Gothic 3 Enhanced Edition v1.75 and v1.75.14 Community Patches Released

The retail version of Nordic Games' Gothic 3 Enhanced Edition shipped with version 1.75 of Mad Vulture Games' community patch, but work certainly didn't stop there as the team has just released version 1.75.14 of their 1.5GB update, as well. Since version 1.74 is the last patch we mentioned, here's a full list of changes that were introduced through the Enhanced Edition and revision 14:
XV. Community Patch v1.75.14 (not in retail version)
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+ Performance tweaks.
+ Modkit enclosed as separate installer, incl. short manual & CPT tools.
- Light calculation on vegetation corrected.
- Lightmap issue on some ruin's walls.
+ Width of ingame menus depends on aspect ratio of the screen resolution (can be switched on or off by GUI.AutoAspect in ge3.ini).
+ Color grading implemented.
- Nvidia 3D Vision issue - sky at wrong depth (can be switched on or off by Render.Nvidia3DVisionFix in ge3.ini).
- "Orc armor" reincluded into the game.
+ "Looting by rightclicking" can be deactivated via ge3.ini (parameter QuickLoot).



XIV. Community Patch v1.75 (patch & retail version)
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 Framework
+ Resource cache can't be changed manually anymore, but will be calculated automatically instead.
+ Autodetection of adequate graphic settings improved.
+ At the first start of the game the current desktop screen resolution will be used.
+ Display aspect ratio limitation removed.
+ Display refresh rate limitation removed.
+ Text language adjustable via audio menu.
+ Parameter "Render.DisableFocusNames" in ge3.ini now also disables all scroll message texts.
+ The ingame font art can now be set in the ge3.ini.
+ fmodex updated to newer version.
+ Dynamic shader caching to reduce stuttering.
- Timing issue on multicore processors fixed (can be switched on or off by Timer.ThreadSafe in ge3.ini).
+ Subtitles will be displayed if a soundfile is missing, even if subtitles have been deactivated in the ingame options.
- Fixed crash when summoning fog while being attacked in close combat.
- Fixed crash when viewing recipes without ResultItem.
- When the hero gets enough XP to climb up two levels at once, he will actually perform these two levelups now.
+ For modders: Certain types of new freepoints are supported now. You can assign info files to those "ghosts".
 
 Graphics
- Shadow issue fixed that occured on Radeon 4000 graphic cards and above.
+ Improved shadow quality.
+ Dynamic shadows now fade out by distance.
+ Vegetation can now receive dynamic shadows (only when shadow quality is set to "very high").
+ Self shadowing added to light calculation.
- Support of shader 1.4 and 2.0 removed.
+ Rim lighting, soft water and soft particles can't be switched off anymore.
+ Rim lighting and subsurface scattering on NPCs implemented.
+ Chromatic dispersion added to water.
- When a weapon hits water, the water waves won't hover diagonally in the air.
- Numerous holes between the head and the body of various NPCs have been mostly closed.
+ Specular light calculation changed from Blinn-Phong to Phong.
+ Improved many shaders.
- Fixed lighting exploit when using animal transformation scrolls.
+ Screen noise improved.
+ Improved Bloom/HDR.
- Depth of field / soft particle issue in combination with watersurface.
+ FXAA implemented, edge smoothing removed.
+ Numerous textures corrected, improved or added.
 
 Animation
- Animation of gargoyles and swamp lurkers improved.
- Animals and monsters collapse, too, when the hero "assassinates" them.
- Clipping of shields that are worn on the arm reduced.
 
 Dialogs
+ Randomization of smalltalk sentences improved.
- NPCs don't start to talk to the hero while he is jumping.
+ The "Story helper" offers dialog options to "calm down" an enclave with "red NPCs" (exceptions: Gotha and Ardea), and dialog options to reduce the counter for "liberated cities". Use at your own risk!
+ The "stage directions" (instructions about what gesture a NPC should make while saying a certain text) were moved from the stringtable to the info files.
+ For modders: InfoType=7 adapted from Forsaken Gods.
+ For modders: New info file parameter "SuppressLog".
+ For modders: New info commands "Humanize", "GiveAll", "FailQuest", "JoinPlayer".
+ For modders: New condition "CondPlayerPartyMember".
 
 Quests
+ For modders: New quest type "13" (spell quests) adapted from Forsaken Gods.
 
 Ingame menus
- Corrected height calculation in mission log window.
+ For modders: Implemented the possibility of quest descriptions (QuestDescription).
 
 Inventory related topics (trading, looting, etc.)
+ Trader's amount of money slightly increased.
+ For modders: Included possibility of non-random trade inventories (gETreasureDistribution_Trade_NotRandom).
+ For modders: Traders are now able to sell quest items.
 
 Equipment
+ The hero doesn't put away his staff or torch anymore when eating fruit, meat, fish, or bread.
 
 Items
+ For modders: Two new commands "ShowGameMessage" and "AddQuestLog" added to the script array of item templates.
+ For modders: New property "FullBody" included in Item_PS.
 
 NPC placements
- NPCs don't stand inside other NPCs while having a smalltalk conversation.
 
 NPC navigation
- The hero can't swim underneath water lily leaves anymore.
- Removed invisible barricades from the stairs of the tower above Faring.
- More possible causes for sliding NPCs removed.
 
 Combat
- The hero's companions won't be injured by his area spells.
+ Arena combatants will wake up from unconsciousness sooner than other NPCs.
- Bug resolved where the hero could be attacked by animals after he enchanted them with the spell "Summon animals".
- Ice golems now use the spell "ice lance" on long distances.
- Dead NPCs can't be reanimated by using the "Attack" command in Info files.
+ Mummies now hit slightly earlier, faster and more often than before.
- No "machine gun"-like attacks from Ogres and "Temple guards" anymore.
+ NPCs who watch fights will occasionally give remarks now when the hero hits his opponent.
 
 Unconsciousness and death
- Effect of the console commands "Kill" and "Defeat" on animals and monsters corrected.
- Burning or poisoned NPCs only die from fire or poison when they are hostile to the hero.
 
 NPC behaviour
+ If the hero opens a chest with the proper key, NPCs don't care about the looting.
- NPCs with PAL_Pirate now react on aggressive animals and monsters.
 
 Companions
- Animal companions don't take part in combats of other NPCs anymore.
- Companion won't slide around after being dismissed while waiting.
 
 Skills and magic
- The spell "Banish evil" can't be waisted on inappropriate enemies anymore.
+ For modders: The description of the HP, SP and MP gain at shrines now results from the TeachAttribValue of the corresponding info file.
 
 Interactive objects
- The hero isn't able to go to sleep, open chests, sit down, sharpen any weapons or use other interactive objects while being under attack.
+ If the hero can't use an interactive object, a scroll message will inform about the necessary item.
+ If the hero sits down on a chair or a bench, he slowly regenerates life energy.
+ For modders: There's a new attribute KeyAmount in the Lock-PS of chests. If the hero should need several (identical!) keys to open a chest, here's the place to name the amount.
+ For modders: It's now possible to set a GameEvent when the hero opens a chest (Interaction.ScriptUseFunc). This event will be set every time the hero uses the object. The same applies when using anvils, whetstones, cooking pots, campfires, alchemy tables, prospecting veins, tree trunks (saws), orc drums, water barrels, thrones, stools, benches, waterpipes, and lecterns.
+ For modders: The attribute increase when reading smithing bookshelves is now connected to the AB switch as well.
 
 Camera related topics
+ First person mode camera has been moved up.
 
 Controls
- Default key for "take all" while looting changed from "Z" to "U".
- The hero doesn't re-enter sneak mode automatically after being forced into conversation with an NPC.
- Problem resolved where the hero carried out an action after the player clicked on the "Ok" Button of a tutorial.
- It's not possible anymore to switch back to the main menu during a conversation.
+ Unconscious or dead NPCs and unlocked chests can now be looted by rightclicking them.
 
 Only with AI switch turned on:
+ Arena combatants fight with a higher attack frequency.
+ With difficulty "hard", the attacks moves of arena combatants are slightly faster.
- Fixed bug where animal groups could use sprint attacks when difficulty "easy" was activated.