Indie Archaelund: RPG that combines 1st-person exploration with 3rd-person TB combat - now available on Early Access

[DavidBVal]

Spoiler

 

[Lyre Mors]

That's starting to look very, very good, DavidBVal. Great progress, man! Extremely excited to get my hands on this.

Really like those character portraits too. Are they placeholders, or art made specifically for the game?

 

[DavidBVal]

Really like those character portraits too. Are they placeholders, or art made specifically for the game?

They are of course being produced for Archaelund. There's also half-body versions when you open the character sheet.

Here's a few examples:

Those are two humans plus one of each of the six non-human playable races.

 

[luj1]

Solid portraits

 

[luj1]

Will you manage to get the steam page up and running this month?

 

[DavidBVal]

Will you manage to get the steam page up and running this month?

Almost certainly not until late November or mid December; Steam page requires a video, and a video is supposed to show visual variety and content, which I haven't produced yet except for three prototype areas. I also want to show some magic, which still is not implemented.

 

[luj1]

Ye, take it slow. Did you draw the portraits?

 

[V_K]

I see that mountain over there. Can I climb it?

 

[DavidBVal]

Ye, take it slow. Did you draw the portraits?

They're drawn by Ignacio Corva. He's my 2D man.

A small bit of a larger artwork he just completed (also Archaelund, of course):

And since my impulsive posting of a screenshot has derived into a random stream of sharing stuff, here's more news.

- The 3D design and rigging of the races above has started already (and not by me, which talking about art means it's good news, believe me).
- I got ranged attack working, plus several important combat visual aids implemented like transparency through walls, line marking bow range:

Spoiler

Also, I've been working a lot on optimization in outdoor areas. Right now my prototype mountain area is running at 50-75 fps on a modest 1050 Ti card. My previous prototype area ran at 30-40 fps, so I think I've figured out a few things and we're almost ready to start working on actual content.

 

[luj1]

They're drawn by Ignacio Corva. He's my 2D man.

Ignacio Corva is a fucking killer. I need to learn digital painting.

 

[CyberModuled]

Apologies if this has already been said but really glad about having a decent amount of non-human race choices than just "Human but with long ears" or "Human but their heads glow I guess" plus all the 2D artwork so far is doing it justice. Can't wait.

 

[DavidBVal]

Apologies if this has already been said but really glad about having a decent amount of non-human race choices than just "Human but with long ears" or "Human but their heads glow I guess" plus all the 2D artwork so far is doing it justice. Can't wait.

There's so much more concept art and other stuff I can't show yet...

I intend to create a printed manual / cluebook which will include all the 2D art in the game. Maybe kickstart it, but that won't happen until 2021+. I love printed manuals and old cluebooks, so I'll probably print it for my own satisfaction even if people don't want it.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

even if people don't want it.

 

[DavidBVal]

Here we go:





I'll update the first post tomorrow.

 

[V_K]

 

[Strange Fellow]

That looks terrific

 

[Viata]

Looking amazing as fuck, damn.

 

[The_Mask]

I'm not 100% sold on "awesome", but this looks... charming. Reminds me of a cozy warm blanket.

Given the fact that lately things have been pretty cold, I'm actually looking forward to this.

Hope it does not have many bugs.

 

[Infinitron]

Why Early Access?
“There is already an active community following Archaelund's development in forums; we want to broaden this community and give them an Early Access version so they can participate. Listening to players is essential, plus we love to have an active community playing, enjoying the updates and providing feedback during the upcoming years of development.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?
“The goal is to release the first Early Access version in fall 2020, then over the following years to make gradual updates until all the planned content is implemented. Our priority is making the game as good as it can get, and make it huge, so we have no dates set in stone.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?
“

• The Early Access version to be released on fall 2020 includes around 30% of the whole planned geographical areas.
  
• Some of the already available areas might be improved during development.
  
• The Early Access version covers the character progression up to a limited level, based on the available content at the time.
  
• Many more Advanced Careers and playable races are planned, as moving into new Careers is an important part of the character development once mid and high levels are reached.
  
• The first Early Access release only includes the first chapter of the Main Quest.

We will make a great effort to make all saved games compatible through each Early Access update.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?
“The Early Access version scheduled for fall 2020 will be a playable game with all the core mechanics of Archaelund being functional. The geographical content will include most of the Southern March, a large semi-civilized region of Archaelund. The first chapter of the game's main quest will be completable, as well as dozens of handcrafted quests. This amounts to no less than 30 hours of playable content, probably more.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?
“We will gradually raise the price during the Early Access stage, as we add content and features.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?
“By listening attentively, of course! Both positive and negative feedback will be considered. No matter how much thought and work we put into a game, the interaction with players and listening to their opinion is essential to reach the full potential of Archaelund.”

DavidBVal So this is coming out on Early Access 9+ months from now? I guess you've got things planned out well. Gameplay looks cool.

 

[Kev Inkline]

I intend to create a printed manual / cluebook which will include all the 2D art in the game. Maybe kickstart it, but that won't happen until 2021+. I love printed manuals and old cluebooks, so I'll probably print it for my own satisfaction even if people don't want it.

This Ignacio Kurwa fellow draws so fine pictures I think there'll be plenty of demand for such a fabulous book.

 

[DavidBVal]

DavidBVal So this is coming out on Early Access 9+ months from now? I guess you've got things planned out well. Gameplay looks cool.

These RPG-thingies take a while to make, indeed. The plan is a five year cycle for Archaelund, 14 months done, almost four years to go. It's impossible to have a precise schedule, but likely by next fall I'll have all mechanics in place and enough content to call it a game.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Is it gonna be Steam only?

 

[Viata]

Is it gonna be Steam only?

It depends if Epic will be interested in his game.

 

[DavidBVal]

Updated first post.

Is it gonna be Steam only?

I will release it on multiple storefronts, but during Early Access I'll very likely stick to Steam.

 

[AdamReith]

Man, sucks I'll be waiting a long time to play this. It looks fantastic.