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Trojan отыскал довольно интересное превью по готике данное сайту 3dgaming.net - Gothic Preview (1/6)
Prison can be fun.
by Eric Rasmussen
(7/30/99)
You aren't really in prison Under the right circumstances, that statement holds true. The right circumstances are as follows:
1) You aren't really in prison.
2) You can shut off the power to "escape".
3) This prison is really the world of Gothic, and upcoming RPG being developed by Piranha Bytes.
Welcome to the world of Gothic. You obviously aren't in the brightest of spots, being stuck with a bunch of convicts striving for power. If Tatooine (Star Wars) is the armpit of the galaxy, this is the place where the sun doesn't shine. Well it does shine there, just not symbolically and… I hate analogies. As I was saying, this isn't a real vacation spot. Aside from the occasional tourist that stands at the sphere's edge and throws food to the convicts, most of the people you'll encounter are grim and power hungry. Dealing with these people will be tricky business. If you tick off the most powerful crime lord in the game, don't expect to sleep well the following night. The only sleep you'd be getting is of the eternal sort, which would be a shame because of so much that awaits you. Also, don't plan on a locked door keeping the baddies away. The crime lord's flunkies won't bother finding the yellow key card to match your lock; they'll just break the door down with an axe and kill you. The moral of this story? Always agree with crime lords, and don't talk about them in a derogatory manner. Ever.
It looks like you're about ready to start adventuring now. Lucky for you, Piranha Bytes has gone to great lengths to ensure an easy to use interface and control setup, along with optional hovercraft vehicles. Oh, this just in, they scrapped the hovercraft idea. Piranha Bytes game designer and animator Alex Brüggemann explains, "How do you know about the hover crafts? We had them in, but dropped them as we discovered they don't fit into our medieval fantasy scenario." I for one don't see anything wrong with medieval convicts mining ore riding an occasional hovercraft, but it's not my call. As you learn all the basic movements quickly, you soon discover there are a couple things you can't figure out with the controls. Better check that manual. What?! You threw it away? That was dumb. Time to start digging through the garbage… actually it looks kind of dirty in there… did you see something move? Better just buy another copy of Gothic instead.
The Goods
Quick Peek: An RPG played from a third person perspective with a "What you see is what you get" attitude.
Release Date: Quarter 1, 2000
Developer: Piranha Bytes
Publisher: Egmont Interactive
Homepage: Gothic
Comments
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Troll slaying can be fun for the whole family.
There are so many aspects of gameplay to discuss for Gothic, it's hard to know where to start. Perhaps we should give a brief analysis of the different classes.
Warriors - Brawn over brains is their motto. No reason to look for a key when you can smash a door down, and finding ways around enemies is pointless… when you can instead spend time honing weapons skills and severing enemies' limbs.
Assassins - Most people here are probably familiar with the term, except that assassins in Gothic will not feature sniper rifles. Sadly, those weapons weren't invented yet. Instead, these characters will use their wits to manipulate situations for their own selfish needs, and they have no qualms about stabbing people (even lovable 3DGN writers) in the back.
Mages - An RPG isn't complete until magic wielding wizards are introduced into the mix, and Gothic won't disappoint. Mana regenerates quickly and automatically, though rare potions are available that can push your mana past the normal limit. Spell casting types can choose extremely destructive white magic or the more balanced road of grey magic. Either way can make a powerful character, but the white magic is centered more on deadly magics. Spells will include the usual types found in games, including the ability to morph into a bug in order to sneak past things and spy on orcs playing with their feet.
Psionics - The most intriguing of classes as far as I'm concerned, psionics use their minds to possess people and make them do their dirty work. It won't be possible to possess everyone, and there will be repercussions from trying to take over the mind of someone stronger (mentally, that is) than you. When possessing someone the camera follows the possessed being and lets you use it however you wish. If your own character should come under attack during this, you automatically switch back to him. Alex Brüggemann informed us that you can recharge this power through meditation. Tom Putzki's response was "Ooooommmmmmh, I'm a lotus blossom, ooooohhhhhm..."
Although I was afraid to ask, I do wonder if game designers use meditation to recharge their own mental awareness. From personal experience I can let you know 3DGN writers don't choose to participate in goofy mental exercises like meditation before writing; we use alcohol instead. We asked about how many weapons were going to be included in the game, and if Piranha Bytes could name some for us. Mario Röske answered, "Many! At the moment about 40 different weapons like Trollslayer, Deathbringer, Demonsword, manicure sets and so on!" Mario inadvertently just confirmed the rumor of a "manicure set of doom"; something Piranha Bytes has so far kept quiet. This dazzling weapon can clip, paint, and shine fingernails, instilling fear in the evilest of crime lords who wish to retain their manly image and overall ruggedness.
I really like the "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG) idea being implemented here. It's a hassle to go through a hundred different character statistics like in most RPGs and pick/alter each one to make the character you want. In Gothic, you just play the character you want, and the development of the character will be seen on screen, not through different menus. Sword swings become quicker and more accurate, magic spells increase in power, monkeys cower when your name is mentioned, etc. All of these effects are working towards keeping you focused on happenings in the game and not having to work your way through hordes of menus before you can cast your first spell.
Sticking with the WYSIWYG principle, the environment will be very realistic. When an enemy is killed, the weapon falls to the floor with a clash and can be picked up by you. An axe can break down a door or open a chest, and a torch will give light in a darkened hallway. Each NPC (Gothic should feature over 200 of them) will go about their daily activities. A man working in the mines will wake up each morning and get to work, something you can watch in action. Most RPGs feature a magical "shift" in which night becomes day and everyone is suddenly awake, but Gothic will stick with reality instead. You might even have to interrupt someone to get his or her attention.
NPC reactions also vary based on your physical appearance. What kind of armor and weapons you carry will be instantly seen by the way you look on screen, and you can use this to judge enemies also. Any friends you make will pretty much just follow you around and aid you when possible. A 15-foot troll might scare them away, but they're more than willing to pick on creatures their own size. You can make friends fairly easily in the game. If you take out a gang, the rival gang will appreciate it and for the most part trust you. Everything you do counts for something, so make sure your mother would approve.
This page contains "graphic" material and may not be suitable to people who get squeamish when buzzwords describing a game's 3D engine are used.
One of my interview questions was "What, if any, types of sub quests will be made available to the player?" The answer to that will blow you away. Chief Designer Mike Hoge describes some of the sub quests from Gothic, 'Let's see... We have "Bring my dead cat to the graveyard", "I can't sleep, read me a story", and "Let's sing a song, I'm stupid." Cool, eh?' Just when I was getting excited about these quests, Tom stepped in and said, "Eeh, Mike? We have to talk…" I sure hope whatever they do, the sub quests Mike listed make the final cut. They sound so cool! (Note: In case you didn't catch on, Mike was kidding around. See, the Gothic team has a "sense of humor", a quality that allows them to joke around and find humor in things, for those not familiar with the idea).
Mike also ran us through a sample battle; his original text can be seen in the full interview (last two pages of this preview), but I'm going to sum it up here. Let's say you run into three goblins (referred to as gobbos by Mike). They're wary of you for a few reasons, mainly because of your sword, your armor, and your stench. Hey, it can be hard to find a shower with good water pressure in prison. One of these gobbos might try to get behind you while his little gobbo buddies occupy you from the front. Being the smart RPG geek you are (well, I am a geek at least), you turn quickly and slice through the gobbo as he jumps at you from behind. The two remaining gobbos poop their non-existent gobbo pants and run for help. As you chase after them through the caves the ground begins to shake and the gobbos cheer as a huge troll hits you in the head with a rock and charges. If the troll had been a native enemy of the goblins, he could have finished your job on his own, but unfortunately for you, trolls get along well with goblins. The blow from the rock knocks your sword from your hands, and the troll lifts you high into the air. Staring down his throat you hold your breath in an attempt to ignore the horrific stench. You close your eyes and pray, but it's too late… your head is now working its way through the digestive tract of the troll. You can rest soundly knowing you gave him an upset stomach and gas for a week, but your sword is now gone as you are reborn at the altar to try again.
No preview would be complete without a listing of buzzwords describing various attributes of a game's 3D engine. Since I don't know what most of these words mean, I'll let Tom list the buzzwords, because he does it so much more eloquently than I can. Tom says, "Facial animation and expression, softskinning meshes, realtime shadows, particle system, motion capture animations, day and night shift, lense flairs, volumetric fog, cloud shadows and many other things as our programmers said ;-)". All I know is if all of these words are listed on the back of a box accompanied by pretty screenshots it's probably worth buying. Just check out the screens, and you'll see how realistic of a world Piranha Bytes is working to create.
Since what you can see on screen is so important, the team is taking great care to make sure the environment is realistic. If you leave your weapons on the ground, people will come pick them up. An orc may have to pick up his axe off the ground before attacking you, and facial animation will make sure Gothic isn't a world full of ventriloquists. Speaking of boobies, I went ahead and asked if the character would ever get a chance to play with a woman's boobies. Alex answers in complete seriousness, "This would never be the real thing using input devices that are common today. As soon as everybody uses "feel-it-sensomatic-gloves" I'd like to include this feature
". I was disappointed, and then Tom chimed in also, "Perhaps we include the orc-centerfolde of the month for you, o.k.?" Then, no longer disappointed, I was just confused and decided not to pursue any of Tom's fetishes for orcs.
Keeping the serious tone the interview obviously had, I just had to include a question about llamas. No 3DGN article is complete unless llamas, monkeys, or goats are mentioned, so I asked, "Will you include an easter egg that shows llamas with "3DGN" spray painted on the side just for us? Pretty please?" I think it was the additional "Pretty please?" that made them feel sorry for us. Alex said it was an exceptional idea and he'd discuss it with the creature designer. Tom cried out in pain, "Why me??? What have I done wrong in my last life?" To this question, another person whose opinion really matters (Eric Rasmussen) answered, "I think the addition of llamas is a splendid idea. What RPG is really an RPG without them? I mean, come on you know? What the hell do you mean I can't respond to my own question? My opinion counts too!" (Editor's note: I'll have to remove that before posting, hope I don't forget.)
Alex can swim. In water.
I probably shouldn't say it's shocking, because I've always been told electricity doesn't mix with water. I was wondering if Gothic would allow you to swim underwater, because some games neglect that sort of thing. You've heard the saying, "Ask a dumb question, get a dumb answer." Well, that's what I got. When I said, "Can you swim underwater?" Alex responded with, "Yes I can, can you?" Tom Putzki, whose mind was still on boobies and orc centerfolds, heard the mention of water and instantly said, "Baywatch???" If I come visit anytime soon, Tom, we can watch Baywatch together. I can even explain the difference between women and orcs if you're really interested.
Gothic is really shaping into an awesome game. I think there are a few things that can really enhance how good a game turns out to be. To best describe this, I'll use an analogy. Parents who always tell their children how smart they are will have children who grow up to be smarter than otherwise (or children who grow up to be neurotic, but let's focus on the smart ones); these kids then have happier lives. Some may not be too happy, unless the parents also give their kids plenty of love and attention and listen to the opinions of people who will buy copies of the kid and play with it. Where did this analogy go wrong? I'll just say this normally. A game is going to turn out better if the developers really care about the game and work hard at making it. If the people who are going to play the game have feedback on what they think needs to be included, it's good for the developer to listen. A lot of bigwig companies don't do this and only care about the profit in making a game. Once people realize this and start ignoring the bigwigs, they'll become tinywigs, and then we won't have to deal with them anymore, and only with people who genuinely care about their game.
I honestly believe Piranha Interactive cares about making Gothic an awesome game, and they like to hear what people have to say about it. When I mentioned Gothic's graphics weren't quite up to the standard of some games on the horizon in a Quickie I wrote (mini preview), Tom e-mailed me and virtually put me into a headlock until I said "Uncle!" After that, he showed me some updated screenshots of new technologies being used and better shots of how animated the characters really are. Rubbing my sore neck I had to agree with him that the screens were a big improvement. He didn't have to e-mail me. The Quickie wasn't going to be altered in anyway, but he did e-mail me, because he cared what people thought.
If you think I'm rambling on here, I'm not; I have a point to all this banter. You may notice Piranha Bytes gave humorous answers to a lot of the questions. Instead of just going on and on about how great the game was, they chose to have fun with the article and make it interesting for readers while still giving enough information on the game to make this an informative preview. My point was that not everyone goes to these lengths. The companies that do are the ones that care about their product and what people think of it, and those are the companies that make games work. I'm more apt to trust a team of workers that enjoys what they do and cares about their game then I am one that takes every opportunity it has to spew a multitude of buzzwords about their game and shove it down our throats.
You can look for Gothic in early 2000, and I for one can't wait. I'm not sure if the line of people camping out at CompUSA or Fry's will be quite as large as the one for Star Wars, though I have a feeling Gothic won't be disappointing. The full text from the interview can be read by clicking the link at the bottom, and be sure to visit Piranha Byte's web page to read more about Gothic!
Here's the full interview, folks, for your viewing pleasure.
1. Will you be able to torch/demolish structures?
Alex: YES! Destroy! DESTROY!! Sorry. There will be some structures that can be destroyed. Using a 2-handed Axe you surely can open doors or chests without worrying about a key, but you probably won't be able to destroy complete buildings.
2. Can you choose a model and skin for the main character, or is there a set person you must use?
Alex: Yes, it's a set person, but hey, it's our HERO! Choosing a skin at the beginning wouldn't make much sense, because you will find dozens of different clothing and armor later in the game that you can use. But if you like you can try to solve the game in your underwear instead
Mike: There still is the idea of letting the player choose one of several different faces at the beginning...
3. Will you include an easter egg that shows llamas with "3DGN" spray painted on the side just for us? Pretty please?
Alex: What an exeptional good idea! I'll talk to our Creature-Designer and present this idea to him.
Tom: Why me??? What have I done wrong in my last life?
4. Are there going to be any modes of transportation aside from walking? (Such as riding horses, hover crafts, whatever)
Alex: How do you know about the hover crafts? We had them in, but dropped them as we discovered they don't fit into our medieval fantasy scenario Aside from walking, you can run, sneak, sprint, swim, dive, teleport, or just stay where you are and wait for something to happen. There will be no horses in GOTHIC and probably no other creatures you can ride.
Mike: I want an orc to ride a tamed battle-troll... it seems that they won't let me have it, but we'll see...
Tom: Sorry about Mike's strange ideas - everyone knows that you'll never be able to tame a troll
5. How many weapons will be included? Can you name a few?
Mario: Many! At the moment about 40 different weapons like Trollslayer, Deathbringer, Demonsword, manicure sets and so on!
6. How exactly does the mana system work for casting spells?
Mike: Mana regenerates automatically. I see no point in carrying around 100 mana-potions, so regeneration will be quite fast. We still have potions (very rare and very expensive), but they'll boost you OVER your actual maximun!
7. Can you get NPCs to join your quest and aid you in battle? If so, do you control them, or do they act independently?
Alex: Yes, this will happen. They act independently so you can't make them do something completely silly.
Mike: A party member will not let you down in battle unless you decide to attack a 15 feet towering troll. Party members will react like you, so you can control them indirectly; i.e. you attack-they attack, you quit battle-they quit battle, you sneak-they sneak (if they're able to), etc.
8. Would you mind running us through a sample encounter with an enemy and the battle that ensues?
Mike: You are in some underground caves. You face death itself in the form of 3 Goblins. Wait! Gobbos are about 3 feet high. They're no real threat - and they know it! So they cautiously approach you, and one of them tries to get behind you. You draw your sword (which you've most recently taken from the sucker who didn't want to let you over the bridge), eager to test its abilities on some gobbos. One gobbo jumps forward. Your blade hits him in mid-air, his body lifelessly drops before you, and he loses his weapon out of his hand. The remaining gobbos flee in panic around the next corner. You leave the sword behind, because almost everyone on the surface has a better one, and they won't buy crap!
You run after the gobbos around the next corner into a huge cavern. On the far side the two goblins seem to be waiting for you. One of them seems to have a rather precious weapon - little bastards! Now you gonna die! You race towards the goblins, crossing the huge cavern. You are halfway through, and suddenly the ground slightly begins to shake. The goblins jump up and down, cheering - are they mocking you? You turn around. A gigantic troll is moving towards you. And there is something in the air... BANG the rock hits you hard! You drop to the ground, losing your sword. One moment later, the troll is over you. You jump up , turn around and run the hell out of- GRAB! You are in the troll's fist.
You've been in this situation before. If you still had your sword you could hit him on his ugly nose and he would let you fall down. But without a sword you horrifiedly stare at the huge jaws of the troll as he bites your head off!
You are reborn at the altar - again (sigh). Damn! You've lost your sword! Again! You ask yourself if a little more thinking before running into rooms might help... And why is this black beast hanging around here everytime you are resurrected?
9. Can you list a few of the technologies being used for the graphics? (Facial animation, 16-bit coloring, that sort of thing)
Tom: Facial animation and expression, softskinning meshes, realtime shadows, particle system, motion capture animations, day and night shift, lense flairs, volumetric fog, cloud shadows and many other things as our programmers said ;-)
We promised you we'd mention breasts, so here goes…
10. Will the player at any point in the game get to play with a woman's breasts?
Alex: This would never be the real thing using input devices that are common today. As soon as everybody uses "feel-it-sensomatic-gloves" I'd like to include this feature
Tom: Perhaps we include the orc-centerfolde of the month for you, o.k.?
11. Can you swim underwater?
Alex: Yes I can, can you?
Tom: Baywatch???
12. After initiating battle with an enemy, can you stop fighting and try and reconcile? Many RPGs don't give you that option after the fighting has started.
Alex: That depends. Trying to reconcile after hitting that big, ugly orc with your sword will make you a dead man, and the orc happy again. But if you hit an NPC that is neutral or friendly he won't kill you if you hit him by mistake and put down your weapon after that. And if you attack someone who is much stronger than you, but not an enemy he may knock you to the ground as a warning instead of killing you.
13. Will mages have different choices as far as what types of magic they can specialize in?
Mike: Yes! (Wonderful, isn't it?) You will be able to choose from 2 philosophies of magic. The White Magic uses whatever means to destroy the enemies. The Grey Ones try to keep the balance and therefore don't use mega-destructive spells, but their subtile means of solving their problems are no less efficient!
14. Is there any alignment for your character that will influence NPC reactions?
Alex: We don't have an absolute "morale-meter" that counts your evil deeds, making all the NPCs say "I don't talk to you, you baaad guy!" after a while. This wouldn't make much sense in a prison-camp, and beyond that it's not fun. But this doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want without being held responsible. If you try to steal something, make sure that you're not seen. If you wander around the world just trying to annoy every NPC you meet they will react accordingly.
15. What, if any, types of sub quests will be made available to the player?
Mike: Let's see... We have "Bring my dead cat to the graveyard", "I can't sleep, read me a story", and "Let's sing a song, I'm stupid". Cool, eh?
Tom: Eeh, Mike? We have to talk...
16. Is it possible to morph into other creatures through magic? (or other means, if applicable)
Alex: As a Magician you will have the ability to shapeshift. You can use this spell to transform into a Meatbug, which is a small creature that is able to climb on walls and ceilings and sneak past the guards. As a Psionic you can control humanoid beings, such as Gobbos or Orcs.
17. Will the characters specializing in psionics be able to persuade NPCs to do their bidding?
Mike: Yes.
Tom: What else can I say?
18. How often can a player use psionic powers, and what types of limitations are imposed on their use?
Alex: The use of psionic powers depends on your will-power. You can refresh this psionic power by using meditation.
Tom: Ooooommmmmmh, I'm a lotus blossom, ooooohhhhhm...
I'd like to thank Piranha Bytes for being good sports and doing this interview with us. And to the readers, thanks for tuning into 3DGN, be sure to drop in tomorrow, same evil monkey time, same evil monkey channel.
Prison can be fun.
by Eric Rasmussen
(7/30/99)
You aren't really in prison Under the right circumstances, that statement holds true. The right circumstances are as follows:
1) You aren't really in prison.
2) You can shut off the power to "escape".
3) This prison is really the world of Gothic, and upcoming RPG being developed by Piranha Bytes.
We're not sure what it is you did, but you're in trouble. See that burly looking man over there? How about the one next to him? Your life means nothing to them. Nothing. You are poop as far as they're concerned. For these crimes you committed, these two guards are going to throw you into a huge magic sphere with lots of other prisoners. As they draw their swords and approach, you cringe in fear awaiting certain death. To your surprise, the guards only kick you a couple of times and throw you off a cliff towards a large sphere. Careening off the edge you shout, "Hey, this isn't so baaaaaaaaaad!" *splash*. At least they were kind enough to aim for water underneath the big sphere. And what the hell is this sphere anyway?
Before the game continues, you put it on pause and check that manual thingy packaged with the game. The sphere turns out to be a huge magic sphere (as opposed to your everyday garden variety sphere), and while anything can pass through to the inside, no living objects can exit it. Convicts are sent here to mine ore for the war effort, and the only way to get much needed supplies is to mine that ore and trade it with people on the outside. Content with your newfound knowledge, you quickly throw the manual away and get back to the game. A minute later, a fellow convict spits in your face and explains where you are and why. I guess you didn't need to waste all the time with that manual after all.
Welcome to the world of Gothic. You obviously aren't in the brightest of spots, being stuck with a bunch of convicts striving for power. If Tatooine (Star Wars) is the armpit of the galaxy, this is the place where the sun doesn't shine. Well it does shine there, just not symbolically and… I hate analogies. As I was saying, this isn't a real vacation spot. Aside from the occasional tourist that stands at the sphere's edge and throws food to the convicts, most of the people you'll encounter are grim and power hungry. Dealing with these people will be tricky business. If you tick off the most powerful crime lord in the game, don't expect to sleep well the following night. The only sleep you'd be getting is of the eternal sort, which would be a shame because of so much that awaits you. Also, don't plan on a locked door keeping the baddies away. The crime lord's flunkies won't bother finding the yellow key card to match your lock; they'll just break the door down with an axe and kill you. The moral of this story? Always agree with crime lords, and don't talk about them in a derogatory manner. Ever.
It looks like you're about ready to start adventuring now. Lucky for you, Piranha Bytes has gone to great lengths to ensure an easy to use interface and control setup, along with optional hovercraft vehicles. Oh, this just in, they scrapped the hovercraft idea. Piranha Bytes game designer and animator Alex Brüggemann explains, "How do you know about the hover crafts? We had them in, but dropped them as we discovered they don't fit into our medieval fantasy scenario." I for one don't see anything wrong with medieval convicts mining ore riding an occasional hovercraft, but it's not my call. As you learn all the basic movements quickly, you soon discover there are a couple things you can't figure out with the controls. Better check that manual. What?! You threw it away? That was dumb. Time to start digging through the garbage… actually it looks kind of dirty in there… did you see something move? Better just buy another copy of Gothic instead.
The Goods
Quick Peek: An RPG played from a third person perspective with a "What you see is what you get" attitude.
Release Date: Quarter 1, 2000
Developer: Piranha Bytes
Publisher: Egmont Interactive
Homepage: Gothic
Comments
Comments on this article?
Tell us at 3DChat.Net!
web | newsreader
|
There are so many aspects of gameplay to discuss for Gothic, it's hard to know where to start. Perhaps we should give a brief analysis of the different classes.
Warriors - Brawn over brains is their motto. No reason to look for a key when you can smash a door down, and finding ways around enemies is pointless… when you can instead spend time honing weapons skills and severing enemies' limbs.
Assassins - Most people here are probably familiar with the term, except that assassins in Gothic will not feature sniper rifles. Sadly, those weapons weren't invented yet. Instead, these characters will use their wits to manipulate situations for their own selfish needs, and they have no qualms about stabbing people (even lovable 3DGN writers) in the back.
Mages - An RPG isn't complete until magic wielding wizards are introduced into the mix, and Gothic won't disappoint. Mana regenerates quickly and automatically, though rare potions are available that can push your mana past the normal limit. Spell casting types can choose extremely destructive white magic or the more balanced road of grey magic. Either way can make a powerful character, but the white magic is centered more on deadly magics. Spells will include the usual types found in games, including the ability to morph into a bug in order to sneak past things and spy on orcs playing with their feet.
Psionics - The most intriguing of classes as far as I'm concerned, psionics use their minds to possess people and make them do their dirty work. It won't be possible to possess everyone, and there will be repercussions from trying to take over the mind of someone stronger (mentally, that is) than you. When possessing someone the camera follows the possessed being and lets you use it however you wish. If your own character should come under attack during this, you automatically switch back to him. Alex Brüggemann informed us that you can recharge this power through meditation. Tom Putzki's response was "Ooooommmmmmh, I'm a lotus blossom, ooooohhhhhm..."
Although I was afraid to ask, I do wonder if game designers use meditation to recharge their own mental awareness. From personal experience I can let you know 3DGN writers don't choose to participate in goofy mental exercises like meditation before writing; we use alcohol instead. We asked about how many weapons were going to be included in the game, and if Piranha Bytes could name some for us. Mario Röske answered, "Many! At the moment about 40 different weapons like Trollslayer, Deathbringer, Demonsword, manicure sets and so on!" Mario inadvertently just confirmed the rumor of a "manicure set of doom"; something Piranha Bytes has so far kept quiet. This dazzling weapon can clip, paint, and shine fingernails, instilling fear in the evilest of crime lords who wish to retain their manly image and overall ruggedness.
Sticking with the WYSIWYG principle, the environment will be very realistic. When an enemy is killed, the weapon falls to the floor with a clash and can be picked up by you. An axe can break down a door or open a chest, and a torch will give light in a darkened hallway. Each NPC (Gothic should feature over 200 of them) will go about their daily activities. A man working in the mines will wake up each morning and get to work, something you can watch in action. Most RPGs feature a magical "shift" in which night becomes day and everyone is suddenly awake, but Gothic will stick with reality instead. You might even have to interrupt someone to get his or her attention.
NPC reactions also vary based on your physical appearance. What kind of armor and weapons you carry will be instantly seen by the way you look on screen, and you can use this to judge enemies also. Any friends you make will pretty much just follow you around and aid you when possible. A 15-foot troll might scare them away, but they're more than willing to pick on creatures their own size. You can make friends fairly easily in the game. If you take out a gang, the rival gang will appreciate it and for the most part trust you. Everything you do counts for something, so make sure your mother would approve.
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One of my interview questions was "What, if any, types of sub quests will be made available to the player?" The answer to that will blow you away. Chief Designer Mike Hoge describes some of the sub quests from Gothic, 'Let's see... We have "Bring my dead cat to the graveyard", "I can't sleep, read me a story", and "Let's sing a song, I'm stupid." Cool, eh?' Just when I was getting excited about these quests, Tom stepped in and said, "Eeh, Mike? We have to talk…" I sure hope whatever they do, the sub quests Mike listed make the final cut. They sound so cool! (Note: In case you didn't catch on, Mike was kidding around. See, the Gothic team has a "sense of humor", a quality that allows them to joke around and find humor in things, for those not familiar with the idea).
Mike also ran us through a sample battle; his original text can be seen in the full interview (last two pages of this preview), but I'm going to sum it up here. Let's say you run into three goblins (referred to as gobbos by Mike). They're wary of you for a few reasons, mainly because of your sword, your armor, and your stench. Hey, it can be hard to find a shower with good water pressure in prison. One of these gobbos might try to get behind you while his little gobbo buddies occupy you from the front. Being the smart RPG geek you are (well, I am a geek at least), you turn quickly and slice through the gobbo as he jumps at you from behind. The two remaining gobbos poop their non-existent gobbo pants and run for help. As you chase after them through the caves the ground begins to shake and the gobbos cheer as a huge troll hits you in the head with a rock and charges. If the troll had been a native enemy of the goblins, he could have finished your job on his own, but unfortunately for you, trolls get along well with goblins. The blow from the rock knocks your sword from your hands, and the troll lifts you high into the air. Staring down his throat you hold your breath in an attempt to ignore the horrific stench. You close your eyes and pray, but it's too late… your head is now working its way through the digestive tract of the troll. You can rest soundly knowing you gave him an upset stomach and gas for a week, but your sword is now gone as you are reborn at the altar to try again.
Since what you can see on screen is so important, the team is taking great care to make sure the environment is realistic. If you leave your weapons on the ground, people will come pick them up. An orc may have to pick up his axe off the ground before attacking you, and facial animation will make sure Gothic isn't a world full of ventriloquists. Speaking of boobies, I went ahead and asked if the character would ever get a chance to play with a woman's boobies. Alex answers in complete seriousness, "This would never be the real thing using input devices that are common today. As soon as everybody uses "feel-it-sensomatic-gloves" I'd like to include this feature
". I was disappointed, and then Tom chimed in also, "Perhaps we include the orc-centerfolde of the month for you, o.k.?" Then, no longer disappointed, I was just confused and decided not to pursue any of Tom's fetishes for orcs.Keeping the serious tone the interview obviously had, I just had to include a question about llamas. No 3DGN article is complete unless llamas, monkeys, or goats are mentioned, so I asked, "Will you include an easter egg that shows llamas with "3DGN" spray painted on the side just for us? Pretty please?" I think it was the additional "Pretty please?" that made them feel sorry for us. Alex said it was an exceptional idea and he'd discuss it with the creature designer. Tom cried out in pain, "Why me??? What have I done wrong in my last life?" To this question, another person whose opinion really matters (Eric Rasmussen) answered, "I think the addition of llamas is a splendid idea. What RPG is really an RPG without them? I mean, come on you know? What the hell do you mean I can't respond to my own question? My opinion counts too!" (Editor's note: I'll have to remove that before posting, hope I don't forget.)
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I probably shouldn't say it's shocking, because I've always been told electricity doesn't mix with water. I was wondering if Gothic would allow you to swim underwater, because some games neglect that sort of thing. You've heard the saying, "Ask a dumb question, get a dumb answer." Well, that's what I got. When I said, "Can you swim underwater?" Alex responded with, "Yes I can, can you?" Tom Putzki, whose mind was still on boobies and orc centerfolds, heard the mention of water and instantly said, "Baywatch???" If I come visit anytime soon, Tom, we can watch Baywatch together. I can even explain the difference between women and orcs if you're really interested.
Gothic is really shaping into an awesome game. I think there are a few things that can really enhance how good a game turns out to be. To best describe this, I'll use an analogy. Parents who always tell their children how smart they are will have children who grow up to be smarter than otherwise (or children who grow up to be neurotic, but let's focus on the smart ones); these kids then have happier lives. Some may not be too happy, unless the parents also give their kids plenty of love and attention and listen to the opinions of people who will buy copies of the kid and play with it. Where did this analogy go wrong? I'll just say this normally. A game is going to turn out better if the developers really care about the game and work hard at making it. If the people who are going to play the game have feedback on what they think needs to be included, it's good for the developer to listen. A lot of bigwig companies don't do this and only care about the profit in making a game. Once people realize this and start ignoring the bigwigs, they'll become tinywigs, and then we won't have to deal with them anymore, and only with people who genuinely care about their game.
If you think I'm rambling on here, I'm not; I have a point to all this banter. You may notice Piranha Bytes gave humorous answers to a lot of the questions. Instead of just going on and on about how great the game was, they chose to have fun with the article and make it interesting for readers while still giving enough information on the game to make this an informative preview. My point was that not everyone goes to these lengths. The companies that do are the ones that care about their product and what people think of it, and those are the companies that make games work. I'm more apt to trust a team of workers that enjoys what they do and cares about their game then I am one that takes every opportunity it has to spew a multitude of buzzwords about their game and shove it down our throats.
You can look for Gothic in early 2000, and I for one can't wait. I'm not sure if the line of people camping out at CompUSA or Fry's will be quite as large as the one for Star Wars, though I have a feeling Gothic won't be disappointing. The full text from the interview can be read by clicking the link at the bottom, and be sure to visit Piranha Byte's web page to read more about Gothic!
Here's the full interview, folks, for your viewing pleasure.
1. Will you be able to torch/demolish structures?
Alex: YES! Destroy! DESTROY!! Sorry. There will be some structures that can be destroyed. Using a 2-handed Axe you surely can open doors or chests without worrying about a key, but you probably won't be able to destroy complete buildings.
2. Can you choose a model and skin for the main character, or is there a set person you must use?
Alex: Yes, it's a set person, but hey, it's our HERO! Choosing a skin at the beginning wouldn't make much sense, because you will find dozens of different clothing and armor later in the game that you can use. But if you like you can try to solve the game in your underwear instead
Mike: There still is the idea of letting the player choose one of several different faces at the beginning...
3. Will you include an easter egg that shows llamas with "3DGN" spray painted on the side just for us? Pretty please?
Alex: What an exeptional good idea! I'll talk to our Creature-Designer and present this idea to him.
Tom: Why me??? What have I done wrong in my last life?
4. Are there going to be any modes of transportation aside from walking? (Such as riding horses, hover crafts, whatever)
Alex: How do you know about the hover crafts? We had them in, but dropped them as we discovered they don't fit into our medieval fantasy scenario
Aside from walking, you can run, sneak, sprint, swim, dive, teleport, or just stay where you are and wait for something to happen. There will be no horses in GOTHIC and probably no other creatures you can ride.Mike: I want an orc to ride a tamed battle-troll... it seems that they won't let me have it, but we'll see...
Tom: Sorry about Mike's strange ideas - everyone knows that you'll never be able to tame a troll
5. How many weapons will be included? Can you name a few?
Mario: Many! At the moment about 40 different weapons like Trollslayer, Deathbringer, Demonsword, manicure sets and so on!
6. How exactly does the mana system work for casting spells?
Mike: Mana regenerates automatically. I see no point in carrying around 100 mana-potions, so regeneration will be quite fast. We still have potions (very rare and very expensive), but they'll boost you OVER your actual maximun!
7. Can you get NPCs to join your quest and aid you in battle? If so, do you control them, or do they act independently?
Alex: Yes, this will happen. They act independently so you can't make them do something completely silly.
Mike: A party member will not let you down in battle unless you decide to attack a 15 feet towering troll. Party members will react like you, so you can control them indirectly; i.e. you attack-they attack, you quit battle-they quit battle, you sneak-they sneak (if they're able to), etc.
8. Would you mind running us through a sample encounter with an enemy and the battle that ensues?
Mike: You are in some underground caves. You face death itself in the form of 3 Goblins. Wait! Gobbos are about 3 feet high. They're no real threat - and they know it! So they cautiously approach you, and one of them tries to get behind you. You draw your sword (which you've most recently taken from the sucker who didn't want to let you over the bridge), eager to test its abilities on some gobbos. One gobbo jumps forward. Your blade hits him in mid-air, his body lifelessly drops before you, and he loses his weapon out of his hand. The remaining gobbos flee in panic around the next corner. You leave the sword behind, because almost everyone on the surface has a better one, and they won't buy crap!
You run after the gobbos around the next corner into a huge cavern. On the far side the two goblins seem to be waiting for you. One of them seems to have a rather precious weapon - little bastards! Now you gonna die! You race towards the goblins, crossing the huge cavern. You are halfway through, and suddenly the ground slightly begins to shake. The goblins jump up and down, cheering - are they mocking you? You turn around. A gigantic troll is moving towards you. And there is something in the air... BANG the rock hits you hard! You drop to the ground, losing your sword. One moment later, the troll is over you. You jump up , turn around and run the hell out of- GRAB! You are in the troll's fist.
You've been in this situation before. If you still had your sword you could hit him on his ugly nose and he would let you fall down. But without a sword you horrifiedly stare at the huge jaws of the troll as he bites your head off!
You are reborn at the altar - again (sigh). Damn! You've lost your sword! Again! You ask yourself if a little more thinking before running into rooms might help... And why is this black beast hanging around here everytime you are resurrected?
9. Can you list a few of the technologies being used for the graphics? (Facial animation, 16-bit coloring, that sort of thing)
Tom: Facial animation and expression, softskinning meshes, realtime shadows, particle system, motion capture animations, day and night shift, lense flairs, volumetric fog, cloud shadows and many other things as our programmers said ;-)
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10. Will the player at any point in the game get to play with a woman's breasts?
Alex: This would never be the real thing using input devices that are common today. As soon as everybody uses "feel-it-sensomatic-gloves" I'd like to include this feature
Tom: Perhaps we include the orc-centerfolde of the month for you, o.k.?
11. Can you swim underwater?
Alex: Yes I can, can you?
Tom: Baywatch???
12. After initiating battle with an enemy, can you stop fighting and try and reconcile? Many RPGs don't give you that option after the fighting has started.
Alex: That depends. Trying to reconcile after hitting that big, ugly orc with your sword will make you a dead man, and the orc happy again. But if you hit an NPC that is neutral or friendly he won't kill you if you hit him by mistake and put down your weapon after that. And if you attack someone who is much stronger than you, but not an enemy he may knock you to the ground as a warning instead of killing you.
13. Will mages have different choices as far as what types of magic they can specialize in?
Mike: Yes! (Wonderful, isn't it?) You will be able to choose from 2 philosophies of magic. The White Magic uses whatever means to destroy the enemies. The Grey Ones try to keep the balance and therefore don't use mega-destructive spells, but their subtile means of solving their problems are no less efficient!
14. Is there any alignment for your character that will influence NPC reactions?
Alex: We don't have an absolute "morale-meter" that counts your evil deeds, making all the NPCs say "I don't talk to you, you baaad guy!" after a while. This wouldn't make much sense in a prison-camp, and beyond that it's not fun. But this doesn't mean that you can do whatever you want without being held responsible. If you try to steal something, make sure that you're not seen. If you wander around the world just trying to annoy every NPC you meet they will react accordingly.
15. What, if any, types of sub quests will be made available to the player?
Mike: Let's see... We have "Bring my dead cat to the graveyard", "I can't sleep, read me a story", and "Let's sing a song, I'm stupid". Cool, eh?
Tom: Eeh, Mike? We have to talk...
16. Is it possible to morph into other creatures through magic? (or other means, if applicable)
Alex: As a Magician you will have the ability to shapeshift. You can use this spell to transform into a Meatbug, which is a small creature that is able to climb on walls and ceilings and sneak past the guards. As a Psionic you can control humanoid beings, such as Gobbos or Orcs.
17. Will the characters specializing in psionics be able to persuade NPCs to do their bidding?
Mike: Yes.
Tom: What else can I say?
18. How often can a player use psionic powers, and what types of limitations are imposed on their use?
Alex: The use of psionic powers depends on your will-power. You can refresh this psionic power by using meditation.
Tom: Ooooommmmmmh, I'm a lotus blossom, ooooohhhhhm...
I'd like to thank Piranha Bytes for being good sports and doing this interview with us. And to the readers, thanks for tuning into 3DGN, be sure to drop in tomorrow, same evil monkey time, same evil monkey channel.
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