Couchpotato's Random RPG News

Couchpotato said:

Queen's Wish: The Conqueror Official Trailer

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord Developer Blog - Keep Battles

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Couchpotato said:

WTF is Going on With Greedfall and Why You Didn't Hear Anything

EA, Let My Bioware Go - The Koalition Bioware Proves It's Time for the Game Industry to Unionize - Bad Bit Games

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Couchpotato said:

Bioware Proves It's Time for the Game Industry to Unionize - Bad Bit Games

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We love stories too. A good story is the most important part of any classic RPG, and there are many of these little vignettes in Encased, each of which contributes to the narration in one way or another.

Narrative, along with gameplay and graphics, is one of the “whales” upon which a successful project depends. The narrative is served not only through dialogues, character cues and in-game documents. We, like our nameless marauder, love telling a story through things. A battered rifle hidden beneath the floorboards of an abandoned hut can tell you a lot about its deceased owner: twenty notches on the barrel, homemade ammo clip, and a telescopic sniper sight worth tens of thousands of combonds - a small, but complete story reveals itself to the attentive player who is prepared to look and think.

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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!

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"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.

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I may have wasted everyone's time writing this preview, all of us ending up none the wiser about what the heck this game is about. I was only able to perform a limited test of its systems and RPG mechanics, with some game modes no longer available. I shall retreat to my hole; broken and defeated.

Yet I felt it was worth it to at least shed some light on in which direction the development is going, even though everything’s obviously subject to change at this early stage. Copper Dreams is receiving a lot of attention from fans for its unique art style and setting, and for good reason. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I’ve spent with it, and honestly can’t wait to see what’s coming next. Sci-fi/horror RPGs are a rarity, and Whalenought has proven they can work magic before.

Nevertheless, the game still needs a lot of work and I’m still in the dark about what exactly it will turn out to be. Just before publishing this article, Joe mentioned in an e-mail the game has an open-ended structure, and will play as a “proper dungeon crawler, something like Icewind Dale” (confirmed in the latest Kickstarter update). Not sure that was part of the original pitch but guess we’ll see more in the coming months. Hopefully things will start shaping up around by the time the beta is out.

In conclusion, I’m excited to see what’s coming up. If they don’t mess it up, this one could turn out pretty great.

Your move, Whalenought. Call me when the beta’s ready.

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Once work wrapped on KoTOR 2, Obsidian was ready to make a third game in the acclaimed RPG series. Unfortunately, it never came to pass, but here’s what was planned, according to one of the writers.

Speaking to Chris Avellone at Reboot Develop, I asked if Obsidian ever had a story planned for Knights of The Old Republic 3, and it did. Here’s the basic premise, in Avellone’s words:

“When we finished the second one we were all trying to restore our lives back to sanity,” Avellone remembers. “We did start working on the third game pitch, because we always imagined the trilogy. Even when working on the second game, we [tried] to foreshadow what Darth Revan was doing in the second game, and he wasn’t always just ruthlessly and mindlessly blowing everything up. He actually had a larger plan because there was some greater manipulation and threat going on.

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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.

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War between the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire blazes across the galaxy. Crucial resources dwindle as piracy and crime escalate dramatically. Amid this chaos, the Alliance Commander has the chance to tip the scales in favor of either faction, committing their elite forces to decide the fate of the galaxy.As the Sith Empire prepares to make a decisive strike against a newly-constructed Republic shipyard on the planet Corellia, members of the Dark Council see victory on the horizon and begin plotting against one another in anticipation of the spoils. Meanwhile, Republic forces must race against time to muster reinforcements from across the galaxy in order to defend Corellia from the Sith.

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If a game engine is a significant contributing factor to declining morale in a company's ranks, and if it's the direct cause of numerous bugs and glitches, I think it's safe to say that it's time to look for a new one, no matter how great the graphics are.

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Bigben and Eko Software are pleased to announce that the second phase of the closed beta for Warhammer: Chaosbane will commence next week on Thursday April 18.

This second beta will include new content that was not featured in the first beta last month.

If you already have a code from the previous campaign, then your game library will update automatically on April 18. Please note that you will have to complete the first level again in order to access this new chapter.

Both beta phases are accessible to all players who pre-ordered the game (Standard version, Magnus Edition, or Digital Deluxe). Pre-orders remain available during the beta phases in digital stores and participating retailers.

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While FromSoftware and Hidetaka Miyazaki will likely forever be seen as the lords of the Soulsborne genre of action RPG that they created and have developed, a handful of other studios have tried to steal some of the limelight. One of the more successful of these was Deck13’s second crack of the Souls-like whip, The Surge, but that doesn’t mean their sequel can’t make some real strides forward.

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Today Shenmue III Director Yu Suzuki was at Reboot Develop 2019 in Dubrovnik, Croatia, and hosted a panel to share more information about his upcoming game.

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Why do you play RPGs? Chances are, you don’t play franchises like The Elder Scrolls or The Legend of Zelda purely for their value as hack-and-slash action games. When you’ve killed your thousandth bandit, you probably aren’t savoring the opportunity to do it again. Even in a game like Skyrim, killing dragons gets old.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance does RPGs differently than a lot of the unrealistic hack-and-slash equivalents we see these days. Instead, KC maintains flow by challenging the player with realism that brings consequences into every decision.

Say you’re playing Skyrim as a heavy-armor-wearing, mace-wielding warrior who runs at people and whacks a stick at ‘em. You charge into a camp, clobber a bunch of bandits, and go about your business. You’ll do another quest or two and only return to town to repair your gear or sell loot.

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Long before Star Wars Battlefront II or Fallout 76 were courting controversy, there was one game that had the gaming press throwing their hands in the air out of frustration. That game was John Romero’s Daikatana (Ion Storm, 2000).

Depending on who you talked to, or what reviews you read, opinions of Daikatana ranged from somewhere between “disappointing,” and “should probably be a felony.” The game even holds a hallowed spot on the Wikipedia page, “List of video games notable for negative reception.”

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2019 is well and truly underway, and it is yet another disappointing year for Diablo fans.

While gamers hoped for a Diablo IV announcement, it turned out to be nothing more than a blatant mobile-gaming cash grab with Diablo Immortal. It was then followed with further disappointing news—no new games in 2019. Diablo fans are chomping at the bit for news of a sequel, and are anxiously hoping that Blizzard redeems themselves for 2012’s somewhat disappointing Diablo III.

Don’t get me wrong—Diablo III is not a terrible game. Like many others, I got a lot of enjoyment and dozens of hours out of it. But it is not a true Diablo game. It’s a reasonably entertaining Action RPG that couldn’t hold a candle to its predecessors. I know I’m not alone with that opinion. Diablo III received significant criticism both before and after release (from the fans, not so much the critics), and there is no shortage of Action RPGs that have either tried to fill the void as “true” successors to Diablo II, or have simply delivered far more enjoyable gameplay.

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Greetings all the Cult Brethren who impatiently wait for our eternal doom! Or shall we rather say; All who impatiently wait for a game called "Stygian: Reign of the Old Ones"?

Since the release will happen this year (yes, we can't believe that either!), we wanted to inform you about our plans concerning gifts and our other promises. Oh, the enthralling promises from the deep…

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Grim Misadventures is here!

Forgotten Gods, Grim Dawn’s second massive addition has been in your hands for several weeks. The reception has been heartwarming and we are glad to see players everywhere discovering Korvan secrets and vanquishing an ancient foe.

Now that you’ve peered beyond the veil and uncovered some of the mysteries of the Eldritch Realm and the new game, I’m sure you’re eager to see what still awaits beyond the veil…of development.

Today we’re going to give you exactly that, with a sneak peek at what’s still to come with the Forgotten Gods expansion!

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During development for Alpha Protocol, work also began on Aliens: Crucible, a cancelled RPG from developer Obsidian.

“Aliens: Crucible was really sad to see cancelled, but I don’t blame Sega for it,” writer Chris Avellone told VG247 during Reboot Develop. “It would be like – this is going to be really rough comparison – basically Mass Effect but more terrifying.

“We wanted to make it. But by that point Sega, I think, was… the publisher/management relations had gotten to a point where they were just tired of dealing with [Obsidian]. Everyone working on Aliens: Crucible was really excited about it. It was shaping up to be a really cool game. The prototype was really cool. But then Sega’s like ‘nope!’”

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This episode features an in-depth look at one of my favorite CRPGs of the early 2000s, Black Isle's Icewind Dale. Unlike Baldur's Gate, this one lets you create your entire party from scratch, and there's a lot more emphasis on tactical combat. Woohoo! TRAGICALLY, no rats were killed in the making of this video.

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It's been a torrid time for Guild Wars 2 maker ArenaNet. At the end of February, the studio cut a third of its workforce and people who had worked there for more than a decade walked away.

NCSoft-on-high reportedly said revenues were falling and the business was not sustainable, and for the first time, Guild Wars 2 - and ArenaNet - looked vulnerable. In one fell stroke, two unannounced projects and 143 staff were gone.

A cloud of concern lingered. Was Guild Wars 2 in decline? And if two unannounced projects had been cancelled, what would follow it?

Until now, the studio hadn't been talking. It shut up shop to weather the storm. But at EGX Rezzed 2019 in London, I had the chance to talk to long-time ArenaNet employees Linsey Murdock (lead Living World designer - there for some 13 years) and Andrew Gray (senior game designer - there for 15 years) about what had gone on.

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When Doom 2016 showed numbers falling out of enemies, fans kicked off. Perhaps they simply considered it too contemporary an influence for id Software’s nostalgic reboot. But they were right – Doom never needed its numbers made explicit.

There’s a diegetic immersion that comes with seeing your shotgun damage registered on a character model, not a health bar; a tactical satisfaction to holding the number of shots you’ve fired into an Imp in your head; a sense of mastery in the knowledge that it’ll only take one more shot to bring the beast down. In the end, those fans needn’t have worried – id sensibly restricted those numbers to multiplayer, preserving the delicious dance of Doom combat in the marvellous campaign. Clearly, the studio realised what others have yet to: not every shooter has to be an RPG, and nor should it be.

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Even though you’re taking on the role of one particular character, you will have a range of character customisation options at your disposal. Still, you are De Sardet, male or female, which enables a more personalised story. Fortunately, this still won’t take away from some of the options and personalisation you can achieve in modern day RPG’s, there are a wealth of options at your disposal in the new world of Teer Frade. Is it wrong that all I see is “Free Trade” when I look at that name?

Your personalisation will be both in character development as well as the story. On the character front, the options are said to be extensive. The skill tree was shown during the hands-off demo and it was wide and sprawling, to say the least, with you having the ability to go down whatever path you would like, be this weapon skill related, abilities like lockpicking or science, even improving on your dialogue options. The latter of these will look to particularly influence the development of your story.

Especially so as a result of what was explained will be on offer within the continent of Teer Frade. This is a continent that is seemingly designed to be more open than any other Spiders game so far.

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Jehanne: We’re 35 in our team, with 40 at the moment working on the game. We are developing this because we love the type of game. There aren’t that many studios doing this type of games today. I mean, even BioWare have stopped doing it and I’m very sad because it’s what I like to play the most.

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Jehanne: We’re not going to give obvious information like “Beware: this is a good choice”. It’s dialogue and logic in some ways. If you’re using diplomacy and the help of your companion to convince someone, then they’ll become more friendly than if fighting them. It just makes sense and these are the types of consequence we want to use and want the experience to feel smooth.
It’s funny because we had some testers playing GreedFall – they knew nothing about the game – and in the end, they made completely different choices and had different experiences. When they talked together it was like “I had a romance with this character” with the other saying “What!? He was dead in my game!”. It was great because they had their own story and they were so happy to have crafted their own story in a way.

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A host of strange allies, vicious villains, savage beasts and a brand new, sprawling tropical island setting await you in this upcoming DLC that wraps up the events of Two Worlds II: Call Of The Tenebrae with an explosive finish!

Featuring over ten hours of gameplay, one hundred new weapons, fifteen new sets of armor, new guilds to join, destructive spells to cast and the ability to travel to new, never before seen dimensions, Two Worlds II: Shattered Embrace brings this long running Two Worlds adventure to a close!

Return to Antaloor for a brand new adventure in the Two Worlds saga! When the ancient Elves resurface on a remote island, an old secret leads to the rise of a new evil. Racing against time, you must travel to the depths of hell and back before secrets of the past destroy the future of the land!

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Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord’s deep and immersive sandbox doesn’t just facilitate an emergent narrative, it actively encourages it. And while the game includes quests and tasks to help guide you on your travels, ultimately, you are free to chart your own course and plot your rise to power using the many different game features at your disposal. In this week’s blog, we talk with, Rabia Adıgüzel, one of our campaign team programmers who is responsible for ensuring that these different features and systems work together, and provide you with an engaging and fulfilling experience during your adventures in Calradia!

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On April 13, at Star Wars Celebration in Chicago, Respawn Entertainment debuted an inspired story trailer for “Jedi: Fallen Order,” the first major single-player “Star Wars” game in almost nine years. While players absorbed new details about the project during the panel, speculation online and elsewhere centered on the triumphs of the past. In the spirit of this, Variety decided to count down our picks for the 10 best “Star Wars” video games of all time. Here’s what we came up with.

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Hello, my name is Liz Starr, I am one of the Producers at Hardsuit Labs, and I have the dream job of working on Bloodlines 2. I am very happy to bring you this dev diary about Hardsuit Labs and the story behind our fantastic team.

Hardsuit Labs began in 2015 with Andy Kipling, Russell Nelson, and a team of about 20 people. We had all worked at another studio together before. When that place went out of business, Andy and Russ – then a Production Director and Tech Director – decided to ask a few of their former teammates to help start something new. Back then, we thought that it’d take maybe five years of bringing older games to newer formats for this band of veterans to gain enough reputation to pitch a full game production.

Two years later, Ka’ai Cluney, our Creative Director, burst into Andy’s office with an idea he and his friend Brian Mitsoda had come up with. Ka’ai is one of those people who seems to have been everywhere and done everything; from design at id Software and Monolith to building roofs in Alaska. He had worked with Brian (of Troika and Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines fame) before. Together, they came up with a concept that lured Brian out of his own indie studio, into our team.

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When I first joined Bethesda, Arena was on the backburner while we developed a 3D engine for it. Nowadays, we could build on an engine like Unreal or Unity, but if you wanted working technology back then you had to build it yourself. For months Arena languished, more an idea than an actual game, but the concept was that you played as a gladiator in a fantasy empire called Tamriel where teams competed in coliseums for fame and fortune. Thus the name Arena.

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Dragon’s Dogma created one of the most stunning RPGs that heavily styled itself off of western and eastern influences. It was made so people of any RPG background could sink their teeth into it, and did so while developing one of the most unique and thrilling combat and class systems in the RPG world.

The series is a hidden gem; a lot of people who don’t even know of its existence. While Dragon’s Dogma: Online may not have been the success that Capcom was hoping for, the original title did very well for an original intellectual property, and a true successor would likely skyrocket the series fame and the company’s fortune.

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Despite being permitted in the city, very few thinbloods survive any length of time. With little understanding of what they are or the rules of Kindred society, they face a struggle to simply exist in a city carved up by established political factions. How will you fit on the grander stage of Kindred society?

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KEY FEATURES

-City Fights - Urban Warfare introduces destructible buildings, changes to line of sight, and ‘Mechs that can now affect the battlefield around them using explosive fuel tankers, water lines and broken electrical transformers to their advantage. -Electronic Warfare - ‘Mechs equipped with Electronic Countermeasures (ECM) and nearby friendly units are obscured from enemy targeting systems and immune to indirect fire. Meanwhile, ‘Mechs equipped with Active Probe can reveal, locate, and target enemy units that would otherwise be hidden. Two New BattleMechs - The experimental Raven 1X sports an advanced electronic warfare package combining ECM and Active Probe systems into a single lightweight component. The new Javelin BattleMech is a compromise between speed and firepower, with close-range knockout power.

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ilm said:

Yes, probably already somewhere on the forums but:

https://www.gameinformer.com/2019/0...tor-leads-new-studio-for-wizards-of-the-coast

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