Throughout the SW universe, both EU and otherwise, the light saber was an amazing weapon. It is plasma suspended in a force field, the wielder must overcome and master the gyroscopic effects (it has a tendency to wobble when utilized). It is capable of cutting through nearly anything, with only the density of the subject acting as a restraint to the speed in which it does so.

 

Where are these light sabers in TOR? Why are we stuck with Padawan's training saber long after we have become full Jedi/Sith?

 

Training saber: "Like a regular lightsaber set to low power, they could not sever limbs or pierce flesh."

 

I understand from a mechanical point of view, once the light saber made contact it wouldn't do to just kill your target in a video game... but then why put these ad hoc variants into the game incapable of piercing or cutting power? Surely it wasn't merely to keep the rating down? The movies were PG & PG-13 and there was plenty of light saber killing in true light saber form...

 

I guess it just bothers me, similar to having a Light V Sith and being called evil... but that is another issue

From what I understand, the reason we don't have gory splashy light sabers is the same reason the galaxy's worst insult is calling someone "scum:" the series has always tried to stay away from strong language and over the top violence. In the event someone is dismembered, the wound is generally cauterized and doesn't really bleed (I think the giant ice monster thing on Hoth is the only one that bleeds).

From what I understand, the reason we don't have gory splashy light sabers is the same reason the galaxy's worst insult is calling someone "scum:" the series has always tried to stay away from strong language and over the top violence. In the event someone is dismembered, the wound is generally cauterized and doesn't really bleed (I think the giant ice monster thing on Hoth is the only one that bleeds).

 

I guess I feel I am far for asking for gore... just a light saber that acts like a light saber... droids got cut down in droves, yet I still feel like I am hitting it with a wooden, glowing stick. It makes the right noises... but its not the real deal.

Game mechanics, for the real reason.

 

For the lore reason, in a galaxy full of countless sentients that just got done with a decades-long Jedi/Sith war, I'd imagine someone somewhere figured out how to ward off lightsabers without cortosis. As awesome as they are, they're still energy weapons, and energy can be blocked or deflected.

Edited January 26, 2012 by Malles

actually i was greeted with "echuta" and there are plenty of materials that can resist lightsaber beams. and only a handful that can stop it outright (its a plotline of one of the jedi knight games) there are even materials that literally interrupt the beam and cause it to turn off.

 

the Yhuusan-vong armor and weapons stop lightsabers outright effectively making them worse than the training sabers you speak of.

 

lastly remember this is a period long before the galactic empire (not to be confused with the sith empire) its very reasonable to think and have knowledge of materials that can easily resist and defend against lightsabers and have it be relatively commonplace. it wasnt until Emperor Palpatine's rule that lightsabers became outlawed and thus knowledge of their defense as well.

Well I guess the biggest reason would be because, if you lightsaber just destoryed everything it touches then there would be no need to HP or anything or that nature, since your lightsaber would destroy everything it touched.

Even in the lore, lightsabers don't cut through everything they contact.

 

Ep I, Qui-Gon's lightsaber can cut the door to the bridge, but it's taking him a long time. Once the close the blast door, his cutting is slowed even more.

 

Ep II, Dooku's strikes on Obi-Wan don't sever his limbs. A testament to Dooku's fine control over his lightsaber, sure, but also indicating that being touched with a lightsaber isn't automatic dismemberment.

 

Ep III, watch Anakin and Obi-Wan's lightsabers graze the walls of a hall they move through. More to the point, watch their blades lock against a computer console without cutting through, even though Obi-Wan is using the console to trap Anakin's blade.

 

Ep VI. . . well, not much here.

 

Ep V, see Luke and Vader's lightsabers bounce off some of the railings in the final phase of the Cloud City fight (and, granted, cut through others.) Watch Luke's lightsaber BOUNCE OFF VADER'S SHOULDER as he scores a hit.

 

Ep VI, again, watch Luke and Vader's lightsaber blades bounce off ordinary railings, up until Luke puts a lot of force behind one blow, severing Vader's hand and the railing behind it. Earlier, watch the Sarlacc Pit fight, and tell me how many bad guys Luke cut apart with his lightsaber.

 

Were Anakin and Obi-Wan using training sabers to fight against each other? I think not. Did Luke build a training saber to go face down both Dark Lords of the Sith? If he did, he's an idiot. Did the Emperor only trust Darth Vader, his right hand and executor of his will, with a training saber? Hardly.

From what I understand, the reason we don't have gory splashy light sabers is the same reason the galaxy's worst insult is calling someone "scum:" the series has always tried to stay away from strong language and over the top violence. In the event someone is dismembered, the wound is generally cauterized and doesn't really bleed (I think the giant ice monster thing on Hoth is the only one that bleeds).

 

Um... IIRC Obi-wan cuts off an arm in the Tatooine cantina and they show the arm + blood. I guess the cauterize effect became a part of the lore when Vader's LS cut off Luke's hand. Couldn't have our hero bleed to death all over Bespin.

Edited January 26, 2012 by sotacram

Yeah, I think that's the only instance of lightsaber blood loss we ever see.

Um... IIRC Obi-wan cuts off an arm in the Tatooine cantina and they show the arm + blood. I guess the cauterize effect became a part of the lore when Vader's LS cut off Luke's hand. Couldn't have our hero bleed to death all over Bespin.

 

That's definitely true. I wonder if they always had a plan for how a light saber affected its target from the get go, or if things kinda fell into place

Even in the lore, lightsabers don't cut through everything they contact.

 

Ep I, Qui-Gon's lightsaber can cut the door to the bridge, but it's taking him a long time. Once the close the blast door, his cutting is slowed even more.

 

Ep II, Dooku's strikes on Obi-Wan don't sever his limbs. A testament to Dooku's fine control over his lightsaber, sure, but also indicating that being touched with a lightsaber isn't automatic dismemberment.

 

Ep III, watch Anakin and Obi-Wan's lightsabers graze the walls of a hall they move through. More to the point, watch their blades lock against a computer console without cutting through, even though Obi-Wan is using the console to trap Anakin's blade.

 

Ep VI. . . well, not much here.

 

Ep V, see Luke and Vader's lightsabers bounce off some of the railings in the final phase of the Cloud City fight (and, granted, cut through others.) Watch Luke's lightsaber BOUNCE OFF VADER'S SHOULDER as he scores a hit.

 

Ep VI, again, watch Luke and Vader's lightsaber blades bounce off ordinary railings, up until Luke puts a lot of force behind one blow, severing Vader's hand and the railing behind it. Earlier, watch the Sarlacc Pit fight, and tell me how many bad guys Luke cut apart with his lightsaber.

 

Were Anakin and Obi-Wan using training sabers to fight against each other? I think not. Did Luke build a training saber to go face down both Dark Lords of the Sith? If he did, he's an idiot. Did the Emperor only trust Darth Vader, his right hand and executor of his will, with a training saber? Hardly.

 

To EP V the reason the saber bounced off his shoulder was because it was more of a glancing blow, and that his armor is somewhat lightsaber resistant.

It wasn't so glancing that Vader wasn't smarting afterward.

It would be a little to easy to walk up to an elite in-game and slice him in-half *snap* like that. And yes getting hit with a lightsaber does not mean you immediatly lose an arm.

As for lightsaber resistant stuff you all going off EU. Yes there are ways to stop it in EU. But if you want true lore and cannon. George said he doesnt want anything that can resist a lightsaber. So much so that in one of the clone wars Animated series shows they had to turn a vibroblade into a black bladed lightsaber to keep him happy about that.

 

So in cannon nothing can stop a lightsaber. In EU which this game is set yes things can.

Oh, I missed the part in RotS when the lightsabers cut cleanly through the electrostaves wielded by Grievous's bodyguards.

 

Or, you know, all the other instances I mentioned above where lightsabers DIDN'T cut cleanly through an object they made contact with.

It got my Lightsaber at the end of Tython... which happens to be when I stopped being a Paduwan and became a Knight. I don't know why you're still using a Training saber.

 

 

 

P.S. "HP" in all Role-playing games has never represented the "meat" of your body. Think of it more as Endurance or Stamina. When you are "hit" by an attack in D&D (the father of all RPGs), it doesn't represent a solid blow... it represents a glancing blow, or maybe a threatening, yet not vital wound.

 

Your HP represents how long you can keep up the fight. Once you're out of HP and take damage that would put you 0 or below, THAT is the solid blow.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Sai-to

I think the OP is comparing the functionality of the actual lightsabers in TOR to the perceived functionality of "training lightsabers" in other EU materials. These were actual lightsabers that were simply less powerful than normal lightsabers.

I think the OP is comparing the functionality of the actual lightsabers in TOR to the perceived functionality of "training lightsabers" in other EU materials. These were actual lightsabers that were simply less powerful than normal lightsabers.

 

 

Which is exactly why I explained that until a character hits 0 HP, you aren't actually "hitting" them with the Lightsaber. You are forcing them to dodge and dealing glancing blows (using up their "HP" i.e. endurance/stamina/ability to fight).

Edited January 27, 2012 by Sai-to

To EP V the reason the saber bounced off his shoulder was because it was more of a glancing blow, and that his armor is somewhat lightsaber resistant.

 

It was made of some type of Lightsaber resistance armor. But it was a full blow against his shoulder, thats why he screamed in pain even though it didn't pierce.

Which is exactly why I explained that until a character hits 0 HP, you aren't actually "hitting" them with the Lightsaber. You are forcing them to dodge and dealing glancing blows (using up their "HP" i.e. endurance/stamina/ability to fight).

 

Precisely.

Which is exactly why I explained that until a character hits 0 HP, you aren't actually "hitting" them with the Lightsaber. You are forcing them to dodge and dealing glancing blows (using up their "HP" i.e. endurance/stamina/ability to fight).

 

Yea, this is how I look at it. You can't expect a game to fully live up to the lore of star wars. It's an rpg. If a lightsaber acted identically to how it's portrayed in the movies, nothing would stand a chance against neither Jedi nor Sith. I do wish there was more dismemberment portrayed in the game, even without blood to keep the rating down from being over the top, but I fear even clean dismemberment would increase the rating to a point where they would fear losing potential customers in a specific demographic. It would just make more sense to me that if I landed a killing blow with a slash, to see a troopers arm fall off. I also feel that some abilities like master-strike, where the final strike is an impalement, should be accompanied by that "THUD" sound you can subtly hear when a killing blow is landed in the movies. Reference: Listen closely to Obi-wan cutting Maul in half with that power-strike,. You can faintly hear a thud like sound of the blade being thrust through body mass. Little things like that would go a long way in my eyes. Just pet peeves though. They already do a good job with lightsaber animations(could be better) and soundeffects in this game.

 

The only thing I wish they would of done was implement different animations for the different forms. They introduced the forms fully of aware that they were different styles, but slacked on the delivery of them. Even if they just had different opening stances/attacks. For example, Soresu being the regualar jedi guardian stance where they are holding the blade upwards with both hands, obviously ready and awaiting the enemy's advance, but with a style like ataru, the player should stand with the blade held with one hand, tilted down and away. If there was a Djem So specific offensive stance in this game, the blade would be held behind the head, pointed down and angled back. Thus giving way to the wide, powerful yet seemingly effortless slashes of that style. Like I said, little things go a long long way.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Rodanth_The_Wise

It was made of some type of Lightsaber resistance armor. But it was a full blow against his shoulder, thats why he screamed in pain even though it didn't pierce.

 

Eh, I disagree...unless lucas has specifically stated that Vader's armor was made to repel a lightsaber when struck without extreme precision and force. The whole lightsaber resistant metals/armor like mandalorian iron for example, weren't really introduced until EU. When we saw that glancing hit from luke back in the OT, I honestly think that was a filming error as the reality of the situation was the blow was only intended to graze vader and burn him pretty badly. At the time of the OT, I don't think anything in the universe could repel a lightsaber besides it's equal, another lightsaber.

It was made of some type of Lightsaber resistance armor. But it was a full blow against his shoulder, thats why he screamed in pain even though it didn't pierce.

 

Meh w/e point being is that his armor was made to resist lightsabers somewhat.

Edited January 27, 2012 by Wolfninjajedi

Originally lightsabers would cut through any material substance. The only thing that could stop them was a force field. I wish they had stuck with that concept rather than various EU writers creating all sorts of deus ex machinas to get around it.

Well the movies are riddled of that kind of inconsistencies. At one point the wound bleeds and at some other it doesnt. At some point a rail is cut and at some other it doesnt.

 

There is no real canon followed in the movies, just what fits for the action to remain packed and keep going.

 

 

In canon, the lightsaber can cut anything. In EU , there are materials that resists lightsaber, even short it out.

 

Some things though always stand:

 

Like if the lightsaber falls on a relativelly thin item, it will cut it right through if not controlled by the user. Be it metal or limb.

 

Density slows down the pulverizing properties of the lightsaber.

 

Surelly a lightsaber falling on a computer terminal keyboard/controls would shear through it, especially if its after a parry from the opponent where you momentary loose the control and lightsaber gets deflected somewhere (like the console). It would not spar on it but cut it through.