Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms - ARPG with dynamic overworld - now on Early Access

[Zyondyne]

This honestly looks like those mobile isometric RPGs you can get on Google Play...

But maybe it will be interesting...

 

[Grotesque]

So Avellone is still working on this or was he fired from this game too?

I just found out about this game.
Looks interesting.
An action RPG where you don't kill 50 monsters/second!

gave me Nightstone vibes

 

[deama]

Oh shit, I remember being excited for this back in... 2018?
Is this thing out yet?

 

[vonAchdorf]

So Avellone is still working on this or was he fired from this game too?

They dropped him of course.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

The name makes me think of "trololol".

 

[LESS T_T]

Release pushed to 2021 as they add PS4 and Switch versions.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://store.steampowered.com/newshub/app/919360/view/2915474027238387349

Delve into the Expanse of Karak-Hohn​

Champions!

The clouds that once hid the high peaks of Karak-Hohn have drawn back, leaving them open for discovery. Do you have the courage to follow the rocky path to the dwarven realm?

Although the dwarves' glory days are far behind them, they are an optimistic and focused race. Settled in one of the most remote regions of The Four Kingdoms, they’ve handled the unrest the arrival of Alaloth caused best of all the kingdoms. They rather see it as a challenge. The dwarves have even welcomed refugees and traders from other realms into their vast halls and promised both safety and shelter—as long as newcomers are willing to work.

While the dwarves may currently be withdrawn from the roiling conflict centered around Alaloth, they have never backed down from a fight to defend their territory. In the past, the dwarves fought in a war against the dragons that spanned generations. Dragons learned to leave dwarven communities alone, for dwarves, though smaller, are very determined in their retaliation and didn’t hesitate to kill a dragon in an array of deadly ways to set an example. Several old dragon traps can still be found in abandoned dungeons. If Alaloth’s minions plan to attack The Expanse of Karak-Hohn, they won’t have an easy fight on their hands.

Spoiler

There is still hope in the battle against Alaloth. When he came to the mortal realms, some of the underground dwarven cities bordering The Valley of Storms were shattered. It is said that some of his essence bled into the stone there and, if mined and retrieved, could be turned into a powerful weapon used to fight the fallen god and his minions. So far, expeditions sent by the dwarves have been stopped by the earth itself, the golems awoken by Alaloth’s blood. Every statue, forge, and stone-carved dwarven hall in the area has either been destroyed or brought to life in the form of elemental monsters that have turned against their creators, the dwarves. Perhaps if a true hero were to venture the dangerous roads to The Valley of Storms and retrieve Alaloth’s essence, the god’s defeat would come nigh…

The title character, Alaloth, is a dark god who turned on his pantheon and came to the mortal realms. There he lies imprisoned in the Valley of Storms, where the Four Great Kingdoms of humans, orcs, elves, and dwarves intersect. From the Valley’s heart, he spreads evil throughout the kingdoms, determined to extinguish any light of hope for all who call this world home.

Beasts of all kinds thrived well before Alaloth’s coming – it is said his fall to the mortal realms merely awoke some that slumbered – and caused others to go mad, which began their migration back to the Kingdoms. Others, however, are known to have been created by Alaloth himself, especially in places where his blood struck the ground or was carried by the wind.

Storms, monsters, plagues, strife, and great dragons beset the land – it will require strength and courage to unite the kingdoms and defeat Alaloth in his prison.

The world of Alaloth comprises four territories. To the northwest lies The Goldwood Forest and The Republic of Larastir, where the elves live. The northeast is home to the dwarves that inhabit Karak-Hohn. To the southwest, the orcs rule in the Desolation of Baga. The humans from the southeast brought about a golden age of civilization: The Blessed Kingdom of Edherest.


Follow Alaloth on Steam for more exciting news.
May the stars guide you!

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://store.steampowered.com/newshub/app/919360/view/2924487488169585193

Journey to The Desolation of Baga
​

Champions!
Hot winds are blowing in from the Desolation of Baga, bringing the smell of the blazing sun and the promise of a story. Will you be enticed to journey to the desert and listen to the tale of the orcs?

Often referred to simply as the “orc homeland” and currently called The Desolation of Baga, the name of the kingdom changes with every era a great hero or tyrant appears, always in motion like the shifting sands.

When The Tempest swept the land, a great hero by the name of Baga attempted to enter the Valley of Storms to defeat Alaloth and claim the land for the orcs. Some say Baga heard the screams of his suffering ancestors in the Tempest and sought to set them free. Regardless of the truth, the story always ends the same way. The hero failed and the region around the breach became tainted, while the vegetation and cities were destroyed by a second storm. It is rumored that Baga was cast back into his homeland and swallowed by the earth.

Forced to leave their ruined cities, the orcs from this region adopted the use of tents and became a more nomadic people. A high resistance to heat allowed them to quickly adjust to hostile environments and endure the hot winds of The Desolation.

Spoiler

The orcs enjoy tests and trials, such as consuming lethally spiced food and drinks, developing a resistance to poison. They believe that a child must spill blood to be considered an adult, but at the same time, they value life. After all, how can one learn from a challenge that kills them? The orcs consider murder of one’s family and tribesmen a great offense, especially matricide. Hence, they especially despise Alaloth for his deed.

Orcs have a social hierarchy with a ruler who reigns in their capital city Na’Nardur at the top. All the lords of the other orc cities pay fealty to his strength. His rule is determined solely by deed and strength, so the lords of each of the cities always seek to outdo each other. While the hierarchy is based on one’s strength, seeking fame and glory, the society is quietly matriarchal. Female orcs hold significant power in their homeland, albeit not openly. They have an unspoken power network in the Desolation of Baga, and are often powerful magic users and priestesses.

But much has changed since The Tempest hit the Desolation of Baga. Murders have grown in number with many of the orcish murderers exiled. Stronger orcs have held onto their traditions, but the exiled often fall prey to the Alaloth’s cult, The Spectral Circle. The orcs now look at their younger generation with unease, as they seem willing to embrace Alaloth’s teachings and kill to earn power and respect, and many highly respected orcish priestesses have begun to vanish or die under mysterious circumstances.

Orc citizens

Orc savages

 

[zapotec]

I don't like the orcs, looks like they come straight from warcraft

 

[Nortar]

https://store.steampowered.com/newshub/app/919360/view/2924487488169585193

I don't get that landscape with the impaled orcs.

The place looks like a desert, with no forests in sight up to the very horizon, where did they get so many trees for the spikes?
How did they get the victims so high?
And why did the executioners place them so haphazardly, not along a road or some other landmark, except to create more work for themselves.

If the writing in the game makes as much sense as this picture, it's going be shit.

 

[Harthwain]

I don't get that landscape with the impaled orcs.

Frankly, it's impossible to tell if these are orcs or not. Could be almost any humanoid.

The place looks like a desert, with no forests in sight up to the very horizon, where did they get so many trees for the spikes?

You can take the trees with you from someplace where there is wood. The only problem is logistics.

How did they get the victims so high?

You impale them first, then you raise the pole vertically:

And why did the executioners place them so haphazardly, not along a road or some other landmark, except to create more work for themselves.

The light path of dirt looks like a road. Although the road itself is pointlessly twisted - like a snake. Most likely purely to justify the artwork.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Could be almost any humanoid.

Incline if elf.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/2924488755434060877

Development Update #1 - The Road to The Four Kingdoms
A big update on Alaloth’s development

As you might have noticed, we’ve been silent since the last major events Alaloth took part in: the PC Gaming Show and Gamescom. Alaloth received a lot of interest at the PC Gaming Show in June and was written about by PC Gamer and PCGamesN. Gamescom was a great success too. At the event we released a new gameplay trailer, were featured in an IGN article, announced new platforms (PlayStation and Nintendo Switch), and made a 2021 release official.

So with Christmas on the way, we felt that now was the right moment for a new wall of text! We’re back with a massive update on Alaloth’s development and a peek at what’s been going on for us behind the scenes during this crazy year.

First things first, we’d like to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ for your interest and support. More and more people have been joining in the wait for Alaloth and our Discord server has been growing as fast as our amazing community! We’re so glad that you’re as excited about Alaloth as we are. It’s definitely kept our spirits lifted during 2020.

When we started working with our publisher last winter, we shared another wall of text explaining how complex 2019 had been for us, how many unpredictable (and tragic) problems we had to face, and how we successfully turned all of this into a new fresh start with a new plan, extra resources available, a clear path in front of us.

This year we had a great time at PAX and we had the chance to move into a new office, hire new people, and finally be able to bring our vision to life the way we’d always imagined. But it wasn’t all sunshine and roses—something unpredictable happened once again; the pandemic. We were just starting everything afresh, so we had new employees stuck in Airbnb rooms, with no way to access the studio, no way to work remotely. Some even had to move back home, when lockdown was suddenly announced on the Monday morning when we were supposed to have one of our first operative meetings. We entered our new venue at the end of February and employees were expected to move in by March 5th. We had to leave on March 8th...yet to return.

We use our office for business meetings only when necessary, but the whole team is still scattered and it’s hard to imagine returning to normal any time soon. Despite all of this, we’ve been working harder than ever while thinking on plan B. We have received full support from All in! Games who’ve helped us as much as possible. Collaborating together, we reworked our whole masterplan and found a way to make the best of the situation. We had huge plans for 2020, but worry not! We have every intention of seeing all of our cool ideas become a reality in 2021! Game development is about continuously adapting and despite the surprises we had this year, we can finally say that our pipeline is working smoothly.

Anyway, let’s talk about the cool stuff that’s happening. One of the biggest updates is that , we are going to start sharing regular updates about the game from now on, with news every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday*! These updates will consist of two main types of information; updates on the lore of Alaloth and updates on its development.

LORE UPDATES
Over the past few months we’ve been introducing you to the world of Alaloth, focusing on each kingdom at a time. Now we’d like to go deeper into Alaloth’s lore (something we are really proud of!). Lore updates will be posted on Steam and on our Discord server every Wednesday and will introduce key characters, companions, guilds, places, monsters, stories, gods, legends, and so on, to give you the full picture of the work we’ve done to bring this epic world to life. A brand new piece of art will be available every Monday as well!

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://store.steampowered.com/newshub/app/919360/view/2947007387768598011

Lore Update #1 - The Known World & The Outer World

Champions!
Prepare yourselves to go deep into the lore of Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms. The four kingdoms have already been introduced, but there are still many paths that we want to invite you to traverse. May the lore series begin!

The World of Alaloth
Using archeology and magic, the mortal races were able to discover much about the ancient roots of their world, from its inception to its current state. Some parts of history have been lost along the way or are kept guarded as secrets among the eternal races, but the main series of events are well-recorded and known.

The tale of the kingdoms begins with the First Era, an Era of blood and birth, a time when life was created and gods were born. It was during this time that the All-Father’s blood dripped onto the world, creating man, elf, dwarf, orc, and beast, as well as the First Pantheon of the Gods.

The Second Era is the time of legends, when great heroes from all the mortal kingdoms fought and vanquished any terror that dared to beset the land. Much of this history has been recorded in dusty tomes by the humans, while the elves choose to simply remember the tale instead of putting it down in writing.

The current Era is the Third, the Era of The Fifth Kingdom. With the creation of the Fifth Kingdom, and the loss of the world’s light, Vaizmil, the world fell into chaos. With the gods weakened, Alaloth descended on the land from the realms of the gods. Although the joint effort of the races managed to confine him in The Fifth Kingdom, he still seeds his corruption deep into the ground. No one knows how this Era will end. Will hope return to our world once more or will we plunge into eternal darkness?

The Known World
In the midst of chaos and violence, four kingdoms rose in the world of Plamen, separated from the rest of the globe by unknown dangers, treacherous terrain, and hubris. This is the known world, the world of magic and great heroes, of immortal gods who shape the world and decide to let it prosper or doom it to destruction.

In current times, the world is about to descend into chaos as Alaloth sows corruption into every aspect of life. The Four Kingdoms, each distinctly different from the others, divided by race, culture, territory, and religion, have been suffering immensely during the trying times that have unfolded over hundreds of years due to the recklessness of the gods.

The Blessed Kingdom of Edherest stands strong in number and with the power of humankind. Once a deeply religious people, the citizens of Edherest have turned on their priests and leaders needing someone to blame for the world’s descent into turmoil. They now look to all-powerful magic to save them. The kingdom has been further fractured by rising hostilities between its ruling houses as each one vies for ultimate control over the others.

The Republic of Larastir is home to the elves who worship Jaiha, the Goddess of the Earth. Their connection to nature and to the magical aura of the world makes them excellent fighters and deadly archers, while their eternal life grants them wisdom beyond their apparent age. Their society has been tainted by the Ver’Quintiss inquisition, brought on by the coming of Alaloth which has torn through their culture and left deep scars. Over the past few years the Elves have withdrawn into the depths of their forests, and, even more worrying, there have been more and more sightings of the Dark Elves, loyal to Alaloth.

The Expanse of Karak-Hohn is the kingdom of the dwarves. The grand halls they call home are built-in caverns that were created by an unknown precursor race. They are masters of stone crafting and the main providers of metal and stone to the rest of the kingdoms, making them safer politically than others. The coming of Alaloth shook their underground chambers, corrupting their halls and filling them with golems.

The Desolation of Baga, the kingdom of the orcs, has been left completely in ruins after their hero, Baga, attempted to face Alaloth in combat. The ground is barren and the weather unforgiving. Not many survive in the deserts of Baga, but the orcs are resilient people and they do not give up, even when all seems lost.

The Outer World
Beyond the realm of The Four Kingdoms exists another world, vibrant and different, beautiful and dangerous. Only a professional explorer would have a chance at traversing the areas surrounding the kingdoms. Anyone else who tries is never heard from again. The seas to the north are home to wild islands, with rough seas that only a seasoned sailor can endure. To the north-east lay the great frozen plains, where few can survive their inhuman temperatures. And to the west lies the kingdom of the desert, with sands that sprawl on for an eternity.

The North Sea Empire rules the northern sea, sailing, and trading with the known world, but staying away from their politics. They were once one of the great houses of Edherest, but left the kingdom to explore new lands. While the island they live on is a cold flatland, they have prospered there and have been left relatively unaffected by Alaloth and The Tempest.

The Frozen Plains are a vast area to the North East of Karak-Hohn where the cold rules and few survive. A few clans of barbarians have settled the lands, but most of the plains are desolate with only dangerous animals and monsters to roam the frozen waste. The Tempest of Alaloth has reached these lands and his corruption runs deep.

The Sariqi Caliphate, centered around the great city of Sariq, is a solitary and distant kingdom, born from the eternal sands. Though they live in isolation from the known world, they are more culturally and magically advanced, allowing them to make creations beyond imagination. At the same time, their riches have plunged them into corruption and chaos as they consort with evil forces.

The Shadow Continent is the prison of the dark elves that were banished by the Ver’Quintiss during their inquisition. The continent exists in parallel with Plamen, where there is no sun, not one source of light, and nothing grows from the ground. The Continent is inaccessible without powerful magic to a common mortal, but ever since The Tempest, more and more dark elves have been seen in Larastir, leading to rumors that the Shadow Continent is open once more.

Discover New Content Every Week
We hope you enjoyed this introduction into the rich world of Alaloth. What did you find the most interesting? Share your thoughts with us on Steam and Discord.

Lore updates will be posted on Steam every Wednesday* and will introduce key characters, companions, guilds, places, monsters, stories, gods, legends, and so on, to give you the full picture of the work we’ve done to bring this epic world to life. A brand new piece of art will be available every Monday* as well!

Be sure to check Steam every other Friday* to get an update on Alaloth’s development. The updates will give a general overview of in-game content, explain gameplay features, give insight into the gaming tech we use as well as reveal other game-related content.

*Based on external and internal factors, the frequency may change.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919360/view/4811498361139642909

Development Update #2 - Bringing a fantasy world to life

When we started Alaloth’s pre-production back in 2017, we knew we wanted to make a full 3D game. The original prototype was very cool in the end and we caught the attention of a few outlets by showing it behind closed doors at different events. In the end, we decided to announce the game early on in its timeline because we had the chance to be featured by IGN on its whole network.

That meant millions of viewers and it was the best way to get the ball rolling! Anyway, while thinking about the pros and cons of the plan we had in mind, and still busy with pre-production, we decided to change direction. Environments make up most of what you see in the screen of a game and in their complexity, they are among the most difficult things for a computer to render. To look as visually appealing as possible while still being able to run on almost all platforms, we decided Alaloth should use pre-rendered environments. Moving on using fully pre-rendered environments completely changed our work pipeline but at that time, our thought was that pushing on the art department would have been much easier than stressing coders, in a moment when we were still on the hunt for talents able to push Unity to its limits and still working on our tools. It ended up being a wise choice that allowed us to work on our idea of creating a hybrid game that was in-between a classic RPG and a modern action game, bringing 3D mechanics to an iso-view. Challenging. Unique.

Working with pre-rendered environments allows for a much faster workflow and less of a burden on our computers, with the only downside that scenes cannot be rotated while playing. Depending on the kind of scene, if combat or non-combat, we start from a concept, outlining the key parts of the experience we want to offer. For cities, the focus is almost only on the visuals, while dealing with a fighting area brings a totally different scope to the level design. No matter what scene we’re working on, the first step after the concept stage is measuring its size. It would be really bad to have extremely different sizes inside the same area family, so we essentially measure two kinds of values: the minimum distance a player will travel to reach the edge of an area and the one he needs to walk to roughly reach every spot in the area. Each kind of area, be it a city, fighting area, or anything else, is enclosed in a range of sizes that can’t be broken.

At this stage, multiple professionals work together to reach the right balance of performance, visual appeal, and design elements. When all the sizes are set and the walkable blockout has been created, the Environment Artist, together with a designer, start building the scene.

While for non-combat areas the process is more or less straightforward, for fighting scenes, we have to keep an eye on combat flow. Multiple design elements can be used to enhance a user’s experience and let the player interact with environments instead of just walking through them. However, these design mechanics are condensed in advanced stages, since we wanted to keep early scenes simpler and gradually add more challenges the farther a player goes on their journey.

A scene is gradually built, from ground up, with a neuter light to better see all the important details. At this stage, we mostly take into account navigation and boundaries; everything must be as easy as possible to walk through, while enemies can’t remain stuck in place or block a player in a corner.

When everything is in its place, we tweak the lights according to the mood we want to achieve.

After that, we focus on VFX such as post-process, fog, and particles. Keeping in mind that everything is going to be baked onto textures, we make sure to migrate animated elements to final scenes, such as flames, water, and similar VFX. At this point, the vast majority of the work is done and we proceed to bake everything into a set of textures that our proprietary tool automatically outputs as an array of pictures. Not only is a color texture produced, but also technical elements such as depth, occlusion and geometry information, as well as navigation and real-time lights.

The technical stuff is being moved into the final scene to make things work, while the color bakes undergo a final step of hand painting to enhance details that would be too complex to do in 3D.

Lastly, the scene is populated with NPCs and mobs and tested over and over again to ensure that everything works as it should.

The entire process takes 3 to 5 days, depending on the size of the area. This is why we were able to create over 100+ areas with a relatively small team in less than a year. Completely 3D scenes would have needed much more time and resources to achieve similar results, with the need of a much more powerful machine to run the game.

 

[Infinitron]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919360/view/2948134480286416727

Lore Update #3 - The Fifth Kingdom & Those That Covet it

Champions!
Before you set off on a quest to find The Fifth Kingdom and free the world from Alaloth’s influence, let’s consult old tomes to learn more about the history of the Kingdom. Read a tale of ambition, ignorance, and manipulation.

The Fifth Kingdom
At the dawning hours of the Second Era, the Goddess of Light, Vaizmil, looked upon the world and saw only conflict and war. She saw friend turned against friend, and disloyalty and pain. She saw a realm disjointed by falsehoods when it could have been one prosperous kingdom. Thus, she came up with a plan.

The Fifth Kingdom, a kingdom that was to be in the center of The Four Kingdoms, was at that time a vacant land with a mighty abandoned city, ripe for the taking if one was brave enough. Vaizmil convinced the All-Father to enact her dream through trickery, telling him that only the strongest realm would be able to claim the Fifth Kingdom and rule over all others. But the reality was that she had no intention of leaving The Fifth Kingdom to competition. Her purpose was unification, as only with the united force of The Four Kingdoms would the land truly know peace.

Vaizmil was so set on her ambition to save the mortal realm and the All-Father on the prospect of combat that they did not think of the rules he’d set up long ago, prohibiting him from intervening physically in the mortal realm. The moment The Fifth Kingdom was created, the Mother of Betrayers was free to revolt against the All-Father.

Vaizmil realized her mistake and the Mother’s plan and tried to warn the gods of the war that was coming, but none would listen. As a martyr, she confronted the Mother and her son, Alaloth, alone, only to be murdered. But when she died, her life force spread across the kingdom in shards in the hope that they would one day help the mortal race enter the Fifth Kingdom.

With Alaloth’s victory over The First Pantheon and his mother, he saw himself as beyond the gods. He attempted to cross into the mortal realm via The Fifth Kingdom, but the moment he set foot in it, he was chained to the ground, unable to move, stuck forever. His sheer presence in such a holy place has corrupted the Kingdom and spread his venom into the ground.

There is only one way to restore the world to what it was before Alaloth ravaged the lands with his Tempests—gather the shards of Vaizmil’s life force and conquer The Fifth Kingdom for the good of the whole mortal realm.

The Spectral Circle
Since the moment Alaloth was born, he had already planned to betray his mother. With his powers of manipulation, he had convinced a selected few in the mortal realm to wait for his descent and be his mortal army as he took over their world.

These few formed what is now known as The Spectral Circle, a cult that worships Alaloth and revels in the corruption he brings to the world, caged in The Fifth Kingdom.
The goal of the Circle is to spread his corruption further, seeding chaos inside The Four Kingdoms, and defile their gods.

Their ultimate goal is to release Alaloth from his chains and let him wreak havoc on the realm, taking it as his own. They expect to be rewarded for their efforts and will go to any length to show devotion to their lord.

They are hunted all across the kingdoms, but like cockroaches they always reappear, corrupt the young, and increase their ranks faster than any cult the world has ever seen. They care nothing for mortal life and accept their death as part of Alaloth’s plan. They fear nothing and their ideology will survive as long as Alaloth is alive. While the other kingdoms and groups want The Fifth Kingdom for themselves or for the good of all mortal beings, the Circle merely wants it as a tool to free their lord—the Kingdom and the world mean nothing to them.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919360/view/2948134480314900439

Lore Update #4 - The Plamen Travel Guide
Tour the land and enjoy the view

Champions!
Let’s continue our journey through the world of Alaloth. You’re already familiar with the Kingdoms and their cities, so it’s time to stray off the beaten path.

Journey through Plamen
As you travel across the lands of The Four Kingdoms, you will find yourself in cities, caves, ruins, and dangerous areas. Some of them are revered and often worshiped by the kingdom they are found in as special points of interest.

Each of these places are considered important monuments to the culture of their kingdoms, and the envy of many. They often mark moments in history that could not be forgotten.

Spoiler

Points of interest in Edherest

The Sea of Stars
Located at The South Sea of Edherest, this shore is unusually calm and holds shimmering lights that shine at night. The lights take the shape of constellations that are not present in the night sky and have bewildered scholars for ages. The waters are considered a sacred place, blessed by the gods, and thus no warship may enter the territory of the Sea of Stars and no blood may be shed in its vicinity.

The Tears of Light
Vaizmil’s face shines through a remarkable sculpture carved into the cliffside here. A true testament to human art that encapsulates nature’s beauty, the Tears of Light fills all that look upon its grace with awe. Waterfalls flow from her eyes like tears, grieving the death of the Goddess of Light.

The Turquoise Ice
Nestled beneath a glacier, there lie beautiful gems and crystals that shine their light through the ice, changing its colour to turquoise. It remains unknown why the gems are buried inside the glacier, but most can agree that the spectacle of the ice and lights is surely divine.

Points of interest in Larastir

The Sentinels
Towering over the landscape, the Sentinels, huge monoliths, were formed by the fierce winds of the southwest, originating in Chillwitch. Having contended for their possession for years, the dwarves and elves came to an understanding that the stones should be protected together rather than fought over.

The Gloworm Caves
To the south of Dawn’s Rest lie the Gloworm Caves, brimming with resins that shine like gems, reflecting the light of the stars into the beautiful landscape. They open inside the ancient forests of the world, surrounded by trees that were petrified long ago.

The Waterfalls of Wishing
North of the elven city of Nir’Lathias, the Waterfalls of Wishing astound those who are fortunate enough to see them. The bizarre saturated colors of the water and plants comes from, as legends say, the magic of fairy creatures that dwell in the area, though nobody has seen them.

Points of interest in Karak-Hohn

Bingel, The Hawk
Carved into the stone by strong winds and shaped into the form of a woman with an eagle head, Bingel is viewed by the dwarves as a protective idol of their culture, a sign from the sky goddess that the heavens will not harm them.

The Bloody Lake
The mountain’s blood flows down to this lake, tainting it as red as can be. Some say that the blood comes from the dragons slain by the dwarves in days past. But the reality is much less interesting than the tale woven into the place, as the color originates in the rusty water and diluted minerals that come from the dwarven mining camps.

The Eye
The highest peak of the Giant Knee, the Eye overlooks an impressive landscape spanning several hundred feet below it. The beauty one sees when embracing the view is unparalleled. For that reason the dwarves consider The Eye to be sacred ground where funeral rites are held.

Points of interest in Baga

The Spoor of Gorbag
South of the Great Mothers, a great depression named The Spoor of Gorbag cuts the land that looks as if a giant horse smashed the ground with its hoof. The crater runs deep into the ground to the point that water springs from its depth. The orcs have been trying to devise a plan to channel the water to their towns for a long time.

The Well of Baga
In the light of dawn after Baga’s humiliation in The Valley of Storms, a hole appeared, running deep into the ground until no man could see its bottom. It is said that inside the rift the body and spirit of the hero Baga still roams, restless from his failure. The orcs regard it to be a sacred place that serves as a reminder of the horrors that Baga’s pilgrimage wrought upon the Desolation.

Kima, The Volcano
A small active volcano by the southwest border of the Desolation. Frequent seismic activity savages the land, and the volcano is prone to eruptions. The gas spewing from its depth gave birth to many poisonous herbs, fatal to most.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/2947008021749049042

Lore Update #2 - The Religion & Deities of Plamen

Champions!
Let’s take a deeper look into the world of Alaloth with a brand new lore update. Today we’ll explore the heavens and meet two pantheons of gods. Begin your journey!

The Religion and Deities of Plamen

Spoiler

At the dawn of time, as the All-Father’s blood spilled onto the chaotic world of Plamen, the Gods, elements, creatures, and mortals were created. With powerful beings vying for control, the All-Father decided to gather them up into one institution under his control and thus, The First Pantheon was created.

For much of the history known to the mortal realm, the Pantheon was a peaceful and isolationist gathering of the Gods. There they would argue, fight, drink, and chant together, with no real plan of molding the world below them.

Only a few took interest in the lives of mortals, while some sought solace in the lives of natural creatures. Bit by bit they helped the mortals by rewarding those they found deserving, but due to the rules imposed by the All-Father, they were forbidden from walking the earth and intervening in conflicts between the kingdoms in any way.

They continued like this for many centuries, until hubris took over and the All-Father broke his own rule, plunging the Pantheon into war against his own daughter, the Mother of Betrayers, and her son, Alaloth.

The Higher Gods
The All-Father: The father of all living beings from whose blood all creatures come. Once he was chaos incarnate, now he is chief over the Gods he created. The All-Father adored one child above the rest, allowing his pride and favor to blind him to his own mistakes. His confidence in his own powers has left the Pantheon defenceless against the attacks of the Mother and Alaloth.

Bingel, The Hawk: Once the goddess of the sky, she was injured by a spear of lightning cast by Alaloth that has turned her into a lesser deity. Since then she has taken the form of a hawk, becoming the patron of Watchfulness and decisive strikes. She awaits the day that she may reclaim the skies once more.

Bohai, The Goddess of Nature: One of the three children cut from the Earth Goddess during the Pantheonic War. She took over as patron of vegetation and wilderness, blessing the harvests and all those who favor nature.

Enh-Hohn: Lord of The Stone and of Karak-Hohn, the home of the dwarves, patron of stone crafting and the hammer. Enh-Hohn watches over the dwarven kingdom, assisting those that need his hand in their craft or their labor. He prefers to be close to his worshippers rather than stay aloof like the other gods.

Idaris, The Beacon: Patron of the humans and the shield that protects them, Idaris represents the spiritual and hopeful nature of mortal life. However, the recent tribulations of Edherest have changed the humans’ perception of Idaris to a war god, supposedly giving them the right to commit atrocities.

Jaiha, The Earth Goddess: The shaper of the mortal realm, of nature, stone, water, and sand. She existed along with the All-Father as his blood spilled upon her realm. She is a kind and naive soul who favors the creatures of nature and the elves. Since the Pantheonic War, her powers were split and created three children that took their own aspects of nature. Using her naivety and weakened state against her, the God of Deception is manipulating her creations without her knowledge.

Sei-Eld, The God of Nature: One of the three children cut out of the Earth Goddess during the Pantheonic War. He is the patron god of the elves, protecting them more than his mother or siblings, and represents a relentless spirit, always fighting and easily swayed.

Taine, The Huntress: Another one of the three children cut out of the Earth Goddess during the Pantheonic War. She is the goddess of the hunt, both of prey and of the abominations that Xis has unleashed upon the world. She swears to destroy anything that hurts nature.

Vaizmil, The Goddess of Light: a favorite to the All-Father. She cared for mortals too much and planned to give them a Fifth Kingdom that would unify them. Her actions led to her death at the hands of Alaloth and the Mother of Betrayers, and to the First Pantheonic War. She is the key to entering the Fifth Kingdom and destroying Alaloth.

Xis: The God of Deception, a two-faced skeleton. One face is his own, the other is the God of Truth whom Xis has absorbed. Using the face of the God of Truth, he manipulates the Earth Goddess to sow dissent and chaos in the world from behind the God of Truth’s back. He is helping Alaloth in secret, but also deceiving him at the same time.

The Lesser Gods
Lauron: The Lesser God of the Tides, patron of sailors and pirates. Often prayed to when fishing or sailing.

Tutem: The Goddess of Beauty and Passions, patron of lovers and seducers.

Ulher: The Lesser God of Fertility and Marriage, requires worship in exchange for his blessing.

Rhid’Reklis: The Lesser God of Time, Patron of the House of the First Bells. It is not a sentient being, but the actual concept of time.

The Minions
The Children: A deity with a hundred personalities, minion of the All-Father who fights amongst themselves to see who can worship him better.

Phidell: A minion created by Boahi to patrol the forests and keep watch over all natural creatures.

Ridal, The Crow: An aspect of Bingel that was split when she fell from the sky. Ridal takes charge of all the birds in the sky as he awaits the return of his goddess to absorb him into herself again.

Tutur: The God of the sacred stone. Some might dispute his rank as a god, but he is the personification of the stone that the dwarves use to build their halls and make crafts.

Alfiera the Guard: The Patron Goddess of the Guard Tower, an elevated mortal and servant of Idaris.

Somjiar: One of the first animals that walked the mortal realm and a close and personal friend of the goddess Jaiha. Somjiar is an enormous spider, but even with his size, he often passes unseen in the forests of the split kingdoms.

Ghital: An elevated elf who achieved a demi-god status as a result of her deeds and worship of the Goddess of the Hunt.

Rius: The Lesser God of Ruination and a loyal minion of Xis. Rius’ appearance is that of an amalgamation of many ugly abominations.

Iter’Il: A spirit of eternity, of a never-ending circle. It is attached to the Sei-Eld wishes and infects the elven people with waves of hostility and relentlessness.

Valyn: Keeper of records in the First Pantheon, a great supporter of Vaizmil’s quest, and a loyal servant until her death.

The Mother’s Pantheon
Born out of darkness and with corruption on her mind, the Mother of Betrayers founded a new pantheon in secret, just under the All-Father’s nose. The disdain she felt towards Vaizmil, the All-Father’s favorite, damned their relationship beyond repair and there was nothing to be done about her intent. The first of her pantheon was Alaloth, her first child and her second in command in her plan to usurp her father. The second to join her pantheon was Modut, who was weaker than Alaloth and thus was just a loyal minion. Together with many others and the Goddess of the orcs, Maraika, they planned and executed their attempt at a coup. After they weakened the gods and killed Vaizmil, Alaloth betrayed his mother and took over her Pantheon, driving Maraika and Modut away from him before he attempted to enter the Fifth Kingdom and found himself imprisoned.

The Higher Gods
The Mother of Betrayers: The last goddess of the original pantheon, born out of the All-Father’s shadow. The Mother had an ambition to rule over all the gods and, in secret, she created another pantheon, so that when the moment came, she would be able to defeat the First Pantheon and usurp the All-Father’s position. In the moment of truth, she was betrayed by her son, Alaloth.

Alaloth: The first son of the Mother of Betrayers and the greatest betrayer in history. Alaloth killed his mother and usurped her power. Thinking himself invincible, he attempted to cross into the mortal realm to assert his dominance there. But the laws of the All-Father stood strong and he found himself trapped in The Fifth Kingdom, spreading his corruption from within, awaiting his eventual release.

Maraika: The Goddess of the Orcs and patron of the Matriarchs of Baga. Maraika originally was part of the First Pantheon, but was loyal to the Mother at the same time. After the Mother’s death, Maraika abandoned her ambitions and returned to the Pantheon, looking for a way to take revenge on Alaloth.

The Lesser Gods
Serlietis: The snake god, half mortal, half serpent. Patron god of all reptiles, including dragons, who see him as a father of sorts.

Martum: The God of the Underworld and The God of Death. Martum is not worshiped, no temples rise to his honor, he simply is.

The Minions
The Forbidden: A group of children of the Mother who abandoned her when Alaloth betrayed her. They now follow Alaloth, awaiting the day that he is released, so they can follow him into the mortal realm and wreak havoc.

Modut: A loyal servant of The Mother of Betrayers since before the First Pantheonic War. He was the second son, the second member of her own pantheon. When Alaloth betrayed her, Modut went into a self-imposed exile, avoiding current events in mourning for his mother.

Xoluga: Patron goddess of blood-spilling, once one of the cruelest matriarchs that the orcish kingdom has ever known. At the time of her death she ceremonially burned herself alive with prayers to Maraika.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Some interesting tibids from an AMA on discord recently, I especially like the bold part about elf.

Q: my question is will there be medieval inspired castles with their own interiors in each human kingdoms? like in elder scrolls oblivion(anvil castle/skingrad castle etc.)
A: Hey there! Each kingdom has been basically built like this: there is capital city (of course) where you can meet the ruler of your kingdom (which is actually the one summoning you to help with Alaloth). Then we have a major city and five other minor cities to visit. Then you have 3 different points of interest and tons of fighting areas you have to claim in order to find pieces of the artifact you need to enter the endgame and face Alaloth himself. So we have medieval stuff (especially in Edherest), indoor and outdoor areas to explore and many different locations you can visit

Q: When did development start?
A:We announced the game back in 2017 but at time we just had working prototype and we were still actively in pre-production. Pre-prod ended mid 2018 and we can say we officially started full development at the beginning of 2019. We did a lot of stuff in the meantime and released a bunch of other games on the way

Q: What are your plans post release?
A: We would love to see the world of Alaloth - Champions of the Four Kingdoms grow. We have some ideas in mind, but it’s still too early to confirm or announce anything. We’ll wait to see your reception of the game first!


Q: Does the current game match the original plans?
A: Development is hard so during a full dev cycle, lot of things usually change for a number of reasons. You can face tech problems or any other kind of issue (i.e. an unexpected pandemic -_-") but we kept the same original vision and i can say that probably we raised the bar when AiG jumped in, having access to extra resources we didn't have at the very beginning(edited)

Q:What games influenced the concept?
A: Moonstone is one on the main ref. It is an Amiga game from 1990 that literally blown my mind at time. But we basically are RPG people and i think we can say that there is a bit of everything we loved in Alaloth. The idea behind the concept BTW, was pretty simple: bring 3D fighgting mechanics of modern action games in a iso view, inspired by BG & co


Q: Will there be a beta/do you need any testers to help out?
A: First of all, thank you for offering help! It’s still too early to consider it, but please stick around. We’ll let everyone here know about such opportunities. For now, if you want to help the game grow, let your friends know about it and share the news. Thanks!


Q: How many roleplay systems are implemented aside from combat?
A: you can do a lot of things. I'm happy of our hardcore crafting system for example which is IMHO very well connected to the world lore & logic. You can't find elven stuff in a dwarven shop for example, unless you are visiting a specific store in a specific moment of the game calendar, because the elven merchant supposed to travel there, is there in a specific moment and no more. We have a rep system and a responsive world changing on the way [the time passing is a key factor]

Q: Any world interactions in game?
A: Yep, of course

Q:How will gearing work? and preffix + Suffix systems of random loot drops like diablo?
A:Yep, that's the formula but the drop system is way different than Diablo. Basically, once you enter a fighting area, you don't get loots from mobs. Our approach on this has always been very hardcore the way everything is strictly connected to the weight you can carry with you and we didn't like the idea to have a giant spider dropping a sword (did you ever seen a giant spider? and a giant spider hiding a sword somewhere in his body?). So basically you'll have the chance the take stuff around but you have access to the "true" loot once you've claimed the fighting area. There is a chest at the end of each one and you have to wisely choose what you can take with you

Q:What will the players be able to do aside from combat?
A:You have a huge world to explore with a super amazing lore ready to discover

Q:How big will the dungeons be? Will there be some deep dungeon crawls?
A:Let's say we have different sizes for fighting areas all around the world. Small/Medium/Large/Special. Let's say that the small FA can be claimed in a while, assuming that you are good enough playing the game. Medium sized FA double the small FA. Large FA double the medium FA. It's really about you approach the area, think about the right way to go through it, the equipment and so on. We have huge areas to fight in anyway

Q:Are there secrets to be found in the world?
A: A LOT

Q: How many gear slots and types of gear are present?
A: The armor set is a unique piece + cloack + belt + two rings slots + trinket. Main hand, off hand. You have 4 slots on your belt to bring consumables with you (you can't access the inventory once you're fighting so you have to choose wisely). We have tons of items to be unveiled, cool armor & weapons sets and many other unique objects

Q:is if a full price game? Early Access is an option?
A: We don't consider Early Access right now. The plan is to release a full-price game (so no f2p mechanics) in 2021 on PC, XONE, PS4, and Switch.

Q:Is the Main Character set to a specific arc and morality? (Example: You are a "good guy" and do questing, or can you choose if you are a pillager)
A: There is no main char, you create your own so you have to choose your alignment at the very beginning. In general, you play the role of a champion which has been summoned because of his/her skills so we are using morality in slightly different way than usual. You can hire (or not) companions with the same alignment only for example so if you want to know 100% about them, you have to play a different char with a different alignment in a different run (a few companions' storylines are strictly connected)

Q:What mechanics have been added to increase replayability? New game plus, different endings, random dungeons? Something else?
A: As i said, you if you want to know the world lore 110% and get everything from the game, you are supposed to play with each race at least one time. On top of this, our contents/quests are basically "handmade" but we have a layer of random generated contents that could make any run virtually endless

Q: what about elves?
A: Not my fav but still. They are super posh, very LoTR-like if you know what i mean. Noble warriors, eldest of Plamen, keepers of secrets, great archers and fu* war machines!

Q:will be any ranged build?
A: For what i knew, focus is on melee fight, correct? Yep, you play the role of a heavy armored champion but you an choose among 36 different skills when you level-up and there is a Marksman build which is basically THE ranged build. Anyway, skills are not directly connected with the melee stuff so you keep fighting with swords, axes and so on AND you can use ranged skills as you can use any other skills (cooldown is in)

Q: What are the design ethics behind how you wanted to approach the difficulty of the game?
A: I think games have to have fun. I personally don't like games that leave players frustrated or such but i don't like "easy" games as well. I think the good balance is getting a reward if you fought for it putting the right effort in mastering the systems. I would like to deliver a demanding combat system which does not ends in a frustrating game. You have to die with the dumbest mob if you approach it the wrong way, correct. But you should be able to defeat Alaloth with the right effort if you master your skill set and combos

Q:Were you drawing from any well-known inspirations? And if so, how do you plan on making your product unique to set it apart from them?
A: We are trying to stay in between old school classics (for the visuals, the iso view, the pre-rendered stuff) and modern masterpieces (3D mechanics brought in a iso game). That's how we plan to make a unique product. In terms of inspirations, as i said, we are not reinventing the wheel: this is high-fantasy with all the good things high-fantasy lovers (as we are) love.

Q: mounts [dwarves hate horses]
A: Mounts are useful to move faster on the map and to carry extra weight with you of course. The map is completely free roaming so you can move wherever you want. Of course you move faster on the road, you move slower at the top of mountain or in a swamp and so on. Mounts help with this. We have special and unique mounts to be unlocked on the way of course

Q:elves [dwarses hate elves]
A: I don't like elves at all as i said, i've answered a previous questions about elves

Q:weapons [is it possible to use any weapon in the game or it is build-related?]
A:You choose a fighting style while creating you character but yes, you can use any weapon in-game, just equipping it
what about clerical spells & defensive builds There is a cleric build of course and clerics are actually the only one able to cast healing spells. Defensive builds are a thing but you can basically mix any skill from any profession so you can create something in between or just get skills from random professions mixing warden skills, elementalist skills, cleric skills and so on

Q:is it possible to torture elves? [i already said about dwarves relationship with elves]
A: Actually not but considering the feedback we can think about a minigame at some point


Q: is there any stealth component in the game?
A: Not really. Enemies are responsive and will spot you if you don't pay attention but you can try to sneak here and there No crouch option or such anyway

Q:is it Unity or Unreal?
A: Unity!

Q: You can cook and you have receipts if i read well somewhere?
A: Yes we have receipts. Yes you can cook stuff. Actually you can use food as consumable (putting it on your belt) and the buff effect is timed. If you cook stuff before entering a fighting area, the buff effect lasts for the duration of the whole area

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919360/view/2961646623389887319

Development Update #3 - The animation process of Alaloth​

Alaloth has a very complex combat system which is a key part of its gameplay, so the combat animations had to be both functional and impressive. We chose Alaloth’s fighting styles and their animation after a long period of study and comparison together with our tech-animation department and designers. We wanted Alaloth’s combat system to be as spectacular as possible. The system we settled on allows you to choose from and improve 5 different fighting styles, all with their own unique animations—one-handed, one-handed + shield, two-handed, dual wielding, and polearms.

The animations we ended up using were taken from our libraries and then modified by our animation team to adapt them to the needs of our designers and maintain a unique visual style. We utilize both motion capture and handmade animations and Root Motion is essential for us to make movement and combat as real as possible. Once all the animations were put into our test environment (we call it the Dojo) and selected, we moved on to managing the animator controllers in Unity. During this development phase, it was important to maintain a dialogue between our coders and tech-artists to ensure the best possible management of the animations and transitions. Our goal of course was to have everything be as smooth as possible, so to do that, we needed to set certain mechanics in our animator controllers to create a unique common base set to start from for each fighting style.

Each fighting style was designed in a way that the timing and combos would give the same feel and so enhance players’ experience with all 5 fighting styles. Light attack animations and heavy attack animations are used in each style, and thanks to our animator controller, we were able to manage combos consisting of only light or heavy attacks, or a mix of both. In addition, we introduced a multidirectional dodging system to give the player a tactical advantage by being able to dodge attacks in all 4 directions once an enemy is locked onto.

Enemies in the game also use this animator controller system and, thanks to a complex AI, they can manage a series of fighting styles and behaviors—from the most cautious to a more aggressive and brutal style. Finally, closely related to the VFX department, we have unique animations for unique skills. In Alaloth you can customize your character by choosing different Ways of Power, classes, and skills. Each one of these has its own animations, changing accordingly with the chosen fighting style.

But in the world of Alaloth there are not only warriors looking for fame and fortune. In each city, town, or tavern you will find different NPCs and animals, each with their own set of animations, according to the situation or task they are carrying out. Plamen is a living world and we transmit all of this through the scenes of everyday life with tons of gestures that are scripted by our writers and to allow players to appreciate each dialogue and all the small details that make the lore of Alaloth unique. With all of this we hope to make Alaloth’s world as immersive as possible.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/3062978248987410802
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919360/view/3062978883683506392

Lore Update #5 - The Dragons of Black and Gold
Of Shadows and Greed

Imagine a world on fire, where mortal lives are forfeited to any beast that craves their flesh, where dwarves can be buried beneath their mountains forever in an instant, and the gold of The Four Kingdoms lies amassed in the lairs of great dragons. This is every dragon’s dream, and an objective that was set to them eras ago. At first, there were many dragons fighting alongside the Mother of Betrayers, burning and pillaging the lands of Karak-Hohn, Baga, Larastir, and Edherest. They destroyed countless halls and cities, and killed many in their rampage, an accomplishment they are proud of. But after years of being hunted by the dwarves and the fall of the Mother, most of the dragons have flown away from the continent, back into their homeland.

Now only four remain, each having carved out their own domain in the Split Kingdoms. They are each more vicious than the other, competing amongst themselves for the honor of being the greatest dragon that ever lived, a legend along with their mother, Geis. Today we’ll discuss two of the four dragons, Shadis, the dragon of Black and Razen, the dragon of Gold.

Shadis

Shadis lives in darkness, in the depths of a cave, waiting for those dim enough to venture in and meet their end. He is different in appearance from other dragons and it is rumored that there is more to him than meets the eye. He is after all, a lord of the shadows. Unlike his vicious and bloodthirsty siblings, Shadis prefers magic to combat and uses his skills as a necromancer to defeat his enemies. He then resurrects his slain enemies to serve as his personal guard and watch over his treasure as he hunts. Many tales have been told about Shadis, speculating about his strange appearance and the oddness of his powers that surpass the magic that dragons usually have. Whether he is really just a dragon or perhaps a demon in disguise remains a mystery.

Razen

Nestled at the top of a dwarven mountain, a golden giant keeps his eye on all that happens below and terrorizes anyone who is foolish enough to approach, leaving no survivors. Long ago, Razen came to the continent, thirsty for dwarven blood. The dwarves made a plan to bring an end to his rampage by trapping him in molten gold, poured from above so that it would envelop him completely, but the trap failed. Razen emerged with his scales as hard as metal with a new armor of gold, a golden dragon. Ever since, he’s continued to devour hapless dwarves, descending from the top of his mountain to attack unsuspecting caravans. Razen’s golden coat has exacerbated his greed, making him horde more treasure than any other dragon.]

Lore Update #6 - The Dragons of Bane and Flame
By Poison or By Fire

Dragons are competitive creatures. It is because of this that the four dragons remaining on the continent each claimed a kingdom for themselves. Having branched out and settled in their own kingdoms, the dragons are able to hold dominion over all the lives in a territory untouched by the other dragons. They use their environments almost to exhaustion, corrupting the land against its inhabitants.

Last week we spoke of the Dragons of Black and Gold. They were introduced as the dragons of the realm of humans and the realm of dwarves. The remaining two dragons that we’ll discuss today sought other prey...

Viainne

Hidden in the dense forests of Larastir, the green swift tailed dragon, Viainne, bides her time, hunting in silence as to not attract the attention of the elves. She is a prideful and vengeful dragon, but patient in her need to exact revenge on those who wronged the dragons so many years ago. She sees herself as superior to the other dragons and often does what she can to undermine them in her goal to reign supreme. The cave which she dwells contains a scent that enthralls mortals as they approach, allowing Viainne to enslave them, consume them, or slay them as she wills. Being the fastest of the dragons, she is one of the most dangerous opponents on the continent.

Pyre

Heat like the abyss, hell on earth...that is what the red dragon, Pyre, brings to all orcs as he ravages the lands of Baga. Pyre cares nothing for the traditions of old, he doesn’t hold grudges or fear anything, he just feels the need to burn everything in sight until the world is consumed by fire. He arbitrarily switches between two extreme personalities, one brooding upon the ashes of a dead fire and the other like a great inferno of hatred that he unleashes upon the land. Pyre is the lord of everlasting fire, and those who try to venture into his obsidian cave will find it very difficult to avoid his devastating flames much less kill him.

 

[Citizen]

Not interested in this but gotta admit the backgrounds look amazing

 

[cyborgboy95]

Development Update #4 - Creating Real Time VFX in Alaloth

The role of VFX is very important in every video game, because they communicate a lot about the things that are happening within a game’s world, from simple rain to a pool of acid, creating and saying what can be good or dangerous, alive or static. Our VFX, are generally divided into two macro categories, environments and gameplay effects. Environments were introduced in Dev Update #2, which explains how, in order to create a live and realistic environment, VFX such as fire, fog, and particles are added. After the bake phase, every single VFX is moved to the final scene in order to have a living scene with fire, water, dust, lava, all weather events, and much more rather than just a static texture. All environmental VFX derive from a common base: for example, each type of dust or flame starts from a base VFX and our team is able to create variants based on the scene in which it will be placed, changing color, size, duration, etc.

For gameplay effects however, the situation changes. These are the VFX that give impact to the game and gameplay. In fact, before starting the production of these effects there was a long pre-production phase between the designers, coders, audio and tech guys, and the animators, all based on a deep knowledge of the project and game mechanics. Similarly to the animation process, we work from a few pre-made libraries to create a base layer of contents to iterate, change, and adapt to the game and we pair these assets with in-house assets created following the specs of the main Game design document or GDD. Libraries are really helpful but, due to the nature of our game, without proper 3D geometry and pre-rendered environments, there is still a lot of work to do even on VFX that are supposed to work 1:1 with a standard pipeline. In Alaloth, we have to manually tweak everything to have the same effect as intended for a full 3D environment. Not an easy task. In-house-made assets work the same way, always starting from a few benchmarks we reimagine working in a iso-view.

For example, for a dragon's breath of fire, we decide at the beginning of the design phase what the range and duration of the attack should be, then we define the damage system with the code/tech department and finally the graphic part, with a mixture of particles and shaders to give life to the flames. But the gameplay effects also help to inform a player of what is about to happen on screen. For example, in many enemy encounters, a loading VFX alerts the player that the enemy is about to cast a spell or use a special skill. Knowing how to create visual effects also means knowing how to use mesh, UV, and shaders to your advantage; these three elements, together with the particles, are the basis for the creation of effects, in addition to being visually important, and give the sense that they are rounding out animations.

This VFX for example is the combination of a series of elements that will give the enemy who will use it (no spoiler) a devastating attack power. It is based on a mesh with UV designed so that a custom shader can create this dynamic effect; in addition a cloud of fire will follow the mesh, together with craters on the ground that will spit tongues of fire and rocks.

Each enemy, from dragon to skeleton, from golem to spider, will have their own unique set of VFX, designed and studied by the whole team to make the experience as realistic as possible. The VFX creation process is variable and depends on functionality and usage. The process can take a few hours for a simple brazier to many more for an attacking gameplay effect, and require a close collaboration between all team members.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Lore Update #7 - The Wandering Characters of Plamen

In the world of Plamen there are many who wander. There are those who’ve lost it all—their homes, loved ones, and purpose and then there those who by choice or curse are forced to be distant from the rest of the mortal world, until their goal is finally achieved. These latter beings are mortals of great power, either of the body, the mind, or of magic, waiting for someone to come and gain their favor by succeeding where they could not. Though found in the lands of The Four Kingdoms, they are not bound to them, nor do their kingdoms care for them or wish to aid them in their quests. The wanders’ only goal is their own, and whether that’s good or bad for the kingdoms they dwell in remains to be seen.



The Red Mage
The Red Mage is an unknown and mysterious sorcerer who dwells in Edherest by a lake overlooking a derelict magical tower, a Beacon Tower. He is known as a healer to some, a heretic to others, and evil incarnate to those that fear him. Rumors about his heritage and appearance circulate the streets of the kingdom but each story contradicts the last. What is certain to those that know him well enough, is that he does not bear ill-will against Edherest, on the contrary, he wishes to save it from the ever present corruption that has been seeped in from Alaloth and from unchecked magic. He wants to restore the Beacon Towers, colleges, and human society to the days of peace. The Red Mage is waiting for a champion to arrive at the doorstep to his tower and take on a task that will benefit them both, only after completing it will he know if the champion is ready to face Alaloth.

Kellis of the Zephyrs
Once just a powerful mage among the Elven high class, Kellis of the Zephyrs is just a mythical prisoner now, locked in the woods he once loved. He is a depressed and doomed soul who tried to embark on the Retreat, to venture the sea to the next life, but instead found himself trapped within the forest, unable to leave and unable to die. He has attempted to escape countless times but has always failed. Despite all this, Kellis is compassionate and never judges a creature or mortal on their nature, even if they do things he does not approve of. He watches the forest in defeat, and assists those who become lost. He seeks a champion to bring to him what he cannot get himself, to prove their mettle in the face of danger.

Forgeback
Forgeback is a legendary figure in dwarven history, the great dragon slayer of Karak-Hohn, known for his brutality in combat and the mastery of his craft. He is and always was a great smith, who could forge any weapon to kill a dragon. His hatred for dragons made him violent and unpleasant, with outbursts of anger over his loss that all of Karak-Hohn could hear him from miles away. Forgeback is only interested in seeing the dragon race extinct, not in their stolen gold or the glory of the hunt. He holds a personal vendetta and nothing but the death of all dragons will satisfy that need. In his old age he’s become unable to hunt the dragons himself, so he seeks a champion to aid him in his quest. In return they will gain the honor of wielding his work.

Nohrged-Kin
A sinister mystery, guardian of the oasis, exile, blasphemer, saint... These are but some of the words used to describe Nohrged-Kin, the shadowy figure lurking by the waters of the Thirst. He goads pilgrims and the lost to drink from it and watches as the consequences unfold. Nohrged-Kin is seen as vicious and cruel, but he cares not for the suffering of mortals, nor does he wish them ill. He merely wishes to test them in their hour of need.
If there is something he truly detests, it’s the gods that the mortals of The Four Kingdoms worship, especially Maraika and the Mother of Betrayers, who hold favor in Baga. His obsession is directed towards rare idols of gods, which he desecrates for his entertainment. He will surely test the champion in his own way, and determine if they are truly the hero that has a chance set the world to rights.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919360/view/3060730254432975107

Development Update #5 - The Importance of Characterization and Narrative

Nearly every game, from shooters to RPGs, has a narrative. It can be hidden in the background or carry the player from beginning to end, but it's always there. It has been our job to create that narrative in Alaloth: Champions of The Four Kingdoms, and embed it into every aspect of the game, be it in combat, quests, or the characters that you’ll interact with.

The world of our game has been in the works for quite some time, with different visions and building blocks laid out during the first years of development. It was during this stage that the core ideas of the game; the villain, kingdoms, gods, and overall style took hold and still influence every subsequent addition to the game. With the lore and world of the game already in place, new narrative designers didn’t have to invent the wheel, but rather expand upon it.

The first step when starting on a new project, particularly in the creative field, is to study the material meticulously. Every page, character, tree, and ant that was already created by previous writers needs a thorough examination. Every god and kingdom needs to be understood. In our role as designers, we need to first read everything that exists, then fully comprehend it, and finally memorize each and every small detail. Then we can create our own original stories, but set in an already pre-existing world and with a similar style.

After becoming familiar with the source, one can add to it, creating quests, characters, and in-game items that complement the existing lore. Sometimes a pre-existing aspect of the world needs to be reworked to fit the in-game content. It’s fun to create the intricate details of a kingdom and how each noble house behaves, but we need to be careful what we create is reflected in the dialogues, the random barks a player can hear on the streets of a city, or when meeting face to face with a king. Everything needs to mesh together seamlessly.

Narrative Design is similar to writing a novel or a movie, the components are all there. Every narrative has to have its structure, highs and lows, and its relation and inspiration to human life as we know it. But game narratives add an extra layer to the job. As a game writer, you need to consider the core gameplay and game design with every line of dialogue you write. You need to verify if a game can do what you want it to do, can the engine handle these complications for the sake of a narrative? But also, does the dialogue complement the style of the game? How do you convey your information in third person, or in an isometric view? All these have a deep effect on how you write and what you write, because while you can get sucked into the world and let your imagination run wild, nothing of what you write will ever see the light of day if the game is not considered first.

Another aspect of Narrative Design, once you look past your own imagination, is inspiration. The world of Plamen is one that takes the medieval style and combines it with magic and supernatural forces, leading to a lot of sources of inspiration when trying to create and expand these concepts into something original. One could look at old fantasy books or at the direction of similar games, but it’s important that these inspirations do not consume your product. You can be inspired by another game, like a concept, but at the end of the day, your world and story have to be your own creation and not depend completely on another.

Alternatively, a designer can look to real life for inspiration. When deciding on the names and traditions of races in the game, we looked to the different cultures of Earth for sources of inspiration. Irish festivals, Jewish holidays, and African dress are just a few examples of cultural aspects that can be studied for inspiration. Looking to Earth cultures for inspiration also has the added benefit of creating a sense of belonging in the characters of the different races, giving them some commonality in the world.
This commonality also applies to the religious structure of Alaloth. Looking at ancient mythologies and the Bible itself, one can see the natural progression of a creation story, a tale of a god, prophecy, and prayer. It’s only with great knowledge of the world that surrounds us that we can create new and exciting worlds just like Tolkien did for Lord of the Rings.

In Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms, we’ve strived to bring you an engaging world full of mystery, chaos, and challenges. That all seeps into the core of our narrative, from the quest at hand to defeat a fallen God, to the many characters you’ll encounter along the path to that goal. Each companion will offer a new perspective on the world, and each character has their own internal motive for you to discover. At the end of the day, we can only hope that you, the player, will fall in love with the cast of misfits we’ve assembled and the world we created for your enjoyment.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/919360/view/3060730254426286534

Companions Update #1 - Lileah, The Last Light of Vaizmil

In the lands of Plamen you’ll find many who will want to join in your crusade against Alaloth—if your interests align. Some will come from far and wide, from distant lands or from their own home in Plamen, but all have the same goal in mind—defeating the great demon. These characters are potential Companions who would join you on your quest. The first you may choose to add to your band of heroes is Lileah. She is someone who cherishes the light of Vaizmil and wants to protect all that is innocent and good, especially now, that corruption that is slowly but surely taking over Edherest.

Lileah, The Last light of Vaizmil

Hailing from Altar City, Lileah was orphaned when the city was destroyed by Alaloth’s Tempests. Now the city is known as the God Graves. As a child, she was always aggressive and looking for a fight. No caretaker or family had the patience to bear with the wild child and she often found herself on the streets of Edherest. As she matured, she formed a bond with the Shield-Bearers of Vaizmil, eventually becoming a member, and used her aggression and violent nature for good. But as the priesthood lost its hold over Edherest and magic users became more powerful than ever in the service of the great houses, Lileah found herself disillusioned by her position in life. She worked tirelessly to save persecuted priests from the hands of the houses and now, she seeks a way to restore balance to the kingdom. As the last sentinel of Vaizmil, Lileah has taken it upon herself to fight against the enemies of the Goddess and slay the ultimate monster, Alaloth. She will seek a champion to join forces with who will protect the innocent and do what’s good, even at the cost of self-sacrifice.