A Year of Rain - Warcraft 3-like RTS from Daedalic - game failed, development on hold

[Curious_Tongue]

I think people will realise the RTS genre will never again get a campaign of that scope.

Why not?
A great campaign seems like a lot of work, but pretty cheap when it comes down to resources.

 

[MRY]

I think people will realise the RTS genre will never again get a campaign of that scope. The production values also were absurdly high, I don't think I've seen anything like it.

I played it on a computer that could barely run Starcraft 2, and my impression was almost certainly skewed by the jaw-droppingly bad narrative, but I actually quite disliked the campaign. My problem with it was that basically every level revolved around a major gimmick. Almost none was anything like a traditional RTS match. By contrast, while Starcraft (and especially Brood War) may have tweaked the formula by limiting units, involving heroes, or having lopsided geography or starting strength, most of the missions were designed to showcase the core RTS gameplay. (There were those occasional dungeon-crawler throwbacks to Warcraft I, but they were rare.) When you hit the rare "defend this position" mission, it felt novel and neat.

In SC2, by contrast, the levels basically felt like a series of quests, tangentially involving RTS gameplay, that you had to complete to win each map. I don't remember a single map that felt like a thrilling RTS match. They felt more like, "Pretty cool that they could achieve this in an RTS engine."

IMO, the high-water mark of a Starcraft campaign was the first Antioch Chronicles campaign. Very strong production values and narrative, but most importantly, the missions were really well designed as RTS matches. For instance, resources were designed to be limited so that you couldn't just hunker down and mass late-game units for a final overwhelming assault, which is what Starcraft campaign levels often become. The novelties, like reducing the shields and psi power of Protoss as you advanced on the Psi Disruptor, played to the strengths of the engine, rather than being a diversion from core gameplay. (The second Antioch campaign became too narrative-heavy and was less fun, though more technically impressive.)

 

[Lyric Suite]

To be honest, i liked that, because those extra quests forced to you employ internet tactics. They did something similar in Frozen Throne (in fact i see Starcraft 2 as a continuation of that expansion and wouldn't surprise me if the some of the same people weren't involved in both). There's this map in the Night Elf campaign where you have a small group of units on one side, and a base on the other, and basically the mission forces you to play both types of missions at the same time, which i thought was clever and requires the kind of multitasking and micro managing that one usually uses online. "Traditional" RTS missions in single player usually translates in one thing: turtle up, mass army, obliterate enemy without effort. Starcraft 1 is no different. Even in the later missions, all you have to do is secure a second Vespene gas geyser and once you do that you can just sit on your ass amassing and upgrading Battle Cruises or Carriers and then wipe out the entire map with ease.

In Stacraft 2 you simply can't do that, especially once you count achievements as extra mission objectives. Because of the gimmick you have to be very proactive, aggressively so, and even so you often end up failing the mission anyway and you have to replay it once or twice. One of best ones for me was Welcome to the Jungle. To get the Feats of Strength achievement on brutal i had to play it at least half a dozen times, and i just love that kind of difficulty, and the "gimmick" in that mission counted as an extra difficulty layer, because while trying to destroy the enemy base i still had to make sure not to fail the main objective of the mission, which made it as frantic as any online match.

So no, i consider the main campaign of the game to be among the best anyone has ever done for an RTS. The expansions less so than Wings of Liberty alas since they ditched some of the innovations they introduced in the first game (no more non-linear progression for instance, which was disappointing). HOWEVER, the writing was just WAY too sterile and obviously aimed at the lowest common denominator, even more so than it was in Warcraft 3 or Starcraft 1. It's a shame because as fizzel said we probably won't see an RTS campaign that ambitious ever again and replaying Starcraft 2 and having to go through that level of sordid writing again would probably be difficult.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

To be honest, i liked that, because those extra quests forced to you employ internet tactics. They did something similar in Frozen Throne (in fact i see Starcraft 2 as a continuation of that expansion and wouldn't surprise me if the some of the same people weren't involved in both). There's this map in the Night Elf campaign where you have a small group of units on one side, and a base on the other, and basically the mission forces you to play both types of missions at the same time, which i thought was clever and requires the kind of multitasking and micro managing that one usually uses online. "Traditional" RTS missions in single player usually translates in one thing: turtle up, mass army, obliterate enemy without effort. Starcraft 1 is no different. Even in the later missions, all you have to do is secure a second Vespene gas geyser and once you do that you can just sit on your ass amassing and upgrading Battle Cruises or Carriers and then wipe out the entire map with ease.

In Stacraft 2 you simply can't do that, especially once you count achievements as extra mission objectives. Because of the gimmick you have to be very proactive, aggressively so, and even so you often end up failing the mission anyway and you have to replay it once or twice. One of best ones for me was Welcome to the Jungle. To get the Feats of Strength achievement on brutal i had to play it at least half a dozen times, and i just love that kind of difficulty, and the "gimmick" in that mission counted as an extra difficulty layer, because while trying to destroy the enemy base i still had to make sure not to fail the main objective of the mission, which made it as frantic as any online match.

So no, i consider the main campaign of the game to be among the best anyone has ever done for an RTS. The expansions less so than Wings of Liberty alas since they ditched some of the innovations they introduced in the first game (no more non-linear progression for instance, which was disappointing). HOWEVER, the writing was just WAY too sterile and obviously aimed at the lowest common denominator, even more so than it was in Warcraft 3 or Starcraft 1. It's a shame because as fizzel said we probably won't see an RTS campaign that ambitious ever again and replaying Starcraft 2 and having to go through that level of sordid writing again would probably be difficult.

The Achievements absolutely brought it all together. Completely a mission on a high difficulty anyway and you feel pretty good, and then there's a list of what you missed. That immediately tickles your brain in to thinking -"That shit is actually possible?"

Turns out it actually is, and it's a testament to the teams QA/play testing.

Now do the campaign again with the whole other secondary set of unit choices and technologies that blizzard just threw in. As if they weren't showing off enough...

Why not?
A great campaign seems like a lot of work, but pretty cheap when it comes down to resources.

I just hope for WCIII:Remake being good and selling well again so we can potentially get a Warcraft 4. It looks like Vanilla WoW is going to be a reality check for them and shows that their old fans are still there, and there's a fuck ton of them.

 

[Alpharius]

A Year Of Rain is a fantasy RTS. Fans of the genre won’t find formerly story-focused developers Daedalic Entertainment trying to reinvent the wheel, but they are throwing a few twists into the mix. The most obvious of these is that the game is entirely cooperative. Three game modes – a 2v2 clash, a story-focused campaign, and a pair-versus-an-army struggle called Against All Odds – all require you to play with a buddy. If you don’t have one available and don’t fancy matchmaking, the game can provide an AI helper, but there’s no way to play entirely alone.

That ought to be the sureset way to remove even a slightest possibility that this game's automatch won't be dead in a month or so after release. And they want "esports", lul.

 

[thesheeep]

A Year Of Rain is a fantasy RTS. Fans of the genre won’t find formerly story-focused developers Daedalic Entertainment trying to reinvent the wheel, but they are throwing a few twists into the mix. The most obvious of these is that the game is entirely cooperative. Three game modes – a 2v2 clash, a story-focused campaign, and a pair-versus-an-army struggle called Against All Odds – all require you to play with a buddy. If you don’t have one available and don’t fancy matchmaking, the game can provide an AI helper, but there’s no way to play entirely alone.

That ought to be the sureset way to remove even a slightest possibility that this game's automatch won't be dead in a month or so after release. And they want "esports", lul.

Every base building RTS that goes for "esports" is DOA, though.
The market is just really, really small. Those who cared about the competitive aspect mostly went on to simpler PvP focused games that don't "get in your way" with base building, or play SC - and a few still play AoE. But honestly, the people who are capable of playing something like SC2 competitively are just not high in number - most people are like me, who like to play RTS games, but have no intention of "gitting gud" in multiplayer.
And if you wanted a piece of that small pie, you'd have to produce something with better production quality than SC2. Good luck with that
Everyone who tried to go for this crowd with something that is not based on brand name/nostalgia failed. People might give it a try, but then just return to their standard game for multiplayer.

At least this one offers a campaign that you can play alone (I still consider it alone, even if you have an AI ally, otherwise no RTS mission where you have allies could be considered single player...).
Or with friends who like some co-op (clearly an existing audience or Blizzard wouldn't have bothered with that SC2 co-op mode).
They definitely did the right thing here in not even trying to go for this particular MP market.

 

[Kane]

I just hope for WCIII:Remake being good and selling well again so we can potentially get a Warcraft 4. It looks like Vanilla WoW is going to be a reality check for them and shows that their old fans are still there, and there's a fuck ton of them.

If Blizzard was still able to do games on the level of Warcaft 3, Starcraft, the would. The fact they instead decided on wasting our collective time by rehashing a 15 year old game tells you all you need to know: That Blizzard is simply unable to do make games anymore. They're lacking talent and vision and will shut down in the next 5 years unless magic happens.

By buying their old shit you're just helping prolonging the inevitable.

 

[coldcrow]

Wtf happened to Daedalic?

 

[toro]

Wtf happened to Daedalic?

merkel

 

[Popiel]

Someone else signed up for beta?

 

[Popiel]

Yeah, I'm in the beta (downloading the game now), will report later with my initial thoughts.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.shacknews.com/article/114096/western-fantasy-rts-a-year-of-rain-could-be-warcraft-4

Western fantasy RTS A Year of Rain could be Warcraft 4
If you're itching for a new RTS, this game could very well be your cup of tea.

Looking for a game that would be plausible as the next installment in the Warcraft series? A Year of Rain might be exactly what you've been looking for all along.

Shacknews caught up with Christian Bittkau, 3D artist at Daedalic Entertainment, to chat about A Year of Rain, its various features, and all the work that's gone into creating such an intriguing new world, all but a direct sequel to Warcraft – because you know that's what we've been waiting for.

A Year of Rain is an RTS set in a fantasy world that acts as a "proving ground for those with great ambition." Players will choose their faction, work together, and control legendary heroes with unique powers and talents that differ between characters. The game is meant to combine classic RTS elements with a strong focus on hero units, with its co-op campaign and online and offline game modes meant for teams of two.

There are three rival factions in the game that you'll choose and immediately jump into playing with, as you gather resources, build bases, recruit units, and duke it out online with your enemies. You can upgrade your structures and units to become even more powerful throughout the course of the game, all the while choosing which house to align yourself with.

With about a 15-hour campaign, satisfying skirmishes, and familiar UI that will undoubtedly remind you of the Warcraft 4 we've never gotten. One could say this is Warcraft 4 in another dimension, only from a different developer and a few more ways to keep it accessible for newcomers. Either way, it certainly looks like a breath of fresh air for anyone looking to spend time in a strategy-tinged fantasy world.

For more great interviews like this, be sure to head over and subscribe to both Shacknews and GamerhubTV on YouTube.

 

[Johannes]

The nigger is a creature in every way that makes him an alien. He is not a human being. He is not part of our society and he is not even human. He is an alien in the strictest sense

 

[Excommunicator]

This "RTS" has way too much MOBA and MMO DNA. I think this may actually sink it for them; it doesn't look like it knows what it wants to be or understands the formula its marketing itself on

 

[Popiel]

Yeah, right, an “RTS”. As I mentioned I’m in the beta and I managed to play a few games. It’s only an RTS as far as League of Legends is a cRPG. Game is structured like a classical MOBA. You choose your hero in prematch, you cannot change it in game, and rest of the mechanics serve as equipment-building for your hero. Map is built like a MOBA map, it has bosses and so on. Strategy is non-existent, it plays like if you got LoL but had to built minions who fight for you instead of AI-controlled base spawning it. It has absolutely no chances of becoming next Warcraft 3.

 

[JarlFrank]

A Year Of Rain is a fantasy RTS. Fans of the genre won’t find formerly story-focused developers Daedalic Entertainment trying to reinvent the wheel, but they are throwing a few twists into the mix. The most obvious of these is that the game is entirely cooperative. Three game modes – a 2v2 clash, a story-focused campaign, and a pair-versus-an-army struggle called Against All Odds – all require you to play with a buddy. If you don’t have one available and don’t fancy matchmaking, the game can provide an AI helper, but there’s no way to play entirely alone.

That ought to be the sureset way to remove even a slightest possibility that this game's automatch won't be dead in a month or so after release. And they want "esports", lul.

Ugh that sounds terrible. I gave up on Red Alert 3's single player campaign when it turned out that all missions were actually co-op and you always had an AI companion. I prefer 1v1 over 2v2 so this is a massive turn-off, especially since even the single player campaign forces you to play in co-op. Worst idea ever.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

The nigger is a creature in every way that makes him an alien. He is not a human being. He is not part of our society and he is not even human. He is an alien in the strictest sense

Enriched Germans are humans, too.

Also, what happened to Daedalic? The real one, making adventure games?

 

[LESS T_T]

 

[thesheeep]

Also, what happened to Daedalic? The real one, making adventure games?

I think they figured out you can't really make money with adventure games.

 

[LESS T_T]

Also, what happened to Daedalic? The real one, making adventure games?

I think they figured out you can't really make money with adventure games.

They're busy making a next-gen adventure game about Gollum coughing and spitting.

(Well FWIW there's also whatever Poki is working on.)

 

[luj1]

Yeah, right, an “RTS”. As I mentioned I’m in the beta and I managed to play a few games. It’s only an RTS as far as League of Legends is a cRPG. Game is structured like a classical MOBA. You choose your hero in prematch, you cannot change it in game, and rest of the mechanics serve as equipment-building for your hero. Map is built like a MOBA map, it has bosses and so on. Strategy is non-existent, it plays like if you got LoL but had to built minions who fight for you instead of AI-controlled base spawning it. It has absolutely no chances of becoming next Warcraft 3.

Thanks for letting us know. RIP.

 

[Desolate Dancer]

Is it even legal to copy something like that? I mean... at least they didn't lie about the whole 'spiritual successor' claim...

 

[Darth Roxor]

Yeah, right, an “RTS”. As I mentioned I’m in the beta and I managed to play a few games. It’s only an RTS as far as League of Legends is a cRPG. Game is structured like a classical MOBA. You choose your hero in prematch, you cannot change it in game, and rest of the mechanics serve as equipment-building for your hero. Map is built like a MOBA map, it has bosses and so on. Strategy is non-existent, it plays like if you got LoL but had to built minions who fight for you instead of AI-controlled base spawning it. It has absolutely no chances of becoming next Warcraft 3.

calling off the rpgcodex league

 

[Citizen]

Yeah, right, an “RTS”. As I mentioned I’m in the beta and I managed to play a few games. It’s only an RTS as far as League of Legends is a cRPG. Game is structured like a classical MOBA. You choose your hero in prematch, you cannot change it in game, and rest of the mechanics serve as equipment-building for your hero. Map is built like a MOBA map, it has bosses and so on. Strategy is non-existent, it plays like if you got LoL but had to built minions who fight for you instead of AI-controlled base spawning it. It has absolutely no chances of becoming next Warcraft 3.

WTF! From the early info I thought it was going to be 100% wc3 clone, but what you describe is like a multiplayer PvP spellforce?

 

[Popiel]

WTF! From the early info I thought it was going to be 100% wc3 clone, but what you describe is like a multiplayer PvP spellforce?

It looks like something that wants to clone Warcraft 3 experience, it's cartoony and colourful, you have a hero and you built individual units which you can upgrade, allegedly there will be a campaign as well. But these are all shallow similarities. The feel of the game is completely different if you can call it that, it plays, as I wrote some time ago, like a MOBA which was enriched with very basic base building and minion training. Base management is rudimentary and involves no tactics whatsoever (you build building 1 -> unlock building 2 -> you build building 2 -> unlock building 3 -> repeat ‘til your rooster is depleted). Of course I do am a lil’ bit hyperbolising here, it’s not LoL or any other MOBA, it does play different, but it’s like a difference between Smite and DotA, not between DotA and Warcraft 3. Besides, look at the marketing. PLAY WITH FRIENDS, COMPETETIVE ONLINE MATCHES, Jesus, even campaign is coop. RTS games tend to provide you with a large variety of maps, large and small, in which you can flex your tactics. This game as far as I know will only be 2v2 on small maps (okay I admit, it can be beta thing, but I got other impression). It’s like devs caught on to that there’s a MOBA trend and they want to jump on the wagon a couple years too late. All the abovementioned is not my experience alone, other folks with who I chatted during matches shared similar experience as well (most of them were positive 'bout it though ).

And a fuckin' shame all that, mind you, 'cause for example art direction is good, it feels unique.

EDIT: Imagine someone tells you that Atlas Reactor is a classical X-COM game. Something feels wrong, doesn't it? A similar case here.

EDIT2: I forgot to mention. There is a resource management, you mine ore and chop down trees.

 

[Citizen]

I don't hate mobas as much as codex does, and think they actually can be very entertaining if playing with a team. I just wish the moba devs tried to copy and develop further some monocled ideas from Savage, and not just copypaste plebeian dotaclones with the same gameplay. If it's not just another dotakiller#734 then it may be right up my alley

Still kinda dissapointed since I expected a different game, but probably would buy just to see for myself