FAQ

Question: What is Getica?
Answer: Getica is a project made of two 3D, third person, single player RPGs. The two games are called Cult of the Elders and Roman Wars. For a more in-depth description of why we split the project into two games, head on to the Description section of our site.

Q: Where does the name "Getica" come from?
A: The Getae (also known as the Dacians) were the most important of the Thracian family of peoples. The Thracians were one of the oldest European civilizations; at the peak of their power, they occupied over half the Europe and some territories in the Middle East. The name "Getica" is meant to represent "the saga of the Getae", just as the "Odyssey" means "the saga of Odysseus".

Q: Where are you with the development of Getica?
A: The development for the first title in the Getica project has just begun. At this time, we can't issue a firm date of release, but we're estimating that this process will last for about one year from now, so you'll probably be able to play Getica sometime during Q1 2005.

Q: Who is developing Getica?
A: Getica is a project of Digital Summoners, a romanian games developer, currently situated in Bucharest.

Q: Is there a publisher for "Getica"?
A: No, we haven't yet begun negotiations with a company for distribution rights.

Q: Is Getica diffrent from other RPGs?
A: The atmosphere in Cult of the Elders is very close to what you'd expect from a classic fantasy RPG, in that the game's action is placed in an ancient world, where magic is still a part of men's lives. On top of the basic concepts of the RPG, Getica brings a special approach of the combat and magic systems, as well as tight integration of the quests and player actions in the story line. In the second part, the fantasy setting will be replaced by actual historical facts, and you will be offered the role of a 1st century AD political and military leader. An overview of the game's systems is given in the Description section.

Q: Is Getica's action well defined in time?
A: The first game happens somewhere between 1000 and 500 BC. The second part is placed in a short period of time between the end of the first and the beginning of the second century AD.

Q: What mythical creatures will I encounter while playing Getica?
A: During the game, you will get in contact with the Getae, the Celts, the Norse, the Greeks and the Romans. As a consequence, you will meet fantastic creatures belonging to the mythologies of all these cultures, and you will discover references to the gods that these ancient civilizations used to worship. Having been borrowed from the norse and celtic mythologies, you will also get the chance of meeting the usual inhabitants of the fantasy games - the elves, the dwarves, etc. - when your character comes in contact with the cultures that these creatures come from. Still, the main role will be played by the gods and creatures present in the myths of the Getae. The Peoples section of this site contains descriptions of the creatures and myths that will be present in the game, organized by their originating culture.

Q: Will there be dragons in Getica?
A: The dragon has a special place in the legends of the Getae, who call him the balaur, being closely related to the myth of the Hultan. Since you will experience the game as a Hultan, the dragons will play a special role in Getica's story line; each dragon you will meet will be a key character, with its own personality and dialogue.

Q: What are the available classes in Getica?
A: You will be able to choose between three classes: melee fighter, archer or pure mage. This choice is only an addition to your character's basic condition, which is that of a wizard. No matter which class you play, you will still have to learn some spells and cast them from time to time. The class only affects the way that you will be able to handle the conflict situations, but this will be enough to yeld quite a different gaming experience for each choice.

Q: Will there be support for multiplayer?
A: At this moment, we're investigating the option of adding a multiplayer mode to the game. If we find a way to integrate the multiplayer support with the rest of the game's systems, the final version will offer this mode of playing too.

Q: What platforms will Getica run on?
A: Getica is being developed for the PC. We will release a Windows 98/2000/XP version, as well as a Linux/x86 one. It is very likely that we will also offer Linux/amd64 binaries, if this platform matures enough until Getica's release date.

Q: What APIs does Getica use?
A: For 3D graphics, Getica uses OpenGL 1.4. The 3D sound environment is created using OpenAL, and the sound files are encoded using Ogg/Vorbis. Besides these APIs, Getica also uses a series of open source libraries: FreeType, LibPNG, LibJPEG and the Lua scripting language.

Q: What kind of hardware do I need to play Getica?
A: It is quite early to state the minimum hardware requirements, but for the moment we estimate that, in order to play at 1024x768 with medium detail, you will need at least a GeForce4 graphics card, 128Mb video RAM, 256Mb system RAM and a Pentium4/2GHz or equivalent processor. These hardware specs will be updated as the development of the game progresses.

Q: Will you offer the possibility of making Getica MODs?
A: If we decide to integrate multiplayer support, we will also release a toolset dedicated to those who wish to develop a modification, plus the corresponding documentation. These tools would allow MOD teams to change some aspects of the gameplay, to add new content and to create original playing modes.

Q: Is all the information in the Lore section genuine?
A: The Lore section tries to present accurate information about the creatures, myths and gods described there. While we haven't altered any of the known facts about them, we have added some personal interpretations or even new things where the existing information was too vague. This is especially true when it comes to the Dacian mythology, where little is known about some aspects of the creatures or gods. For example, we won't change anything in the description of the Norse gods, since that domain is well known and preserved, but we have invented the magic items that Paduroiul has and the marriage between him and Muma Padurii. This has been done in order to add depth to the Getica world, since reliable information is very scarce when it comes to the relations between the Dacian mystical creatures, or even the entire Dacian cosmogony. The final goal of these additions is to create gameplay and to serve the plot of the game. The Lore section is not a scientific presentation; nothing has been removed from what mythology and history tell us about the worlds that we describe, but several things have been added - Getica is a game, not a documentary.

Q: Will Getica have a localized version in Romanian?
A: We cannot say for sure at the moment, but we intend on releasing a version with Romanian voices and dialogues, if possible.

    If this FAQ hasn't answered all your questions about Getica, feel free to contact us in one of the ways described in the Contact section of our site.