Risen First Impressions

Ergonpandilus

The Preacher
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March 9, 2009
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Here's my first impressions of the game. Have to say, that I'm somewhat dissapointed.

+ Runs smoothly (All max: Risen +60FPS, Gothic 3 ~30 FPS)
+ No bugs
+ Nice UI
+ Flexible movement
+ Good voice-overs
+ Gothic II -feeling
- Nothing new here... yet(?)
- Average graphics. Even 3 yeards old Gothic 3 looks prettier! (Thanks to XBox360)
- Combat gives no real space for tactics. (Thanks to XBox360)
- Feels very easy. (Thanks to XBox360)
- World seems small-ish.
- Not so open-end world.
- Slow-motion spiderman jumps.

My hate against console gaming can be blur the vision since most my minuses comes from there. AND these are just my first impressions after a hour of gameplay. The game kind of feels like Gothic

Feel free to add your impressions of the game.
 
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I'm beginning to enjoy it. At the moment I don't get quests all the time from everybody everywhere anymore, and instead of playing the secretary* I can actually focus on the game.

It took me a while getting used to the new species, finding my way through the landscape, knowing when and how to attack - in other words to feel at ease, at home, in Risen.

But now I have a crossbow - at last! O, how I loved the archery in Gothic! And I'm beginning to enjoy combat. The crossbow helps me to identify enemies from a safe distance, a feature that I like very much, and now I am able to hurt/kill instead of getting killed rather quickly. With sword and shield I was often too weak. So my mood's rising. I take the crossbow, I aim, I shoot - I cheer. Voila. :) Okay, most of the time several bolts are needed before victory can be proclaimed and reloading takes quite some time, but I'm only a beginner. Trouble is the opponents, they rarely come alone, usually two or three at a time. But it forces me to be creative - o, what fun I have - yes, with a sword and a crossbow I'm finally getting those bleep bast-bleep-ds!

O and do try to take a bath when you'll get the chance, I thought it was very funny.

*in case one of you does not know: I get no quest information in my Journal. See other thread.
 
Omega, why don't write everything yourself instead of using journal?
 
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That is what she means when she says she is being a secretary…..she writing all the time.

I will only mention one thing in my first impression…….ghouls……..OMFG ghouls! If you are curious, go into the mine in the swamp near Luis. You WILL die very quickly, but OMFG they are badass ;)
 
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That is what she means when she says she is being a secretary…..she writing all the time.

You seem to understand me, Uriziel, I could need a spokesperson, you know… ;) Seriously: thanks for attending.
Ay, I have been writing all the time, got myself some callosity… ;)

I will only mention one thing in my first impression…….ghouls……..OMFG ghouls! If you are curious, go into the mine in the swamp near Luis. You WILL die very quickly, but OMFG they are badass ;)

Glad you started having a good time. :)
I am sneaking and thieving around now. Got myself an excellent outfit that way, so I'm better protected. Hm, maybe I'll finally be able to kill those creatures you're talking about. :)
 
Omega, why don't write everything yourself instead of using journal?


Here is an easy way to the other thread, just click the arrow:

I'm playing the English version (…) a new quest (…) whenever I turn to the Journal (by pressing L) none of it can be read. (…) I've begun writing them down. But of course I can't write everthing down people are saying to me so I'm missing information.
 
I'm playing the whole day - looks like Gothic, sounds like Gothic, plays like Gothic - no bugs so far.

Good performance on my 1 year old system under WinXP:

Dual Core 8400
NVidia 8800
4GB Ram

playing every gfx-setting on high at 1280x1024

… must play on …

For Gothic veterans play the hard difficulty setting - it's easy enough.
 
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my impressions

So far really enjoying it. Just hitting some NPC areas, about an hour in.

+ good voice acting
+ seems to run flawlessly in Windows 7 x64
+ nicely written dialog
+ smart quick bar only shows items that are assigned. If you have items in only slots 4,5, and 6, then you only see those three items, no empty boxes. Use up an item in a slot, and it disappears. I like it.
+ clouds are like Gothic 3, realistic and nicely animated
+ combat is very good IMO (so far melee only, getting a ranged weapon soon)
+ good music
+ Feels like Gothic.
+ Also doesn't feel like Gothic, something new
+ quick saving and loading saved games is quick
+ can cook food
+ just the right amount of challenge. you will find areas that are too high level for the early game, and just as easily circumvent them. (no level scaling obviously)
+ doesn't seem buggy so far
+ NO STUN LOCK!

- graphics are underwhelming. as it's been said not as good as Gothic 3 even but definitely serviceable, and most won't mind. I don't that much.
- keys don't disappear after you use them
- saving (not quicksaving) requires unnecessary steps instead of naming/dating the save and putting you back into the game without extra keystrokes
- Edit: the ambient sounds cuts out for a split second about every 5 seconds, noticed at the shore and at the swamp, may happen everywhere. Seems like the audio loop doesn't restart seamlessly. Maybe Win7 issue only?
- looking at the sky saw some kind of graphical glitch appearing through the clouds a little. Unless there's supposed to be a structure up there
- no way to set mouse sensitivity in game?
(I did in Risen\data\ini\ConfigDefault.xml - set x and y lower
mouse sensitivity 0.5f - I used .2 might go lower still)

That's all I can think of right now. Overall, really getting into it.
 
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I can't get Risen to run on my main PC, running Vista 32 Ultimate and my GTX 295 graphics card because I can't get past the DRM check… sigh

I have the same DRM check problem on my older WinXp computer (different make/model DVD Player as well)… however, if I QUICKLY double-click the Risen icon AFTER I get the dreaded, 'Insert Original Risen Disc' error message, oddly, the game starts.

First impressions of the actual game:

Runs great. Even on my older rig I get 30 fps with all graphics settings to max. I know a lot of people may be dissapointed with the somewhat dated graphics. But after G3 and it's endless sstttuuuttteriiinngg... I'm happy to have a game that just runs and streams the world well.

Saving/Loading are very quick. The UI is very elegant… unlike a previous poster I have no problems with my quest log… quests seem to be recording ok.

Exploring is fun and rewarding. If you look around corners you can get yourself some nice things early on.

Your character is very agile and moves more fluidly with the environment. Was playing G2 today and moving around is very 'stiff.'

I like the foilage fade they implemented, now when you're rummaging around in bushes you can see around your character a bit. Nice touch.

LIke the prior gothic games, the music so far is excellent. Though like another poster pointed out, you can tell when an ambient sound clip loops back to the start… especially noticable at the beach where you start.

It's all I can think of for now. Sure hope I can find some kind of solution to the DRM problem I'm having so I can play this on my main PC.
 
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I'm playing the whole day - looks like Gothic, sounds like Gothic, plays like Gothic - no bugs so far.

Good performance on my 1 year old system under WinXP:

Dual Core 8400
NVidia 8800
4GB Ram

playing every gfx-setting on high at 1280x1024

… must play on …

For Gothic veterans play the hard difficulty setting - it's easy enough.

Good to know -> I have practicly the same system, dual core 8400 with Nvidia 8800GTS 512 MB and 8 GB RAM on a vista 64 bit OS. I'll try it later this evening with either the game itself or the demo.
 
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Finally got my hands on it. Played quite a while, joined up with the Don. Enjoying it a whole lot so far. I like pretty much everything about it, except a few things:

- Ugly heads. I don't mean "people who look ugly", I mean graphically ugly heads. Some of them are just plain aweful.
- Takes ages to get proper armor. Paying 500g for Workers Clothing? Don't think so. I already have 30 talent points waiting for me that I can't spend because the trainers are too expensive. So far, I've spent quite a few points in strength, so the strength stat is getting very expensive to level up (trainers get more and more expensive as you progress).
- Nothing at all new. This is not a bad thing really, but it might become an issue if PB decides to continue using this recipe - 3DO and the M&M brand ended up suffering because they were getting behind in terms of innovation (partly, at least), then tried (and failed) to make up for it in M&M9. For now though, this recipe is working wonders in Risen - finally PB gets to show just how good they are. They needed this reputation boost, and I have no doubt that Risen will restore the faith of many fans (and hopefully create many new fans). Then they can worry about changing the recipe a bit to seem more refreshing.

The best thing so far is the combat system. I love it. All melee fighting styles look and feel great, with dodging, parrying/blocking, various attacks and combos. I spent quite a few reloads trying to beat Brogar in the arena, but it was very satisfying to finally beat him.

At any rate, I'm at work now, will go all out in the weekend and post more as I get further into the game.

PS. Risen has the coolest staff fighting I've ever seen in a game. Very martial-art-movie-like. Looks amazing. In fact, I regret not sticking with the Inquisition at this point, and look forward to focusing on staff fighting.
 
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They needed this reputation boost, and I have no doubt that Risen will restore the faith of many fans (and hopefully create many new fans). Then they can worry about changing the recipe a bit to seem more refreshing.

Yep it seems like a solid plan: regain your street cred then try something innovative
next time. I do hope they learned their lesson from G3 and don't bite more than they
can chew again…

The best thing so far is the combat system. I love it. All melee fighting styles look and feel great, with dodging, parrying/blocking, various attacks and combos. I spent quite a few reloads trying to beat Brogar in the arena, but it was very satisfying to finally beat him.

It is so good to hear people all around liking the combat system and even better
hearing it from the veterans. My greatest prerelease question mark for this game
allayed right there :)
 
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Yes and ranged combat pretty nice as well.

After spending some time in one of the camps, there are some dialog interactions that are an absolute mess as the player can say things in the wrong order before quests are given or say to an NPC something is solved when it's not… I suppose depending on who you talk to in what order it probably won't be noticeable to everyone but it can get kinda wacky. Especially involving
Brogar and Sam
Hopefully other NPC interactions won't be so ham fisted

And I did get a 'insert proper dvd' error (I'm sleepy can't remember the error exactly) - I took it out and put it back in and was able to start the game. Hope I don't get any DRM issues.
 
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Yes, I got that as well (Sam/Brogar), but the quest wasn't solved by the strange dialogue. You solve it later on, and get a proper finish to it.

I agree it was somewhat odd though.
 
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My turn. :)

From the demo…

Ran very smooth for me at 1280x1024, with all options on high and max anistropy. I like the graphics, I think they're on par with Gothic 3, just a different style.

I agree that the jump animation was poorly done, he looks like he's soaring through the air. I'm glad to see a climb animation though.

Character models are pretty average, nothing great, but not terrible either. Animation is very good imo.

Disappointed that they couldn't come up with some better names for some of the plants. How many times is PB gonna use the Healing Plant/Healing Herb/Healing Root scheme?

Couldn't really form an opinion on combat from the demo. Early impression was that it starts out a lot easier than Gothic 1-2. I'm thinking about playing on "hard"
when I get the full game.

Anyone else notice those moth creatures sound almost exactly like dying scavengers from Gothic 1-2?

Where's the meat in my frying pan?
 
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Glad you mentioned jumping. Am I the only one that experiences jumping as.. "sluggish" (lack of a better word)? When I explored in Gothic 1 and 2, I always felt I moved around with high accuracy, and the jumping was responsive - in Risen it's somewhat slow and, indeed, seems like he's floating a bit through the air. Not as bad as Oblivion, where jumping in 3rd person looked redicilous (the character was sliding through the air as if the air was ice), but certainly not as good as G1 or 2.

Of course, this is a minor issue, and certainly not something that'll ruin my overall experience. So far, it's by far the best RPG in 2009 for me. Will be interesting to see how AP and DA:O compare to it (something tells me Risen will end up being my fav. of 2009 - yes, I'm that satisfied at this point).
 
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Definitely enjoying the game so far. This game feels more Gothic III than the actual Gothic III…
I have played quite a bit, and have completed all the quests for
the Don
except for the last task in the city. Since I decided to join the order.

Seriously though, the things that I had to do for the bandits made me feel so dirty and evil… They are more hypocritical than they think too. They say The Order collect taxes, and they don't, but instead they charge protection money… They say that they give people more freedom, but in reality they just offer a mob like dictatorship…
Though there are couple pretty stand up guys in the bandits, I hope I will get an option to not kill them later…

I do have few nit to pick though.

- Has anyone figured out how to unlock the key binding for some of the buttons?
- Combat is fine, and actually engaging, but I wish the camera followed the main character faster, and that there is a way to bind side stepping to to keys.
- I prefer the jumping animation in Gothic II. In this game (and most recent 3rd person RPGs like Divinity 2) jumping has too much of a "floating in air" feel. (It has a "String-fu" feel)
- Is it just me or are the female characters' head to body ratio bit off? Their heads are all disproportionally small-ish. It is esp. noticeable for the
wife of the Don
.
- Some funny graphical glitches, like "rotating" heads. Or NPCs getting stuck in a animation loop.

But I am really nitpicking here. The game thus far is everything that I had hoped. A little advice, if you ever jump into something and get stuck save and reload, and you should be able to get out eventually.
 
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You can rebind some but not all keys. Double click the one you want to change and you will get popup telling you to now hit the new key you want to use. I remapped the spacebar to draw/stow my weapon(I think G3 was like I have it now) because I kept jumping like an idiot every time I wanted to put away my weapon after a kill :p
 
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Oct 18, 2006
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Been playing game since last night :)

Not much to add, but my performance concerns were completely unfounded - so much for taking what people say at face value ;-)

I have a 2.4 Ghz core 2 duo, 8800GTX, 4GB ram Vista- 32bit - runs very smoothly at 1600x1200 with everything maxed out. Hardly any load time - a very brief jerk and then the next area is ready - awesome.

The game plays much like the previous gothic titles - which I like. I also noted the dated graphics, but there are def improvements over G3 in terms of performance and that incredibly annoying moving line on your horizon (view distance related) - the DOF effect is a bit overdone, but there are no really artifacts to bug me so I'm happy. There are some minor clipping issues 9I fell through a wall once :-o) but other than that I have not noticed much.

I do think they were a bit stingy with money - took me ages - and may a painful bruising - before i had enough money to get any protective armour! No stun-lock, but seems harder to hit things (well, at low level anyway - back-pedalling doesn't always work). Have to find new exploits ;-)

Anyway, my initial frustration has given way to enjoyment.
 
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I like it much better than the first 3 - seems less punishing. Like the new inventory. Am a bit desperate for stuff so might have to learn some thievery!
The scale of the first 3 was too overwhelming for me so never finished them, with time commitments - however this seems more manageable (possibly!).
Love the nice feeling that there is no random and levelled loot, all loving hand placed! (which is correct isn't it?)
;-)
 
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