Vapourware Seven Dragon Saga - Gold Box spiritual successor from SSI veterans

[Aenra]

If we lived in the utopian future where you log into every single thing through Google and Facebook accounts at the small cost of all your personal privacy

Hey, free compulsory V.P.S. treatments for everyone

 

[Grunker]

That's never a bad thing

I take it you treat your fevers with leeches.

 

[Aenra]

That's never a bad thing

I take it you treat your fevers with leeches.

Depends on the THACO. What edition are they?

 

[ProphetSword]

What Pool of Radiance is, is a name and a nice not overly large project that can be handled by a smaller team with Unity 3d and the assets from the unity store.

Go ahead and do it, then. I'll wait.

Clearly, if TSI wanted to retread "Pool of Radiance," that is what they would do. I applaud them for not doing that.

 

[Branm]

I rather take a look at the details of their tabletop ruleset first before even comparing my non-existent knowledge of their ruleset versus other available tabletop rulesets.
I am hopeful that if they are truly nerdy as others claim, they would release the initial ruleset pdf as a update just like ToN did as a backer update, IIRC.
That would boost a lot of confidence in tabletop communities regarding their game, at the very least.
EDIT: Wait, is it ToN or W2 that did that? I can't remember.

T:ToN uses the Numenera by Monte Cook P&P ruleset, and yes this was and is a addon in the Kickstarter/Paypal pledge system of inXile. Now you can even buy the numenera books (at least some) through inXile.

Their not really using it though, A lot of it is getting adjusted... I got the numenera rulebook simply because i pledged a lot ($275) and meh...the rule set as in the book is crap and one could never translate to an computer based rpg.

 

[FuriousGamer87]

I rather take a look at the details of their tabletop ruleset first before even comparing my non-existent knowledge of their ruleset versus other available tabletop rulesets.
I am hopeful that if they are truly nerdy as others claim, they would release the initial ruleset pdf as a update just like ToN did as a backer update, IIRC.
That would boost a lot of confidence in tabletop communities regarding their game, at the very least.
EDIT: Wait, is it ToN or W2 that did that? I can't remember.

T:ToN uses the Numenera by Monte Cook P&P ruleset, and yes this was and is a addon in the Kickstarter/Paypal pledge system of inXile. Now you can even buy the numenera books (at least some) through inXile.

Their not really using it though, A lot of it is getting adjusted... I got the numenera rulebook simply because i pledged a lot ($275) and meh...the rule set as in the book is crap and one could never translate to an computer based rpg.

Please stop killing my dreams. I actually have high hopes that InXile could do better the second time around after Wasteland 2.

EDIT: Going to check those updates that they sent me for a snippet of that ruleset.

 

[Branm]

10% funded after 48 hrs....yeah.....this is going no where real fast. Might as well cancel it now and save your dignity and come back with a proper pitch

 

[tuluse]

Please stop killing my dreams. I actually have high hopes that InXile could do better the second time around after Wasteland 2.

EDIT: Going to check those updates that they sent me for a snippet of that ruleset.

They're reworking combat completely, but the rest of the system—such as it is—seems to be going in.

 

[Darkzone]

What Pool of Radiance is, is a name and a nice not overly large project that can be handled by a smaller team with Unity 3d and the assets from the unity store.

Go ahead and do it, then. I'll wait.

I'm currently working on something else, which interests me much more. But should i be ready with the current project, i will then make the Slums and Sokal Keep of Phlan, or better said the Harbor and Laborer Quarters and Falcons Keep of the City 'Perun's Glory' in Unity3d with the rules of D&D3rd edition. That is a promise. And i never make promises, if i do not intend to keep them.

 

[Zombra]

Pool of Radiance can be handled by a smaller team with Unity 3d.

Go ahead and do it, then. I'll wait.

i will make the Slums and Sokal Keep of Phlan, or better said the Harbor and Laborer Quarters and Falcons Keep of the City 'Perun's Glory' in Unity3d with the rules of D&D3rd edition. That is a promise. And i never make promises, if i do not intend to keep them.

Crazy shit. I'll play it, dude!

 

[Roguey]

I don't remember anyone having problems with perspective change in Lords of Xulima.

http://steamcharts.com/app/296570

 

[Bumvelcrow]

Seven Dragon Saga is now 10% funded. I feel really optimistic as 10% at the start of third day for company on its debut game. Calling for more support. Thanks to all the backers.

Really? 10% after 2 days is death for most kickstarters. Just look at the donations profile over course of a month for previously successful ones - it's a big first day splurge followed by slow rise and then a boost in the last couple of days. Devs really need to pull something out of the bag to turn this one around. Zombra? Keep at it...

 

[V_K]

I don't remember anyone having problems with perspective change in Lords of Xulima.

http://steamcharts.com/app/296570

Context, my dearest.

 

[Roguey]

Blobbers are the nichest of niche. The first Legend of Grimrock was a once-in-a-decade exception; fewer people paid attention to the sequel despite it allegedly being an improvement in every way.

 

[Infinitron]

Blobbers are the nichest of niche. The first Legend of Grimrock was a once-in-a-decade exception; fewer people paid attention to the sequel despite it allegedly being an improvement in every way.

Grid-based blobbers.

The commercial performance of a "party-based Skyrim" free-roaming blobber remains unknown, because nobody has released a high profile one since Might & Magic 9 and Wizardry 8.

(No, Frayed Knights doesn't count.)

 

[tuluse]

The real example of people not having a problem with a change of perspective is the Final Fantasy games.

Of course they do the opposite of Gold Box.

 

[Zombra]

Update #4

Mar 13 2015

Another milestone... Two in one day! We've surpassed 1,000 backers!

PC Gamer acknowledges our heritage and tells folks *why* they should care about our game: Seven Dragon Saga! You can read it here: http://www.pcgamer.com/dnd-veterans-kickstarting-old-school-crpg-seven-dragon-saga/

A big thanks to our friends at Richard Garriott's Portalarium. As you are aware, they invited us to participate in a cross promotion for an in-game item- The DragonShroud Blade.

The DragonShroud Blade
Who says no to Lord British??? They've been extremely supportive of our work and have also sent out news of our campaign in this weeks Shroud of the Avatar Update. As for what we'll be including in their game, well, we're going to keep that as a surprise for now.

For an upcoming update, we're compiling your questions and David Shelley will be sharing details about character creation in the game. There are exciting times ahead as we welcome new backers. We continue to rely on you, our fans, to promote Seven Dragon Saga and humbly acknowledge all your support. We all want this to be a success and the type of adventure you want to play!

Sincerely,

The TSI Team

I don't want to hear about your exclusive in-game items, but it's good to hear that a PC Gamer article is out. Still looking forward to that gameplay update

 

[Abelian]

I'm glad I didn't raise my Underworld Ascendant pledge, since it looks like this campaign will need the funding more.

I found the pledge reward tiers kind of strange, since they are not cumulative as is the norm. Then again, it would be overkill to feature someone in the opening credits, grave marker, and closing credits. The box copy not being included for only one of the $100+ rewards is particularly unusual.

Comparing the $140 vs $150 rewards was jarring, since at $140, TSR has to order and ship a manual, map, clue book and codewheel, but for $150, they set the value of a string in ten seconds for almost $100. Such is the price of vanity, I guess.

The combat camera angle reminded me strongly of HoMM 5.

 

[Musaab]

Who says no to Lord British???

I don't want to hear about your exclusive in-game items, but it's good to hear that a PC Gamer article is out. Still looking forward to that gameplay update

Are you saying "no" to Lord British? Shroud of the Avatar is getting full loot in a bunch of areas and loot will lootable off players until they leave a scene. (just announced)

 

[LarsWestergren]

Really? 10% after 2 days is death for most kickstarters. Just look at the donations profile over course of a month for previously successful ones - it's a big first day splurge followed by slow rise and then a boost in the last couple of days.

They are fighting an uphill battle, that's true. The rule of thumb has been that bigger Kickstarters have a 30/30/30 distribution, with 30% on the first ~2 and last ~3 days, with an almost flat line in between. But there have been several notable exceptions lately, where mentions from geek celebs or word of mouth makes it pick up pace late. NightCry is the only one I can remember off the top of my head.

 

[m_s0]

I would move the portraits to the right side of the screen. Disable the minimap, or have it called up with a hot key and appear on the left. That would at least flow closer to the character layout and area view of the Gold Box games.

Or remove them altogether. I'm not sure any of that stuff is necessary, and the character portraits could be made much, much smaller if the health/mana bars were vertical instead of horizontal.

Not to mention resize the goddamn screenshot properly so it doesn't look shit. I want to cut those guys some slack, I really do, but come on.

Hello and thanks for a second day of our Kickstarter for Seven Dragon Saga. Your support is appreciated greatly, and we hope you will continue to spread the word with friends, family and in online communities.
Back in the day, anyone that played computer games knew SSI (or Strategic Simulations Inc. for those that don't remember). And when we say "back in the day" - we're talking C-64/128, Apple II, Atari 800/ST, Amiga, and the MS-DOS era of the PC. In those days, SSI was born out of a love of strategy and RPG PnP/board games and was responsible for games like: Wizard’s Crown, Phantasie, and Questron before winning the Dungeons and Dragons license against heavyweights such as: EA, Sierra, and Origin. They went on to publish titles across multiple settings: The Forgotten Realms, The Dragonlance series in Mystara, Dark Sun, and Ravenloft. Today, fanboys and industry veterans alike were shaped by those early classics. Members of the Seven Dragon Saga team are proud to have helped craft those amazing games, and we're really excited to bring back that era of RPG goodness beginning with Seven Dragon Saga.

That’s WHY you see top developers like inXile, Larian, and Obsidian acknowledge the influence of the Gold Box games and their enthusiasm for new work. If you’re a backer of Pillars of Eternity like me, then you already received Pillars of Eternity Update #91 championing our return!

Let's talk about our Kickstarter progress! We've had a great response from the press so far, with sites like GameInformer, RPGCodex and Gamewatcher talking up Seven Dragon Saga

So it looks like they're intent on staying course. So basically this project is almost certainly fucked. And the RPG Codex - pretty much THE target community for what they claim to be making - is doing anything but talking the game up.

Update #4

Mar 13 2015

Another milestone... Two in one day! We've surpassed 1,000 backers!

PC Gamer acknowledges our heritage and tells folks *why* they should care about our game: Seven Dragon Saga! You can read it here: http://www.pcgamer.com/dnd-veterans-kickstarting-old-school-crpg-seven-dragon-saga/

A big thanks to our friends at Richard Garriott's Portalarium. As you are aware, they invited us to participate in a cross promotion for an in-game item- The DragonShroud Blade.

The DragonShroud Blade
Who says no to Lord British??? They've been extremely supportive of our work and have also sent out news of our campaign in this weeks Shroud of the Avatar Update. As for what we'll be including in their game, well, we're going to keep that as a surprise for now.

For an upcoming update, we're compiling your questions and David Shelley will be sharing details about character creation in the game. There are exciting times ahead as we welcome new backers. We continue to rely on you, our fans, to promote Seven Dragon Saga and humbly acknowledge all your support. We all want this to be a success and the type of adventure you want to play!

Sincerely,

The TSI Team

The guy in the middle would be the author of these updates, I imagine.

 

[Morblot]

I cannot fathom why there's no physical tier that includes the PnP ruleset AND the clue book, code wheel and the cloth map. Goddammit! I went for the PnP rules but now I'm not sure what I want anymore.

 

[ProphetSword]

Out of curiosity, has anyone told them all these concerns? I haven't had time to check their forums, but it seems to me that the best way to give them feedback about their Kickstarter and early gameplay videos is to find someone who can tell them directly or send them a link to this thread.

 

[Branm]

They really should know of the codex's existence and come here themselves to check...Not like that's asking for a whole lot considering there isnt a whole lot of sites with a lot of users that have a hard on for classic games...Or you know... they could of cme here prior to starting this kickstarter...people would of let them know in no uncertain terms that their campaign as laid out blows.

 

[NotAGolfer]

Saying that I really don't like this pitch would be an understatement.
One thing the Kickstarter surge showed me was how much of a graphix whore I am.
I don't need fancy AAA graphics mimicking the real world, but give me something with decent art that supports the atmosphere of the game or at least copy something that doesn't outright suck (so please no early, sparse 3D sprites).
Sure, I care about systems and deep gameplay, but if the rest of the package doesn't support the theme, I don't care. That's why I love Fallout despite its tactically shallow combat, everything just clicks together (especially the different game systems like loot and SPECIAL but also the art).
The pre-alpha footage in their KS pitch video didn't even convince me that this will have good gameplay mechanics, because it didn't show anything more than underwhelming run of the mill TB combat with an IE like camera angle. Why even show it when the art is that abysmal too?

When I only look at the KS these guys seem like amateurs without any ambition to their project. Even stuff like the goals system already has the stench of being tacked on and not interwoven with the rest of the game mechanics (so you only get some bonusses you might not even need for roleplaying these chars? *yawn*). I like the borderlands part but that's basically the only thing and I suspect that will be tacked on too (exchange the names of questgivers and tada!). And there's nothing in the pitch about the kind of TB combat experience they want to create ... wasn't that the main draw in Gold Box games? WTF?!

With all the time passed since SSI they will have a hard time to convince people that they still got the fire.

I'm sure as hell not backing this. I'm so over backseat designing KS games (or reading about it) and there are enough examples of indie designers who know their shit and can create a good game without QA outsourced to the KS crowd.