Blackguards - Early Access on Steam

well, you do also get a 10% discount. I wonder if I should get it with the 10% discount, or wait for a few months when the game has gone through a few patches and probably like $10 in Steam Summer sale or something.

I don't think the Steam habit of putting games on sale so quickly does any favours for RPGs which have always been a slow burning genre with repect to sales - many people are still playing some of the old RPGs even 20 years after their launch, can't say the same for any other genre. This should be reflected in their marketing.
 
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I don't think the Steam habit of putting games on sale so quickly does any favours for RPGs which have always been a slow burning genre with repect to sales

Which might say something about Steam and the "desired target group of customers" they have in mind ?
Which would then perhaps also say something about why Steam refused to put Adventure games into their "shop" in the first time ?
 
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I bought the early access and this game has very, very little to do except combat. You basically move from map to map, fighting single battles on each. In town there is a merchant, an inn, a healer and maybe a second merchant or an npc to give you a tiny side quest. If this is all there is to the game, and I'm only about 2 hours in, this game isn't worth much more that $5. I'll give further impressions later on, but so far you have zero choice in where to go or what to do next. It uses the Dark Eye combat grid, similar to both Blade of Destiny games. Combat is pretty decent with lots of choices, but so far combat is all there is.
 
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crpgnut, just out of curiosity... did you buy the normal game or the contributor edition?
 
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I think normal. Whatever the first option on Steam is…and you do get a few choices that pop up after the 2nd village. The game is growing on me a little.
 
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Purchased also,

It's an ok little game, honestly would have been a perfect Ipad game imo. Crpgnut is right I'm just past the second town and the game is all about combat, which is fine i knew that going in and I'm a combat first guy anyways.

I'm not seeing the lots of combat choices though, maybe I didn't assign AP right ( don't really remember the dark eye system from my Drakensang play through) but I have very few combat choices.

Combat feels very much like Kings bounty but with guys instead of troops. The overhead map is used to get from place to place and so far it's pretty linear with only a couple side quest branches. Cut scenes move the story along in between fights and that's pretty much it so far.

Overall, it's not a bad game if you like lots of turn based combat.

@crpgnut, Do you know how to use traps or assign stuff to your quick bar?I must have missed that if it was in the tutorial.
 
Yep, just drag it from the circle to the hotbar. I'm a mage, so I drag both levels of Ignifaxis and the heal spell up there and then drag the power attack for the dwarf and the fireball for the other mage.
 
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SInce the offer is -10%, and the full game should be out in two-three months...
First chapter at start
Second chapter end of November
Third chapter mid of December
Fourth chapter end of December
Fifth chapter end of January
I'll buy it when it's finished. It's not escaping anywhere.
 
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Yep, I liked the pitch well enough to help fund the last bit. Early access isn't for everyone.

@sakichop-The combat choices are in line with tactics more than player choice. Most maps will have natural or man-made terrain that can be used in combat. For instance you might knock over a bunch of crates, then cast a fire spell at them and create a fire barrier that will damage melee characters passing through. If your dwarf takes a wound, you can place a taller character in front of him and ranged attackers will have to move to be able to get a shot at him. If you use a piece of tall terrain for him to move behind, then they might have to close to melee to reach him at all, then he has the major advantage.
 
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Yep, I liked the pitch well enough to help fund the last bit. Early access isn't for everyone.

@sakichop-The combat choices are in line with tactics more than player choice. Most maps will have natural or man-made terrain that can be used in combat. For instance you might knock over a bunch of crates, then cast a fire spell at them and create a fire barrier that will damage melee characters passing through. If your dwarf takes a wound, you can place a taller character in front of him and ranged attackers will have to move to be able to get a shot at him. If you use a piece of tall terrain for him to move behind, then they might have to close to melee to reach him at all, then he has the major advantage.

Yep, right after I asked about the hotbar I got a tutorial for it in my next play session.

Also many of they things you mentioned are now starting to appear. it seems they work it in very slowly.

I do like how they have different victory conditions on some maps and even some with secondary goals, like saving the princess.

So far it's been pretty linear and I haven't notice any C&C but it's early so that could change.

It does have a bit of an addictive quality to it and since most maps are 10-15 minutes each it's easy to pick up and put down which is probably why I find myself playing it more than anything else I'm currently playing.

I know most here probably wont agree but I still can't help but think this would make a perfect tablet game.
 
The game is nearly 100% linear. You do get to pick what order to do things a little late on, but if you skip the side quests, you won't have enough experience to handle the waves of battles that happen later on. You'll not be able to rest between battles on several of the maps so this means you need plenty of ducats to replenish your health and mana.

The biggest negative I can see for the game is that most folks are going to get bored to death of the battles long before the game gets close to ending. I'm already mildly bored of the same old, same old and I'm only in chapter 1. At least in the early access area, I'm not getting near enough new skills and talents to keep it interesting. The teachers only teach one or two things each and you don't get to pick. I haven't found a mage teacher yet, though there are a couple books.
 
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