Any word on Patch2, eta? [Archive]

View Full Version : Any word on Patch2, eta?

Acleacius

October 22nd, 2006, 14:21

Hey haven't seen this yet and it would be nice to hear about any new info that appears.
So if anyone has seen anything, especially maybe on an German board which often seems to get info first, it would be much appreciated. ;)

r3dshift

October 22nd, 2006, 14:36

Allegedly, a second patch is in the works, but no ETA yet.

I found this linked into a Hungarian forum. This is a quote from the Assistant Community Manager on the German forums:

"Wer sich mal macht ein paar Gedanken,
Wird nicht verwiesen in die Schranken.

Ein Patch, oh Graus!, der braucht doch Zeit,
so steht er euch alsbald bereit.

Ein Datum, das weiß jeder Wicht,
existiert zur Zeit (für die öffentlichkeit) noch leider nicht.

Doch seid gewarnt und hört gut zu,
Schonbald ist er da und hier herrscht Ruh'"

Acleacius

October 22nd, 2006, 14:47

I take it you can understand this since your bio mentions your from Hungry. ;)
Lol, what does that say/mean? :D

Maylander

October 22nd, 2006, 15:32

I read that the next patch will fix certain AI issues, but that's all I know at this point.

Moriendor

October 22nd, 2006, 15:35

It's German and means that the patch is coming soon but no exact date has been nailed down yet. Someone at the JoWood forums thought it'd be funny to start a thread where you need to speak in rhymes (poem-like, not rap/hip hop style :D ). The above is the community manager's little poem regarding the patch. Probably translates absolutely horrible in Bablefish ;) .

Moriendor

October 22nd, 2006, 15:40

@ Maylander: There are conflicting statements about the 2nd patch. Kai Rosenkranz from PB said that AI issues will be addressed in the next patch and I think it was someone from JoWood who said more recently that AI fixes will be coming but not in this next, upcoming patch. Since the second statement is newer, I'd assume that the next patch will only be addressing the most glaring issues like the boars and some other balancing issues plus technical stuff like lens flare inside structures/caves etc. - We'll see...

txa1265

October 23rd, 2006, 01:42

I am hoping that the next patch is prior to US release ...

Acleacius

October 23rd, 2006, 02:08

Well soon I hope as it is looking more and more of my problem with not finding the Rangers and Porgan is due to them being killed by boars and scavengers, at least I think that is what some of translations from WoG forum means.
Since anyone can be killed I am guessing that while I was trying to fight the boars near the overturned cart, their area was spawed with mosters near.
One thread seems to translate to "poor Porgan was an animal lover so he just watched while the scavnger killed him".
To make things worst I can't use the console to spawn another of the killed due to the letters and console flickering leaves it impossible to read. :(

Unless that is not his cave to the right of the road near the overturned cart and someone can explain to me how to find the correct cave.
I hate to start over agian due to a medium problem like this due to the fact that the chances it will hapen again in the next 100 hours of playing the game trying to see everything are like a billion to one it will happen again. :(

Melvil

October 23rd, 2006, 06:04

Corwin

October 23rd, 2006, 07:02

Now I've never had a problem with the wolves; I can take them out 2 at a time quite easily with just a sword. Some of the other beasties are a tad more challenging!! :)

Maylander

October 23rd, 2006, 11:10

Beasts are only a problem if you use 1h weapon; with 2h weapon, ranged weapon or magic they're all fairly easy.

I'd say the most important things to fix right now are:
1. The guru memory issue.
2. Main quest bugs, such as vital NPCs falling through the world. This will ruin many peoples' games, and I suspect there are quite a few who have never heard of Marvin mode, and will never bother with it - they'll just quit the game.

Acleacius

October 23rd, 2006, 11:26

Please lets not forget the flashing white light from HELL! ;)

I actually found them, I had started a new game when I realised I went the path of the Bandits at the river and never went back and checked the long path the Merc mentioned.
Hell you tell me I will get attack by Bandits, I am there!
Loot and XP, baby Loot and XP thats life and its good. :p

Maylander

October 23rd, 2006, 12:21

Hehe yeah, I completed that part of the game three times without finding them - constantly went straight to the bandits to get xp and loot!

HiddenX

October 24th, 2006, 17:23

Jowood Forum leaked:

The plan is:
Patch comes out this week !

Acleacius

October 25th, 2006, 05:30

Great news, thanks HiddenX. :)

txa1265

October 25th, 2006, 06:02

Jowood Forum leaked:

The plan is:
Patch comes out this week !

Cool - so when it hits US it should be all patched up :)

JonNik

October 25th, 2006, 12:03

Jowood Forum leaked:

The plan is:
Patch comes out this week !

Excellent news if this is true !

So Mr Paeck meant "Certainly a LOT earlier than 5-6 weeks" in his
Krawall interview then ;) Damn that smooth PR humor is hard to get...
The language barrier might have done it for me also ofcourse...

Makes me glad that I decided to hold out a couple of days longer...

P.S Mr HiddenX <salute> you are a very handy fellow to have around :)

Acleacius

October 25th, 2006, 15:22

You know one problem with this, there is a very good chance we will all have to start new games as with the first patch.
Testing different options with the performance, unpatched save will not work with a patched game and the reverse, iir.

txa1265

October 25th, 2006, 15:32

That is always a concern with patches ... I guess discovering that will be key for some people to decide if they'll install or not.

Corwin

October 25th, 2006, 15:45

I won't patch if it means losing save games. I've spent too many hours getting to the point I am to begin again right now. After all, I've NWN2 coming out soon as well!! :)

JonNik

October 25th, 2006, 16:04

Well, Lets see what actually gets fixed first...
(Please include release notes this time ;) )

Given the fact that the patch seems to come
sooner rather than later It seems that Moriendor's
mention of Conflicting reports on this issue have
something going for it. Perhaps AI fixes, at-least,
will not make it in this one as noted...

If its just balance fixes perhaps people in advanced
points of the game wouldn't bother anyway.
(Having passed the point when this is a problem and
especially if there is any hint of save compatibility)

Heh, Now that you mention it if the fixes are superficial
I might try NWN2 first, myself. There seems to be some
need for patching there too from what I hear but I am
less concerned of harming my experience of that one
(Plus I'll actually borrow it from a friend after he is done
with it rather than buy it :) )

Acleacius

October 25th, 2006, 18:36

True this may give me time to finish Dark Messiah, which should be in stores Wednesday and then NWN2 next week. :)

txa1265

October 25th, 2006, 19:10

Dark Messiah, which should be in stores Wednesday
It is unlocked now on Steam, and some stores are showing availability.

HiddenX

October 25th, 2006, 19:34

lostnumber

October 25th, 2006, 20:45

Please forgive my swearing --- but FUCKING ROCK!!! (I said please) They are going to retool the hth combat?

chamr

October 25th, 2006, 20:52

but FUCKING ROCK!!!
Just curious, is that good or bad?

Based on my interpretation of the babelfish translation (read: pretty murky), it sounds like they've got LOTS of work they'd like to do on the game. Even perhaps adding more dialogue?

I'm starting to get the feeling the NA release date will get pushed. Aspyr's going to have a very tough decision to make: Xmas or High Quality. Glad I'm not them...

Sem

October 25th, 2006, 20:52

Piranha Bytes (Mike) on Patch 2 (german):

http://forum.worldofplayers.de/forum/showthread.php?p=2562487&#post2562487

bug removal
fine tuning
crossbow fighting -> new designed
they need still some time, to redesign hand-to-hand-combat

Which can be read as there comes a third patch too.

The second patch was finished at the end of last week. It's just needs to be approved before they can release it.

/edit: according to PB all KNOWN bugs are now solved, but they still have a list with tweaks and things they want to improve.
About the fighting system: don't think they will completely restyle it, more likely it gets another balancing round.

lostnumber

October 25th, 2006, 23:05

Please forgive my exuberance, I just got little excited about the idea of having the HTH combat system reworked in G3 ( Positive comment BTW). As it stands liberating a town full of orcs is just a few 100 mindless clicks away. As long as you keep swinging your sword breaking their parry is inevitable. The combat in G2 was great, it took a little getting used to but in order to be successful one had to employ a balanced degree of tactics. 1H HTH combat in G3 is mindless. Fighting an orc or human is a matter of patience, not skill. Hands down, 1H sword fighting in G3 has lost its charm.

@SEM: I'm going to conveniently ignore that last comment there. I don't want to think that I got excited for no reason. Come on PB lets at least turn this part of the game around.

Acleacius

October 26th, 2006, 00:02

Second best news I have had today, first was Dark Messiah is available, the reason its second best is due to not having to wait for DM, as I do with the patch. ;)

mudsling3

October 26th, 2006, 00:29

I knew PB would come through! Where is third one :)

Maylander

October 26th, 2006, 01:14

What they should really work on with the combat system is to make the rebels/nomads actually help out. Right now it's nameless hero VS 50 orcs and 25 orc mercenaries, the few "helpers" that show up die in seconds. Montera, at low levels, is painful to say the least..

darklord

October 26th, 2006, 03:58

I just hope they fix the liberation problems. Now I've liberated 3 towns all the orc bosses attack me on sight, meaning I canlt complete quests etc. I'm told it can break the main quest to...

Daniel.

mudsling3

October 26th, 2006, 04:27

That's what I call real AI, darklord. I was kinda pissed when orcs don't swamp on when I kill one of their leader. They only want 500 gold pieces :D

Corwin

October 26th, 2006, 05:48

Any news on whether the patch will invalidate SG's? That's a very important consideration.

Acleacius

October 26th, 2006, 06:55

No official word but 99% sure you/we will all have to start over.
Not only due just to it being an increatably complex RPG, but if they are to fix broken quest problems, NPCs dying and dissappearing there would be no choice to break previous Saves.
Now the most important reason is that its already been established that is how they designed their Save system from the orginal state to Patch 1.
Not only are they not compatable you can't even see them as an option to choose, so PB is making damn sure you can Not use old Saves intentionally, since they will Not even be see in your Load screen. :(

Now I could be wrong, but I don't see how.

chamr

October 26th, 2006, 07:19

Corwin

October 26th, 2006, 09:58

Hmm...wonder if Marvin has the export and import hero command!! ;)

txa1265

October 26th, 2006, 11:24

I've never understood why patches should ever break a save game. I know it happens, but I think it's more out of developers not dealing with it than it being a fact of life. A savegame is a staic set of data about the state of the character and the world. No reason a developer can't write a routine that as part of the patch, goes through existing savegames and makes any updates to the files needed to be compatible with the patch.

There have been "savegame updaters" in the past, but I think that the potential bugs in ranslating saves probably cause people to just say 'you'll have to start again'. But I agree that is somewhat cavalier - persistent data with application patching is a reality in most fields, and games even have it with MMO's.

Gorath

October 27th, 2006, 18:11

The patch (1.08) is available. Check the usual suspects. A fix list can also be found somewhere.

Edit:
Make sure to unequip everything and make a new save before you install the patch.

JemyM

October 27th, 2006, 18:20

Here are four links:
World of Gothic (http://www.worldofgothic.de/dl/index.php?go=downloads&file_id=257)

hwfanatic

October 27th, 2006, 18:31

From what I have read, the patch doesn't require one to restart the game. Good news for some of you.

lostnumber

October 27th, 2006, 21:18

Great news on the patch, all of the fixes should quell some of the tension surrounding the games unpolished release. However, I couldn't help but notice that a few biggies were left out. No AA fix, no additional optimization, and no HTH redesign. Improving/adding these features would be a definite boon for the game. However, I cannot help the feeling that none of this will be addressed. I am no game design expert; for the amount of time I spend playing them my understanding of their development is relatively poor. Would the above enhancements cost too much to justify their inclusion? Is there a likelihood that they will be added in or will this simply serve as a lesson for future iterations of the game's lineage? I really hope that something will be done. I know that I sound like an ungrateful whiner, but damn it PB's previous excellence has set my standards. I could play for hours on end over and over again, now I can't bring myself to even finish the game. In its own right the game is good, please don't get me wrong. However, when measured against the others G3’s flaws suddenly shine through. I am not expecting PB to up the ante every time they release a new game. In truth I would take the same old engine, from G1. Visuals are great, bigger can be better, and more can be nice; but abandoning that which made Gothic great was a poor decision. I loved being able to find a really kick-ass weapon at the beginning of the game, I enjoyed seeing each LP I spent have an impact on my PC's performance, I really got into the tactical feel of the combat, there was so much to the first 2 games that made them great! Now all the towns are interchangeable, combat is simply boring, NPCs have lost their charm, improvements between levels of experience are marginal at best, the exhilaration of finding something rare and powerful is gone, and caves no longer hold any mystery or intrigue but mushrooms and lizards. I know that some will disagree and accept the game for what it is. I am not writing this to flame or rant, this is an impassioned plea to return to what made Gothic great, and set it apart from the crowd. God I am such a freaking nerd.

bazmod

October 28th, 2006, 00:15

one of the biggest bugs with the game for me was the flickering screen with no bloom on. It seems they still haven't fixed this...

Acleacius

October 28th, 2006, 01:28

"one of the biggest bugs with the game for me was the flickering screen with no bloom on. It seems they still haven't fixed this..."

Me too.
Khan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mudsling3

October 28th, 2006, 02:55

What do you mean "No AA fix"? You mean it is lack an option to adjust AA? The game seems me to have a preset level of AA...but I don't like my pigy greased with vesaline. I would have it off if I can.

Dhruin

October 28th, 2006, 05:21

No AA fix, no additional optimization, and no HTH redesign. Improving/adding these features would be a definite boon for the game. However, I cannot help the feeling that none of this will be addressed. I am no game design expert; for the amount of time I spend playing them my understanding of their development is relatively poor. Would the above enhancements cost too much to justify their inclusion? Is there a likelihood that they will be added in or will this simply serve as a lesson for future iterations of the game's lineage?

I thought it was clear a third patch would tackle combat improvements. Also the patch notes state "- Performance increased"...isn't that "additional optimisation"?

There's no doubt the game was released too early but having been released, it will take time to tackle everything. I think this is a reasonable list for this timeframe.

Maylander

October 28th, 2006, 12:52

You can certainly change AA from 2x, 4x, etc.. what is there to fix? I have no issues with AA in my game. Also, like Dhruin said, PB has clearly statet that a coming patch is going to deal with melee combat just like this one dealth with crossbow.

HiddenX

October 28th, 2006, 14:16

Gothic 3 supports

Anisiotropic Filtering

no support for

Antialiasing

_______________

Antialiasing is smoothing the digital stair step effect you see in straight
lines so they look more like straight lines.

Anisiotropic Filtering is how the textures are displayed. The easiest way I can
describe it is when your looking at the ground in a game it is in focus close
to you but blurrier farther away. When you add more anisiotropic filtering it
makes the textures more in focus farther away from you.

tp555

October 28th, 2006, 15:24

Cheap fix for fluttering screen no postcrap. I am using 9350 beta drivers,nvidia.If you have the flaming sword on chars back no flutter.Place a normal no animated sword and you get flutter.The spot I found to test this,flutter rock. North of geldern is stone columns,rather small but directly below the northern mine. Between the stone columns and northern mine is a large rock on the right. Go to the large rock and turn and look at it facing east. Flutter city.Turn away all is good.Only place I
could pinpoint to test flutter.