Indie Call of Saregnar - a Betrayal at Krondor-inspired RPG

[Rhuantavan]

Save time? What are you using now? Making everything from scratch? I should probably read this thread... I saw the OP and was already at full mast.

I'm making everything from scratch with no relation to BaK, except the inspiration. No asset from BaK is usable in any way, since you know, copyright infringement, low asset quality, etc.
Have fun reading, it's not that long a thread

 

[anvi]

Wow didn't notice thread started in 2016! So where are you up to now? Is it nearly done? Need another year or two? Is it just you or do you have a team or partner?

The reason I asked about art assets is because this https://www.callofsaregnar.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Dialogue-2018.03.17-1024x641.png looks so familiar. I thought it was ripped from MM7 or something when I first saw that.

How are you making all those FMV looking people? Are they friends or something you are recording and digitizing somehow?

 

[PulsatingBrain]

Read the thread!

 

[anvi]

Read the thread!

Does it include all that info?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Read the thread!

Does it include all that info?

You'll never know if you don't read it.

 

[anvi]

Ok you fuckers I read this whole thread! To be fair, it did answer everything. This game is mind blowing, but I am gonna pass some opinions anyway though seeing as I have an opinion on everything in the world and I am almost always right.

1) These are some of the best graphics I've ever seen. Maybe it is because men of a certain age have a different perspective, or maybe you are the second coming of game dev. I don't know, but to me this looks as HNnnnnng! as Witcher 3. Yes it is lower tech but it still looks gorgeous to me. My concern is that the quality is too high and that it will take you forever to finish. 5-10 years (yeah that was 2016) is Grimoire territory and I think that is not a good idea. Personally I think you should cut all sorts of corners, use free assets and shitty stick figures, and focus on getting the game 'finished' in terms of gameplay and content. Get it fun and playable. Then do a graphics pass at the end. You may even be able to sell the game as early access before the graphics pass and get some income to help you with the graphics pass at the end. Some big companies still do this today, but when your audience are not the typical mainstream dipshit, I think you should definitely do it because the audience will understand what's going on.

1.5) Seeing you do all this fancy green-screen and stuff with no budget and a tiny indie game is like WTFFFF?! But I trust you! And it really does look amazing. And if the Prince of Persia guy did it in 1989 or whatever, why not? But again, please think about "Keep It Simple Stupid", for now at least. Get the fundamentals done because they are so important, and then all you will have left is the graphics. As gorgeous as this is, and as much as I would like to support your unbelievably

endeavor, I gotta be honest and say that I probably wont buy it unless the combat is really good.

2) This game is gonna be pirated more than Paris's sex tape. I suggest making it pirate friendly so if people start playing it, love it, and think wow I should support this guy, they can pay something to get the real deal and savegames are easily transferred. Or something like that. I've seen other games even do a shout out to pirates on the main menu, and I heard it really pays off to treat pirates gently and encourage them to support you. It is like being on their side. Fans will buy it anyway, pirates will think twice about not paying like they usually do. Some wont because they are poor/cheap/shitlords, but many will pay. Don't ask me how I know these things. That said, I agree with the guy that said demos are not a good idea anymore. For friends and events, fine, but make sure it doesn't 'leak'.

3) Speaking of combat, Call of Saregnar - a Betrayal at Krondor-inspired RPG that guy got me really excited. Managing resources can be one of the funnest things in tactical combat, can be the difference between a boring ez game and a tense challenging game. Etc.

4) I hate stories in games, the dialogue mostly. If you can write like Harper Lee then have at it. Otherwise, please keep it as short and simple as possible! Although looking at the later screenshots it seems like you already did a good job of this. I like it all being to the point. "I don't feel like resting here, lets find a better spot?" And the bit about "There is something different about this missing girl". Short and sweet is good.

5) Ks not available in Slovenia? That's retardred, central eu is like the game development capitol of the world.

6) Your UI is way better than it even ought to be. The font and colours and textures and everything is like RPG heaven.

8) I can be 100% at English if I take the time. If you wanted to send me a doc with all your words and dialogue once you are done, I could check it for Engrish.

8.) Website really needs a FAQ and imo it should be the first thing people see, besides maybe your best screenshot. This game did an amazing job at this: https://www.satisfactorygame.com/ (scroll down a bit for the FAQ) They nerfed the FAQ, it used to be funny and longer. If you wanted, I could maybe be convinced to go through this thread, again, and pick out the important things for a FAQ.

9) I still play BAK, maybe best RPG ever made, but it looks like a 240p youtube video at 2560x1080 P.S> Please support us 21:9 master race!

10) After this game, maybe you could team up with the Vigilantes guy?! Working alone has its advantages though. But I'm a musician so... I still think in terms of Lennon/McCartney, Simon Garfunkel, etc.

 

[Rhuantavan]

Ok you fuckers I read this whole thread! To be fair, it did answer everything. This game is mind blowing, but I am gonna pass some opinions anyway though seeing as I have an opinion on everything in the world and I am almost always right.

Damn man, I appreciate this wall-o-text, and since you took the time to read the whole thread, the least I can do is reply the best I can.

1) These are some of the best graphics I've ever seen. Maybe it is because men of a certain age have a different perspective, or maybe you are the second coming of game dev. I don't know, but to me this looks as HNnnnnng! as Witcher 3. Yes it is lower tech but it still looks gorgeous to me. My concern is that the quality is too high and that it will take you forever to finish. 5-10 years (yeah that was 2016) is Grimoire territory and I think that is not a good idea. Personally I think you should cut all sorts of corners, use free assets and shitty stick figures, and focus on getting the game 'finished' in terms of gameplay and content. Get it fun and playable. Then do a graphics pass at the end. You may even be able to sell the game as early access before the graphics pass and get some income to help you with the graphics pass at the end. Some big companies still do this today, but when your audience are not the typical mainstream dipshit, I think you should definitely do it because the audience will understand what's going on.

And I thought I was already cutting all sorts of corners with the graphics I currently have. While it may seem like a lot of work, it is all in maintaining a consistent style throughout. By fousing on this consistency, the game looks the way it does. The assets themselves are pretty quick to produce; ok, cutting up all the actors and making animated sprites etc *is* time-consuming, but all the rest is pretty straightforward. By lowering the standards, I'd lose what makes the game look, let's say, somewhat professional, and this is something I really don't want. What's actually taking a long time to produce is the implementation of all the systems, like the whole UI, combat, spellcasting, etc.

1.5) Seeing you do all this fancy green-screen and stuff with no budget and a tiny indie game is like WTFFFF?! But I trust you! And it really does look amazing. And if the Prince of Persia guy did it in 1989 or whatever, why not? But again, please think about "Keep It Simple Stupid", for now at least. Get the fundamentals done because they are so important, and then all you will have left is the graphics. As gorgeous as this is, and as much as I would like to support your unbelievably

endeavor, I gotta be honest and say that I probably wont buy it unless the combat is really good.

Like mentioned before, this chromakey stuff is time consuming, but the alternatives weren't any better, and none looked as good. This is simply a thing I have to do, no cutting corners on this one. Besides, I've already got all the actors' frames taken for the prologue and probably the first chapter of the game. Also the learning experience was worth all the sweat and money I poured into it.

2) This game is gonna be pirated more than Paris's sex tape. I suggest making it pirate friendly so if people start playing it, love it, and think wow I should support this guy, they can pay something to get the real deal and savegames are easily transferred. Or something like that. I've seen other games even do a shout out to pirates on the main menu, and I heard it really pays off to treat pirates gently and encourage them to support you. It is like being on their side. Fans will buy it anyway, pirates will think twice about not paying like they usually do. Some wont because they are poor/cheap/shitlords, but many will pay. Don't ask me how I know these things. That said, I agree with the guy that said demos are not a good idea anymore. For friends and events, fine, but make sure it doesn't 'leak'.

This is a good one and certainly worth brainstorming on! I don't really have anything against pirating the game. It is a great way to spread the word of the game, and I believe that those who like it, will most probably purchase it anyway.

3) Speaking of combat, Call of Saregnar - a Betrayal at Krondor-inspired RPG that guy got me really excited. Managing resources can be one of the funnest things in tactical combat, can be the difference between a boring ez game and a tense challenging game. Etc.

Ah yes, the dreaded consumables always hoarding the inventory. Less is more in my book, and I'm probably going to keep those rare and expensive. Krondor did it very well, apart from the fact that you would rarely know which consumables to apply prior to a fight. I've been thinking a lot on this "enemy foreshadowing", so you can prepare ahead of time on which consumables to use prior to battle, but I have yet to find a solution to this one. Anyway, I have yet to finish combat, and then I'll think of a proper way to handle such things.

4) I hate stories in games, the dialogue mostly. If you can write like Harper Lee then have at it. Otherwise, please keep it as short and simple as possible! Although looking at the later screenshots it seems like you already did a good job of this. I like it all being to the point. "I don't feel like resting here, lets find a better spot?" And the bit about "There is something different about this missing girl". Short and sweet is good.

I admit, I am not an experienced writer, and I am slow at that, but I believe I can put together a worthy narrative if I really apply to it. I love great characters, descriptions and dialogues, but I hate overly verbose exposition-ridden texts. If you liked BaK's style, you'll probably like this one as well.

5) Ks not available in Slovenia? That's retardred, central eu is like the game development capitol of the world.

Yeah, but despite its location, Slovenia is hardly a noticeable spot on the map.

6) Your UI is way better than it even ought to be. The font and colours and textures and everything is like RPG heaven.

Thank you very much, I take great pride in my UI-work and I'm really happy my efforts get noticed. It should only improve from here on.

8) I can be 100% at English if I take the time. If you wanted to send me a doc with all your words and dialogue once you are done, I could check it for Engrish.

Thanks, we could arrange that in a decade or so!

9.) Website really needs a FAQ and imo it should be the first thing people see, besides maybe your best screenshot. This game did an amazing job at this: https://www.satisfactorygame.com/ (scroll down a bit for the FAQ) They nerfed the FAQ, it used to be funny and longer. If you wanted, I could maybe be convinced to go through this thread, again, and pick out the important things for a FAQ.

You're right on this one, I should include an FAQ, but there's still time for that and developing the game is more important at this stage.

10) I still play BAK, maybe best RPG ever made, but it looks like a 240p youtube video at 2560x1080 P.S> Please support us 21:9 master race!

I have plans for the game and the UI to scale accordingly to the screen size. Partially it does already.

11) After this game, maybe you could team up with the Vigilantes guy?! Working alone has its advantages though. But I'm a musician so... I still think in terms of Lennon/McCartney, Simon Garfunkel, etc.

I'm planning to be working alone on this until the "demo" is done. This translates to all the systems done and working, the story for the prologue, all the dialogues and descriptions written. This is to cement my vision for what the game should feel like. After that I may very well seek out help to bring the full game across the line.

 

[anvi]

Sounds good! You also seem to be working at quite a good pace despite it being so fancy looking. I'll check back sometimes to see whats new, very exciting!

 

[ERYFKRAD]

10 years (yeah that was 2016) is Grimoire territory

Lol

 

[garren]

Ah yes, the dreaded consumables always hoarding the inventory. Less is more in my book, and I'm probably going to keep those rare and expensive. Krondor did it very well, apart from the fact that you would rarely know which consumables to apply prior to a fight. I've been thinking a lot on this "enemy foreshadowing", so you can prepare ahead of time on which consumables to use prior to battle, but I have yet to find a solution to this one. Anyway, I have yet to finish combat, and then I'll think of a proper way to handle such things.

I think in BaK you could increase your chances of ambushing the enemy and winning initiative by clicking on them for info before the fight begins. Maybe you could also gain some valuable insights that is tied to some skill like assessment, the more skill you have the more you learn about the enemies possible weaknesses.

 

[Rhuantavan]

I think in BaK you could increase your chances of ambushing the enemy and winning initiative by clicking on them for info before the fight begins. Maybe you could also gain some valuable insights that is tied to some skill like assessment, the more skill you have the more you learn about the enemies possible weaknesses.

This is an excellent idea bro! I will indeed pursue this further. Currently I have BaK's click to gain initiative mechanic working, so this add-on will fit in nicely.

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[ADL]

I've passed over this thread a million times and I just got around to checking this out. Very Daggerfall-esque, I like it a lot.

 

[WarHamster]

By Neal's graying beard, this is looking (and sounding) really good! A big brofist to you, sir, for your uncompromising vision for your game - keep it strong!

I looked at your Patreon page, but all I see is monthly payment plans with a note that once the tally reaches 30 bucks, the game (once released) is included. Is there an option to just plunk down 30 USD right now and have it at that? I'd guess so, but I'm not familiar with Patreon at all.

P.S. Sorry to nitpick, but concerning "Target practice" above, crossbows do not have recoil like firearms do (they don't kick back like guns when fired).

 

[Barbalos]

Stretch goal - Neal Halford writes 5 pages of dialogue - 1 billion dollars

 

[Rhuantavan]

By Neal's graying beard, this is looking (and sounding) really good! A big brofist to you, sir, for your uncompromising vision for your game - keep it strong!

Thank you for your kind words, sir. Doing my best!

I looked at your Patreon page, but all I see is monthly payment plans with a note that once the tally reaches 30 bucks, the game (once released) is included. Is there an option to just plunk down 30 USD right now and have it at that? I'd guess so, but I'm not familiar with Patreon at all.

Hey no problem, just head over to the game's web site. There's a paypal donations widget on there. $30 still gets you the game when done! And thanks!

P.S. Sorry to nitpick, but concerning "Target practice" above, crossbows do not have recoil like firearms do (they don't kick back like guns when fired).

But players like to see drama in shooting! :D Seriously though, I didn't know that, although reading on the subject, the crossbow still has some recoil to it, even if not at all that exaggerated. I'll probably keep it like it is, even if it's just a matter of removing one frame of animation to make the recoil go away.

 

[The Old Kiwi]

. . . (snips)

But players like to see drama in shooting! :D Seriously though, I didn't know that, although reading on the subject, the crossbow still has some recoil to it, even if not at all that exaggerated. I'll probably keep it like it is, even if it's just a matter of removing one frame of animation to make the recoil go away.

There's a sort of bounce (downward, if the weapon isn't tightly held) and minimal back-pressure from the bow returning to rest after the quarrel is away, that is, if I recall correctly -- it's been half a century since I handled one, but it's not cartridge firing weapon's rearward / upward reaction, no.

 

[Infinitron]

This is a video related to the 26th July 2019 Patreon exclusive video on recording birds and putting them in the game. If you want to know the behind the scenes of recording these sounds, please consider becoming my patron at https://www.patreon.com/rhuantavan

Thank you!

The sounds have been recorded and produced by our in-house SFX guy Benjamin Heichstein. More on his work at http://www.wolfsounddesign.de/

 

[anvi]

Sounds great, but please don't loop them!

 

[Rhuantavan]

Sounds great, but please don't loop them!

Already fixed the repetition occurrence. Got a ton of sounds, it just happened to play the same ones in the vid. Not happening anymore.

 

[anvi]

Cool :D

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Arrowgrab]

Looks good, but is the area highlighted with green hexes the entire fighting area? Because if yes, then I think it's too far away from the camera. There's a significant area at the bottom of the screen where nothing happens, and the combat area is so far away that making out exact positions can be hard, especially where the hexes are overlaid the road texture. The current arrangement also means that it's harder to accurately click on hexes, since they're far away and are seen from a flat angle. I'd very strongly suggest bringing the combat area much closer to the camera, and maybe experimenting with the camera angle.

 

[Rhuantavan]

Looks good, but is the area highlighted with green hexes the entire fighting area? Because if yes, then I think it's too far away from the camera. There's a significant area at the bottom of the screen where nothing happens, and the combat area is so far away that making out exact positions can be hard, especially where the hexes are overlaid the road texture. The current arrangement also means that it's harder to accurately click on hexes, since they're far away and are seen from a flat angle. I'd very strongly suggest bringing the combat area much closer to the camera, and maybe experimenting with the camera angle.

I know what you mean. Currently you can rotate the camera and set the angle/height a bit. I am working on a camera that will allow you to zoom in as well. The look of the hexes is also something that needs refinement. Thanks for the input.

 

[PrettyDeadman]

When is it coming out:
1) Available for purchase
2) Available for playing