Preview Watch some goblins get barbecued in Realms Beyond

[Jack Dandy]

Just wanted to point out that there are four BG-clones coming out this year (or next):

1- PoE 2
2- Black Geyser
3- Pathfinder
4- Realms Beyond

Dats a spicy meat-a-ballah.

Realms Beyond is turn-based, friend!

 

[AbounI]

We're more of a CC clone tho.

Fixed, hopefully without the same fate.

 

[Dorateen]

They should work Chaos Chronicles into the subtitle.

Realms Beyond: Chronicles of Chaos

 

[Infinitron]

They should work Chaos Chronicles into the subtitle.

Realms Beyond: Chronicles of Chaos

More subtle idea - have the "Chaos Chronicles" be an actual tome in the game world.

 

[Dorateen]

They should work Chaos Chronicles into the subtitle.

Realms Beyond: Chronicles of Chaos

More subtle idea - have the "Chaos Chronicles" be an actual tome in the game world.

While we are at it, I hope we get to fight a Demon Sage.

 

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

Chaos Chronicles at some point was my most anticipated title.

Don't disappoint me again.

 

[Bara]

So during this slice of game play we can see hexes on the upper elevations, is it possible to actually get up there and if so does height factor into combat as pluses in minuses in any way?

Or is it just a graphic/mapping error and if so are there other environments?

Looking forward to this one, can never have enough turn based rpgs.

 

[JarlFrank]

They should work Chaos Chronicles into the subtitle.

Realms Beyond: Chronicles of Chaos

More subtle idea - have the "Chaos Chronicles" be an actual tome in the game world.

While we are at it, I hope we get to fight a Demon Sage.

And loot an unfinished copy of the Chaos Chronicles from him? Hmmmmm...

 

[ArchAngel]

JarlFrank can we expect the game to have Teleport? I loved a Teleport in some Might&Magic games. Choose a place to teleport too and then use Teleport spell to go back to those spots.
I also played some NWN2 persistent worlds that had ability to teleport back to specific locations of your choosing.

Also any chance you guys try to simulate flying in some way? Like if used outside gives you a status effect of being immune to melee weapons and low range spells but you also cannot use melee and low range spells?

 

[JarlFrank]

So during this slice of game play we can see hexes on the upper elevations, is it possible to actually get up there and if so does height factor into combat as pluses in minuses in any way?

Or is it just a graphic/mapping error and if so are there other environments?

Looking forward to this one, can never have enough turn based rpgs.

In this particular map the "upper elevations" you see are just cave walls, can't get up there.

BUT generally, yes, we do have elevation (our map editor allows us to freely adjust elevation levels) and you can potentially have scenarios such as orcish bowmen standing on a cliff above you, shooting down, or you being on a hill and having enemies assault you from down below, which allows for more interesting visual and spatial level design than just having a flat plane.

Combat bonuses for high ground aren't implemented as of now, but we're toying with the idea. The OGL 3.5 ruleset has no rules for height advantage, but we're adding some house rules to the system for additional tactical depth, and this is one thing we might add.

JarlFrank can we expect the game to have Teleport? I loved a Teleport in some Might&Magic games. Choose a place to teleport too and then use Teleport spell to go back to those spots.
I also played some NWN2 persistent worlds that had ability to teleport back to specific locations of your choosing.

Also any chance you guys try to simulate flying in some way? Like if used outside gives you a status effect of being immune to melee weapons and low range spells but you also cannot use melee and low range spells?

Teleport is in a spell for the caster and allies that are directly in adjacent hexes. It can be used as a spell in combat, like in P&P D&D, to teleport yourself out of danger or behind an enemy or to a more favourable position, etc. Grab your fighter by the arm and teleport the two of you right behind the enemy caster! Fun stuff like that, teleport spell as a method of tactical movement within combat encounters.

We might also implement the spell that lets two living beings switch places, so you could cast it on your fighter and the enemy caster and boom, caster's in the midst of your party ready to get his face beaten up, and your fighter's in their back, doing some flanking. This spell would, of course, give the enemy a saving throw to resist it, but if you use it on your own dudes it always works (since they let it happen willingly).

There's also a greater teleport spell for the world map, but in only works for world map hexes the player has already been to.

Flying isn't in, at least not for the player. We have flying creatures but implementing flight as a spell for the player with its own mechanics would be too much work to implement properly.

 

[ArchAngel]

I hope you make it so that Greater Teleport works during combat as a way to do quick escape if needed. And of course block its use for important encounters where you want players to duke it out until one side is dead.

And those first uses for Teleport sounds like Dimension Door spell to me

 

[vazha]

What about the companions? How integral are they to the game & how much personality do they have? (No, not asking about romances here)

 

[JarlFrank]

Companions aren't integral to the game. There are some quests that involve you taking along one dude or girl on a personal quest, but that's what the 7th temporary character slot is for - temporary quest-related companions.

Our permanent companions will offer their opinion occasionally and can act as a tour guide to the city/region they're from (like when you pass the great palace of the capital with a companion in your party who was born there, he might comment on how he used to take walks through the public gardens in front of the palace, or something), but that's pretty much all we got planned for companions right now. If you want to go for a full player-created 6 character party, you won't miss any of the game's content, except for some minor flavor text. The companions are basically there as an additional option for players who don't want to create a full 6 char party by themselves, and as characters with a bit of a personality who can tell you things about the setting that they know about.

While personally I have one or two ideas for companions with a more in-depth personality and backstory, as well as a companion quest, if we do implement those you'd be able to accept their quest and take them as temporary companions for the duration of the quest even with a full self-made 6 char party, then dump them once the quest is over. Imagine it as playing Baldur's Gate with a party made of 6 player characters, then meeting Minsc, taking him along as a 7th character until you've rescued Dynaheir, then he and Dynaheir leave your party again to do their own shit.

We won't have any content locked behind having a companion around for the entire duration of the game. They only give you little flavor touches, nothing as involved as BG2 or PST where you'd have companion questlines lasting the entire game.

 

[Fenix]

There's also a greater teleport spell for the world map, but in only works for world map hexes the player has already been to.

How about brave explorers, like those who made a hyper-jump in some unknown zone in space?
I think, it would be neat to add something like that.
If there is a teleportations, there should - or rather it would be intersting to have something like that in game, how do you think?

EDIT: it doesn't have to be brave explorers.
How about those who tried to fled by using this Global Teleport, but didn't have a time to aim it properly?
Imagine, you used it as emergency hyper-jump in science-fiction, it landed... well, in some dungeon, and turned out some mighty wizard\sorcerer\witch installed some kind of beacon that teleported all who tried use spell like that in that dungeon, when they were after that killed\tortured\experimented at.

???? Please add something like that. There should be mystery in games.

 

[JarlFrank]

Oh don't worry about mystery, my boi. There's gonna be plenty of mystery in the game, including a secret that I will bet 100 bucks on won't be cracked until at least a year after release.

 

[*-*/\--/\~]

Damn, I really want this. Develop faster! :D

 

[Morality Games]

They should work Chaos Chronicles into the subtitle.

Realms Beyond: Chronicles of Chaos

They should keep that one in their pocket for the DLC/expansion.

 

[Mustawd]

JarlFrank, not sure of I missed this, but what’s the level cap going to be?

Also, IIRC from KOTC, the license requires you to document the ruleset or something? I seem to remember that’s why he had those wikipedia type links. Are you guys planning on having something similar?

 

[JarlFrank]

JarlFrank, not sure of I missed this, but what’s the level cap going to be?

The initial level cap of the base game will be around 16 or so, but we're going to increase the level cap when we release expansions and DLCs that offer new areas.

Also, IIRC from KOTC, the license requires you to document the ruleset or something? I seem to remember that’s why he had those wikipedia type links. Are you guys planning on having something similar?

We will offer both, an in-game documentation with OGL notifications as well as an online wiki with more detailed information.

 

[Goral]

DLCs

Decline. And don't be so full of yourselves, it's "if we release DLCs" not "when" unless you're saying that you're cutting content only to release it later for bigger profit as any scummy developer does (Bethesda, Paradox, Obsidian, etc.). Your upper management is emulating wrong people.

 

[Mustawd]

DLCs

Decline. And don't be so full of yourselves, it's "if we release DLCs" not "when" unless you're saying that you're cutting content only to release it later for bigger profit as any scummy developer does (Bethesda, Paradox, Obsidian, etc.). Your upper management is emulating wrong people.

 

[JarlFrank]

DLCs

Decline. And don't be so full of yourselves, it's "if we release DLCs" not "when" unless you're saying that you're cutting content only to release it later for bigger profit as any scummy developer does (Bethesda, Paradox, Obsidian, etc.). Your upper management is emulating wrong people.

Ok. The part you quoted:

DLCs

The part you left out:

that offer new areas.

We're not planning to cut content at all, and if the mere term of "DLC" makes you think that, keep in mind that nowadays this term can also refer to expansion-sized content, like the DLCs of New Vegas or Witcher 3, or Skyrim's Dragonborn DLC which added a whole new island.

We have plenty of content planned for the game, allowing the player to explore 5 sizeable regions of the world we created, which is already a lot. But our world is much larger than that, and we'd like to add some of the other regions, too. Considering how much content we're already planning to produce for the 5 current regions of the game, it would be completely unrealistic for a team of our size to include any more areas into the base game and fill them with decent content.

That's where DLC comes in: large, expansion-sized DLCs that offer the player a new region to explore, with new dungeons, towns, quests, items and monsters. And if our game is successful enough to keep us in business, we are definitely going to produce at least one or two of this type of expansion-sized DLC.

It's not cut content, it's not a plan to make a bigger profit, it's merely the most reasonable way for us to expand the game and show the player some new, different regions of the world we have created in addition to those featured in the base game.

 

[Goral]

like the DLCs of New Vegas or Witcher 3, or Skyrim's Dragonborn DLC

Skyrim? Seriously? :D
And Witcher 3 DLCs were all free so it's not a good example either. As for FNV, DLCs offered only a couple hours of content (despite offering new areas which you think makes so much difference) which for 10$ (each) weren't worth it.

If you want to emulate AA/AAA developers, emulate CD Projekt RED and release proper expansions instead of cash grab content. DLCs are cancer but if suckers want to buy them I won't stop them.

 

[FUDU]

ITT

Goral has reading comprehension problems.

 

[Mark Richard]

DLC is such a general term it could mean anything from red dye to a 20 hour adventure, but there's an expectation it'll be the former because the well has been poisoned by major publishers. Many folk won't even look at this stuff on a case by case basis anymore. The Witcher 3 was savaged on the GOG forums for using the term 'expansion pass'. People shat on one of the best consumer-friendly deals in gaming because of the terms cd projekt used to describe it.