Even minor crimes are punished with hard labor in the mines. Ore is sent out through the barrier in exchange for supplies, but what comes in is controlled by a powerful few, while the rest toil endlessly for the leftover scraps. Escape seems impossible, and peace is unlikely. The player controls a single character, although up to five players can team up, using Gothic s multi-player capabilities. The ability to control a second character in single-player is being considered.
Combat takes place in real time.
The character s weapons and armor are shown on screen, as are those of the opponents. Your combat abilities are largely determined by your character s abilities, as opposed to the player s reflexes and mouse skills. Things will be paced slowly enough to allow tactical decisions. Equipment is fairly standard for a fantasy game, with the usual range of medieval weapons and armor, and magical variations attainable eventually. Weapons known to be implemented thus far include swords, axes, bows, crossbows, clubs, daggers and maces.