Madness Gaming has reviewed Earthlock: Festival of Magic:

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Earthlock is an adventure RPG inspired by the classic 3D RPGs of the late 90's, with a fresh take on turn based combat and character progression.

Robert Kurvitz has listed some principles of his roleplaying system for No Truce With The Furies:

THE DESIGN ETHOS OF OUR ROLE PLAYING SYSTEM

I’ve spent most of my adult life tinkering on this system. (Most sounded better than all.) It used to be huge and unwieldy, meant to span several books. Originally we wanted to build a set of tabletop rulebooks inseparable from it’s setting. An end-all, include-all sourcebook / setting for tabletop role playing. Over the years we’ve cut it down to fit on a napkin.

For "No Truce With The Furies" we adapted those same pen and paper rules for an isometric RPG. I firmly believe it was the right choice.

[...]

1)  Only one

We make one system, one world – and that’s it. Everything goes into this one structure. All our ability for systematic thinking, all our knowledge of history. We iterate upon these rules until they are just right, the best numerical foundation for experiencing our world. And we make the world as complete and total as we can. And then we’re done. Wrap it up and send it into the future, New Testament style. We will never make a steampunk cyberpunk spyworld, Owls versus Foxes, Yarn Boy rule system.

2)  Tyranny of cool

If a skill has a great name, if a talent is poetic, if a mechanic is haute tension – it’s in. We’ll make it work. Beautiful stuff does not get taken out because “someone somewhere” didn’t understand what it does. If it’s clunky or extraneous we iterate and redesign until it works. We will always have talent names longer than “Small Black Flowers That Grow In The Sky” and “The Intense Humming of Evil” combined.

3)  Unsymmetrical is symmetrical

It’s good to have almost useless things and seemingly overpowered things. A good composition is not all equal parts. A good composition is equal experiences. There is great symmetrical tension and effect in a seemingly useless abilities that you try to use for the sake of cool. Pull off Spook, Shocking Grasp and Spell Thrust in Baldur’s Gate and you’re a wizard. All builds should not be viable, but all builds should be interesting. Some skills only pop up one or two times — they will be all the more special for it. While other’s buzz around as often as possible. (Empathy always tells you what people are feeling but when Shivers comes in, it’s a special moment.)

4)  Fit on a napkin or fit in the trash bin

After a while, we want you to be able to draw the entire system on a napkin from your head. That’s how elegant and self contained we want it to be. There are four stats and everything folds back into their value. We only use six sided dice. We prefer the Babylonian system of sixes to the Roman system of tens. (Six is a more comprehensible number, ten is too vague and philosophical and includes a zero). If we have a number in the rules – 4, 3 or 6 – we will reuse it as often as possible. All numbers fold back into themselves, everything is it’s own cap, never multiply, never produce long formulas.

5)  Small numbers

Congratulations, you just got +1 of something. It’s a big deal. Six is the maximum. You don’t get 28 experience, you get ONE POINT to put into a skill. That one point gives you the aforementioned +1 bonus. You don’t suffer 76 damage, you lose TWO LIVES. The smaller a number, the less you have of it, the more dramatic it will feel. We large mammals have two to three offspring. We have one home. We have two eyes. Our numerical values are large and chunky, losing one is tragic and gaining one is a triumph. Our system reflects that.

6)  Innovate like a fool

Innovate for innovation’s sake. This isn’t a medical procedure, it’s a rule system for a game. If we see a way to ditch experience then let’s do it. Sure, we could divide a point into 100 experience and it would let us balance the game better, but let’s not. Let’s not do levels either, carrying around points has been done less. And how about GAME OVER if you run out of money? Let’s do a clock too. A real time of day system will let us build great systems around it, imagine the great names we can give to talents for evening people! Above all – introduce hugely ambitious superstructures. A great failure is ten times better than a small success.

+1  Tabletop is god

We believe in great D&D. Not in high fantasy or cyberpunk but in the potential of the underlying tabletop experience. If the Game Master has a great story and the players are competent writers too… tabletop wipes the floor with any other medium. (Literature and video games included.) The Zola, Gombrowicz and Bulgakov of our time are already playing D&D, possibly around one table. The trouble is – the experience cannot be recorded and relayed to others. Tabletop is written on water.

Therefore we believe in video game adaptations of the tabletop experience. Games have had great success adapting tactical combat oriented D&D into video games. (Baldur’s Gate 2, etc). We want to do the same for heavy duty story oriented D&D.

2016 is the year of dungeon crawlers - Steve Jarman will launch The Deep Paths: Labyrinth Of Andokost on Oktober 14th:

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The Deep Paths: Labyrinth Of Andokost is a first-person, dungeon crawling RPG, with traditional grid-based movement, and active turn-based combat. Players explore a vast labyrinth filled with dangerous creatures, and hidden treasures, to unravel an ancient mystery and deliver their city from harm’s way.

Featuring rich, 3D environments with an old-school, retro feel, this huge adventure pays a modernised homage to classic 80’s and 90’s dungeon crawlers, such as Dungeon Master and Lands Of Lore.

The Banner Saga 2 is now available for mobile devices, too. The Pocket Gamer has reviewed the game:

The Banner Saga 2 review - Another deep and moving tactical RPG

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There's a dynamism to The Banner Saga 2 that few other mobile games can boast, and it seeps into every aspect of the game. From the wind tugging at character's cloaks during cut scenes, to the animations during the battles. Everything feels alive and important.

And next to that there's a sense of doom. A sense that every choice you make is coloured in the deepest shades of grey. There are no easy ways out, and everything you say and do is weighed down by consequence and conscience.

In other words, it's a bloody brilliant tactical RPG with a deep story, some fantastic characters, and enough content to keep you enthralled for hours and hours and hours.

[...]

Score: 9/10

Rjshae spotted some nice screenshots and artwork for on Jinx: Womb of Cosmos ModDB - look here.

Voyage of Fortune's Star is 25% funded with 22 days to go on Kickstarter:

Social Media Goals & The Schattenmann!

We are two days into the project and the winds have been strong! We’ve just sailed past 20% funded, which is a great start at about 55 hours into the project, but we still need thousands more backers at the digital game and boxed set levels. Ask your friends not to wait until the end of the project. Early support is vital to show people that this is a project that will succeed!

For this, we need your help spreading the word. And we'll reward you in-game!

[...]

Now: The Schattenmann!

We teased this legendary creature in the video (twice!… did you watch all the way to the end?), but here are three images for you:

• The concept art on which our game models are based.
• A 360 view of the current version of the in-game model:
• A still of the pose for the Schattenmann figure included in the Collector's Edition (and available as an add-on). We may need to curl those long, sharp fingers so they're not so breakable.

[...]

The isometric action RPG FIVE: Champions of Canaan has been released:

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Battle your way to honor and glory in the bloodthirsty fighting arenas of the ancient lands. Pit your strength and skill against the fiercest of enemies. Conquer your foes while claiming wondrous and powerful armaments as you strive to earn the enemy commander’s trust and avert a disastrous war!

Gladiatorial Arenas
Fight hordes of barbaric and fierce enemies in epic gladiatorial style combat. Train and master engaging your foes. Use the ever changing arena terrain to your advantage.

Exemplify Heroism
Heroes and Champions aren't just born, they're forged in the fires of conflict. The honor your father's legacy has earned is only the beginning.

Purpose bigger than self
A hard won peace hangs in the balance. Bloodthirsty enemies conspire and scheme to brew another bloodbath of war. Are you worthy to hold the keys to peace

Heroes' Legacy
Your father and family’s hard won honor will only take you so far. Even with his sword in your hand and his armor on your back, will your mettle be enough?

Your enemy never sleeps
Unravel the mysterious plans of your enemies. Their commanders work tirelessly to raise and train an army for one purpose – war! Your life is one thing, but the lives of your children and children’s children is another. Foil their fiendish plot for future war and destruction.

Henriquejr spotted the changelog for the Battlebrothers update 0.7.0.11:

A new contract variant, overhauled Necromancers and Fallen Heroes, balancing changes and bugfixes - all this and more in this week's update!

Please note that this is likely going to be the last update to the game for a while. As explained in last week's roadmap, we'll now start working on the last big update to the game. Because most of the upcoming changes are interconnected, we'll have to do this as one big package to be released when everything is done. Of course, we'll always keep you up-to-date with what we're working on in our dev blog posts right here!

Changelog

• Added 'Defend Settlement' contract against greenskins.
• Added overhauled Necromancer with new visuals and additional skill.
• Added new Fallen Hero Wiedergänger and potential bodyguard for necromancers together with a few new lootable armors and helmets. The classic skeleton variant will eventually be replaced as part of the upcoming undead overhaul, but remains in the game for now.
• Added hint to injury tooltip reminding the player that injuries will only heal if the company has medicinal supplies on stock.
• Changed introductory contract to no longer show the 'Hire at least 3 more men' objective once the player has done so but not yet completed the other objectives.
• Changed introductory contract to have one less opponent in the final battle on lower difficulty levels.
• Changed bonus effect of 'Spear Mastery' perk to having the 'Spearwall' skill no longer be disabled once an opponent manages to enter the Zone of Control, and continue to work on any further opponents attempting to close in.
• Changed attribute gain per levelup to be slightly higher for initiative.
• Changed position of fatigue and morale bars in panel for selected character of tactical UI.
• Fixed amount of provisions/ammo/medicine not being properly displayed in red when at zero on the worldmap.
• Fixed raiders stopping their attack on a settlement when the player cancels an ongoing 'Defend Settlement' contract.
• Fixed issue with 'Defend Settlement' contract getting confused about kidnappings that didn't happen because the player already killed all attackers before they could act.
• Fixed player being able to fast travel by ship to hostile settlements and get contracts there.
• Fixed morale flags not getting removed in after-combat-report for suvivors with permanent injuries.
• Fixed inventory filters resetting on actions such as equipping an item.
• Fixed 'Bruised Leg' injury not reducing initiative like it should.
• Fixed 'Footwork' skill being usable when rooted.
• Fixed various minor issues.

The RPG Masquerada: Songs and Shadows has been released on Steam and GOG:

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Navigate the masked deceptions and deadly magic of a vividly Venetian city in this fully voiced pause-for-tactics RPG.

In the turmoil-ridden Citte della Ombre, religion holds no sway. Only the songs sung of one’s deeds will carry an Ombrian’s legacy beyond death. Those who hold even the smallest morsel of power will make every effort to ensure their songs live on. Enter the Mascherines - masks that grant their wielders the power to channel the elements and cast destructive magic.

The Mascherines have perpetuated a culture of inequality between the power-hungry guildsmen known as the Masquerada and the impoverished lower classes, the Contadani. A prolonged civil war, ignited by Contadani rebels who steal Mascherines from the Masquerada, has only drawn scars of mistrust across the Citte since.

One of Ombre’s finest sleuths, Cicero Gavar, was exiled for a crime against the state five years ago, but he is now summoned back to Ombre to solve the mysterious kidnapping of the diplomat Razitof Azrus. As other members of the Masquerada join his investigation, all having their doubts about one another within this culture of deception, their faith will be pushed to the limit as a deeper conspiracy lurks in the shadows of Ombre.

FEATURES:

• Your Fight, Your Pace: Use the tactical pause to control the rush of combat, position your party and plan their attacks by the second.
• A Game of Tag: Lay elemental magic tags upon your enemies, and activate the tags with another element for crowd-controlling status effects!
• Vivid Comicbook Art: Feast your eyes on dreamy colours and environmental linework inspired by French comic artists, blended with stylized 3D characters for a timeless aesthetic.
• A Fully Voiced Tale: The drama at the heart of Ombre unfolds over 12 hours of narrative, fully voiced by VO heavyweights like Matthew Mercer and Jennifer Hale.

RPG Codex has interviewed former Black Isle, Troika and Blizzard employee Leonard Boyarsky, who recently joined Obsidian.

Why did you leave Blizzard?

I really, really, really, really, really wanted to return to making single player RPGs.​

What do you think are the largest differences between working with a small company (relatively speaking) like Black Isle or Troika and a leviathan like Blizzard?

For a large company, Blizzard has done a great job of keeping a smaller company feel. However, at the end of the day, they are a huge company with the some of the biggest, most successful franchises in the world. Therefore, there are, by necessity, considerations and levels of decision making that don't need to exist at a small company like Obsidian.​

Since you and Tim are back together now, has there been any contact with Jason Anderson? Are you still friends? Any pipe dreams of getting back together?

We’re still friends with Jason, we get together for a Troika lunch a few times a year.

So, of course, I would love to work with him again someday, but it wouldn’t be as simple as us just picking up where we left off. When we worked on Fallout and started Troika, Jason, Tim and I all had our own specific skills which complemented each other's well. But it's been over ten years, we've all had vastly different experiences, and our areas of expertise have shifted and grown (hopefully), so it wouldn't just be a matter of us getting back together and sliding into our old roles, we'd have to figure out the balance again.​

What's your dream game that you'd like to make? And when are we getting Bloodlines 2 or Arcanum 2? What Troika game would you like to make a sequel to the most?

I'm happy to say that I'm currently working on my dream game. As far as sequels, it's Arcanum 2, hands down. I'd much rather work on IPs of my own creation. That doesn't mean I wouldn't work on Bloodlines 2 if given the opportunity, but if I had a choice between them it's an easy call to make.​

The dungeon crawler Dungeons & Darkness, has been released today on Steam and Playism.

Dungeons & Darkness
Stories speak of old dungeons in this world, ones that contain untold secrets and calamitous evil. Warriors have delved into these dungeons, seeking out their darkest secrets, each with their own goal in mind. Through this, a prosperous and stable town came to form, attracting people, goods and commerce. But the town now speaks of a warped and troubled world. They had already withstood many disasters and they long for peace to return to the world. It is with the same wish that you set foot into town. 

Enter unforgiving dungeons where many adventurers have me their own demise. 
A first-person exploration and action RPG game where you make your way through monster and trap infested dungeons. Uncover chests containing powerful items, and journey onwards to slay the great evil that is rumored to lurk deep in the shadows.
Based on classic dungeon RPGs, Dungeons & Darkness takes the genre to a new level. By including aspects like real time action, which was difficult to achieve with hardware from the previous generation, a new type of dungeon adventure awaits.

In case you really wanted to play Mount & Blade: Warband on your PS4 or Xbox One, you now can do just that. A feature video has been made available to show what is there.

Munich, September 30^th – The official feature video for Mount & Blade: Warband is released, explaining individual elements of the complex sandbox RPG. The audience follows the life of a simple hunter’s son, his life as a merchant, a highwayman and finally that of a nobleman. He is just one of countless customizable characters, which the player can create, allowing them to experience their own medieval adventure.

In Mount & Blade: Warband six realms wrestle amongst each other for power. Which lord the player gives their favour to is up to them. They can choose to involve themselves with the Sultan’s cavalry in the deserts and oases of the south, the vast steppes of the Khergiten archers, the snow-covered kingdom of Vaegiar, the proud Axeman of the North, the Knights of Swadia, and rebellious Rhodok of the southwest. Whichever realm the player chooses - with enough commitment and the local nobles favour even an adventurer of humble origin can earn his own castle.

Until then, the road is still long: the feature video shows our young hunter who has become a successful trader and must hire mercenaries to defend himself against bandits. Though with an armed force the lure to become an outlaw himself is quite powerful. By the insidious conquest of a castle and the King’s blessing, he can advance into the aristocratic circles. Henceforth his life is shaped by banquets, politics and tournaments. And whilst he protects his farmers from predators, he might even win the heart of an aristocratic lady for himself.

Farflame spotted two Fan Q&A videos for Torment: Tides of Numenera.

Creative Lead Colin and Senior Writer Gavin are back for the final part of this fan Q&A video series! In this one they answer questions from social media and speculate on the chances of success the various Torment team members would have while trying to survive a billion years in the future.

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@Gamebanshee A new update for Neverwinter which continues the story in 'Storm King's Thunder' called 'Sea of Moving Ice' will launch November 8th.

New Update for Neverwinter: Storm King's Thunder on PC Launches November 8

The fate of the world is uncertain. Neverwinter's adventurers must scramble to break through giant defenses and stop all of Faerûn from turning to ice. Launching on November 8, Storm King's Thunder - Sea of Moving Ice introduces several new features including an adventuring zone, new ways to travel, a fishing mini game, artifact weaponry, treasure hunting and an epic assault on Svardborg.

Picking up where Storm King's Thunder ended, the Sea of Moving Ice update sends players to battle the overwhelming defenses of the Jarl Storvald, who has nearly deciphered the Ring of Winter's secrets and threatens to blanket the lands in permafrost. Players can hop in their new nautical vessel and travel through the Sea to gather support for the battle ahead. Along the way, they'll be able try their luck at a newly built fishing system, go hunting for scraps of a treasure map, and uncover lost relics to earn artifact weapons far stronger than any before.

Neverwinter is a free-to-play action MMORPG that features fast-paced combat and epic dungeons. Players explore the vast city of Neverwinter and its surrounding countryside, learning the vivid history of the iconic city in the Forgotten Realms and battling its many enemies. Neverwinter is available on PC and is free to play digitally on Xbox One (with Xbox Live Gold) and PlayStation®4 (PlayStation®Plus not required).

@PCGamesN they talk to Colin McComb about Torment: Tides of Numenera, its legacy, and ask him about the crisis system.

...
While the labyrinth can save you from death, there's still plenty of opportunity to wipe yourself out ("anger the wrong people or open the wrong jars" are just two examples). Should you want to stay among the living as much as possible, you'll want to make full use of Torment's ‘crisis system'.

Crisis points happen at specific moments in the campaign and have multiple solutions. Sometimes the most obvious path forward will be to kill whatever stands in your way, while another option may be to sneak past. But between these two opposites lie a multitude of other possibilities.

"To take an example from the very first crisis in the game, you could tell the guy who's come to drag you back to the Order of Truth for study and dissection that you've just survived falling from the sky, and there's no chance that he and his petty thugs are going to be able to beat you," McComb details. "We wanted to make it so every crisis plays out differently based on your actions. I've played this first crisis twenty times now and keep discovering new things about it."

It's a new and exciting system that modernises the otherwise very classically styled RPG systems at place in Tides of Numenera. But McComb has been very careful to blend the new with the most important elements of yesteryear, such as multiple novels-worth of text. "We really like the extensive text, the idea that we could trust the player to be drawn in by the words and the story and the imagination," says McComb. "We were very happy to trust the player."

Vigilantes is a crime themed, turn based tactical RPG being developed by Timeslip Softworks. The kickstarter has a modest goal of 5K and has 37 days to achieve it at time of writing. Vigilantes is also trying to get on greenlight.

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Inspired by the classic turn based RPGs of the 90s, like X-Com and Fallout, yet striking out in its own unique direction, Vigilantes is a crime themed, turn based tactical RPG with an old school heart, for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Players assume the role of Sam Contino, an idealist dragged down the rabbit hole of vigilantism as he works to bring down the three gangs that dominate Reiker City: the mafia, survivalists, and Church of the Final Exodus.

Vigilantes has all the features you would expect from a turn based RPG, yet we feel it stands out from its peers in a number of areas:

• Avoids typical RPG settings, striking out in its own direction with gritty, neo noir.
• Melee combat is choreographed and fluid to an extent rarely seen in turn based games.
• Avoids the trend of simplifying character systems and gameplay. It's very much old school, with the best of modern design advances.
• Emphasis on atmosphere: memorable allies, deadly opponents, a declining city, all brought to life through quality writing, artwork and voice acting.
• Use surveillance to locate gang facilities and leadership. Randomly attacking footsoldiers won't get you anywhere.

Harebrained Schemes released a new kickstarter update which outlined where in development Battletech is right now and showcased classic Battletech artist Duane Loose and what he is bringing to the project.

Development Update
So, what's the team been up to since GenCon? In a word, EVERYTHING. Seriously. Not only did we get right back to work on the combat experience - finishing up features like melee, MechWarrior abilities, airstrikes, and more - but we've been busy spinning up on ‘Mech production, environment art production, map design, multiplayer, story development, and last but not least, breaking ground on development on the "simulation game" (which is our internal term to describe all the fun aspects of managing your Mercenary outfit in-between combat missions).

Whew!

Our spring and summer summer were all about two things: 1) Turning our early combat prototype into a complete, fun, and robust combat experience, and 2) Getting all of our systems, pipelines and architecture in place for full content production on the game. Objective #1 was proven out by the #SuperPreAlpha (thanks again to everyone who watched the Backer video or was able to play it at GenCon and PAX!) Objective #2 has taken a little bit longer to solidify, but I'm pleased to report that we're also turning that corner this month into content production in all areas of the game. This is one of the great challenges of game development - sometimes one team is furiously trying to finish building the car while other teams are simultaneously trying to paint and test drive it.

To continue with the weird car analogy, I really couldn't be more proud of this team and feel like everyone is really firing on all cylinders. Jordan and Mitch and I would like to give a particular shoutout here to our engineering team though, they have been absolutely crushing it in their efforts to get a huge amount of features into the game quickly while maintaining a quality, scalable codebase.

We expect to be back with one more Kickstarter update towards the end of 2016 including another progress update and some Kickstarter Beta details. After that, expect our KS updates to slow down a bit as production ramps WAY up.

Until then!
Mike

[...]

When Mike asked me to write about what it's like to be able to rework some of the units I'd designed so long ago, my initial answer and feeling was "It's Awesome and very gratifying!" Especially being a part of Mike's team and making another contribution to a universe worthy of devotion.

As designers we live with our work forever. What we create, especially in the internet age, lives on, often unexpectedly, to our credit and our critique. To have my name associated with Battletech has always been a blessing for which I am grateful. This association has created many opportunities to connect with designers and artists who grew up playing Battletech and enjoying the art from so many of my amazing Battletech artist colleagues. They inspired me then, as they do today.

I often tell my students that drawing 100 ‘mechs and machines, in three months, for the first technical readout, is where I really learned how to draw. The experience working in the Battletech universe paved the way for my career as an art director and production designer in game development and animated film production. I still look at many of the drawings of mechs I've done and think of them as some of the best work in my career. The Atlas for example ­and definitely the Hatchetman ­my first ‘Mech.

Dishonored 2 has a new gameplay trailer featuring a Clockwork Mansion and possible ways to make your way through it.

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One highly complex location, two objectives. How will you make your way through the Clockwork Mansion when Dishonored 2 launches on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC on November 11?

In this developer playthrough, you’ll be able to see Emily Kaldwin’s lethal skills on full display as she artfully slices her way through everything in her path, before putting an end to Delilah’s Grand Inventor, Kirin Jindosh.

For news and details on Dishonored 2, visit www.Dishonored.com or Follow Dishonored on social media.

The devs of Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem announce their new passive skills tree, in which they want to make hundreds of passive skills available.

The design phase of the new Passive Skill Tree started soon after the launch of Early Access, and went through many iterations before we decided on the actual rotating version. We knew from the beginning that we needed a system that allowed a considerable amount of freedom when it comes to builds and gameplay variety, as there is no class system in the game. 

We sat down and spent time planning each section of the rings, making sure every one of them adds a layer of fun and fantasy to the gameplay and offer interesting skill combinations with other skills.
We even made a real world rotating tree made of cardboard !
We want players to be able to craft their gameplay experience by finding their path through a series of templates inspired by various archetypes. Sections that are closer to the center of the Tree represent broader and well known fantasy archetypes, while sections situated farther away from the center are more specialized and advanced.

Here are some new screenshots from Vampyr and the acoompanying press release.

The violent side of Vampyr's Jonathan Reid explored in screenshots detailing combat.

Vampyr, the new Action-RPG from acclaimed game-development studio Dontnod, explores combat on the flu-ridden streets of 1918's London. All manner of dangers prowl London during a bout of the lethal Spanish Flu. From Vampire hunters to mutated abominations, Jonathan Reid will face foes as well as friends on his mission to discover the truth behind his new affliction. 

Armed with an array of conventional melee and ranged weaponry, attack and dodge foes to fill up Jonathan's Blood Gauge, required to unleash powerful vampire attacks. From impaling enemies on a spike, to draining them of blood at a distance, as Jonathan's Blood Gauge fills during a combat situation, his Vampire affliction will start to overtake his more human side, unleashing destructive spells and abilities against those who try to stop him. 

A non-linear skill tree will unlock through experience gained new, more powerful attacks and abilities. Jonathan is able to equip these abilities in any order, effectively allowing players to create their own archetypes to match their play-styles. Play aggressively and deal greater damage, or more securely, focusing on crowd-control and keeping enemies at bay. Skills can be evolved two different ways, for example, Spring, a skill that allows you to rush instantly to a distant enemy, can be developed to either deal area-of-effect damage or grant temporary invincibility. The choice is yours. 

Combat difficulty can be affected by player actions out of combat. Feeding on civilians provides a huge XP boost, which will make combat situations easier - but that comes with caveats; an increased danger on the streets, and narrative consequences for the world's citizens, to name a few. Full brawls are not the only options open to Doctor Reid, he can also stalk his prey, or even utilize his vampire speed and agility to avoid combat entirely. 

Players will have to investigate who to feed from, and who to spare, conscious of their need to increase their strength. Jonathan's Vampire impulses will always be working against his human side. 

Take up the plight of Jonathan Reid when Vampyr releases in 2017 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC.

Warhorse Studios who are developing Kingdom Come: Deliverance are partnering with Deep Silver to help bring the game to more players.

Dear Warhorsians,

we at Warhorse Studios are happy to announce a collaboration with Deep Silver, the publishing label of Koch Media, to publish Kingdom Come: Deliverance. Co-publishing combines the core strength of both companies. While Koch Media will use its worldwide distribution channels and partnerships to achieve best retail results, we stand behind the vision of Kingdom Come: Deliverance and retain freedom in the development of our game. We will keep our communication as open and honest as we did from day one of our Kickstarter campaign.

In 2011 we set out on our quest to create a medieval RPG with no magic or dragons. Two years later it seemed like we hit a wall. The studio was on the edge of closure before we even started, but there was hope. On January 22nd 2014 we started our Kickstarter Campaign and exactly 35,384 backers made our dream come true. On February 20th 2014 you “kick-started” the project and the realdevelopment of Kingdom Come: Deliverance started. Today over 30,000 new backers have joined and, together with your feedback, we are creating an outstanding game.

With the exclusive co-publishing deal between us and Koch Media we have reached the next important milestone in releasing Kingdom Come: Deliverance. This is a great opportunity to bring Kingdom Come: Deliverance to more players around the world.
With Koch Media as a strong publishing partner, we will now have the chance to reach an even wider audience, while staying in charge of all creative and communication activity. Koch Media will publish the game physically and digitally for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, as well as the physical PC versions under its Deep Silver label. Warhorse Studios will remain solely responsible for worldwide PC digital distribution. Both digital and physical versions will share a common release date to be announced in the near future – the release date however remains in 2017.

You, our Kickstarter Backer and the Kingdom Come: Deliverance Community won’t have to face any changes in the game, your backer rewards or assistance. Everything stays as it was and the promised rewards will be delivered in 2017, shortly after the game is released.

Our communication channels will continue to work in the way you are used to and we will be answering all your messages and mails.
We are convinced that sharing our passion and combining Warhorse Studios with Deep Silver’s professionalism will help us make the game even better.

Best regards,

Dan Vavra

PC Gamer looks at the latest update for Stardew Valley from developer Eric Barone. Version 1.1 is basically finished and available on the Beta branch currently.

The list of new features and fixes is pretty extensive, but highlights include two new marriage candidates, the option to divorce your partner, four new starting farm maps (Riverland, Forest, Hilltop, and Wilderness, plus the original Standard farm layout), Coffee as a new spring/summer crop, Evil Shrines (what kind of farm is this?), and a new Cellar upgrade option for your house that lets you age cheese and alcohol.

The update also adds an entirely new quest, along with several quest-related locations, that unlocks the new "magical construction" feature. Magical buildings can be placed on your farm like regular ones, and include things such as obelisks that teleport you to certain locations and a "Junimo Hut" that will automatically harvest nearby crops.

The list of bug fixes is shorter, and I can't say that there's anything in it that really leaps out at me as a major, must-fix issue. Wild plums are now labeled as fruit, you can no longer tap a stump, you'll no longer lose hay to a hopper if you don't have a silo, and your baby should now be born properly even if you pass out in the mines on the eve of birth. Okay, that one is obviously vital.

Barone said he wants to do "a little beta test to catch any bugs" before he pushes the update to everyone. "I am trying to keep this kind of low-key, so I'm just going to be posting about it here... no twitter or reddit this time," he wrote. (Sorry, Eric.) "If you decide to help me out by playing on the beta branch, I appreciate it very much. Thank you!"

To opt into the beta and play with the update right now, right-click Stardew Valley in your Steam library, select Properties, click the Betas tab and then select "beta" from the dropdown menu. Assuming you've done it properly, the [beta] tag will appear next to the title, the game will update, and you'll be on your way. Barone also warned that while it's "very unlikely" playing the beta build will mess with your saves, you should back them up anyway.

Brian Fargo is interviewed by MMORPG about the just announced Wasteland 3.

MMORPG: This is exciting news! Aside from the general reception of WL2, what made you want to go ahead with a sequel so fast?

BRIAN FARGO: I guess anything seems fast in comparison the time between Wasteland 1 and 2. It's been several years since Wasteland 2 came out, and we've been chomping at the bit to push forward in the RPG genre. There are so many wonderful opportunities to dial in the bleakness of a Wasteland world. With Wasteland 3, this time we head to Colorado, and we had so many new ideas for the game based on that that we just couldn't wait to get started on the next installment in this ice cold post-apocalyptic setting. Of course, we are in the final stages of wrapping up Torment, with our writing staff finalizing their work and moving to Wasteland 3's pre-production. The Bard's Tale IV is deep in production and that will not be affected by this, but with two studios working on games, we need to start looking to the future as well.

MMORPG: Will the sequel be using the Pillars engine like Torment, or will it be using the WL2 engine?

BF: We'll be using a modified and updated version of the Wasteland 2 engine, which will provide a significant visual upgrade from Wasteland 2. Unity has come a long way since we first started using it and we've just gotten better at using it. Additionally, we're utilizing the Pillars of Eternity conversation editor again, which is the same we used in Torment, which allows our writers to quickly mock-up and step through branching conversations. We're building on years of experience with the technology so that also helps let us do more. I think people will quite impressed when they see the video.

A new dev diary and a look at a potential companion called Eb.

Eb is a member of an order of mages that study manipulation of water in all its forms, as well as spells that harness the pull of the moons, or that focus the light of the moon Terratus Grave into searing rays. Though their magic makes them formidable in battle, the School of Tides devoted their efforts to the study of the arts and cornering trade along the coasts. While these efforts gave the school prestige and acceptance, they've also turned the school into a peaceful order, one unready for war.

Kyros' conquest of the Tiers would take several years of war through the mountains, but the School of Tides were defeated with ease. Before the first Disfavored or Scarlet Chorus troops crossed into the Tiers, agents of Kyros sent threats to Occulted Jade, Archon of Tides and the school's founder and guardian. Unwilling to bow and unwilling to fight, Occulted Jade fled, taking nearly all of her disciples across the sea to parts unknown. Only four Tidecasters remained behind to fight, and of them, Eb was the youngest.

The latest update for The Bard's Tale IV is about exploration.

Recently, lead designer David Rogers and I have been working on what we've been calling the "Adventuring Tools and Content Keys" systems for the game, and for this update we thought we'd share some details about how it all works.

Basically, what the adventuring tools and content keys do is give us some control over how you explore and experience the world of Bard's Tale IV. Now, right from the beginning, we made the decision that BTIV would be a game of free exploration. You'd be able to go in any direction you chose, ignore the main story to do side quests if that's what tickled your fancy, or just noodle around and find cool stuff. We therefore made Skara Brae and the land it resides in, Caith, big places with lots of space and lots of story, scenery and secrets to get lost in. Skara Brae is a city now, with multiple levels of sewers, catacombs, and crypts below it, while the lands that surround it are vast and varied, with broad fields, haunted villages, deep forests, treacherous fens, and looming mountains, all riddled with caves, ruins, dungeons, and hidden places, all ripe for exploration.

However, another decision we made early on was that we didn't want you to be able to grind through any of these areas all in one go. We wanted there to be doors you couldn't open the first time you found them, or rivers you couldn't cross, or ruins you could see but not reach. We wanted there to be mysteries that you couldn't unlock until you'd traveled to new areas and learned new things. We wanted to make sure there were always places you wanted to come back to, and that returning to previously explored lands would always be rewarding and fun, unlocking new areas, secret content, interesting lore, and of course, awesome loot.

On top of that there is also a new video:

This clip is meant to illustrate the tone that we are looking to capture for our environments and creatures in The Bard's Tale IV – a captivating and expansive landscape for you to explore, and a menagerie of creatures inspired by myth and Celtic folklore. We’ve also been feverishly working on the combat system and have made some amazing progress, but we don’t want to show our hand on it quite yet. For now I hope this gets your imaginations running wild and sets the mood for what I'd like to talk to you about today.

Pessimeister sent in his review of the recently released The Warlock of Firetop Mountain review.

Fighting Fantasy came into existence in 1982 when Steve Jackson and Ian Livingstone released the hugely influential original game-book "The Warlock of Firetop Mountain". The series distinguished itself from Choose Your Own Adventure by making "YOU" the hero and incorporating a simple role-playing system that used two dice replete with character defining statistics and rules for combat. Even as early as 1984, attempts were made at bringing these books into the world of video games, with several famous titles being made for systems at the time such as the C64 and ZX Spectrum. 

Fighting Fantasy declined in popularity in the mid-90s but rose again via the Wizard Books relaunch of the brand starting in 2002. The books remain formative role-playing experiences for many fans around the world.c

Teleport directly into the modern day - the series has had a reimagining or rebirth of sorts via companies such as Inkle and TinMan games releasing game versions of classic titles such as the Sorcery! series, House of Hell and Forest of Doom, effectively reinterpreting game-book experiences for new and old audiences alike.

Episode 4 of King's Quest is out now:

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In his latest adventure, King Graham recounts the time he had to rescue Prince Alexander from Queen Icebella's Frozen Castle. Available now!

PC Gamer asked Swen Vincke how Divinity: Original Sin II will be improved with the help of Early Access players:

How Divinity: Original Sin 2 will evolve in Early Access

Combat balance and system tweaks galore, Game Master mode, and more are on the way.

Something always goes wrong when you launch a game, says Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke. You wouldn’t know it by looking at Divinity: Original Sin 2’s Steam page a week after it launched in Early Access, where it’s sitting at 96 percent positive reviews. But something did go wrong when Larian released Original Sin 2 on September 15: they all forgot to press the launch button.

“For some reason we forgot to push the button, literally,” Vincke said, laughing over Skype. “That’s no joke. In the past you had to ask Steam to release it and they’d release it for you at the appointed time. Now they have a system where you put in the date and time, and so we thought it would just release automatically. But apparently you have to still type in that you want to release. So we were waiting there, together with everybody, waiting for it to release, and nothing was happening. We felt really stupid. [laughs] Goes to show, you should always read the fucking manual!”

[...]

How Larian collects feedback

PC Gamer: Let’s start with things that you already had in mind that might need to change, and the feedback that’s influencing you in one direction or another.

Swen Vincke: There’s two parts to the question: What feedback are we looking at, and what do we do with it?

We obviously have the channels like forums and Twitter that we’re reading. Everybody’s reading a lot of it. We’re filtering things that we think are useful out of that. On one side that’s bug reports. Things are going wrong, there’s so much you can do in the game. On the other side there’s opinions and suggestions. Lots of good suggestions. Those go in a database and we go through it and say, ‘that makes sense, that’s actually better than we were planning.’

At the same time we’re also doing qualitative analysis. We have a little tool that’s shipping with the game, so people that want to can send data back to us. The data contains, ‘Where did you go in the game, what skills did you pick, what tags did you select, which dialogue options did you do?’ So it gives us more analytical data about what people are doing in the game away from the subjectivity of an opinion. That is dominantly being used for balancing, so we can see that if nobody’s managing a certain fight, then we probably overdid it on that fight. But also, if nobody is using a certain skill, it means we probably should do something about that skill.

[...]

@BluesNews At the Wasteland website they countdown to next week for further news on Wasteland 3 which has been officially announced. Expect a crowdfunding campaign on Fig and a snowy Wasteland.

What is Wasteland 3?

• A party-based role-playing game, with a renewed focus on our trademark complex story reactivity and strategic combat.
• By including vehicles, environmental dangers, and a revamped, more fluid action system, we are evolving on Wasteland 2's deep tactical turn-based combat and unique encounter design.
• Play by yourself or with a friend in story-driven synchronous or asynchronous multiplayer. Choices open up (or close off) mission opportunities, areas to explore, story arcs, and tons of other content.
• Your Ranger Base is a core part of the experience. As you help the local people and improve your Ranger Base, quests and narrative will force you to make decisions on how to lead.
• The game will be set in the savage lands of frozen Colorado, where survival is difficult and a happy ending is never guaranteed. Players will face difficult moral choices and make sacrifices that will change the game world.
• Wasteland 3 will feature a deep and engaging story utilizing a newly-revamped dialog tree system from the celebrated writers of Torment: Tides of Numenera
• Simultaneously releasing to Windows, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
• Explore a New Frozen Wasteland
• You start the game as the sole survivor of Team November, a Ranger squad dispatched to the icy Colorado wastes. This is a land of buried secrets, lost technology, fearsome lunatics, and deadly factions. No one here has ever heard of the Desert Rangers. Your reputation is yours to build from scratch, and your choices may save this land or doom it. With a renewed focus on macro-reactivity, you'll be picking between warring factions, deciding whether locations are destroyed or saved, and other far reaching decisions that have a marked impact on the shape of your world.

Bring a Friend
For the first time in the history of the Wasteland franchise, you will be able to take a friend with you on your journey into the post-apocalyptic wastes! Wasteland 3 opens up the possibility to play through the campaign with a friend; both of you controlling your own squad of Rangers.

The core of Wasteland 3 will still be a rich single-player experience. If you play with a friend while both online together, you'll be able to share many missions, and join up to hit key story beats, but you can also split up and cover more ground. Once a game is started, you can play Wasteland 3 while your friend is offline, and do a lot of missions without them. Be aware, however, that the actions you take while your friend is off-line are not without consequence!

By making the decision to include multiplayer early on in the process, we will be able to design a game that is true to the core principles of the Wasteland franchise and our studio. Wasteland 3 can be played as an offline, single-player game, and is built from the ground up with a focus on story and reactivity that makes no sacrifices to the multiplayer experience. At the same time, co-op players will enjoy working together to change Wasteland 3's highly reactive world... or finding ways to destroy what their friend has worked to accomplish.