The Kickstarter campaign for the DLC Tales of the Moon Cult has been successful:
Tales of the Moon Cult
You are amazing! We're thrilled to announce that Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is getting an expansion pack next year! Thank you so much for your incredible support!!
Even though the Kickstarter campaign for Tales of the Moon Cult finished with success, late backing (pledging) is still possible, and is counted towards stretch goals. Let's spread the word together about the PayPal option!
Reward surveys will be sent out in the near future. Just like in 2018, we are going to use BackerKit. You will also be able to upgrade your pledge or choose add-ons in BackerKit for a limited time.
We are truly grateful to everyone who has been on this long journey with us and worry not, we're not finished yet. Also, be sure to drop in to our Discord channel and chat by the fire!
Black Geyser: Interview with the team (english version)
While its DLC is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter and is planned to be released in 12 languages including French, the GrapeOcean Technologies team behind Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness had the kindness to answer some of our questions and talk about the project, its creation and its development. Below is the original interview, and following this link is a French version.
If participating in the crowdfunding of Tales of the Moon Cult sparks your interest and if you wish to get some additional rewards, don’t hesitate in giving some money on the Kickstarter page of the project.
RPG JV: Greetings! Could you introduce yourselves?
GrapeOcean Technologies: Our studio, GrapeOcean Technologies, was founded in 2014, bringing together more developers, artists and RPG enthusiasts from all over the world. The idea of a studio focusing on computer RPGs came from three IT university students a year earlier, who enjoyed playing classic-style RPGs. Since then, we released our first videogame, Black Geyser and now working on its expansion pack, Tales of the Moon Cult. Black Geyser has been a true community effort from RPG fans worldwide. In particular, we want to express our gratitude to the French role-playing community for their continued faith in our work. Without your support to Black Geyser on Steam, GOG and Kickstarter, our studio wouldn’t be as it is now.
How did the idea of the game come to the team?
The concept of greed spreading in the world to serve the interests of an evil god… it just came as an idea. There are many games portraying evil villains spreading fear and chaos, but greed and envy are portrayed less often, despite of the fact these are natural human emotions.
What were your influences for the game’s development?
We have always been lovers of classic-style CRPGs such as Baldur’s Gate or Icewind Dale. Magical atmosphere, exciting story, memorable characters. We wanted to follow their spirit while providing a more modern experience and user interface at the same time.
How did the development go and how long did it take?
There were good times and also tough times – as it happens with most indie teams we guess. Based on the feedback from fans, some aspects of the game were reworked, which required additional time. There was also the pandemic and other external events which influenced the development, making it longer than we initially planned. The development of the core RPG engine from scratch (based on Unity) took several years, and the content also took several years, since we are a very small team. During these years, the size of the team changed – we had subcontractors as well who worked on a project basis when their work was needed. Without them, it would have been impossible to develop the game without running out of the budget.
Ho there, adventurers! Less than one week after launch, Tales of the Moon Cult was funded on Kickstarter today! Hundreds of amazing backers have pledged to make this project a reality. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Now about stretch goals. Personal Interactions (€30k) used to be nearest one, but we decided to insert a new, more easily reachable goal at €25k as well: Something For Everyone - with shapeshifting, flails and modding support!
In case you've missed our previous update, there is now a Base Game add-on that gives you Black Geyser for €12 only - this is a 60% discount compared to its full price in stores - a big discount never seen before, and will not be seen again soon.
In the meantime, we've also added a "Base Game + Expansion Pack" add-on for €24. Holidays are coming soon - surprise your family & friends with a fully functional Black Geyser with its future Expansion Pack included!
Thank you again to everyone who has been on this journey with us and don't worry, we're not finished yet. For all those diving in for the first time, be sure to stop by our Discord and chat by the fire!
Black Geyser - Kickstarter Tales of the Moon Cult live
by Hiddenx, 19:48
The Kickstarter for the expansion pack Black Geyser - Tales of the Moon Cult has started:
Tales of the Moon Cult
Tales of the Moon Cult (TotMC) is a major expansion pack for Black Geyser coming to Windows, Mac and Linux on Steam and GOG. It adds new locations to the world map with brand-new content and a questline that revolves around the Cult of Zoria. Several new features are introduced to the base game as well, including Strongholds, Dual Wielding and a number of QoL improvements.
This Kickstarter is the last time you can get the Collector's Edition Box for Black Geyser. The box contains a hardcover handbook (including a monster manual and artbook as well), T-Shirt, mouse pad, keychains and a beautiful cloth map.
Even though our manufacturing possibilities are very limited, we received a lot of e-mails asking about the Collector's Box so we decided to offer this edition for a very last time, extended with the new expansion pack. Thank you so much for your interest, it means a lot!
Main Features You won't need to start a new game in Black Geyser to activate the expansion pack content. However, if you are around the end of the last chapter (point of no return), you'll need an earlier savegame to initiate the plotline of Tales of the Moon Cult.
The estimated release date is August 2024. Our core team is currently very small, so we ask your support to help bring this project to life. A successful Kickstarter campaign will also give us a clear message that we should keep doing what we're doing and stay together.
Existing backer? If you already have an add-on from a previous campaign that gives you this expansion, please refer to our FAQ in the top menu of the page.
Tales of the Moon Cult will be available in all 12 languages supported by the base game, and will extend Black Geyser with the following features aspects:
Major questline focusing on the Cult of Zoria and their answer to the corruption of greed affecting the world
Indoor, outdoor and underground areas with new side quests and riddles
Brand-new spells and magical items
A standalone fixpack with many improvements to the base game, delivered to all owners of Black Geyser as a free update (no DLC required)
Additional features, depending on the stretch goals reached
Crowdfunding campaign for Tales of the Moon Cult launching soon
Ho there, adventurers!
The Kickstarter campaign for Tales of the Moon Cult is launching on 17th October (next Tuesday)!
We're still working on some features of the campaign. If you plan to support us, please help our planning by clicking the "Notify me on launch" button on its Kickstarter page.
If the upcoming Kickstarter campaign is successful, our studio will not have to shut down. In this case, the launch of the Tales of the Moon Cult expansion (DLC) is expectable before August 2024.
The DLC introduces brand-new areas with new content and a major questline focusing on the Zoria Cult and their answer to the corruption of greed affecting the world. Some of the planned features for the free Fixpack are as follows:
Dual wielding for Warrior and Outlaw classes
Strongholds
Travel to quest giver directly from journal UI (one loading screen)
Already known recipes are marked in shop UI
Steam Cloud Save (GOG is already supported)
GOG Achievements
Item descriptions display which classes can use the item
Full personal questline for Helgenhar
Expanded romance lines (planned stretch goal)
Two brand-new companions (planned high stretch goal)
A brand-new character class (planned high stretch goal)
We are happy to announce that we are going to launch a Kickstarter campaign very soon (early October) to fund the DLC's development - its Coming Soon page is already live on Kickstarter!
We encourage you to log in to Kickstarter and subscribe to its launch notification on the Coming Soon page. Your subscription (the number of subscribers) will help us a lot in the planning of the campaign, including the stretch goals.
If the Kickstarter campaign is successful, our studio won't be forced to close, and the DLC is expected to arrive before August 2024.
You can check out this forum post for more details on the DLC and its associated Fixpack. We want to emphasize that this Fixpack will be a free Steam/GOG update to all owners of the base game, so you won't need to purchase the DLC to get it.
Backers of our previous Kickstarter campaign who haven't received their physical rewards yet (game box, lorebook etc.) will receive all items well before the start of the DLC campaign, as all shipping will be completed before the end of September.
Thank you for your support and be sure to join us on Discord, or across social media, to let us know your thoughts.
The RPG Codexchecked outBlack Geyser: Couriers of Darkness:
RPG Codex Review: Black Geyser
During its seven years of development, Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness was widely considered vaporware or a joke title from a completely unknown indie developer from Hungary and Austria. But, lo and behold, it did get a release last year on March 17, as the Codex reported. After giving them time to polish up the game with some updates and bug fixes, let us now take a closer look at it.
Black Geyser was inspired by both the Baldur's Gate and the Pillars of Eternity series – which was also the main selling point during its Kickstarter campaign in April 2018. The UI is almost an exact (and some say, rather shameless) copy of the user interface in Pillars of Eternity, while almost everything else is very similar to Baldur's Gate. But more on that later.
[...]
Conclusion For those who were disappointed with Pillars of Eternity (or are now disappointed with Baldur's Gate 3) as far as delivering a traditional "Baldur's Gate"-like experience is concerned, this game comes closer to it than any other RPG in the last 10-15 years. It does not stand out as great in my view, but still delivers a fun and enjoyable experience – once you get past the first few hours.
Couchpotato spotted a new update for Black Geyser:
Italian Translation Released
Localization News and Recent Changelog
Greetings, adventurers!
We are thrilled to announce that Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is now available in Italian! Our heartfelt thanks goes to Giacomo Falconi from Wordbridge for the Italian translation of the game.
In March, we informed the community about serious issues regarding the current and future operation of the Black Geyser team. We are still working on these issues and will come to a final conclusion in August that we will share with you immediately. Thank you for your patience.
Since our last update, several fixes and improvements have been implemented as well. You can read their list below.
Latest Changes
Added Italian localization
Black Liquor's icon now appears properly
It's no longer possible to kill Bartender Ruflodac in Castle Alastor before he summons his illusions
It's no longer possible to attack Deron-Guld soldiers in the Guild Hall during Fair Winds and Foul quest without them fighting back
It's no longer possible to skip the enemy soldiers on the battlefield and go directly to their leader during the Only Who Is Left quest
Funnel Aura now properly updates effects each turn based on the number of nearby enemies
Subcontainer weights are now calculated correctly
Isla no longer asks about the Pendulum if the player has already talked to her about meeting him
Traps no longer sink into the ground in the lower level of Deron-Guld mine
Looting Bent Journal Page no longer increases greed
Vile ancients during Sephtys bossfight now correctly have their emerge animations and selection circles
Vile ancients now properly emerge during Sephthys bossfight even if the player started it after finishing Catalyst
Potion of the Frost Giant and it's recipe are no longer obtainable
Modified the recipes of Weak Potion of Exhiliration and Potion of the Raging Tempest
Potion of Invisibility no longer scales with player level, it now gives invisibility for a fix 10 turns
Removed healing effect from potion of invisibility
Removed Fortified effect from Strong Potion of Heroic Defense, it now cures poison instead
Increased Shady dealings and Theology check limits in Zornilsa's dialogue at Castle Alastor
Covetous Pendant becomes unusable if player refuses to serve Zornilsa at Castle Alastor
If you like our work, you can support the project by posting a review on Steam.
We are thrilled to announce that Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is now available in French! Our heartfelt thanks goes to Vincent "Goat Buster" Lagaillarde for the French translation of the game.
Since our last update, several fixes and improvements have been implemented as well. You can read their list below.
Latest Changes
Added French localization
Enabled unique spellcasting chants for companions
Corrected Interrupt Strength and Interrupt Evasion calculations
High Interrupt Evasion characters can now tolerate a lot more hits
When casting identical spells on a target, now all instances take effect instead of just one
Sling weapon models are now always positioned correctly
Duration scaling based on class and level is now calculated correctly
Heal over time effects now work correctly
Duration scaling introduced for Healing Mist and Verdant Growth
Healing Mist and Verdant Growth now restore less Health per turn compared to single target heals
Adjusted the damage and scaling of damage over time effects
Item comparison tooltips now appear correctly both in the Inventory and the Shop UI
Available Special Ability points are now correctly displayed during level-up
Dorb won't spawn multiple times anymore
Hamlin no longer disappears after becoming hostile in his first quest
Arvex's final quest cannot get stuck after sparing Siracca anymore
Volendir no longer appears later in the game if he was killed before
The mound of sand in Freynagar now also contains Moist Sand
Jury Rigged Golems no longer engage instantly upon entering the area
Corrected marker positions for all areas on the world map
Each animal in Scofarth now only drops a single instance of Animal Pelt
Isla's staff is now identified by default
Trapped Jade's dialogue now starts correctly when approached by companions
If you like our work, you can support the project by posting a review on Steam.
You can play Black Geyser with a custom party now:
Create Your Full Party, Difficulty Rebalance and Spanish Language
Full party generation, rebalanced game and more!
Ho there, adventurers!
The current update brings long-awaited features as well as some surprises! Summary of changes:
Create up to 5 custom characters during character creation if you prefer
A free online tool to create character builds that you can import into the game
Charisma, Focus and Dexterity now enable more enjoyable and versatile character builds
Balance: improved early-game and end-game difficulty for smoother gameplay
Spanish localization (both for Spain and Latin America)
Lots of bugfixes
[...]
Free Online Character Generator with Custom Party
Create a full custom party you can import into the game!
Greetings, adventurers!
As you know, a major game update is coming tomorrow that also includes the option to create your own custom party (more details can be found in our previous post).
In the meantime, we have also created a completely free, online Character Generator website for you. It allows you to export and download your character (or a full custom party), which you can import directly into the game (after tomorrow's update). As you can open the website from any location, you can have fun with character builds even when you don't have Black Geyser installed on your current device.
You don't need to own the game to create a party with this online website. Anyone is welcome to use it!
Thank you for your continued support and feedback!
Black Geysergot an update with a full companion quest, localizations (more to come) and bug fixes:
Arvex Companion Quest, Russian And Turkish Localization & More!
Black Geyser is now available in Russian and Turkish, while Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese are in progress!
Greetings, adventurers!
The current update not only brings a fully finished Arvex companion quest along with several fixes and improvements, but we are also thrilled to announce that Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is now available in Turkish and Russian! Our eternal thanks goes to Gökhan Halil Düzgün from 23 Studios for the Turkish translation, and to Roman "Scarab-Phoenix" Matsuk for the Russian translation of the game.
Additionally, we are happy to share that the Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese translations are now in progress! Regarding other languages, we will update you as soon as we have more information.
For more information on why some localizations arrive sooner than others, please take a look at this Steam post.
Here's details on our latest update and key localization questions!
Ho there, adventurers!
Since the release of the game, we have received many questions from you on several topics, including the future translations of the game to various languages.
In this update, we are presenting a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) that gives answer to the most frequent questions we have received. At the end of the update, you can also find the changelist of the most recent patches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: I thought the game would be translated to my language by now. Why are some languages available while others are still not? Do you prefer some languages to others?
Answer: There is no preference between languages, we would love to add all of them. The only thing that determines which languages are added are our possibilities, including our financial options. The game currently has more than 280,000 words of text, which is an extreme amount of text for an indie title. Translating this many words is usually very expensive, and takes a very long time for an affordable translator.
Question: I still don’t get it. Why were some languages already added that have a much smaller player base compared to other, major languages that are still unavailable?
Answer: As a small indie studio, we are adding languages that we can, not the ones we want to. For example, some of the existing/upcoming translations were made by our friends or enthusiasts of the genre/game, who are professional translators but translated Black Geyser basically for free or at a very low cost. We don’t prefer adding language X to language Y because we like X better than Y, but because there was enough time and budget for language X. Skipping/postponing language X wouldn’t have helped for adding language Y at all.
Question: My language is still not there anyway. Should I forget it?
Answer: Definitely not! As soon as we have more information (such as an ETA) about a particular language, we will let you know. By the way, Russian and Turkish translation will be added very very soon. We will post more information about them in the upcoming days.
Question: As a small indie studio, you still had a budget for the game and translations, what happened with that? You also had a Kickstarter campaign.
Answer: As stated on our Kickstarter page, the Kickstarter funds were only a part of the funding that we secured from external sources. Unfortunately, as an indie project, we faced many difficulties in the years following the Kickstarter, including the challenges caused by the pandemics. Based on community feedback throughout the years, we also changed the scope of some things in the game and refined/reworked certain features. Altogether, the overall budget required to complete the game increased by the time the pandemics ended. Therefore, less budget remained for translations than we initially anticipated.
Question: Why don’t you allocate more budget? It would allow you to add the missing features and languages. I have also posted a negative review about the game with the hope it will encourage your company to fix bugs faster and add the missing languages. Do you not listen to these reviews?
Answer: We do not have any external funding. Black Geyser is currently our only project, and it is the only source of revenue for the team. We appreciate all feedback, including negative reviews as well, because they are very useful to us for deciding how and where to improve the game. Regarding your question, paradoxically, the more negative ratings we get, the less the game’s revenue will be, even reducing our financial resources to the extent where we’re unable to improve the game by adding missing features or language translations. At the moment, our team is very small, and while we read and process every single review, we lack the resources to implement all requests in a short time.
Question: If you have had so many issues, why have you released the game so early? I’m glad to see you are constantly improving the game and listening to player feedback, but why didn’t you do these much earlier?
Answer: As a small team, we have been doing our best. If we had been able to postpone the release and refine the game before the launch, we would have done it. Black Geyser has been our dream project, but there are financial limitations. The question wasn’t whether there can be a “Perfect Black Geyser” or a “Black Geyser that needs refinements”, but whether Black Geyser exists or not. Based on the feedback of our community, we felt the only right decision was to stay together, release the game and then keep supporting it as we do now.
Latest Changes
3440x1440 resolution now always works correctly
Fixed Shady Dealer dialogue in Garden of Delights
Added Potion Case, Parchment Satchel and Ingredient Pouch for storing items
Item containers (such as bottomless bags) now retain their content if sold
Temple of Alnarius no longer needs a loading screen in Market Street
Level 1 to 4 scrolls are now restocked by vendors
Jade romance now has a correct cutscene
The Fish Out of Water quest now correctly ends in every scenario
Fixed ghost visual effects
Loot added to many empty containers in Crimson Crossing
Loot added to small houses in Amanuel's Hoard
Loot added to Fasitgrove houses
Isilmerald Sightseeing achievement description is now more accurate
Multiclass characters can now utilize the Outlaw "Disarm Trap" skill as well instead of Magical Perception to disarm the Wizard's tutorial trap
The levelup tutorial no longer appears if the player finishes the levelup process while another tutorial panel is displayed
The Twisted Requiem spell now properly adds buffs to the revived party members and reduces the caster's HP by the correct amount
Resurrection fix: Revived character's contribution to Adventure XP will not be lost as long as they can be revived
Additional recipes added to various vendors (Ilio, Zelima, Hu'dai, Red Damsel, Freynagar Brewery, Ay'eda, Regon, Arnulf, Aravina, Deron-Guld Herbalist, Southern Shore)
Incorrect reply options no longer appear in Rothgor starting dialogue
Cannibals, corrupted wolves and skeletons added to Castle Alastor outdoors area
All powders are now plantable
Planting stacked items no longer plants the full stack
Large white visual bug no longer appears for some freezing effects
Tolbard's shop now displays correctly in all circumstances
Arnulf now correctly moves to Fasitgrove after you complete his quest
The Estranged Sisters quest no longer gives gold as a reward when it shouldn't
Fixed Kronica longsword's attack times to match other Longswords
Added missing Shortbow damage bonus for Fighters
The Divine Aid spell now damages Abominations as well
Isla cutscene no longer breaks in the Trapped Under the Surface quest when you attack her
Shady Dealer can now spawn/despawn while he is in party sight
Reply option that ends the companion dialogue is now always the last option
Reply option in Stephan's dialogue now correctly reflects your intention to attack him in the Trapped Under the Surface quest
Fixed a bug that prevented Lich Agelas from casting the Unholy Siblings spell
More loot added to Thieves' Guild and cemetery crypts
The latest patch for Black Geyser adds more party banter, achievement, and fixes.
Ho there, adventurers!
As we continue our post-launch push to improve on all that you've asked, we've delivered two recent updates that deliver key requests: additional party banter and achievements.
Alongside this, we've added the Staff of New Dawn (an item offering resurrection) which sees those who carry it no longer needing to visit temples if a party member dies. We've also finished and extended the Hamlin, Bjalla and Jade companion quests. Take a look at the full notes below.
Tons of mini-banters added
Finished/extended the Hamlin, Bjalla and Jade companion quests
37 new Steam achievements added (the Arvex one can't be completed yet)
Aldnar cutscene (with potential battle) now respects your party formation
Multiselect item highlights in shops now disappear properly when switching item category
Quest inventory is now shared across party members
Items can now be moved to subcontainers (e,g, bottomless bags) via usual inventory "lift & drop" operation (there is no need to open the container UI any longer)
Added tutorials for infusion, world greed, Gerdra encounter, and point-of-no-return in Alastor
There are now five HP indicator labels (uninjured, slightly injured, injured, badly injured, nearly dead)
Minor chain lightning no longer harms party members and allies
Changed house name from "Family Home" to "Wilgo's House" for Estranged Sisters quest
Dozens of fixes in quests and dialogues
Staff of New Dawn (an item offering resurrection) added to Zelima and Ay'eda shops
Deron-Guld soldiers are no longer hostile after you side with Aldnar
Banter texts remain visible for longer times over characters for better readability
World Map tutorial now appears correctly when leaving Crone's Hut
Consumable item descriptions are now always displayed correctly
Gundemund's Freezing Tips now have proper AoE targeting marker
Gerdra messenger cutscene can no longer get stuck
Stunned or frozen creatures can no longer evade attacks
Wights in Xurzax battle were put closer so that they can notice the party
The Pact Prophecy can no longer be put back to its container
Fixed missing wardstone description image
As always and for all of you who continue to support Black Geyser and who continue to provide feedback here or on Discord, thank you so much!
In March, after a hugely positive Early Access period, we launched Black Geyser into 1.0. We were incredibly proud to have addressed many of the issues that players raised and our small team did our best to identify and fix key concerns. While the game wasn’t perfect and there remains plenty to accomplish, we’re glad to see that our continued efforts have seen our recent raft of reviews vastly improve player perceptions.
We’ve still a long way to go to get the game where we want it to be and have been working hard on not only our next update but also our future roadmap. In last week’s update, we added the Pass Time feature alongside other improvements. Where today’s update is concerned, there’s quite a lot of improvements that many of you have requested (full changelog here):
You can now use the worldmap to travel to reachable areas without the need to visit area border
Multiclassing is more worthwhile: previously, XP requirements of chosen classes were summed for multiclassing. These XP sums are now reduced by 20% for using two classes, and 40% for using three classes, making multiclassing more fun.
Magical bags for additional item storage: Bottomless Bag of Bulguras and Superabundant Sack of Swinishness
Rebalanced final battle and the ability to pre-buff before most key battles
Besides this and before the end of the month we’ll also be adding the following (with more to come):
37 brand-new Steam achievements
Dozens of new banters for party members
Finished (extended) companion quests for Bjalla, Jade and Hamlin
Dozens of side quests fixes
As far as our mid-term plans are concerned - and some of these may arrive before the end of the month - we’re wanting to further expand on our quest journal and travel system. These changes will include:
Quest journal mentions the quest giver name and location
Quest journal offers a button to travel directly to quest giver (allows a single loading screen instead of multiple loading screens across outdoor and indoor areas)
Customize the shortcut for ingame highlights (currently, it’s hardcoded to the TAB key)
Compare a weapon item to both equipped weapon sets (three-tooltip comparison)
Potion Case, Ingredient Pouch and Parchment Satchel item to hold potions, ingredients, scrolls and recipes
Finally, our long term plans are very much in the works and while we don’t yet have a firm date on when they'll arrive, we’ll have them to you as soon as possible.
Finished (extended) companion quest for Arvex
Customizable ability bar by player
Item descriptions will list the classes that can use the item
Pets
Strongholds
More spells
More love for unarmed combat (such as items giving a bonus)
Two-handed weapon style
Flails
Deluxe Edition
Game OST as an independent asset
Revising many fetch quests to make them more complex and interesting
Additional, complex side quests
Create a full party during character creation
Savegame file compression to reduce disk space usage
Modding support (including the possibility to lift class restrictions of races)
Additional localizations (translations) of the game
For everyone who has joined us on this journey and continues to support Black Geyser we’re incredibly grateful and we look forward to you diving into these latest updates.
After spending close to 80 hours on Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness, Lackblogger has penned down his experiences with and thoughts on the game.
The quality of the game overall is much better than I was expecting, with lovely surroundings and nice sharp definition (though I have heard it might fall just short of 4k perfection). I found the graphics and design generally to be of a very acceptable (dare I say high) standard that should suit any fan of AA games. While it is not completely feature complete, it certainly is complete in the sense that you can have a full game with it and not be aware that some things are still being sorted out for a future time. The three most notable of these things being sorted out later are: Companion quests and interactions, player strongholds and a rejigged multiclassing system.
Black Geyser - Gameplay Overview @ The Scarlet Seeker
by Hiddenx, 16:04
The Scarlet Seeker checked out Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness:
Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness Gameplay Overview | 2022
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Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is the new game we are looking at today with an Overview/Review of what it is and how its gameplay plays. First we will review the need to know basics of Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness before jumping into deeper gameplay impressions. Black Geyser is an isometric, party-based fantasy RPG inspired by genre classics. Recruit characters with unique personalities and explore a land ravaged by civil war and a mysterious curse of greed. Your choices, good or evil, will decide the fate of the Kingdom of Isilmerald.
As reported before, Black Geyser will launch on the 17th of March and here is the official press release, which was under embargo until yesterday. That embargo thing is odd as it was already known, but it does also come with a trailer.
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Old-School CRPG 'Black Geyser' Launches March 17
Become a Courier of Darkness in this isometric adventure
Oceanside, California, March 14, 2021 - CRPG Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness will officially launch on Steam and GoG on March 17th ($34.99). Developed by GrapeOcean Technologies and published by V Publishing, the old-school project inspired by the likes of Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale has increased in size and scope since it entered Early Access in August 2021.
Having delivered over 20 huge updates that have built upon and significantly improved almost all areas of the game, including Mac and Linux support, Black Geyser has made sweeping changes in recent months. From vastly improved loading times, to clearer player tutorials, new zones, enemies and questlines, the small development team have ensured they've focused on addressing and reacting to key player feedback
Launching with a brand new trailer to showcase just some of the game's locations and combat encounters, Black Geyser features challenging real time tactical combat with pause, over 300,000 words of dialogue, deep lore, and memorable companions. Players are free to build their own hero from five different races and 13 class types, while exploring an open world filled with unique enemies and bosses.
With a unique Greed mechanic that impacts on those around you, players will need to recruit characters with unique personalities, decide their party formations and equipment before explore a land ravaged by civil war and a mysterious curse. Your choices, good or evil, will decide the fate of the Kingdom of Isilmerald.
Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness can be purchased now on Steam and GoG as an Early Access title. It officially launches on both platforms on March 17, 2022.
Key Features
A huge world map with 2 countries (Isilmerald and Northern Realm), dozens of districts, settlements, villages and towns.
5 playable races (Human, Dwarf, Elf, Feldegug and Rillow).
13 unique classes from 4 class archetypes (Priest, Outlaw, Warrior, and Wizard).
Over 300,000 words of hand-crafted narrative.
Traditional real-time tactical combat with pause.
An abundance of spells to wield and crafting to undertake, all combined with deep character progression.
Character actions impact greed, which directly affects the world around you.
An original world filled with diverse characters, creatures and biomes.
Black Geyser - EA Quick Impressions @ WolfheartFPS
by Redglyph, 12:25
WolfheartFPS gives a short summary of what Black Geyser is and how it felt in Early Access. It's mostly for people who don't know much about the game yet.
Black Geyser - A Baldur's Gate Like RPG You Should Check Out (Release Date SOON)
In this lore entry, learn more about Black Geyser and the Gods who inhabited its world.
Ho there, adventurers!
There are many mysteries surrounding the gods of Yerengal and yet their influence is felt throughout the kingdom. It starts from the icy tundra of northern Jotnar, moves to the rising dunes of the Eastern empires, and beyond the endless Zandur sea. Our understanding of them depends on our ability to look to the dawn of creation...
Generations ago, Alnarius, the King-god of Love, and Tilindia, the Mother goddess of Nature, created the universe, and Yerengal was their greatest creation. The first beings, also known as the Many, were created by Alnarius and Tilindia. They have been formed by Tilindia, but shaped by Alnarius, who gave them purpose, passion, and ambition. The Many were tested in order to demonstrate their worth, allowing them to show they can and would live in harmony with this new planet.
As the Many prospered, they began to refer to themselves as Man. Having realized the purpose of their existence, Man cared for the planet and sought the mysteries of their existence. The power and influence of man grew as did his faith and his faith granted the gods abundance in nourishment.
When new gods joined Alnarius and Tilindia, they welcomed them with open arms, even though many of these new gods yearned for the great power the two originals possessed. Alnarius and Tilindia, however, were happy to share their creation with them. These new gods did not always come from the light of the sun, but rather from the shadows of a void, attracted to the power of human infidelity or worse qualities such as chaos and disharmony.
RPGamer reports that Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness would graduate to full release on March 17th.
Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness Releasing in March
V Publishing and GrapeOcean Technologies announced that Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness will fully release on March 17, 2022. The full version of the party-based cRPG will be available on PC, Mac, and Linux through Steam and GOG.com for $24.99 after spending a little over six months on Early Access.
Black Geyser is inspired by classic cRPGs such as Baldur’s Gate and Icewind Dale and underwent a successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in 2018. The game is set in the kingdom of Isilmerald, on the fantasy world of Yerengal, and features real-time-with-pause combat.
GrapeOcean Technologies announced a major update of the Early Access.
Phase 2 Of Our Early Access Is Officially Live
Our biggest update to date brings sweeping improvements to Black Geyser!
After 14 updates since we launched into Early Access in August, we're incredibly pleased to say that update #15 is officially "Phase 2" of our roadmap. Bringing with it huge swathes of changes and improvements, we've been working hard to not only listen to feedback, but bring even more content to Black Geyser.
Additional Main Quests: Choices you take affect the game world and the overall story in the last chapter.
Fresh Side Quests: A variety of new side quests have been added, including long anticipated companion quests.
Re-imagined Starting Experience: The game’s introduction has been completely, revamped with more information, more player guidance and options for how to complete it
6 New Locations: Bringing with it a group of areas from the frozen north, Phase 2 also brings two dungeon areas for players to explore.
Character Generation Refinements: The first of two significant improvements to character creation is an improved experience as well as improved UI.
Added new low-level spells: Who doesn't want greater flexibility on casters when starting out?
Spell & Item Refinements: We’ve rebalanced spells and items to give greater selection, and more power where it’s needed.
Combat Update: Damage scaling has been reworked alongside fairer damage interruption.
New Temple UI: For recovering from healing and reviving characters, removing curses, and donating.
Fresh SFX: New sound sets for both male and female protagonists!
Companion XP Catch-up System: Rejoice, your newly recruited companion's XP and level are matched to the protagonist.
New Boss Fights: Fresh challenges await as you’ll face off against new bosses who aren’t for the faint hearted. For those who do manage to topple them, they’ll offer unique loot.
In the coming days we'll be revealing what's on the horizon for Phase 3, and we look forward to all your feedback surrounding this major update. Be sure to join us on Discord, or across social media, to let us know your thoughts.
GrapeOcean Technologies continues to regularly update the Early Access release of Black Geyser, this time by adding builds for Linux and macOS.
Update #12 Is Here Bringing Mac & Linux Support
Ho there, adventurers!
Our 12th update is a significant milestone for Black Geyser, as it delivers the long awaited Mac & Linux update. We wanted to thank you all for your patience as we worked on this release, and we're also happy to say it brings with it a whole host of additional improvements, including more global performance tweaks. Here's the full details:
Fixes and improvements
Added Mac & Linux builds
Global performance improvements
Party members can now be revived regardless of being gibbed on lower difficulties
Party members now respawn in full equipment when revived at temples at Novice and Normal Difficulties
Party members now respawn without equipment when revived at temples at Veteran Difficulty
Original party order is now restored when reviving party members
Summoning creatures now properly attack any hostile creature
Characters now receive bonuses from currently equipped projectiles only
Formations are now retained when traveling between areas
Creature groups now react properly to having a member attacked (whole group is called)
Improved accuracy of attribute and class descriptions during character generation
Move commands while using formation no longer send characters over walls anymore
Quests "Trails and Tribulations" and "The City of Iron" now give better directions for objectives
The "Trapped Under the Surface" quest now gives better directions for objectives
Added a stableman to the Garden of Delights for the "Ostler For a Day" quest
GrapeOcean Technologies posted their thanks after the Early Access of Black Geyser and started working on a first update, that they just released.
Thank You!
The release of Black Geyser went as expected - busy, hectic, and tinged with relief at seeing the light of day. First of all, THANK YOU. Thanks to all of you who have dived into the game, sent your feedback and reports, or posted your review. It's been a whirlwind 24 hours!
We go through everything you have written to us on the various channels and respond as much as we can. Sorry if we don't answer every individual post or comment, but we read them all, and they will be acted upon. As someone said in our discord, "Early Access means we listen to all feedback and consider them, to make this a great game together with our followers and players."
[...]
Update #1 Is Here!
[...]
Fixes:
Hotkeys are now properly displayed in tooltip texts
The Burning effect now causes Heat damage in every case
Enerant fights can no longer make the Immobilized effect stuck on your character
Command Company buffs now provide tooltips
Fixes in Party Perks functionality
Throwing weapons cannot be put to projectile slots any longer
Select All Common buttons cannot break shops any longer
Krag cannot appear multiple times anymore in the area after you give him a potion
Candle-related bug fixes in the tutorial
Changes:
Several extra Loading Screen hints have been added to further explain game features
Loading screen hints will inform you when you are ambushed during your travels
GrapeOcean Technologies and V Publishing have released the Early Access of Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness Events, on GoG and Steam.
Black Geyser Officially Launches Into Early Access
Are you ready to be corrupted by Greed? Black Geyser Is Available NOW on Steam & GoG!
Ho there, adventurers!
We're incredibly proud to say that Black Geyser has officially launched into Early Access! Our successfully backed Kickstarter project has been in development since 2015, with the size and scope of the game increasing since that time.
Early Access is an opportunity to not only get the game in your hands, but to also get your feedback on as many areas as possible so that we can iterate and improve, and make Black Geyser the best CRPG it can be. We hope you'll join us on this journey.
As a small team, we're ensuring that we not only collect your feedback and prioritise what we think matters, but also reveal in the coming days our roadmap ahead. Be sure to join our Discord and let us know what you think.
[...]
Get your copy of Black Geyser on Steam and GoG for $24.99. We have an exclusive launch week discount of 10%.
An Early Access celebration stream is currently broadcasting on Steam ("4pm EST" according to the link, which seems to be a double typo).
The Black Geyser Team is organizing a PC giveaway.
2 Days Until Release: Win A Black Geyser Themed Custom PC With PC Gamer!
To celebrate our upcoming launch into Early Access, we're incredibly pleased to announce that we'll be giving away a custom Black Geyser themed PC over on PC Gamer.
How to enter
Head to the site, follow the giveaway instructions (which is basically just wishlisting Black Geyser from their site!) and you'll be entered into the draw. More actions give you more entries!
Please note: entries into the competition are for US residents only.
The competition closes on Sunday 5th September, with a winner chosen on Monday 6th.
Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness will be released as Early Access title on August 26. Redglyph spotted a small update:
It's The Little Things That Matter
While we run Black Geyser through quality assurances, here's a little snippet of what we've been working on...
Ho there, adventurers!
As we march towards our August 26th Early Access release date, we just wanted to give a short update on a few little things we've been working on.
You wouldn't be surprised to hear that we're hard at work on quality assurance right now, as well as making smaller refinements to the Early Access version to ensure that your Black Geyser experience is as bug free as possible. However, while we might have missed some bugs (that's the whole point of Early Access!), we still think it’s incredibly important to get the game in your hands as polished as possible.
One of the things we've recently done was to take a pass at the existing lighting in locations and buildings to ensure it’s all consistent. We realized that a tavern entrance in the town of Crimson Crossing didn’t look quite right - it had a bit of a lighting problem. As a huge tavern that's important for travellers preparing to rest their weary heads after a long journey, how would its visitors find it? We've taken the time to not only add stronger lighting, but also far clearer signage...
WolfheartFPS takes a look at Black Geyser and the lore behind it.
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In this video I will be going over the upcoming crpg Black Geyser which is set to go into early access in August. This rpg is aiming to bring back the feeling of the classic rpgs such as the baldur's gate games.
Redglyphspotted a Q&A for Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness:
Community Q&A
While we've been hard at work developing the game, cementing our Early Access release date, and releasing our trailer, we gathered up your most common questions to get you answers (excluding some hardware ones that we're still getting answers for). Take a look below for the latest!
When is the Steam page coming?
Our Steam page is officially live! You can find it here - please 'Follow' and 'Wishlist' us!
When is the game releasing into Early Access?
It's finally confirmed! Early Access is set to go live on August 26th, 2021.
When is the full game set to release?
We are currently aiming for Q1 2022, depending on the feedback the community provides during Early Access.
Why has the game taken longer to develop than initially stated on Kickstarter?
Black Geyser is being developed by a small team with a limited budget. On top of this, the scope and scale of the game has increased over time, leading to us taking longer to achieve the content and scope we wanted to provide.
Will there be pre-order options and rewards?
Our primary focus is getting Early Access into your hands as quickly as possible. While we have discussed the possibility of further rewards outside of Kickstarter, we’re instead keeping it simple: we will be applying a small discount for those who buy into Early Access.
Will Kickstarter backers gain entry to Early Access?
Yes, all Kickstarter backers who backed at the “Early Bird Digital Download” Tier or higher will receive entry to Early Access.
How much content will Early Access contain?
The initial Aarly Access launch contains the first three chapters of the game which is a significant portion of the game. This will include some side quests and several main story quests. Overall, there will be tens of hours' worth of content to playthrough. After that, we will be releasing an additional chapter during Early Access alongside further additional content.
Black Geyser will become available in Early Access on the 26th of August.
Embrace Greed As CRPG "Black Geyser" Eyes Early Access
Discover how corrupt you are on August 26th, 2021
Oceanside, California, 28 June 2021 - Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is set in a land plagued by war, pestilence and abductions, where dark gods have brought nothing but venality and greed. Developed by GrapeOcean Technologies and due to be published by V Publishing, it officially enters Early Access on Steam, on August 26th ($19.99 USD).
Inspired by classics such as Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, Black Geyser features real-time tactical combat with pause, rich storytelling, deep lore and memorable companions, all set in a corrupted fantasy world filled with death and disease.
As a small team, we wanted to create a unique world that had a different tone, but one filled with everything we've come to expect from a CRPG: an epic story, exploration, mystery and plenty of side quests," says David Zakal, Director and Founder of GrapeOcean Technologies. With over 300,000 words of dialogue and a huge world to explore, Black Geyser invites players to choose their own unique race and class, gather their party, and venture forth into Yerengal to uncover the secrets of their heritage.
The choices you make directly impact the story and its outcome. Whether good or evil, if you veer too far to greed the consequences for you and your party can be severe. Having increased the size and scope of development since it was successfully backed on Kickstarter in 2018 (receiving more than $100,000) the indie team officially began development in 2015 before turning to crowdfunding.
Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness can be wishlisted on Steam now in preparation for its release into Early Access on August 26th.
“Black Geyser is a vast and complex roleplaying game in development by a small indie team, the game is designed to immerse the player in a medieval fantasy world infested by greed. Designing the world takes time, but we also want to open the world to players to gain valuable feedback on what systems do and don’t work.”
Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?
“We aim to release the full version of Black Geyser in Q1 2022. The exact release date may change depending on the feedback we receive from players.”
How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?
“The final version of Black Geyser will include the full playable story of the game, alongside additional quests and companions to access. We hope to add more story content and polish to the game and expand on some of the already existing game systems, such as crafting and skills. We are aiming to have these items broken down into two phases:
EA Phase 2: - Northern areas - Backer rewards: custom spells, random encounters, items, plants - Temple system - Optimizations and performance enhancements - Chapter 3 of main quest
EA Phase 3 (Full Game Launch): - Stronghold System - Desert Areas - Improved item mechanics - Full greed system - Pets - Optimizations and performance enhancements - Deeper roleplay options in quests - New item types - Improvements to character models - Visual improvements - Chapter 4 (final chapter) of main quest”
What is the current state of the Early Access version?
“The scope of Black Geyser has increased since we first went to Kickstarter. Based on fan feedback, it has gotten bigger and bolder, with a larger world and more features. The early access version will be a fully playable roleplaying game with most in-game areas and some of the main plot. The first three chapters of the game will be playable on early access launch, with two more still in the making. Most in-game systems such as combat, skills, spells and crafting are finished and in the balancing and polishing stage.”
Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?
“We are planning to offer the game at a lower price while in Early Access.”
How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?
“We are looking forward to receiving feedback from our players on our Steam Forums and reviews, as well as on our Discord server. We will be implementing changes to content and balancing based on the feedback from the community in an effort to make the best experience possible for our players. We believe that player feedback is critical to the success of the game and we plan to fully integrate suggestions and fixes based on what you tell us!”
The UI for Black Geiser has been updated in order to make it more unique. A short glimpse of the changed UI has been made available.
The original user interface of Black Geyser was influenced by many cRPG’s you’ve all played, and while feedback has been positive, in some cases it has been suggested it wasn’t quite unique enough. We’ve taken that feedback on board, and re-worked our UI to not only make it more original, but a lot more functional.
An early look at our updated UI
Some of the components such as the dialogue box have remained untouched, while other changes - such as central portraits and key action buttons - have been brought to the center.
Part of the reason for this is to not only focus the attention of the player, but to also ensure that important elements are within easy reach (such as Attack or Stop) and to generally tidy up the UI space.
This isn’t about rewriting the rule book, but it is about ensuring that the play experience is as comfortable as possible for those who only use a mouse, hotkeys or both.
At its core, Black Geyser is faithful to the genre, but we also want to ensure that we’re carving our own path. Making small changes to the UI is just one of many ways we're doing things a little differently.
The Black Geyser devs team up with V publishing for the furhter development and release of the game.
Thank you for being patient with us. We are very excited to announce that we have partnered with indie game publisher V Publishing. We're excited to work with a publishing team that has years of experience promoting and developing games.
As a team we felt we needed a partner to help us deliver a great experience and provide valuable insights into the marketing and final gameplay experience, but did not want a traditional publisher to come and take away the creative control of the game. That is why we have teamed up with V Publishing. It is a true partnership, and we are working to see the original vision of the game come to life as intended. The team at V will be helping us improve many aspects of the final game and they have already started putting multiple plans in place, including regular development updates, more community engagement and activities, and of course announcing plans regarding launching the game.
Michael Brown, the CEO of V Publishing, wanted to pass on a quick message to all our community members: “As huge fans of games like Icewind Dale and Baldur's Gate, the whole team at V are looking forward to helping improve and deliver a great indie CRPG with depth, and a narrative experience that will be memorable. We hope to add huge value to GrapeOcean’s team and start getting the game in the hands of you all later this year. We are excited to also become members of the community and having fun with you all in the coming months.”
As for our team here, we hope this announcement gets you excited for what we have coming up. We’ll be launching the Steam page and releasing new content details in the coming weeks so stay tuned for that!
Last week the weekly update for Black Geyser offered more information on skills.
Keepers of lore, wisdom, of divine and spiritual secrets. Commonly called priests, they are some of the few who get to communicate with the gods and spirits of Yerengal. They all have their own ways of achieving this. Clerics pray to their deities, druids dream about the Green Mother, and shamans will commune with the spirits of the land. No matter the method used however, these supernatural beings will sometimes bestow their blessings upon those who ask. They have their own secretive ways though, and the reason behind why any blessing was given can rarely be known by the priests.
Blessings can affect a priest character in many ways. Some will enhance their protection against the elements, or increase the effects of their spells, while some may send animals to aid them in battle when they are attacked. It is only up to the gods and spirits to decide what happens.
Black Geyser - Horrors and Monsters of the Dark Cults
by Myrthos, 15:54
In the latest update for Black Geyser some of the horrors and monsters of the dark cults are presented.
Zoria Abomination
The cult of Zoria often uses transformation into an abomination as a form of punishment among its ranks. A rather spectacular form of it, that is. Most initiates only need to see it once to understand that appropriate behavior is a must.
The will of the abomination is taken away, along with any semblance of personality it ever had. Only a hunger for flesh, and an urge to kill remains. Therefore, Zoria abominations can be used effectively as the first line of defense against anyone who would threaten the cult. They are not considerably stronger or faster than regular human beings, but their complete disregard for their own well-being makes them fierce opponents in combat. They are led on a short leash, and the cultists have developed their methods for controlling them over the years. There is always a few of them to spare when the time comes.
Moon Horror
The magic of Zoria is a very dark sort, potent, but dangerous. Her power can combine life and death, or turn one into the other, but there might be a sombre price to pay, should one wish to use it. Her cultists train for many moons before making an attempt at using her dark arts. Those unfortunate souls however, who come into contact with her magic unprepared, might soon find themselves twisted into malformed beings known as Moon Horrors. Moon Horrors barely resemble their original form, and their body is engulfed in a shroud of dark, glimmering mist that is the manifestation of Zoria’s magic.
The cultists of Zoria often used this to their advantage. To protect their secrets from unwanted attention, their most important scrolls and items were enchanted with such magic. Should these items fall into the wrong hands, their examination would lead to the investigator’s painful demise.
Blood Elemental
Elementals are formed by the primal forces of nature, beings animated by pure wild energy. Blood elementals are formed when the world is corrupted to the extent that even these primal forces become warped. Rothgor’s influence on Yerengal made all of it possible. Countless cauldrons of blood have been collected by them to fuel the creation of these elementals. These monstrosities often walk the halls of the hideouts used by his cultists, protecting them from threats both inside and outside. The sight of these coagulated beasts strike fear into the hearts of anyone that should set their sights on them.
They are surprisingly docile, however, once one learns how to control them. The cultists of Rothgor quickly become used to their presence, and learn how to control them during their initiation. They mean no harm to the initiates, until they decide to cross the will of the devil-god. Should they do, however, they would soon find out the strength of these dark beings.
Shadowfury Demon
Brought to existence through the pure, swirling hatred of the devil-god Rothgor, the Shadowfury Demon is a true menace to the denizens of Yerengal. These creatures rarely set their clawed feet outside the magical realm of their master, but when they do, only pain and suffering is left in their wake. Their throbbing hearts are filled burning, scalding-hot blood, fueled by a singular intent to kill and maim anything that moves. Shadowfuries are somewhat intelligent creatures, capable of thought and planning, but their savage nature prevents anything more complex than that. During their time in the realm of Rothgor, they tend to feed off the thick fumes that are vented through the barren grounds.
Shadowfury Demons can be brought to the lands of mortal beings only through Ritual Magic. Their will cannot be controlled, and they only answer the influence of Rothgor. Even the cultists avoid them if possible due to this. These creatures care for their master, but not for his puppets, so cultist initiates are easily treated as free prey. Rothgor sometimes rewards those who meddle with ritual magic – his own invention – with sending a Shadowfury instead of what they hoped to summon. The devil-god finds this rather amusing.
The latest update for Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is abaout the four centers of power in Yerengal.
Centers of global power in Yerengal
In our current update, we will discuss the most important centers of power in Yerengal that may directly or indirectly affect the plot of Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness:
Northern Isilmerald (ruled by King Velianrick, his Court is located in the capity city of Isilbright)
Southern Isilmerald (governed by a rebel Council of Nobles from the city of Deron-Guld)
The Northern Realm (governed by the twin cities of Freynagar and Riznagar)
The Eastern Empires (many semi-autonomous nations controlled by Elenuator, a demigod)
Northern Isilmerald
The kingdom of Isilmerald is currently torn in half due to the civil war that erupted in the wake of the Curse of Greed. The northern half is governed from the capitol, Isilbright, by the rightful ruler King Velianrick. While he is supported by most of the nobility, the rest of the populace does not think so highly of him. The commoners of Isilbright are becoming ever more displeased by the luxurious lifestyles led by the lords and ladies at the expense of their own well-being. Isilbright currently holds the upper hand in terms of military power, but their resources are dwindling, and a drawn out conflict could surely tip the scales in favor of the rebels in the south.
King Velianrick tries to maintain his image as the absolute ruler of Isilmerald, refusing to acknowledge the souther rebellion as a valid threat to the kingdom. He treats the Rillow traders of the east as harshly as ever – hoping to stabilize the economy through their heavy taxation -, and maintains neutral diplomacy with the Northern Realm.
Southern Isilmerald
Southern Isilmerald is ruled over by a rebellious group of nobles, under the military leadership of the War Council. The Council consists of the nine strongest lords and ladies of the south, but many other have joined the fight against the king. The rebellion is coordinated from Deron-Guld, a prosperous mining city surrounded by the mountain ranges marking the southern border of Isilmerald. While currently the fighting forces of Deron-Guld are less organized and well-equipped than the soldiers of Isilbright, time is on their side. The mines and land they took hold of will support the war effort for possibly years to come. All would seem well for the rebellion, if not for the surprisingly potent illness that started decimating the people of Deron-Guld.
The War Council tries to show an open and cooperative attitude towards the neighbors of the kingdom. They maintain a steady trading relationship with the Rillows of the Eastern Empires.
The Northern Realm
The Northern Realm is a narrow slice of land consisting of boreal forests and snowy mountains, situated between the Kingdom of Isilmerald and the frozen, inhospitable wastes roamed by the Jötnar. It is the home of humans, dwarves and white elves alike. The Realm is governed from the twin cities of Freynagar and Riznagar, their rulers traditionally working together in upkeeping peace an order in their territory. The current pair of rulers however, have had long lasting grudges against one another. Their disputes have worsened to the point where armed conflict wasn’t out of the question anymore. That was when the Keeper of the Peaceful Winter stepped in. This ancient, mighty being keeps his watch over the Northern Realm and its peoples, ensuring that peace and order stands. The lord of Freynagar was the one who overstepped the line in the end, and for that, the Keeper erected an immense dome of magical ice over the port city, sealing it from the outside world.
By to the Keeper of the Peaceful Winter’s will, the Northern Realm maintains relatively neutral relations with the other nations of Yerengal. Most of their trade routes lead into Isilbright and the Lands of Zida-Suda.
The Eastern Empires
The Eastern Empires – called so by the people of Isilmerald - are a vast set of semi-autonomous nations among the deserts to the east of Isilmerald. They are lorded over by a powerful Djinni by the name of Elenuator. The westernmost nation among them, inhabited by the Rillows, plays an important role in the conflict in the uprising in Isilmerald. Their great trading road, the Tarq Al’azim spans many lands, and opened way for system of trading never seen before. The both sides of the conflict in Isilmerald might end up depending on their seemingly endless resources, and the Rillow will provide these resources gladly for either. It’s just a question of gold.
Their military force is said to be immense either, and both factions have interests in trying to win the Rillow over to their sides. If these rumors are true, the Rillows could become the deciding factor in the civil war. However, they did their best to stay neutral so far. Might this change in the times to come?
Gamebansheechecked out the beta of Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness:
Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness Beta Preview
Introduction
Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is an isometric, party-based, real-time with pause RPG from GrapeOcean Technologies that was successfully Kickstarted back in 2018. A quick glance at any of the game’s screenshots makes it obvious that it draws its inspirations from the old Infinity Engine games, but also Obsidian Entertainment’s fairly recent Pillars of Eternity series.
Right now, the game is expected to launch before the end of 2020. And with that in mind, we decided to check out Black Geyser’s recently released Backer Beta and report our findings to you.
Story and Systems
By the looks of it, this beta represents a vertical slice of the actual game and not some standalone adventure. It lets you control a small group of premade characters and engage in diplomacy in a hostile city that’s being ravaged by a bunch of misfortunes. A plague, a rebellion, mysterious disappearances, cultists trying to summon all sorts of unpleasant things. Even the local mines are running out.
Speaking of the latter, you would think that a game inspired by Baldur’s Gate, a game that itself abbreviates into BG, would at least have the decency to not copy the basic premise of the Bhaalspawn saga. You see, while most of it takes place before the beta starts, based on some conversations and the quick manual bundled with the beta, I’ve managed to piece together what happens during Black Geyser’s intro.
The Backer Beta for Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness begins on July 3:
Greetings, adventurers!
The Backer Beta has been ready for several days, and it’s bigger than we initially planned!
Having said that, as with every beta, it contains bugs – some of which we don't know about and you will hopefully help us to find. Also, it lacks several features, refinements and performance optimizations that didn’t make it to the beta but will be present in the final game.
Getting the Beta on Steam and GOG store pages takes much longer than the official information we received about it before. Therefore, we decided today that we will be shipping the Backer Beta directly to the eligible backers (those of you who pledged at the Early Access reward tier and above, or chose the Backer Beta add-on).
Regarding Steam and GOG, everything seems to be on the right track, so the Beta will eventually be available on GOG and Steam as well (depending on whether you have specified a GOG or a Steam key in BackerKit). In the meantime, however, we will ship the Backer Beta as a direct download.
This process will begin on the 3rd of July at the latest and will take a couple of days. We will notify every backer whose reward tier included the Backer Beta via email with instructions on how to receive the installer. If you don't receive such an email until 6th July, please send us a message on Kickstarter or via our contact forms.
Due to the situation we are all facing now the backer beta of Black Geyser has been delayed.
As you all know, the Backer Beta was set to come out in a few days. But as many of you are personally experiencing now, the international crisis is having damaging effects everywhere, and our studio has been no exception. We are projecting a delay of two to three months on the Beta, to somewhere between the 17th and 30th of June. But don’t worry! The game is coming along as quickly as we can make it, and the full release is on track.
This comes with one advantage though: while content for the beta is all in place, the delay will give us more time for refinement. We intend for the beta to be bug-free, and we have been going through a series of artistic upgrades to make our maps more beautiful. While we hadn’t planned on this delay, it does present an opportunity to iron out the wrinkles and release a better experience for our backers.
A new Kickstarter update for Black Geyser shares some more details about the Backer Beta and an area called Deron-Guld.
Deron-Guld: a desperate city on the brink of collapse
With the backer beta quickly approaching, we wanted to show off a location that will feature heavily in the portion of the game the beta will explore: Deron-Guld. Deron-Guld is the second largest city in Isilmerald, an important mining town and economic powerhouse in the region, and the capital for the rebellion against the kingdom. By the time the player first arrives in Deron-Guld, things are going very poorly for the residents. Can you intervene to save Deron-Guld? Can you even discover the poison eating at its heart before it’s too late?
Following is some concept art for areas of Deron-Guld so you can get a better feel for how we designed it behind the scenes. The city itself has always been centered on mining and trade rather than decoration, and the recent troubles have done nothing to improve it, so solemn stone and wood comprise many of the buildings. Nonetheless, Deron-Guld has no shortage of areas to discover and stories to engage in.
Below you can see the market. Like everything else in Deron-Guld it has come on hard times; a blacksmith’s shop and a general store are all that remain open amid the desperation. People need to eat, after all, and no war machine can function without steel…
The following picture shows the concept art for the Curious Cat, the one inn and tavern in Deron-Guld. While the outside may be as simple and unadorned as any other building in the city, the inside is the one place where locals can get a flash of color and music to forget their troubles.
And, of course, no war-torn city would be complete without a well-populated graveyard. But can war alone account for the bodies strewn haphazardly on the ground? What eats at the mining capital of Isilmerald? We hope you’re ready to face the desperation festering in the rebel city of Deron-Guld.
In the meantime, stay warm and stay out of abandoned mines. Have a joyous Böoreste!
As far as the schedule of Black Geyser is concerned, there are two updates. One is for the late backer option that ends on the 26th of December and the second is about the game being available in Early Access on the 24th of March.
And then there is also an update about the player stronghold.
For this update we wanted to show you something we’ve been working on. Our Stronghold system will allow players to have a base of operations. Strongholds are specific to each party role and class, with each of the four roles (Warrior, Wizard, Priest and Outlaw) getting their own unique area, and aesthetic changes to the Stronghold based on the player’s class within each role. While we’re not ready to show off the final in-game map yet for the Strongholds, we wanted to give players a sneak-peek into how our concept artist has worked to design our Stronghold maps.
The image above depicts Locus, the Wizard stronghold. Clever players will find a way to summon a portal to Locus, deep in the woods south of Isilbright. Each area within Locus contains a puzzle, allowing you to further access the remaining areas (those walkways don’t start out as straightforward as they look here!). Once the puzzles are completed, Wizards will be able to utilize each of the buildings for a variety of purposes, and recruitable NPCs who are not currently in the party will make themselves at home so that it’s easier for players to enlist their services later without having to travel all over the world map.
As mentioned earlier, specific classes will see aesthetic changes to portions of their role’s Stronghold. Wintermages will find the Sanctum appropriate to their frosty pursuits after claiming Locus as their own.
Warriors and Priests will have more combat-oriented challenges to unlocking their Strongholds, while Outlaws will find themselves meddling in intrigue that affects the whole nation! Additionally, players who are not of the correct role for a given Stronghold will still be able to play through the quest related to each, so never fear about missing any content! As the game continues to develop, we will be showing you more information about the Strongholds you can call home.
A soundtrack of Black Geyser has been made available in video form.
After our last update, many of you complimented us on the music that played when the party first came outdoors into Vintner’s Grove. We thought you might enjoy if we shared it as a standalone track in this update. The following is from our official soundtrack.
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Alsoan additional video expanding on the one from the May update has been made available.
Today we are also sharing a follow-up video to our last one. Its focus, as with our May update, is on dialogue and story elements, while demonstrating more of our UI and how areas of the game can change due to certain factors (in this case, time and interdimensional travel!).
Our party is on the hunt for an antidote that will save Stephan and his men from the terrible poison inflicted by a magical trap. Finding it requires using a dangerous cursed stone to travel to the past. Will we be able to locate the antidote in time? What dangers lurk in the Cult of Zoria’s hideout? Watch the video below for the exciting conclusion to our side quest: Trapped Under the Surface.
Anew update on Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness. The video focuses on dialog and story aspects.
New gameplay video is live!
For this update, we want to address more specific dates relating to our delays, while at the same time giving our backers a much better idea of what to expect. For this gameplay video, we will be focusing on the dialogue and story aspects of Black Geyser, and the systems throughout the game by which players will be able to influence their surroundings while interacting with NPCs. All of the footage you will see in this video is part of the Black Geyser Backer Beta; backers who have pledged for a tier that includes this reward will be able to play through the same sequence of events that we choose in the video, as well as a lot of content before and after what you will see here. The options that go unselected are things our beta backers can choose in the Beta, as they are possible routes in the conversation and may lead to very different results than those you see in this quest.
The Cult of Zoria quest presented here ties in directly to the main story quest of the game. Your character has been hired by a mysterious figure in Isilbright (the capital city of the kingdom of Isilmerald) to flush out the cult dedicated to the worship of Zoria, Demigoddess of Night. Strange things have been happening in the countryside west of Isilbright, along with the disappearances of important political and religious figures. It’s up to you to root out the truth and discover what the demigoddess’ recent resurgence of followers might mean. But in the course of your investigation you find other adventurers, sent before you to investigate the same happenings. Will you help them, or claim the glory for yourself alone? Can you discover what the cultists are up to before it’s too late?
Just as a reminder, for a short while longer our late backing is still available. If you are interested in what you see in this update and want to be a first-time backer, visit our Backer portal here. If you are an existing backer who has not yet pledged for a tier including the rewards which grant you access to our Backer Beta, you still have a chance to upgrade your pledge on BackerKit; follow the link in your email that we sent you after you first pledged to access our pledge manager, and update it to a higher tier if you want to join the beta!
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Current status
As discussed in our previous Kickstarter update, delays were expected due to the combination of external and internal causes. To be brief, we faced more unpredictable bugs than we assumed we would in our initial project plan. After fixing them, we decided to rewrite a part of our Unity-based game engine to make it more robust in order to reduce the risk of similar bugs in the future. This refactor is now complete. Other bugs were completely out of our control (for example, the Unity core engine and editor have their own issues as well, and we have very little influence on those).
Additionally, for several months it looked like our negotiations with the investor who proposed a change in funding milestones might have finished at any moment, but talks only ended a few days ago – with success. The good news is that the game will have all the features that we originally planned for (as well as those promised due to successfully-reached Kickstarter stretch goals), but there will be a delay of 8-9 months in the release of the Backer Beta as well as in the launch of the finished game from the dates we originally planned. Therefore, the Backer Beta is expected to be accessible in November 2019, while the release of the game is expected to be ready by April 2020.
Our next Kickstarter update is planned at the end of June. Stay tuned!
A new update for Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness looks at recruitable party members and the herbalist guide.
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Recruitable party members
We have mentioned in the past that there will be quite a few possible party members to recruit as you explore Isilmerald. We’ve decided to outline three of them here to give you a feel for the kind of characters you will meet on your journey. Each of these characters has their own personal quest that you can work to complete, but we don’t want to spoil them!
Siracca, the Heretic
Background and overview
Siracca, like most Rillow, came west along the spicelines to Isilmerald. But while most Rillow come seeking adventure, experiences or wealth before returning home, Siracca has come for a different reason… and she's never going back.
It's not clear whether the legends about the Rillow's creation are true, but Elenuator is definitely the race's patron, and a jealous one at that. Siracca has committed what amounts to the cardinal sin among the Rillow: she began to devote herself to a god other than Elenuator. In fact, Siracca is a Cleric of Alnarius. Among her kind, this makes her a heretic and an outcast of the highest order. While she was unable to stay in her homeland without the threat of summary execution, she feels little compulsion to hide what she is in Isilmerald; thus, she actually seems to go out of her way to be ostentatiously offensive to her kin, abandoning their social norms and many of the things that are normally associated with Rillow. Siracca wears no jewelry, and prefers simple, functional clothes. She has little desire for the hedonism her compatriots so often pursue. Instead, she has devoted herself entirely to her god, and travels Isilmerald to spread worship of Alnarius and help restore harmony wherever she goes. Her one concession to her race is a natural talent for Brewing, which she uses to aid in her healing abilities.
Siracca is highly opinionated, but not unkind. She will loudly protest the player doing outwardly chaotic or greedy things. Additionally, having her in the party may cause conflict with other Rillow, either in the party or out in the world. Other Rillow view her very existence as offensive, to the point of it sometimes inciting violence. She remains cheerful in the face of adversity, however, and is prone to even unrealistic optimism. She also happens to be remarkably resilient to greed; having come from a society which favors displays of opulence and turned her back on it, Siracca's faith and force of will keeps the curse at bay. That said, should she believe that a greedy action is the only way to spread love and harmony in a given situation, she may be prone to choosing the lesser of two evils.
Gameplay
Siracca is first and foremost a healer. She prefers peaceful solutions to problems, but because of her past she also understands that sometimes violence is unavoidable. Still, she serves in the Healer/Buffer role and should be kept off the front line.
Siracca is nearly immune to greed. While she will loudly complain about greedy choices being taken by the player, it actually takes a great deal for her to leave the party. She is endlessly optimistic and believes anyone can be redeemed, so the player must do things either specifically in opposition to Alnarius or commit incredibly heinous crimes before she considers leaving.
Other Rillow in the party will frequently argue with her, possibly even refusing to join a party with her in it to begin with. Siracca does not wear jewelry of any kind; all inventory slots for rings, earrings or necklaces are unusable for her.
Appearance
Siracca is plain, for a Rillow. The tusks jutting from her cheekbones are short, unadorned and white. She tends to wear simple robes and has few features to distinguish her from her compatriots. The one thing that stands out about her is a brand in the middle of her forehead, symbolizing her heresy against Elenuator. She makes no effort to hide it, intentionally her hair short to make the brand visible.
While tall compared to other races, she is relatively short for a Rillow woman, standing only about the height of a Human man. She lacks much of their typical broad stature as well; in fact, were it not for her tusks and ears, she might be able to pass for a tall human woman in dim light. She makes no effort to hide her heritage, however.
Helgenhar, the Trueheart
Background and overview
Helgenhar comes from a family of renowned Stoneseekers. For some time, he was content with his lot in life and enjoyed time spent with family and clan. But over the years Helgenhar started to notice subtle changes within his home. Dwarves naturally covet beautiful and valuable things, but for most the journey of finding and creating is more rewarding than ownership itself. Over time his clan’s sense of exploration and strong community started to unravel. Greed and suspicion worked it’s way into their hearts. Fathers began to image their sons plotting against them, and communication and trade began to break down with other clans. Helgenhar knew the answers lied above in the realm of men, and journeyed out to seek the truth and prevent his people from going to war.
Helgenhar Stoneseeker is a stout ally and potentially a good friend for the player character. His strong moral fiber has allowed him thus far to resist the temptations that seem to be seeping into the world. He hails from Stundur Hum, dwarven for Stone Home, which rests deep in the roots of the Skegg mountains.
Family and home are of paramount importance to Helg. He will agree when the player aligns with those interests and become upset when they go against them. He is resistant to the effects of the Greed that is infecting world, but he is not immune.
Helgenhar is very brave but can also be quite shy. He is very deliberate and carefully observes his surroundings. As such he is slow to speak and only when he is fairly sure of his words and his intentions. Many take his silence and ponderance as cowardice, but little could be further from the truth.
Gameplay
Helgenhar acts as a “Tank” role within the party. He is powerful and slow and does what he can to attract enemy attention to himself. As a dwarf he is very resistant to damage and has a large pool of hitpoints.
Helg fights against greed in the world, but it may still affect him if the player isn’t careful. In the end he can be turned and give his heart over to the curse that plagues his clan. However, he will likely leave his companion before then if the player seems to be making too many greedy decisions. A persuasive character may be able to get him to stay, but there is a fine line between keeping his friendship and maintaining his sanity in the face of greed.
Appearance
Helgenhar has a bright red beard and matching hair. He keeps his beard long and braids it to signify his role within his clan, as is dwarven tradition. He is short, stocky and has a powerful frame. His green eyes darken and burn with intensity when he is angry.
As a particularly long-lived race, Dwarves appear younger than they actually are in human terms. Helg seems to be in his early 20s, but in truth he is nearly a century old.
Bjalla, the Destined
Background and overview
The life of a Feldegug is full of harsh realities and bitterly-earned truths. Living in one of the more hostile climates, white elves have remained reclusive and xenophobic since their adaptation to the icy northern tundras. Few enter their lands, and few leave. Those who do venture away from their homeland tend to keep their own counsel, preferring to deflect attention from themselves and avoid uncomfortable questions. So it is particularly notable when a white elf makes a name for herself and does little to avoid prying eyes. When Bjalla Adelis walks down the streets of Isilmerald, people take note. And she doesn’t seem to mind.
Bjalla is a young Spellweaver of notable talent. From a young age, her greatest strengths put her at odds with Feldegug society; endless curiosity led to unanswerable questions, and those questions led to uncomfortable silences. When such questions persisted, silence became anger. As Bjalla would tell it, that anger spoke more of the white elves’ ironic resistance to change (given their origin) than it did to any sort of reasonable judgement about what Feldegug society ought to be aiming for. So it was not a surprising turn of events when she was cast out, exiled to die in the frozen wastes for one too many offensive inquiries. What the Feldegug elders likely did find surprising was that Bjalla not only avoided death in the harsh winter of the northern climes, but she managed to thrive on the experience. Escaping restrictive customs was precisely what Bjalla needed to explore her full potential, and the frozen wastes were no barrier to her goals.
In recent years, the young Spellweaver began wearing a particularly ostentatious diadem across her forehead. It was with some surprise that Isilmerald’s sages recognized the central decoration as the Third Eye: a legendary gemstone said to grant control over fate itself. Bjalla has avoided discussing either how she acquired the gem or what it actually does, though in a number of conflicts she has been involved with, witnesses reported seeing a frightening, wolf-like creature with three eyes, which invariably destroyed her opponents. Sharper-eyed viewers might have seen the Third Eye glowing in synchronicity with the raging wolf, but it would be hard to reconcile such reports with the calm and collected demeanor of the nearby sorceress. Bjalla certainly hasn’t said a word about it.
But few would deny that behind her cool gaze is a woman of purpose. A mage who will play a part in the turbulent times to come.
And for her part, Bjalla Adelis has never denied it.
Gameplay
Bjalla is a Spellweaver, and not one prone to specialization. Her endless curiosity leads her to embracing most knowledge she encounters as being equally important. She is a wizard without a dedicated focus to her practice. But her versatility can make her less adept at any one thing. Smart characters may convince her to focus on the magical aptitudes they most need to fill in any gaps in their abilities. But they will also remember that such curiosity leads to Bjalla being a capable advisor when it comes to matters of magic.
Bjalla cares little about material possessions, but that does not mean she is resistant to the effects of greed. Greed takes many forms, and she may well find herself overwhelmingly tempted by her desire to acquire rare or forbidden knowledge. Should a player wish to avoid her corruption, they would be best advised to keep her grounded. Bjalla may need reminders that some things are better not knowing if the price is too high.
Due to her reputation as a remarkable wizard, Bjalla may draw attention during her travels. This may have both positive and negative effects, depending on what the player wishes to accomplish at any given time. Stealthy characters may find it difficult to avoid notice while Bjalla is in the party. More ostentatious characters may find her notoriety a boon when trying to impress NPCs with the company that player keeps.
Bjalla Adelis is a romanceable character. To garner her interest, the player should show interest both in her and her goals. Bjalla seeks knowledge and the revelation of mysteries; if she finds the player character sufficiently interesting, she may be more willing to share her secrets and her person in exchange for theirs.
True to her ancestry, Bjalla remains cold (and often sarcastic) in her conversations. But as a break from tradition, characters who get to know her may find a fiery interior behind the calm veneer; this may extend beyond her thirst for knowledge into personal (and sometimes emotional) interests. To be close to Bjalla, a player must be willing to deal with the negative outlook inherited from her people, as well as the passions that define her.
Appearance
Bjalla Adelis is an average member of her species. Both Feldegug and Deroni elves tend to exhibit physical characteristics that other races consider beautiful and delicate, and she is no exception. But unlike the somewhat more carefree personalities of Deroni elves, Bjalla has inherited the serious demeanor of her upbringing, and appears generally aloof and uncaring compared to those of more emotionally expressive mortals.
She stands at normal height for her race, with golden-blonde hair and sharp features. She tends to dress in finery more out of habit than anything else. Seeing her smile is a rare occurrence, though someone close may be able to break her out of her usually neutral demeanor.
The latest update for Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness announces an extended crafting system.
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Brewing and Drying
We have extended the concepts of the brewing and drying systems based on your feedback, making them much more complex and exciting.
Brewing. We have introduced a heating device slot to the UI, which allows magical items (typically cauldrons) to be equipped. They allow you to regulate the heat of Brewing on a three-tiered scale (Low, Medium, High), opening tons of new options provided you have sufficient ability in the Brewing & Drying skill. While the maximum heat level (High) is rarely used (it usually overheats your mixture, spoiling your ingredients), some extremely rare recipes will succeed only on High heat. In the hands of very experienced alchemists, these recipes allow the creation of the most potent potions in Isilmerald.
Brewing equipment, with heating level set to Low
While Brewing is enabled only once a character has invested a minimum amount of points into the Brewing & Drying skill, characters with zero skill can still use the new "Infuse" feature. Infusions involve combining ingredients in the absence of heat, allowing their essences to blend together without any skillful manipulation. There are fewer options available to a character choosing to Infuse instead of Brew, and ordinary potions created in this way are typically much less potent than their brewed counterparts. However, some plants have traits which react poorly to heat; thus, you will find some unique recipes for powerful potions which require Infusion and strictly prohibit the use of any heat in their preparation.
In-game description of an ingredient
We are currently working on the concept of "additives,” which allow you to add certain ingredients (typically powders) after the brewing process has started, in the same fashion that you might add salt or pepper to a soup. Since this is work-in-progress, we can't reveal many details about what additives might do; suffice it to say that they will add interesting complexity to Brewing.
Drying. Here we have also introduced a heating device slot, enabling magical items (typically candles and lanterns) to be equipped in the Drying process. Candles will always provide Low heat, while lanterns allow you to regulate the heating on a three-tiered scale in the same fashion you do it when Brewing. The second tier (Medium heat) will change the chemical makeup of your powders, resulting in some unexpected changes in the powders' effects. Just like with Brewing, the third tier (High heat) normally ruins your ingredients (turning them into ashes), so this heating level is only used by the most competent alchemists.
Candles are readily available as drying devices, but they do not let you regulate the heat level.
One additional note on Brewing and Drying: Always make sure to identify magical cauldrons, lanterns and candles before use (you don't want to imagine what a cursed, evil lantern or a candle enchanted with wild magic will do...) Keep this in mind before deciding to replace your good ol' ordinary candle with a shiny magical lantern that your Lore skill is too low to identify.
Lanterns allow you to set the heat level for each ingredient of the drying process.
Conclusion
With the crafting system more fully in place and the worst of the bugs fixed, we can continue polishing the complex primary quest we have been working on, and can also resume working on content development in general (including the implementation of Kickstarter stretch goals). Stay tuned for the next update. We have a lot in store for the next few months.
In an update for Black Geyser, we do not get a development update but a tale and a piece of music, of which they hope it gives backers a tast of the Garden of Delights.
It’s been a busy month here as we work on adding new content to the game. We wanted to give our backers a little taste of what we’ve been doing and a feel for Yerengal. The following story and music are to give all our backers a chance to imagine the Garden of Delights and better understand the game world. An item we’ve recently added to the game is highlighted, and we hope players will enjoy the way it fits into a quest they will encounter in the Rillow’s pleasure palace. Step for a moment into the Garden of Delights and try to remember…
The red moon rose over the horizon, and Ambros watched it come. The sun had not quite set, and he imagined that somewhere off to the west he could hear the echoes of battle. Blood turns the moon red, they say. It pools in the corners of the world, and the moon bathes in the carnage before rolling across the sky, searching in delight for the source of violence. The young man thoughtfully leaned back and sipped his spiced brandy. The moon, it seemed, would have much to revel over in the coming years. Isilmerald had split, and these skirmishes were only the beginning.
Around him, the smoke smelled less like the destruction out west and more like amber and lilacs. Between the strands of incense floating from the censers, the open courtyard thrummed with casual words and a low, insistent drum beat. Dancers of varying races moved gracefully through the café tables, their colorful, transparent clothes brushing against patrons’ skin as they passed (accidentally of course!) and their perfume mixing perfectly with the scented air. Ambros tried not to marvel. He’d grown up hearing about the Rillow and their decadence, but seeing it first-hand in the Garden itself? More than a little distracting. He needed to keep his head clear for what came next, he thought, as he set down his third empty glass.
Unaware of their source at first, he felt someone’s soft fingers snake into his. Ambros jumped in surprise and looked up to see the loveliest girl in Yerengal (surely!) smiling at him from under a laced purple veil. “Hu’dai will see you now,” the girl cooed, tightening her grasp slightly. Forgetting why he was there, the young man let himself be led between tables of laughing dwarves and whispering elves, over a puddle of sticky wine and through a silk curtain. Not until the girl released his hand and left his side was the spell broken. He blinked a few times in confusion.
Retcon Raider summarized what is known about Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness.
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Today I thought we'd take a quick look at another crowdfunded cRPG that I recently backed. Today I thought we'd talk about "Black Geyser", by GrapeOcean Technologies.
It's a party-based isometric cRPG inspired by games like Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, set in an original fantasy world cursed by dark gods. Black Geyser features a real-time-with-pause combat system, and a particularly heavy focus on world reactivity!
I did back Black Geyser on Kickstarter, but I'm not otherwise associated with Stoneshard or Ink Stains Games in any way. I just love talking about interesting new retro RPGs!
You did it! The Garden of Delights will become a reality thanks to your support!
It is a hub of unknown pleasures, where the rich and powerful meet to try the most exotic experiences offered by the Rillow's most veteran hedonists. While it may seem like a paradise, beyond the swaying courtesans and heady incense lie corruption and intrigue. Players who visit may discover secret plots or perhaps just fall prey to sweet sensation. Can you resist the lovely facade of the Garden of Delights long enough to delve deeper?
We have raised more than $145,000, reaching our final stretch goal. Even though this was the last stretch goal, late backing is still available via PayPal and BackerKit as well. Every additional dollar will be used to enhance Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness.
Completed surveys were locked down in BackerKit. Backers who haven't filled out their survey yet should choose any add-ons and complete their survey as soon as possible. We will process these orders manually.
The Kickstarter campaign for Black Geyser: Courier of Darkness is over, reaching 217% of it's goal and also unlocking the Valley of Singing Trees and the Convoker class.
As we know how much people like to discuss the Black Geyser kickstarter, here is news about another stretch goal that was reached. I didn't know it existed, but there are also stretch goals based on the number of backers. Having more than 3000 backers opens up a new area named The Barracks.
We have exceeded 3,000 backers!
This is not only wonderful but also means a brand-new area has been unlocked for Amanuel's Hoard: Barracks!
Which means now we have: Servants' Quarters, Gardens, Herbary, Fortress and Armory, and Barracks. You can read more about Amanuel's Hoard in the main Kickstarter page.
Next goal: unlock the 6th area with 3,750 backers!
And there is this bit of info about Amanuel's Hoard:
Lord Amanuel was known as the greediest man in all of Isilmerald, even before the period of chaos and greed began. When avarice infested Isilmerald, he mysteriously disappeared. No one knows what happened to him, but his castle, lands and entire hoard of wealth are rumored to remain. Hundreds of adventurers, infested by greed, have entered his lands seduced at the thought of claiming Amanuel's riches... So far, none have returned.
At this moment there are 37 hours to go in the campaign and they have reached 92.5 KEuro.
With an update a day, there are 3 new updates for Black Geyser. The first is about the new social stretch goal Ay'eda.
For our next social stretch goal we will be introducing a new NPC to the game. Her origins are shrouded in mist, her wares are powerful, and her secrets are expensive. She may guide you towards a brighter future for Isilmerald, or show you the dark road to forbidden knowledge.
What mysteries might she hide in her caravan? What dangers await those willing to listen to her advice? What riches and power might come to those who seek it? Players will be confronted by these questions when they pull back the silken curtain to meet Ay'eda, the Mystic.
The second is about the $100K stretch goal, the convoker class.
Our next stretch goal at 100k offers a brand-new spellcaster class, Convoker.
The convoker eschews most other magical pursuits in favor of the Summoning spell class. Convokers are versatile masters of adaptation; instead of focusing on the icy grasp of a Wintermage or the dark energies of a Necromancer, Convokers call upon a wide range of creatures to suit any needed task. But don't mistake their versatility as pacificity: the summoning abilities they bring to bear can rain destruction on their enemies through claw, flame or steel.
You can visit the links, but there isn't that much more relevant information beyond what is quoted.
And then there is this video:
Below is another video from our ongoing walkthrough, focusing on a short subquest that involves much dialogue and persuasion of greedy NPCs.
Another social and a funding stretch goal have been unlocked for Black Geyser.
Great news! We have reached the 75k goal (Rillow is now a playable race!) as well as our social stretch goal of 500 shares (Kendall the Blacksmith).
The next social stretch goal is Ay'eda the Mystic, located in Isilbright, with 750 facebook shares. We will soon reveal more about her!
The next financial stretch goal is finally 100k: a brand-new wilderness area with its own dwellers, secrets, and subquests: Valley of Singing Trees. And a brand-new spellcaster class! More information coming soon on this class.
In a new Kickstarter update for Black Geyser more info is provided on gree and envy.
Fear is the obvious path into darkness, greed is the hidden path
In the Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness backstory, spreading greed is a new plot by dark gods to infiltrate, turn, and eventually wipe the world of mortals. Mortals have learned to cope with fear and evil, but have not learned to face their own weaknesses such as envy or greed. While fear from an external force makes people stick together, envy and greed silently divide and turn them against each other.
Greed is deeply rooted in the game lore, and is very special because it has a dual nature: it has a divine origin, but relies and feasts on the very nature of mortal beings. It exploits something that every mortal has had since their creation. It confronts us with our own dark side that has always existed, turning it against us. Mortals turned by greed become connected to the divine source (divine nature) of the curse, increasing its global strength. This corrupts even more mortals, resulting in a cycle of feedback to the evil divine source.
Greed does not mean you are evil
Being greedy does not mean you are evil, and you can be evil without being greedy.
NPCs affected by greed are not necessarily evil. If they hire you for a quest to retrieve an item because of their obsession and you complete the quest, you were good but contributed to the divine curse of greed, eventually making the kingdom even more chaotic. If you complete the quest but keep the item for yourself and even kill the innocent NPCs who hired you, you were evil and greedy. If you persuade them to change their mind about the quest in a branching dialogue, you were good and also fought against greed. And so on and so forth.
When you choose to be more generous and convince other NPCs (influencers) to do the same, then you attempt to break the feedback cycle to the evil divine source. While there is no way to break it completely, you can slow down the process, resulting in a "better", different state of the world by the time you reach the last chapter of the game. And different state means different challenges and adventures.
This means that the next stretch goal is, with about 10K to go, a new playable race and as a social stretch goal there is a blacksmith, who can forge weapons for you.
In the latest update for Black Geyser, a music mix from the game is made available.
Here is a music mix from the OST of Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness. (Don't forget we have a soundtrack Add-On for €7!) The mix includes clips from the following songs:
• A Peaceful and Prosperous Land / The Vineyard (full song from 0:00) • In the Wilderness at Night / Night Wandering (clip from 3:00) • The Red Damsel / Tavern (clip from 3:16) • Temple of Alnarius (clip from 3:36) • Knights of Isilbright / Carnival (full song from 3:49)
The Kickstarter campaign for Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness has reached its base funding goal:
We are funded!
THE BASE GOAL IS FUNDED! This is amazing! The first goal was hit quicker than anyone expected. Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is going to be a reality because of you!
We received several questions whether we support Add-Ons. We have an Add-Ons section before the Rewards section on the bottom of the Kickstarter page, make sure to check it out! You can use add-ons to extend your existing reward tier with additional elements. For example, if you pledged €16 for the Early bird version and want to get all future DLCs and expansion packs of the game, add €15 to your existing pledge (making your pledge €31, without changing your current reward tier).
Our next Stretch Goal is for modders (anyone who creates custom content for the game) and for those who play the game in a language other than English. Check out Update #3 for details on the Language Pack and Advanced Moddability stretch goal.
Black Geyser has a new video about combat and is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter.
Ho there adventurers,
Below is a video from our ongoing walkthrough, taking place in the forest near Isilbright as we advance in the subquest 'The Cult of Zoria'. Our dwarven protagonist just switched his enchanted lightning hammer to a brand-new volcanic warhammer and cannot wait to try it. This is an early stage of the subquest, so the enemies are no match for our adventurer party.
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We hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness gameplay. Your feedback and interaction on Kickstarter is already making the game better than we could have ever imagined.
While we set our sights beyond the finish line and prepare to enter our final development phase, we realize some of you may be entering early stages of CRPG withdrawal, waiting for Black Geyser's official release... Don't worry, we got your back!
Black Geyser's contributing Story Consultant and Narrative Designer, Nick Macari, co-developed the story and took the role as lead script writer on Tower of Time–a fantasy CRPG recently available on Steam. Combining old school, text intensive fantasy RPG elements and a modern real-time combat system, this game is kicking butt and taking names in both user and critic reviews. If you need a gaming fix in the coming months, as we finalize and polish off Black Geyser, Tower of Time just might be the game for you.
RPGWatch Feature - Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness Interview
by Myrthos, 18:00
Farflame reached out to David Zakal to talk about Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness, for which a Kickstarter campaign has started today.
RPGWatch: You revealed a story about evil forces that repeatedly tried to destroy the world until they came up with a scheme based on greed and destruction from within. Some people would probably say it is a common fantasy story while others would see some parallel to our world in it. So how would you describe it? Is it mostly based on common fantasy tropes or is it mostly allegory? Or is it more complex than it seems?
David: In the Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness backstory, spreading greed is indeed a new plot by dark gods to infiltrate, turn, and eventually wipe the world of mortals. Mortals have learned to cope with fear and evil, but have not learned to face their own weaknesses such as envy or greed. While fear from an external force makes people stick together, envy and greed silently divide and turn them against each other. As you said, it is destruction from inside. Another interesting point in the backstory is that one of the dark gods requires this scheme because she would cease to exist otherwise. She fights to keep a long-time status quo: her eternal life. The status quo and establishments have changed throughout our real history, and those who were interested in keeping the status quo did not hesitate to use the most subtle and ruthless methods to stay in power. Therefore, this is another point where people may find an allegory to the real world, but I would like to state that our game is purely fantasy and any similarities to real-life events are coincidental. We want to make a game our players love and enjoy.
RPGWatch: How does the skill system and character progression work? I noticed that classes have unique skills but are there also common skill trees for everybody? Some perks? Pets?
David: Your characters gain experience points during gameplay and combat. When they collect enough experience for a level-up, the game indicates this, and you can finalize the level-up by allocating various things (e.g. skill points). There are three general skills that are available to all classes: Bargain & Persuasion, Learning & Research and Brewing & Drying. Of course, the maximum points you can allocate may be different for each class (a Fighter will never brew as well as a Druid or research as well as a Spellweaver). Additionally, there are a few weapon skills as well (such as Throwing) that are available to all classes.
The closest equivalent to perks I can think of are special abilities that characters may receive at level-up or after special, rare events. In terms of activation, these work like spell-like abilities and behave in the same way as spells in terms of re-memorization. For example, Thunderclap Berserk and Prolonged Berserk are such abilities for the Fighter class.
Pets and familiars are planned to be a Kickstarter stretch goal.
A Kickstarter will be coming soon for Black Geyser.
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Our Kickstarter campaign is coming soon! http://www.blackgeyser.com Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness is an isometric, party and XP-based, realtime-with-pause RPG set in the world of Yerengal. The current video provides a basic introduction to the game. Special thanks to our team member, Steve Ryhn for his help in creating this video.
A small development update from a while ago for Black Geyser, was spotted by Eye, which is all information we can find up to now on their road towards a Kickstarter campaign.
Members of your adventurer party are now able to walk together. We have been debugging party movement and combat system basics. In the meantime, a brand-new area has been finished: a unique tavern you haven't seen in any other RPG. This area will be present in our Kickstarter campaign video as well.
Black Geyser: The Courier is an isometric, party based, real-time RPG set in the world of Yerengal. A game that combines immersive graphics and brand-new features with the virtues of classic RPGs that we all loved in the 2000s! Solve mysteries, fight epic battles, help beggars and kings, outwit swindlers and gods, and never forget: when the Courier, this horrible creature, completes its task, greed shall infest us all! As an indie team, we need your help spreading the word about Black Geyser: The Courier. It is expected to be released in 2016.
Brewing equipment, with heating level set to Low
In-game description of an ingredient
Candles are readily available as drying devices, but they do not let you regulate the heat level.
Lanterns allow you to set the heat level for each ingredient of the drying process.