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

[Litmanen]

I have a lot of expectation for this game. Looks like a Morrowind with lovely Tb combat.

When is it supposed to be out?

 

[DavidBVal]

There is a footstep sound in Wizardry 8! It sounds like a singular character moving even if you are going with your entire party. I don't know what other people think of it, but I found the footstep sounds especially crunchy and satisfying in Wiz8. Imo it gave more weight to my party even if it didn't sound like my entire party was walking.

Damn, I need to replay it now. I'll give this some thought, I promise, and I guess those that don't like it, can always disable it via a setting. However, I can't give this priority, so maybe at the end of 0.9 or beginning of 0.10.

When is it supposed to be out?

It's available in EA with about 35-40 playable hours, we're still around 20 months (or more) away from 1.0.

 

[Litmanen]

It's available in EA with about 35-40 playable hours, we're still around 20 months (or more) away from 1.0.

That's my fault: I'm here on this forum and you've thought I'm a problematic guy who plays games in Early Access.
No, I do not play games until they are well out and completely patched. I'm slow and I play games just once, so I prefer to wait

But thank you for the answer

 

[Nortar]

we're still around 20 months (or more) away from 1.0.

That's plenty of time to add the dwarves, so I could finally buy it.

 

[DavidBVal]

It's available in EA with about 35-40 playable hours, we're still around 20 months (or more) away from 1.0.

That's my fault: I'm here on this forum and you've thought I'm a problematic guy who plays games in Early Access.

I thought nothing, merely answered your question

I fully understand those that prefer to have the completed-game experience. And I am aware of the reputation EA has after so many fiascos. Fully deserved, if you ask me.

But I am so grateful to the thousands of people playing the EA! It would be impossible to polish and improve the game otherwise. It is also very fun to interact with so many players in the forums, discord etc. I missed those days from the "intense" Exiled Kingdoms development period, and it had been pretty lonely since EK was completed. Working on a game for many years without external feedback, wondering if it's actually fun or even viable, is the perfect way to go insane. So in my case, EA was the way to go.

 

[Litmanen]

It's available in EA with about 35-40 playable hours, we're still around 20 months (or more) away from 1.0.

That's my fault: I'm here on this forum and you've thought I'm a problematic guy who plays games in Early Access.

I thought nothing, merely answered your question

I fully understand those that prefer to have the completed-game experience. And I am aware of the reputation EA has after so many fiascos. Fully deserved, if you ask me.

But I am so grateful to the thousands of people playing the EA! It would be impossible to polish and improve the game otherwise. It is also very fun to interact with so many players in the forums, discord etc. I missed those days from the "intense" Exiled Kingdoms development period, and it had been pretty lonely since EK was completed. Working on a game for many years without external feedback, wondering if it's actually fun or even viable, is the perfect way to go insane. So in my case, EA was the way to go.

I was making fun of people here on the forum (like they would care, with all the problems they have), but I have nothing against both EA and people who play it.
The, as everything else, what matters is the use you make of an EA. And it's true some developers exagerate.

But I never EA a game just because, as I said, I normally play games YEARS after their release, because my backlog is enormous, my gaming time is restricted AND I'm fucking slow (and completitionist) with games. So, I wait for the full patched release just for that, to have to max intented game experience with the least of bugs.

It's not a philosophical or "political" choice. It's a matter of pragmatism, for me.

But I'm really waiting enthusiastically for your game.

 

[Iluvcheezcake]

Hey mr DavidBVal

IS there a chance to make normal humans best mages instead of bug eyed frog people who cant wear slippers :[

 

[mediocrepoet]

IS there a chance to make normal humans best mages instead of bug eyed frog people who cant wear slippers :[

There are no Brits in the game.

 

[Zed Duke of Banville]

IS there a chance to make normal humans best mages instead of bug eyed frog people who cant wear slippers :[

There are no Brits in the game.

You should have enough familiarity with the Sherlock Holmes stories to realize that the British do in fact wear slippers, e.g.
“Here we are!” said Holmes cheerily as we filed into the room. “The fire looks very seasonable in this weather. You look cold, Mr. Ryder. Pray take the basket-chair. I will just put on my slippers before we settle this little matter of yours. Now, then! You want to know what became of those geese?”

 

[mediocrepoet]

IS there a chance to make normal humans best mages instead of bug eyed frog people who cant wear slippers :[

There are no Brits in the game.

You should have enough familiarity with the Sherlock Holmes stories to realize that the British do in fact wear slippers, e.g.
“Here we are!” said Holmes cheerily as we filed into the room. “The fire looks very seasonable in this weather. You look cold, Mr. Ryder. Pray take the basket-chair. I will just put on my slippers before we settle this little matter of yours. Now, then! You want to know what became of those geese?”

Certainly, but I've also seen enough that I considered to be bug eyed and frog faced, so I stand by my statement.

 

[0sacred]

Either they turned down the hideous difficulty of EA release or I flat out ignored the defense option (possibly both). I have a much easier time now. My barbarian is carrying me through the fights though. The rogue is an AP machine but I didn't raise her strength so she does very little damage (it didn't say that STR < 4 reduces damage so I thought I'd be fine). I dropped the useless human squire and replaced him with a lizard bodyguard.

Anyway, great you're making headway and releasing updates consistently. Apparently I still have 30-40 hours of gameplay ahead of me

 

[0sacred]

By the way, the music in this game is really good. I admire the Jeremy Soule school of soul-stirring music as much as the next pleb, but I think subdued, atmospheric music fits CRPG's better in almost all cases.

 

[0sacred]

The pew-pew is very satisfying in this game, my 10 AP goblin with a longbow straight up murders everything.

Spellcasters are a bit boring to play due to the limited spell selection. I'm starting over again because I guess the game wants you to focus on one school entirely.

Anyway you've made a much better game a than multi gazillion dollar project like Veilguard, how does that make you feel?

 

[DavidBVal]

Anyway you've made a much better game a than multi gazillion dollar project like Veilguard, how does that make you feel?

I'll tell you when I've actually "made" it, I'm still on it.

But "Surpassed Veilguard" doesn't sound like a huge life achievement, does it.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Anyway you've made a much better game a than multi gazillion dollar project like Veilguard, how does that make you feel?

I'll tell you when I've actually "made" it, I'm still on it.

But "Surpassed Veilguard" doesn't sound like a huge life achievement, does it.

It is when you're costing a fraction of their budget

 

[Spike]

Anyway you've made a much better game a than multi gazillion dollar project like Veilguard, how does that make you feel?

I'll tell you when I've actually "made" it, I'm still on it.

But "Surpassed Veilguard" doesn't sound like a huge life achievement, does it.

Over $250 million should be pumped into your game. Not Veilguard. Actually, scratch that. Your game is on the path to greatness likely due to the very fact it does not have such a budget. Art through adversity.

 

[DavidBVal]

Anyway you've made a much better game a than multi gazillion dollar project like Veilguard, how does that make you feel?

I'll tell you when I've actually "made" it, I'm still on it.

But "Surpassed Veilguard" doesn't sound like a huge life achievement, does it.

Over $250 million should be pumped into your game. Not Veilguard. Actually, scratch that. Your game is on the path to greatness likely due to the very fact it does not have such a budget. Art through adversity.

Honestly, I think it's harder to make a decent game spending $250M than spending 3 million.

 

[Abu Antar]

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1082970/view/4487367194477330663

All Events > Archaelund Events >
Update 0.8.2 released
This update mostly fixes bugs and issues from the major release 0.8.1
Thanks to the amazing Beta-Testers, a number of reported issues has been fixed through the last weeks. Some of these were old bugs present since the january release, but most were specific from the major update 0.8.1.

There's also a few adjustments and improvements related to poison status, and other minor changes.

Encounters will now correctly aggro all the creatures as intended, even if they are split.
Poison is now a bit easier to resist. Failing Vitality check by less than 25, will reduce poison power by 1. A successful check will reduce the poison by 2+, depending on the success margin.
Party members dying in combat by poison or other slow-damage effect, will now correctly receive wounds as per selected difficulty.
Poison resistance is now reported in your console, so you can see your chances and dice rolls and their effect.
When camping in the wilds, poison will now take effect and hurt characters until resisted. Vitality checks while at camp will receive a +25 bonus.
In certain dialogue (gate sergeant) you could try to attack and deal damage to the NPC, and it was not correctly applied.
Disease is now properly cured at the temples.
Solved a crash or game lock that could happen when you entered an area and immediately aggroed enemies. Could happen when getting out of Emerrand Fortress.
Hitting ESC while a mouse tooltip is being displayed could in some cases make the tooltip linger during exploration. Fixed.
Certain NPC in the quarry was supposed to give a 'warning' before aggroing, but it wasn't working as intended. Fixed.
Solved some aggro distance issues in the quarry final fight.
During 'Owed in Blood' quest, some NPCs were not supposed to keep spawning in the fortress' throne room after talking to them. Solved.
During 'Wild Ones' quest, finding the camp before talking to the captain could lock out certain dialogue options with a NPC in town. Fixed.
The battle grid was not correctly generated in the stairs leading into the fortress.
Several typos and odd special characters fixed in dialogues and journal entries.
Some containers in Medrin Forest had an empty name.


I am already working on the next areas to be released. Thanks everyone for the amazing feedback and reviews; it is a great contribution to the game.

 

[Abu Antar]

RPGWatch interview:
https://rpgwatch.com/show/article?articleid=540

Archaelund Interview​

by Corwin, 2024-11-23

Hello David, thanks for agreeing to do this interview.
Hello! I’ve been following the RPGWatch forum and news for over a decade, so it’s my pleasure.

As an Indie developer, you’re probably not overly well known, so could you please give us some background on just who you are and why you’ve decided on a career of Indie game development?
I was born in Madrid (Spain) 49 years ago and have spent my life as a self-taught software developer and IT entrepreneur. RPGs have been my passion since I discovered pen-and-paper games and CRPGs in the 80s and 90s, but my career as developer and manager was centered on “boring” sectors such as trademarking or e-commerce.
It has been a long journey until I released my first game, Exiled Kingdoms, in 2015. Since I was eight years old and got my hands on my new ZX Spectrum+, my first thought was that I wanted to make video games. I was too young to produce anything back then, of course, but in the process I took my first steps in programming, and I never stopped learning new programming languages and techniques. Over the years I started new game projects as a “hobby”, but my business and family took all my time and energy, and I never completed them. Yet the dream never left me.
Finally in 2014 I realized I didn’t just want to make games, I needed to. So I made a serious commitment to try one last time, with the full support of my family. It wasn’t easy, but thankfully, Exiled Kingdoms was a success and since 2016, I’ve been fully dedicated to creating games, and that’s what I intend to keep doing with Archaelund, and beyond.

For those who aren’t yet familiar with Archaelund, could you give us a brief outline of the game?
Archaelund follows the tradition of the good old classic RPGs, where you create a party of adventurers and explore a vast world at your leisure, fighting many battles, meeting friends and enemies, solving mysteries and finding treasure.
But at the same time, it has many innovative and unique features. It is the only game offering dual-view perspective, so the player can explore the world in immersive first person, but when turn-based combat begins, the view switches seamlessly to tactical third person.
The RPG system has taken years to develop, and even in the current Early Access version, it offers a huge variety of options to create your party. You start out with characters with a “basic career”, such as Labourer, Burglar, Squire, or Apprentice. Later on, advanced careers will be unlocked and those characters can turn into more ‘heroic’ knights, arcanists or assassins… or maybe pick other basic careers to combine more varied skills.
Another distinguishing feature would be the truly open world design, in which you really choose what to do or where to go, or how to resolve quests.
The setting is very rich, being the same as in my first game. A declining humanity that barely survived a magical cataclysm, finally returns from exile to explore and settle again in their ancestral homeland.

​

How big is your team and how do you work together to produce the final product?
I work with several talented 3D artists that at different stages of development have created the game's visual assets. But other than that, I work alone. I do all the coding, game design, writing, and I also design most dungeons and scenarios, using the modular elements created by the artists.
There’s two permanent collaborators that deserve a special mention. Nacho Corva, the amazing 2D artist that has produced all the game’s portraits and loading screens, has also worked endlessly with me to create hundreds of concept drawings, so they could be passed on to 3D artists. Also Laura Ballestrino, the composer and producer, has created the original soundtrack. In a game in which so many hours are spent exploring or fighting, music plays an essential role and it was key for me from the beginning.

What is your development timeline?
The public roadmap currently estimates the release of version 1.0 by Q3 of 2026. My priority, however, is not meeting any deadlines, but being faithful to my vision of the game, so I can’t make promises on exact dates. I’m more focused on the present and the immediate future.

Your previous game, ‘Exiled Kingdoms’ was primarily a solo game with only one possible companion at a time. Why did you decide to change this game to a party system?
It’s not really a ‘change’ from one game to another, both games are very different and can’t really be compared in their mechanics or scope.
Archaelund is a PC game, and it takes advantage of all the desktop capabilities; Exiled Kingdoms was conceived as a mobile game, even if it was later ported to PC. As such, it needed to be simpler than the traditional RPGs that I typically play myself, which are almost always turn-based and party-based. In real time, you can’t control a party without constantly pausing. And in a phone screen, there’s a limit to the complexity you can handle.

Exiled Kingdoms was quite a popular and successful game (well, I enjoyed it). What lessons did you learn from it that you have been able to apply to Archaelund?
I’m glad to hear you liked EK! The biggest lesson I learned is that a complex game needs a lot of player interaction and feedback during development. EK was developed “in installments” released through four years, very much like what we call Early Access today. A lot of the game’s success is owed to the help of thousands of testers and an active community.
Of course I have also learned much as a writer and quest designer; you only need to compare the first quests in Exiled Kingdoms to the last ones I added in 2020 (companion quests) or in 2021 when I released update 1.3. And I look forward to learning more and keep improving.

​

What games or even books have inspired your development of this game? What things have inspired you?
The single most important influence is tabletop roleplaying games, no doubt. As for cRPGs, there’s not a direct inspiration as such from one single title, but certainly I wanted to offer my own take on what my favorite classic RPGs did so well.
For instance, Pool of Radiance, which is probably my favorite RPG of all time, motivated me to create the dual-perspective that no other game has done (in 3D at least). Of course there’s the Might & Magic exploration, which I find sublime, the greatness of Wizardry 6-8, and games like Arcanum or Fallout with its amazing quest design, or Morrowind with its slow-paced way to weave a unique world around the player. Games such as these, and many more, have shaped my own way to enjoy and design games, even if I never tried to replicate them.
Besides the cRPGs, of course fantasy and sci-fi literature has always inspired me: Tolkien, Asimov, Prattchet, LeGuin and many others.

What do you see as the benefits of doing a chapter by chapter EA development of a game?
There is one big benefit I already mentioned above: the invaluable player feedback can make a game much better. Even large studios that can afford a large internal testing team, are resorting to EA more often because of this.
Also, maturing ideas is always beneficial. There’s many things I thought would be cool, and actually felt clunky when combined with other mechanics… It's good to have some time and perspective and periodically revise design choices.
There’s also benefits for EA players of Archaelund. For one thing it’s cheaper; price will go up as the game gets completed, and even on sale it’ll not go below current price. It’s my way to say “thanks” to people supporting the game from the beginning. Besides that, it’s satisfying to watch something grow and evolve, isn’t it? From the feedback I get, EA players seem to be having a good time.

Is there anything you regret about deciding to take this approach? Didn’t it pose challenges to development and marketing?
No, not at all. And even beyond its convenience, I have to say I enjoy it. Development can be pretty lonely, and I am having a lot of fun interacting with players, even when it’s about bug reports. It’s very satisfying to me to know what people think of my latest update, be it good or bad. Developing a game by yourself and without any feedback, for many years, is a sure way to go insane.
As for marketing… I don’t do any of it, beyond my frequent presence in communities, and keeping people updated on development. At this stage my first priority is making the game as good as it can get, and my second priority is doing it quickly. Of course I want the game to reach many people, but I’m in no particular hurry for it, as the game is still in EA and there will be plenty of time to reach the general public.

​

What has been the response so far to this game? Are you surprised?
It has been pretty good. Thousands of copies sold, very positive reviews, and the response is getting even better after the last update. Beyond sales and reviews, there’s two things that I find really encouraging: the high activity in Steam forums, and the 60,000 people (and growing) that have the game on their wishlist.

How important is ‘story’ for you in a game?
A tricky question, and an interesting one too! I could answer that the “Story” is key in any RPG, very often what years later we remember fondly about games we loved. But at the same time, at least in the kind of game I want to make, it should always be surrogate to gameplay, because the core of a game is playing it, not reading text walls or watching cutscenes. No matter how well written they are, too much of it turns you from an active player, into a passive watcher/reader. Like sugar in a cake, you need to be careful with it.
I feel there has been a trend in the last decades, especially with RPGs from big studios, in putting the narrative ahead of the mechanics. And maybe they’re right, in the sense of more people enjoying a game when it’s full of twists, romance and witty dialogues. I have nothing against those, of course, but I personally enjoy more the games that put mechanics and gameplay at its core, and then everything else has its place and time around it.
Having said this, Archaelund in its current version, with just about 25% of the final content present, already has 34 quests and 160 dialogues; writing is what takes more of my development time, currently.

Do you add so many side quests to create more variety?
It’s just my design style; I find it very enjoyable to think of small “adventures”, and I think it creates the feeling of a world that is alive, with rival factions, people in trouble, antagonists that are not necessarily evil monsters, etc. It also contributes to the idea that the party is actually a group of wandering adventurers for hire, not just heroes saving the world. At least not at the beginning of the game.
Archaelund follows a story structure very similar to Exiled Kingdoms; there is a main story, but I think the “soul” of the game lies in the dozens of smaller quests scattered around the world. Some of them are silly and simple, some are dark and more complex. Some present difficult choices, some are straightforward.
None of them are “filler”, as when I write a new quest I have a planned reason for it to be there; maybe I want the player to hear of a region that will be visited later, or to introduce certain lore of characters. Or maybe it’s time for some humor and relaxation after a particularly dark scene.

I really enjoy the touches of humour in the game. Is this deliberate, or does it just flow from the situation?
Couldn’t be any other way; I am the kind of person that is constantly joking and laughing about everything in life. Humor is the most satisfying genre to write, but the most difficult too. And the sillier the humor, the harder to pull it off.
The most humorous dialogues or lines are rarely planned in advance. I make many revisions of every quest and sometimes I decide to make them lighter or darker, depending on what I feel is best for the current mood.

You have a complex magic system with multiple classes. Does this cause difficulties with development and why are you offering so much choice? Feel free to comment in depth on your magic system.
Complexity in RPGs can be a blessing or a curse; the important thing to remember is that it’s a means, not an end.
The complexity in Archaelund has the purpose of offering a great variety of characters and parties, so there’s just not one “best” way to play, nor a single strategy that trumps all others. I want the players to have the choice to plan ahead, designing characters that will become more powerful or gain synergies later on as they level up, or instead to create more straightforward character builds that are also viable. It’s important that your party feels truly yours, and that can be only accomplished by meaningful choice.
A secondary objective is, of course, replayability. But even if you’re going to play the game only once, the fact you played it your own way, knowing you discarded other options, is important.
There’s a risk with high complexity, of course; the player can become overwhelmed with too many uninformed choices. I have made a huge effort to make the game very informative to the player, right from the character creation screen. The game also presents stats in a simple and minimalistic way, but every mechanic and dice roll is explained somewhere or reflected in logs, for those that want to dig deep into the rules.

​

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
I just want to thank you and The RPGWatch for the opportunity to reach out to more players! It’s been pretty fun to put my thoughts into words, and it’s not something I do often.

 

[The people of Duckburg]

The game has a significant balancing issue with the survivability of the frog people. No matter what I do, they keep croaking.

The game looks very interesting. It's a shame that it will be stuck in EA for so long, but I hope it will be worth it. Judging by what I've seen by glancing at this thread, it seems like just the kind of game I'd like.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

frog people. No matter what I do, they keep croaking

I mean, they are frogs after all.

 

[DavidBVal]

The game has a significant balancing issue with the survivability of the frog people. No matter what I do, they keep croaking.

in a future update, probably 0.9, you'll be able to pick a racial talent during creation (I'll also make it retroactive to existing characters). In the case of Batrax, there's one that improves survivability, enabling them to jump and move away from battle without causing reaction attacks.

 

[Alienman]

DavidBVal Did you add an inventory quick-switch for melee vs. ranged?

 

[The people of Duckburg]

The game has a significant balancing issue with the survivability of the frog people. No matter what I do, they keep croaking.

in a future update, probably 0.9, you'll be able to pick a racial talent during creation (I'll also make it retroactive to existing characters). In the case of Batrax, there's one that improves survivability, enabling them to jump and move away from battle without causing reaction attacks.

That was purely a pun. I haven't played the game, since I'm done with EA. Waiting for the full release.

 

[Cosmo]

DavidBVal
I've already said it and i'll say it again : within the confines of it being a mobile game, Exiled Kingdom was a marvel of tightness in the gameplay department.
Shows how well you listen to feedback and how intelligently you allocate your development resources.
As for this one i never play early access but let me congratulate you anyway on the art design, and particularky on the 3D landscapes looking so painterly, a feat even AAA games can rarely achieve.