[MaximB]

There are many threads in the forum that asks one question per thread.
This is a waste IMO, in this thread you are free to ask questions that usually get a short answer, but Vince is more then welcome to answer more deeply.

Ok...

In Gothic the blacksmith were making swords all day, the towns folks were walking and always doing something, what about AoD, will the NPC's are going to do something or just stand up there ? 

[Jedi_Learner]

Does it matter?

[MaximB]

Does it matter?

Fuck man, I am going to kill you (that's very similar to what Vince have said).
I think it adds much more to the detail and depth of the game.
 

[Vince]

In Gothic the blacksmith were making swords all day, the towns folks were walking and always doing something, what about AoD, will the NPC's are going to do something or just stand up there ?

No extra animations or bringing-towns-to-life efforts are planned.

[Clad]

Who needs ?

A CRPG is sort of a contract between the game and the player. The game got to give the player what it needs to fuel it's mind, to conceptualize the story the player is the hero of, and in return the player give it's attention not to what is drawn on screen but to the game behind it.

Remember that brotherhood guy in fallout 1 to whom you could steal a piece of superarmor ? When he goes to sleep, he stays standed up. But the game find other ways to tell you that he is sleeping. So you just consider him sleeping and the game isn't any less enjoyable.

Another more extrem example is darf fortress. It doesn't like like anything, but the game still is explicit enough for you to figure out what happens.

Well, same with AoD and city life. Does it really add anything to the experience to see people doing stuffs ? Not really. You can just figure out by yourself than the population is doing whatever a population does. It's not like not being able to double-cross a quest giver, you can't just imagine that you actually double-crossed the guy if you the game force you to choose between "doing the quest the way the quest giver wanted you to" and "not doing the quest at all". So any effort put into the game should be put into important things like "giving more choices to the player" and not into non-essential eye-candy (err, mind-candy in this case ?) stuffs you can do without.

[Julius]

I think it adds much more to the detail and depth of the game.
 

I admit it added something to the Gothic games, but as to "much more", I'm not really sold. I don't think anyone would really notice if there wasn't any of it in the game. It's not like it's anything more than superficial, by definition. You can figure that stuff out or it can be done by text if the output is necessary for the player.

Honestly though, take Ultima's NPC schedules, some people praised that to no end but I found that it pissed me off. You'd have to wait to reach the NPCs, or run around to find them, great fun. Same thing with merchants who wouldn't buy this or that in Might and Magic because they didn't deal those kind of items. I admit it makes sense and it "adds something" but I really could do without it. If I designed a game I wouldn't be sitting down thinking about NPC schedules and how they will be doing something except standing around which is oh-so not immersive.

Thing is tho, it doesn't fit anyways. AoD is not a sandbox type of game and doesn't strive to create a living breathing world. Indeed its world shall not be living and it won't breath. D:

[Vince]

I admit it added something to the Gothic games, but as to "much more", I'm not really sold.

In my opinion, it added a lot and was brilliantly executed. No game world could be compared to Gothic 3 in the "living & breathing" department. AoD has a different focus though and I didn't want to overextend by adding every good feature I could think of.

[Nick]

Not mentioning that adding every cool feature is hardly possible with our limited time and resources.

...it would be nice to have a million or two... =)

[MaximB]

Ok, let's go on...

How the "loadings" will act in the game ?
For example if you enter a building, will I have to wait for the scene to load ? how about if I go to a different city ?

About the buildings , will there be a multi floor buildings or just a "flat" ones like in Eschalon ?
If so, will there be any loadings inside buildings ? (when you go to the upper floor or something)
Will you be able to enter any building ?

[Nick]

How the "loadings" will act in the game ?
For example if you enter a building, will I have to wait for the scene to load ? how about if I go to a different city ?

Depends on a building. If it's a small one, it will be loaded together with "outside" map. If it's a palace or huge barracks, it will be a separate location and will load separately.

About the buildings , will there be a multi floor buildings...

Yes.

If so, will there be any loadings inside buildings ? (when you go to the upper floor or something)

No, most likely. All floors will be loaded together.

Will you be able to enter any building ?

No.

[Special_Can]

About the buildings , will there be a multi floor buildings or just a "flat" ones like in Eschalon ?

 Um, what? I only played the demo but right there in the first area is a two floor house. So what are you talking about?

[MaximB]

About the buildings , will there be a multi floor buildings or just a "flat" ones like in Eschalon ?

 Um, what? I only played the demo but right there in the first area is a two floor house. So what are you talking about?

I only noticed there a house and a basement, and all the houses in the first town were "flat".
And if you go to the basement it will load a new zone, I meant something more like in FTA2.
 

[MaximB]

A few questions about merchants and buying/selling (some of which might be already asked somewhere, but I also making this thread for the unofficial FAQ).

1. Will any merchant buy everything from you (like in most games) or let's say a blacksmith (or a weapon merchant) won't buy from you things that he doesn't normally sell (like in Escelhon) ?
2. You said once that once you kill a person you can take all the things he has on him (like in fallout), what about if you kill a merchant ? will you able to take all the things he sells ?
3. If you kill a merchant, what will happen to the prices of other merchants ?
4. Will there be merchants in the same town that sells the same things ? if so will the prices will change on the same things from merchant to merchant ?
 

[Vince]

1. Will any merchant buy everything from you (like in most games) or let's say a blacksmith (or a weapon merchant) won't buy from you things that he doesn't normally sell (like in Escelhon) ?

Everything. It's more convenient. 

2. You said once that once you kill a person you can take all the things he has on him (like in fallout), what about if you kill a merchant ? will you able to take all the things he sells ?

Yes. I wouldn't count on it though.

3. If you kill a merchant, what will happen to the prices of other merchants ?

Nothing. There are no wandering traders. There is a very powerful merchants guild. Killing one of its merchants is a death sentence. At the same time, the merchants are employees. Killing one or two won't affect anything. It's possible to affect the guild's prices though (smuggling, the mine I mentioned previously, etc).

4. Will there be merchants in the same town that sells the same things ? if so will the prices will change on the same things from merchant to merchant ?

Yes, but they won't be easily accessible or accessible to all. The Imperial Guards have their own smiths. They aren't regulated by the merchants guild and can sell you certain things cheaper. The thieves guild can sell you a variety of stolen items at half a price, but you need to be a card-carrying member and the selection is random. You can't make money buying these things and selling as you buy them basically at the rate the merchants guild will buy things from you, but you can save money this way.

[Scott]

Are there females in the game?