New Arc Line - Arcanum-inspired, modern Party-Based RPG - now available on Early Access

[Raghar]

So what's ETA?

 

[Lord_Potato]

So what's ETA?

A Basque independence movement.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2458310/view/525332583733526691

New Arc Line | New Bugfixing Update is Live!
Greetings, Magicians and Technologists!

Our work on the game is progressing steadily and we are working on setting up regular "progress reports" to keep you in the loop about what the dev team has achieved and showing you some highlights of what's coming to the world of New Arc Line.

However, in the meantime, we have finished another patch with a lot of bugfixes - addressing many issues with sounds, cinematics/dialogues, and most importantly, quest progression, including several instances where objectives could become impossible to complete. We have also managed to better optimise the Harbor Slums area - please let us know if you notice an improvement in performance! The full Change Log can be found below.

Updates like this and continuous improvements to the game would not be possible without your feedback, which allows us to make the game the best it can be for you. That is exactly the reason why we went with the Early Access development mode in the first place; please keep sending us your bug reports, suggestions, ideas and criticism. You can do so here on Steam in the Discussions, but the best way is to join the New Arc Line Discord server, where you can chat with other fans as well as the devs!

Full Change Log​

• Level optimisation [Harbor Slums]
• Added voice over subtitles [Flying laboratory]
• Added jingle for items appearing implementation
• Set up background sound in buildings / on the levels [Cabinet Alister] [Cabinet Rosa Mud] [PQ04] [Zindo's Office]
• It is no longer possible to load old saves from the Demo version in the Early Access EA version
• Updated sounds to correctly connect to sliders in sound settings
• Updated loot in Rat enemies [Off the Rails]
• Updated sound during the cinematic by Corvin Varna on the roof
• Fixed scroll bars in inventory for party members
• Fixed already ended combat encounters inside southern sewerage beginning again after performing Save/Load
• Fixed being unable to start a party quest after completing the objective 'Explore The Strange Place' and visiting Tunnels [Harbor Slums]
• Fixed the Stranger being present in cinematic-dialogue when he already left the area [PQ04] [Harbor Slums]
• Fixed Train / quest actors being present after loading in free play mode [Free Play Mode][MQ06]
• Fixed Background music disappearing after turning the Master Volume and Music to 0 and back to 100
• Fixed Missing SFX after using the Relentless Force ability via Heavy Steel Fists [Audio][SFX]
• Fixed PQ04 quest not being present after leaving the factory while playing for diesel engineer [Harbor Slums][PQ04]
• Fixed not being able to complete the 'Find The Actor Landon Baxter' objective if the 'Inform the Luggage Belt worker' objective was started during in the meantime [Arrival Port][MQ02]
• Fixed portraits being out of frame on the dialogs widget
• Fixed being unable to complete the 'Shift The Car' objective after failing the 'Endurance' skill check when key / steel bars was picked up already [CWTB][Flying Lab][Where It Ends]
• Fixed being unable to interact with highlighted boxes during the objective 'Search' in the Library [Harbor Slums] [MQ05]
• Fixed quest rewards [ANCQ08]
• Fixed occasional crash during a transition to the final scene
• Fixed heavy error log reporting with 'WeightedBlendables' message after entering into Tech Craft
• Fixed heavy error log reporting with 'GetSocketInfoByName' message in Harbor Slums

 

[Konjad]

I don't understand why would anyone say it's "Arcanum-inspired" like so many people do. I mean, sure, it can be Arcanum-inspired, just like you could say Bethesda's Thiaf was Arcanum-inspired, the term means nothing in this case.

Yes, it has steampunk world, and it has technology and magic working against each other, but that's where I feel the similarities to Arcanum end.

At the beginning of the game, at a pier, there's a dude waiting for you that is supposed to take you somewhere. He won't leave with you, however, because he has made some debts. You can say a lot of things to him, that you don't care, it's not your business and so on, but after you exhaust all dialog options you will only have one left that is available from the beginning saying that you will gladly help him.

Then you get into a fistfight to earn money. If you play a mage you can use Finger of Death to instantly kill your target. Nobody minds you just murdered someone with voodoo magick in a fist fight with 20 people watching. You get your dollars for winning in a fist fight.

There's a mother who lost her child after leaving ship and instead of going around and looking for the child she stands in place crying that she lost him, but of course YOU can help!

Remember the debt guy? Well, he picks up drugs from police officer standing in the pier, because the police officer owes him. No, you can't say anything mean to him, or decline doing anything he wants you to because if you click anything else than "1. OF COURSE I'LL DO ANYTHING FOR YOU" you just deplete all the other options until this one is left.

Also, the city is full of technology, gears working, steam engines and such every step you take, huge ones in the background moving. Even playing as a mage it doesn't seem to bother your character. At the pier you can shoot a gun to gain money. As a mage you have option to say "I'm not touching technology" or something similar, but you can also just shoot it.

Alright, let's continue down the railroaded tube that is the game world. Next stop in the main quest: A broken machine with a technician standing next to it and drinking alcohol because people want him to repair the machine and he's depressed. Why is he depressed? He always wanted to be an actor and make everybody smile, not be a technician. This nonsense continues, it's not the end, it's just the beginning of it, but at this point I think you get it. The writing in this game is terrible and makes no sense whatsoever. I'm not sure if "Arcanum-inspired" was supposed to mean it's a parody of Arcanum, because neither I see any connection in writing nor is it funny. There was not a single moment I thought "this joke is alright" or smiled. It's all garbage.

I know, Arcanum didn't take it seriously either. But it struck a good balance between jokes and seriousness and could sometimes go for one or the other without sabotaging the atmosphere. This game can't make anything serious and at the same time fails at its every-moment attempt at humor.

The combat is alright. I tried both Classic as a techie and (kinda fast-forward) Adventure as a mage - Classing is quite nicely challenging, while Adventure is press a button to win, obviously I don't recommend latter for anyone on 'dex, but you can get your mom to play it! Though I don't know why would you. That said, at least at the beginning it's not a combat heavy game and focuses on dialogs (which would be its really strong advantage if writing was good...)

Maybe it gets better fifty hours later, I don't know because I did not finish the alpha demo as I want a refund before time limit runs out.

Overall, I rate it:
Behead all those who said it's like Arcanum/10

 

[Harthwain]

I don't understand why would anyone say it's "Arcanum-inspired" like so many people do. [...] Yes, it has steampunk world, and it has technology and magic working against each other, but that's where I feel the similarities to Arcanum end.

Bruh, you're basically answering yourself here.

Also, this.

Without actually playing the game it isn't possible to tell how much of "Arcanum-inspired" is actually true. This is an Early Access game. I am no longer buying Early Access games. I am also not buying games without seeing gameplay first.

That said, thank you for your service.

 

[Litmanen]

I don't understand why would anyone say it's "Arcanum-inspired" like so many people do. I mean, sure, it can be Arcanum-inspired, just like you could say Bethesda's Thiaf was Arcanum-inspired, the term means nothing in this case.

Yes, it has steampunk world, and it has technology and magic working against each other, but that's where I feel the similarities to Arcanum end.

At the beginning of the game, at a pier, there's a dude waiting for you that is supposed to take you somewhere. He won't leave with you, however, because he has made some debts. You can say a lot of things to him, that you don't care, it's not your business and so on, but after you exhaust all dialog options you will only have one left that is available from the beginning saying that you will gladly help him.

Then you get into a fistfight to earn money. If you play a mage you can use Finger of Death to instantly kill your target. Nobody minds you just murdered someone with voodoo magick in a fist fight with 20 people watching. You get your dollars for winning in a fist fight.

There's a mother who lost her child after leaving ship and instead of going around and looking for the child she stands in place crying that she lost him, but of course YOU can help!

Remember the debt guy? Well, he picks up drugs from police officer standing in the pier, because the police officer owes him. No, you can't say anything mean to him, or decline doing anything he wants you to because if you click anything else than "1. OF COURSE I'LL DO ANYTHING FOR YOU" you just deplete all the other options until this one is left.

Also, the city is full of technology, gears working, steam engines and such every step you take, huge ones in the background moving. Even playing as a mage it doesn't seem to bother your character. At the pier you can shoot a gun to gain money. As a mage you have option to say "I'm not touching technology" or something similar, but you can also just shoot it.

Alright, let's continue down the railroaded tube that is the game world. Next stop in the main quest: A broken machine with a technician standing next to it and drinking alcohol because people want him to repair the machine and he's depressed. Why is he depressed? He always wanted to be an actor and make everybody smile, not be a technician. This nonsense continues, it's not the end, it's just the beginning of it, but at this point I think you get it. The writing in this game is terrible and makes no sense whatsoever. I'm not sure if "Arcanum-inspired" was supposed to mean it's a parody of Arcanum, because neither I see any connection in writing nor is it funny. There was not a single moment I thought "this joke is alright" or smiled. It's all garbage.

I know, Arcanum didn't take it seriously either. But it struck a good balance between jokes and seriousness and could sometimes go for one or the other without sabotaging the atmosphere. This game can't make anything serious and at the same time fails at its every-moment attempt at humor.

The combat is alright. I tried both Classic as a techie and (kinda fast-forward) Adventure as a mage - Classing is quite nicely challenging, while Adventure is press a button to win, obviously I don't recommend latter for anyone on 'dex, but you can get your mom to play it! Though I don't know why would you. That said, at least at the beginning it's not a combat heavy game and focuses on dialogs (which would be its really strong advantage if writing was good...)

Maybe it gets better fifty hours later, I don't know because I did not finish the alpha demo as I want a refund before time limit runs out.

Overall, I rate it:
Behead all those who said it's like Arcanum/10

What's the roadmap for this Early Access. Looks like a lot of dialogue options are present but not usable because their relative path is not yet written/in the game and then you're railroaded on the only viable one. Otherwise why the different answers? (Yes, it is absolutely possibile they are just there to create cringe flavour).

Can it be?

 

[Konjad]

What's the roadmap for this Early Access. Looks like a lot of dialogue options are present but not usable because their relative path is not yet written/in the game and then you're railroaded on the only viable one. Otherwise why the different answers? (Yes, it is absolutely possibile they are just there to create cringe flavour).

Can it be?

I doubt they'd be doing full voice acting for placeholders.

 

[Litmanen]

What's the roadmap for this Early Access. Looks like a lot of dialogue options are present but not usable because their relative path is not yet written/in the game and then you're railroaded on the only viable one. Otherwise why the different answers? (Yes, it is absolutely possibile they are just there to create cringe flavour).

Can it be?

I doubt they'd be doing full voice acting for placeholders.

Hmm, it doesn’t exactly sound promising, indeed.

Archaelund is the last hope.

 

[Tyranicon]

Haven't checked this in a while.

Numbers don't look great:

This is "slightly successful solo dev" territory.

As I'm well acquainted with.

 

[Tao]

I have the game but i didn't boot it even once.

I think most people dont like buying EA for RPGs unless they are big names. Or it's just me coping hard xdd

 

[Cryomancer]

I think most people dont like buying EA

Tainted Grail : The fall of Avalon got 10x more peak users > https://steamcharts.com/app/1199030

And this game has huge performance issues.

 

[Fargus]

Shit publisher with track record of releasing subpar and half assed games so i don't expect devs to actually finish this. Don't be surprised if release will end up rushed "1.0", especially after numbers like that. Not that an Arcanum rip off with nigger elves is worth crying over.

 

[NecroLord]

I don't understand why would anyone say it's "Arcanum-inspired" like so many people do. I mean, sure, it can be Arcanum-inspired, just like you could say Bethesda's Thiaf was Arcanum-inspired, the term means nothing in this case.

Yes, it has steampunk world, and it has technology and magic working against each other, but that's where I feel the similarities to Arcanum end.

At the beginning of the game, at a pier, there's a dude waiting for you that is supposed to take you somewhere. He won't leave with you, however, because he has made some debts. You can say a lot of things to him, that you don't care, it's not your business and so on, but after you exhaust all dialog options you will only have one left that is available from the beginning saying that you will gladly help him.

Then you get into a fistfight to earn money. If you play a mage you can use Finger of Death to instantly kill your target. Nobody minds you just murdered someone with voodoo magick in a fist fight with 20 people watching. You get your dollars for winning in a fist fight.

There's a mother who lost her child after leaving ship and instead of going around and looking for the child she stands in place crying that she lost him, but of course YOU can help!

Remember the debt guy? Well, he picks up drugs from police officer standing in the pier, because the police officer owes him. No, you can't say anything mean to him, or decline doing anything he wants you to because if you click anything else than "1. OF COURSE I'LL DO ANYTHING FOR YOU" you just deplete all the other options until this one is left.

Also, the city is full of technology, gears working, steam engines and such every step you take, huge ones in the background moving. Even playing as a mage it doesn't seem to bother your character. At the pier you can shoot a gun to gain money. As a mage you have option to say "I'm not touching technology" or something similar, but you can also just shoot it.

Alright, let's continue down the railroaded tube that is the game world. Next stop in the main quest: A broken machine with a technician standing next to it and drinking alcohol because people want him to repair the machine and he's depressed. Why is he depressed? He always wanted to be an actor and make everybody smile, not be a technician. This nonsense continues, it's not the end, it's just the beginning of it, but at this point I think you get it. The writing in this game is terrible and makes no sense whatsoever. I'm not sure if "Arcanum-inspired" was supposed to mean it's a parody of Arcanum, because neither I see any connection in writing nor is it funny. There was not a single moment I thought "this joke is alright" or smiled. It's all garbage.

I know, Arcanum didn't take it seriously either. But it struck a good balance between jokes and seriousness and could sometimes go for one or the other without sabotaging the atmosphere. This game can't make anything serious and at the same time fails at its every-moment attempt at humor.

The combat is alright. I tried both Classic as a techie and (kinda fast-forward) Adventure as a mage - Classing is quite nicely challenging, while Adventure is press a button to win, obviously I don't recommend latter for anyone on 'dex, but you can get your mom to play it! Though I don't know why would you. That said, at least at the beginning it's not a combat heavy game and focuses on dialogs (which would be its really strong advantage if writing was good...)

Maybe it gets better fifty hours later, I don't know because I did not finish the alpha demo as I want a refund before time limit runs out.

Overall, I rate it:
Behead all those who said it's like Arcanum/10

Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura blended Fantasy with Steampunk in a seamless manner.
Magick and Technology, two major forces in the world of Arcanum (to say nothing of the gods of Arcanum which exert a far more subtle influence) are clashing in a primordial struggle for dominance. It is like a cycle, and during the time of the Living One (you, the PC), Technology has gained widespread use and is definitely dominating. Magick is more isolated and practiced by loner mages and within the walls of secluded Tulla, a haven for mages.

By the looks of it, this game went mayhap a little too far with the steampunk aesthetic. Arcanum was more grounded and had class and refinement (aided by a melancholic violin string quartet soundtrack which fits perfectly in the game).

 

[mediocrepoet]

I have the game but i didn't boot it even once.

I think most people dont like buying EA for RPGs unless they are big names. Or it's just me coping hard xdd

I'm in the same boat. Usually I'll boot it to check it out a bit and then shelf it until release or enough time has passed. Otherwise I just ruin the entire thing for myself.

 

[Cryomancer]

About the game success, steamspy has estimed 100k to 200k users ( https://www.steamspy.com/app/2458310 ). This for a first game from a small studio in Ukraine, in Early Access is not bad. Is just not a spectacular success.

 

[Tyranicon]

About the game success, steamspy has estimed 100k to 200k users ( https://www.steamspy.com/app/2458310 ). This for a first game from a small studio in Ukraine, in Early Access is not bad. Is just not a spectacular success.

I'm assuming that includes demo players or something similiar, as the steamspy estimations do not match the others.

There is no version of this story where the publically visible numbers for this game are good. It has a similiar review count (302) to codexer solodevs like Archaelund (280) and Monomyth (380) both also in EA.

This is an AA project with console ports.

 

[Lord_Potato]

About the game success, steamspy has estimed 100k to 200k users ( https://www.steamspy.com/app/2458310 ). This for a first game from a small studio in Ukraine, in Early Access is not bad. Is just not a spectacular success.

I'm assuming that includes demo players or something similiar, as the steamspy estimations do not match the others.

View attachment 60762

There is no version of this story where the publically visible numbers for this game are good. It has a similiar review count (302) to codexer solodevs like Archaelund (280) and Monomyth (380) both also in EA.

This is an AA project with console ports.

It all depends on their budget, right? Working from Ukraine they probably have lower salaries than elsewhere. Plua we don't know how much how successful console ports are.

And finally it's not a full release yet so they had somewhat limited media coverage. We will only be able to judge the games success after it leaves early access.

 

[Konjad]

after it leaves early access.

 

[mediocrepoet]

And finally it's not a full release yet so they had somewhat limited media coverage. We will only be able to judge the games success after it leaves early access.

While I agree with this to some extent, the general trend seems to be that if it is in EA too long or fails to generate interest during EA, it's probably going not going to change its fortunes much if at all later.

 

[Konjad]

And finally it's not a full release yet so they had somewhat limited media coverage. We will only be able to judge the games success after it leaves early access.

While I agree with this to some extent, the general trend seems to be that if it is in EA too long or fails to generate interest during EA, it's probably going not going to change its fortunes much if at all later.

Yup. I certainly won't be waiting for the release. In fact, despite an idea that seemed like an interesting setting, I lost all the interest playing this and cross out NAL from games to wait for.

There's no way they would fix the writing to make it tolerable, it's just too bad.

 

[mediocrepoet]

And finally it's not a full release yet so they had somewhat limited media coverage. We will only be able to judge the games success after it leaves early access.

While I agree with this to some extent, the general trend seems to be that if it is in EA too long or fails to generate interest during EA, it's probably going not going to change its fortunes much if at all later.

Yup. I certainly won't be waiting for the release. In fact, despite an idea that seemed like an interesting setting, I lost all the interest playing this and cross out NAL from games to wait for.

There's no way they would fix the writing to make it tolerable, it's just too bad.

Seems like a lot of that going around. Look at Greedfall II.