Torment Kickstarter Update #50: Beta Delayed, New Screenshot, Backer NPC Info
Torment Kickstarter Update #50: Beta Delayed, New Screenshot, Backer NPC Info
Game News - posted by Infinitron on Fri 18 December 2015, 22:14:20
Tags: Chris Keenan; George Ziets; inXile Entertainment; Torment: Tides of NumeneraIn what has shaped up to be a busy Friday for RPG news, inXile have published a new Torment: Tides of Numenera Kickstarter update, the first since Kevin Saunders' departure in October. Some Codexers have conjectured that this departure was a sign that Torment's development would now be rushed, but in this update, Chris "The Closer" Keenan informs us that the game's beta, originally scheduled to be released this year, has been delayed to early 2016.
From George Ziets:
The Order of Truth is dedicated to the study of numenera – artifacts of long-dead civilizations that inhabited Earth millions of years ago. Its adherents, known as Aeon Priests, have established enclaves throughout much of the known world. In the city of Sagus Cliffs, far from the lands where the Order arose, the Aeon Priests are few, and not all of them share the high principles of their distant brethren.
Fortunately for them, Sagus Cliffs sits atop a massive trove of numenera, layer upon layer of ancient cities and long-forgotten technologies, waiting to be unearthed. The local headquarters of the Order is inside an ancient starship, abandoned countless millennia in the past and locked in the accumulated sediments of the ages.
Also included in the update is a description by George of inXile's process for incorporating backer NPCs in the game, which differs from Obsidian's significantly. There are even a few examples, although our own backer NPC is not among them. Better not to spoil the surprise, I guess.
Chris here. Our team is continuing to work hard on getting the Beta Test ready to deliver to you. Torment is in that exciting stage where things are coming together rapidly, and it's been amazing over the last few months to see so many elements of the game take shape. We want to continue cleaning up some rough edges so that you can have the best experience possible. For that reason, we are planning to release the Torment Beta Test early next year so we can deliver a more polished and complete Beta Test.
We know that you have been waiting for this, and we want to get the game to you as soon as we can, but we felt that the Beta version we could bring you would be that much better with a little more time in development. We appreciate your patience.
We were quite happy with the release of the Alpha Systems Test, in that it allowed us to collect useful feedback on even the smallest elements of the game. We want the Beta Test to be a continuation of that level of collaboration with our community, while also being a great first hands-on impression for Torment. And this is going to be a legitimate hands-on. While the Alpha Systems Tests could be finished in around 20 minutes, the upcoming Beta release will contain over 10 hours of gameplay on a normal playthrough.
To sweeten the pill, the update comes with a new Torment screenshot, along with a description by George Ziets:We know that you have been waiting for this, and we want to get the game to you as soon as we can, but we felt that the Beta version we could bring you would be that much better with a little more time in development. We appreciate your patience.
We were quite happy with the release of the Alpha Systems Test, in that it allowed us to collect useful feedback on even the smallest elements of the game. We want the Beta Test to be a continuation of that level of collaboration with our community, while also being a great first hands-on impression for Torment. And this is going to be a legitimate hands-on. While the Alpha Systems Tests could be finished in around 20 minutes, the upcoming Beta release will contain over 10 hours of gameplay on a normal playthrough.
We've given you a few glimpses of Sagus Cliffs before. Sagus Cliffs fills a similar role to the Hive in Planescape: Torment, serving as a central city hub in the eary stages and allowing for lots of exploration and deep world-building.
Now, we'd like to share a closer look at the Order of Truth, one of the factions in Sagus Cliffs. Below is a glimpse of their headquarters.
Now, we'd like to share a closer look at the Order of Truth, one of the factions in Sagus Cliffs. Below is a glimpse of their headquarters.
From George Ziets:
The Order of Truth is dedicated to the study of numenera – artifacts of long-dead civilizations that inhabited Earth millions of years ago. Its adherents, known as Aeon Priests, have established enclaves throughout much of the known world. In the city of Sagus Cliffs, far from the lands where the Order arose, the Aeon Priests are few, and not all of them share the high principles of their distant brethren.
Fortunately for them, Sagus Cliffs sits atop a massive trove of numenera, layer upon layer of ancient cities and long-forgotten technologies, waiting to be unearthed. The local headquarters of the Order is inside an ancient starship, abandoned countless millennia in the past and locked in the accumulated sediments of the ages.
Also included in the update is a description by George of inXile's process for incorporating backer NPCs in the game, which differs from Obsidian's significantly. There are even a few examples, although our own backer NPC is not among them. Better not to spoil the surprise, I guess.
