Indie Archaelund: RPG that combines 1st-person exploration with 3rd-person TB combat - now available on Early Access

[ItsChon]

Importing portraits is a must but the standard ones look pretty good to me, and I appreciate that drawn portraits are included at all.

I think the portraits themselves are fine, but the way they're situated is the problem. As people have mentioned, the UI is underdeveloped. Maybe there could be a frame or something around them?

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Steam release date changed to "coming soon" from "Q4 2022".

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Steam release date changed to "coming soon" from "Q4 2022".

DavidBVal this is the early access release, yes?

 

[Arthandas]

Looks great!

It's going to be shit, isn't it...

 

[Infinitron]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1082970/view/5939712860477994850

Development Update #6
Internal testing and updated ruleset

Greetings everyone! No pretty pictures on this update I am afraid, since we have already revealed too many environments and we want all the rest to be a surprise.

Archaelund internal testing revealed that some chore mechanics that sounded like great ideas on paper, turned out to be more hassle than fun.

For instance, I implemented Stamina and Fatigue as a limiting resource for the adventuring party capabilities, and in particular magic. I wanted magic to "take a toll" on spellcasters, making them more frail and exhausted when they cast spells instead of using other well-known systems such as spell slots, "mana", etc. My idea was that spellcasters fell sicker and more vulnerable the more they cast.

But testing revealed that this idea, which can be interesting from a narrative or "realistic" point of view, did not work well in a combat-oriented roleplaying game such as Archaelund, where you explore huge dungeons and large wild regions, while involved in many fights. "Stamina" and "Fatigue" mechanics were quickly becoming a burden, and hardly felt exciting or epic.

Furthermore, too many game mechanics were tied to Stamina (special abilities, magic or even regular attacks), which also caused character progression and itemization to feel wrong, since increasing Stamina quickly became the "right choice" for most builds. All of this required deep changes in the ruleset. After much consideration I found a way to preserve my original intent (magic takes its toll on the caster) but in a way that no longer disrupts playability. Instead of Stamina, magic and some special abilities will now spend "Willpower". Willpower is derived from mental Traits, and is helpful to resist fear, insanity, and mind control. It can also be spent as a boost during battles. This means a depleted willpower can be, situationally, very bad; but it is not as limiting as Stamina was, nor it is linked with physical endurance and doesn't result in beefed-up wizard apprentices. Fatigue still has a place in the game, as a special status, but it is not so central anymore.

Besides this, several other minor adjustments were needed, regarding things like avoidance and armor, or Trait distribution. After a redesign of the rules, all seems to have "clicked" in place; it will take a few weeks to have all the new mechanics working and then they will be internally tested again. Eventually testing will involve more people, when we are ready for Alpha and Beta phases. All of this will be announced in due time.

I know what you're thinking. This means more delays for the release. But wait, it gets worse!

Since Willpower was added I got a few great ideas about new additions to the game mechanics, which I am currently implementing. And more quest ideas for the early areas popped in and I am writing them now. What can I do? I just can't pass up on making the game better. Let's hope the world doesn't end before I run out of ideas.

As for release estimates, I just can't provide them at this point. We want to release the Early Access as soon as possible, but it's clear we still need at least a few months of development, plus some testing time. If testing reveals issues, we may decide to delay the release. I am ready to concede on certain things, like not including some areas in the first release if they're not ready yet; but essential game mechanics must feel right. The priority is to give you the best role-playing game we're able to produce, and we will give it all to get there as soon as we can.

I'll try to make another post on December to keep everyone updated. Thanks for all the support, wishlist additions, and encouraging messages! And a special thanks to all the Exiled Kingdoms players.

 

[DavidBVal]

Steam release date changed to "coming soon" from "Q4 2022".

That's error on Steam's side. They recently introduced a change in their release announcement options, and we set it to (actual screenshot):

So that's what should be displayed, not "coming soon".

 

[0sacred]

Just heard about this, I bought Exiled Kingdoms on release to support a Codexer, it may have been an impressive effort but it wasn't exactly gud. However, if it gave rise to something greater, I feel validated in my purchase. Looking forward to this.

 

[laclongquan]

Sounds like at least a Q2-2023, or a Xmas release~

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

DavidBVal I am surprised Stamina as a casting resource was a problem. Betrayal at Krondor did this and it worked out great. There is a lot of nuance to consider, and I don't know much about this game though. Did you ever play Betrayal at Krondor?

 

[DavidBVal]

Yep, I loved BaK and in fact it was one of the inspirations for the old stamina system, but in the end it's a very different game, and what works in one context will often be a problem in another. There's more rules, more characters, and in general more things to pay attention to; in the end watching if your characters were tired or not was detracting from the experience. Now, with a good number of spells implemented, I am glad I made the change.

Since I haven't posted in a while: for the last months I've been iterating through internal alphas which are then tested, with more content and features added each time. The next alpha 0.6 ( mid april) will already include all the important game systems and functionalities (okay... except a couple things like deactivating traps or changing party order, some skills not working, etc.) , and includes about one third of the planned EA content, no less than 10 hours worth of play.

I just hope the world doesn't end the day before release.

 

[zwanzig_zwoelf]

Keep up the good work.

 

[Infinitron]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1082970/view/3730714259934718160

Development Update #7
New magic system and other features, internal-testing gameplay video

Magic is here!

Archaelund's Magic System has been functional for several months, but in the last weeks we have nearly finished the implementation of the spells that will be included in the Early Access release, as well as some other key features such as spell trainers.

Careers grant access to
disciplines
, which a character improves to a certain rank in order to learn new spells. A strong spellcasting career such as Apprentice or Initiate can learn several disciplines, and on each new level gained the player has to decide which of them to improve, thus accessing new spells, but also being more efficient at casting spells of that discipline. A spellcaster can focus on one discipline to specialize, or raise ranks in different disciplines, to become more versatile. Early Access will include 9 disciplines with around 45 spells in total (up to rank III for now), and eventually the full system will include much more.

Attack spells are not only about damage: you can mesmerize enemies, put them to sleep, charm them, paralyze them... and of course, spellcasting enemies can do the same to you! And of course not all spells are offensive, and some spells can be cast out of combat for multiple purposes.

Internal Testing Video

We decided to share a few random gameplay clips from the Internal Testing since the trailer is already over a year old; please keep in mind it has not been edited nor "staged" as a trailer usually is, because that takes time, and also we cut it short and avoided dialogues or journal peeks to avoid spoiling too much, so this is really not capturing some of the most important aspects of the game. Still you can see the magic system in action, a complete battle and some exploration from the early areas.

Development progress

The latest testing has been very positive. Exploration, quests, combat, dialogues... all of it worked well, and the game is very stable. Archaelund is already a playable game, even if a short one until content is completed.

Even if there is still much work ahead, all the complex systems and the main elements of the game are finally in place and working. Our current target is releasing the Early Access in 4 to 6 months. We work hard to reward your patience with a marvellous game, which we can enjoy together for the years to come.

 

[The Wall]

I would brofist post, but I don't brofist Jews

 

[Ibbz]

Yep, I loved BaK and in fact it was one of the inspirations for the old stamina system, but in the end it's a very different game, and what works in one context will often be a problem in another. There's more rules, more characters, and in general more things to pay attention to; in the end watching if your characters were tired or not was detracting from the experience. Now, with a good number of spells implemented, I am glad I made the change.

Since I haven't posted in a while: for the last months I've been iterating through internal alphas which are then tested, with more content and features added each time. The next alpha 0.6 ( mid april) will already include all the important game systems and functionalities (okay... except a couple things like deactivating traps or changing party order, some skills not working, etc.) , and includes about one third of the planned EA content, no less than 10 hours worth of play.

I just hope the world doesn't end the day before release.

Are you planning to hide the Grid Squares during combat?

 

[ItsChon]

This game has so much fucking potential, I just hope it can get the proper level of polish needed so that the final product can actually shine.

DavidBVal I see you improved the transition from first person to isometric once combat is initiated, and it indeed looks so much better. I would say that the way it looks in the Alpha video is almost perfect. The way it pans out from the "Combat Begins" screen is great, but at the tail end of the animation, the stop it has is very abrupt, and it almost feels like it snaps back into place. The way the lines also appear is a bit strange. Just my two cents but I definitely think fixing these minor but important details would be a big improvement. Great to see that you followed through on your statement that you plan on working on the animation!

In addition to this, I must say that the way the grid looks on the ground is very strange and weird. I noticed this in the trailer as well from a while ago but I didn't mention it. The bright colors look very bad on the more detailed and realistic looking ground textures and it really takes away from all the hard work you guys have done making the game look as good as it is. I don't really have an idea on how you could improve it though so I apologize for giving a critique without a suggestion, but this is another big issue I think should be solved. I can see it turning normies off from the game if they were to stumble upon it in the Steam marketplace. As is, it feels very cheap and unpolished. The space between the tiles is a bit strange too, and I understand that it is used to highlight changes in terrain which will require more AP to traverse (the squares are differently colored to emphasize this as well), but the way it's currently implemented makes them feel unevenly spaced. Spacing the tiles closer together and keeping everything uniform is something that should be considered, but you guys are the experts not me, I'm just nothing what looks bad. The little indicators underneath the characters are also similar to the tiles in that they are flat, solid colored indicators which clash horribly with the detailed ground. No clue on how you can make them better, but it looks weird.

The weird solid colored lines that look like a straight line from an MS Paint brush are all over the UI tbh. They outline the portraits, the chatbox, the combat bar, etc. In the screenshot showing the Theurgist's character/combat sheet, I can see that you have these little parts

and there is some further texturing as it moves horizontally, but they still feel super flat and solid colored. It would probably help to make them a little thicker so you can add more detail to them.

Finally, there is no sound when the character walks, though I'm sure this is due to the Alpha nature of the game.

I will once again reiterate how awesome the work you guys are doing is, so please forgive the constant stream of negativity. I fully understand that this is Alpha footage and there are probably already plans in place to work on some of the things I mentioned, but I'd rather give feedback that is redundant than to not give it at all. Would appreciate a response to any of these.

 

[0sacred]

grid looks fine, it needs to stand out from environments. Also IMO it adds a 'tabletop feel' to have a prominent grid.

 

[Sòren]

this looks amazing goddamnit

 

[DavidBVal]

Thanks for the feedback about UI and for all the encouraging comments. At this point the priority is releasing EA within our latest schedule and including as much content as possible. The focus is on mechanics and playability. I do feel the whole UI will probably be redesigned at some point, but probably after EA release, and I think the same about some visualization options (like making grid more/less visible, etc).

 

[Abu Antar]

Most anticipated game alongside Project Haven. No pressure.

 

[vazha]

Thanks for the feedback about UI and for all the encouraging comments. At this point the priority is releasing EA within our latest schedule and including as much content as possible. The focus is on mechanics and playability. I do feel the whole UI will probably be redesigned at some point, but probably after EA release, and I think the same about some visualization options (like making grid more/less visible, etc).

Thanks for doing what you do, man. The video above just hits all the right notes, sweet spots and whatnot. Love it & cant wait to play.

 

[cyborgboy95]

It's alive! Early-access on December 21

Development Update #8: Adventure beckons
I'm pleased to announce that in two months from today (by december 21st if all goes according to plan) we will press the magic button and release the Early Access version of Archaelund on the Steam Store.

This first release will feature the initial chapter of the Archaelund's main quest, plus a large region to explore freely with plenty of side-quests, dialogues, challenges and secrets. By our estimates, this means 12-15 hours of content.

We look forward to add more of the beautiful areas we've been working on, and let you explore all the secrets of Archaelund, but we believe it is better to limit the initial content until the areas have been properly tested and given the detail they deserve. Of course, once you purchase the Early Access version, you will get all the future updates of the game at no extra cost.

The Early Access already includes a good measure of Archaelund's rule system. There are five playable races, fifteen careers, fourteen skills, over 60 Talents (unique abilities), and over 50 spells. All of this to cover just the early levels of character development.

I'm immensely excited to share Archaelund with the players, and we count on you to make this game better. Don't hesitate to ask any questions in the Steam Discussions, or at our forums.

For more infomation, you can read our Early Access FAQ.

Thank you!

David
4 Dimension Games

 

[Abu Antar]

This freaking year.

 

[Jaesun]

Holy motherfucking shit!!! I still getting caught up on on new games

I am totally just burnt out on Fantasy settings but THIS is fucking exactly what I have been looking for. I do really like that you have been taking your time before putting this on early access, I feel you got your priorities set for that in the right way. Do not even care this is going to be early access I'm like FUCK YES! Let me just play around with this, and hopefully provide some good feedback. Good luck David and the 4 Dimension Games team!

MY BODY IS READY!

 

[Lyre Mors]

Day-one purchase to support David and company. Then the long wait begins to actually play it...

 

[HoboForEternity]

Yeah, this game is probably few of these that's worth the gamble.