KickStarter Pathologic 2 (AKA Pathologic remake)

[Jenkem]

have it downloaded but don't really want to play it until it's dark out

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Please tell me whether it's gonna work fine on potato PCs. The Marble Nest barely worked. I know they said that optimisation is a must, but with IPL you can't be quite sure.

The public demo kept running out of memory on my rig (FX-4300, GTX 1050, 8 GB RAM) after about an hour of gameplay, so hopefully they've fixed that in the release version.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

Jesus. I was curious to hear how this compares to the original but that snippet from the RPS review tells me nothing other than the fact that it's apparently like the original since it's scaring away the undesirables with miserable gameplay. Which is a good thing. And here's why.

 

[Jinn]

Well, from the first hour or so of playing it, I can let everyone know that the atmosphere, art-direction, writing, and sound design are all top-notch so far. Some really chilling and gripping stuff. Could not have asked for a better modern representation of Pathologic in these regards.

Everything I've seen in terms of gameplay, UI, and QoL have been massive improvements over the original, which isn't much of a surprise, but is still great to see. I particularly like the addition the Mind-Map, which while it takes away from the characteristically somewhat obtuse structure of the journal from the original, is welcome in my eyes as a way of conceptualizing and organizing events in the game.

In terms of performance, I have a decently higher end PC, and with everything cranked to max performance isn't so hot. Lot's of fluctuation between 40-60fps with occasional drops to 30, but everything still manages to feel really smooth in general gameplay-wise somehow. Unfortunate, but I might just need to fiddle with the advanced settings a bit more. Might just be one thing hitting my videocard hard or something. I'd urge anyone with a lower-end system who is chomping at the bit to play it to buy it on steam and make sure you watch your 2 hour refund window while you test it out.

Anyway, so far I'm very happy with it and imagine I will continue to be. It's terrifyingly good to be back in the Town-on-Gorkhon.

 

[Jenkem]

Jinn try turning down shadow distance and see if that does anything for performance

 

[Jinn]

Jinn try turning down shadow distance and see if that does anything for performance

Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately it has little effect, maybe 4-6fps difference. The good news for people with lower specs is that I tried the lowest default setting, and the game still looks really great on that with a very noticeable performance boost. Best looking lowest default setting I've seen for any game, really. I'll keep messing around and report back if I find a solution for running on higher settings with less fluctuation.

 

[v1rus]

Jinn try turning down shadow distance and see if that does anything for performance

Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately it has little effect, maybe 4-6fps difference. The good news for people with lower specs is that I tried the lowest default setting, and the game still looks really great on that with a very noticeable performance boost. Best looking lowest default setting I've seen for any game, really. I'll keep messing around and report back if I find a solution for running on higher settings with less fluctuation.

From what you've seen, would you call it a definite improvement over the original? (without taking the lack of 2 PCs in the account ofc)

 

[Jenkem]

Jinn try turning down shadow distance and see if that does anything for performance

Thanks for the tip, but unfortunately it has little effect, maybe 4-6fps difference. The good news for people with lower specs is that I tried the lowest default setting, and the game still looks really great on that with a very noticeable performance boost. Best looking lowest default setting I've seen for any game, really. I'll keep messing around and report back if I find a solution for running on higher settings with less fluctuation.

there's a pinned thread on the technical support sub-board on steam that has other advice too

 

[Jinn]

From what you've seen, would you call it a definite improvement over the original? (without taking the lack of 2 PCs in the account ofc)

It's still pretty early to say very confidently, but here's my very initial feeling as a huge fan of the original: If you've played the original, want more, but still distinct enough to make a noticeable difference, then there really is no reason why you wouldn't like this game. From what I've seen so far, it's a big improvement in a lot of ways - so much so that I think a lot of people who tried the original, but just couldn't get into it because of its most obvious oddities with its presentation, would be able to finally find enjoyment in Pathologic. Oh, and the translation/writing is particularly polished and excellent in comparison to the original and the HD remaster. This will make a MASSIVE difference for a lot of people.

 

[v1rus]

From what you've seen, would you call it a definite improvement over the original? (without taking the lack of 2 PCs in the account ofc)

It's still pretty early to say very confidently, but here's my very initial feeling as a huge fan of the original: If you've played the original, want more, but still distinct enough to make a noticeable difference, then there really is no reason why you wouldn't like this game. From what I've seen so far, it's a big improvement in a lot of ways - so much so that I think a lot of people who tried the original, but just couldn't get into it because of its most obvious oddities with its presentation, would be able to finally find enjoyment in Pathologic. Oh, and the translation/writing is particularly polished and excellent in comparison to the original and the HD remaster. This will make a MASSIVE difference for a lot of people.

Its not that - its that I havent played original yet, and that I cant decide should I play it first, or this one.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

From what you've seen, would you call it a definite improvement over the original? (without taking the lack of 2 PCs in the account ofc)

It's still pretty early to say very confidently, but here's my very initial feeling as a huge fan of the original: If you've played the original, want more, but still distinct enough to make a noticeable difference, then there really is no reason why you wouldn't like this game. From what I've seen so far, it's a big improvement in a lot of ways - so much so that I think a lot of people who tried the original, but just couldn't get into it because of its most obvious oddities with its presentation, would be able to finally find enjoyment in Pathologic. Oh, and the translation/writing is particularly polished and excellent in comparison to the original and the HD remaster. This will make a MASSIVE difference for a lot of people.

Its not that - its that I havent played original yet, and that I cant decide should I play it first, or this one.

Play the original first. By the time you're done with it, they'll most likely iron out initial issues, (hopefully) fix the performance and polish it a bit.

 

[Jinn]

Its not that - its that I havent played original yet, and that I cant decide should I play it first, or this one.

If you're going to play the original first, you could just play as the Bachelor, then play the main Haruspex campaign in Pathologic 2 and play the new Bachelor campaign when it comes out someday. Basically the original game has 3 different distinct playthroughs/campaigns, and Pathologic 2 will have all 3 eventually too, so they are highly and desirably replayable.

 

[Multi-headed Cow]

and play the new Bachelor campaign when it comes out someday

What the zog? Pathologic 2 is launching without all the characters playable, and they made the Bachelor of all people (The general best starting point since he doesn't know what the fuck is going on either) one of the missing characters!? That seems absolutely nuts.

 

[alyvain]

and play the new Bachelor campaign when it comes out someday

What the zog? Pathologic 2 is launching without all the characters playable, and they made the Bachelor of all people (The general best starting point since he doesn't know what the fuck is going on either) one of the missing characters!? That seems absolutely nuts.

Dybovsky said that the original was leaning towards Bachelor, both conceptually and in terms of game content. The remake is supposed to do justice for other two characters. I wouldn't say that in the original Haruspex was THAT more weird for a first-time player, although some of its mind-fuckery still haunts me.

As for the missing characters, supposedly it was one character with the release or no release at all. They're gonna implement next campaigns after they earn some sweet sweet rouble to buy bread, milk and aspirin. I think it is still not clear whether DLC will be free for all or only for backers. I believe it was said that they're gonna monitor initial community reaction to the first campaign, so they may tweak some things in the ones to follow.

 

[Jinn]

Played for 8 hours today. Could not pull myself away from it. It has essentially built positively on the original's foundation in almost every way. I'd say my only complaints at the moment would be the performance issues - which really aren't a big deal for a game that plays like this, a mild annoyance for me at most - and the soundtrack. Let me elaborate on that last part. The music is still very much so great, just not quite as great as the original. It also has a tendency of not playing for long when you're walking around town. It kind of fades in and out when you really just want it to keep going. Maybe a bug, but hopefully they'll change it.

I can't wait to play through the rest of the Haruspex campaign. If the original game is any indication, it seems I'm probably about 1/4 of the way through, with the first 6-8 days being most dense with content both quest-wise and exploration-wise. Developers gave a rough estimate of a playthrough lasting 20 hours, but I'm guessing it'll be more like 30-40 for my first run. On that note, I absolutely cannot wait for the Bachelor and Changling campaigns to be released. I will be replaying this game for many years to come, I'm sure.

Anyone who loves Pathologic and can deal with a little poor performance, or anyone who has been very interested in Pathologic but has never played the original, needs to get this game. I'll most likely post more in-depth impressions once I make it further. Just wanted to briefly share my feelings after an extended play session in honor of the launch.

 

[Astral Rag]

A Unity Engine game with performance issues? Who could have predicted it.

 

[PrettyDeadman]

A Unity Engine game with performance issues? Who could have predicted it.

Still performs better than most of UE4 games...

 

[Belegarsson]

3 minutes into the game and I already find the protagonist relatable.

 

[Wunderbar]

Finished first day. At night I tried to shank a few thugs for some easy money, but suddenly three of them popped out of nowhere and I was gangbanged.

Is it just me, or with this new combat system the game actually feels even more jank than original?

 

[Jinn]

Is it just me, or with this new combat system the game actually feels even more jank than original?

I wouldn't say that at all. Combat is more difficult now because of things like enemies being able to grab you and spin you around, as well as the need to use blocking effectively. It's intentionally supposed to be chaotic and disorienting, like a real fight in the dark would be, particularly against multiple opponents. It makes you pick your fights more carefully and actually adds a need for applying basic tactical thinking to encounters. It's a huge improvement over the original's combat, but I can see how it will frustrate a lot of people, because getting in a hand-to-hand fight is supposed to be a trying experience and that is conveyed well here.

 

[Jenkem]

the only thing I don't like about the combat is not being able to kick like the enemies can

 

[Jenkem]

There was a small patch earlier and after playing it, it's made the game stutter like crazy with huge swings in framerate (I was getting maybe 10fps drops before, but it was negligible) but these are very obnoxious...

 

[Starwars]

Just tried it out for an hour or so. Just at a first glance, it definitely still feels like Pathologic, just... better to be honest. Pretty impressed with how it looks too actually.

It runs fairly smoothly for me exepct for the occasional "freeze", not sure if that's a bug or not. But doesn't seem like it would affect my enjoyment of the game much, except if it were to happen in combat of course.

Seems really good!

 

[GewuerzKahn]

Something is wrong with the remake. The gameplay is kinda fun and I didn't encounter any bugs yet.

Too bad you can't start as the Bachelor.

 

[SerratedBiz]

The only thing I miss is the old real-life portraits, as I felt they added a very tangible charm to the first game. However, the 3d conversation close ups are actually well done and still convey the character's demeanor in an interesting way.

I did find a bug where the Thirst meter was stuck on-screen and then, whenever I ran, it would seem as if the Thirst was decreasing where it was actually the Stamina bar. Nothing major, though.

The QoL improvements are ace, nuff said. And I'm surprised they were able to keep the weirdness and charm of the base game.