Arcania - Demo Released

The worst sign is that, according to reports on WOG, the price is dropping rapidly and pre-release prices of under $25 are available. In addition, apparently JoWood has put a review embargo on.
 
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Well we'll see. I think all review sites should automatically give 10 extra points to any game that actually has a pre-release demo. Then publishers would make it happen and players would actually benefit :)
 
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I played the demo for like 30' (couldn't play it more) and it feels like Gothic crap , i still don't get why i shall have a cut scene dialogue open every time i go near a NPC.

I didn't try magic but for mount & blade gamers combat in Arcania is uber shit , AI can not block, move for and back , swing , defend ?
 
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I didn't try magic but for mount & blade gamers combat in Arcania is uber shit , AI can not block, move for and back , swing , defend ?
For a Mount & Blade gamer all real time RPG combat is uber shit. That game did some serious damage... I mean, how can you go back to killing rats after you've experienced the sound of a hundred horses galloping behind you when you and your hundred knights charged at a viking army?
 
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For a Mount & Blade gamer all real time RPG combat is uber shit. That game did some serious damage… I mean, how can you go back to killing rats after you've experienced the sound of a hundred horses galloping behind you when you and your hundred knights charged at a viking army?

True but thing is that i love be a loner taking on 2-3 enemies at the time , usually with a bow ...
The combat mechanics are bad , directional attacks , directional block , competent AI are simply not the case in Arcania , not to mention that archery is boring .
In the first 10' i have beaten 2 goblins , smacked 1 while the other was watching...it took like 5 hits to die and in the mean time it only attacked me once...

Another thing i noticed is that my nvidia went mad , i mean the fan was making freaking noises on full detail settings
 
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What exact Nvidia model do you have, Tragos? ..and your other specs?
 
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What exact Nvidia model do you have, Tragos? ..and your other specs?

I am sorry but my memory is really bad .
IIRC It is 1650 model 1g , bought November 2008 .
It has some severe heating issues so i was forced to invest into a case with 4 really big fans.
I have 4 cores intel cpu of the same era and 3gb of ram , mobo is a recent asus (June 2010) addition , i run winXP .
 
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i've got a lot of Physx games, none have any problems with me jumping up somewhere and then getting down from there, so it's hardly a problem with physx. Physx is mostly used for things like cloth or debris physics.
 
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really, I had problems like that in almost every game I played….. and I do think they are using physics for falling down from cliffs and such a things.
 
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Physx is mostly used for things like cloth or debris physics.

No, PhysX is a physics engine and thus used for all physical movement in the game. Of course, one should know how to use it, or things like in the videos happen.
 
The first review is out. Dutch mag PC Gameplay. Score: 60%, based on 4 weeks old review code.

Pros:
Decent combat system
very atmospheric graphics

Cons:
below average quests and dialogs
very heavy system requirements
Linear, short and unfinished

Final verdict: Arcania is a slap in the face of Gothic- and RPG fans, but does offer an enjoyable Hack&Slash experience in a good looking world.
 
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*sigh* I'll probably pick this up regardless- f'Pete's sakes, been looking forward to it long enough.. But I'm sad looking at all the feedback. Perhaps the most sad about the review comments of "linear" and boring quests.

I am a sucker for beautiful looking worlds, but what's the use of making a game linear if the story is frumpy and boring? Usually one bears with linearity only because it tends to lend itself to a better story.

Bah. We'll see when the actual game comes out, though I'll not be able to play it at once due to writing exams at that time… :(
 
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Just finished the demo. Was surprisingly easy. No shocker there (games are easier these days)
Voice and animation could do work, but in a world with tonnes of NPC's this is very forgivable. It has a Gothic feel and plays pretty much like Gothic or Risen. A surprising part was the fact that one can find plate armor early. Hopefully this is not a Demo-only feature. I always found it stupid (from an immersion/realism point of view) that your PC braves a dungeon filled with Armor-wearing baddies and is unable to salvage their stuff. Weapons are beautifully detailed - the crossbow is quite a piece of work :). The world is graphically pleasing as well + the solid draw distance. Shame for the invisible walls, but hey - you can't be expecting perfection.
Most interesting thing is - the recommended system requirements are overblown: mayhap this is a technical demo as well (unlikely. highly unlikely), but I managed to play it with sufficient frames (smooth run >25-30 frames) with a mediocre PC: a Wolfdale 8300; 3Gb DDR3 Ram; HIS HD4850@512GRam. Settings were mainly high (except for shadows and particles at medium) at a 1440x900 resolution. Yay. Idk. Maybe the full game will be murderous to framerate. Let's hope not.
 
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