Alaloth AMA highlights
[h3]Champions![/h3]
We hosted an Alaloth - Champions of The Four Kingdoms AMA with Alberto Belli (Founder & CEO) and Giulia Zamboni (Producer) on our Discord server recently. Many valiant heroes arrived from far-away lands to participate! We’ve gathered some of the most interesting questions and answers for you here, such as: How does the gear work? Can you cook in the game? Why is Alberto such a funny guy? Find out below!
[h2]The Game[/h2]
Will there be medieval-inspired castles with their own interiors in each kingdom?
Each kingdom has been basically built like this: there is a capital city (of course) where you can meet the ruler of your kingdom (who is actually the one summoning you to help fight Alaloth). Then we have a major city and five other minor cities to visit. Then you have three different points of interest and tons of fighting areas you have to claim in order to find pieces of the Artifact. You need the Artifact to enter the endgame and face Alaloth himself. So we have medieval stuff (especially in Edherest, the Human Kingdom), indoor and outdoor areas to explore, and many different locations you can visit.
How many roleplay systems are implemented aside from combat?
You can do a lot of things. We’re happy with our hardcore crafting system which is very well-connected to the world’s lore & logic. For example, you can't find elven stuff in a dwarven shop. The only exception is visiting a specific store at a specific moment of the game calendar because an elven merchant is traveling through that area at that specific time. We have a reputation system and a responsive world that changes along the way (the passing of time is a key factor).
How big will the dungeons be? Will there be some deep dungeon crawls?
We have different sizes for fighting areas all around the world map: Small/Medium/Large/Special. Let's say that a Small FA (Fighting Area) can be claimed in a short time, assuming that you are good at the game. Medium-sized FAs are twice the size of Small FAs while Large FAs are twice the size of a Medium FA.
How will gearing work? Are there prefix + suffix systems of random loot drops like in Diablo?
Yes, that's the formula, but the drop system is way different than in Diablo. Basically, once you enter a fighting area, you don't get loot from mobs. Our approach on this has always been very hardcore, like the way everything is strictly connected to the weight you can carry with you. We didn't like the idea of having a giant spider dropping a sword (have you ever seen a giant spider? And a giant spider hiding a sword somewhere on its body?). So basically you'll have the chance to take stuff around, but you’ll have access to the "true" loot only once you've claimed the fighting area. There is a chest at the end of each one and you have to wisely choose what you can take with you.
How many gear slots and types of gear are present?
An armor set consists of:
- A unique piece
- A cloak
- A belt (with 4 slots to bring consumables to fighting areas)
- Two ring slots
- A trinket
- The main hand
- The off-hand
You aren’t able to access your inventory when you’re fighting so you have to choose wisely. Tons of items will be unveiled, cool armor & weapon sets, and many other unique objects.
Is it possible to use any weapon in the game or is it build-related?
You choose a fighting style when creating your character, but yes, you can use any weapon in-game, just by equipping it.
Is the Main Character set to a specific arc and morality? (Example: You are a "good guy" and do questing, or can you choose to be a pillager?)
There is no main (pre-made) character. You create your own, so you have to choose your alignment at the very beginning. In general, you play the role of a champion who has been summoned because of his/her skills, so we are using morality in a slightly different way than usual. You can hire (or not) companions with the same alignment only. So if you want to learn everything there is about them, you have to play a different character with a different alignment in a different run (a few companions' storylines are strictly connected).
Will there be any ranged build?
Yes, you play the role of a heavy armored champion, but you can choose from 36 different skills when you level up and there is a Marksman build which is basically THE ranged build. Anyway, skills are not directly connected with the melee aspect, so you’ll keep fighting with swords, axes, and so on, AND you can use ranged skills as you can use any other skills (cooldown is in).
What about clerical spells & defensive builds?
There is a cleric build, of course, and clerics are actually the only ones able to cast healing spells. Defensive builds are a thing, but you can basically mix any skill from any profession, so you can create something in-between or just get skills from random professions mixing warden skills, elementalist skills, cleric skills, and so on.
Is there any stealth component in the game?
Not really. Enemies are responsive and will spot you if you don't pay attention, but you can try to sneak here and there. There’s no crouch option or anything like that.
What mechanics have been added to increase replayability? New game plus, different endings, random dungeons? Something else?
If you want to fully discover the world’s lore and get everything from the game, you should play as each race at least one time. On top of this, our content/quests are basically "handmade", but we have a layer of randomly generated content that could make any run virtually endless.
Are there mounts in the game?
Mounts are useful to move faster on the map and to carry extra weight with you. The map is completely free to roam, so you can move wherever you want. You move faster on roads and slower at the top of mountains or in a swamp, and so on. Mounts will help you to get around in general. So yes, we have special and unique mounts to be unlocked along the way.
Can you cook and have recipes in the game?
Yes, we have recipes. Yes, you can cook stuff. Actually, you can use food as a consumable (putting it on your belt) and the buff effect is timed. If you cook stuff before entering a fighting area, the buff effect will last for the duration of the whole area.
Are there secrets to be found in the world?
A LOT.
[h2]The Development[/h2]
What games influenced the concept?
[Alberto:] Moonstone is one of the main references. It is an Amiga game from 1990 that literally blew my mind at that time. But we basically are RPG people and I think we can say that there is a little bit of everything we love in Alaloth. The idea behind the concept BTW, was pretty simple: bring the 3D fighting mechanics of modern action games to an iso view, inspired by BG & co.
Were you drawing from any well-known inspirations? And if so, how do you plan on making your product unique to set it apart from them?
We are trying to stay in-between old school classics (for the visuals, the iso view, the pre-rendered stuff) and modern masterpieces (3D mechanics brought to an iso game). That's how we plan to make a unique product. In terms of inspiration, we are not reinventing the wheel: this is high-fantasy with all the good things high-fantasy lovers (as we are) love.
When did the development of the game start?
We announced the game back in 2017, but at that time we just had a working prototype and we were still actively in pre-production. Pre-production ended mid-2018 and we can say we officially started full development at the beginning of 2019.
Does the current game match the original plans?
Development is hard, so during a full dev cycle lots of things usually change for a number of reasons. You can face tech problems or any other kind of issue (i.e. an unexpected pandemic -_-"), but we kept the same original vision and I can say that probably, we raised the bar when All in! Games jumped in, having access to extra resources we didn't have at the very beginning.
What are the design ethics behind how you wanted to approach the difficulty of the game?
[Alberto:] I think games have to be fun. I personally don't like games that leave players frustrated, but I don't like "easy" games either. I think a good balance is getting a reward if you fight for it and putting the right effort into mastering systems. I would like to deliver a demanding combat system which does not end in a frustrating game. You have to die fighting the dumbest mob if you approach it the wrong way, correct. But you should be able to defeat Alaloth with the right effort if you master your skill set and combos.
Is it Unity or Unreal?
Unity!
[h2]The Future[/h2]
Will the game be released in Early Access or will it have a full release only?
There are no plans for Early Access right now. The current plan is to have a full release in 2021 on PC, XONE, PS4, and Switch. That is if 2021 isn't a scam and we don't wake up on December 32, 2020, as some people predict.
What are your plans post-release?
We would love to see the world of Alaloth - Champions of the Four Kingdoms grow. We have some ideas in mind, but it’s still too early to confirm or announce anything. We’ll wait to see your reception of the game first!
What about the comic book you've announced? WIll it be a prequel? Alaloth - The Tempest is a prequel comic book, yes. It will be 3 Trade Paperback in the US and will be available in bookstores/comic shops worldwide soon. We’ve just finished working on it, so physical copies are actually in production.
P.S. It's amazing.
BONUS: Why is Alberto such a funny guy?
He's working on Alaloth. How could anyone not be happy about it all the time ^^? Also, he eats a lot of pasta.
SECOND ALSO:
Because he is actually drinking his 5th glass of prosecco.
You can catch up with all the questions and answers from the AMA here (make sure to swear your allegiance to one of The Four Kingdoms first!). The discussion continues on Discord as we’re there for you every day to chat, hang out, and share a virtual glass of prosecco.
[h2]Learn more about the world of Alaloth[/h2]
Check out a new piece of art in the Steam Artwork section every Monday*: https://steamcommunity.com/app/919360/images/
Every Wednesday* on Steam, you can discover new Lore Updates which introduce key characters, companions, guilds, places, monsters, stories, gods, legends, and so on, to give you a full picture of the work we’ve done to bring this epic world to life. Read the latest issue:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/3062978883683506393
Every other Friday* we share Development Updates which give a general overview of in-game content, explain gameplay features, give insight into the gaming tech we use, as well as reveal other game-related content. Check it out:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/919360/announcements/detail/2961646623389887320
*Based on external and internal factors, the frequency may change.
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