Yesterday, the CD-Action MeetUp: Gothic edition took place in Warsaw, where Gothic fans had the opportunity to play a demo of the modification Golden Gate 2: Goddess Heart, as well as watch a presentation of this upcoming modification and the projects: The Story of Nek, Veritas Role Play and Sons of Jarkendar. The much-anticipated highlight of the show was “Opowieść Strażnika” (en. The Guard’s Tale) from Doktor Borginson. In between, there was an opportunity to play “Ryżowy Książę” (en. Rice Lord) card game, as well as attend an afterparty under “Gothic Piwo” (en. Gothic Beer) banner.
I attended the event as part of presenting the Golden Gate 2 project – I will describe to you how it went and why it was worth to create the events like that in the your countries.
CD-Action MeetUp’s programme
As CD-Action reported on the event page, their programme offered continuous attractions. With the start of MeetUp at 12:00, for as many as 3 hours players had the opportunity to test the demo of the modification Golden Gate 2: Goddess Heart. Already during the playthrough, a panel with presentations began:
- 14:00: The Story of Nek
- 14:30: Veritas Roleplay
- 15:00: Sons of Jarkendar
- 15:30: Golden Gate 2: Goddess Heart
- 17:00: premiere of The Guard’s Tale
The Story of Nek
The Story of Nek is expected to have more than 100 complex tasks. Character routines will be expanded, allowing us to explore the lives of the inhabitants in more detail. A “rumour system” has been announced – interestingly, this was already being developed by Piranha Bytes, but was not completed. The modification will start 2 years before Nameless arrives in the Mining Valley – which justified the remodelling of the Colony. Nek will definitely not be as powerful as the Gothic protagonist – so it will not be possible to exterminate monsters as in the original.
The audience asked many questions of the presenter. It is possible that the discussion with the players lasted longer than the presentation itself. Attendees were very interested in the ending of the modification. Will Nek make a life in a cave full of hungry moles? The leader’s statement suggested that there would be more gameplay ending options.
The presentation ended with thunderous applause. Already at the beginning, the presenter announced that candy in a wrapper with the modification logo was prepared for each clapper.
Veritas Role Play
This was another event at which Project Veritas was introduced. The emerging server was presented by its two creators. A video showing the city of Veritas was played in their background. I was impressed by the amount of work put into creating new textures and models. While retaining the Gothic shapes.
Sons of Jarkendar
We found out about the appearance of the creators of the Sons of Jarkendar already during the meeting – the event programme announced such a surprise. This is an emerging animated series set in the world of Jarkendar. Still in its heyday, and before the exiled flood.
Golden Gate 2: Goddess Heart
Demo
The Golden Gate 2 modification could be experienced in two ways: by playing the demo and by watching the presentation. The demo consisted of 3 saves:
- Hunting Feast
- The Bandit Arena
- Hunt for the Queen
Hunting Feast allowed you to visit the Hunters’ Camp, meet their inhabitants and guests, and take part in 3 competitions. In the first one called “Won’t you drink with me?” we could duel in drinking alcohol. In the second “My fella”, we fought each other in a small arena. In ‘Power of Illusion;, we shot at magical bloodflies summoned up by a magician.
The bandits’ arena was located in a complex that was certainly not built by these gold-thirsty thugs. In the quest called Arena of Blades, you can face 6 opponents including the arena master. As well as listening to the soundtrack prepared for this location.
The hunt for the queen of… minecrawlers. After breaking through the corridors of the mine, where her subjects prowl, we witness a collapse in the mine. With no way to retreat, there is nothing left for us to do but to move on. This is how we reach the queen, who, as long as she is not disturbed, puffs herself up with a green substance of unknown origin. The situation changes when we attack her – we then have to watch out for a cloud of gas that can poison us.
Presentation
During it, gifts related to Golden Gate 2 were up for grabs – requiring knowledge from both the first and second parts of the modification under development. Therefore, it was worth listening. The layout and location of the game world, the Samoa, was presented. Participants learned about the main features of the storyline. We got to know the protagonist Morris and his fears. A lot of space was devoted to the bandit faction and the arena, which we were able to visit in the demo version.
The audience reacted enthusiastically to the new visual effect, the Blood Wave. However, it was most evident when listening to the dubbing. It has been made available by the team today, hence you can get a feel for the show itself.
Of course the dubbing is in Polish, but can give you an insight in the quality of the work.
The Guard’s Tale
Unfortunately, due to the multitude of attractions as well as numerous talks, I was not able to follow the full screening of the film. In The Guard’s Tale I really enjoyed the moments where the original sounds from Gothic were used. As well as the character creation of Gomez, who did a lot without moving much. Everybody we’ll be able to watch the videoon 8 February at 8pm on Doctor Borginson’s channel. We can currently see a trailer on it.
You can enable English subtitles.
The filming would not have been possible without Gothic Larp. It is an event, where Gothic fans dress-up as the characters related with Gothic worlds. Its participants were therefore not to be missed. Who also played their parts at the meetup:
Rice Lord
A representative of Rice Lord came to the meetup along with the game decks. It was played both during the event and at the afterparty. The cards are available in Polish language currently.
Impressions
What I enjoyed most about MeetUp was the opportunity to talk to people. Therefore, the article only gives a general overview of the activities taking place during the meeting. Most of the time, like other developers, I was busy talking. It was very nice and motivating to have discussions with players who appreciate the contribution to the Gothic community. It is a reason to organise event like that in the your country.
