Piranha Bytes has shut down, Bjorn Pankratz founds new studio

[REhorror]

Soulslop is a Severance - Blade of Darkness ripoff

King's Field, Armored Core and Another Century's Episode used to be From's bread and butters until Souls hits.

One could argue that King's Field itself was basically a console derivative from the Ultima Underworld series etc.
But I'm not exactly seeing the point of this type of side argument in the context of this topic. Originality and "being 100% unique" were not the issues at hand. Basically every game out there can be traced back to something inspiring it before.
The quality of the execution should be everyone's worry here.

PB whitered over the years rather than thriving precisely because failed in the latter.
While never being high budget stuff, Gothic 1 and 2 were reasonably impressive from a technical standpoint and decently good-looking in the context of their year of release.
On top of it they were very well-designed games. Not flawless, since almost nothing is, but strong enough in their core experience to hold up well to this day.

Somehow their subsequent projects managed to botch any attempt at techinical innovation

P.S. On a side note, the last Armored Core was far from being FromSoft's biggest success in terms of sales, but fucking great gameplay-wise and quite possibly their best combat system so far since Sekiro.
Imagine trying to give yourself a tone of connoisseur by shitting on this type of output in the same thread about the developers who gave us motherfucking ELEX.

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

Dem fighting words.

The Core will absolutely rekt the chicken walkers.

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

You aren't impressing anyone by raising the stakes of your retardation.
Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

And Risen 1 was a *passable* return to form at best. Not exacly something to soil your pants over. A game ALMOST as good as their past ones (if smaller in scope) and with a production value that made it look as if it was coming more or less from the same year of the originals. So yeah, they were slipping even there.

 

[MjKorz]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

You aren't impressing anyone by raising the stakes of your retardation.
Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

And Risen 1 was a *passable* return to form at best. Not exacly something to soild your pants over. A game ALMOST as good as their past ones (if smaller in scope) and with a production value that made it look as if it was coming more or less from the same year of the originals. So yeah, they were slipping even there.

Risen 1 was an improvement over Gothic 3 and an overall good game. Perhaps not as good as Gothic 2 NotR, but still very good, but, more importantly, at the time it gave people hope that PB will continue making good games again.

Calling things by their names is not seething, it's being factual. Armored Slop is indeed nothing more than an arcade shooter for kids with an integrated aimbot and in no way can compete with actual mech games like MW3, MWO and MW5. If this statement angers you, you are clearly a casual who knows nothing of the mech genre. Are you at the very least a tier 1 MWO pilot?

 

[Robber Baron]

MWO and MW5

 

[REhorror]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

You aren't impressing anyone by raising the stakes of your retardation.
Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

And Risen 1 was a *passable* return to form at best. Not exacly something to soild your pants over. A game ALMOST as good as their past ones (if smaller in scope) and with a production value that made it look as if it was coming more or less from the same year of the originals. So yeah, they were slipping even there.

Risen 1 was an improvement over Gothic 3 and an overall good game. Perhaps not as good as Gothic 2 NotR, but still very good, but, more importantly, at the time it gave people hope that PB will continue making good games again.

Calling things by their names is not seething, it's being factual. Armored Slop is indeed nothing more than an arcade shooter for kids with an integrated aimbot and in no way can compete with actual mech games like MW3, MWO and MW5. If this statement angers you, you are clearly a casual who knows nothing of the mech genre. Are you at the very least a tier 1 MWO pilot?

Oh please.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlgMFMzIpXk

 

[MjKorz]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

You aren't impressing anyone by raising the stakes of your retardation.
Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

And Risen 1 was a *passable* return to form at best. Not exacly something to soild your pants over. A game ALMOST as good as their past ones (if smaller in scope) and with a production value that made it look as if it was coming more or less from the same year of the originals. So yeah, they were slipping even there.

Risen 1 was an improvement over Gothic 3 and an overall good game. Perhaps not as good as Gothic 2 NotR, but still very good, but, more importantly, at the time it gave people hope that PB will continue making good games again.

Calling things by their names is not seething, it's being factual. Armored Slop is indeed nothing more than an arcade shooter for kids with an integrated aimbot and in no way can compete with actual mech games like MW3, MWO and MW5. If this statement angers you, you are clearly a casual who knows nothing of the mech genre. Are you at the very least a tier 1 MWO pilot?

Oh please.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlgMFMzIpXk

What exactly am I supposed to see here? Flashy cinematics and popamole gameplay for 12-year old children? How about you show me: locational damage, separation of hitpoints into armor and structural integrity values, destruction of internal components, ammo explosions, cockpit view, separate controls for arms/torso/legs, pinpoint precision aiming, tactical use of cover and team-based gameplay, melee combat where you actually have to aim your swings. You know, things that separate a sim from an arcade shooter. Just like I said before: all I see is an arcade shooter with mindless boost- and stagger gameplay where you don't even need to aim.

 

[REhorror]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

You aren't impressing anyone by raising the stakes of your retardation.
Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

And Risen 1 was a *passable* return to form at best. Not exacly something to soild your pants over. A game ALMOST as good as their past ones (if smaller in scope) and with a production value that made it look as if it was coming more or less from the same year of the originals. So yeah, they were slipping even there.

Risen 1 was an improvement over Gothic 3 and an overall good game. Perhaps not as good as Gothic 2 NotR, but still very good, but, more importantly, at the time it gave people hope that PB will continue making good games again.

Calling things by their names is not seething, it's being factual. Armored Slop is indeed nothing more than an arcade shooter for kids with an integrated aimbot and in no way can compete with actual mech games like MW3, MWO and MW5. If this statement angers you, you are clearly a casual who knows nothing of the mech genre. Are you at the very least a tier 1 MWO pilot?

Oh please.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlgMFMzIpXk

What exactly am I supposed to see here? Flashy cinematics and popamole gameplay for 12-year old children? How about you show me: locational damage, separation of hitpoints into armor and structural integrity values, destruction of internal components, ammo explosions, cockpit view, separate controls for arms/torso/legs, pinpoint precision aiming, tactical use of cover and team-based gameplay, melee combat where you actually have to aim your swings. You know, things that separate a sim from an arcade shooter. Just like I said before: all I see is an arcade shooter with mindless boost- and stagger gameplay where you don't even need to aim.

You are seeing Inferno mod, which is AC6 in steroid.

Muh arcade vs muh simulator is bullshit, AC is a much more demanding series than Mechwarrior since both you and your enemies move faster than molasses.

 

[Peachcurl]

Again, this is a thread about Piranha Bytes not Piranha Games.

 

[MjKorz]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

You aren't impressing anyone by raising the stakes of your retardation.
Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

And Risen 1 was a *passable* return to form at best. Not exacly something to soild your pants over. A game ALMOST as good as their past ones (if smaller in scope) and with a production value that made it look as if it was coming more or less from the same year of the originals. So yeah, they were slipping even there.

Risen 1 was an improvement over Gothic 3 and an overall good game. Perhaps not as good as Gothic 2 NotR, but still very good, but, more importantly, at the time it gave people hope that PB will continue making good games again.

Calling things by their names is not seething, it's being factual. Armored Slop is indeed nothing more than an arcade shooter for kids with an integrated aimbot and in no way can compete with actual mech games like MW3, MWO and MW5. If this statement angers you, you are clearly a casual who knows nothing of the mech genre. Are you at the very least a tier 1 MWO pilot?

Oh please.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlgMFMzIpXk

What exactly am I supposed to see here? Flashy cinematics and popamole gameplay for 12-year old children? How about you show me: locational damage, separation of hitpoints into armor and structural integrity values, destruction of internal components, ammo explosions, cockpit view, separate controls for arms/torso/legs, pinpoint precision aiming, tactical use of cover and team-based gameplay, melee combat where you actually have to aim your swings. You know, things that separate a sim from an arcade shooter. Just like I said before: all I see is an arcade shooter with mindless boost- and stagger gameplay where you don't even need to aim.

You are seeing Inferno mod, which is AC6 in steroid.

Muh arcade vs muh simulator is bullshit, AC is a much more demanding series than Mechwarrior since both you and your enemies move faster than molasses.

Moving fast doesn't mean anything, when you don't have to aim. MW requires pinpoint precision aim to target individual components on moving mechs to achieve peak efficiency instead of spreading damage all over the entire mech. Now, I don't want to derail this thread, but I wasn't the one who brought up Fromslop games in the first place.

 

[REhorror]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

You aren't impressing anyone by raising the stakes of your retardation.
Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

And Risen 1 was a *passable* return to form at best. Not exacly something to soild your pants over. A game ALMOST as good as their past ones (if smaller in scope) and with a production value that made it look as if it was coming more or less from the same year of the originals. So yeah, they were slipping even there.

Risen 1 was an improvement over Gothic 3 and an overall good game. Perhaps not as good as Gothic 2 NotR, but still very good, but, more importantly, at the time it gave people hope that PB will continue making good games again.

Calling things by their names is not seething, it's being factual. Armored Slop is indeed nothing more than an arcade shooter for kids with an integrated aimbot and in no way can compete with actual mech games like MW3, MWO and MW5. If this statement angers you, you are clearly a casual who knows nothing of the mech genre. Are you at the very least a tier 1 MWO pilot?

Oh please.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlgMFMzIpXk

What exactly am I supposed to see here? Flashy cinematics and popamole gameplay for 12-year old children? How about you show me: locational damage, separation of hitpoints into armor and structural integrity values, destruction of internal components, ammo explosions, cockpit view, separate controls for arms/torso/legs, pinpoint precision aiming, tactical use of cover and team-based gameplay, melee combat where you actually have to aim your swings. You know, things that separate a sim from an arcade shooter. Just like I said before: all I see is an arcade shooter with mindless boost- and stagger gameplay where you don't even need to aim.

You are seeing Inferno mod, which is AC6 in steroid.

Muh arcade vs muh simulator is bullshit, AC is a much more demanding series than Mechwarrior since both you and your enemies move faster than molasses.

Moving fast doesn't mean anything, when you don't have to aim. MW requires pinpoint precision aim to target individual components on moving mechs to achieve peak efficiency instead of spreading damage all over the entire mech. Now, I don't want to derail this thread, but I wasn't the one who brought up Fromslop games in the first place.

There is manual aiming in AC as well, it's just not needed because the mechs are capable of hitting the closest bamp without the need of human guidance.
And muh efficiency, AC pilots have to pay for ammo, sometimes, they just kick and melee their ways to victory without wasting ammo.

I really dislike muh Mechwarrior elitism when it's a just slow ass FPS, if you want team-based mecha game then ACV mogs them all, and AC3-ACFA-AC6 mog them in singleplayer.

 

[MjKorz]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

You aren't impressing anyone by raising the stakes of your retardation.
Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

And Risen 1 was a *passable* return to form at best. Not exacly something to soild your pants over. A game ALMOST as good as their past ones (if smaller in scope) and with a production value that made it look as if it was coming more or less from the same year of the originals. So yeah, they were slipping even there.

Risen 1 was an improvement over Gothic 3 and an overall good game. Perhaps not as good as Gothic 2 NotR, but still very good, but, more importantly, at the time it gave people hope that PB will continue making good games again.

Calling things by their names is not seething, it's being factual. Armored Slop is indeed nothing more than an arcade shooter for kids with an integrated aimbot and in no way can compete with actual mech games like MW3, MWO and MW5. If this statement angers you, you are clearly a casual who knows nothing of the mech genre. Are you at the very least a tier 1 MWO pilot?

Oh please.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlgMFMzIpXk

What exactly am I supposed to see here? Flashy cinematics and popamole gameplay for 12-year old children? How about you show me: locational damage, separation of hitpoints into armor and structural integrity values, destruction of internal components, ammo explosions, cockpit view, separate controls for arms/torso/legs, pinpoint precision aiming, tactical use of cover and team-based gameplay, melee combat where you actually have to aim your swings. You know, things that separate a sim from an arcade shooter. Just like I said before: all I see is an arcade shooter with mindless boost- and stagger gameplay where you don't even need to aim.

You are seeing Inferno mod, which is AC6 in steroid.

Muh arcade vs muh simulator is bullshit, AC is a much more demanding series than Mechwarrior since both you and your enemies move faster than molasses.

Moving fast doesn't mean anything, when you don't have to aim. MW requires pinpoint precision aim to target individual components on moving mechs to achieve peak efficiency instead of spreading damage all over the entire mech. Now, I don't want to derail this thread, but I wasn't the one who brought up Fromslop games in the first place.

There is manual aiming in AC as well, it's just not needed because the mechs are capable of hitting the closest bamp without the need of human guidance.
And muh efficiency, AC pilots have to pay for ammo, sometimes, they just kick and melee their ways to victory without wasting ammo.

I really dislike muh Mechwarrior elitism when it's a just slow ass FPS, if you want team-based mecha game then ACV mogs them all, and AC3-ACFA-AC6 mog them in singleplayer.

Strongly disagree on every statement, but as I said before, I won't be derailing further. I'll find an appropriate thread.

 

[REhorror]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

You aren't impressing anyone by raising the stakes of your retardation.
Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

And Risen 1 was a *passable* return to form at best. Not exacly something to soild your pants over. A game ALMOST as good as their past ones (if smaller in scope) and with a production value that made it look as if it was coming more or less from the same year of the originals. So yeah, they were slipping even there.

Risen 1 was an improvement over Gothic 3 and an overall good game. Perhaps not as good as Gothic 2 NotR, but still very good, but, more importantly, at the time it gave people hope that PB will continue making good games again.

Calling things by their names is not seething, it's being factual. Armored Slop is indeed nothing more than an arcade shooter for kids with an integrated aimbot and in no way can compete with actual mech games like MW3, MWO and MW5. If this statement angers you, you are clearly a casual who knows nothing of the mech genre. Are you at the very least a tier 1 MWO pilot?

Oh please.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlgMFMzIpXk

What exactly am I supposed to see here? Flashy cinematics and popamole gameplay for 12-year old children? How about you show me: locational damage, separation of hitpoints into armor and structural integrity values, destruction of internal components, ammo explosions, cockpit view, separate controls for arms/torso/legs, pinpoint precision aiming, tactical use of cover and team-based gameplay, melee combat where you actually have to aim your swings. You know, things that separate a sim from an arcade shooter. Just like I said before: all I see is an arcade shooter with mindless boost- and stagger gameplay where you don't even need to aim.

You are seeing Inferno mod, which is AC6 in steroid.

Muh arcade vs muh simulator is bullshit, AC is a much more demanding series than Mechwarrior since both you and your enemies move faster than molasses.

Moving fast doesn't mean anything, when you don't have to aim. MW requires pinpoint precision aim to target individual components on moving mechs to achieve peak efficiency instead of spreading damage all over the entire mech. Now, I don't want to derail this thread, but I wasn't the one who brought up Fromslop games in the first place.

There is manual aiming in AC as well, it's just not needed because the mechs are capable of hitting the closest bamp without the need of human guidance.
And muh efficiency, AC pilots have to pay for ammo, sometimes, they just kick and melee their ways to victory without wasting ammo.

I really dislike muh Mechwarrior elitism when it's a just slow ass FPS, if you want team-based mecha game then ACV mogs them all, and AC3-ACFA-AC6 mog them in singleplayer.

Strongly disagree on every statement, but as I said before, I won't be derailing further. I'll find an appropriate thread.

OK, that's respectable. I'm cool man.
Either ways I'm playing Gothic 2 Nostalgic edition right now, shit's kino.

 

[Litmanen]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

I really don't care a lot about the rest of the discussion, but there is 90% of Codexians in this description, eh.

 

[Litmanen]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

You aren't impressing anyone by raising the stakes of your retardation.
Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

And Risen 1 was a *passable* return to form at best. Not exacly something to soild your pants over. A game ALMOST as good as their past ones (if smaller in scope) and with a production value that made it look as if it was coming more or less from the same year of the originals. So yeah, they were slipping even there.

Risen 1 was an improvement over Gothic 3 and an overall good game. Perhaps not as good as Gothic 2 NotR.

I liked Risen 1, but it was not even close to a standard that could be comparable in terms with Gothic 2 NotR, that is a masterpiece.

 

[Peachcurl]

It's definitely better than G3, but let's be honest here, G3 was a collapse. Anything serviceable will look good after that.

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

It's definitely better than G3, but let's be honest here, G3 was a collapse. Anything serviceable will look good after that.

Well, that's setting a fucking low bar.

I don't think Gothic 3 has a single redeeming quality.

Neither in terms of
- tech (the engine is a mess now but it was borderline unserviceable on release date. For years I considered the game quite literally unplayable until I updated my hardware significantly)
- core gameplay (garbage combat, garbage quest design, garbage loot system/itemization)
- art style/aesthetic (the game was -and still is- way uglier than even their older titles despise being exponentially more demanding in terms of resources).

 

[MjKorz]

PB delivered Risen 1 after the disappointing Gothic 3, so it was not a straight decline, more like a rollercoaster. And Armored Slop is a primitive arcade kiddieshooter with robot skins and an aimbot and can't compete with actual mech games like Mechwarrior.

You aren't impressing anyone by raising the stakes of your retardation.
Do you think that seething in rage while spitting venomous half sencences against the game will make you appear sophisticated and with very high standards?

And Risen 1 was a *passable* return to form at best. Not exacly something to soild your pants over. A game ALMOST as good as their past ones (if smaller in scope) and with a production value that made it look as if it was coming more or less from the same year of the originals. So yeah, they were slipping even there.

Risen 1 was an improvement over Gothic 3 and an overall good game. Perhaps not as good as Gothic 2 NotR.

I liked Risen 1, but it was not even close to a standard that could be comparable in terms with Gothic 2 NotR, that is a masterpiece.

Gothic 2? No, but I thought it was pretty comparable to Gothic 1 and had the best combat mechanics in the franchise (jerky animations are not a mechanical problem).

 

[Outlander]

I don't think Gothic 3 has a single redeeming quality.

The soundtrack.

 

[Litmanen]

It's definitely better than G3, but let's be honest here, G3 was a collapse. Anything serviceable will look good after that.

Well, that's setting a fucking low bar.

I don't think Gothic 3 has a single redeeming quality.

Neither in terms of
- tech (the engine is a mess now but it was borderline unserviceable on release date. For years I considered the game quite literally unplayable until I updated my hardware significantly)
- core gameplay (garbage combat, garbage quest design, garbage loot system/itemization)
- art style/aesthetic (the game was -and still is- way uglier than even their older titles despise being exponentially more demanding in terms of resources).

I playde Gothic £ with the community patch and I must admit I liked it too. I know that it was not comparable with G2 for a lot of things but, even though, I loved the settings. The desert was amazing.

I know, I know, it was a mess. I know.

But still, I loved it.

I don't think Gothic 3 has a single redeeming quality.

The soundtrack.

True. Absolutely.

 

[REhorror]

I feel no PB games past-Gothic 2 have that good satisfying weighty combat, it's just weird.

I say it before but I think Soulselden Ring is actually the closest thing to modern Gothic, this is why they add a roll button to the Returning mod, I guess.

 

[Lyric Suite]

So Piranha Bytes the Dust huh? Hurr durr.

 

[Robber Baron]

So Piranha Bytes the Dust huh?

 

[Infinitron]

 

[gabel]

Was für faggots.

 

[sosmoflux]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1EEPwrXY2A

I really want a 20-year retrospective from developers & any decision makers at Piranha Bytes.

Why did Gothic 3 suck? Ran out of money?
Why did Risen 2 & 3 both fail to land as well as Risen 1, which in turn also didn't truly hit the spot?
What was it about Gothic 1 & 2's development that came together so well, and why couldn't that lightning strike again?
Who were the key people that drove Gothic 1 & 2? Where did they go or what happened to them?

Need a documentary, need a Masters of Doom tier book. I gotta know!