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Game News Balrum, new indie cRPG soon to be kickstarted
- Thread starter VentilatorOfDoom
- Start date
laclongquan
Arcane
The modified game list thing doesnt bother me. Anyone can say they like 'inserttoptengame' to get credit. Doesntmean a damn thing. You are a game devs, we expect what you make, not what you play,or get inspiration from.
Story: Prop up your story section, mates. As of now that looks too sparse and fanboi-level. Contents are simplistic and boring. presentation could do with a lot of improvement. more paragraph, for one thing.
Crafting: Crafting is an aspect that can easily unbalance your game world. If you put it as a central pivot, make sure that item consumption is high. weapon breakage in combat, convenient items to use repeatedly (haste potions to run back to base...) and etc... that lead to the next aspect of more item:
inventory sorting: When you make lots of items, you really really need a system of auto inventory sorting with options. sort by categories, sort by name, sort by newness, sort by quality, etc... That applies to all your inventories (in the chest, in the companions....)
House building is a very nice concept and I approve wholeheartedly.
-- you can use the process as an outlet for item crafting: craft better quality of wood materials from basic woods, to use in house building and make weapon...
-- you can use it as a convenient place to centralize item crafting: several chest and a warehouse near item crafting equipment. Think The sink in old world blues in Fallout New Vegas here.
-- you can use it as a place to decorate your battle trophy (if you can). packrats need to show they are packrats, right?
-- All of them are presented in your websites, but Iwant to reiterate them here.
What's your game is all about?
This is a question that can lead to interesting gameplay as answer.
-- This is a game where you raise an army? Then your base should have something oriented toward that.
-- This is a game where you become a hero. then prolly more quest, more dungeons, more enemies. The house reduce its importance in this answer.
-- This is a game where you change the world, one step at a time (ala Unreal World). Then you should pay attention to codes, cause changing the world mean your engien will remember what your character did.
/ramble off mid-sentence
Story: Prop up your story section, mates. As of now that looks too sparse and fanboi-level. Contents are simplistic and boring. presentation could do with a lot of improvement. more paragraph, for one thing.
Crafting: Crafting is an aspect that can easily unbalance your game world. If you put it as a central pivot, make sure that item consumption is high. weapon breakage in combat, convenient items to use repeatedly (haste potions to run back to base...) and etc... that lead to the next aspect of more item:
inventory sorting: When you make lots of items, you really really need a system of auto inventory sorting with options. sort by categories, sort by name, sort by newness, sort by quality, etc... That applies to all your inventories (in the chest, in the companions....)
House building is a very nice concept and I approve wholeheartedly.
-- you can use the process as an outlet for item crafting: craft better quality of wood materials from basic woods, to use in house building and make weapon...
-- you can use it as a convenient place to centralize item crafting: several chest and a warehouse near item crafting equipment. Think The sink in old world blues in Fallout New Vegas here.
-- you can use it as a place to decorate your battle trophy (if you can). packrats need to show they are packrats, right?
-- All of them are presented in your websites, but Iwant to reiterate them here.
What's your game is all about?
This is a question that can lead to interesting gameplay as answer.
-- This is a game where you raise an army? Then your base should have something oriented toward that.
-- This is a game where you become a hero. then prolly more quest, more dungeons, more enemies. The house reduce its importance in this answer.
-- This is a game where you change the world, one step at a time (ala Unreal World). Then you should pay attention to codes, cause changing the world mean your engien will remember what your character did.
/ramble off mid-sentence
- Joined
- Mar 14, 2012
- Messages
- 1,492
Looks decent.
This game slightly reminds me some another indie-kickstarter RPG Antharion.
But AFAIU Balrum isn't party based. And combat here looks more as phase-based than turn-based.
This game slightly reminds me some another indie-kickstarter RPG Antharion.
But AFAIU Balrum isn't party based. And combat here looks more as phase-based than turn-based.
Looks interesting - though it does seem extremely similar to the Eschalon games, but I've really enjoyed those so far, so that's not necessarily a bad thing.
I don't think we're in the RPGCodex of 2006 anymore, Toto. Bethesda apologists have been out in full force since the release of Skyrim, all the hike-sim lorefags fucking love it.
Open world != 3D and no loading screens, in any context; neither are elements of gameplay. If BalconyTeam think it does (which I see absolutely zero indication of) then there's no chance of the game being any good anyway, so who cares?
Honestly, it looks a lot like Eschalon, and I found that game irredeemably dull. I don't exactly have a lot of faith in the developers, from what they've said in this thread and flourishing a list of games they claim to like as if it means anything. It all has the tone of a 14 year old talking about a game he wants to make in RPGMaker, except here they also want my money. If it comes out, and people rave about it, and I'm not fat and diabetic from the cRPG Renaissance by then, maybe I'll give it a try.
Stainless Veteran
Arcane
I've bought the first and the second Eschalons, really wanted to get into them, but couldn't. They were just too boring and slow. This game looks pretty similar, and those influences which they cite don't exactly fill me with confidence about Balrum. Oh well, time will tell.
Some changes which could slightly improve this game:
* As others already said - either add zoom option, or scale all sprites.
* Balrum sounds like a Gollum in Ballroom, at least for a non-native speaker like me, so I think that name changing would be beneficial.
* If you want crafting and combat and strong plot - maybe you should make a short demo for each of this aspects, and see the reaction of potential buyers. And based on that reaction then concentrate on one, maybe two aspects. It's rare when newcomer to gamemaking could successfully combine all three.
* If you still decide to concentrate on all three gameplay elements equally, try to tie them together, .i.e.:
a) include equipment degrading not only over time, but from combat; let NPC give you crafting commissions, maybe introduce a rival NPC crafter;
b) carefully balance crafted and non-crafted items. Big part of the fun in RPG combat is finding loot, so you'd better, for example, make some loot exotic and non-repairable, some repairable, but slightly inferior to crafted items, and so on;
c) avoid unnecessary grindy combat and trash mobs, not related to story and plot;
d) ...well, I can't give recommendations about plot when I know nothing about it.
Anyway, BalconyTeam , good luck. And try to take inspiration from U7, and not from Oblivion and Skyrim. Also, if you consider Eshalon an ideal, and not solid, but somewhat boring game - well...
Some changes which could slightly improve this game:
* As others already said - either add zoom option, or scale all sprites.
* Balrum sounds like a Gollum in Ballroom, at least for a non-native speaker like me, so I think that name changing would be beneficial.
* If you want crafting and combat and strong plot - maybe you should make a short demo for each of this aspects, and see the reaction of potential buyers. And based on that reaction then concentrate on one, maybe two aspects. It's rare when newcomer to gamemaking could successfully combine all three.
* If you still decide to concentrate on all three gameplay elements equally, try to tie them together, .i.e.:
a) include equipment degrading not only over time, but from combat; let NPC give you crafting commissions, maybe introduce a rival NPC crafter;
b) carefully balance crafted and non-crafted items. Big part of the fun in RPG combat is finding loot, so you'd better, for example, make some loot exotic and non-repairable, some repairable, but slightly inferior to crafted items, and so on;
c) avoid unnecessary grindy combat and trash mobs, not related to story and plot;
d) ...well, I can't give recommendations about plot when I know nothing about it.
Anyway, BalconyTeam , good luck. And try to take inspiration from U7, and not from Oblivion and Skyrim. Also, if you consider Eshalon an ideal, and not solid, but somewhat boring game - well...
Luzur
Good Sir
looks neat, i like RPG's and map building.
daveyd
Savant
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2013
- Messages
- 287
Completely agree. I don't think turn-based makes sense with only one playable character. IMO the whole appeal of turn-based battle is being able to devise and carry out a strategy. It's not just a matter of which skill / spell you use by how / when you use it: Should I attack or heal my injured party member? Should I cast this AoE spell even though it will injure one of my party members? Etc. Without multiple party members, these considerations don't come into play so turn-based combat with one character would likely be extremely monotonous.
laclongquan
Arcane
You speak as if you never have moment of solo your char in JA2, ufo, fallout tactics, Silent Storm, Hammer sickle, etc...
/look at joined dates
Never mind.
/look at joined dates
Never mind.
daveyd
Savant
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2013
- Messages
- 287
What does when I registered to this forum have to do with anything?
laclongquan
Arcane
It's indicative, is what it is. As for what, you will show it yourself.
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