How about ship to ship combat? Fable 3 had a hub called the sanctuary, tell us the ship isn't like that.
Risen 2: Dark Waters Q&A - Voodoo Priestesses and Personal Pirate Ships
We chat with Daniel Oberlerchner, senior brand manager at Deep Silver, about the upcoming high-seas role-playing game Risen 2.
Developer Piranha Bytes is dreaming big with its upcoming sequel to the action role-playing game Risen. The sequel, Risen 2: Dark Waters, takes the high-fantasy setting of the previous game to the high seas, where pirates rule and buried treasure is ripe for the picking. We recently caught up with Daniel Oberlerchner, senior brand manager with publisher Deep Silver, to talk about all the additions coming to this game.
GameSpot: Give us an update on Risen 2's development. What aspects is the team working on at present?
Daniel Oberlerchner: We're slowly but surely leaving the content creation phase (items, textures, animations, and voice-over) and starting with fine-tuning and balancing, which is commonly called the alpha phase. All NPCs are getting their weapons and inventory set up, the fighting system has to be tested thoroughly, and we also have to make sure that the learning curve for the player is not too steep in the beginning. As Risen 2 offers a lot of playtime, the right pacing in the story and gameplay is important. An old saying goes that 80 percent of the work is in the last 20 percent, and this is true especially for open-world RPGs. Creating the assets is more or less straightforward once the preproduction is done; arranging and combining them to create an interesting world people like to play in is the most important and challenging part.
GS: We were told at the March Game Developers Conference in San Francisco that Risen 2 is intended to be a "full-fledged pirate role-playing game." For the team at Piranha Bytes, what's needed to make a full-fledged pirate RPG?
DO: Wow--where to begin? Let's start with the general scope (aka, the recipe), and then we'll talk about the building blocks (aka, the ingredients). What's generally needed to create any good RPG is an immersive gameworld with interesting characters who offer the player a convincing backdrop for the gameplay to happen in. What makes it "piratey"? First of all, the architecture has to reflect the culture of pirates, so everything you see in the game has to fit the period we want to convey to the player and the lifestyle of pirates. Pirates don't rely on civil engineers to build their houses, so everything looks a bit improvised and chaotic.
Secondly, you must have a language and tone throughout the game which fits the setting. The pirates in Risen 2 live in a dark and gritty world, so living like a pirate also means talking like a pirate. Thirdly, the weaponry we give to the player matches the setting as well: muskets, rapiers, sabres, pistols, bombs, powder kegs, coconuts, and parrots. Yes, you read that right--you can launch your very own parrot at people to annoy them, and knock them unconscious with coconuts. And last but not least, you can craft your own weapons and booze from the items you collect during your adventures.
GS: We were told in March that Risen 2 will take place across numerous islands, rather than on a single landmass, and that there would be some as-yet undisclosed means of transporting your pirate hero and his companions to and from different islands. Is it safe to assume that this method of transportation might be some sort of ship, perhaps of the pirate variety, as it were? If Risen 2 were, in fact, to have a "pirate's ship," if you will, what other purposes would it serve? Customizable housing? A quest hub? A crafting hub?
DO: Yes, you will be able to command your very own ship in Risen 2! The decision to make the ship the central means of transport in the game was based on the feedback from the fans. In Risen 1, even key characters dropped in and out of the storyline, and the players felt a bit isolated--they wanted a sense of ongoing companionship. For this reason, the ship in Risen 2 will not only get you from point A to point B, but will function as a hub for your companions where the player can talk to and get quests from them. So it helps to add the flavor of a party in an RPG without the hassle to the player of having to manage multiple characters all the time.
GS: We saw in the original Risen trailer that the nameless hero will have at least one companion, a swarthy young woman who seems to be an expert at voodoo magic. What can you tell us about this character? Who is she and what is she capable of? Will she remain at your side throughout the game?
DO: It's a bit too early to disclose her role in the game to a big extent, but I can confirm that she will be one of your companions in Risen 2 who will be part of your crew and support you in fights if you choose her to accompany you on shore leave. Her role will also depend on your actions throughout the game, so make your decisions wisely.
GS: Aside from this voodoo priestess, who else will join the hero on his quest to save the islands?
DO: The fellowship of the player character in Risen 2 will consist of representatives of the different factions in the gameworld, as well as special characters you can pick up during your adventures. They will also give you feedback on how you're doing and might also give you tips and hints on how to tackle some challenges. Patty, for example, is the helmswoman of your ship and is a character who made her debut in Risen 1. In Risen 1, Patty asked the player character to help her find the treasure of her father Steelbeard and took him on a treasure hunt all across the island.
In Risen 2 she will not only return, but will also have a reunion with her father, one of the mightiest pirates of the southern seas. Another example of a companion character would be Venturo, who is a soldier from the Inquisition and who shares their basic values but is fed up with all the discipline of the order. All characters who are with the hero will have a different skill set, so Patty, for example, is a very talented melee fighter, whereas Venturo will support the player with his musket. Additional skill sets will even include pairing up with a character who can heal you, or someone who loots killed creatures for you.
79 comments
console game qith very poor controls and very old looks, unplayable 1st part showed everything
Hope the combat is better. The first part's combat really sucked with really silly awkward animation.
@ggregd -- The Inquisition is an organization in the Risen universe. It is not a real-life organization.
"Venturo, who is a soldier from the Inquisition and who shares their basic values but is fed up with all the discipline of the order." Someone need to read some history, or at least look at the Wikipedia entry for "Inquisition", because this is seriously at odds with the facts.
first risen game was actually a nice role playing game but some graphical problems made first game unattractive. I hope they will improve graphics and add more items.
Gothic 2 = best game. Ever. I have a sneaking suspicion that Risen 2 will be for Risen 1 what Gothic 2 was to Gothic 1; the perfection of a good concept. Can't wait to see what Piranha can do this time. Just can't wait!
after getting use to hitman 2 on the console and pc . I now (after getting use to it) enjoy playing with the mouse for camera WAY more than a controller. controller is officially only good for me , for sports games. But thats it. Mouse owns if you get use to it.
I aprpeciate that they gave credit to the Ultima games. I consider Ultima VII my favorite rpg of all time just RIGHT under Oblivion. The first time i played UItima VII and i realised i could pick up almost anything lying around (most of it useless! i filled my equipment with all the stuff untl i later realised i did not need most of it..) and that the chracters had a daily routine, slept, worked....and the game was open ended and i could do most quests in any order? there's no describing the sense of amazement at the time. now of course we take that for granted. Ultima is not only the father of western rpgs, but japanese as well. It's the father of ALL rpg's. The first japanese rpgs were attempting to imitate the first Ultima games (which back then were a lot more simplistic and hadnt yet included npcs). In fact, the game's manual for one of the early successful japanese rpgs, xanadu, is lifted from the ultima games manuals. Something Origin only found out when they went to Japan to discuss distributing Xanadu in north america. Needless to say, the deal wasnt made, instead Origin sued....
@marrowindnic no YOU'VE got to be kidding! a $300 computer will not run crysis 2 with DX 11 graphics. Nor will it render oblivion at way above average either. A ps3 or xbox will. maybe a $300 graphics card.
Like the sound of a pirate setting, your own hub/house/base akin to the Mass Effect Normandy, Seemingly advanced AI with own routines, noticeable reactions/outcomes/consequences and of course the talked off improvements. I really hope I'll be able to purchase a new ship(s) and ugrades for it... like new cannons for naval warfare ! Can't help but feel it's too good to be true though...
@jollybest1 Umm! Wasn't that what I was saying!? Anyway, as morrowindnic said: if you know what you're doing, pc is a cheaper gaming platform. But as he said if you're know what you're doing, as many people don't know what they're doing it's cheaper for them to play consoles. A moment of silent is needed, I think.
@jasonzilla11 - the way you like to play games is comparable to the way you like your steak, or your favorite color - there is no argument here, back from where I am we say that "the only thing friends and family should argue is about different tastes " LOL
@morespama LOL, that technically is an opinion! But it's also a fact that PC's can have better hardware, so better and more advanced graphics. While consoles can't get as good graphics, some say that consoles are more fun to play video games than PC's. Also, getting an awesome computer that can run high-tech games can be pretty pricey. So, it depends on what you think. I actually own an Asus laptop, an Xbox 360, and a PS3, and games look amazing on the PC, but I find playing games on the Xbox a bit more fun.
PC is way better then console, and this not an opinion, its a fact. I got overclocked E8400 processor (yes, its not even nextgen i3) and GTX460 OC with 4GB RAM - and guess what - for less then £400, I am running Gotihc 4 (which I do agree with posts here was a disaster), Dragon Age 2 (with HD textures), Crysis 2, and Fallout New Vegas and many many other quite demanding games at Very High to Extreme graphics settings. PC games are also cheaper (and for people who are making a choice are even free), have less bugs and are easier updatable, not even speaking about controls. Don't you just hate to play on a PC and feel like you are playing on a console, i.e. Fable 3 (still a decent game though). P.S. Risen 2 gonna rock!!!!!
@RetroSEAL you are joking right? Those numbers might of been right a few years ago. But you don;t need anywhere need $800 nowadays. And nevertheless PC do more then just games, Games are much cheaper on PC, and no paying for xbox live crap. Computers are MUCH cheaper then consoles if you know what you are doing.
more like Gothic 1 > Risen > Gothic 2 > Gothic 3 and 4 was just bad as for risen 2 dont judge till we actually see it.
Guys get real, for a computer to run at the same processing power as an xbox or the ps3, we're looking at over $800 bucks. Thats way beyond a $300 console
looking nice but they may be better knocking release on until early next year, there's a hell of a lot of competition starting to come out very soon.
i hope they will hire a human to code char movement this time instead of a monkey gothic 1 -> gothic 2 -> risen -> risen 2 (other 2 gothics did exist in my mind)
Gothic series was one of my favorite RPG (except 4 which is done by someone else(crap!!!)) then Risen not bad except end boss,& when this will be release? Can't wait here!, I just hope it not gonna be 11.11.11, cause i will be sleepless zombie 4 weeks if i got my hand on skyrim & this.
I'm excited, these guys do good work. I don't like parallel development though, PC only. Screw consoles.
Risen 1 was superior to Gothic 3 in every way except for the lengh and width of the map, I am quite sure that Risen 2 will wastly outclass the already very low-classed standard that Gothic 4 has fallen into...
Its the first time I actually saw that there's a pirate RPG out there. :P Will wait anxiously for this now that I'm into RPGs. The graphics look neat, hope that it would run fine on my PC.
@skattestop, It looked bad on a high-end PC but it looked horrible on the 360. It wasn't optimized at all. So basically you were playing the game like you would be playing it on a PC with the specs of the 360. Great specs for a machine from 2005, not so much in 2010. The strength of the 360 (one set specification for which the game can be optimized) wasn't used at all. But they claim Risen 2 will be different, and while I'm not holding my breath it does look promosing. After Disney cancelled the new POTC RPG I'm very interested in this one.
Wow, Will we have a first well-made pirates RPG?? If so i'm buying. So much played Sea Dogs........
Liked the first one, it definately had it's flaws, but overall a good game. I just hope the sequel has better graphics, cause it looked pretty bad on a high-end PC. Might as well get it for xbox then :)
At first I was excited about the prospect of an RPG thats set in a "real" period of history, of course an over exaggerated period of history much like Sid Meier's Pirates! Now I see a huge ogre like creature that belongs more in a Tolkien novel than anything else. Personally I'd find evading capture of the local imperial navies, whilst fending off bounty hunters and fellow pirates more than enough excitement given the right context and gameplay attributes. But fighting generic monster a through z is all the same no matter what age you put it in. Don't get me wrong, I'm still interested but just not as much as I was.
I wasn't too keen on the first Risen, although it did remind me much of Gothic 3 which i throughly enjoyed. The images of Risen 2 look much better and i hope they can make the story much more exciting. Im going to play Risen again to see if i can change my mind on how good it is.
i hope they improve the in-game graphics because the first one is a joke in term of visual quality.
One question.What about the armor? I can see only pirates clothes in this pictures.I hope this doesn't turnout to be a fail like Fable 3 where the armor doesn't exist.I'm not a big fan of the pirates thing just because it looks like it's interfering with the usual RPG.
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Game Info
- Release Date: Aug 9, 2012 (AU)
- Classification Board: M
- Release Date: May 3, 2012 (AU)
- Classification Board: M
Risen 2: Dark Waters
- Publisher(s): Deep Silver
- Developer(s): Piranha Bytes
- Genre: Role-Playing
- Release:
- Classification Board: M
Risen 2: Dark Waters Navigation
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