Risen 2 - Interview @ RPG Codex

RPG Codex caught up with Björn Pankratz from Piranha Bytes to talk about Risen 2:

6. Deep Silver's Doberlec mentioned that decisions of your character will have a strong impact on the gameworld. What can we expect?
At many points in the game the player has to make decisions that will influence the rest of the game. We already unveiled the fact that the player will have a crew on his boat. So dependent on what decisions the player makes and which paths he chooses to take other crew members will be available to him in his missions, altering even cut-scenes and other events. That’s one example of many.
7. Björn Pankratz said that the dialogue system has been improved and that we'll get more distinctive answers that will help us "shape our character". Care to elaborate? Any chance to see stat- and skill-checks in a PB game one day?
We’ve changed the character development system from ground up, and some of the skills also influence the choices the player has in dialogs. Plus we also tried to create more optional answers for each dialog giving the player the chance to ‘role-play’ a lot more with his character.

More information.

Ewww, I dislike having a closed world at the beginning. Oblivion sold like a billion copies without doing it so I don't know what imaginary casual audience they think will buy the game now due to it.

Oblivion had a pretty tight tutorial dungeon, though. It's also a much more forgiving game in terms of consequences.

If they want to do Risen 2 in the spirit of other PB games, they're probably right to make a somewhat linear beginning.

I think they're trying to open up the games to a larger audience without making vital sacrifices. Better to do it this way, than to make a fully non-linear world with fluffy consequences.

Not saying they couldn't have made a more open beginning, but I certainly understand where they're coming from. As long as they open it up later on, as they claim to do - I'm fine with it.

It did have a closed off beginning/tutorial - the dungeon. I doubt this closed off section of Risen 2 will be much more than a tutorial, it's just not PBs style.

It's most likely similar to the start of Gothic 4, which was fine in my opinion. Unfortunately, Gothic 4 continued along the same trail, which is hopefully (probably) where Risen 2 will differ.

I don't have a problem with linearity at the beginning, as long as it's short lived.

#6 sounds strangely familiar.

Yes it's familiar, and #7 sounds as "we don't want only yes, no and maybe system from ME and dragon age".

The beginning of Gothic 2 was far more linear then the beginning of Risen and the beginning of Gothic 3 was even more linear. (except a shorter time)

Hmmm this interview leaves me dissapointed. I am reading a lot about the resources poured into "making it look better", about "not overwhelming the player" (I was not overwhelmed in Risen or any other PB game, thankyou). The cited "consequence" = different crew members doesn't sound like a real consequence for the game world at all (its just your roster that changes, and, whoo-pee, cutscenes!). String of perals that "comes back together" doesn't sound like much of a choice either - probably the usual "choose your faction" branch as in all PB titles.

And I still think, if they wanted to do a Pirate game, they should not have made Risen 2, but should have created a new IP.

Or maybe I'm just in a crabby mood today…

By the way: The Risen 2 Gamescom trailer is out and the official website has been updated with quite a lot of new info.

Thanks for letting us know. That video looks fantastic by the way!

Visually, it looks great. I think it's nice to finally have a PB game with production values worthy of their designs.

That said, I'm not sure PB is the team to handle a "movie-like" presentation like this seems to be. It seems awfully cliché and "Hollywood-ish" to me.

I'd rather they stuck to their laid-back style of the Gothics - but that's just me.

I have no doubt the actual game will be fantastic, and I can't blame them for reaching out.

Who is the narrator in the new trailer? The voice sounds familiar.

Originally Posted by DArtagnan
I'd rather they stuck to their laid-back style of the Gothics - but that's just me.

Bullshit .
Personally I hope the cliché "Hollywood-ish" stuff is reserved only for the basic framing of the story while all the micro stuff is dominated by the laid-back style á la Gothics. Kinda like it was in G2.

As for the interview, what GBG said.
Hopefully they´re just trying not to scare a potential more "casual" audience and the actual game will be as "inaccessible" as ever .

In the beginning I was a bit 'meh' over the pirate theme of Risen 2. But the more I see of the game it still has that 'Gothic' look and feel to it. I'm looking forward to this game.

Originally Posted by guenthar
The beginning of Gothic 2 was far more linear then the beginning of Risen and the beginning of Gothic 3 was even more linear. (except a shorter time)

Are you talking about quests or exploration? I don't see how Gothic 2&3 were more linear than Risen.

Not that it really matters, because none of them had any large degree of linearity anyways.

I cant wait till next year and could care less about the closed world. Risen and Gothic have never been like any Bethesda game.

As for being less hardcore its just a sign of the times. Bitching about like I and otheres do wont change anything.

Originally Posted by JDR13
Are you talking about quests or exploration? I don't see how Gothic 2&3 were more linear than Risen.

Not that it really matters, because none of them had any large degree of linearity anyways.

In Gothic 2 the beginning is pretty straight forward where you go to the city doing a few things on the way. The beginning of Gothic 3 you are thrown into a battle with orcs in a village where you can't leave until it is done. In both you have far more direction then in Risen where you are put on the beach and can go where you want without much direction. With that it is much easier to get your bearings in Gothic 2 & 3 then in Risen.

PS. A good example of this is the first time I started Risen I accidentally went to far and got killed by some wolves at the beginning which never happened in Gothic 2 or 3.

The beginning fight of Gothic3 takes like 2 minutes or less.. kind of unfair to say that's the whole begining of that game I think Risen felt more or less the same as Gothic2 in the start, not as open as G3. I've been killed plenty of times in Gothic2 in the beginning, you don't need to go to the city, there's stuff to explore just as in Risen..

Looking forward to this, but i still really dislike you can't swim and dive though :/ hope climbing/jumping is still in at least.

Originally Posted by guenthar
PS. A good example of this is the first time I started Risen I accidentally went to far and got killed by some wolves at the beginning which never happened in Gothic 2 or 3.

Then you must not have tried much exploring when you played those games. It's very easy to stray off the path and get your ass handed to you in either of those titles.

i seriously have to concur with that