Discoveries from SWKOTOR.com Archive

[Sithspecter 909]

ADVENTURES IN THE LAND OF THE WEB ARCHIVE

 

 

 

Spurred by this post, I decided to use the web archive to see exactly what the old SWKotOR.com site had on it. My search was incredibly fruitful, revealing some very interesting things as well as a few undiscovered gems. I'll use several posts to outline my findings.

 

First of all, I found extensive planet descriptions for each location. Most of these line up quite well with what we actually see in the game, but Korriban hints at a much different and larger Dreshdae, with a Czerka Headquarters:

 

 

 

Dantooine

 

System: Dantooine

Terrain: Grasslands, steppes

Species: Human colonists

Language: Basic

Population: 2 million

Imports: Technology and luxury items

Exports: Foodstuffs

 

An olive, blue and brown-colored world, Dantooine is far removed from the bustle of the galactic trade routes. Two moons float in the skies above while herds of livestock and simple balloon-like creatures roam empty steppes and savannas of lavender grasses. Separated by forests of spiky blba trees, colonists maintain individual family estates largely isolated from each other. Population density remains one of the lowest of the Republic settled worlds. A small spaceport handles new arrivals and an outpost of Aratech Corporation arranges most of the imports for local merchants. 

 

The most notable feature of Dantooine is the Jedi academy, originally founded by Jedi Master Vodo-Siosk Baas. For generations now it has served to train promising Jedi Padawans, with several dozen students in attendance at any given time. The most infamous graduate, however, is that of Exar Kun, trained by Vodo-Siosk Baas himself. Exar Kun was a Jedi Apprentice that turned away from the light side to embrace the seductive power of ancient Sith magic. Forty years ago he began a war upon the Republic that had grave consequences, but through great effort and sacrifice on the part of the Jedi he was defeated. The legacy of his taint is slowly passing away in the wake of the Mandalorian Wars and the coming of a new Sith threat. 

 

For the most part, life on Dantooine is sedate with the presence of the Jedi Academy granting a level of security unsurpassed anywhere else in the galaxy. The separate families go about their business independent of each other, and very little industrial development has taken place, leaving the landscape untouched. A number of ruins have been unearthed far from the settlements and some of the colonists have made it their goal to study them, but no official resources have been devoted to pinpointing their origins. Off-world concerns have distracted such introspection, and Dantooine remains an unspoiled world for now.

 

Kashyyyk

 

System: Kashyyyk

Terrain: Wroshyr forest

Species: Wookiees

Language: Shyriiwook

Population: 6 million

Imports: Limited technology

Exports: Wookiees, organic goods

Legal Differences: The life debt, a bond of honor sworn in response to great deeds or sacrifice

 

On Kashyyyk, the forests have unquestioned dominance. Ancient trees rise kilometers into the air, and it is possible to live a long life on the upper boughs never once having seen the forest floor. Most inhabitants count this as a blessing, as the further you descend, the more deadly the environment becomes. Terrible creatures lurk in that chaotic realm, and even with the aid of advanced technology it is difficult to survive for any length of time. Only the bravest of hunters dare to descend, and only the luckiest of those return. 

 

It is a savage world, but it is also home to the fierce and loyal Wookiee species. They have a long-established system of tribal villages in the forest canopy, building among the highest branches. Direct confrontation between separate communities is rare, with dominance and stature traditionally decided by ritual hunts. The practice is in decline, however, as recent events have seen outside forces become more of a threat. Already surrounded by a plethora of natural enemies, the added complication of off-world interference has been very disruptive to Wookiee society. 

 

The village of Rwookrrorro is the most important among the Wookiee tribes, and is currently led by the black-furred Chuundar (CHOON-dar). Unlike his predecessors, he seems bent on expanding the reach of his power through whatever means he can exploit. Regarded suspiciously by his people, he has abandoned many of their traditional ways, and seems less concerned with what most Wookiees value above all else: honor. He remains unchallenged by carefully manipulating the fears of his people. 

 

Despite the untamed nature that encases Kashyyyk, Chuundar's actions have allowed outside interests to gain a foothold. The near-limitless Czerka Corporation has established a series of small spaceports under the guise of searching the forests for unique resources. Such expeditions would normally be tremendously expensive, but the company has found a brutally efficient cost-saving measure: slave labor. This foul trade has begun in earnest, with some local inhabitants all too willing to assist.

 

Korriban

 

System: Horuset

Terrain: Canyons, desert

Species: Human

Language: Basic

Population: 25,000

Imports: Food, technology 

Exports: None

 

The unwary traveler arriving at the tiny spaceport of Dreshdae will only find a barren, forgotten backwater community of temporary settlements and crudely constructed shelters. Perhaps as the competent local mechanic services your ship, you might begin to sense that there is something else here, something festering. Soon you may start to hear things such as harsh voices slowly drifting through the thick air. Your heart will begin to beat faster, and your skin will begin to itch under your collar with the urge to climb back into your ship and leave this soulless place behind forever. Korriban is a graveyard of Sith Lords and a former power base of the Sith order. This is the cradle of darkness.

 

The spaceport is under the roof of the Czerka Corporation stronghold, the very center of power for the giant corporation run by President Pollard Seario. The city itself owes its existence to the power created by Czerka's generators. Perhaps Pollard seeks solace from his uncountable holdings in the vast emptiness of this world; perhaps he dreams of shadowy promises that ooze from the tombs of long dead Sith Lords. 

 

Within Dreshdae is the Sith monastery -- still teeming with those who would wish to join the Sith order. Its ominous halls resonate with the cries of anguish from those who are undeserving of the order's dark power. Their stay within its merciless walls is short, brutal and forgotten. 

 

For the very few who survive the Sith training and wish to complete their final rite of passage into the cold embrace of the Sith, they must face the Valley of the Dark Lords. Hundreds of ancient Sith sorcerers wait within the mausoleums. They lie in their dusty beds waiting to devour the weak and unworthy. The Valley seethes with the foul energy of a thousand restless spirits murmuring of sinister glories.

 

Manaan

 

System: Pyrshak

Terrain: Ocean

Species: Selkath

Language: Selkatha

Population: 500,000 Selkath (estimated); 2,000 off-worlders

Imports: Food, technology, weapons

Exports: Kolto

 

A small planet in an insignificant system, Manaan's most remarkable feature is the calm azure ocean that completely covers its surface. To accommodate off-world visitors, the amphibious Selkath have constructed Ahto City, a bustling spaceport floating on the endless ocean's waves. 

 

Manaan is known throughout the galaxy for one thing: being the sole producer of kolto, a powerful healing agent harvested from the ocean surface. This one export is so valuable it has made the tiny world into one of the most influential independent planets in the galaxy. Highly prized even in times of peace, the value of kolto increases exponentially during times of war. Many a battle has been won or lost due to the size of an army's kolto reserves.

 

The Selkath understand the importance of kolto to their world, and they maintain strict control over its production and export. This has allowed them to retain their independence even during the current Republic-Sith War, and has given rise to an attitude of arrogant superiority among the Selkath themselves. 

 

Officially, the government of Manaan has adopted a policy of neutrality in the ongoing conflict. As part of their neutral stance, the Selkath have allowed both the Sith and the Republic to establish embassies on Ahto City. The two rivals keep a close eye on each other, and the Selkath are careful to keep an even balance in the amount of kolto exported to each side. The uneasy truce is maintained only by Selkath law, which calls for harsh penalties against anyone who breaks the peace including sanctions on kolto exports. 

 

But there are those that feel Manaan's precarious position between the two super-powers is doomed to end in bloodshed. For as the conflict between the Sith and the Republic intensifies, it is only a matter of time until their mutual hatred erupts and Ahto City is drowned beneath a tidal wave of violence.

 

Tatooine

 

System: Tatoo

Terrain: Desert

Species: Various settlers, Jawas, Sand People

Language: Basic, Jawa

Population: 5,000 to 10,000 settlers, unknown indigenous

Imports: Mining/light industrial equipment

Exports: Tatooine ore

 

Tatooine is a very old world. The surface is comprised of near-endless dune seas, interrupted only by rock-walled canyons carved by oceans so long departed that no memory of the planet living or recorded can say when they disappeared. There are two sentient species native to Tatooine: Sand People and Jawas. The more dominant of the two, the Sand People, is a race of nomadic warrior tribes that have rejected any attempt at trade or even communication, possessing a single-minded hostility towards any and all outsiders. The Jawas, by contrast, are diminutive scavengers that are more interested in trade than combat. Their language is painfully hard to understand, however, and their culture remains enigmatic. 

 

Tatooine has not been properly documented by the Republic because it has yet to be officially deemed viable for colonization, or even declared habitable. This has not stopped various private companies from expressing an interest in the world --orbital scans reveal substantial subterranean ore deposits-- but such activity is often made away from public record. The outpost of Anchorhead, run by Czerka Corporation, is the only settlement currently inhabited, and it appears to be slowly dying. Officers are tightlipped about why the operation is failing, but rumor is beginning to circulate that Tatooine ore is substandard in some way. The company has denied this, but the strength of that denial has given the rumors credibility. 

 

It is likely that Czerka Corporation will eventually abandon their stake in Tatooine, but for now, five to ten thousand settlers attempt to make a living on the surface and beneath. Moisture vaporators could allow independent colonies to survive, but nothing outside of Anchorhead lasts for long. People rarely travel without armed escort, and not just because of Sand People attacks. The tracks of huge desert predators have also been found near decimated Bantha herds, and many people that go exploring simply don't return. A resident Hutt has funded a small swoop track, but the planet must be dangerous indeed for that to be considered safe entertainment. There is little of interest on Tatooine for the casual traveler. That may change if local hyperspace routes prove useful, but for now, it is an inhospitable place best avoided.

 

Taris

 

System: Taris

Terrain: Urban

Species: Human

Language: Basic

Population: 6 billion

Imports: Food, raw resources

Exports: Tarisian ale

 

Located on the Outer Rim, in the very fringes of Republic space, the grandeur of the city- world of Taris was once said to rival the galactic capital of Coruscant itself. But the glory of ancient Taris has long since faded, and much of the once magnificent metropolis has fallen into ruin and disrepair. 

 

The rich and powerful have segregated themselves in the Upper City, dwelling in the highest reaches of the towering skyscrapers that dominate the planet's landscape. Here the nobility surround themselves with the trappings of prosperity, oblivious to the suffering of those who are forced to dwell far below them. 

 

Descending into the slums of the Lower City, the signs of urban decay become undeniable. Filth and refuse litter the streets, and burned out vehicles and shattered windows serve as stark reminders of the violent wars of the swoop gangs vying for control. Citizens of the Lower City - non-human aliens and those not born into the privileged classes of society - struggle to survive amidst the permacrete wasteland, clinging to the small hope that they may one day escape their grim and violent surroundings. 

 

But at least those in the Lower City have hope. For those banished beneath the planet's surface – the Outcasts – all hope is gone. Those driven into the dark and sunless world of the Undercity must band together in small villages in a wretched, never-ending struggle to survive. Starvation and disease claim many, and the rakghouls - mutated, flesh-eating monsters who dwell in the sewers beneath Taris - claim even more.

 

Unkown

 

System: Unknown

Terrain: Island, tropical

Species: Unknown

Languages: Unknown

Population: Unknown

Imports: None

Exports: None

 

A tiny world in an isolated and long forgotten system, this unnamed tropical paradise exists in the vast expanse of uncharted space beyond the Outer Rim. Because of the Unknown World's remote location, it has not been explored or documented in any significant fashion and there are no official records of its existence. 

 

This secrecy is further preserved by a powerful energy field surrounding the entire world that can disable any ship's communications and navigational abilities. Over the millennia, the Unknown World has become a technological graveyard, the tropical islands of its surface strewn with the wreckage of ships and cruisers unfortunate enough to have stumbled across the mysterious planet's hidden location. 

 

But the hulls of crashed vessels are not the only technological remains on this world. There is undeniable evidence that a great civilization once existed here. Enormous cities, now crumbling ruins reclaimed by the jungle, give mute testimony to the one time dominance of a scientifically advanced culture. However, like most facts about the Unknown World, whatever disaster or cataclysm wiped this civilization from the face of the galaxy can only be guessed at. 

 

The Unknown World raises many questions: Who once dwelt here? Did they create the energy field surrounding the planet, and if so, for what purpose? And, most importantly, where did they go? The answers, if there are any, can likely be found in a single, massive structure that still stands wholly intact: an enormous temple on the planet's largest island. Seemingly immune to the ravages of time, the great monument is of an architectural construction that is both familiar, yet disturbingly alien; a haunting echo of an extinct species' past and a people's history that may never be told.

 

Above all this misery, the Upper City shines and the nobility live a life of wealth and comfort. But even they are vulnerable, for Taris is located far from the protection of the Galactic Core and the Republic fleet. And the Sith Armada has taken notice.

[Sithspecter 909]

I also found old wallpapers, most of which I was able to recover:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sithspecter 909]

I was also able to recover most of the concept art:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sithspecter 909]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sithspecter 909]

I also found an undiscovered piece of original music for download, which I plan on using on Sleheyron. Check out what's left here. There are also a large number of screenshots from both the PC and XBox versions, which were too numerous to upload here.

 

I'm interested to hear the discussion and see what other people are able to glean from the site.

[milestails 264]

Really cool pieces of history. Never even thought about the official website.

[Haveayap 127]

some of that concept art looks so beautiful

EDIT: Are the audio files rougher copies as they sound different to KOTORs in game music (even the same tracks)

[134340Goat 116]

Wow. This is nothing short of a treasure trove. Congratulations for the work in finding and posting these

 

Wouldn't have imagined Carth's early design looking so punkish

 

Browsing for that unused track now. Where exactly is it in here?

[Sithspecter 909]

The unused track can be found here under Area Theme 2. It has some similarities to a few in-game tracks, but is very different for the most part.

[134340Goat 116]

Ah, thanks

 

That is indeed a pretty nice track. Wonder where it would have been used. Looking forward to seeing it implemented in Sle! Odd that the area music it gives is the box, which was originally for Sle. Can't help wondering if perhaps that other piece could have been for another area on the planet. Hm

[Sithspecter 909]

Another interesting thing that I noticed is that this concept art is associated with Korriban:

 

 

You can also see similar spires it in a skybox in a screenshot thumbnail on the Korriban page, which coincidentally still exists in the game's files:

 

[Revanator 60]

This is an incredible find. Good work. Lots of cool things to browse.

[134340Goat 116]

Hm. Maybe earlier ideas for the Valley of the Dark Lords

 

Also, this last one is interesting:

 

 

Seems this was reworked into Flurry, but I find it odd they considered attributes/stats being prerequisites, especially an odd-numbered attribute

[Fair Strides 510]

Hm. Maybe earlier ideas for the Valley of the Dark Lords

 

Also, this last one is interesting:

 

 

Seems this was reworked into Flurry, but I find it odd they considered attributes/stats being prerequisites, especially an odd-numbered attribute

That was probably because of the basis upon a tabletop DnD 3.5 system. A move such as this would require speed and control, so Dexterity makes sense.

 

In fact, I think we can actually add requirements like this. There's fields for the different attributes in the .2da files.

[Jango32 23]

I've been trying to get the kotor2 website to work for years using the archive. Has anyone had any luck getting the various tabs to work (ex: Game Info)?

[Sithspecter 909]

I tried to get the TSL website working on 3 different browsers, all with no luck.

[Kexikus 995]

Same for me. I tried yesterday after seeing these amazing discoveries but all I was able to get were the choice between light and dark followed by either Kreias or Sions voice line. But none of the tabs worked. The only thing I found is this website from before TSL was released but it's not exactly interesting

[Sith Holocron 2,480]

I also found an undiscovered piece of original music for download, which I plan on using on Sleheyron. Check out what's left here. There are also a large number of screenshots from both the PC and XBox versions, which were too numerous to upload here.

 

I'm interested to hear the discussion and see what other people are able to glean from the site.

I've been looking at this thread since it opened but didn't download the music until last night. I'll listen to it once I get home from work. I'll have to add it to my KOTOR playlist and give it a new name. (Any suggestions, Sithspecter?)

[Sithspecter 909]

I've been looking at this thread since it opened but didn't download the music until last night. I'll listen to it once I get home from work. I'll have to add it to my KOTOR playlist and give it a new name. (Any suggestions, Sithspecter?)

 

"Inside the Hutt Fortress"

[Domino5555 119]

I'm trying to install the screensaver. Can you guys lend a hand?

[N-DReW25 1,341]

I also found an undiscovered piece of original music for download, which I plan on using on Sleheyron.

The Area Theme 2 song sounds like an early theme for the Republic Kolto Station on Manaan but using it for Sleheyron is a good idea (Maybe it can be used for the Gladiator Arena Module)

 

 

 

Korriban

 

System: Horuset

Terrain: Canyons, desert

Species: Human

Language: Basic

Population: 25,000

Imports: Food, technology 

Exports: None

 

The unwary traveler arriving at the tiny spaceport of Dreshdae will only find a barren, forgotten backwater community of temporary settlements and crudely constructed shelters. Perhaps as the competent local mechanic services your ship, you might begin to sense that there is something else here, something festering. Soon you may start to hear things such as harsh voices slowly drifting through the thick air. Your heart will begin to beat faster, and your skin will begin to itch under your collar with the urge to climb back into your ship and leave this soulless place behind forever. Korriban is a graveyard of Sith Lords and a former power base of the Sith order. This is the cradle of darkness.

 

The spaceport is under the roof of the Czerka Corporation stronghold, the very center of power for the giant corporation run by President Pollard Seario. The city itself owes its existence to the power created by Czerka's generators. Perhaps Pollard seeks solace from his uncountable holdings in the vast emptiness of this world; perhaps he dreams of shadowy promises that ooze from the tombs of long dead Sith Lords. 

 

Within Dreshdae is the Sith monastery -- still teeming with those who would wish to join the Sith order. Its ominous halls resonate with the cries of anguish from those who are undeserving of the order's dark power. Their stay within its merciless walls is short, brutal and forgotten. 

 

For the very few who survive the Sith training and wish to complete their final rite of passage into the cold embrace of the Sith, they must face the Valley of the Dark Lords. Hundreds of ancient Sith sorcerers wait within the mausoleums. They lie in their dusty beds waiting to devour the weak and unworthy. The Valley seethes with the foul energy of a thousand restless spirits murmuring of sinister glories.

This bit on Korriban will be very useful for a mod I'm making.

[N-DReW25 1,341]

I also found an undiscovered piece of original music for download

Since that wasn't in Kotor 1's game files could that be used for a Kotor 2 TSL mod or can that still be considered as porting?

[VarsityPuppet 1,085]

Since that wasn't in Kotor 1's game files could that be used for a Kotor 2 TSL mod or can that still be considered as porting?

I doubt anyone would care if that music was used in either game.

[Hassat Hunter 571]

Heh, didn't know the piece of music I had on my disk for 4 years now was a big discovery for you guys. The location lives little to the imagination: mus_area_tup. Taris Upper.