Gothic 4 - First Screens Redux

[Dhruin]

Ionstormsucks on our forums points out PC Games.de has the recently linked first Gothic 4: Arcania screens (http://www.pcgames.de/aid,643234/Bildergalerie/Rollenspiel/Die_ersten_echten_Bilder_zu_Gothic_4/) in higher quality as well as a couple of new ones. Looks like another barrier, to me.
More information. (http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=8955)

[souha13]

Looks very nice. Sure reminds me more of Gothic 2 than 3.

[Undercc]

It wil just be another bug ridden game like the last one, with no attempt to fix it.

[zakhal]

The whole series was bug ridden iirc. The first two was released in germany first so rest of the world got a finished version. Third game that was buggiest was also the first one to be released worldwide simultaneously. Not a good combination.

[Roi Danton]

Meh, I'd rather have a bug ridden Gothic than a perfect polished Oblivon any day.If the story and gameplay are at least on par with Gothic 3 I'm sold. Because despite it's flaws I really liked playing the game.
And if it's going to be as good as part 1 or 2 (I'm not counting this as likely, but we'll see) than I'm more than happy.

[GothicGothicness]

Now concept art is called screenshots?

[Turok]

Meh, I'd rather have a bug ridden Gothic than a perfect polished Oblivon any day.If the story and gameplay are at least on par with Gothic 3 I'm sold. Because despite it's flaws I really liked playing the game.
And if it's going to be as good as part 1 or 2 (I'm not counting this as likely, but we'll see) than I'm more than happy.

Anyone will be happy if is as good like part 1 and 2, with the lack of release of games this last times, anything is welcome.

Consola is eating everything.

[coaster]

Now concept art is called screenshots?

Yeah, lol. If anyone can make the sea look anything like in screen 7, I would be ecstatic. I've always been disappointed in how the sea (and rivers usually) look in computer games (not just CRPGs). Oblivion was the worst, everything was just like the same old mill-pond.

IIRC the river in the Witcher was quite nice though.

[Bartacus]

Now concept art is called screenshots?

I don't think that all the screenshots are concept art and that a few are really from the game itself. Those with the pile of weapons and deffinately screenshot 6 and 7 are concept art. The others can be ingame.

[Alrik Fassbauer]

The pictures are really good background wallpapers: http://games.tiscali.cz/search/index.asp?sekce=0&nadpis=1&co=gothic+4

[Hindukönig]

The others can be ingame.

None of them are ingame, they are all promo-shots, rendered especially for being published in game mags. At least I can't see any "game" in these pictures. So they aren't "ingame".

[Greymane]

Well, the posted screens are much better than what they posted previously. Would be nice to know which, if any of them were actually 'in game', without knowing that, it's really pointless.

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Well, some of them reminded me of very early Drakensang pictures ... Of which the most - as we later learned - were really to be in-game scenes.

[hohoho]

None of them are ingame, they are all promo-shots, rendered especially for being published in game mags. At least I can't see any "game" in these pictures. So they aren't "ingame".

They aren't 'in game' if your definition has to include actual gameplay, but several are taken with the game's engine. They are as real as it gets in its current state.

[Turjan]

They aren't 'in game' if your definition has to include actual gameplay, but several are taken with the game's engine. They are as real as it gets in its current state.
I agree. Some of the pics that looked like paintings in low resolution look much more real (in the sense of pics produced within the engine) at high resolution.

[Maylander]

So far, so good from my point of view. They've shown in various interviews, threads and comments that they intend to stick mostly to the Gothic recipe (with some additions from their own game development experience, obviously), and according to the pictures it seems they are working hard on getting the atmosphere right already.

[Chekote]

I don't see any pictures when I click the link, I just end up at the pcgames.de front page...

[Chekote]

Well I finally found the screenshots. I'm very worried about G4 now, it doesn't look like a Gothic game, and it doesn't look like it will "feel" like a Gothic game either.

It looks like it's going to be a very sterile and detached experience, more along the lines of NeverWinter Nights than Gothic. When I say that, I mean "feel" not literal gameplay mechanics.

[Turjan]

Well I finally found the screenshots. I'm very worried about G4 now, it doesn't look like a Gothic game, and it doesn't look like it will "feel" like a Gothic game either.

It looks like it's going to be a very sterile and detached experience, more along the lines of NeverWinter Nights than Gothic. When I say that, I mean "feel" not literal gameplay mechanics.
Hmm, I'm not sure how you want to get a feel for the game from a few landscape shots and weapon models.

[Chekote]

I've been doing it ever since computer games were invented, and I have a very good track record for being correct.

I *have* been wrong on occasion. But my gut instincts are usually *very* reliable, and G4 gives me a bad one.

I would even go so far as to say the quality of the world is a pretty big step back from Gothic 3.

[Turjan]

I've been doing it ever since computer games were invented, and I have a very good track record for being correct.

I *have* been wrong on occasion. But my gut instincts are usually *very* reliable, and G4 gives me a bad one.

I would even go so far as to say the quality of the world is a pretty big step back from Gothic 3.

If that what we see is all that is to the world, I can see what you mean. But I seriously doubt that. I will start thinking about how the game will be when I see pics of cities and, most importantly, characters.

[Chekote]

It's not so much the emptyness of the world that gives me a bad feeling. I'm completely aware that these are very early shots, and in no way expect them to be complete or polished in any way.

But nevertheless, even very early shots give you an impression of the developers "vision" for the game. I'm concerned that this vision isn't in keeping with the Gothic series. I get the feeling this new developer doesn't really understand what it is that makes a Gothic game a Gothic game.

I guess time will tell.

[Alrik Fassbauer]

I see what you mean and I tend to agree that sensing a "vision" could work this way.

[Dhruin]

Interesting. My sense is the opposite. In fact, this looks (way too early to draw conclusions) "grittier" than Gothic 3 to me, which I found disappointing in its world presentation.

[Chekote]

Yes, G3 was certainly not as gritty as G2.

From these shots of G4, it looks like they are *trying* to achieve a gritty feel. But it feels kind of sterile to me. It might just be that they are still trying to find their legs with the new engine.

If it does turn out to be a good addition to the series, at least I'll be pleasantly surprised.

[Gorath]

Which new engine?

[Ragon der Magier]

Which new engine?

Uh, sorry, Gorath - you´re not even rhethoric here, are you? :uneasy:

"new" =
- not equal to the G1/G2 engine (yikes, i re-read the name just recently again, but it has fallen into the shadows once more :-/ )
- not equal to the G3 one of ill fame, the GeNome engine

Spellbound is using a modified TPM engine, "Trinigy" was the name last time i heard of it.


Ragon

[Gorath]

No, ironic. ;)

The engine is not confirmed, although anything else but Trinigy would be a surprise because several hints lead to it.
Spellbound has used Trinigy before on at least two projects. It´s not new for them.

[JDR13]

- not equal to the G3 one of ill fame, the GeNome engine


There was nothing wrong with the GeNome engine, on the contrary it's a spectacular graphics engine. It was just the way it was implemented (rushed) that made Gothic 3 less than desirable to some.

[hohoho]

It's not so much the emptyness of the world that gives me a bad feeling. I'm completely aware that these are very early shots, and in no way expect them to be complete or polished in any way.

But nevertheless, even very early shots give you an impression of the developers "vision" for the game. I'm concerned that this vision isn't in keeping with the Gothic series. I get the feeling this new developer doesn't really understand what it is that makes a Gothic game a Gothic game.

I guess time will tell.

You're making a judgement about the game based on a very small area that's been built simply to demo the engine. It's way too early to start saying things like the developer 'doesn't understand what makes a Gothic game a Gothic game'. I'm not sure how you could have come to that conclusion based on some pictures showing trees and grass.

[JDR13]

I agree, there's no reason to be pessimistic at this point.

[Wulf]

Yes indeed, i am also making a judgement well before the game is conceived and released.

There was great hidden depth in G1 and G3 so far unequaled by any other game known to man and I very much doubt this depth can be equaled with Arcania. This of course has nothing to do with the showing of a few trees and it really isn't pessimism but more of a 'gamers foresight' something which seasoned gamers have.

[Maylander]

As I've stated several times before - I am optimistic at this point. The developers are obviously fans of the series, and will probably do a good job.

In any case, the G3 add-on is going to be out well before G4, so we'll see how they handle the Gothic universe.

@hohoho
Welcome to the forums. :)

[DArtagnan]

This is hardly enough to get excited by. Gothic was an extreme rarity, and expecting someone else to pick up the license and do it justice is extremely optimistic if you ask me. Sometimes I wish I could have that kind of wishful thinking, but it's not going to happen and I have to face reality as I know it to be.

Sure, it COULD be great, but chances are it will be a watered down Gothic made to appeal to the mass market - which is especially evident by targeting consoles as well.

[hohoho]

but more of a 'gamers foresight' something which seasoned gamers have.

Ahahaha that is hilarious. Thanks for laugh, dude.

[Chekote]

You're making a judgement about the game based on a very small area that's been built simply to demo the engine. It's way too early to start saying things like the developer 'doesn't understand what makes a Gothic game a Gothic game'. I'm not sure how you could have come to that conclusion based on some pictures showing trees and grass.

That's how I work. Like I said, I've been doing it since gaming started and I have a pretty good track record so far. I don't expect you to understand how I come to that conclusion. But that doesn't negate the fact that my gut feelings are usually correct, regardless of how much they contradict your own personal methods of evaluating a new game.

I'll gladly eat humble pie if I am wrong, and I hope that I am wrong. Sadly, Gorath confirming that this isn't even a new engine, doesn't bode well.

[hohoho]

It is not the same engine as Gothic 3, it is a heavily modified Trinigy engine. Not that it matters that much, there are some things more important than graphics, y'know.

[Chekote]

I am not, nor have I ever been, talking about graphics...

[Maylander]

Nothing wrong with either Trinigy og GeNome - it's how you implement it that counts.

[Dhruin]

Sadly, Gorath confirming that this isn't even a new engine, doesn't bode well.

Why? I don't understand.

[Gorath]

Sadly, Gorath confirming that this isn't even a new engine, doesn't bode well.

I also don´t understand this. How is licensing a stable engine a bad thing?

[xSamhainx]

Well, at least we know the game is looking fairly pretty. So far, so good

[hohoho]

I also don´t understand this. How is licensing a stable engine a bad thing?

Do not question him, he has years of experience playing games!

[zakhal]

I also don´t understand this. How is licensing a stable engine a bad thing?

They are unable to release it half-finished? what a pity it might actually work this time.