I got Gothic 2 the other day and have been playing pretty much non-stop. Anyone beaten it?
Yeah, in January. And in August again due to the arrival of the expansion. ;)
Haven’t beaten it yet. About 15 hours in, still Chapter 1. It might just surpass KOTOR for RPG of the year (and since BG2 for that matter). It’s mind-boggling how great this thing is. I played Gothic 1 last week and it was a lot of fun but Gothic 2 is a huge step forward.
Is there a way to map the controls to a non-programmable gamepad? The pad I have can’t do keystroke output, only DX.
…and it only gets better. While Gothic 1 kinda petered out (speed potions came in handy), Gothic 2 stays consistently interesting.
And in August again due to the arrival of the expansion
What’s your take on the expansion JD? Not many non-German language reviews.
What’s your take on the expansion JD?
I really liked it. However, it’s a lot more difficult for a variety of reasons. The new region is pretty tough if you skip some of the basic quests (lack of EXP), but they also changed something about the stats system. It takes a bit longer to level up/get stronger. Also, some enemies you meet later in Gothic 2 now also know a few new spells which can make things way more troublesome for you. As for the rest, you may or may not have already stumbled over this (plug) review.
…and it only gets better. While Gothic 1 kinda petered out (speed potions came in handy), Gothic 2 stays consistently interesting.
Ah, that’s music to my ears. I was initially a bit dissapointed in Gothic 1. I’d head all of the great things about choosing your camp and was shocked that I had completed that part so early in the game. I don’t think I saw more than one or two sidequests after that. Things did pick up again in Chapter 4 and I really enjoyed the rest the game but it was a letdown that your camp choice had almost zero impact.
The improvements in Gothic 2 seems to be very similar to the leap seen in BG to BG2: Same engine, but much more interesting and expanded gameplay.
Desslock, are you reviewing the US version for PC Gamer?
Yep.
I enjoying the hell out of Gothic 2, but I can’t say I’m yet satisfied with the controls. They’re an improvement over the original scheme, but too often during battles, the pitch on my optical mouse goes wacky and suddenly my nameless hero is whirling around like a caffeinated dervish.
Then there are the pauses in the swings during combat. I know it’s a timing thing and I kinda like the arcade-y way I have to perfect combat, but I beat the shit out of my mouse button trying to get the avatar-man to swing the goddamn sword if his combination is interrupted. It’s at times like these that a shield would be a welcome addition. All that armor and no shields. Strange.
A great game, in spite of the control’s shortcomings. I can’t wait to play it through again when the US version of the expansion gets to this side of the pond.
I’m actually really enjoying the combat controls. Some of the most fun in the game is dueling with human opponents. I had a great, extended duel with Bullco. He had much more powerful armor and weapon than I did and could take me out with just two swipes of his sword. I could barely damage him. The result was a very long, very intense fight where I gradually wore him down and knocked him out.
Contrast this to the first Gothic where I absolutely hated fighting other humans. The auto-parrying in Gothic 2 makes all the difference. I’m using the “Gothic 1” controls and have zero complaints about the interface this time out.
I beat the shit out of my mouse button trying to get the avatar-man to swing the goddamn sword if his combination is interrupted.
So, you’re using the new control scheme where a mouse click translates to a sword strike? I’d highly recommend using the other scheme where you use the WASD or arrow keys to swing your weapon. It makes things a lot easier, at least that’s how I perceived it.
I believe you. I really do, but I sure love using my mouse to look around. The strict keyboard input of the first game prevented me from replaying it because the scheme was unlike every other game I own, so if I took a long break from it, I had to go through the learning curve all over again.
In short, it offends my laziness. Maybe if they went with a fully-functional first-person viewpoint, the mouse would be a more viable control method? I saw the option to map the controls to Gothic I’s scheme and I shuddered. I can’t imagine going back to CTRL+Up Arrow to pick stuff up (if that’s what that combo did). To me, some of those key combinations were simply insane. Memorizing the goofy controls of Gothic I seemed to be part of the game.
I wish developers would stick to more “standard” control schemes rather than try to re-invent the wheel. Don’t they have mice in Germany? (The computer peripherial, not the rodent). The interface should be a smooth bridge between gamer and game, not a pothole-pocked road.
I believe you. I really do, but I sure love using my mouse to look around. The strict keyboard input of the first game prevented me from replaying it because the scheme was unlike every other game I own, so if I took a long break from it, I had to go through the learning curve all over again.
You can still use your mouse to look around even with the default controls (and even in Gothic 1). If you use the “Gothic 1” controls you don’t need to do things like CTRL-UP or CTRL-RIGHT to pick up and move things. You can just use your left mouse button or just the CTRL button. It’s much improved.
Combat is pretty easy too. You still half to hold down CTRL but I don’t see how you could do it otherwise. Use WASD to move forward/back and strafe and when you want to swing your weapon hold CTRL and use WASD to indicate the direction you want to swing your weapon. It works remarkably well and gives a lot more tactical options than you normally get in melee combat.
I briefly tried the new “alternate” controls and, to be honest, found them more confusing. The only problem I have with G2’s interface is the clutter of the inventory screen.
I believe you. I really do, but I sure love using my mouse to look around.
I wasn’t talking about keyboard-only controls. I played it with the mouse/keyboard combo as well. If you use the alternate control scheme you have to keep the left mouse button pushed to get into battle mode. If you now use WASD (or the arrow keys) while holding down the mouse button you can perfectly swing, slash and block. Your right hand never has to leave the mouse.
Cool. I’ll try that.
Question for those farther into the game:
Do I need to make an effort to finish off my quests before starting the next chapter? I know there are some major events later so please answer without spoiling anything.
I guess you’re referring to the optional tasks you received from other NPCs. Almost all quests can be solved in the chapters to come, there are only a few exceptions. The most notable aspect about going to the next chapter would be that creatures are respawned at places you had already cleaned earlier.
*** slight quest spoiler (no story) ***
Later in the game someone might ask you to get some medicine for a sick NPC. If I remember that correctly that person actually dies if you go to the next chapter without handling the problem. But we’re talking about an optional quest here which doesn’t involve key characters.
As JD indicated, you can almost always return to them later, and you’re definitely not supposed to (although you can, if you’re really patient and tactical) be able to solve a few quests that you get in Chapter 1. Quests such as “bandits in the lighthouse”, for instance. There’s no downside to solving them early, of course, although you risk being frustrated.
Also - don’t expect to be able to fight everything you meet.
Re: controls:
I really like the default set-up – use the mouse to look around and change direction, and WASD for movement. Left-clicking with the mouse instead of using the less-accessible cntrl key – combat is pretty simple, using the WASD keys to both dodge and, by holding the left-mouse button down, attack and parry.
I think someone asked about shields – parrying has basically the same effect.
I think the trading menu might be a step backwards from Gothic 1, since it’s too easy to accidentally buy all of the items in a list and then accidentally buy other items. The “alt” button is supposed to buy all items of a type all at once, but I couldn’t get that to work for me. Anyway, not a big deal.
Alright, I’m buying into the hype.
Now to find a copy of Gothic to buy and play through first.
Thanks for all of the the enthusiasm everyone. :)
Thanks for the thoughts and link. Another question for you – what’s the voice-acting like in the German version? Did the same actors voice their roles in all of the Gothic products? It’s pretty apparent that there were only about 6 people who did the voices for dozens of characters in the English versions – they did a decent job, however, and it’s amazing that there’s full speech considering the amount of dialogue.