July 2018 Update

[itsdat]

Oh I see. The toolset will be powerful enough for sure. It's good to hear that you plan to upgrade the interface, like the mentioned combat log. I think that everything should have a texture background, even the buttons. While we are at it, I think that should "buttonize" the combat actions panel as well. [..or at least separate the various combat options properly.] As for the font, I can live with it. Perhaps we should be able change the font via modding? I am not sure about the regional map. Perhaps a higher resolution overland map could solve the problem? You shouldn't remove the zoom feature, that is for sure.
What is the approx release date of the demo and when will you launch the KS?
PS.
I only backed 1 project in my life on KS. This will be the second one.
PPS.
1 more question. Can we hire companions? [Perhaps it could be a KS stretch goal, if we can't. ]

[BlueSalamander]

Hello itsdat, thank you for your post.

These days, I'm working on the implementation of voice effects.

t's good to hear that you plan to upgrade the interface, like the mentioned combat log.

Yup, I have changed the combat-log box and it looks nicer now. Though I've had to reduce the combat-log font size a bit. Sometimes there is a trade-off between graphics and functionality, so I'm reluctant to change other elements in the combat interface for the moment.

Replacing the combat-actions panel with an entirely graphical set of buttons sounds like a very interesting idea to me! Maybe later on.

Perhaps we should be able change the font via modding?

The font's path is Graphics/Text/Vera.ttf and VeraBd.ttf. It can be replaced with any other ttf font.

What is the approx release date of the demo and when will you launch the KS?

Ideally, around November 2018 for KS, and I expect that the demo + editor will be one of the main basic rewards.

I only backed 1 project in my life on KS. This will be the second one.

I hang my head in shame because I've never backed any project yet. But if I wasn't the developer of KotC 2, I would definitely back a project that would look exactly like mine!!!

Also, the (cancelled) KS for Seven Dragon Saga was pretty cool. What project did you back in the past?

Can we hire companions?

Yes, through dialogues you can hire NPCs or have NPCs join the party. They then become a party member just like any character that you created. They may also help by providing information that only they know about, such as information on secret passages or clues to resolve a riddle.

In the Formation screen, you can alter the party's composition by making a character active or inactive.

[itsdat]

November can't come soon enough. It's good to hear that we can hire NPCs in the vanilla release. What is the maximum number of NPCs allowed? Also, have you ever thought about NPCs being controlled by the AI only? Can we add triggers via modding with regard to the NPC system? Examples: Hiring an NPC for gold + upkeep costs x amount of gold / x number of turns. So basically I am talking about a mercenary system. It was used in some other RPG games as well, but I can't remember that in which one.
Oh yeah, Seven Dragon Saga looked awesome. It's strange, that the KS failed, especially because the dev team was decent [former SSI devs]. I heard some rumors, that they are still developing the game, but who knows, if that is true, or not.

I backed up this project, but sadly it was a scam. I suppose you have heard about it. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/kingdinosaurgames/that-which-sleeps

[BlueSalamander]

Hiya itsdat, I hope you're well.

What is the maximum number of NPCs allowed?

There is no limit on the number of NPCs that join the player's party. However, I expect that the total number of active party members will be limited to eight. For example, maybe you created six characters and then you had six NPCs join the party. That's fine, but since you can have only eight active characters at any time, you would then have eight active characters in the party while the remaining four characters would be inactive. Or you could have seven active characters and five inactive characters, and so on.

have you ever thought about NPCs being controlled by the AI only?

Yes. Allied NPCs and summoned creatures are controlled by the AI. Only the party members are controlled by the player.

Hiring an NPC for gold + upkeep costs x amount of gold / x number of turns. So basically I am talking about a mercenary system.

You can hire an NPC for gold. Honestly, I don't see any need for keeping track of upkeep costs or the number of turns that NPCs are working for the party. It's beyond the game's scope.

Seven Dragon Saga looked awesome. It's strange, that the KS failed

Well, I guess that the market simply could not provide the amount of money they were looking for. As long as their website is up, I would assume that development is continuing, using the developer's own funds.

Sorry to hear that the project you backed did not turn out as promised. I understand why you are calling it a scam. You paid money and obtained nothing in return, so you are right. But, in my eyes, it's too elaborate to be a scam. You know, it takes way too much work to put together all these nice fantasy images, create all this nice game design, build the game's prototype and make all of the videos associated with the game. I just think that the developer did not realise how tough it would be, and how much more time he would need, in order to get his game to a completed state. The KS ended on 26 September 2014 and estimated delivery was in March 2015, giving the developer only six months to finish his project. I would not want to be in this situation. That's why I need to finish building the demo and implementing all important features first.

[itsdat]

It's good to hear that we can hire NPCs for gold even! You are right, there should be a cap with regard to the number of active party members. 6+2 [6 party members + 2 active NPCs] sounds perfect. I am also happy, that the NPCs will be AI controlled. I have yet another question if you don't mind. I suppose the NPCs will level up as well. Is it automatic, or the player can level them up? [IE. Choosing new spells/skills etc. for them.]

As for That Which Sleeps. It is a hella long story. You can find some interesting informations in this rpg codex topic, if you want: http://www.rpgcodex.net/forums/index.php?threads/that-which-vapours-sauron-rapes-tbs-that-will-never-be-scam-maybe.93379/
The developer was active in this topic as well until...KingDinosaurGames was last seen: Nov 1, 2015
Ah well.

Anyway, your dev plan is decent. The demo + editor as basic KS rewards sounds perfect. While we are at it, do you have any ideas that what the stretch goals will be?

[BlueSalamander]

Hello itsdat, thank you for your post.

You are right, there should be a cap with regard to the number of active party members. 6+2 [6 party members + 2 active NPCs] sounds perfect. I am also happy, that the NPCs will be AI controlled.

Just to clarify, when an NPC joins the party, he or she becomes a full Party Member just like the ones you created. So you control them in combat. Any NPC who joins the party is no longer an NPC, he becomes a player character.

Sometimes, your party may receive help from allied NPCs, such as a group of knights as in the beginning of Knights of the Chalice 1. They are not part of your party, so they are controlled by the computer. That's also the case for summoned creatures. Also, each character can summon no more than one creature at any time.

I suppose the NPCs will level up as well. Is it automatic, or the player can level them up? [IE. Choosing new spells/skills etc. for them.]

Any character in your party levels up as normal and you select their spells, feats and ability-score increases. For Bishops, you also select their additional domain powers.

As for That Which Sleeps. It is a hella long story.

Thank you for the link. ''That which vapours''

This codex post and this other post made me laugh a lot. Maybe it's all fake, then. A very clever facade.

do you have any ideas about what the stretch goals will be?

Well, I have a few ideas:

1) I could ask Ron Calonje, one of the two composers of Dark Sun Shattered Lands, to produce additional quality music for KotC 2.

2) I could make a module or campaign with isometric background graphics.

3) I could make a city-based module or campaign offering tonnes of quests like in Baldur's Gate 2.

4) I could create an additional set of monster graphics featuring each monster's whole body.

5) I could build a random-dungeon-map creation tool, as part of the module editor of KotC 2. It would select rooms from a list of hand-drawn dungeon rooms and caves, and paste them randomly into an empty dungeon canvas, making sure that all of the sections are properly connected. It would create the map graphics as well as place obstacle squares, walls, doors, portcullises and other elements on the map automatically.

6) I could also create a system designed to allow the placement of random items or even random monster encounters on the map, similar to what you can do in the map editor of Heroes of Might and Magic 3.

7) And maybe I could make an Android version or hire someone to do it. Not sure if that would be feasible or worth doing, though.

Please feel free to submit your own ideas, everyone. Until next time!

[itsdat]

Oh, I see... Why is the number of summoned creatures is limited to 1 / char? Is this also limited for hostile NPCs? Imagine an encounter vs a master summoner for example. It would make no sense if it could control 1 creature only.
As for the stretch goals..good ideas, but I wouldn't vote for number 2. [module or campaign with isometric background graphics] The tabletop setting is perfect imo. Also, I think that you should not waste resources on an android version.
Btw, I think that 1 of the stretch goals should be about adding new special abilities/creatures/spells/races etc. Yet another should be about replacing the overland location images to something better. I think that you should use 2d images [+tokens] for it.That would fit very well.
As for #4.: I think that the token system is good enough, but I am not against it. Perhaps you should just upgrade the tokens [especially the edges] a bit. Take a look at this screenshot from Fantasy Grounds. I think that is is perfect.

[BlueSalamander]

Hello itsdat, thank you for your post.

I am now working on the implementation of remaining magic items. Things are progressing nicely and I very much look forward to working on the demo using the great editor!

Why is the number of summoned creatures limited to 1 / char?

Good question. Perhaps the main reason is that combat may become too easy if your characters can keep summoning creatures while the enemy cannot. Conversely, a party fighting a group of evil Wizards who keep summoning Mariliths may be in very serious trouble, considering that just one Marilith is a terrible foe.

Another reason is that unlimited summoning would further increase the power level of classes that have access to summon spells, compared to classes lacking spells. Essentially, when you summon something, your character becomes nearly as good as two characters. In Temple of Elemental Evil, a Druid with a wolf companion seemed overpowered to me, or at least vastly superior to other classes like Fighter, Barbarian, Rogue, Monk or Paladin.

So, to summarise, it's mainly a balance thing. The game is a lot more fun with a summoning limit.

Is this also limited for hostile NPCs? Imagine an encounter vs a master summoner for example. It would make no sense if it could control 1 creature only.

Normally, summons are creatures that help you in combat for a limited number of rounds. I imagine that a Master Summoner would have made his summons permanent.

So, in essence, a Master Summoner is just a traditional spellcaster who's protected by a number of minions. The only difference with other spellcasters is that his minions may be unusual creatures, instead of thugs and bandits.

Similarly, a Master Necromancer is just a traditional spellcaster who's protected by a lot of undead creatures. To make these encounters a bit more interesting, we can have the Master Summoner or Master Necromancer bring in reinforcements during combat. That process would be controlled by scripts, and it would not be subject to any limitation.

Btw, I think that 1 of the stretch goals should be about adding new special abilities/creatures/spells/races etc. Yet another should be about replacing the overland location images to something better. I think that you should use 2d images [+tokens] for it.That would fit very well.

Thank you for all the good suggestions. It's a given that I will have to create new monsters for every new module that I make. So, from my point of view, it's hard to think about that as a specific stretch goal.

About the regional maps and overland-location images, that is of course something that I will change as part of the normal Kickstarter. No need to reach a stretch goal for that.

Point taken about the isometric graphics and Android version. Maybe the main stretch goals should just be the creation of more adventure modules. I envision that the normal KS will cover a campaign comprising three modules.

Take a look at this screenshot from Fantasy Grounds. I think that is is perfect.

Thank you. Yes, I like the token system, too. I don't see any major difference between KotC 2 tokens and those of Fantasy Grounds, aside from a slightly different art style.

[Atoch]

Wow, I didn't know this game "Fantasy Grounds". The artwork of its token is really good! But personally, I don't like the coloured edges.

4) I could create an additional set of monster graphics featuring each monster's whole body.

Do you imagine something like an internal "monster-compendium", which will be updated by killing enough monster of the same kind (similar to the one in "Pillars of Eternity"?)? - Yes, that would be nice.

Additional ideas for stretch-goals:

- the new class "Summoner" (as a low BAB druidic subclass) (thanks to itsdat for the inspiration )
- epic-level feats (and classes?)
- playable monster-races (personally not really interested in it)
- improved camping? (like in "Kingmaker")

and of course:
- bathing pics of the elven-princess (of course quest-related!)
- Spellcasting casting-time initiative-delayed ( )
- online gaming...
- world-peace

Or not. I would rather prefer it, if the game could still be done during my lifetime...

PS: before I forget:
Please, no romance stretch-goals!

[itsdat]

Wow, I didn't know this game "Fantasy Grounds". The artwork of its token is really good! But personally, I don't like the coloured edges.

Just a note: "Fantasy Grounds is a virtual tabletop to help facilitate play of tabletop-style role-playing games online with a GM (game master) and one or more players." IE. There is no single player game mode.