Gothic III

[Switch]

are the graphics much better than oblivion?

 

what frame rates do those who have it get and your system spec?

 

compared to oblivions land size, how large is gothic3 and do NPC's have 24hr schedules like oblivions?

As Malchik says, not quite as good on the graphics front. At the same time, I find it is VERY choppy on my machine at times on just above mid settings. Oblivion I can run on Ultra High with far less difficulty than I get with this game...

 

My specs:

AMD 64 3000+

1.5GB 400mhz RAM

GeForce 7800GS 512MB (overclocked to something like 1100mhz clock speed)

 

Really it seems to run fairly poorly considering it's not as graphically intense as Oblivion. But you get used to it. ^^

 

As ever in this type of game I think they overdo the monsters. As far as I can tell they do not grow in number or variety or change their stats as the player levels up. (I encountered a dragon at level 2). However I'd prefer it if someone else confirmed that.

I'm level 28 now and I haven't noticed any monster levelling system (what a relief!). It all depends on location I think. I still walk into some areas that are clearly intended for lower level players and encounter weak enemies like Scavengers and Blood Flies, and they're no tougher than before. And I've definitely encountered enemies that are intended to be fought at a much higher level (such as Shadowbeasts... they hurt at level 15!).

[Malchik]

I have found one thing that may prove a problem later. If you do not loot a body immediately and have a reason to reload there is a good chance the body will disappear and with it any item it carried INCLUDING main quest items. Fortunately I was suspicious and replayed from an earlier save. Unfortunately sometimes you don't expect a quest item on a corpse. I just hope I haven't lost any that way!

[dcyphure]

oh i'll buy it ...when its released here (nov 23)

 

from the pics i saw, graphics looked much better than oblivion as far as shadows and detailed textures but i figured they might just look that way cuz thier small hi res pics

 

naturally i had higher expectations of this game since oblivions release as i got kind bored with oblivion, nothing new to see after a few hours of play. so of course i'm just bleeding with questions about gothic3

 

is there more wildlife than oblivion like birds n such...guess what i'm asking, is it even interesting to wonder about through forests..etc or is it same ol things over n over like cloned plants n such

 

do NPC's have any intersting behavior as far as fighting or random events happening, can you mug people or get them to do realistic behaviors to your actions

 

is there natural weather events like thunderstorms, can you ride any creatures/horses whatever

 

overall do you think this game is alot better/similar or worse than oblivion?...i'm done bothering you guys iwth questions....for now :)

[Malchik]

To answer as best I can bearing in mind I am far from finished;

 

there are no real flying creatures. Bloodflies, gargoyles and dragons hover a little off the ground only and vultures don't seem to do anything. Chickens simply run about squawking and scavengers are flightless. There is no levitation either.

 

I have found no water creatures yet although crocodiles occasionally lurk there.

 

There is more peaceful wildlife and not only farm animals but hares, deer, bison, snakes, lizards and meatbugs. However there are plenty of monsters. I believe they do not respawn; possibly to limit your levelling possibilities.

 

In forests you will come across abandoned huts, lost chests, ruins, occasional npcs etc. Ore veins are sometimes visible and you can mine these yourself.

 

NPCs will attack (and can be killed by) marauding beasts and raiders. Some will come to your aid in a fight. In-game fights always end in knock outs and you can take the belongings (not clothes or armour) of whoever you knocked out. Murder is possible using a particular mouse click combination. However progression in the main quests is heavily dependent on your reputation so you need to be very careful about stealing and murder. (Psychic guards can be a nuisance when trying to steal for a quest.) Reputation also affects the kind of armour you can buy. Buying, and very occasionally quest reward, is the only way to get armour.

 

Weather is limited and seems to cause the lighting probs in my game mentioned earlier. Oblivion is better with weather IMO.

 

You cannot ride anything.

 

Overall I prefer this game to unmodded Oblivion. It is much longer and far more challenging. But Morrowind was a better balance overall for me for game law, exploring, questing etc. The complete absence of readable books is a serious weakness I think but perhaps that was because the game is German and all books would have required the expense of translation. I don't know for sure but it takes away a dimension. (Please note however my favourite game remains Ultima 7.) Where Ob scores substantially higher points is in detailed mapping, a more useful quest log and in the number of books you could read.

[Switch]

I think Malchik's covered most of it...

 

is there more wildlife than oblivion like birds n such...guess what i'm asking, is it even interesting to wonder about through forests..etc or is it same ol things over n over like cloned plants n such

 

do NPC's have any intersting behavior as far as fighting or random events happening, can you mug people or get them to do realistic behaviors to your actions

I would personally say the forests are fairly interesting to walk through, and as Malchik says you can find huts or people, caves, ruins and things. There are small butterflies and things now and then if you look I think, but no real detailed wildlife like squirrels or birds or such. Just the smaller critters that Malchik mentioned. I would say they lack the sheer spectacular nature of the OB forests, with the realistic foliage and such.

 

NPCs are fairly bland, they have schedules as has been said, but I don't think they tend to deviate from said schedules much. Works for me... I'd rather have an honest, rigid schedule system than promises of some miraculous "Radiant A.I." that is, in fact, a rigid schedule system. You can certainly pickpocket people, and steal. And if the guards get wind of it, then they'll try to beat the hell out of you. This happened once even when I hadn't been seen in Gotha, when I was looting it while it was still zombie infested. It didn't hurt my standing or anything though, and they calmed down after I knocked them out. One of the bugs, I'm guessing... usually the guards aren't psychic, like in OB. :P If you try and sneak and you're spotted, people will say, and get suspicious, and watch you. If you don't hear anyone say stuff like "what are you doing sneaking around?" while sneaking then it's probably safe to nab stuff.

 

Personally I think I prefer G3 to vanilla OB overall. It has a slightly less polished feel to it, but you hardly notice.

[Malchik]

No psychic guards, Switch? Have you tried to get the seven rings in Gelden? Meh! I sneak in when the owners are asleep and the guards on the other side of town tell me I'm stealing!!!!

 

I suppose one ought to mention that there is no character generation. You are the male unnamed hero of previous Gothic games and that's it.

[SerpentofShadow]

I have another question... Is there a sort of big building/location for the mages (most likely Fire Mages)? In Gothic 1 the main place was inside the Old Camp in a church-like building. In Gothic 2 there was the monastery. Personally I look forward to the magic system more then anything else. Switch was telling me that it is different then the originals, can I also get an explanation on how it works now? Gothic 1 had it where you buy runes and you could only use the ones that went with the Circle you had knowledge of. Gothic 2 was similar but instead of buying runes, you had to make them, still the Circle requirement. Malchik, Switch, or anyone that is playing it feel free to respond. :)

[Malchik]

I have not played the other games but in G3 the runic magic ceases to work. There is a story line that you can help the Fire Mages and/or Paladins get their magic back (I'm not quite sure which as the two terms are used about the same quest) but I haven't done it yet. Both they and the water mages are scattered throughout the land (the WMs are in the desert area, you can get a quest to kill them all).

 

To learn spells you pray at shrines or get help from mages. The spells you learn depend on the level of your ancient knowledge and I think you may have to have found a spell scroll first but I am not sure of that. Spells are divided into three types (schools) but I don't think you have to be selective. I am not using magic so have only learned one spell, telekinesis. Spell scrolls are found regularly in loot but afaik cannot be bought. You can however buy recipes to make potions that have the same effect as some spells and skills.

 

You gain learning points as you level up and can spend these in several ways; to increase hit points and endurance, to learn skills or to learn knowledge and spells. You don't have the scope to do everything. In my case I opted not to go down the magic route.

 

That is all I know atm. There is no big building full of mages although the city of Barakesh has several Black Mages who teach ancient knowledge and a couple are in the Temple. This is a big building you can only enter when your reputation in the city is high. There is one city, Ishtar, I cannot enter because to do so you need a high reputation with a particular faction and I don't think I am going to support that faction this time round. That may have a big building as it contains the ruler's residence.

[Switch]

I'm seriously starting to think you've played this game longer than I have Malchik. ^^; You certainly seem to have travelled quite a bit further than I have!

 

As for a big building full of mages, isn't the Monastery in Nordmar where most of the Fire Mages are based at the moment, and also where you have to take the Fire Chalices?

[Malchik]

It's the geographer in me. I always love travelling about in new places. But I visited towns. There is still a great deal of countryside to see. As for the Monastery, there are mages there but not fire mages IIRC. The one you arrived with is there but I think he is the only one. I found the Monastery by accident while looking for somewhere else completely. The north part of the country is like a three-dimensional maze and most of the time I am quite lost.