The Dark Eye Blackguards 2

[Weirdstuffinspace]

Lots of people mean "combat-focused" when they say "action". That's pretty retarded, but what can you do.

The decline of language causes so much damage.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

You knew it was going to be shit when in one of the first interviews on BG2 that they thought a lot of the feedback from BG1 is unnecessary and not applicable to BG2.

Systems explanation, increased tactical feedback and animation speed settings were dismissed as unnecessary and irrelevant because "its gon be awesome".

This needs to be handled with prejudice. Yes I will buy it, so when they are told that they completely fucked up a good thing they at least have funds to go back to the drawing board. Lessons learned hard are sometimes the only way.

 

[Jaedar]

The prophet is never welcome in his homeland.

You will rue the day you refused to listen to me, unbelievers.

Are you allowed to stream the press preview thing? I suspect some people must be shown to understand.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Are you allowed to stream the press preview thing?

Actually, that's a good question. I think I should be allowed since I can show screens of it.

And there was no 'DIS IS SUPAHSIKRIT DONT SHOW' clause in the original message supplied with the beta key either.

 

[Infinitron]

Are you allowed to stream the press preview thing?

Actually, that's a good question. I think I should be allowed since I can show screens of it.

And there was no 'DIS IS SUPAHSIKRIT DONT SHOW' clause in the original message supplied with the beta key either.

The Softpedia review has a 15 minute video. Not quite the same thing as streaming, but...

 

[Infinitron]

Darth Roxor http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/12/11/blackguards-pc-game/

I didn’t get along with Blackguards, Daedalic’s Dark Eye universe strategy RPG. On paper, it sounded like it might be a cup of tea that was almost entirely up my street but I found the early battles a slog. Too often, I’d see my party smashed to bits and have to replay until I found the ‘correct’ method for a particular fight.

Despite that, I’ve been mildly interested in the sequel, partly because there’s a dearth of these kind of tactical combat RPGs on the PC, and partly because Blackguards felt like it might be a couple of steps from greatness. Or at least goodness. I haven’t paid sufficient attention to post any videos before now, which makes this a perfect place to plant both of the ‘New Features’ videos that have been released.

The big change is a strategic map and dynamic campaigning rather than the linear plod of the original. Slavers are attacking settlements and you’ll use heroes and mercenaries to fight back, reclaiming territory and defending areas that you’ve claimed. Maps can switch control several times during a campaign, which should go some way toward eliminating the irritation of repeated failure. Anything that opens the game up a little and allows me to experiment with characters, skills and equipment is a good thing. The original felt like it had given me an enormous banquet and then passed me a teaspoon to eat it with.

The strategic map might be the carving knife I needed all along.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Well, FWIW I really don't have any gripes whatsoever with the conquest mode structure, and he seems to be talking about this mostly. Ofc there's also the "I’d see my party smashed to bits" and stuff, but y'know. And since he's talking about "shitty" early battles of the first game, he's obviously not played the first ones of the sequel, so he's only basing this blurb on the preview vids.

 

[Grunker]

EDIT: I'm starting to think we might disagree on this one Rox...

dunno why. just a tinkling sensation, like i have to pee but not really

 

[Infinitron]

Well, FWIW I really don't have any gripes whatsoever with the conquest mode structure, and he seems to be talking about these mostly. Ofc there's also the "I’d see my party smashed to bits" and stuff, but y'know. And since he's talking about "shitty" early battles of the first game, he's obviously not played the first ones of the sequel, so he's only basing this blurb on the preview vids.

(I was attempting to make a reference to your response to RPS's preview of the first game: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/inde...ble-on-steam-early-access.88423/#post-3005922

So it'll be funny if they hate BG1 but like this.)

 

[Darth Roxor]

EDIT: I'm starting to think we might disagree on this one Rox...

wot do u mean

(I was attempting to make a reference to your response to one of RPS's previews of the first game)

Oh, okay. I thought so.

 

[Grunker]

wot do u mean

It's just a feeling I can't shake. Like when I had a feeling you'd hate MMX.

 

[Orma]

Liked the first one, not enough to finish it though(got kinda boring after chapter 3).

Don't know what to think of this.

 

[Darth Roxor]

Let it be known that I will be streaming the preview version on saturday, 5pm potato time (+1 GMT) on muh Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/roxorowski

 

[VentilatorOfDoom]

is roxorowski your real name

 

[Darth Roxor]

of course

 

[abnaxus]

Moar liek Poppin' the crypt lice amirite

 

[twincast]

Excuse me if I missed it, but as far as I can tell this hasn't been posted yet:
All the indie-ish German game devs with name recognition united on a Youtube channel to show off each other's games and comment on them - thus in German only, of course.

Beginning of Blackguards 2 prologue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZWk_4EEzRE
Beginning of its main (map) campaign: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk8FPw1SiJk
More to come. Apparently every two weeks.

I like some of the comments, particularly Daedalic using less bloom this time and the whole room criticising BioWare for having become too enarmoured with the shiny surfaces Frostbite can do, but gawd, how they justified the "totally-not-casualization" once again (and again and again). I mean, seriously? For starters, the attribute system is probably the best part of the TDE ruleset, and they just drop it completely? I'll buy it anyway because of lack of competition, but... argh. At least it got endurance, overwatch and a handy line-of-sight tool now and is supposedly (according to the second vid) at least a bit longer than the first.

And I'm still waiting for a Sadja-only follow-up to Memoria that provides nice closure for her story...

 

[Infinitron]

Darth Roxor preview stream:

 

[toro]

... snip ...

This looks ... not appealing.

* Also Piranha Bytes are not indies. Or are they?

 

[SCO]

Omfg, i thought you were kidding about 'no base stats'. I thought 'surely that means no derived stats from multiple base stats'.

Wow. i don't even, how is this supposed ...

Someone crucify the designers

 

[Jaedar]

Game still seemed worth playing to me, but definitely not a day one purchase , something for 50% off or so.

 

[Bubbles]

Darth Roxor preview stream:

I couldn't really understand anything through the accent, but the game itself looks good. Very nice 2D art.

 

[Branm]

Huh? They seriously removed any kind of base stats??

 

[Darth Roxor]

Omfg, i thought you were kidding about 'no base stats'. I thought 'surely that means no derived stats from multiple base stats'.

That was exactly what I was thinking before as well. 'Surely this is just x being removed not everything!'

 

[SCO]

I think (and i thought i'd never say this) it's fair not to call this game a rpg anymore. This is more of a wargame now, even Lone Wolf gamebooks have a chargen with base stats.