Review Gothic 3 Review

[Volourn]

Much more simple than taking my sword and cutting them into pieces... like I was doing. L0LLERZ

Thanks. :D

 

[Fresh]

Okay the game is now patched to 1.09. Is it a (totally) different experience now? Have they killed most of the bugs and polished the game? Would this translate into a better review-score?

 

[Vault Dweller]

I reviewed the game, not the bugs & glitches.

 

[Claw]

So you're not planning to increase the score?

Boo, I say!


PS: Awww, man. For a moment I thought you were talking about the long-awaited next patch.

 

[suibhne]

Bah. Couldn't wait to start playing G3 once I got my new rig up and running last night, and I kicked up the graphic options right out of the gate. Indeed, my fps were mighty fine, no complaints - except that all of the opening Orcs were surrounded by flickering black graphical glitches.

Now, now...I realize this is a known bug, and it only took 30 seconds of Googling to find the solution, but this is the second recent game (Dark Messiah being the other) for which I needed to Google solutions before being able to play. I pay for fat broadband and generally don't mind using it, but I kinda think I should mind in this case.

I loved G1 and 2/NotR, and I'm still really looking forward to G3. But it's sad to see this problem still unresolved several months after the game's initial release - a problem caused, apparently, by perfectly rational behavior on the part of the user. (I.e., this glitch is apparently caused by setting Aniso Filtering in videocard options rather than in-game; since AF causes very little performance hit, it's entirely logical to enable it universally.) This is PB's fault, not the user's.

Oh well. I'm still eager to get started with the game.

 

[Fresh]

Bah. Couldn't wait to start playing G3 once I got my new rig up and running last night, and I kicked up the graphic options right out of the gate. Indeed, my fps were mighty fine, no complaints - except that all of the opening Orcs were surrounded by flickering black graphical glitches.

Now, now...I realize this is a known bug, and it only took 30 seconds of Googling to find the solution, but this is the second recent game (Dark Messiah being the other) for which I needed to Google solutions before being able to play. I pay for fat broadband and generally don't mind using it, but I kinda think I should mind in this case.

I loved G1 and 2/NotR, and I'm still really looking forward to G3. But it's sad to see this problem still unresolved several months after the game's initial release - a problem caused, apparently, by perfectly rational behavior on the part of the user. (I.e., this glitch is apparently caused by setting Aniso Filtering in videocard options rather than in-game; since AF causes very little performance hit, it's entirely logical to enable it universally.) This is PB's fault, not the user's.

Oh well. I'm still eager to get started with the game.

I asssume you have patch 1.09 installed?

 

[suibhne]

I asssume you have patch 1.09 installed?

I'm playing the North American version released by Aspyr. I checked their website, but they say very clearly NOT to use the 1.09 patch - that it doesn't add anything to the NA version. Is that incorrect?

Here's the money quote:

• Aspyr Media would like to clear up any confusion regarding the Gothic 3 1.09 patch. Like the first two patches, this patch is for the European release of Gothic 3 only. Gamers who purchased the title in North America will not need to download patch 1.09. Doing so will not affect any changes within this version of the game.

 

[Volourn]

YES! It looks like I'm back into the game. I'm now level 8 (again!)... Heading towards Cape Dun (again!). Basiclaly same character cocnept except I'm mixing up the magic points more this time instead of waiting until like level 15 to focus on them..

 

[Vault Dweller]

Keep up the good work, Volly!

 

[Volourn]

Shut the fuck up, you patronizing jerk!

 

[Vault Dweller]

Don't be so angsty, Volly. I just wanted you to know that I approve of your behavior. I thought you would be happy to hear that. Oh well... there is no way to please you, is there? Hmm?

 

[Volourn]

Not when you are patronizing me; there isn't. My 'behaviour'. I'm playing a game. LMAO You amke it sopund like I'm doing something deep, awe inspiring, or worthy fo praise. HAHAHA!

Gothic 3 cumsucker!

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

It suddenly occurs to me that, even if I hadn't been banned, there is no way I could ever hope to emulate Volourn's manner successfully.

 

[The_Nameless_Prick]

Just saying "R00fles" alone would not cut it, huh?

 

[Vault Dweller]

Not when you are patronizing me; there isn't. My 'behaviour'. I'm playing a game. LMAO You amke it sopund like I'm doing something deep, awe inspiring, or worthy fo praise. HAHAHA!

Gothic 3 cumsucker!

Don't be a fucking moron, Volly. My post was a light joke aimed at your "I'm playing the game again!" announcement. Originally I was going to make a newspost out of it, but then decided that it would be too much.

 

[The_Nameless_Prick]

I guess I'm not the only "fucking idiot retard piece-of-shit" who can't detect sarcasm 100% of the time.

 

[Volourn]

" guess I'm not the only "fucking idiot retard piece-of-shit" who can't detect sarcasm 100% of the time. "

Sarcasm is cool when it is logical.

Gothic 3 is a decent game ruined mostly by fanboys.

 

[Elwro]

I've just been to the capital and SPOILERZ hey, I even found a way of reaching the castle which does not require any combat. Well, only a few Orcs, if you have bad luck. Nice! I thought I'd have to hack my way through... I'll spare them.
For now.

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

What way's that, then?

 

[The Vanished One]

I've just been to the capital and SPOILERZ hey, I even found a way of reaching the castle which does not require any combat. Well, only a few Orcs, if you have bad luck. Nice! I thought I'd have to hack my way through... I'll spare them.
For now.

...
I just went there and killed all the Orcs...

Diplomacy = 0

 

[The_Nameless_Prick]

I've just been to the capital and SPOILERZ hey, I even found a way of reaching the castle which does not require any combat. Well, only a few Orcs, if you have bad luck. Nice! I thought I'd have to hack my way through... I'll spare them.
For now.

I don't know, I can't raise my luck skill, damn, nobody tells me anything.

P.S. I am never sarcastic. ever.

 

[Elwro]

What way's that, then?

SPOILERZ

So, immediately after leaving the temple turn left and go around the building, the wall to your left. The path will narrow down into a very thin ledge, but don't let this stop you. Eventually iirc you may have to jump, but anyway, you'll be able to go around the temple to reach the outskirts of the city.
Then, you should just continue going around the capital. You'll be shielded from the enemies by crumbling walls. Eventually you'll have to jump into the water, near a wooden pier. Go outside the city walls and continue going around. You may have to run once or twice to avoid Orcish guards. At some time you'll come very close to the barrier and it'll damage you, but continue anyway. Move along the town gates - don't go inside. Eventually you'll reach a small river. Swim and enter the city this way. After a short time you'll pass under a bridge, and see a platform to your right.
So now's the tricky part. To reach the castle you'll have to come out of the water, reach the platform, run through the bridge, turn right into the almost destroyed bridge to the castle and voila. There are Orcs walking everywhere; you might even be spotted in the water. Nevertheless, it is possible to kill 1 or 2 orcs and just run past one or two others and reach the castle.


(A few minutes ago I destroyed the Empire portal in Avernum 2, btw. Playing Gothic 3 and Spiderweb games in interchanging sessions is quite a schisophrenic experience.)

 

[suibhne]

I've put in 15 or so hours now, I'm guessing - liberated Cape Dun and Gotha, hanging around Montera, just teleported into Vengard (and independently found the same basic path described by Elwro ).

I've had an uncomfortable number of crashes in the Save screen, which invariably corrupts the slot to which I was saving. Most crashes have occurred only after 3-4 hours of playing, but I've gotten hit twice while in the first hour or so. (The screen simply hangs on save with the music either playing or stuttering.) The game has otherwise been very solid, but this is obviously a troubling bug. I haven't tried the Quicksave function, but maybe I should use it in conjunction with rotating Save slots. Bah. This is especially upsetting because I don't want to be one of those people who saves all the time.

Melee combat is no better than in any other Gothic game imo. Oh well. Stun-lock seems over-the-top ridiculous, but maybe I'm just too much of a button-masher to deal with it effectively. Archery is more fun, otoh, and that's my preferred approach anyway. But one thing I've seen nobody mention is the disappointing fact that you can now outrun everything in the gameworld - at least everything that I've seen so far, including fast animals like Wolves and Boars - so it's very easy to exploit the tactic of shooting, running away, and shooting again when the animal gets bored and returns to its routine. Rinse and repeat ad infinitum.

(What's upsetting about this is that it shouldn't be an exploit - it's a perfectly intelligent tactic - but enemy AI is totally unable to deal with it.)

World design continues to be the high point, and I'm absolutely loving that.

 

[suibhne]

Also - the game is most definitely "dumbed down" from previous Gothics. I don't find this a major problem, but it's a little disappointing that, within the first hour of play, you can meet trainers capable of training you almost all the way up in melee, hunting, thieving, smithing, etc. I much preferred the breakdown in the first two games, in which certain trainers could only train you to certain levels and it was tough to find somebody who could train you in 100% (or even 80%) of a particular skill category. This G3 design essentially eliminates one of the rewards of exploration, at least after the first few hours.

The world itself isn't dumbed down at all, thank goodness. It's still possible to get your ass handed to you pretty quickly if you head in the wrong direction.

As for one category dinged by most reviews - the voiceovers don't bother me one bit. I'm often picky about this, but I honestly don't understand the problem here. Sure, G3's voicing sounds more like a B-movie than an Oscar contender, but it's a thoroughly entertaining B-movie whose acting doesn't generally jar your suspension of disbelief. In contrast, NWN2 has a few voiceovers (from some of the nameless "lieutanant" or "assistant" parts) so execrable that I wanted to jab icepicks straight into my ears - even tho NWN2's best VOs (like Sand, Khelgar) were genuinely impressive imo.

Of course, if you leave Sean Bean out of it, both G3 and NWN2 beat the stuffing out of Oblivion in this regard.

 

[Admiral Rimjob POOBUM]

Of course, if you leave Sean Bean out of it, both G3 and NWN2 beat the stuffing out of Oblivion in this regard.

Sean Bean's Oblivion voiceover was so bland, emotionless and dull that it brought tears of apathy to my eyes.
Patrick Stewart, however, caused me to leap to my feet in riotous applause, weeping in a manly fashion.