Consoles. The Droid Testing Consoles are seen near the end of the Industrial Zone on M4-78, just before you get to the Industrial Zone Archon Chamber. One of the textures had a Galaxy as the background and the other had a game map on it. In addition, I thought I could come up with better animations in the smaller boxes. I decided to take action and change that.

    4) KotOR1 War Droids Textures (https://www.dropbox.com/s/lyunh4do2aylpne/KotOR1%20War%20Droids%20Textures.7z?dl=0) - Some of the war-droids in KotOR2 used a lower quality texture than the one in KotOR1.  Drop these files into your Override to get a better-quality war-droid for your game. (C_DrdWar01, C_DrdWar02, C_DrdWar03, C_DrdWar04, C_DrdWar05 and C_Drdmkone02.tga)

    5) Refurbished Astromech Droids - This provides a higher resolution for some of the astromech droids seen on M4-78 and elsewhere in the game. The textures use a recolored version of Darth_Sapiens' excellent T3-M4 texture.

    6) Protocol Droids by Vurt Version - Speaking of droids, some of the protocol droids could also use an upgrade as well. I recommend the following files from this pack: C_DrdProt02.tga, C_DrdProt03.tga and N_Czerka_Droid.tga. However, you may decide to use them all.
     
    7 - KotOR1 Protocol Droids' Textures (https://www.dropbox.com/s/tncmjygz02f588r/KotOR1 Protocol Droids.7z?dl=0) - Some of the protocol droids in KotOR2 used a lower quality texture than the ones in KotOR1.  If you'd rather be a traditionalist and not use the textures that Vurt made above, just drop these files into your Override to get a slightly better-quality set of protocol droids for your game. (C_DrdWar01, C_DrdWar02, C_DrdWar03, C_DrdWar04, C_DrdWar05 and C_Drdmkone02.tga)

    8 - HD Cockpit Skyboxes 2.0 - When you land the Ebon Hawk on a planet, you are able to look out of the cockpit and view the landing platform. This is achieved by a cylindrical texture. Since the vanilla textures were low resolution, inaccurate, and desaturated, the author recreated the platforms in Maya and rendered them to look as they do in-game. The main planets, including M4-78, are all remastered in 4096x1024. 
     
    Did I miss any you think I should have included?  Add it below!
    9 - Fixed Hologram Models and Admiralty Redux for TSLRCM (mod version 1.6) by DarthParametric - This mod attempts to address some of the issues with holograms in TSL. In the vanilla game, the majority of holograms have things like eyeballs and teeth being visible through the head. This is caused by the way the game handles transparency, in conjunction with the order in which it renders the individual meshes that a model is comprised of. By changing the hierarchy of the meshes within these models, certain elements can be occluded, resulting in less cases of “bug-eyed” holograms. This is not a perfect solution however. Because meshes do not self-occlude, visual glitches still remain during certain animations and camera angles, but this is likely the best that can be done without being able to make alterations the game engine itself. This fix includes scenes of holograms of Vash and Kaah.
     
  25. Sith Holocron
    Since many of you lack the intestinal fortitude to ask me directly why she was banned, allow me to illuminate you.
    Multiple times, she violated Rule 6 - the bumping rule. She was warned many times via PMs not to do this but she continued to do so. She even bragged about doing so here.  

    Let's not forget her continual complaints that folks weren't working non-stop about mods she put in requests for. Modders will work on mods at their own pace and badgering them about it isn't going to increase that pace.
     
    Twice, she violated Rule 3 - Flaming/Harassment - when she PM'd me (and presumably others) to complain in a profane manner about previous complaints. Because of the language used in the Private Messages, I wouldn't be able to post them here. (I've deleted them from my Inbox so don't bother to PM me to ask to see them.) By the way, she also complained about delays on the boards. She continues to complain about mods not being created on her schedule off the site. Here's a choice example from YouTube.

    Here's something you might be forgetting: I don't get paid for this job. Modders don't get paid for making their mods, either. Do any of us need ceaseless aggravation from folks that can't be patient and/or abide really simple rules of discourse? Like it or not, this forum does have rules and by using this site, the user has agreed to abide by those rules. Follow the Rules and you'll not get banned. It's really as simple as that.

    I've deleted most of LucytheAlien's threads that lacked any responses. If she's not going to be here to respond, the deleted threads really serve no purpose any longer. Threads she initiated that had received responses remain.
     
    Here's what the site owner has to say about this situation, by the way.
     
     

    The matter is now closed. Move along. Move along.  (Yes, this is a locked thread.)