[Preview] Requiem for Kraken's Arm
Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 1:57 am
While working on the sequel to Lost Halls of the Drinn I decided that it was just going to take too long to finish to be my first Grimrock 2 release. I want to get something out earlier first, and for that purpose, decided to make a prequel first. I'm also going to try being more open about development instead of trying to keep everything secret again. This mod takes place on Kraken's Arm, the islet northwest of Nex, and has similar basic gameplay to the Drinn sequel as well as nearly all of its interface features. But it's a bit smaller-scale so that I can finish it sooner:
- there is more reliance on standard assets
- most (or maybe all) of the music is Creative Commons stuff from other parties
- only one character (Toorum) is available; the Drinn sequel offers 2 other characters
Now, here are the features from "Drinn 2"* that Requiem for Kraken's Arm DOES have:
This one is boring, I'm not sure why I took it:
Very unfinished level:
Power orbs are easy to recognize:
I didn't mention all the new combat features:
I'm working on getting rid of the "+0 XP".
The lightning particle system needs some tweaks:
Screenshots of the prototypes for the skill and lumenstone interfaces. These are just prototypes for debugging purposes and they will look nothing like this in the actual game, so basically all this screenshot does is prove that they exist. Lumenstone users can turn shadow casting on or off and even change the shadow detail level:
For now, I'm not saying anything about the thing in the bottom left corner except that it will eventually get a more detailed model and texture.
I should note that I'm kind of banking on a PartyComponent:setMovementSpeed() method or something similar being added in a future update, so that I can apply Toorum's movement speed without having to edit a saved game. But if not I can always distribute a saved game along with the mod.
*the sequel does have an actual title, but I'm not revealing it yet
- there is more reliance on standard assets
- most (or maybe all) of the music is Creative Commons stuff from other parties
- only one character (Toorum) is available; the Drinn sequel offers 2 other characters
Now, here are the features from "Drinn 2"* that Requiem for Kraken's Arm DOES have:
- Lots of new interface/convenience features:
- Full keyboard controls for all combat actions.
- While not in combat, you can teleport to any place on the map that you have previously visited.
- When you pick up an item, it's added to your "found items" list. Whenever you drop an item, you can instantly retrieve it later from said list, which is fully searchable.
- There are no underwater areas, all water is purely decorative and you cannot dive into it.
- Carry a lumenstone and it will provide light that never expires; you can even adjust the brightness and colour of the light, and turn it on/off whenever you wish. It doesn't need to be held in your hands to emit light, you just have to have it in your inventory - even inside a container.
- Lots of automap improvements. Buttons, levers, and pretty much anything else you could want on the automap, are recorded on the automap automatically. When you read a walltext, a map note is automatically created containing the full text.
- No food, no ammunition, no weight limits, and no falling damage.
- Like in Lost Halls of the Drinn, there are no secret buttons, no torches/torch holders that can be manipulated, and no "lost forever" items or puzzles.
- There will be a full hint system, with full solutions, in-game. Hints will never be automatic. There will be no penalties, time delays, etc. for using hints/solutions.
- Many other things I haven't mentioned.
- Heavily modified combat system:
- The game is rigidly divided into combat and non-combat states. While outside of combat, nothing can injure you or deplete your energy by any means.
- When you enter certain rooms, all the exits will close and you'll enter combat. When you defeat all the enemies or die, combat ends and the exits open up again.
- When you die, you don't get a game over. Instead, you are sent back in time to right before you entered combat. You do not lose any other progress whatsoever for dying, so it's no longer useful to save the game really often. Indeed, getting an actual game over is completely impossible.
- Combat itself is designed to eliminate kiting, square-dancing, etc. with fast monsters, new AI, and many other changes.
- Closely related is the heavily modified skill system:
- Each character has 3 skill trees with 7 skills each. Skills only have one level each but have prerequisites.
- In Requiem for Kraken's Arm, of course, only one character is available, Toorum. His skill trees are Path of the Berserker, Path of the Druid, and Path of the Thunderstruck.
- You don't get experience for killing monsters. Instead, you gain levels by finding orbs of power strewn across the game, generally behind lots of puzzles and fighting.
- Special attacks and spells are combined into generic "abilities". These are like the activated abilities you're familiar with in other games; you press the hotkey or click on the button to use the ability. They are constrained by the cooldown like normal attacks, and they cost energy.
- Energy and health do not regenerate naturally in combat, but your health and energy are always fully restored after combat, and will always stay full when outside of combat.
- I have decided that there will be no consumables (potions, etc.) to increase the emphasis on tactics, avoid meta-gaming, and so on. You also won't be able to do any item-swapping cheese.
- Multiple difficulty levels will be available. In place of the standard ones, there will be "Easy", "Hard", and "Insane". Also, there will be a "No Combat" option if you are only interested in puzzles, and a "Bosses Only" option too. The difficulty level and these options can be changed during a game.
This one is boring, I'm not sure why I took it:
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Note: there's heather and grass and rocks and stuff on the land areas, but the player is too far away so they aren't drawn.
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Also, rain looks better when it's moving:
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I'm working on getting rid of the "+0 XP".
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I also need to figure out a way to illuminate the clouds without destroying performance:
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For now, I'm not saying anything about the thing in the bottom left corner except that it will eventually get a more detailed model and texture.
*the sequel does have an actual title, but I'm not revealing it yet
