KickStarter Pathologic 2 (AKA Pathologic remake)

[MuscleSpark]

Since this is the OFFISHUL PATHOLGIC THRED

http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...ke-soon-coming-to-kickstarter-it-seems.88107/
http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/pathologic-remake-kickstarter-in-august.93144/

I used the search function and didn't find any of that, oops.
Well now I know.

 

[Brother None]

Gonna throw so much money at this 's not even funny.

 

[Azrael the cat]

Maybe I should sign up for retranslation team?

Spoiler

[/Codexers sign up for the translation team]

Icepick Lodge, a few months later: "But...our professional translators assured us that 'librul faggot' was a common English honorific! What do you mean...no, that...that can't be right - Vlad, run down to the US consulate and check that 'tasteful rape' means what we were told it means, will you?"

 

[Azrael the cat]

Unfortunately Pathologic (Pestilence? My gut feeling is Pestilence is a better title but fuck it localization let's go) is both one of the very few games that deserves to be remade and one of the easiest games to screw up in the process of remaking it. Tweaking the pace of Pathologic's combat / movement / general gameplay could easily undermine the whole game if done poorly. They need to, for instance, somehow make knifing thugs less awkward without allowing the player to escape scot-free with ease (turning thugs into an easily gamed source of free money and food), or turn thugs into unrealistically capable ubermenschen, or make knifing thugs fun, or at any point cause the player to feel like an action hero knife fighter / gunman, and so on. And that's just the combat. Even simple things like upping the movement speed to decrease time spent holding W could potentially fuck up the game's emotional impact if done incorrectly.

You could fuck up the look of the game with shitty overbright specular maps, misuse of modern lighting effects, or (the most likely misstep) making all of the characters and environments look generically attractive or slick in that dumb video gamey way I can't quite describe yet hate with a passion. This game needs to somehow look fucking ugly and good at the same time, in an age where "scary horror game creatures" tend to look like normal mapped plastic dolls because designers are scared to death of modeling 3D entities with fewer than 15 million polygons, or covering those models in anything less than their best ultra-slick next-gen shader technology

I can't think of many games so susceptible to becoming shit if left in the hands of people who don't know what they're doing. Pathologic is a broken mess and it's still just that good. Ice-Pick are quality developers so I suppose if anyone can remake it successfully, it's them — assuming they don't fuck up the translation from the get-go. No pressure, dudes

Great news, in any case. I'm cautiously optimistic.

I agree that this could very easily break the game's appeal. It's not just an issue of competence either. Ice-Pick still seems to be in its golden age, but even talented and in-form designers can screw this sort of project up simply because they're not in the same headspace as they were at the time. They've been pursuing different concepts, the ideas that fascinated them at that time might now feel mundane, they might have new and genuinely interesting game ideas that could work really well in a new project but are out of place in the remake, or their improved technical proficiency might make it professionally unbearable for them not to polish technical flaws that gave the game character.

The visual designs in The Void give reason for hope, though. They've shown that they're capable of producing higher quality graphics without becoming generic.

 

[Jaedar]

I don't know about IcePick being in their prime still. Both Cargo and Knock-knock were rather mediocre imo.

 

[agentorange]

fuck this shit

 

[Bliblablubb]

As others said before, a simple translation won't make it a good game by todays standards. To me, the bad translation actuallly was a big part of the athmosphere, feeling like a tourist with an outdated dictonary reading official documents.

Though a good translation would answer a question about my first few minutes in the game: did the woman you live at offer to spread her legs after exchanging names or was it mistranslated? I thought it was an awsome start (and was let down) back then. But games tend to become better in your memory anyway.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

So, there was a small Q&A with Nikolay Dybovsky in March.

I decided to translate it to English. But neither English nor Russian is my native language, so be ready for extremely broken mistranslation with mistakes of all kinds. ALL YOUR BASE ARE BELONG TO US and all that wash.

Spoiler

Q
- I am willing to read everything you write for Pathologic.

Nikolay Dybovsky
- There are about 2,000 pages already).

Q
- What are you currently working on?)

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Methos, Alfina, Vanya Slovtsov and I are working on pitch for kickstarter. Peter and Airat are working on demo.

Q
- Is it going to be just a cosmetic remake (new engine, etc.) or there will be changes in the plot as well?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- There will be changes in the plot.

Q
- In which stage of development are you right now? How much the game will be changed?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Not too much. Development is now just at the stage when we are deciding "how much to change." There are many centrifugal factors. But I am the centripetal one.

Q
- What about atmosphere?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- I will do my best to preserve Pathologic vibe.

Q
- Are you going to pay this time more attention to Taya?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Yep.

Q
- Will there be a new content? Maybe you give some hints on it?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Yep. It will be an old content + some new hidden stuff and fixes.

Q
- How much the plot will be changed?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Just slightly. There will be about two dozen new sidequests.

Q
- Who is the composer for the remake?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- The same guy as in the original game - Andriyesh Gandrabur. It was my decision in principle.

Q
- Can we expect new story branches for old heroes?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- You can. Just don't expext a lot of them.

Q
- How heavily range of colours is going to be changed? In the original colours created an atmosphere of eternal overcast autumn.

Nikolay Dybovsky
- I do my best to preserve this vibe, while Methos is trying to change it.

Q
- Does the gameplay really matter?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Certainly, it does. That's why we have a new guy in our team - Vanya Slovtsov. And now he pisses me off every day.

Q
- What game engine are you using? And what about OST? Is it just a remaster or there are going to be new tracks as well?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- We use Unity engine. Not sure about OST right now. I'm for remaster, but Andriesh wants to redo it entirely to make it "as it really should be". Guess we will have to come to some compromise. but I will firmly stand for the old OST.

Q
- When will the game be released? Do you have already a development plan?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- We hope to release the game in 15 months after Kickstarter campaign (if it will be successful). Let's say, in the end of 2015.

Q
- Are there going to be new locations in the City?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- No.

Q
- What about combat system? Will it be improved?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Definitely. One of the main points of remake.

Q
- Will storyline characters still be standing still? Can we expect some gameplay easing for Haruspex? Will there be a tutorial? How cool are the graphics going to be?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Storyline characters won't be standing still. You shouldn't expect any gameplay easing. Tutorial will be the same. Graphics will be new, of course, but with old style.

Q
- Will minor characters in the City still be clones?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- It's inevitable. But they will have more variations - different costumes, hairstyles, etc.

Q
- What about some new cool concept of input like drawing in The Void, can we expext something like this?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Nope. I want to make it as oldschool as possible.

Q
- I hope you will preserve photos for main characters. There are awesome.

Nikolay Dybovsky
- We arguing about it with Methos right now.

Q
- Are you planning to add some new features in the game?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Our feature list contains 270 entries.

Q
- On which platforms will the game release?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- For me there is only one platform - PC.

Q
- What about fast travel?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- There will be some form of fast travel. We have a really cool idea about it.

Q
- Will the new playable characters (Inquisitor and General) be in the game as it was originally planned?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- I realy want to make it possible. But no promises right now. There are lot of factors which can prevent me from doing this. And I'm not talking about money.

Q
- I've read in interview that you want to make it possible for players to turn off all new features if they want to and just play in the original Pathologic with new graphics. Is it still the case?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Yes. I'm breaking my head on how to do it.

Q
- So, it's gonna be, so to say, augmented version of original game with old content being intact, right?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- That's the plan. Pathologic is very important for all of us. I'm doing my best to preserve it. But it's very difficult task.

Q
- Is it going to be fully voiced?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Good Lord preserve us! It's monstrous job to have actors say even few lines with right tone. Nope, it's going to be the same as in original. And it still will take at least 2 months.

Q
- Will there some changes with illness mechanics? Maybe, some new symptoms, stuff like that?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Yes. It's another main point of remake. When we worked on original Pathologic we had a lot of ideas about symtomps. Alas we wasn't experienced enough (AI, scripts, etc.) to do it. I think we're ready now.

Q
- What about English version?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- It's planned. Alphina will work on it.

Q
- Will we see some new entries in Steppe Folklore? Maybe some new enemies?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Yep.

Q
- Can we expect some easter eggs with allusions to your other titles?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- No. I hate easter eggs). There won't be even one.

Q
- Where can I buy original Pathologic?

Nikolay Dybovsky
- Try torrents .

 

[praetor]

he sounds like a most individual. will throw money at them

 

[Jaedar]

he sounds like a most individual. will throw money at them

As much as I was disappointed by Cargo and Knock, I doubt I can find it in me not to pledge for a copy when the KS comes.

 

[sexbad?]

I like how he doesn't mention "brainstorming" or "planning," but rather openly admits how everybody is arguing about how to get things done. It shows a good amount of passion about the project, although I was already convinced of their passion for game development.

I would rather have some of the changes that other team members are suggesting, though, at least in part.

 

[VioletShadow]

fuck this shit

Hmm...coming from you, is this a positive or negative comment? :D

 

[Perkel]

awesome interview O.o

Can't wait to shower them with money.

 

[sexbad?]

He certainly knows his audience.

What went wrong with knock-knock?

Have you played it? I liked it a lot, but it was strange that they took so much time for it, unless they've been working on a lot of other things in the meantime. I'd equate it to a writer publishing a few short stories between his major novels, but I recall some devblog about how long it took them to be certain about the kind of game that they wanted to make it.

 

[Sordid MCA/Prosper Hybryd]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r7ikBnFfGYU

 

[Angthoron]

Take my money, IPL.

 

[Perkel]

Oh shit that looked actually good for Live action.


Also great looking teaser site :

http://feverishfeeling.com/en/

Love artstyle.

 

[sexbad?]

gonna be fuckin sweet

 

[Perkel]

got second part of message.

So far interesting.

 

[MuscleSpark]

http://feverishfeeling.com/secret/
Anyone know how to solve this?

 

[Xu Fugui]

Also great looking teaser site :

http://feverishfeeling.com/en/

Love artstyle.

Wonderful artstyle, indeed. This is the only teaser marketing timer bullshit site that has to ever have made me excited, having played the game I even know the reality of the vague hype text. I really hope this will turn out good and if successful that it will enable Icepick to make more extravagant artistic endeavours. The world needs more games like Pathologic and The Void.

I don't know about IcePick being in their prime still. Both Cargo and Knock-knock were rather mediocre imo.

Cargo was weird for me, it is as if their publisher told them to not make a dreary and bleak atmospheric game this time but rather make something fun. They made a game where you collect "fun" by kicking small "buddies" and if you acccidentally kill too many of them off the it ends badly with the devil turning everything into"fun". I'm just not sure what to make of it.

 

[Jaedar]

I felt like cargo was supposed to be some sort of meta commentary on the state of videogames and how they've devolved when everything is about instant gratification and "fun", but it didn't really work for me.

Perkel What message? Could you post it?

 

[Owl]

If you sign up on the feverishfeeling.com site with your e-mail, a person named Voronika starts sending you messages.
People on the official Ice-Pick forums have made some progress with the ARG:

The quotation in Voronika's second e-mail is from Ovid's Tristia. "Tristia" is also the first keyword for the secret part of the site; it leads to a picture.

 

[Xu Fugui]

I felt like cargo was supposed to be some sort of meta commentary on the state of videogames and how they've devolved when everything is about instant gratification and "fun", but it didn't really work for me.

Yeah, it seemed like a critique on the airheaded trash entertainment that makes up the bulk of video games today but just like many parodies and games made to mock it put itself on the receiving end of the jokes. The tone was almost unsettling and you could never tell when something was meant to be sincere or not. It was weird.

 

[Perkel]

Two emails i got after signing up to that site.

First:

Spoiler

Hi. Name’s Voronika.

Bet you didn’t expect a personal letter from me. Of course you didn’t. You thought you’ll submit an e-mail and receive ads from a company producing weight loss socks or dog wool coats. Or a startup, or something. Whatever were you thinking?

Don’t worry, I won’t be bothering you. Can’t write too often from where I’m at now. No, I’m not talking about a metaphorical afterlife — I’m simply stuck in the middle of nowhere, and the closest town that has a telegraph office is three days away from me. I’ve coded the site on my laptop, and then I took a flash drive with me to the only village nearby that has a cyber cafe and internet access. I’m not even sure the site is really on. I think local PCs work on coal.

So if you’re reading this that means I do still have some skills.

One of my skills is dying. That’s what I’m doing right now. Actually, same goes for you, but I’m way ahead; if you want to catch up with me, you’d better hurry since I know I’ll die this September.

Please don’t ooh me. Just listen.

I’m privy to a secret — no, it’s not a secret I have to tell the world before I die or else it dies with me. The opposite, really: there are quite a few who share it with me. But you don’t. They are special, you see, and you aren’t. You know that, right? And the secret — the secret shared by way too many — will keep living after I die. It’ll grow. Develop. Root itself in the world deeper and deeper.

Well, what if I don’t like that? What if I want to play rebel? My rebellion looks like a website with scantily clad girls and a bunch of pretentious slogans, yeah.

But I can’t offer you anything better, so here we are. At least they say I’m a decent artist. Enjoy my portfolio.

And don’t worry. I’ll tell you the secret. Just you wait.

Voronika,
http://feverishfeeling.com

P. S. Why not a blog, you ask? Because everyone knows that only fools and lunatics start blogs that aim to uncover deep dark secrets. Also because it’s easier to keep away a database of e-mail addresses than a domain.

Second

Spoiler

Hi.

It was so obvious: leaving the city means throwing my life out of the window. A curious thought when your life is already thrown in a trash bin because of a diagnosis, huh?

Deadly diseases are all fuss and trouble. Doctors are lost, friends are found—every night another one comes by to drink and talk. They feel obliged to try and save me. They feel like they can.

Don’t waste your breath.

And still it felt like there’s no life beyond doctors and friends when I left. Getting somewhere without a car? Being unable to take a hot bath? Watching mosquitos dance in the air instead of a video podcast or a TV show?

Sounds horrific. It really does.

But somehow there’s only one thing I really miss: marchpane. There’s nothing else lacking on the bogs.

I’m sitting on my cabin’s steps right now. Somehow I managed lock myself out—was too eager to slam the door, I guess. I also guess it means now I have a reason to go to town and send you this letter.

When I was a girl, father used to say that once you’ve got a key, a matching door will strike your eye soon. I wonder if my current state is a key too. What’s the reason for all this? What do my fever and shivering unlock? How does a sesame that lies behind my coughing and nightmares look?

It doesn’t look and it doesn’t unlock. Poor Peter is bravely guarding the doors to nowhere.

Well, sine me, liber, ibis in urbem. You will go, my little book, without me to the city. Father loved these words—a shame I don’t remember where the quote comes from and can’t google it from here. Every quote is also a key though, and it unlocks something. Or maybe not the quote itself, but rather something that has to do with it. There’s a door out there waiting for every word. And something important’s most certainly waiting behind that door.

So don’t throw this little book away. The mystery will be unveiled a couple pages later.

Voronika,
http://feverishfeeling.com

P. S. When you see a half-naked girlish silhouette on a bog, don’t fool yourself into believing there’s a face behind her mask.

Also if you go by second mail you can find something on site.