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Battle Brothers Pre-Release Thread

ERYFKRAD

Barbarian
Patron
Joined
Sep 25, 2012
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28,349
Strap Yourselves In Serpent in the Staglands Shadorwun: Hong Kong Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag. Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Black Company has insanely powerful magicians throughout the books.
Who happened to have taken fucking centuries to get there. Meanwhile the Company's regular magicians are more tricky with the deployment of magic than anything else. All flash and show, very little direct stuff.
 

InD_ImaginE

Arcane
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Joined
Aug 23, 2015
Messages
5,427
Pathfinder: Wrath
Black Company has insanely powerful magicians throughout the books.
Who happened to have taken fucking centuries to get there. Meanwhile the Company's regular magicians are more tricky with the deployment of magic than anything else. All flash and show, very little direct stuff.
Which is why I wrote "On daily basis" as in the daily operation of The Black Company itself.

Now speaking of Black Company, is there any work plan on magic as a whole on the game? Will it stay as is (e.g. perk of some factions) or will it have some kind of a bigger role as in Black Company?
 
Self-Ejected

Ludo Lense

Self-Ejected
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
936
Really? There are fireballs and necromancers?

I really liked what I saw so I tried to avoid future developments.

At least they could have gone with a more mystic angle like Haruspex or Sibyl.
 

rapsdjff

Overhype Studios
Developer
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
330
First of all - yes! I missed a camping mechanic. Second - will you be moving some events to camps from appearing randomly on the road? Many of them would make more sense during camp.
Yes, probably. We want to wait a bit and see how the camping mechanic works out and how often players make use of it first before we shuffle events around, though.

Now with camping, will men need sleep?
Not at present. For this as well we want to see how camping works out first, especially once we add a more detailed injury system that may make resting more of a necessity. Men needing sleep makes sense from a simulationist perspective, of course, but it can also get old fast if all it does is force you to hit the camp button every few minutes. I see this as more of a potential tool to make use of once everything else is in place and we feel that we further need to balance out the attrition game.

Definitely agree on this, game changing magic doesn't need to be visible at all. It can add an interesting layer on top of it all, if you have to try to guess what the enemy hedge wizard is doing and if it is just hocus pocus or not.
For the record I am opposed to magic being any more prevalent than it already is (it's disappointing that lots of self-styled low fantasy can't resist going all fireballs and magic swords in the end) but the combination of mercenaries, gritty realism and low level trickster magic is damn reminiscent of the Black Company series.
Magic does have tangible effects for the player, but I'd like to believe that they aren't of the flashy high fantasy kind. We've deliberately made all magic abilities be utility/support kind of spells. The thing is, you don't need any magic to do ranged damage; any bow or throwing weapon can do that. In order to make the best use of the limited amount of magic we have, we want it to be something special, something that changes the whole flow of combat in ways that can't be achieved by normal means. More interesting (and within the context of the game world, mysterious) than arrows dressed as fireballs is necromancers raising your own dead to fight against you, for example.

In the game's world actual magic is rare enough that you have (as conveyed via character backgrounds, events and contracts) everything from people refusing to believe in such superstition at all, to people explaining away things that they don't understand as magic, to zealous witchhunters attempting to burn out the slightest hint of the extraordinary, to people using smoke and mirrors to make others believe for their own profit that they possess otherwordly powers. In fact, we also have a new character background written that confronts the player with the very question of what they're doing is magic or merely illusion, and how others in the company react to it.

Now speaking of Black Company, is there any work plan on magic as a whole on the game? Will it stay as is (e.g. perk of some factions) or will it have some kind of a bigger role as in Black Company?
No, magic is not about to play any bigger role in the world of Battle Brothers than it does now. I've not read much of the Black Company, however, so if you're refering to anything specific, it'll be lost on me.

There's minor things about the prevalence of magic that will change. For instance, it will play a role in the backstory of the reworked skeleton part of the undead faction. They're about to receive more of a cultural identity of their own as a sort of long-dead civilization and will no longer be just generic skeletons. But then, magic was always implicitly involved with the undead anyway. Here's a preview of the direction we'll go with skeletons in a later update to the game.

skeletons_mock.jpg


On the other hand, we'll get rid of any implication of magic or supernatural curses for werewolves by rebranding them to be direwolves. They'll be beastly creatures, like the exaggerated big bad wolves in fairytales, and it should be clearer now what they're supposed to be.
 

Agesilaus

Antiquity Studio
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Developer
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Aug 24, 2013
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4,460
Grab the Codex by the pussy Codex USB, 2014 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
That looks amazing, like a bizarre mix of mycenean greek, romans, ancient celts, with a dacian falx thrown in for good measure.
 

oscar

Arcane
Joined
Aug 30, 2008
Messages
8,038
Location
NZ
Yeah that's quite a badass visual take on undead, classical European cultures against your medieval knight and landsknecht types.
 

rnadmo_uesr

Novice
Joined
Nov 16, 2014
Messages
3
Regarding magic, there is something I'd like to ask. I've been following this game since the first combat demo was released, and I remember some talk about a 'Demons and Cultists' faction. Of course, I've might just have misread something, but that got me thinking if there is any plan for it.

Now, I prefer magic to be subtle as well, and I was not thinking about bat wings or goat heads, but more along the lines of possesed humans fighting as raving lunatics, or cultists turning bbros against each other in combat, or driving them crazy enough to start attacking friend and foe randomly.

In any case, the team is doing great work, and the game is shaping up to become a true classic.
 

rapsdjff

Overhype Studios
Developer
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
330
The 'Cultists and Demons' faction was shelved in favor of more variety for human opponents, such as with the noble houses. The plan was (and, if it ever comes to them making an appearance in the future, will be) indeed to go with more subtle themes of madness and seduction. No fiery demons of hell, but more of the alien-like lovecraftian type. There's minor things hinting at them in the game currently, such as the cultist background and related events. But like I said, they're not going to be a part of the game for now.
 

rnadmo_uesr

Novice
Joined
Nov 16, 2014
Messages
3
The 'Cultists and Demons' faction was shelved in favor of more variety for human opponents, such as with the noble houses. The plan was (and, if it ever comes to them making an appearance in the future, will be) indeed to go with more subtle themes of madness and seduction. No fiery demons of hell, but more of the alien-like lovecraftian type. There's minor things hinting at them in the game currently, such as the cultist background and related events. But like I said, they're not going to be a part of the game for now.

So it was really mencioned. Thanks for the answer.
 

Dr Skeleton

Arcane
Joined
Nov 9, 2014
Messages
815
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Those weapons can be looted, right? The design is great.

On the other hand, we'll get rid of any implication of magic or supernatural curses for werewolves by rebranding them to be direwolves. They'll be beastly creatures, like the exaggerated big bad wolves in fairytales, and it should be clearer now what they're supposed to be.
Why the change? Not saying it's particularly good or bad, but werewolves don't strike me as a high-magic setting trope, they could just be people with some sickness or mutation.

The plan was (and, if it ever comes to them making an appearance in the future, will be) indeed to go with more subtle themes of madness and seduction. No fiery demons of hell, but more of the alien-like lovecraftian type.
Makes me want to see them even more. Hordes of poorly armed cultists? Mercenaries going insane? Getting corrupted? I guess they can wait though.

Btw will church faction(s?) / quests / locations make it into the game in some shape? That's another thing that constantly shows up in the background.
 

rapsdjff

Overhype Studios
Developer
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
330
Those weapons can be looted, right? The design is great.
Of course.

Why the change? Not saying it's particularly good or bad, but werewolves don't strike me as a high-magic setting trope, they could just be people with some sickness or mutation.
I might have worded that poorly. Werewolves in Battle Brothers were never supposed to be anything other than ferocious animals. They never were people, they're not cursed with disease or mutation, there is no way to save them and their condition isn't contagious. Their current name is very misleading as it lets people expect something different, like you did, so we'll change it.

Btw will church faction(s?) / quests / locations make it into the game in some shape? That's another thing that constantly shows up in the background.
There'll be churches in some of the cities, and there is mention of religion in texts throughout the game. However, there is no faction or quests attached to religion and it won't play any big role in the game for now.
 

Mr. Pink

Travelling Gourmand, Crab Specialist
Joined
Jan 9, 2015
Messages
3,044
PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
quick question: how close is this to "done", and is it worth picking up if you despise early access
 

Smashing Axe

Arcane
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Joined
Dec 29, 2011
Messages
2,835
Divinity: Original Sin
I want this and will one day buy it, but I've ruined the full release of other games by playing the EA so I am waiting until it is done. Which I imagine will be sometime around June.
 

Blaine

Cis-Het Oppressor
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Roanoke, VA
Grab the Codex by the pussy
It depends a lot on replayability, doesn't it?

I played Underrail all the way through twice during Early Access, then twice through yet again after release, for a total of four playthroughs. I expect I'll play it through a fifth and six time sometime in the next few years.

High replayability is pretty common in the realm of right proper turn-based tactical or strategy games.
 

Jimmious

Arcane
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Joined
May 18, 2015
Messages
5,132
Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Replayability is a relative term though.
You finished Underrail 4 times already, I can't even think why I would even consider doing that, since there's no real C&C or story arcs that change significantly with different choices. So basically you replay the game to just try different ways of killing the same stuff. That might appeal to some I imagine.

BB on the other hand will have a lot of randomness in it with world gen which will probably make it more replayable for me...I guess. Unless of course it doesn't really change the way you play every time.
 

Blaine

Cis-Het Oppressor
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Grab the Codex by the pussy
there's no real C&C or story arcs that change significantly with different choices

That's demonstrably untrue (although I'd say there's not enough of it), and even it weren't, a character that plays entirely differently changes the combat gameplay quite significantly. However, that's an argument better suited for the appropriate thread, and it's certainly true that replayability is relative.

For example, some people don't find randomly-generated worlds to be a strong point in favor of replayability, although some people do and it is heavily touted as such by some developers.
 

rapsdjff

Overhype Studios
Developer
Joined
Jan 31, 2014
Messages
330
Friday update time.

blog_header_announcement.jpg

Dev Blog #69: Update Date Announcement, Pretty Pictures
February is almost upon us, time to announce a date! The worldmap update will be released exactly one month from now, on February the 29th. We’ll use the time until then for adding some more minor features and more content, as well as for bugfixing and balancing. As the release draws closer, Jaysen will also start a new Let’s Play series to give you a tour of how the game now plays.

Bugfixing and balancing doesn’t make for good content in blog updates, sadly, so this week we’re a bit short on material. Let’s look at some pretty pictures instead!

Pretty Pictures
Most of the worldmap visuals are finished now. There’s a few settlement locations left to be done, like the harbor, but at this point it’s more polishing than creating new assets. Take a look at one of our new environments, the steppe. It’s modelled after terrain you’d find in some southern European countries, like Spain. With a drastically different look from the tundra and snow you can find in the north, it makes for more distinct regions in the world and more variety as you travel it. How much steppe there is, and where it is exactly, changes with each world you generate.



Swamps also received an overhaul. Looking more dreary now, they can be found in small to medium stretches more or less all over the world. Traversing them has become slightly faster, but travelling on dry land is still preferable. That ground fog is actually animated, and they have quite a lively sound ambience.



Mountains are still not something you want to cross regularly, as it takes a long time and is costly in terms of supplies. To make it easier to distinguish them from hills, all mountains now have snow caps. Should you make it to the top, you’ll be able to see far across the land – useful perhaps if you’re looking for something.

Hills are now a common terrain that can be crossed at decent speeds. Settlements at hillsides often have an economy based around mining, like the one in the picture below. Goats are held here as a source of food, and you’ll be able to purchase goat cheese in the settlement. The gem mine will also likely make caravans from here juicy targets for bandits, which in turn means good job opportunities for mercenaries.



Noble houses are quite a bit more active than the Landsknechts of old, especially when it comes to defending their territory. This picture shows a company of soldiers led by a knight battling against a horde of marauding orcs. Speaking of orcs, they had all their sounds redone and a lot of new ones added to bring them to the same level as goblins.

 

Zdzisiu

Arcane
Joined
Dec 3, 2009
Messages
3,498
Friday update time.

blog_header_announcement.jpg

Dev Blog #69: Update Date Announcement, Pretty Pictures
February is almost upon us, time to announce a date! The worldmap update will be released exactly one month from now, on February the 29th. We’ll use the time until then for adding some more minor features and more content, as well as for bugfixing and balancing. As the release draws closer, Jaysen will also start a new Let’s Play series to give you a tour of how the game now plays.

Bugfixing and balancing doesn’t make for good content in blog updates, sadly, so this week we’re a bit short on material. Let’s look at some pretty pictures instead!

Pretty Pictures
Most of the worldmap visuals are finished now. There’s a few settlement locations left to be done, like the harbor, but at this point it’s more polishing than creating new assets. Take a look at one of our new environments, the steppe. It’s modelled after terrain you’d find in some southern European countries, like Spain. With a drastically different look from the tundra and snow you can find in the north, it makes for more distinct regions in the world and more variety as you travel it. How much steppe there is, and where it is exactly, changes with each world you generate.



Swamps also received an overhaul. Looking more dreary now, they can be found in small to medium stretches more or less all over the world. Traversing them has become slightly faster, but travelling on dry land is still preferable. That ground fog is actually animated, and they have quite a lively sound ambience.



Mountains are still not something you want to cross regularly, as it takes a long time and is costly in terms of supplies. To make it easier to distinguish them from hills, all mountains now have snow caps. Should you make it to the top, you’ll be able to see far across the land – useful perhaps if you’re looking for something.

Hills are now a common terrain that can be crossed at decent speeds. Settlements at hillsides often have an economy based around mining, like the one in the picture below. Goats are held here as a source of food, and you’ll be able to purchase goat cheese in the settlement. The gem mine will also likely make caravans from here juicy targets for bandits, which in turn means good job opportunities for mercenaries.



Noble houses are quite a bit more active than the Landsknechts of old, especially when it comes to defending their territory. This picture shows a company of soldiers led by a knight battling against a horde of marauding orcs. Speaking of orcs, they had all their sounds redone and a lot of new ones added to bring them to the same level as goblins.

Those poor crossbowmen in the last picture...
 

Agesilaus

Antiquity Studio
Patron
Developer
Joined
Aug 24, 2013
Messages
4,460
Grab the Codex by the pussy Codex USB, 2014 Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
Will you be doing anything to ensure that all note-worthy characters wear helmets? It seems a little ridiculous when you notice a person in good metal armour, wielding an expensive weapon, but no head protection at all. At least give them a chain coif.

Those poor crossbowmen in the last picture...

Depends on the turn order. The berserker might catch 2 crossbow bolts and a slash of that knight's sword before his next move.
 

torpid

Liturgist
Joined
Aug 2, 2010
Messages
1,099
Location
Isma's Grove
Are all the town names German? "Dornheim" in the steppes is kind of weird. Of course, maybe the fantasy setting happens to be entirely Teutonic.

Will you be doing anything to ensure that all note-worthy characters wear helmets? It seems a little ridiculous when you notice a person in good metal armour, wielding an expensive weapon, but no head protection at all. At least give them a chain coif.

Isn't it up to the player to equip his mercenaries? Or is that only for weapons?
 

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