Gothic 2: Beginning

Version: In development - Modification type: new story

Introduction

I'm getting information about this modification from the Facebook page of this modification (https://www.facebook.com/GothicPoczatek) . The Facebook page for this project was created in 2015, however some information and posts can be found there since 2023. Above you have a gallery of all published screenshots and below you can find the translated posts from Facebook.

Post from 29.6.2023

The war with the orcs intensified, with the orcs occupying Nordmar and most of the available ore mines. The ruler had no choice, and in order not to lose the war, he introduced a new law stating that every criminal, regardless of their offense, would be sentenced to mine ore in the mines on the island of Khorinis. From that day forward, every criminal in the kingdom ended up in the penal colony. However, the king knew that the orcs could appear on the islands as well. Along with the next shipment of prisoners, he sent an elite unit to Khorinis that had previously been stationed in Varant. Upon their arrival, they took control of most of the Khorinis territory to ensure peaceful shipments of magical ore. It was after these events that one adventurer found himself facing a decision whether to cross the last bridge leading to doom, and his name was Gravo...

In this mod, we take on the role of an adventurer named Gravo, who arrived on Khorinis from the Southern Isles after the war with the orcs broke out. We won’t become a great hero who saves the world, but we’ll learn what the world might have looked like before the barrier was created and before the events of the Gothic series. The entire mod is a total conversion, although we’ll meet characters we know from Gothic 1, as well as names and stories that were never mentioned in the series, as they are our additions drawn from various similar fantasy worlds. We’ll discover the story and circumstances of many convicts’ imprisonment in the colony and take part in the formation of the camps. Our choices will determine how the camps or the barrier come to be (in the end, everyone ends up under the barrier, but the circumstances will be shaped by you, the player).

In the game, we have the choice of whether to progress within one of the camps or remain a free man.

We distinguish the following guilds:

Mine Guards
Royal Guard
Hunters
Bandits
Bounty Hunters
Mages + Druids
Mountain Society
Knights of the Flame
And several others, which you’ll discover as you play

Many may say that this won’t be the same as creating a pure story about the formation of the barrier, but based on the gathered materials and information, I am willing to say that such a mod might not satisfy players’ expectations. Therefore, after long discussions, we concluded that the creation of the barrier would only be part of the story, and the whole mod would deviate from the pure Gothic lore. However, don’t worry—everything will be crafted in a way that makes you feel like you’re back in your childhood, adolescence, or even adulthood. The atmosphere will be dark, mysterious, and, above all, designed to resemble the original as much as possible while adding something we haven’t seen in the Gothic series yet.

I won’t beat around the bush—don’t expect advanced features like those found in modern mods. The only thing I can guarantee is that the story and its translation into the game will be of the highest quality.

Now, it’s time for some facts about the progress of the mod’s development. As many of you know, the mod has been created from the very beginning by a single person (I’m doing everything myself), so it’s impossible to set a release date. I work daily, so I don’t have time to devote to it every day. At the moment, I have almost the entire story written, along with all the game’s aspects (all quests, plot twists, choices, endings). I am gradually adding everything into the game, and currently, there are about 200 fully armed (though not yet visually adjusted) characters on the map with their own routines and preliminary permanent dialogues. In some cases, the first missions are already appearing. The map is slowly coming to life, and there is still plenty of space to add new content. As I mentioned, the characters are armed, meaning that all armors, weapons, and basic items have already been implemented into the game.

What you see here as a description of the mod is really just an introduction to everything. When the time is right, an official description will be released along with prepared images for presentation. A short video clip showing part of the progress on the mod will also be released soon (without, of course, revealing too many details).

Remember, this group is not an organization that profits from this. Everything you see here is—from players for players (in other words, from a fan for fans).

Dear players, be patient, as they say—one thing is certain: everything will be alright!

Sincerely, Silvio Astaroth Goth
When hope dies, a warrior's only shield is his honor, and his weapon is courage.

Post from 26.9.2023

After a long period of waiting, specifically several months of quiet work, I can share something with you. Despite many difficulties, a lack of time, and issues with some scripts, I am pleased to announce that the modification is slowly starting to take shape, and it is even possible to play it a little. For the past few weeks, I’ve been trying to learn more about quest creation (the scripting part, functions, conditions, etc.). And finally, I succeeded; I am now able to finish parts of quests that posed a problem for me, so everything looks as it should.

In the meantime, all the characters (NPCs) have appeared on the first map (which will be gradually added in later phases—at this point, there are nearly 700 NPCs, about 80 percent of which are named characters, more or less important to the story—most of them already have basic dialogues), and monsters have also begun to appear on the map (a rather tedious and time-consuming task). In the near future, I plan to complete the object placement in huts, chests, doors, and foliage, and I will mainly focus on quests.

Furthermore, I can announce that I am working on a short presentation video for the modification (I’m waiting to create it until the map is fully alive and I can showcase at least some gameplay). Soon, photos will also be released to show approximately what it looks like.

To make your wait a bit more enjoyable, I’m attaching a photo below, where you can see one of the most interesting guests on the map—he will be able to tell you several stories related to the kingdom of Myrtana and more 😜. For your interest, I’ll add that this man will adorn one of the loading screens (of course, after appropriate graphical adjustments).

Once again, I would like to emphasize that I am an amateur (I understand a bit about scripts and other little things, but I’m no master), but a big fan of this game. I’m trying to do everything so that everyone can relive that feeling of playing Gothic for the first time. The time, effort, and enthusiasm I am putting into this modification fulfill a dream I had as a child when I first played Dark Secrets and dreamed of creating something similar one day. Now, seeing the stage I’m at, I believe that this dream will ultimately come true and something that has been created solely by me from the very beginning (with the help of various materials), from a player for players, for free (only at the cost of my nerves 😅), will see the light of day. I hope you will also be satisfied with what you see in some time.

Greetings to all of you, and I look forward to our next meeting!

//Silvio Astaroth Goth
~ A true warrior is not one who fights with fists for trophies, but with heart for their dreams. ~

Post from 23.9.2024

After many months of preparation, the moment has come. Today, I want to present to you several dozen screenshots taken from the modification, which show that I am continuously making progress. Some places and things you probably already know, as they come from modifications like the Monastery, Chronicles of Myrtana, Returns, Dark Secrets, Lobos, Dark Saga, and also from many other authors, including Maliksoft, Tramis, Gizbor, and others (all modifications and authors' works will be credited in the end credits, acknowledging their copyrights as co-authors of this modification). As I mentioned earlier, I am not a 3D graphic artist, so I utilize materials available on the internet that users provide specifically for modding. But now is not the time to elaborate on this.

Finally, after a long time, I can announce that the modification is on the right track toward its release. After many months, even years, of hard work battling the scripts of Gothic and other issues, the first part, specifically the first map out of three, has been completed 100% and sent for closed testing. In the meantime, I have started working on the next map—the city of Khorinis. The colony was processed first, and therefore the characters in the photos do not yet have customized body and face textures. We will return to that later; for now, it's time to describe the facts.

Something that might please many of you—at the end of this year or the beginning of next, the modification will be officially announced in the Gothic community. Perhaps this will help me and give me more energy to continue working (to be clear, I am still working), and maybe someone will be willing to help.

Now, let’s talk about some numbers. You might be asking what kind of numbers? Such as—860 is the exact number of characters currently available in the modification Gothic: The Beginning: First Blood—which is 160 characters more than in Gothic 2: Night of the Raven, making my modification already larger and more expansive than the standard game at this point. Why more expansive? Because I plan to create around a thousand characters, of which more than 80 percent will have their own names and can be interacted with—not just “Who are you?” and “Who rules here?” Each of them has their own story, and who knows, maybe one will ask you for help with a quest.

What may sound somewhat ordinary at this moment—quests. So far, I have written 55 diverse quests, of which a larger portion (42 of them, some prepared until the end of the game) are on the first map—the Homeland Island. These 42 quests, along with all the mechanics and dialogue options, are currently being tested so that we can continue with the story.

Is this a good sign? Definitely! With what I am doing now and how I am doing it, I can tell a new story, about a new hero or an ordinary person named Gravo. Will there be something more than just an announcement? Of course, I want to release a whole, complete modification over the next few years, but I am also willing to split it into three parts so that players do not have to wait too long for everything. Everything will be decided after the testing is complete and based on player feedback.

That’s all for now. I invite you to take a look at the photos. Of course, the screenshots do not show everything that will be there to avoid spoiling the overall impression and story before the premiere, but I want to show you that the world will be alive; it will not be empty like most areas in the standard game.

[50+ screenshots have been added to this post, which can be found in the gallery above.]