Topic: The "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed" thread.

[Pugnate]

Been following this for a while. Only reason I didn't post about it was because it seemed to come for every possible platform except the PC. However lately there seems to be some good news in that regard.

WATCH IT IN ACTION AND LAUGH WITH GLEE!

Anyway firstly the game. Oh and George Lucas is working closely on this. I don't know how most of you take that, but I think it is a good thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Force_Unleashed

The game takes place between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. The player assumes the role of Darth Vader's secret apprentice. The player is sent across the galaxy to destroy the remaining Jedi.[2]

Story-wise, from interviews, demos, and concept art the following can be gleaned:

Haden Blackman is writing the story, which involves "delv[ing] deeper into Darth Vader's history."
Steve Sansweet confirmed that it will take place between Episode III and Episode IV, will feature both established and new characters, and its story "has some incredible revelations."
The demo shows a Star Destroyer in the sky over Naboo, although it was possibly only used to show off the graphics engine as opposed to reveal any plot.

Like the new Indiana game, this is going to be using the Digital Molecular Matter engine, which appears to be fantastic not only in terms of visuals, but interactivity.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/706/706019p1.html

The technology is called Digital Molecular Matter. With this sophisticated physics engine, Pixelux will help out both the Indiana Jones team and Star Wars team in making elements in environments react like they're supposed too. As Indiana fights with the precision of euphoria's combat animation, the world he inhabits will match his sophisticated movements. They're hoping to get walls to crumble properly when destroyed, glass to shatter when broken, and plants to sway as breezes blow around them. This project is boasting physics we've never seen. Instead of seeing wood pieces breaking into puzzle-like pieces, we should seem them splinter and shatter as real woods does. Everything from stretching rubber and crumbing stone should abide by the laws of real world physics.

http://ps3.ign.com/articles/705/705550p1.html

A Jedi force-pushes a couple of stormtroopers off an elevated platform (taking all the debris and objects around them along for the ride); a second Jedi leapt high into the air and slammed down to the ground with so much force that it created an enormous shockwave that knocked his enemies back with reckless abandon; another Jedi used his force powers to lift multiple stormtroopers in the air, and as they float about in different directions, their blasters fire off as they float helplessly in the sky... moments like those really had us interested, to say the least.

But that wasn't the most impressive moment. That honor belongs to the following scenario: a single stormtrooper investigates a shambled mess while wondering aloud what could have caused it. Then out of nowhere, a Jedi appears and raises the trooper off the ground with his force powers and slams him into the ground. As the Stormtrooper screams, the Jedi repeats his actions and then by the third lift crashes the armored clone horizontally into the bulkhead of a wrecked ship. In pain, the trooper tries his hardest to make the Jedi stop by grabbing onto a piece of metal protruding from the spacecraft... only to be pulled off of it (ship metal still in hand) for one final death blow. As this is happening, an Imperial TIE Fighter soars out of the sky firing at the Jedi -- and it's then that the stormtrooper is used as a human projectile and is thrown at the fighter causing a huge explosion. It was a great way to end the movie.

Amazing physics put to good use!

Our demo began in the corridors of a ship where two plywood boards sat undisturbed. The first board on the left represented the old way of doing object damage and material simulation, while the board on the right represented DMM. Right off the bat, an R2-D2 unit was hurled at the old board and in rather last-gen fashion it broke apart in a predictable canned manner. But then R2 was thrown at the new plywood board and it reacted exactly like boards we seen in real life do -- It splintered in multiple spots. But just as it works in the physical world, the splinters and damage to the board reacted to multiple things: the weight of the object thrown at it, its velocity, the distance of that object, and its direction all change the way the board reacts. This was shown to us over and over again with multiple boards, and proving the technology's value, was instantly reset (no load times at all) whenever the developers wanted.


This Pixelux demo shows how materials realistically. 
 
As we moved through the room, more physical and material reactions were shown to us using different elements. A stone statue with a crystal base was destroyed and manipulated, a pane of glass with Rebel attack plans was shattered, and various types of woods all reacted differently to the abuse that LucasArts was giving them. The funniest moment by far, though, was when we stumbled upon Jar Jar Binks frozen in carbonite. Not only was it a hilarious image, but it also allowed us to see what the engine could really do. Metal was bending and denting exactly as it was supposed to when struck; on-the-fly changes to other materials like rubber, crystal, ice, and jelly also brought about real-world reactions, and none of these results were scarified the framerate, lighting, or other visual goodies on bit.

The next room was a huge Jedi natural history museum with an enormous Rancor skeleton at its center. Again, the bones of the Rancor reacted just as you'd expect them to (as did the materials around it), and the game's attention to physics really showed off its stuff (we got a quick NaturalMotion AI display here as stormtroopers dangled and fought to maintain position as they fell from high places). What's interesting here is that because materials react so realistically, models have to be built like real-world objects are built too. Once the Rancor was turned to rubber, for instance, its physical properties didn't allow it to support its own weight -- something that bones have no problem doing.


The planet Felucia, deathbed to Aayla Secura, was entirely recreated. 
 
Our favorite section of the entire demo, though, was easily the final pit stop. As we moved through the end of the museum and broke through a stained glass window, it was revealed that we were on the planet of Felucia -- the same world where Aayla Secura (aka Hottie McBlue Boobs) was taken out near the end of Episode III. The amazing thing was that the world was recreated perfectly. Pollen swooshed through the air, flora swayed in the breeze and reacted to provocation, a star Destroyed flew through the sky, and little touches like glistening dew and other such effects made the world feel all the more real (at a very high resolution I might add). LucasArts even claimed that this world proves that LOD was a thing of the past -- as it has incorporated real-time object smoothing as part of the engine.

Also there have been tons of hints all over that this is coming to PC as well. Currently there is a very upset and angry thread about it not coming to PC:

http://forums.lucasarts.com/thread.jspa?threadID=120668&tstart=0

Anyway the INQ believes it will com to PC. Here is what Tom Francis of PC Gamer had to say:

link

Ever since an Activision rep hinted to us that a giant painting of a Star Destroyer crashing to the ground might be concept art for a new Jedi game, our brains have been quietly buzzing with the possibilities.

Then when Lucasarts demonstrated their new Materials technology by chucking R2D2 through plate glass and bashing up a lump of Carbonite, we knew it was true; they were openly toying with us. The title was finally revealed out this week, but it wasn't until today that they actually announced the details.

You play Vader's 'Secret Apprentice' - official title - and your job is the elimination of the Jedi. The biggest surprise is the implication that there'll only be four main force powers: Push, Grip, Repulse and Lightning. That may not suggest a lack of complexity, though - they're upgradable, and can be used in combination with interesting effects.

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Gripping an enemy in mid-air, for example, electrocuting him, then slamming him into the ground will actually cause him to explode. Three of these powers you'll probably be familiar with from the Jedi Knight games, though the destructable materials technology is going to let Lucasarts make them a lot more powerful this time round (hence, presumably, the title). Repulse is bound to be the uni-directional shockwave-style blast depicted in the concept art above left, presumably used to stun everyone in the room.

Another piece of concept art features a new type of lightsaber with a hilt in the shape the T-shaped tonfa batons often used by the police. Our favourite piece (left) - backed up by an explicit statement on the official site - shows that you'll actually be able to hurl enemies through walls with Force Push. Being Vader's apprentice, it seems, means becoming a hell of a lot more potent than poor old beardy Kyle Katarn ever was in the Jedi Knight series. Our brains are still buzzing, but now it's mostly about one nagging detail: it still hasn't been confirmed for the PC. Hinted - yes, suggested - strongly, inevitable - we think. We hope. Just not confirmed.

linky to INQ

Storytelling is the key
According to the hype, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a game that plans to break the pattern present in games of today: games that want to be "as realistic as possible." With Star Wars: TFU, main factor of the game is storytelling aspect, while utilising will be immersing the player into the world which is far more complex, and yet more interactive than any of the current-gen games.

The Story
The story takes place between Episode III and IV, with Darth Vader taking a secret apprentice that would one day take over his role and probably even replace Emperor Palpatine. This story will show an uncertain side of Darth Vader that was present during Episode III and in the end of Episode VI, his belief that his life is wasted serving dark side of the force. Redemption is the key aspect, but you will of course, be able to choose will you turn into a knight of light side, a Jedi or will join the ranks with the Sith.

DMM for a game? You must be kidding...
As you probably know, Lucas firm Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) uses a digital production system named DMM (Digital Molecular Matter), powered by servers and workstations running on AMD Opteron and Nvidia Quadro cards. The system consists of many different plugins, ending up in a multiple synchronised production pipeline that supports creation of movies, animated movies, TV shows and as of this game, computer games.

During the creation of The Force Unleashed, the team and ILM created several plugins for game production, which may be a sign of ILM's entry to the world of computer game creation. On the other hand, those plugins just might stay exclusive to LucasArts games.

Instead of being realistic with tons of gore, The Force Unleashed is a title that uses proprietary engine codenamed Ronin. This mixes Euphoria AI and Havok physics engine in order to create a virtual world with complete interactivity.

Some of the physics engine demos reminded us of upcoming PhysX-enabled Warmonger, but fell short in some other ways.

Graphics and physics are not the only things on the table. All of the motion capture and facial expressions were done by VFX crew from movie Pirates of The Caribbean, and the demos were impressive indeed. The Euphoria engine will generate a lot of interest for the gamers, because this fully autonomous bio-mechanical AI solved the problem of animating storm troopers and other NPCs (non-playing characters). The gamedev team promises that no animation is ever the same, since the characters should react differently every time an interaction happens.

[iPPi]

This could be good...

Star Wars games have generally been hit or miss.  The Jedi Knight and KOTOR series are a hit, but most of the other ones have generally been a miss.

This looks like pretty good.

[TheOtherBelmont]

I'm looking forward to this game, too bad it got delayed till Q2 2008.  Everything is in place to make a really cool game, I'm hoping they just don't fuck it up.

[Xessive]

I'm looking forward to this game, too bad it got delayed till Q2 2008.  Everything is in place to make a really cool game, I'm hoping they just don't fuck it up.

Yep, that's pretty much how I feel. Definitely looks fun so far!

[Quemaqua]

I'm pretty much completely and utterly sick of Star Wars and anything associated with it.  I think I really just kinda' hate the franchise in general now.  There's a lot to it, but I find it really soulless.  I dunno'... just the last 5 or 6 years seem to have really killed my interest in it.

[Pugnate]

I am changing your name from Captain Angry to Captain Thread Killer. 

[Quemaqua]

How about Captain Buzzkill?   

And I apologize.  Um... go Star Wars?

[Pugnate]

haha I like Buzzkill.

Anyway I've seen a lot of pieces of concept art that worry me:



It worries me because it looks so 'hip'. It looks like Star Wars 90210.

[Jedi]

All I can say is I better see some deformable environments I wanna be able to rip up the floors anywhere on any level, I want the walls to buckle or completely give way when I force push a helpless storm trooper into one. Otherwise I really don’t see the point, its all been done before.

[gpw11]

New video about the tech behind the game.


But why haven't they announced a PC release date yet?  Don't tell me I'm going to have to go buy a 360 or PS3.

[Jedi]

I've read the latest preview and I'm interested now!

[Pugnate]

There is a massive thread on the lack of a PC version on the Lucas forums. PC gaming is being abandoned by a lot of publishers.

[gpw11]

I think it's because some people refuse to buy games with less than 6 hours of gameplay.  YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE

[Cobra951]

No!  It's all my fault!  I gotta HIDE!   

[Pugnate]

haha... I wish the answer was that simple.

[Cobra951]

That looks very cool.  But will the game live up to the tech?

[Jedi]

That looks very cool.  But will the game live up to the tech?

Yeah they are talking it up I see this game failing to live up to the hype, but I hope it does it's been a while since I've last played a good Star Wars game.

[iPPi]

While this game _looks_ pretty damn amazing, so far it's just a tech demo.  I'd like to see some storyline.

[Xessive]

Just based on what we've seen so far and we've been told to expect I'm really looking forward to this!

[gpw11]

The game takes place between Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and, according to Steve Sansweet, "has some incredible revelations."[5] The player assumes the role of "Darth Vader's secret apprentice". The player is sent across the galaxy to destroy the remaining Jedi.[6] The story is both a continuation of the prequel trilogy - exploring the aftermath of Order 66 and focusing on the continued evolution of Darth Vader - and a direct bridge between original films. [7]

Not all that detailed, but it's a Star Wars game.   The plot is basically just there to justify you going wild and pushing people through buildings. 

But really, I think I might pick up a 360 or PS3 in the very near future, and this might be one of the reasons.  I know the wii is an option, but that will by far be the worst version of the game from the looks of it and this probably won't be the last time that's going to happen.  The question is which one should I get?

[Pugnate]

The only reason I hold out on a 360 is the whole red ring of death thing. But I love that controller, while the PS3 one is too small for me (yes ha ha), and hurts my hands.

[gpw11]

I'd go 360 as well, but I'm also holding out for pretty much the same reason.  Well, that and the fact that the PS3 is almost as cheap now and it looks like it might be dropping again in the near future.

The games are another issue entirely.  Any game that's fully cross platform, I'd rather play on my PC.  Beyond that, a lot of games are on both the pc and the 360.  PS3 might be a better bet for what I'd be looking for in a console (sports, platformers, maybe some jrgps, and the occasional action game that doesn't hit the PC).

[Pugnate]

Pretty much my reasoning as well GPW.

[gpw11]

Oh, you're still here?  Why?

[Pugnate]

hahaha..

I am saying my goodbyes?

[gpw11]

Look, if you really want to stay around that's fine.  We appreciate  your personal investment in what you do here.  All we need is a little token to prove to us where your loyalties lie.  Like, say.....the pinkie finger of the editor who ran your story at the other site.  That'll do nicely. 




And remember Pug, either we mount his finger on the conference wall or we mount yours. 

[Pugnate]

So how about that new Star Wars game? Looking good eh?

[gpw11]

From some article a few months ago:

Finally we have a confirmed reason for why The Force Unleashed will not be released for PC. The producer of Force Unleashed, Cameron Suey, in an interview with Videogamer.com, stated that it would be too hard to develop a game which could satisfy both killer gaming rigs and outdated ones.

“The PC being the gaming platform that it is, someone with a $4,000 high-end system would definitely be able to play the Euphoria, the DMM and really technical elements of the game. But someone with a low-end PC would have a watered down experience, they would have to turn all the settings down and it wouldn’t be the same game,” Suey said.

One might ask why not give the PC version a more scaled down version of the game so that it would reach a wider install base, well Suey says that would not be taking advantage of what the $4,000 rigs can do, so “it’s going to be not as good or only for a select few people.”

However don’t get too down as Suey did have some good things to say about the PC in LucasArt’s future. “That said we’re definitely not out of the PC market. It’s just with our choice for this game, with the known quantity for the consoles, and every console is the same with the same processing power, it made sense for us to develop for those consoles.”

They will however develop it for the iPhone, DS, PSP, PS2, and Ngage as well as all the major consoles. 

[PyroMenace]

I really wasnt that interested in the game till I saw some videos from E3. The physics stuff seem neat but its not really what makes me care about the game. It just looks like God of War with Star Wars skin over it, which I could get into.

[scottws]

Sounds like a pretty lame excuse.  I mean isn't that what PC games usually are like?

[Xessive]

Sounds like a pretty lame excuse.  I mean isn't that what PC games usually are like?

Seriously. If that is indeed their concern then they can do what M$ has done with Gears and Halo: 1-2 year delayed release. Wait until the average PC racks up with the game's reqs.

[MysterD]

PC Version announced, which will be called...
Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Ultimate Sith Edition.
Will come with extra content -- three extra SP missions.

EDIT:
More info on the new levels.
Two of the levels are the DLC from the console version.
One level is a brand new Hoth level.

Console versions (PS3 and X360) will get a re-release of this game with all this extra content, as well.

[Pugnate]

[Quemaqua]

haha, my thoughts exactly.  I was waiting for Pug to chime in.

[MysterD]

Hmmm...does this mean Pug will not bargain bin this for $5 when it gets cheap enuff (on the PC)?

Oh, Pug -- did you play this on the consoles already?

[Pugnate]

Not yet.

[MysterD]

System Requirements for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed - Sith Edition for the PC.

The PC requirements follow:

Minimum System Requirements
    * Operating System: Windows XP SP3, Windows Vista SP2. Windows 7
    * CPU Processor: 2.4 GHz Dual Core Processor (Intel Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon X2)
    * Memory: 2 GB RAM
    * Hard Disk Space: 23.8 GB + 1 GB Swap File
    * Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
    * Video Card: 3D Hardware Accelerator Card Required -- 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible 256 MB Video Memory with Shader 3.0 support
    * Video Card (ATI): Radeon HD 2900
    * Video Card (Nvidia): Geforce 8800
    * Media Required: 8X DVD-ROM drive
    * Windows XP/Vista compatible mouse and keyboard or Microsoft Xbox 360 Wired Controller

This product does not support Windows 95/98/ME/2000/NT.

Recommended System Requirements
    * Intel Core 2 Duo 2.8 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 Dual-Core 5200+
    * 512 MB 3D Hardware Accelerator Card
    * Video Card (ATI): Radeon HD 4870
    * Video Card (Nvidia): Geforce 9800 GT
    * Memory: 2 GB RAM

NOTICE: Some 3D accelerator cards with the chipset listed here may not be compatible with the 3D acceleration features utilized by Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Please refer to your hardware manufacturer for 100% DirectX compatibility.

Supported Desktop Chipsets
    * ATI RADEON HD 2900, 3850, 3870, 4850, 4870
    * NVIDIA GEFORCE 8800, 9600, 9800, 260, 280

[iPPi]

Still can't justify picking this game up based on its reviews... I'll have to either rent it or wait for it to hit real bargain bin prices.

[idolminds]

Hard Disk Space: 23.8 GB + 1 GB Swap File

WTF?

[MysterD]

Hard Disk Space: 23.8 GB + 1 GB Swap File

WTF?

Yuh, I couldn't believe the HD requirements at first, either.