Topic: Arcania: Gothic 4 - Update: NEW Patch removes DRM

[MysterD]

The targetting systems is really more of just a "highlight what's in front of you" type thing, and it seems more for talking to people and looting stuff.

For combat I was pretty much switching my weapon and using the left stick to face where I wanted. Though there is a hold the left trigger to lock onto an enemy deal going on. The only problem with that is when you're facing multiple enemies, I'm not sure if there's a method in place to cycle targets.

It feels pretty clumsy trying to hit multiple targets with frost/lightning to give yourself breathing room to beat someone down when you're trying to use either a lock on with no target cycle, or aim on the fly with you're right stick. (the aiming like that isn't quite like a console shooter, so it's a little cumbersome.)

No cycling allowed in a console game w/ a targeting system sounds VERY silly to me.  No wonder I do prefer free-form mouse-aiming for these kind of games...

I was never a big fan of targeting systems, but if a game is gonna have one and allow for you to cycle, there should be some-time allowed for cycling.

There should be an allowed pause there - even if they limit this for a few seconds allowed - so you can cycle to the enemy you want to, without crap going wrong w/ it accidentally targeting the wrong guy. This was one of the concerns I recall w/ Fable X360's targeting system on the consoles - and pretty much, free-aim w/ the mouse on Fable: TLC PC made the targeting system useless (in which a Targeting key was still there in PC version, just in case you wanted to use it - but you're better off w/ just mouselook-aiming).

The above could work or say have the game say go into a Bullettime-like slow-motion mode for a few seconds, as you switch targets...just to (barely) keep the action going, as you do your little cycling...
 

[W7RE]

See, the targeting stuff made me think the PC games controlled like an FPS, possibly with the character always facing away from the camera. That's how it feels once you bring up the aiming reticle for the bow/magic. That's another thing, at that point if feels like a third person shooter with lock on. Imagine having a lock on in a typical shooter like Quake or something. It basically makes combat against 1 enemy ridiculously easy, because you can sidestep or roll to dodge ranged attacks and NEVER have your crosshair leave your target.

So basically, 1-2 enemies is cake because of the target lock on. Combat against more enemies can be a chore because suddenly you have to actually aim, which you're not in the habit of doing, and which also feels like it could use some tuning. (maybe some smoothing or acceleration would help)

[MysterD]

See, the targeting stuff made me think the PC games controlled like an FPS, possibly with the character always facing away from the camera. That's how it feels once you bring up the aiming reticle for the bow/magic. That's another thing, at that point if feels like a third person shooter with lock on. Imagine having a lock on in a typical shooter like Quake or something. It basically makes combat against 1 enemy ridiculously easy, because you can sidestep or roll to dodge ranged attacks and NEVER have your crosshair leave your target.

Quake w/ a lock-on targetting key - yeah, that'd make that game WAY too easy.

So basically, 1-2 enemies is cake because of the target lock on. Combat against more enemies can be a chore because suddenly you have to actually aim, which you're not in the habit of doing, and which also feels like it could use some tuning. (maybe some smoothing or acceleration would help)

The mouselook combat here on Arcania PC works just fine - regardless of how many enemies to take on, b/c you're aiming freely. It's much better than Gothic 1 and 2's targeting system - b/c w/ multiple enemies, it was hard as hell. Gothic 3 PC was the first Gothic game w/ mouselook - and it worked fine. Arcania PC does an even better job on the mouselook combat.
 
Do you have a PC that can handle Arcania PC's stiff requirements? If so - why not give that version a try and see if you like the controls here. It's just...I dunno, it don't sound like from what you're saying, that Spellbound did a good job adapting things for Arcania X360 on the gamepad from the controls to the UI.

[W7RE]

Not sure if I could run it. I guess I could get the demo and find out. I've got an Athlon 64 3200, 3.5GB DDR2, 512MB HD4850.

[W7RE]

I just loaded it back up again to test and make sure. Yep, there's no way to switch your target without releasing the left trigger and then pulling it again, and then it just sort of grabs a target based on where you're looking. (which isn't too precise when facing groups.)

Then I slaughtered all the sheep, and my mom freaked out about it. On my first playthrough I killed a couple and she said "oh my good, is that blood?" and I told her it was sheep's blood, so she told me I'm supposed to protect them, not kill them. This time I killed all of them, and she asked what all that noise was with the sheep, and I told her I slaughtered them all because i didn't want to be a sheperd anymore.

[MysterD]

Not sure if I could run it. I guess I could get the demo and find out. I've got an Athlon 64 3200, 3.5GB DDR2, 512MB HD4850.

That's better than my rig...

[Cobra951]

I just loaded it back up again to test and make sure. Yep, there's no way to switch your target without releasing the left trigger and then pulling it again, and then it just sort of grabs a target based on where you're looking. (which isn't too precise when facing groups.)

Then I slaughtered all the sheep, and my mom freaked out about it. On my first playthrough I killed a couple and she said "oh my good, is that blood?" and I told her it was sheep's blood, so she told me I'm supposed to protect them, not kill them. This time I killed all of them, and she asked what all that noise was with the sheep, and I told her I slaughtered them all because i didn't want to be a sheperd anymore.

Hahahaha!  That really tickled me. 

I played the demo tonight, twice.  It's very pretty for 360.  Although the framerate is not great (I'll guess 20 fps), it's very playable, and seems consistent.  At first, some of what W7re criticized bothered me, but like him, I got so much into the game that I overlooked it.  Yes, the facial animations are poor, and some of the voice work made me wince.  But the overall package is damn good action RPG stuff.  I'll defer to W7re's extensive descriptions.  I think he's got all the details down pretty well.  It remains to be seen if the final product is more polished, or is riddled with all the bugs some people seem to fear.

[W7RE]

I probably sounded pretty harsh in my explanations. I did like the demo though, and would probably buy it if I didn't have a massive backlog already (including DA:O, which I expect is not too far off from what this game is, at least in style and setting)

[MysterD]

RPGWatch -> Looks like first reviews (not in English) overseas for Arcania are coming in...

[MysterD]

RPGWatch -> Looks like some German retailers have let the game out early and Jowood has put activation servers up early.

[MysterD]

IGN -> Arcania: Gothic 4 - Reviews
PC Review -> 7.5.
X360 Review -> 7.0.

[Xessive]

Not bad. The X360 version loses points for performance issues and visual inconsistencies but it's still essentially the same experience. I guess it's pretty much in line with its predecessors' ranks.

[MysterD]

Arcania has been released early in USA at Retail.
DD places like Steam, D2D, Gamersgate should have Arcania unlocked now for USA gamers.

[Xessive]

Stores here got it in a few days ago. I just got my hands on it and I can confirm that its performance is definitely better than the demo; I'm getting much better frames at higher resolutions. The rest of the game's qualities seems to be essentially the same, I'll confirm later.

[Xessive]

Ok, so here's my experience so far..

In terms of performance, the game is inconsistent. That said, the game's lowest framerate is around towns and indoors. Surprisingly, the outdoors have the best framerate; whether I'm going into caves or scaling mountainsides, the performance is smooth. I've tried playing with the settings and nothing seems to noticeably affect the framerate in towns; I think it's a fundamental flaw in the game.

After finishing the prologue (Feshyr, the island from the demo), the story drops me off on the coast of a neighbouring land. This is where I begin to notice an issue that I would have never known from the demo (since the demo featured a very limited area with very limited character interaction); apparently all the NPC's (with the exception of the main story characters from previous Gothic games) are lazily repeated character models. Occasionally they change the headgear and clothing but they're just a bunch of clones. So that kinda sucks, especially that some of the NPC's are significant characters (kings, barons, etc.) and they all look exactly the same. That just really pulls me out of the experience and breaks the immersion.

Aside from those points, the game really feels like a Gothic game is how generic it is.

[MysterD]

X, did you install the first patch that's now available?

[Xessive]

X, did you install the first patch that's now available?

I just downloaded it (spotted it on patches-scrolls.de right after I posted). Some people on the forums are saying it did wonders but some others say it didn't change anything. I'll confirm soon.

Correction: the auto-updater already did the job for me... So apparently the performance improvement over the demo is what they were talking about. Yeah, so.. Not a huge improvement. Hopefully the next patch will actually have some substance.

[MysterD]

I just downloaded it (spotted it on patches-scrolls.de right after I posted). Some people on the forums are saying it did wonders but some others say it didn't change anything. I'll confirm soon.

Correction: the auto-updater already did the job for me... So apparently the performance improvement over the demo is what they were talking about. Yeah, so.. Not a huge improvement. Hopefully the next patch will actually have some substance.

When does it try to auto-update? When you try to boot the game up?
Can you shut the auto-updating feature off?

[Xessive]

When does it try to auto-update? When you try to boot the game up?
Can you shut the auto-updating feature off?

Yes, when you boot the game the auto-updater pops up. It only show sup when there's an update available because I haven't seen it since I installed the game. I think it's built right into the game exe because I can't find it anywhere in the game folder.

Basically it pops up only when it detects that an update is available and you have the choice to update or click "cancel" to play the current version.

[MysterD]

4.0 from Eurogamer for all platforms.
Brutal review.

At one stage I was on the trail of two mages, the only characters in the world who could help me to reach an utterly crucial location. One key NPC on the trail demanded I head back into that awful bloody wobble-forest, which I'd already criss-crossed numerous, bilious times on other minor tasks, to find his lost hat.

Let me get this straight. I'm wearing more metal than a commercial airliner, there's fire dripping from my fingertips and I'm brandishing a polearm the size of a tree. I'm a walking war-god on a quest to save the world, and you're asking me to find... your lost hat?

How about I pull your head off? Then you won't need your hat.

LMAO!
 

[Cobra951]

  Hehe!   Too bad about the game, though.  The demo made it seem more promising.

[MysterD]

  Hehe!   Too bad about the game, though.  The demo made it seem more promising.

Hmm...maybe you got the hat, Cobra?

I actually liked the Arcania PC Demo - namely b/c the combat felt much improved. I'm gonna do like I do w/ most games - wait for the inevitable price-drop.

[Xessive]

The game is so-so, I can understand what's likable about it but I can also empathize with anyone who flat-out hates it.

That particular "straw hat" quest is kind of an inside joke. The dialogue with the mage, Vultus, is sort of a play on the RPG structure. The main character asks something like "So you'll just give me th information I need? Ok, so my quest is complete? No running around fetching things? Fantastic!" Then Vultus can give you a quest to go fetch his "straw hat" by saying something like "Well, I'd really like you to get my hat from the ruins [etc.]..."

I've come across quite a few "nudge, nudge, wink wink" sort of quests. It's part of the game's charm, subtly breaking the fourth wall, but they can be pretty cheesy.

[MysterD]

The game is so-so, I can understand what's likable about it but I can also empathize with anyone who flat-out hates it.

I can bet that the removal of all the RPG elements and immersion elements that made Gothic what it was and turning it into more of an ARPG is what might be aggravating most Gothic gamers.

Gothic fans - they probably should follow PB w/ the Risen series, not Spellbound.

I must admit that during the Arcania Demo - I really dug the much improved combat, UI, and graphics. I just didn't feel like it was a Gothic game - and they should just call the next game Arcania 2 and let it be its own thing entirely.

[MysterD]

Jowood Forums -> Arcania: Gothic 4 - Fall of Setarrif [expansion] announced.

Hi Community,

as i have taken response for Megalomaniacs community tasks, here the first news about the ArcaniA - gothic 4 Add On!

Spellbound Entertainment und JoWooD announce "ArcaniA: Gothic 4 – Fall of Setarrif":

A mysterious demon roams Argaan, focusing all his devastating powers on the destruction of the coastal city of Setariff. Unaware, the nameless Hero returns to the court for an audience with the now sane King Rhobar III, who tells him of the dire events which have befallen the land and the urgent need of a worthy champion.

For the first time gamers can play other famous characters from the Gothic series! Use the unique skills of your allies to meet the challenges ahead.

Players will also find new locations, including new cities, coastal regions, jungles and volcanic mountains.

[MysterD]

VE3D - Arcania: Fall Of Setarrif - Trailer.
VE3D - Arcania: Fall Of Setarrif - Info.

Arcania: Fall of Setarrif Trailer
Mar 02, 2011 at 6:40 AM - Jube - 4 Comments

JoWood has put out a German trailer for ArcaniA – Fall of Setarrif, a standalone add-on for ArcaniA: Gothic IV (?). Although the trailer is in German, there is very little talking and I reckon it's far more entertaining if you can't understand it.

A new threat casts its shadow over the Southern Isles. A mysterious demon, consumed by hatred, terrifies the population and pools his force against the coastal city of Setarrif. The dramatic situation exacerbates after a volcanic eruption in the mountains nearby. Thereupon the nameless hero joins forces with his strongest allies and courageously faces the new menace.

Especially exciting: The new adventure provides the possibility to experience the compelling storyline from a different character’s point of view for the very first time!

Features
* Standalone Add-On
* Experience and fight as your famous allies and use their unique skills
* Battle all new enemies & monsters
* New environments such as jungles, the volcanic mountains and the coastal regions
* Import your character from the main game or choose a predefined archetype.

[MysterD]

Bluesnews -> Arcania: Fall of Setarrif delayed indefinitely.

   
ArcaniA: Fall of Setarrif Legal Woes
   
[Mar 23, 2011, 5:15 pm ET] - Share - Viewing Comments

DreamCatcher and JoWooD announce an indefinite delay for ArcaniA: Fall of Setarrif, indicating that this is due to "unclear and diverse legal positions" between themselves and the financiers of the standalone expansion for ArcaniA - Gothic 4. Here's word:

    Toronto, ON: March 23rd 2011; DreamCatcher Games and JoWooD announce the delay of the add-on “ArcaniA – Fall of Setarrif.” The legal background of the official add-on to “ArcaniA - Gothic 4” is unclear and diverse legal positions with the BVT fund that financed the main game are present.

    “It’s uncertain whether the game can be released onto the market in its current form”, explains Stefan Berger, Business Development Manager JoWooD, “Of course this must be investigated and settled before the release - unfortunately”.

    Due to this fact JoWooD officially announces, that the release of the Add-On has been set on hold and will be delayed indefinitely for now.

[MysterD]

RPGWatch -> Arcania's NEW Patch released removes DRM-check.