The Dark Eye Blackguards 2

[Morkar Left]

I didn't wrote HoMM clone. I wrote they want more HoMM style in it instead of more rpg-elements. Travelling on map doing tactical battles instead of exploring a dungeon. I had hopes they would keep the tactical battles but bring in more dungeon exploration and puzzles instead of "choose which combat you want to do first".

 

[Abu Antar]

I haven't completed Blackguards yet but I am looking forward to this. I feel like BG had some issues when it released but was better balanced after patches. It seems to me that they have a good base to build upon and I am sure the sequel will be good. I also hope that broken healer in the arena stuff will not happen in the sequel.

 

[Infinitron]

http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2014/1583.html

Recently, Daedalic Entertainment revealed plans to release a sequel to their strategy RPG, Blackguards. It's early enough in development that we don't have any screen shots yet, but what we do have is a small gallery for Blackguards 2with a few pieces of artwork.

We'll have more E3 coverage on Blackguards 2 later this week from those among us who talked to Daedalic, so look forward to that! The game itself is due to be released in early 2015.

 

[Infinitron]

Article about Daedalic at IGN: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/06/20/e3-2014-young-publisher-goes-for-the-big-time

Mostly about The Devil's Men but there's also this:

Daedalic’s final project breaks the adventure game streak, opting instead for traditional turn-based RPG gameplay. Blackguards 2 takes the surviving cast from the original and shanghais them into the service of Cassia, a new central protagonist who plans to claim the Shark Throne for herself by systematically conquering various settlements until she can eventually capture the capital city from new king Marwan. Naturally, you’ll choose which settlements to conquer and when, carving your own path down the coast towards the southern tip of Adventuria.

According to Daedalic, the sequel still uses the Dark Eye system (a German pen-and-paper game, apparently) but tweaks the rule set slightly to accommodate fan feedback. For example, you can now take cover, which will probably prove pretty useful when facing off against the game’s new insectoid enemy types.

Marwan is the King? Yikes.

Also, Cassia is a "new central protagonist"? Not sure if trustworthy.

 

[Scroo]

Naturally, you’ll choose which settlements to conquer and when, carving your own path down the coast towards the southern tip of Adventuria

carving your own path down the coast towards the southern tip of Adventuria

Adventuria

 

[abnaxus]

Brabak would be a cool city to visit.

 

[Angthoron]

Adventuria

Are you trying to say that an IGN journalist got something wrong?

What could you possibly know that he doesn't?!

 

[abnaxus]

Marwan is the King? Yikes.

Wasn't he a random slave trader?

 

[Infinitron]

Marwan is the King? Yikes.

Wasn't he a random slave trader?

Not really, he was said to be a powerful aristocrat. I think one of the game's dialogues may have even hinted that he had political ambition, so maybe they were planning this all along.

 

[abnaxus]

Google tells me he was the head of the Slavers' guild. Still don't remember him.

For more drama the despot should instead be Aurelia.

 

[Infinitron]

Google tells me he was the head of the Slavers' guild. Still don't remember him.

He was the fat dude who announced each one of your fights in the arena. The Monterreys (the couple who captured you) were working for him. He also gives you the mission to help his slaveowner buddy with the Moha rebel problem.

 

[Infinitron]

I didn't wrote HoMM clone. I wrote they want more HoMM style in it instead of more rpg-elements. Travelling on map doing tactical battles instead of exploring a dungeon. I had hopes they would keep the tactical battles but bring in more dungeon exploration and puzzles instead of "choose which combat you want to do first".

Whoops, looks like I was wrong and you were right!

http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2014/1607.html

E3 2014: Blackguards 2 Announcement and Details
No footage, but plenty of info!
06.20.14 - 3:18 PM

For Daedalic Entertainment, the next year or two is shaping up to be just as productive as the last couple have been. While at E3 2014, we got the skinny on one of their upcoming titles, the strategy RPG follow-up Blackguards 2. While the game is still in the earliest production stages, we saw some concept art and graphics, as well as lots of details on planned features, many culled from design team and community feedback on the original Blackguards.
Taking place a few years after the conclusion of the first game, Blackguards 2 tells the story of the cunning, ambitious, and generally unscrupulous Cassia, a woman who desires above all else to rule. Her journey will take her all over the southern area of The Dark Eye’s Aventuria (and to a few locations from the previous title), as she seeks out the masters of the Nine Hordes to help her topple the current despot Marwan.

The planned increase in the scale of the game has panned out the figurative view, as you’ll be leading your troops through a variety of tactical maps, taking supply routes, discovering hidden paths, and capturing enemy estates. Compared to the first game, the progression of the story is promised to be less linear and more adaptable based on your choices and performance. There will be a variety of new monsters drawn from the pen-and-paper fiction, along with many new gameplay mechanics. Stamina, line-of-sight, defensive stances, and cover objects are all planned, along with a new mercenary recruitment system. You’ll be able to enlist the aid of these bottom-liners to aid in training, outfitting, and informing your own campaign; spy units, for example, might offer you information that helps you initiate a pincer or surprise attack on a particular skirmish, or else otherwise go into battle better-prepared than you otherwise would have.

It’s too early to say much else about the game, since what we’ve heard is largely conceptual. Development is still quite a ways out, so it’ll be a while before we see anything more fromBlackguards 2. However, if Daedalic’s previous work is any indication, fans of the last game should have plenty to look forward to whenever it eventually does make its grand entrance on the RPG scene.

Blackguard's Bounty?

 

[Markman]

They probably gonna make it like Chapter 3 in the original so rest of you that bitched about lame later chapters can bitch how game feels sandboxy like and with no point in "exploring" cause the story is too shallow.

 

[StaticSpine]

I'm not sure they can make a good sequels with a lot of improvements/gameplay changes and release it next year.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I'm not sure they can make a good sequels with a lot of improvements/gameplay changes and release it next year.

Why not? All they need to do is just recycle the engine and most of the assets, and they can focus fully on just making a new campaign and adding some gameplay changes.

 

[Abu Antar]

I don't want HoMM/King's Bounty type game. Interest decreasing.

 

[FuriousGamer87]

First post impression


After reading the entire thread

I don't want HoMM/King's Bounty type game. Interest decreasing.

Same here. But will put a check on it for new developments. Implementation and execution matters more than the ideas themselves.

 

[StaticSpine]

I'm not sure they can make a good sequels with a lot of improvements/gameplay changes and release it next year.

Why not? All they need to do is just recycle the engine and most of the assets, and they can focus fully on just making a new campaign and adding some gameplay changes.

Still seems too rushed. If they declared it to be a large expansion (new pack of missions) with the same gameplay it'll be okay, but it was announced the game will have a whole new layer of gameplay with territory conquering etc.

For me the whole sequel thing looked like they had an unexpected financial success with Blackguards and decided to make a sequel ASAP to get even more success.

But, of course, time will tell. let's wait for future updates.

 

[Kem0sabe]

Sounds like Kings Bounty, i think they are pushing the Strategy element too far, instead of developing the rpg elements even more.

 

[felipepepe]

Well, the RPG elements and mechanics were all there... they just need more quantity. More items, more companions, more chances for non-combat approach...

 

[Telengard]

But, they do badly have to also do something about the numerous OP combat skills seated on a thin tree. As it is, gain a bunch of experience in one big reward early on, and suddenly you've got triple damage and haste on top of it, giving you two attacks. Which is just ridiculous. As it is, those skills can't even be given to the enemy in full form, because the party would just fall over. Like the enemy do facing you. And all of that, it essentially translates into a whole bunch of I WIN! buttons seated on a thin skill tree, with that thin skill tree allowing quick access to all those I WINS!.

1 chapter of tactical battles and 4 chapters of cakewalk does not balanced and enjoyable gameplay make. They really should change that this time around. But, if they do actually dig into smoothing out the power curve of the game and establishing more game challenge in chapters other than the first, that could get time-consuming. It'd likely require either a fundamental rethink of their skill access system or a rechoosing of which DE skills are used.

 

[Infinitron]

But, they do badly have to also do something about the numerous OP combat skills seated on a thin tree. As it is, gain a bunch of experience in one big reward early on, and suddenly you've got triple damage and haste on top of it, giving you two attacks. Which is just ridiculous. As it is, those skills can't even be given to the enemy in full form, because the party would just fall over. Like the enemy do facing you. And all of that, it essentially translates into a whole bunch of I WIN! buttons seated on a thin skill tree, with that thin skill tree allowing quick access to all those I WINS!.

1 chapter of tactical battles and 4 chapters of cakewalk does not balanced and enjoyable gameplay make. They really should change that this time around. But, if they do actually dig into smoothing out the power curve of the game and establishing more game challenge in chapters other than the first, that could get time-consuming. It'd likely require either a fundamental rethink of their skill access system or a rechoosing of which DE skills are used.

This is like that thing Josh Sawyer was talking about!

I don't think "4 chapters of cakewalk" accurately describes the experience of the majority of players, however. Certainly not Chapter 2.

Heck, the Nameless Cult with their purple buff could rip your ass apart even in the late game, if you didn't have one of those I WINS.

 

[Infinitron]

German Blackguards LP with dev commentary: http://www.twitch.tv/furkay


Scrooge etc, do tell if they have anything interesting to share about Blackguards 2 or anything else.

 

[Scroo]

I just turned it on, so I dunno if they said something about it before.

But right now they spoke about that they didn't play Dark Eye PnP at Daedalic but know a lot about PnP in general, most of them play tabletop in their free time.

Also I asked what they meant by simplifying the game and they actually answered.

They said that simplifying is the wrong word, they want to make it more accessible. They want hardcore complex tactical battles but they want everyone to understand the games and the rules. Didn't specify it further unfortunately.

 

[Infinitron]

I just turned it on, so I dunno if they said something about it before.

Edited my post - the first two hours of the LP have already been archived if you want to watch them later.