Gothic 3 Preview

GameSpy has whipped up a two-page preview of Piranha Bytes' Gothic III, after checking out a recent demonstration of the RPG sequel.
Based on our demonstration, the dimension of moral choice is more than mere dialogue choices; it carries over into every aspect of the gameplay, including the game's faction system. Every NPC the player might encounter will be a member of a faction -- usually more than one. These factions all have their own political and social agendas that complement or compete with one another. Every action a player takes will alter their standing with these factions in some way. Hooking up with human thieves might increase the player's standing with human assassins and merchants who fence stolen goods, but hurt their reputation with Orcish law enforcement and Orc thieves who view the humans as competition.

The faction system also affects the way a character develops. Every level the character achieves is accompanied by a gift of "learning points." These points are used at various trainers around the world to get special abilities like spells, alchemy recipes, or new combat moves. These trainers, however, are also members of various factions, and they don't give out their abilities for free. They are offered to players who help these factions further their goals in some way.