KickStarter Sacred Fire - a psychological RPG about romance, loyalty and revenge - now available on Early Access

[HoboForEternity]

how much you have made on the indie gogo now?

 

[poetic]

how much you have made on the indie gogo now?

We've raised $290 in about one week since we launched. Our Indiegogo page now shows $65,290 but it started from $65,000, which was the amount we raised on Kickstarter. Indiegogo allows you to continue your original crowdfunding campaign in the "In-Demand" mode and shows the original amount as a starting point. We've had quite a lot of people asking us for a chance to support Sacred Fire after our Kickstarter was over, and Indiegogo seemed like a good option.

 

[Infinitron]

 

[poetic]

Infinitron, thanks for posting the new track from our soundtrack. I'm planning to write more about the soundtrack at some point, since it's one of the highlights of Sacred Fire. Over the summer we've been busy working on Sacred Fire. Most of the work was done on the script.

The final script has 13 chapters, 70 scenes and 11 different endings. Some of them are victories, some of them not so much and there’s a tragic one you have to work hard to avert. There are 30 different combat encounters and 10 stealth missions. Many of them can be avoided, if you prefer to resolve conflict peacefully.

They contain setting traps, planning ambushes and sabotages. There are plenty of one on one duels and two big battles. There are roughly 25 scenes where your actions decide about life and death of your companions. And more than 50 differences if you play as a female character.

How do we keep track of all the nuances and branches?

What really helps is to create a short treatment on the story. It’s a shortened and simplified version of the script that tells the whole story on a couple of pages. It’s now full of comments and marks for the different variants. This serves as the guide when implementing the scenes in the game.

 

[Iznaliu]

The blurring effect you have on the script is kind of cool; most devs wouldn't bother with that and would instead blur it all equally.

 

[poetic]

The blurring effect you have on the script is kind of cool; most devs wouldn't bother with that and would instead blur it all equally.

Thank you, Iznaliu. I'm glad you noticed and liked the effect. Our goal was to give you a small taste of the script but at the same time not reveal too much and make it visually appealing. Happy it worked.

How do you guys feel about revealing carefully selected parts (maybe bigger than the above) of script on various occasions? Does it potentially spoil the game story for you? Do you know of a game that managed to do it really well without spoiling too much for the players?

 

[Iznaliu]

How do you guys feel about revealing carefully selected parts (maybe bigger than the above) of script on various occasions? Does it potentially spoil the game story for you? Do you know of a game that managed to do it really well without spoiling too much for the players?

I don't care that much about spoilers, so I'm not the right person to ask.

 

[poetic]

Thank you, Iznaliu. I appreciate your answer. Based on other feedback it seems that people don't mind revealing some details about the characters. Good to know.

 

[Iznaliu]

Thank you, Iznaliu. I appreciate your answer. Based on other feedback it seems that people don't mind revealing some details about the characters. Good to know.

Just make any spoiler content clearly identifiable.

 

[HoboForEternity]

When is th3 next update?

 

[poetic]

Thank you, Iznaliu. I appreciate your answer. Based on other feedback it seems that people don't mind revealing some details about the characters. Good to know.

Just make any spoiler content clearly identifiable.

Thanks for the comment. Yeah, we'll do that.

 

[poetic]

When is th3 next update?

Great question, HoboForEternity. It's done and I'm about to post it. We appreciate your interest.

 

[poetic]

Hello everyone,

As we’re moving along with Sacred Fire it’s great to see the characters coming alive in the script. Since relationships and psychology are key gameplay challenges in Sacred Fire, we would like to give you a better picture of what kind of interpersonal and psychological depth you can expect. And a great way to do it is to introduce Sacred Fire’s main characters in a way that foreshadows the types of dilemmas, decisions and choices the player will have to face.

So here’s Morrigan the Queen. On our website at www.sacredfiregame.com/#voting you can vote to change the initial influence of the main characters and make an impact on the story.

Also, we have late backing still available at Indiegogo at igg.me/at/sacred-fire if you’d like to support what we’re working on and get great rewards.

Morrigan the Queen

“Morrigan, unlike her husband, the king, is well liked by the common people. She appears beautiful and vulnerable, and can be often seen tending to her people in the fort courtyard.

You saw her at the royal funeral a few years ago. She mourned her son killed by Rome. You felt you would move heaven and earth to lift that sorrow from her eyes.

Last spring, when a disease broke out in your settlement, she sent herbs that helped prevent the worse. She is the reason why communities trust each other and pay their dues.

They believe her word that everyone will have a place of refuge in the fort in times of war. Everyone will get help when crops fail or cattle die. She’s a true queen of her people - caring, considerate and loving.

However, people say that the tragic loss of her son changed her. Rumors spread that there is a rift between her and the king.

Her opponents whisper that she runs a ring of spies watching not only Rome but also her own people. What is her agenda? Is there any truth to what they say?

One thing is certain, strife in the royal house makes your people weak. You never imagined you would have a role to play to tilt the balance of power. But war changes everything.”

So what do you think? Will you serve your queen loyally without any questions or will you try to keep her at arm’s length?

 

[V_K]

Hello everyone,

As we’re moving along with Sacred Fire it’s great to see the characters coming alive in the script. Since relationships and psychology are key gameplay challenges in Sacred Fire, we would like to give you a better picture of what kind of interpersonal and psychological depth you can expect. And a great way to do it is to introduce Sacred Fire’s main characters in a way that foreshadows the types of dilemmas, decisions and choices the player will have to face.

So here’s Morrigan the Queen. On our website at www.sacredfiregame.com/#voting you can vote to change the initial influence of the main characters and make an impact on the story.

Also, we have late backing still available at Indiegogo at igg.me/at/sacred-fire if you’d like to support what we’re working on and get great rewards.

Morrigan the Queen

“Morrigan, unlike her husband, the king, is well liked by the common people. She appears beautiful and vulnerable, and can be often seen tending to her people in the fort courtyard.

You saw her at the royal funeral a few years ago. She mourned her son killed by Rome. You felt you would move heaven and earth to lift that sorrow from her eyes.

Last spring, when a disease broke out in your settlement, she sent herbs that helped prevent the worse. She is the reason why communities trust each other and pay their dues.

They believe her word that everyone will have a place of refuge in the fort in times of war. Everyone will get help when crops fail or cattle die. She’s a true queen of her people - caring, considerate and loving.

However, people say that the tragic loss of her son changed her. Rumors spread that there is a rift between her and the king.

Her opponents whisper that she runs a ring of spies watching not only Rome but also her own people. What is her agenda? Is there any truth to what they say?

One thing is certain, strife in the royal house makes your people weak. You never imagined you would have a role to play to tilt the balance of power. But war changes everything.”

So what do you think? Will you serve your queen loyally without any questions or will you try to keep her at arm’s length?

Why name her Morrigan though? Medb (Maeve) would make more sense for a warrior-queen.

 

[Iznaliu]

Why name her Morrigan though? Medb (Maeve) would make more sense for a warrior-queen.

Probably since it's more recognisable.

 

[Jaesun]

Why name her Morrigan though? Medb (Maeve) would make more sense for a warrior-queen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morrígan

 

[V_K]

Why name her Morrigan though? Medb (Maeve) would make more sense for a warrior-queen.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morrígan

I know. Had a thing for celtic myths when I was a teen
That's precisely why I'm asking - having a death goddess as a human character in a historically-inspired story doesn't strike me as a good fit. Medb (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medb), of course, is purely mythical and probably not 100% human as well, but still more "realistic".

 

[Abu Antar]

Update #21: Design Focus: Are probabilities ruining role-playing experience?
Posted by Martin Kolesar

Hello everyone,

We’ve got a great question from Kamen42 in the comments section of our Kickstarter. He was rewatching Sacred Fire trailers and had an intriguing idea: wouldn’t it be more fun if we hide the success probabilities of choices in Sacred Fire? And the idea seemed so interesting, that Andrej wrote an insightful answer that deserves a full-blown Design Focus update.

If you’d like to refresh how probabilities work in Sacred Fire, you can watch our developers commentary at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfkfqNqSmNc .




.
First, here’s the question from Kamen42. It’s a shortened version of his original comments. And below it is Andrej’s take on it.

Kamen42: With each action there are percentages of success. I was wondering if there will be a mode where these percentages are not visible. I think it would be really interesting to play without knowing what chance of success your actions have.

When players have several options how to act, they usually have one that they like the most. However, when they see the chances of success, they might be discouraged and end up doing something else.

I caught myself doing this several times when playing games like Torment. After that I sometimes had a feeling that I don't play the game, that I am merely doing what the game suggests I should do.

Sure, turning the percentages off would definitely lead to making some bad decisions, some that are doomed to fail, but that way the story is entirely in the player's hands. We would be the ones making the decisions. And if we fail, at least we fail doing something we believed.

.

So are probabilities ruining role-playing experience?
Andrej: Kamen42, it's great to see people care so much for Sacred Fire to be the best possible role-playing experience. I appreciate the effort you put into explaining your question.

I had a similar experience to what you describe in a couple of RPGs. You are right to be concerned about it, as it ruins the role-playing experience in my opinion too.

We have spent a lot of time on identifying how to solve this. And we will spend more time testing and listening to your feedback. Your solution is one of several, but it's too early to say, yes, we will do it this way. Let's wait and see how the game plays and then we can make the right call.

I think there are many factors in the issue you describe: UI design, game rules, and the actual writing:
- What are the choices? How different are they? Is one clearly 'right'?
- What are the consequences of a failure?
- Do you get to retry a failed choice?

For example, in Sacred Fire especially early in the game, when you haven't built up your inner strength and influence in the society, you struggle to speak up. If you fail, no one knows but you, right? No one notices.

.
The game lets you try as many times as you like. You just get more frustrated (Anger+) or scared (Fear+) with every try, based on your personality and the circumstances: what’s at stake in the situation. And your emotions change the odds, anger will help you speak up, fear won’t.

There is something satisfying about having a choice you know is hard and likely to fail and still staying true to yourself and passing it. Especially if it costs you something rare or limited: your willpower points or a few seconds of your time. And once you do this, it strengthens your inner power in-game, so you are rewarded for taking the less likely choice.

That being said, playing to your strong sides builds positive memories and confidence, so the game doesn't reward you just for hard choices. But too much confidence strengthens both your pride and aversion others feel toward you and you will have to deal with new interesting challenges.

This way, the player will gradually un-learn to play by probability and learn from experience with the game. You are free to choose and know the game will reward and test you and make the consequences interesting. This way you are free to role-play.

.
Furthermore, in Sacred Fire it’s YOU who determines what your character is most likely to do in the given situation. So, it's not the game telling you what to do. The game is reacting to your character creation, tracks your choices and provides consistency to your role-playing exactly through the probability.

It may happen that our system is so well balanced after time, that you won't need the probability to be displayed, just say this is a risky choice, out of your character, out of your skill set. But as I said, it's too early to say.

Also, if you really like a choice and it has low chances of success, in Sacred Fire you just have to pay for it with your limited willpower resource, which means you really believe in this choice.

Also, as far as reality goes, in most situations, you pretty much know what your chances are, because probability is nothing else than how many times I have to try before I get it right. Or in other words, I know from experience that I have tried ten times to reason right off the bat with my neighbor when he complained about noise and it never worked. So I know that my chances to work this out when he shows up or when I speak to someone else complaining, are better if I let them vent first.

.
As far as physical action goes, I think the same applies. For example, I’ve played recreational soccer all my life. I don’t think I’m special and still in a match in the heat of the battle I can make split seconds decision based on the thousands of experiences I had trying something and failing or trying something and succeeding. That’s just how our brains and muscle memory works, how an activity becomes second nature to us after time. I know at what distance and angle my shot is likely to score, and when it's better to pass the ball.

I imagine an ancient warrior in Caledonia has spent much more time shooting bow, than a modern man playing soccer. And the other players (or warriors) know the odds too, so if you score from an impossible angle, or hit a fast-moving target with your arrow, it’s going to create respect and renown for you.

This way in Sacred Fire you are motivated by winning to take the easy shot and you are motivated by prestige to take the hard one. It's all about WHO you want to be, or even better, it's about understanding a little bit better, through role-playing, who you, the real you, are.

I'm happy people share our passion for creating role-playing that is immersive and becomes your self-expression. This is what Sacred Fire is all about.

PS. We’ve got a new way of supporting the development of Sacred Fire. In addition to upgrading your Kickstarter pledge via Paypal and late-backing on Indiegogo (tell you friends), you can also donate with Paypal. All funds raised through crowdfunding and donations will go directly towards making Sacred Fire the best it can be. We will add more polish, voiceover and improvements to the core gameplay.

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

Any word on this lately? I hope they’ve gone silent because they’re working their asses off.

 

[poetic]

Any word on this lately? I hope they’ve gone silent because they’re working their asses off.

Hello everyone! Kyl von Kull, you're right, of course. I haven't posted here in a while as we've been busy working on a playable preview of Sacred Fire. We've hired a coder to speed things up as we're slightly behind our schedule. And things are moving forward faster now. We have recently distributed a playable text-based preview to our Kickstarter backers. Feedback was extremely positive. You can use this form to sign up https://my.sendinblue.com/users/subscribe/js_id/2u385/id/2 as we'll be giving access to the text-based preview to everyone here, who's interested.

Meanwhile, here’s a short preview of how the Sacred Fire’s combat looks like. The footage is taken from a visual prototype we developed last year.

You’re a Caledonian warrior and this is the last phase of your attempt to save a child taken by the Roman forces. If the Roman messenger runs away, Rome will know you attacked and will send reinforcements.

If you do not stop the centurion, an injured prisoner will probably die. And since he managed to protect the kidnapped child earlier in the skirmish, you’ll feel guilty. What do you do?

You succeed in stopping the centurion. Your empathy enables you to use his weak spot, pride, against him. If your empathy was lower, you could have thrown an axe at him. A surefire way of getting somebody’s attention.

Now you enter a turn-based combat mode. A riskier move will win you extra renown. Or you can also choose to intimidate or provoke the opponent. Anger could make him drop his guard.

You’re successful and dodge the attack and that really pisses him off (in other words, his anger rises and your attack chances improve).

Now you hit the centurion in a sensitive spot. He doesn’t like that.

So now he attacks, but because he’s angry, he’s stronger but less precise.

You dodge again but the centurion manages to refocus and calm down. But still you gain renown for getting under his skin.

It’s your turn, but you choose to skip an attack and wait for his move.

You dodge, and counterattack.

And you miss… [oh, crap]

The centurion gets lucky and lands a critical hit. [oh, crap]

You are down, but have one last chance to muster the will to get back up.

Where do you attempt to draw your strength from? This choice will have a strong formative effect on your personality, as this is a near death experience.

You managed to remain conscious.

You secretly draw a blade and dodge the final blow. Now you have an opening to strike, what do you do?

You choose to go for the kill.

The centurion is dead. This wins you renown with your people, but now Rome will seek vengeance. And since your Ideals are high, there is also the lingering feeling of Guilt for taking a life.

If you had chosen to let the centurion live, he would have most likely returned to following orders and fighting against you. But in the long run, he could have helped to tip the balance and make Rome consider peace negotiations.

How do you like it?

 

[Viata]

Ok, you got me interested in this game with this last post.

 

[poetic]

Ok, you got me interested in this game with this last post.

Thanks, Viata! Happy to hear that.

 

[udm]

poetic which RPG rulesets were the biggest inspiration for Sacred Fire, if any?

 

[Kyl Von Kull]

You beautiful bastards. Backed twice over.

 

[HoboForEternity]

Definitely shaping up to be unique. I like what i am seeing. Backed this early on KD last year. Good job