Vapourware That Which Sleeps - Vaporware Strategy RP

Yes - this is a very recent feature (we crammed it in right before we locked down for the Beta Build) so much of the complexity is still TBD. Right now the ley lines (currently called the Veins of Limos) move between Sites of Power and you can alter the course of the line through different hex sides, if you converge enough of them it begins to create strange phenomena (and allowing you to empower rituals) - if you increase it beyond the sites ability to channel power then you get a devastating effect. In a random site it's a "ghosterbusters"esque release of underworld energy with all of the consequences minus the giant marshmallow man, if it occurs on a Site of Power then you get the equivalent of a nuclear explosion and a null-magic POI.

We'll need to balance this and work out more of the details during the beta.

 

B-but why?

 

Good stuff; their art seems like it'd really fit the game.

 

Three Imps and a Cloak
Image: A tall, lumpy cloak filled with what is quite clearly a human being and not three imps stacked atop one another.
Power: Can run for mayor in any human town, eventually winning and siphoning resources back to you. Alternatively, for humans, prove to be a very competent mayor that adds multipliers to a town's effectiveness.

Human battle use: Your evil minions see how chill and easy life with humans can be, and lose a bit of morale/resources/whatever in their presence.
Evil use: Never targeted first - possibly never targeted at all unless it's the last minion on the field. Very weak against hits.


BTW, a weak light in a swamp actually has a bit of mythology behind it, also known as ignis fatuus. Or, in this case... Lepidoptera Ignis Fatuus

 

Any romancable characters or will they be released in a DLC?

 

Sometimes it takes an eternity in a hellish nightmarescape to find your one true love

 

OK here is another one, this time not an item:

Name: Soul Leech

Appearance: ethereal leech-like creature composted seemingly of grey mist entering peoples head by eyes and ears

Power: Can attach itself to a hero and whisper unto him lies and deceit quickly corrupting him.

Heroes victory: Hero either banishes the leech from himself or enters a symbiotic relationship with him gaining great power and becoming immune to mind state altering effects at the cost of becoming ruthless dark knight type of character.

Agent victory: The hero becomes a puppet of the leech, his mind twisted to better serve the creature. Leech can have up to three puppets. Puppets serve the leech not the player and if the player loses the services of the leech he losses the puppets too.

The leech also has to feed himself on the souls of those he corrupts, draining their stats until they die. In case of a symbiotic relationship the stat drained is willpower or the game equivalent and the leech itself replaces that stat for the hero with him.

 

Does it actually need to be balanced, though, so long as it is awesome? I mean, certainly the effects cannot be good, but on the other hand, you're a cosmic horror out to wreak havoc and destroy creation, so win/win, right?

 

But the competitive online environment!

 

The game looks nice and the premise is more interesting than a prostitutes with a shaven Vagina but you probably read all the complements in the pages beforehand so this comment does not apply.

Anyways what is the expected difficulty scale of your title KingDinosaurGames?

also this character looks gorgeous amazing artwork.

 

Balance is an interesting concept for our game - as a single player game that pivots entirely around the strength of its AI we are actually balancing more towards the AI's ability to respond and manipulate these actions than the player themselves. Every single "challenge" you can undertake in the game takes multiple turns and this design was principally put in place so that the AI can put up a convincing fight and allow organic developments like Heroes stumbling on your Ritual-In-Progress or a wandering Orc Tribe bumping into your rampaging Ratmen. The only abilities that are instantaneous are your Old One's powers, which is what makes them so game-defining.

That is The First, Twin to The Dreadnaught - she is the most powerful caster in the game but comes with the serious downside that her Brother will then volunteer to work with the Alliance against you to continue their feud.

As for difficulty I'd say your average scenario is something most people won't win on the first couple of tries, especially because of how unique our gameplay is. One of our fundamental "failings" with our game is that you receive very little feedback on how well you are doing - you may be squandering precious time early on but not realize it until late in the game when the world has allied entirely against you (which is game over). It's also hard to identify the threats to your late game until you've experienced it in a scenario at least once. The other element of the game is that small changes produce huge variances in difficulty - if you just enable one of the Game Modes that boost the stats of rulers (making them more logical and capable rulers) the game gets a serious bump in difficulty.

 

Surely even if the whole world unites against you there is always the possibility of defeating them Sauron style with your huge orc army?

 

Hey, just saying, maybe dont lose the ring eh? Just a tip. Or dont make it at all.

Speaking of that - will the player be encouraged to make risky choices like that? Putting most of your power into an artifact in return for bigger power and the risk of losing it?

 

The modding side of this had got me thinking, it could easily fit work with super heroes and super villians.
Hell should the tools allow it we could see modded settings, a Fallout 2 scenario with the player as the enclave perhaps.

 

Best to put some guards on mount doom, just in case.

 

If the ENTIRE world unites into the Alliance and you have not significantly weakened them (such as forcing them into wars of attrition that have reduced their armies or sabotaging their elites) or you are close to victory yourself you will never win a military victory. This is by design - the world as a whole will always be vastly stronger than you and you need to work to make sure they can't or won't use their strength against you until it's too late.

Our original inspiration was the board game War of the Ring which really did a great job forcing you to balance The Hunt vs Military Conquest, and that element remains strongly inside the game. One of the Old Ones has an artifact that, while not quite an all or nothing like the Ring, is pivotal to their strength and the Heroes may find Ancient Artifacts to use against you before attempting to bring them to the Seal (Generic Mount Doom). You can invest power into Artifacts but not quite to the extent of the Ring, you'd need to mod that situation into the game.

 

I'll never know what was Sauron thinking with the ring. Like whoa man, you sure this a good idea here?

 

But the PRIZE, man. All them Rings, so much bling.

 

I think the best part of the ring and the proof that dwarves are the master race is that, when exposed to soul-corrupting evil, the dwarves only became dwarfier. Nothing can change the nature of a dwarf.

 

It's getting harder and harder waiting for the beta and then release. I can also start posting the weekly beta backer updates if people want to see them.

 

That artwork is damn pretty.

Can't wait to get my hands on this.

 

The map update better be good, it looks so very bland compared to all the other art.

 

Sometimes "bland" can be good I think. The maps just need a little more texture and depth to the various terrain. Doesn't necessarily have to jump out at you with features.

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