Game News Knights of the Chalice 2 Released

[Tacgnol]

JF seems to have gotten through to him about the price, the issue is, as I've previously mentioned, he literally can't change the price on steam now for a few months. (Three possibly? I'm not sure what the exact policy is)

I'm not entirely sure if I did, but I think he realized I have a point. I'll write him another email in a month or two with some evidence to back up my claims of lowering the price being a good idea:

- a bunch of screenshots from the Codex thread where people reacted with "what the fuck that price" on release day
- a bunch of screenshots from other sites where people stated the same sentiment
- Steam pages of other games within the subgenre that have similar (or even higher) production values to KotC2 but are priced much cheaper: Age of Fear series, Telepath Tactics Liberated, Dungeon of Naheulbeuk (MUCH bigger production values but still 5€ cheapter than KotC2 lmao)

My suggestion would be a price of 24.99€, which would be comparable to the price of the Age of Fear games.
Since his future business strategy of the game is to supply it with additional adventure modules (three of his own making, and then a bunch of fan-made ones following the revenue share model), a lower cost of entry means a larger potential customer base for the DLC modules.

He always eventually seems to come to the right decision, let's just hope it doesn't take him another decade like it did with KOTC on Steam and GOG.

 

[Alphons]

(Three possibly? I'm not sure what the exact policy is)

2 months.

Q: How often can I change the price of my product?
A: We suggest that you wait at least two months after release before you change your price. That is the same period of time you should wait until you first offer a discount on your title.

 

[Tyranicon]

If you're going to price your game at near AAA prices, the best strategy would've been to apply a launch discount, and then to participate in sales as often as you can. IIRC on Steam, you can have custom discounts every six weeks (I think they just changed this to much shorter). Sales give you a lot of visibility on the storepage, which should offset the price somewhat.

At any rate, the time to set a price was before launch, it's much too late now. If Pierre lowers the price too quickly, buyers will feel cheated (rightfully so).

 

[JarlFrank]

If you're going to price your game at near AAA prices, the best strategy would've been to apply a launch discount, and then to participate in sales as often as you can. IIRC, you can have custom discounts every six weeks (I think they just changed this to much shorter). Sales give you a lot of visibility on the storepage, which should offset the price somewhat.

At any rate, the time to set a price was before launch, it's much too late now. If Pierre lowers the price too quickly, buyers will feel cheated (rightfully so).

Best point to lower the base price is when he releases the first DLC module, and couple that with a launch discount on the DLC module for owners of the base game.

 

[Mortmal]

If you're going to price your game at near AAA prices, the best strategy would've been to apply a launch discount, and then to participate in sales as often as you can. IIRC on Steam, you can have custom discounts every six weeks (I think they just changed this to much shorter). Sales give you a lot of visibility on the storepage, which should offset the price somewhat.

At any rate, the time to set a price was before launch, it's much too late now. If Pierre lowers the price too quickly, buyers will feel cheated (rightfully so).

Backer price was high too, sounded too hefty but after playing it, you know its worth it. Thats why we cant have good things anymore , that's not even the amount of money people put into buying a world of warcraft mount, nothing compare to the amount of money the average guy put in his shitty games microtransactions. Kids on fortnite are spending a lot more on their skins . Yet i see grow up men , nerds, harcore rpg enthusiasts , many doing lot of money on IT not willing to buy a full game at 40 euros.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

• "Advanced emergent Artificial Intelligence. Enemies act as a group and support each other. They can use special actions like Grapple, Trip, Disarm, Sunder, Feint, Bull Rush, Ready Versus Spell or Swallow Whole and other tactics like taking a Five-Foot step before casting Maximised Fireball. They might use a Wind spell to dissipate the player's Acid Fog.
  
• Omnipresent help files and clear in-game feedback on the results of each dice roll, saving throw, attack roll, modifiers and so on. A similar feature exists in Temple of Elemental Evil."

Omnipresent? GOD HELPS US?

Did someone say there will be add-on modules? No season pass? I'll really wait for more reviews on those that extensively play and not just boot it up and play a few battles through a tutorial area. Hopefully there are sone vids where they don't play music so i can hear the sound effects. Hopefully I can get a crisp look at the animation as some people record shit vids. The price? <Shrugs> It is what it is for now.

I guess the manual is online:
https://www.heroicfantasygames.com/HowToPlay.htm

I would have liked a pdf but perhaps the tutorial is that awesome being OMNIPRESENT!

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

BLARG!!!!!!

 

[GloomFrost]

Soooo any good? Especially compared to lets say TOEE?? I am still really buthurt btw after buying Soylasta.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

God I'm an fucking clueless idiot!

DOH!

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

Why is no one making a game with Mentzer Vasic rules or 1e of 2e or a retroclone close to those?

 

[luj1]

Soooo any good? Especially compared to lets say TOEE?? I am still really buthurt btw after buying Soylasta.

It's great, got me hooked after the first encounter

Let me add Im a fan of sprites in Dark Sun and first KotC and I whined against tokens, but I ended up prefering them actually

The only problem is deciding what to play lol

 

[Galdred]

Well, I think he's right. You can't launch with a price and then immediately lower it without pissing a lot of people off. Even lowering it later tends to rustle people's jimmies for whatever reason.

That's why a launch discount would have been a good idea:
A lot of Steam users do filter their WL with only discounted games, and having a percentage off some arbitrary number makes it looks like a better deal.
I think 39.99 with a 10% launch discount works much better than 34.99 without it on Steam.

 

[Fireblade]

Let me add Im a fan of sprites in Dark Sun and first KotC and I whined against tokens, but I ended up prefering them actually

Same. I wasn't even going to buy the game if he didn't add sprites, because I thought I hated the tokens. But now that I bought the game and am playing it, I find myself switching into tokens mode during combat almost always (makes positioning much clearer) and then sometimes forgetting to switch back when combat is done. They grow on you pretty quickly. But also, the sprites aren't that great.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

See.... POGS FOR THE WIN!

 

[Mortmal]

I just calculated how much i was paying for rpgs as a kid , with a cumulated inflation estimated at 75.9% from 1988 to 2022. Let see pool of radiance on C64 , 269 francs exactly which translates into 72 euros , compare to pierre's 40 euro price tag... Dungeon master on amiga , 295 francs so 79 euros.Those were small team games too. 3290 Fr for my gaming machine so 882 euros, seems about same today pricing stay coherent. Those were the best games released this year. No discounts, ever...
We have it easy nowadays games are really cheap.

 

[Drowed]

Let me add Im a fan of sprites in Dark Sun and first KotC and I whined against tokens, but I ended up prefering them actually

Same. I wasn't even going to buy the game if he didn't add sprites, because I thought I hated the tokens. But now that I bought the game and am playing it, I find myself switching into tokens mode during combat almost always (makes positioning much clearer) and then sometimes forgetting to switch back when combat is done.

The truth is that Pierre is a genius troll. People complained so much about the lack of sprites (me included) that he decided to use the most horrible sprites available on the face of the Earth, so the tokens became extremely nice by comparison.

 

[JarlFrank]

I've been telling you guys that the tokens are fine for 2 years. Should have listened.

 

[Replicante]

if you don't use tokens the only way to show hp is by hovering over units which makes it hard to keep track of the battlefield situation. I suggested an option to display HP values in initiative TAB.

 

[Mortmal]

I've been telling you guys that the tokens are fine for 2 years. Should have listened.

Only the art used on them was catastrophicaly bad, they were perfectly functional, the sprites are ok but bring nothing and no mantis nor centaurs. They are a waste of time and money, which is fine as by now everyone knows pierre hate money.

 

[KeighnMcDeath]

I just calculated how much i was paying for rpgs as a kid , with a cumulated inflation estimated at 75.9% from 1988 to 2022. Let see pool of radiance on C64 , 269 francs exactly which translates into 72 euros , compare to pierre's 40 euro price tag... Dungeon master on amiga , 295 francs so 79 euros.Those were small team games too. 3290 Fr for my gaming machine so 882 euros, seems about same today pricing stay coherent. Those were the best games released this year. No discounts, ever...
We have it easy nowadays games are really cheap.

Indeed!

Look at old old ads of computers, software, competitors, and localization. Watch the histories from some of the youtubers to get a better feel. Who'd pay $300 for a vic-20

"Introductory price US$299.95 (equivalent to $850 in 2020)

Competing entry-level machines like the Atari 400 and the TRS-80 Color Computer cost $399 and $499 respectively.

Commodore 64
Release date August 1982
Introductory price US$595 (equivalent to $1,600 in 2020)

ZX Spectrum At just £125 ($200), however, the ZX Spectrum was incredibly cheap. The Commodore 64 cost $600. The BBC Micro, made by Sinclair's arch rival

Nintendo Entertainment System
Top: NES Control Deck (with detachable controllers). Bottom: Family Computer ("Famicom") main unit (with hardwired controllers).
Lifespan 1983–2003 (Famicom) 1985–1995 (NES)
Introductory price ¥14,800 (Japan) US$179(equivalent to $465.11 in 2020)

Sega master system
The console was launched in September 1986 at a price of $200 (equivalent to $472 in 2020), including the games Hang-On and Safari Hunt


Console Year Original Price 2020 Price
Magnavox Odyssey 1972 $99 $611.21
Atari 2600 1977 $199 $842.41
Intellivision 1980 $299 $916.46
ColecoVision 1982 $175 $465.56
Atari 5200 1982 $269 $713.45
NES 1985 $199 $478.92
Sega Master System 1986 $199 $469.36
TurboGrafx-16 1989 $199 $415.12
Sega Genesis 1989 $189 $394.26
Neo-Geo 1991 $649 $1,238.52
SNES 1991 $199 $376.99
3DO 1993 $699 $1,246.96
Atari Jaguar 1993 $249 $443.89
PlayStation 1995 $299 $507.28
Sega Saturn 1995 $399 $681.39
Nintendo 64 1996 $199 $327.78
Dreamcast 1999 $199 $308.06
PlayStation 2 2000 $299 $446.64
GameCube 2001 $199 $291.57
Xbox 2001 $299 $438.08
Xbox 360 2005 $299/$399 $393.30/$524.83
Wii 2006 $249 $321.19
PlayStation 3 2006 $499/$599 $643.67/$772.66
Wii U 2012 $299/$349 $337.57/$394.02
PlayStation 4 2013 $399 $444.96
Xbox One 2013 $499 $556.48
PlayStation 4 Pro 2016 $399 $429.69
Nintendo Switch 2017 $299 $318.77
Xbox One X 2017 $499 $525.80
Nintendo Switch Lite 2019 $199 $201.45
Xbox Series S/X 2020 $299/$499 $299/$499
PlayStation 5 Digital/Disc 2020 $399/$499 $399/$499"

https://www.ign.com/articles/comparing-the-price-of-every-game-console-with-inflation

 

[Mortmal]

Why is no one making a game with Mentzer Vasic rules or 1e of 2e or a retroclone close to those?

Maybe spending years on developping a crpg , to end up with 41 top steam player count, no one willing to pay , and countless complaints on forums , is not really motivating anyone to do it.

 

[Darth Roxor]

I've been telling you guys that the tokens are fine for 2 years. Should have listened.

Only the art used on them was catastrophicaly bad

i have no idea what you mean

 

[Tyranicon]

I've been telling you guys that the tokens are fine for 2 years. Should have listened.

Only the art used on them was catastrophicaly bad

i have no idea what you mean

-Notices Dawn of War icons being used-

A man of taste.

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

I just calculated how much i was paying for rpgs as a kid , with a cumulated inflation estimated at 75.9% from 1988 to 2022. Let see pool of radiance on C64 , 269 francs exactly which translates into 72 euros , compare to pierre's 40 euro price tag... Dungeon master on amiga , 295 francs so 79 euros.Those were small team games too. 3290 Fr for my gaming machine so 882 euros, seems about same today pricing stay coherent. Those were the best games released this year. No discounts, ever...
We have it easy nowadays games are really cheap.

Indeed!

Look at old old ads of computers, software, competitors, and localization. Watch the histories from some of the youtubers to get a better feel. Who'd pay $300 for a vic-20

"Introductory price US$299.95 (equivalent to $850 in 2020)

Competing entry-level machines like the Atari 400 and the TRS-80 Color Computer cost $399 and $499 respectively.

Commodore 64
Release date August 1982
Introductory price US$595 (equivalent to $1,600 in 2020)

ZX Spectrum At just £125 ($200), however, the ZX Spectrum was incredibly cheap. The Commodore 64 cost $600. The BBC Micro, made by Sinclair's arch rival

Nintendo Entertainment System
Top: NES Control Deck (with detachable controllers). Bottom: Family Computer ("Famicom") main unit (with hardwired controllers).
Lifespan 1983–2003 (Famicom) 1985–1995 (NES)
Introductory price ¥14,800 (Japan) US$179(equivalent to $465.11 in 2020)

Sega master system
The console was launched in September 1986 at a price of $200 (equivalent to $472 in 2020), including the games Hang-On and Safari Hunt


Console Year Original Price 2020 Price
Magnavox Odyssey 1972 $99 $611.21
Atari 2600 1977 $199 $842.41
Intellivision 1980 $299 $916.46
ColecoVision 1982 $175 $465.56
Atari 5200 1982 $269 $713.45
NES 1985 $199 $478.92
Sega Master System 1986 $199 $469.36
TurboGrafx-16 1989 $199 $415.12
Sega Genesis 1989 $189 $394.26
Neo-Geo 1991 $649 $1,238.52
SNES 1991 $199 $376.99
3DO 1993 $699 $1,246.96
Atari Jaguar 1993 $249 $443.89
PlayStation 1995 $299 $507.28
Sega Saturn 1995 $399 $681.39
Nintendo 64 1996 $199 $327.78
Dreamcast 1999 $199 $308.06
PlayStation 2 2000 $299 $446.64
GameCube 2001 $199 $291.57
Xbox 2001 $299 $438.08
Xbox 360 2005 $299/$399 $393.30/$524.83
Wii 2006 $249 $321.19
PlayStation 3 2006 $499/$599 $643.67/$772.66
Wii U 2012 $299/$349 $337.57/$394.02
PlayStation 4 2013 $399 $444.96
Xbox One 2013 $499 $556.48
PlayStation 4 Pro 2016 $399 $429.69
Nintendo Switch 2017 $299 $318.77
Xbox One X 2017 $499 $525.80
Nintendo Switch Lite 2019 $199 $201.45
Xbox Series S/X 2020 $299/$499 $299/$499
PlayStation 5 Digital/Disc 2020 $399/$499 $399/$499"

https://www.ign.com/articles/comparing-the-price-of-every-game-console-with-inflation

I bought a 386 PC in 1991 for about $2600 w/ a color monitor I think (1991 dollars). In 1985 or 1986 I bought a Commodore 64 w/ color monitor and floppy disc drive for around $800-1100 in 1986 dollars I believe..before that I had a Texas instruments, TI-99 4a or something with tape recorder for 'disc drive' and also color monitor, think it cost around $900 in 1982 dollars..have no idea how I afforded that shit back then, I was like 10-20 years old in 80's and somehow mostly saved up 'birthday money', and odd job money and went in w/ my brother and bought those things.

 

[PorkaMorka]

It's true that games used to be more expensive in the early 1990s, but they also had better graphics than KOTC2, so it's a questionable comparison.

But seriously if KOTC2 could rise to the level of VGA gold box graphics (and had a similarly clean interface) then a $45 price tag would be completely justifiable.

I know that's a bit unrealistic to expect from a solo dev, but still.