KickStarter Dungeon Kingdom: Sign of the Moon, a realtime dungeon crawler - now available on Early Access

[kanda]

Chaos Strikes Back as main inspiration? Color me impressed. I do think it's one of the best dungeon crawlers ever. So if you can deliver the same quality of dungeon design + improved AI + physics, I'll be your number one fan. Well, maybe number 2, right after octavius.

Jaesun It's not just about tension (though that is super important), it's also about real-time monster movement as an additional challenge/additional tactics. Knowing the monsters' movement patters, gating them off, etc. Also, atmosphere-wise, it's the feeling of a "living" dungeon. CSB did that in an unparalleled way.

I think there's actually at least some tactical potential still remaining untapped in the real-time grid-based dungeon crawler genre (whether party-based or not -- your party is just an additional resource thingy here as far as I'm concerned). Grimrock was extremely simplistic in this regard, true, but DM + CSB weren't, and there are still things left to build upon.

Yes, i think i mentioned it here, but CSM is my main reference and for me on of the best level design so far. Very hard (i played it for the first time before Dungeon Master !) but really worth playing.

Also, using the environment in Chaos/Dungeon Master can sometimes save your life !

 

[octavius]

I will forever remember in Chaos Strikes Back the huge room made of fake walls with a lot of Red Dragons behind these illusions.

One of my favourite gaming moments was defeating those Red Dragons. The key was to use my hearing to actually hear (since you couldn't see them!) where the dragons moved, and then do the two step dance accordingly. Fortunately the dragons behind the illusionary walls were all all the smaller kinds of dragon that don't take "forever" to kill, but it was still nerve wracking knowing that just one mis step meant being roasted.

 

[kanda]

I will forever remember in Chaos Strikes Back the huge room made of fake walls with a lot of Red Dragons behind these illusions.

One of my favourite gaming moments was defeating those Red Dragons. The key was to use my hearing to actually hear (since you couldn't see them!) where the dragons moved, and then do the two step dance accordingly. Fortunately the dragons behind the illusionary walls were all all the smaller kinds of dragon that don't take "forever" to kill, but it was still nerve wracking knowing that just one mis step meant being roasted.

hear them or receive their fireball :D

 

[Magellan]

This 1000 times. You have to capture that. Like when the party first come upon a rust monster in Dungeon Master, and discovers you need to STAY THE FUCK AWAY FROM THEM (don't get close to them).

Then when you are exploring around, and you then hear one of those bastards again, but you don't know where they are....

Kanda,

As Jaesun and Gozma said: Keep the tension high! That's probably the best advantage a RT blobber could have, a good tense fear factor.

Also, as Jaesun suggested in another post: Dungeon Kingdom: Sign of the Moon is a pretty cool name.

Lastly, (as just about everybody thinks), try to avoid the square dancing/mambo style gameplay as much as possible. A little is tolerable, but a lot like Grimrock isn't good. I'm not quite sure how you achieve that, maybe it's all about the correct game balance (not forcing the player to adapt the dancing strategy to have any chance). Somehow encourage the player to stand and fight.

 

[Crooked Bee]

I'm not sure encouraging the player to stand and fight is the best idea. Why make it real-time at all in that case? Do encourage the player to move around, but so that the player would use the environment (dungeon design) to his/her advantage and not just circle-strafe around the enemy.

Pretty sure the dev knows that already though, given the CSB inspiration.

 

[Magellan]

I'm not sure encouraging the player to stand and fight is the best idea. Why make it real-time at all in that case? Do encourage the player to move around, but so that the player would use the environment (dungeon design) to his/her advantage and not just circle-strafe around the enemy.

Pretty sure the dev knows that already though, given the CSB inspiration.

Very well said Crooked Bee.

Yes, if we are able to use the environment to our advantage, but can avoid circle strafing, this would definitely be incline.

 

[Mortmal]

The square dancing is part of the genre i remember too using it really for the very hard encounters , dragons, lord chaos(that clever encounter with using the lighnting cages...) etc. The things that can be improved from grimrocks is definitively the difficulty settings .Its way easier than the classics , especially chaos strikes back , the tension wasnt high indeed. Its extremely hard to create that feeling in a game although.

I can understand why they want to start from scratch rather than moding .Grimrock was a good DM clone but maybe casualized a bit too much . It was missing physics , real food and drink management ,it was really too trivial and never got bothered by it at all ..Hope the character stats will be more coherent, oddly investing in dex for a rogue is subpar , strengh was the way to go.The spell system does not allow the same freedom as DM either . The only things it was really improving was the graphics.

 

[kanda]

Hello Everyone !
The crowd-funding campaign for Dungeon Kingdom is now LIVE on Indiegogo!
Go here:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dungeon-kingdom-sign-of-the-moon/x/8516640
And please, spread the word share it to your friends ! Thanks so much in advance !!!!
Regards
kanda

 

[flabbyjack]

kanda
If I could design one creature it would be a minotaur who would charge through the party and end up in the tile behind the party. Win!

I would like combat to be real-time and you should make melee attacks automatically fire so I don't have to keep clicking the weapon icons. This will let the player focus more on moving and casting spells.

I agree with the others about tension, especially proper use of sound. This includes ambient music, which must be custom to the environment and the atmosphere you have established. One of my most chilling memories of gaming was 'Silent Hill 1' where you had a broken radio and as the enemies got nearer the static would get louder and louder.

 

[kanda]

kanda
If I could design one creature it would be a minotaur who would charge through the party and end up in the tile behind the party. Win!
I would like combat to be real-time and you should make melee attacks automatically fire so I don't have to keep clicking the weapon icons. This will let the player focus more on moving and casting spells.
I agree with the others about tension, especially proper use of sound. This includes ambient music, which must be custom to the environment and the atmosphere you have established. One of my most chilling memories of gaming was 'Silent Hill 1' where you had a broken radio and as the enemies got nearer the static would get louder and louder.

minotaur is indeed great subject

About the combats, in real time and make melee attacks automatically fire, you know what ? I had initially planned, especially with mobile in mind, that we could change the way to handle the heroes: instead of attacking with all heroes, you only focus on...yourself...And the other heroes of the team would attack kinda autonomously.

All you would have to do about with heroes would be to equip them and somehow give instructions about the strategy to each of them. But i felt we would be to far from Dungeon Master's spirit.
I also thought about an option with a single attack button, with attacker selection to change automatically once an attack is launched : the first hero attacks, the hero 2 is automatically selected, press again the attack button, the hero 2 attack and the hero 3 get selected. But again, is it really in Dungeon Master's spirit ? of course not .

Well suited for mobiles, but would be kinda a different game.
Perhaps should add those features as optional...but it would mean that some people will play differently..And more work...So perhaps if the
indiegogo is a success and if some other pledgers are interested by this feature.

Remember you can support us and share
http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/dungeon-kingdom-sign-of-the-moon/x/8516640

Thanks for your inputs.

 

[GlutenBurger]

The "mobile" thing is kind of throwing me off. I can see a decent turn based dungeon crawler being adaptable to current hand helds, but a decent real time one? I'm not so sure. Do mobiles really have enough buttons?

 

[Mortmal]

A full french team , ah thats why we got good art for once !
The gameplay video is convincing, i noticed you change the scorpion sounds effects in the last one , thats a good thing, it was not fitting at all in first vid



Indie gogo amount of 9000 euros is very low, can expect it to succeed with a little advertisement . I suggest writing a post on canard pc forums roo. Rpgfrance forum maybe , altough its probably little to no traffic.

 

[MasterSmithFandango]

I like the art style and I'm always in the market for a dungeon crawler...

But fuck, make it turn based.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

my kingdoms for no more real-time dungeons blobbers.

 

[kanda]

The "mobile" thing is kind of throwing me off. I can see a decent turn based dungeon crawler being adaptable to current hand helds, but a decent real time one? I'm not so sure. Do mobiles really have enough buttons?

well it works quite well, and we have spent a lot of time to find the best ergonomy to achieve it !!! Everything is designed / placed in the UI so it works fine even for real time action. I admit that small phone is not the best candidate, but it works, and tablets are great, i was suprised how good it is on this kind of devices.

 

[Magellan]

Backed!

 

[kanda]

Backed!

Thanks so much !!!

 

[Waterd]

I hate all this not turn based, not really frenetic real time . As someone said, make it turn based or make it something like Heretic 2, but this in the middle abusable systems, really are the worst.

 

[kanda]

I hate all this not turn based, not really frenetic real time . As someone said, make it turn based or make it something like Heretic 2, but this in the middle abusable systems, really are the worst.

I understand your point of view, it's a matter of taste and i respect it...But i disagree that it should be either turn based or like Heretic 2! There are many great games between those two worlds.
And sincerely there is still a lot of players who love this genre, born with Dungeon Master.

 

[mastroego]

Well I was about to pledge but:

- You guys are French! That wasn't part of the deal! You French still owe me for Endless Space. Yeah I bought it and it sucked. No ok, seriously, this isn't the real reason I haven't pledged (...)
- Couldn't there be an option where I buy the Digital Game and my name doesn't get anywhere? Would seem simple enough. Oh, I know, nobody even reads them, but it's a matter of style, you know. This isn't how I operate

(French! That hurt)

 

[Magellan]

Backed!

Thanks so much !!!

Happy to support (potential)

 

[Prints]

I'm hoping this turns into a real thing. Crazy similar to Grimlock but I liked that game anyway so another one is fine w/ me.

 

[kanda]

Well I was about to pledge but:
- You guys are French! That wasn't part of the deal! You French still owe me for Endless Space. Yeah I bought it and it sucked. No ok, seriously, this isn't the real reason I haven't pledged (...)
- Couldn't there be an option where I buy the Digital Game and my name doesn't get anywhere? Would seem simple enough. Oh, I know, nobody even reads them, but it's a matter of style, you know. This isn't how I operate
(French! That hurt)

What happened with EndlessSpace ?

About credits, of course nobody is forced to, we'll ask to all backers before we do. That's sounds normal to do. respect for privacy is important !!!
Thanks
Regards !

 

[iZerw]

Never played Grimrock but I love DM. I have some questions for kanda :
1. The champs of DM have several modes of attacking such as War Cry, Punch etc. Will you implement something like this?
2. Will be any crafting system in the game like making food from several ingredients or poison? Will weapons be moddable, will I be able to use a poison on a blade, construct a stone axe for example (like rope + rock + stick) or restore a powerful but broken weapon which parts are scattered through several levels of the dungeon?
3. Any recruitable NPC? What is the max number of chars in the party?
4. What about XP and skill system? Will it be like in DM or EoB?

 

[mastroego]

Ok, then, pledged for the finished digital version (not much free time to playtest sorry)

Oh, and nothing special happened with Endless Space, it just seemed cool, I bought it, and it sucked (maybe I'm too harsh, let's say it's somewhat boring)