Sith Holocron

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Blog Entries posted by Sith Holocron

  1. Sith Holocron

    Blog #100

    By Sith Holocron,

    All of my blogs now have one of those pictures that (usually) indicates the title of the blog. I’ve numbered all of my blogs since I’ve started creating them and I’ve finally reached 100 of these things.  
    Wow.  100 blogs.  Someone, please call a doctor!

    Instead of me rambling on yet another niche topic, I’ll now invite you to go through the previous 99 blogs and see if there’s something you may have missed from me.  I’d like you to have opportunity to consider if there’s something you might add to the conversations I’ve previously started.  

    Yes, I do realize that many of the blogs are locked.  You’ll be able to tell because it has this picture as the blog’s title picture.  


    If you encounter one of these locked blogs and you still want to acknowledge it, I believe you can still drop either a “like”, or “light side” icon, or a “thanks” icon on the blog.

    If you’re going to comment on M4-78 stuff, I would recommend you limit the comments on the “like/love” blog on M4-78 EP version 1.5, the “disappointed/hate” blog on M4-78 EP version 1.5, or the “M4-78: Set Decoration” blog covering all of Zbyl2 and Hassat Hunters versions of M4-78 EP.  Having detailed reviews of version 1.5 – split in the pro and con blogs – will help me work on another chapter on the documentary if at some point I decide to resume working on it. 

    Note that as of this date: version 1.5 is only available on Deadly Stream.  Version 1.3 is only on the Steam Workshop, and MODDB has version 1.2.

    As I’m preparing to move across the country relatively soon, I’ll be holding off making any new blogs until I am settled in a new place.  I haven’t even figured out where on the east coast that my wife and I are moving to so I can’t offer any estimates.  And let’s be honest, time estimates aren’t one of those things that I like doing any way.  (Have you ever seen my signature?  LOL)
    If you do decide to comment on my blogs, I want to read your comments and not look at one of these . . .  
    This . . . 

    is less helpful to me than something like this . . . 

    or this

    With the last two pictures, I know what you're trying to say and have more information to use when replying to the comment and/or making new mods.  (In the above example, I corrected the mod by putting the missing file.) The likes and thanks icons don't give me any hook to work with.

    So my faithful reader: Keep safe, keep modding, leave some comments (on my blogs, my mods, and my videos), and I’ll see you at some point on the other side.
     
  3. Sith Holocron
    In your own words, can you tell me what you are disappointed with or downright hate about the M4-78 Enhancement Project.  At the very least, it would be amusing to read some short entries about what you thought was annoying about the mod.  If I were to work on the documentary again, it also might prove to be a helpful repository of quotes I could work from.
    If you like (or even love) the M4-78 Enhancement Project, I have a whole other blog dedicated for that topic.  It’s just easier to make a pros and cons list if I have the two sides separated. I’m just trying to keep these two columns separate. Yes, you can post in both blogs.
    Note: This is only regarding the version 1.5 of the M4-78 Enhancement Project.  I am completely uninterested in previous versions as some complaints may have been fixed by later versions.
    Blog #87 is now locked so traffic can be directed here.
  4. Sith Holocron
    Folks using the TSLRCM mod - or TSLRCM with M4-78 EP - may wonder why they have to post the questions and answers from the READ ME SECOND thread when reporting a bug.
     
    Simply put: Speed of response.
     
    Many of the "bugs" reported have been narrowed down to those few questions. If the modders receive the answers to those questions, it's going to save them a lot of time (both yours and theirs) asking what will likely be on that list. And we all know, you want to get back to playing the game as quickly as possible.
     
    In addition, if the answer isn't on the list of questions, modders can still learn from your answers. Folks will be able to catch patterns when a particular mod doesn't play well with TSLRCM and/or M4-78 EP and then can take step to improve those mods.
     
    So please, help those modders help you by posting those questions and answers with each bug you have (or think you have). Thanks for reading.
  5. Sith Holocron
    "I can still remember all the glittering lights of Coruscant. Very pretty. Can we go back there, Master?"

    - HK-47, Knights of the Old Republic

    Ralph Angus McQuarrie (June 13, 1929 – March 3, 2012) was an American conceptual designer and illustrator. His career included work on the original Star Wars trilogy, the original Battlestar Galactica TV series, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and Cocoon, for which he won an Academy Award. These are the concept paintings that he did for Coruscant.


    Shuttle approaches Imperial City, Coruscant


    Imperial City Skyline, Coruscant


    Imperial City Hangar Bay, Coruscant (Note the layout of this painting - it's very close to what they used for the shot of the Qui-Gon's and Obi-Wan's Republic Cruiser at the beginning of The Phantom Menace.)


    Imperial City Underground, Coruscant


    Imperial City Shuttle Port, Coruscant


    Imperial City Streetscene, Coruscant


    Imperial City, Coruscant


    Imperial City, Walkways, Coruscant


    Monument Plaza, Coruscant (Does this angle remind anyone a little bit of the Geonosis Arena in Attack of the Clones or is it just me?)
     

    Imperial Palace [interior], Coruscant


    Imperial Palace, Coruscant


    Imperial City, Entertainment District, Coruscant (A version of this was used in Season 2 of Star Wars: Clone Wars)


    Polar Caps Waterworks, Coruscant
  6. Sith Holocron
    I have mentioned in this blog that I've turned my class quests into a "SWTOR Audio Drama" as it keeps my mind focused elsewhere when I'm on my treadmill. I've decided to fill in the blanks in the Audio Drama by including the Flashpoints.

    However . . . some Flashpoints require a full group and some of them are only available in Veteran Mode (formerly known as Tactical Mode) or Master Mode (formerly known as Hard Mode).

    With the change of the mode names and other issues, it's been a bit interesting to figure out which I'll be able to play through live, and which ones I'll have to fake a playthrough of. (I have the sounds and some people won't bother playing through some of these old missions - like the Macrobinocular missions.)

    So I found someone's old chart and I've updated it accordingly.



    I fully realize that this will likely be unusable by the general populace which is why this is a blog, rather than being posted in the The Old Republic section.
     
  7. 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 play-through.  As this section is essentially an opinion piece, your mileage may vary. This section covers the first part of the game, namely the Peragus Mining Colony and the Harbinger.  All mods of the mods listed are compatible with TSLRCM.
    Peragus Tweak 1.4 by VarsityPuppet

    Adds dead miners to replace the burned and desiccated corpses usually found around the Peragus levels.
     
    Peragus Mining Gear 1.01 by Kainzorus Prime

    This mod changes the miner uniform found in the Peragus tunnels into gear that both looks fitting for space mining, as well as slightly boosting its stats. However, it also requires proficiency in light armors to be used now.
     
    Peragus Medical Monitors and Computer Panel by Sith Holocron

    This mod both increases base resolution of both the medical monitors (as seen when your character first wakes up on Peragus) and the various computer panels seen around the Peragus levels.
     
    Peragus Large Monitor Adjustment by Sith Holocron

    This small mod collection replaces textures for the large monitor seen on Peragus that overlooks the asteroid field. I wasn’t crazy about the low-resolution images in the smaller boxes off to the side so I decided to take a crack at it. I’ve kept to general idea of what were originally shown in those boxes so this difference won’t be too drastic. In addition, that old low-resolution asteroid animation just had to go. It has been replaced as well. Finally, that scrolling text box can now be read. Since the original text box was illegible, I decided to make my own. Whether you use this mod or not, I highly recommend using the next mod in this list to go with it.
     
    Peragus Administration Level Room Model Fixes by DarthParametric

    This mod addresses some minor geometry issues in the Peragus Administration level. It plugs two gaps in the ceiling that allow the player to see into space, and it also adjusts one of the animated panels on the large screen in the communications blister so that it aligns better. The panel and one of the ceiling fixes are for the exterior version of the level that you see from the maintenance walkway.
     
    “Replacement Peragus II Artwork by Trench” uploaded by Sith Holocron

    If you use my “Peragus Large Monitor Adjustment”, you’re going to want to use this upgrade that increases the quality of the Peragus II model. (That’s the texture of the planetoid with the exposed glowing core which miraculously hasn’t immediately cooled after being exposed to space?)  This mod changes the texture of the planet inside the station, outside the station, and on the Large Monitor screen.  There’s even two varieties of the planetoid to choose from.
     
    A Darker Peragus REDUX 1.0 by Malkior

    Peragus seems like it was supposed have more of a haunted house feeling, doesn’t.  It being an area that’s seemingly abandoned with dead folks littering the ground, wouldn’t it help matters if it was a little darker to accent the creepiness of it all?  This mod fixes that by editing the lightmaps and darkening all of the placeable items in the Peragus, Peragus Spacewalk, and Harbinger portions to match the darker lightmaps.
     
    Peragus Mining Laser by e-varmint (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ss4lzd77k4yb0a/e-varmint%20-%20Peragus%20Mining%20Laser.zip?dl=0)
    Your first ranged weapon in the game – provided you’re not cheating – is likely to be the Pergaus Mining laser.  Wouldn’t it be nice if that laser actually looked like a tool that a miner would actually use?  This mod fixes that.  Luckily, I still had this in my archive so now you can use it too!  Here’s a short video so you can see a closer look at the model before you download. 
     
    Harbinger Hull Fixes 1.1 by DarthParametric
    The Harbinger is apparently the Swiss cheese of spacecraft. It has more holes in it than a damn sieve. This mod is a combination and extension of my previous separate mods fixing various geometry and model issues with the Harbinger. Geometry has been tweaked or added, UVs adjusted, model hierarchies re-ordered, etc. where appropriate to remove gaps, fix incorrect light-maps, or address other problems.
     
    Improved Peragus Asteroid Fields by Vasilii Zaytsev

    It takes the default 2D asteroid field texture used in the Peragus asteroid fields in the tutorial/prologue and outside of the Ebon Hawk hangar bay, and replaces them with much nicer ones.
     
    HD Cockpit Skyboxes 2.0 by tjsase
    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 res, inaccurate, and desaturated, tjsase 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.
     
    Replacement Loading Screens for KotOR2: Original Pack (with or without TSLRCM) - Part 1 by Sith Holocron
    Were you ever dissatisfied with the low-resolution loading screens when the in-game footage looks so much better? What if there was a mod that took care of that for you? Psssst . . . it’s this mod!
    Part 1 of this set covers the loading screens for the following areas: Peragus, Harbinger, Citadel Station, Telos IV, and the Ebon Hawk. This version of the mod covers the areas in the normal “vanilla” game and for some of the areas added/restored by TSLRCM.
    Fixed Hologram Models and Admiralty Redux for TSLRCM 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.
     

    Do you think I may have missed anything?  Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
     
    Update 18FEB2019:
    Do you think the Peragus Mining Gear that you wear after finally wearing more than your underwear is a little lackluster?  Then try this mod from Kainzorus Prime on for size!
     
  9. Sith Holocron
    Whether it was Alien, V for Vendetta, Spaceballs, 1984, I, Claudius or Helloby, John Hurt graced so many movies and TV appearances it hard to pic a few. Alas, John Hurt passed away today.
     
    Here's a brief look at some of the man's work.
     
    John Hurt, you will be missed. RIP.
  10. Sith Holocron
    I was looking at headlights the other morning and wondered: Would the orange reflector pattern work well for HK-47's eyes?
     

     
    I decided to alter Kainzorus Prime's reskin of Darth Parametric's new HK models. (Click on the pictures to see larger versions.)
     





     
    I'm not sure that I got it right. ::shrugs::
  11. Sith Holocron
    I've turned most of the major characters' lines for K1 and TSL into Mp3. I'm weird that way. I'm also anal retentive which means I have to track tag those MP3s. And I have to have decent album art for the track tag.
     
    Why not turn that obsessive nature into a positive?
     
    Hence me working on my own little portrait package. HairlessWookiee over at Reddit has been kind enough to provide some high quality shots of the TSL NPCs for me. A few at time right now. I thought I'd show off what I've done in the form of animated GIFs.
     
    Handmaiden (Hood Up)

     
    Handmaiden (Hood Down)

     
    Visas Marr

     
    Mira

     
    Now obviously it's only three frames with transitions I made to fade between them, but they aren't that hideous!
  12. Sith Holocron
    The Jedi Holocron as produced by "Uncle Milton Star Wars Science" is described in its ad copy by the following:
     
     
     

    So it's a trivia game for kids. I get that. But where's the science part of it? In the "poster" that comes with it.
     

     
    Eeek. If this really basic information is what they are passing off as "science", our society is doomed.
     
    PS: I do appreciate the mention of my namesake in the document.
  13. Sith Holocron
    I just got the most recent Star Wars Humble Bundle. What's odd about that is already have so many other games . . . .
     
    Kind of weird that I got that since I already have these . . .
     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     
    Even if I was frugal when picking these up, do I have collection addiction?
  15. Sith Holocron
    Just say a modder has - after some period of time - posted a sizable update to one of his/her projects. Something like this . . .
     

    In your excitement, you may have felt the need to quote the original poster's entire post. You don't need to do that because that modder's post is still in the thread. The readers don't need to read it twice.
     
    However, if you wish to leave a comment on a particular part, then trim the quote down to that specific part. For example . . .
     

    The quote now has a targeted response. The author has also received constructive criticism - enabling him/her to know what works in the update/mod (and perhaps what doesn't).
     
    Thanks for listening.
  16. Sith Holocron
    I'm interested a specific thing and I'm hoping one of you enterprising folks may be able to assist.
     
    I know it's possible to extract the audio from the game. There have been threads elsewhere dedicated to extracting the music from them. I don't need the music as I have the official legal soundtrack that came with the Collector';s Edition and folks upload the newer TOR music to YouTube all of the time. However, I'd really like to get my hands of the conversational audio for some particular characters - HK-47, HK-51, and HK-55 - in particular places. The only areas I can currently access the character audio files are in pre-Makeb locations.
     
    A kind soul did provide me the sound files for HK-51 on Makeb , Rishi, and Yavin 4. I would like to be able to extract any character audio files available on Ziost and in the KOTFE. I'd also like to be able to find out how and where to find the character sound files for Makeb, Rishi, Yavin 4, Ziost and KOTFE. I am willing to do the work but I'd have to know how to proceed.
     
    I have the following tools:
    EASYMYP
    acb_to_wem
    bnk_to_wem
    wem_to_ogg
    and the instructional README that accompanied them.
     
    PM me if you have direct knowledge about the above or can direct me to someone that does. Thank you for your attention.
  17. Sith Holocron
    My Picture Highlights from New York Comic Con
     
    The Mrs and I went to the New York Comic Con and we just got back today. Here are a few highlights.
     
    We went to the SWTOR Cantina. They were hosting it at the Hard Rock Cafe. They also had a cosplay contest which took way too long to get through. I'm not any of these guys.
     

     
    Drinks were poured and loot was given out. The loot?
     

     
    This was the wrist band so I could come in and go out of the event when I wished.
     
    This is one of those rubber wrist bracelets that they said was "just for fun"
     

     

     
    This next item was interesting.
     

     
    This book comes with the Collector's edition set. But I'm pretty sure the one in CE set doesn't have . . .
     
     

     
    . . . the developer's signatures!
     
    There was the obligatory creature code card.
     

     
    You can find codes here. I'll be handing mine out in the near future.

    If you extended your subscription at the event, they threw in some in game pet (not sure what it is) and this shirt.




     

     
    All in all, a good haul at the SWTOR Cantina Event.
     
    Tried seeing if there was any interest in doing Sleheyron and/or M4-78 for TOR. Unfortunately, the guy I was speaking to was a bit daft. He was not understanding that I wasn't suggesting that they use the assets from the original game discs to create the world - just that the mods themselves indicated a clear interest in those planets. A wasted opportunity.
     
    Tomorrow, will post some pictures the Mrs and I took with some notable sci-fi personnel.
  18. Sith Holocron
    In addition to the events mentioned in the last blog, Mrs Holocron and I got to do some photo opportunities while we were at NYCC 2015.
     
    1) If you're familiar with the Firefly TV show or the Serenity movie follow up, you'll likely know three of the people in the photograph.
     

     
    The signed original copy will be hanging up above the bar din our basement as soon as we get a nice frame.
     
    2) Also a fun thing, we met John DiMaggio. You might not know the name but you likely have heard his voice.
     
    He's played this character - Bender from Futurama
     

     
    And this character, Jake the Dog from Adventure Time.
     

     
    But in the Star Wars TOR universe, he's this guy - Nico Okarr.
     

     
    He was in the SWTOR "Return" trailer for the game as seen here.
     
     
    So we go to get a picture with him but he winds up taking like 11 in a row. Hence this GIF. LOL
     

  19. Sith Holocron
    Alas, my music player seems to have had it's day.
     

     
    This 160GB held a lot of playlists - which was very helpful as it stored all of the music and it also had most of the voiced lines in both of the KOTOR games.
     
    However, I'm not quite ready to give up on the device yet. I've seen videos on YouTube that show you how to replace the battery and the hard drive. As I'm a bit of a butterfingers when it comes to electronics, I think I'd rather seek out a service that would do it for me. Does anyone have any recommendations?P
     
    PS: Yes, that's T3-M4 on the front.
  20. Sith Holocron
    Disciple and the Holocrons . . . that sounds like a bad KOTOR cover band, doesn't it? Anyway . . .
     
    As most of you know, there's some cut content in The Sith Lords regrading "lost holocrons" and Disciple's quest to find them all. During the quest you'd find several of them - both Jedi Holocrons and Sith Holocrons. You could gain force powers from the holocrons. It was a shame it was unreleased as it actually gave you something to actually do with Disciple - a character that racks low on the NPC character scale.
     
    And yes, there are sound files for this.
     
     
    To you that have found this blog, I hereby present a challenge: Using some or all of the lines in the above video, create a feasible mission and dialogue tree that would enable the Disciple and your Exile to complete that cut quest. May the Force be with you.
     
    [insert Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference here]
  21. Sith Holocron

    Blog #41 - 3C-FD

    By Sith Holocron,

    I was playing around with Darth Sapiens' hi definition T3-M4 mod sometime ago. I had the the idea to recolor it so it could also be used 3C-FD, the temporary droid in T3's party in the prologue.
     

     
    Then, I totally forgot about it. Hopefully, someone might be able to recall the name of T3-M4's texture so I can use this in the game.
  23. Sith Holocron
    Miguel Ferrer passed away yesterday. Besides the minor connection to KotOR - him being the brother of Darth Malak's voice actor - you may remember him from many TV and movie appearances. However, most people will remember him in the role of Bob Morton, the creator of Robocop.
     


    You will be missed.
  24. Sith Holocron
    While adventuring through the worlds of Star Wars: The Old Republic, the player can make various discoveries that are saved in your Codex – an encyclopedia type journal of “important” terms, people and aliens you meet and things you see. Lore is a subsection of the Codex. It is different because there are two ways to get entries into the Lore section. You get automatic entries by killing some creatures or visiting places, but there are also Lore Objects, scattered all over every planet, that will provide you with additional lore entries.+
     
    There is an achievement in Star Wars: The Old Republic called Galactic Loremaster. Unfortunately, the achievement and accompanying title were made obsolete with the 4.0 update. That is because one of the Lore items – Makeb’s Mysterious Survival – was removed when the purged the Staged Weekly Mass Exodus missions. They had a rush for the players to finish that quest so they could still get the Galactic Loremaster title, achievement, and a gift. (On that gift . . . we’re going to circle back around to that later.)
     
    I didn’t even know about the purge until last night as I haven’t been to Makeb in quite some time. I know of the Galactic Loremaster achievement but not that it was unable to be acquired anymore. But wait . . .


     
    I have that stupid quest completed! Luckily, I had completed the Mass Exodus missions before the purge. I just hadn’t completed the quest for the other Lore objects.
     
    Could I get the achievement and the title even though I’ve been told it was removed from the game?

     
    You’re damn right I could. Acquired less than an hour ago, folks.
     
    Remember when I said I’d circle back around about the gift? It’s a decoration called the Makeb Gazebo, If you’re interested in such things, it’s pretty nice. The achievement was the only way you could get this thing. I think I have an argument that I deserve this thing. What do you think? (That's the question, folks.)
    Update 04FEB2019:
    I had to re-add some of these pictures due to a Photobucket purge some time ago.  I also had some of the information wrong about the Gazebo mentioned above.  It wasn't the Galactic Loremaster that a player had to complete.  You see, that was a whole other line of quests you had to complete before they were removed from the game.  DP mentions some of this but here's a relevant quote found on the 'net.  Quote
    Oh well.
    At least I had also picked up the Datacron Master title as well at the time.

    Although I'll have to pick up the new Ossus datacrons at some point.  (Wouldn't want my title to be a lie, now would I?)
  25. Sith Holocron
    Hey folks! I need some input on a keyboard for one of my computers. The computer I'm talking about here is my old XP computer. I think my illuminated keyboard is on it's way out. Seeing as I got about 10 years out of it, it's put up a valiant fight. However, it is time to let it go.

    However, it being an XP computer, I'm not prepared to spend a lot of money for a new keyboard. Might you have any recommendations for an illuminated keyboard under 50 bucks (US) that you can personally recommend (i.e. you've used it)?

    I'm primarily looking for a keyboard with bright blue LEDs. (It's a dark basement.) If there are multicolored options available that you have personal experience with, I am certainly willing to entertain the idea. (My old keyboard could do red, blue, and purple lighting options.)
     
    Please provide the cost, links, and your own personal review of the keyboards you recommend.
     
    Thank you.