REMORE: INFESTED KINGDOM News

Big fan of tactical RPGs, huh? If so, how do you feel about Hit Rates? Frustrated by astronomically unlucky misses? We know the feeling...

When you want to dive into the tactical depths of this genre, this kind of Hit Rate system can be a tricky thing. How should we handle the elements and feelings of “uncertainty” and “luck” when creating these systems? Well, finding an answer to this isn’t exactly simple...

Games with a similar format to ours such as XCOM or Battle Brothers, as well as others with turn-based combat rules, use the concept of Hit and Avoidance. In the beginning we too felt it was an integral part of the genre so early builds centered around this concept.



However, after many playtests the question came up: Can we enjoy this kind of game without having to deal with the frustration of completely missing attacks? We’ve all felt the sting of whiffing that 94% chance hit...

Of course, the inverse would also be problematic. Removing any element of uncertainty and making all attacks have a 100% Hit Rate with fixed damage would diminish the Emotion and Tension a player can feel which damages the overall experience.

Unlike a game like Chess or Go where uncertainty is created through the unpredictability of a human opponent, we came to the conclusion that in order to create diverse experiences in our game there must be an element of luck which can affect the outcome of an action.



Aside from the weapon Hit Rate, Remore has other factors which are uncertain to the player.

• When opening a door or turning a corner, how many enemies await?
  
• Which way is an enemy facing? Will we be caught next turn if they turn this way?
  
• What items will we find while looting, and will they be of help to us at this moment?
  
• Weapon’s Min and Max damage range, and Critical Hit probability.
  

Also, to emphasize the theme of ordinary folk trying to survive an infestation, Characters’ Health and Defenses is set quite low. Even the weakest Infested variant, the Knawer, can kill a player character in 2 or 3 hits, so play is more about minimizing damage taken and avoiding detection than it is a “tit for tat” battle.



After considering all these factors, we decided to remove the concept of “Missing” from the combat system entirely, instead leaving just the uncertainty of how much damage the attack would do or whether it would be a critical hit. We concluded that this uncertainty of whether an enemy would be killed in 2 or 3 hits would be enough to pose a threat.

In place of a “Miss” we have included the concept of “Graze” which means that an attack could still deal damage lower than the weapon’s current min damage.

Special effects such as “Bleeding”, “Fainting” and “Pushing” are still applied as normal so there is still a high degree of probability in the tactical play.



As a result of this change, we were able to maintain the “tension of uncertainty” while minimizing the feeling of “even though we made a good tactical decision, it was negated by bad luck.”

In addition to the Hit Rate system there are many others that seem trivial but really had us scratching our heads during the design process. We’d love to go through a few of these in the next few Un-Dev Notes so until then, thanks for reading and we’ll catch you next time!

Thank you

Weapons are essential in the fight against the Infested, and the Survivors have a variety of ways to acquire them. Sometimes, on rare occasions, you may find special weapons that are different from the norm, like a Diamond in the Rough.

Today, we're going to introduce some of the unique personalities found in the weapons of Remore, the Weapon Attributes.



We wanted Remore's weapon-centric combat to offer a variety of ways to fight with the same weapon, but if the same type of weapon was given the same growth, the results would always converge to one. We wanted to create a point of comparison where the same weapon could have different effects and be worth something entirely different from one another.

Weapons forged by Remore's blacksmiths sometimes have unique characteristics, as each smith uses their own secrets to craft them.



The weapons crafted by Remore's blacksmiths are not cookie-cutter items, which is why one soldier's weapon may be more unique than another's, or a sword that was once considered a treasure, may be a dud.

Weapons with Attributes can be obtained in a variety of ways. You can find special weapons hidden throughout Remore, or you can find weapons that Jorgn has crafted with his own secret recipe.



14 different types of weapons that can have common or specialized Weapon Attributes. The same weapon can have randomly varying attributes.



If you're lucky enough to acquire a weapon with a powerful attribute, it can completely turn the tide of the battle and your tactics.



If you're unlucky to get an unfavorable attribute, don't worry - you can trade with James, the Trader who comes by from time to time, to buy materials for crafting new weapons, or to buy weapons and food for yourself.

Acquiring a good item in a game is one of the most gratifying things you can do. We expect this joy to be amplified when you can feel the excitement of what attributes a weapon might have, and sometimes even use them to design your own unique playstyle.

Today we've introduced you to Weapon Attributes, the special abilities that weapons have, and we'll be giving you a sneak peek at them and their abilities in the upcoming demo, so that's it for today's Un-Dev Note.

See you next time!

Thank you

As we introduced in our last Dev Note, "Rules of Survival #1, Securing Food", your Survivors must constantly search for food to keep themselves alive. But to get food, you'll have to fight off the Infested, and to do that you'll need a Weapon.

Weapons in Remore have Durability, meaning that they will become increasingly dull and eventually break over the course of successive battles. It's not easy to take on Infested with broken Weapons, so the Survivors are forced to flee or find new ones.



Jorgn the Blacksmith not only Repairs Weapons damaged in battle, but also Reinforces and Modifies the Weapons the Survivors have, to make them better. He can also Disassemble the Weapons to use them as materials to reinforce other Weapons.



Although ravaged by Infested, there are still a number of items left in Remore, including items that would be useful in a Blacksmith's Shop, such as Iron Ingots, Whetstones, and Glue. You might also find Weapons that were left behind.



Bring the material items you've collected during your battles with the Infested to Jorgn, who will use these resources to Forge and Enhance your Weapons, Reinforcing them for greater performance.

Reinforced Weapons have increased Stats, such as Damage and Critical Hit Chance, which can make these Weapons more effective against enemies that threaten the Survivors.



In addition, a Weapon that has been reinforced to its Maximum Capacity can be modified into a higher-ranked Weapon of the same type, but with New Skills.

For example, if you take a normal ranked Two-handed Axe, such as the “Woodcutter's Axe”, and modify it to the “Tribal Axe”, it will gain the new skill “Execute (Instantly Kill Enemies below 50% Health)”, in addition to the original Skills “Axe Slash (Line up to 3 Enemies)” and “Ambush Chop (Single Attack with High Critical Chance)”.



In total, 14 “Common” Tier Weapons can be modified to higher Tiers of “Uncommon/Rare”, bringing the total number of Weapons available to the Survivors to around 42. We wanted to make sure that by the time you've gotten the hang of using the common Tier Weapons, you'll have gained access to higher Tier Weapons with new Skills, giving you more and more tactical options.

We can't wait to see which Weapons will become your favorite way of battling the Infested!
Till next time!

Thank you

Survivors will struggle to remain alive in the Infested plagued lands of Remore. So, what exactly will aid them in this endeavor? In addition to the safety of a roof over their heads and a weapon with which to defend themselves, there is a more basic necessity which must be cared for.

In today’s Dev note, we’ll introduce you to an essential element of survival, Cooking and Food.



To emphasize the apocalyptic theme, we wanted to link the physical survival of the characters to the game progression. We decided that if the survivors must find something to eat, which would drive the player to explore each region of Remore, we could make the battle against the Infested feel more and more desperate.

Survivors can find food and ingredients throughout Remore. Whether they are fresh or rotten, it would be wise to take them with you. Ayela can prepare meals using the food and ingredients that the Survivors scavenge which more effectively relieves the party’s hunger.



Remore’s land is rich and fertile and as such produces a variety of fruits, meats, grains and vegetables. In turn, Remore has a large number of dishes from basic foods like bread and alcohol to others like preserved vegetables and pickles.

Before the Infestation, Remore folk came from all over for Ayela’s cooking and some of her dishes can do more than just alleviate hunger.

We wanted the Food that the player gathers to be meaningful to gameplay. Firstly, it is a major means of recovering from the damage received in combat. If the Survivors are starving, they will have a permanent reduction in physical strength. In addition, we wanted to create a gameplay element where a player must choose between “immediate consumption” or saving the Ingredients to cook a more substantial meal which has long term benefits and combat buffs.



As the days go by, Food and Ingredients stored in the hideout will begin to deteriorate. Spoiled Food may satisfy Hunger, but it is not good for the overall health of the Survivors. However, considering the overall Hunger debuff it may be better to be sick than starving. Hunger saps the Survivors of their energy and strength and deprives them of their ability to survive.

Food, Cooking, and resting are all elements which must be managed in-game. We wanted players to be able to directly adjust the effects of resting, such as physical recovery and buffs/debuffs and Food is the way the player can achieve this. We want the player to feel a strong sense of struggling to survive by managing the scarce resources.

That’s it for today’s look at Food and Cooking, a fundamental part of survival in Remore. We hope it gave you a feel for the direction of this part of gameplay, and stirred up some curiosity about the Cooking, Food, and resting system in our game.

Join us next time, when we’ll look at another Survivor and their essential role in the Hideout, Jorgyn the Blacksmith.

Thank you

The battle against the Infested in Remore is a perilous task, and the survivors will inevitably become tired and hurt. It is no small feat to fend off the relentless creatures and other foes and even more so with a weary or injured body. Taking time to rest and heal will be vital to your survival.

In this dev note we’re going to talk about the place the survivors call home as they return from battle, a place to prepare before heading back out into the infestation, the Hideout.



In order to increase the tactical elements of our game, we wanted the player to have a lot of concerns during battle that must be managed in order to survive. However, much like the survivors, we felt that to survive these demanding battles the player must have a moment's respite to take a moment to breathe and prepare for the next.

The Hideout is a safe place which the survivors of Remore have found. From here some head out into the world to search for supplies and return to rest. The other survivors who remain in camp will have their stories to tell and can help the player out in various ways.



Jorgn was a successful blacksmith before the infestation, and he can repair and modify the survivor’s weapons to help them in their battles. He may seem as tough as his anvil but if you trust his skills he will produce some of the finest weapons.

To increase the ‘apocalyptic’ feeling we wanted to give the player incentive to search every inch of the map in order to find supplies that will increase the odds of survival. Players can find iron bars, wood, glue and whetstones for example and use them to feel attachment and satisfaction in the weapon progression, the core of battle.



Aella ran an inn and uses her expert knowledge of cooking to prepare meals in the kitchen of the hideout using ingredients that the survivors find in their travels. A bowl of her warm porridge will sate anyones hunger and soothe their worries boosting their energy.

The plan for Aella, like Jorgn was again to increase the sense of ‘survival’. Survivors need to reach a level of ‘satisfaction’ in order to survive and to achieve this they must search places like the Grocer’s and the Tavern to find food. In addition if you find ingredients and cook certain meals survivors will enter battle with a heightened physical condition!



Survivors regain their strength by sleeping after filling their bellies with a satisfying meal. Those who survive the day’s struggles will grow in strength and the next day they will head out into Remore a little more ready for the challenges ahead.

Through the above flow you will be able to see the main structure of the game’s progression. After battle, the players get help from other survivors to eat and relax, maintain and strengthen weapons at the Blacksmith, and prepare to face more powerful enemies. You can also talk with the survivors to hear their thoughts about living through the infestation

After reading this dev note we hope you can get a good idea of the roles the survivors will have in the Hideout and how they are key to survival.

Next time we're going to go into a little more detail about the survivors role and look at exactly how they will aid the player.

Thank you