Game News Dungeons of Aledorn, an indie RPG inspired by Krondor and Arkania, now on Kickstarter

[Blackguard]

Well, compared to the *other* Kickstarter campaign getting attention around here, these guys look like they actually know what they're doing... Backed.

Exactly, people who backed SDS should back this instead.

 

[Beautiful Clown Painting]

What a shame about this generic state. We are now living in full Philip K Dick gear, I just don't understand why people cling to these old weird tropes that just scratch the surface of what could be a real CRPG.
Well, I guess to each its own.

 

[Beautiful Clown Painting]

Why should anyone give a fuck about an elf raised amongst dog turds in a bush in Laurel Canyon? At least, let him become a crazy fucker and destroy reality, "Circuit's edge" style.
Nevertheless, the game looks promising.

 

[TalesfromtheCrypt]

"Fulfill the destiny"

You know it's epic when you fulfill the definite article destiny instead of a personal one (I don't have any problems with them not being native English speakers, but I seriously hope they accounted for the cost of a professional translator in their budget).

That made me laugh too . Eastern Europeans have some serious trouble understanding how to use articles in English, because their languages don't have them.

 

[Tudor von Nirgendwo]

I can assure you that most (if not all) Eastern European languages DO have articles (of both the definite and indefinite varieties). In this case however, all the members of the development team are native Czech speakers, in a country that stubbornly chooses to use overdubs for all foreign language programs, therefore maintaining minimal exposure to English. They obviously didn't account for an editor to correct the text, so it comes out as a bit amateurish.

Hell, I might have made 10 grammar mistakes in this post already, but I'm not pitching on Kickstarter. It definitely makes sense to pay a native English speaker of the editorial inclination to proof read and iron out all the quirks that would inevitably appear in the text used to pitch their game (grammar/spelling mistakes, literal translations of speech patterns that only make sense in their native, non-English language, and so on). On the other hand it makes sense to hire a writer/translator/editor once the story is more or less in a definitive state, so I wouldn't bother too much with the dialogue bits in the screenshots. Most probably these would be changed/axed/corrected as well by the time they come close to release.

Someone could try to ask them about this, but I wouldn't know how to do it in a way that doesn't seem condescending and snarky. But hey, this is the Codex, so the superiority complex is strong in these ones...

 

[Musaab]

One reason I enjoy RPG's from these Eastern European countries is that they are move averse to the SJWs and provide us with games that aren't rife with faggots and other similar crap.

 

[GloomFrost]

Looks pretty damn sweet I must say but at the same time sooo generic. Fulfill your destiny, save a kingdom from orks. Are you serious??

 

[Darkzone]

"Fulfill the destiny"
You know it's epic when you fulfill the definite article destiny instead of a personal one (I don't have any problems with them not being native English speakers, but I seriously hope they accounted for the cost of a professional translator in their budget).

That made me laugh too . Eastern Europeans have some serious trouble understanding how to use articles in English, because their languages don't have them.

They have no articles, like latin. But they have much more demonstrative pronouns. They do not need articles, because they solve this problem by changing the tail and sometimes even the root of the word (like latin concerning the tail). If you look at latin grammatics, then you will see how polish and czech language behaves. Therefore you have in polish as a example 37 different words for bicycle, while in engilsh exists only one. Overall the slavic languages are therefore much much more difficult.

 

[Aterdux Entertainment]

I wish a story were less generic too but overall the game looks interesting and I hope it will get funded.

 

[Morkar Left]

I prefer a generic - down to earth - story a lot more than some fancy trying too hard story.

 

[karnak]

I wish a story were less generic too but overall the game looks interesting and I hope it will get funded.

Might & Magic VI (and some other RPGs) tried to innovate somehow, by implementing sci-fi concepts in an otherwise generic high-fantasy setting.
All people I know, who played that game, hated that sci-fi stuff. They were only interested in the big swords, elves with big boobs and mighty dragons.

Speaking as a guy who loves RPGs I'd like game designers to have a bold approach, similar to the Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. I still thinks it's one of the best RPG adventures EVER.
Too bad it almost had no cultural follow-ups.

 

[LeStryfe79]

In this particular case, I think the generic fantasy setting really works. It's like the game we all wanted when these kinds of races and classes still seemed fresh. This feels like unfinished business to me. It's also worth noting that many of the classic fantasy stereotypes exist because they are rooted in thousands of years of human mythologies. Creating a variety of strange alien races is easy, but making them good enough to fit in the context of medieval fantasy only works if the entire game is based around their existence.

 

[karnak]

Honestly I think any idea can be good if it's well written and applied to a game.
Unfortunately, most developpers are too scared to leave their "comfort zone", regarding game ideas.

Look at Planescape. It mixed fantasy, magic, demons, robots in a bizarre way.
And it worked. Because it was supposed to be weird.

Well... worked for some. Again, the same guys who hated M&M6 just couldn't get themselves to play Planescape. It probably depends on personal tastes.
I like innovation and to feel surprised and puzzled by a game. Others prefer the "same old, same old approach".

 

[Infinitron]

I don't understand the existence of nerds who like fantasy but hate sci-fi mixed with their fantasy. I mean, it's not like the sci-fi stuff is "weird". It's just another form of generic genre fodder.

But apparently they're out there.

 

[Morkar Left]

The whole M&M storyline worked because it managed to build up a lot of lore in the course of its many titles icluding the HoMM series. It ended up with a rich setting which history you could explore and it was interesting because of that. And that besides not providing any sort of real dialogue trees or player choices.

Similar games which developed such a strong lore were Ultima (which had a lot of silly and blunt lore as well), TES, Magic Candle or Fallout. But Fallout already started strong with the first title.

In my book it's not so much about the weird concepts which makes a game setting interesting but how fleshed out it is or becomes.

 

[Tudor von Nirgendwo]

Honestly I think any idea can be good if it's well written and applied to a game.
Unfortunately, most developpers are too scared to leave their "comfort zone", regarding game ideas.".

Don't forget Wizardry 8. I think the game managed to combine the fantasy part with the sci-fi part quite well. I also enjoyed the entire premise of M&M7 + M&M8: all those creatures and magic abilities coexisted in some other world (literally a different planet). It was the same in Elder Scrolls: I'll never forget the "sci-fi" vibe those two (three?) moons sent, combined with the strange, pre-historic fauna and plants (huge ferns, those flying creatures that looked like Pterodactyl). That was a wonderful world to explore: 10000 times more interesting than the "you are the chosen one" crap. I don't want some game to tell me how special and unique I am (I can always open a tumblr account for that), I want to explore a world that is special and unique. As long as there is a coherent system of rules and characteristics set in place, no matter how bonkers that is (I'm looking at you, Planescape), that is infinitely more interesting that the same tired trope: here's some elves and goblins, you're the epic motherfucker who's gonna murder all of them, because reasons. Oh, and you're special too.

 

[LeStryfe79]

I smell straw.

 

[Axe Father]

In my book it's not so much about the weird concepts which makes a game setting interesting but how fleshed out it is or becomes.

I agree. I find the lore differences in largely similar settings can still be interesting. Plenty of the repeated tropes in RPGs just come from authors wanting to make minor adjustments to things they already like. They want to inject their original ideas into a familiar package. It can work, as long as the original content is enough to offset the common features of the genre.

As far as DoA, I'm a bit interested. I've never played Betrayal at Krondor (I'm trying to get around to it, don't kill me), but I really enjoy Arkania, so that's a plus. Not too keen on the presentation as far as UI is concerned, and some things look very rough. For now that can all be chalked up to early development, so I hope we get more information regularly if this thing gets funded.

 

[karnak]

I don't want some game to tell me how special and unique I am (I can always open a tumblr account for that), I want to explore a world that is special and unique.

I know I'm probably gonna to be stoned for saying this, but I love Paper Sorcerer.

The game is probably lacking in the RPG aspect. But I love the way it plays hommage to the old classics (Wizardry, M&M), while at the same time using a different and exotic setting (you play the "evil guy", the action is set inside a book, the humor is always present, etc).
Folks may say it's not a "real" RPG (you don't have much control in your party's development), but at least it tries to be different.
And I highly respect that.

 

[JarlFrank]

I wish a story were less generic too but overall the game looks interesting and I hope it will get funded.

Might & Magic VI (and some other RPGs) tried to innovate somehow, by implementing sci-fi concepts in an otherwise generic high-fantasy setting.
All people I know, who played that game, hated that sci-fi stuff. They were only interested in the big swords, elves with big boobs and mighty dragons.

Speaking as a guy who loves RPGs I'd like game designers to have a bold approach, similar to the Expedition to the Barrier Peaks. I still thinks it's one of the best RPG adventures EVER.
Too bad it almost had no cultural follow-ups.

The scifi elements were the most awesome thing about the M&M and Wizardry games.

 

[Viata]

"Fulfill the destiny"

You know it's epic when you fulfill the definite article destiny instead of a personal one (I don't have any problems with them not being native English speakers, but I seriously hope they accounted for the cost of a professional translator in their budget).

That made me laugh too . Eastern Europeans have some serious trouble understanding how to use articles in English, because their languages don't have them.

I don't think this is just Eastern Europeans's troubles. I believe almost every non-native English speakers have this trouble too. I too have this problem, for example(Brazilian in my case). I remember reading in an article about English Language in which the article said that the easiest way to know if someone is non-native is how they can't use articles right. That, of course, is a generalization that, ironically, works most of the time.

 

[JarlFrank]

Pfah, and the English don't even have proper articles like German does.

 

[getter77]

I don't understand the existence of nerds who like fantasy but hate sci-fi mixed with their fantasy. I mean, it's not like the sci-fi stuff is "weird". It's just another form of generic genre fodder.

But apparently they're out there.

A fair bit of it comes down to there has yet to be, so to say, something on the level of a Conan when it comes to the likes of Sword & Planet that really finds an audience and gets out there on the multimedia side of things. Doubtless there are already novels and such written for years that would be prime candidates to get the kinds of polished adaptations that make for enough of a spectacle to get noticed---but as with lots of stuff from the P&P side of it, things just keep going awry when it comes to recognizing inherent potential and the value of making a concerted effort to get out there ahead of the likes of generic D&D, Tolkien, and whatnot.

 

[Watser]

Boosted pledge by 1 dollar, hit 9k, 15% funded.

This is going too slow, trending towards 70k atm.

 

[jdinatale]

I can assure you that most (if not all) Eastern European languages DO have articles (of both the definite and indefinite varieties). In this case however, all the members of the development team are native Czech speakers, in a country that stubbornly chooses to use overdubs for all foreign language programs, therefore maintaining minimal exposure to English. They obviously didn't account for an editor to correct the text, so it comes out as a bit amateurish.

Hell, I might have made 10 grammar mistakes in this post already, but I'm not pitching on Kickstarter. It definitely makes sense to pay a native English speaker of the editorial inclination to proof read and iron out all the quirks that would inevitably appear in the text used to pitch their game (grammar/spelling mistakes, literal translations of speech patterns that only make sense in their native, non-English language, and so on). On the other hand it makes sense to hire a writer/translator/editor once the story is more or less in a definitive state, so I wouldn't bother too much with the dialogue bits in the screenshots. Most probably these would be changed/axed/corrected as well by the time they come close to release.

Someone could try to ask them about this, but I wouldn't know how to do it in a way that doesn't seem condescending and snarky. But hey, this is the Codex, so the superiority complex is strong in these ones...

You literally don't know anything about Slavic language. Serbo-Croatian has NO articles.

To je normalno.