Following up on the not so popular poll (it isn’t too late though ;)) inviting players to weigh in on GUI design decisions, as well as a lengthier discussion on this subject on RPGCodex, here is the current state of affairs concerning the traditional version of the GUI.
And a big revelation on just how open the world will be 😉
The debate has raged on for days… Weeks even.
Should niche games be priced higher to compensate low, but presumably motivated demand? Or should they be priced lower to entice a less familiar audience to give them a try? This question I explicitly asked in an RPGCodex poll thread. Seven pages of debate later, the poll numbers were the following (as I am writing this):
Indie “niche” RPGs should be priced
High. There’s little demand but the demand is motivated. >$20 15 vote(s) 14.3%
Above average. Don’t be too elitist, you’ll miss out on reasonably interested folks. $15-20 43 vote(s) 41.0%
Just below average. Compete with price, but not too hard. $10-15 45 vote(s) 42.9%
Low. Indie RPGs aren’t worth more than $10. <$10 10 vote(s) 9.5%
Aggressive. Go for the impulse buy. People will buy anything for <$5 7 vote(s) 7.6%
(Multiple votes are allowed.)
Note that the wording I chose for this poll does direct answers a little bit. It is only as scientific as Inxile’s new recruits will allow Wasteland 2 to be. In short, it is also, and especially, for entertainment. To be taken with a grain of salt.
What this suggests is that a solid majority favors higher pricing, but not over the top. Also this implies that the niche game in question be worthy of appeal, which is quite a subjective requirement. Whether or not it applies to Swords and Sorcery Underworld Gold is for you to decide.
So pricing aggressively is not believed by most to benefit from any kind of curiosity that making the game accessible could bring to an actual purchase. The majority does not believe that demand for a specific product can be motivated enough to justify pricing far beyond the accepted market range. The idea that the target audience be in favor of contributing 20-30% more than the estimated market norm ($15) is largely favored. The idea that it should stay in the range, or a 20-30% below, is doing just as well.
In short, this poll is a bust. Not only are the numbers not really high enough to be statistically viable, but nothing clear-cut really stands out.
To add further input to this debate and possibly close it forever, I decided to put S&S Underworld on sale for the weekend, at $9.95. For the sake of science, of course. It was previously priced at $19.99.
While I am still tweaking Underworld a tiny bit to address final requests and fix a couple minor glitches, I think it is time to seriously start talking about the sequel.
The menace has past. Unbeknownst to the larger population, the cause of undead uprisings and vicious dragon attacks was sought out and vanquished by a band of six adventurers that vowed that they would not stay and await certain death as the world around them fell prey to rising pestilence and unchecked violence.
Citadels throughout the realm opened at last, to a world in ruin but transcended by the promise of life that was considered lost only moments before.
Families torn by loss and separation reunited as best as circumstances would allow. Toil started heartily after just days of mixed celebrations and mourning. Burnt villages and cities were rebuilt in weeks and trade routes reestablished with realms spared or less affected by the plague. Plague was the word adopted by many, to describe the inexplicable darkness that covered so much in ruin. Few attempted to understand it better, with more immediate priorities to attend to. But as these necessities subsided, questions arose.
The ancients spoke of a first coming. This had happened before and was likely to happen again. After years of peace disturbed by growing doubt and quiet rumors, subversity set in. The official response to the people’s demands for disclosure, as to the identity and whereabouts of the heroes that had once saved the realm, as to the nature of the evil they engaged and defeated, was continuously one of denial of any form of subsiding danger.
Then the dead started rising again. Albeit in small, easily manageable numbers, they were enough to turn subversity into rebellion. And rebellion was met with ruthless repression.
Baronies and Duchies seceded. While some renewed their oaths to the Crown, claims arose of the King’s madness and unfittedness to rule, followed by claims to the Crown itself. Others still crafted Royal Circlets of their own and war banners floated to the high winds. Winds that carried a renewed hint of the pestilence past, but few took notice. The scent of blood spilt on fields of agony grew to such strengths as to make the subtle smell of ancient death next to unnoticeable.
Swords and Sorcery – Sovereign will be a continuation of its predecessor , while expanding on its foundation in many ways.
Sovereign will take place in a large, open world that includes cities, villages, citadels, forests, mountain chains, glaciers, swamps, desert, caverns and dungeons… Your party of adventurers will deal with friends and foes as they had previously, but also with factions, political forces and alliances they can weigh into, or try to break. But they can also ignore them and choose to focus on other, perhaps more urgent preoccupations.
Sovereign will introduce two new classes, druid and hunter.
An extended set of spells and abilities.
Active character creation and development.
Crafting and factions…
Much more will be announced and discussed. Stay in touch for a first video introducing the GUI and some of the game’s future environments. You can join the monthly newsletter on the top right of the page.
Join the community forums to discuss development and take part in shaping the game. Note however that while many things will be open for discussion, some will not.
You can support development by purchasing Swords and Sorcery – Underworld and enjoy a solid 30 hours of dungeonning and adventuring!
It’s been almost three weeks now since release and I’ve had tons of great conversations with many of you on how to improve the sequel. Once again I couldn’t resist the urge to implement some of these things to make Underworld better. While some things will indeed have to wait for the next Swords and Sorcery installment, a good deal of these are now in Underworld.
First and foremost, several of the game’s mechanics dwelled too hard on the old-school factor with little real benefit to the gameplay. These primarily include inventory and ressource management (trading, stores, food, water, gold). These are the most visible updates for v2.0.4:
Trading between characters: Two characters are represented in trade. F1 swaps focus from one character to the other. F2 toggles the part of the focused character’s inventory that is represented from packed to equipped and vice-versa. Arrow keys switch characters on the focused side (Trade can be used to equip or unequip if the same character is on both sides). A-I and 1-9 instantly transfers the given item from one side to the next. The usual constraints for equipping items apply. F3 switches to description mode and any item selected while in that mode triggers a popup with a description, as it still does in each character’s individual status screens. Using the mouse makes focusing unnecessary
Gold, food and water are now party ressources. The figures are global. (G)athering and (S)haring have been removed from the game entirely.
Stores have been overhauled as well. Characters and store “aisles” can now be changed without stepping out. Buying weapons (now “Arms”), armor, imported and miscellaneous items can be accessed via function keys (F6-F10) while F11 switches to selling mode. F12 switches to description mode, no matter what part of the store you are in. Arrow keys and 1-6 switch characters while staying in the same mode.
Other improvements:
– SP (blue), Holy Water and Runes (purple) meters added to character list in world view and combat.
– Increased mouse and keyboard responsiveness.
– Popup info screens explaining when Ste(a)lth is disabled and why (Rogues need full HP) and other less than evident restrictions.
– Added clues for some of the game’s more cryptic situations.
– Options accessible from the intro screen.
– Skill descriptions accessible in character status screens while in combat.
– Attributes described in game (accessible in character creation and status screens).
– Offensive spells no longer require selecting that last enemy.
– Ammended AI for shooters.
– Fixed several incomplete item descriptions.
– Added entries to Quest Log.
Bug fixes:
– An important item drop not occuring in certain circumstances.
– Seeing rebels before seeing the king caused improper response.
– Fixed “entangled”.
– Fixed “Silenced” on Fire Spirits and enemy healers.
– Fixed “Stun”.
– Fixed items wrongly flagged useable that caused a freeze when used.
– Fixed damage and distance calculations.
– Fixed missing walls in River of Fire.
– Fixed “A”ttack Necromancer causing the Rogue to enter ste(a)lth if first up.
– Fixed World Map (Now hotkeyed ‘W’) that made the goblin realm selectable when it shouldn’t have been.
– Fixed menu hotzones for mouse (that were too low).
My initial plan was to release a bug fix update but the other changes caused a considerable delay in its release. My apologies and thanks to all of those who have been patiently waiting for it.
Big, big thanks to players that have reported bugs and suggestions in the forums! Please check your emails for the update link. If for some reason you didn’t get it, don’t hesitate to ask for it at charles at this-website-url (olderbytes) dot com.
Next up, the sequel announcement. Just a few days now!