Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Preview Expeditions: Viking October Newsletter: Northmen Raid Gameplay Video, Itemization Details

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,236
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Tags: Expeditions: Viking; Jonas Wæver; Logic Artists; Teemo Ashton

The Expeditions: Viking newsletters of the past few months haven't been too exciting - mostly just recaps of the team's visit to various gaming events. Now that the game is close to release however, things are becoming more interesting. This month's newsletter unveils the first in what will hopefully be a series of "Devs Play" videos, featuring Logic Artists creative director Jonas Waever and community manager Teemo Ashton. Watch as they defend their village from a raid while explaining the game's various novel combat mechanics:



The newsletter also has some details on Expedition: Viking's itemization scheme, which has been adapted for its more realistic setting:

Moving on, we've been looking at item properties. From the get go it was very important to us that supernatural elements, while important to the era, remain ambiguous. Given the right character stats you can seek more plausible explanations for the supernatural encounters in game.

But how does this tie into crafting? We obviously want crafting to be personal and special, but we can't really justify crafting magical weapons while insisting on adhering to historical authenticity either. So we turn to superstition.

An item may gain special properties either through careful attention during crafting (if the crafter has the Artisan skill), or through seeing a lot of use - these properties represent the nostalgic attachment one can develop to weapons tried and tested in battle.

A character's superstition can causes them to act as if the item is indeed special, encouraging feats of strength, reckless aggression, or even lucky saves that they might not have allowed themselves with a "mundane" item.

For example: If a player has a series of critical hits in a row with a weapon, this character might be lead to believe that the weapon itself is thirsty for blood. Thus naming the weapon for it's apparent lust for battle.

Special properties can in some cases be tied to a particular character - though you can equip the item on another character, the property will only take effect when the item is used by the character who has an attachment to it. For example, Eydis (one of our recruitable characters and residen raid mother) starts with her dead husband's helmet and as long as she's wearing it, the helmet gives her a bonus to mental resistance because she feels that her husband is watching over her in battle. Give it to anyone else however, and it's just an old helmet.
As usual, the game looks fantastic. Next month's newsletter will have details about the beta. You might want to sign up for the newsletter yourself if you're interested in that.
 

ArchAngel

Arcane
Joined
Mar 16, 2015
Messages
19,886
I loved how when you engage someone in melee they have to stand up and don't benefit from cover bonus anymore. Very nice mechanic.
 

retamar

Educated
Joined
Apr 7, 2014
Messages
64
I wonder if it's possible to zoom out more.
This, too much back and forward during the combat.

Plus, it is being said before, please guys add a little bit of blood and "meaty" sounds in combat, characters seem to being made of wood.
Did you ever think on including some wrestling moves to melee characters? Tackles, throws, kicks and so...
Game looks really good, I enjoyed quite a lot Expeditions Consquistador and this one seems to be a big improvement from the last one.
 

Tigranes

Arcane
Joined
Jan 8, 2009
Messages
10,350
I really like the sound of the special items - it is as close as you can get to how such weapons would have been mythologised in such situations, and there's potentially great emergent episodes for the weapon to beget a superstition that mirrors remarkable feats by the player / close shaves / etc.
 

Jonas

Campfire Cabal
Developer
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Messages
68
Location
Denmark
This, too much back and forward during the combat.

Plus, it is being said before, please guys add a little bit of blood and "meaty" sounds in combat, characters seem to being made of wood.
Did you ever think on including some wrestling moves to melee characters? Tackles, throws, kicks and so...
Here's a few gifs from later in the newsletter that Infinitron didn't get around to including in the post :)

http://imgur.com/a/OJSYR
http://imgur.com/a/CqfXp

Bear in mind those are in debugging mode, to quote the newsletter: "We've obviously not transformed all our characters and NPC's into helium filled meat balloons, but while we're still setting it up and having some fun with it, we figured we'd share with you all!"
The sound effects have also improved substantially since the demo build was made - now that the gore and dismemberment was in, our sound designer Nils could finally do a proper pass on it, with lots of squishy ickyness.

As for wrestling moves, we're working on a few things - we do have an Unarmed skill and a Throwing skill after all, and they need to unlock appropriate abilities. Just don't expect WWE Viking Version ;)
 

retamar

Educated
Joined
Apr 7, 2014
Messages
64
Thats great Jonas, this game has really catch my eye, you guys are really doing something great here, not easy to get out the comfort zone of the rpgs, everyone is basically making remakes and generic fantasy or post-apocalitic stuff ( not that I do not enjoy them)
 

ArchAngel

Arcane
Joined
Mar 16, 2015
Messages
19,886
This, too much back and forward during the combat.

Plus, it is being said before, please guys add a little bit of blood and "meaty" sounds in combat, characters seem to being made of wood.
Did you ever think on including some wrestling moves to melee characters? Tackles, throws, kicks and so...
Here's a few gifs from later in the newsletter that Infinitron didn't get around to including in the post :)

http://imgur.com/a/OJSYR
http://imgur.com/a/CqfXp

Bear in mind those are in debugging mode, to quote the newsletter: "We've obviously not transformed all our characters and NPC's into helium filled meat balloons, but while we're still setting it up and having some fun with it, we figured we'd share with you all!"
The sound effects have also improved substantially since the demo build was made - now that the gore and dismemberment was in, our sound designer Nils could finally do a proper pass on it, with lots of squishy ickyness.

As for wrestling moves, we're working on a few things - we do have an Unarmed skill and a Throwing skill after all, and they need to unlock appropriate abilities. Just don't expect WWE Viking Version ;)
It would be awesome if you could do some kill animations. It does not need to be anything complicating. An example would be a guy with a shield attacks enemy and that attack will kill him so the animation first shows enemy swing at that shield guy who blocks that and than finishes him off.
Just to add a bit of movie flair to the game's combat.
 

Jonas

Campfire Cabal
Developer
Joined
Mar 5, 2009
Messages
68
Location
Denmark
We did some calculations on that earlier in the project and realised we would need 147 animations to make that happen (at minimum - ideally twice that). At this stage, we'd much rather spend those resources on other things. Maybe we'll release kill cam animations as $10 DLC later ;)
 

Neanderthal

Arcane
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Messages
3,626
Location
Granbretan
Wound wulf and weaver are shook,
the shieldbearer shrugs his skin of iron.
Ready for the steel storm are we,
soon to be chosen or victorious.

Lookin nice as always, keep it up lads.
 

ArchAngel

Arcane
Joined
Mar 16, 2015
Messages
19,886
We did some calculations on that earlier in the project and realised we would need 147 animations to make that happen (at minimum - ideally twice that). At this stage, we'd much rather spend those resources on other things. Maybe we'll release kill cam animations as $10 DLC later ;)
But don't you want to tap into that sweet nuXcom crowd ass ? She is all moist and just waiting for the right guy to come say Hi and she will give you all that she has.
 

Neanderthal

Arcane
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Messages
3,626
Location
Granbretan
You...you monsters!



:negative:

We can still burn catholics, blood eagle folk, slaughter an pillage, bash babies brains out, drink blood from skulls, nail a mans guts to a tree an have him walk round it disembowelling himself though can't we?
 
Last edited:
Self-Ejected

vivec

Self-Ejected
Joined
Oct 20, 2014
Messages
1,149
BTW Jonas , my biggest worry is that the abilities seem very small in number. Are we seeing only a fraction of the total?
 

Crescent Hawk

Cipher
Joined
Jul 10, 2014
Messages
642
Hope the final boss is a Byzantine heavy cavalry unit smacking our blonde asses right into the Varangian guard.
16fcc2926873be902a8d8c6629a7020a.jpg
 

Neanderthal

Arcane
Joined
Jul 7, 2015
Messages
3,626
Location
Granbretan
You know theres bits an pieces in sagas about suits of armour "which no iron can bite," always thought that might be Varangians coming back from Miklgard wi Cataphract armour as shown in that pic.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom