#wayfarer gameplay

[idrellegames]

It’s so cool that the only way for a 60+ romance with Aeran rn is to fail checks on a boss fight. Something I would probably make 728 saves to avoid with any other game. Like that’s so cool. You really weren’t lying when you said ‘fail checks’ aren’t ‘losing’ that even those open up paths. It’s amazing how complex everything is. I’ve never played an IF like this and I’m super glad I found it.

Wayfarer is not a game you can win. There is no "win" state. The function of the dice rolls is to give variability and consequence to your actions, akin to how they do in a TTRPG.

So, of course there needs to be balance! My rule of thumb is that all options need to lead to something interesting and rewarding. Pass/Fail doesn't mean win/lose, it represents two potential outcomes - and sometimes those outcomes have ripple effects throughout the game. It's about action and reaction.

A pass could lead to your MC getting more information about something they can act on later on. A fail can lead to a character's romantic attachment to the MC spiking because he's a clown and doesn't realize he's in love with them until they literally almost die. 😉

tl;dr - never be afraid of skill checks! See where the RNG lands you, see how it plays out. The world and the text is reactive, everything is situational. You might learn something new about your character along the way. Sometimes it's good for them to get their ass kicked.

[flickering-nightfall]

I love the difference between the slugcat and the iterator ask art. The slugcat is all cute flop, and the iterator casts destruction on everything below them. Perfect.

Hmm, valid but let's even that out a bit

[sinisterexaggerator]

OH MY GOD

HOLD THE FUCK UP

From thegamer.com about Star Wars: Outlaws.

"The other expert showcased in the gameplay footage is a Weequay gunslinger expert named Sheriff Quint, who's stationed out of Wayfar on Tatooine. It sounds like all those different blaster skills, including the Deadeye bullet-time ability, will be learned through your interactions with Quint."

A WEEQUAY GUNSLINGER?!?!?!? GUYS!!!!! GUYS!!! GUYS!!!!! LOOK AT HIM/HER/THEM!!!

ALKSDJKLASJDKLASJD

[genshin-impact-updates]

"All Senses Clear, All Existence Void" Version 3.3 Update Details

Dear Travelers,

Below are the details of the Version 3.3 update "All Senses Clear, All Existence Void."

〓Compensation Details〓

Maintenance Compensation: Primogems ×300 (60 Primogems per hour the servers are down)

Issue Fix Compensation: Primogems ×300 (please refer to the relevant compensation mail for more details)

〓Scope of Compensation〓

Maintenance Compensation: Travelers who reach Adventure Rank 5 or above before 2022/12/07 06:00

Please claim before the end of Version 3.3.

Issue Fix Compensation: Travelers who reach Adventure Rank 5 or above before 2022/12/07 06:00.

Please claim the compensation mail before 2022/12/10 06:00

Our developers will distribute compensation to Travelers via in-game mail within 5 hours after the update maintenance is finished. The mail will expire after 30 days, so don't forget to claim the attached compensation in time.

〓Update Schedule〓

Update maintenance begins 2022/12/07 06:00 and is estimated to take 5 hours.

〓How to Update Game Client〓

PC: Close the game, open the Genshin Impact Launcher, and click Update.

iOS: Open the App Store and tap Update.

Android: Open the game and follow the directions on-screen.

PS5™ and PS4™: Highlight Genshin Impact from the Home Screen, press the OPTIONS button and select "Check for Update."

Please do not hesitate to contact Customer Service if you encounter any issues installing the new version. We will do our very best to resolve the issue.

〓Update Details〓

I. New Gameplay

New Gameplay: Genius Invokation TCG

Genius Invokation TCG is a tightly-paced, heart-stopping tabletop card dueling game.

Join as a "Genius Invokation TCG" player, collect cards, build your deck, and go toe-to-toe with various opponents at the table!

◇ Unlock Criteria:

• Reach Adventure Rank 32 or above

• Complete the Archon Quest "Song of the Dragon and Freedom"

◇ System Rules:

1. Find challengers in the open world or enter the tavern to play matches against weekly visiting challengers, and earn Player EXP, and Lucky Coins.

2. Player EXP can be used to increase your Player Level, which in turn unlocks new functions and more challengers. Lucky Coins can be used to purchase Genius Invokation cards and used to purchase Match Invitation Letters and various items related to Genius Invokation TCG.

3. You can use the invitation board to send invitations to registered challengers on the Player List and partake in duel matches. Should you prevail in these matches, you can also earn corresponding Character and Talent Cards.

4. You can use the invitation board and connect with your friends via Co-Op to partake in a Genius Invokation TCG match. After reaching a certain Player Level, you can also match with faraway strangers to duels of skill.

*After Genius Invokation TCG is officially launched, we will continue to adjust and optimize the balance of cards based on the duel situation and feedback of Travelers, so as to continuously improve the gameplay experience of Genius Invokation TCG.

The Genius Invokation TCG balance adjustment in the Version 3.3 update is as follows:

Adjusts Elemental Burst damage dealt by the Character Card "Maguu Kenki" in Genius Invokation TCG: "Deals 6 Anemo DMG..." is now adjusted to "Deals 4 Anemo DMG...".

II. New Characters

5-Star Character "Eons Adrift" Wanderer (Anemo)

◇ Vision: Anemo

◇ Weapon: Catalyst

◇ A wayfaring figure whose identity is a mystery. He dresses like a mountain ascetic, but he certainly does not act the part.

◆ Elemental Skill "Hanega: Song of the Wind"

◆ Deals AoE Anemo DMG before leaping into the air and entering the Windfavored state. In this state, the Wanderer is unable to use Plunging Attacks, and his Normal and Charged Attacks are converted to Kuugo: Fushoudan and Kuugo: Toufukai. The DMG they deal and their AoE will be increased, and their DMG will be considered Normal and Charged Attack DMG respectively. The Wanderer will hover persistently during this time. Consume Kuugoryoku Points to maintain this hovering state, move and sprint mid-air, and increase hovering height. Running out of Kuugoryoku Points or casting the Elemental Skill again while in this state will end the Windfavored state.

◆ Elemental Burst "Kyougen: Five Ceremonial Plays"

◆ Deals multiple instances of AoE Anemo DMG. If the character is in the Windfavored state due to the skill "Hanega: Song of the Wind," Windfavored state will end after casting.

4-Star Character "Enigmatic Machinist" Faruzan (Anemo)

◇ Vision: Anemo

◇ Weapon: Bow

◇ A researcher from "one hundred years ago." She enjoys self-identifying as everyone's senior, and has significant knowledge of ancient scripts and machines of all kinds.

◆ Elemental Skill "Wind Realm of Nasamjnin"

◆ Deploys a polyhedron that deals AoE Anemo DMG to nearby opponents. She will also enter the Manifest Gale state. While in the Manifest Gale state, Faruzan's next fully charged shot will consume this state and will become a Hurricane Arrow that contains high-pressure currents. This arrow deals Anemo DMG based on the DMG of a fully charged Aimed Shot from "Normal Attack: Parthian Shot." The Hurricane Arrow will apply a Pressurized Collapse effect to the opponent or character hit. This effect will be removed after a short delay, creating a vortex that deals AoE Anemo DMG and pulls nearby objects and opponents in. If the Hurricane Arrow does not hit any opponent or character, it will create a Pressurized Collapse effect at its point of impact.

◆ Elemental Burst "The Wind's Secret Ways"

◆ Deploys a Dazzling Polyhedron that unleashes a Whirlwind Pulse and deals AoE Anemo DMG. While the Dazzling Polyhedron persists, it will continuously move along a triangular path. Once it reaches each corner of that triangular path, it will unleash 1 more Whirlwind Pulse. When the Whirlwind Pulse is unleashed, it will apply Perfidious Wind's Bale to nearby opponents, decreasing their Anemo RES. The Whirlwind Pulse will also apply Prayerful Wind's Benefit to all nearby party members when it is unleashed, granting them an Anemo DMG Bonus.

III. New Domain

Domain of Blessing: City of Gold

◇ This stronghold, once protected by seven mighty battlements, crumbled overnight when King Deshret fell and an age of chaos ensued. Where gold-eyed warriors once stood guard over watchtowers of gilded luster, now, only a desiccated temple built upon sundered rocks remains, more akin to a tomb for an age of radiance long lost.

◇ Unlock Criteria:

• Reach Adventure Rank 22 or above

• Or complete the Archon Quest "Prologue: Act III - Song of the Dragon and Freedom"

◆ Challenge the Domain to obtain artifacts in the "Desert Pavilion Chronicle" and "Flower of Paradise Lost" sets.

IV. New Equipment

1. New Weapons

Tulaytullah's Remembrance (5-Star Catalyst)

Normal Attack SPD is increased by 10%. After the wielder unleashes an Elemental Skill, Normal Attack DMG will increase by 4.8% every second for 14s. After this character hits an opponent with a Normal Attack during this duration, Normal Attack DMG will be increased by 9.6%. This increase can be triggered once every 0.3s. The maximum Normal Attack DMG increase per single duration of the overall effect is 48%. The effect will be removed when the wielder leaves the field, and using the Elemental Skill again will reset all DMG buffs.

◆ During the event wish "Epitome Invocation," the event-exclusive 5-star weapon Tulaytullah's Remembrance (Catalyst) will receive a huge drop-rate boost!

Toukabou Shigure (4-Star Sword)

After an attack hits opponents, it will inflict an instance of Cursed Parasol upon one of them for 10s. This effect can be triggered once every 15s. If this opponent is taken out during Cursed Parasol's duration, Cursed Parasol's CD will be refreshed immediately. The character wielding this weapon will deal 16% more DMG to the opponent affected by Cursed Parasol.

◆ Toukabou Shigure (Sword) and its refinement materials can be redeemed in the event "Akitsu Kimodameshi."

2. New Artifacts

Desert Pavilion Chronicle (4-Star and 5-Star)

◇ 2-Piece Set: Increased Anemo DMG Bonus.

◇ 4-Piece Set: When Charged Attacks hit opponents, the equipping character's Normal Attack SPD will increase by 10% while Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attack DMG will increase by 40% for 15s.

Flower of Paradise Lost (4-Star and 5-Star)

◇ 2-Piece Set: Increased Elemental Mastery.

◇4-Piece Set: The equipping character's Bloom, Hyperbloom, and Burgeon reaction DMG are increased by 40%. Additionally, after the equipping character triggers Bloom, Hyperbloom, or Burgeon, they will gain another 25% bonus to the effect mentioned prior. Each stack of this lasts 10s. Max 4 stacks simultaneously. This effect can only be triggered once per second. The character who equips this can still trigger its effects when not on the field.

V. New Main Story

1. New Archon Quest

Archon Quest Interlude Chapter: Act III "Inversion of Genesis"

◆ Quest Unlock Criteria

• Reach Adventure Rank 40 or above

• Complete Archon Quest Chapter III: Act V "Akasha Pulses, the Kalpa Flame Rises"

• Complete Kaedehara Kazuha's Story Quest: Acer Palmatum Chapter - Act I "A Strange and Friendless Road"

◇ After the Version 3.3 update, Archon Quest Interlude Chapter: Act III "Inversion of Genesis" will be permanently available.

VI. Other Additions

New Recipes:

○ Sumeru NPC Jahangir: Samosa

○ Wanderer's specialty: "Shimi Chazuke"

○ Faruzan's specialty: Traditionally-Made Charcoal-Baked Ajilenakh Cake

New "Genius Invokation TCG" Achievement category added, new Achievements added to the "Wonders of the World" category.

New Namecards:

"Wanderer: Drifter's Ballad": Reward for reaching Friendship Lv. 10 with the Wanderer

"Faruzan: Sealed Secret": Reward for reaching Friendship Lv. 10 with Faruzan

"Achievement: Invoker": Reward for completing all achievements under "Genius Invokation TCG"

"Travel Notes: Stellar Rivers": Reward obtained via the BP system

Adds some prompts for loading screens.

New Liyue Daily Commission:

Follow-up content of "The Sparrow Studies the Blade" - "The Day the Sword Departs" series and follow-up content of "Where Is the Unseen Razor?"

Adds a search function for Furnishings: type in keywords to search for Furnishings in the Furnishing Creation interface and Serenitea Pot editing menu.

After Trust Rank reaches Level 10, the purchase limit cap of products in Realm Depot > Furnishings will be raised.

Adds the source of the Furnishing in the item description.

Adds Coral Butterfly to items sold by the Teapot Traveling Salesman.

Stellar Reunion Adjustments:

Interface Optimization: Adds access to Genius Invokation TCG to "Returner's Journey."

Event Adjustment: Updates the completion conditions of certain "Homeward Path" missions.

Adds a new Battle Pass Mission in "Battle Pass > Weekly Missions": Complete Invokation TCG Weekly Guest Challenges 2 times.

After the Version 3.3 update, two new languages will be available for the game client: Italian and Turkish.

Spiral Abyss

Floor 11 Ley Line Disorders changed to:

• All characters in the party gain a 75% Anemo DMG Bonus.

※ After the Spiral Abyss resets on December 16, the "Deepwood Memories" and "Gilded Dreams" Artifact set rewards in "Domain Reliquary: Tier I," and "Domain Reliquary: Tier II" for Floors 9-12 will be replaced with "Desert Pavilion Chronicle" and "Flower of Paradise Lost."

Updates the monster lineup on Floor 11 of the Spiral Abyss.

Updates the monster lineup on Floor 12 of the Spiral Abyss.

Starting from the first time that the Lunar Phase refreshes after updating to Version 3.3, the three Lunar Phases will be as follows:

Phase I:

Terminal Moon

After the active character's Normal, Charged, or Plunging Attack deals DMG to an opponent, the character will gain a 10% corresponding Elemental or Physical DMG Bonus of that attack for 4s. This effect can be triggered once every 1s. Max 6 stacks. It will be removed when the character leaves the field or deals a different type of Elemental or Physical DMG.

Phase II:

Breezecall Moon

After the active character triggers a Swirl reaction, all party members will have their CRIT DMG increased by 20% for 8s. Max 3 stacks. This effect can be triggered once every 1s.

Phase III:

Supreme Moon

When the active character deals consecutive instances of Elemental DMG of the same Elemental Type using Normal, Charged, and Plunging Attacks, Elemental Skills, and Elemental Bursts to an opponent, they will gain 1 count stack. 1 stack can be gained every 1s. After 5 stacks have been gained, a shockwave will be unleashed at the opponent's position, dealing True DMG and clearing all heretofore accumulated stacks. Should the active character leave the field or deal a different type of Elemental DMG, these stacks will also be cleared. Dealing Physical DMG will not clear the stacks.

*In the content updated in version 3.3, there are text errors for some English voice-over lines.

Akitsu Yuugen should be: Akitsu Yuugei

Akitsu Hazura should be: Akitsu Haneasobi

We seek your kind understanding on this matter.

〓Adjustments & Optimizations〓

● System

Adds the feature of adding 1–3-Star Artifacts at once to the Destruction System.

Adds the function of filtering by Artifact status in Inventory > Artifacts: you can filter by Artifact Lock Status, Level Status, and Equipment Status.

● Audio

Optimizes the sound performance when a character defeats an opponent or inflicts a CRIT Hit.

Optimizes the sound performance of some objects.

Optimizes the English, Korean, and Japanese voice-over for certain characters and quests.

Optimizes the English voice-over related to a certain region's name as well as the English voice-over performances of some NPCs.

Decreases the volume of environmental sound effects under certain circumstances.

● Other

Reduces the difficulty of the Daily Commission "Hey, Come Out!" and adds gameplay tips.

Adjusts the display order of Mora converted from Adventure EXP in the Reward Preview after reaching Adventure Rank 60.

Optimizes the special effects display of the Tranquility Aura from Nilou's Elemental Skill.

Optimizes the special effects performance of Polearm characters' Plunging Attacks.

〓Bug Fixes〓

● Quests

Fixes an issue whereby under certain circumstances, during the Daily Commission "Akademiya Q&A," the corresponding achievement was not unlocked after answering all the questions correctly for the first time. If you are affected by this issue, complete the Daily Commission "Akademiya Q&A" again after the version update to unlock the achievement in question (it is not mandatory to answer all questions correctly this time around).

Fixes an issue whereby the NPC Alhaitham might abnormally disappear after completing the target "Go to Port Ormos" in the Archon Quest "A Toast to Victory."

Adds a sound effect to Nilou's voiced-over internal monologue during the Story Quest "The Reason We Are Gathered Here."

Fixes an issue with a cutscene in the Story Quest: "Astrology and the 50-Year Pact" whereby some Korean voice-over lines could not be played properly.

Fixes an issue with the Archon Quest "A Toast to Victory" whereby some characters' Japanese voice-over lines could not be played properly.

Fixes errors in the description of some Daily Commissions.

● Enemies

Fixes an issue in Co-Op Mode whereby there is a small chance that enemies would enter the parry state abnormally.

Fixes an issue whereby when challenging the boss Signora in Co-Op Mode or matchmaking mode, if Signora entered the Ice Cocoon phase before a Traveler's loadout was complete, the Crimson Lotus Moth that said Traveler used could not take effect normally.

Fixes an issue whereby wn challenging the boss "Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal," there would be a small chance that the character would remain in the high speed state when players use the Four-Leaf Sigil to move quickly at the moment of switching characters.

Fixes an issue with the boss Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal whereby his Setsuna Shoumetsu skill released in the second combat phase would not apply normally under certain circumstances.

Fixes an issue with the boss Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal whereby when he is suppressed while unleashing certain skills in the first combat phase, those skills would still take effect abnormally under certain circumstances.

Fixes an issue whereby constructs still appear abnormally after the boss Shouki no Kami, the Prodigal has been defeated (although these constructs cannot deal DMG).

Fixes an issue whereby when the enemy "Ruin Destroyer" is charging up energy, the Normal Attack of bow characters might not be able to lock on to this enemy.

Fixes an issue whereby some enemies would exit combat when they leave or move too far away.

● Characters

Fixes an issue with Nahida's Talent "Awakening Elucidated" whereby there is a small chance that the Elemental Mastery increase buff of the 4-Piece Artifact set "Gilded Dreams" was not properly included in the effect of the Talent.

Fixes an issue with Tighnari whereby during his Plunging Attack, parts of his ribbons and clothing would flap abnormally.

Fixes an issue whereby when Keqing used Normal Attacks consecutively on enemies affected by the Electro element, her Lv.2 Constellation's effects would be triggered at an abnormal interval.

Fixes an issue whereby when Cyno unleashed his Elemental Burst, the effects on his face were abnormal.

Fixes an issue with Thoma whereby after he casts his Elemental Burst, when an active character triggers Fiery Collapse, there's a discrepancy between its special effects and its actual damage location.

Fixes an issue with Candace whereby when she is frozen after casting her Elemental Skill, the position of her weapon would be displayed abnormally.

Fixes an issue with Nilou whereby part of her skirt appeared to be abnormally blurry.

Fixes an issue that caused some characters to move abnormally in an idle state under certain specific circumstances.

● System

Fixes an issue whereby the character sorting order was in disarray after clearing the Filtering Conditions on the Spiral Abyss character selection page.

● Audio

Fixes an issue whereby some audio effects of the Dusk Birds in Sumeru disappeared abnormally.

Fixes an issue whereby Mona's "When It Snows" voice line could not be triggered correctly.

Fixes an issue with Shikanoin Heizou whereby his Friendship Level and Ascension voice-over would fail to trigger properly.

Fixes an issue whereby Mona's "When It Snows" voice line could not be triggered correctly.

Fixes an issue whereby the Chinese voice-over did not match the text in some quests.

Fixes an issue of incorrect Chinese and Japanese voice-over for certain opponents.

● Other

Fixes an issue whereby the Ley Line Disorder effect "increases all party members' ATK and DEF by 6%" of Spiral Abyss Floor 6 did not take effect for characters on standby.

Fixes an issue whereby when characters on standby have 5 or more stacks of this effect, they have to cast their Elemental Burst once after they take the field to obtain the "increase character Normal Attack SPD and Movement SPD by an additional 30%" buff.

Fixes an issue with abnormal collision size in some environments.

Fixes an issue whereby Polearms would be abnormally affected by Elements under certain circumstances.

Fixes an issue whereby the Elemental effect icon would appear above the opponents (even though they were not affected by said Element) under certain circumstances.

Fixes an issue whereby there is a probability that the Burgeon reaction would not be properly included in the Elemental Mastery increase buff of the 4-Piece Artifact set "Gilded Dreams."

Fixes some textual errors in 13 languages and optimizes text. "Note: Related in-game functions have not changed." (Travelers can view the changes in different languages by going to the Paimon Menu > Settings > Language and changing the Game Language.)

Text-related fixes and optimizations in English include:

◆ Optimized some lines in Ganyu's Profile.

◆ Optimized some lines in the Open World.

◆ Optimized some lines in Candace's Profile.

◆ Optimized some lines in Kamisato Ayato's Profile.

◆ Optimized some lines in Arataki Itto's Profile.

◆ Optimized instances of the term "the Eremites" for consistency.

◆ Optimized instances of the term "matra" for consistency.

◆ Optimized instances of the term "chilis" for consistency.

◆ Optimized instances of "Quicksand Unagi" to "Quicksand Eel."

◆ Optimized the description for Kaeya's Constellation Lv.2

◆ Optimized the description for Lisa's Constellation Lv.4

◆ Optimized the translation "Increases the number of lightning bolts released by Lightning Rose by 1-3." to "Lightning Rose now unleashes 1-3 lightning bolts when it attacks."

◆ Optimized some of Xinyan's voiced lines.

◆ Optimized some lines in Archon Quests.

◆ Optimized some of Paimon's voiced lines.

◆ Optimized instances of a character's name from "Michihira/Doukei" to "Michihiro."

◆ Optimized instances of a character's designation from "Armory Officer" to "Vice Armory Officer."

*This is a work of fiction and is not related to any actual people, events, groups, or organizations.

"PlayStation", "PS5", "PS4", "DualSense", "DUALSHOCK" are registered trademarks or trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

[kommissarkartofelov]

ACHTUNG: AUTISTIC VIDYA GAEM WAIFU MAKING maybe i should continue more since i am in a textually ranty mood right now if a game gives the player the ability make their own character, my litmus test for if its a good one is if i'm able to make a sufficiently cool/cute tomboy no bias

guess i'll start with my favorite one i've made, a half orc in skay rim named her amba after watching dersu uzala since i figured that thematically the orcs in the elder scrolls games follow the tolkien derived tradtion of orcs being based on mongorians n other eastern godless savages so i guess the name of the Nanai tiger god is sufficiently oriental enough.

gave her a sorta "vulnerable badass" vibe depending on facial expression n camera angle honestly once one has had their fill of the gameplay skyrim is a good gravure game

man i love kijiko's toyger hair, bless those who ported it from sims 3 to the various bethesda games

her previous incarnation, named her kei because i am a filthy weeb liked to (and still do) use it as a more or less placeholder name

felt that i strayed too far from what can be considered "lore friendly" with her design, having human colored skin and eyes. changed character editor mods from ECE to Racemenu. ECE has much more control over the sliders, freedom is good but freedom also has its price. and so i made a spiritual successor in amba.

surprisingly, at least to me she doesn't look that bad or even better with the vanilla face/body textures. also did finally beat the main quest while playing as her so by the time i made amba there wasn't much of a point to actually playing the game

i guess still talking about skoirom why an orc/half-orc? the challenge. it's too easy with the plethora of over a decade of mods and coom glopping to make one of the human or even elven races purdy

like yeah she's cute n all but just had to fiddle with the right sliders n get the right textures speaking of elves and challenge

wanted to try retaining the ayylmaoness of TES's elves

also mashed together various mod n dragonborn dlc meshes to make a stalkery outfit, prominently the excellent wayfarer outfit n the mask from the westwind assault armor, can't remember where i got the goggles though, might be either a dwemer one or from the wet and cold series of mods

also made a feral snelf because why not was lurking /tesg/ and snelfs were prominent at that time so i wanted to put my own twist on one

i love that racemenu gives the ability to vertex edit the individual headparts, especially the teeth

fuck this is getting long, gonna make a pt 3 of this quasi series on characters i made in the 3d fallout games, abandon hope ye who enter

[landgraabbed]

more games i've been playing! this time it's unexplored 2: wayfarer's legacy (i didn't play the first lmfao)

this has been a lovely experience. it's an rpg meets roguelite where your character, the wayfarer, is tasked with destroying the staff of yendor. the game plops you into a procedurally generated tile-based world with little in the way of guidance (can you tell that's what i love in games) and you are meant to figure out a way to destroy the staff, while fulfilling tasks that aid in fulfilling your central goal. while you are doing so, you will learn of the tyranical empire's next moves and how it impacts your clan and the other clans that inhabit this world.

however, this is a roguelite, so if you die your character dies. that's it. the world will advance for a few years. things will happen. life moves on. and then a new wayfarer picks up the mantle and you play with them. and so on until you reach the final run of that world, after which you are forced to restart in a new worldstate. the game also features some neat rpg character building where you pick different traits that influence your chances when it comes to performing certain tasks, such as convincing someone to let you into their village, or maybe deciphering an ancient text. and this has gameplay integration in the sense that per example, if you approach someone with your weapon drawn, this negates your natural charm and will make people more wary of you. at first you are very limited in terms of clan and background, but as you befriend other clans other opportunities open up for you.

the game is gorgeous and plays in a top down or isometric point of view. and the soundtrack is orchestral and gorgeous (i can't get the main menu theme out of my head). so far the only con is that frequently world generation can hit a snag and i have to quit and restart the game. nothing gets lost, it can just get annoying. overall i recommend if you like the act of deciphering worldbuilding in your games, roguelike/lite aspects, and playing in a world that doesn't revolve around you!

[girinma]

hardcore Pokémon go players losing their minds over the remote raid update are so funny to me because as a soldier of the niantic wayfarer trenches and a veteran of the pikmin bloom mushroom update I am well aware that the company does not give a shit about the gameplay experience for anyone outside a large city or who is disabled and they cannot accept that they will never have the summer of 2016 back. nothing will stop them from making the worst decisions possible.

[gertlushgaming]

The Last Oricru Review (PlayStation 5)

 Our The Last Oricru Review takes us to an action RPG with a strong emphasis on storytelling and player choices. The player is awakening in a sci-fi medieval world at a time of war and starts influencing the destiny of the whole nation. The game is designed as both – a single-player and a coop experience.

The Last Oricru Review Pros:

- Decent graphics. - 23.45GB download size. - Platinum trophy. - ARPG gameplay. - Controller settings - camera sensitivity slider and auto Centre camera. - Opening combat tutorial. - Stamina is used for attacks, rolling, dodging, and attacks. - In-game cutscenes. - Combat is sols like blocking and attacking, learning enemy patterns, and countering. - Can skip cutscenes and fast-forward interactions. - Fully Voiced characters. - Inventory system to easily equip and unequip gear. - Two game difficulties - story and dark. - Auto equips gear in empty slots. - Multiple choice encounters. - Talk with characters to get more lore and have the opportunity to unlock new mission options. - Relations with factions and characters are affected by your decisions. You can also go and see what previous choices did. - Breakable objects with hidden loot. - Loot chests can be found. - Weapons have a secondary attack or a magic spell attached to them. - Three schools of magic - Fire, Void, and lightning. - Earn EXP and get points to put into your stats - life, will, vigor, strength, dexterity, and intellect. - Essence is collected from enemies and in the game, you can turn it into gold. - Split screen support. - Online Co op and randoms mode. - 3rd person perspective. - The game uses Dark Souls-like mechanics such as dropping all essence upon death and leveling up causes enemies to respawn. - Possible to just farm essence and level up and power level. - The Mana drainer allows you to steal life force from enemies and turn it into mana for yourself. - Your loadout can house two sets of weapons allowing quick swaps. - The gear will have green and red numbers for comparison. - Dismantle and upgrade equipment when leveling up. - Has the storytelling and interactions of an Elder scrolls game but the exploration and combat of a Souls game. - The world is a huge multi-connected affair with many many shortcuts to unlock. The Last Oricru Review Cons: - Cannot rebind controls. - The slow starter then continues with a slow pace. - Icons in-game like not having the stats for a weapon are not explained. - No Invert axis. - Fell through the floor a lot, especially on elevators. - Drops in the game are all just yellow orbs. - Despite the combat looking good, it soon turns into just button mashing and is kinda boring. - Doesn't do a good job of directing you or telling you the current task. - You don't have a dedicated compare menu/button. - Minimal settings. - The game difficulty default is the harder one and to change it, it's hidden in a menu and not spoken of. - There is no mention of dropping essence or how enemies respawn. - The mission tracking is terrible. - You have to be so precise with getting pickups. - The camera goes crazy a lot of the time. - Local co-op players can only level up until they match the host and never go past them. - Local players cannot interact with characters or influence the story. - The text is small, especially in the equipment menus. - Performance hitches as you move around. Related Post: Unexplored 2 The Wayfarers Legacy Review (Xbox Series S) The Last Oricru: Official website. Developer: Gold Knights Publisher: Prime Matter Store Links - PlayStation Read the full article

[likegreys]

Fabled lands books order

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Completing the assigned task will boost your scouting skill. The player has the option of scouting an enemy force or escaping to freedom.

Army Scout: If the player ends up Made a Slave by the Uttakin, one of the tasks they can be assigned is as a scout to a slave army.

An Adventurer Is You: You can choose your name, gender and class, or take a pick from one of six pre-defined characters.

Absurdly Low Level Cap: The earlier books had a level cap of 10.

The Fabled Lands provides examples of the following tropes:

FABLED LANDS BOOKS ORDER FULL

May 2022 saw the full release, adding The Court Of Hidden Faces with Over The Blood Dark Sea and Lords Of The Rising Sun planned as DLC. Released on Early Access on the 20th of May 2021, it encompasses The War Torn Kingdom, The Plains Of Howling Darkness, and, as of November 2021, Cities Of Gold And Glory with other books due later. The first (about Sokara) has since been published.Ī CRPG adaptation is available on Steam.

FABLED LANDS BOOKS ORDER SERIES

The RPG features slightly expanded rules and a series of supplements detailing the various lands. In 2011, a Tabletop RPG based on the series was released.

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The kickstarter was successful and The Serpent King's Domain was released in February 2018, largely authored by Paul Gresty working with the notes created by Morris and Thomson.Ī free Java version of the first six books is also available here, with the blessings of the original authors. In July 2015 a Kickstarter campaign to fund Book 7 ( The Serpent King's Domain) was launched here. if the reprints of the first six books sell well enough. However, There Was Much Rejoicing when this was announced, and now the prospect of having the series Uncancelled is a very real possibility. Unfortunately, Morris and Thomson underestimated the production costs, and only six of a planned twelve books were ever published. And then there are moments when the Random Number God decides to burn down your town house and ruin all of your stored possessions. The game does offer limited help in the form of Blessings (which allow you to reroll a failed skill check) and Resurrection Deals ( Exactly What It Says on the Tin) from temples, but they are pricey. However, since this was a gamebook series created in the Nineties, it can also be extremely Nintendo Hard, with many choices leading you straight to an early grave and others offering a single dice roll between safety or the dreaded "You are dead" page. As the adventure unfolds, you increase your power in three main ways: finding better equipment (most equipment offers a boost to one stat), increasing your Rank (a rough equivalent to "character level") by completing major quests or overcoming exceptional trials, and increasing your basic stats through training or the completion of minor quests and challenges. There are also six character classes to choose from (Warrior, Mage, Priest, Rogue, Troubadour and Wayfarer), which determine your starting statistics and influence some quests. There are six stats (Charisma, Combat, Magic, Sanctity, Scouting and Thievery) to keep track of, with skill checks and fight scenes requiring (at most) two six-sided dice. The complexity of gameplay falls somewhere between Fighting Fantasy and Dungeons & Dragons. The sheer volume of options in the game is what makes Fabled Lands stand out as a series. You can climb the dizzying social circles of a mask-wearing theocracy, play the stock market for massive profit, or even buy your own ship and make a living as a merchant by buying low and selling high. For example, you can choose to help a deposed king reclaim his throne, or you can assassinate him in the name of the new regime.

[idrellegames]

I'd love to know more about your choice to use Action Points and how you set it up, if you don't mind! Do you think you'll use that mechanic again in other chapters?

For sure!

The Action Points system serve three roles:

Creating an IF version of a semi-explorable world by allowing the player to decide where they want to go from a variety of options.

Tracking the passage of time.

Incentivizing the player to pick and choose the areas they want to visit if they're in a situation where they can't explore each one (i.e. more areas than action points). Or incentivizing them to prioritize (Episode 2 has small shifts depending on what you have done and who you have seen at the gala, which is dependent on the order you visit each area).

The mechanic will be used again, but not in every episode. Episodes 3 and 4 will not use action points due to some other things going on in the background, but it will be back in use in Episode 5.

[aeranii]

[judocruisegaming]

Check out our first look at Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer’s Legacy beta!!

Unexplored 2: The Wayfarer's Legacy Beta | First Look | [Unexplored 2 Be...

[interact-if]

First up for our Pride Month Event is Anna!

Anna, Author of Wayfarer

When your mercenary work backs you into a corner, you take the only option available and accept a contract: to travel to the city of Velantis and steal an ancient artifact said to be blessed by the gods. Simple, right?

But Velantis holds more than you bargained for. Gathering a ragtag party of malcontents and renegades from across the city, you must navigate enemy factions, meddling guilds, and escalating political tensions. Your choices will ultimately determine the city’s fate – and the fate of every person who lives there.  

Wayfarer is a dark fantasy interactive fiction game. You play as a Wayfarer, a member of an order of warriors born with magical immunity in a world dominated by magic. It is currently in development. The full game will include three acts and a total of 14 chapters.

Read more about Wayfarer here. Play the Demo here. Anna's Patreon and Ko-fi.

[INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT UNDER THE CUT!]

Q1 - Please, introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your project!

I’m a playwright! After several years working in the theatre industry, I wanted to branch out into video game scriptwriting. Wayfarer actually started as a portfolio piece and grew into what it is today.  

Wayfarer is a dark fantasy game. You play as a Wayfarer, a mercenary from an order of warriors immune to magic. When your last job backs you into a corner, you take a contract to travel to the city of Velantis and steal an ancient relic… but of course, things do not turn out the way you expect.

Q2 - What or who are some of your biggest inspirations?

There’s quite a few! In terms of writing, I take a lot from the works of novelists like Brandon Sanderson, S.A. Chakraborty, and R.F. Kuang, as well as playwrights like Judith Thompson and Colleen Murphy. With game design and general worldbuilding, the Dragon Age series is Wayfarer’s main source of inspiration, alongside the Witcher 3, Fire Emblem, Final Fantasy, and D&D.

Q3- What excites you most about IF? What drew you to the medium?

Interactive fiction sits in a very special place because it’s text-based. I think sometimes we’re accustomed to thinking visual media as superior to text, but it’s not true. There’s power in prose, power in the reader’s imagination, that can push a game beyond the limitations of traditional video games.

Even just speaking narratively, you can do more with nonlinear storytelling in interactive fiction than you can elsewhere. I adore the concept of choice-based gameplay. I love pushing my game in different directions and crafting concrete consequences for the player’s actions. This ultimately results in a significant amount of branching. Episode 1’s boss fight has multiple versions depending on how you handle the events leading up to it, which is not something that would be possible in traditional gaming.

I also love interactive fiction because it has become an intrinsically queer space. Our stories and experiences are so often on the fringes, and interactive fiction is a gaming medium that pushes against the boundaries of the traditional. There is so much being done here to explore gender, sexuality, and personal identity. It’s nice to be able to play queer relationships without feeling like you’re the outlier or that the content was thrown in last minute.

Q4 - Are your characters influenced by your identity? How?

Absolutely. Wayfarer’s world is inherently queer. It is littered with queer characters (major companion characters and NPCs included), and gender expression is fluid and malleable. When I did the initial worldbuilding, I really wanted to separate it from societal constructs from the “real world.” It’s a fantasy, after all, and part of that fantasy is living in a world where being queer is about as remarkable as what you had for breakfast. Sometimes it’s nice to have a narrative where folks can live their lives without facing sexism, homophobia, and transphobia.

On a more personal level, Wayfarer’s romance system is shaped by my experiences as an asexual person. Romantic and sexual attraction are two very different things, and this is typically not addressed in most fiction. I wanted a system that acknowledged those differences, while also allowing the player to change things up when they felt it was in character. So, while there’s no “Select A to be Ace” option in the character creator, the player will always have agency when it comes to how they want their character to engage with either type of attraction—whether it be romantic, sexual, both, or none.

Q5 - What are you most excited about sharing related to your project?

I’m excited to share the kind of game that I love to play! Wayfarer has a vibrant world, rich lore, a huge cast of diverse and dynamic characters, and—most importantly—choices that really do matter. Every playthrough is different, and there’s always some new piece of the puzzle to uncover, even after multiple replays.  

Q6 - What would you like to see more of in LGBT+ fiction/IF community?

More of everything! Human experience is so varied, so nuanced, it’s impossible to capture all of it in a single work. I think it would be a detriment to a story as a whole to squeeze every possible experience into one place (if you spread yourself too thin, you end up with shallow writing and characters). I’d love to see more LGBTQ+ fiction and games, full stop. That’s how we will get those varied, wide-ranging perspectives and experiences, while also having fulfilling stories and characters.

I’d also love to see more authors delve into the complexities of intimate relationships. I rarely see topics like romantic and sexual compatibility addressed. This is often a huge part of asexual relationships (if what you want doesn’t match what your partner wants, you need to address it), but I think it applies to so many other folks as well.

Q7- Lastly, what advice would you give to your creators and readers?

For developers, make the game you want to play. Don’t worry too much about following trends or popular staples of the medium. If you don’t vibe with a certain mechanic or idea, don’t feel pressured to add it to your game. Conversely, if you really love a popular mechanic or idea and are worried about doing the same thing everyone else is doing, go for it anyway! If you’re passionate about what you’re creating, you’ll find your niche. Interactive fiction games are at their best when the creator is having fun and making the material they themselves enjoy.   

For players, indulge in the roleplaying! Every game has something different to offer. If you try to pre-determine your playthrough before you even start, you might end up with a good, but somewhat hollow experience. The fun of playing interactive fiction games, for me, is sticking to my character’s instincts and seeing where those choices take me—even if it doesn’t turn out the way I wanted it to.   

[imaginaryelle]

Wayfarers!

I have no self control and I love seeing how different choices affect gameplay, so I now have four wayfarers who I have actually drawn! Do you know how long it's been since I drew a thing.

Wayfarer is an interactive fiction game by @idrellegames and I love Chapter 1 and am super excited to see where the rest of the story goes. I mean, who doesn't want to make a customizable character and go on a fantasy-mystery adventure with their childhood best friend? You can be blue! Or have metallic/gemstone colored hair! Snippets of origin story are sprinkled throughout! There are skill checks you can't even see, and other characters have them too! And perhaps most importantly, a check "failure" just changes the story, and helps make each playthrough unique. Highly recommend.

Aion Inteus (elf, he/him) and Peran Varyn (melusine, he/him)

Senna Sero (dwarf, she/her) and Merryn Brynmor (human, they/them)

Headcanons incoming soon! :D

[wilderlingdev]

devlog #06 - gameplay struggles & game feel

hello, everyone!!

it's time for a new update on briarheart's development and i'm sad to start it with a failure: i didn't manage to finish the main branch of chapter one by march 15th. it still isn't finished now, 5 days later. the main culprit? gameplay mechanics aka dire rolls, stats and the like.

back when i first came up with briarheart, the idea was to go full cRPG with it, including stats, dice rolls, etc, mimicking much of the (basic) gameplay of a full-blown RPG in an interactive fiction format. but as the time passed and i explored more of the game, the more i felt like i hadn't given enough thought to which gameplay mechanics would fit the project better. and that became crystal clear when is started writing the first chapter.

since i still plan on releasing the prologue and the first chapter together, that means that a potential player will see them as a proof of concept for what's to come. this initial release isn't a demo, of course, since the game will be released in full for free in an episodic format, of which the prologue + chapter 1 are only the first, but it will work more or less like a demo: a taste of what the game is like, what the player can expect, etc. so the wise choice is to show most mechanics in this first chapter so the reader can make an informed decision on following the development of the game or leaving forever.

that, of course, meant figuring out what exactly i wanted this game to feel like.

GAMEPLAY MECHANICS

dice rolls

dice rolls are a fun aspect of some cRPGs like Pillars of Eternity, Baldur's Gate, etc, and among IFs i love the way Wayfarer by Idrelle Games handles them. it's a nice bit of gameplay that makes the game feel more real and more natural, and at first i was 100% going to include them in briarheart... but now i'm not so sure. in fact, i'm 99% certain there won't be a dice roll in my game.

why?

well, honestly, it all goes back to how i want the game to feel. briarheart is very much a character-driven story where the focus is on the choices you make and only that. dice rolls are cool, but at the end of the day they wouldn't add anything to what i want briarheart to be. it feels a bit like killing your darlings, because i love the way dice rolls make things a bit more gray instead of the simple duality of 'can do thing' vs 'can't do thing', but i believe this is for the best.

so yeah, no dice rolls in briarheart.

relationship & stats

i knew from the beginning i wasn't going to make the relationships in briarheart dependent on an approval bar. as a dragon age player, nothing frustrated more than having to juggle which companions i took to quests in DAO so morrigan wouldn't hate my ass (it was always morrigan). i deeply disliked that a few choices would absolutely tank her approval of me, even if otherwise my warden got along with her pretty well! ironically, the game made me play less with a character i liked more.

DAI, the third game in the series, handled approval a bit differently (if i remember correctly). some choices (i believe some in the main quest) would trigger approval or disapproval from your companions even if they were not in the party with you. which, i know, makes some sense: if the inquisitor decided to do something, i believe most of the inquisition, or at least your inner cycle, would know sooner or later. so it makes sense. but as far as i know there is no logic for the companion knowing abut a choice you made vs not knowing beyond 'the devs decided it would be so' and that also annoyed me.

so approval bars were out from the first second of briarheart's existence. i just wasn't sure how to handle relationships without an approval bar... until i came across the visual novel horror game Scarlet Hollow (which you should absolutely play because it's fantastic). in this post by one of the devs, their relationship system is explained and honestly? it's a very fun system.

there is no approval bar, but stats that determine how a character sees the mc instead. for example, character A might witness mc doing something brave and reckless - so their view of them would change, adding a few points to stats like bold. if no other character is present, their own view of the mc isn't changed unless they are told about it later. in the same vein, you can add more points to other stats for another character in the scene that depend on said character's personality - say that points were added to bold for this second character (let's call them B) as well, but you could add points to unreliable too. character B is more logical, likes to be in control and isn't fond of people going around doing reckless stuff without a bit of a conversation first. so B would think that the MC is bold, yes, but also that they are a tiny bit unreliable. that could inform their behavior around mc and choices they made in the future.

the mc would have their own set of stats, of course, that determine their own personality, but these "true" stats wouldn't directly influence other characters' view of mc. they would influence these "relationship stats" each other character has instead.

it's of course more complex than using approval bars but i love the nuance a system like this one provides and it feeds directly into what i want briarheart to feel like. i'm still making some adjustments to what stats i kill keep track of, but the groundwork for using a sytem like Scarlet Hollow's is already in the game.

traits

Scarlet Hollow has interesting traits (here's another post by the devs on this as well) and Outer Worlds has the flaws/perk system that originally sparked the idea for the trait system in briarheart.

the idea is to have your character collect traits based on certain developments in the story. these traits can be negative, positive or just neutral, and initially you wouldn't be able to refuse them. these trait would unlock additional dialogue options, trigger certain scenes and the like.

to be clear, these would be based on the choices you make at important plot points or just choices the reinforce certain aspects of your character. as an example out of the top of my head, let's say you keep choosing to prod people for the secrets (and people notice it). you might get the trait nosey/busybody. people around you (most likely at court, where the briarheart will spend a good part of the book) will know you are a meddler and will try to stay away from you. but at the same time maybe this trait could give you a boost to your secret-extracting skills if your target doesn't know you are super nosey.

i'm really excited about this system. it might unlock some super fun interactions later on!

magical powers

these are very limited to the three options you must choose at the beginning of the story: soil, blood and roots. these are magical powers your character inherited from their father, the fae king. they are as follow:

blood: power drawn from animals, which means enhanced strength, agility, etc, plus some extra fangs or claws under certain circumstances.

soil: power drawn from the earth aka necromancy (kinda). you can read bones, talk with the dead and reach the ones dying, plus heal the wounded.

roots: power drawn from the trees and plants, aka visions from the past, present and future, and possibility of getting trees to do your bidding.

i'm still wondering if these will be static powers (as in, you have them, they unlock scenes, dialogue options, etc) or if they will also boost characters stats as well. we will see!

GAME FEEL

how much of these mechanics should be shown to the player? should you know that character B thinks you are unreliable? or maybe you should only see a simplified view of a character's opinion of you? should i make it clear when certain option is only there because of a choice you made before/a trait you have/a power you inherited?

in general... no. besides indicating that a certain choice is there because of your power/traits (like [trait] choice), i'm leaning towards hiding as much as possible from the player.

i don't want players to min-max the game. i obviously want players to replay the game, try out new powers, aim for new traits, different builds, etc, but i don't want them to be dealing with too much out of universe stuff while playing. your basic stats will be shown to you, of course, (things like agility, strength, etc), and also your power, the traits you acquired, etc. but you won't know stuff your character has no way of knowing. your character (and you) can have a general idea that character A thinks you are super cool, but for all you know character A could be a serial killer trying to fool you, so really, what do you know? if your character doesn't know, you won't know either.

why? well, this all goes back to game feel. i want briarheart to be immersive, atmospheric and as natural as possible, which, to me, includes hidings its guts and cogs from the player. again, i'd prefer that the player didn't min-max their playthrough, didn't worry about getting the ~right choice~ or the ~better ending~, and hiding all these out-of-universe stuff seems like a good choice to at least discourage that feeling/want.

so yeah, you probably won't know how certain characters truly feel about your character unless they say so in-universe (and you trust them, of course).

so, that’s all for now. i have a clear idea of what i want briarheart to be and what i'm working towards now, so things will be easier going forward (i hope). so, what about a new deadline? april 1st, maybe? we will see!

[veroinfaciem]

Unexplored 2 - Human (sketch)

I love this game. I bought it two days ago and I LOVE it.

I love the concept, the characters design, their outfits, bits of lore, architecture ahhhhhhhhhhhh. So (after almost 3 weeks of art-block ayyyy) here's the sketch of the human Wayfarer. I could't find any decent pictures for reference so I just took the screenshots from SplatterCatGaming's gameplay of the game.

I'm glad I draw something, finally :)