Vaeltaja
Watchdog
New Chronicles of Vaeltaja video is here! In this video I take you to the Castle Town of Twin Falls kingdom. I talk with NPCs, visit shops, bar, inn, cathedral and castle. There's lore and history of Twin Falls to learn, so prepare to read. I also show in the cathedral how rising 'charisma' changes conversation topic. I hope you enjoy!
Vaeltaja
Watchdog
Thanks, I will do my best! There's a lot of texture work left, but it will be worth it.
Vaeltaja
Watchdog
Auto/minimap added and they can be turned on/off in options, but I haven 't decided what information maps will show. Don't mind the placeholder frame.
Thank you for your information !
Vaeltaja
Watchdog
So here it is, the first Chronicles of Vaeltaja gameplay video with commentary! I'll take you through the beginning of the game showing party setup, buying equipment, fighting with enemies and getting beaten up by bandits while trying to complete side quest with underpowered party. Sorry about voice being little bit unbalanced, next time it will be better.
Looks more sophisticated than I would have guess, but that sort of combats has aged quite a lot for me, even replay some old favorites Might & Magic fail to work properly now. Still, I'll probably add it in whish list when on Steam.
A bit irrelevant, but it's just an opportunity, I think that Bard's Tales 4 was a great blueprint past the abuse of puzzling, and still it's been a sad sells fail, knowing that it wasn't a low budget game so it should have had quite more sells. I don't think combats was that great but at least they tried something different than let say MM3.
I suppose such blueprint is now deserved for indie games targeting low sells, but I think indies using a sort of MM3 blueprint need try invent stuff around the combats. At least that's how I feel it, not that I feel it can change the sells which is something I have no clues on.
EDIT:
I'm ultra annoyed by the hype on cards combats without too many cards games for my appeal, but that's an example I didn't quoted in indies trying such MM3 like blueprint, add cards in combats, not a pure cards game but mix them in a way or another.
EDIT2:
Such combats still worked for me, when range and multi front matter, a good example for me being MMX. It adds a layer of complexity that was enough to keep me interested.
A bit irrelevant, but it's just an opportunity, I think that Bard's Tales 4 was a great blueprint past the abuse of puzzling, and still it's been a sad sells fail, knowing that it wasn't a low budget game so it should have had quite more sells. I don't think combats was that great but at least they tried something different than let say MM3.
I suppose such blueprint is now deserved for indie games targeting low sells, but I think indies using a sort of MM3 blueprint need try invent stuff around the combats. At least that's how I feel it, not that I feel it can change the sells which is something I have no clues on.
EDIT:
I'm ultra annoyed by the hype on cards combats without too many cards games for my appeal, but that's an example I didn't quoted in indies trying such MM3 like blueprint, add cards in combats, not a pure cards game but mix them in a way or another.
EDIT2:
Such combats still worked for me, when range and multi front matter, a good example for me being MMX. It adds a layer of complexity that was enough to keep me interested.
Last edited:
Vaeltaja
Watchdog
Thank you for your comments!
I enjoyed Bard's Tale 4 quite a bit before it corrupted my save games in the very end, but I'm planning to try the director's cut someday.
I try to spice up the battle system with taking a little bit different approach to status effects, but I also try to balance the experience system so that you don't necessarily need to fight with every enemy you come across. Some enemies will try to engage on sight, but some will just keep roaming around if not bothered. I've given some thought to row system, but haven't really tried implementing it or anything. But I haven't ruled it out either. I liked MMX more than I thought I would and I think it's a little bit underrated game.
Anyway, I've mostly shown the basic mechanic of the combat system so far, but there are different kind of attack skills to use, spells can cause status effects that can be neutralized with other spells, so if your mage's fire spell causes 'burning', water/ice spell will neutralize it. If your lightning spell causes 'shocked' to enemy, try casting water spell on it on the next turn. Status effects like 'stun' doesn't incapacitate you, but it will affect negatively to your ability to act and so on. But there's also status effects that act like you'd expect them to, like 'paralyzed' and 'poisoned'. I'll do my best to keep things interesting and who knows what I'll come up with as some of the best ideas have come up along the way.
Only game with card-based combat I've tried is Gloomhaven, but haven't played it enough to form an opinion about the combat. The game itself seemed interesting enough to play it properly at some point, even though card battlers are not my cup of tea.
Let's hope that if combat doesn't keep you interested, the rest of the game does.
MMX reused the MM base design with support skills or debuff skills that last only one turn and it's a choice to support/debuff/action at each turn, it's rather special but effective.
Gloomhaven, it's cards and complex in my opinion because of the attrition system, but it's grid based, not really a good base for a MM like system. The attrition system is deeply linked to the design of strict missions, it should not match at all a RPG somehow open, more one Hub+missions based, and even then it would be hard to make fit the attrition system to somehow longuer missions fitting more properly a RPG. I didn't finished Gloomhaven because of perf problems but I don't remind it's somehow a classic cards battler, anyway the grid/attrition system makes it very special for cards games.
I thrown cards games randomly and because it seems a design approach more open to fresh ideas, and I can see the positive it can add in turn based by changing constantly the context at each turn even if partially. But for now I didn't dig much.
I played some multi rows system in such types of combats, if I remind well Wizardry was multi rows even if not showing it. I never felt it was adding a lot. I don't have any single idea or tracks to improve such combats, again, if I enjoyed overall MMX combats (more than those of BT4) it's only because of the numerous ambushes and multi fronts combats.
Age of Wonders series always tried mix tactical combats with 4X, but in a campaign combats haven't enough diversity, hence play many or even all combats auto makes sense. Combats system as MMX have one positive in general, allow a rather fast resolution, so you can have more combats to fill a bit more your world. But if the combats are not enough deep and varied, for me, it's now still hard to play long, that's why attempts to replay MM3 or MM4+5 always failed. Some old JRPG had even more basic combats, the management was more meta like manage consumables along many combats. It leads to a question, why not have some auto combat system option like in AoW series? But Im' dry on suggestion on some meta gameplay above an auto combat system in a RPG context.
Gloomhaven, it's cards and complex in my opinion because of the attrition system, but it's grid based, not really a good base for a MM like system. The attrition system is deeply linked to the design of strict missions, it should not match at all a RPG somehow open, more one Hub+missions based, and even then it would be hard to make fit the attrition system to somehow longuer missions fitting more properly a RPG. I didn't finished Gloomhaven because of perf problems but I don't remind it's somehow a classic cards battler, anyway the grid/attrition system makes it very special for cards games.
I thrown cards games randomly and because it seems a design approach more open to fresh ideas, and I can see the positive it can add in turn based by changing constantly the context at each turn even if partially. But for now I didn't dig much.
I played some multi rows system in such types of combats, if I remind well Wizardry was multi rows even if not showing it. I never felt it was adding a lot. I don't have any single idea or tracks to improve such combats, again, if I enjoyed overall MMX combats (more than those of BT4) it's only because of the numerous ambushes and multi fronts combats.
Age of Wonders series always tried mix tactical combats with 4X, but in a campaign combats haven't enough diversity, hence play many or even all combats auto makes sense. Combats system as MMX have one positive in general, allow a rather fast resolution, so you can have more combats to fill a bit more your world. But if the combats are not enough deep and varied, for me, it's now still hard to play long, that's why attempts to replay MM3 or MM4+5 always failed. Some old JRPG had even more basic combats, the management was more meta like manage consumables along many combats. It leads to a question, why not have some auto combat system option like in AoW series? But Im' dry on suggestion on some meta gameplay above an auto combat system in a RPG context.
I quoted the enemy fleeing thing, makes sense, I hadn't quoted the auto battle option, perhaps not mentioned yet. I was thinking of a full system, but I suppose this would require a specific design, that could be complicate like flee with "penalties" when the combat is lost, ok it's looking like a false track or mixed with a sophisticated auto battler. I'm not ultra fan of Dominions series because in SP the AI support is limited, but their sophisticated auto battler system is fun/interesting. Played manually and TB it would be tedious, and RT I'd skip because I can't bear RTS.
Anyway good luck on your project, looks interesting.
I was thinking of a full system, but I suppose this would require a specific design, that could be complicate like flee with "penalties" when the combat is lost, ok it's looking like a false track or mixed with a sophisticated auto battler. I'm not ultra fan of Dominions series because in SP the AI support is limited, but their sophisticated auto battler system is fun/interesting. Played manually and TB it would be tedious, and RT I'd skip because I can't bear RTS.Anyway good luck on your project, looks interesting.