Monthly Archives: February 2018

Dying Light Celebrates Third Anniversary with Giveaways and Surprises

Techland is happy to announce that it has been three years since the mobilization of their personal zombie infestation, known as Dying Light.  Over 500,000 unique players have been roaming the city of Harran, and they are still committed to their “10 free DLCs in 12 months” initiative. To thank their audience, they are announcing a series of promotions and even a few surprises, to give back to their community:

  • Free stuff giveaways on Steam and Gemly
  • Undying Love – Valentine’s Day community bounty
  • Content Drop #3 – free in-game content for all players and platforms
  • Discounts for the game and additional contents – up to 67% off

Dying Light’s longevity is a result of the studio’s hard work, combined with the efforts of our community, who have shown unparalleled love for the game and spent countless hours in Harran. We are nothing but thankful for this exceptional commitment and players’ eagerness to provide us with constructive feedback that helped us make a better game,” said Tymon Smektała, producer of Dying Light & Dying Light: The Following.

Ethics on Randomizers Discussion

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Ethics of Randomizers -1

Something special was had in this game.

Let’s talk about a “hot button” topic today: ROMs and Randomizers. To those who aren’t aware, Randomizers are a fresh, unique way to play a host of retro RPGs. One of the closest things to a comparison I can make in the retail gaming scene is “Super Mario Maker”. That or the absolute host of Roguelikes on the market. Though players make those stages, they are, for all intents and purposes, random Mario stages for people who are simply playing the game and not building. It’s a collection of randomized stages from various Super Mario Bros. games, and players can upload their own onto the Internet, be they easy or be they insane. The idea behind these Randomizers is that they take a game that is already out, and randomize as many elements as possible. One of the best examples is Final Fantasy VI Randomizer. FFVI is one of the most sprawling, epic RPGs on the Super Nintendo, and frankly, it’s been done to death. There’s nothing new to explore.

Ethics of Randomizers - 2

This is a South Figaro shop. Just look at it carefully.

So this version of the game randomizes the following elements: What each characters skillset is, what they come equipped with, what they can equip, what, if any starting magic they have, their name/color palette, what every chest in the game has, what each Esper can teach, and at what percentages. It also fixes a bunch of bugs (Vanish+Doom, fixed Defenses, so many more), and removed the stat bonuses you gain per level from Magicite.  Now the game is brand new! You have new challenges, use different characters, and are forced to approach the game in a way you did not before. Some of the exploits you once used are gone, characters that were considered “weak” may not be anymore. It also randomizes the lores that Strago (or whoever gets lore) starts with, as well as Gau. There are so many retro games that have had Randomizers made for them: The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Final Fantasy 1, Dragon Warrior 1, Super Mario 3, Super Mario World, Final Fantasy IV, EarthBound (which is the worst one I’ve ever experienced), and so on and so forth.

Ethics of Randomizers - 3

This is a menu from setting up a Super Metroid randomizer.

The problem lies in that these are technically morally and legally wrong. Emulators are not illegal, they do nothing wrong. However, the ROM itself is a Copyright issue. Even if you own the game, there is no 24/48 hour rule (it used to be said that you can have the ROM for a 24 hour period and then you have to get rid of it), though different countries have different Copyright rules. On one hand, we should not support Software Piracy, but on the other hand, this really opens up so many games for incredible new adventures. So where do we go from here? Just stop having fun? Here’s where I think a lot of software developers/publishers are missing the boat. Especially for sidescrollers, Metroidvanias, and RPGs. Nintendo, Square-Enix, and companies in this group could be making quite a lot of money if they got on board and created randomizers for some of their biggest retro hits. It worked for Super Mario Maker. Super Mario Maker sold almost 4 million units on the Wii U ALONE. And many consider the Wii U to be a terrible, terrible failure. I don’t even have a 3DS anymore, and I still have my Mario Maker 3DS cart. Over 7 million units of this game sold across all platforms. What about games with hundreds of things to capture/tame, like Pokemon? Legit Pokemon Randomizers? I’d put my hard-earned money down for insane new ways to play Pokemon with none of the guilt attached to it.

Ethics of Randomizers - 4

Encounter any Pokemon in the wild? Random starters? Mmm.

How is that not a hint? These don’t have to be visual remakes (and should not be). All you have to do is get some code to randomize certain elements of the game, depending on what style of game it is. There is so much that can be done here. And I know that there are companies that are always looking to bring retro games out of retirement, to find new ways to market them. This is it, guys. I’m handing you actual gold. People will buy them. Most of these games that are randomized are played by sincere fans of the game, and a lot of them still own the original cartridges and just want new ways to challenge themselves, race their friends, or use them in charity events to help raise awareness/fight terrible diseases. And the best part of these? They would surely not require million dollar budgets. Sure, they’d probably be sold fairly cheap, but I imagine a lot of that would wind up as revenue/profit. You could offer copies to certain charity groups/high-profile streamers/press to show them off and why people need them. The marketing would be terribly simple. There are plenty of options to pick from, even if you just release a Lufia 2 “Ancient Cave” game. That’s 99 floors of random right there. Some of the ones on offer are wonderful. Some of them are a broken mess. But it’s a wonderful idea, and one I think larger companies ought to explore.

Where do you guys stand? Would you buy legit Randomizers made by the companies that produce them? I know I would!

Nantucket Review: Call Me Ishmael

by Jason Parker (Ragachak)

Nantucket Review - Ahab

“. . .Wilt thou not chase the white whale? Art not game for Moby Dick?”

This past weekend I took a voyage into the brave, deadly world of hunting whales in the PC game Nantucket. Whales, sharks, narwhals, men. If it swam in the sea or rode atop it, it was my quarry. I spent most of the time trying to figure out how to quantify exactly what Nantucket from Picaresque Studio was, and I think I’ve done it. It’s Oregon Trail mixed with the Total War event system, compiled in a digital board game. It’s a true amalgamation of systems, but it winds up working out very well. You play as one of the crewmen of Captain Ahab and The Pequod, who wound up aboard another vessel, the Rachel. Events unfold, and you wind up with your own ship and the goal of revenge. Of course, you seek out to destroy Ahab’s curse and sail through the golden age of seafaring. It’s challenging, frustrating, and you will probably die a lot if you do not spend time grinding and farming. Farming what, though? This was truly a weekend of farming. In Nantucket, I farmed Whale Blubber.

Nantucket Review - Blubber

Ah, yes, Blubber. Most valuable of all currencies.

Oh yes, Whale Blubber. Your ultimate goal is to unravel this story and chase down the White Whale, Moby Dick. You start off as a captain with barely a vessel to his name – a beat up, run-down piece of junk – and a few drunks from the bar to join you on your glorious quest. Though I wound up using that same boat for most of my adventures, just leveling it up over and over with repairs, expecting every adventure to be my last one. The RNG was very weird, and no matter how strong I thought I was, there was always that chance encounter that suddenly had a gigantic shark or whale, or fighting pirates, who dealt bonus damage on round one, made bleeding effects happen, or hit with devastating shots. So, a lot of this is left to chance, but at least that’s fitting. After all, the seas are cruel and unforgiving.

Nantucket Review - Hirelings

Whether you’re hiring people or buying water, ports are invaluable.

You gain your missions from the newspapers at various ports of call, which offer tidbits of interesting news, along with the “jobs” section which offers your tasks. Some of them have requirements, such as a character level, a ship with a certain amount of cargo hold, or abilities. They will almost always be far away, though the tasks are generally simple. Follow a rumor of a whale hunting grounds, follow the trail of a destroyed ship, defeat a named sea creature (these are the hardest ones in my estimation). You’ll have a little gold at the start at least, and most of the resources you need are inexpensive. The prices will vary from port to port, and these include Fresh Water, Wood to repair the ship, Grog (sailors need their booze), and Food. You’ll purchase it in amounts that equal days because that’s how time is measured when you’re traveling by sea. You’ll make some of your money off of these missions, but the majority of the money rolls in from farming whales.

Nantucket Review - Get Ready for Battle

You could be fighting Narwhals, Sharks, Whales .. Be brave!

Now, some of these “find a whale spawning ground” missions will just lead you to fighting sharks. That’s fine, at least it’s exp. When you’ve found a spawning ground, you’ll see on the map what type of whales spawn there, the frequency, and the times of the year that they will come to that spot on the map. You’ll want to make sure you’ve been to a nearby port of call because there will be times you need to retreat from battle, recover, resupply, and go back out again. When you get to one of these hunting grounds, you’ll wait in active mode (you can pause time to consider where to sail next, or if you need to step away) for whales to arrive. From there, you can either send out your crew to battle for you (auto battle), or you can get down in the trenches, as it were, and take command.

Nantucket Review - Combat

Fighting whales in a little boat? What’s the worst that could happen?

Your first ship only has one whaling boat, so you’ll only receive one attack per round. This can be devastating in certain missions where your goal is to survive 6-8 rounds and the enemy Sharks/Whales keep returning. When a battle begins, you’ll see your characters and the enemy, and each turn the weather changes, offering various effects. These can be amazing, such as stunning a random enemy, or bad, where certain class effects won’t work, or you have a random character stunned. The attacks come with a roll of the dice, and you’ll see several squares, some with icons in them. These are the abilities that your character has a shot at using. The more skills you have, the better chance you have of hitting one. They aren’t all attacks, though. Hunters only attack, but if you bring down your Sailor, he can do amazing things such as defensive moves that make someone immune to damage. The classes are:

Hunter: They are the damage dealers, in the early game I tend to bring down two to every battle, including the captain (who is primarily a hunter)
Sailor: They guide your ship, and are defensive units down in battle. Very handy to have around. You must have someone to steer the ship, and it’s best to have someone in this role who actually knows how.
Science: Your science officer is the healer, offering more exp for defeating sea creatures, emergency kits, increasing the healing restored in the Forecastle of your ship and more.
Craftsman: The craftsmen do all the physical work on the ship. They give you more out of your whale blubber, to chop wood in safe docks, and in general do the dirtiest of deeds. They are indispensable.

Nantucket Review - Traits

Impose your will, or leave them be. It’s your call, but there are consequences.

This is where the game starts to feel more like a Total War title than anything else. Each of these random characters starts off with positive and negative traits, including Lazy, Teetotal, Strong, Open Minded, Closed Minded, Gourmet, Slopeater, et cetera. These also come from “events”. As you sail, lots of time passes in the world, and random events happen on the ship. Sometimes a crewman wants to go visit home for some reason. I’ve seen them take their own lives after their parents pass, need to borrow money, have to beat up bandits/highwaymen. You might have to deal with someone eating too much, or potential bad water. I’ve found the more water I have, the greater chance that has of occurring. If you hover over the options, you’ll see the percentage chance of the results, and what the result will be. For example, if you keep the sedentary water, you’ll have characters gain dysentery. And you know what that means: you’re gonna poop yourself to death.

Nantucket Review - Death

Death is a part of life. In this world, so is drinking urine. Bring enough supplies.

The longer you’re at sea, the more supplies you’ll chew through, but fortunately, there are icons that show how much you have left of each, and will warn you if you’re running low. If you have a bad event and think maybe you won’t have enough? Turn around, sail back to a port and get more. It’s better to lose time than to have to choose between “drinking your own urine” and “praying to God for drinkable water”. This game is definitely rooted deeply in the era of Melville, for better and worse. Sometimes your choices are terrible. A lot of times, they are. You might lose two of your crew, and have to sail back to a port, only to find they have no one to hire. At least you don’t have to pay gold to hire them initially. They do, however, get a cut of whatever profits you might from selling whale parts. They don’t get a lot, as they aren’t the captain or owner of the ship. And buying new ships is insanely expensive, so you’re going to have to grind a lot if you want to get something new and shiny with more crew capacity, and better possible upgrades. Your first ship doesn’t have all the bells and whistles. Upgrading said ships takes gold and takes time, but you don’t have to sit in port and wait. You can resume your exploration, and come back when it’s done. The part I love about this the most, though, is that you keep these upgrades when you buy a new ship. So you can focus on your first ship, and keep those research parts when you move on.

Nantucket Review - Rating

Though not long, the story is certainly satisfying.

From Hell’s Heart, I Stab At Thee: 3.5/5

While Nantucket is charming, tells a hell of a story, offers a decent difficulty and length, the RNG, as mentioned earlier, is horrific. I highly recommend leaving on auto-save, at least on a monthly timer, because if you don’t and forget to save (like I tend to do) you’re going to be a miserable person. I’ve run through something like 12 to 15 crewmembers, and the captain of my ship has died to pirates, sharks, and whales around 3 to 5 times. Usually to ridiculous, foolish things I had no business dying to. You should definitely take your time with this game and not rush. Even in the early game, you can be obliterated by the weakest of the Narwhals. Despite how much grinding you will likely have to do, this is not a terribly long game, around 10-15 hours. It’s very open and allows you to travel and do as you wish. Plus, the sea shanties. How can I forget these? Occasionally, your crew will break out into song, singing classic sea shanties of the time. They are incredibly talented and lovely to hear.

While these are all terrific aspects, I don’t feel vested in my crew. When they died, I just picked up more chumps at the latest port of call. The whole tale of Moby Dick was a very intimate affair. The crew got to know each a lot better than I realized when I read the book in elementary school. But in Nantucket, despite the well-told story, delightful visuals, and well-designed gameplay, I’m torn out of the immersion by how little I get to know these sailors. It’s actually kind of frustrating having to sail port to port, potentially avoiding encounters, and not leveling up because I’m alone. This and the fact that the map does not wrap around were the biggest negatives to me. I also wish the game didn’t pause every time you alt-tab (because I alt-tab a lot). I enjoyed this game and will continue to explore every nook and cranny of this ancient Earth, and I don’t even feel bad about it. If you love seafaring games, grinding titles (a’la Darkest Dungeon), and want an excellent story well told? Then Nantucket is definitely for you. It’s part tactical RPG, part visual novel, and it’s absolutely worth the price point.

Note: A game key was provided for review purposes.

Final Fantasy Awakening Launches Today

FF Awakening

Oasis Games has officially launched Final Fantasy Awakening, a mobile game authorized by Square Enix for Android Devices in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, India, Laos, Cambodia, and Burma. The iOS version is still in development. Final Fantasy Awakening has stayed true to its roots with more than 200 high-quality cinematics and the original Japanese voice actors: Hanazawa Kana (Deuce), Kaji Yuuki (Ace), Nakamura Yuuichi (Trey), and more. The game hopes to provide the most immersive game experience possible to all the players. All fourteen of the original Class Zero characters return, as well as many new characters, as this is set in the same world as Final Fantasy: Type-0.

Final Fantasy Awakening features high-speed, action-based combat and requires strategy based on the various moves and fighting styles of each of the original Type-0 characters. Players an unlock or recruit new characters to their team, and through leveling up, they will also be able to claim in-game funds to improve their skills and equipment. It also features the trinity battle form from the original game, where three players out of their team can cast ultimate attacks together on the enemy. Based on this, Final Fantasy Awakening extended the diverse 1+2+2 battle form, which players can switch two characters in the team to the rest two in order to cast their final skills.

Space Hulk: Tactics Offers a New Take on the Space Hulk Experience

Space Hulk Tactics

Cyanide Studio, the team that brought Blood Bowl to life is ready to take the Space Hulk tactical series in a whole new direction with Space Hulk: Tactics. You will still be engaging in violent battles in an immense Space Hulk, but this time you can play as either the Terminator Space Marines or the deadly alien Genestealers! The game will offer two distinct narratives from two very different points of view. One is from a Blood Angels squad, and the other is the Genestealers, which is a first in a Space Hulk game. Space Hulk: Tactics is based on the rules of the popular board game, given a fresh new spin in the form of the unique Card system. Cards give more ways to customize your squad before a match and allow you to turn the tides of battle with abilities that trigger game-changing effects when used at the right moment.

It will also feature competitive online multiplayer, letting you command either a swarm of Genestealers, or a custom squad of different unit types from one of four Space Marine Chapters: Blood Angels, Space Wolves, Ultramarines, and Dark Angels. Multiplayer modes and tools offer a rich and deep online experience, and include an intuitive map creation tool, which gives players everything they need to create original maps with custom objective, and share them with other players to play either online or against the AI, all from within the game! It is coming later this year to Playstation 4, Xbox One and PC.

Citadel: Forged with Fire Awakens the Great Golem

Citadel Forged with Fire - Great Golem

Blue Isle Studios has released some new content for the beautiful world of Citadel: Forged with Fire. This update features a hulking goliath of stone and wood, brought to life again. The Great Golem has been dormant for hundreds of years but is now a major threat to careless Wizards and Warriors roaming the land. If you invade his personal space, he will surely do his best to make all regret that decision. Great Golems are high-level creatures who pack a serious punch whether at distance or close range. Those who wish to take out these giants should stock up on healing items and bring their friends. It will be intense, it will be brutal, it will be exhausting, but it will be worth it! Upon defeating the Great Golem, successful adventurers will have earned a significant amount of valuable building resources including gold ore, precious stone, and even light essence!

To celebrate this, Citadel: Forged with Fire is currently on sale for 50% off on Steam (12.49).

A Total War Saga -Thrones of Britannia Press Preview

by Noe Ponce

Last week, honorable guest writer, Noe of house Ponce, was sent on a quest to explore the vast unknown of a brand new Total War series: A Total War Saga! This was not Sir Noe’s first trip to the Total War universe, however. He went on his first quest for OnRPG six moons ago, where he learned of the rat people invading the lands of Total War: Warhammer II. When he returned smelly but uneaten, we knew he could be entrusted to brave the Viking-filled lands of the late 9th century Europe in A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia!

Kings will rise. One will rule.

And rule I did! While on my quest I was able to try out the Gaelic Kingdom of Mide (pronounced ‘Meed’), one of the 10 playable factions that will be available upon the game’s release. I also had the privilege of interviewing James Given, the community manager for Total War. James offered some amazing insight into the gameplay and development of Thrones of Britannia. He was a wealth of knowledge and I’ll be sharing much of what he told me throughout this article.

But enough with the pleasantries…TO BATTLE!

Beginning the game as King Flann, I was immediately hit with loyalty issues. I had apparently lost many recent battles and my men were beginning to lose faith in me as their king and commander. Something had to change if I was to ever achieve my dream of becoming the High King of Ireland. That’s when the game suggested I use my forces to put down a nearby rebel army.

While only a minor battle in the scheme of things, it was a small step in the right direction. The victory set me on a path I desperately needed to be on. A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia is full of these smaller steps towards larger goals. In fact, it’s kind of why they chose the region and time period they did.

Thrones of Britannia Siege

“With Thrones of Britannia being a ‘Saga’ title, we wanted to give [the game] a very focused geographic location and narrative for all of the factions involved. We wanted a map where there’s enough going on that everyone has something to do or conquer but still gives unique challenges based on the [player’s] culture and geographical location. We’ve been trying to break away from the more larger scale, historic time periods and eras. You want a tighter focused game and I think that’s what we got here with Thrones of Britannia.”

Cultural and faction traits were another cool feature that showed off the game’s flair for history. Each kingdom has their own cultural trait that benefited the factions of that Kingdom in some way. The Mide, for instance, are Gaelic and have the cultural trait “Legitimacy.” This trait grants bonuses to Gaelic kingdoms (Scottish and Irish) for owning Gaelic territories and assisting allies in battle.

The Mide’s faction specific bonus is the Fair of Tailtiu. Just like its historic namesake, the fair is a peaceful celebration that greatly benefits the faction and improves ally relations. However, if the Mide can’t shell out the necessary coin to host it or the capital is under attack, the fair will be postponed. But the cultural differences don’t stop at traits. There are faction specific units as well.

“All the factions can recruit very different things. The Vikings, for example, can call upon Berserkers. These guys with massive axes have been rowing oars and have upper body strength. So they’re just chopping away. That’s the kind of scary stuff you get from the Vikings. But then you look at the Welsh faction and they can call upon longbowmen with devastating range.”

Speaking of units, Thrones of Britannia is introducing some major changes to many already established Total War systems; recruitment being one of them. Money is no longer the sole deciding factor in acquiring troops. Players will now have to muster additional forces from nearby settlements they control. James said this new system really honors the time period.

“This is the dark ages of Britain, not many people could make weapons or armor that were worth their salt or money. So the idea of mustering gives you that sense of recruiting and training. You’re bringing in people from farms and other towns. You’re training them and putting them in your army.”

Thrones of Britannia Gaelic Cavalry

To further emphasize this point, all mustered troops will come in at about 25 percent of their potential strength. And while they can be used immediately, the noobie soldiers can reach 100 percent after several turns of replenishment. They need time to bulk-up.

With my troop situation figured out, I was now ready to fulfill my destiny and become the next High King of Ireland!…if that’s what I wanted to do of course. Probably my favorite part of the rich campaign mode is the different ways to win. There’s a conquest route where the goal is to expand a nation’s borders by conquering settlement after settlement. The fame route brings victory through economic developments and technological breakthroughs. The kingdom route offers a rather interesting win condition. You must complete a series of historical objectives unique to your kingdom’s history and strive to unify your lands in an effort to become an even greater kingdom.

There’s one final victory condition players can work towards, the ambiguously named “Ultimate Victory.” It can only be achieved after one of the previously mentioned victory conditions have been met. James said it was too soon to discuss what the big endgame challenges will be but did confirm they’ll vary based on the faction you played. He also really played up their difficulty, stating even veteran Total War players will suffer (at first anyway) if they try and tackle the late game.

That about wraps up what I learned during my quest but before I finish things off I wanted to mention the charity the Total War team is working with. They’re named War Child UK (Registered charity number: 1071659) and they help children that have been caught up in the conflict of war. It’s their mission to protect, educate and stand-up for the rights of these children. It’s one thing to make an amazing war game based on history long passed, it’s another entirely to support those affected by today’s wars. Creative Assembly is doing both by donating 25% of their profit from every pre-sale of Thrones of Britannia from now until launch, to War Child UK. See how you can help too and get involved. Thank you.

Thrones of Britannia Giant Causeway

A Total War Saga: Thrones of Britannia releases worldwide April 19, 2018. It’s fun and definitely different, even by Total War standards. This fresh addition to the franchise will easily appeal to any Total War vets, wargamers, history buffs, even RPG fans. It offers an incredibly deep campaign mode, rich lessons in history and warfare and you won’t find a better narrative (which you can learn more about in this dev interview). Pre-order your digital copy today from any SEGA approved digital retailer (Steam is one of them) and get a 10 percent discount now until April 19th! It’s a great deal and supports a good cause.

Thank you again to Creative Assembly and their PR team at Clever Communications for inviting us out to yet another phenomenal Total War press event. We can’t wait for the next one.