Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Fromnowonmorethanonegamevariant ....................................3
AlternativeBalancing("AB") ........................................................ 4
2.1
TurningtheAlternativeBalancingonandoff ........................ 4
2.2
Revisionofperksandmagicspells .........................................5
2.2.1 Fightingskills....................................................................5
2.2.2 Huntingskills ................................................................... 6
2.2.3 Magicskills ...................................................................... 6
2.2.4 Smithskills .......................................................................7
2.2.5 Thiefskills.........................................................................7
2.2.6 Alchemyskills .................................................................. 8
2.2.7 Otherskills....................................................................... 8
2.2.8 Magicofdominance ........................................................ 9
2.2.9 Transformationmagic ..................................................... 9
2.2.10 Summoningmagic..........................................................10
2.3
Revisionofweapons,armor,etc. .........................................10
2.3.1 Swords ...........................................................................10
2.3.2 Largeweapons ............................................................... 11
2.3.3 Staffs.............................................................................. 11
2.3.4 Bows...............................................................................12
2.3.5 Crossbows ......................................................................12
2.3.6 Arrowsandbolts.............................................................12
2.3.7 Armor ............................................................................. 13
2.3.8 Shields............................................................................14
2.3.9 Helmets ..........................................................................14
2.3.10 Potionswithpermanenteffects ......................................14
2.3.11 Artifacts..........................................................................14
2.4
Furtherchanges...................................................................14
NewMeleeAI ............................................................................. 16
3.1
TurningtheAlternativeAIonandoff .................................. 16
3.2
Features.............................................................................. 16
3.2.1 Blocksystem ...................................................................17
3.2.2 "Rage"andanimals .........................................................17
3.2.3 Variabledifficultylevel ....................................................17
WithAlternativeBalancingorAlternativeAI .............................. 18
Expandingonfurtherchanges .................................................... 18
5.1
Installation.......................................................................... 18
5.2
Newmenuoptions.............................................................. 18
5.3
Sound ................................................................................. 19
5.4
Graphics.............................................................................. 19
5.5
Dialogs................................................................................ 19
5.6
Quests ................................................................................ 19
5.7
Items .................................................................................. 20
5.8
NPCs................................................................................... 20
5.9
Balancingissues.................................................................. 21
Welcome to
Community Patch 1.7x
Withallthesethingsitistheowntastewhichhasthefinalsayofcourse.
Whatistooeasyorboringforoneplayer,appearstobeprettygoodfor
theother.AndtherearealwaysgamersforwhomGothic3istoo
difficult.
Asthereisnorealobjective"right"or"wrong"hereandsincethesub
jectsdealtwitharepartlyabsolutelyfundamental,wehavedecidedto
leavethe"normal"Gothic3intermsofbalancingasmuchasitwas
before.Inthere,weonlytweakedthebalancingincaseswherethere
wasaclearlyobviousmistake.
SurethoseofyouwhothoughtGothic3wastoosimpleuptonow
shouldalsonotfallshort.Thereforeweincludedtwonewoptions,
whichwewillelaborateuponinmoredetailinchapterstwotofour:
a)"AlternativeBalancing"("AB")
b)newmeleebehavior("AlternativeAI")forhumans,Orcs,animals
andmonsters.
Behindeachofthetermshidesawholepackageofchanges.Both
featurepackagescanbeturnedonandoffindependently.
Theseareexplicitlyjustoptions!Andjustoneconceptofmanytothink
of.Whodoesnotshareourtasteanddoesnotwanttousetheoptions,
canstillcontinueplayinglikebeforeandleavebothoptionsturnedoff.
Alltheotherfixesandchangesareindependentfromthesefeatures!
Thepatchcertainlywillraiseafewquestionshereyouwillfindthe
mostimportantanswers.
Beforeyoustarttowonderorevenangeraboutspecificthings,itwill
paytoreadthismanualatleasttheboltprintedparts.
1 Fromnowonmorethanonegamevariant
IntheGothic3forums(JoWooDforumandWorldofGothic)itcould
regularlybereadthatthegameistoounbalanced.Criticisedwerefor
example:
thatitisnotneededtokeepastrategyforfighting;itispossibletobe
successfulbymonotonouslypressingamousebutton,
thatthevaluesforweaponsarenotproperlybalancedagainstone
another(thesameholdsforarmorandsomeotheritems),
thatreadingthebookshelvesalonewouldsufficetogatherenough
pointsinalchemy,
thatthereisnearlynochallengewhentryingtolearnskillsandspells,
suchthattheheroeasilycanmastereverythingintheend,
thatsomeoftheskills,e.g.theregenerations,aretoopowerful
...andsoon
Whetheronewantstoplaywithorwithout"Alternative
Balancing",isafundamentalchoicewhichhastobetaken
beforethestartofanewgame.Itisnotpossibletochangethis
duringarunninggame!
ThesavedgameswithAlternativeBalancingarestrictly
separatedfromthosewithoutAB,asmixingupcouldleadto
malfunctions.
Thenewmeleebalancehowevercaneasilybechangedduringa
runninggame.
Acompleteexplanationaboutwhichpointshavebeenalteredbythe
AlternativeBalancingandwhichbytheAlternativeAIcanbefoundin
thechangelog.Inthefollowingwecompiledafewtopicsonwhichwe
wouldliketoexpandabit.
Browsethemanualwithouthurry,tryoutthefeaturesifyouare
interested,andthendecideforonevariantofgameplayonlyyou
yourselfknowwhetherAlternativeBalancingand/orAlternativeAIisto
yourliking.
JustonelastadviceregardingbalancingandalternativeAI:
IfyouusedtoplayGothic3withthedifficultylevel"easy"or"medium",
youshouldkeepitthatway.Ifyouthinkthatthiswastooeasyforyou,
youshouldstartwith"medium"anyway,justtogetusedtothenew
feelingofthegame.Onlythentakethepleasure(orpain)of"Hard".
Becausenowthismodedeservesitsname!
2 AlternativeBalancing("AB")
Uptonow,theherocouldlearnmostalltheskillsandatsomepoint
alsocarryanyweaponinthegame.Someplayersenjoyedtobecome
nearalmightyothersprefertheclassicalspecializationinroleplaying
games.Onceamage,alwaysamage.Withstaffandnotwithbowand
arrow.
2.1 TurningtheAlternativeBalancingonandoff
Aftertheinstallationofthepatch,theABistturnedoffbydefault.If
youwanttotryitout,youwillhavetoclickontheleftbuttoninthe
mainmenufirst:
2.2 Revisionofperksandmagicspells
Generalcolorlegend:
InformationinBLACKlettersrefertothevaluesintheregularversion
ofthegame,withoutAB.
ValuesthatareneworhavebeenchangedwithactivatedABare
coloredmainlyinBLUE.
Skillname
Swordfighter
StrongSwordfighter
Masterswordsman
Fightwithtwo
blades
Masteroftwoblades
2.2.1 Fightingskills
Orcslayer
Largeweapons
LargeweaponsII
LargeweaponsIII
Heavycrossbow
Crossbowman
Masterarcher
Shieldparry
Strongshieldparry
Paladin
Regeneration
Ancient
knowl.
Gold
100
Hunting
skill
10
150
2500
Strongswordfighter
20
200
5000
Strongswordfighter
15
170(150)
140(150)
2500
Fightwithtwo
blades
Largeweapons
25
190
(200)
5000
15
220
(200)
150
2500
10
150
1000
Largeweapons
20
200
2500
LargeweaponsII
30
250
5000
100
1000
Heavycrossbow
10
150
2500
Crossbowman
15
200
5000
StrongSwordfighter
10
150(125)
100
1000
Shieldparry
15
200(150)
125
2500
Masterswordsman
15
200(150)
50
30
300
5000
10000
(5000)
Requiredskill
LP
Strength
Swordfighter
2.2.2 Huntingskills
2.2.3 Magicskills
Skillname
Bow
Requiredskill
LP
Huntungskill
Gold
100
Skillname
Stafffighting
Requiredskill
LP
Ancientknowl.
Gold
50()
1000
Stafffighting
100(50)
2000(2500)
StafffightingII
150(100)
3000(5000)
2500
Bow
15
150
3500(2500)
StafffightingII
Masterarcher
Archer
25
225(200)
7000(5000)
StafffightingIII
Gamehunter
125()
1500(1000)
Magicstaves
Stafffighting
60(50)
Gamehunter
15
175(150)
2500
Improverobes
Learnquickly
15
125(100)
2500
Learnquickly
50(100)
3000(5000)
Improverobes
15
150(100)
5000
Manaregeneration
30
250(200)
7500(5000)
Archer
Biggamehunter
Orchunter
Biggamehunter
15
225(200)
3500(2500)
115(150)
1000
Takeanimalskins
Silenthunter
125(120)
500(1000)
Firemage
Takereptilehides
Silenthunter
130
500(1000)
Watermage
Manaregeneration
30
250(200)
7500(5000)
500(1000)
Darkmage
Manaregeneration
30
250(200)
7500(5000)
Learnquickly
30
200(250)
10000(5000)
Silenthunter
Teeth,claws,andhorns
Silenthunter
120(110)
Druid
Manaregeneration
2.2.4 Smithskills
2.2.5 Thiefskills
Skillname
Smith
Forgeoreweapons
Forgeweaponsfrompure
ore
Prospector
Honeblade
Improvearmor
Requiredskill
LP
Smithing
Gold
Requiredskill
LP
Thieving
Gold
10()
Skillname
Picksimplelocks
10()
Smith
25
2500
Pickdifficultlocks
Picksimplelocks
30
2500
Forgeoreweapons
10
50
5000
Pickimpossiblelocks
Pickdifficultlocks
60
5000
15()
1000
10
30()
1500(1000)
Honeblade
15
60(50)
5000
Simplepickpocketing
10()
1000
Difficultpickpocketing
Simplepickpocketing
40
2000(2500)
Impossiblepickpocketing
Difficultpickpocketing
80
4000(5000)
Sneak
Bargain
Makeexcuses
Knockdown
Murder
Masterthief
Makeexcuses
50(70)
2500
25(30)
1000
40(50)
1000
Knockdown
90
4000(5000)
Impossiblepickpocketing
12
100
5000
2.2.6 Alchemyskills
2.2.7 Otherskills
Requiredskill
LP
Alchemy
Gold
Skillname
Requiredskill
LP
Alchemy
Gold
10()
Acrobatics
10
1000
Brewmanapotions
Brewhealingpotions
20
1000
Enduranceofthewolf
18
1500(1000)
Potionswithpermanent
effects
Makepoison
Brewtransformation
potions
60(40)
4000(2500)
Resistancetocold
15
3000(1000)
35(20)
2000(2500)
Resistancetoheat
15
3000(1000)
Brewtransformation
potions
Poisonblade
Brewmanapotions
40(60)
2500(5000)
Resistancetodiseases
20
35()
2000(500)
Resistancetopoison
20
35()
2000(1000)
Makepoison
10
45(40)
1000
Makepoisonarrows
Makepoison
40
1500(1000)
30(20)
1500(1000)
Makefirearrows
10
80(60)
2500
5000
Skillname
Brewhealingpotions
Makefirearrows
Makeexplodingarrows
Makesharparrows
2.2.8 Magicofdominance
2.2.9 Transformationmagic
Mana
cost
10
Gold
God
Magicspell
Ancient
knowl.
5
500
Telekinesis
Light
15(10)
20
1000
Summonanimals
Light
15
45(50)
1000
Tameanimal
Curedisease
10
30
60
1700
Icelance
Healing
40
50(60)
1500(2500)
Sleep
Light
45
60
2500
Learnquickly
50
1530
1500(1000)
Banishevil
Light
110
Fireball
120(95)
4000
(5000)
7500(3500)
Flamewave
30100
(50100)
90(75)
Magicspell
Required
spell/skill
LP
Curedisease
Curepoison
Light
Healing
Healother
Summonflaming
sword
Fireball
Blessweapon
Banishevil
15
230
100
5000(3500)
Meteor
Flamewave
15
240
130(90)
7500(4500)
Summonflaming
sword
Firemage
15
210(250)
140(100)
N(Y)
25
250
(200)
300(90)
10000
(8000)
15000
(5000)
Wordof
dominance
Firerain
Mana
cost
35(50)
Gold
God
Ancient
knowl.
15(25)
500(2000)
20(15)
50
1000
Summonanimals
30(35)
40
1000(1500)
60
1530
1500(2000)
Telekinesis
60(100)
30
1500(3000)
SummonGoblin
Summonanimals
65(45)
40
2500(2000)
Animalform
Summonanimals
75
60
2500
Iceexplosion
Icelance
130
120
6000(7000)
Frostwave
Icelance
10
140(120)
135(90)
9000(8000)
Openlocks
Telekinesis
10
180(20)
4000(5000)
SummonGoblin
15
110(90)
7500
Sleep
15
200
(230)
250
(205)
240
120(100)
6500(5000)
N
(Y)
Y
(N)
Y
Watermage
25
250
300(90)
15000
(4000)
Timebubble
Hailstorm
LP
Learnquickly
SummonGolem
Y(N)
Required
spell/skill
2.2.10 Summoningmagic
2.3 Revisionofweapons,armor,etc.
Magicspell
2.3.1 Swords
1000(1500)
Transferdisease
25
25
1000(1500)
Learnquickly
50(30)
1530
1500(1000)
Amnesia
Transferdisease
50(80)
30
2000(2500)
Terror
Transferdisease
60
60
1500(1800)
Fog
Terror
65(50)
50(60)
2000(1000)
Bloodlust
Terror
70
50
3500(4000)
Summonskeleton
Terror
105
60
3500(3000)
Soultravel
15
175
80(40)
4000(3000)
Fog
220(240)
70
4500(3500)
Summonskeleton
10
220(210)
110(90)
9000(7500)
Summonlightning
Lightningbolt
15
230
100(80)
7500(3500)
Armyofdarkness
Darkmage
25
275(250)
250(100)
15000(10000)
Soultravel
Summondemon
Hunting
Gold
WrathofInnos
Paladin
180(150)
290(300)
75000
Allprotect.+10(+8)
155(135)
270
60000
P.a.elements+10
150(135)
666
Greatinquisitor
Lifeenergy+50
145(130)
260
45000
Headsman'ssword
P.a.blades+15
120(110)
220
30000
Allprotections+2
115(105)
210
20000
Ordersword
Lifeenergy+10
110(90)
180
10000
Twohander
75
150
500
Rustytwohander
60
120
60
SwordoftheAncest.
God
Nightintoday
Strength
Oretwohander
Gold
Lightningbolt
Damage
Demonsword
Mana
cost
40
Poison
Bonus
PoweroftheAncest.
Ancient
knowl.
20
Transferdisease
Weapon
Required
spell/skill
LP
Allprotections+5
135(120)
240
50000
King'ssword
130(150)
230
40000
Greatsword
P.a.blades+10
115(110)
220
30000
Mastersword
M.oftwoblades
110(105)
(210)
210()
30000
Runesword
Allprotections+5
110(105)
210
30000
Flamesword
R.t.fire+10
100
120
30000
Inquisitor
Lifeenergy+30
100(95)
190
27500
Masterswordsm.
95(90)
180
27500
90
170
20000
Lifeenergy+5
90(80)
160
8000
Barbariansword
85
170
12000
Cutlass
85
170
12000
Bastardsword
80(90)
180
16000
ElBastardo
Nordmariansword
Paladinsword
Iceblade
P.a.cold+10
80
160
10000
Endurance+15
80
160
8000
75(70)
140
1250
Longsword
75
150
2500
Rubyblade
Strongswordf.
75
150
8000
Katana
Hashishinsword
Weapon
Bonus
Damage
Strength
Hunting
Gold
Weapon
Broadsword
60
120
Crescent
60
120
750
Halberd
70
70
700
5000
Spikedcudgel
65
130
100
Endurance+5
60
120
800
KrushMilok
60
250
500
Moonblade
Wenzel'ssword
60(80)
120
5000
Rustybattleaxe
60
120
150
60(70)
160
8000
Spear
60
500
Orcslayer
50
100
600
Scythe
40
75
45(50)
80(100)
50
Woodcutter'saxe
35(50)
80(100)
40
Hashishinknife
35(45)
70(90)
350
Pickaxe
35(50)
80(100)
80
Rustysword
30
60
30
Heavybranch
25
50
Cudgel
15
10
10
Magicflamesword
70(60)
Rapier
Orcslayer
Sword
Bonus
Damage
Strength
Hunting
Gold
2.3.3 Staves
2.3.2 Largeweapons
Weapon
Weapon
Bonus
Damage
Strength
Hunting
Gold
Ogremorningstar
260(250)
450(500)
300
KrushTarach
210(200)
380(400)
800
KrushIrmak
210(200)
380(400)
1500
KrushAgash
180(175)
340(350)
900
Lifeenergy+60
170(150)
290
65000
KrushPach
160(150)
300
600
KrushMorok
160(150)
300
700
BerserkerAxe
Lifeenergy+40
140(135)
270
55000
130(125)
250
500
Orcslayer
125(120)
250
35000
Lifeenergy+20
125(120)
240
15000
Battleaxe
LargeweaponsIII
105(100)
200
21000
Meataxe
LargeweaponsII
90(85)
170
10000
Lifeenergy+10
85(80)
160
7000
75
150
150
Berserker'swrath
KrushVarok
Barbarianbattleaxe
Warhammer
Beardedaxe
Barbedcudgel
Gold
Staffofdeath
Manareg.,Darkmage
80(60)
Ancient
knowl.
260
Staffofdominance
Manareg.,Firemage
80(60)
260
60000
Staffofbalance
Manareg.,Watermage
80(60)
260
60000
Shaman'sstaff
50
100
60000
Allprotections+40
45
140
53000
Darkmage'sstaff
P.a.elements+40,Dm.
100(50)
40
160
30000
Firemage'sstaff
P.a.fire+40,Fm.
100(50)
40
100
30000
Staffofpower
Manaregeneration
40
150
26000
Watermage'sstaff
P.a.ice+40,Wm.
100(50)
40
160
30000
Staffofprotection
Allprotections+30
35
100
27500
Staffofnature
Lifeen.+50(+25),Druid
50(25)
30
100
12000
Staffofmagic
75(50)
30
100
12000
Staffofdarkness
Darkmage
25
80
15000
Staffoffire
Firemage
25
50
15000
Allprotections+15
25
60
12500
Watermage
25
80
15000
40(25)
20
50
4000
Staffofdefense
Staffofwater
Staffofsorcery
Damage
Mana
bonus
Staffofinvulnerab.
Bonus
Abbreviations:
"Dm"=Darkmage
"Fm"=Firemage
"Wm"=Watermage
"P.a."="Protectionagainst"
2.3.5 Crossbows
Note:Crossbowshavenotbeenchangedatall.
Weapon
Bonus
Damage
Strength
Gold
Judge'sstaff
P.a.blades+25
120(85)
130()
Ancient
knowl.
150()
Bladestaff
P.a.blades+15
95(70)
120(140)
100()
1000(18000)
Quarterstaff
P.a.blades+10
75(55)
110()
50()
180
2000
Weapon
2.3.4 Bows
Weapon
Bonus
Damage
Huntingskill
Gold
150(120)
290(250)
52000
Masterarcher
140(115)
270(240)
42000
Silentdeath
130(115)
250(230)
36000
Nimrod
120(110)
230(220)
30000
Deathbringer
115(105)
220(210)
52000(25000)
Hornbow
110(100)
210(200)
42000(20000)
Orcripper
Orchunter
105(95)
200(190)
21000
Battlebow
Archer
100(90)
190(180)
18000
Armybow
95(90)
180(170)
15000
Oakbow
90(80)
160(150)
12000
Biggamehunter
85
170(160)
13000(18500)
80(70)
130
5000
Gamehunter
80(75)
150(140)
9500
Longbow
75(70)
140(120)
3200
Compositebow
70(65)
120(110)
1600
Bonebow
60(55)
110(100)
800
Hashishinbow
55(50)
100(90)
400
Huntingbow
50(45)
90(80)
200
Bow
45(40)
80(70)
100
Demonbow
Runebow
Rangerbow
Warbow
Wolfripper
Bonus
Damage
Strength
Gold
KrashMorra
200
280
60000
Warcrossbow
190
265
45000
Heavycrossbow
180
250
35000
Rhinokiller
170
235
25500
Nordmariancrossbow
160
210
12800
Bloodharvest
150
195
6400
Mercenarycrossbow
140
180
3200
Slavedeath
130
165
1750
Headhunter'scrossbow
120
150
1000
Orccrossbow
110
135
750
Crossbow
100
100
500
2.3.6 Arrowsandbolts
Note:Inthiscase,thepricesinbracketsreferonlytopreviousversions
ofGothic3.WithCP1.7xyou'llfindthebluepricesalsowithoutAB.
Ammunition
Bonus
Damage
Gold
Sharparrow
35()
100()
Explodingarrow
Fire
30
200(250)
Headknockarrow
Knockoverenemy
20
60(80)
Fire
10
40(50)
Firearrow
Arrow
Poisonarrow
Poison
70(100)
Bladequarrel
20
20
Quarrel
2.3.7 Armor
Armor
Blade
Impact
Missile
Fire
Ice
Energy
Bonus
Reput.
Gold
Lightrebelarmor
Rebelarmor
30(20)
25(20)
25(10)
5000
40
40
40(20)
20(25)
Heavyrebelarmor
80(60)
80(60)
50(30)
40(50)
Ceremonialarmor
110(80)
110(80)
90(40)
50
Paladinarmor
150(100)
150(100)
150(100)
60(50)
45
45
20
30(15)
30
15
40(25)
30(20)
25(20)
25(10)
20000
(30000)
60000
(70000)
110000
(125000)
190000
(150000)
55000
(65000)
5000
50(40)
50(40)
40(20)
25
90(60)
90(60)
75(30)
50
150(100)
140(100)
130(100)
10(25)
10(25)
10(25)
75
30(20)
30(20)
25(15)
25000
(30000)
80000
(70000)
160000
(180000)
6000
60(40)
60(40)
50(20)
(10)
40(25)
40000
100(60)
100(60)
90(40)
20
(20)
15(20)
H+P
60(50)
LightNordmarian
armor
Nordmarianarmor
60(40)
60(40)
40(20)
30
25
140000
(90000)
35000
95(60)
95(60)
70(30)
45
50
HeavyNordmarian
armor
LightNomadclothes
(R)
Nomadclothes(R)
135(80)
130(80)
100(60)
60
60
20
20
15(10)
45(40)
45(40)
30(20)
40
HeavyNomadclothes
(R)
Waterrobe(R)
60
60
40(30)
30(10)
50
45
45
20
15(30)
30(15)
30(15)
40(25)
Ranger'sclothes(R)
35(30)
35(30)
30
SH
25
Druidrobe(R)
45(30)
45(30)
40(15)
20(10)
20(10)
20(10)
40(25)
Farmer'sclothes(R)
10(5)
10(5)
Leathergarb(R)
15(10)
15(10)
10(5)
AdanosRobe(R)
(300Ancient
knowledge)
55(40)
55(40)
50(40)
40
40
40
Firerobe(R)
Lightorcmercenary
armor
Orcmercenaryarmor
Heavyorcmercenary
armor
Orcarmor
LightHashishinarmor
Hashishinarmor
EliteHashishinarmor
Legend:
(R)=Armorcountsasrobe
H=Resistancetoheat
P=Resistancetopoison
C=Resistancetocold
D=Resistancetodiseases
SH=Silenthunter
W=WaterMage
100000
(64000)
165000
(120000)
6000
45000
(35000)
85000
(80000)
55000
(60000)
27000
(25000)
50000
(20000)
450
(300)
1500
(1000)
150000
2.3.8 Shields
2.3.10 Potionswithpermanenteffects
TouseaPaladin'sshield,King'sshieldorRuneshield,oneneedsthe
skill"Strongshieldparry",fortheothershieldsonlythebasicskill
"Shieldparry".
Shield
Blade
Impact
Missile
Strength
Gold
50(40)
Fire,ice,
energy
Royalshield
45(40)
45(40)
225
35
35(40)
15(10)
250
10
40(35)
200
20000
(21000)
22000
(20000)
10500
Runeshield
35
Paladin'sshield
30
Permanentpotion
Attributeincrease
Gold
3(2)
800
Huntingskill
Strength
3(2)
800
Lifeenergy
8(4)
800(600)
Mana
8(4)
800(600)
Endurance
8(4)
800(500)
2.3.11 Artifacts
Knight'sshield
25
25
35
175
8500
Skullshield
20
20
25
165
4500
Roundshield
15
15
25(20)
160
3000
Stonetablet
Leathershield
10
150
800
Woodenshield
500
Broken
woodenshield
500
Artifact
Gold
Increaseofancient
knowledge
3(5)
500(75)
Weatheredstonetablet
6(10)
1000(150)
Aidan'sbook
12(20)
1000
2.4 Furtherchanges
2.3.9 Helmets
Thefollowingchangesarejustexamplesforadditionalchangeswhen
ABisactivated.Thislistisnotcomplete!
"Theherohastoinvesttwiceasmuchgoldandlearningpointsto
increasestrength,huntingskillorancientknowledgeifhealreadyhas
250pointsormore":Thisisoneofmultiplemeasurestomakegold
andLearningpointsmore"valuable".Andinthiscasealsoplantsand
potionsthatincreasetheseattributespermanently.
35(40)
Fire,ice,
energy
Ancient
knowl.
250
10000
25(15)
5500
25(16)
15(10)
(10)
15()
10
4000
(6000)
2000
15(10)
3000
15(14)
10()
2000
(3000)
Helmet
Blade
Impact
Missile
CrownofAdanos
35(40)
35(40)
Ejnar'sHelmet
25(15)
Hornedhelmet
Helmetofthe
firstPaladin
Crownof
Myrtana
Lighthorned
helmet
Gold
"(Almosteveryofthe)Quests,forwhichtheherohastokillsomeone,
willbecancelledorcannotbesucceededanymore,whenthequest
giverdies":Thisadjustmentmakessurethattheherocannotsimply
killeveryNPChecomesacross,withouttherebysufferingthe
negativeconsequences.
Example:WhentheherokillsGunockbeforeGunock'squest"Kill
Torn"hasbeenresolved,itwillbeimpossibletostillfinishthisquest.
WhenkillingTornlateron,onewillnotreceiveadditionalexperience
forthequest.
Theadjustmentonlyaffectsatotalof35quests,inwhicha
cancellationofthequestwasjustifiableandtechnicallypossible.
"Theperk'Acrobatics'won'tmaketheheroimmortalwhenfalling":
Gothic3contradicteditselfinthisrespect.Inthedescriptionofthe
skillitiswrittenthattheherocannotdiebyasuddenfall,butthe
teachersexplicitlywarntheherothatthisskilldoesnotmakehim
immortal.
InAlternativeBalancingwehaveoptedformorerealism.
"ThespellsHailstorm,FirerainandTimebubblewilltakeeffect
aroundtheNPCinfocus,notaroundthehero":Thedestinationof
thesespellshasbeenchangedprimarilyforpracticalreasons.The
castingofthespelltooksolongthatattackingopponentsgenerally
couldalreadygetholdoftheheroandhithimbeforethecastinghad
finished.
"NewdamageandprotectioncalculationwhenNPCshitthehero
withmeleeweapons":
Inthenormalgame,thedamagethatanNPCcausesissolelybased
uponthestrengthorratherthe"level"oftheNPC.Andthearmor
protectionoftheheroissubtractedfromthisdamageaspercentage.
Thiswaytheherocouldreachamaximumprotectionof90%.Butthis
holdsforanattackbyascavengeraswellasforaanattackbyatroll,
suchthatthehero,wearingthebestarmotinthegame,stillreceives
somedamagefromascavenger,evenwhenitisjustaboutafew
hitpoints.
WithactivatedAB,thedamagecausedbyahumanorOrctothehero
isnotonlyconnectedtothestrengthoftheNPC,butalsoinfluenced
bythedamageoftheweapontheNPCuses.Whensomeoneattacks
onlywithfists,thatpersonisnowlessdangerousthanforexample
withabattleaxe.
Ontheotherhand,thearmoroftheherodoesn'tworkpercentually
anymore,butinabsolutefigures.Iftheherohasagoodarmor,then
weakopponentswillrarelybeabletowoundhimanymore.Tomake
surethattheherodoesnotbecomecompletelyimmuneagainst
attacksfromweakenemies,asmallpercentageoftheseattackswill
stillcausealittledamage.
NotchangedarethebattlesbetweenNPCsthemselvesandthe
attacksofthehero,noraretheformulaeforattackswithranged
weaponsormagic.
"Thehero'soponentssufferlessdamageduringarenafights":Goalof
thismeasureistomakearenafightssomewhatmoredifficultand
thustomakethemmoreinteresting.
"RearmamentofadisarmedNPCtoneddown":Whenonedefeatsan
NPCincombat,takeshisweaponandshieldandthenwalksfaraway,
thenexttimetheNPCismethewouldusuallyhavetheexactsame
weaponsequippedonhisbackasbefore.Itispossibletoexploitthis
togathermoneyquickly,forexamplewhentheherokeepshitting
downrangersandeverytimetakesawaytheexpensiveranger's
bows.
Tocounterthisexploitfromtheregulargame,thedefeatedNPCsdo
notreceivebacktheir"standard"weaponsincasetheABisturned
on.Insteadtheyarereequippedthroughapartlyrandomisedsystem
withrelativelysimpleweaponslikeclubs,rustyswords,simple
shields,bowsandcrossbows.
SometimestheNPCsstillregaintheiroriginalweaponsthough.
Theseexceptionsarethesevenoldfriendsofthehero(Angar,Diego,
Milten,Gorn,Lester,LeeandLares),allcompanionsoftheheroand
allopponentsinarenafights.
3 NewMeleeAI
Shortlydescribed,the"AlternativeAI"(AI="artificialintelligence")is
anattempttoimprovethebattletacticsofnonplayablecharacters
("NPCs")especiallyinmeleecombat,andtherebymakingthefights
moreappealingandinteresting.
NPCsarebothhumansandOrcsaswellasanimalsandmonsters.
"Someparticularlymightyweaponscan'tbeboughtfromtraders
anymore.Thosespecialitemsareonlybeavailablebylooting
chests":Theseweaponsare:"StaffoftheWatermage","Staffof
protection","ElBastardo"and"Warcrossbow"aswellasthebows
"SilentDeath"and"Nimrod".The"Barbarianbattleaxe"canonlybe
boughtfromexactlyonetradernow.
3.1 TurningtheAlternativeAIonandoff
ToactivatetheAlternativeAI,opentheGothic3optionsmenuand
enterthemenutosetthelevelofdifficulty.
HereitispossibletoactivateordeactivatetheAlternativeAIby
checkingoruncheckingtherelevanttickbox.
ThenewAIcanbedeactivatedeveninarunninggamewithout
causinganyincompatibilitieswithsavegamesorsomethinglike
this.Itcouldhoweverleadtosmallerrorsincombattacticsof
opponentsifthenewAIisturnedonoroffduringactualcombat!
3.2 Features
TheAlternativeAIisbasicallyawholenewlydefinedmeleetacticfor
NPCs.Atthesametimethefollowingfeaturesarecontainedinthe
package:
atthismoment.Ofcoursetheydotakedamage,butatthesametime
theycanhurttheiropponenttoo.
Iftheirattackissuccessful,theywillcalmdownfirst,untiltheyare
agitatedagain.
Thissystemshoulddecreasecontinuousquickattacksoftheheroand
givethemonstersa(small)chancetodefendthemselves.
Hint:Inpacks,animalsactmorecoherentandcontroltheirrage,
thereforeitislessdangeroustoapplyquickstrikesthere.
3.2.1 Blocksystem
WithactivatingtheAlternativeAItheblockparadesystemofGothic
3ischanged.
Inparademode(automaticallyactivatedbypressingtherightmouse
button),thefulldamageofanattackcannowbeblocked.Toachieve
this,theopponentfromwhomthisattackisblockedhastobevaguely
focusedupon.
Someattackscanstillpassthrough,namelythestabandthecleave
attacks,whichareusuallyactivatedbyextendedpressingoftheleft
mousebuttonwhileinparademode.Onlyaparadewhileholdingupa
shieldcanblockthosekindsofattacks.
Tobalancethefactthattheparadenowblocksthetotalamountofthe
damage,thedurationoftheparademodehasbeenreducedto2.5
seconds,afterwhichtheheroautomatically"relaxes"andhastostart
theparadeanew.
Warning:ThenewparaderulesalsoholdforNPCsinthecasethatthey
useweapons!
Inaddition,theheronowregenerateshisstaminaactuallyslowerwhile
beinginparademode.
3.2.3 Variabledifficultylevel
AfurtheradvantageoftheAlternativeAIisthevariabledifficultylevel.
Theprobabilityoffailuresandwrongdecisionsinbattleisdetermined
forOrcs,humansandsomeotheropponentsdependingonthe
situation.
Withthedifficultylevelsetto"low",itismorelikelythatanNPCmakes
awrongmoveorafalseattackthanforthedifficultylevels"medium"or
"hard"respectively.
ThedifficultyleveloftheAIfirstlydependsonthedifficultylevelofthe
overallgame,whichcanbesetinthemenu,secondaryonthelevelof
thehero,andfinallyontheindividualsituation.Duringarenabattles,
theopponentsaremoreconcentratedthanothertimes,thusthey
makelessfailures.
3.2.2 "Rage"andanimals
Animalsnowreact"agitated"whentheheroperformsmanystrikesina
shorttime.Insuchcasestheywillmakearapidcounterattackand
duringthiswillignoreanydamage.Also,theywillnotretreatwhenhit
4 WithAlternativeBalancingorAlternativeAI
5 Expandingonfurtherchanges
BesidesthechangeswhichareconnectedsolelywithABorsolelywith
theAlternativeAI,thereareahandfullofchangeswhichareeffective
inbothcases.
Themostimportantalterationsare:
"Theherocanbeattackedbyamaximumofone,twoorthreemelee
enemiesatthesametime(dependingonthelevelofdifficulty)":For
thenumberofactiveopponentsthereisasimpleformula:With
difficultylevel"easy"stillonlyasingleopponentattacks,with
"medium"amaximumoftwoattackers,andwith"hard"theyattack
ingroupsofmaximumthreeNPCs.
Theattackfrequencyofalmostallopponentshasbeenreduced.The
onlyexceptionsareMummiesandZombies.Thelightningfaststorm
ofattacksfromwolves,wildboars,templeguards,etc.areovernow.
Somemagesarenowabletosummoncreatureswhichsupportthem
intheirfightagainstthehero.Forexample,theshamanGrokcan
summonademon.
Inthefollowingyou'llfindafewdetailsfromchangelogentriesthat
needfurtherexplanationandhavenothingtodowithABorAlternative
AIwhatsoever,butratherwithallgamevariants.
5.1 Installation
"InstallationofDirectX9.0cofNovember2008ifithasn'tbeen
installedyet":Thissoftwarewillautomaticallybeinstalled,too,to
reducetherequestforsupportintheGothic3forums.Especially
VistausersaregenerallynotawarethatDirectX9hastobeinstalled
inadditiontoDirectX10.
Noworries:newerversionsofDirectX9willnotbeoverwrittenby
this!
5.2 Newmenuoptions
"Newsetting'Optimal'forresourcecache":Thissettingwillresultin
anindividualcalculationofthecachesettingsforthememory
managementdependingonwhichhardwareisusedtoplaythe
game.
"Newsetting'VeryHigh'forobjectdetails":Therewereactually
alwaysquitehighvaluesfortheobjectdetailstheycouldjustnotbe
activatedoverthemenu.Untilnowitwasnecessarytoeditthe.ini
filesmanuallyortousetheGothic3GameTool.
"'CartoonShader'notavailableanymore":Unfortunately,thisfeature
ofCP1.6hadtoberemoved,astheplacewasneededforfurther
shaderimprovements.
"RimlightingintegratedinShader3.0":ThroughRimlightingthe
edgesofobjectsroughlyspeakingwillbehighlightedalittlemore.
Thisoptionaleffecthasbeenkeptrelativelyunobtrusive.Iftheparts
whicharehighlightedbyRimlightingweretobepaintedred,the
gamewouldlooklikethis:
"EdgeSmoothingimplementedforShader2.0andhigher":Edge
SmoothingisakindofsoftwareversionofAntiAliasingthroughthe
shader.Itreducesthe"stepbuilding"ofthegraphicsthroughasoft
focuseffect.
Warning:Inprincipleit'spossibletoactivatethesoftwareedge
smoothingtogetherwiththeAntiAliasingofthegraphiccarddriver.
Wehoweveradvisenottodothis.
5.3 Sound
"Rainandwindcanbeheard":Therearestillsomeunsolvedtechnical
difficultieshere.Theweathersoundscanalsobeheardincaves,
furthermorethestartaswellastheendoftherain'snoisemany
timeswillnotfitwiththestartandendofthematchinggraphical
effects.
5.4 Graphics
"Fireeffectsoffireballsexchanged":Thismeasureonlyservesto
reducetheoldperformancedropwhencastingfireballs.
5.5 Dialogs
"FixedsmalllogicalerrorsindialogswithAbe,Asam,...andZapotek"
and"SeveraldialogswithAkrabor,Bogir,...andZapotekrespectively
broughtincorrectorder":Togiveanexamplefortheintentionsof
thesefixes:Therehavebeensituationsinwhichtheherowasableto
startadialogwithouthavinganyprerequiredknowledge,orinwhich
theplayercouldchosefromtwoanswerstoaquestion,butintheend
bothdialogswereactuallywindedoff.
5.6 Quests
Somequestshavealwaysbeeninconflictwitheachother.Inseveral
cases,thisaspectisnowmoreconsequentlyimplementedthan
before.Examples:Thequest"PromissorynotesforGonzales"will
nowbecancelledwhentheherohandsoverthepromissorynotesto
Warning:Ifaquickslotisautomaticallyassignedtoaweapon,it
couldhappenthatit'snottheexactsamespotinthequickslotlist
whereitwasbefore.Thiscanonlybeassuredwhenallotherslotsare
alreadyfilledupwithitems.
Masil,and"Howloyalaretheorcs'mercenaries?"willbecancelled
whenthemessagefromSanfordisgiventoRoland.
Inmostofthecases,theopposingquestsalwaysexcludedeachother
anyway,sinceoneofbothcouldnotbesolvedanymoreassoonas
theotherwasresolvedsuccessfully.Afterthat,theunsolvablequest
wouldstillbelistedinthemissionloginthesection"current"forthe
restofthegame.
5.8 NPCs
"BurningorpoisonedNPCsonlydiefromfireorpoisonwhentheyare
hostiletothehero":Thereasonforthischangewastheproblemthat
itwaspreviouslysometimespossibletotriggerarevolutionwhenthe
heroaccidentallysetfiretoaneutralorevenbefriendedNPC,orifhe
poisonedtheNPC.
"Respawnreactivatedandcorrected":Foranimalsandmonsters
whicharekilled,therenowisacertainchancethatthey"respawn"
somewhere,meaningthattheycomebacktolife.Thishappensafter
aminimumof120hoursafterthedeathoftherespectiveNPC,and
onlywithalimitedprobability.Sometypesofmonsters,forexample
dragonsandtrolls,areneverbroughtbacktolife.Orcsandhumans
willalsoneverrespawn.
Respawedanimalsandmonstersarenotdifferentfromtheoriginal
NPCs.Inotherwords,theherowillgetthefullamountofexperience
pointsforkillingthem.
TheproblemthatNPCsoccasionallyrunthroughwallsorrocksor
disappearbehindtexturesbysomemeansorothercouldnotbe
resolvedcompletely.However,theproblemshouldoccur
considerablylessoftennow.
5.7 Items
"Unwantedpoisoningorblessingofwrongitemsisnotpossible
anymore":The"wrongitems"thataremeanthereareshields,bows,
armor,potions,etc.thusitemsthatusuallycouldnotbepoisonedor
blessedanyways.Thiscouldaccidentallyhappenbeforeduetoan
error.
Ofcoursewecan'tpreventtheplayerfromaccidentallyclickingon
anotherweaponthanintended.
"Whentheheropicksupaweaponorashieldfromtheground,he'll
equipitrightawayifhefulfillsallrequirementsandhasafreeslotfor
theitem.Ifit'shisownweapon,thegamewilltrytoassigna
quickslot".
Inotherwords:Therearestillsituationsinwhichtheweaponthathe
pickedupdoesnotenduponthebackoftheherodirectly.Namely:
Whentheheroalreadyequippeddifferentweapons,whenhehasnot
enoughstrength,huntingskillorancientknowledgetousethe
weapon,orwhenhelacksarequiredskill.Forshieldsapplysimilar
rules;besidesthattheheroalreadyhastocarryaonehandweapon
onhisback,tomakesuretheshieldiscorrectlyequipped.
Thatweaponsorshieldsendupimmediatelyinthequickslotlist
whenbeingpickedup,isonlypossibleiftheherohaspreviously
droppedtheseexactitemshimself.
InsomesituationsNPCsbehavedifferentlyfrombefore.
Someexamples:
Whentheherotransformsintoashadowbeastoranother
dangerouscreature,hewillalsobeattackedbyOrcs.
Rangersontheotherhanddonotautomaticallyreacthostile
anymorewhentheherotransformsintoacreature.
Whentheherotellsacompanion"Waithere"andgetsintoafight
afterwards,thecompanionwillnotjoininthefight,butratherkeeps
onwaiting.
Onecannottakeeverycompanioneverywhereanymore,regardless
whoelsecouldbemet.OtherhumansandOrcswillattackthe
companionsiftheybelongtoanenemygroup.Asiswellknown,
Orcsandrebelsdonotgetalongwitheachother,andthesame
appliestoHashishinandnomads.
...andsoon.
ThesechangesweremadebecausetheoldbehavioroftheNPCs
wereeitherespeciallyillogicalorevencausedsometrouble.
"Cowscanbe'milked'":To"milk"acow,theherohastohavean
emptybottle(donotmistakewitha"vial").Afterclickingacow,a
dialogmenuopensinwhichtheoption"(Milkthecow)"isoffered.
Throughthisanemptybottlebecomesabottleofmilk.Amilkedcow
givesmilkagainafteratleast96hours.
TheonlycowswhichcannotbemilkedatallarethoseatDennis'
farmyardnexttoMontera.
forafallofmaximum1.2secondstherewouldbecompletelynoloss
ofhitpoints,for1.202secondssuddenly180points,foratotalof2
seconds240points,afterintotal4.2seconds385pointsandsoon.
Thisformulaseemedratherillogical,asthedamagestartedtoo
abruptlyandthenincreasedquiteslowly.
Withthenewdamagecalculation,hitpointswillalreadydeductedfor
theheroandtheNPCsslightlyearlier,butthedamagestartssmall
andthenincreasesmoreandmorevisiblysecondbysecond.Atafall
of0.9toonesecond,thefirsthitpointistaken,after1.2seconds15
points,aftertwoseconds190points,afterthreeseconds700points,
after4seconds1,530pointsandsoon.
"Whenopeningchests,thelockpickcanbreak"and"Lesslockpicks
canbefoundinchests":UntilnowthelockpicksinGothic3were
nearlyuseless:Theherohadenoughofthemintheinventory
anyway,becausethereweremuchmoreofthemtobefoundin
cheststhanneeded.Duetothementionedadjustments,lockpicks
becomemoreimportantnowandtheherowillpresumablyhaveto
buyafewduringthegame.Thereforetradersnowhavemore
lockpicksonoffer.
Iftheherohasmasteredtheskill"Picksimplelocks",thenhislockpick
willhavea30%chanceofbreakingwhilepickinga"simple"chest.If
hehasmastered"Pickdifficultlocks",thelockpickwillbreakwitha
30%certaintywhena"difficult"chestistobeopened.
Inallothercasesthelockpickfulfillsitstaskimmediately.
Somerecipeshavebeenreworked:Insomerecipes,theneeded
ingredientshavebeenmuchmorevaluableorrarethanthefinal
product.Withthispatch,thenumberofproduceditemswillbe
increasedinsomerecipes.Forexample:Withoneoftherarefire
golemhearts24explodingarrowswillbecreatednow,notjustone.
Thenumberoftheotheringredients(oreandarrows)hasbeen
increasedadequately.
5.9 Balancingissues
"Calculationofdamageafterfallschanged":Howmuchdamagethe
herooranNPCsuffersfromfalling,isconnectedtothedurationof
thefallandthevelocityachieved.Theformerformuladictatedthat
Insomecasestheingredientshavebeenexchanged,e.g.intherecipe
forstew.
SelectedNPCsarestrongernow:Merdarion,OsmundandTufailhave
beenmadestronger,astheseNPCspreviouslydiedtoofastortoo
manytimeswhiletheywerefightingtogetherwiththeherofora
questagainstotherNPCs.The"Undeadcommanders"attheTemple
ofMoraSulhoweverhavebeenmadestrongerbasedonpurelogic:
ascommanderstheyshouldatleastbesomewhatmoredangerous
thantheotherzombies.
2009bytheCommunityPatchTeam:
Marcel"ANNOmaniac"Trotzek
Marco"ArthusofKapDun"Wernicke
Peter"Glockenbeat"Schramm
Ralf"HansTrapp"Schulz
JohannMarkus"Humanforce"Hermann
Fabian"iks"Lempke
Tim"Kronos"Moser
Martin"mdahm"Dahm
Timo"Nameless2"Kuip
Sascha"raven"Holtbrgge
Axel"Reisswolf"Zur(untilCP1.6)
Maik"RoiDanton"Sillus
Andreas"Solandor"Becker
Marc"Urban"Mnchow
Adrian"Valfaris"Blecker
Zyankali~(untilCP1.6)
SpecialThankstoallothercontributors,translatorsandparticularlyour
excellenttesters!