Piranha Bytes RPG teaser site

[Maria Caliban]

Started Chapter two today, I've got to say the first chapter was brilliant, but I have to ask those who went bandit, was there someone in the bandit camp that bought hunting trophies/smith swords at a reasonable price?

 

As far as I know, selling prices are fixed across the board. I'm not even sure why they include the real gold value as there doesn't appear to be a way to increase the sell-for or decrease the buy-at. Maybe a feature that they intended to impliment, but didn't.

 

Something else that I've found disappointing is the lack of armor in Risen, it seems it's gone down the rank = armor path again(which I don't mind) but has not put any other decent armor in the game(so far).

 

I rather like that mechanic, though it does get frustrating when you have the cash but no one is offering new armor. Also, I deliberately delayed one part of the game so I got the fighter armor, and about two hours later I got the captain armor.

 

 

Very good graphics

Fantastic lighting (as good as Stalker IMO)

Great side quests

Good combat

Nice atmosphere

NO BUGS!!!

Runs very well

 

 

There are some obvious bugs later on, but overall I agree.

 

 

 

Average - Poor VO

 

 

I disagree. It has some of the best VO I've heard in a computer game.

[Tigranes]

Okay, my copy arrived yesterday. Couldn't resist.

 

Game looks quite good, I like the art direction, and runs really well - huge change from Gothic 3. I only played for about half an hour but there's a really good feel about this one. It doesn't feel like Gothic 3 where it takes a few hours to get into it. We'll see how it opens up once I get to Harbour Town.

[Bos_hybrid]

Been a bit disappointed in Chapter 2, it seems to have gone very linear quest path, when it was as it's best with side quests. It's makes sense from a story point, limited time etc, but I don't think Risens story is its strength.

[Tigranes]

Okay, just got the recommendation for the Monastery, meaning the Order path and nearly Chapter 2. That was a lot of gaming.

 

Game was very fun, the world was well crafted and the two sides are difficult to pick from (I only picked the Order to try the mage - which I think is a little silly). Nothing spectacular, but certainly solid and Chapter 1 was very satisfying. I'm around level 7-8 now, and the money flow's now picked up onto the 'mid-game' phase where most things are in abundance. I got trained in a little bit of everything and already went on some night heists of city merchants.

[Bos_hybrid]

I've decided I like Patty, best character in the game, the Inquisitor seemed ok too, but I get the feeling he's going to screw me over.

[mkreku]

Yeah, the Patty quest line was awesome.

[Nightshape]

Okay, my copy arrived yesterday. Couldn't resist.

 

Game looks quite good, I like the art direction, and runs really well - huge change from Gothic 3. I only played for about half an hour but there's a really good feel about this one. It doesn't feel like Gothic 3 where it takes a few hours to get into it. We'll see how it opens up once I get to Harbour Town.

 

Risen hasn't seen art driection OMFG.

[Morgoth]

Piranha won't get my money this time. Making only Chapter 1 worthwhile and the rest crap is a no-go. Seems like they haven't learnt from the past.

[Zoraptor]

Okay, my copy arrived yesterday. Couldn't resist.

Where did you end up getting it from, if you don't mind me asking? Cheaper than the 90NZD MightApe is asking?

[Tigranes]

Risen hasn't seen art driection OMFG.

 

Huh?

 

Where did you end up getting it from, if you don't mind me asking? Cheaper than the 90NZD MightApe is asking?

 

Just amazon.com = only around 70NZD incl. shipping, from memory.

 

Anyway, guys, did I screw up? I've just realised that I've never even had a chance to check out the Don's camp in the swamps. I read about mages = Order only so I went straight to Harbour Town from the start, did basically all the quests there, sided with the Order and finished the questline (

killed Scordo

) before coming back out again. I assume I can't go to the camp anymore. Is there a lot of content (quests, items, fights) I miss by not having gone to the camp? Or are you only allowed into the camp if you side with the Don, like the monastery, anyway?

[Nightshape]

Risen hasn't seen art driection OMFG.

 

Huh?

 

 

Tigranes, don't take the post as a personal attack please, because it's not meant to be an insult, you have your opinion however wrong I may feel it is, and that's your right, this is just merely my reaction.

 

It's not complicated. I just can't believe anyone, that's right ANYONE would think Risen has good art direction, I am left with the knowledge that you either don't know what art direction is or you're a truly tasteless human being. Risen may well be a fine game, which it is in my opinion, a damn fine game, but to claim that it has any redeeming qualities in relation to art style, consistency and technology is lunacy. It is to accept mediocrity and proclaim it king.

 

That said I've almost come to accept such binal, inane, prognosis of games from this forum. I dunno, it's almost like you're all so easy to fool, that when you're shown something that is sigificant in it's technology, appearance and art style you're all concerned with it at such a skin deep level that the subtle differences aren't even noticed when they're not there.

 

Everything from balancing texture art so it's consistant throughout environments, to correctly tweak the reaction of HDR, through to the ability of the artists across the many texture maps, it's probably just me expecting more of fans.

 

I'm glad people are liking Risen, I just wish it was for the correct reasons sometimes.

[Tigranes]

Oh, no, I just didnt understand your comment.

 

On the technology side I only know enough to understand what most of the in-game graphics options mean... it was more of a comment on how I liked the fact that the whole place looks quite convincingly like a tropical island with a 17th-century Spanish colony. The bloom is horrible, the character models are quite poor and such, but just playing as an ignoramus on such matters it was more of a comment on how things just 'look' rather than their production quality.

 

Would be interested to know what Risen is so poor at, though, always good to learn.

[Nightshape]

Oh, no, I just didnt understand your comment.

 

On the technology side I only know enough to understand what most of the in-game graphics options mean... it was more of a comment on how I liked the fact that the whole place looks quite convincingly like a tropical island with a 17th-century Spanish colony. The bloom is horrible, the character models are quite poor and such, but just playing as an ignoramus on such matters it was more of a comment on how things just 'look' rather than their production quality.

 

Would be interested to know what Risen is so poor at, though, always good to learn.

 

Risen plays well, it's a lovely experience, it just lacks visual polish and balance.

 

I mean considering that Risen's budget was likely extremely small when compared with the likes of Oblivion.

 

It's just a matter of quality really. In terms of have they clearly layed out the direction for the art, sure, it's a tropical island with a 17th-century Spanish colony feel. In that respect it's a success, but it isn't executed at the same level as competitors.

 

Fact of the matter for me is that it plays like an old school rpg, and I love that, but I'm not going to claim that it has any visually redeeming qualities like alot of folk are doing. It's consistant to a level artistically, but it certainly isn't executed consistantly. They've had to recycle alot, because that's all they could afford, and thats fine, I'm able to deal with that.

 

Technology-wise, it's not really doing anything, it pretty much feels flat and diffuse, the lighting is servicable. Like I've said previously, the way they've gone about light scatttering is quite nice, mostly because it's a different approach, but realitically speaking, HDR/Bloom is poorly configured, textures are uneven and poorly balanced in the way that they react to light. It's tiny things that are really only visible when you go looking for it.

 

Risen works, it would work regardless are what you shoved ontop of it graphically, and that's why I like it. I tend to feel it's proper old skool awesome gamage vibe, with big enough balls to say, screw the mainstream, so what that we can't afford enough artwork to make people unique, we'll deliver gameplay, story, and world.

[Gorgon]

I'm thinking chocolate risen, or is it past perfect of 'rise'.

 

[Maria Caliban]

I finished. The last boss fight was... interesting. Glad I didn't roll mage.

 

Piranha won't get my money this time. Making only Chapter 1 worthwhile and the rest crap is a no-go. Seems like they haven't learnt from the past.

 

I don't believe anyone here has described what comes after Chapter 1 as 'crap.' There are less quests and more fighting and dungeon delving.

Anyway, guys, did I screw up? I've just realised that I've never even had a chance to check out the Don's camp in the swamps. I read about mages = Order only so I went straight to Harbour Town from the start, did basically all the quests there, sided with the Order and finished the questline (

killed Scordo

) before coming back out again. I assume I can't go to the camp anymore. Is there a lot of content (quests, items, fights) I miss by not having gone to the camp? Or are you only allowed into the camp if you side with the Don, like the monastery, anyway?

 

I'd say you missed out on a good deal of content there.

 

Then again, there might be a bunch of quests at the monastery and maybe later on you'll go to the camp and do stuff for the Don's people. Don't know.

[Maria Caliban]

Ohh, you got burned there Tigranes. It must feel horrible to be schooled in your lack of visual sophistication by someone whose avatar is a poorly drown picture of a chick in chainmail.

 

Risen hasn't seen art driection OMFG.

 

Tigranes, don't take the post as a personal attack please, because it's not meant to be an insult, you have your opinion however wrong I may feel it is, and that's your right, this is just merely my reaction.

 

It's not complicated. I just can't believe anyone, that's right ANYONE would think Risen has good art direction, I am left with the knowledge that you either don't know what art direction is or you're a truly tasteless human being. Risen may well be a fine game, which it is in my opinion, a damn fine game, but to claim that it has any redeeming qualities in relation to art style, consistency and technology is lunacy. It is to accept mediocrity and proclaim it king.

 

That said I've almost come to accept such binal, inane, prognosis of games from this forum. I dunno, it's almost like you're all so easy to fool, that when you're shown something that is sigificant in it's technology, appearance and art style you're all concerned with it at such a skin deep level that the subtle differences aren't even noticed when they're not there.

 

Everything from balancing texture art so it's consistant throughout environments, to correctly tweak the reaction of HDR, through to the ability of the artists across the many texture maps, it's probably just me expecting more of fans.

 

I'm glad people are liking Risen, I just wish it was for the correct reasons sometimes.

 

 

 

[Nightshape]

[Nightshape]

Ohh, you got burned there Tigranes. It must feel horrible to be schooled in your lack of visual sophistication by someone whose avatar is a poorly drawn picture of a chick in chainmail.

 

That's right, because my choice of Avatar is collative of my technical and practical games development knowledge. I don't see the correlation personally, but clearly you're able to make leaps of logic which are far more advanced than my own. I am in absolute awe.

[mkreku]

Just the same leap that makes a programmer a master of arts at the same time, correct?

[Nightshape]

Just the same leap that makes a programmer a master of arts at the same time, correct?

 

I've done and witnessed enough rendering coding to realise there is a fair amount of time spent sat with the artists and art directior tweaking values to get the best result. You'd be surprised how flat the textures are actually before code is applied, but then again maybe not, because Risen demonstrates pre-lit, unbalanced flat texturing in all it's glory, so maybe you HAVE seen a bad result before .

 

Seriously... This is getting ridiculious. I'm sorry that my surly mood yesturday has obviously upset a few people. I'm sorry for my rash comments, I could have taken more care in how I said what I said. I'm sorry people.

Edited October 12, 2009 by Nightshape

[HoonDing]

Has anyone already managed to do a succesful counterattack? I tried this for half an hour against a moth but it never worked. Is it only possible against human enemies?

[Tigranes]

Hey, hey. I didn't mind, I don't know what's got people so worked up.

 

Anyway, yes, the Codex convinced me I missed a huge amount fo content, so I went and started the game again. Then of course I got hooked again and finished everything in the bandit camp over ~6 hours - everything I missed. Everything in Risen seems made of gold right now...

 

Counterattacks are quite easy to do against human enemies, I never tried against animal ones, but I'd assume it's only possible with 'humanoid' animals (ones with arms).

[TwinkieGorilla]

so is this like...the "Risen" thread? was surprised to not see one titled after the title. anyway, i just got it...just started...and while the graphics are pretty outdated there's something very endearing about it all. i'm intrigued...but only because it makes me feel like i'm playing a bit of an old(ish) skool RPG. 'course this isn't my official take on it. just intrigued is all. i don't think i've finished/liked any RPG since V:TMB.

[HoonDing]

It was funny when my n00b character tried to take on a normal vulture after wading through 'hungry' vultures. I took away about 1 millimeter of health with each strike and had to run away like a little girl in the end. But I did manage to kill 3 normal moths after twenty minutes of blocking & riposting... gave me a boatload of XP. This game rocks.

Edited October 12, 2009 by virumor

[Tigranes]

The most delightful moment for me was when a quest told me to find someone in a cave (swamp) - I instead came across about 8 moths and had to run like hell. Stuck, I decided to explore other places a bit and left the swamp... later ascending a little hill, going into a cave, twist and turns, I came across what was seemingly a dead end with a gold vein. But I kept hearing faint buzzing, so I looked up to see an opening, and climbing up, found myself face to face with those same moths!

 

I was only about level 5, so I had to use a narrow cave corridor to my benefit, where the moths couldn't surround me, and chug most of my health potions. Afterwards I found the body of the man I was meant to find for the quest, then came out the other end back into the swamp - fantastic.

 

Just about finished swamp and harbour town, going to go Order again for the mage stuff and see what happens in the Monastery. It's interesting how difficult it is to pick between the two sides though, I think without the allure of magic I would have been stuck for ages (says something about player morality). The Order seems a bit too heavy-handed, more than they need to be, which shows a callous lack of concern for the island's people; but then, on the face of the threat of the ruins, the Order has a much better chance of dealing with it IMO than Don Esteban.