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Game News Bard's Tale IV Kickstarter Update #43: Backer Alpha Released

Infinitron

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Tags: InXile Entertainment; Paul Marzagalli; The Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep

As promised last week, inXile have released the Bard's Tale IV: Barrows Deep alpha to eligible backers. The release was timed to coincide with their visit to this year's GDC, where Michael Cranford is giving his talk about the original trilogy later today. The new Kickstarter update has all the details:

The Backer Alpha is Here!

Today is a day thirty years in the making! For the first time since players defeated the Mad God Tarjan in 1988’s The Bard’s Tale III: Thief of Fate, fans will have a chance to play a sequel and experience new gameplay! This first playable version is an important stepping stone toward the game's release later this year, and we’re all excited to finally share The Bard’s Tale IV: Barrows Deep with you. Whether you are one of our alpha backers or will be watching press coverage, we’re looking forward to hearing what you think!

Further in this update is a FAQ for our alpha backers. If that’s you and you can’t wait another moment, go ahead and skip on down the page (we totally understand)! For those backers, please be on the look out soon for a CrowdOx email containing:
  • Your Steam key for the alpha test
  • A message from VP of Development Chris Keenan & alpha test notes from QA Lead Daniel Dean
The FAQ at the bottom of this update should hopefully address any basic questions you have about the backer alpha and getting access to it.

In the meantime though, I wanted to share with all of you some of what we’re up to this week at GDC.

inXile at GDC 2018

You may remember this photo from our E3 2017 update.

Pictured are BT4 Producer Jeff Pellegrin and Creative Director David Rogers. As Chris noted in last week's update, David and Jeff will be at the Epic Unreal Engine 4 booth (Moscone South 801) demoing the alpha. If you are on-site for the event, you’ll find them there from today through Friday, March, 23. I am told that the kilts are making a return as well!

For everyone interested, Jeff and BT4 Art Director Maxx Kaufman will be interviewed at 12:30pm PST on Thursday, March 22nd as part of Epic’s GDC livestream coverage. You will be able to watch that interview here.

In other Bard’s Tale-related GDC news, one of this year’s hugely popular Classic Game Post-Mortems will feature The Bard’s Tale and The Bard’s Tale II: The Destiny Knight. Headlined by series co-creator Michael Cranford, the talk happens today, March 21 from 5:00pm - 6:00pm PST in West Hall, Room 3016. If you are at GDC, this is a “must” for any Bard’s Tale fan! If you can’t be there, the talk is being recorded and we’ll be sure to share a link if and when it becomes publicly available!

That’s it for now, but more cool Bard's Tale IV news to come both in the news and as we return to our regular updates! As promised for our alpha backers, below is the FAQ regarding the alpha process. Thanks to everyone! Let us know what you think of the game here, on social media, and on our forums!​

There's no launch trailer for the Bard's Tale IV alpha, but it's free for streaming so I'm sure there'll be plenty of videos on YouTube and Twitch soon. I don't think many of us here paid for the alpha, so those will be pretty crucial for getting an impression of the game's state.
 

Lady_Error

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Looks good. Though can they really not come up with anything better than the blue scifi-grid in combat? There are so many ways to make it look medieval.
 

ArchAngel

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It is alpha yet. I am sure that can be changed if enough people comment upon it. Personally I don't mind.
 
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Gremius

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This looks surprisingly good. I bet half of the Codex will be playing this secretly and enjoyed by most, but they still will be claiming it's shit. Just a Codex thing :M
 

Bohr

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If they deliver I reckon they'll get some credit around here, it's not like we're drowning in decent blobbers. It may actually help that the buildup has been so low key without any "New Torment" hype and expectation.

I remember thinking when the KS fizzled out a bit that maybe Fargo had let his old memories of BT success cloud his judgement, that this could end up being inXile's red-headed stepchild, yet now find myself looking forward to it - which wasn't the case with WL2 or TTON as they finally neared release.
 

Darkzone

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Zombra Honestly 480p?! Do you need a capture program like Bandicam or is your computer that shit? This is nearly not watchable, if it was not for the music. Btw.: You are very bad at permutations as the elven longsword puzzle has shown.

This looks surprisingly good. I bet half of the Codex will be playing this secretly and enjoyed by most, but they still will be claiming it's shit. Just a Codex thing :M
If they deliver I reckon they'll get some credit around here, it's not like we're drowning in decent blobbers. It may actually help that the buildup has been so low key without any "New Torment" hype and expectation.

I remember thinking when the KS fizzled out a bit that maybe Fargo had let his old memories of BT success cloud his judgement, that this could end up being inXile's red-headed stepchild, yet now find myself looking forward to it - which wasn't the case with WL2 or TTON as they finally neared release.

I'm the only one here that supports this from the start. And i think that this is good thing that everybody got burned on WL2 and TToN and now is less blind enthusiastic about this. But i'm still the only one who is saying that this will be the best game from InXile and fuck i love the folk music in BTIV.
 
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Morkar Left

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I like what I see. Except the pc roster in combat just doesn't work for me. Would really prefer to just have portraits which make some grimace when hit or getting hit.

EDIT: The puzzle weapons could set a new standard for magic items. I really like that!
 
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Dorateen

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After playing six hundred hours in Grimoire by the end of this year, Bard's Tale IV will just feel comfortable, like putting on a warm pair of slippers. Like coming in from a year-long bloody campaign and settle down with a pipe next to the hearth.
 

grimace

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I like what I see. Except the pc roster in combat just doesn't work for me. Would really prefer to just have portraits which make some grimace when hit or getting hit.

Is there any combat text log to read thru?
 

Darkzone

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Here is one Let's Play alpha test BTIV that is more into detail and shows what Zombra and Nekot have missed:
 

hpstg

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I hope the final game is good, graphics-wise the whole KS pitch was as real as a Ubisoft demo
 

Decado

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The characters shaking/shimmying during attacks looks dumb as hell, otherwise I will buy this on the first day.
 

Darkzone

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The characters shaking/shimmying during attacks looks dumb as hell, otherwise I will buy this on the first day.
I also don't like their movement like the chest jumping around if it is opened. But they are partly animated and hand drawn so i begin to like them (not the jumping around and popping out in size as they speak), especially as i have seen that they have 3d models of the characters .
 

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