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

[Excidium II]

An accurate description of InXile.

 

[Excidium II]

Bard's Tale didn't have mindblowing graphics either

The Amiga version did. Not quite as mindblowing as the graphics of Fairy Tale Adventure and Defender of the Crown, but still...Man, I miss those days when I could still be impressed by nice graphics.

Before you started ruining them with shitty filters eh.

 

[Lady_Error]

Guido Henkel's Deathfire had the same problem with plastic looking monsters. Maybe Fargo and Guido are cooperating again? Speaking of which, what is D.W. Bradley up to these days?

 

[agris]

Guido Henkel's Deathfire had the same problem with plastic looking monsters. Maybe Fargo and Guido are cooperating again? Speaking of which, what is D.W. Bradley up to these days?

I think it has a lot to do with, surprise surprise, the skill of the artist. Based on Obsidian's totally-not-a-pitch Star Wars UE4 project, if you assemble the shaders correctly and don't bake the wrong info INTO the textures, you can tune the shiny/matte look dynamically

Prop assets use pretty simple material setups. Your basic Diffuse map/Normal map and a single grey-packed texture for roughness, metal-ness, AO, and specular. We put multipliers in the shader for specular and roughness so we can tune the overall matt/shiny values of any surface without having to go back and re-author the textures. In addition we use a lot of emissive materials throughout the level which give nice pockets of bright color and also complement the actual lighting as well..

And yes, the monsters looked like they were covered in plastic wrap and the fire-breather at the end was embarassing. The point-source of his fire was sitting on the front of his tongue.. they at least could have placed it in the neck, so by the time it entered into viewable space (the mouth) it had some volume and looked 'realistic'.

 

[norolim]

Witcher 3 doesnt use mocap.

Totally not mocap:

I'm pretty sure he meant mocap for dialogues.

 

[DosBuster]

All nature assets ripped from Boy and his Kite. Temporal AA. Thank god I got a refund in time. This is not what I was hoping for when I backed. I was expecting much more professional things of them.

What's wrong with Temporal AA? It's fairly inexpensive and while it does blur the image it's a better solution overall than FXAA or MLAA.

TSSAA is better though and I wish they used that.

 

[Fry]

Apparently, 80s hair metal is still quite popular in Polska...

 

[V_K]

That's one ugly girl.

 

[Doktor Best]

Apparently, 80s hair metal is still quite popular in Polska...

Steel Panther brought it back

And yes i was talking about cutscenes as Bester was referring to those in his post.

 

[Dorateen]

From a historical perspective, the Bard's Tale series never evolved past a third game. Unlike Might & Magic or Wizardry, which reached ten and eight titles in their respective franchises. Thief of Fate was produced in 1988, and still featured viewport exploration with only character names and stats presented on the screen. When Bard's Tale IV brings all this 3D stuff and portraits or models, or however the hell they're going to represent party members, it's going to seem very unlike the previous installments. Naturally, it will then have more of a superficial resemblance to the other well known dungeon crawlers that have already breached this territory.

I think what the developers did is take the Bard's Tale lore, the history of of Skara Brae to use that as their building blocks. But the gameplay and mechanics will likely be quite different.

The update that was posted expresses content that will feature high level enemies approachable by lower level parties, secret locations that require item manipulation. The general thrust from the article is a non-linear gameworld where the player will be re-visiting areas to continue exploration. These are hallmarks that could be found in a typical Might & Magic game. I could add latter Wizardry as well, but I do not believe Bard's Tale will be going in that direction in terms of complexity.

Then there is the matter of Might & Magic X released a couple of years ago. I doubt that inXile has played many Japanese Wizardry clones recently, but I would think they have a passing familiarity with MMX, and will incorporate some similar stylistic elements. Bard's Tale IV might match or even surpass Legacy as a quality experience, though the delivery of all they have talked about remains to be seen.

 

[Infinitron]

From a historical perspective, the Bard's Tale series never evolved past a third game. Unlike Might & Magic or Wizardry, which reached ten and eight titles in their respective franchises. Thief of Fate was produced in 1988, and still featured viewport exploration with only character names and stats presented on the screen. When Bard's Tale IV brings all this 3D stuff and portraits or models, or however the hell they're going to represent party members, it's going to seem very unlike the previous installments. Naturally, it will then have more of a superficial resemblance to the other well known dungeon crawlers that have already breached this territory.

I think what the developers did is take the Bard's Tale lore, the history of of Skara Brae to use that as their building blocks. But the gameplay and mechanics will likely be quite different.

The update that was posted expresses content that will feature high level enemies approachable by lower level parties, secret locations that require item manipulation. The general thrust from the article is a non-linear gameworld where the player will be re-visiting areas to continue exploration. These are hallmarks that could be found in a typical Might & Magic game. I could add latter Wizardry as well, but I do not believe Bard's Tale will be going in that direction in terms of complexity.

Then there is the matter of Might & Magic X released a couple of years ago. I doubt that inXile has played many Japanese Wizardry clones recently, but I would think they have a passing familiarity with MMX, and will incorporate some similar stylistic elements. Bard's Tale IV might match or even surpass Legacy as a quality experience, though the delivery of all they have talked about remains to be seen.

BT4's grid-based blobber combat is unlike anything in any of those games though (except Wizardry 8 distantly, maybe)

 

[Dorateen]

The Bard's Tale IV combat has yet to be seen in action. Although the rows formation, and weapons with range, is still something closer to Wizardry. (Early M&M had this too, with party members able to be reshuffled, and their position in order was of importance.) But that's the point I was driving at. This will be more Might & Magic/Wizardry than the original Bard's Tales. However the focus on an open world exploration would tip it more toward the MM series.

 

[V_K]

am I literally the only person who just wants a first person dungeon crawler thats turnbased and not weebshit?

No, but personally I don't believe in Fargo's ability to deliver it. And the material released so far does not convince me otherwise.
(and I hated the original BT, so there's that)

 

[Hirato]

am I literally the only person who just wants a first person dungeon crawler thats turnbased and not weebshit?

What's wrong with the weebshit?

 

[Rivmusique]

am I literally the only

Why do I always see this phrase in places where the answer is a very obvious no?

*90's pop song video*

"Am I the only one who prefers hits then to hits right now???"

*Seven Samurai clip*

"Am I the only one who prefers this to Magnificient Seven??"

*Hardcore lesbian anal compilation #9*

"Am I the only one who likes seeing double-sided dildo ass-to-ass???"

Spoiler

Likes and Up-votes, that's why

 

[Bubbles]

am I literally the only person who just wants a first person dungeon crawler thats turnbased and not weebshit?

There's at least four of those in development right now, which is a pretty decent spread imho.

 

[V_K]

There's at least four of those in development right now, which is a pretty decent spread imho.

Yeah, but the only Wiz-like among them is vaporware.

 

[V_K]

Start with Wizardry 7. Then proceed to crying for months because nothing this good will ever be released again.

Names.

Frayed Knights 2, Starcrawlers, S&S Sovereign and Grimoire.

 

[Bubbles]

Start with Wizardry 7. Then proceed to crying for months because nothing this good will ever be released again.

Names.

Frayed Knights 2, Starcrawlers, S&S Sovereign and Grimoire.

I'd shamefully forgotten about S&S and counted BT4 as part of the four, so thanks for the reminder

 

[Alchemist]

Also, which wizardy and m/m games should I try? Im a virgin to these kinds of DCs.

I would suggest starting with Wizardry 1: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord. It's the 1st-person turn-based dungeon crawler in the purest form*, and from which many others drew their inspiration. It's relatively small compared to later titles and should be fairly quick to get through. From there, branch out to what the genre evolved into: Wizardry 6-7-8, Might & Magic 1-5, etc. These added more layers of complexity and overworld / wilderness exploration.

* Note: Oubliette and other RPGs on mainframe college computers (PLATO) in the 70s were the actual pioneers, but they might be more of a hassle to play. If you're really curious, you can play these on the revived PLATO system here: http://www.cyber1.org/

 

[Infinitron]

Hmmmm: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/the-bards-tale-iv/posts/1747138

Year-End Message from Brian, A Monstrous Menagerie

Hi, all!

Nathan Long here. With the end of 2016 nearly upon us, I wanted to share a video from Brian Fargo where he discusses inXile's work over the last year, Bard's Tale IV included. He also has a hint of what we are planning to show you on the game shortly after the winter holidays, so please enjoy!

To whet your appetite for now, I'd also like to give you monsters you'll be facing in The Bard's Tale IV. You might recognize a few of these faces from media we've shown before or brief mentions in earlier updates, but this time we're going to go a bit deeper.

Just as we've crafted the story of The Bard's Tale IV by combining the lore of the first three Bard's Tale games with the legends and folktales of Scotland, so have we taken from those sources for the harrowing host of creatures and characters you'll face when you enter the land of Caith. What follows is just a sampling.

Bard's Tale Monsters
We haven't kept all of the monsters from the first three Bard's Tale games. There were a lot - A LOT - and to be honest, some were a shade on the goofy side, but we're incorporating the coolest and most iconic into The Bard's Tale IV. And there is none more iconic than our first contender...

Berserker

In the original games Berserkers were famed as much for their numbers as their battle rage. You never encountered just one. In The Bard's Tale IV, berserkers are worshipers of Vidlsvin the Boar, the Einarr god of War. While the rest of the Einarr people are content to be fishers, farmers, shepherds, and good neighbors to their Baedish and Fichti cousins on the mainland of Caith, the Berserkers crave a bolder, bloodier life. Whipped up to a frothing fury by the priests of their cult, they seek to bring back the ancient Einarr traditions of raiding, pillaging, and slaughter, and thus restore the lost glory of the Jarls of the Stanish Isles.

Dragon

Dragons in the first three Bard's Tale games came in many colors - blue, green, copper, white, etc. - and there will be quite a variety in the Bard's Tale IV as well.

Dragons are originally natives of the realm of the Dwarfs, and one of the reasons that dwarfs build underground. (Castle walls aren't much use when a dragon can drop right into the courtyard, are they?) Unfortunately, a few of these monsters escaped into Midgard, the human realm, during Ragnarok, the war of the gods, and they and their offspring have been menacing humankind ever since.

The dragons of Caith are not, however, sentient beings. They're just the alpha-predators of all alpha-predators. Fire-breathing, mountain-dwelling stealers of cattle, killers of men, and wreckers of village, town, and castle. They fear nothing, and vigorously defend their territory and their kills. Worse, they are not immune to corruption, and their simple animal minds can be taken over by practitioners of dark magic and made into living weapons. That is when you really need to fear them.

Skeleton

Another nasty and numerous enemy in the three original Bard's Tale games was the skeleton. In The Bard's Tale IV, skeletons are the servants of necromancers, summoned to fight and die to protect their masters. They are merciless, relentless enemies who feel no pain and know no fear, and worse, if you see a skeleton, you know a necromancer isn't very far away.

Scottish Monsters
Scottish monsters have a grotesque, nightmarish quality about them unique to the land. Maybe it's got something to do with whisky being Scotland's national drink, or sheep intestines its national dish. Whatever it is, you will not find a more twisted, bizarre collection of creepy-crawlies in Western mythology.

Of course, The Bard's Tale IV versions of these horrors are not exact translations of their Scottish kin. The artists have re-interpreted them to fit the tone of the game, and we writers have adapted their lore so that it weaves smoothly into the world of Caith and Skara Brae.

Fachan

There are actually few mentions of the Fachan in old Scottish lore, save one tale where Murachadh MacBrian, the King of Ireland, won a footrace against one of them, and a suggestion that they might have come from muddled tales of druids standing on one foot while they cast spells. In all the tales, however, they are described as fierce creatures having one leg, one arm, one eye, and a stiff tuft of hair sticking up from their ugly heads.

Our Fachan are twisted monsters of corruption and darkness, the result of a botched summoning by the Fichti outcasts known as the Siambra Du. No one knows how their numbers have multiplied since that first malignant mistake (perhaps by regeneration from severed limbs?) but now Fachan are seen all over Caith, and populate the hellish realm of Malefia too, from whence evil conjurers can call them forth to fight for them in battle.

Red Cap

In the traditional tales, Red Caps are short, wiry old men with sharp teeth and hands like claws, who wear caps soaked in the blood of their victims, and who enjoy killing people with pikes. They are also supposed to be so fast that you can't outrun one. One tale has an evil lord summoning one and making a pact with it to protect him from his people. Naturally, the Redcap killed on the lord when he violated the terms of the pact, then turned his body over to his subjects. That's the way things go in folk tales.

Our artists have taken some liberties with the traditional conception of the Red Cap, making is more of a monster and less of a man, but it still has its red cap, and you still can't outrun it, no matter how hard you try. In Caith, the Red Cap is a demon of Malefia, and is one of the swiftest, most deadly creatures a conjurer can summon.

Ghilli Dhu

The legend of the Ghilli Dhu is much more recent than the other Scottish tales we've plundered, and may have some basis in an actual incident. In the 1800s, a young girl got lost in the woods and was cared for and returned to her village by a shaggy person who might have been a hermit. Out of this grew the idea of the Ghilli Dhu as a benevolent forest spirit, wild of aspect, but gentle in manner, a caretaker of the forest.

In The Bard's Tale IV, the Ghilli Dhu are exactly that, gentle giants who watch over the forest and those who travel through it. Unfortunately, some Ghilli Dhu have been corrupted by the Siambra Du outcasts, and are now the opposite of everything they once were. Now they spread corruption and death, and attack all who enter the forest, and shall continue to do so until the curse that poisons them is lifted.

Anthropophagie

Also known as Blemmyes, Anthropophagie are not as particularly Scottish as the other monsters on this list, but we liked them too much not to use them. They come from medieval books such as the Otia Imperialia, a "book of wonders" that presented garbled translations of earlier works about far off places and peoples. The Anthropophagie were said to be giant headless cannibals from Syria whose faces were in their chests.

For The Bard's Tale IV, we have made them denizens of Malefia as well - monsters out of your worst nightmares who can be summoned to fight against you, and our artists have really emphasized their hellish aspects, with not just their mouths displaced, but hands, teeth, and eyes. Horrifying.

So, there you are, a broad and bloody bestiary of brutal bogies for you to battle - and just a sampling of the monsters you will find and fight in The Bard's Tale IV.

Until next time, happy adventuring!

Nathan Long
Lead Writer

 

[Barnabas]

Don't get too excited its based on the ORIGINAL, not the 2005 classic hack and slash

 

[Zeriel]

Don't get too excited its based on the ORIGINAL, not the 2005 classic hack and slash

Goddamnit, why can't Fargo go back to making musicals, lord knows that's what we all want

 

[santino27]

Was anyone actually asking them to infuse scottish myth and lore more directly into the bard's tale world, or is this just another one of inxile's random attempts to incline?

 

[Infinitron]

Was anyone actually asking them to infuse scottish myth and lore more directly into the bard's tale world, or is this just another one of inxile's random attempts to incline?

It's actually the one way in which the game IS based on the 2005 Bard's Tale.