REMORE: INFESTED KINGDOM News

Come join us on our Winter Season Live stream day 2 that is happening right now!
Let’s play REMORE: INFESTED KINGDOM together!



Direct link to the broadcast:
https://steamcommunity.com/broadcast/watch/76561199236239552


Thank you,
REMORE

Come join us on our Winter Season Live stream that is happening right now!
Let’s play REMORE: INFESTED KINGDOM together!



Direct link to the broadcast:
https://steamcommunity.com/broadcast/watch/76561199236239552


Thank you,
REMORE

Hello again, Survivors!

As mentioned in last week's post, we are currently in the process of welcoming new team members and redesigning the overall system of the game. As we get used to the new team workflow, we are actively working on blueprints for the redesign.

While many of you have shown support for this announcement, there were also understandable concerns. Responding to feedback is important, and we know there are worries that changes might sway the direction too much, potentially creating a “different” game rather than an “improved” one.

One of our stated major goals, the “comprehensive overhaul of the meta-game system”, aims to make significant modifications to the game's “superficial” structure. However, our objective is to provide a deeper experience while maintaining the game’s identity.

In contrast to previous posts that mainly looked at the game's “issues,” today we want to discuss what we see as the game's strengths and the existing design principles. We really want to hear the players’ thoughts on this!


[h3]Dynamic Tile Puzzle-Based Tactics[/h3]
In the previous post, we acknowledged feedback that the game "feels like the solution is rigid and puzzle-like" and we have accepted the need for change here.

However, we consider the concept of a “'tile puzzle” (gameplay mechanics that focus on gaining advantages by manipulating a grid-based space) an integral part of the game's identity. We aim to maintain this element while improving the feeling of “varied solutions” through as much “dynamic situational change” as possible.

By “dynamic situational change,” we mean ongoing tactical shifts such as the new enemy units, dealing with special enemies like “Blisters,” and continuous changes based on critical hit occurrences or the cooldown times of essential skills. As a result, the most efficient choice should always be different, providing ongoing opportunities for mixing up tactics.



If we were to summarize the tactical aspect we’re after, it would be “a tile-puzzle game that responds to dynamic situational changes.”

To encourage “battlefield manipulation” such as pushing or pulling enemies, we've separated Tactical Action Points (TP). Many players have mentioned feeling reminiscent of Into the Breach while enjoying these elements.



It is crucial for there to be clear pros and cons to each tactical choice when choosing “solutions” to the problems/crisis brought about by enemy patterns, such as weapon and character skills. We believe this is fundamental to the definition and value of the word “'tactics,” as it involves “exploiting the enemy's weaknesses using the strengths of allies”.




[h3]Narrative-Integrated Game Design[/h3]
Our second design goal is to integrate this tactical gameplay with the theme of “'medieval creature apocalypse”.



The overall goal of the high difficulty setting is ultimately to reflect the feeling and theme of “creature apocalypse” in the player’s experience. The value of the game narrative should not just be dramatic elements such as the text, sound, story and actions but also in experiencing a sense of threat, tension, and crisis from the creatures through actual gameplay.

In other words, even if we aim to improve accessibility in the future, it will be in the direction of reducing the “complexity of the system”' rather than creating a simple and easy hack-and-slash game.



While overcoming these crises, we want the world of Remore to feel like a believable medieval location. While we haven't given a specific “real” location or era to avoid a focus overly centered on authenticity, our references for weapons, food, tools, and architectural styles were drawn as much as possible from real history.

Our narrative direction has been to convey “stories of people living in that era.” The reason for excluding elements such as “magic,” is to create an experience of overcoming crises through “human” skill and abilities.




Of course, the goal is not to completely exclude supernatural elements from the game.

In the original dev plan, we planned for players to experience some form of “unrealistic elements” when showing the origin of the creatures. We also aimed to provide some slight supernatural abilities as “response tools” while maintaining a sense of “humanity.” This context will be maintained in the ongoing revision process.


[h3]Continuous Experience Variation and Quick Pacing[/h3]
No matter how refined tactical gameplay and narrative are, we believe that a continuous introduction of new experiences is necessary to prevent gameplay from becoming monotonous.

We aim to do this by introducing as many new types of enemies or level design patterns as possible on each stage and allowing players to refine/modify weapons or acquire character perks with each stage cleared.

Furthermore, events allowing new enemies to enter during the progression of a stage and designing encounters to not exceed 2-3 turns were methods to minimize the feeling of repetition.



If we break free from linearity and create numerous stages, we have to come up with new methods since the same design cannot be applied. However, the overarching principle remains the same: continuous new experiences must exist to sustain the enjoyment of the game.

In summary, in anticipation of significant changes in the game, we wanted to explain why we think the way we do, and what we will maintain going forward. The main purpose of this post is to share our thoughts and check if you guys agree!

We hope any of you that have a thought/suggestion/feedback reach out to join us as we move forward in our journey!!

Thanks again!
REMORE

Come and join us on our holiday Live Stream where you can watch the staff play and provide you tips on how to stay alive just a little longer in Remore!

Winter is here... and in the treacherous lands of Remore the Infested Kingdom, many Survivors have felt the cold sting of death by the malicious Infested that dwell there. But do not fear, for this holiday season, one staff member dares to take up the mantle of guiding you through the vile lands of Remore and that staff member is... Fanatic Bob.

May you and Fanatic Bob find the solution to this horrible winter season by playing REMORE: INFESTED KINGDOM together!

Live Stream Days
December 19 & December 20 (PT)

Starting Time
6:00 PM (PT)

Follow our social media for more updates and important dates on REMORE: INFESTED KINGDOM.

Thank you,
REMORE

Hello again Survivors,

It's been over a month since we launched Early Access, and during this time, we were able
to present the first update.

As we were gearing up for updates to improve UI/UX and convenience, we took a step back
to go over player feedback related to the core fun factors of the game and shared our
analysis and some questions over the last three dev notes.

After all those discussions, we've decided that, even if it means taking on some risks with
changes to the development plan, we must tackle the fundamental linearity issue.





[h3]Growing the dev team and starting fresh![/h3]
The current linear structure brings about issues beyond just the satisfaction with the game
volume. It also raises problems like controlling the learning curve and being unable to feel
the results of weapon and character growth.

Even if we were to introduce even more powerful Infested and stages with enhanced tactical
elements, those who have positively rated the current game direction might still perceive the
learning curve or difficulty level as too excessive.

However, as mentioned in the initial post about linearity, we believe that with the existing
composition of the dev team alone, we won’t be able to reach the level of non-linearity and
meta-game development that we originally wanted.

So, over the past month, in addition to analyzing the game, we've been actively looking for
teammates who resonate with the direction of our game. If we couldn't find the right team
members, we had planned to finish development as scheduled to the best of our abilities.

But... luckily, some fantastic developers who had a connection with us gladly joined the
team! We spent a really intense month sharing our plans with the new teammates, and at
the same time, verifying if their skills align with the new direction.

We've been thinking about team expansion for some time, but it was challenging to make
any decisions before confirming the core fun of the game. Thanks to the positive reviews
from many players during Early Access regarding the game's foundational potential, we
gained the courage to move forward. The new teammates also recognized that potential and
decided to join us.



Everyone we've brought on board is highly skilled and proven, but now the challenge is to
truly sync up with the existing members and start performing as a true team. With the
development team growing by around 150%, there's also a need to establish new processes
for team role assignments and communication.

However, all the new members deeply resonate with the current direction of the game and
future plans. They have a strong desire to create and showcase an enjoyable game, so we
know we can overcome any challenges.


[h3]Goals of the new development and schedule[/h3]
Our long-term aim is to release it by 2025. After redesigning the game foundation by the end
of 2024, we plan to create a meta-game-focused core system based on it. In the remaining
time, we'll concentrate on leveraging the capabilities of the expanded team to generate
content.

To achieve this goal, we're considering adjustments to the schedule mentioned in the
existing Early Access FAQ.

The most ideal scenario is to create all the initially planned content within the set time frame
at a level of completeness that allows for an official release. However, even if the quality at
that point isn't entirely satisfactory, we aim to at least have a build available by 2025 that lets
all players experience a completely transformed game.



Our goals that we aim to achieve are as follows. These are aspects that many of you have
requested through feedback and are elements that we originally wanted to create.

• Improved Map Structure: Changing to allow for a more diverse range of stages than currently
  
• Additional Characters: Ensuring at least twice as the current 3 types.
  
• Reworking the Meta-Game according to the changes above.
  

To achieve these goals, practically everything in the foundational game design, aside from
the base content like combat systems and weapons, needs to be reconstructed from the
ground up. Systems tailored to the “fixed character/linear” progression must be individually
modified or new systems developed to align with these goals. The existing artwork may also
need to be modified to fit the new environment or even created over from scratch.



We are confident that the introduction of “strategic” elements to a game that previously only
had “tactical” aspects will make it even more enjoyable. Therefore, there is no worry about
the direction of development, just eagerness to complete the goals as quickly as possible.

Currently, each development team is reviewing “what needs to be changed” and “what should
not be changed” in each area. The goal is to preserve the “fun points” of the game that were
pointed out in Early Access, and various prototyping and resetting of design intentions are
already underway.


[h3]Management of the live build and sharing of the development process[/h3]
The new long-term goals require a fairly extensive planning/technical R&D process and
preparation of artwork, making it difficult to present large updates on the live version in a
short time.

Applying incomplete systems to the live version hastily not only makes it challenging to
ensure technical stability but also slows down the development speed for new systems as
more time is invested in continuous live updates.

However, we aim to maintain the core combat system even in the new development
version. If changes are needed in the combat system, we want to find the best solutions
possible and to gather feedback from current players.



For example, we are currently contemplating the question, "Should the logic where all
enemies immediately track and engage allies upon detection be maintained to preserve the
intended tactical depth?”

When we shared the last dev note, many expressed concern that the depth of the game and
the appropriate level of danger within the apocalyptic narrative might decrease.

While we will certainly maintain the existing identity, we are experimenting with various
prototypes, believing that the goals can be achieved in less complex ways than now...

Apart from that, we believe it's essential to continuously update and improve convenience
without excessively delaying the pace of long-term development or addressing obvious
design flaws. This allows us to receive feedback and gain insights for the new development
version.

However, given the current situation where all development teams are fully committed to
directly improving the current version, we seek your understanding that the pace and volume
of updates may not be satisfactory for a while. Demonstrating our commitment to swiftly
improve the foundation and fulfill promises is the only way to make waiting worthwhile.

As always, we will share the progress of game design and ongoing long-term development
through weekly dev note updates, allowing you to directly or indirectly witness the process.

We sincerely appreciate your continuous support and will be back with more exciting news
next week!

Best Regards,
REMORE