Vigilantes: Indie Developed, Crime Themed, Tactical RPG [Demo Available]

Vigilantes: Crime Themed, Turn Based RPG [Alpha, Greenlight, Kickstarter Win/Mac/Lin]

Hello all,

Vigilantes is a turn based tactical RPG for Windows, Mac and Linux. It's very much inspired by the titans of the 90s, like XCom, Fallout and Jagged Alliance. Vigilantes has been in development for almost two years, has a polished review demo, and has recently been submitted to Greenlight and Kickstarter.

I'll cover the game in more depth in a moment, but here's the release trailer, which will give you a good idea of the game's direction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E11eWGcMGBs

Vigilantes features tense tactical battles with fists, firearms and explosives, deep character development, surveillance operations, memorable allies, and a wide range of equipment to loot, buy and craft. It tells the story of Sam Contino, an idealist dragged down the rabbit hole of vigilantism, as he works to bring down the three gangs which dominate the declining city of Reiker: the mafia, paramilitary survivalists, and the Church of the Final Exodus.



Vigilantes has all the typical features of a turn based RPG, yet 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, 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.

The demo has about 2-3 hours of gameplay, and allows you to play 9 tactical missions, meet 3 memorable allies, test out a wide variety of weapons, craft armour and specialised ammo. The Vigilantes demo is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

Greenlight and Kickstarter campaigns have also just launched, I've included the links below.
Greenlight: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=746883233
Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/958692255/vigilantes-a-crime-themed-turn-based-tactical-rpg

If you have any questions about the game or its development, or have tried out the demo and would like to share your experience with it, I'd be happy to talk to you!

Bumping this as it has been in the moderation queue for whatever reason for some time.

While we do have a pretty active newsbit thread, one more bump won't hurt this one.
Besides, if forum "bugged" the thread initially, it's only fair to bring it up a few times.

Hi all. Silver has kindly been sharing the updates on the news forum, but I thought I'd keep this thread up to date also, to keep all the info in one place.

Vigilantes has been expanded substantially since the Kickstarter. To date, 4 major updates have been released, and the 5th is in the works. If you'd like information on what has been added for each update, I've included both release notes and links to KS updates, which contain a summary and the development videos.

Version 11
Release Notes
KS Update 1
KS Update 2

Version 12
Release Notes
KS Update 1

Version 13
Release Notes
KS Update 1

Version 14
Release Notes
KS Update 1
KS Update 2

Bit of an infodump, but I'll keep this thread updated in the future! How are we doing? Comments or questions most welcome!

I backed this but have yet to download the demo. Has anyone given it a try?

tomasp3n said:

I backed this but have yet to download the demo. Has anyone given it a try?

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I played a bit of an earlier version (whatever was available during the Kickstarter campaign). Shows a lot of promise if you like tactical turn-based combat. Since then it seems they have already added and tweaked a lot of features. Not sure if I'll try it again until release.

tomasp3n said:

I backed this but have yet to download the demo. Has anyone given it a try?

Click to expand...

Sorry for slow reply (wasn't subscribed to thread) and thanks for backing. If you'd like to give it a try, I'd suggest using the version sent out as a KS reward, as it's got way, way more features and content. If you do get a chance to try it out, please let me know what you think, always interested in feedback!

daveyd said:

I played a bit of an earlier version (whatever was available during the Kickstarter campaign). Shows a lot of promise if you like tactical turn-based combat. Since then it seems they have already added and tweaked a lot of features. Not sure if I'll try it again until release.

Click to expand...

Hey daveyd. Sorry for the slow reply (wasn't subscribed). The KS demo, still available on indie db is fairly outdated by now, but it's enough to give an indication of where development is headed. Combat in particular has received a lot of attention since then. If you do try it out, please let me know what you think.

Recently, we asked our Kickstarter backers which additions they would like, and improved mission variety came out on top, so we tackled this first. This development video shows two new mission types: escort and prevent enemies fleeing. In the first, you have to escort a temporary ally being pursued by a criminal hit squad, and in the second, you have to prevent a group of paramilitary survivalists escaping with the proceeds of a bank robbery. Comments and suggestions most welcome!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KOLaGlPEA0

Another thing we've been able to consider as a result of the extra time the Kickstarter bought is fleshing out the gang leaders. Initially, they were envisioned as tougher enemies, but we're hoping to make them more distinct, and write some dialogue encounters. Unlikely we can write encounters for all of them (12-15) but we'll do this for the bosses, and some of the lieutenants. Not sure if there's any interest in getting a sneak peek at some of these encounters, but figured I'd post the first to see. This is the 7th and likely final draft for an encounter with a katana wielding Church of the Final Exodus Confessor. The set up is that the churchers have attacked a farmhouse on the outskirts of the city, beaten and tied up the two residents, dragged them outside.

Have left out the skill checks, as some of these require more coding to add. Comments welcome!

[Sam]
[More and more people moving out of the city. Trying to find a place to build and break earth and plant seeds for tomorrow. Trying to get away from the bustle and grime and violence and not realising that sometimes it just follows you.]

[Sam]
[Hands lashed at their backs. Blood trickling down bowed, bruised faces. Crimson dripping from chins and into muddy puddles into which their bent knees sink. The behaviour of the churchers surrounding the couple is unusual, even by the outlier heavy churcher index. Movements have a jerky, seething, over energised quality. Their shouts are next door to snarls. These guys are completely out of control.]

[Sam]
[The white epicentre of the horde is a katana wielding confessor. Doesn't take a lot of imagination to join the dots. You've known about the darkness at the core of the human condition for a long time. You've percieved it, touched it, but you've never seen it expressed so blackjack to the face vividly. None of the churchers seem to be having second thoughts about what's coming. This is what happens when you outsource your thinking to violent lunatics.]

[Sam]
[The Church of the Final Exodus trades in elysium, drug rehab, and false hope. It's a business. One which seeks to avoid public scrutiny at all costs. The thing unravelling out there in the clearing is the stuff of international headlines. Someone obviously didn't read the memo.]

[Female Captive]
We'll convert. We'll do anything you want. Please. Don't kill us.

[Confessor]
[There's no fire. No brimstone. Her voice is clear and calm and reasonable, but it commands attention. It's a voice that could make howling at the full moon naked sound square John, nine to five normal.]
Therein lies the problem. Normally, all are welcome the join our order, but it wouldn't work in the current circumstances. Right now, you would equally readily accept or blaspheme any god or ideology to save your lives. Your conversion would lack meaning.

[Male Captive]
Why? Why are you doing this?

[Confessor]
The why doesn't matter. What matters is that you're here and I'm here and something is about to happen. Understanding why wouldn't help. It would only defer your sermon in steel, and prolong your suffering.

[Sam]
[Sub zero. Ice queen. Education obvious from language. Should know better. Maybe her brain's wired all wrong, or maybe you are looking at a thing that passes human, but is walking around without a soul. Either way, what you're dealing with here is an incredibly dangerous psychopath.]

Version 15 is now live! Will post development video soon!

Timeslip said:

If you have any questions about the game or its development, or have tried out the demo and would like to share your experience with it, I'd be happy to talk to you!

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Hi Timeslip. Just a few questions on the game:

-Are there classes or is it classless?
-Would you say the game is pretty balanced in terms of guns and hand-to-hand combat, or does it lean one way or another?
-What's your inspiration for Vigilantes? Just by looking at the artwork I get some modern day Shadowrun-type vibes, but I might be reading into it
-Does Olga do the 3D art as well?
-What are your favorite rpgs? Did those have impact on choosing to make this turn-based?

Hi Mustawd, thanks for the questions.

Vigilantes has no hard classes - a character's abilities are determined by their stats, skills and perk, similar to the original Fallout games.

I think in certain situations, melee and ranged will perform differently, but are roughly on a par. In general, melee will output more damage, at greater risk to the character, and with some loss in flexibility. Trying to close ground on survivalist enemies with melee characters can be punishing, but trying to fend of a swarm of churchers with low melee skill ranged characters is too.

Oddly enough, the Shadowrun main menu illustration was one of the images I shared with artists as a guideline for what I wanted. In terms of mechanical inspiration, fallout, xcom and jagged alliance are the biggest influences. Things like person of interest and watchdogs to some extent influenced the theme, while the writing style was influenced by the likes of Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy. Olga works on the 2D artwork.

I've loved TBRPG for a very long time. The original X-Com blew my 11 year old mind, and had a lot of fun with Fallout, and Jagged Alliance also. I enjoy the more modern incarnations too, like XCom and Shadowrun, though Vigilantes is more heavily influenced by the older generation. So in short, yes, TB RPG is pretty much my favourite genre, and I wanted to make something I really cared about.

Here's the most recent development video, along with the release notes for V15.

[Features]
+New mission type: prevent enemies fleeing the map
+New mission type: escort NPC
+Added code to support non combat encounters
+Added code to allow players to flee/exit the combat area
+Added code to support enemy spawning during combat
+Added code to bypassing obstructions through dialogue choices. This will be useful for shortening the path in escort missions
+Added simple camera movement to city map

[Content]
+Added first non combat encounter: Barbarians at the gates
+Added new Encounter: Dilettante (Thanks Helena!)
+Added new Perk: Insult (Increases critical chance vs this character)
+Added new Perk: Nocturnal (Increase AP, damage, damage resistance at night; lower CTH during day)
+Added new Perk: Critical Charge (Successful melee or firearm attacks increase crit chance on subsequent attacks)
+Added new Encounter: Blackmail
+Added 2 new Downtown maps
+Added 2 new Downtown city backgrounds

[Tweaks]
+UI elements for targeting information now shown on top (Thanks Nomad)
+Improved the city UI.
+Improved the tactical mission debriefing UI.
+Improved the surveillance mission debriefing UI.
+Added player flee areas to maps.
+Disabled character screen for temporary allies. (Thanks Ushas)
+Added fleeing icon to... well fleeing enemies.
+Reduced load time from splash to main menu.

[Fixes]
+Fixed enemies shooting through walls in storage park map. (Thanks Nomad)
+Fixed a number of issues with Chinatown map. (Thanks Usha)
+Fixed issues with Park and Downtown bar map. (Thanks Usha)
+Fixed stacked items not being removed from loot bags, when entire stack is dragged to player inventory. (Thanks Usha)

Just wanted to share this illustration of the gym facility. It's at level 4 out of 5. It's likely that player facilities will be added in v17. Comments welcome!

For the first part of the version 16 update, I'm working on adding an interrogation system. So far, have integrated it with the post mission logic, created the UI and code for carrying out the interrogation and retrieving basic intel. Still have to add code for revealing gang leaders and facilities through interrogation. Also considering unlocking special, timed encounters through interrogation (for example, intercepting a survivalist arms shipment) but that won't happen on this update.

Here's a rundown on how interrogation plays out. In summary, though, interrogation works by pitting the interrogator's presence skill and level against the subject's.

+ You have a chance to find a subject if there is at least one criminal left alive at the end of mission. The more living subjects, the greater the chance.
+ You choose an interrogator. There will be perks relating to interrogation, so you can specialise one of your characters for this role.
+ You choose which gang you want intel on. Criminals will spill on the other gangs more readily.
+ You can rough the subject up [close combat] or play russian roulette [firearms] to soften them up.
+ You can apply sodium thiopental (craftable: a fast acting barbituate) to further soften then up.
+ Then, based on their score vs your score, you have a % chance to break them. If you do, you get intel of value dependent on their rank within the gang.

We're also making headway on the facility illustrations. Here's the illustration for the surgery, showing a bruised and beaten Sam patching himself up.

Interrogation is added now, as are gang leaders, and a gang intel screen. Version 16 has gone into testing, and should be available in a few days. Will post a dev video. Here are the interrogation illustrations (my favourite illustration so far). The first is displayed when you have found a conscious subject, while the second is used if you've killed your opponents. Comments most welcome!

Version 16 Released!

Vigilantes V16 is now available. This update adds interrogations, gang leaders, 2 new maps and hand drawn illustrations for the player team. If you'd like more info, you can find the development video here, and the release notes here.

Comments, questions and observations are most welcome!

Vigilantes Version 17 Released!

Vigilantes V17 is now live. This update adds player base facilities, enemy rackets, a gang strategic AI, and new maps.

Player Base Facilities are structures you can build in your stronghold to provide damage, skill, and stat bonuses, along with providing free items on a timed basis. There are five facilities: Gym, Firing Range, Workshop, Library, and Surgery. Each can be upgraded 5 times to provide improved bonuses. You can find out more about them here.

Rackets are gang facilities, which can be constructed by Reiker City's gangs to provide local and global bonuses, and increase cash flow. To locate these rackets, you will have to interrogate gang members and then launch an assault to destroy it, and remove the bonuses.

The Gang Strategic AI will react to the players actions, by making decisions on how to use their financial resources to best combat the player. This will include deciding which upgrades to purchase, which rackets to build, and recruitment. More info on Rackets and Strategic AI can be found here.

As always, if you would like to share any observations, please do - happy to talk.

Update on Vigilantes!

A lot has happened since the last update. Vigilantes is doing well on Steam Early Access, and we're currently working on version 25.

To kick things off, here's one of the more recent illustrations, showing Sam searching for intel after attacking a gang racket.


We've added a lot of new features over the last few updates, including weapon crafting, overwatch, attacks of opportunity, fuel and gas barrels, enhanced squad leader mechanics, an enemy trait system which gives enemies random bonuses, an ally relationship system and enemy ambushes!

Similarly, with content, much has been added, including a new playable character, 3 new enemies, 8 new maps, 12 new items, 10 perks, and a number of new encounters. Vigilantes is also better balanced and more stable than ever. Thanks for backing us on Kickstarter and supporting us on Steam and making this possible.

Version 25 is the last update in which major features will be added. There are many reasons for this, but in short, we'll never finish the game if we keep adding features. So, from now on, the focus will be on finishing the game: adding the remaining content, enhancing existing features, improving the production quality and balance. The expectation at this point is that Vigilantes will hit full release in Q3 2018.

If you have any questions or observations, please leave a comment - happy to chat!