Chaos Chronicles - ToEE-like RPG

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LeninGHOLA

Vladimir Hayt
Joined
Aug 26, 2009
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The next 2 years would appear to be a new golden age for role playing games on the PC. One thing that has been missing for quite a while is good tactical turn based combat, like we got in Temple of Elemental Evil, Wizardry 8, Knights of the Chalice and a handful of the "Tactics" games.

So, a Bavarian dev is working on Chaos Chronicles, which looks very promising.

http://www.chaos-chronicles.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDhcrgBSM2U

Over 200 years ago the flourishing kingdoms of elves, dwarves and mankind were consumed by chaos.
Undead hordes lead by archwizards of the dark arts overran the land. Only few were able to escape. The survivors build their new homes on small, secluded islands off shore.

A few years ago the Order of the Holy Flame sent its knights to lead an expedition to the mainland.
Even though the old cities lie in ruins and orcs, goblins and other creatures of evil roam the land there seems to be hope for a return to the land of their ancestors.





Chaos Chronicles combines the traditional turn-based roleplaying games with a state-of-the-art graphic engine and a dense atmosphere.

We want to revive the classical western party-based fantasy RPGs of the eighties. Games like Phantasie, Pool of Radiance, Ultima, Wizardry, Bard’s Tale were part of our childhood and now it’s time to create a new game offering the gaming experience that those excellent games already delivered back in those good ol’ days!

•Back to the roots! Chaos Chronicles uses a turn-based fighting system (hexgrid!) that will put a smile on the face of every fan of traditional RPGs
•Shoulder to shoulder! Up to five players can join forces to play through the complete campaign
•Lush graphics meet old-school feeling! Chaos Chronicles combines a lavish look with the dense atmosphere of the Dungeon Crawlers of old.
•Wanted: A new hero! A comprehensive character editor ensures that every player can build his very own hero.
•Travelling becomes retro-epic: A world map allows travelling like in good old times, as role playing games were still role playing games
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I'm definitely looking forward to this one. ToEE had easily the best 3.5E combat system aside from Knights of the Chalice, which was the open game license version of the same ruleset.
 
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We'll see, as I can get excited about these 'old school' type of games, I'm a cynic that they will be "tweaked" to be accessible to 12 year olds who think Borderlands sets the bar for character development.

I do like that they appear to be focusing on game play rather than graphics, which is the right thing to do for RPG's.
 
bigdogchris said:
We'll see, as I can get excited about these 'old school' type of games, I'm a cynic that they will be "tweaked" to be accessible to 12 year olds who think Borderlands sets the bar for character development.
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Just read their updates. These guys are very vocal about making a great game and not pandering. If I were a betting man, I'd say this is a sure thing.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
Just read their updates. These guys are very vocal about making a great game and not pandering. If I were a betting man, I'd say this is a sure thing.
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I have been. What I do like about their development is that they are not just saying that they want an 'old school' feeling game, they are actually extrapolating from those games the systems that they want in their game. It shows that they are really planning it out.
 
I can't get excited about turn based games. I just don't get it.
 
looks promising ... I missed your first update on this but now I am subscribed to their Facebook page so I will see their updates ... good stuff for 2013 indeed :)
 
I think turn based games put a greater emphasis on the actions you take, for those who enjoy that aspect. It makes individual character abilities stand out more and also helps to allow more flexibility in how you play those characters as you plan out more so on how to use the abilities in combat.

In real time games the amount of time spent just in basic combat attacks I would expect is significantly higher than in turn based. In TB you have the time to focus more on innate and special abilities.
 
MavericK96 said:
Same here, but a lot of people seem to like them, so...*shrug*

Just not for us, I guess.
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Depends on the game. To me, Final Fantasy type games are a horrible interpretation of turn based, but games like Jagged Alliance 2 couldn't be fun without it. We are talking about having dozens and dozens of choices on what we can do with each character, each turn.

This game is based on the 3.5e OGL rules, so there is a ton of depth to character creation and combat abilities. It just doesn't translate to real time. A game like ToEE (or KotC), like it or not, is the best representation of the ruleset we've seen. The combat is spectacular. You have so many options for strategy.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
Depends on the game. To me, Final Fantasy type games are a horrible interpretation of turn based, but games like Jagged Alliance 2 couldn't be fun without it. We are talking about having dozens and dozens of choices on what we can do with each character, each turn.

This game is based on the 3.5e OGL rules, so there is a ton of depth to character creation and combat abilities. It just doesn't translate to real time. A game like ToEE (or KotC), like it or not, is the best representation of the ruleset we've seen. The combat is spectacular. You have so many options for strategy.
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I think a lot of the problem has to do with the Final Fantasy style turn based games all come down to just spamming one button over and over. They require no strategy. I could write a computer program which could play the game for me if I wanted too. A decent turn based game though is more about implemented strategy. I dare anyone to just spam their way through Wizardry 7.

We all have different tastes. I'm a turn based fan and can't get into real time games. As such, there has been a major drought of good RPGs for me these past years.
 
Nytegard said:
I think a lot of the problem has to do with the Final Fantasy style turn based games all come down to just spamming one button over and over. They require no strategy. I could write a computer program which could play the game for me if I wanted too. A decent turn based game though is more about implemented strategy. I dare anyone to just spam their way through Wizardry 7.

We all have different tastes. I'm a turn based fan and can't get into real time games. As such, there has been a major drought of good RPGs for me these past years.
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Exactly what I mean. This game is absolutely nothing like FF gameplay. It has an extreme level of depth in comparison.
 
MavericK96 said:
Same here, but a lot of people seem to like them, so...*shrug*

Just not for us, I guess.
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I guess not. I remember enjoying a few of them back in the day, but then realtime RTS's, FPS games and other stuff came out and I can't go back. I heard a lot of great things about the new XCOM game and watched some game play videos for it. I just didn't find it all that exciting.
 
I just don't get excited about turn based games either, but then often times I end up ranking them in my top lists of all time games.

I'll keep my eyes peeled
 
Dan_D said:
I guess not. I remember enjoying a few of them back in the day, but then realtime RTS's, FPS games and other stuff came out and I can't go back. I heard a lot of great things about the new XCOM game and watched some game play videos for it. I just didn't find it all that exciting.
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I did the same thing, honestly. I gave up turn based games for a few years after feeling really burnt out on the jRPG formula. The problem was that there are so few turn based RPG's that are any good at all. The ones that are good end up being so addictive, I find myself playing them half a dozen times or more. Chaos Chronicles looks like it will be on that list for me.
 
Has there been any information on pricing?

If you go to the Coreplay website they have very little information. They do have a section on Chaos Chronicles, tought it's full of pictures from an "unannounced action RPG for Xbox Live, PSN, and PC"

http://www.coreplay.de/projects/tba.html
 
Looks like a mix of Neverwinter Nights, Baldur's Gate & Dragon Age: Origins. I'd love to play it.
 
I nostalgia'd in my pants...

Jizz-in-my-pants.gif
 
Dan_D said:
I guess not. I remember enjoying a few of them back in the day, but then realtime RTS's, FPS games and other stuff came out and I can't go back. I heard a lot of great things about the new XCOM game and watched some game play videos for it. I just didn't find it all that exciting.
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Never done any PnP RPGs or tabletop wargaming? I think people that like those are the same ones the generally like turn based computer games as well.
 
Volkum said:
Never done any PnP RPGs or tabletop wargaming? I think people that like those are the same ones the generally like turn based computer games as well.
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That's silly. I'd never admit to having 3 sets of polyhedral dice or have an advanced level of knowledge about the Pathfinder ruleset...
 
Volkum said:
Never done any PnP RPGs or tabletop wargaming? I think people that like those are the same ones the generally like turn based computer games as well.
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Yes I have. Still don't like turn based computer games.
 
I like the look of it. I still enjoy the old style where you put together a party and go ripping through dungeons and other entertaining locales.

Found some good info from a developer's postings and some light Q&A over at RPGcodex

HobGoblin42 said:
kaizoku said: ↑
2) how does the combat system plays out? are you using your own system or something based on OGL?

Our combat system will be significantly influenced by D&D, D20 and Goldbox SSI games like Pool of Radiance (Stinking Cloud ftw!)

kaizoku said: ↑
3) how many characters can your party have?

5 or 6 (+ 1 NPC slot)

kaizoku said: ↑
4) are these characters created or will you meet characters that can join your party? will these be dead on the inside, or will they have their own personality and agenda (eg: may even betray you)?

You can create your own character(s) from the scratch with dices and you can recruit existing characters in the guildhall. Furthermore you will meet character who could probably join your party. Characters of the last category will have their own agenda and ... secrets.

kaizoku said: ↑
5) from the screenshots I can see the game is isometric with fixed point of view, correct? will you be able to zoom in and out?

It's fully 3D and you can rotate and zoom the camera (zooming will be limited though)

kaizoku said: ↑
6) will there be any major plot line with several side quests, or is the game an endless dungeon crawler?

Yes, there is an epic main story and we don't have any kind of random content, every item and dungeon is designed by hand.
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Looks interesting, I'll definitely buy it if it's any good.

A lot of people like turn based because it feels more tactical than your typical rts. RTS for me was always knowing the proper build order and having the apm to move your swarm of enemies into the other enemy blob. The actual unit to unit fighting wasn't really important.

In general, a turn based game gives you the time to properly flank and position your individual units to maximum effect. As opposed to just disposable rts units that you throw at the enemy.

In a turn based game each unit is important and often has several abilities that help dictate the flow and outcome of the battle. Like playing army men in a sandbox or a miniatures skirmish.
 
Meh looks cool but once I've played Fallout Tactics and the new XCOM I realized that those games are much more tactical as you have you and your squad and their guns vs the enemy's and have to take cover, really think about unit placement, and it's less about knowing which "builds" are the most IMBA or best because there really is non of that with XCOM or FO Tactics it's all about strategy at the moment.
 
Sovern said:
Meh looks cool but once I've played Fallout Tactics and the new XCOM I realized that those games are much more tactical as you have you and your squad and their guns vs the enemy's and have to take cover, really think about unit placement, and it's less about knowing which "builds" are the most IMBA or best because there really is non of that with XCOM or FO Tactics it's all about strategy at the moment.
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Ehh, you've never played 3.5e, OGL or otherwise, have you? Positioning and tactics play a big role. This isn't Baldur's Gate, this is much more like the tabletop game, which is very feature rich.
 
Sovern said:
Meh looks cool but once I've played Fallout Tactics and the new XCOM I realized that those games are much more tactical as you have you and your squad and their guns vs the enemy's and have to take cover, really think about unit placement, and it's less about knowing which "builds" are the most IMBA or best because there really is non of that with XCOM or FO Tactics it's all about strategy at the moment.
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Apple.. Meet orange :)
 
http://www.chaos-chronicles.com/ ... short article on sound design ... for these types of games I think the soundtracks are part of the immersive experience and can really take you in or push you out of the game ... I still listen to my Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 and Icewind Dale 1 and 2 soundtracks 10 years later (jeremy soule is a master game soundtrack composer) ... glad to see CC is doing good work on this front also :)
 
Looks cool.

I'm down with turnbased games, as long as there are enough possiblities in every round to justify it being a turn based game.
 
More info has come out. If I read the update right, it seems like they are working on a way to allow real time game play. They also released an update on playable races and classes.

Human, Half-elf, Gnome, Halfling, Elf, Half-orc and Dwarf

Fighter, Cleric, Rogue, Barbarian, Wizard, Ranger and Paladin.

Druid and Monk are planned post release.

A couple things from the RPG Codex interview that really excite me:

RPG Codex: How do you plan on implementing loot? What inventory slots do we have (armor, weapons, boots, rings and so forth), and how quickly do you find interesting loot?

PO: We don’t have item spamming like in Torchlight or Diablo. Our item system is a bit more low-magic, even a +1 weapon is already very powerful and expensive. The player will find magical artifacts, but in the beginning of the game even some simple rusty melee weapons will be a big help to survive.
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RPG Codex: Do you employ level-scaling in monsters? In other words, do the monsters in the world level up along with the player?

PO: Automatic level-scaling? Kill it with fire! No, seriously, it already ruined ‘Oblivion’ and we will not repeat that mistake in our game. There are different monster types of different levels in different areas of the world. Therefore, as the player you should be very careful where you are roaming.
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