KickStarter Solasta Pre-Release Thread [GAME RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Myzzrym]

Damn elves and their gerrymandering.

 

[Lacrymas]

I've had this on my radar for a bit, but I've become skeptical about most new games. I'm very familiar with 3.5/Pathfinder, but don't know much at all about 5E.

Is there much flexibility in character creation? Or are there pretty standard builds for each class? For instance, it looks like you can't do STR-based backstabbing, correct? If so, too bad - I liked to do low DEX, high STR rogues with axes.
How good are Paladin and Ranger classes? Paladin was always a worse cleric in 3.5, Pathfinder greatly improved it, but from a brief overview it looks like 5E paladins aren't great.
How are things like itemization?
It looks like there's a small modding community already, which is a good sign. Anything that stands out there?

Due to how attribute setup is done (can't raise above a 15 before racial bonus at character creation, half your bonuses ever come from high attributes)

This isn't true. You can get 3 6s and raise an attribute to 20 with racial bonuses right from the get-go. I do agree feats are either pointless or overpowered (Sentinel, Lucky, Spell Sniper are all grotesque), though. With the amount of subclasses available now (if we take into account Xanathar and Tasha), I'd say the character building is pretty rich and diverse all things considered. Multiclassing is indeed broken in some instances and is especially powerful in the early levels, but that has always been the case. That has more to do with how powerful the classes are in general and how much stuff they get early on, level 3 is quite the power spike. A 3/3 multiclass is in most cases more powerful than a single-class lvl 6 character. That gets balanced out later, but I consider a game finished by lvl 10 or so, so YMMV.

 

[deuxhero]

I've had this on my radar for a bit, but I've become skeptical about most new games. I'm very familiar with 3.5/Pathfinder, but don't know much at all about 5E.

Is there much flexibility in character creation? Or are there pretty standard builds for each class? For instance, it looks like you can't do STR-based backstabbing, correct? If so, too bad - I liked to do low DEX, high STR rogues with axes.
How good are Paladin and Ranger classes? Paladin was always a worse cleric in 3.5, Pathfinder greatly improved it, but from a brief overview it looks like 5E paladins aren't great.
How are things like itemization?
It looks like there's a small modding community already, which is a good sign. Anything that stands out there?

Due to how attribute setup is done (can't raise above a 15 before racial bonus at character creation, half your bonuses ever come from high attributes)

This isn't true. You can get 3 6s and raise an attribute to 20 with racial bonuses right from the get-go.

 

[Lacrymas]

But that's the alternative rule. The main one is rolling 4d6 and keeping the 3 highest rolls.

 

[Rinslin Merwind]

deuxhero what is wrong with you? If game includes point buy (which was fucking greedy in almost all D&D games in existance, ToEE is fine example) that does not mean "game does not allow you to raise your stats above 15", stop spreading lies. Anybody who loves high stats (normal people) will roll a dice. Yes, character creation has it's flaws (like absence of variant human (when I played), which is sad and frustrating), but your are bulshitting through your teeth right now.

Also, if you think itemization in 5e is horrible - you can always go fuck yourself into 3.5 edition with your collection of +5 swords obtained from nearest barrel, because it's counts as shit and everybody fancy themselves with +7 weapons anyway.

 

[rojay]

deuxhero what is wrong with you? If game includes point buy (which was fucking greedy in almost all D&D games in existance, ToEE is fine example) that does not mean "game does not allow you to raise your stats above 15", stop spreading lies. Anybody who loves high stats (normal people) will roll a dice. Yes, character creation has it's flaws (like absence of variant human (when I played), which is sad and frustrating), but your are bulshitting through your teeth right now.

Also, if you think itemization in 5e is horrible - you can always go fuck yourself into 3.5 edition with your collection of +5 swords obtained from nearest barrel, because it's counts as shit and everybody fancy themselves with +7 weapons anyway.

Deep breath, dude.

 

[NJClaw]

Where's my update, Myzzrym? I want to make dungeons!

 

[V_K]

Where's my update, Myzzrym? I want moar cat pics!

FTFY.

 

[Infinitron]

Seems the Spring Update is out, but no development update yet.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tacticaladventures/solasta-crown-of-the-magister/posts/3139686

Solasta Spring Update & Dungeon Maker - Patch Notes

Hey there folks!

The Spring Update should now be live, with a plethora of changes and new content! With the addition of the difficulty options, side quests and background quests, your Solastan experience is getting closer and closer to the final release. Well bugs and polish aside of course, Early Access has proved quite effective at finding and squashing them so far! But enough talk, it's time to dive into the patch notes.

Old Save Files are NOT compatible
As stated in our previous articles, due to changes in existing systems save files from previous versions will NOT be compatible with the Spring Update. That said, we're adding a lot of side content in this new update, so restarting a fresh run will give a new experience where you don't have to run after the main quest!

Note that we will put the previous version of the game (January Update) on a separate Steam branch so that you can keep playing with your old saves if you want to. And although one is never safe from a bad surprise during Early Access, save compatibility should hopefully be preserved from the Spring Update onwards.

Spring Patch Sales & Price Increase
Solasta will be discounted when the Spring Update hits the store on March 25th until March 31st, after which the price of the game will increase from $35 to $40 in anticipation of the 1.0 release. This is due to the fact that Steam prevents games from discounting within 30 days of a price increase, so we unfortunately cannot increase the price when 1.0 gets released while also having a launch discount. So if you want to jump in Solasta at Early Access price, make sure you don't miss the Spring Update sales!

New Content / Feature:

• Added the Dungeon Maker (Beta). The Dungeon Maker allows you to create, share and play custom maps, and will continue to get improved over time. Check the Dungeon Maker section below for more information.
• The Main Quest now continues a little bit past the Wizard's Tower. You will be able to return to Caer Cyflen to report to the Council and will unlock your own residence (simply a resting area, not customizable), after which you will be free to continue playing instead of being booted back to the main menu.
• Added Background Quests for each of the 8 Backgrounds available in Character Creation. Background Quests are only available if one of the party member has the right Background - for instance, the Spy Background unlocks the Spy Background Quest. You can check where to unlock them in the following article.
• Added Side Quests. Side Quests are available through the Adventuring Board found in Caer Cyflen close to Gorim's Emporium, with the first unlocking once you talked to the Council after returning from Caer Lem. Be warned, some Side Quests may be quite difficult if you tackle them immediately after unlocking them!
• Added Difficulty Settings. Difficulty Settings can be found the in the Settings => Game tab and can be customized at any time. Note that higher difficulty modes have not yet been properly balanced yet, so playing on Cataclysm may very well make you want to eat your keyboard (please don't).
• Implemented Legendary Actions for Aksha and Razan. Legendary Actions allow certain bosses to act outside their turn, so you may have to change your tactics a bit!
• Added Achievements (WIP). Achievements are missing localization (FR / DE / ZH) and icons, but are otherwise functional. Note that some achievements may not be unlockable until the full 1.0 release - such as the achievement for finishing the game.
• Added new Martial Feats and rebalanced a couple of existing ones. Read more about them here.

Spoiler

The Dungeon Maker (Beta)
The Dungeon Maker is an in-game tool available directly in the main menu which allows you to create, edit and play custom maps. The video above is a quickstart guide - if you need a more in-depth guide, it is available in our Forums over there.

How do I share the dungeons I created?

You can access your custom dungeon folder by simply clicking the in-game "Browse Files" button in the Dungeon Maker menu. The folder can also be manually found there: "C:\User\[YourUserName]\AppData\LocalLow\Tactical Adventures\Solasta\UserContent\Locations". Whenever you create a map in the Dungeon Maker, the game will create a .json file containing all the information with the same name there.

Where do I share the dungeons I created?

For the moment we're still working on Steam Workshop Integration. In the meantime, you could always drop by good ol' NexusMod where many other mods are already available (reminder: mods are community driven, Tactical Adventures has no control over them and cannot guarantee that they work properly).

How do I play a dungeon I just downloaded?

Simply copy paste the .json file into you custom dungeon folder, that you can either access by clicking the in-game "Browse Files" button in the Dungeon Maker menu, or manually opening "C:\User\[YourUserName]\AppData\LocalLow\Tactical Adventures\Solasta\UserContent\Locations". The new dungeon should then appear in-game in the Dungeon Maker list.

I have a question about the Dungeon Maker!

Make sure you read the in-depth forum guide about the Dungeon Maker, and if you still have questions feel free to swing by our Discord server and head to the #modding channel!

Will you update for the Dungeon Maker in the future?

Of course! You might have noticed the Dungeon Maker is still lacking quite a few features, and that's because the Dungeon Maker will still be in beta when we release the full 1.0 version of Solasta (we've got to make sure we wrap up the main campaign properly first). There are tons of things we want to add later - quest systems, dialogs, merchants, more environments... Make sure you tell us what you'd like to see first!

Major Changes:

• Increased max level cap from level 6 to level 8. MORE POWER!
• Adjusted Sorak Skirmishers, Sorak Warriors and Sorak Saboteurs stats to further differentiate them. Read more about it here.
• IMPORTANT: A mistake snuck in at the last moment and Sorak Saboteurs have incorrectly been granted the power to Sneak Attack (2d6), which can make them extremely dangerous in combination with their Doom Laughter Power. This change wasn't intended, so if Soraks feel even harder than before don't worry it's (unfortunately) normal for now.
• The Major Teleportation Gates are now fully functional! Cobbler found at local tavern lamenting the loss of their best customers.
• The following spells have been added: Animal Friendship (Green Mage), Entangle (Green Mage), Giant Insect (Green Mage), Freedom of Movement, Wind Wall, Banishment, Black Tentacles, Blight, Conjure Minor Elementals, Death Ward, Dimension Door, Fire Shield, Greater Invisibility, Ice Storm, Identify Creatures, Phantasmal Killer, Stoneskin, Wall of Fire.
• The following feats have been added: Ambidextrous, Discretion of Coedymwarth, Eager for Battle, Follow Up Strike, Hauler (reworked), Might of the Iron Legion (reworked), Powerful Cantrip (reworked), Raise Shield, Rush to Battle, Sturdiness of the Tundra, Take Aim, Twin Blade, Uncanny Accuracy (reworked)
• Note: For Raise Shield and Twin Blade, keep in mind that the reaction pop-up only appears if the +3 AC boost can prevent you from being hit - so don't be surprised if you don't get a reaction trigger if you have 15 AC and the enemy rolls a 19.

Tweaks / Improvements

• Preserve Random Seed has been turned off by default. If you're wondering what that does, we talked about it in detail in a previous article. Long story short, parallel worlds and time travel. El Psy Congroo.
• Removed one enemy from the first Sorak encounter in Caer Lem Caves. Poor non-tabletop players usually spend all their resources on Goblins and Flying Snakes before getting there, making them easy pickings for the Soraks.
• Removed one enemy from the Crown Room encounter in Tower of Magic. 4 vs 7 at level 3 was a little too brutal considering most Soraks are CR 1, even after a long rest.
• Fixed Fly not allowing players to reach treasure chests in some areas.
• Character Proficiency screen should now correctly display bonuses to ability checks
• Hovering items in the Crafting Screen will now display a tooltip. Because knowing what you're about to craft is somewhat important, I'd say.
• Made HP values easier to read on the initiative bar.
• Oil of Sharpness can no longer be applied during combat, as it takes one minute to do so.
• Attempting to cast a concentration spell from a scroll while already concentrating on a spell will now correctly display a warning message.
• Items are no longer automatically equipped when transferred between characters.
• Monsters will now respect the spellcasting rules just like adventurers, they've been barred from casting two spells and are now correctly restricted to spell + cantrip when using their bonus action.
• Large monsters such as Giant Spiders should no longer be able to attack much higher than their model would suggest.
• Save Files should now be smaller in size
• Spellcasters should now be able to use scrolls directly from their inventory during combat
• Feared characters will now run a bit less far so you don't have to spend multiple turns chasing after their fleeing butt
• Adjusted Minotaur AI so it's a little more agressive, its axe has your name on it.
• Refined AI spell usage to avoid spellcasters automatically unleashing all their most powerful spells at the start of the fight
• Game Over screen when caught during stealth tutorial will now correctly tell you that you got spotted instead of telling you that you died (although let's be honest, you very likely died as a result of getting spotted anyway).
• Added Steamworks and GOG Galaxy Integration - note that Steam Workshop hasn't been implemented yet, we'll try to get that done for the full 1.0 release.
• Added new visuals on the World Map
• Added clouds and stars in open levels' skybox for better lighting
• Improved the lighting in the tavern cutscenes.
• Arrows & Bolts which hit their their target now have a 50% chance to be recoverable after the fight on their body
• Optimized performance in all areas
• Added a message informing players to lower their graphic settings if the game crashed due to running out of resources
• Monsters now visually swap weapons when attacking from melee / range. Gone are the days where you got whacked for 1d6 slashing damage with a bow by a Goblin.
• Characters should now move more smoothly on the grid and stack less on top of each other
• Improved visuals in the Bestiary
• Added Brightness / Contrast calibration screen when starting the game for the first time
• Belt of Dwarvenkind now has a chance to add a beard to characters who attune to it
• Characters now only turn towards their attacker if they get hit with a melee attack that they can see
• Ranged weapon attacks which miss now properly... well... miss the target. Instead of the target going all Matrix style and dodging the arrow.
• Improved shading on haircuts and beards
• Allied NPCs behind walls now have the proper color to differentiate them from enemies.
• Characters now properly orient towards their target with ranged and thrown weapons.
• Solasta should now be less power intensive when minimized
• Added some new crafting recipe and spell scrolls
• Bestiary now includes monsters' passive abilities (like Child of Darkness)
• Made many adjustments to loot tables, chests and merchants
• Added many different poisons
• Added loot to poor ol' Adam that players do so love to kill in Dark Castle
• Added smithing tools to craft bolts and arrows
• Beefed up Razan to make him stronger than Aksha
• Defiler's "Darkness" have been replaced by "Dark Veil"

Bugfixes / Others

• Fixed Defilers draining maximum HP on non-necrotic damage inflicted. Life drain is already tough enough as it is.
• Haste should now correctly inflict lethargy when the spell ends, hopefully after the fight is over or you're about to have a very bad time.
• It is no longer possible to ready a cantrip if you shouldn't be able to cast it due to component restrictions (Vocal, Somatic, Material)
• Fixed additional enemies sometimes not joining combat correctly and just sitting there staring at you. Bystander effect, everyone.
• Arcane Fury should now apply extra damage to the first Magic Missile projectile only. First one asking us to buff Magic Missile gets to meet the Adamantium Hammer of Bans +3.
• Scroll of Raise Dead can no longer be used in combat. The spell takes one entire hour to cast for heaven's sake, did everyone just go take a nap?
• Fixed some monsters in the bestiary not appearing correctly
• Creatures protected by Aura of Devotion (Paladin) are now correctly immune to Hypnotic Pattern (saving throws are still rolled, but they won't be affected even if they fail)
• Fixed the description of Mark of Fate (Oblivion Domain), which isn't supposed to be re-targatable
• Fixed Flawless Concentration allowing the spellcaster to ignore concentration rolls even when taking more than 10 damage (cheater).
• Fixed a rare case where re-ordering the inventory would freeze the game for a short amount of time
• Undead and Constructs are now correctly immune to Blight
• The game will now correctly select the most suitable character to interact with traps instead of sending the leader of the party every time, even if the party hates their leader.
• Fixed Spirit Guardians dealing damage equal to the previous AoE spell cast, which effectively turned the Cleric into a walking Fireball
• Somatic Component setting no longer prevents casting when restrained, as per RAW (Rule As Written).
• Life Domain Blessed Healer Feature no longer triggers if the Cleric only heals themself like the selfish doodoohead they are. Yea that's right, heal me earlier next time!
• Fixed Might of the Iron Legion Feat not working properly.
• Lockbreaker Feat now correctly grants expertise if the character was already proficient with Thieves Tools
• Greenmage Magic Arrow Feature no longer trigger on Firebolt
• Ghoul's Paralysis is now correctly removed after a successful saving throw. That was pretty annoying.
• Paladins and Rangers can now use scrolls again. They took some reading lessons and all is well now
• Fixed a rare instance where unconscious characters would refuse to get up after getting healed once outside combat. Lazybones.
• Fixed Lay on Hands being able to use more points than the maximum HP of the target, effectively wasting some resources.
• Fixed some sound issues that occured when Spiritual Weapon is out on the field
• Fixed some instances where monsters would refuse to act and instead spend their turn goofing around
• Fixed AoE looting not working properly when a character was directly on top of a loot bag. We saw you dude, don't try to steal from the party.
• Fixed a rare instance where the entire screen could turn black if you paused the game right before the camera teleported
• Players are no longer able to pause the game during a fade to black screen, to avoid them from believing they're stuck in a black screen (since they paused the game at the wrong time)
• Fixed being able to run through doors if you clicked behind them before they closed
• Fixed some clothes & haircuts being able to stretch infinitely in some rare instances. As it was destroying the law of physics we had to put an end to that.
• Fixed some sound issues that would occur when controlling a proxy spell (such as Flaming Sphere)
• Fixed some armor parts sometimes turning invisible during certain cutscenes
• Fixed a rare case where characters would spawn twice when reloading a save (doppelgängers have been thoroughly exterminated)
• Made particles spawn / despawn properly when a character is invisible
• Fixed some NPCs having the wrong skin color
• Caer Cyflen citizens no longer appear through the fog of war
• Fixed time stopping when someone would strike the Minotaur with a ready action during its charge
• Fixed 3d feedback being able to "detect" invisible creatures
• Fixed clothes popping in between camera cuts during cutscenes
• Particles now fade out properly instead of popping out of existence
• Fixed flying characters animation sometimes bugging out
• Fixed a rare crash when you try to fast travel with an unconscious character
• Fixed character's hair popping out of the Plate Armor +1 helmet
• Fixed being able to trigger a certain cutscene after completing the puzzle, which made no sense at all
• Fixed being able to return to the Master's Room by using Misty Step after exiting it. Seriously there's nothing left for you to do there, just be kind and leave the place alright?
• Fixed some props not properly blocking line of sight in the caravan encounter
• Fixed a certain fight not triggering properly if Kythaela was sent alone. Shame on you if you used the NPC to scout for you.
• Fixed the resting area not appearing on the map outside the Wizard Tower
• Fixed a certain stone in Coparann's basement not being clickable
• Fixed one particular door in Dark Castle being stuck closed under certain conditions
• Fixed a quest marker incorrectly pointing towards the tavern after returning from Tower of Magic, instead of guiding you to the Council. Regardless, we all know where the party wants to go first.
• Fixed the dialogue repeating itself in the cutscene when returning to Caer Cyflen from Tower of Magic with the crown.
• Angbi's Bones should finally be removed after the quest is complete - if not, you'll now be able to remove them from your inventory.
• Fixed some backer submitted names not appearing properly in the Character Creator name pool
• Fixed being able to talk to Aksha while in stealth to "surprise" her when the fight starts. Yea no, the DM is going to call bullshit on that move.

Known Issues

• In some rare occasions, confirmation pop-ups may no longer appear - meaning you'll be stuck in a location, since you won't get a confirmation message asking you if you want to leave the area when stepping on Exit Areas or when interacting with a door. To fix it, quit the game completely and relaunch it (simply loading a save doesn't fix it)
• After talking to the Council on your return from Wizard's Tower, you must go to the residence immediately. If you don't (for instance, you long rest at the tavern before going to the residence), you will be stuck inside the residence and won't be able to leave, effectively ending your run. To fix it, load a previous save and go directly to the residence after talking to the council.
• In the Lawkeeper Background Quest, clicking "No" when asked to travel to the sewers will permanently block you from accessing the sewers, thus blocking the quest. To fix it, reload a previous save.
• In Tower of Magic, if you do the "Research the Crown" side quest before the "Magister's Amulet" side quest, the puzzle of "Magister's Amulet" side quest won't work. To fix it, simply leave Tower of Magic and return there later.
• If you click end turn exactly when "Victory" appears, you will trigger a game over. Don't ask me why, I have no idea. But I did find that funny when QA told me about it.
• Do not go to back to "Caravan" on the World Map if you don't have "The Collector" side quest active - without that side quest in your journal you will be stuck once you arrive there.
• In Tower of Magic, the "Magister's Amulet" side quest will spawn 2 elementals very far from you which unfortunately won't do anything so you'll have to hunt them down by running to them. Which is very tedious and we totally hate it too, so don't worry it's not intended.
• Characters are able to walk in the air in certain places in the broken fort in Caer Lem.
• Monsters may also sometimes decide to run back and forth instead of attacking a character. Which is of course not intended, as all monsters are ordered to violently maul any adventurer they encounter by their DM overlord.
• In the Dungeon Maker, the "Mood" parameter isn't saved properly and will always revert to "Crypt".
• Paladins can't use scroll of Raise Dead
• Characters who drop to 0 max HP due to Defilers' Vampiric Touch can't be resurrected, forcing a game over.
• Scroll of Freedom of Movement casts Fire Shield instead
• Amulet of Health currently doesn't require attunement (it should)
• Poisonous Bolt recipes are missing their correct name
• Captain Verissa Ironshell is missing lip sync
• Warhammer +1 currently requires attunement (it shouldn't)
• Rolling 20 on a death saving throw skips the character's turn instead of letting them play
• Reading a recipe book when you already know the recipe still consumes the book

Next Update?
Aside from hotfixes, we've got our sight now locked onto the final 1.0 release. Keep an eye out for more information about our official launch date!

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

 

[Lacrymas]

Will definitely be trying the difficulty settings. Myzzrym, can we print the dungeon layouts for use in tabletop?

 

[gurugeorge]

Ack, I'm soooo tempted to d/l this again, but I've done those early quests enough times now. I think I will wait till the full story is finished and experience the whole thing as a complete oeuvre.

 

[Alpan]

Just bought this on Early Access; hopefully my trusty (and 5.5 year old...) GTX 980 Ti will be up to the task of running this game when 1.0 gets released. Damn this GPU shortage.

 

[Cryomancer]

Just bought this on Early Access; hopefully my trusty (and 5.5 year old...) GTX 980 Ti will be up to the task of running this game when 1.0 gets released. Damn this GPU shortage.

I an running in a low end PC. Just play on ultra low. No problems.

EDIT : Any way to skip tutorials? I already have 20 hours on solasta

 

[Doktor Best]

Its 20% off on GOG boys

 

[The_Mask]

Damn elves and their gerrymandering.

Imagine an elf named Gerry? Disgusting.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Imagine an elf

Disgusting.

Agreed

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.pcgamer.com/this-rpgs-dungeon-builder-is-neverwinter-nights-meets-super-mario-maker/

This RPG's dungeon builder is Neverwinter Nights meets Super Mario Maker
Become a Dungeon Master without having to buy three rulebooks.

You know when a business advertises itself as being the second-best at something, then says, 'We try harder?' That's the position Solasta: Crown of the Magister is in, as the other turn-based RPG based on D&D's rules currently in Early Access. Developer Tactical Adventures would dearly like its game to emerge from under the shadow of Baldur's Gate 3, which is why the indie alternative to Larian's sequel now comes with Dungeon Maker, an in-game editor for crafting dungeons using an interface familiar to longtime PC RPG fans.

The Dungeon Maker lets players easily create their own D&D-based dungeon crawling adventures with a level of detail not seen since the days of Neverwinter Nights.

"Early Access has given us lots of feedback," says Matthew Girard, Tactical Adventures founder and creative director. "We've implemented a difficulty system to make the game easier or more challenging, cleared up UI elements, and of course we're still working on completing the main campaign and integrating new features.

"We've received two requests from players more than anything else: multiplayer, and the ability for players to create their own content." Girard teases that they aren't ruling out multiplayer completely, but it isn't happening at release in favor of focusing on a singleplayer, party-based RPG. As for the second requested feature, enter the Dungeon Maker.

The Dungeon Maker is an in-game editor that lets players create custom dungeons from scratch by placing rooms, traps, monsters, and loot. It's focused on accessibility and intuitive controls, using a 2D map interface with drag-and-drop rooms that snap to doors and openings. It basically feels like Neverwinter Nights meets Super Mario Maker.

"Not everyone is a game developer—it's a full-time job," says Girard. "We wanted to have a tool that's even simpler than Neverwinter Nights' creator, something more like LittleBigPlanet. Like using Lego blocks and pieces to construct your dungeon."

During a private demo, I watch Emile Zhang, community manager for Tactical Adventures, throw together a quick series of rooms using the Necropolis tileset, which looks like a standard crypt. Rooms are available in several different sizes and shapes, and include pre-furnished blueprints, as well as empty rooms ready to be filled with decorative props, as well as monsters, traps, and treasure.

Each room features a number of openings that can instantly become doorways when another room is placed beside it. With the attractive and intuitive UI (which fans of Amplitude Studios' Endless series will quickly recognize), it's easy to label a door as locked, or secret, or trapped (or all three), and use a sliding bar to determine the skill levels it takes to detect any traps and pick locks.

Although the main campaign frequently features levels and locations with sharp elevation changes, including cliffs, towers, and bridges, the Dungeon Maker is keeping things old-school with a 2D top-down visualization that resembles classic pen-and-paper graph paper dungeons. "I went for a flat interface for the Dungeon Maker because when you go 3D, you lose 50% of the audience, and I wanted the editor to be open to as many people as possible," says Girard. "That being said, we're looking at adding more verticality, like pits and platforms, or staircases to elevate entire rooms."

Accessibility has been an important mantra for the Dungeon Maker through its implementation. "We could've implemented full modding tools and SDK [software development kit], but it was so complex that few people would use it," says Zhang. "Keeping it simple has been a core pillar of the Dungeon Maker design. It's why the editor is in 2D. Instead of people spending two days to understand the tool and then maybe making a dungeon, the barrier to entry is low enough that everyone can have fun making dungeons right away."

On the flip side, it's not currently possible to create monsters, items, or props outside what's in the game, though Solasta includes a robust bestiary and magic item database, and has several planned tilesets. But never count out the modders. "There are already several modders on Nexus Mods who have created new classes, subclasses, and ancestries for Solasta," says Zhang. "I don't doubt that players will be creating their own (unsupported) content for use in the Dungeon Maker."

One limitation in the Dungeon Maker is NPC interactions. In the current iteration, you can add pop-up descriptive text or dialogue to any object or NPC, but there's no way to create a fully interactive NPC with a dialogue tree, or shop with merchants or vendors. "If the community wants it we can look into it," says Girard. "We have a very complex dialogue and narrative system in our campaign. We'd like to avoid reprogramming everything again, and have to create a simple system for the Dungeon Maker."

Solasta's Dungeon Maker will be fully integrated with Steam Workshop, a feature Neverwinter Nights fans would have killed for 20 years ago. "When you create a dungeon and export the file, you get a .JSON file," says Zhang. "It's super simple and light, and only uses content from the game, making it incredibly easy to share dungeons with other players."

Dungeon levels can be connected via special transition props (like portrals or stairs), with each dungeon featuring its own tileset. By connecting dungeon levels, players could journey from a forest to a cave, for example. Each dungeon is a separate file with no limit to the number of connected dungeons, potentially letting players construct mega-dungeons that rival the likes of Undermountain.

The biggest limitation may be character progression. In Neverwinter Nights, most characters were saved client-side and existed outside of downloaded modules, letting me take the same characters through various adventures. But in Solasta, you create a character for the campaign (or dungeon) and it only updates in that save game. The developers say they're planning to come up with a system for persistence, however, a way to keep characters going from dungeon to dungeon.

The future roadmap for the Dungeon Maker includes adding more content from the campaign, including additional tilesets, adding limited verticality, and even a roguelike random dungeon generator.

Although the potential of the Dungeon Maker has this old NWN-addict and tabletop D&D aficionado very excited, Tactical Adventures insists the main campaign is still the priority. When Solasta eventually launches as version 1.0, the Dungeon Maker will still be in beta. "It's great that when a user buys Solasta, they can play the campaign, then play user-made modules for 10, 20, or hundreds of hours," says Girard. "It's a huge addition to the game. We want to give this tool to the community as soon as possible, and start getting feedback."

The Spring Update adding the Dungeon Maker also added an increased level cap, new feats, and the addition of side quests—one for each background. Solasta: Crown of the Magister is scheduled for a 1.0 release later this year.

 

[Cryomancer]

Myzzrym You already said that you don't have much resources to add fully fledged new classes. So, why not add a "chaotic only" subclass for fighter which adds rage power and other barbarian stuff called Berserker? And a "Witch" class for Wizard which adds Eldritch Blast and makes spell regain on a short in exchange for less spell slots always at the higher level. And a text saying that the Warlock/Witch learns spells not via formal study but under the tuition of a external patron, making him unable to scribe scrolls. The barbarian text says that they are from tribal cultures.


They will get some barb/warlock stuff but not be the new class requiring new models, new spells, new UI, new quests(...) Think on how green mage is a wizard with a druidic flavor. So far, my unique critique towards Solasta is the lack of classes and being low level 5e.

Good to remember that on old school D&D, this new types of classes insteads of new classes, was "kits". Both, Barbarians and Warlocks started as a respective Fighter/Wizard subclass.

In case of Barbs

"appeared in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st edition, in the Unearthed Arcana splatbook. Here, it was a variant Fighter who had a background in a primitive culture; as a result, they have certain abilities"

source - 1d4chan

Warlocks :

In the The Complete Wizard's Handbook, there was a Wizard kit called the Witch. In the description of the Witch kit, it is mentioned that most Witches are female, but male Witches are possible, being commonly referred to as Warlocks. The Witch kit states that the power the Witch gains, is taught to them by extraplanar entities,

source - 1d4chan

For those who don't know, greem mages are wizards with druid flavor on Solasta

Greenamages are the heirs of the ancient traditions of the sylvan elves. They are wardens of the forest, specialized in nature magic and also reliable bowmen, trained to survive without spells if need be - as they had to in the wake of the Cataclysm. > https://solastacrownofthemagister.wiki.fextralife.com/Greenmage

EDIT : Shadowcaster already exists in solasta https://solastacrownofthemagister.wiki.fextralife.com/Shadowcaster

 

[Crispy]

Aside from hotfixes, we've got our sight now locked onto the final 1.0 release.

Pure fucking incline on the way.

 

[Bara]

Both Wrath of the Righteous and Solasta feel like their coming out really fast.

2021 is going to be a good year for crpgs.

 

[Cryomancer]

Both Wrath of the Righteous and Solasta feel like their coming out really fast.

Yep. A amazing mid to high level adventure on 3.75e and a amazing low level adventure on 5e. To make things even better, we could get a "retroclone" like Lamentations of Flame princess or Swords & Wizardry adapted too...

 

[Lacrymas]

The video game adaptation of Gloomhaven is also probably going to release this year, and it's pretty good (so far), so yeah.

 

[Bara]

we could get a "retroclone" like Lamentations of Flame princess or Swords & Wizardry adapted too...

Official adaptions or modded into another game kinda deal? Either would be pretty cool.

 

[whydoibother]

https://www.pcgamer.com/this-rpgs-dungeon-builder-is-neverwinter-nights-meets-super-mario-maker/
This RPG's dungeon builder is Neverwinter Nights meets Super Mario Maker

doubt.jpg
How complex are the dialogue trees, how easy is it to set up simple scripts like "if chest open, pause game, spawn NPC, NPC runs through door, start dialogue when reaches player, address player based on past quest outcome" and such?
Of all the modding and gamedev tools, the ones of Neverwinter Nights and Warcraft III were the best balance of easy-to-use and powerful enough to create good stuff. I would be amazed if this gets close to them.