KickStarter Monomyth - A first person action RPG/dungeon crawler - now available on Early Access

[Infinitron]

Beta is coming for everybody:

That is why I have decided, that once most of the main quest has been fully patched into the game (roughly beta phase 5) I will open the beta for all backers of the "Pilgrim" level and above (that's everyone who will receive a digital copy of the game).

Like all other beta testers, these backers will receive a dedicated test key, which will be locked before the release of the full game (i.e., this is not the fulfillment of your pledge, and you will receive a separate key at release). I will provide more information on this in the coming updates.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/836367155/monomyth/posts/3603290

State of the Game: Current Progress | Open Backer Beta​

Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!

another month has passed and it's time for another update! This one will be a bit shorter, for reasons I will get into in a moment, so let's start.


Current Progress

Monomyth is now in Beta Phase 1. The beta is basically split into six phases, where the first five are mostly content updates and the last is about polishing.

So the first content update was released in August and it contained demo content ported to the new codebase, as well as some extra areas and level mechanics. Beta testers have already provided useful feedback which I will integrate in the coming weeks.

The Serpent's Bastion has been reworked and patched back into the beta.


Following this update, I originally wanted to work on the game's main hub and trading system. However, I decided to switch beta phases 2 and 3 around. I did this because beta 3 contains a major quest area that existed only as a gray blockout so far. I was concerned about this area and wanted to get to work on it as soon as possible because I felt that much of the original blockout would require a major overhaul. In fact, I decided that a large portion of it was a) not particularly interesting and b) not within the scope of the project. So I restructured the entire thing and now it is more manageable and still becoming one of the more complex areas in the game. It contains the part of your journey that leads you truly into the depths of the earth and verticality is a major aspect of it.

Unfortunately, I cannot show much of the work so far. As expected, this update is probably the most labor-intensive update out of the entire beta and I am in the middle of creating its content. The area's base geometry is almost complete and it should be fully traversable within the coming week.

Verticality in Beta 2 (WIP)


This beta update will probably be released sometime next month. After that, I will continue working on the game's main hub, which is already significantly further along in development.

A good amount of work has already gone into the game's main hub


Open Backer Beta

At the moment, testers are already providing great and in-depth reports on various issues they find in the closed beta. However, as more content is added to the game, the current amount of testers will likely not be enough to properly cover all problems that may still persist.

That is why I have decided, that once most of the main quest has been fully patched into the game (roughly beta phase 5) I will open the beta for all backers of the "Pilgrim" level and above (that's everyone who will receive a digital copy of the game).

Like all other beta testers, these backers will receive a dedicated test key, which will be locked before the release of the full game (i.e., this is not the fulfillment of your pledge, and you will receive a separate key at release). I will provide more information on this in the coming updates.


Until then!

Michael

 

[The_Sloth_Sleeps]

Well, the demo is pretty good actually. I'm glad you didn't use Unity. The labour of love seems to be paying off and you really have something rather good here. I'll have to play the whole game. Also wanted to say, reminds me a lot of a game from 2007, can't recall the title.

 

[Jenkem]

how codexer cucks who donated get beta keys?

 

[Abu Antar]

Latest KS update is here. I'm sorry for posting the link only. I'm not infront of my PC atm.
State of the Game: Current Progress | Gamespot Article

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/836367155/monomyth/posts/3617079

State of the Game: Current Progress | Gamespot Article​

Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!

another month, another update! I am still very busy with beta update 2, which I hope to finish and release very soon. So let's quickly take a look at what has happened over the last couple of weeks!


Current Progress

The area in which most of update 2 takes place is far below the Lysandrian Heartlands. I originally had a different level layout in mind but I decided to rework it into something more manageable (and also more interesting). Now, after about two months of work, the level is about 90% there. It still misses some details and narrative assets, but the lion's share of the work is done.

Update 2 will feature one of the biggest areas in the game. I believe this is a good opportunity to introduce you to Monomyth's fast travel system. Of course, this system can't just be activated through a map menu. Instead, it is a part of the world itself. Players will have to figure out the mechanics of ancient teleporter rooms that can be found all over Lysandria.


Talking of mechanics, update 2 will also introduce a few quest-specific mechanics that are related to the new area. There will be some mining and smelting, and while there is no real crafting system in the game, players will be able to toy with some of the interactive machines that can be found in the area.


I also took a little break from level design and worked on the game's inventory. Not only does Monomyth now feature visually more appealing menus, but the menu interactions have been streamlined to a point where most player/environment interactions can be done from the inventory. Players can now pick up, throw and combine items directly from within the inventory screen. I also integrated the object placement system that I implemented a few weeks ago. This way players will have a much easier time placing fish or pie next to a cooking spot (a recurring problem in the demo).


As a result, the inventory interactions are now a lot more intuitive (and coincidentally, also a lot closer to what Arx Fatalis did).


Gamespot Article

As you probably all know, Monomyth was partly inspired by the King's Field series. Because of that, the project was featured in a Gamespot article on upcoming King's Field-like RPGs. So if you haven't checked that out yet, you can find the article here:

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/m...ew-wave-of-games-is-kings-field/1100-6507649/


And now it's time for me to go back to the mines and finish that beta update 2! Then it's on to updates 3 and 4, which I hope will be finished much faster since most of their level design is already done. Update 4 will also be the last content update before I start polishing everything for the open backer beta. As you can probably already guess, this also means that the release will slip slightly into 2023. Lots of progress has been made but there is still quite a bit of work left to do. I will give you a more detailed overview of the road to release in one of the next updates. Until then!


Best wishes,

Michael

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/m...ew-wave-of-games-is-kings-field/1100-6507649/

"My first impression of the original King's Field (US) was probably similar to that of every other new player: 'This controls terribly and it is aesthetically offensive,'" says independent game designer Michael Alexander Tröls of his first exposure to the game in 2014.

Despite his first impressions, Tröls pushed through those opening hours and, like many other players, discovered a hidden PS1 gem. He moved on to the other King's Field titles and spin-offs and eventually sought more exploration-focused dungeon crawlers on console, but there were few beyond From Software's output. The closest things were the PC games that influenced King's Field like Ultima Underworld, Arx Fatalis, and Eye of the Beholder--but those RPGs are very different from the streamlined and atmospheric style of From Software's output.

So, inspired by what he calls a "severe lack of options," Tröls decided to fill the gap with his own King's Field-inspired RPG, Monomyth, which launches in Fall 2022.

Monomyth
Monomyth is just one of several "King's Field-likes" cropping up recently. These games aim to capture the feeling of From Software's classic dungeon crawlers while modernizing aspects of the experience. Monomyth, for example, features more flexible gameplay systems than From Software's now-archaic dungeon crawlers.

"King's Field is an impressive game in terms of scale, but the feature set is relatively straightforward," says Tröls, alluding to the King's Field series' emphasis on player growth through world exploration rather than grinding experience or skill points. While that makes exploration highly rewarding in King's Field, it's also a comparatively limited RPG experience--something Tröls aims to change in Monomyth.

While Monomyth still features the crisscrossing metroidvania level design of its spiritual progenitors, players have more agency in Monomyth's world through "immersive micro features," as Tröls calls them. These include small touches like "baking bread, fishing, [and] playing instruments," to "more involved systems like different ways to deal with locked doors, or the fire of a torch interacting with different elements in the game world," which allow for more open-ended problem-solving and player expression than one would find in King's Field.

So far, the formula has paid off. "People have actually responded surprisingly well to what I believe is the minimization of comfortability features in favor of immersion," Tröls says about Monomyth's early demo feedback. "I believe that people are more than ready to accept 'unconventional' or 'old-school' design if only they can provide a certain level of immersion."

 

[Crispy]

Looks really nice, Michael. I've got high hopes for this one. Keep at it!

 

[garren]

I freaking love the ambient hums in the background, the teleportation area sounds like straight from Thief, and it's great. This stuff was missing from the steam demo.

Also, if I may offer some criticism, I think some of the assets kinda pop out in a bad way, they look way too pristine and methodologically handplaced, like some of the planks on the ground and walls or the railroad tracks and stuff. Or the plants in that video, they look like they're growing straight out from the rock, could add some moss around or something, I dunno. Need to break the uniform look a bit, make things look more lived-in, worn down.

 

[PorkyThePaladin]

Wasn't this originally inspired by Ultima Underworld? Now, it's King's Field. At this rate, soon it will be inspired by Skyrim and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla....

Just kidding, Looks great, keep up the good work.

 

[Ysaye]

Wasn't this originally inspired by Ultima Underworld? Now, it's King's Field. At this rate, soon it will be inspired by Skyrim and Assassin's Creed: Valhalla....

Just kidding, Looks great, keep up the good work.

Michael has always said that his influences have been:

• Kings Field (Only need to look at the logo....)
• Ultima Underworld
• Arx Fatalis
• Might and Magic Dark Messiah

 

[Gargaune]

This thread's been slacking, I've had to wade into Twatter to get my fix. Here, have some recent videos about hackable sentry turrets:

 

[Narushima]

This game is going to be great.

 

[Skdursh]

This thread's been slacking, I've had to wade into Twatter to get my fix. Here, have some recent videos about hackable sentry turrets:

Cool gimmick, but wish hacking it was a tad more involved than simply flipping a switch.

 

[Narushima]

Cool gimmick, but wish hacking it was a tad more involved than simply flipping a switch.

Like in every game where they make it a Pipe Dream/Mania minigame, or Tetris or something? No, thanks.

 

[Gargaune]

Cool gimmick, but wish hacking it was a tad more involved than simply flipping a switch.

Well, you do have to unlock the control box, so that's something. I think it'll come down to how they're placed, e.g. consider Thief 2's security control consoles - there's no hacking minigame, but you gotta follow the pipes and work your way up there. Well, sometimes.

In general, I'd rather have no minigame than a bad or even middling one. To this day, the only "cracking" minigame I've appreciated is Thief 3's real-time lockpicking. Other than that, Bethesda's lockpicking is okay and everything else is annoying busywork which I'd rather have reduced to DX's ICE Breaker.

 

[Krilmar]

Cool gimmick, but wish hacking it was a tad more involved than simply flipping a switch.

Like in every game where they make it a Pipe Dream/Mania minigame, or Tetris or something? No, thanks.

Maybe not a minigame, but make it use up a consumable or something to make it not as simple.

 

[geno]

Cool gimmick, but wish hacking it was a tad more involved than simply flipping a switch.

Like in every game where they make it a Pipe Dream/Mania minigame, or Tetris or something? No, thanks.

Maybe not a minigame, but make it use up a consumable or something to make it not as simple.

Or just integrate it in the level design so hard ones are the equivalent to find a secret in Quake. I guess the dev will explain the details in the next Kickstarter update.

 

[Narushima]

Maybe not a minigame, but make it use up a consumable or something to make it not as simple.

Aren't lockpicks disposable? I played the demo but I honestly can't remember.

 

[garren]

One thing that drove me crazy in the demo was that flint and tinder was one use only, yet you could pick up torches and use them for a really long time to light things up. Maybe the flint was for candles or something, can't really remember anymore. Maybe they should be more rare but have like 10 uses to balance it out.

 

[LostHisMarbles]

RatTower rushing ahead by a mile here, but assuming this sells well enough for you to continue doing this, would you consider an expansion to this?

Presumably it's a good amount of work for a solid engine you'd easily re-use, yes?
(hint: a lot of people could play UUs/Arx forever given the odd content addition. Just saying)

 

[Sacibengala]

Is there a release date yet?

 

[Infinitron]

Post in the thread yesterday because they saw the Kickstarter update, but don't post the update or any videos from it. Smh



https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/836367155/monomyth/posts/3677917

State of the Game: Video Devlogs​

Hi, dungeon-crawling fans!
I thought this month we could do something a little different, so instead of giving you the usual written update, I created a few video devlogs going into detail on various subjects of the project's development. In particular, the videos focus on the following topics:

• Current Progress
• Sentries
• Telekinesis
• Fire Propagation
• Rune Traps

You can watch them right here or head over to the RatTower Youtube channel, which I plan to use more regularly in the future:





I will probably adapt the format a bit for coming updates. So instead of releasing several videos at once, I might upload material more frequently. Either way, I hope you will enjoy these videos and I will keep you posted!
Best wishes,
Michael

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

I watched those video. This developer is a monoculed gentlemen extraordinaire. This is now on my highly anticipated list.

 

[Gargaune]

That's already very nice, but to spice things up a bit, I made them invisible. But they give off a bit of heat distortion every once in a while and you can hear them when they're really close.

STALKER!

 

[Jenkem]

still NOTHING about the supposed rpgcodex content huh DarkUnderlord