Bradford HaleStar Wars: Blades of Discontent (Pitch)

A PitchBy Bradford Hale

The execution of Order 66 has left the Jedi Order all but eliminated. The noble Jedi fortunate enough to have survived 66 have been slain, turned to the Dark Side, or have fled to the dark reaches beyond Republic Space. It is during this time that the evil Emperor Palpatine promotes his High Inquisitor, Antinnis Tremayne, to the commander of the armada that is exterminating the remaining Jedi, while he and Lord Vader keep watch over their prized super-weapon, the Death Star. Tremayne takes on two apprentices during this time - Rishto Malazach, a fiery and menacing Zabrak, and Talen, a wise and adept lightsaber prodigy. The two apprentices did not get along, but they made a brilliant team. Rishto's brooding figure and intimidating demeanor, combined with Talen's lightning-swift and deadly lightsaber flashes were enough to remove any obstacle, and they were a favored team among the Sith leaders. Tremayne was highly respected among his superiors, in no small part due to the training his students had received.It was due to a fated mission that the two were sent on that Talen was showed that his path was not the one he had been fated to walk. The two had been sent to a small human village on Cato Neimoidia, where it was rumored that a Jedi was being protected. They scoured the village, asking everyone where the Jedi was being held, threatening them with death and worse, but none would betray him. The Jedi was eventually found hiding in his home with his wife and son. The Jedi surrendered finally, asking that his family not be killed because of his actions. He came outside into the open, where Rishto prepares to fight while Talen restrains the Jedi's wife. The Jedi is killed very quickly, and the report of success is forwarded to Tremayne, who then declares that the Jedi's wife and son are a liability. He declares that they know too much, and therefore must be killed as well. Rishto raises his blade to strike down the Jedi's son, but his blade is deflected by Talen's. He says that he will not allow the innocents to die. Rishto calls him a traitor, and the two begin to clash blades. Their fight lasts a long while, and Talen begins to gain the upper hand. Talen, not wishing to kill the closest thing to a friend he has, finally pushes him into a wall, knocking him unconscious. Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader had come to oversee the progress of the situation, and Tremayne gladly agrees to take them down to the planet surface, where they arrive just in time to see Talen defeat his counter-part. Palpatine orders Tremayne to take action against his student, and Tremayne ignites his lightsaber, and he and Talen begin to duel. The duel moves out onto a platform overlooking the water, where Tremayne overpowers Talen, and impales him through the stomach. Talen's wounded body falls off the platform, hundreds of feet into the water below.A Zeltron woman by the name of Deia, along with her companion, Saryyssk, are performing a smuggling operation in the city below, when they hear a great splash from the water near them. A large group of people gather to witness Talen's near-lifeless body floating on top of the water. The local doctor bandages the wound, and says that he is still alive, but unconscious. Deia feels a strange connection to him, and decides to take him with her. As Talen is being carried onto their ship, Tremayne comes into view, attempting to scour the waters below for Talen's body. He yells for them to halt, but the ship takes off quickly. Tremayne orders Rishto to follow the trio and bring Talen back, to which Rishto immediately agrees...

Talen - Talen is the main character of the game, and the one that the player takes control of. He was just a baby when the Sith bombarded his home planet. The Sith Lord in charge of its destruction found him crying amongst the rubble of the town; the sole survivor of a massacre. He would have killed him without hesitation, but he detected the force running through him with such an alarming intensity, that he decided to take him. High Inquisitor Tremayne was given the task of watching over young Talen, and raising him. At first, Tremayne was skeptical about the child. He had already been given custody of another child 2 years ago, and he did not want to be given another. When he met the young Talen, however, he, too, found the child's sensitivity to the force disturbingly strong, and decided to make an exception. Rishto Malazach - Rishto is a Zabrak native to the planet Iridonia. It was believed that he was the son of a Zabrak noble who was slain in the Stark Hyperspace War in 44 BBY, though no Malazach's were on record to have participated. Custody was given to Tremayne when the child was approximately a year old, when The Sith Lord decided it was time to take on an apprentice. Rishto has been trained well. He is a brash, fiery student that does not shy from conflict, and it has even been noted by Emperor Palpatine, himself, that he has the makings of a leader of the Sith in him. He has been raised as one of Tremayne's right hands, and excels in all forms of combat. He and Talen did not get along well growing up. Rishto always chided Talen with accusations that he was too reserved, and didn't rely enough on anger to power his use of the force. Upon Talen's dissention on the planet Cato Neimoidia, Rishto is the first to attempt pursuit.Tremayne - High Inquisitor Antinnis Tremayne is a Sith Lord of terrible power, and the master of both Talen and Rishto. He was initially trained by the Jedi Dav Kylanu, and was later a padawan of Darth Vader. When his master was slain by the Sith, he was taken by enemy troops and held for a time. He was taken to the planet Byss with other Jedi's-in-training, where he was recruited by Vader to be a founding member of the new division of Imperial Intelligence, the Inquisitorius. It was with his new employment that he fell to the dark side. After the execution of Order 66, and the extermination of the Jedi Order, Palpatine gave Tremayne the honor of taking control of the remaining Jedi situation, whilst he and Vader concentrated on their new super-weapon, the Death Star.Deia Mordelayne - Deia is a Zeltron Bounty Hunter and occasional Smuggler loyal to the Republic. She was born in the Slums of Kor Vella, on the planet Corellia, and it was there where she learned how to be street-savvy and self-reliant. She has a slender physique, jade-green eyes, her skin is a medium shade of red, and her shoulder-length hair is a darker variant of blue. Because of her strange appearance, most male humans find her extremely attractive. Her parents were gangsters, and because of this, she was raised in a lifestyle not befitting for a child. By the time she was 12, she was already deadly with a blaster. Her parents, unfortunately, delved too deep into a criminal organization, and they were betrayed and killed by an assassin for a rival clan, who was posing as a spy. Deia was 14 when this occurred, and she was immediately forced to live on the streets. She was taken in by a Twi'lek crime lord named Melo Shaal, who took care of her, in exchange for her blaster arm. From then on, she worked as a favored contract killer on outlying fringe worlds. One fateful contract sent the late-teenaged Deia back to her home planet, to the city of Kolene, where a thriving mining colony existed. It was there where she befriended Saryyssk, a great reptilian alien of unknown origin. The two became inseparable friends, and even today, the two have hardly left each other's sides.Saryyssk - Saryyssk is a massive reptilian alien that Deia Mordelayne befriended on the planet Corellia. He stands well over eight feet tall, and his massive body is covered with burnt-red scales. His face juts out in a massive reptilian snout, and his thick tail is over five feet long. When Deia bore witness to several slave drivers torturing the great beast with electro-poles, she jumped to intervene. The slavers, surprised by her intervention, rushed to engage her, foolishly leaving the great beast alone. Saryyssk, seeing someone show compassion regarding his plight, mustered the strength to break out of his wrist-chains, and he strangled two of them with his bare hands in a matter of seconds. Once the remaining slavers had been dealt with, Saryyssk thanked her for her aid, and the two of them decided to work together to survive in the messy Outer Rim. Saryyssk speaks only in deep growls and hisses, and prefers to let Deia speak for him. He acts as Deia's loyal bodyguard, and is willing to take a blaster bolt at any time for her. With his brute strength and terrifying appearance, combined with Deia's quick tongue and even quicker blaster arm, they make an exceptional team.

Darth Acris (365 lines) A deranged Kel'Dor, Acris labels himself as the "next stage" of Sith Evolution. Branded insane even by his own superiors, he lost his ability to speak verbally after being choked with the force to an extremely violent degree. Driven by Sith power, he taught himself to speak telepathically, as well as control the minds of his victims."You Jedi believe that you are stronger in the force; that you can use it to ...shield your mind. I probed him. I found his mind swirling beneath his shield of faith ...and I snatched it. Felt it squirming like a worm. And then I broke it. It opened to me, molded to mine. And that night, when the doors to the younglings' quarters opened, it was he that finished what we began."Melo Shaal (35 lines)Melo Shaal is a Twi'lek gangster native to the planet of Corellia. He owns a vast amount of the underground gangs of the planet, and is extremely dangerous. When Deia was orphaned at the age of 14, Melo took her in. An extremely smart and conniving crimelord, Melo forged Deia into one of the sharpest blaster-wits on the planet."Welcome home, Deia....don't look so surprised, my dear. I knew you were on the way here before you were 50 million miles near the planet's atmosphere." Soothsayer Rae'uln (25 lines)Rae'uln is the wise woman of the Morgulin tribe of the Dathomir Nightsisters. Draped in animal bones and tattered robes, she claimed to know of Talen's future, and communicates to him through terrifyingly accurate visions. She also teaches Talen of the power of "Grey" Jedi, and begins his training as such. "These ...'Jedi' and 'Sith'. They betray The Force - they squander the power that they are given by choosing an extreme to the spectrum. We cannot know of the power of The Force without experiencing both sides, first."VIPAN (75 lines)VIPAN, or Virtual Interactive Processing and Navigation, is the VI, or Virtual Intelligence, aboard Vader's Class 720 Freighter, The Andromulus. When Talen and company hotwire the ship and elude capture, VIPAN helps them to navigate the starship they are on-board. VIPAN is extremely cold, calculating, mocking of all sentient life, and totally convinced of it's own cerebral superiority."We are now sitting at a calming 120 kph. Looking out of your starboard window, you will see the verges of the Maelstrom nebula. I advice staying clear of it's exterior - lesser sentient creatures would be cooked by the cloud's positive-charged nebular fields. ...Did that sound pompous?"Mishka The Hutt (25 lines) Mishka The Hutt is a crimelord of the Hutt race. He is encountered by the trio upon the planet Kessel. His intentions are never revealed, but he is obviously no friend of the gang, and plans on smuggling them to the Sith Forces for the hefty bounty placed upon them."Ho ho ho ho ...for the amount of credits they're are asking for you three, I'll be able to buy my own planet! I would make it easy on yourself, and let us take you alive."Darth Lelthin (5 lines)Lelthin, a deranged Chiss, is the sole-surviving member of Acris's Padawans. He is brash and conceited, and jumps at the chance to ambush the trio."Welcome to my parlor, friends. Here, I orchestrate my own musics and ideas. Won't you stay and enjoy my next piece?"Morlus Kerenil (25 lines)Morlus is a Trandoshan "doctor", and resides on the planet Ryloth, where he experiments on plague victims. Claiming to be researching for the greater good, countless bodies litter the rooms of his establishment."What? How could I have miscalculated? It must have been a decimal in the wrong place. I knew I should have double-checked the dosage! ...Oh, well. I still have many more bodies to test it on, but I'm not sure what to do about the ooze growing uncontrollably on the appendages." Sedhid Kralvin (30 lines)Sedhid is a Sullustan pilot loyal to the Republic. Loud, spontaneous and alittle eccentric, he helps the trio navigate the planet Ryloth, and locate the lost Jedi catacombs."Where did this drebble learn to drive? (screaming out the window) Echutaaaaaa!"Waalus (5 lines)Waalus is a Weequay thug, and Mishka The Hutt's lieutenant. A giant scar glides down the right side of his face, and his finger always seems to be on the trigger of his EE3 carbine. "Move along, blinker. His Lordness doesn't want any distractions during his feeding."Rema (25 lines)Rema is a female Rodian gangster, and Melo Shaal's right hand. When Deia returns to Kor Vella to find her mentor, Rema is not overly impressed. She is not keen on losing her spot as number 2, which immediately creates animosity between the two."I learned many years ago to never trust Zeltrons. They'll stab you in the back as soon as look at ya. You aren't any different, honey." Boorun (15 lines)Morlus's Gamorrean assistant is not the "brainiest" of the green-skinned brutes. He is very nonchalant and carefree, doing whatever Morlus says. However, if someone comes between his master and his work, his eyes go red, and he lets loose a horrid battle-cry that would turn blood cold."*snort* Morlus say 'you' *snort* 'die, now, ok?'"Commander Lenus Brolick (5 lines)Brolick is an Imperial Commander in service of Tremayne. He is the first "boss" that the trio come up against."How did I know you would betray us at the first issue of real orders? What does that matter now ...You're going back to Tremayne in chains, whether you want to, or not."Kaja Zjrolo (5 lines)Kaja, the eldest Zjrolo brother, is a Twi'lek gangster attempting to steal the Andromulus while the trio are docked on the planet Rakata Prime. Quiet and sinister, his eyes always dart around, scanning for anything that could be considered a threat."Where'd you find the starship? Looks like a fine investment. What do you say you let us have it?"Miardun Zjrolo (5 lines)Miar, younger of the Zjrolo brothers, is insane, squinty-eyed, and trigger happy. His mouth is almost always in a cruel sneer, as if he finds comedy in almost everything."Credits? HA! We didn't say we wanted to 'buy your ship', you nerf herder. We said we wanted to 'have your ship.'"Kolene Spaceport Official (5 lines)This poor spaceport guard is trusted with the regulation of ships passing in and through the port. He is not paid enough to care about his job, and he looks to his side as if he's in pain."Alright, alright! You don't have to pay to dock! Just put your laser stick away! Sith's blood..."

SW: BoD takes place in a vast array of worlds that have yet to be explored in great detail. Such planets include Corellia, Dathomir, Byss, and many others. Depending on the storyline, and what game in the trilogy you're playing, such planets may be very different. There might be a point where the player is in one town searching for someone, and no one knows who he is, which gives him an excuse to walk around in the open. There might be other occasions where the player has to operate in the shadows, or at night. Each planet in the game will look and feel very different. They are designed to translate the mood and atmosphere to the player, to tell them where they are, without necessarily using words. Corellia, for example, is a lush, colonized, Republic-friendly planet where the overall atmosphere isn't very hostile for the player. The main characters fly to this planet seeking a friend of Deia's, who might be able to hide the characters for a time, and give them vital information about what they're up against. The people on this planet are more likely to understand the player's plight, and, depending on how the player treats the people there, are more likely to defend him, should Imperials track him down. This planet is a "Hub" world, a world which has a place where the player can hide in plain sight, explore, and continue their business without fear of a hostile situation; a "safe zone" of sorts. Hub Worlds typically have a Hub area where the player starts, or where they spend most of their time. They also have guards that patrol the city, especially from the dangers outside.Dathomir is a planet that has lush landscapes, vast, blue waters, and a peaceful atmosphere. However, only about 10% of the planet has been colonized by humans, which leaves the other 90% in the hands of the dreaded Witches of Dathomir, a sect of barbaric force-sensitive women who have managed to tame mighty Rancors. Talen is drawn to this planet because of a vision he receives from a witch named Rae'uln. This planet features a hub-like town where the player lands their ship, but the city has no guards to keep out ravaging rancors. This means that if the player sets foot outside the walls, gets ambushed by 35 rancors, and attempts to run back to the city for help, he will get none. Because of this, the planet cannot be known as a "Hub World", but a world that I like to call a "Sub-Hub". This form of Hub has no guards, but has stores, homes, and areas where the Plot can still be forwarded. Byss sits in the dark center of the universe. It is a planet that has a firm choke-hold placed on it: that of the Dark Side. It literally covers the entire planet, and has even seeped deep into the earth and tainted it. Emperor Palpatine had a massive citadel on the planet, and the Sith energies have never left. It was on this planet that Tremayne became an Inquisitor, and it is upon this planet that Talen and Co. are captured and brought. This is an example of a planet devoid of Hubs, where the player never has a safe-zone to hide in. The dangers on this planet are inescapable, save for outrunning, and if there are settlements, then they won't be very big, and will have no effect on enemies that are found in the world. They are, essentially, useless pieces of architecture that have the sole meaning of advancing plot, and on rare occasions.

Event I - The Exodus of Talyn (Game One)Synopsis - This event begins the game. Talyn and his adopted brother Rishto have been sent to the planet Cato Meimoidia. They hunt for a wayward Jedi who is rumored to be hidden there. After finding him, the two Sith drag him into the street, away from his wife and daughter, and execute him. After his execution, High Inquisitor Tremayne - their adopted father and master - then declares that the Jedi's wife and daughter are a liability, and must also be made an example of. Talyn, shocked at this order, force-pushes Rishto into a building to prevent him from following that order. Rishto lies unconscious, and Tremayne finds out what happened. He and Talyn begin to clash lightsabers - master versus apprentice. Their duel lasts much longer than both of them anticipated, and their duel ends up on a stone catwalk overlooking the blue oceans below. There, Tremayne overpowers Talyn, and impales him through the stomach. His body slumps off the side of the rails, and plummets down into the water. Discovering his near-lifeless body laying on the shore, Deia Mordelayne and her reptilian companion, Saryyssk, manage to carry him aboard their ship, and nurse him slowly back to life. How he managed to survive, no one knows.Importance - This particular canon in the trilogy sets up the story for the entire first game. We have the trio of Talyn, Deia, and Saryyssk, fleeing across the galaxy, evading Imperial involvement, and hiding from Rishto, who is under orders to find them and bring them back. This also defines each member of the cast's behavior - Talyn is methodical and cold at times, but knows his limits, Tremayne is harsh and cruel, Rishto is abrasive and angry, Deia is cunning and yet caring, and Saryyssk is masculine and intimidating, with a good heart.Event II - Capture on Corellia (Game One)Synopsis - After the trio's defeat of Imperial Commander Lenus Brolick upon the planet Corellia, they decide it is best to vacate the area, to prevent any Imperial entanglements with the Republic civilians there. Before they can leave, however, they are captured by a not-so-friendly face - Rishto's. They take the trio captive, after decommissioning Deia's ship. They are brought to an Imperial Corvette holding position above the planet's surface - one belonging to Darth Vader, himself. Managing to escape, in no small part due to Saryyssk literally bending the bars of his electro-cell, the trio collect their things, and fight through the guards to the docking bay. Discovering that their ship is still on Corellia, Deia manages to hotwire the nearest ship she could commandeer - one that just happens to be Vader's Class 720 Freighter, The Andromulus.Importance - This is the first time that we really get to see the importance of each character in the party - Saryyssk bends through the electric bars of his cell, Deia hotwires one of Vader's own ships, while Talyn deflects blasters with his lightsaber and shields his friends. This also represents the start of the non-linear story arc - the trio has commandeered a ship, and can now make visits to the limited amount of planets available for exploration.Event III - Rae'Uln's Visions (Game One and Two)Synopsis - Shortly after the trio's departure with Vader's ship, Talyn begins to receive visions from a hooded figure upon the planet Dathomir. Various people flash in his mind, as well as events and voices. In order to understand these visions, Talyn and company venture to the planet Dathomir. There, they meet with a particularly strange group of natives known as The Nightsisters. These witches of the lands were Dark Side users, but not in the same way as The Sith. One particular Nightsister "Priestess" named Rae'Uln matches Talyn's mental images of the woman speaking to him, and the two discuss Talyn's future and her visions. There, she teaches Talyn about the Dark and Light Sides, and how they are both "broken". She then begins Talyn's teachings as a Grey Jedi, one who follows their own path, without being known as a true Jedi or Sith. Rae'Uln stays with Talyn, mentally, and occasionally offers insight into situations, as well as teaching him new powers.Importance - This event is more important than Talyn realizes. Not only does it define what a Grey Jedi is and does, but it begins Talyn's official training as such. He has much to unlearn from his cruel Sith masters, and his training with The Nightsisters almost brings him peace. However, Rae'Uln harbors a dark secret, one that goes with her to her grave in the Second game, after Darth Acris murders her. It is heavily hinted at in Talyn's last meeting with her that she is, in fact, Talyn's mother.Event IV - The Assassination of Tremayne & The Rise of Darth Acris (Game Two)Synopsis - Rishto's many failures to capture the trio have not gone unnoticed. After a particularly miraculous escape, Rishto is berated and scarred by Tremayne. Not only is Tremayne furious at Rishto, but he also nearly kills him by throwing Force Lightning at him, as well as throwing him into walls repeatedly. The repercussions of this - Rishto becomes very agitated. Following this event, Rishto orchestrates a brilliant event culminating in the player getting a chance to play Rishto as he brutally assassinates Tremayne ...in lovely, gory detail. After Rishto assassinates Tremayne, he declares himself the new High Inquisitor. Unfortunately, the higher-ups don't approve, and issue an order for Rishto's death. Rishto, discovering this, leaves Tremayne's flagship immediately, wanted by the entire Imperial Armada. The only person he can go to that would trust him enough ...is Talyn.Immediately preceding his death, Tremayne enlists the aid of a brutal Kel'Dor Sith Lord by the name of Darth Acris. This Sith Lord is branded insane even by his own superiors, and suffers from the inability to speak verbally, resulting from being force-choked to an extreme degree by a rival Sith Lord. Instead, he used his Sith Powers to teach himself how to speak telepathically, and inflict great turmoil in the minds of his victims. His most noteworthy accomplishment - obliterating the Dantooine Jedi Temple by corrupting the mind of the Jedi Master, and commanding him to kill everything inside.With Tremayne dead, and Rishto wandering the stars searching for Talyn, full control of the situation now lies with Acris...Importance - This event is one of the two most dramatic plot twists in the Game Trilogy, the other being the ending. These events immediately precede the transition between Games Two and Three, and succeed in twisting the plot in a complete circle! Rishto ends up finding Talyn, and travels as a fourth member of the team, while Darth Acris begins his twisted plot to kill both Talyn and Rishto. We have spent two game plots building up Tremayne's evil behavior, and now with Darth Acris, we have someone three times as evil and terrifying.Event V - The End & The Birth of The Alliance (Game Three)Synopsis - After meeting Bail Organa on the planet Kessel, Talyn suggests that someone needs to stand up to The Imperials, and take control. He, along with Rishto and Bail, begins to orchestrate a plan to form a league of individuals who could lead just such an insurrection. Bail agrees, telling them that he knows of one Jedi named Galen Marek that also shares their dream of a world without The Empire. Talyn leaves Organa with the forming of such an association, and says that he and Rishto would soon return to help form this group, but first, he had to deal with Acris.The foursome then lures Acris's flagship to the planet Rakata Prime, where a team of Republic soldiers were waiting. The group boards the ship, and begins to orchestrate the destruction of the ship by planting a bomb in the ship's reactor core. The republic soldiers are almost immediately wiped out, but the opening allows the four heroes to infiltrate the lower levels and plant the bomb. As the timer on the bomb nears its end, Talyn and Rishto feel Acris's presence nearing theirs. Rishto and Talen stay behind to fight Acris together. Before his death, Acris stabs Rishto in the chest with his saber, mortally wounding him. Rishto pleads with Talyn and Deia to leave the ship, that he would keep the rest of the Imperial soldiers busy as long as he can. Talyn and Deia say their goodbyes to Rishto, and leave, moments before the doors begin to show signs of blowtorches. Rishto knows he is to die here, and gives the soldiers one last surprise to give Talyn a chance to escape, and to give the bomb a few more minutes. Rishto musters all the strength he has, and kills many men. Talyn, Deia, and Saryyssk escape aboard the ship's escape pod, and jettison off toward the planet's surface. Rishto dies with a smile on his face, as the ship explodes.Importance - The ending of the trilogy should be extremely climactic, ending with both sacrifice and renewal, death and life, opportunity and closure. The final clash of blades, as Rishto and Talyn finally put aside their differences and fight for the same goals, is one that will be magnificent. I want the player to end that fight with Acris saying to themselves, "Wow. Those two really were the greatest combination of lightsabers that The Sith ever gave birth to, even after so long being enemies."ConclusionWith Rishto dead, Talyn never returns to hold his end of the bargain with Organa. He and Deia disappear in space, never again to be seen. History never recollects his life and accomplishments, and The Rebel Alliance is formed without him. It is rumored that Deia and Talyn finally declared their love for each other, and returned to the planet Corellia, settling down in Deia's hometown, Kor Vella. The reptilian beast, Saryyssk, separates from the duo in time, but still chooses to live in Kor Vella with the two. He visits the couple every now and then, and eventually becomes a good friend to Talyn and Deia's children, just as he was to their parents.

The game plays as a lightsaber combat-based third person Action game where the player's moves and abilities are based on combinations and repetitive use of different attacks. It was conceived under the purpose of being the first martial arts-based Lightsaber fighting game, incorporating various styles of Lightsaber combat, consisting of both hard and softer styles of combat based on real sword variations of Kung Fu, Qigong, Emperor's Long Fist, and other Eastern martial art forms. It will be a combination-based action game, meaning that the player is able to execute complex motions and actions based on carefully-placed uses of other moves, such as blocks and parries. This is the main "hook" of the game. The game also features a multitude of various force powers that the player has access to. These force powers drain the player's force energy with extended use, but the energy bar replenishes itself over time. This process can be accelerated with the use of several skills.The player has a moveset based around the use of strong lightsaber attacks, fast lightsaber attacks, dodges, blocks, and parries. Through careful and strategic use of both you and your enemies' abilities, Talen can execute flurries of Lightsaber strikes, incapacitating blows, disarming moves, and even extremely deadly instant-kill attacks, with deadly precision. One example combination is the instant-kill, executed by the immediate use of a fast attack and a strong attack, immediately after dodging or parrying an enemy attack. If the two attacks are used quick enough, Talen will perform a flurry of lightsaber moves, which will ultimately end with the enemy being overpowered and slain very quickly and efficiently. Another combination-based attack is the knockdown. Enemies can parry fast attacks with their lightsabers with relative ease, but the use of a strong attack on someone who is in a defensive stance will knock them off balance. If Talen presses the forward key - W, by default - along with a fast attack, immediately after breaking an enemy's guard, he will jump inside their newly-broken defense and knock them over. The Characters will measure their success in many ways. The most obvious way is the use of health and energy bars in the bottom-left corner of the screen. These two forms of life-force are displayed around a circle. Health is in Red, and Energy is in Blue. There is also a grey area in the middle, which represents any special information messages, such as flashing green when the character is poisoned. The blue energy bar will replenish itself fairly quickly, but the health will not replenish as fast. Once the player's health bar fully depletes, the game is over. Another way to measure success is the use of a level-up system that, when a character has enough experience, he/she will "level up" and be given a few points to upgrade their base skills with, as well as a skill point to distribute into the talent tree of their choice. Each tree is different from the others, giving the player the option to mold their Jedi into whatever kind they wish, from a more lightsaber-oriented style to a more force power-heavy one. Another way Talen measures success is a way that no one else can: through the use of learning new styles of lightsaber combat. Very few of the styles are easy to learn in the game, especially the more powerful, or the ones that are well-hidden. The third way that the characters measure success is through the use of various side quests found throughout the game. These quests don't just give the characters experience; some can teach them of their missions, and some can even teach them new skills or abilities.

SW: BoD will require extensive motion capture equipment and time, and will look and feel as realistic as possible, in both models, animations, and speech. The game will require many professional voice actors, because each character in the game - including NPC's - will each be voiced by someone different. The game will also require an original soundtrack, done by an artist who can emulate John Williams' brilliant original score, heavy with Williams' favored dramatic horns, drums, and strings. It is the goal of the game to make the player feel like they are watching a Star Wars movie as much as possible. I believe that BoD would be best on all major next-gen consoles except the Wii. As much as I would like to be able to have the game fully synced with the motions of the Wiimote, It would require extensive programming and software to have a version that supports motion-detection as well as buttons. The Wii and perhaps Kinect could possibly have a version on their systems, but the PS3 and PC versions would be under-balanced. The Wii would also be harder to chain effective combos, due to the lack of as many controller buttons.

BoD will appeal, obviously, to fans of the Star Wars movies and games. It is designed to bear the same story-propelled atmosphere, mood, memorable characters, and dramatic situations that fans have become accustomed to seeing in the movies. For the first time, fans will be able to pick up a lightsaber, and clash with enemies in real-time, where it genuinely feels like they are fighting with sabers. Enemies don't deflect your attacks in mid-air, miles away from where your saber actually is; they are right with you the whole time, creating a truly realistic scene where you can watch your character dish out spinning attacks and thrusts, and see the characters react in stunningly in-depth ways. Because of the depicted realism of the attacks and the choreography, the game should also be enjoyable for fans of martial arts films.That being said, the game will be more realistic, meaning that saber duels can become fairly gory and bloody. It is because of this that the game will most likely receive a Mature rating by the ESRB for blood, gore, violence, and overall content. Parents of younger children should consider the content before purchasing such a game for them.

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