Playmodes

Author: Flosha
Dated:  03.11.2022
Status: wip

These different play modes or challenges are not to be misunderstood with common levels of difficulty. They do not change the balancing other than how the regeneration works. But they introduce additional challenge and pressure by progressively harder savepoint restrictions and enforcement of gameplay mechanics that you already learned but that were optional before and become more important or even obligatory in the more difficult modes.

Note: Both the names and the specifics of those modes are work in progress, they have to be balanced later in development and are open to debate.

Asleep

Regeneration is always activated and you can safe whenever you want. Time to get wet, pussy.

Not recommmended, unless you're afraid from a battle against meatbugs.

Dream

Regeneration is always activated, but requires energy (from food) to regenerate from. But food is plenty and energy consumption is low. You can safe whenever you want.

Recommended for regular players who just want to play without much of a challenge or those who haven't played Gothic before.

Feverdream

Regeneration is deactivated at 70% damage and you can only save in “safezones”: In your own hut, in the headquarter of your guild or when sleeping guarded by a friend. Thus being safe represents being able to save.

Highly recommended for most players, those who know Gothic and want a little bit of a challenge and the added immersion of planning your adventures ahead.

Nightmare

Regeneration is deactivated at 50% damage and the game saves automatically whenever you sleep. But since the story progression is timed and the events occur if you want it or not, you won’t be able to sleep more than intended while the nightmare unfolds. Use your time wisely as long as you’re awake.

Recommended for those who love some pressure and want to feel the urgency.

Madness

Regeneration is deactivated at 30% damage and the game is only saved during madness waves; savegames represent the traumatic moments imprinted in your mind and you’re forced to always have enough drugs to endure them, or you’ll not escape the madness. Survival is unlikely and the journey is hard; but as the frequency of madness waves increases with the progression of the story so is the frequency of your savepoints.

Recommended for experienced players who want a hardcore challenge.

Rewards: By completing the game in Feverdream, Nightmare or Madness mode and depending on the faction played for, players may receive rewards in form of unlocking additional singleplayer faces, bonus coop levels and multiplayer levels and characters.