New Arc Line: Our Vision & New Screenshots!
Dear reader,
This is the first in a series of Developer Journals where we want to share insights and behind-the-scenes looks at the development of the New Arc Line. In future entries, you will read about the game’s design, systems, and lore, but for this first journal, we wanted to talk a bit about our overall vision.
At its core, New Arc Line is a Story-Rich, Party-Based RPG set in a world of Technopunk and Magic. You, our intrepid reader, will arrive into this story by steerage on a steamboat – a poor immigrant looking for a better life on the shores of the New World. You will build a reputation for yourself, make foes and allies, get involved in a massive conspiracy, and ultimately decide the fate of this land.
In designing this game, we’ve taken major inspiration from old-school RPG classics like Arcanum, Dragon Age: Origins, Neverwinter Nights, and many others. We don’t want to simply copy these classics but experiment and innovate upon the things that made them memorable.
A Troubled World
New Arc Line takes place in a fantasy world undergoing a Technological revolution, similar to the Gilded Age on the brink of the 20th century. It’s a period of disruptive change and great political conflict between the old ways and brand new systems. In order to paint a believable picture of the world, we will not shun the less glamorous aspects of the age: prohibition, bootlegging, banditry, corrupt cops, child labor, sweatshops, the legacy of slavery, and segregation (in our case, of fantasy races). Player discretion is advised.
Magic vs. Technology
Magic has ruled this world for millennia, but it’s been in a deep decline since the fall of the Elven Empire. This allowed Technology, first invented by Dwarves, and recently improved by Humans, to take hold. Electricity, steam, and machine guns have ripped through a world previously run by sword and sorcery. There can be no middle ground – Tech and Magic are incompatible with each other on a fundamental level.
This existential conflict deeply influences both the lore and mechanics of the New Arc Line.
A Plethora of Choices
You can choose to play either a male or female hero, choose your appearance, race, and background. All of this will change how the NPC’s will treat you, their prejudices, the quests you can take, and many other aspects of the game. During the course of a play-through, you will be able to influence many fates, make a name for yourself, and unlock a number of endings based on your actions.
Deep Progression
New Arc Line features a
highly detailed character system with various spells, skills, crafting recipes, and technological schematics, all being at your disposal - depending on your choice of Magic-Tech alignment. You will also command several party members, and learn to use their unique abilities. Your party member’s abilities synergize together offering powerful gameplay combinations.
Hybrid Combat
The game features real-time with optional pause (RTwP) combat. Take control of any character and dive them headfirst into the action or use the tactical pause to access the battlefield from above and command your whole group. With time not being an issue, concentrate your attacks, or set up cunning combinations of your party’s synergic abilities to deal massive damage to your foes.
We will share more details about each of these features, and more in the following Developing Journals, so stay tuned!
About the Studio
New Arc Line is being developed by the Ukrainian studio Dreamate Games. It was founded by two friends with a dream of making their dream game (hence, the name). The first prototype of New Arc Line received several awards and an Epic MegaGrant, which allowed the studio to grow and hire many talented developers with experience working in companies such as GSC Game World, 4A Games, Wargaming, and others.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 forced many of us to leave our homes to save our families, but we are staying strong, helping each other and our country, and continuing to work on this project that we love.
If you want to support us, chat with the devs, and be the first to participate in our
playtests, join our
Discord over here.