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Game News Solasta: Crown of the Magister now available on Early Access

Infinitron

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Tags: Solasta: Crown of the Magister; Tactical Adventures

Solasta: Crown of the Magister was announced only a few weeks after Baldur's Gate 3 back in 2019, and has inevitably come to be seen as that game's underdog rival in the 5E D&D isometric RPG space. Today it follows in its bigger brother's footsteps once again with an Early Access release. Here's the Early Access launch trailer, which was initially provided to IGN yesterday. The release announcement post isn't too interesting, so I'll add an excerpt from IGN's article about the game instead:



Create Your Own Party of Characters

Solasta is a single-player experience, but you will be responsible for creating and controlling four different characters. You won't be recruiting additional NPCs to your party as you progress, rather, your created party members will be with you and grow from start to finish. But what you choose is up to you. You can adventure with four halfling Rogues if you like, but you will benefit from a balanced team with not only different combat skills, but different abilities, languages, and more, since each class brings something special to a party.

For example, during my demo one of the characters was an Insight Domain Cleric – a custom subclass Tactical Adventures made for Solasta. – which allowed all Insight checks were automatically passed, making negotiations with NPCs much easier.

For each character’s stats, you can roll for them, use a point-buy system, or even customize them completely to your liking. With that much freedom, adapting your pre-existing pen-and-paper characters to Solasta should be that much easier. Or, you can create a bunch of super-powered heroes, whatever you want.

Because Solasta can only use the base SRD, don't expect the same subclasses and archetypes you’re used to from D&D. Instead, there are custom subclasses like the aforementioned Insight Domain Cleric created specifically for the Solasta setting.

There’s An Emphasis on Lighting

Lighting, and the lack thereof, has a strong effect on gameplay in Solasta. Characters that can't see in the dark will attack with lower accuracy without a light source. Some enemies are hurt and shy away from light, while others will be drawn to it and make it easier for your party to be found by malicious entities.

Torches can be used, and objects in the world can be lit with spells, but you can also use spells to light your own equipment like swords or shields. You'll need to learn the ins and outs of the lighting mechanic to make the most of your abilities in Solasta: Crown of the Magister.

And also… Verticality

The entirety of Solasta’s environments are built with Minecraft-like blocks to create intricate layers of verticality, and then covered with beautiful textures and lighting. You can use these layouts to your advantage to avoid enemies, but enemies can easily do the same against you.

This verticality also means spells like Levitate and Fly are especially useful, as the team planned to place things high out of reach, like treasure and secret passages.

Near the end of the build I saw, one final enemy continued to attack from up high on the ledge. The player chose to sling long-range attacks at it, rather than spend the turns climbing up to reach it. These decision-making events seem to be commonplace in Solasta.

Updates and Changes Based on Demo Feedback
Tactical Adventures has been hard at work taking feedback from the demos it has offered in the past. Of course, there have been a lot of bugs to fix, but they have also upgraded a few mechanics that players have complained about, like inventory management and weight capacity management. One of the biggest changes in Early Access compared to the demo is the camera. In Early Access, you can manipulate the camera fairly freely, both up close to your character and quite far away.

Another aspect players were frustrated by was not being able to tell why their attacks missed. Now, before attacking an enemy, if you are attacking at a disadvantage – which reduces your attack accuracy – a menu will tell you exactly why before you make the attack. In one example, a human was attacking with disadvantage because the enemy was in dim light, and humans do not have dark vision – explanations like this are designed to help you learn the system even while playing it.

The Solasta Early Access build is available on Steam now for $35, with a 15% launch discount until next week. If you were a Kickstarter backer, don't forget to unlock your supporter pack DLC too.
 

KeighnMcDeath

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I rather like the idea of verticality and interactive environment. I doubt we get total destruction like say Terraria or Fortnite but who knows. It was one of the aspects that ignited an interest in Underworld but... well let's not go there.

As usual, I'll let others test this as I just don't usually go for early access.

hmmm verticality; didn't diablo 3 play with that or am I thinking of the new one they hope to release?
 

SausageInYourFace

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Might be besides the content of the newspost, but since Infinispam usually mirrors my emailspam, I'll just take the opportunity to point out that I have never backed a Kickstarter before that actively started to annoy me with constant emails. Not sure if its objectively like this or just me but I feel like I get an email by those guys every other day. They must've sent like four or five emails about the release, and news and keys in the last couple of days only. I fucking get it already.

Also, next time don't release your game when everyone's busy playing BG3.
 

luj1

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BG III already shat on Solasta as far as verticality goes. RIP. The lighting "pillar" sounds very lackluster. "You will have lower accuracy in the dark" and "Torches can be used", wow amazing :lol::lol:
 
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Alpan

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Grab the Codex by the pussy Pathfinder: Wrath
This is only an Early Access release, so I wonder if they were banking on the increased attention BG3 would generate for D&D 5e? Rising tide lifts all boats?

But yeah, seeing as even luj1 (normally a supporter of indies and underdogs, and being from the "Eastern block", not expected to be particularly wealthy) is shilling for big-budget BG3, they sure have their work cut out for them.
 

Erebus

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The fact that even the website barely says anything about the plot of the game suggests that it's not going to be very elaborate (or good).
 

V_K

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being from the "Eastern block", not expected to be particularly wealthy) is shilling for big-budget BG3
To be fair, for the Eastern block both $60 and $35 qualify as "too expensive to buy without a second thought".
Mind you comrade, we can hardly afford a loaf of bread
I mean, I've moved to Denmark 4 years ago, and my first instinct about anything over $25 is "wait for sale".
 

jac8awol

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I like this trailer a lot, tone is very different from that goofy first one they did. The only part of this that I don't like is the shitty dialogue-voice acting-speech animation trifecta of cringe, "Let's go kill some monsters." I'm hopeful, but no way will I buy on EA, it irritates me too much when each build and patch changes stuff around and you constantly feel off balance.
 

KeighnMcDeath

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Igg games then? Yarr harr harrrrrrr...
00876_full_1.jpg
 
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KeighnMcDeath

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Why would i use igg if i buy the games? Its merely the scum on the surface for ease of those who don't take a dunk.
 

wtrboy

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Seems BG III EA will surely overshadow (and perhaps bury) Solasta EA? Not sure I understand Tactical Adventures "strategy" here...
 

V_K

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I'm not sure they care much about sales at this point - it's EA after all, not the full release. If they can pull a full release before BG3 (which doesn't seem unlikely), they'll be mighty fine.
 

Sin2x

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There is a modicum of potential here but right now it looks so generic I weep blood. AND CHANGE THE FUCKING INTERFACE ALREADY, RETARDS!
 

luj1

You're all shills
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If the game didn't look so bland and unremarkable, the UI could actually work and empower it with more style. This way it only exacerbates the generic.
 

gurugeorge

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Strap Yourselves In
Pleased to report that there are a couple of automatic camera functions that you can turn off in options, so the camera more or less stays where you put it without herky-jerkying around.

The only autofocus thing you can't turn off is when it goes to your next character to act in the turn-based combat, which isn't too bad.
 

acer palmatum

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being from the "Eastern block", not expected to be particularly wealthy) is shilling for big-budget BG3
To be fair, for the Eastern block both $60 and $35 qualify as "too expensive to buy without a second thought".
Mind you comrade, we can hardly afford a loaf of bread
I mean, I've moved to Denmark 4 years ago, and my first instinct about anything over $25 is "wait for sale".

Why would an eastern european move into a northern european country, where the it is more expensive to get drunk than rent a flat?
 

V_K

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Why would an eastern european move into a northern european country, where the it is more expensive to get drunk than rent a flat?
10 times better salary than what I earned at home (literally, not a hyperbole), plus better (free) healthcare and a safe stress-free environment. And not a vatnik in sight.
 

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