Battle Brothers Pre-Release Thread

[SmartCheetah]

How much shekels do you guys want for it in Early Access? Gotta prepare my steam wallet.

 

[rapsdjff]

We're looking at 20$ for Early Access to the game. In addition, we want to have some higher-priced tiers for people who really want to support development and get some goodies. Somewhat like it is with Kickstarter - only you get to play the game you're funding right away. Those goodies include, among other things, the soundtrack and a digital lore book of the game (once completed), as well as an exclusive ingame item. The item is our first named legendary one and comes with its own background story. It's more of an early game item, more for show than anything, but it does look pretty cool, being the only helm not based on an actual medieval one in the game so far. Here's a first look.

 

[rapsdjff]

We did some mockups to see where we want to go with the environments for tactical combat next. These things are not actually in the game yet and would receive quite a bit more work before they make their way in, but it does give a good idea of what we're aiming for in the long run.

 

[SmartCheetah]

That looks awesome. Also, more kinds of interior combat would be great as well. Tight fort, town bazaar and other things. But I bet you guys already planned 'em. :D
Also - the "backer" tier reward looks subtle and great!

 

[Jack Dandy]

AwesoooooOOomE!

Say, do you have any actual in-game screenies of dungeons? Or is that still in planning stage only?

 

[rapsdjff]

Planning stage only - there is no dungeon interior in the game yet. We'll tackle it after the EA release.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Hmmm, are those footprint effects just bells and whistles or will be a sort of tactical use to them? Like if one Orc/zombie/bandit was running away/flanking/circling/sneaking, would you be able to see footprints and realize something is, well, afoot?

 

[Modron]

Hmmm, are those footprint effects just bells and whistles or will be a sort of tactical use to them? Like if one Orc/zombie/bandit was running away/flanking/circling/sneaking, would you be able to see footprints and realize something is, well, afoot?

Well there is Line of Sight and visibility ranges, so yeah in theory if footprints persisted even a few turns they might alert you to the presence of units provided the AI does more than bumrush you (I still need to sit down with the combat alpha myself). And considering they have this on their tactical combat feature list as a roadmap

Weather and Lighting Effects (Todo)
Weather and light effects from the worldmap will also influence the tactical combat. A raincloud or fading light will also appear on the tactical map both visually and with gameplay effects. For example rain reduces the range and effectiveness of bows and crossbows and low light reduces overall vision range. Not all creatures are adversely affected by low light conditions, such as werewolves, and some even gain strength at night, such as vampires.

wouldn't be surprised if winter had other effects.

 

[Helly]

I can't wait going full seven samurais defending a village from a band of bandits

 

[rapsdjff]

Hmmm, are those footprint effects just bells and whistles or will be a sort of tactical use to them? Like if one Orc/zombie/bandit was running away/flanking/circling/sneaking, would you be able to see footprints and realize something is, well, afoot?

Well there is Line of Sight and visibility ranges, so yeah in theory if footprints persisted even a few turns they might alert you to the presence of units provided the AI does more than bumrush you (I still need to sit down with the combat alpha myself).

Pretty much this. We'd have the footprints persist for a while, maybe even for the duration of the whole battle. Also depends on how messy that would look. There's no deep gameplay mechanics attached to them but they could prove useful occasionally to see where the AI was headed. Some enemies have a tendency to run away from you and hide if you get to close, such as Necromancers. Fleeing and roaming enemies would also be a bit easier to find.

 

[Modron]

Snip

Are you guys going to have a deployment phase in full game? I mean, I know you usually give at least 1 round to scramble in the combat alpha but it was still kind of annoying since you cannot swap battle brother positions.

 

[rapsdjff]

Yes, unless you're being ambushed. Didn't make it into the game yet, though.

 

[oscar]

Loving the look of the planned set-ups. Some great choke-point, shieldwall position and weapon combinations come to mind.

 

[rapsdjff]

Omg!

Battle Brothers will launch to Early Access on April 27th
Finally! We’re all giggly and excited to get the game out there and see what you guys come up with, how you’ll play it, what you’ll think about it and which ideas and feedback you’ll have!

Battle Brothers will launch on Steam and will also be available on the Humble Store and our very own website. We’ll look into other platforms for selling the game as well.

The game will be offered in three different editions.

Basic Edition
This includes the game in its current Early Access version and all future updates up to and including the full game release. It comes at a cost of 19.99$ – depending on region, your price may vary slightly.

Deluxe Edition
The deluxe edition includes the game in its current Early Access version and all future updates up to and including the full game release. Additionally, all buyers will receive the complete Battle Brothers soundtrack as a digital download once it is finished and released. The difference in price to the basic edition will go directly to the fine musicians who are creating all the music for Battle Brothers. It comes at a cost of 24.99$ – depending on region, your price may vary slightly.

Supporter Edition
For those of you who really want to support us in the future development of Battle Brothers we also offer the Supporter Edition. Like the Deluxe Edition, this includes both the game itself and the soundtrack. In addition, you’ll get a digital lore book with a lot of background info about the world and its inhabitants, as well as our very first legendary item in the game, complete with a look of its own and a unique background story: Fangshire.



The Supporter Edition comes at 39.99$ – keep in mind this price is not about the additional content you get, but a chance for you to support further development of Battle Brothers if this is a project you truly believe in.

For all editions, please take note that both the soundtrack and the lore book are not yet done and will only be delivered once they’ve been finalized. You can expect them to be done at around the time the game leaves Early Access.

What’s in the Early Access?
The game is very much playable and stable with all core mechanics in place. It features several scenarios and an open world campaign mode with 20+ different enemies, 80+ items, 42 character perks and thousands of procedurally generated mercenaries for hire. Campaign gameplay is more sandboxy than the final game will be as the overarching story and endgame, along with more content and other features adding to the depth of the game, will be added as the Early Access progresses. The UI is not skinned yet, there will be bugs and the game balance may need some tweaking based on your feedback.

Here are the key features:

• Procedurally generated worldmap, tactical combat maps and mercenaries.
• Open and dynamic world simulation that is not scripted – your actions can actually alter the balance of the world.
• All characters come with their own background stories and traits. Want a stuttering ratcatcher, a greedy witchhunter or a drunkard disowned noble?
• Permadeath. All characters that die in combat will stay dead – unless they return as the undead.
• Field up to 12 Battle Brothers on large and varied tactical combat maps with different terrain and multiple height levels.
• Character development without a restrictive class-system. Each Battle Brother gains experience through combat, can level up and acquire powerful perks.
• Equipment that matters. Different weapons grant unique skills – split shields with axes, stun enemies with maces, form a spearwall with spears or crush armor with a warhammer.
• Diverse enemy roster. All enemies have unique equipment, skills and AI behavior.
• One full hour of orchestral soundtrack with more on the way.

What’s coming next?
Battle Brothers already offers the chance to experience great tales of heroic battle, triumphs against all odds and devastating losses. We have the ambition to take it way further. Here is a list of major features we have planned for the full release of the game:

• Worldmap story and progression mechanic.
• Non-combat characters for your mercenary company.
• Scavenger-hunts for legendary artifacts.
• A dynamic event system with atmospheric encounters and tough decisions outside of combat.
• Indoor tactical combat environments, such as dungeons.
• A fully skinned UI.
• More content: More enemies, terrain types, items, contracts, character backgrounds and at least one additional major enemy faction acting in the world.

 

[Jack Dandy]

Looks like my vidya purchases for May will be this and Ys Ark of Napishtim.

Best of luck with the release!

 

[Helly]

Fuckin' A!
The only thing lacking would be another lp episode *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*

 

[Alienman]

Cool stuff. Good luck!

 

[Alienman]

Got early access from the developer to make some videos / LPs.

Here is the first episode if anyone is interested:

 

[sser]

Save often.

tips to not get curbstomped

A more successful bout though poor Tobjoern got his face smashed in by a 360 chain-strike. You can see the orc gaining rage and attacking the militia man with the heater shield. A berzerker orc on a kill streak is probably the most dangerous enemy in the game.

Edit: Some tips. You can use the numbers to select skills - this is faster than clicking. Spearwall is probably one of your best abilities at the start of the game as almost any low-skill brother can put it to good use. Do be sure to equip guys with backup weapons, though. Spear-users in particular, if they're managing to fend off attackers, will break their weapons through overuse. It's not a bad tactic to form a series of spear walls and then 'shield bash' back anyone who breaks through.

There are two ways to handle your brother's turn. Backspace puts him at the end of the turn queue; this is very important for many reasons - though the most notable are waiting for lanes to open up or waiting to see what your enemies do. Spacebar will end his turn altogether, which is alright if he's out of AP.

Space also pauses the game on the world map.

Werewolves, as you saw, are extremely dangerous for early-game parties. They chew through the cheap armor and they get bonus AP for killing dudes, which quickly leads to steamrolls. I would steer clear of them entirely if you can, or fight them with the aid of militias or patrolling landschneckts.

 

[Alienman]

I want to ironman it but the brutality of the werewolfs has me mad!
And the fact that the bandits seem to work together with them

Nice hat on your crossbow man btw

 

[sser]

The beast faction isn't entirely set yet - but they will eventually be very distinct from the others. As of right now, werewolves are usually in the forests so I think you picked up a pretty bad draw there.

And yes... it's a pretty cool hat. There are some characters which I personally consider to be 'marquee.' Overhype Studios made their skillsets very distinguished, IMO. I've already revealed one, but there are plenty more.

 

[Alienman]

Yes, I think so too. When I played some earlier testing code, I didn't encounter werewolves until much later Oh well, with some magic the company will make a return!

You mean the one-handed swordman you posted a picture of?

I haven't experimented that much, but I made a pretty good archer-hatchet guy with quick hands, pathfinder and some offensive skills. But yeah, nothing as in-depth like that.

 

[rapsdjff]

Got early access from the developer to make some videos / LPs.

Here is the first episode if anyone is interested:

Nice video! It's really interesting to see someone else play the game and take his time to really explore all the details.

As with apparently every Let's Play video I also spotted a few minor issues already - but I suppose it's a good thing that this way I get the chance to fix them now, before release

 

[Alienman]

Got early access from the developer to make some videos / LPs.

Here is the first episode if anyone is interested:

Nice video! It's really interesting to see someone else play the game and take his time to really explore all the details.

As with apparently every Let's Play video I also spotted a few minor issues already - but I suppose it's a good thing that this way I get the chance to fix them now, before release

Interesting, didn't notice any issues myself, except a crash. I really enjoy the flavor text. sser written most of it?

 

[sser]

I've written a good portion of it, yes. Right now I'd consider it to be the baseline. We will expand it with time and there are a lot of cool ideas concerning quests and other little things, but I won't say too much.