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Does Gothic have bad controls?

Joined
Mar 18, 2009
Messages
7,308
Controls in Gothic are so good I actually managed to adapt it to X360 controller using Xpadder and completed both games without any issues.

That's easy to believe, controls in Gothic feel very much like gamepad controls to me. Of course, we should not be saying that to keyboard-only purists who love Gothic. I couldn't be arsed to deal with xpadder so I just learned to play it on keyboard. Not the best controls ever but after a while they feel fine. Inventory in G1, now that's annoying.
 

sullynathan

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Dec 22, 2015
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Not Europe
With enough time, anyone can get used to anything. Just ask your parents how they felt about you as a kid.

With that said, the controls still suck.
 
Last edited:

Mastermind

Cognito Elite Material
Patron
Bethestard
Joined
Apr 15, 2010
Messages
21,144
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
A game can be an amazing experience and have outdated controls and ui, fallout 1&2 are a pain to deal with due to the ui, ultima 7 runs like shit with a terrible control scheme, sake with Gothic.

Doesn't mean we didn't enjoy them years ago, but user experiences evolve.

Bad controls are a lot more forgivable in turn based tactics games than real time action ones.
 

Metro

Arcane
Beg Auditor
Joined
Aug 27, 2009
Messages
27,792
Gothics controls are fine if you have an IQ over 12 and spend half a minute in the starting area figuring them out. Many on the Codex don't meet those two qualifiers, though.
 

Barbalos

Savant
Joined
Jun 14, 2018
Messages
200
Nah, I learned proper RPG combat controls before I played Gothic, can't unlearn them. My muscle memory only allows me to play one way like a robot, I can't possibly think about what I'm doing for any length of time to figure out new controls. It's biologically impossible, a shame really.
 

samuraigaiden

Arcane
Joined
Dec 28, 2018
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Harare
RPG Wokedex
Souls is designed to be mastered while Gothic isn't. Souls combat is supposed to have depth and a learning curve. Gothic combat is intended as an obstacle you circumvent until you are strong enough.
Gothic combat is tied to its rpg system. While Souls seems to be just an action game by what you describe.
And even when you get strong in Gothic it isnt some automatic process where you skip combat. You still have to apply your skills.

Souls are hack'n slash games.
 

ERYFKRAD

Barbarian
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Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth

Jacob

Pronouns: Nick/Her
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Grab the Codex by the pussy
Unpopular opinion: Gothic control is perfect, ELEX is the one with bad control. As Jvegi said, bad controls are those that make players do what they don't intend to, which never happens to me in Gothic but happens often when I played ELEX.
 

Latelistener

Arcane
Joined
May 25, 2016
Messages
2,579
Controls in Gothic are so good I actually managed to adapt it to X360 controller using Xpadder and completed both games without any issues.
That's easy to believe, controls in Gothic feel very much like gamepad controls to me. Of course, we should not be saying that to keyboard-only purists who love Gothic. I couldn't be arsed to deal with xpadder so I just learned to play it on keyboard. Not the best controls ever but after a while they feel fine. Inventory in G1, now that's annoying.
I was mostly interested in playing it a rocking chair with a plaid and gamepad is more suited for this.

42ba61f5860c03d6c43ee4ed0f609107.jpg
 

PsychoFox

Educated
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Mar 27, 2019
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(P___q)
Yeah it feels like they've been designed for a controller (which they weren't) or a keyboard with many sticky keys...
 

Arulan

Cipher
Joined
Feb 13, 2014
Messages
313
Gothic was released when developers were still experimenting with controls for 3D RPGs. Remember Morrowind's Right-Click to enter Menu mode or 'E' to jump? I don't think Gothic has the most intuitive controls, but they're not horrid. I can see why someone used to the control standards of today would find Gothic unwieldy though.
 
Joined
Jun 15, 2019
Messages
33
Gothic has fantastic controls. The best I ever had in a RPG. Easy and precise to use and very immersive. Terrible controls you have in The Witcher series.
 

DJOGamer PT

Arcane
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
7,357
Location
Lusitânia
The controls could've be called intuitive because if know them well enough you can play it with just 1 hand. The main problem is the fact the mouse wasn't taken into much consideration and there's nothing that informs the player of the game's controls.
In fact one the main problems with the Gothic games, is that they never seem interested in teaching you the bare minimum of the game mechanics. And before someone bemoans "muh hand-holding", consider that being clueless about the workings of the most basic Stat/Skill/System is not the player's fault when there isn't any kind of explanation for it to be found in the game.

Souls are hack'n slash games.

Dungeon Crawler's/Metroidvania's is the more correct term as exploration is their focus and not the combat (although this changed with Bloodborne)

Most 3D action RPGs are clickfest/buttonmash garbage with far worse controls than Gothic.

ARPG's like?
 
Joined
Jun 15, 2019
Messages
33
I had no problem playing without mouse. In contrary. I don't like mouse in games. It was a problem for me playing Gothic 3 with mouse. After a while it was okay, but combat felt like a clickfest. That never happened in Gothic 1 & 2. I think the main problem what most people have with Gothic controls is the fact that for all actions you have to press Ctrl + arrow keys and not simply Ctrl. When you look in the controls options for Action it says Ctrl, but this key alone is only for activate the action mode and the final action is done by arrow keys while holding Ctrl down.
 

Curratum

Guest
Gothic might have a wonderful game buried somewhere in there but I will never find it because the controls are so utterly retarded.
 
Joined
Jun 15, 2019
Messages
33
The old Tomb Raider titles or Silent Hill titles and 90 % of all old and new games have frustrating controls and nobody mentioned that. But always you hear people having problems with Gothic controls. I can't understand that. Gothic has the easiest controls ever!!! You don't need 10 mouse buttons, no other 20 keys to play the game. You only need 5 keys or so! It's two clicks to equip a new weapon! Remember equip a flare or a crossbow in Witcher 3? This was a torture!!!
 

samuraigaiden

Arcane
Joined
Dec 28, 2018
Messages
1,954
Location
Harare
RPG Wokedex
Dungeon Crawler's/Metroidvania's is the more correct term as exploration is their focus and not the combat (although this changed with Bloodborne)

I dispute this notion. Dark Souls only rewards combat. It doesn't have any exploration focused power ups and and even items are mostly either dropped by enemies or bought with the currency you get from combat.
 

Black Angel

Arcane
Joined
Jun 23, 2016
Messages
2,910
Location
Wonderland
Dungeon Crawler's/Metroidvania's is the more correct term as exploration is their focus and not the combat (although this changed with Bloodborne)

I dispute this notion. Dark Souls only rewards combat. It doesn't have any exploration focused power ups and and even items are mostly either dropped by enemies or bought with the currency you get from combat.
Eh, in Dark Souls 1 specifically a lot of good shit are hidden in covenants and also some NPCs. You have to go out of your way and explore every nook and cranny to encounter, say, Laurentius, also Chaos covenant, Quelana, Dragon covenant, Darkmoon, Gravelord, etc etc. Sometimes you even have to hit some walls to discover new locations where these covenants can be found.
 

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