Together with Good Old Games we are giving 10 keys away for each of the following games that have became available on Good Old Games:

• Cosmic Star Heroine
• Battle Brothers
• Mages of Mystralia

That means there are a total of 30 keys available.  By participating in this giveaway you can win one of those keys.

Here are the rules:

• You need to be registered on our forums
• You will have to add a comment to this news posting/thread
• You will need to have at least a total of 10 posts on our forums by the end of the giveaway (don't bother with just spamming our forums as your spam posts will simply be deleted and might even get you banned)
• The giveaway will run for one week, until Friday the 28th of July
• In your comment to this news posting/thread you can indicate if you do not want to win one of these games when you already own it. We will do our best to take this into account
• Once the contest is over, 30 people will be selected from those who commented and contacted via our forum PM to provide them with the key

Also, make sure to check out the RPGs that are on sale this week at Good Old Games.

The post apocalyptic tactical RPG Radiation Age is now on Indiegogo:

Radiation Age - A post apocalyptic tactical RPG

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Radiation Age is a tactical RPG game set in a post–apocalyptic world, in which you take control of one of the shelter's inhabitants. While traveling the world, you will face many hard decisions that can significantly influence the course of the main storyline.  The key elements of the gameplay are the proper management of available heroes and their abilities, clever use of structures present on the map and knowledge of the surrounding.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Farflame spotted some screenshots for the real time strategy RPG Tower of Time on Neptune games:

Tower of Time: Classic RPG Gets new Screens Showcasing some of its Fantasy Environments

Event Horizon has released the first screenshots of the Early Access version of the real time strategy RPG Tower of Time

With the Steam Early Access release of this new, promising real time strategy RPG called Tower of Time, Event Horizon developers and their digital artists decided to experiment and see whether they could recreate some lovely scenes inside this mysterios world filled with treasures and creatures.

According to Event Horizon’s guys, Tower of Time is a classic RPG with a unique real-time combat system where tactics are as important as equipment: players can explore the Tower, buried underground for millennia, and uncover the history of times long gone and the mystery of why your land is dying.

[...]

Gaming Bolt thinks Dark Souls is an important game and needs a remastered version:

Remembering Why Dark Souls Is Important (And Why We Need A Remaster)

Dark Souls’ success cannot be understated.

It’s actually hard to believe, but it has been six years since the original Dark Souls. From Software’ unassuming follow up to their PS3 exclusive cult hit game Demon’s Souls launched in 2011, a few months ahead of the launch of the uber anticipated The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim.  And while it was backed by a far larger marketing campaign than Demon’s Souls had been, it was still largely expected to be an under the radar release. Especially given the fact that RPGs at that point in time were still a niche genre, and games that enabled player agency, or actually challenged them, were considered anathema, most of the residual sales left after the usual Call of Duty, Battlefield, Assassin’s Creed, and FIFA were expected to go to Skyrim, and that was going to be that.

But something wonderful happened instead- along with Skyrim, Dark Souls went on to be a wild success, a far bigger one than anyone had anticipated. And much like Skyrim would go on to influence the next five years of game design, Dark Souls, too, left a lasting, indelible mark on the direction that game design take from then on. The success of Dark Souls was important, and is the reason that we are not in a market today where games like The Order receive good reviews and great sales- it was important, because it showed developers that not only could they trust the players to think for themselves and make their decisions for themselves and even fail for themselves, but that there was a thirsty, ravenous market for games that offered them just this.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

The XBoxHub checked out the Early Access game Ghost of a Tale:

Ghost of a Tale Hands-on Preview

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As for the gameplay, the current build of the game is roughly representative of about a third of the overall game. Nevertheless, there is still enough on show to get a general feel of things. Unfortunately, the feeling it gives off is one of hope that the full release won’t be full of as many fetch quests as the current preview build. To find your wife, you need to escape the prison, and this is done by avoiding guards and completing a vast amount of fetch quests, none of which are particularly difficult… with only a couple bringing any type of puzzle into play and nothing which delivers any really engaging difference to the experience.

My time with Ghost of a Tale had me playing through the Jail, Courtyard and Sewer areas, which, as I mentioned before, make up about a third of the overall game. Whilst they may have you going backwards and forwards, completing quests and avoiding the rather foolish guards at present, it must be said that each area looks incredible. The level of detail present is enough to give off a true feeling of the area represented and it goes without saying that when final release rolls round, this is certainly going to be an impressive aspect of the game.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

This video for XCOM2 expansion War of the Chosen explores The Templar:

XCOM 2: War of the Chosen - Inside Look: The Templar

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Get an in-depth look at one of the new Resistance Factions joining the fight against ADVENT: The Templars.

Thanks Farflame!

Mrozie interviewed the devs of Pillars of History - a historical RPG with an early medieval Balkans setting. The game is on Kickstarter right now:

Interview on Enklawa Network:

An action-RPG adventure on Balkans in 8th century. Creators of the Pillars of History answers our questions

For the first time I heard about Pillars of History a few months ago. A Bulgarian developer called Tritan Studios caught my attention with a concept of action RPG based in times of First Bugarian State, which puts a lot of pressure on historical accuracy and education of history. Currently Pillars of Eternity is trying to raise funds on Kickstarter, so it's a great time to learn more about this promising game. Bozhidar Bakev, one of co-founders of Tritan Studios, agreed to answer some questions about this promising game.

Michal Mroz: As of now Pillars of History is fairly unknown to our readers. For a smooth start, can you describe your game in a few sentences?

Bozhidar Bakev: Pillars of History is a RPG game, based on the early Medieval History of Europe and the Balkans in the 8th century. The game is a next-generation type of hybrid between entertainment and education. While enjoying the game, the player will learn a lot of interesting historical facts. Of course the action, that is a major feature of every RPG will be strongly represented.

Pillars of History offers a realistic journey through the lands of the Eastern Roman Empire (known as the Byzantine Empire), the First Bulgarian State, The Avar Khaganate and numerous Slavic Tribes in the flesh of a full-scale RPG game.

The player will be able to embark on a fascinating journey by choosing one of the four unique characters, or he/she may create his/her own character. Each of the starting 4 characters has its own storyline, so the players are presented with plenty of replayability options.

[...]

Kickstarter:

Pillars of History

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Welcome to 8th century Eastern Europe. A time of endless turmoil, diplomatic trickery and bloody wars. The great Byzantine Empire is forced to repel the Arab hordes, who managed to lay siege to the mighty city of Constantinople. Along the Danube River the incoming Bulgars formed an alliance with the Slavic tribes and established a new state. The raiding Avars were pillaging the lands, while the diminishing numbers of Illyrians were struggling to keep their identity.

You are blessed or cursed to be born in that hostile and yet amusing world. Your journey begins in the rural areas of the Balkan peninsula as you bear the heavy burden of proving your valor before your people and fighting for your survival. Your heart is brave and your mind is clear, and you can’t stand the sloth of all the people around you who are confined in their daily chores.

You crave more! You desire adventures, perils and unknown lands. The blood of your proud ancestors runs through your veins, so you pick up the family sword and while you put it in its sheath you can hear the terrified screams and sense the blood dropping on your hands.

You have to cross the vast lands of the Balkans looking for your fortune, while absorbing the historical knowledge gathered for centuries, and if you fail to do so you will be doomed. If you fail to learn the lessons taught by history, you will die in vain.

Armed with a sword, a couple of waterskins and some pieces of dried meat, you set off, not knowing what’s ahead. Pay attention to every act of yours, because history honors only the brave. Heed the call of history!

Thanks for the Info Mrozie and Farflame!

Version 18 of the tactical RPG Vigilantes has been released - here's the Kickstarter update:

Update 28: Version 18 Released!

Hello,

Hope you're having a nice weekend! Version 18 of Vigilantes is now available for download. Version 18 represents one big, final push to deliver a number of features we felt would substantially benefit Vigilantes.

The emphasis has been on features which enhance the game's tactical depth. Now you can set ambushes with overwatch, delay your turn to outmaneuver opponents, and punish enemies attempting to disengage with attacks of opportunity. Furthermore, characters can now sustain injuries, which reduce stats, and can be healed by time, by Doc, or D.I.Y. healthcare.

An ally relationship system has been added, which provides stat bonuses to allies who approve of your actions, along with a reputation system, which, depending on how much chaos you cause, will determine how some NPCs react to you, and the ultimate outcome of your crusade against crime in Reiker City. Finally, we've added hand drawn portraits for most of Vigilantes' characters, 2 new maps, and fixed a number of bugs.

It's been a busy, intense 3 weeks and 6 days. If you'd like to get more detail on the additions and improvements, you can find out more in the below development video:

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Version 18 is the final version in which features will be the key focus. That's not to say we absolutely won't add any more features, but rather, that in order to deliver the best experience possible, we need to shift the focus to balancing, tweaking existing features, adding content (weapons, perks, characters and maps), improving the level of polish and fixing bugs.

As always, if you'd like to chat about any aspect of Vigilantes, I'd be happy to.

All the best,

Daithi

The action RPG Immortal Planet, made by Tomasz Wacławek – the creator of Ronin, will be released on July 28:

Immortal Planet is an action RPG with challenging combat that rewards patience and punishes recklessness. Explore the crumbling remains of a society of immortals trapped in endless cycles of rebirth. Fight your way to discover the planet's mystery and escape its curse.

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Features

Souls-like Progression: Recover Experiences lost upon death and use them to upgrade your character. Customize your playstyle with dozens of items and spells.

Methodical Combat: Patience and focus are much more important than reflexes. Block, dodge and tackle enemies while managing your stamina. You can see enemy stamina and exploit it to stun them when they are exhausted.

Tight Level Design: Levels are designed around single checkpoints from which you explore the area around it. Levels feature many unlockable shortcuts so you are always progressing no matter what.

Intense Bossfights: Every level features a powerful boss enemy. Fights with these enemies are multi-stage struggles that are a real test of skill and determination.

Gameplay

Fight against challenging enemies with complex behaviours while exploring levels built around single checkpoints.
Gather Experiences from fallen enemies to upgrade your character.
Fight and die repeatedly, but never lose progress by recovering Experiences lost upon death.
Explore the world to discover the story and find many items and spells that will give you an edge against demanding boss enemies.

Story

On the icy surface of a forgotten planet stand ruined tombs where immortals sleep. While sleepless warriors roam the halls with their minds eroded by eternity, a lone Awakewalker emerges from cryosleep. With no memory of their past, it’s up to them to forge their future, discover the planet’s mysteries, and find a way out of this icy hell.

The action RPG Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor – Martyr has reached version Alpha 2.0. The changelog is impressive. Here's a new trailer:

W40K: Inquisitor - Martyr | ARPG Gameplay Trailer

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W40K Inquisitor - Martyr is going to be an innovative Action-RPG developed by NeocoreGames.

Complete Nonsense Reviews checked out the dungeon crawler Zavix Tower:

Zavix Tower Review - First-person Dungeon Crawler cRPG

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Zavix Tower is a first-person real-time role-playing dungeon crawler with turn-based combat, built around the idea of a magical tower with an infinite number of floors that requires constant cleansing by a party of adventurers.

TechRaptor reports that the J-RPG Ys Seven gets a PC release this year:

XSEED Games Announces Ys Seven for PC Coming This Summer

During last week’s “XSEED XSTREAM”, XSEED Games announced that they were bringing their previous PSP release Ys Seven to Windows PC this Summer. (Skip to 1:22:00 for the start of it).

XSEED previously released Ys I, Ys II, Ys: Oath in Felghana, Ys VI: Ark of Napishtim, and Ys: Origin on PC, while NIS America is releasing Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana on Steam later this year. XSEED has also released a variety of other Nihon Falcom titles on PC (the company that develops Ys), and previously announced that they would be bringing Zwei: The Illvard Insurrection, The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel and Cold Steel II to PC later this year. The PC version will support Full HD resolutions, 60FPS gameplay, full controller compatibility, as well as the full host of Steamworks enhancements, as well as Achievement support on GOG Galaxy.

About the Game

Ys Seven is a Japanese action role-playing game developed and published by the Nihon Falcom Corporation and the seventh installment in the Ys video game series. It was released in Japan during 2009 for the Sony PlayStation Portable and was released by XSEED Games in North America on August 17, 2010 and in Europe (only on PlayStation Network) on December 29, 2010. The game was released for Microsoft Windows in China on June 20, 2012; a new Windows version of the game will be released in English in 2017.

Adol and Dogi reach the Capital of Altago in an attempt to find more adventure. While exploring the town, they get into trouble trying to save two sisters who were being harassed by the local Dragon Knights, which is the army force of Altago. They are thrown into the cells but thanks to their reputation as adventurers, they get a request from the king to help him investigate some strange earthquakes going on lately, as his men have not been able to find anything. On their way, they find out the Five Dragons are awakening once again to prevent a great catastrophe, lending their power to Adol to help stop it.

In previous Ys titles, players had to switch between elemental weapons to damage monsters and bosses. In this game, weapon types are used to determine whether damage is enhanced or minimized. Slashing weapons deal enhanced damage to soft enemies but fail against hard enemies. Striking weapons deal enhanced damage to hard and armored enemies but fail against soft enemies. Piercing weapons deal enhanced damage to flying enemies and other agile enemies but fail against armored enemies. A party can have up to three characters in it with the player controlling one of them. The two other members are controlled by the AI while in combat and it is possible to set how they attack. All playable characters except for Adol are able to use weapons that fit a damage type assigned to that character, while Adol uses swords that can be classified to any damage type. For example, Dogi can only use punching weapons which all deal striking damage. Hitting enemies with charged attacks fills a skill point meter that allows characters to perform skills. Skills are taught by using different weapons. Once a character uses a skill enough, he or she can use the skill with any weapon. Further use of a skill allows the user to enhance the skill. There is also an extra meter that when filled, allows the character the player controls to perform a super attack. Using skills is needed to fill the extra meter.

Players can also block attacks in order to reduce damage. If the attack is blocked at the same time an attack connects, that hit in the attack is nullified, the SP and extra meters are significantly filled, and the next attack will be a guaranteed critical hit. This is known as a flash guard. Getting the timing wrong in a flash guard attempt will result in the player taking more damage than if the player does not attempt to block.

Piranha Bytes released a trailer about the Outlaw faction of ELEX. The open world RPG will be released on October 17:

ELEX - The Outlaw Faction

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The desert of Tavar - hot, dusty and lethal. After the territorial wars ended, this godforsaken pit was the last thing anyone wanted to call home. But due to the lack of choice, the destitute survivors and outcasts took shelter and slowly regrouped, becoming a unique and dangerous faction: The Outlaws.

Patch 1.0.1 for Children of Zodiarcs has been released:

PATCH NOTES: Patch 1.0.1 is now available!

Howdy, players.

Patch 1.0.1 is now live for Children of Zodiarcs. Here are the patch notes:

Tweaks and adjustments

• Fast forward enemy turn feature has been added. Hold the buttons down shown in the top-right corner to speed up the game during Enemy Phase.
• Difficulty adjustments in Story Missions 4 and 5. Be aware that if you have Suspend saves in missions 4 or 5, these difficulty changes will not show up. Your manual and Auto save slots are fine so if you want these changes, start missions 4 or 5 from the beginning.
• Tweaked XP system so it's now easier to level-up your under-leveled heroes. Now when you do 0 HP damage, you will get proper amount of XP.
• Reduced the strength of the beige background during dialogue

Bug fixes

• Fixed the bug where enemies in Story Mission 8 do not level scale in Hard difficulty
• Fixed the bug where if Xero is heavily under-leveled and he gains XP from attacking /counter-attacking an enemy, he gains thousands of XP and it takes several minutes for all of it to count up. However, if he has massive amounts of XP overflow, it will still count it each time but it will slowly deplete each time he gains XP and levels up. It's not a perfect solution, but with this bug fix it'll eventually end and he'll return to normal.
• Fixed duplicate text in the art book (Collector's Edition / Upgrade only)

Here's the Titans Return DLC teaser trailer for Starpoint Gemini Warlords:

Starpoint Gemini Warlords:
Titans Return DLC teaser trailer

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LGM Games is proud to announce the arrival of new Titans. Ships enormous in size, after appearing the first time in Starpoint Gemini 2 finally return in Starpoint Gemini Warlords.

DLC features:

• All-new storyline;
• Two new factions;
• Players will get their hands on three new Titan-class ships;
• All the ships bring unique passive abilities that can completely change the flow of the battle;
• Customize the Titan thoroughly thanks to the powerful in-game editor;
• Crush the resistance;
• Did we say – ENORMOUS ships?
• And more!

@RockPaperShotgun The Surge now has a demo available.

A demo is now out for The Surge [official site], the new Dark Souls-inspired sci-fi action-RPG from the studio behind Lords of the Fallen. Our boy Brendan declared it a “serviceable” action game, one he had fun with for a bit but ultimately didn’t feel compelled to finish. Which sounds like a game that might be a lark to poke in a demo.

You can grab The Surge’s demo on Steam (look for the ‘Download Demo’ button buried in that page).
[...]

@DSOGaming Kingdom Hearts 3, an upcoming action RPG from Square Enix, may come to PC but nothing has been confirmed at this stage.

Now here is something really interesting. In an interview with Famitsu, Kingdom Hearts III Director Tetsuya Nomura said that Square Enix will consider bringing this new Kingdom Hearts game to other platforms once the game releases on PS4 and Xbox One.

As Nomura stated, the team is dedicated on these two versions right now. Still, once the game has been released on these two consoles, Square Enix will consider bringing it to other platforms. What other platforms? Nomura did not clarify but we can safely assume that he’s referring to two: Nintendo Switch and PC.
[...]

Pyre now has a launch trailer and will release July 25th on Steam.

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Lead your band of exiles to freedom in this party-based RPG from the creators of Bastion and Transistor.

The latest update for Pathfinder: Kingmaker tells us about the vendor interface.

The Art of the Deal - Our Vendor UI

Hi Pathfinders,

Ahh yes, to be an adventurer! Exploring the Stolen Lands, battling hordes of of bandits, trolls and other baddies, fighting for the cause and never forgetting what's most important in life: fat loot! But since you have a finite amount of sword-swinging arms and you can only wear so much armor - what are you going to do with the tons upon tons of extra gear you collect on your travels? The hint is in the title of this update!

Today we're telling you all about how we're designing the interface you'll be using to interact with the merchants of Pathfinder: Kingmaker.

No cRPG is complete without a merchant. Whether you need to replenish your rations, stack up on potions or purchase a rare magical blade, this classic character is always there for you. Of course, the merchant is also more than willing to help you unburden your bags of all the unwanted loot, and will reward you handsomely for your trouble.

It should be noted that when we speak of "merchants", what we mean is not a special kind of NPC, not an honorary title and not even a separate occupation - many characters can be considered merchants simply by virtue of having goods to sell. Thus, when we talk about merchants we mean exactly them, the characters of our game, and they are much more than just a list of items to buy and sell. Whether it's a hermit mage trying to fund his arcane research by selling scrolls and wands or an actual professional merchant from the capital, you will interact with both of them through the vendor interface.

Many ways to implement a trade interface have been developed to this day, and we are no innovators in this area. Drawing on the principles of convenience and immersion, we have decided not to go down the path of invention and to steer clear of exotic solutions. We wanted to make sure that once you saw the vendor interface, you would quickly understand how it works based on your experience with other games. Apart from that we tried to preserve the immersiveness of the Pathfinder universe, which meant we had to stick to certain technical frameworks and develop a vision of the future artistic layout.

[...]

Shane interviewed Starr Long and Mathew Anderson from Portalarium about Shroud of the Avatar:

Shroud of the Avatar! - Shane Plays Radio Ep. 108

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Highlights: Portalarium's Starr Long and Mathew Anderson join to talk about Richard "Lord British" Garriott's fantasy MMO Shroud of the Avatar!

The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project - UPDATE 4.6 has been released.

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Mod site and download: http://www.nexusmods.com/witcher3/mod...
For newest info about mod - visit CDProject forum thread: http://forums.cdprojektred.com/thread...

Music:
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Soundtrack - The Trail
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Soundtrack - Drink Up, There's More!
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Soundtrack - Cloak and Dagger
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Soundtrack - Another Round For Everyone
The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt Soundtrack - The Wolven Storm (Polish version)

[...]

Mod Features

- high quality meshes with a lot of details, most of them are created from scratch, good optimalization is preserved
- very high quality detailed textures with great sharpness and performance, without any unnecessary VRAM losses (no unnecessary big textures for small stuff)
- very high quality accurate normal maps, almost all is baked from high poly meshes, these normals combined with detail normalmaps, giving amazing look with almost any performance hit!
- specially customized materials for all reworked stuff

PC Gamer reports that the crowdfunded top-down survival horror game Darkwood will be released on August 17:

Darkwood release date set with eerie live-action trailer

After three years, the free-roam survival horror game has earmarked an August launch.

Remember Darkwood? You know, the successfully crowdfunded top-down survival horror game that entered Early Access in 2014? That's right, the wonderful scare 'em up that was sort of reminiscent of Teleglitch but with a far more robust tool system whose slower pace in turn cranked its tension up to 11. Yeah, that one—it's now got a launch date. When? August 17.

To mark the announcement, developer Acid Wizard Studio has released the following live-action trailer:

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[...]

Thanks henriquejr!

The Path of Exile expansion Fall of Oriath will release August 4th.

The Fall of Oriath Release Date and Trailer!

20 JULY - NAZAZZZA
We are excited to announce that Path of Exile: The Fall of Oriath will be launching on PC at 1pm on Friday, August 4th (PDT) alongside the Harbinger Challenge League. The Fall of Oriath is set to be our largest content expansion ever. In addition to six new acts of content, it includes new skill and support gems, unique items, improvements to game performance and much more! Check out the latest trailer[www.pathofexile.com] for a sneak peek of the chaos

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Crystal Dynamics 25th Anniversary Campaign is selling all its games cheap with the proceeds going to charity.

To celebrate Crystal Dynamics 25th anniversary, we are offering a discounted limited edition bundle featuring new and classic Crystal Dynamics games. Save over 75% with this Crystal Dynamics 25th Anniversary bundle which includes PC Steam keys for 12 games! 100% of proceeds from the event will go to GameChanger Charity and support children facing life-threatening illnesses.

Games Include:
1. Tomb Raider (2013)

2. Tomb Raider: Underworld

3. Tomb Raider: Anniversary

4. Tomb Raider: Legend

5. Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light

6. Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris

7. Legacy of Kain: Defiance

8. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver

9. Blood Omen 2: Legacy of Kain

10. Project Snowblind

11. Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2

12. Pandemonium

$25 donation- receive all 12 games
$15 donation - Tomb Raider & Lara Croft games (6 games)
$1 donation- Receive games 7-12 listed (Legacy of Kain, Blood Omen, etc)

For a $50 donation, you will receive a GameChanger Charity swag pack & the 25th Anniversary Game Bundle!

No Truce With The Furies latest developer diary entry expands on what it takes to create a character concept.

BIRD'S NEST ROY

Aleksander Rostov

Little did I realize what a day today would be. I figured "Alright it's the end of my first week back after vacation! A Friday! Let's take it easy! Let's sneak a character concept in there!" They take me like an hour, a good fun break from the usual. So I go check out what characters are next on the list and pick out this dude by the curious name of Bird's Nest Roy.

"Roy, white male, about 50, tall and gaunt, pawnbroker and drug addict (though the latter is not immediately obvious). His arms, legs, and torso all seem too long, and his hands are too large - expressive hands with long fingers, but nevertheless ugly. Speaks in a quiet, husky smoker's voice. He was part of the cleanup crew after the People's Pile disaster. Has traveled extensively. Though he grew up on the coast and runs a pawnshop by the water, he doesn't like boats."

First draft. Immediately I'm reminded of a few people I know, these hippie types who've gotten older and started dressing down from their regular outlandish gear. You can see this guy having a smoke on the little lawn in front of his 16 story public housing apartment home. An old rocker kinda dude. Add a rigid leather fanny pack as a coin purse for his clerking obligations.
[...]

Matt Chat interviews Bob Clardy, one of the founders of the CRPG.

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Support Matt Chat with Patreon--it's the best way to support the
YouTubers you love: http://www.patreon.com/blacklily8

One of the FOUNDERS of the CRPG is on Matt Chat to talk about one of his earliest games, Dungeon Campaign. This was back when Woz was a nobody and when there was a very good chance the whole "home computer" thing was just a fad.

TRUST ME: WATCH THIS.

@monstervine interview Rick Lagnese, community manager for Warhorse Studios, about the importance of historical accuracy in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

...
Traveling on media tours and speaking with developers, media, and fans, what’s the most memorable thing you recall that people said of Kingdom Come?

Rick: It’s hard to compare this game to others since it’s based on historical accuracy, but it was really cool to watch and to see feedback from journalists and fans. There was one video on a Playstation YouTube channel where they released a video showing off Kingdom Come and our presentation. Even though a lot of people didn’t know about it, they said it was the most  passionate presentation they’d ever seen. It’s so cool to hear that, since you can always sell someone on a game, but you really have to believe in my opinion.

When you travel, it’s exhausting. You’re running around to different presentations, you’re thirsty, you need to use the bathroom, stuff like that, but I really got energy from how excited I was to present the game. It’s very exciting, and don’t get me wrong, at the end of the day it’s relieving to be done since you’re tired. But, man, you still want to know what people are thinking, so you’re still looking at YouTube comments and Reddit responses and stuff. It’s amazing.

Always on the clock, haha!

Rick: Always!

What was the inspiration behind making the equipment and settings period-accurate, rather than more fantastical?

Rick: Being that the game is based on history, we wanted to make it historically accurate on every front. We have a full time historian on the team, she, uh keeps us in "Czech", get it? Haha! Feel free to cut that, haha.

I'm definitely keeping that in.

Rick: Oh geez haha! Anyway, we also have painters and sculptors, fencers, mocap workers, everything. It's definitely not just a medieval simulator, but we want to cover everything historically. There's so much attention to detail that even people who aren't huge game fans have shown appreciation for the game, especially in the Czech Republic.

When I was at GDC, someone from the Czech Republic saw the game and said "oh those are our trees! That's our grass!". We used our own engine with the CryENGINE to make it really unique, and it's even 16 km squared. You can find places where historical events happened, and the stories and side-quests tend to lean more towards history.

So what interested you about the medieval setting?

Rick: So some of my favorite movies are Braveheart, The Last Samurai, really anything history-related. When I can find a game that's more realistic than fantasy, it can really draw me in. I love historical European martial arts, which is why that video drew me into the game. History itself is so fascinating to me, because I was never a history buff in school. This stuff got me interested, and I'm a very spiritual guy too, so I really love these kinds of things. So it was really the interesting history and setting that did it.

And Dan Vavra won't compromise on the game. When you have a developer who really sticks to his vision, it really draws you to the game. He wants to make a game according to history, and that's it, and I love it.

[...]

The final Tjolmar dungeon is already playable in Realms of Arkania: Star Trail HD:

Tjolmar Dungeon

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Version 0.9 is out. The final release is announced for the end of July.

Thanks Farflame!

Tryconic Studios started a Kickstarter campaign for their action RPG Rail Theory:

Rail Theory

An action RPG with an innovative dynamic difficulty system designed around randomly generated enemies.

In Rail Theory, you play as Flynn Whitera, the last human contact of a research facility on the planet Argenous. You must salvage working components from destroyed Argenian ships in an attempt to repair your own. However, an outbreak of a crystalline based life form known as the Rithamolous will not make this a simple task.

Download the PC demo at: www.railtheory.com

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Thanks Farflame!

Dual Shockers has reviewed the tactical RPG Children of Zodiarcs:

Children of Zodiarcs Review — An SRPG With the Heart of the Cards

Cardboard Utopia aims to mix the SRPG genre with board game mechanics in their story-driven title Children of Zodiarcs.

What does it take to stand out in the strategy RPG genre? The SRPG genre has more or less held the same systems and mechanics since it first began and was popularized with the release of games like Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre. Since then, many following SRPG games seem to mimic these battle systems without adding that gripping element that made those titles so memorable: the story. However, that might have changed with Children of Zodiarcs.

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Children of Zodiarcs is the game that story-driven SRPG fans have been waiting for. It’s evident when playing through that the developers at Cardboard Utopia are passionate about delivering a product that could potentially fall in line with some of the genre’s greats. However, by adding unique mechanics and a focus on character growth, Children of Zodiarcs stands out as simply a great SRPG.

Score: 9/10