Just a few thoughts: Isn’t it funny that so many games which are set in a somehow-medieval setting have so many futuristic gadgets included? Just a little example: Go into a dungeon and have a look at the map. Of course, a map is needed. Otherwise the player can easily lose his or her orientation. But often the maps are atmosphere-breakers. This is caused by the way they are used. Usually they just consist out of a screenshot from the whole dungeon from far above. Some markers here, some markers there. Ready is the map.
That’s the easy way. But in our eyes it doesn’t fit in such a setting. There is no system like GPS, there are no satellites in such a setting. Yet the maps of the dungeons usually give the player the impression there might be such things. That’s why we chose to go for hand-drawn maps for each dungeon. This fits better into the setting, doesn’t damage the atmosphere. The maps do display the dungeon but it doesn’t feel like you are using some superhighend-technology. Here’s a small comparison-shot of the Map from above and the drawn map for it (still WiP).
UPDATE: Due to your feedback, we changed the style for our Dungeon Maps to a more hand-drawn style. Thanks for your contribution!
i have no clue where i have the link for this game but it looks awesome, the screenshots and also the artworks are very stunning
i also saw you made a few “triple a wii games”, dont mess this up pls, but i think if a developer can do what his / her heart wants to do it will be good :p
it would be nice if you put a few gameplayvids on the site and a question if there will be retail version ( i have no problems with steam, but its nice when you have a box in the closet )
greetings from austria
Please, make the auto map optionnal, as it was in Grimmrock
I’m with XhmX. Perfect straight lines don’t look hand-drawn at all.
Thanks for your feedback. We switched the line style to a more natural hand-drawn look. There will be a small update soon.
@CC-Team
Thank you so much for paying attention to our ramblings here.
Keep up the wonderful job, looking forward to the update.
We updated the entry. Hopefully you will like the changes we did on the map due to your feedback.
Nicely done!
AWESOME, so natural looking! Two thumbs up!
This is great!
Better than what I expected.Well done !!
Fantastic. Love the way you guys are responding to feedback.
Cool! I like the new maps.
The updated map looks great , I have a question though – will the map be updated room by room as you explore? or will it just be available as soon as you enter a new dungeon floor with no exploring required?
I prefer the 1st option of course…
The same as Rpgguy.Fog of war is a must, of course, so it should also be present into the auto-mapping process: only reveal what has already been explored.Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense
Excellent stuff; love the new hand drawn maps.
I, too, would prefer the map updates to be limited to what has been explored. After all, exploration should be a major part of a CRPG.
@RPGGuy: the player has to discover the map room by room. Otherwise the exploration part would be pretty lame if you already know the whole dungeon
Oh yeah, fabluuos stuff there you!
Cool!
The best experience I have had with an Automap was from Crusaders of the Dark Savant.
Firsr, there was an actual item that you had to find, a Journey Map Kit, in order to even enable the automap feature. And then there was a separate cartographer skill that had to be developed. The higher the skill rank, the more detailed the map.
A wonderful blending of a utility feature and gameplay.
Really like the informal look – you could possibly go a bit further and loose the cross hatching (i know its hard for a quality draftsmen to dumb down) but if your replaced the cross hatches with a smudged charcoal look or a slightly thicker charcoal line for “outside” walls. what would it look like?
The update map is great! It really looks “old” and handmade:)I shbe able to would be like that in-game also.
I also hope for some quests where we will be able to find/acquire some maps which would look like that in-game as item, only to go to that places and find out that it is changed because of erosion/time/destruction/new inhabitants…
damn touch-pad….
so again:
The update map is great! It really looks “old” and handmade
It should be like that in-game also.
I also hope for some quests where we will be able to find/acquire some maps which would look like that in-game as item, only to go to that places and find out that it is changed because of erosion/time/destruction/new inhabitants…
The more postings I read about Chaos Chronicles, the more interested I do actually get. I didn’t have much expectations in the beginning, but I have a feeling you guys are truely on right tracks to make interesting game!
My faves of upcoming “new-old-school-games” at the moment are Wasteland 2, Shadowrun Returns, and Project Eternity. However I need to raise Chaos Chronicles next up to them. Perhaps the best approach this far, altough I also really enjoy Shadowrun’s promising updates, and Wasteland 2′s action point based combat premise.
I’ve really been thinking similarly about dungeon maps in recent RPG’s as you write here in this post. I also think that “hand-drawn” map, which is not perfect, adds atmosphere. Feels like going into the unknown with a piece, that gives you hints about the place and it’s routes, but doesn’t give full explanation about everything, and thus adds some tension what lies ahead.
One idea would be to make the map unreliable at special rare occasions. For example: you are following map’s route to it’s deepest corner, you see a place where there is drawn a tunnel, however, what you see is pure wall/pile of rocks/something else, but map clearly points there should be a path on wards. This could be a hint of a puzzle, or of occasion that map has gone “old”, and makes you seek perhaps secondary route, also hinted in the map.
However, that should be rare occasion, since using the trick too often would make it frustrating for not to be allowed to trust the maps.
Good luck with the game!
facing off against each other as their creators stay safe and unconflicted, and in the process grow ever softer.