Preview Hinterland preview at GamesRadar

[Elwro]

Tags: Hinterland; Tilted Mill

There's a short <a href="http://www.gamesradar.com/pc/hinterland/preview/hinterland/a-20080829135345244089/g-20080829133822288013">preview</a> of a new action-RPG Hinterland by Tilted Mill, better known so far for their builder-type games such as Children of the Nile.<blockquote>You’re a lord, sent into the wild to explore and left-click any bad guys in your backyard. While you’re adventuring forth, your village grows. Acquired items secure different types of citizens, so recruiting new townsfolk will be your main goal. (...)
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But don’t expect a medieval SimCity. Hinterland aims for manageable 10-to-20 villager towns, and a relatively small surrounding area that can be patrolled in a few hours (but won’t get old, we’re told). The game leans on randomly generated content to encourage replay and influence your village’s make-up. “If you find a game forest, you can build the hunter,” says Jeff, “but if you don’t... you don’t.” An achievement system will add some structure, but the main idea is roaming the game’s variable world, shaping your own quests along the way. “We talk about how silly it is when you play an RPG, you do some quest and the world doesn’t change,” says Jeff.
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“Now, you sort of make your own quests. If you get a sword, and give it to your farmer, and the village gets attacked when you’re gone... you’ve changed the world by giving the farmer that sword. And if he stops making food, it has an actual effect on the world, whether he’s out adventuring with you, or he’s recovering from the injuries he’s sustained helping defend the town.” What could an RPG be? Anything, clearly.</blockquote>
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Yeah, same as when I put a Phalanx unit in my capital in Civ 1 I change the world by doing so, and when it pwns a Montezuma's Chariot it has an actual effect on the world? What's there to brag about? Hinterland may be damn fun as a casual title but if they want to market it as an RPG in which you "make your own quests" they better adopt a different approach. Go <a href="http://www.gamesradar.com/pc/hinterland/preview/hinterland/a-20080829135345244089/g-20080829133822288013">here</a> to read the piece and drool at some screens.
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BTW, you can apply for the beta <a href="http://www.tiltedmill.com/insiders/signup.php">here</a>.
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Spotted at: <A HREF="http://www.rpgwatch.com">RPGWatch</A>

 

[LCJr.]

You know Elwro I've got the impression I'm the only person here who has any interest in this game.

 

[fizzelopeguss]

Hell no, there was a thread a while back oarfish started. I'm trying to keep my enthusiasm down but it's looking too good.

 

[Bluebottle]

I'm definately interested in this.
Desipite constant references to existing genres, and an obvious smattering of Diablo, it does sound like quite an original concept. Dare I say it; it looks a little Bullfrog-ish.

 

[Shinan]

The things that make me interested is actually quotes like

You’re a lord, sent into the wild to explore and left-click any bad guys in your backyard.

and

But don’t expect a medieval SimCity. Hinterland aims for manageable 10-to-20 villager towns, and a relatively small surrounding area that can be patrolled in a few hours

To me it sounds like they're doing it sensible and not exactly aiming for the stars. Instead keeping it manageable and therefore more likely to work out in the end. How many times doesn't the hype machine say all kinds of stuff about how groundbreaking and huge the world will be with interesting decisions left and right.

This is more in the vein of "Yeah we're doing some stuff. But don't expect it to be something it isn't"

“If you find a game forest, you can build the hunter,” says Jeff, “but if you don’t... you don’t.”

I like that attitude 8^)

 

[elander_]

Wow it's a mix roguelike/dwarf fortress with great graphics. It would be cool if there was some sort of main goal and side quests to achieve in free roaming mode. There are quest generators and rpg plot generators that could be used in a roguelike game.

 

[sportforredneck]

Hadn't heard of the game before, but it sounds very interesting. I like the idea of building your own village/town from who you find.

 

[Carrie Underwood]

I signed up for the beta. I still hold out hope for the former Caesar III devs.

 

[Fez]

If they were making a city builder game I'd be a lot more confident in the results.

 

[Naked_Lunch]

Considering Tilted Mill is made up of guys who did Caesar along with Prelude to Darkness, I think it has a lot of promise. Hopefully with a bigger budget they'll be able to make it less buggy.

 

[Elwro]

Considering Tilted Mill is made up of guys who did Caesar along with Prelude to Darkness.

THANKS! I knew I remembered the name "Mat Williams" from somewhere. Good to see he's still in the gaming business.