TheForce.Net - Video Games - Jedi Academy

Interviews
In chronological order, newest at the top.

ComputerAndVideoGames.com
August 21, 2003: In what ways are you building on Jedi Outcast with Jedi Academy, from a technical standpoint?
Fuchs: It's funny how we've commented a lot internally that Jedi Outcast was really the prototype for Jedi Academy. Now that the engine is complete, Raven was able to focus on expanding on the technology and gameplay elements, such as more detailed levels, fully customizable characters, and more complex animations. Overall, they've beefed up the Ghoul II animation system, added the Infinite Model Modification system, and doubled the poly counts on all level geometry. Put in simpler terms, the game looks and plays more "real" than any other Star Wars game on the market.
The Jedi Academy
August 2, 2003: Will the special moves in Jedi Academy be executed by a series of small moves like in Jedi Outcast, or will they execute at the touch of a button?
The special moves are executed similarly to those you?re used to, though there are many more moves to choose from. We have put a lot of work into making the control scheme as intuitive as possible.
JK2Files
July 25, 2003: 2. Even though JK2 models will work in JK3, there are more sophisticated JK3 models, right? Modeling for JK3, I suspect will be a slightly more advanced process, right?
Well, no, not if you don't want it to be. We did do stuff to make our models look better in JA: we raised the poly count, did higher-res skins (I think), added multiple passes in some cases (specular), added the ability to have multiple legs/torso/head models in one model (for the customizable player models), added clothing/skin tinting (for further customization), etc. But we kept the model format the same, so it should be just as easy to make models for JA as it was for JK2.
GameGossip.com
July 10, 2003: GG: What are the Force powers of the game?
KH: The Force powers in Jedi Academy are?Jump, Push, Pull, Speed, Sense, Absorb, Heal, Mind Trick, Protection, Drain, Grip, Lightning and Rage. Additionally, in multiplayer, you have Team Heal and Team Energize.
TheForce.net
June 11, 2003: TFNG: Can you explain the interface seen in the recent screenshots?
KH: On the left side of the screen, the green bar and green number represents your personal shield level, if any. The red arc and red number on the left represent your health. On the right, the outside blue arc and number represent your force power/energy. The orange number represents your ammo count for your in view weapon.. The inside blue arc shows what saber style you?re using?fast, medium or strong, represented by the darker arc/icon inside the arc. With vehicles and/or Tauntauns, the stats in the middle represent health or shield, weapon information and ammo levels.
GalacticHunter.com
June 3, 2003: Can you explain how the selection of mission works (i.e. the non linear story setup)?
Luke and Kyle will send the player on missions or exercises that will further his or her Jedi training. The player will be presented with a series of missions to choose from, and can complete them in any order they wish. The player will chose the mission they want to undertake, the force power they want to train in, and the weapons they want to bring with them. They can complete all of the missions available to them, or skip some (but at the cost of the ability to train in more force powers). Some of the missions involve the overall story that flows through the game, and some of them are more episodic adventures. At certain points the player will advance in the Jedi Academy hierarchy, and new missions will become available too them.
GameSpy
April 28, 2003: GameSpy: If you're frustrated and can't beat a mission, will you be able to quit that one and choose another?
Les Dorscheid: Yeah.
Christopher Foster: And, by the time you're done, it will all form a story.
Les Dorscheid: You can do missions: 1, 2, 4, 3, and you'll still conclude with a satisfying ending.
GamesDomain.com
April 2, 2003: GD: One of the reasons for that is that you're kind of moving in a new direction, you said? This is the first in the series that doesn't feature Kyle Katarn as the lead character. So what can you tell us on the basic storyline?
GF: You can create your own character who is a student at the Jedi Academy training to become a Jedi Knight, so you're going to work with Kyle and Luke. As you saw in Episode 1, the Jedi train by going out in the field, with more experienced Jedi, and working various missions. That's the loose structure of what the player is going to be doing. All these missions form a larger story that will flow through the entire game.