Couchpotato's Random RPG News

Might & Magic-inspired Legends of Amberland released on Steam Early Access


Troika co-founder Jason Anderson has joined inXile- RPGCodex

Hey all! I have some exciting news! Jason Anderson - one of the original creators of Fallout, and who I worked with at Troika Games on Arcanum and VtM: Bloodlines - has just joined my team here at #InXile! Exciting things to come! Stay tuned!

EverQuest - Brandon McDonald Interview - Shacknews

One day, Qeynos would be one of the largest cities in Norrath. Docks would facilitate trade between the coastal city and the many towns, villages, and trading camps sprinkled along the western coast. Guilds of every size would set up camp. Tradespeople would come from far and wide to buy and sell wares. The elite status of the city guards would be of such renown that they would be sent to fortify stations as far north as Karana.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun Video Interview - Gamereactor

We caught up with Zen Studios' creative director Chris Baker to learn more about the soon to be released Operencia: The Stolen Sun, a first-person dungeon crawler based on central European mythology

Vampire: The Masquerade — Bloodlines II interview - Venturebeat

Vampire: The Masquerade is part of White Wolf’s “World of Darkness” RPG setting, where werewolves and other monsters live among us. This horror setting never reached the heights of Dungeons & Dragons, but it’s had a dedicated following for decades, and Bloodlines is one of the best CRPGs of the early 2000s. But late last year, White Wolf’s CEO stepped down.

I interviewed Mitsoda and Hardsuit Labs cofounder Andy Kipling earlier this week at the Game Developers Conference 2019 in San Francisco. This is an edited transcript of our interview.

Outward Interview -Venturebeat

Outward is what happens when you take open-world RPGs and throw in elements of survival games like Ark: Survival Evolved. It takes away the niceties of the blinking dot on the map to show you where you are. Want labels? You won’t find them on the map, either. And encumbrance matters — and you’ll find yourself struggling with your urges to be a walking Costco and pick up everything as prepare for your first trip into the wild.

It’s fascinating and frustrating. And Guillaume Boucher-Vidal wouldn’t have it any other way.

The creative lead and CEO and founder of Nine Dots Studio did an interview with me about Outward, which released today on Steam, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It’s the game company’s third indie, following its debut with Brand in 2012 and GoD Factory: Wingman in 2014 (Bandai-Namco published it). We talked about Nine Dots’ approach to Outward and how even its world map reflects its approach to leaving solutions in the hands of players.

This is an edited transcript of our interview.

The problem with games like these (imho) is they don't understand that the original games were blocky not because of artisitc intent but that was all the technology supported. While I'm not a graphic whore and demand the latest greatest hair or shadowing - i prefer something with a bit more details than just a few blocky pixels.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Might & Magic-inspired Legends of Amberland released on Steam Early Access

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The Bearded Ladies talk Mutant Year Zero on Switch

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Live Warcraft Developer Q&A

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System Shock: Medical Level Full Gameplay - Nightdive Studios

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Disco Elysium Preview - RPG Codex

So is the writing, in fact, any good? Hard to say after just a sub-hour, but one thing I can say is that it's one of those games that exude a very distinct personality, and hits you with it in the face from the first moment. Morte in the Mausoleum, the opening of Sanitarium, the intro cinematic of Fallout: these are games that somehow communicate their unique style, and stay true to it all the way through. What struck me with Disco Elysium is a certain dry take. A game like Dragon Age: Origins or The Witcher is often melodramatic, in the sense that even when they are delving into dark and depressing themes, they do so in a 'spectacular' way that becomes edgy when taken too far. Disco Elysium is all about a guy who's a long way from a respectable life, failing at seemingly every basic thing he tries, but what I saw takes a step back to crack a dry, black quip at it all.

Some Other Stuff I Saw

• The game is made up of 3 acts - and almost everything we've seen so far is from the first act. We'll learn more about the second act later, perhaps.
• The game is made up of around 7 days - of which I played about an hour of the first day. The clock isn't really a time limit; it ticks based on actions not real time, and it seems to be more of a marker for the story rather than ever making you rush.
• The game in fact used to be far larger; at some point ZA/UM said we're going to pick one subsection of the game and really work on the polish. That is, pretty much, the game we will get.
• The game looks extremely polished. It looks far better in action than in screenshots; the full-screen sound experience really brings out how striking and vibrant it is. The sound effects are snappy, the UI functions well, and the game runs with no noticeable issues. I did notice the movement is a bit skate-y, with characters having to move to a specific predefined spot to initiate conversation; the devs tell me there's a lot more polish passes to come across the board.
• I asked ZA/UM: have you seen the new Epic Store / Humble collaboration? Is the game coming to GOG? Can you talk about any of it? The answer: "We hate exclusives."

Personally, as someone who's enjoyed both story and combat-intensive RPGs, I had great hopes for Disco Elysium from the start, and my expectations remain high. I can't say if it will be a new classic, or revolutionise the genre; but at the least, I think we will see a very unique game with tons of personality, one which makes design decisions with the right mix of replayability, C&C, and character-building in mind.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance Royal Edition Announced -Techraptor

Publisher Deep Silver and developer Warhorse Studios have now announced Kingdom Come: Deliverance Royal Edition for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It will include the base game and all DLC released until now, plus the final DLC that’s yet to be released. These include Treasures of the Past (originally a backer and pre-order exclusive), From the Ashes, The Amorous Adventures of bold Sir Hans Capon, Band of Bastards, and the unreleased A Woman’s Lot. There were also some free DLC after release, such as the Hardcore Mode and the Tournament activity. And while the game does include mod support on PC, I’ve found that the modding community for the game isn’t as dedicated as, say, Fallout: New Vegas modders. Many mods are now abandoned and unsupported by the game’s current version, unfortunately.

Operencia: The Stolen Sun Released on Epic or Microsoft


Kingdom Come: Deliverance: Live Soundtrack Concert


Queen's Wish - March 2019 Update

Another month of milestones. The world of Queen’s Wish: The Conqueror now has 5 of its 8 sections completed, including one entire storyline. This was particularly satisfying. After years of planning and development, we actually finished a thing! Even better, we released the game to the first tiny group of beta testers. Our core Macintosh test group has been pummeling the game for a couple of weeks now. Many glitches have been fixed. Queen’s Wish is rapidly turning into an actual shippable product. (Backers who get the closed beta will still see it in a few months when the Windows port is done.)

Divinity: Fallen Heroes Interview - Gamereactor

We had a chat with Larian's Swen Vincke about the next game in the Divinity franchise

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Developer Blog - Multiplayer Skirmish Mode

While Bannerlord’s singleplayer campaign offers great adventures to all, for many players, nothing quite matches the excitement of testing their skills against human opponents in Mount & Blade’s engaging multiplayer matches. In this week’s blog, we want to take a look at Skirmish mode, which is a brand new multiplayer game mode for the upcoming Bannerlord…

Warhammer 40,000: Inquisitor - Martyr Patch 2.0 Preview & QA Video

Bloodlines 2 - One Hour Developer Interview

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Battle Brothers Developer Blog #120 - The Barbarians, Part III

In part two we introduced three basic unit types of the new barbarian faction that is to claim the north in the upcoming ‘Warriors of the North’ DLC. This week, we take a closer look at their more specialized unit types. As always, keep in mind that things are still in development and may change. With that said, let’s go!

The Elder Scrolls - PAX East 2019 25th Anniversary Trailer

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PAX EAST 2019 - The Outer Worlds Presentation

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Beamdog Impressions and Interview – PAX East 2019

While at PAX East this year I got the chance to play a quick demo of Baldur’s Gate Enhanced Edition on Switch to see how it controls. I then got a chance to sit down for a quick talk with Beamdog’s CEO, Trent Oster about the past and future of the company. You can find the interview below.

The Elder Scrolls: Legends - Alliance War Expansion Announced

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Bethesda Shows Glimpse of New Tech for Elder Scrolls 6

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It's pretty cool that they will put Skyrim Grandma in the game, imo.

It's a bit of a clickbait story, though - to call this showing a glimpse of their new technology is really reaching. Rocks created with photogrammetry are commonplace, and you can buy them in the asset stores. And face scanning is pretty much standard these days, too. You can have a go at home.

Neverwinter Nights - Matt Chat

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It's time to roll back the clock all the way to 2002, when this early modern CRPG was unleashed upon the world. Neverwinter Nights may not inspire as much nostalgia as Baldur's Gate or Icewind Dale, but I'd take it over Dragon Age anyday. In this video, I talk about what makes it great, but also the less thrilling bits that ought to have been properly addressed in an…ahem…enhanced edition.

Obsidian’s Creative Team Talks The Outer Worlds – Variety.

“Pillars of Eternity” was the start of a new chapter for Obsidian: the 2015 game was followed by a 2018 sequel, and the studio was acquired by Microsoft. Shortly after the acquisition, Obsidian announced its next IP: the ambitious open-world first-person RPG “The Outer Worlds.” With the creative minds behind games like the original “Fallout” and the resources of a mega-publisher behind it, Obsidian is poised to deliver another memorable role-playing experience. On Saturday, a group of “Outer Worlds” devs took to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center’s Albatross Theatre stage at PAX East to discuss how their past experiences in the gaming industry are influencing their work on their next project.

OutwardPC Performance Analysis - DSOGaming

Outward is a new RPG that was developed by Nine Dots Studio and published by Deep Silver. The game has just been released on the PC so it’s time to benchmark it and see how it performs on the PC platform.

Yakuza: Kiwami 2 for Windows Revealed - PCGamesN

Rejoice, fans of Sega’s unique series of Japanese mobster games. Yakuza: Kiwami 2 has gotten a new ESRB rating for Windows, meaning a PC release is not far off. Yakuza: Kiwami 2 follows Yakuza 0 and Yakuza: Kiwami in making the leap to Windows PCs, which means we’ll soon be able to play the next chapter in Kazuma Kiryu’s violent but oddly charming story.

God Wars Getting a Steam Release in June - Steam

The latest in full-scale Tactical RPG receiving great reviews all around the world is finally on PC Steam! Enjoy the ensemble cast of heroes who fought in ancient Japan and capture the best in Tactical RPG consisting an overwhelming game volume of 142 battle stages and 160 hours in total play time.

Outer Worlds Notes From the Panel - USGamer

After the 30 minute gameplay clip, the team including took some time to answer questions. A few things that we learned:

• The team expounded a bit on Flaws, which will be unlocked depending on your actions. For instance, taking too much damage from Canids may result in Canidphoba, which increases the damage you take from Candis (but with the benefit being that you get a perk to offset it). Apparently The Outer Worlds will also let you get addicted to substances if you use them too much. "I like a flawed hero," Boyarsky said.
• You'll be able to run through areas with enemies that are way too strong for you, though you'll be warned ahead of time.
• Senior Narrative Designer Megan Starks was apparently told to watch Brazil, Terry Gilliam's famously wild sci-fi dystopia, before starting. "I was like, 'Oh my god what am I getting myself into,'" she said.
• The team elaborated a bit on mod support, explaining that because it's their first time with the engine, it's not their main focus with the initial release.
• The Outer Worlds team has faced challenges in being able to make all of the content that they want. Boyarsky told the audience, "Shaders and such don't add much to the graphics, but they do make it take longer to make content."
• The Outer Worlds community is currently up in arms about it being a launch exclusive for Epic Game Store, but the team declined to address the furor doing the panel or in the subsequent Q&A.

Outward & Pathfinder: Kingmaker Physical Goods Giveaway - GameBanshee

Owlcat Games' isometric cRPG Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Nine Dots Studio's survival-focused action-RPG Outward are both published by Deep Silver, and as a result both of these games are now a part of Koch Media's Instagram promotion. According to Outward's and Kingmaker's announcements, from now through April 14th, you can share your favorite screenshot or a piece of fan art and get a chance to win some collectible physical goods.

Outward Review Roundup

PCGamesN - Scoreless
Rock Paper Shotgun - Scoreless
GameSpace - 8.5/10
Windows Central - 3.5/5
MMORPG.com - 5/10
Push Square - 6/10
PlayStation LifeStyle - 7/10

Fallout Miami: Progress Update


Super Neptunia RPG Coming to Steam in Summer - RPGamer

Idea Factory International has announced that Super Neptunia RPG will be released for PC via Steam this summer. The PC version will join the previously announced PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions currently planned for spring 2019. Idea Factory International is currently looking for closed beta testers, with those interested able to apply until April 8, 2019. The company also released a new selection of English screenshots, which can be viewed below.

New Vampire: The Masquerade Bloodlines Unofficial Patch Released - DSOGaming

The team behind the “Unofficial Patch” project for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines has released a brand new version of it, fixing a number of issues. In case you weren’t aware of, Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines Unofficial Patch is a must-have cumulative patch containing all the previous releases, and works with retail and downloadable versions of any kind as the Troika Games official patch 1.2 is included.

BioWare lost their magic with Anthem - Hitc.com

It has been a hellish few months for BioWare and EA since the launch of Anthem. The game was panned by critics for being mind-numbingly boring, the fanbase has been displeased with the loot, and now Kotaku’s Jason Schrier has published an insightful and alarming piece that suggests the E3 2017 demo was a fake thanks to the game’s troubled development. However, while Anthem has rightfully been condemned for being a lackluster game that doesn’t have any of the “BioWare magic”, in hindsight the once renowned development team actually started to lose their identity with the popular Mass Effect 2.

Anthem is the Last Straw, EA; it’s Time to Scrap Frostbite - Twinfinite

BioWare has plenty to answer for if the statements from employees are to be believed; the mismanagement of the project as a whole is arguably the root cause of why Anthem turned out the way it did.

Frostbite, however, has been a thorn in the developer’s side for too long. It has proven ineffective in every aspect except perhaps its potential for admittedly beautiful graphics.

With two high-profile catastrophes now tainting the reputation of EA’s premier studio, and the one before those almost imploding, too, it has to be time for Frostbite to either be retired or limited in its use to games it was originally designed to support like Battlefield.

Apropos the last link, DA:Bears was released a bit after Sims 4. At that time it was confusing, Sims 4 which did have body character creation also had head creation vastly inferior to Inquisition and I was asking on official forum why on earth didn't they use Frostbite instead of whatever cartoony engine Sims 4 is using.

There was never an official reply, but if Frostbite is hack-o-rama as suggested by Schrier's source, it's now obvious why.

I'd have to agree partially with Twinfinite. Don't scrap that engine, keep it for mmos as mmo audience has no taste whatsoever and buys any rubbish.
But also don't use it for singleplayer games again.