Expeditions: Rome - Dev Diary #6 - Side Quests

@Farflame has spotted an update of Expedition: Rome developer's diary!

DevDiary 6 - Side Quests

Ave Legate. Side quests! What are they? Where are they? Why are they? And how did they come to be? These are the questions that we will answer in this, our sixth DevDiary. All the way back in DevDiary 3, we gave you a glimpse into our overall approach to storytelling, and an outline of the plot of Expeditions: Rome as well as the major characters that drive it - but when you're playing a roleplaying game, you don't expect to just follow the main questline from the menu screen to the credits, you expect distractions; tangents; quirky adventures. You expect side quests, and so help us Jupiter, we will meet those expectations.

First off, let's all get on the same page by establishing what makes a side quest a side quest. To us, a side quest is any piece of content that presents the player with a goal to pursue, but which is fully optional. Sometimes the main quests arrive a few at a time and you get to choose which order to do them in, but what defines a main quest is that you must complete it to continue the game - at some point, you cannot go any further in the game until you finish your current main quest. Side quests are less demanding of your time - they appear when it makes sense for them to be available, and if you don't complete them before they stop being relevant, they simply fail themselves and go away. No harm done to the plot.

There are many good reasons to have side quests. From a design point of view, the purpose of side quests is to make full use of the large, beautiful levels we've built, and to encourage the player to explore them and engage with them through deep content. It's all well and good to litter a level with treasure chests, but that doesn't make the world feel more alive - it's characters and the stories we can tell with them that bring a world to life. Not counting the player's legion camp, Expeditions: Rome features no less than six so-called "hub" levels which are particularly large locations ripe for exploration.

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Thanks Farflame!

More information.

Only a week late once again.

Not much can be said that hasn't already been posted about the game.

Can't wait for it's release.

Looking good. They're still saying in recent Steam threads that a 2021 release is a realistic possibility, but I'm going to guess it will most likely be next year.

Originally Posted by daveyd
Looking good. They're still saying in recent Steam threads that a 2021 release is a realistic possibility, but I'm going to guess it will most likely be next year.

Well only four months left in the year so it might release this year. Though I agree with you a release in 2022 seems likely. Anyone know how far in development the game is.

I remember it was mentioned years back but they worked on a cancelled project first.

I'll wait gleefully for this game, based on the prior two I believe we'll have a great time with the Roman version. Roma Victrix!

I need to play through Expeditions vikings again. I played it when it came out and encountered a game breaking bug. My future restarts never went far.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Only a week late once again.

Not much can be said that hasn't already been posted about the game.

Can't wait for it's release.

Yeah, unforgivable It's on me though, there were already a lot of other news in the pipe. Without Farflame's tip I would have missed it entirely.

Originally Posted by Redglyph
Yeah, unforgivable It's on me though, there were already a lot of other news in the pipe. Without Farflame's tip I would have missed it entirely.

I've noticed seems I can go on a long vacation from posting on my news-thread.

So thanks for al the news-bit saves me time now.

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
I've noticed seems I can go on a long vacation from posting on my news-thread.

So thanks for al the news-bit saves me time now.

You're still updating your news threads though (and usually way before I catch the same news)

Originally Posted by Redglyph
You're still updating your news threads though (and usually way before I catch the same news)

Just not with half of my links anymore.

I actually take breaks for a few days sometimes.

Yeah Pladio, I've replayed Conquistadors a few times, yet other than the first play I've not revisited the Viking version yet. I'll be doing that before I play the Roman offering for sure!!

This might be relevant to the topic as well.

10 Years of THQ Nordic

To celebrate our 10th anniversary, we are throwing a digital party! Join us for the first, official THQ Nordic digital showcase event on September 17th at 9 pm CEST / 12 PM PST / 8 PM BST / 10 PM MSK on YouTube, Twitch, and Steam. The showcase will be hosted by Geoff Keighley, executive producer and host of The Game Awards, and will feature six new games. Witness the return of legendary franchises and sequels to beloved games. We hope you are ready, kids! Additionally, we will also release new information and footage for our upcoming games, ELEX II and Expeditions: Rome. If you tune in early, you might also get a glimpse of what our friends at HandyGames have been up to!

Originally Posted by Couchpotato
Just not with half of my links anymore.

I actually take breaks for a few days sometimes.

The other half being soul-likes

Don't go there.


I really hate soul-likes.

i think i might just pay full price for this one, getting good vibes