Nevergrind Online - multiplayer blobber

[Trench]

Edit 6/11/22- I guess it merged my posts? Well anyway, Nevergrind Online has just entered early access. I'm still not a developer but thanks for the tag?

Check out store page here https://store.steampowered.com/app/853450/Nevergrind_Online/

Check out twitch streamers (Like Panth) https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Nevergrind Online

Or check out the games wiki https://nevergrindonline.fandom.com/wiki/What_Is_Nevergrind_Online%3F

Ill leave my previous post up as well, minus the stuff about it being in beta etc

Hello I found this neat game (note I am not a developer, I am just a player who is enjoying the game) called Nevergrind Online. its a multiplayer blobber (yes dungeon crawler with up to 5 REAL people doing real time tactical battles). It has inspiration from everquest, diablo, star phantasy, it has 14 classes, procedurally created dungeons and lots of loot to discover.

If you are interested you can watch a short video here by the developer https://youtu.be/Tj1qHf0kJHo?t=91 showing the game play loop and the "vision" behind the game (the "vision" part is a little tongue in cheek)

Or you can jump right into the discord https://discord.gg/qj9JZrEFUc

IMPORTANT-This is for Nevergrind ONLINE, there is an older original game called Nevergrind that you can play right now on your browser (its fun, give it a shot) https://nevergrind.com/ It is NOT multiplayer. The developer will give you a key for you to enter on STEAM in order to participate in the closed beta of Nevergrind ONLINE.

Thank you for reading, blobbers is a genre I have always enjoyed and have struggled to find many in this day and age.

 

[Talby]

Hello fellow game enjoyers.

 

[Rean]

The game is named

Never...grind

Ok.

 

[Norfleet]

How does a blobber work in multiplayer? Who is driving the blob?

Although with the idea of that "Blobania" blobber someone here was talking about awhile back, it WOULD be hilarious to create a "blobber" where all the different players control the character's different bodyparts and have to work together to accomplish basic tasks without falling on their face and dying.

 

[Late Bloomer]

The dev says its going to be 20 USD. Mentioned development cost and server upkeep. Guess their kickstarter failed. This seems like one of those online game that would close down. Regardless, it looks somewhat interesting.

 

[Trench]

The game is named

Never...grind

Ok.

Yeah its kind of a tounge in cheek thing. The game originally (like 10 years ago) started as an everquest fan project but has kind of transformed into its own thing.

 

[Trench]

How does a blobber work in multiplayer? Who is driving the blob?

Although with the idea of that "Blobania" blobber someone here was talking about awhile back, it WOULD be hilarious to create a "blobber" where all the different players control the character's different bodyparts and have to work together to accomplish basic tasks without falling on their face and dying.

So its solo or up to 5 people in a party. The party leader drives the "blob". When combat starts everyone can target their own targets. So the tank can start taunting away at specific trouble mobs. The wizard can target whatever monster will make his AOE ability hit the most targets. The cleric can target monsters to nuke (or melee), or switch to specific party members to heal them.

Most people like not being leader because you can just chill in-between the battles. (I like leading bc the crusader has an ability where they built up magic resistance stacks that fade if they are out of combat too long. So I can keep things MOVING)

 

[Trench]

The dev says its going to be 20 USD. Mentioned development cost and server upkeep. Guess their kickstarter failed. This seems like one of those online game that would close down. Regardless, it looks somewhat interesting.

Imo the dev isnt great at marketing. He launched the kickstarter and didn't really promote it anywhere. He does work a normal job full time though and has a busy family life. This has just been more of a side/passion project for him. From what I know he is doing fine for himself money wise. Some of us even offered to directly give him donations when the kickstarter didnt succeed and he said "No, I hate money". Lol.

So this isn't some quick cash grab.

I wouldn't really call the game a MMO, its more like diablo 2. Where you can solo or party up and if you want to trade with other players you have a theoretical "mmo community" to trade with. Just think of Diablo 2.

But hey even if you are still unsure you can join the discord, ask for a beta key. Throw it into steam and try it out for yourself. Interact with the community or leave the server and enjoy your free game idc.

It has a planned release in June, the price hasnt been finalized yet but yeah probably around $20.

 

[Late Bloomer]

Imo the dev isnt great at marketing. He launched the kickstarter and didn't really promote it anywhere. He does work a normal job full time though and has a busy family life. This has just been more of a side/passion project for him. From what I know he is doing fine for himself money wise. Some of us even offered to directly give him donations when the kickstarter didnt succeed and he said "No, I hate money". Lol.

So this isn't some quick cash grab.

I wouldn't really call the game a MMO, its more like diablo 2. Where you can solo or party up and if you want to trade with other players you have a theoretical "mmo community" to trade with. Just think of Diablo 2.

But hey even if you are still unsure you can join the discord, ask for a beta key. Throw it into steam and try it out for yourself. Interact with the community or leave the server and enjoy your free game idc.

It has a planned release in June, the price hasnt been finalized yet but yeah probably around $20.

You sound like a community manager.

 

[Trench]

Imo the dev isnt great at marketing. He launched the kickstarter and didn't really promote it anywhere. He does work a normal job full time though and has a busy family life. This has just been more of a side/passion project for him. From what I know he is doing fine for himself money wise. Some of us even offered to directly give him donations when the kickstarter didnt succeed and he said "No, I hate money". Lol.

So this isn't some quick cash grab.

I wouldn't really call the game a MMO, its more like diablo 2. Where you can solo or party up and if you want to trade with other players you have a theoretical "mmo community" to trade with. Just think of Diablo 2.

But hey even if you are still unsure you can join the discord, ask for a beta key. Throw it into steam and try it out for yourself. Interact with the community or leave the server and enjoy your free game idc.

It has a planned release in June, the price hasnt been finalized yet but yeah probably around $20.

You sound like a community manager.

Lmao thank you, Maybe I should ask for an official title. I am just a player atm. I got a bunch of my own projects im wrapped up in, but I've provided some feedback on things I've liked/disliked. Shit am I a game dev now?!

 

[Trench]

Nevergrind Online the worlds first multiplayer dungeon crawling blobber enters early access!

Adventure solo or with a group (online) with 14 different classes and 12 different races! Real time tactical combat, diablo style loot!

Check out store page here https://store.steampowered.com/app/853450/Nevergrind_Online/

Or feel free to ask any questions I would be happy to answer (not a dev just a community manager =))

 

[somerandomdude]

The game looks good. I played Nevergrind, it wasn't bad, and was a decent game to just blow some time on when you were living in motel rooms and all you had was a cheap netbook to game on. Monk was particularly powerful in that game, above the rest for sure.

Also, Codexers should support this developer, because he's based, and has been attacked repeatedly by the woke mob for comments he's made in the past that they didn't like. Few things about him, he's white, he's heterosexual, he's married, and is a dad, and he doesn't bow to woke mobsters. Woke mob showed up to attack him on his own forums, and he still let them have their say.

 

[Dorateen]

Would it be possible to run this offline as a single-player game, but with a party?

 

[somerandomdude]

Would it be possible to run this offline as a single-player game, but with a party?

No, however if it's anything like the original Nevergrind, every type of class can pretty well hold their own in a fight, with some being potentially better than others for solo play, or having better synergy in multiplayer.

This isn't a turn based game, it's real time, there's stuff like cool downs and resources to manage, and even regular attacks have intervals/cooldowns on them. Like Nevergrind, some classes have attacks with cool downs or no cool downs, but some sorta resource gauge whether it's MP, or something like focus or fury. Some spells/moves might have no cooldown, but have a cast time instead, like 1.2s cast time on some sorta spell that also uses a resource. So, it's a blobber but it plays more like an MMORPG game.

 

[Trench]

Would it be possible to run this offline as a single-player game, but with a party?

not at the moment and afaik theres no plans in the work for it. Though the dev did say eventually there MAY be a mercenary based system for single player but only if the player demand warranted it.

 

[agris]

Trench can you tell us about the game's brave and strong art director? to get this far in life as an artist while being blind is truly an accomplishment.

 

[Shagnak]

..the worlds first multiplayer dungeon crawling blobber...

I'm not sure this is true?
I remember one from way back when that touted itself as being like a multiplayer Wizardry 8. I remember that when you viewed other people's parties they were represented by a single character, which was a little naff
You could play it for free, but buying it unlocked level caps and a bunch of content.

It was semi-popular for a time but I can't remember the name. Because I am old.

Edit:
I think I may be thinking of Minions of Mirth:
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/minions-of-mirth-updates.6815/#post-110810
This post, coincidentally, is the first mention of the phrase "blob with arms and legs" in the 'codex.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

depending on where you put goldbox games, Neverwinter Nights was the first in '91

also, muds are pretty much blobbas when in a party

 

[JarlFrank]

>Nevergrind online
>multiplayer blobber

Wow. Off-putting title, off-putting concept. Congrats on that.

 

[Catacombs]

 

[somerandomdude]

Few things about the game, IMO, and I played it for about 8hrs, so this is very much an early assessment of the game without a complete picture.

For whatever reason, back row enemies take 1/2 damage from certain attacks, and cannot be targeted at all by others, and the real issue is they still get this back row bonus, even after you clear the front row. I got no issue with row mechanics, but I do have an issue with how it's done in this game. This is something the developer said he's going to address at some point.

Not all classes are viable for soloing. Certainly not at this stage of the game's development, there needs to be some balancing passes to make this possible. The 2 best classes for soloing are Monk and Crusader. Monk is 2-3x more DPS than Crusader, but is half as tanky. But Crusader is very tanky. Monk works, but you're gonna need to carry health pots in some of your limited inventory space, and 1 pot takes up a whole slot. Choose wisely. For bosses and champs, monk might need 1 or 2 potions, but it's doable. Even with your best strategy, and preparation, the game will find a way to kill you. Fight goes well, then I take 3/4 of my total HP in damage from a nuke by a champ. That's honestly the case for using Crusader over Monk, because Crusader has considerably stronger magic defenses. Keep in mind, I started the game soloing with a monk, meaning I picked up and used whatever trash gear the RNG gods gave me, which wasn't much, the results would have been dramatically different if I had a full set of leveling gear in my bank stash I'm sure. I found several pieces of unique gear (7 or 8), and 2 set items, and monk couldn't equip any of them. It was all mail/plate/swords/daggers. However, if I could use most of those on a Crusader after I level one up some more. So, maybe the RNG gods are telling me to Crusader up?

All classes can get all their skills unlocked at level 8. So, by level 8 you more or less know how the class is going to play with a relatively accurate picture.

 

[somerandomdude]

There's some huge differences for stuff like gear you're going to want to prioritize on depending on whether you solo or multiplayer, and depending on your class. For example, my Monk never runs out of MP in a fight soloing, but when doing multiplayer heroic, they can and will, which means you probably want some mana regen/leech, and some spirit regen as well, even at the cost of survivability (armor, life leech, resists, etc). Monk doesn't tank, or pull that much aggro, so you don't have to worry about that on a full team, when someone else is pulling most of the aggro. But when soloing with monk, good armor/resists/life leech keeps them alive, or allows you to win without chugging as many pots. Monk's DPS plummets to shit tier bottom if they run out of MP, so mana leech/regen and spirit regen are very much DPS stats in multiplayer. Monk is actually pretty mediocre for multiplayer, but it's great for solo play. Mages are better at DPS in multiplayer, and other classes are better at tanking, and monk doesn't provide any buffs or heals to the party. As monk, your role is simple, you isolate the biggest threat of the bunch, and punch it. Single target DPS is very strong though, perhaps the strongest.

 

[Trench]

What an interesting concept! How does it work outside of combat? Does party leader control the party's movement?

>Nevergrind online
>multiplayer blobber

Wow. Off-putting title, off-putting concept. Congrats on that.

Haha, it actually works pretty well. And I don't think I have played a multiplayer blobber. The closest thing would maybe bebaldur's gate/NWN multiplayer, but that wasnt really a blobber.

 

[Trench]

Correct the game didnt meet its kickstarter goal. The kickstarter was more of a way to gauge interest (but the main dev didnt really do much marketing for it, plus has a full time job as well as a busy family life). The kickstarter was never a make or break for the game, if it met its goal funds would of been allocated to hiring freelancers to provide more art related things (afaik). The developers DREAM would be to one day quit his job and manage NGO fulltime but were not there yet. NGO has been his passion project for 5+ years and something thats been bothering him a lot having missed rpg/mmo games of the 90s/early 2000s. He wants to continue adding stuff for years to come.

He originally was going to have micro transactions in the game, not p2w but path of exile type stuff like bank slots and whatnot but he decided against it (even more when diablo immortal came out and he saw the state of those types of games). He was like "I just want to release a game people pay for once, thats it. Why do I feel like im crazy for wanting to do that".

My general rule for steam games is I want to get 1 hour of enjoyment per dollar I spend. If a game meets that (or greatly exceeds it) I recommend it to people. I am very picky when it comes to games. I don't get anything out of this other then trying to introduce other people to a game I love which I think is part of a dying/niche genre. (SELFISHLY WANTING PEOPLE TO ENJOY A GAME!)

 

[Trench]

What an interesting concept! How does it work outside of combat? Does party leader control the party's movement?

So yeah the party leader we refer to in game as "the driver". He leads the party through the dungeon. once battles start it turns into a real time tactical battle where you can click (or use hotkeys) to switch between targets. Monsters to cast nukes and area of effect abilities. Players to heal or buff. All about managing resources and controlling things (the best your party can). The tanks take a bulk of the aggro (if the damn cleric stops chain casting his nuke!), the dps classes focus down the scary monster wizards or warlocks, the utility classes slow mobs down, debuff their stats and or buff their allies. And the healers keep everyone topped off (while chain casting their nukes because they like getting aggro and dying). A lot of the classes wear multiple hats, it isnt as rigid as some mmos when it comes to classes. You don't absolutely need certain classes to survive a dungeon (and every class is able to solo 1-max if thats more your style).

Eventually there will be talent trees for each class as well, so the 14 classes will be able to specialize a bit more (the developer said he wants to do something akin to diablo 2 talent trees).

Sometimes when the kids (groupmembers) misbehave ill go "DONT MAKE ME TURN THIS BUS AROUND"