KotC 2 Update

[BlueSalamander]

Hello everyone, thank you so much for your support. When I read about how interested people are in KotC 2, it inspires me to make a really great game!

Time flies. I might launch the Kickstarter in November this year. It depends on how fast I can finish the AI and make a nice polished demo.

I've already worked on AI for around 5 weeks nonstop and I expect that it will require an additional two or three months. It takes a lot of time to do the required testing and fix bugs and make sure that the AI plays well in all situations.

Take care and stay tuned!

[Novograd]

Hello everyone, thank you so much for your support. When I read about how interested people are in KotC 2, it inspires me to make a really great game!

Time flies. I might launch the Kickstarter in November this year. It depends on how fast I can finish the AI and make a nice polished demo.

I've already worked on AI for around 5 weeks nonstop and I expect that it will require an additional two or three months. It takes a lot of time to do the required testing and fix bugs and make sure that the AI plays well in all situations.

Take care and stay tuned!

Great! If you need a beta-tester you can PM me

[mercyRPG]

BlueSalamander, for the Kickstarter if you plan animated characters just like KOTC 1, I'm buying again!

[galneon]

I'm looking forward to this and will certainly be buying it on release. I'm curious about the Kickstarter, though. Will it have a modest goal with funding to be used as supplemental in the hopes of maybe expediting a release, or will the game's completion in its ideally imagined scope/depth be contingent upon its success?

Kickstarters are all about presentation, and my long-time concern that the nature of the tokens (as opposed to the more visceral, less figurative character/monster graphics of KotC1) will limit the game's appeal are compounded by my concern that the impact will be felt doubly so by the Kickstarter campaign to come.

(I only drop in every now and then, but I seem to remember the tokens not being regarded as placeholder graphics.)

[BlueSalamander]

Hello galneon,

The plan is to have a very modest funding goal. I expect to complete development even if I don't get Kickstarter funds. I take a long-term view. If I raise funds, it will allow me to work on creating new adventures in coming years and make each of these better and bigger.

Regarding tokens, it may well be true that using tokens will reduce the game's appeal. Many things can reduce a game's appeal. Using tokens is only one of those. However, tokens may also increase the game's appeal if they allow for the production of more modules with greater variety in NPC and enemy creatures.

In terms of the quality of gameplay, I don't think that there is any impact due to the use of tokens versus animated sprites or animated 3D models. See the Civilization series and ADOM for examples of good token-based games. The Gold Box RPGs like Pool of Radiance also had such simplistic character animations that you could also say that they were token-based. The same can be said for the Avernum and Geneforge series.

Animated creatures are just eye candy. Also, I have not seen much interest in animated creatures from people. For now, the plan is to use tokens. If I see more interest in the issue in the future, I will reconsider.



Here is a mock-up image showing both the sprites and the tokens for the Iron Golem and Balor (plus another demon). Click to enlarge. I don't know what you think, but for me, tokens win the contest. Creature sprites give a good feeling of depth but tokens look nicer in my opinion.

For an animated sprite, you need a minimum of 12 images, including three walk frames in four directions. For a token, you just need a single image. So if I wanted high-resolution animated sprites, it would be 12 times more work. The result would be a game that's not really better, because gameplay is totally unaffected. Meanwhile, it would be harder to add new monsters in future modules.

Quick development update: Work on AI is moving forward nicely. I've been focusing on the Wizard and Psionicist mostly. There's more testing and fixing to do. I also need to focus more on the other casting classes, as well as group tactics and combat scripting. I'm also planning to implement potions and a system for potion mixing. Finally, I expect that the Bard will have sound effects that depend on the musical instrument being used. Thank you for reading!

[galneon]

I appreciate the thoughtful response.

I didn't mean to suggest tokens would harm gameplay--they could only affect presentation in my opinion, but better presentation can lead to gameplay being perceived as more satisfying. In your comparison screenshot, the tokens look more natural due to the background style. The KotC1 sprites certainly don't fit in due to both their pixelated nature and their three-quarter perspective.

Animated sprites are definitely more work. Commissioning a 3rd party artist to do them is something to consider if you think the benefits could eventually help pay for the job. If you still don't plan to publish via Steam and GOG (again, I might be outdated here), then, well, only hardcore people will find the game, and few of those potential buyers are going to care much about the graphics anyway so commissioning sprites probably wouldn't be worth it. The graphical style isn't going to sway me either way--I'm just considering widening appeal.

A compromise might be full-body stills which leave less to the imagination than head shots or above-the-waist shots. Low Magic Age and Tales of Maj'Eyal both use the same independent artist (Raymond E. Gaustadnes) for their full-body stills, and both games have been quite successful with that look.

[BlueSalamander]

Thank you for your reply galneon. Steam is planned.

Full-body images is an interesting option that could be explored. Programming-wise, there is almost no difference between full-body stills and tokens. There could even be a player option in the game to switch between tokens and full-body images at any time. This idea may become a Kickstarter stretch goal. We'll see. It's not something that I would work on before a successful Kickstarter. Cheers!

[Darthcast]

Glad to hear about a Kickstarter date and Steam.

[bdemeo]

BlueSalamander, Im very excited for KotC2! I have been waiting since the first one, so its been a long time. I will be a backer on Kickstarter at the highest tier. My only request is that you hurry up, I have been waitng so long! I would suggest puting the first game on Steam and Gog.com, or at least one to increase your exposure prior to the Kickstarter.

FYI Pierre, you were given a shoot out on the history of D&D, the narrator gave high praise, he also noted you deserve more exposure and support. Your first game is one the greatest D&D games that no one knows about.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgoonTyjKoc&t=5170s

PS, forget about the comments on the tokens, I too liked the animations from the first one but you are the game desinger.

[LibertyRansom]

Regarding tokens, it may well be true that using tokens will reduce the game's appeal. Many things can reduce a game's appeal. Using tokens is only one of those. However, tokens may also increase the game's appeal if they allow for the production of more modules with greater variety in NPC and enemy creatures.

First, let me say KotC is one of the best OGL tactical games I have played and I admire the steadfast dedication you have made to making a sequel. Second, I wanted to add my two cents:

1. Tokens are fine and I believe they will work well for many accustomed to Tabletop gaming or Roll20. Particularly, if you make the consumers aware of its advantages, i.e., making it easier for others to create their own modules and NPCs, it will have a good market appeal;

2. I would highly agree with adding KotC to Steam a few months prior to the Kickstarter to raise awareness of the KotC brand and the quality of work on the first title. I believe you will receive a large amount of positive feedback.

Finally, to the extent it is at all helpful to you, I wanted to offer some music assets totally free. Aside from being a D&D geek, I am a composer and have had my music in a number of different television shows and video games. I really would like to see KotC succeed as much as possible, and believe that music is one of the best ways to contribute to the atmosphere and/or tension of a setting, particularly with still life graphics. Below is a google drive link to a MP3 example of a fantasy style combat song I have in my catalog called "Skirmish at the Edge of the Badlands." If this is something you'd find helpful, shoot me a message and I'd be happy to sign over a free license, answer any questions, and/or contribute more music. No worries if you already have your current soundtrack all worked out, but I thought I would offer, as I've been lurking on the forums awhile and wanted to try to help see KotC II succeed. In any event, I will be pledging to the Kickstarter!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hwBS0uWddwAOs1e3OGUkgCCxBMJcTV_w/view