This is a Reboot not a Remake

[リアンダ]

I just watched another interview with a journalist from the German Gamestar magazine discussing the remake. There they presented a ton of new video footage, talked about hiring new voice actors, adding additional content, etc.

After what I've seen and heard I have now come to the conclusion that this is Game is a reboot and not a remake. The same artistic liberty that was taken when re-imagining creatures seems to permeate the entire game. Just look at locations like the troll canyon if you don't know what I mean. https://www.gamestar.de/videos/grafikvergleich-das-gothic-remake-verleiht-legendaeren-orte-des-minentals-neuen-glanz,133763.html

Anyway, Alkimia obviously can't help themselves making this game their own rather than focussing on a faithful graphical update à la Diablo Resurrected. They couldn't when working on the playable teaser and they still can't now.

This isn't necessarily bad or anything but I would recommend old school fans to brace for impact. There's a good chance that, beyond surface level similartities, you'll be playing an entirely new game. Make of that what you will.

[リアンダ]

Publicado originalmente por Hekura:

Publicado originalmente por リアンダ:

Just look at locations like the troll canyon if you don't know what I mean. https://www.gamestar.de/videos/grafikvergleich-das-gothic-remake-verleiht-legendaeren-orte-des-minentals-neuen-glanz,133763.html

It looks claustrophobic compared to the original. There's not enough space between all those hills.

Imagine how cool this location could look if done well. Replace the white birds in the image below with harpies and have a troll sit at the center of the basin, back turned towards the player while gnawing on some poor diggers corpse. https://imgur.com/a/YLJUaSk

Imagine the tension you could build as you try to sneak up to the troll and grab the shrink monster scroll located in a pile of bones only a few feet away from the giant's back. But I guess pseudo aztec temple with off-brand Nazgûl statues is fine too...

[kestar]

Publicado originalmente por リアンダ:

Publicado originalmente por kestar:

None of my arguments contradicted themselves.

On the one hand you're perfectly fine with changing the entire identity of a location in the game because you feel no personal attachment to it. But when you do care about a location or character design you're in favor of sticking closely to the original all of a sudden. I think that's quite a blatant double standard. The same people compaining about how Lee does no longer have salt'n'pepper hair or how Gorn is too scrawny scold others for wanting locations to capture the look and feel of the original.

The troll canyon in the original game has no identity to begin with. It’s just a flat area with no features.

[Bill_Galactic_Hero]

Publicado originalmente por リアンダ:

Publicado originalmente por Hekura:

It looks claustrophobic compared to the original. There's not enough space between all those hills.

Imagine how cool this location could look if done well. Replace the white birds in the image below with harpies and have a troll sit at the center of the basin, back turned towards the player while gnawing on some poor diggers corpse. https://imgur.com/a/YLJUaSk

Imagine the tension you could build as you try to sneak up to the troll and grab the shrink monster scroll located in a pile of bones only a few feet away from the giant's back. But I guess pseudo aztec temple with off-brand Nazgûl statues is fine too...

The last thing I expect to see in a troll canyon are buildings and sculptures. One ruin of an ancient altar in one of the caves leaves a much stronger impression.

[リアンダ]

Publicado originalmente por kestar:

Publicado originalmente por リアンダ:

On the one hand you're perfectly fine with changing the entire identity of a location in the game because you feel no personal attachment to it. But when you do care about a location or character design you're in favor of sticking closely to the original all of a sudden. I think that's quite a blatant double standard. The same people compaining about how Lee does no longer have salt'n'pepper hair or how Gorn is too scrawny scold others for wanting locations to capture the look and feel of the original.

The troll canyon in the original game has no identity to begin with. It’s just a flat area with no features.

It's identity is literally in the name "troll canyon". Why do you think it's named that way?

[リアンダ]

Publicado originalmente por Hekura:

Publicado originalmente por リアンダ:

Imagine how cool this location could look if done well. Replace the white birds in the image below with harpies and have a troll sit at the center of the basin, back turned towards the player while gnawing on some poor diggers corpse. https://imgur.com/a/YLJUaSk

Imagine the tension you could build as you try to sneak up to the troll and grab the shrink monster scroll located in a pile of bones only a few feet away from the giant's back. But I guess pseudo aztec temple with off-brand Nazgûl statues is fine too...

The last thing I expect to see in a troll canyon are buildings and sculptures. One ruin of an ancient altar in one of the caves leaves a much stronger impression.

I feel like the devs confuse "overloaded with stuff" with "better". Sometimes an interesting landscape framing a singular point of interest can be a lot more impactful than one overdesigned setpiece after the other. But we'll see, we've only seen one angle of the setpiece yet.

[kestar]

Publicado originalmente por リアンダ:

Publicado originalmente por kestar:

The troll canyon in the original game has no identity to begin with. It’s just a flat area with no features.

It's identity is literally in the name "troll canyon". Why do you think it's named that way?

Cause there’s a troll there, but is that enough to say the area has an identity? Just cause there is a certain type of enemy there? That place otherwise has nothing memorable, nothing to suggest by the aesthetics of the location that this is the lair of a troll and you better watch out. It is just a flat area with nothing remarkable. Take off your nostalgia glasses and think objectively. That place needs something to spice it up, maybe add some vegetation or make it a lair kind of place (a cave), or add some ruins I don’t know. The place should tell a story and in the og game it doesn’t.

[Spiffington]

And if they change the glitched harpies that can half float through walls and not be locked onto, I'll be furious.

[リアンダ]

Publicado originalmente por kestar:

Publicado originalmente por リアンダ:

It's identity is literally in the name "troll canyon". Why do you think it's named that way?

Cause there’s a troll there, but is that enough to say the area has an identity? Just cause there is a certain type of enemy there? That place otherwise has nothing memorable, nothing to suggest by the aesthetics of the location that this is the lair of a troll and you better watch out. It is just a flat area with nothing remarkable. Take off your nostalgia glasses and think objectively. That place needs something to spice it up, maybe add some vegetation or make it a lair kind of place (a cave), or add some ruins I don’t know. The place should tell a story and in the og game it doesn’t.

You forgot the "canyon" part which is kinda important. Just because you personally dislike the canyon doesn't mean justifies a change in design. The fact remains that the TROLL CANYON is supposed to feature a natural canyon/basin type rock formation which centers a troll. You think the original is boring? Then add more interesting rocks and cliffs, dead trees and debris, piles of bones, etc. to the original setup. Maybe a goblin campfire here or there, a few well placed god rays making the troll the center of attention etc. But don't go into a completely different direction. If you can't tell an interesting story without changing everything about it hire someone who can.

[Baconbits]

As a hardcore fan I like their strategy of keeping it mostly the same with some creative liberties. It'll add some spice.

Plus Gothic 1's jank, bad combat, bad UI, unfinished quests, etc really necessitates some changes for 2024.

I say let them cook.
The venture seems genuine and the faithful modding community will provide.
I personally would rather see the franchise revived (especially G2, G3, Risen 1 remakes) than lost to time.

[リアンダ]

Publicado originalmente por Baconbits:

As a hardcore fan I like their strategy of keeping it mostly the same with some creative liberties. It'll add some spice.

Plus Gothic 1's jank, bad combat, bad UI, unfinished quests, etc really necessitates some changes for 2024.

I say let them cook.
The venture seems genuine and the faithful modding community will provide.
I personally would rather see the franchise revived (especially G2, G3, Risen 1 remakes) than lost to time.

I appreciate the sentiment but I expect a lot of longtime fans to be quite surprised how much has changed. Both in a good way but also in a bad way. I feel like the sum total of things will be quite different from the original and a lot of fans are currently deliberately ignoring the signs that point towards this. For every thing that stays the same two things will be changed.

[Bill_Galactic_Hero]

Publicado originalmente por リアンダ:

Publicado originalmente por Hekura:

The last thing I expect to see in a troll canyon are buildings and sculptures. One ruin of an ancient altar in one of the caves leaves a much stronger impression.

I feel like the devs confuse "overloaded with stuff" with "better". Sometimes an interesting landscape framing a singular point of interest can be a lot more impactful than one overdesigned setpiece after the other. But we'll see, we've only seen one angle of the setpiece yet.

I'm quite disappointed with their approach to this iconic game. When the plan is to design natural landscapes, then I guess it is normal to hire a landscape architect or geologist as an advisor. Same thing with the ruins.

[HeyJoe-HUN-(SNAKE)PCRPGCommunity]

Publicado originalmente por kestar:

I think you are confusing some terms. More accurate to say “this is a remake and not a remaster”. By your description you were expecting a remaster (only graphical update, all else stays the same), whereas they are going for a remake (reimagining of several aspects of the game).

I disagree with your take. I am happy they are taking this path, with the only exception that I wish creature art direction stayed closer to the original designs which had character - goblins, orcs, demons now look too generic fantasy for my taste. But overall, I really like what I see. I want this game to evolve, become bigger, better, overcome the technical limitations from 20 years ago.

If you are so stuck on the original game, maybe just go and replay the original game with a retexture mod and DX11 reshader?

This. All of this. So luckily I don't have to type anything anymore. ^^

[vurt]

It's impossible to appeal to the *really* hardcore old school fans, they want the game to be 100% like the original, including graphics and everything else they're used to see, so there's no need to appeal to them, at all.

While i am a huge Gothic (G2 especially) fan i am not the least interested in some graphical update only.

[fracs]

Publicado originalmente por vurt:

so there's no need to appeal to them, at all.

Although they are the ones who will actually play the game, fix bugs and make content for it years after product release while rest of you will move on in a month or so to play anything new that drops on the market.

[kestar]

Publicado originalmente por fracs:

Publicado originalmente por vurt:

so there's no need to appeal to them, at all.

Although they are the ones who will actually play the game, fix bugs and make content for it years after product release while rest of you will move on in a month or so to play anything new that drops on the market.

Yeah, but they are also the ones who can't be pleased no matter what and come up with the most ridiculous nitpicks.
"Oh no, they added one more tree in the area with the crypt where you go with Milten to get the focus stone => the remake is an absolute failure."
"Oh no, Diego's nose is 1nm too long => the remake is an absolute failure."
"Oh no, the troll canyon is not an empty flat area with no features at all anymore => the remake is an absolute failure"
"Oh no, the characters do not hold their hands as clenched fists anymore => absolute failure"