I just saw some short video-fragments of Divine Divinity 2 here on Belgian tv.
It looks sooooo damn amazing, I'm so excited, I never expected it to look so damn good!
What puzzles me is that they show only one screenshot here while there is already so much to show.(!)
I saw a guy with really nice armor and a huge(!) sword doing some salto's and running through a beautiful crafted world.

In a couple of days the show that broadcasted this will be available online.
It's in Dutch so I'll post a direct link when it's available.

Be prepared to be amazed.

Wow that sounds really cool. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

on which station did you see it? VT4/Kanaaltwee? was it a commercial or was it in a gaming program like Gunk or Gamepower?

Edit: I've read over the 'the show that broadcasted this', so it ain't a commercial, sorry for the mistake. Guess it ain't Gunk as Gunk isn't broadcasted on Fridays.

It was in Terzake on Canvas.
The footage can be found here

click on it!!
and be as stunned as I was (and Hurri too <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />)

EDIT: terzake is something like the news and the topic is investing in flemish developers.
They interviewed a few people from larian (Swen Vincke, Farhang Namdar (lead designer)) And during the interview they show a little bit of the game.
Some guy with a big sword running around, npcs with white text over them.
so I guess thats the way you can oversee their conversations
And somewhere in there you can see a list that is something like a to do list (for the developers, not for us).

EDIT2: Ok so I found the full link and replaced the bad one above. Enjoy <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

oh and unlike Hurry said, the footage is available right away, the minute they broadcast it you can watch it online. Unless you were talking about something else ? (And I think, it will only be online for a couple of days)

I wish I could understand Flemish! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> The game shown does look very good. If that is the "next gen rpg", I can't wait. That looks like something that could actually (finally) pull my interest away from Oblivion! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for posting this, I'm sure we are all relieved to see Larian alive and well and working hard.

The intro voice says that the game will be out internationally in 2009
Swen Vincke:
says something that like 120 people are working on it and gives some examples what employees of larian might be (like writers, audio people, programmers)

Stef Steyaert is talking about getting flemish developers some funding

the lead designer is saying that like 80 people are working on it for about 2 years. (and that water is really cool <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />)

Swen the second time is just giving us some numbers about the cost of developing, and he gives an example why an international publisher would choose a french game over a belgian game.

Stef Steyaert again saying that there really will be funding for games in the future.
And thats about all they said.

What they are saying isn't really all that interesting, I mean it is, but not when you want news about the game itself.
But this might mean that Larian will be able to fully focus on their RPGs and less on Ketnet Kick and stuff (in the future).

Thank you for that condensed translation! It sounds as if Larian Studios is quite healthy and has the resources to continue their indie game developing tradition. I can wait another year or so - Sacred 2 is out in September so that'll keep me busy for a bit. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Wish they had told us about this on the forum, since alot of us aren't Belgian.

That looks gorgeous. *drools* And you say they'd over 100 people?! Awesome. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the link, lepel. Terzake, it would have been the last show I ever expected to show footage from the next-gen RPG.

It really looks cool('was dat water? AWESOME!') and for all the people who doubted that Larian was still working on the project: never lose your faith! see what they've made!

woops sorry, didn't know you could view it right away, but anyway now we can all watch it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Coolness. Thanks, Lepel <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Thanks Lepel for the link and the translation <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> and hurri too

*time to update my site a little bit*

I need to watch this on my digibox for higher quality <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

That's what I thought, too... in the other thread, many right things were said regarding leaking news in such an early stage. But come on, if you know that there will be a TV report, post it in your forum! People want to see that stuff...

Yeah, I missed it on TV at first, but I'm happy that I check that news site every now and then <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />
So at least I was able to catch the rerun (on TV that time) during the night <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

But yeah the very least they could do was warn us in advance or show us the footage that is shown on belgian TV...

u don't even say!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

We are far from being 100 people working on it in house (not even half of that actually).
But as Farhang said, we are using outsourcers and that makes quite a bunch of people indeed. And I'm not even talking about the publisher's side...




Sorry for that but they filmed that on Friday afternoon and it was already on air in the evening. I think nobody knew (except Swen I guess) they were coming before we saw the camera...

Quite so.

I really have to ask Lynn to give me this Larian tag...

Btw, about this communication thing. We sometime talk about it (at least amongst artists) and we don't always agree with each others but please don't blame the team. If Lar doesn't want to show anything at this stage, there's probably a good reason, isn't it? Just trust him.

Wow... cool. Well, a lot of companies these days outsource so that does increase the total amount of people. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Anyways, yeah the visuals are exciting. As for the rest of the game, gotta wait for news and info from the team, huh?

And it's great that you guys are saying something on the forums. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />



Sorry for that but they filmed that on Friday afternoon and it was already on air in the evening. I think nobody knew (except Swen I guess) they were coming before we saw the camera... [/quote]

Hah... I guess it took some of you by surprise, huh?

Btw, I remember seeing a part of the video where the reporter was talking to this guy and his wall was covered with plenty of English notes...that was quite interesting 'cos that was the only part of the video I could really understand. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> Also, who was that guy? Anyone knows?

The guy is Farhang, our brilliant lead designer. Really talented guy (and funny). He's dutch hence the strange accent <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
What can I say more?

Really? Strange! I didn't notice since... I couldn't understand anything being said anyways(I'm Singaporean Chinese and am able to understand only English).

Brilliant, huh? Talented? Funny? Hmmm... *concocts an evil plot to kidnap Farhang away in the middle of the night* <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" />

Nah... too much work and planning involved. :P

*Purrrrrrrr*

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeee!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/delight.gif" alt="" />

I have the same opinion. I'm disappointed.

Well yeah, it's not that we are (/I am) blaming anyone,
but you can't blame us for being anxious about some news I guess...
I understand the reasons why you are not showing anything yet and I do trust the team, but that doesn't mean my curiosity is gone.
(And I think we have shown that we can wait untill you guys are ready to show us anything, since we are still checking this forum pretty frequently without any news)

Hmmm... what communication thing? You mean "communication between the team and the fans"?



Yeah... well, it's to be expected: the want to protect your assets or project so that other development teams don't try to copy or imitate the features. But at least some low-resolution/cropped screenshots could be good, right? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Wow! I'm impressed. This may renew my interest in the franchise.

It's not about showing something but about building and holding up the interest. While the interaction in the forum during DivDiv was very nice for example, this time there is not really much. The website is not only not updated very regularly but also quite... dull, I am afraid. The forum software is out-dated... the flow of information is non-existent. And so on and so forth.

What you guys have to realize is the power of the internet... we live in the times of infamous Web 2.0... it's quite easy to "leak" news and create some buzz about anything without actually giving too much information about the product. I don't know if there is a communication/community manager at Larian Studios, but I do think that such a job is essential for a software company nowadays. If someone already does the job, frankly, fire him. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Visually it looks amazing...but that's all for now. I hope we'll get some more information about it soon. This character jumping looks very arcade-ish for me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />

Either that, or we're desperate! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Übereil

I do think Divine Divinity is on par with games such as Diablo II or Morrowind (successful games from more or less the same time of the decade). Blizzard and Bethesda Softworks didn't get the incredible sales on their admittedly fine products by being quiet. You have to create some "buzz" about the new game or I fear it will be another great game that very few people have heard of or buy (and if it's anywhere nearly as good as Divine Divinity it deserves better).

I know everyone has their noses to the grind stone with the game (and that's great). But when the faithful here in the forums started to have doubts it was even being worked on anymore there's not enough information being leaked about it.

I personally think the time to begin the big hype drive is around four to six months before release. If you start too soon, people start suffering hype fatigue long before you're ready to release, at which point you start losing potential customers because they get sick of hearing about it.

If a games company starts putting out teasers too far in advance their potential customers start thinking the game is never coming and label it vapourware, which means they'll then assume a troubled dev cycle, leading also to lost sales.

It's a lose-lose situation.

So I totally understand why we aren't being told much right now. They're working and we know that - but if there's nothing more to tell, why start stirring up excitement when the actual release date is still too far off? It's simply counter productive.

Well, you don't have to use teasers and such things to hold up the fans' interest. There are many people here on the board who are dedicated fans of DivDiv and BeyDiv for example... even if you don't give out massive news to the whole internet, you can deal with the fans at hand, on your own site a lot better. I repeat it: This was done very well in the past and unfortunately not in this case. There may be valid reasons for that but since we don't know any so far, we can only speculate.

Plus six months is a too short time in my opinion... we are not talking about an overly popular brand here but about a rather small game series. The fan base is not very big, there is no excessive community behind the title. Therefore, you (i.e. the developer and the publisher) HAVE TO start quite a time before the actual release to create the interese in the game. With fake news for example... with regular screenshots... with development diaries... with early videos... with interviews... you just have to put your company's and the game's name in the news so that people actually get to know you. I am not sure if that can happen out of nothing in just six months.

Six months is plenty of time for a media blitz. Getting the press releases & stuff out to all the web sites & gaming magazines at the start and then keeping them updated is a job in itself.

If you start the flood at the right time, everyone knows it's coming and will be expecting it when it arrives; too soon and they get bored reading about it and cease to care.

The idea of any marketing campaign is to grab and hold interest long enough to guarantee high sales. For a small and relatively unknown company that window is much smaller than for one of the big players.

Also, a small company has to take people away from one thing to do something else, so the more time the Larians spend talking to us, the less time they have to work on the game, so the slower the development work goes.

My guess is that the Larians don't feel they have any really significant developments to report, yet. More screenshots would just be a tease, and likely result in a lot more requests for info they aren't ready to share yet.

This is why I don't mind waiting. I'd rather get good info when they have it than the odd teaser released just to show us they're still here.

[color:"orange"]This character jumping looks very arcade-ish for me[/color]

On the other hand, being blocked from areas in the Dark Forest (etc) because there was a 2 or 3 foot ledge isn't very realistic (not that a forward somersault in full armour is terribly realistic either <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> ).
As long as there aren't any moving platforms or swinging blades to jump over, around or onto, I'm ok with jumping the occasional stream or crevice, or possibly stacking a few crates to be able to 'climb' into an otherwise inaccessible place (though a straight jump would look a lot better for that).


So, with the apparent skill slots in the bottom menu bar, below the health and mana bars, we may be able to cast spells using a hotkey, rather than just select the active spell/skill. These slots may be to simplify the interface for gamepad controls, or they could be required to indicate spell preparation time or a recast delay. ... or not.
I assume below the stamina bar the icons are for equipment, inventory, etc.

Yes, it is a job by itself... that's my point. Nowadays, you need someone to do that job... and to do that job well. It will eventually pay off if you invest in that.
I think we can argue about whether six months is enough time or not. In my opinion, it is not. Not for an unknown game from a relatively small company with no big selling game so far.



I think you don't quite understand what I say... nobody is talking about flooding anything. But about constant presence at least here in this forum. And leaking some news every now and then. How many screenshots do we have for example? A handful... and then look at the video shown in that TV show. It looks awesome, it's running, it's new. You just have to mention this TV show here and the people will do the rest... they will talk about it before the show, they will spread the news... after that, they will talk about how great it was and what they can get from it. Plus, they feel thankful for being told about the video.
What happened now? Only by chance, we read about the show and were lucky enough to see the clip in the internet. The quality is nice but we are also talking about the lack of new information - instead of talking about the video and the game.



I don't mind the waiting either... I know about the game, I visit the board regularly, I work in the business, I will eventually know when the game is done and get the news like many people here, too. But I am talking about more than the few people here who are really interested in the game. I am talking about the casual readers here... and the many people who don't even know about Larian yet. It's time to get into their heads and thus to create a basis for a big success.

Elgi...

I'll agree we should have heard about the vid. That was a definite slip.

The ideal media blitz time is absolutely a matter of debate, too. My six months is definitely not an absolute.

As for more screen shots... Not sure I see much point, honestly. We know it looks good. What do more screen shots tell us?

The forum knows they're working on the game. I'm not sure what else needs saying...

You and I are clearly looking at this in very different ways <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

This little thread already made it's way to http://www.rpgwatch.com and http://play.tm/wire/cluster/1737596, that's the power of the internet...

And I agree that us fans are left out in cold. I understand they don't want to lure too much attention to the game now, but why can't they give away some info for us "diehards" here on the forum. It will give us something to talk and speculate about. It may revive this forum a bit, cause frankly this place is quite dull for the time being.

I guess this is the beginning of that storm that was forcasted a good while ago.

It looks like something that would be on a playstation.

I think there was a poll about consoles, yes. But I never had any dout that the game would be for PC as well.

LOL my bad translation is being quoted <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
If I knew that in advance I would've done a better job...

DNF, anyone??? :P
Yeah, still waiting on that one.

STALKER anyone? :P
Though, STALKER, in the long run, still somehow turned out great.

Max Payne (the original) anyone?? :P
Yup, it was talked about majorly before it was done, then disappeared for a LONG TIME. Eventually, the game just dropped -- and once it did, it lit a fire. Somehow, it turned out great.



Yeah, we saw where that got Peter Molyneux w/ Fable and the original Black & White, since many people were not too happy w/ a lot of content Peter speak in interviews before the games were done, which mentioned a lot of content that never made the final cuts of both games.

Regardless of what was cut and what wasn't, I throughly enjoyed Fable: TLC (PC version). It was still great.

Duke Nukem Forever was mainly what I was thinking, D, yeah. I know that's an extreme example, but it's become a running joke because they started plugging the game far, far too soon.

Thanks for the other examples <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

And don't forget Grimoire Forever as well. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

What game? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Übereil

Btw, now that we've seen the new video, what kinda system do you think would be able to run DD2? Would a 8800gt/9800GX2 card and Core 2 Quad and 2 to 4 gb of ram be neccessary to run it at medium to high settings? I hope not. -__-;; Most of that gig seems seriously over-powered and sounds more like a waste of electricity.

Btw, who's doing the plot in DD2? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> You guys have some great ideas but they need a lot of fleshing out if you want to have a good, coherent plot.

Will fans names still grace NPCs?

I bet so.

Also, we need at least three memorials in the game for forummembers who have died.

Hi all,

It's good to see there's still so many people following what we're doing. I didn't expect you to react so strongly to the little tid-bit that was shown in the show, so maybe some clarification about what happened can help.

In Belgium, there's a debate going on about the government helping out game developers. Being one of the larger studios in Belgium, we were given the opportunity to give our thoughts on the matter. To be fair, we didn't expect so much game footage to be used on TV (it was recorded in the afternoon,broadcast in the evening and we only knew about it in the morning, so it took us all a bit by surprise).

We allowed the camera crew to take some development footage to underline to our local politicians that there are studios, in Belgium, who are seriously busy with games. Our goal is to have them do something about the unfair competition caused by other governments granting large subsidies in neighbouring countries. That's all there is to it.

It definitely wasn't the intention to release information about the game, for that it's still too soon. Not that I wouldn't want to talk about it, but there'll be plenty of opportunity to do so in the not so distant future.

There's a variety of reasons on why it would be counter-productive for the success and quality of our game to announce things prematurely, and I hope you can understand that. Some of these were already mentioned in this thread and are very valid.

But, we are fully in production, working towards a target, and if all goes well, it shouldn't take that long (heard that before ? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> ) before we can finally share with you the details of this thing we're trying to make.

The shots you saw were by the way work in progress, just in case you were wondering.

Lar

Well, that's to be expected. Even though I registered only a few months ago, all that excitement has made me spin.

Aha... so, the press leaked more than they were supposed to, eh?

Hmmm... it's good that the government has some interest in helping game developers(or are they not?). In some countries, they still want to restrict, censor and control the game process hence all the talented folks flee to other countries instead.

Ah well, I hope that someone will post a rough summary of what's being discussed in the video. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />



Aha... so what this means is that the large subsidies make games like Witcher cheaper to create and which at the same time, benefits their local economy? However, 'cos it's really expensive in Belgium to create a game, so you find yourselves questioning whether said feature should be cut/trimmed down? Or basically, the game dev studio might actually move to another country so it hurts the local market, right?

That's very true. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> There're many games where the devs prefer to keep mum for fear of overhyping things: these days, it's too easy for rumors and gossip to distort the entire game experience before anyone has tried it.

Understood. Too much hype causes fans and players to expect features that actually depart heavily from the designers' and director's vision.



Woo yeah! I'm excited about the game in general. Though I'm confident Larian has learnt from the issues in the previous games. Though it's awesome you've got a target and are working towards it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Personally, I think it has just begun.

In Germany, the idea is still relatively new, but I don't know about other countries.

In my opinion, each country should have its own possibilioties to support this kind of business, since I believe that every country has its own culturally influenced approach on computing/software/whatever.

Imho it would just add to the diversity.

I don't quite understand why a computergame developer should be subsidised by a government. But I find it hard to think of some examples. What kind of company gets subsidised right now that is similar to a gamedeveloper? Creators of art are in a way (in Holland anyway, they don't pay taxes over their sales), but somehow I can't see a game as a piece of art. It is not intended as art anyway. It is intended to entertain. Does Hasbro gets subsidised for her games (Risk for example)?
Or is it only because 'other (the French) governments subsidise, and thus the Belgium government should subsidise to'.

Also, I can understand that less talent is wasted if you (as a government) invest (or subsidise) in programming companies. For the same reasons farmaceutical companies or universities or sport associations (what's the word...) are subsidised. But they either benefit a lot more people or benefit the general population of a country. There are only a few hundred 'gameprogrammers' in a (European) country and games do not benefit the general population immediately (they entertain, but the line 'I love my government, because at least they keep me entertained' does not strike me as intelligent <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> )

But I like RPG's, I liked DD and I like to see DD2, so extra money to help Larian is always welcome.

[color:"orange"]What kind of company gets subsidised right now that is similar to a gamedeveloper?[/color]

Movie and TV studios get tax breaks to attract them to certain cities / countries.
In general, there are all kinds of companies that get tax breaks or other subsidies to move to or stay in certain areas, or to help a fledgling or struggling industry.


[color:"orange"]Or is it only because 'other (the French) governments subsidise, and thus the Belgium government should subsidise to'.[/color]

It is more that other countries giving tax breaks gives Belgium a disadvantage when it comes to attracting investment or publishers.

Foetsy: That's probably 'cos gaming is now a large market so many countries are trying to cash in on it so they can earn the big bucks. So, to the gov. it's the right time to cash in.

Oh and not to mention national pride and stuff. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

the games-industry is a huge pie, and Belgium wants a piece of it.

Not art? 3D, 2D, Sketch, Texture _Artists_..., writers, actors (voiceovers) all make games very artsy.

the film industry is getting subsidies too so thats one similar example to a gamedeveloper.
Then most countrys have something like a public broadcasting service (BBC in the UK, VRT in belgium, ...)
What art is is somewhat open for debate, but imo games (not all of them) are art too. I mean some games have their own races with own cultures (unique building styles and artworks and stuff). Films are considered art too. And one could look at games as if they were some sort of interactive film.

And apparently flemish (or belgian) developers need that extra cash to stay competitive, so there are economic reasons for it too. The interview states that the gaming industry is a booming-business so if we (the flemish) want a piece of the pie, we have to invest in it too.


Someone didn't pay alot of attention in his history class <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
I'm not trying to offend you but it looks as if you didn't give that much thought. What made the people of ancient rome like their emperors ?
Entertainment! In the form of Panem et circenses (Bread and games)
And why do you think that almost the entire world (with the exception of the United States) has public broadcast ? Entertaining the masses!
Entertainment was (and most likely still is) needed to keep the people from revolting. So imo it makes alot of sense that the government helps providing entertainment. (in the form of financially supporting those that can entertain us)


One thing I do agree with <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Govts tend to support home grown industries because it has a positive effect on their economies to keep people in employment. Manufacturing industries generate revenue, and better yet if those industries are good for export, too.

Money coming into the country always beats money out, and a positive trade balance makes for a richer nation.

So it does make sense <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Can a computer game be considered as a piece of art ?

Interesting question that divides lots of people around me, and I'd like to say a little word here if you allow me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Certainly nobody would deny the first goal of computer games is entertainment. But sometimes we tend to forget that games - and computer technology more generally speaking - is a new medium that recently appeared in the human history, and it's a medium which is starting to get into its mature state.
What is annoying with "Art" nowadays, is that the rules which define it became less obvious and more blurry to grasp. Do you consider cuisine as art ? Many would agree to say yes. But isn't the act of cooking in the absolute just a simple daily task to assure our surviving ?
When can we start to say something is artistic, when it is not ? We usually tend to underestimate what is new. New mediums are generally depreciated, because it changes habits.
In the early 19 century when photography was invented and started to get popular, traditional painters who used to have the first credit for artistic productions in it's daily basis, raised scandals. People who wanted their family portraits as faithful to reality as possible would get them more realistic on a photo than a painter could ever paint them. So to speak, photography was killing art. It was just a cold and emotionless imitation of nature ! Now look where we are. Photography is widely considered as art as well as cinema (which is basically just a succession of photos). Why ?
Because the opinions evolved. Minds opened to new ways of using this tool that was the camera. They used it in a way to push back the boundaries of art further than it was with painted canvas and more ancient techniques(attention, I am not saying that photography is a superior medium than painting. Just that it is a different medium, thus implying different ways of using it that will allow more discoveries in the field of art in general). But what is good in art, is that a medium NEVER replaces an older one, because the purpose is not the apology of the medium but... well Art itself (and what is Art? I don't want to enter that endless philosophical debate, that's another story <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />)

To come back to my question: 'can we call computer games art ?' I would answer: 'Certainly'. Of course, if you take a look at the game industry, it is in the big majority composed of entertaining games and crap <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> However it is possible to make art out of a game. The efforts spent to manage huge amount of money, people dedicating usually 3-4 years of their life to make a big project come true, like ingredients you mix and stir in a big pan for hours to get this incredible tasty dish like mother used to do it (and god knows how easy it is to fail it), all of that is just so formidable -when it is succeeded- because it's creates stories, emotions, dreams, it transfers messages, experiences... like a piece of art would do. That's what matters, if after playing a game you feel literally transcended (it only happened once or twice in my player experience), the game really changed your way to see things durably in the real life, you might call that art. That's what art do, in my opinion, to change your perspective and way to look at things in life.

Currently games still have way to go before reaching a status of recognized art, but I'm confident it will be so one day. This is just what I think, but I hope other people do feel the same way as me...

Jesus, I talked too much and it's already 2 am ! Quickly come here my bed <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

True. And if I may add: This feeling has nothing to do with how much money and manpower you put into the game. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Pong for example is art in my opinion... it's very abstract and reductive but in its simplicity it not only sort of created the whole industry but also dramatically changed the people's view on the matter.

Another piece of art for me is "Another World/Out of this World". Again, it's rather simplified but still beautifully crafted, offering stunning audiovisual elements never seen before in that form.

Basically, if I think of computer games as art, I don't think about revolutionary technical aspects... that can help but in many cases it doesn't because it is regarded as the main part of a game. Bioshock is a good example... or Crysis... good games, with big budgets... but they don't leave the player (more precisely: me) in awe. Only very few games managed to do that, one of them my often used example Max Payne 2. Or Fahrenheit for example with its new kind of presenting the actions and drawing the player into the story itself.

And those are the games I want... I am sure DivDiv2 will be a great game but I have my doubts that it will be a game which I can call art. That's nothing bad of course and frankly, it's very difficult to create outstanding artsy games which dares to present a revolution in some aspect of the product.

I think that even some computer games could also be considered art as they were rather inventive and highly experimental. Though as of late, I don't see many games you could call art since many focus more on technicality than on artistic aspects. The result is often pretty but boring eyecandy that doesn't do much to enhance gameplay: better antialiasing would not really help me in combat in an rpg game.

Smoother pixels and better animations on an npc would technically make for a more convincing gameworld but only if their dialogues are coherent and mesh with the ongoing plotline.

To me, some games look more like art o me than others.

Strategy games and FPS mostly not.

One rare example is Beyond Good & Evil, or maybe Sacrifice as well.

Well I don't think so, FPS & RTS games with realistic settings do appear not to be artsy, and in many cases are just replicas of realworld settings. But there are a lot leveldesigners, characterdesigners in FPS's that are real artists for example this guy: http://www.hourences.com/portfolio/

It could be argued that some of them are a form of interactive literature, too. Especially those like PS:T that have an incredible story.

I can't believe that you underestimated us this much.

It is your quality that has made us this way!

I guess if someone would let me to, I could create some art with these tools as well.

But I'm rather a "literary man", something the gaming busness does not want (to see).

Games have always had very little text, and apart from adventures and "standard" role playing games, the amount of text has been reduced more & more, in an effort to "streamlind" games more & more for gaining more buyers.

Publishers want money, no text.

Developers are a different thing, those.

LIke the both examples of PS:T and DS.

Oh, talking about art again: there're visual novels(mixed-media novels) which are considered an art form 'cos of the high quality CG artwork and excellent voice-acting in most of them and tastefully rendered sexual scenes in a number of them.

Some consider them as games 'cos many have features/qualities found in computer games like RTS, RPG, adventure/puzzle games, etc. while others don't as they're "digital novels" and thus, have little interactivity and freedom. And since, they're novels, it's like flipping through a picture book than through a largely animated world.

Sad to say, they aren't very popular outside of Japan 'cos lots of people hate reading anything apart from popular literature these days and many hate reading anything with more than 15 words, whether it be offline or on the computer. I heard lots of people hated Witcher 'cos of the amount of text in it and 'cos they preferred to let a game do the thinking for them. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />

Weird... There's not much text IN The Witcher!

Well, yeah... that's how spoilt some people are these days.

They want more cards <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devil.gif" alt="" />

Mmm... not just that. I think some wanted nothing but combat and would've preferred there to be no story, either.

in response to:
'the games-industry is a huge pie, and Belgium wants a piece of it.'
and other on the same lines;
I can't really imagine Belgium cashing in on a developer like Larian. On an annual budget of 95 billion euro a year, some taxes on the sales of a computergame barely make an impact. And even with taxbreaks (!) I doubt wether a lot more studios or, for that matter, other programming companies will suddenly come to Belgium and make some big bucks. But I don't have any numbers on it, so I could be completely wrong. And with taxbreaks, I really don't think that it will create jobs for hundreds of people (and then even hundreds on a working population of a few million?).

Aha, but what would you think of a person saying that line. As Terry Pratchett said in Small Gods I believe; 'Gods don't like people doing nothing, becasuse people doing nothing might start to think' (or something like that). Personaly, I rather have my government provide good education, safety, healthcare etc etc instead of entertainment. I can entertain myself, and I don't want a situation in which I need my own M16 under my pillow to protect myself.

About art, ok, a computergame can be considered art, no argument from me. But I how many of all the people playing games consider those games as art? It's easy for an artist to consider his work art, and to someone who knows what he is talking about, it can easily be art, but to the masses, where most of the revenue comes from, it is just entertainment (for a small period of time to). Just like with films.
I would say that there are films who shouldn't get taxbreaks (mindnumbing films) and films that should (arthouse films). But which film will become what is quite hard to predict in advance, and who would be the judges... So perhaps (because I like films) it is better that all films(companies) get government support. And then indeed, so should games (or their developers).

I actually don't know what you are trying to get at? Lar said there is a discussion about governmental funding of the game industry... the fact that you can't or can imagine that won't really change the debate. And believe it or not but there are countries in which computer and video games get financial and cultural aid...

I wasn't really trying to make a point or to change people's minds. To me it sounded a bit weird. I just wanted to know why a lot of people were in favour of those subsidies.
And as far as a quick google search can tell me, writers (of books) don't get any taxbreaks (when writing is their main income that is). In Holland anyway. But the more I read, the more I get the feeling that asking for (and getting) subsidy (from government) is not uncommon for a writer (or publisher).
Just thinking aloud and trying to get a well-formed opinion <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Well, computer games aren't funded because they are art but because it's a business... big games have big budgets... they create synergy effects... improve the location's value... create jobs... generate tax income... and so on and so forth...

Computer and video games are a very promising and future-oriented branch. If you compare today's business to the one 10 years ago for example, you will agree with me that there are great differences... the whole scene has vastly improved. And so, it's quite obvious that governments want to make sure to draw such companies and the working people into their own countries. That's why the comparison with a writer is pretty wrong. Mainly because a writer is just one person... the mentioned aspects don't play a role in the writers' branch.

Writing a novel is also relatively cheap and takes less time, usually. The less successful authors usually hold down other jobs to support their writing, too - an option not really available to a games company.

Amen.

Sad but true.
That's probably what makes the indy game scene look so interesting to me...

Just to avoid any misunderstandings: I didn't want to say that computer games are not art... no matter if it's art or not, it's also big business.

Look at the movies... a gigantic business but still there are very, very nice movies which can be regarded as art by people.

Sure.
But most of the time, the quality of a movie (as a piece of art I mean, not just as entertainment) is inversely proportional to the budget. Of course, you sometimes have exceptions...

We even know that www.divinity2.com points to larian <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" />

True. But that is not different for almost any company. And every company does get some government support for those reasons right now.
But you're right I think, you can compare it with the movie industry much better.

Btw, speaking of massively overhyped games... remember Daikatana? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" />

Ok dudes lets get back to topic. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

There is something nobody has spoken out yet and maybe it's a chance for Larian to get a bigger base of fans/customers. Ok so.. when is saw the short ingame scenes of Divinity 2 I thought about Gothic 3. As most people know Gothic 3 was not as good as the fans hoped. It was laggy, buggy and the support (by PB) wasn't that great. Most fans of the Gothic Series (like me *g*) are looking for a new game to play, this could be DD2. Gothic 1 and DD were both great RPG's and cause of the gameplay, the story and many other things they are similar to eachother. I think most Gothic fans would like DD2. The biggest Gothic fanpage I know is www.worldofgothic.de and if new RPG's will be released soon there is often an announcement for this game like for "The Witcher" or "Loki". Maybe DD2 will be announced either, if the game would be more popular. Of course not now.. thats much to early. But about one month before the release is a good moment to make potential customers interested in your product. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Its just an idea.. but this great game should get a great fan base so that DD Series will be continued. xD

Interestting thought, ThielHater ... By the way, I recently installed your G1 Texturepatch ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Didn't thought that anybody would know me.. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

BTW: Soon my new project "Gothic Reloaded Mod" will be announced (not realeased!). Its a very special Mod that aims to improve the graphic of Gothic 1 by using new textures (done by me *lol*) and revised meshes.

Thanks for the Info. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Stone of this forum has always been informing us about Gothic-related things. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" /> This one as well. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

In the RPG Chat (German) you can find a few threads about all parts of Gothic. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

Hmm.. I can't find it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />
But this is maybe the wrong place to discuss that.^^ I would like to know what the employees of Larian think about that.. maybe they even dont read this. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> *lol*

G1

G2

G3

Somewhere there, I guess. *shrugs*

ThielHater - welcome to Larian <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Alrik knows all things CRPG - it's a knack he seems to have <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Oh no no no ... Stone knows much, much more about Gothic ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />
And (A)D&D isn't really my field ... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />

No answer? Anybody noticed my idea? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/think.gif" alt="" />

Hm, well I fear we just know too little.

But personally, I found your idea interesting.

I don't know enough about Gothic to give any kind of intelligent response, unfortunately. I've never even seen it in England, and I have no idea how large a following it has.

Elliot, I think I can say that the following here in Germany is quite huge !

Gothic is here THE RPG of the last years !

Well, here in Indonesia nobody has ever even heard of Gothic, myself included. What does it look like? Can you please give me a link Raze? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Alrik - Ive only heard of it because I've heard you talk about it before, I think. Do you know if it's German language only, or has it been translated?

There are English translations around for all of the Gothics (exept maybe the expansion for Gothing 2, Night of the Ravens. I know MysterD was complaining about that, since I recently bought Gothic 2 and therefore browsed through the Gothic thread in the RPG section). It's weird you haven't heard of them, considering that there hasn't been that many non-action cRPG's out since Gothic 1 was released in 2001. The sequel came out 2003 and Gothic 3 came out around Q3 (or Q4) last year IIRC.

Übereil

Very weird I haven't seen them, Ube, yeah...

[color:"orange"]Can you please give me a link Raze?[/color]

Sure, here's a couple links to pretty much any game you can think of: Google / Wikipedia. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

ROFLMAO <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" />, what a brilliant reply Raze! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" />

All Gothics have been released also in English albeit with substantial, sometimes painstaking delay, Elliot, including said Add-On "Gothic II: Night of the Raven", if you follow this link on Strategy Wiki.
First with subs, then also localized voiceovers within the so.called "Gold Edition".

About availability currently, that´s harder to tell - at least i couldn´t find it doing a quick search on Amazon.co.uk. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/disagree.gif" alt="" />

And they have a decent following for example on RPGDot, now RPGWatch.
What this makes for the whole anglosaxon realm is another story, of course. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif" alt="" />


Ragon, the Gothic Mage

Thanks, Ragon. Appreciated <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Ok, thanks Raze! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

• article about Gothic on wikipedia.com
• english version of worldofgothic, the german one is much bigger, russian and polish sites also exist
• gothic on youtube.com

I think thats enough stuff to get a lil view of the Gothic universe. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

P.S.: All Gothic games were translated to english.. I think.

Well, I've played Gothic 1 and 2 (well, I've started playing them both) and I've played the demo for Gothic 3, so yes, they've all been released in English. I know that as a fact. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Übereil

This reminds me of an old saying: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. But teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Thanks again Raze! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Thanks a lot ThielHater! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/up.gif" alt="" /> I'll keep my eyes open for Gothic down here in Indonesia! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/winkwink.gif" alt="" />

No no, it's "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. But teach a man to fish and he'll sit in a boat all day drinking beer." <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

Übereil

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" />

That's a REALLY good one Ubereil! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> You should put that in the jokes section! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" />

To be honest, I think that's where I got it from. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Übereil

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ROFL.gif" alt="" /> Which page? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />

I have a problem viewing the Terzake film. When I play it, I have no sound and after about 10 seconds the image just stops...

And dangit, I want to watch that video cause I'm Belgian and understand the language

Do you have the latest version of the Flash player installed? If so, try a different browser (Firefox / Opera / IE).
Also, how long did you wait when the video stopped? It may have just been buffering more video if the servers were slow.

EDIT: I tried the video in Opera after first reading your post, and got the sound fine. It played for more than 30 seconds, but my computer locked up when I tried to switch to full screen mode. After I rebooted, re-did some stuff I had open and replied to your post I tried again, and got no sound and a stop after about 10 seconds (didn't wait to see if it was just buffering). I thought there might have been a problem trying to start the video right away, while the browser was still trying to load all the thumbnail images below.
Anyway, I tried it in Firefox and got sound, but the server seemed to have gotten busier. It played for 10 seconds and stopped for awhile, then went 25 seconds and stopped again.

If you just let the video play through, you can copy it from your browser cache folder and play it in VLC Media Player, etc.

Weird, it worked by just opening it in IE, while my standard browser is firefox. First time something works on IE while it doesn't on firefox. Thanks for helping!

Interesting movie, surely made me impatient for the coming of the next game again. And listen to the music played in the beginning! Doesn't anyone recognise Kyrill Pokrovsky in it?

Btw, I was on that game happening showed at 04:40 I didn't appear in the movie though.

Apropos "stunned" ... : Kitiara writes here something about 2 : "Ego Drakonis" ...

Sorry, Al, but what are you doing?

This is english language here and you post s.th. like a teaser w/out further detail.
That´s inappropriate.

There´s not much more that can be added.
But at least it would have been fair to mention that her bit is about "Divinity 2: Ego Drakonis" being covered by popular German game magazine PC Games with a four page(!!) preview - which marks about the first time of news about it in German media that border the treshold from rumor to serious announcement.

What is rumor again, is the word on another widely available press outlet, GameStar, will feature "Div2" in their next or one of the next issues as well.


And as inappropriate as Al´s short coming of his post is even more annoying:

Once again the Larians have failed to inform the Community in advance!
They should be familiar with the German publishing dates of the various magazines and they should´ve known that subscribers get their issue eraly on Saturdays (not like Wednesday when all the others can find it on the shelves of their local stores).

I´m afraid to say, but the public communication since the early days has badly dwindled.

The decision to not have fans witnessing the development as close as with or even involve themselves is one thing.
It always has to be considered a bonus if a game developer chooses to be open like this.


But this here is a whole different quality, it´s sad to recognize.
First the incident with the Belgian video - and now this!
I expect at least news about their own baby to be found here in their homestead.

And not as a total surprise from some unexpected angle like a magazine, when for years there had not been even a lifesign of the most anticipated game around here.


Ragon, the very disappointed Mage

I agree 100% with Ragon. Guys, you need to communicate more, that's why we are here!

I'm disappointed too and have nothing more to say as Ragon or Elgi. That is not a good way to communicate with the fans

Yes, I agree with you all and I'm a little disappointed, too.
Sorry for posted the news in the german RPG-Chat, but my english isn't good enough to post it here :blush: .

Greetings
Kitiara

First i want to say thank you to the german members for this very good news.


@ Kitiara

Don't be sorry for posting the news in the german forum, it was the good thing to do.
Alrik had the good idea to inform the english speaking people, he just forgot to translate your message.
Thanks to Ragon for the translation.



@ Ragon

You should know for a long time that communication is the worse ability of the Larian company.
I am not disappointed, i don't care.
I just hope Divinity 2 will be a great game.

Barta

Kitiara - I gotta say, your English looks pretty good to me

Es ist besser als mein Deutsch.

Although, to be fair, mein Deutsch ist sehr schlect. Es sollten besser wird, hinter drei Jahre Deutsch-Klasse.

Although, to be fair, I've barely passed every year.

And upon reading that, I am temped to destroy my forum account. Isn't being bad at a language fun you guys?

First the incident with the Belgian video - and now this!

With the news clip, Larian did not know it was going to air the same day, nor did they know a story about tax breaks would include so much game footage.

In this case, assuming they knew which issue the preview was in and when it would be available, they may have considered it rude to scoop the magazine that would be providing some publicity for the game. Whatever the reason they didn't at least post a cryptic message asking how many German speaking forum members were familiar with PC Games, we'll probably have to wait until monday to get an official response.

It's better than my English was when I started posting here. You don't need better English, you need better confidence, and the best way to get that confidence is starting to post in the English section. We don't bite.

Übereil

What harm would come from saying "Hey, guys! There will be a preview in this and that magazines next week!" ?

We would buy the magazines and that would be a good thing... it's not the preview or the info we want but just being told that there will be something new. And I think that's not very difficult to communicate. Nor is it harmful for the magazines.

Ok, ok, thanks a lot for your encouragement about my English. I try to use it now - heaven thanks for LEO . I love Enlish books and I understand a lot but to speake or to write in English...uiuiui.

Yes, you're right.
First, before I wrote the news about 2 I searched the forum about news from the Larians, but nothing. I was a little bit "stunned", because the artikle includes 1. the very new subtitle "Ego Draconis" and 2. you learn something about the main story.
It all worth a pretty news, anyway.

Kitiara

I'm still not quite sure if this marketing "strategy" will work for Larian or not, but I'm disappointed aswell that even this official forum isn't informed about the 2 news.

btw in former times there was plenty of action here in the forums, discussions with the developers about several game features and much more, I'm really missing this aswell...

Well, rather the opposite - because i´m around here for so long already, i know that they can do better
... a lot!
And because of your conclusion it is exactly them who should finally start caring a little bit.
For that reaction - indifference of potential customers towards "Divinity 2" - is certainly the opposite what they should be after.




Well, in a way i still have some understanding for the lack of information flow.
They´re thrown back onto themselves for financing the whole thing, hence no forseeable time table on hwo long the development will take - so you could fall for a philosophy of better staying mum completely until you have something to show or a perspective on a release.

But that´s not the point here.
Now that there seem to be facts, as the German previews seem to suggest, they should come out of the closet at this place first.


Still there´s something questionable about their radical turn in public communication:
They have been like a spearhead with that in the industry back in the times of their debut w/ - and they gave it away.

And it might turn back on them now, because time has not stood still since then.

Quite the opposite:
The others have, if not taken a direct example perhaps, but in any case they have improved their PR with fans significantly.
It is now the likes of Piranha Bytes (devs of Gothic if i have to mention this again) & more who `lead the pack´.
Just look at their
The Art of Piranha Bytes: Der Löcher-In-Den-Bauch-Fragen-Thread /
[English] The "Bug-Me" Thread #5: Your Questions Answered by Piranha Bytes
-Threads.

And still they are not in the situation to have reveal anything which might get them in trouble in terms of broken promises or disappointments on the fans´ part.
They´ve made a deal with the community that they only can talk about things that are already fixed and not go into much detail.
Therefore they spread untold lore and artworks about their previous titles, tell funny little anecdotes and give insight in the general aspects of their work.
Oh yes, and then there are those tutorials about it - modeling, texturing and even lately story/quest design.

That´s how you build and maintain a true following these days.
Maybe not to that extent (the Piranhas are well aware that they have to compensate quite some for their, image-wise, `disaster´ of Gothic 3 which cost them their `genetic´ IP and now are forced to build up a new one).
But doing nothing at all - that brings upon a once solid fan base breaking away.

"Stagnancy is death."





One open word on that?:
You should get the offical announcement of a new game from the developer/publisher - not through the preview of some magazine.

And yes, that barren form in the way you put it, would have kept people happy enought, i´m sure.



@Kitiara:
Btw. - does it say anything about a publisher in that article?
IIRC the Larian have been all on their own with their new baby so far and no announcement about a publisher up to now.
(ok, given what we´re discussing here, that probably shouldn´t mean anything at all, they might already have signed with one looong ago... )

By the time of an announcement from German publisher dtp about signing a Belgian studio there had been speculations that they were the publisher.
But no further leads, let alone a confirmation since then.


Cheers,
Ragon

@Ragon
Oh yes, you're right. They mentioned DTP as the Publisher.

Kitiara

"I knew it!
In knew i knew it!"



Ragon

P.S.: Just running the "The Crow" OST in my DVD!

At least the old guard is still here.

I am also a forum member who supports the larian games since a very long time.
I am not surprised by this lack of communication.
I remember the time when i used to translate in french all the interwiews of Swen Vincke about a new game called "Riftrunner".
One day, the divinity fans community was stunned learning that the name of the new game was not "Riftrunner" anymore but "Beyond Divinity".
Exactely the same story than today.
A few weeks later, everything was forgotten.

"... A day may come when the courage of men fails,
when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of
fellowship, but it is not this day.
An hour of woes and shattered shields,
when the age of men comes crashing down!
But it is not this day! This day we fight!..."



Ragon

"There is no good, no evil -- only decisions and consequences."

Dhurin from RPGWatch made an interesting remark on the way communicartion seems to work nowadays:

Hi Alrik and hi all *wink*!
Good to see the common names again...

Lar himself dropped in at the German section's RPG chat forum today with this encouraging news:

"... About the the information flow:

First and foremost, my apologies. For a variety of reasons we couldn't talk about our game yet, though I can assure you we wanted to. Considering how long we've been working on it, I guess you can imagine that was very frustrating. There's still a lot of stuff we can't talk about yet, but at least we can start communicating about it, which for me personally, is a big relief."

"We've still got some time before the game will be released, but I think you'll find that from now on we'll be a lot more active in these forums."

Sounding promising.

From German discussion thread:

Great news, am looking forward to hopefully hearing and seeing more of this in Leipzig in three weeks.

ah, the silence has taken a long while, hope this means a global killer storm is coming