Hello everyone at RPGWatch! I'm Ian, the Creative Lead from Witching Hour Studios and I wanna share with you our first game, Ravenmark: Scourge of Estellion! It's turn based strategy game along the veins of classics like Final Fantasy: Tactics, Fire Emblem and Advance Wars.
One of the main reasons I'm posting here is that the game is built around a fully realised world. The writers and I come from a rpg playing background so it's really important to us that the world is a character unto itself. There's even an expansive Codex that comes with the game that I think you guys would really appreciate.
You would find things like Lore, Culture, Locales and all that hearty fluff any good RPG or TBS game would have in there!
Below includes some basic info about the game with some screenshots and videos. =D
A Giant Tale on A Pint-sized iPhone?
In a land known as Eclisse, where a great sun and three moons rule the azure skies, the ruling Empire of Estellion is beset by a great scourge from their past – the sun-eating mystics from the forgotten nation of Kaysan.
You’ll follow the stories of a host of conflicted characters under siege, as they struggle for survival under the weight of ruthless ambition and political intrigue. Each campaign in the game presents an account from a different side of the war, so this campaign’s dastardly villains may just become the next campaign’s heroes.
Story Preview Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXnu5tVaSwQ
(Gameplay footage is from an alpha build and does not reflect the final performance of the game.)
More about the world and its nations can be found at the bottom of this post:
http://www.witching-hour.net/?p=73
A Game of… Placements
Skirmishes from the story are fought on 2D isometric battlegrounds, where the player will command a host of warriors to defeat the enemy’s armies. These battles are essentially turn-based; players may key in battle commands for all of their controllable elements without timed pressure at the outset of a combat turn.
When the player is satisfied with the commands issued for that turn, hit START and watch the carnage unfold! The acting speed (or Initiative) of a combat element will determine the sequence of actions in a given turn… Players must carefully consider how the order of actions will play out on the battlefield, or risk annihilation!
Gameplay Preview Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B65TDRm27
Incisive, Effective Commanding with Standing Orders
Players can issue “Standing Orders” to their controllable elements; Standing Orders are A.I. assisted commands that repeat a certain type of action each turn without requiring the player to re-issue the order. Each unit can be given a basic set of standard actions such as moving forward and attacking the nearest enemy, or standing their ground and attacking any unit that comes within range.
Formations – Boon or Bane?
Unique to Ravenmark is the “Formation” system, which allows you to bind together up to three identical player elements on the fly, in order to share abilities of attached Support elements, or gain new formation-only abilities! These abilities are often crucial to winning a battle. But be warned: Formations also leave your elements with greater chances of being flanked from the side or rear! A general must be careful when to create Formations and when to break them up…
——————
A grand, rousing soundtrack accompanies this epic tale and its battles – it’s all scored by indie game music maestro Josh Whelchel, who’s also composing for bigwigs like Mojang (of Minecraft fame). The battle track in the trailer was done by him; check his other work out at www.jwmusic.org!
On 11 November (if all goes well), Ravenmark will be launched for the iPhone at a launch price of US$2.99.
——————
If you guys have any questions, I'd be happy to address them! Ah hell, if you managed to get to this point, it's the least I could do!
One of the main reasons I'm posting here is that the game is built around a fully realised world. The writers and I come from a rpg playing background so it's really important to us that the world is a character unto itself. There's even an expansive Codex that comes with the game that I think you guys would really appreciate.
You would find things like Lore, Culture, Locales and all that hearty fluff any good RPG or TBS game would have in there!
Below includes some basic info about the game with some screenshots and videos. =D
A Giant Tale on A Pint-sized iPhone?
In a land known as Eclisse, where a great sun and three moons rule the azure skies, the ruling Empire of Estellion is beset by a great scourge from their past – the sun-eating mystics from the forgotten nation of Kaysan.
You’ll follow the stories of a host of conflicted characters under siege, as they struggle for survival under the weight of ruthless ambition and political intrigue. Each campaign in the game presents an account from a different side of the war, so this campaign’s dastardly villains may just become the next campaign’s heroes.
Story Preview Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXnu5tVaSwQ
(Gameplay footage is from an alpha build and does not reflect the final performance of the game.)
More about the world and its nations can be found at the bottom of this post:
http://www.witching-hour.net/?p=73
A Game of… Placements
Skirmishes from the story are fought on 2D isometric battlegrounds, where the player will command a host of warriors to defeat the enemy’s armies. These battles are essentially turn-based; players may key in battle commands for all of their controllable elements without timed pressure at the outset of a combat turn.
When the player is satisfied with the commands issued for that turn, hit START and watch the carnage unfold! The acting speed (or Initiative) of a combat element will determine the sequence of actions in a given turn… Players must carefully consider how the order of actions will play out on the battlefield, or risk annihilation!
Gameplay Preview Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B65TDRm27
Incisive, Effective Commanding with Standing Orders
Players can issue “Standing Orders” to their controllable elements; Standing Orders are A.I. assisted commands that repeat a certain type of action each turn without requiring the player to re-issue the order. Each unit can be given a basic set of standard actions such as moving forward and attacking the nearest enemy, or standing their ground and attacking any unit that comes within range.
Formations – Boon or Bane?
Unique to Ravenmark is the “Formation” system, which allows you to bind together up to three identical player elements on the fly, in order to share abilities of attached Support elements, or gain new formation-only abilities! These abilities are often crucial to winning a battle. But be warned: Formations also leave your elements with greater chances of being flanked from the side or rear! A general must be careful when to create Formations and when to break them up…
——————
A grand, rousing soundtrack accompanies this epic tale and its battles – it’s all scored by indie game music maestro Josh Whelchel, who’s also composing for bigwigs like Mojang (of Minecraft fame). The battle track in the trailer was done by him; check his other work out at www.jwmusic.org!
On 11 November (if all goes well), Ravenmark will be launched for the iPhone at a launch price of US$2.99.
——————
If you guys have any questions, I'd be happy to address them! Ah hell, if you managed to get to this point, it's the least I could do!
- Joined
- Oct 13, 2011
- Messages
- 53