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- Jan 28, 2011
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Tags: Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness; GrapeOcean Technologies; V Publishing
It's hard to believe that almost seven years have passed since we learned about Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness. Developed by a team of complete unknowns who call themselves GrapeOcean Technologies, for a long time this "brand-new RTwP RPG" was just a joke. The ridiculous fantasy terminology, the clueless evangelists (hi GreenMagicSpell!), the shameless imitation of Pillars of Eternity's user interface, and of course that highly exploitable title. Yet somehow the developers powered through it all and reached the other side, and in doing so they earned a measure of our respect. Don't get me wrong, it's no ELEX and as far as I can tell the actual game is merely mediocre. But it's always a special day when a vaporware legend manages to become a reality. So without further ado, here is its launch trailer and the accompanying announcement post, which details the many improvements made during the seven month Early Access period.
After years of development, a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, and over 6 months of Early Access, Black Geyser officially launched into 1.0 today. In that time, we've worked incredibly hard to implement your feedback and improve on the things that matter to you.
We will soon be back with more information on the schedule regarding the delivery of Kickstarter-specific rewards (both digital and physical). In the meantime, here are some improvements that happened during the Early Access period:
What We've Improved
We've vastly improved load times to significantly improve the speed at which you can enter and exit buildings and zones. We continue to work hard on improving these even further.
Our tutorial wasn't perfect, and Black Geyser was difficult to start out in. We've overhauled the tutorial, cleaned up our signposting and given players much more help through its opening hours.
You right highlighted that casters were far too weak compared to other classes in Black Geyser, so we completely reworked their abilities and balance to significantly improve their potency.
Black Geyser was already a large game, but when it comes to old-school CRPG's, we agree you can never have enough. We've implemented all new quests, Chapter 3 of the core story and made significant improvements to plenty of others.
Many players raised concerns that their characters and their abilities weren't scaling properly, leaving them feeling far too weak against ever tougher enemies. We've fixed this, so you'll feel much stronger as you explore the wilds of Yerengal.
Mac & Linux support were important for us and our community, and never more so than with the Steam Deck having arrived (we have hopes!). We're pleased to say Black Geyser is now available on both.
We've added all new boss mechanics and unique encounters to Black Geyser. These are designed to make fights much more tactical, while ensuring greater difficulty for those who choose to seek out these enemies.
You can now explore the northern frozen harbour of Freynagar, separated from the city by a huge ice dome, or take a trip to Amanuel's Hoard, the seaside fort owned by the greediest man in history. These new zones come with a cold warning.
Our crafting wasn't as intuitive as it could be, and it was too time consuming. We've streamlined the process, implemented automated recipes (have the items in your inventory? You'll be able to craft at the press of a button) and refined the process by making it much more accessible.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with us and don't worry, we're not finished yet. We've plenty of updates on the horizon. For all those diving in for the first time, be sure to stop by our Discord and chat by the fire.
The Black Geyser is available on Steam and GOG, where you can grab it for $30. No word yet on any Crushmaster DLC.
It's hard to believe that almost seven years have passed since we learned about Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness. Developed by a team of complete unknowns who call themselves GrapeOcean Technologies, for a long time this "brand-new RTwP RPG" was just a joke. The ridiculous fantasy terminology, the clueless evangelists (hi GreenMagicSpell!), the shameless imitation of Pillars of Eternity's user interface, and of course that highly exploitable title. Yet somehow the developers powered through it all and reached the other side, and in doing so they earned a measure of our respect. Don't get me wrong, it's no ELEX and as far as I can tell the actual game is merely mediocre. But it's always a special day when a vaporware legend manages to become a reality. So without further ado, here is its launch trailer and the accompanying announcement post, which details the many improvements made during the seven month Early Access period.
After years of development, a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, and over 6 months of Early Access, Black Geyser officially launched into 1.0 today. In that time, we've worked incredibly hard to implement your feedback and improve on the things that matter to you.
We will soon be back with more information on the schedule regarding the delivery of Kickstarter-specific rewards (both digital and physical). In the meantime, here are some improvements that happened during the Early Access period:
What We've Improved
We've vastly improved load times to significantly improve the speed at which you can enter and exit buildings and zones. We continue to work hard on improving these even further.
Our tutorial wasn't perfect, and Black Geyser was difficult to start out in. We've overhauled the tutorial, cleaned up our signposting and given players much more help through its opening hours.
You right highlighted that casters were far too weak compared to other classes in Black Geyser, so we completely reworked their abilities and balance to significantly improve their potency.
Black Geyser was already a large game, but when it comes to old-school CRPG's, we agree you can never have enough. We've implemented all new quests, Chapter 3 of the core story and made significant improvements to plenty of others.
Many players raised concerns that their characters and their abilities weren't scaling properly, leaving them feeling far too weak against ever tougher enemies. We've fixed this, so you'll feel much stronger as you explore the wilds of Yerengal.
Mac & Linux support were important for us and our community, and never more so than with the Steam Deck having arrived (we have hopes!). We're pleased to say Black Geyser is now available on both.
We've added all new boss mechanics and unique encounters to Black Geyser. These are designed to make fights much more tactical, while ensuring greater difficulty for those who choose to seek out these enemies.
You can now explore the northern frozen harbour of Freynagar, separated from the city by a huge ice dome, or take a trip to Amanuel's Hoard, the seaside fort owned by the greediest man in history. These new zones come with a cold warning.
Our crafting wasn't as intuitive as it could be, and it was too time consuming. We've streamlined the process, implemented automated recipes (have the items in your inventory? You'll be able to craft at the press of a button) and refined the process by making it much more accessible.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone who has been on this journey with us and don't worry, we're not finished yet. We've plenty of updates on the horizon. For all those diving in for the first time, be sure to stop by our Discord and chat by the fire.
The Black Geyser is available on Steam and GOG, where you can grab it for $30. No word yet on any Crushmaster DLC.
