Information Expeditions: Conquistador, Turn-based Tactical RPG Now on Kickstarter

[Szioul]

Seems interesting.

 

[sgc_meltdown]

hex grid awwww yeaah

also it looks gorgeous and the writing appears to be very solid


is it wrong to say that the female character portraits with the steel spanish helmets and big hats with feathers are hot

as a codexian plus all the women with stats shown in the trailer have the Racist trait

finally I too have to urge Avonaeon to at least try out Jagged Alliance 2 for a day, if only to see what your game will be inevitably compared to and to steal good design ideas that aren't already in your game

 

[felipepepe]

Nice, backed it too.

Avonaeon, from what I gathered in the videos, you'll have to manage food, morale and some random events like in King of Dragon Pass, but there's also exploration (more complex than in KoDP, I hope) and the combat seems to be "staged", like in Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea and the likes, not a "fight as you go" gameplay like in JA2... how the game campaign actually flows?

Also, you guys should really give up on the concept of "Kickstarter-only Companion"... make those rewards for all players, like Shadowrun did.

 

[sgc_meltdown]

dammit bros look at this fucking feature list

• Engaging and intricately branching storyline with difficult decisions and long-term consequences.
• A gallery of unique expedition members who chime in during events & conversations and react to your decisions - pay attention to their morale or you may have to deal with mutiny!
• Random events that throw you into danger, present unexpected opportunities, and build relationships with the members of your expedition.
• High replayability - dynamic endings reflect decisions you've made throughout the story, how much gold you bring with you back to Spain, and how many expedition members you've lost (or gained!) along the way.
• Detailed and tactical combat - make use of flanking, traps & barricades, attacks of opportunity, interrupts, cover & concealment, character abilities, and more.
• Character management - unlock special abilities by promoting your expedition members, assign equipment to your troops, and treat injured or sick characters with a triage system.
• Dynamic trading system - barter with different merchants and buy & sell resources based on local market conditions.
• Campaign maps based on actual topological maps of the Dominican Republic and Mexico.

Basic goal - $70,000
Two full campaigns
100 random events
10 character classes
8 weapons (sword, macuahuitl, halberd, huitzauhqui, knife, arquebus, bow, blow pipe)

3 abilities per character class
2 special officer abilities
5 player abilities
16 unique items
Male and female character models


Stretch goal 1 - $100,000
Character ability trees (6-9 abilities per character class)
Greater visual variation in the character models


Stretch goal 2 - $160,000
A third full campaign set in the Inca Empire
50 extra random events
2 extra character classes
8 extra unique items
New Incan character models

now this is the kind of good shit banner saga should have been

I can't help but feel there should be more kinds of items though

 

[Avonaeon]

We're quite overwhelmed at the Codex's enthusiasm and support, and on behalf of the team, we thank you and want you to know we really appreciate it!
Now, to your questions and comments..

I don't see how that engine can produce combat which captures the flavor of the awesome battles that took place during the conquest of Mexico.

It doesn't look like it can handle any authentic tactics, or making the conquistadors hugely outnumbered.

It's true that the combat engine isn't set up for the type of battles such as La Noche Triste, but it was never intended to, as the player arrives on the mainland before Cortés. An alternate reality if you will, a "what if someone had beaten Cortés to the punch?". We're heavily inspired by historical events, but we take certain liberties too, to make sure it functions as a game.

I will say though, there are certainly ways to make the player feel outnumbered, without having to resort to spamming the battle field with enemies. For example, by having a series of battles consecutively without the opportunity to heal your injured in between fights. I'm not saying that we'll do precisely this, but it's a possibility.

finally I too have to urge Avonaeon to at least try out Jagged Alliance 2 for a day, if only to see what your game will be inevitably compared to and to steal good design ideas that aren't already in your game

I'll make a point of it

Avonaeon, from what I gathered in the videos, you'll have to manage food, morale and some random events like in King of Dragon Pass, but there's also exploration (more complex than in KoDP, I hope) and the combat seems to be "staged", like in Final Fantasy Tactics, Disgaea and the likes, not a "fight as you go" gameplay like in JA2... how the game campaign actually flows?

You're pretty spot on. In terms of flow, a very large part of the game takes place on a world map (Think Heroes of Might and Magic), where events are scattered throughout. You travel, and engage these at your leisure, while also keeping in mind that you must hunt for food, which in some cases are events in themselves, but often is a matter of finding hunting grounds on the world map. Food is important, because if you run out, your party's morale slowly start to decrease. It also functions as a currency.

As you travel, you may encounter random events, which sometimes relate to quests you've completed, or failed, before. In general, the majority of events are pre-placed, but many are also unlocked by completing other events. Almost every event has an influence on your party members' morale, and the ones that don't, have other impacts on gameplay (Loss of resources, injuries etc.).

As for the combat, yes they're staged, but some battles have different configurations depending how you handle the event preceding it. In some cases a little foresight and a dash of tactics can change the setup of a battle.

 

[likaq]

iso+tb+cool setting+C&C = OH MY GOD IT'S HEAVEN.




Great graphics btw, I wonder what engine is powering it?

 

[Haraldur]

Is a Linux version feasible? If so, you may be able to get attention from that crowd.

 

[Avonaeon]

I can't help but feel there should be more kinds of items though

So far, the items we have planned are active items that have specific uses in combat, such as traps, barricades, cannons, unique weapons etc. We've talked about adding some more passive items, but right it's a case of "Wait and see". Personally, I hope we can find the time to add more items, but we'll have to see

I wonder what engine is powering it?

We're using Unity, along with our own home-brewed event/dialogue editor. Incidentally, our next devlog post will be about our editor, so keep an eye out for that at www.logicartists.com

Is a Linux version feasible?

We hope so! We're waiting for Unity 4 with regards to this.

 

[Gakkone]

We're using Unity

Inb4 people who give too much of a shit about which engine you use.

 

[Kosmonaut]

Backed this puppy. Although as a descendant of the losing side, I would like to see the game played from the perspective of the aztecs/arawak.

 

[Kalin]

Looked decent until I saw the abundance of female soldiers. Even the charming racist trait cannot absolve the heresy of unwarranted gender equality.

 

[Avonaeon]

Backed this puppy. Although as an descendant of the losing side, I would like to see the game played from the perspective of the aztecs/arawak.

We appreciate your support
If it helps, there are native/Aztec NPCs that you can get as followers throughout the game.

 

[visions]

So far, the items we have planned are active items that have specific uses in combat, such as traps, barricades, cannons, unique weapons etc. We've talked about adding some more passive items, but right it's a case of "Wait and see". Personally, I hope we can find the time to add more items, but we'll have to see

Are you on a hard deadline for any reason? I think that I'm not alone in having the opinion that a somewhat delayed but a more polished game would be vastly preferrable to a rushed and less complete product.

 

[Avonaeon]

Are you on a hard deadline for any reason? I think that I'm not alone in having the opinion that a somewhat delayed but a more polished game would be vastly preferrable to a rushed and less complete product.

I understand your sentiment and believe me we'd love to work longer on the game and add more polish, but it's impossible to say what the financial situation will be once the money from the Kickstarter runs out. By pushing for a hard deadline, we're at least making sure people will get a product.

 

[kaizoku]

Why haven't we heard about you before? Considering you're pretty advanced in game production, it's like a suddenly wild alpaca out of fucking nowhere.

Are you guys indie devs or were/are you being funded by someone so far?

The game features you mention are pretty cool. But the devil lies in the details.
I'm not expecting a demo, in fact I advise not to release one, but seeing a proper gameplay video with commentary in a let's play type of thing would be great. The purpose of the comments would be for things like this "ok so if we took option C then we would ....., but let's take option A and see what happens instead."
Basically I want to see those game features in motion or (for those not implemented yet) and they would play out.
You could also do (instead of the video) a screenshot based let's play.

This setting is really really not my thing. But I'm curious on how factual you will remain to historical facts. For example: would searching or exploring things like the Cities of Gold or the Fountain of Youth something you would be interested in doing?
I underline the difference between searching and exploring. By searching I mean it stays present as a myth. And by exploring I mean that you could indeed find said locations thus making the game incline towards fantasy.

 

[Humanity has risen!]

I always wanted to make a game a lot like this, but from the perspective of the French. You would have helped Samuel de Champlain with mysterious events occurring about the city of Quebec, and it would have involved the natives along with fantasy.

Thanks to this game I'll be able to see an idea similar in spirit come to life.

 

[Rivmusique]

I'm not expecting a demo, in fact I advise not to release one

What the fuck?

Also, you guys should really give up on the concept of "Kickstarter-only Companion"... make those rewards for all players, like Shadowrun did.

Yeah I do not like this either, feels a little like paid dlc. Paying to have a quest or an npc written into the game that all players will see is cool. Unique game additions exclusive to the people who pay more is annoying.

 

[kaizoku]

I'm not expecting a demo, in fact I advise not to release one

What the fuck?

The sad truth is that this ends up having a negative effect, because when some feature is missing or broken then some dumbass goes spamming everywhere the game sucks not realizing the released application is still a WIP.


edit: ... which inevitably affects the kickstarter campaign.

 

[Rivmusique]

I'm not expecting a demo, in fact I advise not to release one

What the fuck?

The sad truth is that this ends up having a negative effect, because when some feature is missing or broken then some dumbass goes spamming everywhere the game sucks not realizing the released application is still a WIP.

Sounds like a beta not a demo. Demos can be released at the same time as the game if necessary, just a short preview of what you're considering buying. I like them, most would just pirate to test it anyway, at least this way it is a smaller download.

 

[Marsal]

...seeing a proper gameplay video with commentary in a let's play type of thing would be great. The purpose of the comments would be for things like this "ok so if we took option C then we would ....., but let's take option A and see what happens instead."
Basically I want to see those game features in motion or (for those not implemented yet) and they would play out.

So a "proper gameplay video" is suddenly desirable to have? Interesting.

I agree, they should show a gameplay video, just like the Dead State guys did. We wouldn't people to pledge blindly, would we now?

 

[PorkaMorka]

Looked decent until I saw the abundance of female soldiers. Even the charming racist trait cannot absolve the heresy of unwarranted gender equality.

Oddly, there were some female conquistadors who may possibly have fought in battles.

For example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/María_Estrada

Let's hope the game doesn't have more than a few though.

 

[thesheeep]

You know that a game is received very well if something as trivial as that is bitched about.

 

[Avonaeon]

Looked decent until I saw the abundance of female soldiers. Even the charming racist trait cannot absolve the heresy of unwarranted gender equality.

Sorry to disappoint. Luckily, there are more than enough male followers to choose from, to ensure an all-male crew. But we also wanted let the player create and all-female crew. It will be remarked upon in the game, though.

Why haven't we heard about you before?

We're pretty young, and we wanted to have something to show before we turned on the charm. We released a game for windows mobile, and while it got a nice reception from its users, we're PC developers at heart and our passion is to make the games we grew up with. It was a good learning experience though.

As for keeping afloat, we're very much indie, and have relied so far on private investors and personal savings.

This setting is really really not my thing. But I'm curious on how factual you will remain to historical facts.

I've mentioned that although we're inspired by historical events, but we take certain liberties, and this certainly extends into the universe as well. We keep everything down to earth and try to give rational descriptions of events and actions. Native/Aztec shamans can curse and terrify enemies for example, but these abilities can be interpreted as placebo and superstition.

Part of what drew us to this setting was all the myths, and we wanted to be able to explore that possibility that some of them might be true. These events are never the main focus of the game though and are something the player has to actively pursue in order to find. I'll leave it at that.

I always wanted to make a game a lot like this, but from the perspective of the French. You would have helped Samuel de Champlain with mysterious events occurring about the city of Quebec, and it would have involved the natives along with fantasy.

Sounds pretty cool And we're happy to oblige, albeit only in spirit

I'm not expecting a demo, in fact I advise not to release one, but seeing a proper gameplay video with commentary in a let's play type of thing would be great.

We wont open beta until after the Kickstarter has ended, but we are planning to release gameplay videos of that type throughout the development.

 

[LibertyRansom]

Nice to see a unique setting for once. Also like the idea of aztec shamans. Pledged.

 

[Stelcio]

Bros, this game makes my cock hard!