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Been playing for a couple of hours now, just thought I'd give my very early impressions.
Graphics: Very good.
Best yet in a 3D rpg, better than Deus Ex, better than Wizardry 8, better than Pool of Radiance 2. The look of the Old Camp as it goes from dusk to dark is really quite breathtaking. NPC's are detailed and interesting looking, monsters move fluidly, combat is visually interesting (a rarity in rpg's). Graphics are close to as good as FPS quality. Only problem is some pretty severe clipping issues. I'm running the game on a good, but not great system with all graphics options cranmed up, and it runs very fast and smooth. (AMD 1.2, 512 meg PC 133 ram, 64 meg G-Force 2 TI)
Sound/music quality: Good.
Nothing exeptional here, but quite adequate. Background sounds are well done and add to the atmosphere.
Voice acting: Horrible.
My biggest gripe so far. Maybe they couldn't afford to pay decent voice actors for the American version, I don't know. But in a game that's this dialogue heavy, the amature, irritating nature of the voice acting is a huge turn-off. And what brain-boy had the idea to give half the NPC's southern accents, and half of them Brooklyn accents? He should be taken out and shot.
Active world: Good, but not what I was hoping for.
This is one of the features that got raved about in previews. Yes people eat, drink, converse, etc around you, and it does add to the sense of "liveliness", but they do it from mainly one position. It would be better if more people were walking around instead of just sitting/standing there.
Plot set-up: Very good.
Unique and interesting story concept. I'm WAY to early in the game to coment on plot development, but the idea, setting and set-up is original and engaging.
Conrols: Needlessly awkward.
Yes, I will get used to them in time. No, they are not the worst control set I've ever seen. But they are undeniably awkward, and needlessly so. In a turn-based combat system, this would be a pretty minor issue, in real-time, it's not. And you can't re-map the combat keys! Shame. Mouse usage appears to be an afterthought. It should have been better integrated into the game, or left out completely.
Combat: Visually appealing, strategically lame.
Combat looks great, no doubt about it. But there is no strategic depth to combat at all that I can see, just button-mashing a-la Diablo. And when the buttons are awkward to use, this becomes a serious detratction from enjoyment. Also, the left swing/right swing/downswing options appear to make no difference at all in combat outcome.
Character development/Leveling: Too soon to say.
I'm way too early in the game to comment on this yet.
Fun-Factor?
Not sure what to say here, the game certainly starts out addicting, but as soon as you hit the old camp it slows down to a crawl. Endless dialogue, unrelieved by any action at all. Hopefully this won't last. 2 hours of clicking on dialogue trees to hear really bad voice acting is not my idea of a good time. There definitely should have been some action in this segment to break it up.
Overall: Good, but flawed.
I'm trying to judge the game on it's own merits. Those who are looking for a "pure" rpg will be hugely disappointed. Gothic is a "genre-buster" rpg/adventure/action game. The games I think it can be fairly compared to include Deus Ex, Lands of Lore, Betrayal at Antarra, and Dark Earth. As such, I would say that it looks to be better executed than Lands of Lore or Betrayal at Antarra, probably equal to Dark Earth, and not nearly in the class of Deus Ex. But then, very few games are. Deus Ex remains the standard for cross-genre rpg's. I applaud the design team for "thinking outside the box", but different does not always mean better. With better pacing, new voice acting, and a better thought out interface and combat system, this could have been a great game, as opposed to a merely interesting one. I'm going to keep it, and will probably eventually finish it, but for now, it's back to Wizardry 8 for me, hands down the best old-school rpg ever made. |
Sat Dec 01, 2001 9:38 pm |
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Merkin
Head Merchant
Joined: 01 Dec 2001
Posts: 65
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ps. That's me, Merkin above. I forgot to log in, my bad. I HATE anonymous forumites.
_________________
Proprietor of
Spydah's Web
A Gaming Community |
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Sat Dec 01, 2001 9:44 pm |
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Darksharp
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 30 Nov 2001
Posts: 32
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I agree with everything you say here mate. The voice acting (especially the lead, who is terribly bland and without any character) grates on my nerves. Althougth it's certianly not as bad as Resident Evil or House of the Dead (/shudder). I also can hear the voice actor who does Diego's voice being used repeadetly. |
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Sat Dec 01, 2001 9:50 pm |
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Uziel
Village Dweller
Joined: 01 Dec 2001
Posts: 10
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Couple of hours?
Chuckle. |
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Sun Dec 02, 2001 2:22 am |
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Zorak
Head Merchant
Joined: 28 Nov 2001
Posts: 63
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yes you can re-map the keys, I did that and changed from ctrl and stuff to like A,S,D and made it, in my opinion, a deal easier. I thought the dialoge wasn't bad or worthless and the first couple of quests(that have nothing to do with the main plot)fun and enjoyable. I also like the fact that you start out as a nobody and become the most powerful dude around.
_________________
Joy's recollection is no longer joy, while sorrow's
memory is sorrow still
~Lord Byron |
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Sun Dec 02, 2001 2:53 am |
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Darksharp
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 30 Nov 2001
Posts: 32
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"I also like the fact that you start out as a nobody and become the most powerful dude around."
And that's different from just about every other RPG in what way? 
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Sun Dec 02, 2001 4:16 am |
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PaulDenton
Keeper of the Gates
Joined: 29 Nov 2001
Posts: 116
Location: Hong Kong, PRC |
Here is my keyboard mapping if anyone is interested.
W - run toggle
A - left
S - forward
D - right
Z - stride left
X - backward
C - stride right
R - change mode
F - first person view
V - sneak mode
I - inventory
O - objectives
P - status
SPACE - jump/side step
My only complain is the inability to remap mouse buttons and wheel. |
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Sun Dec 02, 2001 4:18 am |
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Aelhyn
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 05 Sep 2001
Posts: 48
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The default keys setting is recommended for left-handed ppl. The alternative setting is recommended for right-handed ppl (aswd thingie).
I actually liked the voice-acting in the demo. Did it change or anything? |
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Sun Dec 02, 2001 4:24 am |
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Chiz
Village Dweller
Joined: 28 Nov 2001
Posts: 3
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Hehe, wait till you get a little further into the game. You'll find out that whatever camp you join is basically worthless since all the quests afterwards are relating to the plot line and you got no choice but to do em. Btw, the 3 camps dont really differ that much if you get right down to it, they just like they are, and the only thing your title really means is that you'll have access to new armour and the right to hold your weapon in the city. I'm sorry but this game started out as having SOO much potential but then turned to just any other adventure game. Real shame |
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Sun Dec 02, 2001 4:36 am |
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The Rice Lord
Village Dweller
Joined: 28 Nov 2001
Posts: 3
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Combat is far more appealing once you start getting some training.
And there is some strategic depth to combat early on. Quick examples... Blocking and Lunging forward which deals good damage but leaves you in a bad defensive position.
Acrobatics is also somewhat useful against those pesky archers.
Am i the ONLY person here that actually LIKES the voice acting and dialog in general? My expectations on this were probably really low after looking over the "manual"(me laughs) but ... i dunno it seems just fine to me. I'll admit I laughed when I heard the sect leaders voice.
[ This Message was edited by: The Rice Lord on 2001-12-01 22:47 ] |
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Sun Dec 02, 2001 4:41 am |
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Zorak
Head Merchant
Joined: 28 Nov 2001
Posts: 63
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"And that's different from just about every other RPG in what way?"
--> I kinda deviated from my point. I mean that (so far as I've seen) this is the only game in which the people you help take you in as one of their own. I'm not a big RPG fan(more into RTS) but I played diablo and all the rogues camp doesn't let you become one of them. so, I meant to say that you build up your reputation from zero to hero and it carries on through the game.
_________________
Joy's recollection is no longer joy, while sorrow's
memory is sorrow still
~Lord Byron |
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Sun Dec 02, 2001 4:43 am |
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Gorath
Mostly Harmless
Joined: 03 Sep 2001
Posts: 6327
Location: NRW, Germany |
Interesting thread.
quote:
Voice acting: Horrible.
My biggest gripe so far. Maybe they couldn't afford to pay decent voice actors for the American version, I don't know. But in a game that's this dialogue heavy, the amature, irritating nature of the voice acting is a huge turn-off. And what brain-boy had the idea to give half the NPC's southern accents, and half of them Brooklyn accents? He should be taken out and shot.
They spent a lot of money in the voice acting. It was done by this company:
http://www.allinthegame.co.uk
quote:
Combat: Visually appealing, strategically lame.
Combat looks great, no doubt about it. But there is no strategic depth to combat at all that I can see, just button-mashing a-la Diablo. And when the buttons are awkward to use, this becomes a serious detratction from enjoyment. Also, the left swing/right swing/downswing options appear to make no difference at all in combat outcome.
I found it strategically rich, once you have the necessary knowledge. Attack combos are dangerous if you time them correctly.
Fun Factor:
The pace accelerates when you have chosen your camp. I liked the slow beginning, though.
Graphics:
Hehe, compare it to their new engine.
http://www.codecult.com
quote:
Mouse usage appears to be an afterthought. It should have been better integrated into the game, or left out completely.
It WAS an afterthought.  Some German print mag told them games without mouse are impossible to sell. Gothic was designed for keyboard only. So itīs no surprize a lot people think without mouse itīs faster and more precise.
Overall I like the controls, but I admit they can be improved for the sequel.
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Sun Dec 02, 2001 12:36 pm |
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Darksharp
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 30 Nov 2001
Posts: 32
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"They spent a lot of money in the voice acting. It was done by this company:
http://www.allinthegame.co.uk"
Perhaps they should be given refund, because the limited use of voice actors and the terribly bland lead is just amateurish.
"Check out their new engine"
That's a tech demo, a perfect world environment. 300k polys at 13 frames a sec? While it looks pretty that's not an impressive statement in the least. What PB builds is another thing completely. In short, I'll believe screens like the demo movies, when I see it on my own PC.
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Sun Dec 02, 2001 3:44 pm |
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bigkabuto
High Emperor
Joined: 14 Sep 2001
Posts: 591
Location: Holland/Groningen |
Voice acting bad?
I have only got the demo...still waiting for the full version....the voice acting in the demo was really good(english demo) the voice
for Diego was very fitting and the characters voice sounded allright..not much wrong with it..or are the voice acting from the demo removed and replaced by complete others??? |
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Sun Dec 02, 2001 5:42 pm |
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the-skull-king
Eager Tradesman
Joined: 30 Nov 2001
Posts: 28
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agreed.
as far as i am concerned.. this game could have been way better. its getting a little more entertaining.. but to be honest.. due to the majority of posts here, i am a not as interested in finishing the game as i was. most seem to find the ending as worthless and most of the end plot to be just as worthless.
i was hoping for a true non-linear game. this one already seems to be half-non-linear. but i am constatnly being pulled and forced to do quests.. that is a little irritating.
but yes.. the day/night thing. that is awesome. havent seen it that intense in any game. you actually cant see at night. hehe.. its great when your running paths through a forest and blam.. you cant see a thing but you can hear wolves in the distance.
anyway.. so far i rate this game about 30%. |
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Mon Dec 03, 2001 3:38 pm |
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