Game News Bard's Tale IV Kickstarter Update #55: Director's Cut coming in June

[Infinitron]

Tags: InXile Entertainment; Paul Marzagalli; The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep

Bard's Tale IV was a flop on release, but thanks to the Microsoft buyout, inXile have been able to continue supporting it. In December, they announced that a major update was on the way, featuring numerous improvements and a free DLC. As is often the case, that update has now become a full-blown Director's Cut, to be released in June. The latest Kickstarter update has the details:

2.0 expands to become the Director’s Cut

We are still in development on the free DLC patch, which also includes a number of other player-requested features and items off of our own post-release support list. As the scope of the patch has expanded (and continues to), we decided that it warranted a more formal title than 2.0. When released, it will turn the game into “The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep - Director’s Cut”. We are introducing several new features, most notably the previously mentioned DLC and an engine update, a larger undertaking allowing us to further improve performance and optimization. Many of those features were discussed in our last update, and include:

• A new dungeon and story line featuring new enemy types
• New items (master-crafted gear and Dwarven Weapons)
• Inventory filtering
• Expanded balancing efforts across the entire game (combat, economy, abilities, etc.) based on player feedback and our own testing
• A new Song of Exploration allowing you to bypass puzzles if those aren't your jam
• Additional character portraits
• A new intro animatic
• Expanded work on improving localization
• Updated game engine
• Improved performance and stability
• Improved level art
• Reworked main menu
• Numerous bug fixes

And much more! We are also currently working with Microsoft to improve and optimize our gamepad support. The Director's Cut is scheduled to go live in June.​

So that's nine months of post-release support for a game that appears to have sold fewer than 50,000 copies. Pretty nice! The only catch is that Mac and Linux backers are going to have to wait until then to play the game.

 

[Crispy]

• A new Song of Exploration allowing you to bypass puzzles if those aren't your jam

This might -- might -- justify a continuation of my playthrough.

Am I to understand this DC will be a free upgrade to current owners of the game?

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

2.0 expands to become the Director’s Cut

• A new Song of Exploration allowing you to bypass puzzles if those aren't your jam

Coming next, The Bard's Tale IV 3.0 with a new Song of Exploration allowing you to bypass combat if that isn't your butter!

Followed by, The Bard's Tale IV 4.0 with a new Song of Exploration allowing you to bypass the game if it isn't your bread!!!

 

[Crispy]

Hey, if you think that pushing around little gay sprites to bounce off of walls is your idea of a blobber RPG, then by all means...

 

[Gunnar]

Yeah, skipping those puzzles is the only way the game would be remotely playable for me, but is the rest of the game worth it?

 

[Lady_Error]

So the step-based movement is not coming after all?

 

[Sacred82]

oh Jeebus


the fucking retarded whiners (including some Kodexers) got to them [their Microsoft overlords]


inb4 "now that I can just move right past the puzzles… the combat grinds my gears even more"

 

[Infinitron]

So the step-based movement is not coming after all?

? It's been there since November: https://steamcommunity.com/games/566090/announcements/detail/2484194130791350449

 

[Cadmus]

haha I forgot this existed.
Is it worth playing now?

 

[Jimmious]

Seems like it will be a good game when the Director's Cut comes out

 

[Martyr]

I really tried to like Bard's Tale 4, I tried my hardest.
first thing that put me off were the character models. second thing were the puzzles. Kylearan's Tower killed the game for me; I actually made it to the end of that dungeon but at the same time my will to play more went to less than zero.
maybe I'll check out the Director's Cut after I've finished my therapy for BT4-induced PTSD.

 

[theSavant]

My headaches start again... while I welcome not having to do all these repetitive filler puzzles (and they undoubtedly are), instant-solve-puzzles are off-putting. I mean what does that look like: It looks like the developers implemented something obsolete. It looks like they put something in there which doesn't belong there. It screams "baaaad game design". It looks ridiculous. And it will surely produce a sour taste in the mouth of players.

It would have been better if they actually removed or reduced 50% of the puzzles. Then it wouldn't give you the impression that there are things which don't belong there. You wouldn't miss what you wouldn't see. It wouldn't leave a sour taste in your mouth. It wouldn't feel ridiculous. And the overall gameplay would feel more rounded.

But if all these repetitive filler puzzles are still there to see, they'll stick out like sore thumbs. If all these puzzles are still there, many questionable design decisions remain there as well: like Siege of Castle Langskaal... which is probably the most repetitive level in existence. This place could have been cut in half with less filler puzzles. Or the annoying serpentine-paths of Inshriach. Removing puzzles would have been a chance to open up the space a bit more, make it less snake-like. Would that have been a disadvantage? Definitely not! In contrary.
The only disadvantage would have been that Savegames were not compatible anymore (if puzzles or parts of levels were removed completely)... but then again, who cares? There's no one playing this game anymore. Everybody has uninstalled the game already. And even if someone cared... after 9 months of patching he'd probably start the game from new anyways.

I feel a bit bad, because some months ago I made the post in their forums about "Autosolve Puzzles". And while I was totally serious at that point, it was not the best suggestion. But then again, I don't think that they made their decision based on my posting. They probably decided the quickest solution to calm down the whiners would in fact be the instant-solve-button. And by that they also weren't required to dump the efforts of their puzzledesigner. Though I doubt that removing puzzles is that much work either. I really doubt it. Besides I'm certain that much more people spoke out against the *amount* of puzzles, and that a "less is more" approach would have been better than an "instant-solve-solution" in the forums.

 

[samuraigaiden]

Is this game called Le Bard's Tale in France?

 

[Tweed]

Well, glad I totally forgot I backed this game until now.

 

[grimace]

Well, glad I totally forgot I backed this game until now.

Don't forget to claim your Exclusive Brian Fargo Bard Skin.

 

[Agame]

Seems like it will be a good game when the Director's Cut comes out

 

[Rpguy]

Already bought and finished it ages ago with all the bugs and stupid puzzles, why would I replay it instead of playing something new?

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I’m going to have to youtube these puzzles, since I do t even have a computer capable of playing TBTT let alone BT4. Are we talking block puzzles, pull chains, levers like say Anvil of Dawn or does Gollum pop up with the Riddler antagonizing you with a Pee Wee Herman word of the day! Or is it guessing how many boogers is on his hanky that might be in his pocket.

 

[Sacred82]

I’m going to have to youtube these puzzles, since I do t even have a computer capable of playing TBTT let alone BT4. Are we talking block puzzles, pull chains, levers like say Anvil of Dawn or does Gollum pop up with the Riddler antagonizing you with a Pee Wee Herman word of the day! Or is it guessing how many boogers is on his hanky that might be in his pocket.

mebbe Grimrock or Lands of Lore style would be an accurate description

well actually much less antagonizing than Grimrock puzzles. They usually involve very little backtracking, or if they do it's by way of an alternate route that deposits you at the entry to the lower level rather than you having to just turn back

The puzzles are memorable enough that if you do several playthroughs in succession or you start over you can basically blow past them

They also break up the flow of exploration/ combat. Neither the puzzles nor the combat by themselves are outstandingly great, but the combination is pretty neat.

Overall there has been way too much whining about the puzzles

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I just took a look. Yeah, the ones shown are unique, I’ll say that. Maybe I’m just comparing it too much to the originals. Without being able to actually do a run through myself I guess I just can’t know if it’s frustrating or fun.

 

[cosmicray]

well actually much less antagonizing than Grimrock puzzles. They usually involve very little backtracking, or if they do it's by way of an alternate route that deposits you at the entry to the lower level rather than you having to just turn back

Are Grimrock1 puzzles considered bad? Cause I liked them enough to fondly remember the game.

 

[wtrboy]

Oh, "Director's Cut"...or better known as the cut you should have released last year...

 

[Sacred82]

well actually much less antagonizing than Grimrock puzzles. They usually involve very little backtracking, or if they do it's by way of an alternate route that deposits you at the entry to the lower level rather than you having to just turn back

Are Grimrock1 puzzles considered bad? Cause I liked them enough to fondly remember the game.

depends on what you call bad, or rather your expectations. Grimrock combat is certainly weaker than BTIV combat, actually doing anything but combat is kind of welcome in Grimrock. For some reason it seems some people have taken offence to puzzles simply being present in BTIV's dungeons, I'd assume it's the same some people who took offence to hand crafted combat encounters vs. trash mobs, and for the same some reasons.

 

[Rpguy]

well actually much less antagonizing than Grimrock puzzles. They usually involve very little backtracking, or if they do it's by way of an alternate route that deposits you at the entry to the lower level rather than you having to just turn back

Are Grimrock1 puzzles considered bad? Cause I liked them enough to fondly remember the game.

depends on what you call bad, or rather your expectations. Grimrock combat is certainly weaker than BTIV combat, actually doing anything but combat is kind of welcome in Grimrock. For some reason it seems some people have taken offence to puzzles simply being present in BTIV's dungeons, I'd assume it's the same some people who took offence to hand crafted combat encounters vs. trash mobs, and for the same some reasons.

I like puzzles, I really liked grimrocks combat and puzzles, when a combat feels like a puzzle you have to solve in order to win ( AKA strategy/tactic ) I like that too.
Combat in BT became repetitive pretty fast, halfway through the game you already know how to beat every encounter with the same exact tactic it was getting boring.
Puzzles in BT have a few issues, first there are too many of them in the same place with almost no difference and they had no connection to the game at all, no lore no logic it felt like you are going down a dungeons then you turn on your phone and play some puzzle app for 1 hour and then go back to playing BT. The game doesnt end with fighting a big bad guy, it ends with solving a fucking big and very annoying puzzle that really wanted me to find the person responsible and pretend he is the end boss.

 

[Sacred82]

I like puzzles, I really liked grimrocks combat and puzzles, when a combat feels like a puzzle you have to solve in order to win ( AKA strategy/tactic ) I like that too.
Combat in BT became repetitive pretty fast, halfway through the game you already know how to beat every encounter with the same exact tactic it was getting boring.

uhm rly

the whole step-circles-around-the-beasties routine of Grimrock got v. tired v. fast. In fact Grimrock was the worst Dungeon Master clone I've ever played in this regard.

In BTIV at least two kinds of tactics apply in every fight: either you go straight for physical damage or mental damage. You can't know which applies before you've actually fought creatures of that type. And you have lots of different ways to build your party around both of those things. Especially being able to put out several instances of high mental damage per round is extremely valuable for stunlocking some particularly bad offenders, usually spellcasters.

One of the things that I thought would be simply annoying but turned out pretty neat is the way damage is dealt directionally. Lining up damage and debuffs makes combat interesting. "Exact same tactic" is either bullshit or you simply underutilized the tools the game gives you.

Puzzles in BT have a few issues, first there are too many of them in the same place with almost no difference and they had no connection to the game at all, no lore no logic

lolwut

how much "lore and logic" has there ever been to levers/ pits/ pressure plates in DM clones? Puzzles in Grimrock have a "connection to the game", how?