ga-rpg.com 11/1999


GA-RPG Exclusive: Gothic Screenshots
Posted by: Michael

Piranha Bytes sent us the following 6 screenshots from their upcoming third-person perspective RPG, Gothic. Gothic is being published by Egmont Interactive.

How exactly does your character's progress change through visualization and not statistics (numbers) throughout the game?
It is very simple: We've got optical feedback for everything in GOTHIC. Every skill level is visualized by different animations. At the beginning of the game you're character isn't experienced at all, he will use his sword like a farmer using his dung fork. During the game you will learn different skills and talents - experienced sword-fighting will look a bit like Xena, you know.
To read more of this interview with the Gothic team, check out this article.


Developer's Dreams

Issue 4: November 24, 1999

Have you ever dreamed of the perfect game? Do you remember staring in amazement at the holographic chess game in Star Wars? Or to be more realistic, remember the first time you started up Quake II and your mouth dropped to the floor?
We have all dreamed of the perfect game. A game where everything and anything was possible. Some might even call a few of the games out today the "perfect game". But what if developer's were given full reign to create whatever game they wanted too. No technological limits, system requirements, genre specifications, etc. What kind of game do you think they would create? Well we posed this exact question to some of the most respected development teams, designers, programmers, and producers in the gaming community today and we think you'll be surprised at some of their answers.

Maybe 20 years ago Quake II was just a game realized only in a dream. But since then this dream has come true and then some. So look at these ideas not as a thing of futuristic fiction, but as a glimpse of things still to come. We hope these answers will inspire you, amaze you, and remind you that... even "developers dream". Enjoy!

Alex Brueggemann, Game Design
Piranha Bytes
Think of TETRIS. Lots of restrictions, but a great game! I think you'll always need a set of rules (restrictions) for gameplay. Try to restrict it to pure fun! Without the technical restrictions a massive multiplayer game would be something I'd like to do. A mix of RPG, tactics and strategy. Much more emotions instead of just reactions. If you've seen Braveheart (the movie) you know what I mean. Games like Ultima Online, Everquest, Age of Empires II, Myth II, and WarCraft3 show the way.

Related Articles:
GA-RPG Interview: Piranha Bytes on Gothic


Stefan Nyul, Game Design
Piranha Bytes
A historical sea battle with sailing warships of the 18th century. Wooden titans plow through heavy sea, firing broadsides at each other. Everything is visualized in total high-detail 3D. Hundreds of people are climbing into the sails, hundreds of other people are firing and reloading the massive cannons with sheer muscle power. Gunsmoke is crawling over the sea and makes detection of enemy ships almost impossible.

Related Articles:
GA-RPG Interview: Piranha Bytes on Gothic