Incline Battle Brothers + Beasts & Exploration, Warriors of the North and Blazing Deserts DLC Thread

[Gregz]

One thing about this game that always irked me is how hard it is to find the right bros.

Like, say I want a Wildman polearm guy with the right specialties, or a Swordmaster with Iron Lungs. I remember scouring the entire map (hours) visiting every town and hamlet hoping that one of these guys had spawned to no avail. Plenty of peasants and other useless RNG combos, but no one that fit what I was searching for to fill out my party.

I want a party of heroes when I play this game, not a bunch of half-assed peasants.

Anyway, maybe someone will mod this to increase the rate at which mercenaries spawn or something.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

One thing about this game that always irked me is how hard it is to find the right bros.

Like, say I want a Wildman polearm guy with the right specialties, or a Swordmaster with Iron Lungs. I remember scouring the entire map (hours) visiting every town and hamlet hoping that one of these guys had spawned to no avail. Plenty of peasants and other useless RNG combos, but no one that fit what I was searching for to fill out my party.

I want a party of heroes when I play this game, not a bunch of half-assed peasants.

Anyway, maybe someone will mod this to increase the rate at which mercenaries spawn or something.

if you care that much then just savescum it

 

[Gregz]

One thing about this game that always irked me is how hard it is to find the right bros.

Like, say I want a Wildman polearm guy with the right specialties, or a Swordmaster with Iron Lungs. I remember scouring the entire map (hours) visiting every town and hamlet hoping that one of these guys had spawned to no avail. Plenty of peasants and other useless RNG combos, but no one that fit what I was searching for to fill out my party.

I want a party of heroes when I play this game, not a bunch of half-assed peasants.

Anyway, maybe someone will mod this to increase the rate at which mercenaries spawn or something.

if you care that much then just savescum it

Oh I tried, but I don't remember this being very effective. I could never time when new recruits spawned, or where.

 

[Zombra]

One thing about this game that always irked me is how hard it is to find the right bros.
I want a party of heroes when I play this game, not a bunch of half-assed peasants.

What are you, a Hollywood producer? "Nice reading kid, but you're an inch too tall for the role, move back to Iowa." ?

This isn't a game about a cherry picked dream team of magical superheroes, it's a game about a ragtag bunch of desperate scumbags who couldn't cut it in nonviolent professions. Life is nasty, brutish, and short and you gotta make the most of whatever material comes along. At least that's my take on it and it's something I really love about the game.

 

[Reinhardt]

First savescum to get desired recruits and then savescum again when they start dying horribly.

 

[Zanzoken]

I will admit that after a while I started save-scumming to check bro's stats before hiring. Not to get perfect stats or traits but just to make sure the guy was at least decent -- for instance a melee bro needs a certain amount of Melee Attack, Fatigue, Willpower, etc to be viable.

My headcanon is if you were captain and your ass was relying on this guy being able to fight, wouldn't you at least make him spar or prove he can shoot a bow before taking him on? And I think if you were an experienced mercenary then you could estimate in just a few moments what a guy's physical and mental capabilities were.

The gameplay aspect is that you've got to put 50 battles on a guy to hit the level cap, so unless you want an ocean of grind you don't really want to invest any of that time into crappy recruits. Again not everyone has to be a superstar, but Olaf the asthmatic clubfooted coal miner will get ripped apart by an Orc approximately 10 out of 10 times no matter what training or gear you give him.

Experience gain is one aspect I really wish we could mod because a game that emphasizes permadeath should not take so long to develop new talent. Losing experienced bros should hurt, but not to the extent that it undoes dozens of hours of gameplay.

 

[Fargus]

One thing about this game that always irked me is how hard it is to find the right bros.
I want a party of heroes when I play this game, not a bunch of half-assed peasants.

What are you, a Hollywood producer? "Nice reading kid, but you're an inch too tall for the role, move back to Iowa."

"Weinstein Mercenary Company"

 

[Alienman]

Raping and pillaging throughout the land.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

*Insert casting couch joke here*

 

[Gregz]

This isn't a game about a cherry picked dream team of magical superheroes, it's a game about a ragtag bunch of desperate scumbags who couldn't cut it in nonviolent professions. Life is nasty, brutish, and short and you gotta make the most of whatever material comes along. At least that's my take on it and it's something I really love about the game.

One reason it failed probably. Most people play games to escape real life, not to emulate it.

 

[Tigranes]

If I want a team of superheroez penetrating everything in its path while being accosted by big-boobed girlz I'd just watch porn. Or play Oblivion.

I want to 'escape reality' into cool fantasy worlds with interesting scenarios reminiscent of history, myth, etc., not some 12 year old pornogasm.

 

[Zombra]

100% of video games should be pandering, instant-gratification power fantasies because that's what we all want.

I respectfully disagree.

 

[Gregz]

100% of video games should be pandering, instant-gratification power fantasies because that's what we all want.

I respectfully disagree.

No reason to put words in my mouth then. There's a niche for everyone.

 

[Jimmious]

The game didn't "fail" btw. I mean sure, it didn't sell 2 million copies but I guess around 100k is a good number for an indie of this sort.

 

[Sarissofoi]

Stop this guys.
No shitflinging contest here.

Spoiler

Unless you throw shit at Germany - then you have my blessings.

Issue is a bad game design or bad game mechanics.
Looking for and finding specific candidates is a pain in the ass and considering pricing and grinding necessary to level new replacements up(with lack of high level recruits) is really not fun and could be done better.
Sure its come from Expert player but if you really want play effectively and not lose troops then grind again you don't want weakling in your ranks. And you don't want train them.
Thing is specific traits and backgrounds have huge advantage over others and there is no way to remove the gap.
Its usual talk one but do another.
>oh you suppose to have fun losing
>oh really? when ever losing is fun?
>oh you suppose to lose guys here and there
>making replacements non available and leveling grind
>you should take risks
>make pay low and risk not worth taking
>you should value your bros
>make whole recruiting process rng roulette where you hire hundreds just to fire them next second
Fucking seriously?


Also you doing it wrong Gregz.
Hire all the cheap backgrounds and kick them up and the freed spots would fill up with new men soon. Then hire cheap one and kick them out until its all desired backgrounds then save scum and try them.
Or save before first time coming to city as they are generated at first coming in. Then savescum.

 

[Zombra]

I will admit that after a while I started save-scumming to check bro's stats before hiring. Not to get perfect stats or traits but just to make sure the guy was at least decent -- for instance a melee bro needs a certain amount of Melee Attack, Fatigue, Willpower, etc to be viable. The gameplay aspect is that you've got to put 50 battles on a guy to hit the level cap, so unless you want an ocean of grind you don't really want to invest any of that time into crappy recruits. Again not everyone has to be a superstar, but Olaf the asthmatic clubfooted coal miner will get ripped apart by an Orc approximately 10 out of 10 times no matter what training or gear you give him.

Well. Sunken cost fallacy. Just because you spent a few bucks hiring Loser Dumbface doesn't mean you have to spend the best years of your life trying to turn him into a Musashi. Fire his ass or use him as bait, lesson learned, get back to work.

EDIT: Not that I blame you for a little save scumming to speed up the cycle.

 

[Jinn]

Very happy to hear about this DLC. More things to do/things to find is just what Battle Brothers needed to take it from being a good game to an excellent one.

How likely is it that the end-game situation is going to be addressed? Would really love a more solid ending point to the game.

 

[Draugir101]

Hopefully the DLC will allow us to rebuild settlements

 

[Salvo]

What this game needs is mods. Being able to add your own stuff and tinker around would elevate BB to a whole other level.

 

[Ezeekiel]

Hopefully the DLC will allow us to rebuild settlements

You can already turn off permanent destruction upon starting a new game.
Or did you mean that there should be some action the mercs can take to help rebuild faster or some such?

 

[Sacred82]

100% of video games should be pandering, instant-gratification power fantasies because that's what we all want.

I respectfully disagree.

it's more gratifying if it's not over the top for the sake of it

 

[Galdred]

My bet is, their new game (which might be way better than Phoenix Point regarding inventory and gameplay) is taking longer than expected.
Which means they are running out of money.
Maybe they are getting tired of development again (which resulted in a lot of scrapped gameplay elements on the release of BB).

As had been said several times, BB could haven been a great game, an instant classic, if they had included and fleshed out all they had planned.

That being said still looking forward to the DLC, but I rather do not get over-hyped, as the last time I was, they didn't deliver.

I don't think so.
They sold more than 100k copies. Granted, not all of them were at full price, but the game didn't get discounted for quite a long time.
And that is without counting the gog copies, or the 'suport the dev' DLC.
So they made something like 1.5M minimum, and probably a bit more.
Their costs are mostly internal (maybe paying for an office, but it is mostly getting themselves paid).
Unless they decided to pay a lot of interns, this is enough to get them sorted for quite a while.
I think they underestimated the backlash they would get for declaring BB finished.
They were burnt out indeed, but they need their fans to be happy about their next game, not to be angry about their previous one.
Also, if they are making a new project on a new engine, the programmer guy would have much more work than the guys in charge of the assets or the level design, so it would have made sense to add content to the former game while the programmer spends most of his time on the new one.
It is still possible for them to be running out of money, though, depending on how much they withdrew, and how much were taxed, but I don't think it is very likely.

At least, it is what I would have done in their situation(regardless of prior fan backlash): non programmer would be better used to improve the previous game than by working on the new one (especially true as their fan would prefer to see new stuff for BB than preview stuff for the next game anyway).

Here’s the list of major features you can expect:

• A variety of challenging new beasts populating different parts of the wilds. Each with unique mechanics and loot.
• A bigger world to explore, full of unique hidden locations throughout that offer new possibilities and rewards to the daring adventurer.
• Trophies from slain beasts that can be crafted into charms, potions and other items to customize the look of your hardened mercenaries and benefit them in combat.
• New contracts that have you engage in profitable beast hunting, exploration and more.
• New weapons, tools, shields, and armor to equip your men with.
• New paint items that can be used to paint shields and helmets in the colors of your company.
• Lots of new events.
• New music tracks.

None of it would require extensive programming, it is mostly new music, new assets (tiles, equipment, monsters) and game elements.

 

[Draugir101]

If this game had mods, we'd never need the developers again. I mean how difficult can it really be to program things a turn based 2d game? It'd be an awful business decision.

 

[PanteraNera]

I don't think so.
They sold more than 100k copies. Granted, not all of them were at full price, but the game didn't get discounted for quite a long time.
And that is without counting the gog copies, or the 'suport the dev' DLC.
So they made something like 1.5M minimum, and probably a bit more.
Their costs are mostly internal (maybe paying for an office, but it is mostly getting themselves paid).
Unless they decided to pay a lot of interns, this is enough to get them sorted for quite a while.
I think they underestimated the backlash they would get for declaring BB finished.
They were burnt out indeed, but they need their fans to be happy about their next game, not to be angry about their previous one.
Also, if they are making a new project on a new engine, the programmer guy would have much more work than the guys in charge of the assets or the level design, so it would have made sense to add content to the former game while the programmer spends most of his time on the new one.
It is still possible for them to be running out of money, though, depending on how much they withdrew, and how much were taxed, but I don't think it is very likely.

At least, it is what I would have done in their situation(regardless of prior fan backlash): non programmer would be better used to improve the previous game than by working on the new one (especially true as their fan would prefer to see new stuff for BB than preview stuff for the next game anyway).

Well a lot is not know, but it was pretty clear that they thought that there was no further money to be made with a DLC. And that was one year ago! I say that it is at least, very curious why they do the opposite of what they have stated (not doing any more BB). I personally say it is always bad for business especially as an indy to not keep word (by now several times).
Or they are just way to unorganized and waste a lot of time/money.
Just remember how long they fleshed out different features and aspects in EA and how comparably rushed the end game and veteran hall was.
Also one has to remember they are located at Hamburg, Germany, which is fucking expensive, with a lot of fucking taxes (Germany is crazy with taxes).

What I think was the worst part in the whole "BB is done affair" was that there never was a honest statement.
They didn't officially state that they were tired of the game (you could read about that in one or two interviews). That they are "sorry" but think that there is no market for an full fledged DLC. Also they stooped posting on rpgcodex. They just went completely silent. Shortly after upsetting their whole fucking fan base.

Well I am not sure if the programmer is just really bad at programming games (or anything) but I remember that it always sounded like a TREMENDOUS effort for the programmer to add basic things like new items. Also they had stated that they do not want to open up for modding as they don't want people see their quote "Spagetti-code". I believe that the programmer is the weak link in the studio, Paul is a fucking talented beast! Remember he redid the Undead faction (probably to be kept busy).

 

[Galdred]

Well a lot is not know, but it was pretty clear that they thought that there was no further money to be made with a DLC. And that was one year ago! I say that it is at least, very curious why they do the opposite of what they have stated (not doing any more BB). I personally say it is always bad for business especially as an indy to not keep word (by now several times).
Or they are just way to unorganized and waste a lot of time/money.
Just remember how long they fleshed out different features and aspects in EA and how comparably rushed the end game and veteran hall was.
Also one has to remember they are located at Hamburg, Germany, which is fucking expensive, with a lot of fucking taxes (Germany is crazy with taxes).

What I think was the worst part in the whole "BB is done affair" was that there never was a honest statement.
They didn't officially state that they were tired of the game (you could read about that in one or two interviews). That they are "sorry" but think that there is no market for an full fledged DLC. Also they stooped posting on rpgcodex. They just went completely silent. Shortly after upsetting their whole fucking fan base.

Well I am not sure if the programmer is just really bad at programming games (or anything) but I remember that it always sounded like a TREMENDOUS effort for the programmer to add basic things like new items. Also they had stated that they do not want to open up for modding as they don't want people see their quote "Spagetti-code". I believe that the programmer is the weak link in the studio, Paul is a fucking talented beast! Remember he redid the Undead faction (probably to be kept busy).

I guess fan outrage showed them that there was money to be lost not making a DLC.
Tremendous could be read as "TREMENDOUS compared to the actual expected benefits", whose estimate just changed.

Regarding the code, they made their own engine, which is still quite a feat these days. The thing is, if they didn't use any scripting, and no external data file it would not be very moddable in the first place, regardless of the code quality.