2 new Gothic 4 previews

[denizsi]

In German. Here and here, with lots of screenshots of plant life in the game.

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[Xi]

Hopefully the game-play looks as good as those screenshots.

 

[sportforredneck]

This game is a forest growth simulator? Awesome.

 

[uhjghvt]

the npcs in gothic 3 were barely more than plant life anyway maybe this is just the natural progression of the series

 

[DefJam101]

I heard they will add plants with tits this time.

 

[Ammar]

There wasn't much concerning gameplay. Some talk about an "optional" quest radar which is *meh* and in addition to learning by talent points your character gets a little better at some things by doing them like Wizardry or Elderscrolls but it's supposed to be much more of a small thing here.

There are also some immersion features (heh) around like your bow trembling as your character breathes and your eyes adapting to the light.

 

[SimpleComplexity]

Rule of thumb:
The better the graphics the worse the roleplaying part.

 

[Claw]

Okay, I'll bite. But only the shorter article. Disclaimer: There is some awful German in that article, which I've sometimes translated into similarly bad English.

Even though many Gothic-Fans won't like to hear it, a new developer always means a bit of change. Developer Spellbound brought a playable version to Games Convention and revealed more details of the combat and character systems of Gothic 4. What's new: If you use a certain weapon - like a bow - more often, your skill and accuracy with that weapon are affected. The skillpoint system known from previous parts shall remain however, said Jochen Hamma, producer of Gothic 4. If you often use a bow, it will become easier to hit while moving, for instance. Otherwise you'd have to stand still and compensate for the weapon sway to hit at a greater distance.

The bow-combat system we were shown made a good impression already. The longer you hold the bow drawn, the more stamina is used. Precise aiming pays off however, as hits at arms or legs are less effective than at the chest or especially the head. Depending on where the opponent was hit, he will drop physically correct and the arrows remain stuck in the body.

The graphics engine of Gothic 4 is new as well. Spellbound won't tell us what technology the game is based on yet, but they supposedly programmed the greater part of the visual features themselves. The gameworld of Gothic 4 looks alot more detailed, lifelike and atmospheric than the Gothic 3 addon announced to be released later this year which we've seen shortly afterwards. Some of the visual gimmicks are the dynamic light and weather systems. In the tech-demo, rain was dripping from roofs and forming puddles on the ground - which later slowly disappeared once the sun came out again. The engine can tell which areas are protected by shelters and canopies and thus remain dry, while depressions are filled by rain water.

Very nice looking is the so-called „light exposure control“ which is basically an HDR-system like in Crysis or Half-Life 2. While inside, the brightness of outside areas is slightly increased. When the hero goes outside, the brightness is normalized and the outside world looks normal again. Even though it says nothing about the final game yet, the presented graphics underline the medieval, rather gloomy and rustical Gothic-flair. Alot has happened with the NPCs as well - Spellbound shows us Lester as an example. Wrinkles, tatoos and skin details are visible in his face.

Apropos change: Spellbound has already finished the first menus and screen elements. How exactly interesting places and quest targets are displayed in the radar - which is currently located at the left side of the interface - hasn't been decided yet however. To appease the fans, Hamma immediately added that all new help functions and displays are optional and can be turned off again at any time.

More info is to follow in the next Gamestar edition.


So... combat, graphics, graphics, gimmicks, graphics, quest radar. Awesome.

 

[Raapys]

Oh please, not another quest radar.

 

[denizsi]

The skillpoint system known from previous parts shall remain however, said Jochen Hamma, producer of Gothic 4

Thank you. I took a brief look at the article and decided that my crappy German wasn't enough to translate it myself. I got the bits about graphics but, for instance, originally I took that sentence I quoted as "skill point system is removed".

Very nice looking is the so-called „light exposure control“ which is basically an HDR-system like in Crysis or Half-Life 2. While inside, the brightness of outside areas is slightly increased. When the hero goes outside, the brightness is normalized and the outside world looks normal again.

Not to be a graphics whore but for games with AA+ graphics, this kind of lighting is becoming almost compulsory. Games that have all the latest tech in it without some kind of dynamic HDR tend to look washed out and over/under-gamma'ed in places with ambient light, where they should have used invisible dynamic light sources to emulate that but didn't. Stalker had this too. So when it's a high budget game with latest graphics, hearing this kind of thing shouldn't be a bad thing. Unless of course, they make it into bukkake.

Still, it's still a pity because, as you put it:

So... combat, graphics, graphics, gimmicks, graphics, quest radar. Awesome.

all new help functions and displays are optional and can be turned off again at any time.

Hear hear, Bethesda.

 

[Imbecile]

This game is a forest growth simulator? Awesome.

Is that like Oblivions soil erosion?

 

[Claw]

Not to be a graphics whore but for games with AA+ graphics, this kind of lighting is becoming almost compulsory.

Yeah, so? Alpha Protocol previews are hyping the fact that you can customize your character's abilities like it was completely unheard of rather than a stable of the RPG genre, and in many recent (p)reviews I've found that every decision the player can make is greatly emphasized as if even the most trivial choice were a special feature.

So when it's a high budget game with latest graphics, hearing this kind of thing shouldn't be a bad thing. Unless of course, they make it into bukkake.

Oh, I love good graphics. But when so much of a short preview is dedicated to it, not to mention the superflous description of an effect that was hyped as innovation years ago, I am bound to wonder if the game has any other qualities.

 

[MetalCraze]

Oh please, not another quest radar.

I remember they've said there will also be a fast-travel in some earlier interview

 

[sportforredneck]

I heard they will add plants with tits this time.

Plants with tits? You mean like this:

 

[denizsi]

blah blah blah

Hence me referring to your earlier post.