KickStarter Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption - adventure-RPG from the creators of Quest for Glory

[Alexian]

-Will this game be party based, or will you only control one PC as in OFG?

The plan is to have one PC, who has multiple options and choices for how he handles combat situations. There will be lots of very social characters inside the school, but you'll always just be handling your PC.

-Will you only be able to play as a thief, or will you be able to choose other classes?

Just the thief for this game. It wasn't feasible to include all the classes at once, while providing both unique high quality stories and completely unique skill sets.

-Will a paladin be possible?

The paladin is planned as the main character of a later game in the series. There will be a major paladin character in this game, but he/she won't be playable. This all assumes we manage to both have a successful Kickstarter, and make a great first game in the series.

 

[Corey Cole]

Thanks for keeping the board up to date, Alexian!

The hallmark of all of our games is that all of the elements work together. This applies just as much to Hero-U. By the way, it isn't really a "Rogue-like" unless you really stretch the concept. We called it that early on because movement is on a top-down 2D tiled "map", although with pretty large tiles so things will look good. That will be the main interface for most of the game, although we will have some static screens for key scenes (possibly more if the Kickstarter is very successful). We want to have all of the elements that made Quest for Glory fun in addition to more interesting combat. The latter will be turn-based, so tactics rather than speed-clicking skills will determine your success at it.

As Alexian said, this will be in flux over the next few months as we try out different options and balance them. Each character type (Rogue in the first game, probably Wizard in the second, then Warrior, then Paladin, and finally something else you won't expect in the 5th ) will have a different style of combat. The Rogue supplements his main abilities by using items such as traps and powders. The Wizard of course uses spells. The Warrior will have additional movement options, and some other special skills (I have some ideas in mind, but not ready to commit to them before we even do the Rogue game). The Paladin will likely have more healing and defensive abilities, again we'll see. We want to keep the same general interface for each game, but make each feel very distinctive because of the character's abilities and combat style. That's another major reason why each game is centered around a single character and class.

 

[Tramboi]

Great having the Cole tribes on board!

And yes, Alexian, big companies marketing departments often don't know shit abour gaming, and don't even want to try to market "different" games, because "we don't know how"
Real stuff I heard once from one of the biggest publishers while working on a (AAA) game.

Anyway, cheers, and be prepared for a successful KS.

 

[Aeschylus]

As Alexian said, this will be in flux over the next few months as we try out different options and balance them. Each character type (Rogue in the first game, probably Wizard in the second, then Warrior, then Paladin, and finally something else you won't expect in the 5th ) will have a different style of combat. The Rogue supplements his main abilities by using items such as traps and powders. The Wizard of course uses spells. The Warrior will have additional movement options, and some other special skills (I have some ideas in mind, but not ready to commit to them before we even do the Rogue game). The Paladin will likely have more healing and defensive abilities, again we'll see. We want to keep the same general interface for each game, but make each feel very distinctive because of the character's abilities and combat style. That's another major reason why each game is centered around a single character and class.

So, I assume from your description that this won't be a situation where we're able to bring our character forward into subsequent games? That's a bit sad as character importing was one of my favorite aspects of QFG, but I suppose if you are having a different protagonist in each game then that is moot.

It's not a bad idea though, as certain classes tended to be a bit underserved in certain games in the QFG series -- particularly thieves in 3. I wish you all the best, and I'll be tossing plenty of money at your KS when it happens. Take the time to do a great pitch video, and remember the things that have really sold them so far -- humor, sentimentality, and a good personal story.

Hope you continue to post here. The Codex may be a proverbial hive of scum and villainy, but there are also a lot of really passionate and, above all, honest fans here who you will get great feedback from. Cheers.

 

[Tramboi]

and remember the things that have really sold them so far -- humor, sentimentality, and a good personal story.

This and also antwerps.

 

[Aeschylus]

Obviously antwerps. Though I was referring to what has resulted in successful Kickstarters in general, not QFG. I suppose it applies to both.

 

[Tramboi]

I got it wrong but it definitely does apply to both!

 

[Jaesun]

Since they do NOT own the QFG IP, they cannot reference or have any creature or people mentioned from QFG in this game (if I understand how that works correctly). I doubt they can even have Antwerps in it. But again, I'm not a lawyer. It's similar to what Fargo had to go through with his Bards Tale game.

 

[mediocrepoet]

This sounds pretty cool. I look forward to seeing the KS presentation.

 

[Corey Cole]

Somehow I don't think Activision owns a copyright on "Antwerp", which is a city in Belgium. Now if we used a creature that used the Antwerp artwork from QG1, we'd be violating copyright. But copyrights and trademarks are that specific. We can't make a Quest for Glory game without a license, but most of the elements in the games came from the outside world and are independent of the game copyrights.

On The Origin of Antwerps: That word made it into Hero's Quest because a friend of ours gave it to us. She was very ticklish, and had a "safe word" - Antwerp - which meant, "Stop tickling me RIGHT NOW! It isn't fun anymore." You need that sort of thing in case someone thinks your "No!" is part of the game. Anyway, our friend told us she picked Antwerp because it sounds silly and it would never come up in a normal conversation. We thought it sounded silly too - According to Steve Meretzky, all words containing the letter "w" are inherently silly - so Antwerps found their way to Spielburg.

"Spielburg" is German for "game town". I don't think Activision owns a copyright on the German language. But Hero-U isn't set there anyway.

"Erasmus" was named after a character in a comic Lori drew with Richard Aronson (of "dread gazebo" fame - that article was also in The Spell Book, our RPG fanzine) long before we came to Sierra. Richard undoubtedly pulled it from Desiderius Erasmus, a 15th-16th Century philosopher. No trademarks there. Incidentally, my registered SCA name is "Erasmus von Spielburg". I haven't been sued so far.

So the only copyrights and trademarks that need to concern us are actual titles and the actual text, images, and code from the games. Maybe the story lines, but that's arguable. Anything else is up for grabs. We just don't plan to grab much of it.

 

[Jaesun]

Ahh! Thank you for the clarification Corey Cole! Good to hear.

 

[Alexian]

So, I assume from your description that this won't be a situation where we're able to bring our character forward into subsequent games? That's a bit sad as character importing was one of my favorite aspects of QFG, but I suppose if you are having a different protagonist in each game then that is moot.

Yes, under the current plan you won't be able to bring your character into, at least, the direct sequel. However, the games will all be interconnected, so you're character will be an important player if there is a sequel.

 

[Jasede]

Godspeed.

 

[Tramboi]

The divine amphetamine.
Helps game developers to ship on time.

 

[udm]

http://www.nypost.com/p/blogs/gamereport/interview_with_cori_cole_creator_fo3JcablCc214MdZhtEh1M

Have you followed any of the other Kickstarter projects from other Sierra alums like the Two Guys from Andromeda, Al Lowe or Jane Jensen?

Absolutely. We knew about the Leisure Suit Larry "reboot" several months before they decided to make it a Kickstarter project, and it looked great.

I followed SpaceVenture closely and was really worried that they might not make their goal. But fans and supporters came together at the end of the campaign to make sure it was successful.

Jane's proposed games look very interesting, and she is doing some unique things with the company and development. Besides, how can you go wrong with Andy Hoyos art?

[...]

There was a remake of your second Quest for Glory game recently, as well as another group trying to create the opposite of your franchise—Quest for Infamy—that found success on Kickstarter. What do you think about these games and the fact that fans are still trying to play in your universe?

We're very happy about both projects. The AGDI team that made Quest for Glory II VGA did an excellent job. We answered a few questions along the way, but they cared very deeply for the franchise and created a quality remake with some great new features. We're less familiar with Quest for Infamy; I'm not sure how closely it really ties in to our games. They seem like good people who want to make fun games.

[...]

Games are becoming incredibly popular on Kickstarter, especially adventure games. Do you see the potential for the market to continue growing or are you nervous that gamers may start to get nervous when they're backing ALL of these games?

I once read a report that 50% of U.S. households contain 10 or fewer books. Most of my friends have hundreds or thousands. Games are like books—it’s pretty much impossible to have too many books or too many games. Gamers who only want to play one game a year can wait for someone else to tell them which game to buy.

For the rest of us, Kickstarter gives us the chance to *decide* which games will be made, and which we want to play. That's incredibly empowering. I wrote a blog about that. People interested in what I'm passionate about may read some of my other Quest Log articles to learn more.

Why do you think adventure games are turning out to be so popular on Kickstarter? Especially ones based on franchises that haven't had new games in years?

Tim Schafer started it by saying (paraphrased), "We love adventure games, but the publishers don't want us to make them." That struck a chord with a lot of gamers who miss games with immersive story, dialogue and puzzles that require thought.

I dropped out of the game industry when all of the games became first-person shooters. Those can be fun, but they're so limited. Game companies made them because they were cheap to develop and sold well.

Now it's come full-circle—players expecting incredible realism in their shooters have driven FPS development costs through the roof. Players who loved adventure games are saying, "We don't care if you give us photo-realistic, fully 3D backgrounds. We want story. We want our minds and emotions engaged. We want games with characters we can care about. We don't want rote game play where we keep doing the same things over and over."

Well, those are the games the publishers thought nobody wanted. They were at least partially wrong, because not all players are alike. The ones who want more story are speaking up now through Kickstarter. The power is in the hands of the players now.

[...]

Anything else you'd like to tell fans?

Hero-U is going to look a lot different from Quest for Glory. We aren't remaking games we've already made. But it is going to be at least as fun. We have total control over the design and process, something we last had on the original Hero's Quest and maybe on Castle of Dr. Brain.

We are proud of every game we've made and we're even more excited about Hero-U. We're working with a fantastic team and we believe we will make a great game. But that depends on you—if you believe in us and want to see more games where character and intelligence matter; games with our peculiar blend of drama, pathos, and silliness; then we need you to support our Kickstarter campaign. Most importantly, we need you to tell your friends and get them to tell their friends.

Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption will be on Kickstarter from Oct. 19 through Nov. 19, 2012. We're counting on our fans and people who love immersive fantasy stories, role-playing, and great character dialogue to join us in this project. We will try to involve our supporters at every stage of development and make a game you will love. We can't do it without your support, and that means it's up to you whether you will get to play the games only we can make.

 

[Aeschylus]

Corey Cole, you are a true bro.

Not that I didn't already know this.

 

[FeelTheRads]

So this thing is supposed to go live tomorrow, right? Come on, come on!

 

[Aeschylus]

This was actually posted on the Hero-U blog before that NY Post article, but I'm reposting it here because it is awesome!

To RP Or Not To RP?
“To RP, or not to RP: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of enemy archers,
Or to face frustration from a thousand impossible puzzles,
And by googling, solve them?” – Shakesmeep

Why, you may ask, are Lori and I making a role-playing game rather than an adventure? After all, we are best know for our work at Sierra On-Line, an adventure game publisher. And our most popular games – the Quest for Glory series – looked and played a lot like other Sierra adventure games… with a few twists.

To us, those twists make all the difference. Quest for Glory are wolves in sheeps’ clothing, RPG’s in the guise of adventures.

So one answer is, we’ve never actually made a pure adventure game. Quest for Glory? RPG in adventure clothing. Shannara? Adventure game with RPG features. Castle of Dr. Brain? Educational puzzle game in an adventure game engine. Mixed-Up Fairy Tales? Children’s storybook in an adventure game setting. Our other games are even farther away from the adventure game mold.

The Trouble With Adventures
Now we have nothing against adventure games, but it’s really hard to make one these days because of that insidious creature, the Internet.

Back in the 80’s and 90’s, adventure game players seemed to thrive on frustration. If they couldn’t solve a puzzle, they would keep trying – sometimes for weeks or months. Maybe they’d ask a friend for help, but most of them were perfectly content to spend months working through the puzzles in one game.

Now things are different. People have no patience because they don’t need any. All of the answers are a few clicks away on the Internet. Unfortunately, getting a hint is a lot like eating a salted peanut – It’s impossible to stop at one.

Role-playing games have a big advantage there. Most RPG “puzzles” rely on building up your character’s abilities and using them well. You can go to a hint site to find out how to play better, but winning the game is still up to you to play. The game designer has a lot more power to control the length and difficulty of an RPG than an adventure game.

The popular first-person shooter genre is also immune to Internet hints, but Lori and I find those games boring. They rarely make you think, and they rely on fast hand-eye coordination to win. That’s fine; it’s a valid form of game play. We just don’t think it should be the only form.

What’s In a Game?
“What’s in a game? That which we call an RPG
In any other game would play as well.” – Shakesmeep

When we say that Hero-U: Rogue to Redemption is an RPG, we mean that traditional RPG features are its main focus. You will explore, fight monsters, gain new skills, find items that help your character (mostly in combat), and improve your abilities through game play.

When people talk about adventure games, they mean you explore, find and use inventory items, solve puzzles, and usually talk to characters in the game.

Both types of game have quests. In truth, you can incorporate all of the elements of an RPG into an adventure game – as we did with Quest for Glory – and everything we think of as part of an adventure game greatly improve a role-playing game.

In tabletop roleplaying, the best games use all of the elements of both computer RPG’s and adventures. We think a great role-playing adventure should do the same.

The Heart of the Matter
So why are we calling Hero-U an RPG and not an adventure?

• 1. Branding – It’s a way of reaching a wider audience that might not have played classic adventure games.
• 2. Budget – We can make a better RPG-style game for less money than it would take to make a great graphic adventure.
• 3. True Love – Our hearts are in role-playing games. Lori and I met over a Dungeons & Dragons table, and we moved to Oakhurst because we wanted to develop RPG’s. We like the challenge of honing our character’s skills, learning new abilities throughout the game, and having the power to fight evil directly. It’s fun getting your frustrations out through imaginary slaughter!

So when you’re talking about Hero-U, please call it an RPG as we do. It’s ok to wink if you’re subtle about it. We don’t like to make games that fit neatly into a single category. Hero-U will have something for role-players, adventurers, questers, combatants, and puzzlers.

We want you to be too involved with playing your character’s role to worry about what kind of game you’re playing..

And that’s why we RP.

 

[FrancoTAU]

They really have done one of the better jobs of getting the word out before the kickstarter launches.

 

[Tramboi]

Being nice people and doing direct PR in concerned communities and not contrived institutional soulless marketing helps, doesn't it?

 

[belated]

Draft looks good!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1878147873/1154477367?token=e777beb1

 

[Jarpie]

Draft looks good!

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1878147873/1154477367?token=e777beb1

Looks helluva lot better than "That Other Project", but is "Hero-U" finale name for the game or just project name?

 

[Jaesun]

Let me know when the KS is up. TAKE MY MONEY. <3

 

[The Round Peg]

Kickstarter link: Hero U: Rogue to Redemption

Not live yet, but it should go live by noon on October 19.

The Hero U website has been preparing, updating and posting information about the Kickstarter project for over a month now. You can find out more information from the website.

 

[ColCol]

Thought it was superhero-based game, seems it's not. Disappointed.