M4-78 EP and the Canon Exile Name

[Sith Holocron 2,452]

By now most of us have heard the female Exile's name has been canonized to be "Meetra Surik." The thread is not for discussion of the merits or lack thereof of that name. (Posts that do discuss that as the entire basis of their post will be pruned.)

 

The reason I'm bringing this up in the M4-78 Enhancement Project section is that I was wondering if I should record extra lines for M4-78 (the "Main Archon") that acknowledge the exile's canon name specifically. Of course, these would be additional sound files so it would of course be optional. (You would also have to rename the files yourself as well - as I don't think the game can recognize which dialogue path to take solely on the name your entered at the start up screen. I would include instructions on which lines would have to be replaced with the alternate versions.)

 

Is this something that anyone would be interested in at all - or should I scrap the idea altogether?

[aerohead 0]

I really like the idea of a character actually referring to her by her name instead of the Exile. Great idea!

[HK-47 84]

Statement: Possibly. It's her canon name, and I hate being non-canon, except for comical reasons or because I want to.

 

Answer: As to your query, it's hard to say.

 

Suggestion: This might take some doing, but what if you did them, and had it go along with the male/female selection system the game has.

 

Extrapolation: What I mean is, use the system the game already uses to determine which sounds to play if you choose male or female. (When you choose male, it uses the files that say "he", and if you choose female it uses the ones that say "she".) In this instance, it would only use the "Meetra Surik" files when choosing female. The Archon would say the Exile's real name and say that despite the name she is using is what she wants everyone else to know her by, it knows her real name, Meetra Surik.

[LDR 234]

I dislike the canonity of the Exile in the Revan novel. I believe that this is destroying the RPG elements that we used to have for our little, made-up Jedi Warriors on their Great Crusades.

[Sith Holocron 2,452]

Possibly. It's her canon name, and I hate being non-canon, except for comical reasons or because I want to.

 

Due to your response, I have added another choice to the poll.

[Working Class Hero 12]

More options = good idea.....do I intend to ever use them? Nope.

[Fallen Guardian 27]

Bioware and others continue to disappoint me with the way they keep on canonizing things that would be best left untouched. It should be an option during install SH, but otherwise, leave it at that. Don't force people to go by a name.

[Plasticcaz 1]

Canon or not, KOTORII allows players to name their Jedi\Sith whatever they want. You should not take that away from them. :-D

 

I for one, don't care either way about an official "canon" name for the Exile, but I don't think it should be put into the game.

[hkmandalore47 3]

i would name a female exile meetra surik. i kinda like playing the game canonically. however, it would kinda get weird how she would be constantly referred to by her full name. personally, i think you should leave it the way it is. i want the game to be as close to the way it was originally intended as possible.

[HK-47 84]

Query: You all do realize that this will ONLY be in M4-78 right?

[hkmandalore47 3]

Query: You all do realize that this will ONLY be in M4-78 right?

yes, i did realize that.

[Plasticcaz 1]

Query: You all do realize that this will ONLY be in M4-78 right?

 

 

Yeah, but that only supports my position. It would be very strange for everyone to refer to the Exile all game long, and then suddenly hear Meetra what's-her-name talked about, and then never referred to again in this game.

[Vriff 21]

Hell no. I don't want any part of Bioware and Drew's retconning, money whoring fiasco to be in KOTOR 2.

[Sith Holocron 2,452]

There is still time to have your vote noted for posterity. Yes, there's plenty of time for votes to be tallied.

 

It's not over until I both have all of the lines and I start recording them - or until Zbyl kills this in its tracks. (LOL)

[ttlan 18]

The player creates a hero and becomes the hero. The appearance, alignment, the name ... These things speaks to him.

 

There is a canonical progression, certainly, but the hero is a creation of the creator of the hero. This is something that speaks to him, as the names I use in my own progressions.

 

"Perfect Light" is the name of my female character, light side, but it also is the title of a book by Miyamoto Musashi, the greatest swordsman, real, who lived in old Japan - and my katanas are always there, somewhere.

 

"Ya Dake" is the name of my male character, light side, but it is also the name of the bamboo specie used to make the Kyudo arrows - and my Kyudo bow and arrows are always there, somewhere.

 

The avatar I use is the Kenkatabami, my « kamon » (my "armorial bearings" in the Japan Traditional), and symbolizes the cherry blossom, arrows and swords. Cherry blossom is sacred to the Samurai (perfect and ephemeral - ephemeral symbolizing the lack of fear of death, the only attitude that allows becoming a great samurai or a great ronin).

 

These names speak to me, they convey something a reality imposed by another (Meetra by Drew) does not carry.

 

But M4-78 comes from Chris Avellone, seven years before the name of the Exile is revealed. What was he thinking? It is likely that the actual name of the Exile is known at the time of the Old Republic (she is a general in the republican armies and military records are what is best preserved in the world).

 

It is also likely that the droids have had access to these archives and have not forgotten the name of the person to whom Revan had given half of his army before Malachor V, representing billions of soldiers (see "Calculation of the military strength of Revan army"). A robot forgets nothing, unless one erases his memory.

 

So the questions are: who made and program the droids that make M4-78? When were they made? What are their knowledge in 3951 BBY? How long have they prepared this planet (in what year did they began)? If they are engaged in preparing a planet for the Sith, can this planet be for the "New Sith" of Revan, or are they controlled by the "True Sith" which, them, know nothing about Meetra. How Lona Vash had known M4-78, its existence and its location?

 

As long as I have no answer to these questions, it's hard to take a position other than to say the hero is created by the player.

 

It is a game. Remember the outcries when it was announced that the Exile was officially a woman! She was the first female hero in a tale complex and verbose, a tale written by the wonderful storyteller that is Chris, in an Expanded Universe purely male and purely fighter.

 

I would like the idea of a secret revealed, quite hard to find. The Exile is not at all called Meetra all through M4-78 but you can find a trace somewhere in an archive, or just in one sentence of Lona Vash.

 

A secret hard to find would be in the spirit of the work of Chris Avellone.

 

Sith Holocron, add a new choice.

 

And then there is no question of liking or disliking the name of Meetra Surik, as one of the question implies.

 

It is question of whether the droids uses, for their part, coolly, the real name, while the Republic tries to erase of his memory the remembrance of a hero but also a butcher who seeks redemption.

Edited December 15, 2011 by ttlan

[Sith Holocron 2,452]

 

 

I would like the idea of a secret revealed, quite hard to find. The Exile is not at all called Meetra all through M4-78 but you can find a trace somewhere in an archive, or just in one sentence of Lona Vash.

 

A secret hard to find would be in the spirit of the work of Chris Avellone.

 

It is question of whether the droids uses, for their part, coolly, the real name, while the Republic tries to erase of his memory the remembrance of a hero but also a butcher who seeks redemption.

ttlan, you are thinking way too deep on this one, I think.

 

The character's name isn't a secret, it's just never acknowledged by non-alien characters because it would be impossible for the engine to replicate each name. The alien characters already call the Exile by the name you chose as the alien speech can be translated anyway the game is programmed to. The folks that enjoy the book or like to stay true to canon seems to want the choice can choose the first and last choice. Those dislike the name - for whatever reason - can choose the middle response.

[ttlan 18]

ttlan, you are thinking way too deep on this one, I think.

 

The character's name isn't a secret, it's just never acknowledged by non-alien characters because it would be impossible for the engine to replicate each name. The alien characters already call the Exile by the name you chose as the alien speech can be translated anyway the game is programmed to. The folks that enjoy the book or like to stay true to canon seems to want the choice can choose the first and last choice. Those dislike the name - for whatever reason - can choose the middle response.

 

No, SH, that's not what I mean.

 

The name is not a secret for the Galaxy. It is a secret for the player. It is a secret as all Kotor 2 is an interactive book of secrets.

 

The Galaxy is split in two: those who know and do not care (droids...) and those who know and try to forget and have replaced the real name by "The Exile" for never have to pronounce the name of the one who killed so many one shot.

 

However, the player enters the game with the name of his chose.

 

Unless I am missing something:

 

When you are, yourself, the Exile, and that you arrive on M4-78, you have no doubt the possibility of being called by the name chosen by the player (or that we speak of you with the name chosen by the player). It is the verb <FullName> in the sentences.

 

How can you imagine that you arrive on M4-78 and that one, alien, tells you: No! No! You do not call <FullName> but Meetra Surik? And if it is not an alien, he said No! No! This is not your name, that, it is Meetra Surik?

 

For cons, the question may arise when aliens (or droids not equipped with vocabulator) speak among themselves of the Exile. Here, there is no problem of speech synthesis.

 

But I do not see why there would be someone in the Galaxy, with a name, and with droids and/or aliens who give him another.

 

It should be continuity in the game. M4-78 is not a stand alone adventure but just a step of the K2 adventure. (I think so).

Edited December 15, 2011 by ttlan

[Sith Holocron 2,452]

I've finally put my vote in - which may surprise some of you considering I created this thread.

[darthbdaman 71]

Since I am pretty sure you can't have a script check for a players name, I said no because I never play a female.

[zbyl2 811]

Since I am pretty sure you can't have a script check for a players name, I said no because I never play a female.

There is string GetName(object oObject);, so, assuming it works, it could be possible to use alternate line depending on player's name.

 

Not saying we're going to use that

[Sith Holocron 2,452]

There is string GetName(object oObject);, so, assuming it works, it could be possible to use alternate line depending on player's name.

 

Not saying we're going to use that

 

You forgot to vote, Zbyl!

[Hassat Hunter 571]

Depends what name it looks for. Might actual result in "FirstPC" being listed than the PC's actual chosen name...

[darthbdaman 71]

Did anyone ever check if you could use a script to check the players name and do a true/false to change the dialogue

[Guest Gatherum]

I prefer to name my Exile canonically, but no, I would disagree with this idea because it would be out-of-place considering the rest of the game: nobody refers to Surik as anything but "the Exile" or, occasionally, "the jedi."

[Stargazer 0]

Whatever the Exile's "canon" name, it breaks with the actual design of the game to have characters refer to you with a preset name rather than as "Exile". So I'm against it.