Gothic III 'Ask the Developers' Feature

Piranha Bytes has taken the time to answer a series of community questions about Gothic III over in the game's official forums. This will apparently be an ongoing feature, so keep checking back for further updates. A snip from the current list of answers:
Q: How do you evaluate Gothic 3? Which improvement do you see most innovative?

A: Gothic 3 is what you would expect from a worthy successor, and it is even more. In the last few weeks we were able to recreate and refurbish the incomparable atmosphere of Gothic on the new technology, so starting with the game feels like a return into the well known and fascinating world of Gothic. I personally am enthusiastic about every new feature our programmers are providing us and I just can't believe what our self-built engine can offer. I am mostly impressed by the new animation system and its use during combat and the shader effects we use for the water and shiny materials, surface structures, skin ... But this are things other Piranhas might tell you more about.