Stoneshard

[Paingod]

This popped up on my Steam list as an Early Release with 10% off until the 13th. What was more interesting is that the game has a demo that you can download before buying. It seems to graze the surface of the experience nicely. It ends with a boss fight.

The game itself is pixel graphics, but more in the style of Stardew Valley - quite nice for what they are. The game play is turn-based; each move you take, the enemies do too. Part of your consideration is that moving and resting will consume food/water, so you're discouraged from spending too much time running back and forth needlessly. The demo did show off a lot of item collection that left me having to dump some things to keep others, and ultimately I left anything that wasn't specifically being used to fight, heal, and eat behind.

The demo shows off combat and some skills, like spell casting, as well as doing a lot of looting. You get to hear some of the voice work and run through the game mechanics. Other aspects the demo doesn't cover includes crafting and item repairs, and there may be some NPC allies you can work with from time to time.

I have to admit that I liked what I saw well enough to want to buy it for $15, plus 10% off.

Give the demo a whirl if you're at all curious. It's a whopping 240MB download and is at least good for an hour's fun.

Quick update: The purchased version is still extremely limited, saying many features aren't available until final release. This includes about 1/2 the skills and the ability to make a custom character. It does, however, open up a different map to play on and explore. Moving across the map is done Zelda-style (old school NES) - with you actively walking from the edge of one map to the next, and the whole area is set up in a grid.

There's a nice damage system with crippled limbs that take time to heal, as well as what seem like random encounters. My Archer has had a good time absolutely dominating at range, but getting ripped up in close combat (as expected).

[Hrothgar]

I believe my 15% off coupon from steam is tradable if anyone wants it.

[Paingod]

Some more initial thoughts:

• Character progression is okay. I don't know how long the game is supposed to be, but I've gained a few skills and like what they add to my character.
• The BETA plotline is broken. My initial quest was to run three errands for a village elder to settle a debt, and then meet up with my mentor in a bigger town. I'm in the bigger town and talked to my next objective, but then the quest journal ends. No next step is listed. I could keep taking random missions if I wanted to.
• Travel between areas gets ... repetitive. Since EVERYTHING is turn based, you shuffle your butt across the map grid step by step. Yes, your character will accelerate towards a point you click on, but you often need to scout as you travel to avoid...
• ... lots of random encounters. From being jumped by bandits to being attacked by wolves. Eventually you kind of just want to bypass them if you can.
• Each mission has a "boss" at the end, which is like an Elite normal foe, not a real boss like you get in the Demo. I haven't found anything scripted as well as that was.
• Things appear randomized in dungeons. The tilesets are re-used a lot, but it's not too bad.
• My Ranger is kicking ass, but not so great in tight spaces. In the woods, he Dominates with a capital D. In a crypt he's okay but takes a beating.
• I like the challenge the injury system adds to exploring. You really want to avoid getting hurt too badly and can easily carry half your inventory in healing items, but it's not just stacks of health potions. It's balms, bandages, surgical kits, herbs, etc.
• I feel that this game could suffer from excessive repetition and long drags in traveling between areas. If they swapped out travelling square by square on the overland map to a quick travel system with random encounters sprinkled into it, it'd be less of a time sink and more fun.

I've put it down for now, but expect to try it again once it hits final release.

[morlac]

I'll start with why you should NOT buy this right now:


Do NOT buy this if you do not like the Early Access process. This is really in Alpha state and still has 2 + years before it is finished. That is not me speculating that is per the Dev Roadmap. There is very little real content post the prologue which you can play for free via the demo. As mentioned above it is a slog to get around and combined with the Save system makes it easy to waste a hour+ of game time. You can only save in one place, the bed upstairs at the Inn...and it cost in game money. I haven't played much past the prologue but read plenty of horror stories of folks running a mission only to get a bad RNG on a random encounter right outside the inn and get killed by a pack of wolves losing all progression for the last hour. I'm all about old school mechanics and difficult games but this one was retired for a reason. It's just not fun. You can't even save on exit so god forbid something interrupts your playing session. I really had no business buying this yesterday, yet....

The art direction is delightful, the music is good. The voice acting was excellent, I was surprised it even had any. The core gameplay is solid with a lot of intertwining systems. Huger, thirst, injuries etc. I didn't feel they were a nuisance in my limited play. It's a small, dedicated dev team and you can feel their love for the genre. There is chatter of them adding more save spots but they are resisting adding save on exit so we shall see where that goes. They may never finish it but I am sure I will get my money's worth as I had fun in the hour + i played last night. Just be prepared for a shock once you complete the tutorial and the rest isn't as slick and polished.

Summary: Unless you dig the Early Access process, I would hold off for at least a year. If you are impulsive like me, Love Rogue likes and don't mind fiddling with incomplete games than go for it.

[Paingod]

Summary: Unless you dig the Early Access process, I would hold off for at least a year. If you are impulsive like me, Love Rogue likes and don't mind fiddling with incomplete games than go for it.

This is what got me pulled in.

You can only save in one place, the bed upstairs at the Inn...and it cost in game money. I haven't played much past the prologue but read plenty of horror stories of folks running a mission only to get a bad RNG on a random encounter right outside the inn and get killed by a pack of wolves losing all progression for the last hour. I'm all about old school mechanics and difficult games but this one was retired for a reason. It's just not fun. You can't even save on exit so god forbid something interrupts your playing session. I really had no business buying this yesterday, yet....

The save system IS painful, yes. I've "lost" around 3 hours in total because of it. You really should be visiting the Inn each time you go back to town and saving, even if you're not interested in resting; just rest for 0 hours and it should save. If I had done that, my total time lost would probably be around 30 minutes.

The "cost" to save at the Inn is negligible. One night (30 gold) is hella expensive for the game's "economy", but two weeks (110 gold) is very decent. That's 14 game-days of saving and resting, and you're probably bringing home 200-500 gold with each trip out. After the first couple of days, it's a no-brainer.

I agree that the Prologue, the free demo, is probably better than anything else I've run into so far. It's a big promise that the purchased Beta doesn't quite live up to - but as it is Early Access, I'm hoping it gets better.

[morlac]

And....Patched.

"Now the brigand camps, initially marked with a question mark on the map, can be cleared out and then used as a save spot by clicking on bed. We’ve changed the algorithm for their generation to spread them more evenly across the map, placing them closer to roads and dungeons. We hope that this measure will make your game experience more pleasant. In the future, as it was already mentioned, there’ll be even more save spots. Other than the caravan, some random locations, roadside inns, etc. will also be used as save spots."

Impressed at the quick response.

[morlac]

They did break old save games with the new patch so you will need to roll back or restart. No big deal, welcome to EA

Another patch already out. Minor stuff.

One cool thing I saw last night while playing. I had taken out a pack of 3 wolves (barely) and limped back to town to rest. I rested all the way through the night and left next morning to try and make it to quest marker. I went past my pack of wolves who's carcasses were still there except now a flock of crows/buzzards chomping on them who flew off as I approached. Neat little detail about the persistent world helped reinforce my decision to buy in this early.

[wonderpug]

Just joined the party -- with the Darkest Dungeon discount it's hard to resist the $11 pricetag.

[Suitably Ironic Moniker]

I bought it yesterday with the same coupon. I played through the chapel, and then promptly uninstalled. It looks really good, but I'll give it some time to cook. I don't want to get burnt on it before it even comes close to finishing.

[Paingod]

...and then promptly uninstalled.

I'm in the same boat, but for different reasons. I get that the game is Early Access, but when updates destroy game saves there's not much incentive to sink time into it.

I do still like the premise and gameplay, just not the wasting time.

[Lorini]

It was a hard no for me. Hate the tetris inventory, reminds me of Path of Exile, another game I don't play.

[morlac]

I tried to warn yall . I'll keep fiddling with it as major patches come out but its really maybe 15% complete.

[Paingod]

I tried to warn yall . I'll keep fiddling with it as major patches come out but its really maybe 15% complete.

If it's only 15% complete, it's going to be a helluva game when it's done. Like Star Citizen was is will be could have been was dreamed of...

[morlac]

Haha, they did just get a huge influx of $$$, their timeline says "2" years (dev speak for 4!) and I was already worried about the scope creep before that...

[wonderpug]

Ok, help. What are you supposed to when you get to the actual game start in town? The two immediate quest options I see both seem like they're too hard, but I don't get what I should be doing to level up. Wolf pack kills me, and deer/boar kills are easy enough but only give like 8xp a piece.

[Paingod]

Ok, help. What are you supposed to when you get to the actual game start in town? The two immediate quest options I see both seem like they're too hard, but I don't get what I should be doing to level up. Wolf pack kills me, and deer/boar kills are easy enough but only give like 8xp a piece.

What kind of character are you using?

My experience as a "Woodsman" was that Archery is nearly overpowered, if not actually so. In the open I can start a fight from the edge of my view range and kill three enemies before they get to me. In caves I get a couple shots off and then have to switch to melee, which hurts.

I think that, even as a melee character, you should be starting fights at range as much as you can. If you can plink someone at the edge of your view, it's possible to pull just them and not their friends, making the fight much easier.

Protip: There's a somewhat "hidden" second weapon layout. It uses the classed "W" to switch to it, which costs one move. The alternate is to open your inventory and slot two weapons or a weapon and shield, which costs 2 moves.

After the prologue, your task is to talk to the Elder and complete three missions. Once that's done, you're tasked with journeying to the other side of the "world" to a new town and then talk to the Elder there. That's where the game died for me, though - I talked to him, and it crossed him off as a task, so I didn't have anything else to do. I just started running random missions for him.

In regards to leveling, you get experience for kills and disarming traps - so basically fighting and exploring. Don't be too stingy with your "Search" skill in dungeons. It's worth it to click that once each time you enter a new room. That's way better than having a leg crippled by a bear trap.

[wonderpug]

I was using a bow and arrow character, and for my starter skills I got the Aim action, and then whatever the leftmost passive ranged boost is in the second row.

I guess I'll try one of the Elder's two starter quests again. My first two tries it seemed like the bandits I met on the trail were too much for me, but maybe I just need to focus on being more cautious/tactical.

[LordMortis]

Glad for this thread as a reminder of why I need to stay clear of EA. I saw the 15% off Steam coupon and thought this could be interesting. $11 OO was just talking about it...

[morlac]

I don't even talk to the Elder until I've made a little cash and leveled up just wandering around the woods killing stuff. Melee should definitely open up with ranged attacks. If a pack of mobs is chasing you just run to a zone. Only 1 can follow you. Cheesy tactic to peel one off at a time but works when you zone in and get jumped by a pack of somethings.

[Paingod]

I was using a bow and arrow character, and for my starter skills I got the Aim action, and then whatever the leftmost passive ranged boost is in the second row.

My Woodsman (the Archer) spent every other turn using Aim. Aim, Fire, Aim, Fire, Aim, Fire. When something's down to one tile away, I switch to melee and then start smacking it with dual daggers. The trio of bandits on the road as an ambush might get one of them close with full health early on and you'll need to melee him - but the other two should be dead (or mostly) before they get to you. Don't be afraid of letting Bleeding enemies bleed out, too. If they're dropping blood, they're losing health each turn.

[wonderpug]

There's no explicit way to sneak right now, right?

[Paingod]

There's no explicit way to sneak right now, right?

Not that I found, but I think one of the stats - Agility maybe - increases the chances. Essentially it seems like a chance to be noticed by hostiles within visual range each turn.