Last month, we published a review of Ossian Studios' Tyrants of the Moonsea module for Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition by our resident Neverwinter Nights expert Gargaune. I'm happy to report that Gargaune decided to follow that up with a review of Ossian's other Enhanced Edition DLC module, the Baldur's Gate-ish adventure Neverwinter Nights: Darkness Over Daggerford. Unlike Tyrants of the Moonsea, the original free version of Darkness Over Daggerford was basically complete when it was released following the cancellation of the NWN premium module program back in 2006. Its 2018 Enhanced Edition rerelease offered mainly audio/visual improvements and bugfixes, which normally wouldn't be significant enough to merit a review. However, since we never actually published a review of the original module, it's a fine opportunity to finally give it the attention it deserves. Without further ado:
Per Ossian themselves, their ambition for Darkness over Daggerford was to recreate a Baldur’s Gate-like experience, referring to the BioWare title’s open-world structure in particular. And to that end, Miranda’s little studio delivered a feature that was sorely lacking in the original release and one that remains among NWN’s standout post-launch additions – a true and proper world map! Indeed, DoD is the most “open world” NWN module I’ve played to date and Ossian genuinely succeeded in recapturing that original BG feeling of roaming the countryside looking for trouble. After being set loose from Daggerford itself, situated in the northern part of the map, you’re free to explore a large, semi-contiguous region stretching out to the south, along the Trade Way heading to Baldur’s Gate. The world map in DoD isn’t just a nice visual flourish on your destination list like in the later TotM, but consistently involves discovery – e.g. to reach the Wild Hills for the first time, you’ll have to travel in its direction from the Western Farmlands, Gillian’s Hill, or the Wild Pastures, but you can’t just hop over from the Eastern Farmlands unless you’ve already visited the Wild Hills before. Quest destinations will reveal some major locations on the map, while others you’ll discover as proximate to your current location.
Daggerford isn’t the only civilized settlement in this area either, as you’ll also visit the hamlets of Gillian’s Hill and Liam’s Hold, while veering off from the Trade Way to either the East or the West will reveal farmlands, wilderness and the odd surprise. As a nice touch, the developers also took a moment to make Daggerford and Liam’s Hold seem more alive with ambient NPCs who shut nearby open doors and clear the streets after dark, replaced by torch-bearing watchmen, though it’s a purely cosmetic affair and won’t afford any special gameplay opportunities. Each map location has its own quests and encounters, and the designers crisscrossed objectives over the world map efficiently, such that you can expect to be doing some regular back-and-forth and getting to know Daggerford’s environs quite well. Areas don’t respawn, but travelling from one to the other has a chance of triggering one of a number of repeatable random encounters which also net a little bonus XP. Additionally, DoD is the originator of the fatigue system I mentioned in my TotM review: going for more than 36 in-game hours without resting will afflict you and your henchmen with a -1 to all Ability scores, unless you’re immune to Ability Drain, and have characters play a tired animation (which will bug you when you’re trying to swap gear while exhausted). DoD’s map scope and travel times are (unsurprisingly) well suited to seeing this mechanic in action with some regularity, particularly when you’re first unlocking locations on the map, though leaving from a random encounter area results in an auto-rest. As became the standard post-HotU, resting advances the clock by 8 hours and doing it in dangerous locations has a chance of spawning a hostile encounter right on top of you, so you have a theoretical incentive to make use of your room at the Happy Cow or other local accommodations.
But if everything I’ve said so far sounds pretty good, it’s time to change gears for a moment because DoD doesn’t put its best foot forward. Whereas the open world has plenty to get excited about, you’ll have to clear Daggerford before you get to it… While none of its content is bad, it’s nonetheless a rather drab affair and DoD’s weakest stage by far. Along the main plot, you’ll be chasing up some leads for Amara and you’re also given ample opportunity to load up on side quests that you’ll be tackling later on, once you’re actually free to leave town, but it just drags on for a bit too long. The town of Daggerford consists of roughly two rows of buildings in a rectangular courtyard, opposite the ducal palace, and a small, separate docks area, and it’s just not a very inspiring locale. There’s enough quest content to keep you going and even the odd unmarked opportunity, but you’ll quickly find yourself pining for more even on your first time, let alone replays.
Mercifully, once the plot progresses and you’re free to come and go, you’ll be introduced to the world map and find that DoD’s various areas have a solid amount of thematic and quest variety. The thrill of exploration should soon follow and it’s hard to overstate just how different an experience it is from NWN’s mainstream linear modules like HotU, let alone the drudgery of its original campaign. From peaceful farmlands to a besieged castle perched atop the Blade Cliffs, from a swampy Lizardfolk village to a wizard’s tower looming over an impassable chasm, “I wonder what’s going on over there” is a recurring thought for the rambling player. Sometimes it’s the regular adventuring fare, others it’s surprisingly creative, such as the aforementioned Lizardfolk village, which you’ll be infiltrating disguised as a scaly critter yourself, courtesy of a hag with a chip on her shoulder. Another quest will have you undertake a quaint little investigation at a wake with your choice of amusing resolutions. As for the looming wizard’s tower I brought up, I suppose it shouldn’t surprise you to learn it’s puzzles all the way to the top, and not the lean variety, get ready to break out some pen and paper! There are puzzles and secrets in a few other quests and locations, but this is clearly where that one guy on the dev team went “okay, my turn to mess with the player!” And all of these examples are optional side content, the sort you pick up through organic exploration or get brought to your attention under no obligation to complete.
[...] When Beamdog first announced they were publishing the EE version of Darkness over Daggerford, I was fresh off the PM edition a couple of weeks prior. It was early days for NWN’s Enhanced Edition and the big player-side improvements were still to come, but I was chuffed enough with Ossian's work and their sporting decision to release their cancelled project all those years ago that it yanked me right off that fence.
Darkness over Daggerford’s EE treatment added a coat of QA and audio/visual polish to complete the project and it does that very well, bringing it up to a full and proper commercial standard. That said, we have to be fair and recognise some missed opportunities as well. I grant that developing whole new quests and levels might’ve been costly propositions for what was already a complete module, but restoring that cut dragon attack to the stronghold questline or fleshing out the henchmen situation could’ve been some great and affordable ways to add value. I was also surprised that more comprehensive alignment reactivity wasn’t added, though clearly that was a design oversight rather than a budget constraint, since Ossian did undertake an extensive review of conversations and associated scripting. Darkness over Daggerford was already bigger and better rounded than most PMs, indeed it’d have likely been the best of the bunch had Atari given it its commercial release, but there was still room to grow. The final package is good value notwithstanding, but the EE revision comes across as a more modest commitment than Beamdog’s and Ossian’s later collaboration on Tyrants of the Moonsea and the focus seems to have been to fill in the PM’s blanks in quality control and production value rather than revisit and expand its development.
Bottom line, DoD caters to some RPG fans more than to others. If you're looking for a dungeon crawl, this isn't the module for you. If you're in it for a grand, sombre plot, it ain't that either. But if you want something to recapture that Baldur's Gate-like sense of exploration, of roaming the countryside in search of adventure and curiosities, it doesn’t get much better than Darkness over Daggerford for NWN or many other contenders. It’s a charming and lively open-world adventure, which is equally true for the new EE revision with its polished production values (for sale on GOG, Steam, or directly from Beamdog) as it is for the old PM release (available at the Neverwinter Vault). Either package is well worth checking out if that speaks to you, but the EE version will certainly yield the best experience if it’s within your budget, and if one good turn deserves another, Ossian absolutely did NWN fans a solid back in the day.
Hello backers! LAUNCH DATE DETECTED: StarCrawlers Chimera is launching May 13th 2024.
Head to the Steam and GOG pages to wishlist & favorite the game and receive an alert when the game launches on May 13th. Wishlisting & favoriting will also help spread awareness and visibility! As an indie title, our biggest strength is our awesome community.
A huge thank you to all backers - we couldn't have done it without you! If you've been playing and participating in the development process, a special bonus thank you to you too! The game has grown so much with the involvement and feedback of the community.
And we're just getting started! While the game has evolved during development, there's even more we'd love to add to expand the StarCrawlers universe and the Chimera experience. We'll need a short nap after launch, and then you can expect to see regular updates, improvements, and new content.
If you backed at a content creation tier (Influencer, Armorcrafter, Weaponsmith) and did not yet complete your survey to create your content - it's never too late! We'd love to see your creations in a future update, so please complete your survey or contact us if you have questions.
Do you like Discord? We'd love to chat with you leading up to the launch! Our Community Manager Kris has a variety of Bonus Contracts planned over the next month. What fabulous prizes might you win?! Come to Discord!
Thank you all again for your support, patience, and feedback. We'll send out one final (final) update on May 13th for the launch!
Community - posted by Saint_Proverbius
on Thu 11 April 2024, 15:22:02
Butters needs more votes in his Best CRPG List since he wants a larger sample size. There's still a week left on the voting, so now's the time! Here's those rules for the casting:
- Only PC games. Multi-platform titles like KotOR or Dark Souls are ok, but no 20-years-later ports like Chrono Trigger.
- Votes for expansion packs (MotB) are going to be counted as votes for the base game. If you vote for both, only the base game vote is going to count. If you vote for M&M 4 and 5 separately instead of saying World of Xeen, I'm going to slap you.
- The exception to the above rule is total conversions like Enderal or Archolos. These are functionally entirely new games, and will be treated as such.
- You can submit fewer than 10 games for each list if you don't like that many RPGs (but why are you even here?).
- You can include a game on both lists, but any game that makes the cut for the Top RPGs list will be ignored on the Hidden Gems list.
- Your post will be ignored if you have more than 10 games in either list.
- No votes from alts or accounts created after this vote began.
- Voting will close on April 20th at 16:00 GMT. You can freely edit your vote until then.
So, go let your voice heard while you still can. Do it for Democracy. And statistics. Which is the worst field of math.
Finding the best online casino is not easy. South Africa has a lot casinos to offer and only a few of them are the best. Start your casino journey from a portal and make the right choice.
tinyBuild has posted the Official Gameplay Trailer of their upcoming sequel to Streets of Rogue, which was pretty damned fun and ported to nearly everything. It highlights things such as how the sequel will be Open World, some of the many classes, vehicles, farming, Co-op couping, and lots and lots of destruction.
The first one was pretty damned underrated considering the crazy amount of freedom of choice you had in how you wanted to handle things. Pretty much every mechanic you could think of was tossed in to it. I'd say most people dismissed this title because it was somewhat zany and the pixel graphics, but they missed out. The original game is on sale right now for $4.99 on Steam, or you get it on GoG for $3.99. Well worth it.
It’s time for a new update on the project! In this one, we’re looking at some very interesting stuff because Monomyth is about to start its Open Backer Beta phase. So let’s take a look at it!
I spent the last few weeks fixing more of the problems that were pointed out during Steam Next Fest. Monomyth received plenty of updates and hotfixes. Among other things its UI was improved, the inventory system was adjusted so items could be rotated, existing quests were tested and fixed, framerate options were added, a new enemy type was introduced, and so on. Some of these things were also added in the demo version. Meanwhile, for the closed beta, I have developed a mapping system that will probably please the Ultima Underworld fans among you. Now the project is finally approaching a state where it can be pushed into the next, and final, testing phase before early access.
I have talked about the Open Backer Beta many times in the past. It’s the phase in which all Kickstarter backers from the 15-dollar tier upwards are invited to test the game. This, of course, also includes encore backers.
They can leave their feedback in the respective Rat Tower Discord channel or use the prepared feedback form, which is linked in the game’s system menu.
If you are a backer, you will soon receive a Steam key per mail. Don’t forget to check your spam folder. It’s important to know that this is not your final game key! This is only a testing key and it will be locked shortly before the early access release. You will then receive your final key, either for GoG or Steam. As far as the choice between those keys goes, I will soon send out a form with which you can request a GoG key - otherwise, you will be sent a Steam key.
Let’s quickly go over some comments on the OBB:
Concerning content, the first phase of the Open Backer Beta will contain the new beginning, the heartlands, and a mini-dungeon. The second phase will then introduce plenty of content including several areas, big and small, as well as the game’s main hub.
It is in this constellation that the game will probably launch into early access. But before that happens I want to work over a few features - first and foremost combat and AI, but, of course, also the feedback given during the OBB.
During early access, there will probably be two major content updates. The first will introduce the last beta area, which still requires some polishing. Other than that it is pretty much ready, so I hope that it won’t take too long. After that I will start working on the last chapter of the game and, of course, also the backer content.
And that is already it for this month. As I mentioned, if you are a backer and you want to join the beta test, keep an eye out for that testing key. Look into your spam folder as well. You will receive an email from me shortly. I will keep you updated, and see you soon!
We’ve even UPDATED THE DEMO so you can play the latest iteration of the game TODAY!
It feels amazing to be this close to sharing Skald with you all! Keep your eyes peeled as we go forwards: We’ll be posting frequent updates over the next weeks!
We're happy to announce the release date of our upcoming tactical RPG, King Arthur: Legion IX: it will be available on Steam first in about a month, more precisely on May 9, 2024! The game is set on the very same Avalon you might know from King Arthur: Knight's Tale, but instead of Mordred, it follows Gaius Julius Mento, the tribune of the infamous Legion IX.
You can enjoy this game as a standalone experience, however, if you missed out on Knight's Tale, now is a great time to learn more about it as it's on sale (60% off) on the Steam Turn-based Festival.
So that you can really get into the mood properly, we have also prepared an announcement date trailer!
A new threat looms over Avalon as the long-lost, infamous Ninth Legion of Rome has set foot on the mythical island. Their commander, the fallen hero, Gaius Julius Mento was granted a demonic legion by their dead emperor, Septimus Sulla to find a way out of Tartarus. But when they accidentally arrive to the magical realm of the Lady of the Lake, Gaius Julius Mento decides to subjugate the island and establish Eternal Rome there. First, however, he must gather his lost legion…
Main Features:
A Role-playing Tactical Adventure
Experience a unique hybrid between turn-based tactical games and traditional, character-centric RPGs. Manage and control a party of 5-6 heroes to explore and conquer the land of Avalon. Engage in deep tactical combat, tough moral choices, hero management, and the rebuilding of Nova Roma.
Prove Your Worth as a Tactician
Every little move and every decision matters. Use covers, traps, flanking and an in-depth overwatch and opportunity system and turn the entire battlefield to your advantage like a master tactician. Sometimes meticulous planning, sometimes charging simply to combat will be the key to victory. The only difference between a successful or a failed quest may depend on the composition of your party only!
Heroes Straight from the Abyss
Legion IX introduces six unique heroes who have risen from the Abyss to conquer the mythical land of Avalon. Level up, gain skill points and unlock unique skill trees. Loot, equip and craft hundreds of artefacts and create the deadliest fighting force that has ever set foot on Avalon.
Wide Variety of Abilities
Use unique skills, Ultimate Skills and World Abilities to overcome the toughest challenges during your quests in Avalon. Take risks and explore various tactical options as heroes don't face permanent death at the end of the missions. Test your skills in different difficulty modes, from laid-back storytelling to brutal, unforgiving battles.
Not Built in a Day
Build up and expand the city of Nova Roma. Make sure that your stronghold has the right facilities for your heroes that prepare them for different quests. But beware! Resources are scarce and you have to manage Nova Roma thoughtfully to keep it afloat.
Regain Your Humanity
Your decisions have far-reaching consequences, influencing both gameplay and narrative. Through your actions, Gaius will either restore his humanity, or forever be transformed into a demon.
Make sure to put King Arthur: Legion IX on your wishlist before launch. As for the base game, Knight's Tale has recently received the 2.0 overhaul and numerous improvements, so make sure to check it out if you haven't. Thank you for your support!
Paris, April 4th, 2024 – Publisher Microids and studio Savage Level proudly unveil Flint: Treasure of Oblivion, set to be released in Q4 2024 on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S, and unveil a first trailer giving a glimpse of the adventure that awaits players. Flint: Treasure of Oblivion is the first game from Savage Level, a team of industry veterans founded in 2021, promising a gaming experience that combines a rich story with deep, accessible gameplay.
“Flint: Treasure of Oblivion is an occasion for us to develop a game in a universe we have always been passionate about. This game gives us the possibility of informing the general public about what piracy really was, often portrayed in a caricatured and wrong way. Flint: Treasure of Oblivion is the culmination of a rethinking process aimed at advancing the clichés of narration in video games. With this title, we are proposing an original way of telling stories through the medium of comic book and take the opportunity to highlight the Franco-Belgian comics that have been making us dream since our childhood.” Declares Aurélien and Maxime Josse, Savage Level founders.
Prepare to embark alongside Captain Flint, his second-in-command Billy Bones and his crew of old salts in search of a legendary treasure promising freedom and fortune. With its original narrative using traditional comic strips as a narrative medium, Flint: Treasure of Oblivion invites players to immerse themselves in a historically accurate pirate adventure spiced up with fantasy.
Flint: Treasure of Oblivion delivers adventure, but also strategic depth thanks to its turn-based combat mechanics, refreshing the genre’s foundations by drawing on mechanics from role-playing and board games, notably through dice rolls. When players build their crew, each member brings unique skills to use, allowing them to adapt their strategy to their style of gameplay. During the tactical phases, players can use skill and attribute cards to improve their crew members and gain an advantage over their opponents. Hoist the mainsail and set off to discover the secrets buried in the distant lands of Flint: Treasure of Oblivion.
Flint : Treasure Of Oblivion features
TURN-BASED TACTICAL COMBAT: A good preparation is key! Choose your crew members with unique abilities, obtain new skills, improve your dices. During the tactical phases, use cards to trigger skills and attributes and influence the fight with dice throws.
COMIC-BOOK NARRATIVE: Enjoy a narrative which, beyond the usual codes of comics (onomatopoeia, speech bubbles), offers players original and dynamic comic strips.
EXPLORATION: Discover a magnificent world, from the French city of Saint-Malo to the exotic landscapes of central America. Visit diverse environments (cities, camps, jungle, caves…) powered by Unreal Engine 5.
HISTORICALLY-INSPIRED PIRACY WORLD: The game faithfully recreates a world of piracy, incorporating historical elements (language, costumes, weapons) making the experience even more immersive.
Flint: Treasure of Oblivion will be available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S in Q4 2024.
Clan Tremere embraces scholars, academics, researchers, and other relentless pursuers of knowledge. These Kindred have an obsession with blood and vitae — vampire Blood — beyond even that of other Kindred, an obsession which extends to its control. Whether the blood coursing through their enemies veins, or a Tremere’s own vitae, a drop of red can turn into a deadly weapon in the hands of an experienced Warlock.
Playing as a Tremere in Bloodlines 2
As a Tremere in Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, you use your arcane powers to control your own Blood and that of your foes. The playstyle is rewarding when keeping your distance in combat, making enemies scream in agony as you boil their blood, shaping your own vitae into projectiles, or even ripping the blood from their veins.
In vampire society, Tremere are often mistrusted. Some characters in Bloodlines 2 may respond differently in dialogues depending on whether you reinforce or challenge their expectations of your clan.
Abilities
As you select your clan, you unlock the clan’s unique passive ability. By spending Ability Points, you can then unlock abilities from the Ability Tree, starting with your chosen clan. Ability Points are earned when completing missions, combat and exploration. When you’ve unlocked all abilities for a clan, you can unlock the clan Perk, a permanent passive upgrade for those dedicated enough to unlock all abilities for a clan.
Corrosive Touch - Clan Passive: Bodies will dissolve away after being fed on.
Cauldron of Blood - Torture your victim by boiling their blood slowly from the inside, making them drop to their knees screaming. Nearby enemies/civilians are drawn to their screams.
Recall - First Use: Mark your current location with a ward. Second Use: Deconstruct yourself, and explosively reconstruct yourself at the marked location obliterating any enemies standing in that spot.
Blood Curse - Curse a victim. The next time they take damage, their body swells horrifically and they explode, doing damage to all around them.
Blood Salvo - Conjure a set of blood daggers that can be thrown at enemies.
Greed - Clan Perk: A chance when feeding, that the last used ability receives twice as much blood, increasing the rate you can perform abilities.
Customizing Your Playstyle
In Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines 2, you can play your character in different ways. Tremere are a ranged, glass-cannon type, and the clan abilities are focused around supporting that playstyle. We want it to be straightforward playing a clan, and this is therefore not an ability optimization game where you have to go through a multitude of abilities and weigh them against each other.
For those who prefer a more advanced playstyle, you can customize your playstyle by visiting important Seattle vampires that are sworn to assist the Sheriff (you) , including offering their Blood to help unlock abilities from their clan. Abilities from other clans may cost more AP depending on how well they align with your clans Disciplines. The Tremere Disciplines are Auspex (the supernatural ability to become aware of more than meets the eye), Dominate (the power to mesmerize and control the actions of others) and Blood Sorcery (the ability to control blood with your arcane knowledge). If another clan has a Dominate ability not part of the innate Tremere kit, it would cost less AP to unlock than an ability for a Discipline Tremere don’t have, such as becoming faster which is a part of the Celerity Discipline. Clan Perks stack, and unlocking several elevates your power much closer to elder level.
In contrast to the activated abilities and Clan Perk which can be learned from the other clans, your clan passive can not. This means that you can combine features from other clans in hundreds of different ways, but your Tremere playthrough will remain unique from playing as another clan who branches into Tremere abilities.
Find out more about playing at the best online casinos, slots, and betting sites at inkedin and how players can play safely and securely on these sites.
I really like the idea that this is going to be "low fantasy". To be honest, one of the main things I've criticized Baldur's Gate was that it was a huge Monty Haul. It always felt to me like playing a tabletop game with a DM that's a freshman in high school, trying too hard to be liked.
Not much else to say. If you've never picked up the game, but are curious about it, there's no excuse now. Because it's free. Free, because you're the product.
We spend 18 months on each remaster, and we redo everything. Every location, encounter, and line of dialogue gets revised and polished. This takes a while.
There is also a ton of new material. Several new zones. Lots of new characters and quest lines. We added a whole new ability tree, Weapon Shaping abilities that augment your blade and missile attacks, that is entirely new to the series. Thus, if you were a Geneforge 2 fan, there's a whole new way to play through it.
We put in a lot of new content based on the feedback of Kickstarter backers. You will find that a lot of the emptier cracks in the game have been filled with lore and tangential stuff to do. This makes the world seem a lot more fleshed out. A lot more real. Again, I’m really happy with the result.
We put a ton of work into this game, atoning for the flaws of 20 years ago.
The Old Economics Of Our Business
We've been in business for 30 years now. We predated the indie game boom by a long time. Heck, we even predate the consumer internet and world wide web.
In the old days, to make the economics of the business work, we had to write games fast. Each all-new, full-length title got 18 months. This meant that sometimes corners were cut. Geneforge 2 was a beloved game, but it was full of threadbare dialogue and cut corners. The structure is there, but the bones were too bare.
(Other games suffered more. Before long, we will remaster Avernum 4, and that one will need and get a LOT of work.)
We have now spent 3 years total on Geneforge 2. We've come to find that this is about the right amount of time for us to put in one of our RPGs to get them about as good as we can get them (tiny company that we are).
This is the final Geneforge 2. I won’t live long enough to get around to remastering it again. And, as always, I have regrets. As I went to sleep last night, I thought about things I could have done. Motivations and dialogue I could have refined. This or that little tweak. But there comes a point where you have to say, “Enough.” I must force myself to be content.
Looking To the Future
I am probably about 12 years from looking at retirement. In that time, we have six old games that are really cool but need a full remaster treatment to bring them into the present. We also have several other games that need a quick polish treatment (like art and rebalancing) to send them into posterity.
And we have ambitions to make new stuff too.
That said, I’m sort of transitioning into the Billy Joel phase of the career. My best, most creative period is behind me, but there is still a lot that should be done. I've written 18 all-new games. Eighteen! This has already been a hugely prolific career. Now I need to wrap everything up, tie up the loose ends, and take a bow with as many people satisfied as possible.
In a few months, I'll let our fans know what the next two years of Spiderweb will look like. We have some exciting plans!
Explore the world of Nova Drakonia through five distinctive backgrounds. Delve into ancient dungeons and forgotten ruins, negotiate peace or wage war with barbarian tribes, defeat terrifying monsters, and forge new alliances as you journey through the land.
Master any weapon, or even a combination of weapons, each with its own set of unique combat abilities.
The game allows for a party of up to 5 members, where you can control each companion manually or leave the tough decisions to the computer. Engage in real-time combat with the option to pause (RTwP), or switch to turn-based mode to devise an elaborate strategy.
Gather, buy, find, or steal dozens of ingredients that allow for the creation of numerous potions, special weapons, armour, shields, and helmets.
Download Demo
Please note that this demo does not fully represent the quality of the finished game. Some art assets, both 3D and 2D, are temporary; and the balance and features may change according to feedback.
The demo is available for Windows 64bit, Mac and Linux.
Minimum system requirements: Intel Core 2 Duo / AMD Phenom II, 4GB RAM, NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 / Radeon HD 6670 2GB, 16GB of free space.
Feyd Rautha pointed me to the Scribe Kickstarter since I posted about the one yesterday. It looked fairly interesting, so I figured why not? The minimum amount to give in order to get the full game is $25, which seems reasonable. It's also an "All of Nothing" campaign, meaning that if they don't hit their goal, you get your money back. That goal is fairly lofty, though, at $54,183. Here's some of the information:
We chose a side scrolling platformer type of gameplay because we wanted to create an RPG where moving around the world is a gameplay by itself. We wanted to avoid a "walking simulator" as it is often the case in other RPGs where you just move from point A to point B. And if there is no combat in between the places, there is in essence no gameplay. With platforming, jumping puzzles and more, in Scribe, you always find yourself facing challenging environments.
Indeed, given that the art of this game is painstakingly crafted pixel art, our aim was to ensure that each location serves as a visual reward for players, while also enhancing the experience of traveling between them.
Oddly enough, these side scroller CRPGs used to be fairly common back in the late 1980s, especially on the MSX Computer. They all but vanished in the mid to late 1990s, it seems.
About a week ago, I ran across this video about a Kickstarter from a small indie developer looking to push his own Kickstarter for an indie JRPG called Breath of Thunder which he will be releasing on the PC and a bunch of other things. In order to show he's serious about developing the game for multiple platforms and that he can do it, he released his own version of Mighty No. 9 for the 3DS and PSP. Here's some info:
Breath of Thunder is a turn based JRPG created specifically for people who long for a classic RPG experience free of modern complications. There is no obtuse, convoluted storyline, no buttonmashy battle system, and no boring, pointless filler content. Breath of Thunder will remind us all what made us fall in love with this genre in the first place; interesting characters we care about, engaging storylines, vibrant worlds full of fascinating lore, and beautiful music.
There is a world of magic out there, beyond sight and time, that we all explored when we were growing up playing games on our favorite old consoles. It was a world of wonder, where anything was possible and the universe was boundless. Modern AAA game studios have lost sight of that world and seem to have entirely lost interest in that magic, but us gamers have not forgotten. Let Breath of Thunder be your bridge back to that world of wonder and adventure.
There's a demo for Breath of Thunder you can snag right here. As said above, he's developing it for PC, Switch, AtariVCS, and several other platforms.
Here's that bonus freebie he made for PS Vita and 3DS. Pretty damned unique method of campaigning there.
Steam has your first chance to snag The Darkness Below for those interested in partaking in a bit of the old blobber style CRPG. It'll set you back around $13 for this fine looking pixel dungeon crawl. Here's a bit of the description:
Embark on an epic journey into The Darkness Below, a cRPG that pays homage to the golden era of 90's cRPGs. With grid-based movement, turn-based combat, and 2.5D perspective, the game transports you to a vast and colorful fantasy world filled with puzzles, exotic creatures, forgotten dungeons and ancient guardians.
Drawing inspiration from Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder, Lands of Lore, and Might and Magic 3-5, this retro adventure seamlessly blends classic cRPG elements with D&D mechanics, where your choices truly shape your destiny. Dive into a rich and immersive world filled with monsters, npcs, skill trainers, intricate dialogues and meaningful interactions.[/media]
I'm really digging that UI with the little mini-map in the corner. I remember playing Dungeon Master as a kid and having to use graph paper because my sense of direction in that game was absolutely not up to the task. That's when I discovered my map making also wasn't up to the task. Now we have mini-maps.
Oh yeah, and there's a discussion right here about the game with lots of eye candy.
After creating quite a few strategy games as an indie (and mostly solo) developer, I decided to create an cRPG instead. This is the genre that I find myself playing and enjoying the most, from classics such as Baldur’s Gate 2, Fallout 2, Fallout New Vegas, Knights of the Old Republic, Mass Effect, to more contemporary games such as Pillars of Eternity, Outer Worlds, Colony Ship, Trudograd, Underrail, and Encased. In short, I really, really like RPGs, and especially ones that use an isometric angle of gameplay.
Sector Unknown is sort of my love letter to both the classics and the contemporaries. I think I’m better suited for telling a story than number crunching strategy games (as evidenced by my mixture of reviews in that genre).
After three years working part-time (well almost full time) on the systems, the game is close to complete on features (movement, inventory, party management, quests, dialogue, crafting, combat, itemization, space flight, etc). I’m aiming to have a demo for the game completed in a month or so. It’s close to completion now, but I’m still not happy with the tutorial level. What I do not want is for it to be a barrier to entry like the much-maligned temple tutorial level in Fallout 2 (I almost never experienced the rest of that fantastic game due to being so turned off by the temple).
The goal for this game is to launch into Early Access. I intend to have over half of the game completed by that EA launch with full launch occurring 6-9 months after that. The idea to do an EA launch was not one taken lightly, but one thing I have found with my past launches is that just when I think a game is bug-free and ready for a seamless launch, players will find new and interesting ways to break things – leading to frantic post-launch schedule of rushing out bug-fixes and patches. I think this way is better. Launch into Early Access and take player feedback over time so that I can get everything sorted for a smooth launch after that.
The other factor is budget. Right now, I do not have the armor or model system in place for player characters and NPCs. These are assets. This will change before Early Access as I have the models done (with no armor or clothing yet), but even after that, I suspect I will need some of the additional revenue from EA launch to finish the last 2-3 planets (as mentioned I aim to have 3-4 story planets complete for EA launch, with the first one ready for the demo in the coming month or so).
I hope people will wishlist and follow this game. It’s always been a dream of mine to create a sci-fi cRPG, and there doesn’t seem to be many on the market except for Colony Ship (which I completed three times). So I hope there’s a market for something like this, a game taking inspiration from early Bioware and some of the great current game developers on the market today.
I will continue to provide updates in the next while, including game systems, story, ideas, and more. I really look forward to people's feedback and thoughts as well.
We've been busy working on Infusion and we have some stuff to show you.
Firstly, we implemented basic crafting for two melee weapons types - sledgehammers and combat knives.
Currently, for both of these weapons, we only have basic metal variations - steel, tichrome and tungsten. We have the model done for a special "flame sledgehammer", but the mechanics are not there yet.
Sledgehammers are crafted from two components - the head and the handle. The type, material and quality of the head is what has the most influence on the resulting sledgehammer. Handle can affect ergonomics which is a special stat that affects various other stats, but we're going to leave that one for a later dev log.
My idea with sledgehammers is that, outside of energy weapons and explosives, they are probably going to be the most powerful damage-wise, but the trade-off is going to be clunkiness, which makes the weapon impractical in many cases compared to more traditional melee weapons, such as knives, swords and mace-like weapons. Sledgehammers are going to be easier to dodge because of slow swing speed and due to their heaviness they will require you to spend a lot of stamina, especially if you're going to use the powerful overhead slam attack. However, if you are Chad who invests in strength, you'll probably be able to pull some crazy damage numbers, especially with the larger heads.
This brings me to the concept of innate weapon-specific attacks - that is, each weapon will have a number of different attack types, these are available by just having the weapon, without requiring a feat. If they have no cooldown or special condition, which will usually be the case, they can be toggled to be used as an auto-attack when you click an enemy. Well, actually, there is no such thing as an auto-attack anymore, every attack is some specific attack type of your current weapon.
For example, in case of Sledgehammers these would be: swing, overhead slam and pummel. You can imaging how these different attacks work and their different properties. I will not go into it right now, except to say that the pummel takes advantage of a new engine mechanics which allows weapon items to have sub-weapons nested in them. That is, when you attack with the handle of the sledgehammer, it's a completely different weapon with its own stats. This feature is going to come handy when we start implementing all sorts of unique, makeshift and hybrid weapons that can be used in different ways.
Next, we implemented the basic combat knife variations. Here, crafting is a bit more interesting because of the number of different handles, guards and pommels.
Knives have two basic attacks: swing and stab. The former being an easier, faster attack, while the latter being a bit slower and more stamina draining but having bonus armor penetration. Depending on the type of knife blade, these attacks can have wildly different effectiveness, especially when it comes to the amount of armor penetration the stab attack will grant.
All these numbers are just my initial estimates of how these blades should work. They will be adjusted through testing and spreadsheet number crunching.
We've also implemented assault rifle crafting. We only have a single frame type, but a lot of different attachments. I'm going to showcase it in a separate dev log at a later time, because there's a lot to be said. We've went quite deep when it comes to firearm customization as you might have seen from my past activity on Twitter/X.
We continue to work towards our next immediate milestone, which is, as I mentioned before, getting the game into a state where we can produce a short video demonstrating some exploration and combat.
That's it for now. In the next dev log, I'm probably going to be showcasing leather armor, which is in the works right now.
Follow me on Twitter, where I post smaller tidbits occasionally.
There are 24 comments on RPG Codex Review: Neverwinter Nights – Darkness Over Daggerford
