Interview Arcania: Gothic 4 Interview

[1eyedking]

G3 was the worst of the series. That said, it's still a decent "would (try to) play again" game.

G2 > G1 > Risen (G4) >>> G3.

 

[someone else]

You get off bashing G3 or wut???

 

[Fez]

Yes, G3 was a big disappointment for many, especially if you were an old fan and bought it right after release. You should consider trying it again if you still have the game.

I went back and tried it after the last community patch effort and tried not to think about comparing it to the previous Gothic games. It was more fun than the first time (and all its horrible flaws). Not as good as the others and I still disliked a lot of the changes to the previous Gothic feel, but still a rather good game on its own.

 

[Morkar Left]

Try again. Get the latest community patch 1.73: http://www.worldofgothic.de/dl/download_398.htm

plus this texture mod:
http://www.worldofgothic.de/dl/download_268.htm

If you want the challenging combat from G1/G2 play on hard.

 

[Donkey Balls]

Sort've

Is this the new "would of"?

Holy shit, you're dumb.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

I asked before but didn't get a clear answer, what patches should go with G1? And, while we're at it, G2? Nomask and others expressed dislike towards the unofficial patches, but I don't know if the official ones are alright.

 

[nomask7]

I asked before but didn't get a clear answer, what patches should go with G1? And, while we're at it, G2? Nomask and others expressed dislike towards the unofficial patches, but I don't know if the official ones are alright.

Gothic 2 Gold (NotR) comes patched to the latest version, which is 2.6.

The unofficial patch is crap, because it makes changes in monster stats and other things destroying the intended balance. It only fixes two or three trivial things, almost all the other changes are just that, changes.

 

[FeelTheRads]

The English language has continually evolved, it's called ''slang'' you cave dwelling moron.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp& ... d9727d98e0

Classy move linking to urbandictionary, I must say, especially since that link satirizes the retarded writing.

Also, I bet Donkey Balls is Drog.

 

[Donkey Balls]

The English language has continually evolved, it's called ''slang'' you cave dwelling moron.

Does "sort have" make any sense to you?!

Holy shit, you're dumb.

 

[Donkey Balls]

Good Lord Jesus Christ.

 

[FeelTheRads]

Really? Around for decades? Do you have any sources for that? Because the only relevant result in your "Google search" is on urbandictionary. All others are simply uses of this "word" by other tards.

And, +200 dumbfuck points for using two of the most cliche defenses: "BUT LANGUGE EVOLEVS SO I CAEN RITE LIEK A RETRAD" and "U ATTAEK ME SO U MUST HAEV NO LAIF".

 

[Donkey Balls]

So all retarded grammar mistakes are now "slang"?

What a brave new world.

 

[Donkey Balls]

I've heard the word since childhood, I'm not sure what proof you're looking for. Maybe try going outside and speaking to regular people? Not everything in life is contained on the internet.

OK, it's been fun and all, but the correct spelling is "sort of" (just like "kind of"). Get it in your thick skull.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sort+of

 

[FeelTheRads]

Dude, you didn't use slang. You genuinely thought that's how it's written because it sort of sound like that, just like "would have" sort of sound like "would of" and dumfucks write by ear. It's even reinforced by your pathetic attempt at defending with a completely irrelevant "Google search".

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/couldof.html

Sorry, it's a mistake not slang.

 

[Pseudofool]

Gothic 3 bugs aside was the best of the gothic series.

+2
I'm sure I'm not the only one who was disappointed in the lack of breadth in Risen. It felt like 10% of Gothic 3 to me.

 

[Fez]

Gothic 3 had breadth in spades and was ambitious, but it lacked depth and quality in my eyes (compared to G2/NOTR). G3 was heading more in an Oblivion direction instead of my beloved Gothic.

Risen shrunk things down a lot to let the concentrate on a smaller area. I think it paid off in some ways but it still isn't on a par with the previous peak.

 

[Murk]

Oh god just fucking stop already (slang argument).

Back on topic - the interview doesn't say a damn thing about the game, it might as well have been the producer just saying "it is awesome" over and over. Main hero looks like he has emo hair... I'd almost rather have the weird mullet/pony-tail thing the NH had in the first two games. I did rather admire that the hero has always been a hideous fuck, even in Risen.

G3 was fun but holy shit was it unfinished - character progression was also very slow and insignificant. There's a lot to bitch about but that's not really relevant i guess - despite all its terrible terrible flaws it was still a pretty fun game and is pretty much unmatched for wandering/exploration.

 

[Pseudofool]

Gothic 3 had breadth in spades and was ambitious, but it lacked depth and quality in my eyes (compared to G2/NOTR). G3 was heading more in an Oblivion direction instead of my beloved Gothic.

Lacking depth and quality in writing, character development, and say quest length. But there are plenty of meaningful, nuanced quests littered throughout G3. And there's lots of global quests as well as local quests that created a convincing economy and politic. The writing, character development, and general narrative were downright glib, but I didn't think the quests were really that shorthanded. In terms of design, IMO, there was a lot of quality and depth, from each distinct town to the faction and character system. The grind always felt meaningful and authentic, which is something I rarely ever find in any kind of game.

Risen shrunk things down a lot to let the concentrate on a smaller area. I think it paid off in some ways but it still isn't on a par with the previous peak.

Some of the quests were downright clever. While the writing and character development were much improved, they remain weaknesses overall. My big problems with Risen were the lack of global quests that created a sense of politics, economy and history etc. Finding the ancient rings from the dark lords, digging up the treasure chests etc., failed to deliver both in terms of meaningful rewards and any kind of narrative. After you enter the mountain, it's hardly worth playing, I maybe spent 20 hours with it, and I went every where.

 

[Fez]

So what would your criticisms of NOTR and comparisons with G3 be? NOTR seems like it should have everything you wanted.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

*comes rushing into the room, visibly sweating*

Huff, puff...did Drog catch another one? What did I miss!?

 

[FeelTheRads]

They come to be regardless and find regular usage for non-basement dwellers.

Mkay, man, you're totally cool for using "slang" and getting all the chicks with your worldly knowledge.

Slang slang slang slang, how much more do I need to point it out?

As much as you need it to convince yourself.

 

[Pseudofool]

So what would your criticisms of NOTR and comparisons with G3 be? NOTR seems like it should have everything you wanted.

NOTR suffers from the same problem as Risen in that its concepts of politics and economy is just too narrow to be really immersive, at least for me. While the nuances between the factions in G2 were more compelling and led to a better story, the experience was rather linear. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but even in G2/NOTR, the Gothic series isn't exactly working with narrative in a very compelling way. What Gothic does well is give a honest experience of a character making his way through a dynamic world; as the character levels up, he not only gains strength, but also import in the world through better weapons, armor, unlocked areas, and higher stake quests. The monsters don't simply have more hit points. That's consistent through all Gothic games, but Gothic 3, where it falls short in storytelling (which was already a series weakness), outgains the previous versions through its well-considered breadth in terms of both design and character record keeping. While tracking down various dragons and beating the shit out of them was way cool, it's not nearly as interesting as being able to lull both the rebels and the orcs into thinking you're on their side, before, say, you off everyone, or accidentally back yourself into picking a side. Liberating a town was just way cooler than killing a dragon, because there's a tangible after effect that can be seen in the game (a bustling city of rebels compared to a dragon carcass and some loot). I must say that not enough was done in G3 with post-liberated towns. There should be at least a handful of quests, and some rabble rousing among the rebel leadership that could have been played out profitably.

I know there's a lot of fanfare for the NOTR add-in, but while it's a clever way to expand a game, the experience with the temples and the pirates felt inconsistent in tone with the rest of the game. I had fun, but it felt totally digressive and even hokey.

The world in G2 simply isn't large enough nor has enough moving parts to really get at that geo-political authentic immersion. And of course, it's not just scale, but how the many discrete parts are configured within such a large scale to create a total and meaningful experience.