Bard's Tale The Bard's Tale IV Pre-Release Thread [RELEASED, GO TO NEW THREAD]

[Zombra]

How do you guys feel about the loyalty program? If you got a free handjob from Sawyer or MCA for backing pillars and their next cuckstarter, would you back it?

It's a damn sight of an improvement over in-game items.

 

[Excidium II]

How do you guys feel about the loyalty program? If you got a free handjob from Sawyer or MCA for backing pillars and their next cuckstarter, would you back it?

It's a damn sight of an improvement over in-game items.

And backer content

 

[theSavant]

The lack of any 6-party-members stretchgoal makes me feel, that 4 members are carved in stone. No matter how much we moan. Let's face this sad truth... guess we need to live with it.

However, now I'd really like to know how the combat system will turn out, and if they make it possible to engage 99 berserkers in a wardrobe.

 

[Themadcow]

However, now I'd really like to know how the combat system will turn out, and if they make it possible to engage 99 berserkers in a wardrobe.

Sadly I think they've already confirmed that there won't be any 4 x 99 berserker type fights because of the visual style. I guess thats the downside of graphics vs. imagination, just as the text description of the view from the top of the tower in Wizardry 6 is more evocative than any visual representation could have been.

 

[Zombra]

The lack of any 6-party-members stretchgoal makes me feel, that 4 members are carved in stone. No matter how much we moan. Let's face this sad truth... guess we need to live with it.

Let's not give up until it's time. You may be right, but among backers and official forum goers, there is a unanimous groundswell for 6 player-genned PCs plus recruits. They only announced the 4-member party a couple weeks ago and the backlash has been pretty huge. It took Brian six months to address the question of save games, and he was more thoughtful on the subject than expected. Let's be a little more patient before we write off this fight as a defeat.

Sadly I think they've already confirmed that there won't be any 4 x 99 berserker type fights because of the visual style.

Technically not true. Brian did say he doesn't want to show a kobold and say, "That's 10 kobolds." What we see is what we get. BUT that does not mean that there can't be big fights. Personally I'm pushing for a Dead Rising-style gigantic brawl somewhere in the game. Not likely, but that 396 fight is a big deal with a lot of the hardliners and the devs are definitely aware of it ... at this point, we can still dream.

 

[theSavant]

That's true, but I can't imagine how he displays dozens of opponents on the screen. If enemies are shown in realistic dimensions - like in the tech demo - then 8 opponents are the maximum to be encountered. There could still be a 3rd and 4th row of enemies, but only if the actual physical space is sufficient (which probably isn't in dungeons and dead ends).

And then he also mentioned "random encounters". Does that mean you don't see enemies approaching? So no matter where you are standing in a dungeon, a random combat can happen to you. Even if you are just facing a wall. But they can't place enemies in a wall. So this almost assumes a separate battle-screen. Or enemies overlayed in front of the player... floating in the air.

Whatever he comes up with... it's about time for details. Can't figure it out by myself, but I surely like to know before the kickstarter ends.

 

[Infinitron]

And then he also mentioned "random encounters". Does that mean you don't see enemies approaching? So no matter where you are standing in a dungeon, a random combat can happen to you.

Not necessarily.

 

[Excidium II]

Probably something like MMX where sometimes enemies just pop out of corridors

 

[Infinitron]

All right, halfway to the next stretch goal. Seems like things are slowing down again though.

 

[LeStryfe79]

Yul Brynner

 

[theSavant]

Yeah, the bump is over, and the undeniable truth comes out: there is not enough interest for this blurred vision of a game or for the stretchgoals.

On a sidenote: since the next stretchgoal is called "Enhanced Crafting System" and not "Enhanced Alchemy System", it sounds more like enhancing/modifying equipment than collecting herbs/flowers for potions. Might be a decent stretchgoal after all. But again... it's all interpretation. Perhaps, maybe, apparently, seemingly, believe, could, might, probably, likely, to be or not to be...

 

[Infinitron]

Yeah, the bump is over, and the undeniable truth comes out: there is not enough interest for this blurred vision of a game or for the stretchgoals.

You need to lighten up bro

It's going to make all of its current stretch goals.

 

[theSavant]

You need to lighten up bro

It's going to make all of its current stretch goals.

I didn't deny that, just said the bump is over.

 

[Themadcow]

The level of random encounters was fine in BT1 and made sense most of the time (more frequent and tougher random encounters at night) but by BT3 the random encounters were out of control. I could barely move 4 steps in some BT3 dungeons before being hit by a random encounter - which was particularly annoying due to the more complex maze design so by the end of your encounter you'd pretty much lost your barings / direction.

The console Wizardry games (rubbish as they are compared to W6-8) did a decent job of handing blobber movement with proper 3D and random encounters, showing enemies as wandering 'shadows/blobs' which you could avoid in many cases, but eventually you'd find there was too many to avoid and have to take on some of them to progress. There's generally a lot that modern dungeon crawlers can learn from some of the encounter, save and crafting systems in some of the console blobbers.

 

[LeStryfe79]

PM me if you get my Yul Brynner post. I will reward you with steam keys if you guess correctly.

 

[Zombra]

Well he also made mention, if you remember, on not wanting as many trash mobs in the game.

Eh? I don't remember that. My expectation has been for lots of trash fights, so I feel like I would have noticed. Not saying you're wrong, but are you sure you're not thinking of Torment?

 

[Infinitron]

Well he also made mention, if you remember, on not wanting as many trash mobs in the game.

Eh? I don't remember that. My expectation has been for lots of trash fights, so I feel like I would have noticed. Not saying you're wrong, but are you sure you're not thinking of Torment?

http://www.rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=9924

 

[theSavant]

I can't remember the last time I've been annoyed by trashmobs in a game, therefore wondering why that is on discussion.
However the removal of trashmobs hopefully doesn't imply the game will be a single puzzle clusterfuck like Grimlock.

 

[Zombra]

I can't remember the last time I've been annoyed by trashmobs in a game, therefore wondering why that is on discussion.

Ever play a little game called Planescape: Torment?

I don't think Fargo likes them. I dunno, its weird. As far as I can tell(without having played it oh jesus I'm turning into roguey) WL2 is full of trashmob combat, but InXile seems to be very against doing it in NumaNuma.

Yeah. Planescape: Torment's trash combat is pretty universally decried. The only people I've seen defend it are D&D thickheads who just can't comprehend any other type of character development system - and even then, many of them agree that D&D has been done better elsewhere. Combat mostly gets in the way of what's good about that game. On the other hand, in a Might and Magic or Bard's Tale dungeon crawler, fighting stuff and levelling up is central to why you play it.

It's completely appropriate for TTON to have set piece combat only, and then only in aid to the story, whereas the opposite is true for BT4 and Wasteland 2.

 

[theSavant]

30.000 backers!

 

[Russia is over. The end.]

I wish they talked more about their vision for the game, their take on other blobbers and what they think worked and didn't, this kind of reflections.

Instead, right now all I know is that it's a blobber with a camera that might or might not pull back during combat. The first person camera as a tool is intended for a deep immersion, I'd like to hear their thoughts on it, why they think the camera pulling back is okay for example, this kind of stuff. I'd like to hear their take on new game dev philosophy that every moment must be an excitement etc, so for example do they allow long immersive walking (kinda like MM7/morrowind) or do they think that every inch of the game must be filled with some boring shit quests (like in modern video games)? I'm not familiar with BT1 and not very familiar with blobbers in general, so I wanna know these things.

Initially I thought they were holding it back for updates, but now I'm just immensely disappointed.

 

[Lady_Error]

I wish they talked more about their vision for the game, their take on other blobbers and what they think worked and didn't, this kind of reflections.

Instead, right now all I know is that it's a blobber with a camera that might or might not pull back during combat. The first person camera as a tool is intended for a deep immersion, I'd like to hear their thoughts on it, why they think the camera pulling back is okay for example, this kind of stuff. I'd like to hear their take on new game dev philosophy that every moment must be an excitement etc, so for example do they allow long immersive walking (kinda like MM7/morrowind) or do they think that every inch of the game must be filled with some boring shit quests (like in modern video games)? I'm not familiar with BT1 and not very familiar with blobbers in general, so I wanna know these things.

Initially I thought they were holding it back for updates, but now I'm just immensely disappointed.

Brother None

 

[joelofdeath]

Sorry, don't feel like working through 60 pages for the answer to this:
Are we doing a BT4 fundraiser? Design a puzzle or NPCs or whatever?

 

[Infinitron]

Sorry, don't feel like working through 60 pages for the answer to this:
Are we doing a BT4 fundraiser? Design a puzzle or NPCs or whatever?

Doesn't look like it, DU deems the Codex insufficiently enthusiastic for it.

 

[joelofdeath]

60 pages of insufficient enthusiasm