My Risen impressions

[bminorkey]

Whats the most fun faction to play in Risen? I only did the mages

 

[Gozma]

Bandits, mostly because there are a couple of funny semi-exclusive quests in Harbourtown. If you're spoiled or lucky you can do them anyway. Gameplay wise there is almost no difference between the routes.

I think the idea of having a lategame that changes up the open world to dungeon crawling isn't a bad concept. Open worlds are necessarily not very threatening - it's always easy to run away, pick your battles, etc. Having a direct challenge/final exam to deal with is a good way to "justify" the open world part, since it's what you were ultimately preparing for. The big problem is that it basically requires a whole second design with sound new mechanics, art, enemies etc. and PB never had the ability to really do it. They were trying in Risen with the levitation/nautilus/telekinesis stuff but it was just not enough, and the monotonous steam of Lizardmen made it really obvious.

 

[Cthulhu_is_love]

I think playing as mage is the most fun way. It would break my heart not having Fred.
The problem is the proportion of dungeon crawling. Risen is so much worse than Gothic 1 cause it feels like Gothic 1 with 2/3 sleeper temple.

I was so shocked: After searching 5 thingies you have to search 5 other thingies.


Also for so much dungeons there is really no difference in them. What about having some side quests IN dungeons. Or what about having side quests at all in 3/4 of the game?
I think the sleeper temple thing haven't been so bad if there were other things to do, but there was nothing.
Gothics sleeper temple felt much shorter, don't know if it was. Risen just got linear in the 2nd of 4 chapters.
It would have been a far better game if they just designed chapter 2 and 3 like 1.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

Those 5 dungeons/priest tombs in Risen are pretty small and should take you (combined) few hours at most (provided you have most teleport stones to move around the map easily), they make up for 10% of the game (if that).

Sleeper Temple is not the only main path dungeon in Risen, there's also Orc Cemetery and the Old Mine could be considered as one I guess.

 

[SCO]

There is one side quest in a dungon. It's a escort quest

 

[Cthulhu_is_love]

It was just so boring it bent time. Don't know why, but I don't see this problem in G1.
Maybe because they exaggerated it with this search-5-things-global-quests:
5 crystal discs
5 pieces of Titan shit
5 Patty treasures
5 Skeleton Tower Knives

I wished to have more quests in the differnet camps or in the world in chapter 2 onward...

Also in G1 the thing with the focus stones was cool because you only had to do it once.
And the almost same quest with skeletons was way cooler with the notices you had to find.

 

[Zombra]

I think the idea of having a lategame that changes up the open world to dungeon crawling isn't a bad concept. Open worlds are necessarily not very threatening - it's always easy to run away, pick your battles, etc. Having a direct challenge/final exam to deal with is a good way to "justify" the open world part, since it's what you were ultimately preparing for. The big problem is that it basically requires a whole second design with sound new mechanics, art, enemies etc.

That's exactly why it is a bad concept. The last act wasn't a "final exam" in any way; it was a whole new game with a whole new set of rules. The last boss required a specific weapon to defeat for crying out loud, regardless of your character build or any other skills you'd spent 40 hours developing, and used idiot jumping / disappearing floor mechanics never seen anywhere in the game before. It was more egregiously out of place than the boss battles in DX:HR.

 

[Average Manatee]

Sleeper Temple is not the only main path dungeon in Risen, there's also Orc Cemetery and the Old Mine could be considered as one I guess.

There's also the New Mine, which is probably the most egregiously horrible since you need to finish it once, then walk out to do a quest and come back. No teleportation and a lot of ladder climbing.

Still G1 dungeons all had radically different enemies and design, while all of the Risen stuff is pretty much copy pasted except for a puzzle or two.

Those 5 dungeons/priest tombs in Risen are pretty small and should take you (combined) few hours at most (provided you have most teleport stones to move around the map easily), they make up for 10% of the game (if that).

~3 hours is still a huge chunk. No one would like a game that had 3 hours of boredom at the beginning of the game. The only reason people finish Risen is because they've already invested so much time.

 

[Beastro]

Funny, I feel the opposite. I would laud it as it does so many things right in the first two acts, but it pissed me off and let me down at the end with its dumb linear dungeon crawl and asinine Nintendo boss fight.

Hence my last lines.

It is an average game and doesn't seem to be aspiring to be more than that, but the way quality games are these days it stands out as more than it actually is.

If you have mostly shit on the ground then normal rocks will start to look like precious gems.

 

[bloodlover]

Which one is more profitable, smithing or skinning? I assume self-made weapons are better than the ones from the shop and that would be the best way for a melee, Don allied character? I honestly can't remember since I played a mage and just made potions all the time.

 

[Metro]

You'll end up with more than enough skill points for both. And, yes, the better weapons are crafted ones. There's a few hidden/quest weapons you can forge, too. I think... or maybe you just find them. Can't remember if you have to find two parts and combined them like in the sequel.

 

[Tigranes]

Skinning is a good way to make extra bucks early on when you are actually cash-strapped. Smithing leads to good weapons. Both are worth taking, probably skinning first.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

Which one is more profitable, smithing or skinning? I assume self-made weapons are better than the ones from the shop and that would be the best way for a melee, Don allied character? I honestly can't remember since I played a mage and just made potions all the time.

Smithing does lend you better weapons (than what is available at the store) but it only works for swords (can't forge any other weapon type). Another big benefit from smithing is making magical amulets & rings (for a melee fighter you can make a +15 STR amulet early and thus return your investment right away), it's best when paired with prospecting and open locks so you can have all the materials/ingredients needed. Make sure you buy the right tools for both smithing and goldsmithing (any blacksmith in the game can sell you those).

Wouldn't bother with skinning honestly unless you want to larp a hunter or are strapped for cash. As long as you don't hoard unnecessary stuff (instead of selling it) and take everything that isn't nailed down you should be swimming in money. What helps here a lot is sneaking skill (in addition to lockpicking obviously), a few people (mostly Don's men) can teach you but there are also a few rings that give you the skill.

 

[Cthulhu_is_love]

I would learn skinning and lockpicking as soon as possible, cause i can't stand missing potential money.
To smithing: You can find pieces of legendary weapons and reforge them. But they didn't seem very legendary in my eyes.

 

[Nim]

You get crafting for rings, not for the swords. Ring des Kämpfers (ring of the fighter ?) gives 8 protection against all weapons, ingredients are easy to get and you can use two at once. Think there are also some good rings/amulets if you are a mage ?

 

[Gozma]

The craftable +15 strength amulet is the best amulet for any kind of melee until the 11th hour of the game (there's eventually a buyable amulet that gives you +20 to most of the armor ratings that's probably better, especially when 15 points of strength is the difference between like 135 and 150 instead of 15 and 30). That needs 3 smithing and prospecting for the gold.

If you want to play an axer there is a very easily found +1 axe skill ring (effectively worth 10 LP) and another one that's pretty hidden but available really early that I found by luck. Between those two being a free 20 LP in jewelry and the fact you can't craft any axes, not spending anything on smithing or prospecting is fine. The +sword skill rings come much later or are behind really dangerous shit IIRC.

Gut animal is mostly useless for money (hardly anything is worth bothering with moneywise until long after money ceases to be a problem) but there are a few craftable scrolls you need gut animal items to make in large numbers.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

If you want to play an axer there is a very easily found +1 axe skill ring (effectively worth 10 LP) and another one that's pretty hidden but available really early that I found by luck. Between those two being a free 20 LP in jewelry and the fact you can't craft any axes, not spending anything on smithing or prospecting is fine. The +sword skill rings come much later or are behind really dangerous shit IIRC.

Even if you don't plan on using axes, that +1 axe skill ring is very handy for completing Arena quest early as it gives you a power/charged attack and yeah the location for the 2nd +1 axe ring is pretty cool.

Gut animal is mostly useless for money (hardly anything is worth bothering with moneywise until long after money ceases to be a problem) but there are a few craftable scrolls you need gut animal items to make in large numbers.

Didn't see much use for scrolls in Risen, it ain't NOTR. I mean, Telekinesis is very useful for plant harvesting but you don't spend scrolls for that (you just need one). There are obviously Nautilus Transformation and Levitation scrolls but you can easily find/buy those.

 

[Average Manatee]

Smithing is amazing for mages, effectively letting you be a warrior for the early game and clean out areas before you even have magic without spending a single point in strength or weapons. At best your starting damage is 10 STR + 15ish weapon, with smithing you buff yourself to 35 strength and can craft a sword of 35 damage. For warriors its less of a boost but still really good, you can either boost damage or stack more armor on yourself.

Gut Animals is good but probably not worth rushing, as a warrior you'll really want to spend points on strength early on.

 

[bloodlover]

Yeah I found one of the axe rings and I am going for the 2H axe combat. I am just level 6, no big deal and got a bit of STR to use some axe I bought. Guess I'l make smithing for some jwls then.

 

[Night Goat]

Fuck you RK47 for reminding me of Chumbawumba's Tubthumping

 

[Beastro]

Playing it again after 6 years.

What stands out right away is how "old" the game feels. I mean that in a good way. Everything feels like a game, not like an interactive movie or TV show like people try to make today. Even the intro feels that way, more like an old style FMV than a movie clip inserted into a game. The voice acting and animations also highlight this outlook, how cheesy and stilted one of the voice acting is along with the exaggerated emotive animations. The protagonists voice always stood out for me, how bored and tuned out he sounds, it's as if he's aware he's a video game hero and this is nothing but a puppet so he's going through the motions and letting you have your way with him while he lurks in his little mental sanctuary.

Controls right away feel intuitive if you're used to experimenting with games, and really RK47, this is why people are giving you hell. You sound like you have no time or patience for that kind of thing while posting on fucking RPG Codex and you yourself bitching about like things old school. It made you sound like a poseur.

I do agree on the spring button. I'm starting to find myself jumping around because it takes you such a ridiculously long distance when you do it while your jog is very slow in comparison. If only the jog was a little faster I wouldn't have a problem with it at all and just saunter about. I'm usually alternating between a few steps and a jump because I'm just not anal enough to constantly jump one after the other, but the game could have used sprint, or at the very least, an auto walk button so you could tap it, sit and and just control your direction of travel with the mouse.

I'm finding myself unable to constantly drink out of water barrels, but it might be due to my mouse, I'm not sure, but I don't mind. I just sit back and tap the mouse button after each animation and I do appreciate how far apart they are acting as a safety net so you don't run out of healing items early on, but the distance punishes you for getting beat up too much so you make an effort on learning the combat mechanics and try not to get dinged up too much.

I'm not far in since I went with hard, am still relearning the combat and the higher wolves and boars are annoying with their hp amount in relation to my swords damage on them. I can't get stressed too much atm because I'm working on fixing my TMJ problems and combat can easily start my jaw clinching hard which is a big no-no.

Only major thing I don't like is the UI icon graphics, the game was made back when WoW was a big thing and everyone fucking ripped off their icon style, which I fucking hate. Also the fact that this is a console port and I can feel that with how much is tied to clicking like equipping items by double click and not draging to equipment slot.

It's a fun little game, and playing it again after 6 years, I really feel the difference between old late 90s/early 2000 games and today's ones (hell even a lot of it's contemporaries and games made before it) in substance and style

 

[Beastro]

Some more bits to add.

The sound is great, sadly my audio is quiet so I can't enjoy the music as much, but I especially love the underground audio, really adds to the seen that you are in caves. I also like how the caves tie in some foreshadowing with the creaks and groans in and around them that are a subtle hint at what is going on on the island.

Also something I stumbled upon I never thought of in my first play through years back is how the time of day can factor into forward planning.

I was doing the quests around the beginning farm and got around to the wolf killing mission at night. I realized as I finished off the first wolf that there were actually four there and that if I'd done the quest in daytime I'd have had all four awake and on my ass when it was iffy to kill just one. That preparation can also backfire as I was later fighting another wolf and the melee got close enough to another sleeping one I didn't see that woke up behind me and fucked me up. That also plays into how well they did the environments with night time being dark enough but navigatible, sleeping animals blending in well so that even with a high-ish gamma it's still hard to spot them. That also goes for the herb collecting that really shows that games don't have to make their lootable items glow gold, they can look much like the background but be slightly different enough that you remember their shape and colour and keep en eye out for them. Within no time I'm able to differentiate the herbs from the background without them shining or anything, and yet if my mind slips I can easily miss them.

One big negative so far in the game is the animation delay with clicking the arm weapon button. This wouldn't be a problem is you could pick stuff with your weapon out and leave holstering to when you encounter people and chat with them, but you're constantly flipping back and forth to grab stuff and the delay is so large I often wind up pressing the button again thinking I didn't hit it hard enough only for the second hit to holster my weapon. It stands out all the more since the animation reaction time in combat is so slick it feels like two different games.

 

[Beastro]

Had to run out and forgot something to add to the above.

Another big issue I forgot to add (touched on in this thread) is how you need to play with a walkthrough not for hand holding reasons, but to keep the quest script fucks ups to minimum.

I wondered why I used one last time until I ran into an issue at the farm: Talked to grain quest guy, collected grain for him, handed it back to him, talked to pig guy, got kill wolves quest, talked to third novice who offered to take me to town, talked to the head of the farm who said third guy could take me there if I helped around the farm, went to kill wolves, came back and told head guy I did grain quest and got the offer to go to town, went to hand in kill wolf quest and found the wolf guy unresponsive leaving the kill wolf quest stuck on my quest list.

This wouldn't be such a big issue in a game with respawning mobs, but that isn't the case so the amount of exp to be had is fixed making these kinds of issues worse than they would be your average game.

Had to reload back to a save that took my back to when I met Jan and got the sword, about an hour in game but a few hours RL. No biggie for me, but I can see that wearing me down and getting me paranoid enough to use a walkthrough again if it keeps happening by just organically wandering around doing my own thing, not even going out of my way to break scripting like jumping out of the monastery.

 

[Lhynn]

i played and beat this game with no walkthrough of any kind.

Theres a lot to like in risen, but theres also a lot to hate.

 

[T. Reich]

I've also started the replay of Risen yesterday, and I can confirm that RK47 is full of shit.

The mobs (on normal difficulty) are scaled accordingly to the player (skill+gear) level at the supposed time of meeting them. I've had zero trouble dealing with any starter mobs whatsoever. The key was to re-learn the mighty "side-dodge -> swing at the enemy from the side" routine for the animals.

The first time I played the game I made the bandit camp axe+xbow str-based char, this time i think i will go with mage/inquisition dex-based bow+fireball char.