Outcast Tales: The First Journey News

Hello, everyone!

Is your Ragtag Crew slaying countless enemies during the day but fighting with each other at night? Do you want to stop their bickering before it drives you insane, or maybe you love the drama? Either way, we're here to help!

So how do relationships in Ragtag Crew work? At the start of your journey, your characters will be indifferent to each other. Well, except for the Lone Wolf, who doesn't trust anyone.

Your crew members may warm up to one another, showing Respect, Affection, and eventually Adoration; on the opposite end of the scale, they may grow cold with Mistrust, Contempt, and then Hatred.

The feelings of Adoration and Hate are so strong that no decision or event will ever be able to change the relationship.

And while Affection and Adoration are useful in combat, there is one caveat to these feelings...



Just like in real life, characters might not reciprocate feelings. From time to time, you will encounter a situation where one character holds the utmost respect for another but receives only contempt in return.

Is there a way to fix this?

First, have a look at the traits of your fighters – this will help you make the right choices based on their preferences. For example, avoiding a dangerous fight in an event will earn the respect of the Lone Wolf, but the Daredevil will consider you a weakling until the end of the journey. It's a double-edged sword.



Second, sometimes it's just not up to you. For better or worse, characters may act on their own. The Daredevil will charge mindlessly into combat, ignoring tactics, reason, and self-preservation instinct. And the Hermit will avoid all unnecessary fights, which will lead to them getting upset with the Daredevil.

Some personalities are better at dealing with people's emotions. The Center of Attention will quickly bond with the team and help to resolve internal conflicts. On the other hand, it's hard to earn the trust of the Lone Wolf, and the Egghead is known for giving a hard time to anyone that makes the smallest of mistakes.



That's not all! During battles, your characters will sometimes propose crazy ideas or issue challenges. The Center of Attention loves to be just that – the center of attention – while the Hermit tries to spare enemies that flee, and the Lone Wolf will aim to destroy a specific target first. If others in the team support any of their endeavors, the helper will earn some respect!

Now that you know more about the relationships in Ragtag Crew, you can nurture friendships, complete crazy challenges, and stay alert in the desert!

Hello, everyone!

Today, we're going to talk about character interactions and relationships in Ragtag Crew.

Your heroes don't exist in a vacuum. Their traits and characteristics will allow you to create a balanced team and may lead to relationships between each character.

Some of your characters may favor each other initially, but anything can happen during the journey. Some decisions can lead to respect, sympathy, and even adoration towards their fellow heroes! On the other hand, they can also seed discord, hostility, or conflict.

If characters do manage to get along and form friendships, they can provide additional assistance during battles. There are several types of team interactions:

• Team-up attacks. Every time their friend is attacking, a character has a chance to execute a follow-up strike. It won't deal a significant amount of damage, but it can still turn the tide of battle by finishing off the wounded enemy.
  
  Only characters capable of learning Elimination abilities can perform this move.
  
  
  
  
  
• Protection. Each time a character is under attack, their friend will have a chance to save them by reducing the enemy's damage. The probability is even greater for lethal strikes.
  
  However, only characters capable of learning Maneuver abilities can perform this move.
  
  
  
  
• Inspiration. Characters have a chance to add Ability Power when they support a friend, receiving additional benefits.
  
  As usual, only characters capable of learning Support abilities can perform this move.
  
  Building a strong team of friends is essential to the survival of the entire group. But don't be discouraged if things don't go according to plan. The journey is unpredictable, which makes it even more interesting!
  
  
  
  

What makes the team click? How do you make your characters like each other? Find out in the next Dev Log!

Hello, everyone!
Today we'll be talking about some more enemies. Time to look at some of the scariest monsters of them all — people! Not scavengers or lowly bandits, but powerful and dangerous Vapor Wave Inc mercenaries.

The first one on the list is the Exterminator.



Heavy armor protects him from bullets, knives, and boomerangs; an enormous gun fills enemies with lead. He'll make quick work of you... once the system charges up.

What does it mean gameplay-wise? He starts with 2 armor (takes 2 less damage from attacks) but has to skip the first turn charging up.



Dealing with heavy merc in early/mid game can be troublesome. Try to lower his armor with your abilities. Boost one character and make a powerful strike instead of multiple weak ones. Use the first turn to take care of his allies, who aren't as protected.

For example, this shady Merc.



His lazgun stings, sure, but lack of armor makes him an easy target. Kill him quickly and move on.

Or, don't. You see, this mercenary is just trying to earn some cash; dying isn't a part of the plan. If any of his teammates drop, he'll be gone in a blink of an eye.



Take a shady merc out of the picture quickly, or try to go for his beefier friends to get two-for-one? That's up to you.

Expect more mercenaries to pop up in a future update and stay alert in the desert.

Hello, adventurers!

We are currently working on the musical design of the game, and today we'd like to present to you a new battle theme created by our composer Zack Parrish:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Hello, everyone!
Today we'll tell you more about backgrounds' secret abilities. You don't receive them at the beginning of the game, don't get them on level-ups, don't buy them. You won't even know what these abilities look like! They are not called secret for nothing.



Do not worry, though; we're willing to share. See the markers on the Rogue's skill progress bars? One pair blue, the other one yellow?



These are thresholds. If Rogue ever upgrades her Athletics to level three and Knowledge to level two, she'll immediately learn an ability called "Peak Performance". It'll dish out impressive amounts of damage, but only while Rogue is unscratched. "Peak Performance" synergizes well with Rogue's kit, supporting her "staying out of harm's way" playstyle.



Here's the catch: if your character learns one secret ability during the run, the second one is locked until you start a new journey. It means you'll have to choose early. Do you want an easy-to-get but weaker ability for an early momentum? Or the stronger one to make yourself a late-game powerhouse? That's for you to decide!



Want to try out secret abilities but don't know how to raise the skills? We got you covered! Learn from your own mistakes by failing skill tests or learn from other people's mistakes by paying them at Training Camps. Go out of your comfort zone!



Hopefully, this helps you survive the dangers of the wasteland! Remember to stay alert in the desert!