KickStarter SKALD: Against the Black Priory - retro RPG inspired by Ultima

[Abu Antar]

 

[sstacks]

Gameplay video soon

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.skaldrpg.com/2020/01/a-project-update/

A project update

Hi there!

I just posted an update for my backers on Kickstarter and Indiegogo and I thought I’d post it here as well.

Youtube
We’ve set up a Youtube channel to support the promotion of the game! I’ve posted a few videos so far showing off the parts of the SKALD engine and people seem to like them so I plan to keep it up.


Thing is, if we can get 100 subscribers I get to make a custom URL for the channel! So let the call to arms ring out: Check out the channel and feel free to subscribe!

Alpha Demo v. 2.0.0
I’m really happy to announce version 2.0.0 of the alpha demo. This one goes out to all backers of the project and you can use your Itch.io key to download it!


Huzza! A new demo is up!

Version 2.0.0 does a major overhaul of the user interface and user experience. Mostly this comes down to making the game more “visual” as well as improving mouse controlls. This does, however come at the expense of polish. There’s a few rough edges in the demo now as it eases into it’s new look but I’ll be sure to iron them out with patches over the coming days.

Back the game on any level on IndieGogo to get instant access to the demo!

Use Discord for giving feedback!

The Road Ahead
The next few steps on the ladder are as follows:

Polish the alpha demo based on feedback. The Alpha is available to all backers.

Once the Alpha is solid, I’ll make a “vertical slice”. This means a very short “slice” of the game that resembles the finished product. This is to stress test all the features before going to beta. The “vertical slice” will be available to backers for the Freeman tier and up.

After this we move to the beta stage. This means I’ll start stuffing all the actual content into the engine as we flesh out the final product. Beta-testing is available to backers of the Knight tier and up.

Thank you all for following the project so far! Be sure to follow on Twitter and join our Discord to stay posted!

AL

 

[SkaldRPG]

Hi there! I'm kinda doing a little "let's play" on my youtube channel of the obscure retro-CRPG gem "Bloodstone: An Epic Dwarven Tale"! The game has been a pretty big influence on SKALD so it's fun to get to dig into it a bit





Have a great weekend!

AL

 

[Strange Fellow]

Halan... Kuk?

 

[Ladonna]

Any chance of a tavern in the game called 'The Scamming Dragon'?

 

[SkaldRPG]

Halan... Kuk?

I know I know Get it out of you system

 

[Infinitron]

Today I look into exanding my saving and loading system. The first thing we need then is a way of examining files on our hard drive!

 

[SkaldRPG]

Hi guys!

Youtuber Nookrium just posted this great "let's play" of the SKALD alpha demo! Game is still in an early state but you get a good feeling for how it flows and plays at this point! Be sure to check out the vid and give Nookrium a like and subscribe for his great work!



I you prefer poor audio, dad-noises and Norwenglish, there is also another episode of my misguided let's play of Bloodstone



Cheers,

AL

 

[SausageInYourFace]

The first thing I notice watching those SKALD videos is always that the music is really damn good.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[Alpan]

Hi guys!
Youtuber Nookrium just posted this great "let's play" of the SKALD alpha demo! Game is still in an early state but you get a good feeling for how it flows and plays at this point! Be sure to check out the vid and give Nookrium a like and subscribe for his great work!

Hi, the game looks great. Definitely the right way to go about making a 8-bit inspired RPG. I have a small suggestion: You scroll the dialogue text instead of showing it at once, and right now it scrolls at constant speed. Instead, place a small delay for each full stop and comma. Doing this is a small tweak, but it'll make the text flow much better, as it is a closer approximation of how people actually read.

 

[Tom Baker's Arse]

Game looks like it has definite promise, though they won't get a bloody cent out of me. Hannah and Joe at Whalenaught Studios taught me that lesson.

 

[SkaldRPG]

Hi guys!
Youtuber Nookrium just posted this great "let's play" of the SKALD alpha demo! Game is still in an early state but you get a good feeling for how it flows and plays at this point! Be sure to check out the vid and give Nookrium a like and subscribe for his great work!

Hi, the game looks great. Definitely the right way to go about making a 8-bit inspired RPG. I have a small suggestion: You scroll the dialogue text instead of showing it at once, and right now it scrolls at constant speed. Instead, place a small delay for each full stop and comma. Doing this is a small tweak, but it'll make the text flow much better, as it is a closer approximation of how people actually read.

Hi and thanks for the praise! Also this is a great tip! Will add it to the task-sheet ;-)

 

[SkaldRPG]

Hi there!

Another development video of me working on SKALD is up! Today we continue on the save system. Give it a look and please don't be afraid to give me some pointers if you see something you would do differently



Cheers,


AL

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[sstacks]

SKALD Retro CRPG - UPDATED Demo Gameplay

The final demo for retro CRPG Skald: Against the Black Priory (Alpha 2.0.3) with new features, a major overhaul of the user interface / user experience, and improved visuals. Finding the sewers the "right" way. Rats, bats, and spiders. Creepy disappearing monks. My kingdom for an innkeeper! Stealing booze from a dog.

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Contagium]

Your posts make my day. I'm very excited for SKALD. Is it coming to Steam or Gog?

 

[Abu Antar]

Your posts make my day. I'm very excited for SKALD. Is it coming to Steam or Gig?

Steam is a given. It's possible to vote for the game on GOG polls. My gut feeling says that GOG will accept SKALD on their storefront.

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[V_K]

It's a little funny how he redesigned the interface to use the mouse, yet kept the old target selection buttons instead of just clicking on the enemy.

 

[kaisergeddon]

It's a little funny how he redesigned the interface to use the mouse, yet kept the old target selection buttons instead of just clicking on the enemy.

It's fairly true to the inspiration, at least. The CRPG Addict would have an aneurysm.

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[V_K]

New update: https://www.skaldrpg.com/2020/04/project-update/
TL;DR: The game will have stealth and autocombat option, he's aiming for a September 2020 release. Modding tools are planned.

It’s time for a project update!

I’m a bit late with this one. I apologize for this but believe me when I say this is not because I’ve been lazy! Quite the contrary, the development currently has a lot of momentum and the game is evolving at a pace where it’s hard to even sit down and take a snapshot of it!

So with that being said, it’s time to dig in!

New Features
The game has gained a ton of new features. I’ve implemented basic stealth, jumping from ledges, improved combat auto-resolving, added more features to the auto map (though it’s still an unfinished feature) and added a bunch of quality-of-life improvements and bug-fixes.

I’ve done a lot of work under the hood in terms of how maps are made – allowing for a lot more complex maps to be made. Even more interestingly, I’m currently working hard on getting a dedicated non-Unity based tool for creating game content. Not only will this be invaluable to actually making the game’s content (the actual plot and maps); it will also lay the foundation for a map-, and game editor for you players.

As you can see I’ve also made combats even more fancy with bigger backgrounds as well as added lots of particle effects and movement to make combats more visually appealing.

The project has also arrived at the point where I’ve started to commission assets that will go in the final game! This means stunning pixel art, fantastic music and amazing writing! I can’t wait to show it off!

The Road Ahead
The original road-map called for the game to enter beta development around January of 2020. I’ve been behind schedule on this goal, and I would say the game is in closed beta right now! This means I’m creating and testing the workflows that will take tons of content and actually put it into the game.

The first sliver of the beta (for backers who are getting beta access) will be out in about a month I hope. This will contain only the prologue of the game and content will then be added successively as it gets produced.

This is another reason I’ve held back on the beta release: I really don’t want to fatigue you guys yet. Once beta testing begins for real, I’m 100% counting on the community for extensive play-testing.

As for the final release I’m gunning for September. I’m fairly certain I can finish the game by then but there is some uncertainty in regards to the physical rewards. This is due to the unfolding COVID-19 crisis and how it is affecting the logistics of physical goods production and distribution. But fear not: You will get both the game and the feelies in good time!