Driftmoon - Alpha 4 Released

Driftmoon, a top-down indie we haven't paid enough attention to, has reached Alpha 4. You can access the Alpha by preordering and here's the accompanying press release (hit up the site for a trailer and details):

Driftmoon Alpha 4 has been released.
More info: http://www.instantkingdom.com/
Driftmoon Alpha 4!
April 4th, 2011 by Ville

A new version of Driftmoon approaches! In fact, it’s already here! As before, preorderers can access it on the secret download page. If you haven’t preordered yet, you can still get your copy for 20% off!

The most visible change is the improved plot, with the addition of the new starting level. It gives the game a much more fleshed out background story, along with a better idea of what the game is about.

The new talent system is worth mentioning, with many unique combat skills and passive talents. I’ve been playing with the more advanced combat skills, and fighting the nasties has definitely become more interesting. There are critical hits, evasive maneuvers, various skills that affect groups of enemies. My favourite is the Arrow Rain Mastery, which reminds me of the legendary triple crossbow in Ultima.

I’ve also noticed the new random object system makes the game a lot more replayable. Since I have to replay it two times every week, I say it’s great!

Game changelog:

» A new level in the start of the game.
» Full Talent tree.
» Recipes can be used to create new items with ingredients.
» Shops.
» Quick Travel. Traveling in Driftmoon was very fast anyway, but this makes it even better.
» Improved terrain and plant graphics.
» Critical hits. Take that, you evil undead monster!
» Enabled VSync by default, for smoother graphics and less CPU usage.
» You can now pick up an Astrolabe to tell the time. There’s a quest that needs you to know the time, so it’s even partially useful!
» Improved texture caching, requires less video memory. You’ll see it as a faster load time when changing levels.
» Feedback button. You can now send feedback directly from the game.
» Stealing prompt. The game now asks if you really want to steal from someone.

The game also supports modding and a changelog was sent over but was a bit long for inclusion on the news page.
More information.

um… whoa! That looks really nice actually, I was quite surprised. And now interested. Nice visuals and some old school RPG goodness is what I gather from the trailer.

Its not that bad, its quite good actually, just dont go in expeting dialog trees that make a difference.

It does look pretty good but that perspective kills it IMO. Its a 3D engine. Why on earth wouldn't they go isometric?

Originally Posted by ToddMcF2002
It does look pretty good but that perspective kills it IMO. Its a 3D engine. Why on earth wouldn't they go isometric?

This. I'll never understand why anyone would choose the top down stuff if they have more than basic garphics (ala Deskop Dungeons).

I was thinking the same thing. If it's 3D why not have a different perspective, but I assumed there was some unknown limitation. Anyways it's unique and I'll have to play it to see if I like it or not.

What in the world were they thinking with that awkward perspective? Hopefully the camera angles are controllable by holding down a button while moving the mouse.

I think the answer is simple: graphical resources. It's an indie game - this makes the art easier. I could be wrong but I don't see that it's that big a deal.

The perspective is a conscious decision. Peanut put it well in this comment:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011…iler/#comments
"This looks great. I actually quite like the top-down perspective – the graphics style is strong and clear, and I think the perspective will make interacting with mouse much easier. No need to rotate the camera to select obscured objects."

Of course I know the perspective takes a bit of getting used to, but it does suit Driftmoon well, and makes it easy to control.

A pure top down perspective actually can obscure objects like recessed doors if it's not done right. We'll see…