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Jabberwocky
Noble Knight
Joined: 06 Nov 2003
Posts: 208
Location: New York, USA |
| Where are the Ravens?? And there's daytime too... |
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Well I’ve been playing NOTR daily for the past week and a half. I have no idea why it’s called “Night of the Raven,” as I have yet to see a Raven anywhere. So if he exists, and wants to make a true believer out of me, he’d better come and claim his night pretty soon.
That aside, I’m finding this to be a truly beautiful sequel worthy of the original Gothic. I am quite convinced that NOTR was the game the designers originally intended Gothic II to be. They must have gotten tired of all us whiny-butts crying out for the sequel to be released already, and so threw us a pacifier in the form of the first version, until they had the chance to put on the finishing touches.
Case in point: Anyone besides me wonder what Dexter was doing up in the bandit tower with nothing to say? Now I find out he’s party to a sinister plot of kidnaping people!! And how relieved I was to find that the waterfront brothel not only offers hot and cold running women, but information pertinent to a quest as well!
Everywhere I turn, I notice something new added to a nook and on occasion, even a cranny. For example, one day I was exploring the ridge up above old Sagitta’s hideout. (Incidently, I think it’s an insult to women everywhere to dub Sagitta ‘old’; she looks no more legal than any other woman in the game. Oh well, hand it to Piranha Bytes, they are trying... at least this time around all of the girls are fully clothed.)
Ummm...where was I? Oh yes! Sorry,... So I was exploring the ridge and smote two wayward Field Raiders. (I assume they were wayward, as there weren’t any fields nearby. Either that or “Field/Forest Plateau Raiders” was too long a name to give them.) Happy that after a recent level up, which are oh so hard in getting nowadays, I was able to take them both on without depleting my supply of healing what not, I began to do a victory dance. It must have been during this little escapade that I slipped on a steeply angled polygon, and before I knew it, fell headlong into the midst of a bandits’ camp that I swore wasn’t there the first time I played this game. The fall didn’t kill me, but it certainly didn’t make me the happier either.
As luck would have it, the game designers felt that only magically induced fire should cause damage, and as a result, the campfire I lay sprawled out on did nothing more than cast a nice reddish glow on my pale complexion. The bandits all sprang to attention and glanced into the sky, making sure that I was indeed a blundering idiot, rather than their being victims of a freakish new spell made for the add-on called ‘Rain of Men.’ Realizing the designers couldn’t possibly be that weird, and that Atari would make an announcement about the English version sooner than their fire would make me a crispy critter, the bandits drew weapons and chastised me severely for my deplorable lack of depth perception.
What’s the point of this story anyway? Oh yes, the fact is that if it wasn’t for the NOTR add-on, the incident would have been much less entertaining. No one would have witnessed it, and I probably would have dusted myself off and walked away, cursing the outdated graphics engine that got me into the predicament to begin with. 
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"D'oh! I knew I should've saved sooner!" |
Tue Jun 15, 2004 7:27 am |
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Whailor
Most Exalted Highlord
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 423
Location: Tallinn, Estonia |
"It's raining men, halleluja; it's raining..." Ah yes, the world with the add-on  I agree, the world is much more alive now with the add-on. For example, the mess under the bridge, when you head from the city towards Orlan's tavern, it now has the story and meaning behind it. And so with many previously unused spots or barely used NPC's. Basically, I find that the add-on only improved the game, and towards the better.
This also leads me to believe that G3, once done, should be something quite good as well, seeing how so far, the game has only evolved towards the better results.
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Been there, done that . . . |
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Tue Jun 15, 2004 10:08 am |
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Jaz
Late Night Spook
Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 9708
Location: RPGDot |
Now that's one sweet account! 
Don't worry, the titular Raven will turn up once you visit Jharkendar, but...
Spoiler:
This is a rather non-serious spoiler
...I forgot at which time of day. Or night, for that matter.
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Jaz |
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Tue Jun 15, 2004 10:17 am |
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Sem
Solid as a Rock
Joined: 01 Mar 2004
Posts: 3386
Location: at the Dot |
Lol I thought everybody already knew the story for a very long time. 
Well, that will make the addon only better for you.
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"Who are we to call this planet Earth, when it's clearly Ocean."
-- News Editor of GothicDot --
-- Moderator of the RPGDot Shadows --
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Tue Jun 15, 2004 5:30 pm |
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Wulf
The Shepherd
Joined: 20 Sep 2003
Posts: 2312
Location: North/West.England |
@ Jabberwocky,
The origins of the title "Night of the Raven"
Following several clues in the Gothic games series, i have no doubt about how the "Raven" aspect was inserted into the game. I have also seen it referred to in other rpg games. It seems that the game writer was "well-read" in old books of verse of grammatical excellence, even a "Tolkiem" verse can be read on the screen in Gothic, there is also other unfinished/unused raven stuff hidden in the G-G2 data files.
So while it cannot be proven, there is enough info' to make an assumptive reckoning, or put it another way, it would have to be disproved with evidence before i would disbelieve it, and that may never happen.
"The Raven" is a psychological vision of a past, deeply emotional event by the author/poet Edgar Alan Poe who was a master of words usage, he had the ability of "taking you there" he could make the readers "believe" they were actually in the "plot", i felt this cliffhanging effect when i first read Poe's "The tell-tale heart" a story/novel about a mans guilt being reflected in his own heartbeat, it builds up to a crescendo sound booming in his mind, finally having to admit his evil deed.
Over the years "The raven" has often been use slightly out of context, another persons varying viewpoint, it is usually meant to be frightening, a black raven bird perched on a tree branch watching over you, but the original was a person, not insane but in full control, toying with the idea of using the raven has a duplicate/synonym of the beautiful Lenore, the woman he lost, as if he could still keep contact with the "idea" of her being still there, (as a raven.)
"The raven" - - by Edgar Allan Poe.
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore -
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door -
Only this and nothing more."
This is the first verse, there a many verses that follow ending in his own guilt/grief.
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Forever aches my wretched soul, for Chromanin locked in that dark hole, though crypted key i've yet to learn, he knows one day i will return. |
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Tue Jun 15, 2004 8:42 pm |
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elkston
High Emperor
Joined: 21 Sep 2002
Posts: 691
Location: North Carolina, USA |
quote:
Originally posted by Wulf
@ Jabberwocky,
The origins of the title "Night of the Raven"
Following several clues in the Gothic games series, i have no doubt about how the "Raven" aspect was inserted into the game. I have also seen it referred to in other rpg games. It seems that the game writer was "well-read" in old books of verse of grammatical excellence, even a
.
.
.
Clip interesting speculation about Poe literary references
Wulf, have you played the addon? There is actually a very good and non-symbolic reason why its called "Night of the Raven". Though its true that the exact wording of title may have been inspired by Poe.
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All shall hear the words of Karras...the words of Karras |
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Wed Jun 16, 2004 3:01 am |
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Jabberwocky
Noble Knight
Joined: 06 Nov 2003
Posts: 208
Location: New York, USA |
@Wulf: Wow, that's very deep. Thanks for the insight. I've always admired Edgar Allen Poe from a distance - I've never examined his work closely. Thought about it several times, but I guess was just too busy.
Of course, even that aside, now that I think about it including a Raven in the name is only fitting to follow a name like Gothic. As you pointed out, that might be out of context, the whole assosciating the bird with the gothic cultural movement. If the game is indeed following in Poe footsteps as a "psychological vision of a past, deeply emotional event," then the name would certainly be fitting.
On the other hand, although I really can't think of anything better to call the games, somehow the name "Gothic" just doesn't quite seem to fit to me. This is probably because I've been conditioned by Hollywood to think of something like the movie "The Crow" (A film which borrows lines from Poe's "The Raven") when I think of the term "Gothic." I think this idea has been discussed by others in a different thread.
Incidentaly, what unused files have you ran across that involve ravens?
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"D'oh! I knew I should've saved sooner!" |
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Wed Jun 16, 2004 6:20 am |
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Whailor
Most Exalted Highlord
Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 423
Location: Tallinn, Estonia |
Not going into details with Poe and his personal ravens, but, the add-on to Gothic 2 has the name due to much less poetical reasons And you'll meet Raven, the old "friend" from G1, for sure. As emperor Palpatine said: "It's unavoidable"
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Been there, done that . . . |
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Wed Jun 16, 2004 9:26 am |
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Wulf
The Shepherd
Joined: 20 Sep 2003
Posts: 2312
Location: North/West.England |
@Jabberwocky,
The clues to the raven use in the games are minimal,
1. There is a small set of unused anim's of a raven (black) against a night sky (deep blue).
2. There is a sound of a raven i gothic and G2.
3. There is the ore baron Raven as we all know.
4. There is only one classic referrence to (Raven) and (night) - - Poe's poem.
5. If the writer of gothic refers to Tolkiem then i can't see him not knowing of "the raven"
6. Articles on gothic subjects/style/era have a close link with Poe's life details.
7. Poe wrote "the fall of the house of Usher" another classic gothic novel (there are more)
If you go to this website:- http://esl.about.com/ and search for Poe Gothic etc' much will be revealed.
@Whailor,
@elkston.
Of course i know that you meet Raven in the add-on, it's plastered all over the forums (by the way, a seperate forum for the add-on only would be much "neater" don't you think?)
- - - but what i mean is the reverse, gothic and raven were well founded long before our modern day games, the theme has once again (as in the past) been *utilised* to advantage. 
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Forever aches my wretched soul, for Chromanin locked in that dark hole, though crypted key i've yet to learn, he knows one day i will return. |
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Wed Jun 16, 2004 7:20 pm |
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Chiefo
Head Merchant
Joined: 24 Jul 2003
Posts: 57
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Raven... I hardly renember any Raven from G1. Ore baron? Where in the old camp?
Can anyone tell me his role in that game, where i certainly met him, and what happend to him in that game |
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Thu Jun 17, 2004 12:09 am |
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jmurdock
Old Fogey
Joined: 11 Nov 2003
Posts: 1285
Location: the heart of acadiana they like to call it |
Raven was Gomez's right hand man. If you became a shadow, he was the one who sent you to swamp camp for the invocation.
In my game he died. Horribly. I shot him with a fireball...
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Just watch out you don't stress yourself out.
REMEMBER... Many saves, many slots!!! |
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Thu Jun 17, 2004 3:13 am |
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Jabberwocky
Noble Knight
Joined: 06 Nov 2003
Posts: 208
Location: New York, USA |
Well, played the game a little more today, and finally met Dexter. He told me about Raven being behind it all. I'm glad I saw that part before I came back to the forums - it was a nice twist in the story!
The thought of Raven from G1 had crossed my mind earlier, but it just seemed unlikely for some reason. Unlikely for me in particular because I killed the guy in the first game. I would expect almost everyone who played it did. I wonder, did PB just decide that his death at the hands of the hero "didn't count," so they could write the continuing story, or did he come back from the dead or something? DON'T TELL ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I want to find out as I play on this particular issue.
@ Wulf: I totally agree with you about making another forum specifically for NOTR spoilers - it would make it a lot easier for me to avoid the ones that could ruin the surprises! I think it would be hard, maybe impossible for the moderators to keep straight though. After all, people who never played through the original wouldn't know what comprised NOTR stuff and what didn't. And you've probably seen how many posts lately have had to be moved around. It seems that people can't figure out where to put things now, let alone if there's ANOTHER choice!
Incidentaly: Did anyone think Raven's voice in the English version of the first game seem a little odd? I remember walking up to this big bad dude in black leather armor, and then hearing this high pitched voice, with, dare I say it, slightly feminine characteristics. I remember thinking to myself that the scantily clad female slaves running about the castle had little to fear from him! He still wiped the floor with my butt the first time I fought him though. 
Anyway, he'll probably sound quite different in the German version. Here's hoping anyway!
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"D'oh! I knew I should've saved sooner!" |
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Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:56 am |
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Giani
Village Leader
Joined: 19 Jan 2005
Posts: 76
Location: Romania |
can anyone tell me what is the storyline from g2 notr coz I'm still wiating for it to be in english but I can't hold it anymore ,I NEED TO KNOW!!
who else do I meet?
is raven alive?
adanos a neutral god that destroyed the world?
does xardas say anything else at the end ,is it the same end?
I need to suck information or I'm gonna stop sleeping!
damn when are they gonna introduce the full english version?>>>I don't feel like putting the subtitles and listen in german ,that is not good for me couldn't understand jokes and such, but plz anyone somebody tell me what is the storyline???
please I beg somebody tell me!
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me like gothic, me not like ppl who don't like gothic.ME very smart ,what can I say I love gothic so much! |
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Fri Sep 16, 2005 5:03 pm |
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Jaz
Late Night Spook
Joined: 20 Jan 2002
Posts: 9708
Location: RPGDot |
who else do I meet?
Spoiler:
Bloodwyn, Thorus, Fortuno, Fisk, Snaf... don't remember if there are other old 'friends' to be met
is raven alive?
Spoiler:
Um, yes.
I don't remember the rest. It's been nearly two years since I played it.
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Jaz |
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Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:03 am |
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mazu
Protector of the Realm
Joined: 21 Nov 2004
Posts: 251
Location: Desert Camp |
Damnit! I almost read those spoilers! M
Me want english NOTR! ASAP! Right now! Pie!
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I really, really tried to figure out something clever here like "Life is a waterfall" and artistic stuff like that but no! I still cannot figure out a signature arrrr yarrr! Me bucko! Pirates! |
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Thu Sep 22, 2005 5:20 pm |
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