KickStarter Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy - BG1-inspired low fantasy RPG from the ATOM TEAM - now available on Early Access

[ADL]

Backed and shared. Not playing the demo and not playing any early access. Looking forward to 1.0

 

[Spike]

Explain to me, fuckface, how the making of Fallout carbon copy which is ATOM RPG translates into making fun epic low fantasy totally not BG game. For instance, their devs can code, thats for sure which is nice and we all can be confident in the tech state of the game but further than that? You need faith, honestly. By the way, have you even played the demo? I know the answer, don't bother.

There comes a time where all you need from life is Fallout with a Soviet flavor and some risky humor.

I for one am looking forward to see what those Ukrainian-Polish-Latvian madmen will do with Baldur's Gate formula.

This guy gets it. Refinement/iteration in games has always been underrated. It's all I want, fellas. You know what hasn't changed in 1,400 years? Chess. Onto the next adventure, lads.

EDIT: I cleaned up something I said out of respect for AtomBoy and any rando lurkers who might happen upon this forum.

 

[Aarwolf]

Changed my pledge from 30€ to 50€, godspeed to you and all the best!

 

[Atomboy]

YO YO YO YO YO YO YO YO YO YO sorry for the radio silence, really busy few days. I'm gonna reply to everyone now, and also I'm here because I'm doing a reddit AMA thing in a few minutes so if you wanna join in here's the link: https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1bvzsgg/im_a_writer_combat_designer_for_atom_team_here_to/

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In other news, thanks to everyone who made that whole Social Goal gimmick we have reach the Weapon Mastery questline, I REALLY wanted to do one since I played Arcanum but it was scrapped when we planned the development schedule. Remember how Arcamum had weapon mastery quests? I loved those!
If my version becomes even a bleak shade of how cool Arcanum's version felt, I'll be pretty happy with myself.

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Now lemme address everyone in turn!

After playing the demo, I pledged 30 euros. This is the first time I supported something on Kikestarter, or crowdfunding in general, that's how much I liked it. Don't fuck it up, if you add trannies, I want my money back. If only I could refund that Belgian turd, I'd add another 60.

The demo hits all the right spots, although I'm not a fan of the camera. Can we at least get an option to rebind the camera rotation hotkey? I'd like to use mouse4 for it. And it feels like camera rotation has some kind of acceleration built in, I'd appreciate it if that could be a toggle. Great work, otherwise.

Thank you! There are two options for camera movement in the game already, full rebinding might come around later. But have you tried the other option?

This game gives me Realms Beyond vide, clearly a good omen!

You never know!

I played the demo on Linux, and other than the intro video hang, it ran flawlessly. Very smooth and stable.

I will probably play around with the character builder some more tonight. With my first impression of it, I am betting nerd skill-monkey with a ranged weapon is going to be most optimal once you have a party.

I wish for the demo that the skills weren't grayed out. I'd like to see more of what they do. I was looking forward to playing a polearm specialist in the same manner as ToEE, but that skill line looks more designed to be in the thick if it.

I also noticed that there don't seem to be attacks of opportunity or disengagement. With the halberd, I only had enough AP to swing once but still had about 1/3 AP remaining. This meant that it was always best to kite, as enemies with quick and low AP attacks would waste AP chasing me. I would still get 1 attack every round, but they would get 2 instead of 3.

Stealth as a skill seems like it will be able to overcome total dump of Dexterity for Initiative, and Luck will be able to full compensate for Dodge.

That's great to know! We have some specials, for example in bows, that disengage you meaning you can run away easier. And there's a spear skill in the works that does what AOO usually does. So we more or less tied those to techniques instead of just not doing them. With weapons I'm going with a very loose and currently at times unfair formula of dividing them into "low damage 3 attacks on average build weapons" "mid damage 2 attacks on average build weapons" and "1 attack on any build but it hurts a lot", so the halberd should compensate the attack count by sheer power! More to change of course.

Interviewed our own Atomboy about the ATOM games, and of course Swordhaven. You can read it on my blog, or just down below if interested!

Spoiler

Welcome to an interview with Aleksandrs Cernavskis, the writer and combat designer for the developer team Atom Team. Aleksandrs and the rest of the Atom Team are currently running a Kickstarter for their upcoming low-fantasy RPG Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy. However, these guys are not some random rookies concerning making games. In their portfolio, you will find the well-liked and popular isometric Fallout-inspired RPGs: ATOM RPG: Post-apocalyptic indie game and ATOM RPG Trudograd.

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Who are the Atom Team?

We’re just a bunch of guys scattered across Europe.

We met each other on game development forums, discovered we shared similar interests, took the plunge into indie development, and now here we are.

What is your and your team’s background in making games? What inspired you specifically to go down this path (making a career of it)?

We were all fascinated by game development, more or less. I remember making Half-Life mods as a school kid, then playing around with RPGmaker and such.

Other guys actually had professional careers in gamedev, having worked on Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, World of Tanks, XENUS, etc.
But at the end of the day, we all liked RPGs. It doesn’t matter if it’s pen and paper, CRPGs, JRPGs—you name it. So, ATOM was just a hobby for us—something to do after work—before it quietly and discreetly became our work. Then again, nobody minded

What are some of the favorite games you have played, modern and from the past?

I think Baldur’s Gate was my first proper RPG. Then I was introduced to Fallout 1–2 and became a fan after the first play session.

I also loved Arcanum; later Torment became my favorite game for a while. Then VTMB, ToEE… The usual suspects.

Jeff Vogel is an icon of indie development done right. Iron Tower Studios and Stygian Software are GOAT. The list goes on! Again, I’ll hardly surprise you with my list of good RPG’s.

FromSoft is cool for their world-building. You know—King’s Field, Elden Ring, with Dark Souls 1 probably being my favorite.

I also like Goichi Suda, who developed Killer7, No More Heroes, Killer is Dead, etc. I’m not completely in love with the games themselves, but that guy is an inspiration and a real punk.

I’d say the same about Yoko Taro, who made Drakengard and Nier. I don’t always enjoy his games, but the man himself is an auteur.

Right now I’m fascinated with Battle Brothers and Crusader Kings 3. These two can really suck me in for an unhealthy amount of time.

Have you been a writer and combat designer for all of Atom Team’s released RPGs?

I was one of the writers for ATOM RPG, a writer AND assistant combat designer for Trudograd. Swordhaven is the first time I get to design combat right from the start. Only time will tell if it was wise of the guys to let me do that… But so far so good!

What inspires you regarding the writing – any specific themes or moods that run through the games?

I like to write about things I know and reference things that are important to me. I don’t do it for the “haha get the reference?” aspect, but rather to honor the authors, people, and events that have impacted me. However, I understand how it might appear from the outside, so nowadays I try to make references more subtle.

My other passion—if you will—is the “dark underbelly” trope. I enjoy incorporating references to a larger, hidden narrative unfolding in the background. When you delve deep into any of the games I’ve participated in, you may sense that there is more to the world than meets the eye—like a terrifying cosmic dimension teeming with inexplicable and mind-bending, lurking just out of sight.

Have your style changed, or maybe even improved over the years?

Yeah, I’d say it did. Language is a tool and the more you use it the better you tend to get.
While I do like the writing in ATOM RPG, some of it is a bit too cringy at times… Trudograd felt somewhat dryer, but way more professional; and Swordhaven is the most ‘normal’ so far. I wonder what we will write next!

Is there any kind of writing traps to avoid? Have you “walked” into any yourself?

My main no-nos are:

• Making too many references to things I like. Everyone will just think it’s nostalgia-milking, or attempts at Family Guy humor. Even though it’s not! For the most part…
• Try not to use anti-humor. I love anti-humor, basically jokes which are funny BECAUSE they are horribly unfunny, giving you that cringe laugh, but the reader will just think you wanted to be funny and failed.
• Don’t write sentences that don’t feel right. I can’t really explain this one because I don’t know anything about writing theory, but sometimes sentences just sound off. That’s why I always re-read what I wrote.

You double as a combat designer. What is your background in designing combat – boardgame related, or strictly a PC/console gaming affair?

I’m pretty much a novice at that. I created a combat system for a board game that my friends and I developed back in school. I also work on hobby games that I keep to myself, as they are mainly for practicing coding.

While these are not the biggest accolades, I think it’s working for the time being.

What inspires you as a combat designer?

I like combat in Battle Brothers, Underrail, War Tales and the stuff they had in Infinity Engine games. Smooth, easy to grasp systems—not mindless, but not overly complex either.

What do you prefer, a more abstract type of turn-based combat based on specific rules, or something more simulated based on real life?

I like the middle ground. My favorite kind of combat has strict rules: everyone has a specific turn order and you can’t skip ahead, all actions cost AP, etc. but also some chaos is out there, like baiting for monster infighting, ragdolling a character and watching them flail around damaging their own allies… Crazy stuff that exists just because it’s fun.

What’s the hardest – the writing or designing gameplay?

I’d say balancing. I designed the whole combat system in a few days, but balancing out the pros and cons and DPS of specific weapons and techniques… That’s not something I even did properly for Swordhaven’s demo, because I know I can’t do it without player suggestions.

Our team depends on feedback in general, but it’s doubly true for combat. We’ll balance it out together, me and the players.

Now for the games. ATOM RPG also started as a Kickstarter project. How come? Was there no publisher interest, or was it something you wanted to avoid? Was Kickstarter the only way to inject money into the project?

Honestly, the Kickstarter just kind of happened. I don’t remember if we had discussions about it or not, but it seemed like the only obvious way to go forward.

That campaign ended up spreading awareness of our game in a way that we could never achieve on our own, as nobody on the team really knew (or knows) how to market stuff.

Of course the actual game cost us ten times more than what was gathered using Kickstarter, but since we still had our day-jobs almost until the full release, it didn’t really matter.

What inspired the team to make this kind of game? Fallout is a clear inspiration, anything else?

The first Wasteland, Quest for Glory, good old euro-jank RPGs like The Fall: Last Days of Gaia, Another War, and all that jazz.

Authors like Strugatsky brothers, Sorokin, Shalamov, and many others. All kinds of stuff, really. It’s pretty hard to pick something specific since ATOM was always a hodgepodge of different ideas and influences.

What was the process from going from a cool idea, to actually making the thing and setting up a Kickstarter?

We worked on ATOM even before Kickstarter, so development-vise not a lot has changed. But the campaign was a tough experience, that’s for sure. Tough, but also rather fun!

I think everyone can pull this off. Might just take a while and unless you like canned food, you’ll fail!

Anything you or the team regret about making the first ATOM RPG?

There are a lot of things that I would have done differently: improve the English translation, remove some parts, and add something else. However, I can say the same about Trudograd, and I’m 100% sure that I will say this about Swordhaven once it’s completed.

Other than that, I regret nothing!

Then a couple of years later, you guys made ATOM RPG Trudograd. From what I understand it started as a DLC or some sort of expansion for the original ATOM RPG, what changed?

You’re absolutely right, it started as a basic DLC, but then we got carried away

There were too many changes, fixes and improvements for it to be a simple addition to the base game. So we decided to make Trudograd a classic expansion pack, sort of like Throne of Bhaal for BG2. Just not requiring you to own the original ATOM.

What changes did you make from the first game? Were the changes based on community feedback, or stuff the team didn’t think turned out so good? Maybe both?

Yeah, a bit of both, with a slight tilt towards community feedback.

The most obvious changes would be the addition of new abilities, considerably better graphics, QoL features not present in ATOM, weapon modifications, special armor… The name is Legion.

Do you and the Atom Team have more post-apocalyptic stories in you for the ATOM franchise? Or is it a done deal, considering the shift to medieval fantasy?

Trudograd ends on a cliffhanger so we’re obliged to create at least one more ATOM game. But a palette cleanser is required first

ATOM 2 will probably be our next project, and it will be the best in the series, I’m sure of it.

And now finally for the main event – the Baldur’s Gate I inspired RPG Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy.

This is your second Kickstarter, is it still a tense deal? If the worst happens and the Kickstarter fails, will the game be benched? Will the company itself be in trouble?

I don’t think we’ll fold if the Kickstarter fails, but it will be hard(er), that’s for sure.

We mainly need Kickstarter for things like new animations, additional polish for the game’s visuals, new features that we otherwise wouldn’t have time to develop properly, and all that good stuff.

What prompted you as a team to go from the post-apocalyptic wasteland to the medieval lands of a low-key fantasy adventure?

We wanted to try something new, and since fantasy and medieval-esque fiction in general have always appealed to us, it was a no-brainer what setting we wanted to use for our next game.

What’s the main pull for gamers who enjoy a good RPG romp?

Depends on the gamers in question

For us, it’s a mix of attention to detail (the more meticulous, the better) and a good old swashbuckling adventure. A bit of political intrigue, a pinch of sword and sorcery—the stuff of legends, as one bald fella with a hamster used to say.

After testing the demo, I was surprised at how good the game felt already, inevitably there is stuff that needs to be improved. What are the things on your immediate list?

Bug fixes are our top priority! We will also be adding missing portraits for characters who do not currently have them. Additionally, we may tweak some aspects such as sounds and visuals. But that’s our task for this demo.

When the Kickstarter campaign is over, our first action will be implementing a new and better pathfinding system.

What kind of adventure from a writing aspect do you have in mind for Swordhaven? The word conspiracy in the title tells me that it will be something more than just a heroic tale filled with valorous deeds – is there something to this?

I really wanna hint at some spoilers, but alas, I can’t.

What I can do is talk a little about our inspirations: history (Northern Crusades and colonization of Hokkaido by Imperial Japan, etc.), fables, classic adventure literature from the XIX and XX centuries (for example, Alexandre Dumas), the stuff they published in pulp magazines… Our usuals.

For me personally, a lot of inspiration comes from Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, but also H. P. Lovecraft and Robert W. Chambers, meaning there will be a hard to find cosmic horror subplot, just like I mentioned earlier.

This time however, it will be less Cthulu and more King in Yellow, and maybe some of Arthur Machen’s “Shining Pyramid”.

The demo felt very free-form in its approach, meaning you can kill, steal, and pickpocket whoever you want. How will you make sure the game can be completed with that kind of freedom? It gets me thinking about this line from The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind: “With this character’s death, the threads of prophecy have been severed. You may load a saved game, or persist in this doomed world that you have created“.

The line you mentioned was used as one of the death screens before we went public with the demo

It’s not easy, that’s for sure, but we managed to maintain that free approach in both ATOM and Trudograd without making them unbeatable, and even acknowledging some of the more unorthodox player decisions in-game. So, it only felt right to make Swordhaven in the same vein!

It’s a different game, yes, but that doesn’t mean that it should be a downgrade from the ATOM series. Quite the contrary!

The CGI intro looks very nice, however, this isn’t the first time you guys have made impressive mood-setting CGI cinematics. I assume these are time-consuming to make, which makes me wonder if all that extra work is worth it considering even AAA game developers seem to ditch them nowadays. Are these videos important for the atmosphere? (Mind, I like them and miss them from games in general).

You answered the question for me!

We also enjoy them. Sure, cinematics do take time, but again—they feel right for us. Come to think of it, a lot of what we do is dictated by the fact that it just feels appropriate or cool. But not bike-riding-sunglasses-wearing-cool, more like nerd cool.

We even shot a short movie with a real actor as a starting cinematic for Trudograd. Now that was something!

Swordhaven will both have turn-based and real-time combat, how come? Wouldn’t it be easier to focus on one gameplay style? Can you switch between them at will?

It would definitely be easier! However, there are a couple of reasons why we’re going with two systems this time. First of all, a Real-Time with Pause combat stylistically fits an Infinity Engine-inspired game.

Secondly, the pacing. To me, every turn-based combat sequence feels like a significant event. It’s the moment when the game signals to the player, “Hold on a second. It’s time to strategize like a commander!” So it’s a mood killer when this intense experience pops up when your party of Level 50 characters meets a random rat.

For such occasions, you can now seamlessly switch to real-time mode, watch your party smash that proverbial rat in 2 seconds, and then return to exploring without interrupting the game’s pace.

However, it’s important to note that turn-based gameplay remains our top priority. We won’t even consider implementing real-time elements until we make turn-based gameplay shine!

Going by the demo, it seems to be a party-based RPG. Will you be able to create your party, or will your companions will be set characters with their own agenda in the world?

I do love games like IWD where you make the whole party at the start of the adventure, but this time we went with a more ludonarrative approach where you get to meet all sorts of colorful characters, and kill them add them to your party.

Then again, many similar games to ours offer the option to create your own party in-game by hiring characters in a tavern or a mercenary guild. So I believe we’ll also add this option.

What engine does Swordhaven run on? Is it the same engine that the Atom RPGs run on? Is it a good engine for the purpose of making RPGs?

Swordhaven is the third time we’re using Unity. Our first games were created in it, so we decided not to reinvent the wheel and go for it with Swordhaven as well.

We have a whole infrastructure of homebrew scripts, shortcuts, even whole systems built on top of the vanilla editor and these are invaluable in making development quick and easy for us.

How large will the world be? Will you be able to explore everything from level 1, if you so choose, or will there be restrictions?

We like the free, open-world approach, similar to what we had in Atom. So yes, players will be able to visit most locations right from the start. However, whether they can withstand all of the challenges at the beginning is a different story.

Size-wise, it will be bigger than Trudograd, but probably a bit more condensed than ATOM. It depends on the funding, really.

I noticed some voice acting in the demo, however, it was very spartan. Is it a wish to one day have full voice acting, or do you think it might limit or make the game harder to make? Any thoughts about voice acting from a gaming perspective when it comes to RPGs?

For sure, one day we’ll have a game that’s fully voice-acted. But since it’s a very costly and labor intensive process, we’d need our studio to grow big time before we even attempt that.

What’s the plan for difficulty – will combat be the only test of your mettle? Are there puzzles, or perhaps other things that depend on more than just combat skills?

I’m very excited to make some non-combat challenges for the players. Puzzle dungeons, obscure hints that lead to secret quests and locations, little hidey-holes you need to use specific items on to reach the loot. I hope to have all that by the time the game is finished.

What’s the one feature you think will get the most attention from the gaming public?

Oh, I don’t know. Fun exploration? A certain plot-twist that I can’t disclose?.. We’ll just have to see.

When do you think the game will be released if the Kickstarter is successful?

We’re aiming for Early Access in Q4 2024, and full 1.0 release in Q4 2025.

Is there anything you want to add about Swordhaven, the Atom Team, or maybe something about yourself?

I’d just like to use your platform to once again thank our players for the amazing support!

RPG fans and communities, like the Codex, are what makes or breaks development studios, depending on their reaction, and they have been kind, helpful and accepting towards us.

I also like to thank you for the ability to share my thoughts. You have an awesome blog and like I told you privately, I really appreciate you following that tradition of blogging about games independently in your own corner of the internet.

My hope is that it one day becomes a trend again!

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I want to give Aleksandrs and the Atom Team a huge thanks for answering all my questions and for the kind words. I also want to wish them luck in their Kickstarter endeavors. Let’s hope it all goes well, and that we soon get to play Swordhaven. Because who doesn’t want to slaughter rats and wolves like the good old days of roleplaying? If you haven’t backed already, do so now so we get the best possible RPG!

Thanks for reading.

Thanks for taking the time Atomboy!

Thank you for having me, dude! I really enjoy your blog!

Didn't take much to convince me to back a game from you guys. The Atom games were great and based off the demo your writing has continued to improve too. I do hope in the final product we end up having more backgrounds to choose from. The flavor text between Noble and Bandit was pretty nice.

Thank you! We'll do our best to fit at least 3 more backgrounds. A priest of the local faith is a must, so you can larp a spiritual figure.

The demo is very enjoyable, some notes:
- It would be really good to add the emeny HP as a number on hover when the Health Bar is switched off. Can't see it anywhere now.
- Any particular reason the sword guard of the main menu sword is the wrong way up? It looks off. If a blade somehow gets between it and the hand it would be much more difficult to avoid having fingers chopped off compared to the correct way. Nitpicking, but it's a major element in the presentation of the game, so it seems worth mentioning.
- This probably has been reported, but when sitting to drink in the village, the character's equipped weapon disappears.
- The question mark in the otherwise great font is terrible, it really needs fixing.

Oh wow, the sword thing is a nice catch indeed. I never thought of it for a second, and I am a studier of the blade irl!!! Nice idea on HP, we'll try to make it more accessible without combat, and a nice spotting of that damn bug. Thank you! You also see those question marks as exclamation marks? I dunno whether we'll be able to change the font due to licensing, but at least I'm not alone in this...

About their Twitter...

Jesus...
Wept

Their best bet for more money is adding real time combat and showcasing that. Turn based is trash when the animations are not there and the combat is simplistic. Hopefully they keep the npc interactions to a minimum and focus more on exploration. This is the problem with atom rpg take fallout 2s dialogue and make it annoying zany outlandish soviet sitcom which only a very small niche group of gamers can appreciate. Underrail with its very not flexible 3rd edition inspired rpg mechanics scares away anyone that has a job and doesn't want to reroll builds in a indie rpg cause they made a mistake.

I hear you, but RTWP looks even jankier right now!
We'll be dialogue heavy as always though, but exploration will be featured as well. And we'll have the respec option for messed up builds, like always!

Their best bet for more money is adding real time combat and showcasing that. Turn based is trash when the animations are not there and the combat is simplistic. Hopefully they keep the npc interactions to a minimum and focus more on exploration. This is the problem with atom rpg take fallout 2s dialogue and make it annoying zany outlandish soviet sitcom which only a very small niche group of gamers can appreciate. Underrail with its very not flexible 3rd edition inspired rpg mechanics scares away anyone that has a job and doesn't want to reroll builds in a indie rpg cause they made a mistake.

This game can toggle between RTwP and Turn-based already. The demo has pretty good interactions with NPCs with lots of skill checks involved. All the dialogue was competent and concise. Only a few lore dumps, and those were only when provoked by the player. The player will be able to get as much or as little dialogue as they please. Mechanically speaking, the game is easy enough to follow. The tooltips are good and the player is given advanced notice on what each skill does and what bonuses it will provide as you advance it. At character creation, anyone will be able to theory-craft an entire build in a couple of minutes if they know what the level cap is. Multiple attributes contribute to each skill, so while it's still possible not to be optimal, it's hard for me to imagine creating a bad build in this game without trying. Character building in this game will be far less intimidating than Underrail.

There are ways to mess up a build, but honestly my goal (unless it proves futile) to make any build more or less okay, even the really messed up 1 str 1 dex 1 end ones. I want this system loose on purpose, so that any combo would allow to be good at at least something and not just bar you from going further at some point.

I'm more curious about the amount of people who cheer just because this thing is allegedly isn't woke. The bar, man.

People are excited because we actually liked Atom rpg, you are just butthurt no one liked colon shit. Also your mom smoked cigarettes when she was pregnant with you, bitch.

Explain to me, fuckface, how the making of Fallout carbon copy which is ATOM RPG translates into making fun epic low fantasy totally not BG game. For instance, their devs can code, thats for sure which is nice and we all can be confident in the tech state of the game but further than that? You need faith, honestly. By the way, have you even played the demo? I know the answer, don't bother.

It was no copy! Very original!!!
You should do another playthrough if you don't believe me

We are now in the 3rd title of this team, and combat is still extremelly poor.
I suspect that previous games might actually do a better job than this one.
We are talking about a no perk system à la Fallout (so thank you for bringing special, but without its linked perk system it's really just the trash), Skill tree (because they are so foony), cooldowns for skills, around 3 skills per character, and skill design very top notch ''oh hey you click under the button you get +20% damage'' hey ho.

Everybody's here is fine with shit combat? Really?

Once we're done there will be some strategy to the technique use, e.g. in dev builds there are skils for bleeding synergy e.g. "this skill does X damage, but will do 2X damage if target is bleeding" and it has a cooldown of 6 so you better use it after bleeding the target or you'll miss out! That sort of thing, more entanglement, maybe even combo attacks, I'm telling ya, this one will be the best of all! I'm sure those who like it in the current state just see that big picture of what it can be once we're done.

I don wanna make a new effin account for Kickstarter, jes le me preorder.

Early access q4 2024!!!1

Nova Drakonia is a rather high fantasy sounding name, isn't it? Anyways, loved both Atoms so I'm pretty hyped for this.

Thanks man! They named it that way due to the main religion of the big empire everyone's from. They have an organized religion with a magical invisible sky dragon as their chief god and 12 humanoid gods as their lesser gods. And as time goes, the dragon worship is becoming more and more prominent, gathering religious fervour and slowly pushing the religion towards monotheism while the other gods receive less and less love, despite them being worshipped long before the dragon was even made up by a certain prophet. It's kinda done in parallel with how (allegedly) some real world religions had a bunch of gods, but then one became a major god and sorta pushed everyone else out, turning the religion nigh-monotheistic. That one guy did it in Egypt and also there's this fringe theory YHWH was once a war god of a larger pantheon, so the dragon is the key to all of this, they named the country after him, probably after playing half life 2 because I took the word Nova from there.

Backed and shared. Not playing the demo and not playing any early access. Looking forward to 1.0

That's really cool, thank you dude!

Changed my pledge from 30€ to 50€, godspeed to you and all the best!

Thanks man! We really appreciate it!

 

[lycanwarrior]

Reddit AMA from the dev team:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/1bvzsgg/im_a_writer_combat_designer_for_atom_team_here_to/

 

[jackofshadows]

It was no copy! Very original!!!
You should do another playthrough if you don't believe me

Mechanically speaking, of course. The original content is there (the problem is I found it cringy as shit mostly, especially the circus as to give you an example but I'm in the minority here as you know well). Those guys who were replying to me missed my point though anyway. Because so far every design decision which was step away from the classics was bad in my eyes (the perk tree, the hunger mechanic, the re-designed perk tree in TG, the power armor design there too, mechanically again, not visually - it was well done etc etc). I think the only thing I liked was the fact the stealth skill worked automatically so there wasn't the situation as in classic Fallouts where you had to wait some guy make the turn only to press 1 afterwards - that was silly and it wasn't there in your games - nice (it was fixed so to speak in Arcanum already by the way though).

So I very skeptical about the systems still and what I've seen in the demo wasn't impressive. The content too. However, as I was enjoying myself wandering the wasteland in ATOM games who knows, maybe I will again in this but I tend to speak only about things I actually see.

 

[Sloul]

Atomboy, I appreciate your spirit but sadly, you'll never be able to deliver decent combat mechanics and character building if you don't revisit your mechanics.
Skill tree, cooldowns, it's trash.
There a few games that I could mention for inspiration:
- Dungeon Rats: notably its inventory system, its itemisation and combat mechanics, it's only 12-15 hours to beat and is very cheap, so, I could gift it on steam to your team if you are interested.
It's a good showcase that you should be able to make a good game without even adding abilities, just a sword and shield can be interesting to hold and to play.
If you manage to get there, then, you can spice things up with abilities.
- Blackguard: its game mechanics are ok, but the interesting part is the handcrafted encounters, you can win by brute force, but in most cases you're going to suffer, instead you need to pay attention to the environment.

 

[cdx]

Nice idea on HP, we'll try to make it more accessible without combat,

Sorry, I guess I wasn't clear, that's not what I meant. Here is the HP info during combat with "Health Bar" option on and off. When it's off, there is no information about the HP anywhere. I hit the wolf for 5HP. Does it have 5/10 or 25/30, etc, I don't know. Instead, the on-mouse-hover text during combat should probably be something like in the blue box when Health Bar is unticked:

As for the question mark, it's somewhat annoying as it demands a small bit of extra attention to identify vs exclamation mark. It should be parsable without any extra effort or consideration. In my opinion, having to decrease reading speed even slightly throughout the whole game because of a single character is something that should be fixed. If not by editing the font, then with some code that automatically makes the question mark italic or bold, or replaces it with an inline image, similar to those at the start of replies. Other than that, I think the font choice is perfect.

 

[The Wall]

Atomboy What new/novel feature or system will you implement with Swordhaven? There don't need to be many, just one system that shows your power as RPG Studio. Black Geyser tried with Greed System, where amount of loot and bribes taken would lead to World being consumed by madness of greed. Door of Trithius implements Stalker like faction system where animals, monsters and Human factions battle for turf and expand their zone of control which you can influence with money ala Majesty style or by doing quests. Oblivion tried radient AI NPCs, real Fallout 3 should have had competing groups of adventurers doing your quests, meeting them in same Vault where you're both hunting for same Old World artefact and so on...

With advances in AI, and programming output getting easier for experienced programmers what game system or world simulation, maybe even mini-game are you planning for Swordhaven?

I hope at least World simulation is on higher lvl and connected to role-playing gameplay - birds flying, wolves attacking sheep, pigs shitting, peasants shoveling shit, trade caravans moving on the road, ships entering and leaving port of Swordhaven, barbarians raiding villages, Empire sending penalty excursions into deep forest, children running, drunkards singing and ...

 

[The Wall]

I also hope backgrounds unlock new play styles and game systems. For example: as bandit you can loot caravans. As noble you can command few low lvl village NPCs to follow you on most important quest, given to You by Emperor personally. As merchant you can invest into caravans and deposit all excess loot into your shop that brings you nice profit. As Nomad you can fire arrows while on horse and also get pet eagle to unveil fog of unknown to You

Stuff of such nature, something more exciting than mere +5% better prices

 

[Infinitron]

Kind of running the Red Boots DLC joke into the ground here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atomrpg/swordhaven-iron-conspiracy/posts/4070110

RED BOOTS LORE + NEW PATCH FOR THE DEMO​

The hidden lore behind the fabled Red Boots!​

This item is available for Marquess, Duke, Prince, King, Emperor, Prophet and Dragon level tiers.

Seven score and fifteen years ago, when the first Kudônians settled in Swordhaven, they found themselves living next to a most uncouth neighbour: Lakamundoїn the Witch, exiled by his own people for his venomous tongue and general unpleasantness.

The diaries of the first Waidelott of Swordhaven mention numerous occasions when this evil sorcerer would unleash daggerfangs upon the settlers’ fields, start fires by casting lightning on their thatched roofs, and summon rivers of giant spiders and skinwyrms.

But every time the good people of Swordhaven tried to give chase, Lakamundoїn would click the heels of his red boots and escape into the wilderness, boasting tremendous speed.

Unable to reach their attacker, the Kudônians then sought refuge in prayer. “Oh, Celestial Dragon,” they begged, “deliver us from this philistine!”

Lo and behold! The next time the wizard clicked his heels to escape vengeance, he was blinded by his own extraordinary speed and ran, stomach first, straight into a sharp branch of an old oak.

His boots then became the treasured possession of the first Waidelott… Who ran himself into a barn wall just two months later. Since then, the boots have switched dozens of hands, or rather feet. Until finishing their journey in your backpack.

Demo patch 0.1.2​

Last but not least - another major patch that fixes several dozens of recently uncovered issues is now up. Thank you for your help in discovering the most pressing issues and annoying bugs in the demo! Please, read the full patch note below.

• Added new portraits for NPCs and interactive objects;
• Added moving items from the chest by double click;
• Fixed that followers could not open chests;
• Updated weapon hits and turn-based battle sounds;
• Fixed bugs with movement after dialogue;
• Added icons for future abilities;
• Updated 3D models for ammunition;
• Fixed some freezes in dialogues;
• Fixed bug with displaying icons of stolen items;
• Updated the use of throwing bottles;
• Fixed bugs with weapons disappearing;
• Added function to reset filters when opening a chest for the second time;
• Reduced the frequency of character vocalising during movement;
• Added notifications about unavailable difficulty levels;
• Fixed attack animation of some weapons;
• Fixed visual issues with some 3D objects;
• Fixed bug with double click in combat;
• Now the order of characters is regulated by moving portraits;
• Updated character selection logic for lockpicking;
• Fixed difficulty moving scrollbar in inventory;
• Improved recipe display when ingredients for crafting run out;
• Fixed movement of some NPCs after combat;
• Added icon to drop the whole inventory items;
• Updated reset buttons in settings;
• Added tooltip for shields equipped with two-handed weapons;
• Updated sounds of children in the village;
• Fixed a bug with changing weapons during combat;
• Added tooltip and icon for association with Stamina Points in combat;
• Fixed bug with fast loading in combat;
• The abilities applied to yourself have been fixed;
• Added the possibility to loot in combat;
• Disabled the system of character control during panic;
• Arrows have been added to the weapon filter;
• Shield does not add effects when used with two-handed weapons at the same time.

Thank you for the continued contributions, everyone.
Yours always, Atom Team

 

[Feyd Rautha]

Why do you give these cursed boots to us backers?

 

[The Wall]

I'm so excited for Swordhaven that this thread is neutrality zone for me and Infinitron, I won't even rate his posts with

! AtomBoy is RPG Dalai Lama, bringing people together with power of good RPGs

 

[Alienman]

Not the tongue sucking Dalai Lama I hope.

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

I also hope backgrounds unlock new play styles and game systems. For example: as bandit you can loot caravans. As noble you can command few low lvl village NPCs to follow you on most important quest, given to You by Emperor personally. As merchant you can invest into caravans and deposit all excess loot into your shop that brings you nice profit. As Nomad you can fire arrows while on horse and also get pet eagle to unveil fog of unknown to You

Stuff of such nature, something more exciting than mere +5% better prices

Skills do something like this every 50 points. The first bonus is small, like the +5%. After that they get more interesting. Stealth allows you to always win initiative, and even act twice eventually. Survival/Wilderness (can't remember) makes you less detectable to beasts and eventually immune to poison. Various social skills give yourself and your party bonuses to penetration, damage resistance, chance to inflict debilitations, etc. If you haven't played the demo, I encourage you to.

 

[The Wall]

I also hope backgrounds unlock new play styles and game systems. For example: as bandit you can loot caravans. As noble you can command few low lvl village NPCs to follow you on most important quest, given to You by Emperor personally. As merchant you can invest into caravans and deposit all excess loot into your shop that brings you nice profit. As Nomad you can fire arrows while on horse and also get pet eagle to unveil fog of unknown to You

Stuff of such nature, something more exciting than mere +5% better prices

Skills do something like this every 50 points. The first bonus is small, like the +5%. After that they get more interesting. Stealth allows you to always win initiative, and even act twice eventually. Survival/Wilderness (can't remember) makes you less detectable to beasts and eventually immune to poison. Various social skills give yourself and your party bonuses to penetration, damage resistance, chance to inflict debilitations, etc. If you haven't played the demo, I encourage you to.

Sure. But I believe high level skills should give something even BETTER then that. By better I don't mean immunity or +50% dmg. Something like: talking to dead or pacifying wild animals or calling dragon air-strike. Low-magic alternatives for that

World simulation and its connection to gameplay systems is KEY AND FUTURE OF RPG INCLINE

 

[ds]

Kind of running the Red Boots DLC joke into the ground here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atomrpg/swordhaven-iron-conspiracy/posts/4070110

RED BOOTS LORE + NEW PATCH FOR THE DEMO​

The hidden lore behind the fabled Red Boots!​

This item is available for Marquess, Duke, Prince, King, Emperor, Prophet and Dragon level tiers.

Seven score and fifteen years ago, when the first Kudônians settled in Swordhaven, they found themselves living next to a most uncouth neighbour: Lakamundoїn the Witch, exiled by his own people for his venomous tongue and general unpleasantness.

The diaries of the first Waidelott of Swordhaven mention numerous occasions when this evil sorcerer would unleash daggerfangs upon the settlers’ fields, start fires by casting lightning on their thatched roofs, and summon rivers of giant spiders and skinwyrms.

But every time the good people of Swordhaven tried to give chase, Lakamundoїn would click the heels of his red boots and escape into the wilderness, boasting tremendous speed.

Unable to reach their attacker, the Kudônians then sought refuge in prayer. “Oh, Celestial Dragon,” they begged, “deliver us from this philistine!”

Lo and behold! The next time the wizard clicked his heels to escape vengeance, he was blinded by his own extraordinary speed and ran, stomach first, straight into a sharp branch of an old oak.

His boots then became the treasured possession of the first Waidelott… Who ran himself into a barn wall just two months later. Since then, the boots have switched dozens of hands, or rather feet. Until finishing their journey in your backpack.

Demo patch 0.1.2​

Last but not least - another major patch that fixes several dozens of recently uncovered issues is now up. Thank you for your help in discovering the most pressing issues and annoying bugs in the demo! Please, read the full patch note below.

• Added new portraits for NPCs and interactive objects;
• Added moving items from the chest by double click;
• Fixed that followers could not open chests;
• Updated weapon hits and turn-based battle sounds;
• Fixed bugs with movement after dialogue;
• Added icons for future abilities;
• Updated 3D models for ammunition;
• Fixed some freezes in dialogues;
• Fixed bug with displaying icons of stolen items;
• Updated the use of throwing bottles;
• Fixed bugs with weapons disappearing;
• Added function to reset filters when opening a chest for the second time;
• Reduced the frequency of character vocalising during movement;
• Added notifications about unavailable difficulty levels;
• Fixed attack animation of some weapons;
• Fixed visual issues with some 3D objects;
• Fixed bug with double click in combat;
• Now the order of characters is regulated by moving portraits;
• Updated character selection logic for lockpicking;
• Fixed difficulty moving scrollbar in inventory;
• Improved recipe display when ingredients for crafting run out;
• Fixed movement of some NPCs after combat;
• Added icon to drop the whole inventory items;
• Updated reset buttons in settings;
• Added tooltip for shields equipped with two-handed weapons;
• Updated sounds of children in the village;
• Fixed a bug with changing weapons during combat;
• Added tooltip and icon for association with Stamina Points in combat;
• Fixed bug with fast loading in combat;
• The abilities applied to yourself have been fixed;
• Added the possibility to loot in combat;
• Disabled the system of character control during panic;
• Arrows have been added to the weapon filter;
• Shield does not add effects when used with two-handed weapons at the same time.

Thank you for the continued contributions, everyone.
Yours always, Atom Team

So no golden pantaloons DLC?

 

[Robber Baron]

happy coincidence you picked a symbol of international elite pedophilia

 

[Woran]

I am going to support this Kickstarter because I loved ATOM, I greatly appreciate the homage to Baldur's Gate – up to the font design in the dialog box – and I am more than happy to give the dev team some extra money.

I am however (still) not totally enthusiastic about this game. I haven't played the demo personally, but from what I saw till now the setting and lore feel a little too similar to countless other “generic fantasy” works. I really hope the final product will contain more original ingredients, something comparable to that wonderful post-Soviet atmosphere that ATOM had.

 

[cyborgboy95]

Big fan of the Atom franchise here, I'm doing my part to contribute to the success of the kickstarter campaign for Swordhaven, besst of luck guys!

 

[HoboForEternity]

Seems kickstarter is successful so far, congrats guys!

 

[Hydro]

I just hope it’s going to be playable unlike Atom (and less cringe). Best of luck.

 

[InD_ImaginE]

Backed at 20 Euro. Good luck buddy. With 29 days left I would assume base goal or maybe 1 stretch goal would be viable to get

 

[cdx]

Atomboy, wouldn't it be good to throw a campaign update at least every few days? Some ideas about update topics to keep the campaign more lively:
- Different environments. Village/forest are great but lack variety. Would be great to see a still image of a city environment/fancy building, a mine of the Balta ore (glowing or inetersting in another way?), snowy terrain, mountain terrain, etc. Without too much spoliers, would be good to see more variety.
- Comparison between basic and improved animation, being a big KS goal.
- The type of encounter that could be added with KS funds. Trigger conversation, enemy party setup, customized location, etc.
- Details of an enemy type/creature that could be added, planned abilities, some art.
- A clip with an interaction without voiced line and with the same line voiced. Would have to be very high quality. How some voice acting improves the game, etc.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/atomrpg/swordhaven-iron-conspiracy/posts/4076845

IN-GAME NOTE INFORMATION​

Hello, everyone!

Today we’d like to tell you more about the “Write an in-game note” reward, available for the Duke pledge tier and above.

Nova Drakonia is home to many secrets, plenty of which are transferred from person to person by means of writing. During your adventure there will be many occasions when you will stumble upon a cryptic riddle hinting at some buried treasure, a mysterious book disclosing the location of an ancient jungle temple, a map fragment showing the route to a barbarian village, a manuscript detailing a hidden combat technique, or even something as mundane as someone’s hundred year old grocery shopping list.

With the In-Game Note reward you will be able to pen something like this… or something entirely different! It’s all up to you.

If you are eligible for this reward, it means our writers will contact you soon after the campaign ends. Together you will brainstorm its contents. While general rules of the setting and its lore should apply—you will be otherwise free to let your imagination run wild!

Worldbuilding side by side with our players and backers has always been a priority for our crew, and we hope to do a lot more of it through this reward.

Stay tuned for the next update, where we will delve into more details about Swordhaven’s development and showcase some cool new content!

Yours humbly, Atom Team