KickStarter The Wayward Realms - upcoming Daggerfall-like RPG from original Elder Scrolls developers

[jungl]

They will not succeed they are too ambitious. Why are these guys trying to make a double aa game with the latest graphics? Daggerfall is a very simplistic game. A spiritual successor today could be done with a team of 3. Make a indie successful daggerfall successor to prove to publisher and kickstarter that they can make good games. Then make the double aa one.

These guys just want a handout

 

[Bad Sector]

Daggerfall is a very simplistic game.

In 1996 Daggerfall was the farthest thing from simplistic.

 

[Tyranicon]

Something on this scale takes a fuckload of time. TBH, I'm not sure what "cities with thousands of NPCs" are going to be good for if you can't have meaningful interactions with them.

Keep it small but dense.

 

[jungl]

In 1996 Daggerfall was the farthest thing from simplistic.

Yes. There was a handful of procedurally generates tile sets and monster types in the game. Julian and friends could make a retro version of the wayward realms similar to daggerfall to prove to a publisher and kickstarter suckers they have talent.

Castlevania IGA guy did it for bloodstained

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[Skdursh]

VERY SCARY NO CLICKY

Spoiler

His face makes me uncomfortable.

 

[Trans-Financial-Man]

"We hired a Skyrim modder who hasn't even heard of Daggerfall and thinks games like that are too complicated. We're desperate. But look we're hiring people so please invest!"

 

[cyborgboy95]

 

[Cyberarmy]

He looks like an Oblivion NPC to be honest, all that light...

 

[Wysardry]

(Photo of what looks like a baby in a flat cap and glasses.)

So, The Elder Scrolls has Todd Howard and Wayward Realms has a Toddler?

 

[Decado]

I want to get excited for this but I cannot muster it. They are biting off way more than they can comfortably chew. Making an open world game is a huge undertaking, especially nowadays. The expectations are incredibly high.

The last good open world game from an AAA studio was Outward, and that game was good almost in spite of itself. It's really, really hard to do.

 

[Tavernking]

Something on this scale takes a fuckload of time. TBH, I'm not sure what "cities with thousands of NPCs" are going to be good for if you can't have meaningful interactions with them.

Keep it small but dense.

Basically every game already made does this. I'm bored of it. Ponds of varied depth.

I want to see a huge lake like Daggerfall but made with modern technology, I don't care how shallow that lake is.

 

[Zeriel]

Something on this scale takes a fuckload of time. TBH, I'm not sure what "cities with thousands of NPCs" are going to be good for if you can't have meaningful interactions with them.

Keep it small but dense.

Daggerfall took less than 2 years. And they were creating entirely new concepts & capabilities. The ability to do "just a Daggerfall-like game" at this point should be relatively easier than creating Daggerfall out of whole cloth was. I know it isn't easier for modern devs because they're retarded, but in theory it should be.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

daggerfall is like a painting
it's fun to look at sometimes, but what do you actually do with it?

 

[LostHisMarbles]

Daggerfall was what made me hate respawns, of any type and kind. No other lasting impression or influence. I may not have been introduced to the.. 'concept' before it.
Had played UUs before it, so didn't sour first person for me. Oh wait, that fucking horse sound, i remember that.

Size is always relative; a proper Morrowind sequel (no bugfests, sane/well developed core principles 'cause you can't expect modders to do everything for you, story not in your face, no VOs, etc.) would be OK, a proper Gothic II sequel (incidentally, much harder to design) would also be OK.
Different things and you don't have to pick one to the exclusion of the other.. especially since you are never, ever, going to see either being made

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

daggerfall is like a painting
it's fun to look at sometimes, but what do you actually do with it?

If you don't find fulfillment in exploring vast dungeons, you shouldn't be playing RPGs.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

daggerfall is like a painting
it's fun to look at sometimes, but what do you actually do with it?

If you don't find fulfillment in exploring vast dungeons, you shouldn't be playing RPGs.

randomly generated ones get boring after a few though

 

[ADL]

Say what you will about Daggerfall but revisiting the procgen systemic sandbox approach to RPGs is long overdue. Daggerfall was released in 1996 with 100% proprietary technology on a 25-man team and a 15 month all-hands-on-deck production schedule. Perhaps it was too big for its own good but as Daggerfall Unity has demonstrated, there's a hell of a game underneath all the game breaking bugs and some half-implemented features, I feel they were on track to solve those problems in the sequel that never came.

TES3:Tribunal was going to be much smaller but more detailed and double-down on emergent gameplay and I've always wondered how that would've turned out if they released in the late 90s or early 2000s. Can't help but feel they were a couple years too early for their ambitions. When you factor in that it was becoming a proper industry with longer development schedules, bigger budgets and LeFay's desire to turn it into some sort of massively multiplayer online sandbox where players would be the NPCs and ports potentially landing on the Playstation/64/Dreamcast/PS2/Xbox, it's a giant missed opportunity and one of the most interesting what-ifs in gaming.

I haven't done an exact count but it looks like they were planning around 650-700sqkm when you remove the white squares and the water. I think you could make an interesting world that big with some tech improvements back then. Absolutely positive you could now. Despite everything that has come out about this project... God I hope they manage to put something out despite all odds.

 

[Testicules]

...a proper Gothic II sequel (incidentally, much harder to design) would also be OK.
Different things and you don't have to pick one to the exclusion of the other.. especially since you are never, ever, going to see either being made

I have some good news for you my friend

 

[thesecret1]

a proper Gothic II sequel

Is it even possible that someone still hasn't heard of Archolos?

 

[Butter]

They've posted an FAQ: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cf-qYJYG9PXQszulRtvk_jo1OAFidn7vq5mpdnbr0io/edit

Spoiler

1. What kind of game will this be; will it be similar to The Elder Scrolls?
A: The game is a first person RPG similar to The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, set in a very large, open-world, filled with many interacting factions, in which choice and consequence will play a major role.

2. What game engine will be used?
A: We are using Unreal Engine 5

3. Will it have sprites\retro graphics?
A: The game will have modern graphics with a stylized-realism art style.

4. When will the game be released?
A: The game is currently in pre production, though we have several systems which we have completed a first pass on, but the team is working on a voluntary basis until funding is procured, therefore, it is too early to determine a release date.

5. Is there a Kickstarter or crowdfunding; how can I help?
A: There is no Kickstarter yet, though crowdfunding is an option that has been considered. Stay tuned for more info. If you wish to help out, the Best way is by wishlisting the game on Steam, as well as subscribing to the Youtube Channel, and following our Twitter and Facebook.

6. How many team members does OnceLost have?
A: At this moment we have a little over 30 members.

7. Are you looking for more team members?
A: Right now, we are looking for more coders, 3D modelers, and animators. If you have the necessary skills and are interested in volunteering your time, reach out to us at info@oncelostgames.com. We are also taking submissions from those who are interested in writing lore books for the game. For that, you may send a couple of samples of your work to wr.writing.submissions@gmail.com. We ask that you be at least 18 years of age.

8. Will there be mod support?
A: The plan has always been to give modders as many tools as possible to have a healthy and vibrant mod community.

9. Will the game be rated mature\have mature themes?
A: The game is being developed with a mature audience in mind. You might see some nudity, but nothing of a pornographic nature.

10. How many races will there be and will there be any like Khajiit or Argonians?
A: We have 8 playable races: Humans, Dwarfs, Elves, Orks, Goblins, Ogres, Cambion and Fey. Currently there are no plans for any beast races similar to those of The Elder Scrolls, though Cambions do have some bestial features, like horns, animal feet, and tails.

11. Will there be racism between the races?
A: Do not expect to see any heavy racist themes, though some bigotry and negative feelings may exist between the races.

12. Can I kill anyone in the game?
A: The player will be able to kill any adults, but NOT any children. This is an executive decision from the Game Directors and not an issue up for debate.

13. Will the player be able to romance anyone?
A: We only want to do romance if it can be meaningful and not just a bar that you fill up by doing sidequests. As of right now, we have too many other systems that need attention, so romance will have to wait.

14. Can the player become a king?
A: This feature will not be in the game as it will break the core gameplay loop of adventuring. We are not creating an administrative simulator.

15. Will the game have an alien environment like in Morrowind?
A: The main aesthetic for the game will be a late medieval setting, but there will be plenty of strange locales, such as Merothwyr, a land that was risen from the seafloor and is strewn with whale bones, dead coral reefs, giant sea shells and other peculiarities..

16. Will there be firearms?
A: This has not fully been decided, but is a little unlikely.

17. How large is the map?
A: The map is planned to be a little larger than the size of Daggerfall, which was in itself the size of Great Britain, though the size may change slightly during development in order to make sure the environments are not just large empty spaces.

18. What is the VGM?
A: The Virtual Game Master is the system that will determine what encounters\loot\quests\etc. your character will come across. It will tailor your game based on the activities and rewards that you prefer.

19. Where can I find more info on the lore?
A: You can find most of the info we have shared on our social media or in this Doc curated by our community here on Discord.

20. When will you show gameplay?
A: We are building a game that is very systems heavy and, as such, those have been the focus for now. We will showcase gameplay when our systems are in a state that can really showcase what makes The Wayward Realms unique from other RPGs.

21. Will there be crafting?
A: There will be some forms of crafting, but weapon and armor crafting falls outside of our gameplay loop, as we feel those are professions that a person dedicates their lifetime to mastering, not a side activity that is done in between dungeon delves.

22. Will there be spell making?
A: Yes, the player will be able to craft their own spells.

23. How will the magic system work?
A: At this time we haven’t shared too much info on magic, other than it is rare in the world. This does not affect your ability to be a mage; you will be able to create a mage character and have access to magic from the start. It does mean that more powerful spells will be harder to come by, but more satisfying when obtained. We will release more information on magic later on down the line.

24. How will the combat work? Will it be more like Skyrim or Daggerfall? Will it have Dice Rolls?
A: At this time we have a system that allows you to switch between something more akin to Skyrim combat, and something more akin to Daggerfall combat, with relative ease. There will be no dice rolls as we prefer your actual stats matter more than the luck of a roll. There isn’t much more to share about combat for now, but we will release more information later on down the line.

25. Will there be Lockpicking/Pickpocketing/Persuasion minigames?
A: We will have those activities in the game, but they will be based on your character’s skills and not on the results of a minigame (player’s skill).

26. How many factions will be in the game?
A: We currently have a list of over 40 factions, but that number is not set in stone and could grow or shrink as we get further into production. Just know that we will have a lot of factions and they will all be joinable, but not all by the same character.

27. Why has it taken so long for me to find this game?
A: We are not sure, but we are glad to have you. WELCOME ABOARD!!!

Key takeaways:

* 3 years in and they're still in pre-production.
* The team size is now > 30, all volunteers.
* They want a world map even larger than Daggerfall's.

This has got Stones of Arnhem stink all over it. I can imagine a bunch of sweaty nerds with dildos sitting around larping as RPG devs, not actually putting finger to keyboard and making anything. The only thing we're going to ever see is their concept art.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.pcgamesn.com/the-wayward-realms/funding-kickstarter

Elder Scrolls devs’ RPG The Wayward Realms is seeking funding

When we first heard about The Wayward Realms last year, we reckoned that investors and publishers would be clambering over each other to get a piece of that action. Surely even the suits in their glass-and-steel towers can see that a spiritual successor to The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall with a huge systems-based world is a wonderful idea? Apparently, however, it’s not quite so easy to find funding for an RPG game, as The Wayward Realms is still seeking investors to truly get the project off the ground.

In our chat with the fantasy game‘s technical director, Julian Le Fay, he told us that “the big issue with the game is the fact that it still lacks funding, it certainly doesn’t lack volunteers and people enthusiastic about it… but with volunteers, you can’t just be like ‘OK, I need you to do this and finish that by Wednesday’ or whatever so it becomes a little more complicated to manage.”

Community manager Victor Villarreal isn’t concerned, saying that the studio is “in active talks with several potential investors”, even though it hasn’t actively sought any out yet. “Our game is very ambitious,” Villarreal adds, “and we want to take advantage of this time that we have to build a strong foundation – not only in terms of tech, but in world-building and game design as well.”

The Wayward Realms is currently in pre-production at OnceLost Games, a studio co-founded by former Bethesda developers Ted Peterson, Julian Le Fay, Vijay Lakshman, and Eric Heberling, all of whom worked on the early Elder Scrolls games such as Daggerfall. The game will be systems-heavy, utilising an advanced form of procedural generation to create much of its world, and an AI resembling a Game Master to generate scenarios, events, and quests for players based on their actions.

Le Fay also dismissed the idea of the game taking the crowdfunding route. “Kickstarter doesn’t raise enough money, honestly,” he says. “It’d be enough to make an RPG, but I’m not really in it to make an RPG again – I want to make the greatest RPG that’s ever been made, and that’s going to require a little bit more than you can raise on Kickstarter!”

 

[hello friend]

 

[HoboForEternity]

Vaporized vaporware

 

[Alienman]

If only they took that 8 million dollar contract...