Drakensang: TRoT - In German Stores, Add-On Revealed?

[Dhruin]

Drakensang: Am Fluss der Zeit has hit some German stores just a day or so early, according to some forum reports.
More interesting is the talk of an add-on, already well into development. Titled Phileasson´s Secret, it would seem the rumours are accurate given there is already a subsite on drakensang.de, albeit not yet linked from the front page.
Ragon der Magier, who sent in this news, explains that Phileasson is a well-known contemporary explorer in TDE from four adventure books titled Folge dem Drachenhals, also known as "Phileasson-Saga".
German TDE site ALVERAN is the source of the information, with one of the site's contributors - Mark Wachholz - one of the four authors of the original Drakensang story, which lends further credibility.
No doubt our German-speaking readers can add to this information.
Thanks, Ragon!
More information.

 

[Grandor Dragon]

Looks like two different news. The official site announces the Drakensang 2-add-on Philaesson's Secret, which will have new quests, new characters etc., and one new location, a place which hasn't been visited by anyone from Aventuria for the last 3,000 years.

The first news items of Alveran announces a single-player pen&paper module (these are usually "choose your own adventure" kind of books with added combat and skill checks). The translated title of the module is "Drakensang: The Seed of Wrath".

 

[Grandor Dragon]

And btw, the Philaesson-Saga were the best four modules I ever played for TDE.

 

[EvilManagedCare]

I haven't been able to find an answer, is this title to be released in the US?

edit: I realze now this is about the add-on. But is the sequel to Drakensang to be released in the US?

 

[Grandor Dragon]

I think that's certain.

 

[Brother None]

Awesome. Let us know your impressions, German folk, I'm pretty curious about this title and how well it improves on its predecessor.

 

[crpgnut]

Drakensang was one of those games I really enjoyed at first but just got bored in the last 1/3. I think it was more that I was ready to play something different, rather than anything wrong with the game. I might have to tackle this game again soon. I'm certainly looking for more from the company. That was a really good first effort from a company new to crpgs.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Looks like two different news. The official site announces the Drakensang 2-add-on Philaesson's Secret, which will have new quests, new characters etc., and one new location, a place which hasn't been visited by anyone from Aventuria for the last 3,000 years.

The first news items of Alveran announces a single-player pen&paper module (these are usually "choose your own adventure" kind of books with added combat and skill checks). The translated title of the module is "Drakensang: The Seed of Wrath".

Aleran also announced the Add-On, first as a rumor. I sent in the news, too, but I believed it still to be a rumor.

It is indirectly confirmed; by dtp Betty, the community manager, who said it was "no mistake" that the link of an article aboout "Phileasson's Secret" directs to an internal page of the official Drakensang 2 web site.


The second link might be incorrect - or not, I cannot judge. The link to Alveran - the name comes from the Fortress of the Gods of Aventuria, located in one of several spheres - likes to an interview of a browser adventure called "Saat des Zorns". It is - like with Drakensang 1 - in two parts : Part 1 is for free, meanwhile part 2 is commercial.

There is one "Chose your own adventure"- style book (which we call "solo adventures" here) in connection with Drakensang 2 : "Eilifs Schatz", which can be translated as "Eilif's Treasure". Eilif is a huge female Thorwalian commander of a ship, on which the adventure takes place, at least partially (I can't judge, because I have played only about 1/3 of it or so).

Alveranian links to the news :

- Eilif's Treasure : http://www.alveran.org/index.php?id=235&newsID=3551

- "The Ferdokian Pergament" - a novel connected with Drakensang 2 : http://www.alveran.org/index.php?id=235&newsID=3564

- Compenium "The Father of the Floods", which will show background information : http://www.alveran.org/index.php?id=235&newsID=3562

- News about "Phileasson's Secret" and more : http://www.alveran.org/index.php?id=235&newsID=3551

- Hint Book for Drakensang 2 : http://www.alveran.org/index.php?id=179&publikationID=694

- Link to Amazon Germany showing the newest edition of the "Phileasson-Saga" : http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/394042479X/alveran-21

 

[Ragon der Magier]

Hi y´all!

Have a nice weekend and enjoy!
Especially those compatriots holding their various editions (Personal, Collector´s, download or vanilla) in their shivering hands now or having installed it already!

Aleran also announced the Add-On, first as a rumor. I sent in the news, too, but I believed it still to be a rumor.

Hehe - i knew you would!

And i knew i´d be faster!

Let me make a few corrections on my part:

The second link might be incorrect - or not, I cannot judge. The link to Alveran - the name comes from the Fortress of the Gods of Aventuria, located in one of several spheres - likes to an interview of a browser adventure called "Saat des Zorns". It is - like with Drakensang 1 - in two parts : Part 1 is for free, meanwhile part 2 is commercial.

The only link included in my original submission (per mail) to Dhruin has been that one to the "hidden" Phileasson´s Secret page on Drakensang.de .
(don´t know if that will be the official english title; currently i just translated the German one)

But my pure mentioning of Alveran.org as a source might have been turned into a link as well by the mail application on the receiving end.
Naturally then it just leads to the starting page… and coincidentally it currently features the entry about that complementing browser adventure and a related interview with the makers as a headlining link.

- Eilif's Treasure : http://www.alveran.org/index.php?id=235&newsID=3551

- News about "Phileasson's Secret" and more : http://www.alveran.org/index.php?id=235&newsID=3551

Funnily the link to "Eilif´s Treasure" slipped underneath Alrik´s flicky fingers again, when picking the one to the AddOn related news bit.

If you want the direct link on Alveran.org regading "Phileasson´s Secret" follow this one:
http://www.alveran.org/index.php?id=10#newsID3574
(it´ll still remain in German, though!)

There´ve also been a few glitches in communication about the P&P source and links about upcoming "Phileasson´s Secret".
But i´ll just leave them as they are now, as i assume they´ll be of lesser interest to the international audience here.


As inevitably the question has risen, 1st regarding international release of Drakensang: AdFZ (TRoT) and 2nd concerning the AddOn "Phileasson´s Secret", let me just state a few things as well:
- to my knowledge neither of them has been announced for other markets than dtp/Radon Labs home base… which is Germany, of course.
- But remember back, what about Drakensang?
—- dtp always does "their homework" first
—- Drakensang came to the international markets with a time lag, announcement and release alike - but it came!
—- dtp is quite confined to Germany and other selected European countries as a publisher
===> it needs partners for other territories => negotiations -> those claim a say on the localisation then, naturally -> on top exclusiveness on the public announcement… etc. etc.


So expect a few months to pass by until 1. announcement (by local publishing partners) and then finally 2. your local release (again, by the same protagonists).

Yet, an announcement and release will come, at least for the majority of countries that also saw Drakensang before - rest assured.

Sorry, but dtp simply is no "global player".
If it were EA or Ubisoft you could expect s.th. like a simultaneous worldwide release perhaps…
But things are not like that.

But see it from this point - the trade-in is:
- you get no marketing survey streamlined gameplay (EA)
- you get no overly restrictive DRM
- and what dtp certainly will not do to you is taking your savegame functionality hostage to their own servers and plus forging you to their online lifeline while every game session (-> see recent news on Ubisofts latest product policy )


Now is your choice!


Happy play time!

Ragon, the TRoT Mage

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

At the Drakensang forums, someone posted a bit about August - which he said he found on a Russsian site, I think.

I regard this as a rumor, too - as long as it isn't confirmed.

 

[Avantenor]

My guess would be a payable DLC. Doesn't sound like a full price expansion. Would also fit to the none-ending.

 

[Gorath]

Awesome. Let us know your impressions, German folk, I'm pretty curious about this title and how well it improves on its predecessor.

Nothing to worry. It improves everything except combat.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

I doubt it will be a DLC. In my opinion German gamers are mostly still too conservative for that.
I don't know for sure, of course.

 

[syllogz]

I moved to Germany recently, but I don't speak the language at all.
Does the German release come with English language settings too (text, VO, etc), or is it only in German?

 

[PhantasmagoriaNL]

I couldnt find it in the shops here (netherlands) so I downloaded the game from their website. That version is german only.

 

[noctrun]

Nothing to worry. It improves everything except combat.

Excuse a poor university student would can't afford the full game yet: does that mean it still has those aweful infinite respawning waves of enemies in some places?

I doubt it will be a DLC. In my opinion German gamers are mostly still too conservative for that.
I don't know for sure, of course.

Didn't Radon Labs' Bernd Bayreuther say that the game wouldn't have any DLC or coop?

I moved to Germany recently, but I don't speak the language at all.
Does the German release come with English language settings too (text, VO, etc), or is it only in German?

Only German I guess, if they already had the game localized to other languages it would have been released in those countries too.

 

[Gorath]

Excuse a poor university student would can't afford the full game yet: does that mean it still has those aweful infinite respawning waves of enemies in some places?

I don't know. I haven't seen any in the first 20 hours or so, but of course that doesn't mean they won't come later.

I didn't find them that annoying. The respawning stopped when you killed the source, which could often be done from long distance with an archer. The exceptions were the gates near the end, which required a bit more fire power.

edit:
What I meant in my original post is that the changes to the combat system are carefully hidden. There might be some mild tweaking here and there, but it's not obvious.
Changes in other area are obvious. Added up the amount of changes is certainly bigger than in most other RPGs using recycled technology. Quicktravel, full voice-overs and better storytelling alone improve things a lot.

 

[Gorath]

The "DLC or not" question is pretty interesting. Bernd's partner at Radon Labs did not really answer the DLC question when I was there. His response didn't exactly sound like a definite "no".

From a business perspective it would make sense to sell the add-on as DLC because Drakensang sold more units in the international markets than in Germany, but probably for a much lower average sales price. Making the DLC available to these customers - projecting similar sales for TRoT - could become profitable quickly. Especially because an international retail release for a pure add-on to a non-AAA game wouldn't make much sense.

 

[Alrik Fassbauer]

So … A solution for Radon Labs could be to sell it via Disc here in Germany, and as DLC elsewhere … ? Interesting …

And ... Well, it also depends on when the full game will be available to the international market ...

 

[cutterjohn]

The "DLC or not" question is pretty interesting. Bernd's partner at Radon Labs did not really answer the DLC question when I was there. His response didn't exactly sound like a definite "no".

From a business perspective it would make sense to sell the add-on as DLC because Drakensang sold more units in the international markets than in Germany, but probably for a much lower average sales price. Making the DLC available to these customers - projecting similar sales for TRoT - could become profitable quickly. Especially because an international retail release for a pure add-on to a non-AAA game wouldn't make much sense.

It sold in the US for $29.99 MSRP which is about right for it's production level, not close to AAA yet several cuts above your typical indie effort.

I'm expecting the sequel will be in the same price range, as I can't see paying more for it as it's likely using the same engine, recycling alot of assets, etc. Hopefully they fixed that annoying interaction with ATI cards as that caused me to stop playing the first when it would either pause for a few minutes(while atikmdag recovered) or crash. (It's what finally prompted me to use mobility modder.net to upgrade my ATI drivers to no avail. One of two games ATM that this occurs in some areas... Not a hw fault as I can run furmark and others all day long @ higher GPU stress/temps with no problems, so it's the game enging and/or driver interaction of some sort.)