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Game News JoWood press release on Gothic 2 NPCs

Saint_Proverbius

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Tags: Gothic II

<a href="http://www.jowood.com/">JoWood</a> has released the following press release on the NPCs in <a href="http://www.gothic2.com">Gothic 2</a>:
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<blockquote>Friday 10th January 2003.../JoWooD Productions is proud to announce Gothic II, the breathtaking role-playing action adventure game, <u>will feature 400 Non-Player Characters</u> when it has its UK release in Q1 2003 on PC.
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Players will need to keep their wits about them at all times to survive in this deadly world. As the player progresses through his epic journey, he will encounter hundreds of highly intelligent NPCs who will either help or hinder him <u>depending upon both their disposition and their past interactions with the player</u>.
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Such is the intelligence of the NPCs within Gothic II that as in real life, they will <u>remember their previous experiences with the player</u>. If, for example, the player steals money from them, the next time the two meet, the NPC will confront the player demanding reparation. In addition, <u>NPCs can even tell their friends who will seek retribution on their behalf</u>.
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To add to Gothic II's realism, every NPC has occupations and a social-life outside of their time interacting with the player. <u>Thus, a blacksmith will work in his shop from 9am until 6pm, then may enjoy a refreshing ale at the local tavern and go home to bed</u>, all of which will happen regardless of where the player is.
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As players develop through one of three character classes, as a Mercenary, Magician or Paladin, the players will need to be aware of the social issues surrounding each choice, i.e. <u>should the player become a mercenary, then they will be met with animosity whenever they encounter paladins, and vice versa</u>. However, when playing as a magician, the player will need to keep both sides happy and play politically for maximal gain.
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Commenting on the game, Rebecca Lindon, PR Manager of JoWooD Productions UK said: "Gothic II features an incredible 400 NPC's who go about their lives working, sleeping, eating and get drunk together whilst occasionally meeting you as you undertake quests. You are presented with a living, breathing community the likes of which have rarely been seen in a video game before and then have the challenge of successfully achieving your goals within this incredible setting - without upsetting the society."
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Gothic II will be released in the UK in Q1 2003 on PC CD Rom with an ELSPA rating of 15+.
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JoWooD Productions UK LTD. of Bushey, Hertfordshire, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Austria-based JoWooD productions Software AG, a publicly traded company on the Vienna Stock Exchange, which is rapidly establishing itself as a leading force in the video games industry. Its strategy is to identify develop and publish internationally competitive, high-quality entertainment software for all existing next-generation gaming platforms. JoWooD Productions has in-house development facilities in Vienna and Ebensee, Austria and a fast growing roster of exceptional subsidiary studios, including Wings Simulations and Massive Development in Germany.</blockquote>
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That's one of the best parts of the original game, how the NPCs went about daily life based on time.
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Spotted this at <A href="http://www.rpgdot.com">RPGDot</a>.
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Flarnet

Liturgist
Joined
Jan 6, 2003
Messages
106
400 NPCs eh?
Well there were 300 dungeons in Morrowind and they were all super-generic and incredibly boring. I would much rather have had 80 well thought out and high quality dungeons than 300 lousy ones.

Not saying that having 400 NPCs is bad, just pointing out that there is nothing inherently good about a very high number of something that typically requires a lot of work.
 

Saint_Proverbius

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A lot of them in Gothic were fairly generic, there only to be beaten up be someone so you could beat up the guy oppressing them, and things like that. Still, they all followed daily ritual to a certain extent.
 

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