[André Feroi]

In relation with this thread, Dorbelec has answered the question as follows in German part of the forum:
(sorry for the very poor translation - my German is very basic - EDIT thank you to JemJazem for the enhanced translation)

There are several reasons [for not having a MOD kit]:

a) Piranha Bytes has a small team of developers and the programmers has to be fully concentrated on the main project. When the Modkit for G2(°) was created, a small splinter group/faction of PB created the tool for almost a year in their spare time or on weekends and this with the, from today's perspective, primitive technology which is the inside of G2.

b) There are games such as Counter Strike, Little Big Planet, or TrackMania that are designed for user-generated content. A highly complex RPG like Risen is not designed for this, and though a few years ago Milkshape still served to texture polygons in order to pop into the engine but these days are gone for long. The textures are so complex nowadays to properly create an object that it is a science in itself and I'm not talking about plucking the UV coordinates but rather about the shaders, etc ...

c) If there is a Modtool, then it should also be with a complete set of documentation. I can hear "Anyway we don't need support from the developers if only we have the tools" but we know this is not the case. The tools of PB are closely intertwined with their development environment and even if one would cut the tools out of the development environment, there still must be written hundreds of pages of documentation so that a normal human being can understand which flag triggers what or also what bugs the tools contains. You must not forget that the programs used by a developer must not meet the same quality as the game in the store - you sit in front of a fitting with 1000 buttons and only the developers know the 250 buttons which crashes the program immediately if they are in pressed in the wrong order.

(°) G2 = Gothic 2 which came with a MOD kit.

[JemJazem]

Some small retranslation. As German is my mother tongue but not English i hope it fits

a) Piranha Bytes has a small team of developers and the programmers has to be fully concentrated on the main project. When the Modkit for G2 was created, a small splinter group/faction of PB created the tool for almost a year in their spare time or on weekends and this with the, from today's perspective, primitive technology which is the inside of G2

c) .... The tools of PB are closely intertwined with their development environment and even if one would cut the tools out of the development environment, there still must be written hundreds of pages of documentation so that a normal human being can understand which flag triggers what or also what bugs the tools contains.


(small question: quirk means (like a bug) a failure in a software ?)

[André Feroi]

Thank you for your help
I realised that I read R2 instead of G2 in a)
So now everything becomes much clearer

P.S. quirk (was translated by Google) = an unpredictable or unaccountable act or event; a vagary: a quirk of fate.

[Bruell]

I thought I read somewhere that there are around 100 people working on Risen 2; Bethesda who has alway's had a TES constuction kit consists of around 200 employees.

So does half the staff cancel out a mod kit?

And by the way let's have Doblerec explain to us here what KS they are planing to use in Risen 2?

I've read that Mr Doblerec stated in a German thread they re going to use a KS that is accepted by millions of computer gamers world wide.

[Maladiq]

25 piranhas, maybe 25 DSs promotiing the game, 25 motion capture artist/external animators, 25 prerendered video artists. Maybe they also included the cleaning staff at the office, the caterers etc

[Bruell]

25 piranhas, maybe 25 DSs promotiing the game, 25 motion capture artist/external animators, 25 prerendered video artists. Maybe they also included the cleaning staff at the office, the caterers etc

Nope 100 working for PB on the game.

[Aun]

Nope 100 working for PB on the game.

But still Piranha Bytes are, as a fact, 25 people who make the very most of the game.

[Maladiq]

Nope 100 working for PB on the game.

The exact phrasing:

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.

[Bruell]

The exact phrasing:

To bad they couldn't whip up some additional 25 for a mod kit

[RobinHood 13.]

More than 100 people involved is quite far from 100 people dedicated full time to that project.

[Zocky]

indeed Robin, that is a HUGE difference.

[André Feroi]

And by the way let's have Doblerec explain to us here what KS they are planing to use in Risen 2?

KS = Kampfsystem (fighting system) ?

EDIT:
@Aun: thank you to confirm.
See in this message: "The combat will be similar to what we experienced in Risen, some improvements are being made but there are no plans to make it simpler.".

[Aun]

KS = Kampfsystem (fighting system) ?

Yes.

[Bruell]

KS = Kampfsystem (fighting system) ?

EDIT:
@Aun: thank you to confirm.
See in this message: "The combat will be similar to what we experienced in Risen, some improvements are being made but there are no plans to make it simpler.".

Sorry for the confusion, I meant CP! copy protection, I just came back over from the German forum and had the German wording in mind.

Anyway I found this on the current Bethesda Blog:"I can remember directing Morrowind with the exact same goal, but with a team of 40, which seemed enormous in 2000. And again directing Oblivion and a team of 60 people for the next four years. This time we're up to 100 people. "

[Maladiq]

Anyway I found this on the current Bethesda Blog:"I can remember directing Morrowind with the exact same goal, but with a team of 40, which seemed enormous in 2000. And again directing Oblivion and a team of 60 people for the next four years. This time we're up to 100 people. "

Yet still G2 NotR pretty much kicked the arses of every RPG out there.

[Demonium]

Yet still G2 NotR pretty much kicked the arses of every RPG out there.

That was back then...when computer technology and DX8 games were much easier to develop.

[JimmDon]

Its sad that there wont be a kit ... but i can rlly understand DS

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.

But theres one thing u should remember : 1 PB > 11 Bethesda guys

jimm

[Maladiq]

That was back then...when computer technology and DX8 games were much easier to develop.

Well, let's hope R2 will be a huge success and that DS will trust PB with enough money for the next game to hire 25 people solely for graphics and engine work.

[foobar]

Well, let's hope R2 will be a huge success and that DS will trust PB with enough money for the next game to hire 25 people solely for graphics and engine work.

Please don't scare the pengiuns.

[Nisarg]

25 more people for just the graphics and the engine is pure, unadulterated overkill. There's a saying in English, "Too many cooks spoil the broth."
Besides, one of the PBs, Herr Björn Pankratz, I think, remarked in the RPG Italia interview that a smaller team allows for individual talents to shine. I support the sentiment entirely. I think that PB could expand over the years, get a 2-3 new people each year. For instance, they probably need a new man working exclusively for PB to do the sound part of future PB games. I may only be speculating but I think that there is an external sound engineer working on Risen 2.