Wartales - turn-based mercenary band RPG by Northgard developer - now with Pirates of Belerion + The Tavern Opens DLCs

[cyborgboy95]

https://steamcommunity.com/games/15...KyHVl-3j4_GXLpXe9SW66T8J0tfDbWigjJsqrwgtea1AQ

Wartales Q&A #2: Combat in Wartales​

Attention Mercenaries!

Welcome to the second of our weekly Q&A's with the wartales development team!

This week, Quentin, our Lead Game Designer/Producer gives us an insight into the easy to learn but hard to master combat system of Wartales, providing more information about how best to approach every fight, how your choice of weapons and units will be pivotal in your fights and why you'll need to thoroughly prepare for every confrontation that awaits you in wartales.

Read on to find out more...

What makes the fighting system in Wartales stand out from other turn based strategy games?

"We wanted to offer the player a combat system that is quick to learn but whose richness and depth unfold over the course of your playtime. Since the management component is one of the main aspects of the game, it was essential to link it to the combat system. In short, there are two layers of combat mastery; The first is simply winning the battle. The second is winning the battle efficiently, i.e., with as few wounds and armor repairs as possible.

Of course, winning a battle under catastrophic circumstances can be very resource intensive and can negatively impact the player's progress and economic expansion. Thus, the basis of a healthy economy is a good mastery of the combat system.

Wartales is not just a matter of fighting a skirmish to the death, we wanted to make a large variety of fights available to the player: you will be offered different combat objectives such as reaching a point in a given time, defending an area for a certain period of time, escorting a VIP, burning rats nests, fighting in arenas, attacking merchant caravans, assassinating a champion...

We designed a combat system that is malleable and adaptable to all of these requirements. The variety of objectives, encounters and game rules go hand in hand with the procedural generation of the battle area: this guarantees quality gameplay and replayability. The player must then deal with the battlefield, which is directly linked to the environment in which the fight was initiated (in the world) and procedurally generated according to the rules that govern these locations: is it a forest dotted with trees and tree trunks which archers can hide behind? A swamp in which the mud and mire make it difficult to get around? A mountain in the middle of a snowstorm that makes visibility almost impossible? The variety of combat environments and their procedural generation guarantees that the player will fight in a constantly renewed space and, by extension, always experience a different battle."

Spoiler

Why did we choose this particular combat style?

"Wartales’ combat system was designed to meet two requirements: the first being to distinguish itself from traditional tactical games by offering a more organic and faster system to learn and play. To do this, we removed certain mechanics such as the chance to hit and replaced them with a system of engagement that is simple to understand but whose mastery will make the difference between a perfectly executed fight and a mass grave.

We wanted combat to be based on a turn-based system that valued the player's strategic and tactical intelligence rather than an explosion of varying percentages that affect chance according to dozens of criteria. The second requirement was more of a challenge: we had to create a combat system that was as interesting with six fighters as it is with more than twenty. While each enemy begins at a predefined location during a round, the player can activate any of their units when it is his turn to play. This system has the advantage of preserving the strategic composition of the player's band of mercenaries, rewarding adaptability and tactical intelligence, as well as limiting the negative impacts of too many units: it is possible to focus on the enemies that will have their turn first in order to nullify their impact.

The same goes for Bravery Points (resources to be spent in battle used to activate certain skills): rather than having to manage individual points for so many units, the player has an amount of Common Points to spend as he wishes among all his units, which guarantees the implementation of a real group strategy."


Can you run us through the different weapon types you’ll find in the game?

"Swords will make well-balanced allies for your mercenary contracts. If you want, you can also chop off heads with an axe. If you prefer to smash foreheads, go for the maces instead. Note that these weapons are available in one-handed and two-handed versions.

Bows allow you to distance yourself from your enemies. Although, polearms could also fill this role perfectly. Unless the dagger lodges in the back of their neck, it could be just as effective. Also, each weapon in the game has its own skill, which means that picking up a new weapon grants you a new skill that allows you to specialize your units as you wish. And you will be able to equip left-hand items like shields, nets, torches, grapples or little bombs which also grant you skills and abilities. This way, you can customise your team completely to your preference!"


Are there different combat styles to utilise?

"Of course! The game is partially inspired by modern RPGs in which the player expresses himself with the skills he chooses to use and which represent his in-game identity. In this sense, we have a huge variety of weapons, active skills, passive skills: in short, customization!

Whether you are defensive, aggressive or more of a control player, you will find something to suit you in Wartales. For example, you can build a team based on the use of poison, burning or bleeding, by playing around with the riposte and disengagement mechanics, if you prefer to have tanks blocking enemies while your archers rain hell, or managing a real zoo by taming wolves, boars and bears..."


Thank you once again for joining us and remember to keep an eye out for next weeks Q&A!

 

[J1M]

One thing I really like from what I saw in the demo is that this game has grid-based combat, but the grid size is smaller than a standard character. It's an idea that I tinkered with for my own game designs to better differentiate melee weapon types.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1527950/announcements/detail/2970671580623019368

Wartales Q&A #3: The Enemies of Wartales​

Attention Mercenaries!

Welcome to the third of our weekly Q&A's with the wartales development team!

This week, Quentin, our Lead Game Designer/Producer returns to talk about the variety of enemies you will encounter, rumours of ghostly wolf packs, champions to be overcome and exactly what to expect of the different foes that will taste the steel of your sword in Wartales.

Read on to find out more...

Spoiler

What kind of enemies will I come across throughout my travels?

"Wartales is set in a world directly inspired by medieval Europe. In this sense, the enemies you meet during your first steps will often be human beings with sometimes questionable morals. In Wartales, anything can be your closest ally or your worst enemy. If bandits attack caravans full of goods, you can defend these honest merchants for a little gold and recognition. Unless you want to join forces with the thieves to share the loot. You can also try to keep order by hunting down deserters alongside the Guard, but be careful not to carry stolen goods with you: they could turn against you and send your comrades to prison! Alternatively, if you're dreaming of glory and a cheering crowd screaming your name, you can always fight the highly-trained gladiators in arenas in an effort to take out the local Champion!

If you prefer adventure and exploration of ancient ruins with buried secrets, you can expect to fight cultists amidst mole-rats and crawlers, unkind troglodytes that have taken up residence in these tombs. But if you step into the forest, don't be surprised if you're attacked by a pack of hungry wolves or a herd of boars trying to protect their offspring.

While Wartales is quite realistic, some of the animals we know have grown up a bit. If you're walking through the marshes and you hear a deafening buzz, it's probably because the giant mosquitoes are on your tail. Luckily, there are rumours that there exists a fly swatter that is just the right size for these monsters. If you hear scratching under your feet, it's because the swarming plague rats are trying to make their way to the surface to spread the plague around the world and bring food back to their mother."

Are the enemies region specific?

"Yes, of course. We try to create a coherent world with different microclimates and social settings. While some of the enemies are found all over the world, like the Guard for example (think of them as a kind of global police force), some of them are actually connected to particular regions. You won't find the same people in the high mountains of Alazar as in the Belerion archipelago. Firstly, because some animals have adapted to the environment in which they live (cold, darkness, etc.) and secondly, because the rules in force in the Kingdoms of Wartales allow for the emergence of factions and armed groups with distinct and specific values and fighting techniques. Explore the vast world of Wartales and discover the local fauna, flora, customs and folklore!"

Will there be any supernatural or mystical enemies that I may encounter?

"If you dream of displaying an even greater trophy in your camp: it may be time to track down the legendary Ghost Pack, but few have actually crossed its path to say what it looks like. Rumours abound of a blanket of fog, screams, blood... but who knows how much merit these claims have?
And if you're still not satisfied, rumour has it that there are mysterious entities whose secrets are just waiting to be revealed... "


Speaking of which, what was that thing at the end of the trailer...?

"Something you'd better not get too close to "

 

[Wulfric Pinewood]

This game feels good. Maybe it wil turn into Battle Bros competitor.

 

[Grunker]

Always wary of these kinds of games. Hypothetically they are exactly my kindda jam, but all too often they simply end up with way too simple combat. Battle Brothers is one of the only games in the "genre" that hasn't had that problem.

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[cyborgboy95]

Another quality update: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1527950/view/2965043419435212303

Wartales Q&A #4: Work & Professions​

Attention Mercenaries!

Welcome to the latest of our weekly Q&A's with the wartales devs!

This week, we have once again stolen Quentin away from precious development time to pester him about Professions and Work within the world of Wartales. Read on as he fills us in on the numerous ways you and your troop will be able to line their pockets, from mining precious ore, to thieving, to smithing the most devastating of weapons, to fishing a variety of regional fish and more...

Spoiler

What are some of the professions I can do in Wartales?

"In Wartales, you will be asked to perform tasks that require particular expertise or skills. To this end, we've created a system of professions that each of your companions can learn and master.
Some professions are linked to what we call "activities", unique mini-games with their own rules and challenges. One such activity is mining, which allows you to collect minerals from the deposits found throughout the world's mines. Strike at the right moment and collect some quality ore! There are different types of ore and their harvesting will depend on your level of mastery in mining (the same goes for finding gems while mining). This profession is closely related to that of the blacksmith. The ores collected can be used to forge weapons and armour, but also armour reinforcements capable of providing small bonuses in the statistics of your choice.

The cook will be able to prepare tasty dishes with various bonuses, ranging from reduced fatigue during the day to temporary damage gains. Always remember to have a good meal to boost your troop before fighting a powerful enemy! If patience is one of your virtues, and in order to add to your list of ingredients, there's nothing better than perfecting your fishing skills!
!

Travel the world in search of carp, eels and other regional fishes! It is said that fish oils are also used in alchemy to concoct preparations. Do you think that one of your companions has the soul of a potion master? Or a tinkerer? Or a thief? Or a... I could go on and on, but I won't give you the complete list of the professions in Wartales, we don’t want to spoil the surprise!"

How does learning professions benefit me?

"Professions are an important part of the game for three reasons.
Firstly, by learning professions, you open up a whole range of possibilities, not only in terms of content but also in terms of gameplay. For example, teaching a companion to be a thief allows you to steal from merchants, but also to pick locks on precious chests or strong doors. Furthermore, your stolen items can be sold on the black market and you can build up more friendly relationships with the usually unsavoury factions. You will then progress in this direction until you become an outlaw yourself. It is important to note that the different levels of skill in the professions not only offer advantages within the profession itself, but also open up new opportunities to cross-fertilise with other areas of the game. For example, getting better at fishing allows you to fish in the open sea...

The second reason will appeal to players who are eager to customise and optimise. Professions also give a bonus to your companions' stats depending on their level of mastery of the profession. This means that depending on the role you have decided to assign to your companion within your gang, one profession may suit him better than another. In short, while it is possible to teach any profession to anyone, there is probably a combination of professions that will suit your battle strategy.

Finally, I would say that the job system is important for immersion reasons and this is really reinforced by the permadeath. Indeed, since every character that dies is permanently lost, a character that has become a skilled tinkerer after many creations becomes extremely valuable and losing him would be really damaging. In combat, he becomes a unit to be protected and funny situations can multiply: the timid apothecary and the bellicose blacksmith can become friends, the head hunter can replace for a while the cook who died in combat from an unfortunate arrow he shot himself...

The game situations, generated by the management rules, the harshness of the battles and the freedom of troop composition, are truly powerful sources of emergent narrative. And don't worry about your replacement tinkerer: his master before him may have written a guide before he died to speed up his training. "

How many professions will there be at launch?

"I can't give you a precise figure at the moment as some of the professions are still being developed and tested. I can only tell you that there will be enough of them to avoid duplication within a reasonably sized troop!"

Will new professions be added over the course of Early Access/After release?

"Of course it is! We are committed to deploying quality content in each iteration. So if there are professions that require more development time, we'll make sure they fit perfectly with our vision before adding them to the game. And who knows, if the community comes up with ideas for new professions during EA, we'll be willing to consider them and add them to the game if they can make a real difference!"

 

[Avestus]

They sadly patched the battle counter... It's no longer where it used to be and my hex editing skills are nowhere near enough to get around it
What I learned:
There is console summoned on "/" and it seems (from hlboot.dat file) there are commands with "fightCount" in them, including "protect", "set" and "get" but they seem to be unavailable unless you go in as admin and I have no idea how to get the password.

Save files have a couple of "fightCountSave" appearing in them but I have no idea where it stores the value and all the bruteforce approaches to do that failed.

The hlboot.dat also seems to have some sort of checksum check, it seems.

Anyway, I'm prety much a noob at this, if anyone has better idea how to get around this, I'll be very gald for your help. Ye, I'll probably break the balance after 7 battles, but i'd certainly like to explore the game more and try different things.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1527950/announcements/detail/2972925281826666181

Wartales Q&A #5: Contracts & Quests​

Attention Mercenaries!

Welcome to this weeks Q&A with the wartales devs!

Today, Quentin is digging into the many types of quests and contract work within the world of Wartales, including (but most definitely not limited to) taking out huge groups of bandits, escorting (or attacking) caravans, smuggling contraband, involving yourself in geopolitical issues, narrative quests and how they affect the world and more...

Read on to find out more!


What kind of contracts can I expect to find?

"In Wartales, you play as a band of mercenaries who roam the plains and mountains of a harmonious but ruthless medieval universe. Survival is difficult and your companions need to be paid, fed, have their armour in good condition, heal their wounds, satisfy their desires... In short: you need money!

Luckily, in these lands, bandits, wolves and other misguided individuals abound and attack honest merchants and brave peasants. So sometimes, those who have some money left over advertise in the villages, in exchange of a service for a few krowns. The supply is high in the villages and the emissaries have to manage the flow of contracts in order to offer the mercenaries only the most lucrative ones.

There are different types of contracts that provide a renewal of the gameplay and a variety of objectives. You can expect to track down a rival gang that is causing chaos in the area, loot all the riches of a bandit's hidedout, attack a caravan carrying contraband liquor (you can always keep the liquor and say it has been misplaced), escort a caravan of foreign peddlers, eliminate a powerful and feared individual, trade with the village of another region, and many more... including contracts specific to each region!

And, if you have a hard tooth, you can negotiate the price of your contracts yourself!"

Spoiler

Are contracts randomly generated?

"Some of it is, indeed. There are two types of contracts in the game at the moment. The first is the procedurally generated contract, which follows very specific rules. If you need money, rest assured: villages will mostly have generated contracts to do and if you don't like some of them, you can always reroll them to get new ones that fit your desires or if you want to group contracts from common locations to maximise your time out of the village. The above list of contract types is only a portion of the ones you will solve but it is representative of what you can do.

The other type of contract is related to the game's narrative system: in each region, you will have the opportunity to experience the resolution of a scenario. While they are by no means mandatory, each scenario in each region is unique and represents the geographical, social and geopolitical issues of the region. For example, in one of the starting regions, war refugees have invaded a region: you can help them settle or, on the contrary, drive them out. Your choices will have a direct impact on the region: you will no longer come across refugees on the roads, the burgomaster will no longer be the same character, certain products will have disappeared from the stalls, etc.

Accepting a "scenario" contract will allow you to experience something different and unique that still exploits the basic mechanics of the game by taking new angles of approach. For example, you can participate in the destruction of a strategic bridge by performing a particular mining activity. Such contracts take longer to resolve, with more steps and twists, and have more narrative stakes than those procedurally generated. We believe that juggling these two types of contracts provides a balance of gameplay and, by extension, interest in the world of Wartales."

Are contracts the only type of quest?

"Not really. There are several layers of completion of a region. The first layer represents the scenario: once it is completed, the scenario layer of the region is completed and it then lies in its final state.
Next, you will be dealing with the objectives of the points of interest. Indeed, most of the points of interest you will come across, such as sawmills, farms or watchtowers, will have their own objectives. These will be referenced on your map, but we have chosen to be evasive about the process of solving them: we want to keep you involved in the game and we are scattering clues in these places to invite you to take action to find out how to solve the objective. Outside of the village contracts, these objectives represent another type of "quest" even if the format is different from that traditionally used in games of the same genre.

Finally, once the scenario has been completed, the contracts finished, all the location objectives validated, you'll have to wander around the area to find the secrets we've taken great pleasure in disseminating. This is the final layer of completing a region.

Other elements take the form of quests in the regions but they are connected to bigger systems that we can't wait to introduce you to: tracking down the Ghost Pack, becoming the local arena champion, clearing out rat nests, exploring a Tomb of the Ancients… and many others !"

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1527950/view/2954911517628166590

Wartales Q&A #6: Customizing Wartales​

Originally posted by author:
Attention Mercenaries!

Welcome to this weeks Q&A with the wartales devs!

Today, we're talking about the huge variety of gear options at your disposal within the world of Wartales, ranging from your camp, your characters, their specialities, cosmetics and covering a little gameplay ground with how your actions and decisions impact your world, story and more...

Read on to find out more!

Spoiler

How customisable are my mercenaries, what kind of customisation can I expect?

"In Wartales, you play as a group of filthy mercenaries recruited from dirty inns who will do anything to get rich. The first element you can customise is of course the companions and there are many options available to you.

First of all, from a gameplay point of view. Your troop is composed of a number of companions that you can pay, feed and satisfy. In this sense, you can compose the team of your choice. As I said in the combat Q+A, you will be able to choose your companions according to specific gameplay criteria: do you enjoy training animals? Put together a team of beastmasters and wolves! Do you like fire? Then a few bombers will come in handy!

Indeed, the specialisation tree of each class will allow you to define, for each character in the game, a set of skills that will determine its gameplay identity. It is even said that it is possible to expand the specialisation tree of each class with new skills, but you will have to prove yourself first!

The freedom of choice seemed to us to be important and we therefore propose to you to choose alternatively between active and passive skills that really renew the combat experience. Also think about the professions: who will be your blacksmith? Who will be your alchemist? The statistics and game elements related to the professions will also be a source of customisation !"

What kind of cosmetic customisation can I expect in Wartales?

"As with choosing the skills of your companions, you can also choose what they wear. Given the number of characters possible in a troop, we have chosen to limit the equipment to a few pieces so as not to overload the equipment micromanagement. Thus it is possible to equip an armour, a weapon in the right hand, one in the left hand as well as accessories. Note that there are different types of armour, weapons and accessories, that many equipable items bring active or passive skills to the fight to allow more and more customization and allow you to compose the team of your dreams.

Finally, we are making a point of ensuring not an accuracy but rather a historical verisimilitude of the medieval era for two reasons. Firstly, because we want to develop a coherent universe in which nothing is false, but also because we know the player base of medieval aficionados have high expectations in this regard. Numerous historical researches were thus carried out by the different members of the team in order to guarantee the veracity and the verisimilitude of the names of the weapons and armours as well as the composition of the materials and their representation.

Finally, no lousy mercenary is worthy of the name without a fashionable hairstyle. You can also customise your companions cosmetically. Whether it's a haircut, a beard size or the addition of tattoos or war paint, or the possibility of giving your comrades a nickname, you can visually compose the troop of your like."

You’ve talked about customising your camp before as well, could you go into some more detail on this?

"While the character is an important aspect of customisation, the camp is also very important. Think of the camp as a portable hub that you take with you everywhere. In a way, your camp is your main character: while your companions may die, your camp lives on. You are a group of nomadic mercenaries, the forest and the wild mountains are your territory. So when you're tired of robbing the local black pudding sellers all day, you set up camp to rest. You'll be able to choose which items you put in your camp, from a wide range, as you see fit. We wanted to create a small housing experience in which you arrange your camp according to your preferences. We believe that the camp, the place where you will spend time, should be like you and meet your expectations. In this sense, you can place your camp equipment wherever you want and choose which camp equipment you put down.

The combinations are endless. Then comes the gameplay aspect. First of all, each camp material has its use, whether it is passive (production of a resource during rest), active (crafting table) or requires companions (Albert, your brute, has the soul of an artist and will compose his most beautiful songs with the lute and change the musical theme of the camp!) You will discover camp equipment all over the world according to different themes: from training dummies in arenas to beehives in farms, you will have a wide choice.

Finally, the arrangement of your companions and camp equipment, while aesthetically important, is also gameplay relevant. Friends placed close together can generate happiness, the doctor can heal nearby companions and the bees in your hive can sting nearby companions. Compose and customise your camp by playing with the constraints and advantages of each mechanic so that it can produce exactly what you need. And, of course, every piece of camp equipment can be upgraded."

How does the customisation in the game impact the gameplay?

"Ah, well basically, the game will not ignore your actions. While the guard will hunt you down for your misdeeds, major criminal organisations will contact you to recruit you. You'll discover new skills in banditry, hone your stealing skills, carry out assassination missions, be opened up to the underbelly of certain cities and discover some secrets that would be better kept quiet. If you prefer the thrill of exploration and discovery, you'll become an expert in transcribing stelae, decipher the world's Codexes, learn new skills in purging plague rats, gain access to new alchemy recipes or open the mysterious gates of Canope! It is important to us that you can do what you want to do and that the game gives you strong answers in return. In a way, these Paths complete the sentence "I would like to be..." and rebuild a progression system with bonuses and perks to obtain, unlocking features, actions, events, automatic content via your progress."

 

[Infinitron]

Battle Brothers for scrubs: https://www.pcgamesn.com/wartales/early-access

Wartales gears up for Early Access as a more accessible version of Battle Brothers

Wartales has a charming look to it: the isometric perspective has a tilt-shifted appearance, making its grassy hills and stone inns look like parts of a model train diorama. But this open-world game is also about role-playing as a person without any magical superpowers – your band of grubby mercenaries is made up of largely normal people, who may or may not have to resort to cannibalism before all this is over.

Developer Shiro Games is also responsible for the charming but challenging Northgard, an RTS game that de-emphasises combat micromanagement and has an almost storybook look to it. So it’s surprising to see the early hints of much darker themes in the opening hour or so of Wartales, which you can experience yourself in the free demo on Steam.

After the first tutorial fight, you can root through the valuables left behind by the bandits you’ve just killed. Their bodies can be carried with you, if you like – Shiro Games explains that with the right skill, your characters can use them for nourishment.

It’s a grim world, and Shiro Games head of marketing and publishing Adrien Briatta says it’s meant to be challenging – but perhaps a bit less punishing than Battle Brothers, another open-world medieval tactics game, whose similarities with Wartales we noticed right away.

Briatta says Shiro Games loved a lot of the ideas in Battle Brothers, but felt it was just too punishing to be enjoyable.

“I really tried, and to be honest, I really wanted to make it work, but it’s not fun,” Briatta said.



The Mount & Blade series is another point of inspiration for Wartales, as you’ll be managing a mercenary band and keeping them fed and paid up using the spoils of your battles. But it’s adding a few ideas cribbed from around the RPG and survival game spaces. Since you’re not a famous hero or anything, Briatta says you’ll have a hard time making ends meet without resorting to stealing.

That’s where the profession system kicks in. Each time you’re confronted with the need for a new class, you’ll have the opportunity to start a member of your party along that line of professional development. Instructing a member to steal some cabbage, for instance, will set him down the road to becoming a master thief.

The same goes for cooks, medics, and the rest of the potential careers party members can take up along the road. Each party member can only have one profession, so as your needs grow, you’ll have to think about recruiting new members you encounter at inns.

Combat is turn-based and straightforward. You’ll select starting positions for each unit, then use action points to move and perform attacks and other battlefield feats. Your characters’ skills are tied to the equipment they’re using – holding a bow might enable a vicious shot, while a dagger could be used to ‘stab’ or be dipped in poison. The skills available to a character will change when you give them new gear, and will depend on the quality of the gear you’ve picked out for them. Injuries are important to keep track of, and if left untreated they can severely impair characters’ fighting ability – suffering a concussion, for instance, might cut a mercenary’s constitution in half until he’s seen to.

“The characters are basically designed as classical tabletop character sheets, you have six different attributes that you can level up however you want,” Briatta explains. “Whenever you reach a big step – level 3, level 5, level 7, or level 9 – you have to choose between specialisations.”

For a character who’s spent their time swinging a sword, that might be the choice between a protector, a knight, or a sword master, and each of those specialisations has its own unique skill to add to weapons that you can find in your travels.

There are no wizards or sorcerers in Wartales, but the low fantasy setting does have a kind of ambient magickal weirdness to it. In the trailer above, you can see the spines on the back of a huge beast appear above the canopy in a distant forest.

Wartales will head into Steam Early Access this year, and Briatta says Shiro Games expects it to spend a year there prior to full launch.

 

[Pink Eye]

Meh. Sounds like a pass to me. Battle Brothers was already simplistic by nature. I'm not sure how a much more simplified version of that game is going to be any fun.

 

[PrettyDeadman]

Meh. Sounds like a pass to me. Battle Brothers was already simplistic by nature. I'm not sure how a much more simplified version of that game is going to be any fun.

I think by more accessible they mean less punishing (aka easier), rather than more simplistic in terms of game mechanics, which might be even more complicated in fact from wha Ive seen in the demo (camp mechanics and castle management).

 

[vazha]

More accessible? Now that's a fucking woke word if I've ever heard one.

 

[jackofshadows]

"If you were inclined to play Battle Brothers but couldn't because you're too dumb - enjoy our new game!"

 

[Alienman]

Lol, selling itself as a less version of something. I'm sure there are thousands of people looking at Battle Brothers thinking - if only it was more accessible....

 

[fantadomat]

"If you were inclined to play Battle Brothers but couldn't because you're too dumb - enjoy our new game!"

What ? The game was pretty easy and needed no brain to play. The problem is that battles were too long and boring,shitty animations,respawning undeads.slow moving etc etc. The combat is the worst thing in the game,people hype it up just because you could die and versatilely equipment that affects the combat.

 

[Thac0]

Hmmh, not a good look, but there is some space to make a more casual Battle Brothers without making a game so dumb it gets boring.
Battle Brothers on Ironman Medium/Medium/Medium is some premium buttrape, there is a reason most users on codex put economy difficulty to easy. You lose so much gold when a long time bro dies from an unlucky chop to the face.

 

[Pink Eye]

You lose so much gold when a long time bro dies from an unlucky chop to the face.

This is mitigated by the new expansion. Drill Sergeant + Student + Training Bonus from Training Hall will help recoup experience loss. Give him a reach weapon then place him in the back line. Once he reaches good levels. Put the poor bastard back in the front line. As for gold investment it's not too bad. By mid game - assuming you have a decent company at this point - you should be making lots of monies anyways from contracts, exploration, trading, farming encounters, arena, etc. The hard part is getting decent stock to do rolls on. Sometimes you can get unlucky lowborn stock to roll on. Wasting gold just to see if they're even worth it is never fun. Though in my playthrough I've consistently been seeing Adventurous Nobles and Sellswords. Got this noble on Day 7 or so:

Retired Soldiers, Nomads, Assassin, Thief are also nice to roll on too.

 

[jackofshadows]

What ? The game was pretty easy and needed no brain to play.

BB has clearly been designed for Ironman mode so I've played the game only with it and that wasn't easy, I must admit, by any means. Took me some tries before I grasped all the mechanics and finally finished the first (and last, didn't buy any DLCs) whole run (medium I beleive). The management, the proper dealing with rng. Mid-game you could easily feel too cocky and dearly pay for it, I liked that. And then there's the end-game.

Nah, after playing Wartales demo I can tell that it seems as a walk in the park compared to BB, indeed.

 

[Renevent]

This game looks really good, def looking forward to hearing more about it.

 

[cyborgboy95]

https://steamcommunity.com/games/1527950/announcements/detail/2951534542296485121

Wartales Q&A #7: The Compendium of Wartales​

Attention Mercenaries!

Welcome to this weeks Q&A with the wartales devs!

Today, Quentin talks all about the all encompassing Compendium of Wartales, giving us insight into how it will impact your troop, their belongings, the bonuses it provides while also delving into why Knowledge points are going to play a huge role in how you approach and progress through the game...

Read on to find out more!

Spoiler

What is the Compendium?

"In Wartales, all of the game's learnings are stored in the Compendium and divided into numerous categories. The idea is that any item that can offer different apprenticeships will have an entry in the Compendium. So in the Forge category you will be able to see all the plans you have learned and those you have yet to learn, and in the Discoveries category you will find small advantages such as permanent bonuses to happiness or darker knowledge (such as the obscure culinary art of cannibalism).

By the way, there are several ways to unlock new learnings in the game: by spending Knowledge points, by obtaining an item that contains the recipe in question, by completing certain missions in the world and many other ways... You will have to be patient to acquire all the recipes in all the categories!"

You mentioned “Knowledge” there, what is this?

"In Wartales, Knowledge is the sum of all the learnings that your group acquires throughout its travels. You gain Knowledge points that you will spend to learn new recipes or unlock game mechanics. And there are many ways to get them.

The first is exploration. By exploring new places, interacting with new people and discovering new rituals and cultures, you will acquire Knowledge points. Secondly, you will have the opportunity to read certain books such as war chronicles, scientific treatises, learning manuals and other historical, fictional or educational books. Designing newly discovered objects, transcribing world stelae, studying tomb paintings, hanging out in libraries or spending time studying in your Camp: all generate Knowledge."


How can I spend Knowledge?

"To spend your Knowledge, you simply open your Compendium and choose which recipe you want to learn. The advantage of this system is that you have a real choice for each Knowledge point you get. Indeed, Knowledge is common to all categories of the Compendium: for example, you have just read a sumptuous article on the mushroom beds of the Harag forests, which has increased your Knowledge. You hesitate to learn how to make wolf sausages but you prefer to develop your climbing skills. You spend your point and have just learned how to make pitons that will allow you to mark out your exploration by creating shortcut points at the cliffs. Maybe this skill will allow you to reach some hidden places... Finally, you can always choose to save your points in order to learn more expensive recipes."

Thanks for reading, we'll see you next week for the next entry in our weekly series of dev Q&A's!

Don't hesitate to leave us a question on, Discord, Twitter, Facebook or on our Steam forums, we'll do what we can to get it answered in a future article!

And don't forget, you can now sign up to take part in the upcoming Wartales playtests over on the Steam page where you can also Wishlist the game, if you haven't already!

- Shiro Games

 

[Darth Canoli]

"If you were inclined to play Battle Brothers but couldn't because you're too dumb - enjoy our new game!"

Dumber but with real 3D, fog, shadows and shit, ok, it's a turd but they're hiding it under a coat of cheap chocolate.
Looks like a hit if they make console versions and even better a phone version of it.

 

[Infinitron]

Chris Avellone https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/wa...vibes-and-some-surprisingly-rough-wolf-fights

Wartales is mercenary management with Joe Abercrombie vibes, and some surprisingly rough wolf fights
Live by the horse, die by the wolf



You can always beat the wolves, right? They're usually the next rung up from rats; even at their very hardest, they're maybe the fourth distinct creature thing a trainee adventurer has to slash into giblets on their way to bigger and better things. These grey, hairy training wheels might do a bit of snarling, a few mild biteroonies, but they won't ever kill you. That's not what wolves do.

Wartales, the next game from Northgard devs Shiro Games and which lands in early access this week, didn't get the memo. Just twenty minutes into this sombre, map-wandering mercenary adventure, I ran into a crew of the old growly-howlies, and got killed to pieces. My second run, at least, left me with one survivor. But they were soon ruined financially by the burden of treating their wounds and repairing their mangled armour, and eventually met their end in a muddy ditch, at the end of a bandit's longsword. This game, folks, is not messing about.

I love low fantasy. That is to say, fantasy with little or nothing in the way of magic, elves, or even prophecies. Low fantasy, to me, offers all the grim delights of medieval history, without being weighed down by any need to reflect the actual events of the past. It's a subgenre that lends itself particularly well to stories of murky people doing murky things, and people don't get much murkier than mercenaries.

Enter Wartales, then, which maddens me with the urge to append "woo-hoo" to its name every time I type it. It's a game about getting by in a medievalish world reeling from the effects of a calamitous plague -and when I say "getting by", that's exactly what I mean. "Your job is just to survive and to do the best you can," explains creative director Nicolas Cannasse, as he joins me for my third attempt to break the Wolf Barrier, "based on whatever moral stance you choose to go in with."


Despite your likely fears after reading the sentence "world reeling from the effects of a calamitous plague", there are - thankfully - no hamfisted attempts in Wartales to comment on Covid. The plague seems more lycanthropic than anything else, and - being spread by weirdo horror rats - it's one of the few truly fantastical elements of the setting.
While Cannasse says your adventurers can become tangentially involved in the setting's deeper goings-on, they are never going to be savers of worlds, or history-defining heroes. They're just people looking to make a living in a shitty economy.

In practice, this will usually mean taking up work as a band of mercenaries doing stabbings for cash, although it's equally valid to build a life as a merchant hauling goods between towns, or just a bunch of backwoods shitbags ambushing honest passers-by. It feels like a game about being an NPC, and I love that about it. "It's the feeling you get playing Skyrim," says Cannasse, trying to define the mood Shiro Games have aimed for, "when you realise it's more fun if you don't play the main quests".

The actual action of the game breaks down into two main slices, the first of which comprises moving your party around the world. The world is massive, by the way - the section explorable in the demo felt big enough to be a world map in itself, to be honest, but is apparently only one small section of a much, much larger picture. It's pretty, too: barren and bleak in places, but with enough green to avoid feeling drab and dull, and sculpted into some surprisingly believable landscapes. It genuinely made me feel compelled to go out and explore, which is a feeling few game worlds prompt for me.

Spoiler

Your ramblings on this map can lead to a number of smaller subactivities - going into towns to trade with merchants or hire new brutes, for example, or investigating wooded camps for loot. You can also camp at any point, entering a camp screen where you can assign your various hires to tasks such as armour repair, resting, or potion brewing, depending on their skills. There's a simple management element to this which reminded me of the campfire sections in Darkest Dungeon, complete with the perilously rapid depletion of food stocks. There's also an added stressor in that your party members require regular pay, acquired either from trade or from earning bounties from towns, and will simply walk out on you if you can't keep them coined up.


Mercs merking each other in the murk.

The second big slice of the game's content, and the most frequent reason for leaving the map, is combat. Fights are turn-based, of the flavour where your individual fighters and their enemies take it in turns to move, but you get to choose what order your folks act in, within each round of the sequence. The field of battle is grid-based, but as the grid squares are much smaller than characters' footprints, the result feels more along the freeform lines of Divinity or Baldur's Gate than the relative rigidity of Banner Saga.

The combat system is fairly simple, and makes a big point of not relying on random number generators to determine the strength of hits. There is some amount of chance involved, particularly when using ranged weapons, but margins of variance are slim, so you tend to know what you can expect. In my case, usually, that seems to be death by wolf.

With that said, Cannasse did manage to coach me through my third wolfing with the calm wisdom of a more articulate Yoda, and all of my bruisers made it out just about intact. It was a close thing, still - but interestingly, this wasn't entirely due to the difficulty of Wartales' combat system.



"I think it was the second horse, perhaps," my mentor suggests tactfully, as my mercs lick their wounds in camp after the fight. He is right, of course. Revelling in the - very genuine - sense of freedom upon starting the game, I had, in all three of my runs to date, pooled all of my initial resources to buy a second horse. I hadn't had an aim in mind for this extra hoofo, of course. I'd just decided it would be cool.

And, to its credit, Wartales had let me do it. It just went on to pull absolutely no punches in teaching me what happens to idiots who spaff all their money on horses rather than recruits, supplies and medicine. They get beasted by wolves. Fair play, Wartales.

 

[ntonystinson]

Looks intriguing enough. Let's hope it actualizes it's potential