Game News Yaengard powers out on Steam

[Saint_Proverbius]

Tags: Planeshift Interactive; Yaengard

Planeshift Interactive has released their turn based CRPG Yaengard on Steam. The game features 20 or so classes, turn based combat, metagaming, choices affecting gameplay, and several other things. The game is currently on a release sale price of $22.49US, which is 10% off the typical price. So, here's a trailer and some sum up:

Yaengard is a turn-based party RPG, inspired by classic TTRPG's such as Dungeons & Dragons. In Yaengard, the personalities of your adventurers change everything -- from their powers to the choices they can make. Design your builds and combos with the endless rare items you find, the classes you’ll embody, and the personalities you gain!

• From peasants to heroes
• Shape their personalities through the choices you make
• Find and use hundreds and hundreds of rare powers & items
• Design complex combos & the ultimate builds
• Strategic & complex combats - without hassle
• Explore the narrative; world, lore, & storytelling
• Roguelike-inspired gameplay - unique builds each time!

​

If you're looking for a little more info, there's this video from SplatterCatGaming which shows the first half an hour of the gameplay.

I will say that the tactical combat looks very nice. I like all the feedback the user interface gives you. I also noticed a choice/consequence system in the trailer, which is nice to have. That said, it kind of reminds me of Final Fantasy Tactics with a heap more role playing in it.

 

[Drowed]

The gameplay has some really cool ideas, but... I really don't like this visual style.

But miraculously the price in my country is not absurd, it is an acceptable enough value to consider trying it.

 

[mondblut]

Looks like Cyberpunk on PS4 PS1.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I don't remember the demo... sooo

 

[Falksi]

Pure acid-AIDS on the eyes.

Gaming now is like watching a horror movie villain die 5 times over at the end of the film. Just when you think they can't kill it any more, they do.

 

[Maxie]

that's fine but is the game Polish? the only real criterion

 

[rashiakas]

Nah, looks like the game still needs some polish.

 

[Jrpgfan]

It's as if Lego and Minecraft had a child.

 

[PompiPompi]

Was this made by the same company who made Raid Shadow Legends?

 

[JarlFrank]

The visuals look like they're taken from some of those Unity asset packs every second indie dev uses. I've come to associate the assets with low quality unfinished Early Access games because a lot of those use them. Of course, since anyone can use these assets they don't say anything about the game's quality on their own... but you do start associating them with unfinished low quality games after a while.

https://assetstore.unity.com/packag...ro-characters-low-poly-3d-art-by-synty-143468

 

[PompiPompi]

The visuals look like they're taken from some of those Unity asset packs every second indie dev uses. I've come to associate the assets with low quality unfinished Early Access games because a lot of those use them. Of course, since anyone can use these assets they don't say anything about the game's quality on their own... but you do start associating them with unfinished low quality games after a while.

https://assetstore.unity.com/packag...ro-characters-low-poly-3d-art-by-synty-143468

The fact that they chose to use those annoying indie asset, already tells a lot about them.

 

[Saark]

Will remove from inventory to see how it plays, that list of bullet points on what the game is about seems interesting at least.

You know the codex has declined a lot when most of the complaints about a newly released game are "it looks like shit" and "visually it looks bad".

 

[PompiPompi]

Will remove from inventory to see how it plays, that list of bullet points on what the game is about seems interesting at least.

You know the codex has declined a lot when most of the complaints about a newly released game are "it looks like shit" and "visually it looks bad".

Visuals tells you about the game.
Visuals don't need to be ray traced graphics, but it shows you what kind of gamer are the developers.
If the visuals reminds you fortnite, or if the visuals are one of the annoying repeating indice community trends, you know this developer is cookie cutter indie developer. And he learned everything he knows from the small clique of indie developers. The same people who give themselves prizes in IGF and LOVE The last of us 2.
I can give you an example of a really good indie RPG that doesn't have fancy graphics. But the art choice show a lot about the game.

Skald for instance.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1069160/SKALD_Against_the_Black_Priory/

 

[Saark]

Visuals don't need to be ray traced graphics, but it shows you what kind of gamer are the developers.

No it doesn't. I've seen plenty of similarly looking RPGs to what you've posted, that were utter garbage. All that visuals tell you, is whether or not they invested a lot into making the game *look* good. That doesn't mean that game plays well, or that it doesn't play well. Based on my experiences, theres almost zero correlation between the visual artstyle and the gameplay quality of a game, no matter the genre.

Tome4 is one of the examples of a game that uses whatever assets are readily available at low or no cost, yet its still one of the better games out there. Choosing some cheap Unity assets doesn't make a game bad, or more likely to be bad. Just means the developer chose to not spend a lot of money on visuals.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

The fact that they chose to use those annoying indie asset, already tells a lot about them.

It just tells me they don't have a modeler, or a modeler that can do animations, or a modeler that is already up to his eyebrows in other things, or is part time. I can think of a lot of legitimate reasons to use the asset store for graphics.

 

[d1r]

Will remove from inventory to see how it plays, that list of bullet points on what the game is about seems interesting at least.

You know the codex has declined a lot when most of the complaints about a newly released game are "it looks like shit" and "visually it looks bad".

Visuals tells you about the game.
Visuals don't need to be ray traced graphics, but it shows you what kind of gamer are the developers.
If the visuals reminds you fortnite, or if the visuals are one of the annoying repeating indice community trends, you know this developer is cookie cutter indie developer. And he learned everything he knows from the small clique of indie developers. The same people who give themselves prizes in IGF and LOVE The last of us 2.
I can give you an example of a really good indie RPG that doesn't have fancy graphics. But the art choice show a lot about the game.

Skald for instance.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1069160/SKALD_Against_the_Black_Priory/

People who live in Glass Houses ...

 

[ELEXmakesMeHard]

It fails my most basic shit test: It has generic cartoony visuals. The kind that games go with to be safe for the Chinese market I guess.

I wil not stand for this!

 

[PompiPompi]

Will remove from inventory to see how it plays, that list of bullet points on what the game is about seems interesting at least.

You know the codex has declined a lot when most of the complaints about a newly released game are "it looks like shit" and "visually it looks bad".

Visuals tells you about the game.
Visuals don't need to be ray traced graphics, but it shows you what kind of gamer are the developers.
If the visuals reminds you fortnite, or if the visuals are one of the annoying repeating indice community trends, you know this developer is cookie cutter indie developer. And he learned everything he knows from the small clique of indie developers. The same people who give themselves prizes in IGF and LOVE The last of us 2.
I can give you an example of a really good indie RPG that doesn't have fancy graphics. But the art choice show a lot about the game.

Skald for instance.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1069160/SKALD_Against_the_Black_Priory/

People who live in Glass Houses ...

Didn't claim my game is great.
But at least it doesn't look like a sausage factory clone.

 

[Saark]

So you're saying that your game might be shit but at least it looks "good" (which is already in the eye of the beholder anyway)? Thanks for proving my point. People are too obsessed with what a game looks like. If a game is fun/well written/has good gameplay, who gives a shit if it looks like it just time-travelled from the late 90s.

 

[Late Bloomer]

Everytime you use an Inn something bad happens



To anyone who is playing, how does that play out?

 

[PompiPompi]

So you're saying that your game might be shit but at least it looks "good" (which is already in the eye of the beholder anyway)? Thanks for proving my point. People are too obsessed with what a game looks like. If a game is fun/well written/has good gameplay, who gives a shit if it looks like it just time-travelled from the late 90s.

No, I am saying it has it's flaws. But... the visual choices may hint on the gameplay design choices.
There is a reason why a lot of modern game have shitty hand holding and xray game design choices.

For instance, you know how a mobile MMO looks like. You know what to expect from it.

 

[Late Bloomer]

No, I am saying it has it's flaws. But... the visual choices may hint on the gameplay design choices.
There is a reason why a lot of modern game have shitty hand holding and xray game design choices.

For instance, you know how a mobile MMO looks like. You know what to expect from it.

In general that is a fine rule. But I enjoyed Dungeon Scavenger. If a game seems like it might be worth some time playing and has these warning sign graphics (asset flips, numale, tumblerina style) then just watch a youtube video. Make use of Steams two hour refund policy. To totally write a game off because of it, might mean you miss a fun game or two.

 

[MrBuzzKill]

"Never-ending loot"
instant turn off! scarcity = value, and vice versa, in a world where every sewer rat shits out a legendary sword I couldn't care less about the endless generic loot

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

"Never-ending loot"
instant turn off! scarcity = value, and vice versa, in a world where every sewer rat shits out a legendary sword I couldn't care less about the endless generic loot

It depends on the game. There's an interesting mechanic that springs from some of the games that have a massive amount of randomly generated loot with enhancements that can affect dozens of things which was introduced in Diablo/Diablo 2. You often get a nice drop and it's not so obvious if it's better than what you are currently using. You might have a sword that does multiple things, then you find a new sword which also does multiple things that are different and you're left with trying to figure out if you want to give up the old sword for the new one. You have to decide if you want to give up the old weapon and what advantages it has versus the new advantages. This is especially the case when you have item attributes that go beyond just damage.

That said, I really didn't think that same mechanic worked in Fallout 4 just because it didn't make a Hell of a lot of sense within the setting. While the trade off mechanic still works, it's kind of hard to explain why a pipe rifle would have all kinds of those special enhancements. If someone had the advanced abilities to manufacture that weapon, you'd think they could just manufacture a better weapon.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

That said, I really didn't think that same mechanic worked in Fallout 4 just because it didn't make a Hell of a lot of sense within the setting. While the trade off mechanic still works, it's kind of hard to explain why a pipe rifle would have all kinds of those special enhancements. If someone had the advanced abilities to manufacture that weapon, you'd think they could just manufacture a better weapon.

I liked the weapon/armor modification system in Fallout 4.
Nowhere near enough to keep my attention, but it was something I thought it did pretty well.