The Digital Antiquarian looked back at Darklands:

Darklands

Darklands may well have been the most original single CRPG of the 1990s, but its box art was planted firmly in the tacky CRPG tradition. I’m not sure that anyone in Medieval Germany really looked much like these two…

Throughout the 1980s and well into the 1990s, the genres of the adventure game and the CRPG tended to blend together, in magazine columns as well as in the minds of ordinary gamers. I thus considered it an early point of order for this history project to attempt to identify the precise differences between the genres. Rather than addressing typical surface attributes — a CRPG, many a gamer has said over the years, is an adventure game where you also have to kill monsters — I tried to peek under the hood and identify what really makes the two genres tick. At bottom, I decided, the difference was one of design philosophy. The adventure game focuses on set-piece, handcrafted puzzles and other unique interactions, simulating the world that houses them only to the degree that is absolutely necessary. (This latter is especially true of the point-and-click graphic adventures that came to dominate the field after the 1980s; indeed, throughout gaming history, the trend in adventure games has been to become less rather than more ambitious in terms of simulation.) The CRPG, meanwhile, goes in much more for simulation, to a large degree replacing set-piece behaviors with systems of rules which give scope for truly emergent experiences that were never hard-coded into the design.

[...]

Thanks henriquejr!

Project Dagger is a classic style dungeon crawler under development for Android, Nintendo Switch, and iOS platforms.

PROJECT DAGGER DEVLOGS #1 : HELLO WORLD !

Hello, and welcome to Project Dagger.

Today, we are excited to show our progress in the development of this brand-new game that is planned to be released on Android, Nintendo Switch, and iOS platforms.

FIRST, WHAT IS PROJECT DAGGER ?

Project Dagger, previously known as Project Tartarus before its redoing from the ground up, is a reimagination of an old school first person Role-Playing game, Dungeon Crawling and classic Sandbox Exploration oriented, similar to classics including Dungeons and Dragons: Eye of the Beholder, The Elder Scrolls: Arena, The Elder Scrolls 2: Daggerfall, and newer ones like The Legend of Grimrock and the cancelled project by Techland- Hellraid. It also takes inspiration from the Elder Scrolls Travels, which are unknown to most and predate the modern Elder Scrolls: Blades. The aim is to deliver the classic Dungeon Crawler experience to mobile, utilizing the robust Unity Engine, and will be published without any paywall or pay to win elements that ruin most modern mobile games.

The gameplay will concentrate on offering absolutely pure dungeon crawling, while giving the player the ability to navigate between dungeons and the overworld. The loot-based nature of the game, taking hints from the Borderlands’ formula, will be the main hook to the Player, combined with an engaging and attractive story.

Synopsis :

“As the Civil War rises in Adenfel, a new threat has been summoned under the shadow. The long-lost Elven Warlord of the House Amuril, Amn' Refer, kept inside the Ghost Prison, has broken free from his eternal sleep. A new war of shadow and magic has begun. Unnoticed by the warring Kings and Queens, Amn' Refer unleashed disease and corruption. The Divine Curse is was called for none could uncover its hidden origin.

But, it’s just the beginning. You are one of the Royal Archblade’s Apprentice, sent by Lord Thranerth to investigate these events. Travel to the crater of Hakun. And uncover the infernal scheme, involving the sinister shadow cult calling themselves as The Order of the Serpent, and determine the fate .... of Adenfel”

WHATS BEING WORKED ON ?

Currently, we are opening opportunities to join the development team, if you are interested to join the development, visit the link below and apply to available jobs.
Teamups.net
We will be in touch with you.

Now onto our first bi-weekly update.

1. Modelling

We have finished our first impression of our Gothic-styled tile-set and have optimized the meshes for use. At the moment we are in starting phase of completing Dwarven-styled dungeons, taking references from Tolkien’s Moria, and emphasizing on the geometric style of the architecture.

Our character modeler has currently begun working on some mobs and reoptimizing skeleton meshes, as well as fashioning variations. Skeletons will take a very important role because of the disease. Thus, it is important to develop variations to avoid over-repetition.

2. Programming

The basic programming has been completed. We are presently expecting an accepted programmer to join the team and start operating. However there still a lot to be done.

3. Public Relations

We are preparing to launch a public Discord sever soon as a platform to deliver exciting progress. It would also be used to create a community which the public would be able to join and participate in, see what's behind the development, and have a talk with the team to discuss about your ideas !

That is all for this Devlog, guys . Hope to see you again in two weeks, with more informations and updates, as well as an exciting announcement. Stay tuned !

Cheers!

Raihan Erviansyah, Trimatra Lead

VG24/7 talk with Chris Avellone about Obsidian's cancelled Alien RPG and say it was gearing up to be a terrifying Mass Effect.

“But as you’re entering the atmosphere, [you realise] that this planet is incredibly unstable, so your entire crew gets blasted all over the planet,” Avellone explained. “And you land and the player, and some marines, and your squads, and scientists – and the weird thing is that when Prometheus came out, I saw some of the similarities, [and thought] ‘oh, we had a character like that’. But the entire world was more violent and there were a lot more Aliens running around. It was more a question of survival, and ‘how do we recover all the supplies, and desperately try to make a base?’ It was fun to set up.”

One of the things Obsidian really wanted to nail with Aliens: Crucible was a sense of fear, even during conversation. Where most RPGs pause the action while you have a chinwag, here the xenomorphs could arrive at any time, interrupting your plans.

[...]

Thanks Joxer!

ExclusivelyGames talks about why realism matters in Kingdom Come: Deliverance.

In Skyrim, the player’s health, magicka, and stamina regenerate to the max after a brief time. On the other hand, in KC:D, the player’s health will not regenerate on its own. On top of that, the player’s stamina only regenerates to match the remainder of their maximum health.

This means that if you lose half of your health during a fight, you’ll only have half of your total stamina to work with for the rest of the fight. In other words, the more damage you take, the harder it will be to keep fighting.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

A forum post on the Path of Exile forums talks about how the developers will rebalance melee in the June expansion.

How We're Approaching the Melee Rebalance in 3.7.0

In Synthesis, we performed an extensive rebalance of Spellcasting throughout Path of Exile. A lot of this work focused on a numerical rebalance of most skills.

We have indicated that the June 3.7.0 expansion contains a similar rebalance of Melee skills, and while we certainly do intend to numerically adjust them to make sure they're viable, the actual scope of Melee changes planned is a lot larger than we have indicated so far.

Players from other Action RPGs have occasionally criticised Path of Exile's melee combat for being "clunky", especially early on before players get a lot of attack speed. We are making various experimental changes to the animation system that should help resolve these concerns and really tighten up the feel of melee combat.

In addition to animation system improvements and melee skill rebalances, we are experimenting with changes to systems such as accuracy, melee splash, leech, fortify, various Ascendancy classes, the passive tree, hit/miss feedback, melee base types, movement skills and melee damage availability on items.

This post has been intentionally light on specific details because all of the above potential changes are ongoing experiments that evolve as we try new stuff. We'll post more information in the news over the coming weeks (with the majority of it after 3.7.0's announcement in May). We are very excited about these changes and look forward to sharing more information with you.

Edit: And Cyclone is now a Channelled skill.

Swen Vincke talked about the making of Divinity: Original Sin 2 at GDC. Video is at the link.

"The same but sexier, deeper and more engaging" Those were the marching orders for 'Divinity: Original Sin 2'. In this talk, Larian Studios founder Swen Vincke takes a look at all the things that were planned to make 'Divinity: Original Sin 2' a better game than 'Divinity: Original Sin 1', and how they turned out. Vincke is a strong believer in the power of iteration, and D:OS 2 is a game where his team applied iteration at every level, with varying levels of success. The team learned a lot about how to design and organize for iteration, and the talk will focus on these lessons. This talk comes with plenty of examples of both success and failure.

A new dev blog for Battle Brothers introduces The Ijirok.

Dev Blog #122: The Ijirok

13 Apr @ 1:05am - rapsdjff

Aside from new contracts and events, the upcoming ‘Warriors of the North’ DLC will also introduce two new legendary locations linked in a single quest leading up to a legendary reward. Today we’ll look at one of the two bosses that you’ll have to face along the way – if you don’t like to be spoiled about any of that, you may want to skip this dev blog. All others, let’s go!

The Ijirok

The Ijirok is a mythical creature of the north, folklore of the barbarian folk. It’s called the Beast of Winter, for it is said that it first carried the cold into this world on its back. Legend claims the creature to be a shapeshifter and deceiver, appearing in many forms. It abducts children solely to enjoy the pain of the parents. It leads men astray in the white wastes just to watch them go in circles and freeze to death. Some regard it a spirit, some a god, and others a force of nature, like the sun or wind, but with found divinity within the aspect of a cruel creature. Whatever its true nature, in the north they all can feel the presence of the Ijirok, and they count themselves fortunate that the horrors it brings are scant and passing.



When your mercenary company finally faces the Ijirok in battle, it will appear as a great horned beast with four legs and hooves. It’s a boss fight, and it will challenge you like fighting the Kraken or the Rachegeist does. Leading up to the battle, you’ll have the opportunity to learn more about the true nature of your opponent by reading events and visiting locations in the game.

The Ijirok charges you from afar to gore and trample anything in its path. Unlike the charge of other opponents in the game, the great horned beast charging you will inflict damage, but you can defend against it with melee defense like against any other melee attack. Even if your shields prove sturdy and your men are not impaled outright, however, the force of impact may still throw them back and stagger them.



Then, at the beginning of each turn, the Ijirok will shift into a different world, one where cold and ice reign supreme, only to emerge at a different place and charge you anew. While the great beast enters into and emerges from this other world, cold seeps into ours, turning the ground frozen and changing the battlefield permanently. Anyone near the Ijirok will get the new ‘Chilled’ status effect, which will freeze your men’s limbs stiff, and lowers their initiative and action points for one round.

The Ijirok is as elusive in combat as it is outside of it, but each round you’ll have the chance to wail on it before it charges you from a different angle. Like with fighting Necrosavants, your formation is key in defeating the beast of winter while the world around you slowly turns into a frozen hell.

A new lore update for INSOMNIA: The Ark looks at the man behind the House of Bea Kera.

The man behind the House of Bea Kera

13 Apr @ 5:46am - Vault_13

Hello everyone! Previously, we have covered some of the factions that you get to meet on Object 6, and today we are continuing our INSOMNIA: The Ark lore series with a fresh installment. Since the House of Bea Kera is one of the largest groups in Reservation D-106 and the entire sector D, it’s time to give some extra attention to their leader.

Opherod

Being an eccentric and charismatic personality, Opherod had a big impact on the religious perception of ghetters, the descendants of illegal inhabitants of the space station. He was born in the Junkyard and had to live through many hardships with wit and resourcefulness as his only weapons.

After moving to Reservation, Opherod mostly engaged in petty criminal activities and worked on improving his own education. He also managed to become a family man: his wife gave birth to two boys — Darat and Kololei. At the age of six, Darat became a victim of a severe form of somnia which also granted him strange abilities. Due to the fears surrounding somnia, Opherod was forced to do everything possible to hide his condition and find a cure.



A few years later Opherod met Scuffler, a deformed psychonaut who was known as a talented chemist. He invented “wax” — a psychedelic crioma based drug that was able to increase the somnic level of the consumer. After his first experience with it, Opherod realized that this might be the way to study somnia closer and to bring Darat to normal life.

He started studying “Taboro” — a guidebook to somnia’s world written by a long time deceased nameless author who tried to describe his somnia fueled visions. This brought him to the idea of building an underground “wax” manufacturing facility. He started developing a syncretic religious concept and attracting followers that served as test subjects: this is how the House of Bea Kera was born.

[...]

A new milestone for Star Traders: Frontiers sees the introduction of fighter wings and new art to go with it.

Update #141: Launch All Wings!

17 Apr @ 2:38pm - Trese Brothers

It feels very good to have come leaping over the INTERDICTOR milestone and finally be back to regular order -- constant, relentless improvement, new features and content. We dropped 2 hotfixes yesterday to address important issues with carriers and craft but now we're back to updates. Update #141 releases a wave of new awesome art for the craft you can get and starts showing off Faction-specific styles. It also adds a new Mass 3400 ship that isn't a carrier, rebalances and increases the counts of slots on the Basalt, Fallen and Harbinger Carriers. Finally, alongside the new art and content, we've got a raft of small balance changes to Talent cooldowns, Initiative costs, handling of missions in friendly territory, and more.

If you're just seeing this update, you should first check out Update #140 for the news of the major milestone INTERDICTION that introduces and details craft -- interdictors, bombers and shuttles!

On to the details!

New Craft Art and Fixes

With Update #141, we've introduced a wide variety of different craft visuals for shuttles, interdictors and carriers. On the component side, we've fixed the missing +Armor bonus of Reinforced Hangars.

We've also fixed all the reported crashes that came in, so please keep reporting and posting any bugs you find. We've added a protection against launching too many craft at a time on your side (4 max), fixed crashes when attempting to assign pilots and crashes that could sometimes happen when a craft was destroyed in ship battle. Also, we addressed the issue where sometimes "No Pilot" was being incorrectly shown in the Crafts tab of Ship Combat.

Also, a laundry list of Wing Tech, Leader and Bomber Talents all had cooldowns that needed tweaking or fixing. The Wing Commando "Knifework" Talent has been increased to 12 Initiative.

Wolf Vector

The Wolf Vector launches as an all new Mass 3400 option for those who demand extreme range from their spaceship. Optimized for fuel storage and speed, the Wolf Vector is perfect for a faction's high-value couriers and passengers ships. Sometimes outfitted as a secure luxury cruising yacht this craft is popular among Star Traders who appreciate a fast engine and only refueling rarely.

This ship is a variation of a design found in a player's saved game, submitted to our team. Cory played the game, fell in love with the design and modified it to create the Wolf Vector.

[...]

In part 25 of a blog series on Mass Effect: Andromeda Shamus Young has declared BioWare dead.

Everything in Andromeda is constructed backwards. Instead of saying, “Here are the events of the past, what sorts of situations and stories would come from that?” the writer says, “I want the player to drive up this hill and shoot all the dudes at the top. What’s the simplest possible scenario I could use to justify that?”[4]

The player choices are few, arbitrary, poorly depicted, and lacking in interesting options. Dialogs are rare, linear, and lacking in player expression. The few characters you meet in the open world are shallow and bland. The villain is a sophomoric one-note bore. The worlds are, by design, a mostly empty wasteland with no history, culture, or wonder. Exploration of these alien worlds consists of driving around on pre-existing dirt roads[5] so you can gun down clusters of mooks.

The developer’s perception of what made the source material interesting is so wrongheaded that this project was in trouble before it ever left the dry-erase board. This team was not equipped to tell a space story on this scale. I don’t care if you’re talking about details-first or drama-first, this is not a storytelling team in any form. This storyteller might do an okay job if you want a linear shooter with fixed cutscenes and no player agency, but they’re completely unqualified to design a world to support dozens of hours of exploration, exposition, and player expression.

[...]

The PC version of Octopath Traveler will be available on Steam on June 7:

OCTOPATH TRAVELER - available on Steam June 7, 2019

Here’s one to add to you Wishlist right away - OCTOPATH TRAVELER is coming to Steam on June 7, 2019.

Originally released in 2018, this new release is the first time that the critically-acclaimed JRPG has been available outside of the Nintendo Switch. You can see it in action in the trailer:

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What is OCTOPATH TRAVELER?

OCTOPATH TRAVELER is an epic RPG, set in the world of Osterra. You’ll control 8 unique heroes - each with their own special skills and compelling stories. The cast includes:Olberic: a legendary knight seeking redemption for past failures

• Cyrus: an intelligent scholar who struggles with the mysteries of the heart
• Tressa: a passionate merchant who always has an eye for a good trade
• Ophelia: a pure-hearted cleric on a pilgrimage around the world
• Primrose: an orphaned noble who will let nothing stand between her and revenge
• Alfyn: an apothecary who wants to help and heal above all else
• Therion: a skilled thief who can get into any treasure room
• H’annit: a professional hunter, who searches for her missing master

It’s possible to start the game with any of these characters, and build your party in any order you wish. Every character has a unique story, combat skills and ‘Path Actions’ - abilities they use outside of combat.

[...]

The turn-based tactics RPG Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark will be released on April 30:

Official Release Date and New Trailer!

Hello everyone!

We're almost there! Just two more weeks and Fell Seal will be coming out of Early Access. On April 30th, you will be able to experience the epic conclusion to your adventure in Teora.
To celebrate this, we prepared a brand new trailer that you can check out here:

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It has been quite the journey from our Kickstarter campaign to where we are now, but it was well worth it! We're extremely grateful for all the feedback and suggestions we've gotten from the community and for how much it's helped us make the game better. Once again, a huge thank you to everyone that took the time to check the game out and give us their comments and support. Your help has been truly invaluable!

That being said, there's still plenty of balance updates and additions to be made, so it's back to work for us!

Some new DLC for Conan Exiles has arrived called 'Treasures of Turan'.

Treasures of Turan Pack now available

15 Apr @ 10:48pm - Jens Erik (Community Manager)

The riches of the eastern kingdom of Turan await you, exiles! Our latest cosmetic DLC, the Treasures of Turan Pack, brings the opulent gilded palaces of Turanian culture right to your fingertips.

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With the Treasures of Turan Pack you can build palaces adorned with glittering statues, tame rhinos and elephants as pack animals, and dress in the finest Turanian silks and Phalanx armor.

Treasures of Turan comes with new building pieces, placeables, armor sets, weapon sets, warpaints and pets. As Turan is one of the wealthiest nations in Hyboria, it's fitting that this offers the most ostentatious gear and building pieces in Conan Exiles yet. Enjoy the golden decorations of the building pieces and finely wrought weapons and armor.

Treasures of Turan Pack contains:

• 39 Turanian building pieces
  • A full set of building pieces with the same stats as existing tier three
• 15 new armor pieces in three sets, such as the Turanian Mercenary armor
  • Light, medium and heavy sets with an epic end-game version of each
• 9 new weapons in one Turanian weapon set
  • Same power as iron weapons with an epic end-game version of each weapon
• 5 new Turanian warpaints
  • Decorative warpaints symbolizing opulence and glory
• 9 new placeables, such as the standing lamp and brazier
  • Craft them at the new Turanian Artisan table
• 2 new exclusive pack animal pet skins
  • Adorn your rhinos and elephants with rich and golden trimmings

All the new content from Turan is exclusive to this DLC and adds a host of new visual options but does not give any in-game advantage in power. All the new items have comparable stats to existing items.

TheGG reports that Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire has been nominated for best adventure game and best writing at the Webby Awards.

Baltimore – MD — April 11th 2019 – Independent games publisher Versus Evil and developer Obsidian Entertainment today announced that “Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire” has been nominated for Best Adventure game and Best Writing categories in the 23rd Annual Webby Awards.

Hailed as the “Internet’s Highest Honor” by The New York Times, The Webby Awards, presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS), is the leading international awards organization honoring excellence on the Internet.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

The Sinking City was previewed by Destructoid.

Because the game is still in beta, there were several bugs and unfinished assets I encountered, all of which fell on the more hilarious side of the spectrum. One prominent character had her model used for multiple other characters, the city’s hospital had patients with a nasty case of levitating all over the place, and, my personal favorite, two NPCs on the city streets were standing face to face as one repeatedly shot the other one in the stomach with a shotgun. Those will obviously – or hopefully – be fixed by the time the game launches, leaving the only other bit of worry I have about the title centered on one of the themes of the game: racism (something I can only imagine was also inspired by H.P. Lovecraft).

Upon starting it up, a disclaimer let me know The Sinking City isn’t going to shy away from controversial subject matter. The game takes place in a time when racism was rampant in America, though writing that sentence right now makes me realize I should be more specific and say it takes place in the past. Initially, I thought the game would only tackle more fantastical racist themes with two hybrid species present in the narrative: the Planet-of-the-Ape-like Throgmorton’s and fish-faced Insmouthers. However, as you can clearly see from the picture above, actual racism against black people plays a role too.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Grimshade has been released on GOG to a 10% launch discount.

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Grimshade tells the story of the company of heroes, by a twist of fate involved in the cycle of events unfolding in the world of Ree'fah. Numerous dreadful monsters infested the forest around the city of Brann and high walls could no longer protect residents from the attacks. The menacing army of the neighbouring kingdom suddenly landed on the outskirts of the city, wreaking havoc. There is no hope for salvation — the strength of the defenders is running low, but the King and his loyal Champions had vanished.

Series of sudden events and odd coincidences force people to act. Get acquainted with each of the heroes and unite them — entirely different, sometimes bizarre and frightening, with their motives, but one purpose for all — to find out the real causes of what happened to them.

Lead the group of the adventurers on a journey and explore a varied and intricate world, meet new characters and reveal plot-related secrets. Remember, beauty is deceptive — danger lurks everywhere. Test your skills in challenging turn-based battles, adjusting your combat tactics and optimal team combinations for each foe you met on the way.

Key Features

• Seven memorable characters, including Kiba, the dark child, Charlie, the talking sniper badger, Alister, the brave guy with an Ether gauntlet, and Ruby, the princess of the thieves. Each of them has their role (sometimes more than one) on the battlefield and their own mission on a big journey.
• Character development system is based on equipment: each piece of armour, weapon or accessory gives a unique skill to a particular hero, expanding their range of attack types and defensive boosts. Find, trade for, or craft new equipment to improve your characters and make them versatile and adaptable.
• Complex tactical turn-based battles: a variety of elaborate enemies won't let you complete the whole game using a single tactic or invincible team build. Choose wisely the squad you take in a fight — proper positioning and awareness are essential to your success struggling against powerful foes.
• The vivid and diverse world of Ree'fah: immerse yourself in the hand-painted fantasy universe of Grimshade and discover an impressive history in more than 20 hours of an exciting journey.

Thanks you!

A Kickstarter update for Thea 2: The Shattering announces a May 13th release date.

Thea 2: The Shattering launch date announced!

Posted by MuHa Games (Creator)

So the cat is out of the bag, we hope to release our second baby out in full on May 13th 2019!

We still have several weeks of hard work and heavy polish to make the game what we want it to be before release, but we are confident Thea 2 is nearly ready to see the wider world. 

Early Access so far 

 

The minimap is live, so no more guessing where the other biomes are hiding.

We've made an array of significant changes, updates and additions during ea, and we hope you will enjoy the final product. 

Over the last two months, some of the bigger updates have been:

- minimap

- revamp of crafting and resources

- re-design and addition of new god traits and god cards (you can now begin the game with more non-human characters, and there is a points system)

- added domination victory, which allow for players to complete the game in ways other than the main quest (some victory conditions include reaching certain population threshold, killing enough of the other factions or having a diverse population)

- quest logbook (full implementation in progress)

- fixed minor factions so they can now appear on biomes alongside the main faction villages (so now you can meet Stingers, Night Demons, Forest Demons, Scavengers or the Shadowkin)

Stingers are one of the minor factions that now work, and it seems those bees like to ride wolves...

Those are but a few of the major changes, but we've also been constantly improving and fixing things, in accordance to our wonderfully active community. 

Last steps?

There are several key aspects that need to make their way into the game before May 13th:

- kickstarter events and divine quest line (both are due to return from the proofreading within a week and will be implemented soon after)

- VO for the main quest (in progress)

- general balance (in progress)

[...]

Thanks you for submitting this news!

Twinfinite and GameReactor have previewed Divinity: Fallen Heroes.

Twinfinite:

Is the X-COM-style gameplay loop going to hold up over 60 missions? Or perhaps a better question is whether it will compare favorably to the Divinity games fans are used to?

That probably depends on how involved the story, characters, and decision-making is in the finished game. I wouldn’t bet against Larian Studios getting the balance right, as I’m certain they know just how important storytelling and role-playing agency is to the Divinity franchise.

Still, this has been designed as a combat-heavy Divinity experience targeted at those who relish strategic turn-based battles, and in that department, it looks like a real winner.

GameReactor:

Quite how deep the story goes remains to be seen, and we'll need to see careful use of the characters if they're going to remain as relevant in Fallen Heroes as they were in Original Sin II. That said, all of the characters we know and love are still very much present so prepare to fight alongside Fane, The Red Prince, Lohse, Sebille, Ifan Ben-Mezd, and Beast in this tactical twist on the series. There's huge potential for this one given its rock-solid origins, although there's a way to go if it's going to live up to the standards set by Original Sin II.

Thanks Farflame!

VG24/7 talked to Chris Avellone about Obsidian's Knights of the Old Republic 3.

“The third game involved you, as a player character, following where Revan went and then taking the battle to the really ancient Sith lords who are far more terrifying than the Darths that show up. These guys would just be monsters. These would have a level of power that was considerable, but at the same time you’d be able to dig more into their psychologies, and their personalities, their history, and even how they dealt with the player, how they talk with the player, the different powers they cultivated and developed, and for some of them like – they’re the ancients, so they’re not just ruling a solar system, [but] swathes of the galaxy.

[...]

SideQuesting previewed Star Renegades and found it more than the sum of its parts.

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Star Renegades, at its most basic explanation, is a turn-based game in which we explore an overworld map to halt the advancement of an enemy force. But this is really just the top layer of the onion. Underneath, it draws inspiration from a lot of games and genres, and pushes us to approach it much differently than we would a typical RPG experience. As we travel across the overworld from point to point with our squad, we can come across battles or mini-missions, alternate paths or bosses. How we pass these obstacles affects our play experience down the line, as our actions have very quick consequences.

If we go one way on the map, for instance, we get caught up in a battle that may be slightly overpowered but gets us along further. If we opt to take a side path, we have to shut down a giant cannon that blocks our way, affecting our available actions on the map. This continues in a loop that could last for as little as 2 hours or as long as… well, as long as it takes to get to the other side. We can even form relationships along the way, building up our camaraderie with our squadron and even having progeny of our own that will join our battles in later loops. And while this 2-hour loop might seem fast, just 15 minutes in a demo had me advance far on the map, and feels like it packs a lot into a small space. It’s much more flushed out than I could have imagined.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

DSOGaming reports on a GameInformer video which shows 15 minutes of new gameplay footage from The Sinking City.

GameInformer has shared a video, showing 15 minutes of new gameplay footage from Frogwares’ upcoming Loftcraftian game, The Sinking City. Naturally, we strongly suggest avoiding this video in case you want to experience this game for yourselves as it most likely contains spoilers about certain things.

[...]

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Twinfinite shares their list of the top 20 JRPGs on Steam.

The RPG Crawler checked out the dungeon crawler Dungeon Of Dragon Knight:

RPG Crawler's First Look - Dungeon of Dragon Knight

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A new video for Stellar Tactics introduces the next major feature; which is the Trade Net.

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A quick progress updating covering the trade net, the next major feature for Stellar Tactics

The trade net uses a network of placed beacons. Beacons have been in the game for a while now and many of you may have fairly large networks of these devices. The larger the network, the more options you have to find the best deals.

Initially, these could only be used for fast travel between systems. You likely use them to travel back and forth between mission locations or to your favorite home system where you store goods and ships. With the trade-net update, these beacons will start sending data to the trade-net so you find the best places to buy and sell trade goods, ore, and refined ore. A ship with a good-sized cargo hold can make excellent money traveling between systems trading all kinds of goods.

For those of you interested in smuggling, there will be an option to have your Trade-Net "hacked" so it will show contraband items (like the Kchor Brandy shown above). Traveling with these items in your cargo hold is risky. Raiders may spawn and scan your cargo, trade stations may force you to pay a fine if you have these goods in your cargo hold and will seize the items. A high electronics skill can help avoid detection. There may also be a few ship upgrades just for smugglers.

I'll keep you posted as I make progress. I'm hoping to get this out for everyone sometime in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile, here is a list of the latest patch notes since the last announcement. Thank you for supporting Stellar Tactics!

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The historical RPG A Legionary's Life will be released as Early Access on April 19:

A Legionary's Life lets you play as a Roman soldier during the years of the Second Punic War and beyond. Rise up through the ranks and win prestigious awards or just focus on making it home in one piece; it's up to you.

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This is a unique single-player game with RPG elements, extensive usage of attribute and skill checks, a turn-based combat system involving many variables (including morale, reach, confined space and high ground) and a touch of roguelike features. Among them, permadeath. If you are unfamiliar with the term, it means you'll have to start over if your character dies; but don't worry: the game is designed to be replayable and you'll see only a fraction of it in each run. Also, you'll be able to spend points on your next legionary based on how well your most successful characters performed.

A free demo for the roguelike Sin Slayers called The First Sin is now available on Steam.  Here's the Kickstarter campaign for Sin Slayers.

Sin Slayers: The First Sin

Sin Slayers is an isometric RPG with roguelike elements, where your choices determine how challenging the fights and enemies will be.

The free demo  Sin Slayers: The First Sin contains 2-3 hours of gameplay, all major game elements, first story act and one procedurally generated map, that you can clear multiple times.

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Create, equip and lead a team of heroes. Each unit will have its own abilities and weaknesses, so plan your combat strategy accordingly. You’ll journey through stinking primeval forests, boneyards riddled with crypts and the graves of fallen warriors, and other places even the bravest adventurer would fear to tread.

Battles, traps, and bizarre enemies... Everything and everyone wishes to take your life, but don't succumb to despair. Between fights your party can take their rest at a fountain, or while on the road in an old church which leaves its doors open to the weary and wounded.

Travel every path and byway of the Valley, obtain new weapons on the field of battle or by fulfilling quests, gather ingredients for magical elixirs and resources to craft armor and amulets. If a certain item is beyond your crafting ability, ask the blacksmith in the Old Church for help. The best gear will allow you to challenge the deadliest monsters.

BUILD YOUR SQADS
The souls of many heroes were cursed upon death, leaving them to wander a dark and uncharted world, an afterlife reserved for sinners. Is this the end, or..?

Gather your team. Equip them with weapons, armor, and amulets. Level up your abilities as you move forward. The Sin Lords must be slain.

CLASSIC TURN-BASED COMBAT
Sin Slayers features a classic turn-based combat system in the tradition of the best JRPGs, giving you free rein to pit your tactical skills against the wretched inhabitants of the Valley of Fallen Sinners.

Steel yourself. Enemies are everywhere and you will need to make difficult decisions and face dire peril to prevail.

FEED YOUR SINS
Depending on your choices, the sinfulness of your team will go up or down. If it's high — expect tougher enemies. Whatever might be buried there, is it wise to desecrate those graves? Every decision you make matters, and on the road to the next Sin Lord you will have many opportunities to choose poorly.

GENERATED LOCATIONS
Every crusade against a Sin Lord will be unique as every location is randomly generated. Think you know everything there is to know about a fetid swamp? We promise there are new lessons to learn, though they may not be to your liking!

LIFE AFTER DEATH
Legends tell of a place betwixt worlds, a region outside time and space called the Valley of Fallen Sinners.

A dense, preternatural fog lays like stinking breath over black woods. What cursed hordes await? Vicious beasts, damned warriors, the undead, and worse chthonian horrors, all with an unslakable craving for new souls to perpetuate their own unnatural life.

This region is for the most contemptible cowards, those who died because of their sins and the darkness weighing down their souls. At one time, they lived as brave heroes across a multitude of worlds, and bards composed ballads to their noble deeds. Until the day darkness flooded their hearts and killed them.

Now regret consumes them, but their souls will find no rest. They are doomed to wander the Valley endlessly, searching for rest, respite, an end to their torture. But they will know no peace until someone destroys the seven seals of the Portal of the Worlds. Only then will the gates open and the damned finally escape their prison...

Truth be told, no one has attempted this before.

The Wayfarer updatate for Sunless Skies has been released:

Wayfarer Released

The Wayfarer major update for Sunless Skies is now available! Here are the key features:

• A completely reworked Albion
• Many new story events for the gods of the sky
• Officer secondments
• New story content for spectacles
• Consequences for some attacks outside of battle
• Petrichor, the food of the Dead
• Balancing adjustments to Terror and Crew recruitment
• Many small fixes and improvements (see the patch notes for details)

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@DSOGaming Chernobylite is a survival horror taking after S.T.A.L.K.E.R. and trying to fund on Kickstarter.

The Farm 51 has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its upcoming STALKER-inspired science-fiction survival horror game, Chernobylite. In addition, the team has also released the game’s story trailer that you can find below.

Chernobylite is described as a science-fiction, survival horror single-player experience, mixing free exploration of its disturbing world with challenging combat, unique crafting, and non-linear storytelling. As a player, you’ll have to survive and reveal the twisted secrets of Chernobyl in the 3D-scanned recreation of the real Exclusion Zone.

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