@Moe, Stanza, Corwin concerning closet, Dark Side, Codex, vomit icon:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
@Prime, Stanza:
Me too, here! *raises hand, waves affirmatively*
Great background stuff, giving a lot of puzzles parts i had been missing so far around the question "Why PB´s Genome is such a blunder and how came to be?"
(That it quite obviously is seriously f****d up in fact should be common knowledge by now - since even earlier actually! By the time one of them stated that it doesn´t allow the same kind of variable scripting, quest design as with the previous installments of the series, as an answer to acc. criticism in the community, it should have been clear spot on.)
Now i have a better picture how this could happen.
Of course - and that´s the truly bad thing - it is but
one of the factors that brought G3 essentially down (the disparate relation between available work force and the paramount challenge being another one, apparently flawed production design and organisation the next and finally some crude design decisions against the spirit of the previous parts and the existing game universe defined by them - let´s all say it together: "Continuity".
*biggrin* ).
Btw., here´s an update from "head honcho" (nice one, Moe
)
Mike Hoge, later that Friday, detailing the relation patch-next
Gothic installment (acc. to PB`s plans, at least) a bit more (but still doesn´t back your conspic theory about "flat out lying bastardish bunch" any further - sorry, mate! *sympathy, then cool* ):
Nochmal:
Wir haben in den letzten Monaten damit begonnen, die Grundlagen zu erschaffen DAMIT wir überhaupt in der Lage sind,
a) die inhaltlichen Veränderungen an Gothic 3 vorzunehmen, die wir uns vorgestellt hatten (Stichwort "Gigabyte Patch")
b) Gothic 4 so umzusetzen, wie wir es uns vorgestellt hatten.
Es hätte schlichtweg keinen Sinn gemacht, Gothic 3 zu ändern, nur um bei Gothic 4 dieselben Änderungen nochmal zu machen.
Dazu noch ein Beispiel:
Wir wollten u.a. das neue Kampfsystem von Gothic 4 in Gothic 3 einbinden. Es macht also keinen Sinn, das Kampfsystem von Gothic 3 zu ändern, stattdessen entwickelt man lieber ein neues und bringt es dann mit dem alten Spiel zum Laufen - das ist einfach weniger Arbeit und die einzig sinnvolle wirtschaftliche Lösung.
Die Erschaffung eines neuen Kampfsystems ist also auch GLEICHZEITIG die Arbeit an dem "Gigabyte Patch". Und das wir nichts darüber gesagt haben ausser "wir arbeiten dran", liegt daran, daß wir überhaupt noch keinen Vertrag (und daher auch kein Geld) hatten und somit nicht sicher war, daß unsere Pläne überhaupt aufgehen - und da gibt uns die jetzige Situation ja wohl Recht.
... which should translate into `bout s.th. like this
Once again:
In the last month we have begun with just creating the fundamentals that would move us into a position AT ALL to
a.) apply all the changes of content to Gothic 3 that we had made up in our minds (read "gigabyte patch")
b.) implement Gothic 4 in a way we had imagined it
It would have simply made no sense to change Gothic 3, just to run through the whole procedure with Gothic 4 once again then.
Yet one example for that:
We intended to integrate, amongst other things, the combat system from Gothic 4 into Gothic 3. So it wouldn´t have been purposeful to change the one of Gothic 3, instead you rather go and develop a new one and afterwards make it run with the new one - that´s simply less work and the only economically reasonable solution.
Hence the design of a new combat system BEING the work on the "gigabyte patch" IN ONE. And that we didn´t say anything more than "we´re working on it" is owed to the fact that we didn´t have a contract for it (hence the funding) and as such couldn´t be safe that our plans would play out in fact - well, and the current situation only backs that clearly, doesn´t it?
Sounds indeed as Dhruin suspected:
Them PBs swapping the engine of their car with the one from the follow-up model, leaving the chassis and interiors (aka sources... major gfx, chars, landscape, locations) largely the same. (Genome 2.0..., uhm, sorry, 3.0 is what we had rather agreed on above, hadn´t we!? *wink* *biggrin*)
What does that mean for the contract back then?
Jowood probably had bought the exclusive publishing rights for Gothic 4 together with the agreement with PB to do Gothic 3, but using PB for it just as an option to draw after G3 release.
Be it that this option was not exercised or some clauses regarding PBs performance with G3 development allowed them to pull out of the subsequent G4 agreement with PB remains for the lawyers.
Matter of fact:
The PBs tied a bundle to fix G3 to so fundamental extent as they thought was in the best interest of the customers (as far as they had learned about from community/customer and press feedback) - and Jowood simply didn´t buy it, apparently had different views on what to do about G3 (and for G4?).
Whether Jowood was just seeking for some cheap as possible patch for G3, had already concluded in silence they wouldn´t continue the relationship with PB afterwards or if they broke up on the altered Genome Engine not playing with their console plans or other directions they wanted to take the franchise into further on remains in the dark and a welcome subject to inexhaustable speculations.
Usually, though, it was something that would have been seen touted in the recent announcements from both sides as that they "... split over
creative differences...".
Ragon, the Mage
P.S.: What the heck is this smiley restriction all about!? Curse it! *frown*