New KotOR speedrun in 2 hours 6 minutes is now out!This is a new speedrun of the PC (also Xbox and Mac) game called "Star Wars - Knights of the Old Republic" on normal (default) difficulty. Read about my run on the
game page, and download it from the
KotOR Done Quick download page.
(You can read about the game itself on the
Wikipedia KotOR page.)
If you need help to decide which video quality to download, check out
this image. (Click on top of the picture if your browser shrinks it.) The image should demonstrate that if you want to be able to read every detail -- scores, dialogs, level-up screens -- and can afford the bandwidth, going below High quality is not recommended. Insane quality requires a recent system to play. However, if you know the game well but are bandwidth-challenged, you may benefit even from lower quality versions.
A blooper reel is now also available. Here are the direct download links to
archive.org and
speeddemosarchive.com.
I recommend that you watch the run first, and then read the rest of this post / topic.
If you haven't played Knights of the Old Republic, you should do that first, and then watch the run.
General infoKotOR is a great game with an enjoyable story line. For this speedrun however, I treated it as a complex math problem, measuring the effect of several decisions on run length, thus making it as short as I could. Final time is 2 hours 6 minutes, or 65% of the previous record.
I've used a high strength based Soldier / Guardian character. High strength makes fights faster because it helps with to-hit chances, *and* the damage you incur is greater. (High dexterity will help with defense as well as your to-hit, but won't increase the damage.) My main defense is the ability to quickly dispatch enemies so I don't have to defend myself for long.
Being a Guardian is useful because of force jump. Although the time saved is just a couple of seconds with each jump, they do add up and other classes don't have a similar advantage.
Starting as a Scout, rather than a Soldier, is another way which I tested a lot. I really wanted it to work because Scouts have more diverse abilities which save some time on Korriban. But the time saved is not much, and a Soldier fights noticeably more effectively, thus quickly, in the first half of the game. Furthermore, only a Soldier / Guardian can squeeze in *all* the relevant offensive feats if your final level is 13.
StatsMy stats as the game progresses are:
| Starting
stats | Final stats
at level 13 | Final stats w/
upgrades** |
| Strength | 18 | 21 | 33 |
| Dexterity | 14 | 14 | 17 |
| Constitution | 14 | 14 | 17 |
| Intelligence | 8 | 8 | 11 |
| Wisdom | 10 | 10 | 13 |
| Charisma | 8 | 8 | 11 |
**when confronting Malak: Knight valor, STR gloves, CNS belt, Hyper Adrenal STR stim all applied.
In KotOR, you can fight against enemies using weapons or force powers. I have experimented with force powers a lot. I started with 16 Wisdom and 14 Charisma, got all wisdom-increasing equipment (+10 Wisdom) and the offensive force powers still didn't make half the damage that my lightsaber did. Also, force powers are not very effective against bosses, and I do skip most other fights. So high strength was the way to go; I didn't find much use of offensive force powers. But of course I constantly use buffing powers like speed and valor.
AlignmentLight side. Although some of my choices are rewarded with dark side points, the run is certainly over 90% light, and I went for the light side ending.
On the one hand, I wouldn't have enjoyed the game if I did all sorts of mean things to the in-game people. I hate it when someone tries to treat me in a dark side manner in real life, so I simply don't play that way either. On the other hand, this attitude lets me use the lightside-only Solari crystal, the most powerful lightsaber upgrade in the game, which makes all fights after Korriban more effective.
LightsaberI use Bastila's yellow double blade. The reasons are obvious:
- it's available the moment I'm allowed to start using one
- it makes the best use of upgrades (crystals count double in such a weapon, compared to two separate sabers)
- it does more damage than the default single blade
- it's treated as a balanced weapon -- low off-hand penalty
It's slightly less powerful than a standard and a short lightsaber, but those would need double the amount of crystals and you don't have time in a speedrun to make detours hunting for upgrades that are away from your fast route.
Fighting styleIn KotOR, you have the choice of three fighting styles, in addition to default attack. According to the
KotOR Calculator, Flurry is more effective most of the time than Critical strike or Power attack. Even those times when it isn't, it doesn't lower defense as much as the other two. Furthermore, it is well suited to a double blade. For Critical strike to be as effective, I would need a short lightsaber (in addition to the default long single-blade) and special crystals -- these are too out of the way of a speedrunner's route, or they come too late in the game.
EquipmentThe two most valuable items I use are the CNS strength belt and the Stabilizer mask. CNS belt gives +2 Strength, and increases saves. The mask is really ugly (didn't mean to scare you there, sorry
), but it also increases saves, and more importantly, it protects from mind-affecting powers. Very useful.
These items cost a lot, that's why I invest into a few short detours on Taris which the previous speedrunners didn't.
Other than the above, I use various stims, the most important of which are the Hyper Adrenaline Strength and the Echani Battle Stimulant. I apply them before major fights and long series of battles. (Kids, don't try this at home; the in-game stims apparently make the characters stronger without side effects, while the real life things will just gradually make you stupid and sick
.)
As for shields, I occasionally use Yusani's dueling shield which according to the description, absorbs 100 points' worth of electrical and energy damage. (I have doubts about the electrical, you can see in the run that that doesn't work, probably a bug or inaccurate item description.)
Planet orderOnce you've been to Taris and Dantooine, you can visit Korriban, Manaan, Kashyyyk and Tatooine in any order you wish. After the third planet of your choice, you are taken to the Leviathan spaceship. My choice of order was affected by the high cost of necessary equipment. I had to go to Korriban first as that planet yields the most credits. Being at a low level helps start quests on that planet as well. Manaan is where that important item was bought, so that's second. Kashyyyk doesn't yield any useful items, so that's last. Tatooine is third, giving me the Krayt Dragon pearl, a powerful lightsaber upgrade before the Leviathan. This way, my lightsaber is finalized early, before I face Saul Karath & his gang, and Malak for the first time.
Further questions, comments, requestsIf you have a question about my run, and you tried but couldn't figure it out yourself, ask away. I'll reply as my time allows, as long as your question is respectful and not too obvious or redundant. Others may answer you as well. If you want to reference a scene in the run to ask about it, use the "Part (1-4) minutes:seconds" format. When you do, use the videos WITHOUT the game save / load screens (ie. don't use the Low quality MP4).
In my run, I have shared a bunch of new ideas, routes and shortcuts. I'm just as interested in learning from you: if you think I missed a chance to speed up the run significantly (and I'm not talking about correcting the obvious couple-second mistakes), please feel free to share your thoughts and shortcut suggestions in this topic. This would be my request.
In appreciation for watching my run, I put a little surprise in the final fight, a *punch* line if you will
. So that others may have the same experience as you, I ask that you don't reveal it. Thanks.
If you liked this run, you may want to check out my other effort in
the Hidden and Dangerous 2 forum topic. That run is now out and available for download.
There's a third project that you might be interested in: see the
X-Wing Alliance thread.
Cheers,
Thinkshooter
