KickStarter SKALD: Against the Black Priory - retro RPG inspired by Ultima

[SausageInYourFace]

Those blue fog lines look a little odd tho.

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Abu Antar]

I like kitchens.

 

[V_K]

It has a cat, so what's not to like?

 

[Melan]

But can you bake bread?

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Abu Antar]

Possible demo update this weekend.

 

[Abu Antar]

I haven't played any of the latest demo updates. Maybe I will give this one a try, tomorrow.

 

[conan_edw]

It seems that demo is out for backers.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.skaldrpg.com/2021/02/project-update-beta-1-3-0-is-out/

Project Update: Beta 1.3.0 is out!

Finally! The time is here to release the next version of the “Skald: Against the Black Priory” beta for backers! I’m not going to lie: It feels pretty fantastic to get it out there.


Get a piece of that pie if you haven’t already!

Wait what? Not a backer? You can be! Support SKALD via our Indiegogo Indemand page and help make my dream game whilst getting some awesome rewards!

What’s in the Demo?
The demo is still fairly short (but longer than before at 2 hours+) and still focuses on the starting area of the game. It does however, rework the different locals to take advantage of the new level-design paradigm of larger, more complex local areas.

It also adds a new hub area, a vendor, a recruitable NPC, a bunch of NPCs and minor quests, some new monsters and items, random encounters and so forth.

In other words, in addition to offering a basis for testing a lot of new systems, it also contains a complete RPG gameplay loop.

However, it’s important to keep in mind: The purpose of the demo at this point is still to provide me with play testing – not to offer a fully complete, play experience.

This means that it’s super important that you

1. Realize that there are A LOT of rough edges
2. Take the time to offer constructive feedback if you play it!

Spoiler

What to look for when testing
Please use the Discord to report feedback on the following:

• Most of the dialogue in the game is still pending editing for grammars and proofreading so feel free to give input on spelling etc. But more importantly: Keep an eye out for, and report and broken logic in the dialogue!
• Try to keep an eye out for bugs related to how objects appear and spawn in-game. Especially after saving/loading and when entering or leaving areas. Do objects spawn where they shouldn’t?
• If you exhaust the demo content, I’d be very interested in hearing how long it took you.
• PLEASE report any crashes or freezes!

I’m not looking for:

• Notes on balancing, character development (feats, spells etc) or combat encounters. These are all placeholder at the moment and there will be a more comprehensive overhaul of them in due time.
• Notes on character models. These are mostly placeholder as I’m yet to add a larger variety of models and outfits.

The Next Steps
I’ll be doing a burst of fire-patches the next week or two in response to incoming feedback and then I’m planning to step back and do some work on a few larger technical issues I identified whilst making the demo.

I’ll also be adding a few new batches of content as I flesh out the refugee-camp and even open the way into the ruins of Horryn so stay posted for that!

The end goal for this round of demos is to have a well-rounded and semi-polished public demo for use in promotion; especially towards press and content creators.

Let Word Spread Forth!
Skald has the best community in RPGs. Ever. It’s a huge joy, support and resource to me and we’re truly making this game together!

Honestly, the size, interest and support of the community is the bread and butter of the project at this point, and the best way to keep making SKALD great, is to keep the community growing!

And so your Wizard-Emperor decrees:

If you played the demo and enjoyed it, please tell your friends on forums, Twitter, Discords, Reddits and wherever else you hang! Invite them to our Discord server and bid them check out the blog!

That’s it for now. Enjoy the demo and please get in touch via the Discord or Twitter for all things Skald-related.

Cheers,

AL

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.skaldrpg.com/2021/02/project-update-beta-1-3-1-is-up/

Project Update: Beta 1.3.1 is up!

Phew.

With a few intense days of receiving, processing and addressing feedback behind me, a new version of the Beta is up (already)!

What’s in the new Beta?
This one does two major things:

• The game is now in a 16:9 ratio. This is is pretty distinct departure from the boxier look of before and the UI might need some tweaking. However, 16:9 is now such a prevalent AR for both monitors and media (such as Youtube videos) and I feel it is the right move in terms of making the game look as good as possible for the majority of costumers.
• There is now a bunch of updates to speed up combat. You can now use SPACE to “repeat last command”, the orders execute faster, and there is a “combat log” you can view to see things like rolls and calculations (though that is till a bit primitive).

Of course, there are also a LOT of minor bug-fixes and other updates.

Where to get it?
The demo is still available to backers only (Not a backer? Go here!). This means that you have to use your download link to access it.

“Where is that link” you say?

Well, for Kickstarter backers, you received in a message from me. For Indiegogo backers you received it in an email with “SKALD RPG” as the subject line.

But easiest of all: You can just log onto your Itch.io account and you should be able to find it there if you’ve already played it before.

How to offer feedback?
Use the Discord, PM me on Twitter or send me an email at contact@skaldRPG.com!


Cheers,


AL

 

[Abu Antar]

Sounds good to me.

 

[Abu Antar]

Approved by GOG.

 

[Bara]

Good to see that gogs over that "it's too niche we're going to have to decline it" for old school styled rpgs phase.

Or at least toned down whatever those requirements were.

 

[Infinitron]

Hurrah!



https://af.gog.com/game/skald_against_the_black_priory?as=1649904300

 

[Bara]

Is the summer date full release or early access?

 

[Infinitron]

From Discord:

Steam is hopefully hours away and I'll release an update on the devolog the minute both are up and running!

Maybe we'll know then.

 

[Infinitron]

Is the summer date full release or early access?

OK, I talked to SkaldRPG. It's Early Access.

 

[Infinitron]

Why Early Access?
“Making a roleplaying game like Skald is a huge undertaking. The non-linear gameplay and branching story combined with complex game systems means that playtesting and polishing them is a lot of work.

For a small studio, Early Access offers a way to get larger volumes of playtesting whilst not having to postpone the game’s roadmap to launch.

Early Access is also a clear statement of intent to engage closely with the community, and ensure the game lives up to the hopes and expectations of all its supporters.”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?
“This depends on the level and nature of fan feedback and support offered during Early Access. However, the game has already undergone significant testing during the lengthy closed beta phase and all systems are more or less implemented. So barring unforeseen issues, the game is expected to leave Early Access within 6 to 12 months.”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?
“The final chapter of the game will not be available until the game’s full release. This means about 90% of the main narrative will be available in Early Access.

We’ll also be adding side/optional content during Early Access to flesh out certain parts of the game that need additional pacing. All in all, the Early Access version will offer a fully featured complete feeling game experience with rich, plentiful content.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?
“At the EA launch, the game will be more or less complete (except the final chapter), fully playable and stable.

An important task during early access will be identifying areas where the quest scripting needs to become more robust. In particular, this means making sure the game doesn’t behave strangely if the player plays the game in extreme ways (solo-plays, speed-runs, ‘killing everyone’, playing in reverse order etc).

There is also some work to be done on tuning and balancing systems such as combat and character development.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?
“There will be no difference in base pricing.”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“As a crowdfunded game, Skald has relied heavily on its community for testing and feedback during the closed beta phase. In other words, the project has always depended on a successful and close collaboration with the community and the Early Access phase is no different.

We’ll make use of the lessons learned so far whilst establishing tools and pipelines to help handle the increased amount of feedback expected during EA.

One main priority will be setting up tools for players to easily give feedback and bug reports while in game. Another big priority will be pipelines and workflows that allow us to crowdsource non-labour intensive but otherwise time consuming work like typo-hunting.

Currently the community lives primarily on Discord, but we’ll be sure to look into expanding this to Twitter and any other feasible alternatives, in order to offer the best possible platform for interactions between fan and developer during Early Access.”

The Steam page has an exact release date of August 2nd.

 

[bandersnatch]

#fakenews this game is never coming out.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.skaldrpg.com/2021/04/skald-against-the-black-priory-3/

Skald: Against the Black Priory

‘Skald: Against the Black Priory’ is an old-school roleplaying game that combines modern design and a fully realised narrative with authentic 8-bit looks and charms.

Delve into a dark fantasy world, full of tragic heroes, violent deaths and Lovecraftian, cosmic horror. Explore an engaging, branching story mixed with rich exploration and crunchy, tactical, turn-based combat that will seem familiar yet innovative to RPG fans, old and new.

Coming Soon!
The game is currently in development and is set to release into “Early Access” in the summer of 2021.

Check out the GOG store-page today and feel free to wishlist it:

Spoiler

Features
LOVINGLY CRAFTED RETRO-STYLE ART

• Experience a richly illustrated world of authentic pixel art using thousands of hand-drawn tiles and images
• A palette inspired by the legendary Commodore 64 computer.
• Optional CRT filter for that authentic old-school experience.

DEEP CHARACTER CREATION

• Build your main character and recruit a party from among a dozen diverse characters, each with their own skill-set, agenda and personality.
• Choose from a dozen classes and backgrounds as well as heaps of feats, spells and equipment as you take your party from level 1 to 20.

CRUNCHY TACTICAL COMBAT

• Engage in challenging, fast-paced, turn- and grid-based combat.
• Play it your way, with fully customizable difficulty and feedback settings. Or hit ‘auto-resolve’, lean back, and (hopefully) watch your party cleave a bloody path through their foes.

A RICHLY DETAILED, LIVING WORLD

• Explore the vast expanse of Freymark and the Outer Isles and watch your actions spell doom or salvation for the region.
• Focus on the rich, branching narrative… Or live the life of a mercenary and explore varied sidequests and encounters – the plot will wait for you.
• Manage your party as you make camp, recruit hirelings, travel by land and sea, and interact with powerful factions and their visions for the world.

BIGGER THAN THE BOX IT CAME IN

• Skald was made possible by crowdfunding and already has a large, passionate and welcoming community that can’t wait to meet you.
• By joining Skald’s Early Access you’ll have a direct line to the developer, get sneak peaks and give feedback on forthcoming plans and help shape the game into a modern classic.
• We will publish the powerful tools used to create the game in an effort to support and encourage modding and content creation once the game has fully launched.

Stay Posted
Subscribe to this devlog, follow us on Twitter and join our Discord!

Cheers,

AL

 

[Sacibengala]

Good to see that gogs over that "it's too niche we're going to have to decline it" for old school styled rpgs phase.

Or at least toned down whatever those requirements were.

They denied Realms of Antiquity, recently. Like one week ago or something.

 

[Ludwig von Eisenthal]

Good to see that gogs over that "it's too niche we're going to have to decline it" for old school styled rpgs phase.

Or at least toned down whatever those requirements were.

They denied Realms of Antiquity, recently. Like one week ago or something.

Seriously? They denied RoA?? That's another low point for GOG's more and more questionable policies. And I thought they couldn't sink any deeper... well fuck them!

 

[Bara]

Good to see that gogs over that "it's too niche we're going to have to decline it" for old school styled rpgs phase.

Or at least toned down whatever those requirements were.

They denied Realms of Antiquity, recently. Like one week ago or something.

Seriously? They denied RoA?? That's another low point for GOG's more and more questionable policies. And I thought they couldn't sink any deeper... well fuck them!

It does baffle me that Nox Archaist got on gog but Realms of Antiquity didn't but whatever least steam pretty much accepts any game or the dev can just sell it off their own website.