Vapourware Zodiac Legion - X-COM and dungeons

[Galdred]

The gamme will be featured in the next CanardPC issue, and the article can be read here (in French, subscribers only):

https://www.canardpc.com/416/votre-horoscope-de-2022-zodiac-legion

Pour leur premier jeu, la plupart des indés se lancent dans un projet modeste. Le studio Draconis, lui, s’est attaqué à un XCOM médiéval-fantastique dopé aux Chevaliers du Zodiaque. En plus, j’y ai joué et ça va être super. C’est comme si les développeurs n’avaient même pas lu la première phrase de cette intro...

approximate translation:

For their first game, most indies start with a small project. But Studio Draconis went with a fantasy XCOM mixed with Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya, an anime that was very popular in Japan, France and Brazil in the late 80s). Moreover, I played it, and it will be great. It is as if the developers didn't even read the first sentence of this intro...

 

[AshenNedra]

The gamme will be featured in the next CanardPC issue, and the article can be read here (in French, subscribers only):

https://www.canardpc.com/416/votre-horoscope-de-2022-zodiac-legion

Pour leur premier jeu, la plupart des indés se lancent dans un projet modeste. Le studio Draconis, lui, s’est attaqué à un XCOM médiéval-fantastique dopé aux Chevaliers du Zodiaque. En plus, j’y ai joué et ça va être super. C’est comme si les développeurs n’avaient même pas lu la première phrase de cette intro...

approximate translation:

For their first game, most indies start with a small project. But Studio Draconis went with a fantasy XCOM mixed with Knights of the Zodiac (Saint Seiya, an anime that was very popular in Japan, France and Brazil in the late 80s). Moreover, I played it, and it will be great. It is as if the developers didn't even read the first sentence of this intro...

Congratulations !

Such great news!

Hope you sell lots and lots of unts and succeed.

M

 

[Harry Easter]

That is a big if.

That's what he said.

 

[The Red Knight]

Knights of the Zodiac

Any chance of hiring Bernard Minet to sing the main menu or credits song?

 

[Galdred]

Knights of the Zodiac

Any chance of hiring Bernard Minet to sing the main menu or credits song?

That would be cool (for the 30 year old + French at least!), but maybe a bit too risky in the copyright infringement department. The guys behind Chroma Squad got copyright trolled by the makers of Power Rangers for much less than that, and unlike MRY, I am not dual classed in law.

 

[Galdred]

 

[CryptRat]

I didn't know cyangmou was involved in the project, no wonder why the game looks so great.

 

[Galdred]

I didn't know cyangmou was involved in the project, no wonder why the game looks so great.

Thanks!
When I started looking for an artist (because I expected the game to be over "soon", back in mid 2014!), I saw Cyangmou's work on Deviantart on a now defunct game called RiftForge, and I knew I had to work with him.

He designed the paperdolling system, and did the initial art direction, and the existing tilesets, and he recommended Ben Addendorf to me, who ended doing most of the character art.

Riftforge art:

Spoiler

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Galdred]

TheEdmon made a preview video.
There are "a few" UI issues, LoS issues, and balance issues (these skeletons are really pushovers), but we're working on it!
I'll make Skeletons cheaper and a bit less incompetent.

 

[Galdred]

Btw, do you have examples of movement and range preview elegantly stacked?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Btw, do you have examples of movement and range preview elegantly stacked?

What like Aow3 where movement range hexes are coloured and range tiles have a dashed outline?

 

[Galdred]

Btw, do you have examples of movement and range preview elegantly stacked?

What like Aow3 where movement range hexes are coloured and range tiles have a dashed outline?

Yes, that seems to be the best compromise, thanks!

 

[Darth Canoli]

Seems alright to me, the only issues i have, aside from the engine optimization, is the text police size, do you plan some options to double its size?
Destructible walls is a really cool feature but stopped there, i'm allergic to streamers videos.

 

[Galdred]

Seems alright to me, the only issues i have, aside from the engine optimization, is the text police size, do you plan some options to double its size?
Destructible walls is a really cool feature but stopped there, i'm allergic to streamers videos.

Good point, I do need to make it bigger.
Currently the main issue is that the game makes too many LoS calculations, and sometimes refuses to update the results (which is why it is tricky to shoot through doorways).
Also, these skeletons are pushovers. We really need to spawn more of them (or maybe I didn't give them enough points to spawn from)

 

[Galdred]

Regarding portraits, given that we can only get a limited number of them, should we make one per sign (or even 2)?
It wouldn't give much choice for each sign (but a generic one would still work), but they would also help illustrate the world.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Howard Pyle called, he wants Robin Hood back.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Regarding portraits, given that we can only get a limited number of them, should we make one per sign (or even 2)?

Could you not get like zodiac sign+ weapon superimposed on sign so I know which grunt is on currently?

 

[Darth Canoli]

Regarding portraits, given that we can only get a limited number of them, should we make one per sign (or even 2)?
It wouldn't give much choice for each sign (but a generic one would still work), but they would also help illustrate the world.

The more, the merrier!

Also, about those zodiac signs, does that mean i get some super attacks like the thousands fists? (or whatever is was called)

 

[Galdred]

Knights of the Zodiac

Any chance of hiring Bernard Minet to sing the main menu or credits song?

Now that you mention it, I remember that Framboisier's daughter was in my class during primary school. I guess that's what they call being caught up in his past

Regarding portraits, given that we can only get a limited number of them, should we make one per sign (or even 2)?

Could you not get like zodiac sign+ weapon superimposed on sign so I know which grunt is on currently?

The Zodiac sign is a good idea. Not sure about the weapon, though. Maybe it would work better to have the weapon icons displayed on the stat block once it will have been redone.

The more, the merrier!

Also, about those zodiac signs, does that mean i get some super attacks like the thousands fists? (or whatever is was called)

Pegasus Ryu Sei Ken?


Actually, we need each of them to have a distinctive style!
However, our protagonists won't have infinite continues...

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Galdred]

I asked Brullov to add some astronomical props to the game, so here are some of them:

We also need an equivalent of the Antikythera, a mechanical "clock" designed to compute eclipses and planet positions in ancient Greece:

Spoiler

 

[ERYFKRAD]

We also need an equivalent of the Antikythera, a mechanical "clock" designed to compute eclipses and planet positions in ancient Greece:

Sounds like an automated orrery.

 

[Galdred]

Darth Canoli , sorry for the Twitter links, it should work now!

We also need an equivalent of the Antikythera, a mechanical "clock" designed to compute eclipses and planet positions in ancient Greece:

Sounds like an automated orrery.

oh, you are right, and the orrery would make for a nicer "monitor" (as the Antikythera is a large box with discs on it).

 

[Galdred]

Do you think telekinesis around hostiles should trigger pinning checks?
Pinning is the "replacement" for attack of opportunities, and prevents the character from moving, while giving him an Att and Def debuff?
It would be weird to trigger pinning by using TK on unwilling opponents, but I wonder whether it makes sense that you can use TK to move your own characters in the middle of the opponents without problem.