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[subversus]

The last two pictures are just hilarious. What I like about european devs is that they're not afraid of putting humor in their games.

 

[Pizza Luigi]

High contrast always works wonders along with high saturation. This might be a little overdone though and straining on the eyes. What I do love is that they've picked an entirely different setting for the sequel.

 

[Oneiroscope]

Chickens think they're so gangster. Fuck'em.

raptor chickens are somewhat gangster though. admit it

 

[subversus]

Looking at cobblestones I think the game supports DX11.

 

[Alucrid]

Always thought Risen was some B-grade RPG. Guess I was wrong...should be nice to pickup soon since there seems to be a bit of a dearth of games coming up.

 

[Dennis]

Cobblestone porn. Yeah, I am weird.

 

[QisTopTier]

For some reason I thought this was about rise of the robots

 

[Almighty]

Sweet I love Risen so i am pretty hyped for Risen 2. I really liked the exploration in Risen and I hope Risen 2 has more of the same. None of that level scaling crap that's been plaguing most modern RPGs. If Risen 2 is released this year it might make this year one of the best for RPGs that I can remember.

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

God damn at those screens!
Bless the superior race!

Cobblestone porn. Yeah, I am weird.

HAHA! I was looking at that screen literally thinking "I bet Dennis is going to piss himself over that ground work"

 

[eXistor]

2011 is shaping up to be a great year for rpg's! If it makes this year that is.

 

[derFeef]

Woah, nice screens. I LOVE the setting.
They went a little crazy with the contrast, though.

 

[Sir Garbageman]

Always thought Risen was some B-grade RPG. Guess I was wrong...should be nice to pickup soon since there seems to be a bit of a dearth of games coming up.

Risen was a solid B imo. I enjoyed the whole ride but it isn't for everyone. The combat can be infuriating due to its arcadey-ness, the plot is meh and the last third drags in my opinion. Definitely worth looking into if you're an RPG fan, double if you like open world RPGs but try the demo.

My 2 cents.

 

[Ceebs]

Yeah...I need this like now. Witcher 2 hype is a distant second to this.

 

[vocab]

For some reason I thought this was about rise of the robots

The world is not ready for a game with good ai.

 

[Dennis]

Yeah...I need this like now. Witcher 2 hype is a distant second to this.

Yes

Risen 2 > Witcher 2 on the hype-o-meter.


Risen 2 is an open-world exploration-RPG

Risen 2 is an open-world exploration-RPG!


It doesn't get any better than that.

 

[The Mana Legend]

I adored the first one (though I stopped after the frustratingly annoying sidequests for the armor at the end), even though all I had was the 360 version. Can't wait for this one.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Mannnn, that land Angler is creeping me out

 

[BruceLeeRoy]

I just booted up the first one again. What a beautiful game this is.

 

[Snuggles]

I really like the monster design, was it that good in Risen 1? I look forward to shooting & slicing up those baboons. Guess I should finally get Risen this weekend, then.

let's not get crazy though, Witcher 2 > everything else

 

[Dennis]

let's not get crazy though, Witcher 2 > everything else

No you don't understand. The Witcher 2 isn't an open-world exploration RPG so Risen 2 is the more anticipated game.

Non-linear, open-world, exploration-based games are the Holy Grail of Gaming.

 

[Ceebs]

let's not get crazy though, Witcher 2 > everything else

Oh I am as excited as the next guy for The Witcher 2, but Risen is the most memorable game I have played in years. Something about that game just clicked with me in a way most modern games do not. I love pirates as well so that only adds to the fire.

 

[-SD-]

GameSpot's GDC pre-alpha version preview: http://www.gamespot.com/events/gdc2011/story.html?sid=6301598&tag=gs_pc&pid=622499

ZGR's GDC preview chat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyjhixmcEdI&hd=1

Good interview: http://www.rpgitalia.net/news/risen-2/rpg-italia-intervista-i-piranha-bytes/

Translated:

RPG Italia: Do you think Risen sold well? Was community feedback useful? How much will fan suggestions impact the development of the sequel?

Björn Pankratz: We (PB) are really satisfied with Risen 1. The response of the community and our own have assured us that our decision to focus on our strenghts and the things which made Gothic 1 and 2 popular was right. We've always had a special bond with our community since our debut, ten years ago, and we welcome their ideas and suggestions for Risen 2.

RPG Italia: What can you tell us about the setting and plot of Risen 2?

Björn Pankratz: Risen 2 will have a realistic background like all our games.

Several years after the end of Risen, furious titans have ravaged the world and brought humanity on the brink of extinction. Later, monstrous creatures have risen from the deep ocean, and marine activity has been abruptly interrupted. Our hero, now member of the Inquisition, has the quest to stop the chaos created by the sea creatures. His mission begins when rumors are heard that the only people who know how to stop the monsters and their reign of terror once and for all are the pirates of the southern isles.

We believe the pirate setting and its atmosphere and realistic world works perfectly with Piranha Bytes' style. We already explored the theme in our older titles, Gothic 2: Night Of The Raven and Risen. This time we decided to devote an entire game to the theme.

RPG Italia: There's a good number of devoted Piranha Bytes fans in Italy and other countries. What is the origin of this phenomenon?

Björn Pankratz: It's always good to hear our fans like our games. As I already said, we always had a special bond with our public - most of them have been following us since our debut. I think we did something great with Gothic 1 and since then we have evolved without losing what made that title so appreciated.

RPG Italia: Did movies, books or other games inspire the plot of Risen? How much did your past experiences affect your current project?

Björn Pankratz: Of course movies and games have inspired us, for example The Lord Of the Rings movies and books. We also took a look at old games like Monkey Island or more recent ones like Mass Effect 2, which had an influence on our design choices. If somebody in our team likes elements of other games, we discuss wether they would adapt in our world.

RPG Italia: Ten years have passed since Gothic was released. Technology has evolved and so did public expectations. Did your approach to development evolve as well or do you work the same way you always did?

Björn Pankratz: A lot of things are going better now when compared to our first ten years of activity. We drastically improved our skillset and organization. A lot of talented people have joined us through the years. What works well in a small team is often less efficient for a larger team. Right now we are small compared to big international teams, but we manage to develop competitive titles without speding nights at the office (which used to happen years ago). We also have better tools, which helps a lot. Some things didn't change at all, like our flexible hierarchy and the informal way we work with each other.

RPG Italia: What aspects do you focus on when making a RPG?

Björn Pankratz:

• To be as realistic as possible when assessing resources and objectives.

• The project will always end up bigger than expected.

• To develop something you will love to play yourself.

• To create a world with real conflicts and authentic characters.

• To find a good balance between different gameplay aspects - exploration, combat, dialogue and puzzles.

• If something doesn't work 100%, we remove it.

• A RPG is like a painting for a painter, you could add content forever but you have to wrap up at some point.

RPG Italia: Gothic 3 was your first attempt at a larger world compared to the predecessors. Will there be a second chance or do you believe it is better to focus on small, very detailed worlds?

Björn Pankratz: From our point of view, dimensions and density aren't mutually exclusive. We created a smaller world than Gothic 3 in Risen and it worked well. With Risen 2 we want to go a step further, and create a large world again. With careful planification, we managed to fill this larger world with the same density of Risen. Of course we try to get better with every project. There are many things we would have done differently, when we think of Gothic 3. Knowing what didn't work helps us make Risen 2 as good of a game as possible.

RPG Italia: How many people there are in your team right now? Did you hire new members for this project?

Björn Pankratz: At the moment we are 25 people working on Risen 2. Most of them are veterans but there are also a couple new faces.

Naturally, if you count external members as well, there are more than 100 people working on this project.

RPG Italia: How important is it to you to confront the competitition? Which features of recent RPGs impressed your team the most?

Björn Pankratz: There isn't an easy answer because each member of the team has his own perspective. A programmer will be impressed by some technology, a modeller by facial animations, and a writer by the way a story is told. But that doesn't apply to everyone.

RPG Italia: Risen was often criticized for its resemblance with Gothic. Will you try to renew your gameplay in the future or are there just some things you consider essential?

Björn Pankratz: After Gothic 3 many of our fans wanted us to go back to what made our games popular, and so we did with Risen 1. We are ready for the next step with Risen 2.

We dedicated a lot of time to storytelling. For Risen 2, we created something that we call "the pearl principle". Risen 1 had a bulky first chapter while the later chapters had less content. We changed approach in Risen 2, the game starting with a limited environment which becomes larger and larger as you progress further. The plot is like a chain of pearls which breaks at some points but rejoins later. This will help avoid a small last chapter.

We also considered negative feedback of Risen 1 - and improved the criticized elements. Looking at what we did so far we can say we worked on all of them.

The setting is more original, the plot has more unique locations and characters and great care has been dedicated to creating monsters. Women will also be more natural in Risen 2 and the combat system has been redone completely. But we also kept what we already did right like an open, living world, charismatic characters and different ways to complete quests. The hardest moment when starting to work on a new game is to understand which elements should be changed and which ones shouldn't. Our fans will tell us if we made the right decisions soon.

 

[Dennis]

Oh I am as excited as the next guy for The Witcher 2, but Risen is the most memorable game I have played in years. Something about that game just clicked with me in a way most modern games do not. I love pirates as well so that only adds to the fire.

High-five

 

[Ceebs]

RPG Italia: How many people there are in your team right now? Did you hire new members for this project?

Björn Pankratz: At the moment we are 25 people working on Risen 2. Most of them are veterans but there are also a couple new faces.

I had no idea they were that small of a studio. I know they will outsource a lot of stuff, but It makes you wonder what these 400 person console teams are doing.

 

[EviLore]

I had no idea they were that small of a studio. I know they will outsource a lot of stuff, but It makes you wonder what these 400 person console teams are doing.

Yeah, the studio was about 20 people for Risen 1.

 

[BeeDog]

Really good interview above, hits everything I love.

 

[Dennis]

Yeah, the studio was about 20 people for Risen 1.

And now 25. Shows that you don't need huge teams to make graphically advanced open-world RPG games.

He did mention 100 people counting the externals. I wonder how to interpret that - are they outsourcing part of the asset creation or is he referring to marketing, sales people etc?

 

[EviLore]

And now 25. Shows that you don't need huge teams to make graphically advanced open-world RPG games.

He did mention 100 people counting the externals. I wonder how to interpret that - are they outsourcing part of the asset creation or is he referring to marketing, sales people etc?

I would assume the latter. Localization, QA, etc. etc.

 

[Dennis]

I would assume the latter. Localization, QA, etc. etc.

Yeah that makes sense. They are too small a developer to have people in those kind of positions as full time employees.

 

[Neuromancer]

So are Piranha Bytes going to do their own console port? Because I made it through Risen on the 360 and loved it but goddamn it was ugly.

Edit

Ahhhh blue monkey, blue monkey!

 

[Almighty]

I liked everything I read in that interview so my hype is going up for this game. Though I think I am still looking forward to the Witcher 2 more, but that might be because it is closer to release.

 

[Dennis]

 

[Dennis]

ZGR's GDC preview chat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyjhixmcEdI&hd=1

In this chat it is mentioned that the water shaders are great and that the lighting is top notch as well. Excite.

Also, that the game look like it could be released now even though it is pre-apha, that is how good it looks.

The lighting in Risen was phenomenal. Really, really impressive with only Crysis really beating it at the time.

 

[keuja]

And now 25. Shows that you don't need huge teams to make graphically advanced open-world RPG games.

He did mention 100 people counting the externals. I wonder how to interpret that - are they outsourcing part of the asset creation or is he referring to marketing, sales people etc?

It looks so much better than DA2.
How many people are there in the DA2 dev team? just curious

 

[Nirolak]

It looks so much better than DA2.
How many people are there in the DA2 dev team? just curious

It's twice whatever the DA:O team was.

 

[Discotheque]

Oh man that screen DennisK just posted. It's like out of my dreams, the Pirate RPG I've been waiting for. Glad to see this is looking great. Risen's environment was a joy to explore partly due to how nice it looked.

Just might be anticipating this a bit more than Witcher 2 now....maybe.

 

[Dennis]

Yes, islands. While the first game took place on a single landmass, Risen 2 will take place across a series of different islands. The developer isn't commenting on exactly how your swashbuckling pirate Hero will make his way between these beleaguered areas, but given that Piranha Bytes suggests that the game will be "the perfect pirate RPG," it's not hard to guess how you'll be getting from point A to point B. And you won't be going it alone, either; like in Risen, you will from time to time have companions join your side. At least one of the companions will be a mysterious woman practiced in the dreaded art of voodoo magic. This character appears in one of the game's early video trailers and rescues the Hero by means of a voodoo doll and a lit match, just as he's about to be finished off by a group of attackers.

The game is still very early in development but already looks extremely promising. Risen 2 will offer better graphics, a bigger world, and an all-new story.

Cool

 

[Discotheque]

I like how they said they took some influence from Monkey Island series. I'm expecting the voodoo woman to be very similar.

 

[Orin GA]

I hope all the training you invested into the character is something you can use against the final boss unlike its predecessor.

Nevertheless DAY ONE!

 

[psykomyko]

Downloading the demo for the first one. Been wanting to play a good open world RPG for awhile, hopefully this will wet my appetite.

 

[Dennis]

Downloading the demo for the first one. Been wanting to play a good open world RPG for awhile, hopefully this will wet my appetite.

The demo is pretty weak though. Full game is much better.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

looks a bit cartoony, end of a gothic era. Hopefully you still spend the first few hours equipped with a dirty shirt and little wooden sword.

Yeah, the studio was about 20 people for Risen 1.

Gothic 3 had quite a few part timers and contract workers, i remember one of them was on the polycount forums showing Raw art assets that never made it into the game.

 

[Clydefrog]

I NEED THIS GAME

GOTHIC AND RISEN ARE SO AWESOME

PIRATES? OH MY GOD

I NEED TO UPGRADE MY COMPUTER

 

[Soleil rouge]

Non-linear, open-world, exploration-based games are the Holy Grail of Gaming.

Well said. Agreed.

Can you start a campfire (or be able to camp out in the woods) in Risen?

 

[Ceebs]

The demo is pretty weak though. Full game is much better.

Yeah, the demo ends right as the game opens up. You can still get some mileage out of it as long as you do not go running right up the path in front of you.

 

[nexen]

fuck yeah. Risen was pretty awesome.

 

[Blackace]

I loved a lot about Risen.. but I felt the pacing was not very good. I love open world gameplay but something felt blah about Risen until you get much deeper in the game.. maybe it was the music that sucked the life out of the game..

Also wish I could make my character..

 

[subversus]

It makes you wonder what these 400 person console teams are doing.

edit: i edited it out since it may be perceived as a homophobic slur, but it wasn't intended as one. Anyway these big studios just suck.

Divinity II is the best rpg I have played since The Witcher. It just gets better, bigger and less predictable the furthr you go. It looks on par (or better) with Dragon Age 2 on very high in DX11 minus tesselation and some lighting. I know, it took them a year to iron out bugs and perfomance but still there are Two Worlds II which was ok the day it was released. European devs are on fire.

American devs are expensive and very specialised, that's why we see 100+ teams. Plus the goal to sell as many copies as possible doesn't lead to a good RPG automatically.

 

[nexen]

Also wish I could make my character..

Why? Ewan McGregor was perfect for that role.

 

[psykomyko]

The demo is pretty weak though. Full game is much better.

Your right it was. Is there any deals on this game right now? Hesitant to pay $30 on Steam.