New Arc Line - Arcanum-inspired, modern Party-Based RPG - now available on Early Access

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

Was I the only one who was screaming at masked soldiers that they should shoot feral elf-thing?

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

We need crpgs to move out of the Forgotten Realms ghetto that they’re currently stuck in. Even baby steps like inserting Steampunk into Not!Faerun could pay off hugely in the future.

This has been the case for as long as there have been RPGs on computers. Check out Temple of Apshai, the first CRPG. It's pretty much Dungeons and Dragons, and we're talking 1979 here. D&D was barely out of the gate when that game was written with the first release of the D&D rules being 1974. Now, having said that, look at when the Gold Box games were in their height of popularity. You also had CRPGs like Star Command, Wasteland, StarQuest, Galactic Adventures, the Buck Rogers games, AutoDuel, StarFlight, and a whole host of things that weren't straight up fantasy settings that were also released by commercial publishers. Of course, the vast majority of releases at this time were fantasy settings, but many of them also toyed with fantasy settings with sci-fi surprises later in the game.

 

[Grokalibre]

It is made by Ukrainians?
Then out of respect for the slav culture, I'll make sure to pirate it day one.
Wait for my official review and don't forget to subscribe to my onlyfan!

 

[mediocrepoet]

Man, couldn't they fit more words into that 3 minute trailer? I bet they could if they really tried.

 

[Vulpes]

This looks and sounds fucking awful. Why are they forcing a family on us that we're supposed to care about? Even if we ignore the diversity crap like nigger elves, there is nothing Arcanum about this game except it being fantasy steampunk. Nothing shown so far indicates that technology and magic are fundamentally incompatible. There doesn't appear to be any tension between the fantasy races (which was one of the coolest things about Arcanum), but rather a black-and-white conflict between the cruel technologically-advanced colonists locals and the noble magically-oriented savages immigrants. The story isn't modelled after the Industrial Revolution, but rather by the huge immigration wave the East Coast experienced during the late 1800s. They aren't even a bit subtle about it, the city you arrive in is called New Arc (aka. Newark, New Jersey)

 

[The Wall]

The story isn't modelled after the Industrial Revolution, but rather by the huge immigration wave the East Coast experienced during the late 1800s. They aren't even a bit subtle about it, the city you arrive in is called New Arc (aka. Newark, New Jersey)

That was perhaps original intention which was from early material more nuanced. Final product will be 1000% TURBO WOKE contemporary Europe/US metaphore and about oppresed Orc Trannies, benevolent Gnomish Orc funders and EBIL white men. GirlBossing will reach ridiculous levels. Game masses will review bombard game mainly for bad optimization and million bugs. Gameplay will be dull

 

[Mr. Magniloquent]

Any vestiges of hope I had for this game died with that trailer.

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

I just watched the trailer, and yeah. It looks like some serious bullshit propaganda wearing CRPG clothing. We probably should have expected this after seeing the narative designer. The whole story in that trailer isn't even subtle, but it also glosses over the fact that she claims to be a refugee, hates the place where she currently is and the people there, when she didn't have to go there and they didn't have to take her in. It's ironic this game is being made in Ukraine since the first people to line up to flee Ukraine when Russia invaded were their "diversity is our strength" refugees. But please, do go on about how refugees are the good, sympathetic types and the countries that take them in are the evil ones.

 

[lukaszek]

It's ironic this game is being made in Ukraine since the first people to line up to flee Ukraine when Russia invaded were their "diversity is our strength" refugees. But please, do go on about how refugees are the good, sympathetic types and the countries that take them in are the evil ones.

you are swallowing too much female poles propaganda

 

[Tyranicon]

It's like AI made that trailer.

It's just straight up exposition.

 

[Grokalibre]

500.000 Ukranians died and 500.000 more will die so you can play as nigger psycho elf little girl that makes Not-Nazi SteamPunk soldiers explode just like Ukranian soldiers do under Russian artillery. Play the game, or all Russian shells were wasted for nothing. Ukranian WOKE Nazis and their Jew Lord in charge are something else, truly. Shizo is understatement

Game seems somewhat competently made, that is unless all programmers get dragged into van and sent to front 2 days before game release

Wait do we get stretchgoals every time x amount of ukrainian dies irl???

 

[Infinitron]

People so mad about politics ITT that they're missing the forest for the trees. The wild thing about that trailer isn't "muh refugees". It's the unusual choice to go in a The Thing-like body horror direction in a game that we thought was merely an Arcanum homage. That shit was horrific.

 

[mediocrepoet]

Yeah, that was messed up. The thing is though, the character just keeps blabbing about a bunch of shit in a monologue that is bizarre and awkwardly written and makes the setting seem less interesting than the art had. Hopefully it's just a sample character used to sketch out the context of the setting, but I went from D1P to wait and see.

 

[Tyranicon]

I think I understand now why the InXile guys were boasting about retaining the numanuma writer.

 

[lukaszek]

It's the unusual choice to go in a The Thing-like body horror direction in a game that we thought was merely an Arcanum homage. That shit was horrific.

i think you are out of touch infi. This was created by people much younger than movies/books you are quoting and they got no time to catch up.
If anything id expect them being influenced by latest guardians of the galaxy

 

[luj1]

there is nothing Arcanum about this game

Came just to say that

 

[luj1]

People so mad about politics

Then stop putting politics into games, simple

 

[luj1]

Was hoping for a spiritual successor to Arcanum

Because you're dumb lol

 

[luj1]

This looks and sounds fucking awful. Why are they forcing a family on us that we're supposed to care about? Even if we ignore the diversity crap like nigger elves, there is nothing Arcanum about this game except it being fantasy steampunk. Nothing shown so far indicates that technology and magic are fundamentally incompatible. There doesn't appear to be any tension between the fantasy races (which was one of the coolest things about Arcanum), but rather a black-and-white conflict between the cruel technologically-advanced colonists locals and the noble magically-oriented savages immigrants. The story isn't modelled after the Industrial Revolution, but rather by the huge immigration wave the East Coast experienced during the late 1800s. They aren't even a bit subtle about it, the city you arrive in is called New Arc (aka. Newark, New Jersey)

Whoever made that trailer believed people would care if you make it 'emotional'. Of course, the opposite happened. Only village shills such as Infinitron believe in this, purely capitalistic, approach. That is why he made that "emotional engagement" thread.

This a common leitmotif among misguided post-modern gamedevs, who are not thinking as artists anymore at all. Nor are they making something they personally enjoy. They are thinking like crack dealers, and are only making something they think others would enjoy, which is idiotic when you think about it.

 

[Grampy_Bone]

This a common leitmotif among misguided post-modern gamedevs, who are not thinking as artists anymore at all. Nor are they making something they personally enjoy. They are thinking like crack dealers, and are only making something they think others would enjoy, which is idiotic when you think about it.

Modern writing is cringe shit cynically attempting to program your brain. They don't care if you enjoy it, they only view it as a vehicle for The Message. This has been obvious for some time even while certain persons stubbornly tell you to ignore your lying eyes.

 

[Be Kind Rewind]

How unsubtle. Was hoping for a spiritual successor to Arcanum, got fucking Wakanda versus London instead.

One must imagine (((Morgoth))) happy.

 

[luj1]

This a common leitmotif among misguided post-modern gamedevs, who are not thinking as artists anymore at all. Nor are they making something they personally enjoy. They are thinking like crack dealers, and are only making something they think others would enjoy, which is idiotic when you think about it.

Modern writing is cringe shit cynically attempting to program your brain. They don't care if you enjoy it, they only view it as a vehicle for The Message. This has been obvious for some time even while certain persons stubbornly tell you to ignore your lying eyes.

Not disputing what you wrote but that is not what I meant.

I meant that *creating emotional engagement* (e.g. "poor family", "romances", "persecuted immigrants", etc.) performs WORSE than just making good gameplay

We didn't enjoy Diablo, Morrowind, Fallout because of some sad story or other emotional BS.

 

[RaggleFraggle]

We need crpgs to move out of the Forgotten Realms ghetto that they’re currently stuck in. Even baby steps like inserting Steampunk into Not!Faerun could pay off hugely in the future.

This has been the case for as long as there have been RPGs on computers. Check out Temple of Apshai, the first CRPG. It's pretty much Dungeons and Dragons, and we're talking 1979 here. D&D was barely out of the gate when that game was written with the first release of the D&D rules being 1974. Now, having said that, look at when the Gold Box games were in their height of popularity. You also had CRPGs like Star Command, Wasteland, StarQuest, Galactic Adventures, the Buck Rogers games, AutoDuel, StarFlight, and a whole host of things that weren't straight up fantasy settings that were also released by commercial publishers. Of course, the vast majority of releases at this time were fantasy settings, but many of them also toyed with fantasy settings with sci-fi surprises later in the game.

They’re a niche then, and still now. That’s the problem.

 

[n0denz]

I'm surprised anyone would even pick up steampunk today. After all, it's super problematic to enjoy an art style based off a period of exploitative capitalism, colonialist racism against BIPOCs, sexism, and environmental destruction that directly started ciswhitehetmale-created climate change! It's so problematic that I'm sweating the green dye out of my hair!

 

[Saint_Proverbius]

They’re a niche then, and still now. That’s the problem.

Agreed, but it feels different now than it did then. Back then, it was almost like anyone that developed something because there were so few developers and publishers, it got "published". There really wasn't a AAA studio/publisher versus indie. There were bugs and such, but nothing like Cyberpunk 2077's release. The quality back then seemed more uniform.