[SlamDunk]

This part about PC controls in foobar's gamescom 2011 impressions article got me worried:

The first thing that one notices – negatively – when playing Risen 2 is the new control with the free camera. While it might fit well to a game-pad with its two analogue sticks, it basically just makes everything more complicated. Especially on the PC which in most cases has only one analogue input device – the mouse. The activation focus in Risen 2 only locks on to things in viewing direction of the character, not to things in viewing direction of the camera. But the camera is the only thing you can aim directly, at least on the PC. As a consequence, whenever you want to pick up an item or talk with someone or open a chest or plunder a body or ram you epée in somebody’s stomach, you first have to turn the camera towards it. Then you have to press the assigned "Forward" key to get character to turn in that direction, too.

That indeed sounds like a cumbersome system. I hope there will be an option to use Risen-style controls since it was a very good and intuitive system. But if there's a very good reason why it is as it is now, I'd like to hear it.


Comments from Piranha Bytes on this would be greatly appreciated.

[Zocky]

Was actually gonna open the same topic. I also would like to see option for old style R1 scheme. This simply sounds more complicated then it shoud be.

[glumetzul]

Sounds a lot like anouther game I played but I can't remember which one. Might have been a 3rd person shooter not an RPG. Or could it be Arcania?

[André Feroi]

... Or could it be Arcania?

Exactly the feeling I had when seing the combats in the Polish video. But this is a demo (e.g. difficulty level very easy) of a pre-beta version that we have not played ourselves => no too quick conclusions.

[SlamDunk]

From watching those gameplay videos and seeing how effortlessly most of the people control the character I feel that you could get used to the new scheme rather quickly...

[warstrike]

From watching those gameplay videos and seeing how effortlessly most of the people control the character I feel that you could get used to the new scheme rather quickly...

who cares? PB havent come up with any challenging combat system since Night of The Raven ....obviously most of the old team had change

[Maladiq]

who cares? PB havent come up with any challenging combat system since Night of The Raven

I would say Risen 1 had a challenging combat once you got to the best of adversaries.

[RobinHood 13.]

I would say Risen 1 had a challenging combat once you got to the best of adversaries.

Staff fighting was challenging.

[Assassin of Kings]

That's nothing to worry IMO. It's good to know that R2 will have a challenging and innovative fighting system.

[Demonium]

I would say Risen 1 had a challenging combat once you got to the best of adversaries.

It was the best modern solution for a Gothic 2 style combat...I really hate when
developers are changing the best things in their games...

it is s supposed to be improving weak parts and adding new elements and new ideas...

You dont change/remove completely the best and most successful parts of the game...You must be plain stupid...

I have the feeling that the guy/guys who are taking the big decisions in PB dont understand a thing about what is very good and needs to stay and what needs to be changed or completely redesigned...

I have that feeling that Gothic 1 and 2 were good games because PB back then was a small team and perhaps all together they were taking decisions...
They were making games to look like the way they wanted from the perspective of a gamer and not that of a company...

[Assassin of Kings]

I get your point, Demonium, but the thing is that PB intends to make the fighting system of Risen 2 even better, and more complex. They don't plan on making it dull and simple, like they did with G3.

[glumetzul]

I just realised which game this reminds me about. It's assassins creed. At least the Brotherhood (can't remember exactly about older titles) had exacty this kind of camera/character control.

[Assassin of Kings]

Yep, Assassin's Creed was the first title that came to my mind too after reading the description of the R2 combat system.

[glumetzul]

Yep, Assassin's Creed was the first title that came to my mind too after reading the description of the R2 combat system.

The difference is that AC had as far as I remember some sort of character focus while so far in R2 movies it seems that the hero just swings his sword in all directions hoping to hit someone.

[Assassin of Kings]

Assassin's Creed did have character focus, but trust me, when I was fighting 10 enemies at once in that game, it was damn hard to focus on one of them after receiving a hit, so I was just hitting the closest one.

[glumetzul]

Assassin's Creed did have character focus, but trust me, when I was fighting 10 enemies at once in that game, it was damn hard to focus on one of them after receiving a hit, so I was just hitting the closest one.

In AC many opponents were so inferior to the main character that they could be killed with one hit using a special move.

But they are different games. In AC fighting was a secondary feature as compared to stealth, or climbing while in games like Risen it's more important and opponents are tougher not just meat with swords like in AC.

What I find annoying is this: When you want to retrat from the range of an enemy, you will aim the camera at him and press backwards. In R1 and gothic that would make the character slowly step backwards while still facing the opponent and being ready to strike. In R2 as far as I see from the movies this will make the hero turn with the back to the opponent and run in that direction. I feel that I'm more vulnerable when doing that and it kinda is an immersion killer (noone will turn the back towards the opponent in a fight except for the case when he wants to just simply run away).

[Assassin of Kings]

Yeah, that's stupid. It's like exposing yourself to the enemy, giving him the opportunity to stab you or shoot you in the back while running away.

[mkreku]

I must say that I am not the least worried about this. Describing a control scheme in words always makes it sound really complicated and strange. But once you try it out, it's usually a piece of cake to master.

And I'm pretty sure Piranha Bytes wouldn't change the controls unless they wanted to make them better

[Maladiq]

I never had any issues with free cameras in games, I actually quite enjoy them more for some reason. I'm glad they made that decision, you people are just overthinking it, it's really not that big of a change.

I found it very annoying in GTA San Andreas.

[Assassin of Kings]

Yeah, it may sound discouraging when you hear about it, but when actually playing with that combat system, you'll realize that it's not such a big deal and that you can get used to it fast.