Patch, what patch?

[Acleacius]

Hey weren't we excepting a substantial patch like, now?


Thanks. ;)

[Corwin]

Maybe they're waiting for Dec 25th!! :)

[Lethal Weapon]

According to this piece of news (http://www.worldofgothic.de/gothic3/index.php?go=pbbesuch), PB refused to confirm that another patch is going to be released, indicating that they are instead working on an expansion. My guess is that G3 didn't sell as well as expected and they are facing financial problems. Either that or they are going to surprise us.

[Zaleukos]

Would it be possible to find an executive summary of that in English, or an English translation?

[Acleacius]

Ouch, I was being playful and this sounds serious. :(

As mad as I am at JoWood I don't want them to go out of business.
Hell, all they had to do was bring in some fans willing to sign NDAs and beta test this thing, they could have gotten it don for free, if I lived in Germany I sure would have.

That's what Valve does, not that I think Gothic should play or be like HL but they bring in some testers and pay attention to their reactions, it can be done on the cheap.

Those PB guys and gals have worked their asses off for more the 6 years on this series.
Kept it a small, tight group and worked increatably long hours, they need a break not forced to work even harder, Damn it!

[Dr. A]

I wish PB would break the silence and say something. Just to ease the fans' discomfort. They've been quite for a looooong time. When was the last time Kai posted on the forums anyway?

[Thaurin]

Would it be possible to find an executive summary of that in English, or an English translation?

I've read the German piece and while I don't speak German natively, I'll try to summarize the important pieces of information in English.

* The newsbit details how some guys from WorldofGothic were allowed to visit Piranha Bytes in Essen and were free to talk with the employees there.

* They were not allowed to photograph some of the ideas for artwork meant for the addon that hung on the walls.

* The cause of the ambient sound bug has been identified.

* They admit that some changes from the old games that were intended as improvements have not been received as well as had been thought by players.

* This include the randomization in chests; it has saved them a lot of time, but they won't use this system anymore in the future.

* They pretty much avoided answering questions about an upcoming patch. The WorldofGothic people had hoped to learn about when to expect a patch, but now they [WoG] cannot yet confirm if a patch is going to be released.

So to me it seems like WoG just interpreted it like that and it doesn't necessarily mean anything other than that PB wouldn't comment on any patches.

[Obthic3]

So to me it seems like WoG just interpreted it like that and it doesn't necessarily mean anything other than that PB wouldn't comment on any patches.

Yep thats how it is...and nice translation. Where you come from, if german is not your native language - if I may ask :)

[Thaurin]

I'm from The Netherlands, next to Germany. :) Us Dutch people are good with languages like that. ;)

[JDR13]

The next patch is supposed to bring it up to version 1.10 right?

[JDR13]

[QUOTE=Thaurin;12439]

* They admit that some changes from the old games that were intended as improvements have not been received as well as had been thought by players.
QUOTE]


Um...... Climbing and Diving anyone?

[Dr. A]

Thanks, Thaurin!

...They pretty much avoided answering questions about an upcoming patch....

Hmmm. Quite strange considering PB are pretty community-centric developers. Maybe they have something special in the works (not a full add-on, more of a quasi-add-on. For eg, completely revamped combat, journal system, combat sound effects) and it might delay them? So they do not want to commit to a release date?

[Acleacius]

I don't know that maybe pushing it, considering they learned of the disappointment after release, so completly redoing things before the holidays would be an inhuman about of work to accomplish.
Then again maybe it's easier than I am aware to redesign, implement and test in the period of a month or

[Dr. A]

Hmmm...

http://forum.worldofplayers.de/forum/showthread.php?p=2816823&#post2816823

[Lethal Weapon]

It would be great if someone from the Piranhas would post here as well, considering we have such an active Gothic forum!

[Acleacius]

Well certianly good news to help keep their spirits up. :)

I am guessing they really want to go sking so they will give us a patch before the holiday.

[Bartacus]

It would be great if someone from the Piranhas would post here as well, considering we have such an active Gothic forum!

KaiRo did this once at the old RPGDot (it was about the addon for Gothic 2). I don't mind they don't have much time for us now, since we're still a bit unknown to them. RPGDot still has a link on the official webpage of Gothic 3, while we don't.

[Corwin]

Gorath is our main contact to PB, so let's wait for his response!!

[Dajjer]

I remember reading quite a few nonsense reports about how PB was through with Gothic 3 and the last patch was .09. Welp, with the Gothic franchise being PB's main, if not only project, that line of reasoning makes no sense at all to me. A buggy Gotic 3 is still more fun to play than just about anything else I have on my harddrive.

[HiddenX]

Ralf [PB] said:
http://forum.worldofplayers.de/forum/showthread.php?p=2812997&#post2812997

... PS:


Wenn ich die Verkaufscharts richtig lese, sieht es so aus, als ob Gothic 3 wohl am Ende nicht in den roten Zahlen landen wird und wir die Renovierung (des Spiels- und ebenfalls dringend nötig: unserer Studioräume) fortsetzen können. Wie Ihr an den Bildern auf WOG sehen könnt, blieb nicht viel Zeit sich um unsere Pflanzen zu kümmern.
Ich werde ein paar Fotos posten wenn wir fertig sind...

= ... Gothic 3 sells good, and we can continue to renovate Gothic 3.

[txa1265]

I wonder how it is selling in the US?

[Gorath]

So PB refused to comment on the patch they´ve announced ages ago. (Probably because communicating patches is the publisher´s job.) And at the same time they´re saying the reason for the amient sound bug has been found. Is 2 +2 still 4? ;)

[Gorath]

I wonder how it is selling in the US?

Are you sure it´s selling at all? The buzz seems to be gone.

[Thaurin]

Looks like they again have a European (or at least German) hit and a US flop on their hands... I guess they're doomed to this fate for all eternity. :D

[txa1265]

Are you sure it´s selling at all? The buzz seems to be gone.
I have no idea - I've made some inquiries ... we'll see what turns up ;)

Looks like they again have a European (or at least German) hit and a US flop on their hands... I guess they're doomed to this fate for all eternity. :D
That makes it sound like it was out of their hands from the beginning; like it is some inherent US bias against the Gothic games. I just don't think that is true - I think Gothic 3 is a hardcore-oriented game that would have been a tough sell anyway, but the absolute buggy state of release made things even worse. Still, if the game was released in a rock-solid state I believe it could have sold very well.

[Thaurin]

I'm not so sure, because a Gothic game is still extremely unforgiving and unconventional. So it is for the hardcore RPG player, but maybe NA just doesn't have so many hardcore RPG playing people or want more action in their games? I remember Gothic 1+2 doing much better in Europe and they (non-Germany and US) got a pretty solid game compared to the German release.

Okay, I guess the PR in US was lousy for those games, but still.

[Acleacius]

Thaurin as txa1265 mentions this is not correct.
I think you are way off here, think about what your even implying as if the US never produced anything unconventional or unforgiving.
There is only so much Asypr can do with a game that won't run, as a matter of fact they did a damn fine job considering the circumstances Jo"WhoresGothic"Wood put them in and all us fans.

Look at all us fans on the defensive about every comment, instead of welcoming in the Hordes of new fans and teaching them the ins and outs of the great game Gothic's are we stuck making excusses we don't even know if they are true. about how, why and when about the game going wrong and when it will be fixed.

"NA just doesn't have so many hardcore RPG"
No offense but lets take this gem, do you see anything strange in this statment even in its complete context?

" I remember Gothic 1+2 doing much better in Europe......."
Ok maybe you don't know differently, but EU (non German Gothic 1 & 2 had planned PR the US didn't its simple, if people don't know you exist how can they buy your game.

I remember whether it was at Official forums or RPGDot, most non US people (not everyone obviously) would always claim this and how the US is so unfair or can't play for whatever reason.

Pre Asypr, I would bring up that not one single Dev, Evar took the time to do a 30 min phone interview or at least something with an US based English site, nothing.
They would say well just do a Google, of course I would have never thought of that and when I ask them to produce one I never saw one.

Even if you read the English links in this post the Dev says most Devs are Not comfortable typing on English boards.
Do I think this makes PB evil? :lol: errr no, the point is your blaming potental fans because they didn't even know PB existed.

You need to try on a different thinking cap. ;)

[JDR13]

I remember a couple weeks ago Gothic 3 was on Yahoos main page as being one the top 4 most downloaded demos that week.

I think the system requirements are most likely the #1 thing going against it. You really need an enthusiast level system to be able to run Gothic 3 smoothly, and that alienates the vast majority of the population.

Looking back, I really think the devs should have broken the map into sections instead of streaming the entire thing. Sure, you would have to endure some load screens every so often, but the gameplay would have been much smoother.

[Gorath]

The official sales numbers at the beginning of the month were 350k worldwide except North America and Russia / CIS.

[Acleacius]

Shoulda, coulda been a million. :)

[Thaurin]

Okay, obviously someone is taking my comments about the NA gaming population much too personally. I was just musing, not blaming anyone, but whatever.

[migwell]

I frequent the Ars Technica gaming forum, a general , mostly 'norte americano' gamers forum and I would have to say that for every 100 posters playing and praising Oblivion, there is at least 1 playing Gothic. The Gothic series has always been a hard sell to that fairly sophisticated group of gamers, and the bugginess of G3 on release just turned it into an embarassment for the few of us who plug for the Gothic series.

[Acleacius]

Thaurin
"Okay, obviously someone....."
My mistake. :blush: :)

[sealight4]

Gothic 3 is $39.95 US at Best Buy (Dec 16) and the shelf had 20 copies. I asked the sales person and He said it was a "Foreign game" from Germany, recomended "The Sims Pets" as an RPG for a gift. Some PR might help but I guess the rift continues.

I have no problem loving this game but the lack of hand holding in game(pointers, quest overlays on the mini map, etc.) might put off some players as will the high specs and bugs as stated here before. My forecast is this game will sit for a while, get patched and be discovered again in the Spring, has legs. Don't sell your Best buy stocks, Paraworld, another SalesPerson choice, sold out.

[JDR13]

Gothic 3 is $39.95 US at Best Buy (Dec 16) and the shelf had 20 copies. I asked the sales person and He said it was a "Foreign game" from Germany, recomended "The Sims Pets" as an RPG for a gift. Some PR might help but I guess the rift continues.

I have no problem loving this game but the lack of hand holding in game(pointers, quest overlays on the mini map, etc.) might put off some players as will the high specs and bugs as stated here before. My forecast is this game will sit for a while, get patched and be discovered again in the Spring, has legs. Don't sell your Best buy stocks, Paraworld, another SalesPerson choice, sold out.

That's sad. It's also one of the reasons why I can't stand Best Buy. That's what you get when you hire a bunch of kids and pay them $8 an hour. They also have the most hard nosed return policy I've even seen for a retail store.

[Acleacius]

I would say it's about offering Options if you want the casual gamer, Oblivion obviously went WAY too far, but in general I think PB is trying to do the right thing with Gothic.

Most people whom play WoW are/were casual gamers, if I understand correctly where else do you get 1 to 2 million players in a couple months?

If PB wants the casual gamer they may have to offer more tips, and if they don’t they can keep making great open ended games which are more directed at experienced gamers.
To me it doesn't seem unreasonable to offer a Tips Option that can be toggled on or off depending on your abilities and experience.
The balance to me is offering help to new fans and allowing experienced fans and gamers and off option hardly seems complicated to me. ;)

[Corwin]

WHAT!!!!!!!!! We give tips here in forums, for those who need them!! Putting them in the game is a joke!! REAL Gamers don't need tips!!

[Acleacius]

Hey are Real Gamer's spose to have a Pitch Fork stuck in their butt?
You really should do something about that it will get infected. :biggrin:

[sealight4]

I need tips occasionally. Sacred had quest pointers and Oblivion had pre done quests. The quests in G3 are given by the game, quests can be done before a npc gives them, making free roaming worthwile. This is the first time for me seeing this quest format. I can finish the game without following a certain progression.

[Wulf]

You are right sealight4 re:quote....

[The quests in G3 are given by the game, quests can be done before a npc gives them, making free roaming worthwile. This is the first time for me seeing this quest format. I can finish the game without following a certain progression.]

...and just as equally, a quest or task can be missed just by the slightest deviation in question or answer. This is at the heart of dialogue led interactivity.....theoretically in line with this there should be in-game rewards.

....so in-game tips are 'out' in this regard....?

[Cm]

Corwin's Pitch Fork attacks are a weekly occurance for him. *sweet innocent grin*

[Dajjer]

I'm a North American gamer and the boards I frequent generally love the Gothic series. However Gothic 3 really has only two things going against it and they are really huge. The game basically requires way to steep system requirements and the game is too buggy. As a self admitted Gothicfanboy, I upgraded my system and deal with the almost daily crashes. And I still love this game. But asking someone new to the series to deal with this is not reasonable.

If you want to broaden the fan base you at least have to come out with a game that most gamers can run on their rig. And I believe PB went way farther than they had to, graphic wise, to win over new gamers. Additionally games can have some bugs when they come out without too much flack, but there shouldn't be any doubt this game could have stayed in the oven a bit longer. Heck, I was expecting a March 2007 release. Could you imagine if the game would have been released relatively bug free, the typical rating would have been somewhere in the 90s.

To me this is the Gothic series in a nut shell: I was exploring the backwoods of Silden and tried to find a mountain route into Monastery. After jumping up some hills and taking a chance on a very shaky cliff ledge I ended up in a high altitude meadow. It was late night and off in the near distance I can make out the ruins of a castle. After taking only two or three steps I found some Kings Sorrell. There were other herbs but no monsters or animals. But it was still scary as the castle had no bed and I had to do my exploring in the dark.

Now, anyone who's played a Gothic game knows the sense of exhilaration you get when you come across such a location. It's just like you beat a boss in some video game. It's a total sense of accomplishment that you just can't find in any other RPG. Oblivion came close, but that's it, they came close. The Oblivion living world is no better than Gothic "2". (BTW, I love the ES series and loved Oblivion)

The N/A audience is demanding for it hard core products, while the higher selling casual games typically get a big pass.

[Thaurin]

I am much more forgiving for bugs and performance problems, maybe because I rarely have a top-end computer (unless I just bought one, which I just don't do every year). I also haven't found that many bugs yet, but I trust you guys that they are there. Actually, I'm sort of relieved that most of the complaints are technical, as that means that the content must be okay then. On the other hand, a lot of people are tripping over that as well.

Well, okay. The US audience does want this type of game then. There must be another reason that it does so much better in Europe.

[txa1265]

I am much more forgiving for bugs and performance problems, maybe because I rarely have a top-end computer (unless I just bought one, which I just don't do every year).
Think about it:
- Gothic series in general has had craptastic marketing here.
- Perceived as 'hardcore' and relatively user-unfriendly (certainly n00b unfriendly)
- Gothic 3 got best press of the series, but came out same week as Wii and PS3.
- European release was given as much attention as marketing, so bugginess and poor performance was well known.
- Very small population has the required computer and uses it for RPG.