The Dark Eye Blackguards 2

[HiddenX]

Blackguards was already in the mass market.

Blackguards 2 sells not so much yet, because
a) the game is too expensive on Steam - compare Amazon.de
b) contrary to the beginning of 2014 every CRPG gamer has a huge backlog of good roleplaying games right now

 

[Infinitron]

It's cheaper than Blackguards 1.

Also, I forgot to mention that Blackguards 1 had also sold a bunch of copies in Early Access before it was released.

 

[SCO]

Hopefully they get punished in sales enough to come crawling back to kickstarter but not enough to actually go under. This game needed some accountability so they'd realize that making the game easier and ~streamlined~ was dumb as hell for their core audience. This is the path that ends with Sacred 3.

 

[Infinitron]

Hopefully they get punished in sales enough to come crawling back to kickstarter

They were never on Kickstarter in the first place. Unless you think this would convince them to give it a try.

 

[Serus]

Why some reviews mention "female protagonist" as one of the important strong points of the game ? Isn't a fixed protagonist considered a "neutral" thing at best (in crpg) ? Yeah, i know, a naive question, it says "female" after all but come on. The game itself sounds meh, Blackguards 1 but with bad enemy AI and no challenge level of the first part - thank you, i'll pass. I still have several other CRPG from the last ~year to finish and i havent even tried a few yet.

 

[HiddenX]

It's a tactical strategy game with some roleplaying elements, not a full fledged CRPG.
Due to anonymous troops and strategic city capturing even more than the first one.

 

[Morkar Left]

What's about these anonymous troops? With how many characters do you fight your typical battle, e.g. capturing a city?

 

[GrainWetski]

Why some reviews mention "female protagonist" as one of the important strong points of the game ? Isn't a fixed protagonist considered a "neutral" thing at best (in crpg) ? Yeah, i know, a naive question, it says "female" after all but come on. The game itself sounds meh, Blackguards 1 but with bad enemy AI and no challenge level of the first part - thank you, i'll pass. I still have several other CRPG from the last ~year to finish and i havent even tried a few yet.

Even just having the choice to play a male protagonist is too much for these people.

 

[HiddenX]

What's about these anonymous troops? With how many characters do you fight your typical battle, e.g. capturing a city?

Your select a fighting party out of normal named party members and anonymous troops.
Named party members are unique. Anonymous troops are not, several different unit types exist.
Similar to the city troops of JA 2.

 

[Bubbles]

What's about these anonymous troops? With how many characters do you fight your typical battle, e.g. capturing a city?

Two anonymous troops plus your general accompany you on the main conquest mission, while about 6 troops + one of your main NPCs go on a side mission to sabotage a gate or somesuch. Those missions are usually only offered when attacking cites, otherwise you only have one mission with your core group, two troops and no general.

 

[Whisper]

I fought few missions, but already mission with Naurim first appearance where you need escape ambush and loot 4 chests - was tactical and required some thinking and planning.

 

[abnaxus]

If this game fails, worst that can happen is that Daedalic returns to exclusively developing adventure titles.

 

[made]

Sounds like a step backwards in every respect. What about the C&C? First game had a lot of fake choices that amounted to nothing. Did they improve that at least?

 

[Bubbles]

Sounds like a step backwards in every respect. What about the C&C? First game had a lot of fake choices that amounted to nothing. Did they improve that at least?

It has some dialogue choices that unlock optional dialogue. There's also an optional battle and an optional objective during the final fight depending on how you develop Takate. I highly doubt that the actual end state can change at all though - IIRC it's even been incorporated into the setting's canon for the next edition.

I also noticed nothing at all about Zurbaran's development expect that he can either fall in love or not. Maybe that's his major piece of C&C?

You can also either condemn several people to death or let them live and never hear from them again. This changes the general public's opinion of you between hated and loved (because I guess rumors travel fast when you're in a camp full of religious fanatics who have sworn an oath of silence) but you can completely change that opinion during the epilogue.

As far as the ending is concerned, the difference between being a loving paragon of justice and a brutal butcher is

Spoiler

if you're good, the people storm the palace because they love you, if you're bad they storm the palace because they want to depose you

 

[Mortmal]

Blackguards was already in the mass market.

Blackguards 2 sells not so much yet, because
a) the game is too expensive on Steam - compare Amazon.de
b) contrary to the beginning of 2014 every CRPG gamer has a huge backlog of good roleplaying games right now

That's true but it's not selling because crpg gamer dont like challenging turn based that much too .Blackguard had some hype with kickstarter but almost no one finished it, even here its not popular, few votes on felipepe poll. Reading steam success list "finished chapter 5" achievement is 6.7%, why would they buy the sequel of a game they never finished .I bet grimrock 2 did not fare much better for the same reason, i dont remember it lasting very long on the top 10 either. MMX not selling enough either apparently,no sequel in Ubisoft pipeline.
Hope they wont can the ip, but i already know how it will end.
Therpg backlog is not that huge for me only a few are really worth playing.

 

[Gord]

Blackguard had some hype with kickstarter

I think it was on Early Access, but never a Kickstarter.

 

[twincast]

I think it was on Early Access, but never a Kickstarter.

Yup.

 

[Severian Silk]

Sure, why not? I'm sure it'll be a fun and enriching experience.

This is the first step to adminship.

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

Sure, why not? I'm sure it'll be a fun and enriching experience.

I already feel enriched.

 

[Whisper]

That's true but it's not selling because crpg gamer dont like challenging turn based that much too .Blackguard had some hype with kickstarter but almost no one finished it, even here its not popular, few votes on felipepe poll. Reading steam success list "finished chapter 5" achievement is 6.7%, why would they buy the sequel of a game they never finished .I bet grimrock 2 did not fare much better for the same reason, i dont remember it lasting very long on the top 10 either. MMX not selling enough either apparently,no sequel in Ubisoft pipeline.
Hope they wont can the ip, but i already know how it will end.
Therpg backlog is not that huge for me only a few are really worth playing.

I dont understand: out of 100% players only 6,7% finished game?

 

[Gord]

Only 2/3 of all players even made it through the prologue. Although I guess that's due to bundles as well...
Also I don't know about others, but for me achievement-tracking in Blackguards is wonky. There are several I should have that did not get unlocked. Doubt it makes for a significant portion of players not getting the finished the game achievement, though.

 

[vonAchdorf]

Another sign, that preorders / sales weren't that great. Amazon reimbursed me 5€ for the preorder of the premium edition - that's 25€ for the game (on Disk and with a Steam key), the soundtrack on CD, a manual and a strategy guide, that makes the game (too) cheap (I paid nearly twice as much for Blackguards 1).

I think their marketing (and the whole approach to the game) is to blame. Apparently the focus on the story and the "grim dark / crazy" didn't click with the audience. It also seems that if you want a fixed protagonist, don't make him / her too edgy. Fixed female protagonist who is disfigured and crazy is too much.

I don't like the omission of attributes, but it's not as bad as one could expect. I also don't unterstand why they tried to streamline the game when they - on the other hand - made it less accessible to newcomers by expecting them to create a character from scratch without the possibility to pick a pregenerated archetype everyone knows. This way, you manage to piss of both veterans and newcomers.

I also don't like the hub system, where from the beginning, you have to elderly guys representing super trainers for every skill in the ruleset. Why build a world and a story, go for immersion with a "deep character" and then ruin it with the inclusion of two old men who mastered every skill and spell available.

The battle maps where ok and after a few of them, I started to like the game again, but one more advice to the designers: Making a map where you have to flee instead of being allowed to tryout the newly acquired skills and team members is stupid.

 

[CreepyJohn_Daedalic]

What about the C&C? First game had a lot of fake choices that amounted to nothing. Did they improve that at least?

Most decisions in the game influence cassias reputation in the populace. I'm talking about decisions like

Spoiler

freeing or hanging prisoners, rumours that Zurbaran can spread about you, but above all your decisions as ruler of Mengbilla.

So yes, you can win back the peoples hearts as ruler,

Spoiler

but that's after your conquest of mengbilla. The consequences of being cruel will hit you before that.

There is also C&C regarding your companions. For example: The C&C regarding Naurim

Spoiler

are about invoking his old wrath or calming him down in dialogues. His stats can rise, but there is a catch to it.

I also noticed nothing at all about Zurbaran's development expect that he can either fall in love or not. Maybe that's his major piece of C&C?

The C&C regarding Zurbaran

Spoiler

are linked to Niobe and the creators, their melodies, etc. Also his stats can rise depending on your decisions.

You can also either condemn several people to death or let them live and never hear from them again.

One example:

Spoiler

What about the prisoners that spawn on the enemy side during the following battle, if you let them free?

Another example:

Spoiler

What about the blind emissary that you can meet in Cuoris if you allow him to live?

At last a short introduction: Hi, I`m John, or "Johannes Kiel". I worked as producer on Blackguards 2.

 

[DefJam101]

a challenger appears

 

[Volrath]

At last a short introduction: Hi, I`m John, or "Johannes Kiel". I worked as producer on Blackguards 2.

Cool. This begs the following question: what the fuck where you guys thinking?