New Arc Line - Arcanum inspired RPG announced

HiddenX

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Wizard Worm presents a spiritual successor of Arcanum - New Arc Line from the Ukrainian developer Dreamate:

New Arc Line - Arcanum Successor Announced (Party-Based RPG)



New Arc Line takes place in a fantasy world undergoing a technological revolution, much like the United States' on the brink of the 20th century. It's a period of disruptive change, of great conflict between the old ways and brand new systems.

Your journey starts in the shining metropolis of New Arc. Millions of immigrants, mages and technologists of various races arrive here by steamboats and zeppelins searching for a better life.

But beneath the golden facade social tensions are mounting, segregation, inequality and corruption runs rampant. The civil war is looming.

A single ambitious immigrant might tip the balance and decide the fate of this world.
Will you rise to the occasion?

In this world, Technology and Magic are incompatible with each other.
One obeys the natural laws, the other rips them apart.

Many paths ahead of you, none of them easy.
What will you choose?
More information.
 
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Posted about this game last week you are slow HiddenX. Anyway don't watch the old alpha footage gameplay as it's no longer the same game but similar to Witcher III.

@daveyd shared this information on the discord channel for New Arc Line.
Not much info on the site so I chatted with one of the devs a bit: Combat sounds RTwP (third-person view & real-time battle with active pause, tactic camera and possibility to set up an order of abilities to use next). I think that alpha footage is outdated. But also sounds like it will be fairly light on combat with a strong narrative focus. Full (main) character creation. Hoping to release in 2023 but that could change. Made in the Unreal Engine.
The initial Reddit post from the developer.
Hey, r/arcanum! I’ve been an Arcanum fan since I finished my first playthrough of this cult classic all these years ago. I absolutely loved the plot, characters, music, and the entire atmosphere of the game, it was unbelievably good. Few other games managed to influence me this deeply. I got into game development with a dream of creating immersive crpg’s like Arcanum (also Planescape Torment, Baldur’s Gate, and others).

And now I’m proud to say that together with Ukrainian game development studio Dreamate Games we are developing New Arc Line - a modern Party-Based RPG set during the Gilded Age of Magic and Technology.

You can learn a bit more about the game on our website here - https://newarcline.com/

Arcanum has inspired many aspects of the game beyond being set in a steampunk world. We want to explore similar features that made it so unique and memorable.

Magic vs. Technology

The central conflict between magic and technology defines both the lore and mechanics of the New Arc Line. There’s no middle ground - where one is present, the other falls short. You will have to make a choice and it won’t be easy.

The dark side of progress

In order to create a believable and troubled world, the game will not shun the less glamorous aspects of the age: prohibition law, bootlegging, banditry, corrupt cops, child labor, sweatshops, the legacy of slavery, and segregation of fantasy races. Player discretion is advised.

Deep progression system

New Arc Line will feature a highly detailed character system with several races, backgrounds, spells, skills, crafting recipes, and technological schematics. You will also manage a party of characters representing different archetypes, and use their unique synergic abilities.

Choices that matter

The fate of this world will depend on your decisions, and each new player character will have a unique experience.
 
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I have read about it earlier as well, but I heard about so many wannabe Arcanum RPGs in the past - so I was happy that Wizard Worm (he's from the Ukraine, too) could confirm this new RPG.
 
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True that we'll see if this developer can deliver this time.:nod:
 
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The early gameplay footage showed a top-down / isometric RPG with grid-free turn-based tactical combat. As Couch mentioned they changed it to a Witcher style 3rd person perspective with a RTwP combat. I'm sure some will be happy about the combat change but I'm obviously rather disappointed. I'm also not a fan of the perspective change; it's fine for a solo action RPG but I can't imagine it working well with a party based game. It's a baffling design change to say the least.

Despite my grumbling, I'll keep an eye out for this. Developer told me it would not have trash mobs, i.e., any combat will be important to the narrative. If they actually hold to that design philosophy I could still like the game. Arcanum combat is pretty awful IMO (both modes) but I still enjoy playing it except for a few tedious dungeons with hordes of enemies. But I'm not going to get my hopes up this will be a worthy successor.
 
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I couldn't stop laughing at the guy's voice. He sounds like Borat.

The game sounds good in theory, but the fact that they're Ukrainian gives me pause.
 
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Lots of Ukrainian and Russian game developers have fled their native countries so they can continue to work (and live) in peace.
 
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after reading the word Arcanum i felt happiness. ok, gonna read futher now.


noooo , pre alpha.. i want it now ;-)
 
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The early gameplay footage showed a top-down / isometric RPG with grid-free turn-based tactical combat. As Couch mentioned they changed it to a Witcher style 3rd person perspective with a RTwP combat. I'm sure some will be happy about the combat change but I'm obviously rather disappointed. I'm also not a fan of the perspective change; it's fine for a solo action RPG but I can't imagine it working well with a party based game. It's a baffling design change to say the least.

Worked pretty well with the Mass Effect series.
 
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Worked pretty well with the Mass Effect series.

Well, I didn't like Mass Effect combat at all, but regardless of my personal tastes I'll grant it wasn't a complete mess. However, it only worked to the extent that it did because you only controlled Shepard. IIRC you just gave occasional orders to companions to use a special ability. From the developer's description I was thinking it'd play more like Infinity engine game's combat.

But I just went through the Codex thread Couch posted and it seems like Dragon Age Origins, KOTOR, or maybe NWN1 are probably better comparisons to what they're going for combat wise. All games I've managed to enjoy in spite of terrible combat (and terrible official campaign in the case of NWN). Hope they at least give better control over the companions than Mass Effect or NWN henchman style commands.
 
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Well, I didn't like Mass Effect combat at all, but regardless of my personal tastes I'll grant it wasn't a complete mess. However, it only worked to the extent that it did because you only controlled Shepard. IIRC you just gave occasional orders to companions to use a special ability. From the developer's description I was thinking it'd play more like Infinity engine game's combat.

But I just went through the Codex thread Couch posted and it seems like Dragon Age Origins, KOTOR, or maybe NWN1 are probably better comparisons to what they're going for combat wise. All games I've managed to enjoy in spite of terrible combat (and terrible official campaign in the case of NWN). Hope they at least give better control over the companions than Mass Effect or NWN henchman style commands.
My opinion is that your opinion is terrible. If i see one more failed TB game i'll cry a little.:)) They are like mushrooms nowadays after dos 2 and xcom! Most of them are mediocre games so much so one can't even remember thier names.

Just because a few rare TB games made it work it doesn't mean it's good it has its problems just like any other system far far from perfect. THere is a reason why most games are real time. Anyway we get it, you need turns to be happy i guess.:)
 
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If i see one more failed TB game i'll cry a little.:)) They are like mushrooms nowadays after dos 2 and xcom! Most of them are mediocre games so much so one can't even remember thier names.

If you replaced "TB" with "real-time" in that paragraph it would be just as true.
 
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