KickStarter Serpent in the Staglands Pre-Release Thread

[Hatred]

I'm kind of keen on them not putting two handed weapons into the game.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

I'm kind of keen on them not putting two handed weapons into the game.

Nigga what.

 

[roshan]

I'm kind of keen on them not putting two handed weapons into the game.

Interesting. What's the logic behind this thinking?

 

[Watser]

I'm kind of keen on them not putting two handed weapons into the game.

Interesting. What's the logic behind this thinking?

The use of 2H-weapons might be triggering to those with only 1 hand.
mindx2 how do you feel about all this?

 

[Hatred]

I'm kind of keen on them not putting two handed weapons into the game.

Interesting. What's the logic behind this thinking?

The use of 2H-weapons might be triggering to those with only 1 hand.
mindx2 how do you feel about all this?

Ok. Someone with one hand is at a disadvantage in a sword fight. So I am certainly not trying to uh ... not upset people with one hand.
I prefer the idea of adventurers being armed in a way which you might expect adventurers to be armed. Longswords and other even larger swords aren't the kind of weapons that normal people carry around. Especially not around the late bronze age. I'd also be restricting the shield size to something about the size of a buckler or a highland targe since thats about the most an adventurer would actually carry about.
Why not have a game inside of which the equipement people carry around is borderline sensible ?

Edit: I also wanted to stir up Buffy. It worked too :D

 

[Whalenought_Joe]

Whalenought_Joe how much to kickstart expansion with 2 handed weapons?

For a future Vol game we’d like to setup combat where having a spear and shield is the most optimal build, but just didn’t have the time to include the necessary mechanics and art pipeline for that in this one once we got going. We originally designed for them when we had swords bending/breaking, but dropped that and instead opted for fantastical 1 handers like whips, silver swords and scepters.

I don’t think 2 handed bronze swords were really a thing, and early iron was too brittle. We were going for fantasy, but not Final Fantasy equipment. Could of had 2 handed scepters or axes I suppose. Next fantasy game we do will include them, no KS required!

Hatred that quote you have about sums it up. I forgot this was asked before.

 

[Infinitron]

Well, there's some of that catch I was talking about

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Yeah I know your reasoning and all.

I just like bringing it up at every juncture.

 

[Got bored and left]

Longswords and other even larger swords aren't the kind of weapons that normal people carry around. Especially not around the late bronze age.

People totally carried longswords around as a sidearm. They're primarily two-handed weapons (you can call them hand-and-a-half if you want, I guess), but they're not THAT big. Still, you're right that they would look totally out of place in the Bronze Age.

Why not have a game inside of which the equipement people carry around is borderline sensible ?

I guess the problem with proper sensibility in terms of equipment usage would lead to a veeeeeery narrow selection of weapons. Pretty much everything outside of swords of various kinds is out (you really don't want to carry something like a spear around on an everyday basis, major pain in the ass). And you want to have a diverse armory to play around with, realism be damned.

 

[Whalenought_Joe]

Yeah I know your reasoning and all.

I just like bringing it up at every juncture.

Appreciate the reminders.

Well, there's some of that catch I was talking about

The scope has always reflected what the two of us could do in a year, of course, which meant the game couldn't get too crazy with bells and whistles. Sword bending and Nox-like lighting were the only early R&D things dropped though, which looking back was probably for the best design-wise. We plan on using the lighting research for a future game with some different mechanics though.

 

[Hatred]

People totally carried longswords around as a sidearm. They're primarily two-handed weapons (you can call them hand-and-a-half if you want, I guess), but they're not THAT big. Still, you're right that they would look totally out of place in the Bronze Age.

Can you provide me with the source of your information please ? I have been led to believe that longswords and anything larger tend to be restricted by law and practicality from everything I have read and heard about the topic to date. Whalenought_Joe also brought up some points about early large swords above which I believe are accurate.
I'm ok with what feels like a reasonably restricted armoury. From what I can tell the game has several different weapon types which seem to be distinct from each other and are all somewhat believable. I like this approach. Sure whips arent super realistic or silver swords for that matter. For me though it strikes a nice balance between fantasy and reality.
Also Joe sorry for stealing your quote as my signature but I couldn't help myself. It was just too sensible to resist.

 

[roshan]

Nox-like lighting

What is this referring to? The field of view system in that game? I don't recall anything particular about the lighting system?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Nox-like lighting

What is this referring to? The field of view system in that game? I don't recall anything particular about the lighting system?

It had one. As in shadows that move with the light sources and what not. Don't think it was common back then.

 

[mindx2]

I'm kind of keen on them not putting two handed weapons into the game.

Interesting. What's the logic behind this thinking?

The use of 2H-weapons might be triggering to those with only 1 hand.
mindx2 how do you feel about all this?

Ban Hatred that one-handed ableist...

Spoiler

Just kidding... plus I don't have any hands so I never play as a fighter

 

[Got bored and left]

People totally carried longswords around as a sidearm. They're primarily two-handed weapons (you can call them hand-and-a-half if you want, I guess), but they're not THAT big. Still, you're right that they would look totally out of place in the Bronze Age.

Can you provide me with the source of your information please ? I have been led to believe that longswords and anything larger tend to be restricted by law and practicality from everything I have read and heard about the topic to date.

1. The issue of legality. Laws regarding weapons were not exactly unified across medieval Europe (not to mention across different parts of the period), but certainly in England in France (as per this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rp3nve9CJk - dude's awesome, btw, go watch his channel now ), you straight up could not carry any weapons inside city walls (outside of knives and daggers) unless you were a nobleman - and, as far as I can tell, we know that knights did carry longswords outside of combat. The longsword was a gentlemanly weapon (and, at that, for a limited time) - most people (in places with more lax laws, like the Holy Roman Empire), would wear other swords, usually one-handed swords and messers.

2. The issue of practicality. A longsword is definetely more impractical than a normal sword (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maqnz3Trn2w - I hate posting the same man's videos all the time, but Easton is a motherfucking expert), and will get in the way more often, but you can get used to that, I imagine. The medieval German fencing treatises primarily concerned themselves with unarmoured longsword fighting (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_school_of_fencing#Unarmoured_longsword), so it stands to reason that they were used in a civilian context.

I hope I managed to clear stuff up and we can end the offtopic

 

[Hatred]

It was from Easton that I got the idea people don't carry around long swords in the first place. The second video you linked actually went into why people wouldn't carry a longsword. First video also mentioned how once people were carrying around swords it wasnt the longsword (was rapier). Lots of people carrying around longswords wasn't super common going off anything I have seen that he has said. He also made a video about adventuring equipment too. So strangely enough it was from those two videos and a lot else of what he has said that I got the idea carrying around 2 handed weapons was uncommon.

 

[Got bored and left]

It was from Easton that I got the idea people don't carry around long swords in the first place. The second video you linked actually went into why people wouldn't carry a longsword. First video also mentioned how once people were carrying around swords it wasnt the longsword (was rapier). Lots of people carrying around longswords wasn't super common going off anything I have seen that he has said. He also made a video about adventuring equipment too. So strangely enough it was from those two videos and a lot else of what he has said that I got the idea carrying around 2 handed weapons was uncommon.

It would certainly be uncommon (I've never stated otherwise), especially in comparison to other weapons (early on, one-handed swords + buckler and messers, later rapiers, backswords and such). But he has stated somewhere (can't remember where), that longswords were certainly carried by knights (some of them, at least) in the late Medieval period. But yeah, it wasn't exactly all the rage those days, my point is just that it did happen.

 

[ghostdog]

So, does anyone has any first impressions about the beta ?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

So, does anyone has any first impressions about the beta ?

So far is gud or so I believe has been the general impressions.

Tempted to LP this but I am seriously not getting the time for it.

 

[Zeriel]

It had one. As in shadows that move with the light sources and what not. Don't think it was common back then.

They might also be referring to the sight system as a whole, which used actual line of sight. Stuff only rendered for the most part if you could actually see it, which led to all sorts of crazy and cool effects. Nothing like walking into a room you figured was empty only to find it filled to the brim with monsters, or thinking you killed everything only to realize as blood spurts out of you that there's something directly behind you.

 

[Infinitron]

UPDATE: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1649838104/serpent-in-the-staglands/posts/1156357

The things your party will fear
In the Staglands you'll find that when facing your enemies, wits will go a lot farther in helping you kill than any bronze or magic. If fighting a certain monster or enemy isn't going your way, you can find some guidance in-game by talking to villagers and the local law, or reference the manual or handbook for clues as to their weaknesses.

One example of a monster that might be a particular challenge is the Harvester, a creature concept devised by one of our own backers (thanks David!) As the most dangerous of the Shroomer species we wanted to use some of these utility-tactics needed to kill certain monsters. Their natural armor is impervious to iron, bronze and magic alike (though would make for some fine armor if the right smith was up for the task…), and they travel toward their prey by burrow through the ground.

To dispatch them is well known to the Eastern settlers: Get them on their back and expose those squishy organs hiding under that exoskeleton!

Huge armor and underground travel.

There are lots of ways of grounding your enemies — in this case a sorcerer's Festering Ooze does the trick just fine!
Wolves of mist, immortal Bloodless, ethereal shields and more will take tactical insight to be able to overcome. Monsters aren't the only thing that can stop your party in their tracks though. Tratis Saltis, while still housing survivors, is currently ailed by an infested bog of poisonous leeches for the past few years that will wreck havoc on any unfortunate, and unprepared traveler. Certain equipment will be imperative to survive these types of environments.

Best bring antidotes — poison is unblockable damage, and there are lots of spiders.

Refuge above the crawling surface.
A good stopping place for some exotic goods for prepping these areas would be Rumin. While the village has set up necessary defenses against the surrounding Spirit Realm dangers, you'll have to secure such safety on your own while traveling.

They are quite fond of their flags.
The things your party will solve
We've talked about puzzles before, and wanted to show off a glimpse of a favorite: the weight puzzles! You won't have to carry around stones and rocks, you can use anything from your inventory to activate panels, including your companions.

Clues for these and other puzzles are often in the form of panels in the environment, which you can acquire a chalk rubbing from!

Indiana Jones approved.
Lots more puzzles that utilize other spells, skills, aptitudes and your wits to solve! You'll make good use of a notebook.

 

[ROARRR]

Game Manual
The web version of the Game Manual is in progress here: (still a WIP)

http://serpentinthestaglands.com/manual/#page/2

The animation of the Web-Game-Manual is simple but i duno why it makes me happy watching it

 

[Sensuki]

Can you skip the intro in this game? (or will you be able to?)

I might jump into a bit of beta testing soon - bit busy this week tho

 

[Scroo]

The game is looking better and better but what's with the ugly selection things above the characters heads?!

 

[Sensuki]

Below unit selection or bust