KickStarter Vampire Syndicate: Gangs of MoonFall

[Andronovo]

Asset cohesion looks good in the screenshot. Though, with assets that detailed, it will look pretty jarring if you don't have good shadows for the characters. I mean, we'll get used to it, no one's gonna drop your game because muh lighting.

 

[Sarathiour]

First screenshot of the current build.

I didn't realize it until today, but the orientation of the text box by itself is probably going to get to game compared to Disco Elysium.

View attachment 33236

Yeah, you should have put it on the left, and then have the game be compared to shadowrun instead.

 

[Tyranicon]

So, because I like potentially overworking myself, I think I will be splitting player backgrounds from my previous games into "backgrounds" and "motives."

Backgrounds determine the player's starting funds, equipment, faction bonuses and will have different flavor text throughout the game.

Motives are big gameplay modifiers that will add new features or sidequests.

None of this is meant to be balanced in any way.

Planned Backgrounds:

• Noble Scion
• Former Courtesan
• Mercenary
• Street Thug
• Cultist
• Corp Floater
• Spirit Hunter
• Bloodpit Gladiator
• Hacktivist
• Conspiracy Theorist
• Nobody

Planned Motives:

• Undercover
  • You are an agent of the Traveler's Mandate. You have infiltrated the vampire lineages as part of an operation to align the underworld with the priorities of the Mandate. You will be able to call on the resources of one of the most powerful organizations in the world. But whether or not you can trust your superiors and their goals... is a matter of perspective.
• Disgraced Vampire
  • One of the ways to start a new game already as a vampire. However, due to past... indiscretions, you are widely hated by other vampires and only barely tolerated by your own lineage. Your first task is to earn your redemption.
• Avenger
  • You joined the lineages for revenge. A vampire killed someone very close to you, and you intend to return the favor. Rise through the ranks of the Uzakh Drucah and discover who your target is, and how you can eliminate them.
• Slayer
  • You are part of the Slayer Order of Saint Gorfu. You and your brother knights have been deployed to MoonFall to eradicate the vampire menace. Root the bloodsuckers out of their hiding holes, destroy their organizations, and break the back of the Uzakh Drucah. There can be no mercy for the wicked. Kill them all.
• Traitor Vampire
  • Once a proud immortal, you have been broken by the Slayer Order and are little more than a leashed pet. But you are still a vampire, and you may yet betray your new masters... unless you actually believe that they'll still need you when their job is done.
• None
  • Whether you're in it for the money, power, or life eternal, you're never getting out.

I have some more I'm working on, but I don't think I'll commit to those unless I have time.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

None of this is meant to be balanced in any way.

That's the way to go! I much prefer variety of possible builds/playthrough experiences over balance.

 

[NecroLord]

So, because I like potentially overworking myself, I think I will be splitting player backgrounds from my previous games into "backgrounds" and "motives."

Backgrounds determine the player's starting funds, equipment, faction bonuses and will have different flavor text throughout the game.

Motives are big gameplay modifiers that will add new features or sidequests.

None of this is meant to be balanced in any way.

Planned Backgrounds:

• Noble Scion
• Former Courtesan
• Mercenary
• Street Thug
• Cultist
• Corp Floater
• Spirit Hunter
• Bloodpit Gladiator
• Hacktivist
• Conspiracy Theorist
• Nobody

Planned Motives:

• Undercover
  • You are an agent of the Traveler's Mandate. You have infiltrated the vampire lineages as part of an operation to align the underworld with the priorities of the Mandate. You will be able to call on the resources of one of the most powerful organizations in the world. But whether or not you can trust your superiors and their goals... is a matter of perspective.
• Disgraced Vampire
  • One of the ways to start a new game already as a vampire. However, due to past... indiscretions, you are widely hated by other vampires and only barely tolerated by your own lineage. Your first task is to earn your redemption.
• Avenger
  • You joined the lineages for revenge. A vampire killed someone very close to you, and you intend to return the favor. Rise through the ranks of the Uzakh Drucah and discover who your target is, and how you can eliminate them.
• Slayer
  • You are part of the Slayer Order of Saint Gorfu. You and your brother knights have been deployed to MoonFall to eradicate the vampire menace. Root the bloodsuckers out of their hiding holes, destroy their organizations, and break the back of the Uzakh Drucah. There can be no mercy for the wicked. Kill them all.
• Traitor Vampire
  • Once a proud immortal, you have been broken by the Slayer Order and are little more than a leashed pet. But you are still a vampire, and you may yet betray your new masters... unless you actually believe that they'll still need you when their job is done.

I have some more I'm working on, but I don't think I'll commit to those unless I have time.

Awesome!
Nice of you to include backgrounds a la Arcanum and VTMB. More RPGs should do it, if you ask me.

 

[Storyfag]

First screenshot of the current build.

I didn't realize it until today, but the orientation of the text box by itself is probably going to get to game compared to Disco Elysium.

View attachment 33236

FYI, there is a *slight* dissonance between calling the apartment a "box" and the rather spacious interior It's what, 10 by 10 meters at least?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

First screenshot of the current build.

I didn't realize it until today, but the orientation of the text box by itself is probably going to get to game compared to Disco Elysium.

View attachment 33236

FYI, there is a *slight* dissonance between calling the apartment a "box" and the rather spacious interior It's what, 10 by 10 meters at least?

Guess Tyranicon is an agoraphile

 

[Tyranicon]

First screenshot of the current build.

I didn't realize it until today, but the orientation of the text box by itself is probably going to get to game compared to Disco Elysium.

View attachment 33236

FYI, there is a *slight* dissonance between calling the apartment a "box" and the rather spacious interior It's what, 10 by 10 meters at least?

Hmmm, I intended it as from the POV of an ambitious criminal on the rise, but I can see what you mean. I'll change it a bit.

 

[Nortar]

First screenshot of the current build.

I didn't realize it until today, but the orientation of the text box by itself is probably going to get to game compared to Disco Elysium.

View attachment 33236

FYI, there is a *slight* dissonance between calling the apartment a "box" and the rather spacious interior It's what, 10 by 10 meters at least?

Hmmm, I intended it as from the POV of an ambitious criminal on the rise, but I can see what you mean. I'll change it a bit.

How can I hint that it looks exactly like V's apartment without showing that I've played CP2077?
Maybe you can add some extra more obvious easter egg with St.Keanu poster on the wall or something.

 

[Tyranicon]

First screenshot of the current build.

I didn't realize it until today, but the orientation of the text box by itself is probably going to get to game compared to Disco Elysium.

View attachment 33236

FYI, there is a *slight* dissonance between calling the apartment a "box" and the rather spacious interior It's what, 10 by 10 meters at least?

Hmmm, I intended it as from the POV of an ambitious criminal on the rise, but I can see what you mean. I'll change it a bit.

How can I hint that it looks exactly like V's apartment without showing that I've played CP2077?
Maybe you can add some extra more obvious easter egg with St.Keanu poster on the wall or something.

Pfffffft. It would cost me 20 bucks and two hours to put this model into the game so you can eiffel tower sexy vampire chicks with your new best bud, Danny Goldfingers.

Unfortunately I care about getting sued. :/. And something something, not a parody, ethics, blah blah blah.

 

[Technomancer]

Slayer

• You are part of the Slayer Order of Saint Gorfu. You and your brother knights have been deployed to MoonFall to eradicate the vampire menace. Root the bloodsuckers out of their hiding holes, destroy their organizations, and break the back of the Uzakh Drucah. There can be no mercy for the wicked. Kill them all.

Can you go vamp anyway?

 

[EvilWolf]

So, because I like potentially overworking myself, I think I will be splitting player backgrounds from my previous games into "backgrounds" and "motives."

Backgrounds determine the player's starting funds, equipment, faction bonuses and will have different flavor text throughout the game.

Motives are big gameplay modifiers that will add new features or sidequests.

None of this is meant to be balanced in any way.

Planned Backgrounds:

• Noble Scion
• Former Courtesan
• Mercenary
• Street Thug
• Cultist
• Corp Floater
• Spirit Hunter
• Bloodpit Gladiator
• Hacktivist
• Conspiracy Theorist
• Nobody

Planned Motives:

• Undercover
  • You are an agent of the Traveler's Mandate. You have infiltrated the vampire lineages as part of an operation to align the underworld with the priorities of the Mandate. You will be able to call on the resources of one of the most powerful organizations in the world. But whether or not you can trust your superiors and their goals... is a matter of perspective.
• Disgraced Vampire
  • One of the ways to start a new game already as a vampire. However, due to past... indiscretions, you are widely hated by other vampires and only barely tolerated by your own lineage. Your first task is to earn your redemption.
• Avenger
  • You joined the lineages for revenge. A vampire killed someone very close to you, and you intend to return the favor. Rise through the ranks of the Uzakh Drucah and discover who your target is, and how you can eliminate them.
• Slayer
  • You are part of the Slayer Order of Saint Gorfu. You and your brother knights have been deployed to MoonFall to eradicate the vampire menace. Root the bloodsuckers out of their hiding holes, destroy their organizations, and break the back of the Uzakh Drucah. There can be no mercy for the wicked. Kill them all.
• Traitor Vampire
  • Once a proud immortal, you have been broken by the Slayer Order and are little more than a leashed pet. But you are still a vampire, and you may yet betray your new masters... unless you actually believe that they'll still need you when their job is done.
• None
  • Whether you're in it for the money, power, or life eternal, you're never getting out.

I have some more I'm working on, but I don't think I'll commit to those unless I have time.

Based on the Slayer and Traitor Vampire descriptions does this mean we can keep "broken" vampire bitches as "pets", or do your benevolent benefactors view this as haram?

 

[Tyranicon]

Slayer

• You are part of the Slayer Order of Saint Gorfu. You and your brother knights have been deployed to MoonFall to eradicate the vampire menace. Root the bloodsuckers out of their hiding holes, destroy their organizations, and break the back of the Uzakh Drucah. There can be no mercy for the wicked. Kill them all.

Can you go vamp anyway?

That's a big maybe. It all depends on how much work I want to put in, as a Slayer becoming a vampire will probably mean breaking off all ties with the Slayer Order and joining up with one of the Lineages... which hate you. I suppose if you bring enough value to the table sure.

It's kind of like a federal agent becoming a mob captain. Can it happen? Sure, I guess. But the government's gonna want to fuck you in the ass.

Based on the Slayer and Traitor Vampire descriptions does this mean we can keep "broken" vampire bitches as "pets", or do your benevolent benefactors view this as haram?

So yes, once the main conflict(s) of the game kicks off you'll have opportunities to "convert" defeated enemies, etc. It'll all be consensual of course, all the torture and other stuff is offscreen, everything is perfectly above board.

That being said, I would describe the sexual content as being aggressively vanilla so I wouldn't expect the more... questionable fetishes to make it into this game.

 

[Technomancer]

That's a big maybe. It all depends on how much work I want to put in, as a Slayer becoming a vampire will probably mean breaking off all ties with the Slayer Order and joining up with one of the Lineages... which hate you. I suppose if you bring enough value to the table sure.

It's kind of like a federal agent becoming a mob captain. Can it happen? Sure, I guess. But the government's gonna want to fuck you in the ass.

The more obscure crap you have like that, the better. I miss the times when RPGs had more choice like that. All depends on how far you are willing to go with it ofc.

 

[NecroLord]

That being said, I would describe the sexual content as being aggressively vanilla so I wouldn't expect the more... questionable fetishes to make it into this game.

Will you include the most deviant and depraved act in all of existence....

Handholding?

 

[Tyranicon]

That being said, I would describe the sexual content as being aggressively vanilla so I wouldn't expect the more... questionable fetishes to make it into this game.

Will you include the most deviant and depraved act in all of existence....

Handholding?

What is that, like some kind of Japanese sex dungeon thing? Gross.

 

[Technomancer]

What is that, like some kind of Japanese sex dungeon thing? Gross.

It's a "gameplay" feature in Fable 3 that killed karma morphing.

Speaking of which, is there any sort of karma? Some visulal effects on the char? Or its just reputation.

 

[Tyranicon]

What is that, like some kind of Japanese sex dungeon thing? Gross.

It's a "gameplay" feature in Fable 3 that killed karma morphing.

Speaking of which, is there any sort of karma? Some visulal effects on the char? Or its just reputation.

I'm expanding on my system for my last game. Basically, there's Reputation for factions, but also Trust for individual characters.

When you do something that changes Reputation/Trust, you'll be notified, but you won't always be notified who it affects.

Most characters will belong to a faction, but this is fluid. You will be able to convince them to switch sides depending if certain conditions are met.

And unlike my last game, you will be able to totally destroy/take control of some factions.

Yeah, it's a lot of work.

 

[Harthwain]

I'm expanding on my system for my last game. Basically, there's Reputation for factions, but also Trust for individual characters.

One thought I'd like to add - did you consider Trust working as sort of "credit"? The "I owe you one" kind of thing? You could persuade someone to do you a favor back or cut down on the price. It would essentially work like money, only be tied to a particular person.

The way it could work would be by gaining "credit" with each "trust point" (or certain threshold, such as completing a task/quest). You can spend "credit", but you won't be able to farm trust, because even if your trust level drops (because of your actions) you've already reached a particular level of trust in the past. And penalties for reducing someone's Trust should be pretty big. Big enough to make you think twice before betraying somebody.

You can also introduce penalties once "Trust" drops below a certain (neutral) level.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

It's kind of like a federal agent becoming a mob captain.

So one of those Miami Vice seasons in Bloodsuckerpunktown.

 

[Modron]

Can you go vamp anyway?

Here you go:

 

[Harthwain]

Here you go:

What a dumb description.

Spoiler

Opening with a spoiler like that? Pretty much half of the game is about learning about the vampire world and the main character having an existential crisis because of it. Vukodlak doesn't become "your nemesis" for quite a long time and there are hardly "series of brutal confrontations" involving him. I mean, you meet him literally twice.

Edit:

It's also incredibly boring and lazy. I wouldn't bother checking the game with that kind of description and I am a big fan of it! "A crusader is plunged into the World of Darkness against his will. His faith is about to be tested". Something like that. You can even mention him becoming a vampire, because this is pretty much in the intro of the game.

 

[Tyranicon]

I'm expanding on my system for my last game. Basically, there's Reputation for factions, but also Trust for individual characters.

One thought I'd like to add - did you consider Trust working as sort of "credit"? The "I owe you one" kind of thing? You could persuade someone to do you a favor back or cut down on the price. It would essentially work like money, only be tied to a particular person.

The way it could work would be by gaining "credit" with each "trust point" (or certain threshold, such as completing a task/quest). You can spend "credit", but you won't be able to farm trust, because even if your trust level drops (because of your actions) you've already reached a particular level of trust in the past. And penalties for reducing someone's Trust should be pretty big. Big enough to make you think twice before betraying somebody.

You can also introduce penalties once "Trust" drops below a certain (neutral) level.

There's something like that from my last game that I plan on expanding too. The resource is called Esteem, you can spend it asking for favors, but you also want to keep it high since it unlocks certain vendors. It'll bear more thinking on later.

Here you go:

What a dumb description.

Spoiler

Opening with a spoiler like that? Pretty much half of the game is about learning about the vampire world and the main character having an existential crisis because of it. Vukodlak doesn't become "your nemesis" for quite a long time and there are hardly "series of brutal confrontations" involving him. I mean, you meet him literally twice.

An intern or somebody probably wrote the description based off another, shittier one.

 

[hello friend]

Slayer

• You are part of the Slayer Order of Saint Gorfu. You and your brother knights have been deployed to MoonFall to eradicate the vampire menace. Root the bloodsuckers out of their hiding holes, destroy their organizations, and break the back of the Uzakh Drucah. There can be no mercy for the wicked. Kill them all.

Can you go vamp anyway?

That's a big maybe. It all depends on how much work I want to put in, as a Slayer becoming a vampire will probably mean breaking off all ties with the Slayer Order and joining up with one of the Lineages... which hate you. I suppose if you bring enough value to the table sure.

It's kind of like a federal agent becoming a mob captain. Can it happen? Sure, I guess. But the government's gonna want to fuck you in the ass.

What about a Slayer being turned either unintentionally or on purpose and then going deep undercover with the leech people.

 

[Spukrian]

Vampires as organised crime and a vampire hunter going undercover sounds a bit like the Blade TV-series.