Turn-Based Tactics Rogue Waters - tactical turn-based pirate roguelite from Hard West 2 developers

[Nortar]

idk how somebody can have a “pleasant” impression from a game that looks like vomit

Not everyone is a graphics whore.

It’s not about graphics, but the amount of creativity and imagination put into designing the visual side of the game. I have doubts though an imbecile like you will ever grasp the difference.

Don't judge a book by it's cover and a game by it's graphics.
Some people missed out on Nahblahbluk and Troubleshooter due to their visual style alone.
This game is not a god's gift to humanity, it's true. So feel free to skip it for any reason you wish.

 

[Hydro]

So feel free to skip it for any reason you wish.

I pick this:

looks like vomit

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

I like pirates and sailing ships and Pirates of the Caribbean type goofiness, so the game actually looks fine to me visually. If the game play is good I will be happy to play it.

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

There's a demo which is weirdly only available at some particular times, but I had a chance to take a look at it.

There are 15 (fifteen!) difficulty levels.
I was playing on the highest available at the start Heroic-I (4 of out 15) - and I got my ass handed to me at the end of the first raid. Twice.

The gameplay loop is pretty standard for what nowdays goes for rogue-likes.
You select 1 of 3 raids. One advances the story, the other 2 can be used for grinding.



The route trees can look more complicated than they actualy are.
Sometimes (often) picking the first node locks you into a single way through.

I have to say i am getting really sick of this kind of "map" or "world" design illustrated above. Its so lazy and devoid of creativity. makes my lose wood.

 

[Hellraiser]

I have to say i am getting really sick of this kind of "map" or "world" design illustrated above. Its so lazy and devoid of creativity. makes my lose wood.

You mean the FTL-style branching paths?

 

[holla_cabezas_de_mierda]

I have to say i am getting really sick of this kind of "map" or "world" design illustrated above. Its so lazy and devoid of creativity. makes my lose wood.

You mean the FTL-style branching paths?

yes. So many games do that now. They give you a choice like: fight!- store!- ?(event!)- boss monster!-and its 'randomly' generated (probably along with the loot which will be color coded) and it sort of feels like this is simply how they view the task of 'world building'. Its a template they just fill in, like those old books Mad Libs or Mad Words books or whatever they were called. We used to do those on long car trips. Perhaps it makes it easier for DEI hires to complete the task this way.

It was fine or cool the first couple times I encountered it, but now it seems like a crutch lazy designers use instead of designing an actual world to explore. Its just some lines with some events. I guess that is all any game really is if you break it down to its core, but I don't want my game to make me autistic, I want to escape into a fake reality. I suppose I don't demand that of all games, like wargames, but I guess I do out of this type of game.

 

[Infinitron]

Soon:

 

[Infinitron]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1691190/view/4697907306024292647

Ahoy Pirates, Launch Day Is Upon Us! Yo Ho, Yo Ho, It’s a Pirate Life for Thee!

Join the team at Ice Code Games and Tripwire Presents as we celebrate the release of Rogue Waters!

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, It’s a Pirate Life for Thee! Tripwire Presents, the publishing division of Tripwire Interactive that focuses on releasing great games from other independent studios, and developer Ice Code Games, creators of the critically acclaimed HardWest 2, announced that Rogue Waters, the new pirate-infused tactical turn-based roguelite title launches today on Windows PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store!

With turn-based tactical gameplay on both land and at sea, Rogue Waters puts players in control of Cutter, an immortal pirate captain at the helm of a swashbuckling adventure rife with betrayal, plunder, and mystical forces as he plots a course for revenge against his former Captain, the infamous Blackbone.

Join the Crew:

• Tripwire Presents Discord (Home of Rogue Waters!)
• https://www.twitter.com/RogueWatersGame
• https://www.facebook.com/people/Rogue-Waters/61559095700370/
• https://www.reddit.com/r/RogueWaters/
• https://www.tiktok.com/@roguewatersgame
• https://www.instagram.com/roguewatersgame/

For more info visit https://www.roguewatersgame.com

Rogue Waters
is a tactical turn-based rogue-lite set in a pirate world overtaken by a terrible curse. Recruit a ragtag crew of pirates and grow them into fierce warriors, befriend and call upon classic creatures of pirate myth, chart a course through an ever-changing game world, and turn the tides of battle on land or sea by manipulating the map to gain an advantage in a fresh take on tactical turn-based combat. The crew and the Kraken await your command–will ye heed the call?

Rogue Waters key features include:

Become the Captain - Embrace the chaos of the pirate life as you chart your course through the ever-changing world and plan your naval and melee combat strategy.

Assemble Your Crew
- Recruit new members to your crew, each with a randomized skill tree allowing you to experiment and develop them into the legendary pirates they were always meant to be.

Ever-Changing Land and Sea
- Tackle fresh new challenges as the game world shifts randomly with each subsequent run.

Turn the Tides
- Utilize your ship’s artillery during naval combat to manipulate the terrain, giving your crew a strategic advantage during melee encounters. It’s cannonball-based map customization!

Revolutionary Melee Tactics
- Flex your skills as an expert tactician while remaining fully connected to the action with a fresh new take on turn-based tactics designed to replicate the violent dance of close-quarters and naval combat.

Summon Creatures from the Deep
- Creatures thought only to exist in myth are being abused and exploited by enemies. Defeat their captors and gain their trust to earn the ability to call upon these mythical beasts in battle.

 

[Konjad]

I have to say i am getting really sick of this kind of "map" or "world" design illustrated above. Its so lazy and devoid of creativity. makes my lose wood.

You mean the FTL-style branching paths?

yes. So many games do that now. They give you a choice like: fight!- store!- ?(event!)- boss monster!-and its 'randomly' generated (probably along with the loot which will be color coded) and it sort of feels like this is simply how they view the task of 'world building'. Its a template they just fill in, like those old books Mad Libs or Mad Words books or whatever they were called. We used to do those on long car trips. Perhaps it makes it easier for DEI hires to complete the task this way.

It was fine or cool the first couple times I encountered it, but now it seems like a crutch lazy designers use instead of designing an actual world to explore. Its just some lines with some events. I guess that is all any game really is if you break it down to its core, but I don't want my game to make me autistic, I want to escape into a fake reality. I suppose I don't demand that of all games, like wargames, but I guess I do out of this type of game.

This is the very reason I lost interest in this game. I hate this fake branching as well. Why not make a world with some islands you can traverse through however you want with random encounters on the way and on these islands like every pirate RPG ever made? Instead this lazy "choose one of 3 options!"? Lazy and boring.

 

[gooseman]

I have to say i am getting really sick of this kind of "map" or "world" design illustrated above. Its so lazy and devoid of creativity. makes my lose wood.

You mean the FTL-style branching paths?

yes. So many games do that now. They give you a choice like: fight!- store!- ?(event!)- boss monster!-and its 'randomly' generated (probably along with the loot which will be color coded) and it sort of feels like this is simply how they view the task of 'world building'. Its a template they just fill in, like those old books Mad Libs or Mad Words books or whatever they were called. We used to do those on long car trips. Perhaps it makes it easier for DEI hires to complete the task this way.

It was fine or cool the first couple times I encountered it, but now it seems like a crutch lazy designers use instead of designing an actual world to explore. Its just some lines with some events. I guess that is all any game really is if you break it down to its core, but I don't want my game to make me autistic, I want to escape into a fake reality. I suppose I don't demand that of all games, like wargames, but I guess I do out of this type of game.

This is the very reason I lost interest in this game. I hate this fake branching as well. Why not make a world with some islands you can traverse through however you want with random encounters on the way and on these islands like every pirate RPG ever made? Instead this lazy "choose one of 3 options!"? Lazy and boring.

It's a roguelite. Maps like these are typical for these games, the cancer metastasized after slay the spire. Deckbuilding is another one. There are many of these buzzword mechanics they just slot in arbitrarily and that makes a game.

 

[Fedora Master]

Been playing this. Presentation is mediocre at best, tone feels off. You get some nasty overkill animations but they don't fit the art direction of the game at all. It's too cartoony.

Of course there are plenty of DIVERSE pirate specialists to pick up.

The mechanics are alright however. In the end it's yet another roguelite just with a Pirate theme, nothing special.

 

[Peachcurl]

Also if this ever has a sequel, will it be called Roguer Waters?

I'd vote for Rogue Space.
Ghost zombie pirates .... IN SPACE!!!!!

No can do, that game was already released. Twice.

 

[HoboForEternity]

I like the hard west games, skipping this because rogue lite/like/whatever this trash genre is called now

 

[Galdred]

Been playing this. Presentation is mediocre at best, tone feels off. You get some nasty overkill animations but they don't fit the art direction of the game at all. It's too cartoony.

Of course there are plenty of DIVERSE pirate specialists to pick up.

The mechanics are alright however. In the end it's yet another roguelite just with a Pirate theme, nothing special.

Regarding diversity, if there was one faction that had quite some, it was pirates(as they have very varied background, including former slaves whose ship was captured), though, so at least, for once, that could kind of make sense in the settings.
There were even a few female pirates.

 

[Damned Registrations]

Why not make a world with some islands you can traverse through however you want with random encounters on the way and on these islands like every pirate RPG ever made? Instead this lazy "choose one of 3 options!"? Lazy and boring.

Ah yes, the 'why don't they just do something that would double the development time of the game' argument. A classic. Have you donated to Star Citizen lately?

There were even a few female pirates.

One of them was a god damned legend at that:


Anyone want to talk about the actual gameplay? Looks shallow as hell from the screenshots. Giving characters 4 hp is an appalling sign; the kind of thing you do to appeal to children and retards. Upgrades are completely linear and I bet they're of the '+1 damage' variety. There are much better games with a 'one more encounter' compelling gameplay loop.

 

[Fedora Master]

Oracscube school these fools on "female pirates"

 

[spectre]

Anyone want to talk about the actual gameplay? Looks shallow as hell from the screenshots. Giving characters 4 hp is an appalling sign; the kind of thing you do to appeal to children and retards. Upgrades are completely linear and I bet they're of the '+1 damage' variety. There are much better games with a 'one more encounter' compelling gameplay loop.

I sorta want to, but I admit I got filtered pretty early. I demoed it, but everything just screamed "do you really want to waste time on this shit?" The tutorial dragged on an wasn't even good.
There was also the extremely generic graphics style (the ship in particular looks like complete ass. Like a floating turd, literally a log with bark still on it).
I think the "genre" has reached the point in which going for an historically accurate look would be a genuine breath of fresh air.
Gameplay wise, I barfed a little in my mouth immediately when I saw the Slay the Spire path trees.

Every system out there looks barely a notch above complete banality. Perhaps the sea combat portion will open up as you progress, but early on it looked extremely formulaic and non-rewarding.
The fights weren't difficult to begin with, but in theory the side with better guns gets to disable some of the enemy buffs before the actual encounter.

Now, if there's anything good to say about combat is that it's fast. Damage numbers seem low and HP numbers seem high at first, but you get to stack all sorts of bonuses
from pushing enemies into obstacles, and this is achieved out of the box by the most basic attack.
Character classes look cookie cutter, basically each seems to "specialize" in exploiting a different enemy placement pattern on the grid.
Funny thing, I clicked on the three initial companions you can pick from, and my initial reaction was: ok, that's it?
Nothing really looked appealing. Assassin looks OP. Rest of the stuff is just stacking +1 to this, +1 to that.
Stuff looks really standard-fare, damage, armor,
Units can also strike on diagonals which was slightly surprising, considering it's square grid. Battlefields are really small and cramped, and the unit cap early is very low (basically 2 hero units and 2 mooks on your side).

It looks very low budget, so I don't really want to shit on it too much because I admit, I'm not in the right frame of mind to enjoy it.
It actually reminds me a lot of Capes, and I'm not to eager for another go.

 

[Oracscube]

I have been summoned

Oracscube school these fools on "female pirates"

Of course brah,
I wrote an extensive article about female pirates here...
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads...sfw-now-includes-the-arts.135674/post-7854168
Which included actual pictures of the female "pirates" without clothing.
..but here's a short version

A recent poster girl for female pirates is the mixed race Jacquotte Delahaye, even the Greenwich Royal maritime museum mentions her as
..among "10 female pirates you should know."
Except she never existed, she was the creation of the French writer Leon Triech in 1940
Which incidentally shows how far museum's have fallen when it comes to historical accuracy.

Next
Ann Bonny & Mary Read
They were the whores of Calico Jack Rackham and little else
They were easily captured by the English privateer Jonathan Barnet, after a non-existent career consisting of mainly being drunk.
Wikipedia
Rackham and his crew would carry out a number of attacks on merchant ships in the West Indies until they were captured following a brief naval engagement in October 1720..bollocks.
What really happened
Barnets ship 'Snow-Tyger' with a contingent of 20 English marines pulled alongside Calico Jack's ship 'William' and called out for identification, they replied with "John Rackham from Cuba" and they fired one swivel gun, which missed.
'Snow-Tyger' replied with a broadside and smashed the boom, Calico and his "stronk wombyn pyrates" immediately surrended.

To escape execution they both "pleaded the belly" whether they gave birth is unknown as Ann died in prison and Mary simply disappeared from record, possibly dying in childbirth.
All the stuff about pirate derring-do and lesbianism was invented by the press, (specifically the Germanic press) and this..
Indeed most pirate "history" comes from this one book..

Which is mostly, if not entirely invented, creating the myths of buried treasure and one legged parrots pirates with one eye everywhere, several pirates in the book didn't even exist!
It has also been erroneously attributed to William Daniel Defoe, even now you can buy editions with his name on it.

Next
Grace O'Malley
Wasn't a pirate, she was simply an Irish clan chieftain who ordered her captains to attack other clan ships, she never commanded a ship in battle, ever.
Most of the stories surrounding her are utter bullshit and she comes across as an insufferable twot.

Next..
Ching Shih, Zheng Yi Sao
Trying to separate fact from fiction is difficult, however she wasn't a pirate in the sense of Bartholomew Roberts or Blackbeard, more a leader of a gang with a fleet of junks, one of many such pirate fleets and she certainly didn't fight in battle.
She inherited the fleet from her husband Zheng Yi and after that it's more likely the fleet was actually commanded by his son (from a different marriage) Zhang Bao, who she later married, but a "wombyn pirate" sounds muh coooooooler
However as soon as the Portuguese and English navy arrived she surrended

Next
Rachel Wall
Now she really was unpleasant cunt
I shall quote this one in full..

Rachel Wall
Rachel Wall was born in the then-colony of Pennsylvania in 1760. Her parents were strict and pious Presbyterians. Despite her family's objections, young Rachel spent a lot of time on the local docks..no proof, where she met a sailor named George Wall. They married, and the two of them moved to Boston.

George went off to sea, and when he returned, he brought with him a group of companions...let me translate : Five of George's mates and their trollops

Once they had gambled and drunk away their money, someone in the group decided it might be profitable if they all turned to piracy...because they were scum.
Their scheme was a simple one. They sailed their schooner along the New Hampshire coast, and after a storm, Rachel would stand on the deck screaming for help.
When passing ships stopped to render aid, the rest of the crew would emerge from hiding and kill the sailors, stealing their goods and vessels. In the course of just two years, Rachel Wall and the rest of the pirates stole a dozen boats and killed over twenty sailors...in other words, they were dirty treacherous scum, the lowest of the low.
Not exactly commanding a pirate ship with a crew of desperate men in dangerous battles is it ..more like Somali pirates

Eventually, the crew got lost at sea..because they were idiots and not seamen, and Rachel returned to Boston and took work as a servant...nearly true, she was a servant, but would still steal from ships harboured in the docks.

However, that wasn't the end of Rachel's life of crime. She later attempted to steal a bonnet from a young woman on the docks and was arrested for robbery...missing a slight detail, she first threatened to cut out the women's tongue, if she didn't give her the bonnet

She was convicted, and hanged in October 1789, making her the last woman to be hanged in Massachusetts...and deservedly so, she was an evil cunt.

Conclusion.. Women pirates were either fictional, whores and/or utter cunts.

There's only one way to deal with pirates

 

[Oropay]

Rogue Waters is the textbook example of a 7/10 game. Competent and meets its own targets. Nothing special, but decent.

I found this line particularly haunting and disturbing:

First ya begs to stop, then ya begs to finish. Make up yer mind, will yas?