Arcania: A Gothic Tale Forum Tidbits

Community manager Dietrich "EDL" Limper has been clearing up some things up (via proxy) on the JoWood Gothic 4 forums. It seems things are about to get confusing as the information out there may or may not be accurate. For instance, while unconfirmed with the chief, word is that the game is to be released under two titles, Arcania: A Gothic Tale for US version and Gothic 4: Arcania for EU version. Kind of like Drakensang, I suppose.
Hi guys,

of course am I back and there's always hope.

I was away on personal and business matters and could not answer earlier. Sorry about that. When I came back this morning I was more than stunned to read the information that made its way across the great ocean. Interesting.

There are lots of rumors out there right now and I will try to clarify a few things.

Combat System
What the guys in the US saw has nothing to do with the final system. They were running the test level and there you can hit one human without any AI with your sword. That's about it. That has nothing to do with the stuff we are working on right now. So, just forget about it.

The "witches"
Well, we will not use old ladies, put them on broomsticks and send them through the air to save the world. The traditional term "witches" has nothing to do with the ladies you might encounter during the game. They run a different show and have other goals ... forget about the "witches".

The interface
You can customize your interface to your liking and leave out all the windows and bars that you don't like to see. You could even use the old Gothic Interface and don't use any of the new stuff we'll offer. Purists can use the life bar from Gothic 1 only if they are happy with it. Other players might want to use the mini map for example. It is up to you.

Two versions
There will not be two versions of the game. Period. The only choice you can make is about a different set of colors. That is a decision you can make once in the game and then forget about it. It is just a feature. It will in no way influence the story or anything else.

The nameless hero
Well, when the US-Publisher gives away the news as they did, who am I to say "veto".
Let's clarify what was written there:
10 years have passed since the Nameless Hero (NH) declared himself king and now he wages war throughout the country. He even wants to conquer the Southern Isles. His friends and close advisors are wondering about his strange behaviour and get the feeling that the king might not act by his free will. Strange things are going on.
During these dark and doomed days a new hero emerges in the south. A guy who will not take it anymore and he will do ... well whatever you want him to do. During his travels he might find new allies, even the old buddies of the king, who do not understand the rulings of their former friend. And he will meet new NPC and enemies, each with his/her own agenda. Whom can you trust now? The adventure goes on ...

That is all speculation, OK? That's a summary of the information that was out there.

The Gothic feeling is not gone. Right now you know about 5 % of the whole story and we will stick to the world, language, monsters, gods and so on. We will not turn the world upside down, but some new stuff has to happen, don't you think so? The story needs to go on and people might change over the course of 10 years.

I hope I could help a little bit.

-EDL
Mostly "yeah, that stuff you didn't like? Pretend it didn't happen"-material.

Thanks Phantasmal.