Torment: Tides of Numenera

Kevin Saunders (Director) Colin McComb (Creative Lead)

Torment: Tides of Numenera is under development as a computer role-playing game from inXile Entertainment in isometric perspective, which revolves around the question of what constitutes a single life ( " What does one life matter? "). The game is a sequel in a spirit of Planescape: Torment, and that, in contrast to many other RPGs focus more on the storyline and the dialogues as pronounced on fighting. However, not based on the pen -and- paper role-playing game Planescape, but on Numenera by Monte Cook. Among other things, Chris Avellone, George Ziets and Patrick Rothfuss also participate in the history of the game, the music draws Mark Morgan responsible. Torment be released early 2015.

Torment has been funded via the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.com as the Wasteland 2, also developed by inXile. Within six hours, the funding target of U.S. $ 900,000 was achieved on the first day total of 1.4 million dollars were taken, which made it at that time to the previously fastest funded with over a million dollars project on Kickstarter. With nearly 4.2 million U.S. dollars, it also sparked Project Eternity as the highest -funded game software project from on Kickstarter.

• 3.1 prehistory
• 3.2 Financing Phase
• 3.3 Production

• 4.1 Crowdfunding

Concept

Scenario

The play world of Torment is designed with a futuristic medieval impact and is referred to as the ninth world, because their inhabitants already form the ninth civilization that inhabited this world. What led to the downfall of the previous eight civilizations is unknown. But spread over the whole world can still be designated as Numenera remains of these former inhabitants. These diverse achievements continue to be used by the inhabitants of the ninth world and have some unexplained forces, referred to by some as magic, by others as a result of unknown, high class scientific research.

Background

The plot of the game is under the guiding question " What is life? " And carries out the central question " What can change the nature of man? " From Planescape: Torment continues. The question was raised of a being that as Changing God ( German: of changing God ) is called. As a mortal he sought with the help of Numeneras for a way of prolonging life. Certain artifacts, the so-called Meres, he finally managed to transfer his consciousness into other organisms and thus to prolong his life beyond their natural limit. Over time it changed hands several times its " vessels ", which he received his name. However, he is neither omnipotent nor he has mastered the technique used by him completely. His previous carrier, the so-called Cast Offs ( German: Archived ) stayed behind and developed its own consciousness. Although they lack the physical reminder of the time in which they served the Changing God as a carrier, but distorted flashbacks give them the awareness that a foreign power has used them and then left alone. This awareness leads to different carriers to different behaviors. Also the choice of male or female player character is such an outcast carrier, the last in a long line, and looking for answers to his fate.

Die Cast Offs are in the spirit of its creator extremely durable nature. A special feature is to feel their inability pain. Instead, they reflect this pain to living things in their immediate environment, which sometimes leads to their painful demise and generally to great suffering. By his conduct the Changing God, however, has awakened an old guard, the angel of the entropy. This makes since been hunting him and wants to kill him along with all his creations. Since this would also inevitably mean for the player character 's death, he must track down his creator even before the angel of the entropy to find answers to his questions.

Action

Content of the game is to find the player character after its creator, the Changing God. This journey leads him to different areas of the ninth world and beyond. His special nature pulls the interest of various, mostly mentally broken beings who accompany him on his journey. However, in the course of which he also encounters other former bearer of his Creator, who support him partly, partly combat. With the help of Meres he can take over their consciousness for a short time and manipulate for his own ends. Through his actions, he gradually builds his legacy, which determines at the end of the impact of his actions on the game world.

Gameplay

Torment: Tides of Numenera is like Planescape: Torment, a group-based role-playing game with a focus on the telling of a story. The players created at the start of his choice of male or female player character. As in role-playing usual, he can choose between several classes, the Glaive ( warriors), the Jack ( Rogue) and Nano ( Techno Mage). He can still add a description and a special talent focus.

Throughout the game, he encounters other characters who may join him and interact with him. The interaction with the environment and the game characters is one of the main aspects of the game and is also determined by the behavior of the player. He is frequently asked this before making decisions that affect the rest. Much like in Planescape: Torment and other role playing games, there is a system of morality, which, however, does not distinguish between good and evil, but between different forms of feeling and modes of reaction. These so-called "Tides " ( German: tides, currents, trends ) are distinguished by colors (red, blue, gold, indigo and silver), which combine several different forms of response. Red is the fact, for example, inter alia, for passion and emotion while can be gold for caring and empathy, silver, however, for admiration and power. Current Tides and the choice of the player, which of them he follows mainly, have an influence on the game world and the course of action. The player learns the game progresses more about these backgrounds.

Much like in Planescape: Torment does not lead the player's apparent death in an immediate game over, but has a game mechanical aspect. The ostensible death leads the player in the so-called labyrinth of outcasts (English: castoff 's Labyrinth ), the number of levels, Fathoms ( German: fathoms ) called, is. In this intermediate world, the game characters encounter other phenomena and learn more about the background of the act or learn new skills.

Development

Prehistory

Since the spiritual predecessor Planescape: Torment had received great critical acclaim, and over the years enjoyed great prestige, was the question of continuing regularly to debate. However, since financial question was only moderately successful titles, the financing of another title was questionable. In addition, the setting of Planescape scenarios for role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons rules and the increasing removal of the Planescape elements from the following editions of the rules made ​​a direct sequel increasingly unlikely.

Through the crowdfunding success of Double Fine Adventures, immediately followed by the also highly successful financing of the computer role-playing game Wasteland 2, speculation about another Torment game received a new impetus. Chris Avellone, the former lead designer of Planescape: Torment, who had joined as a designer to Wasteland 2, was found in July 2012 open for a sequel, with the financial support of crowdfunding. In August 2012, Avellone expressed to the online games magazine Kotaku some ideas to a potential successor Torment, where he had already suggested a departure from the Planescape license. However, the suite of Avellones development studio Obsidian Entertainment Kickstarter Project Project Eternity saw on September 14, 2012 presented primarily not in this tradition.

The idea of a successor continued with the consent Avellones by Colin McComb, the Planescape: Torment had next Avellone crucially shaped and been editorially as the author of the Planescape scenario for D & D manufacturers TSR. The also participating as a designer at Wasteland 2 McComb tried in vain to obtain a result Planescape license of the interim D & D rights holder Wizards of the Coast. On November 30, 2012 McComb published in his personal blog a post in which he described the conditions for a successor. He reiterated the fact the rejection of Planescape scenario and put the focus on telling a personal story. He announced that he would like to work on this continuation, after he had completed his design work on Wasteland 2 for inXile. On December 2, 2012 it was announced that inXile Entertainment have secured the naming rights to expired Torment. In January 2013 inXile CEO Brian Fargo finally announced that the game will be based on Monte Cook's also funded by Kickstarter RPG world Numenera and should be funded through Kickstarter. Numenera had been advertised as being in the tradition of Planescape standing of the long-time D & D Author Cook. Fargo also announced the addition of Kevin Saunders of the involvement of Cook, who as project director at Obsidian Entertainment for the add -on Neverwinter Nights 2, 2006: Mask of the Betrayer was responsible. This was in parts of the press already as much of Planescape: Torment affected. The full title of Torment: Tides of Numenera was the end of January 2013 announced publicly, as well as the participation of the composer Mark Morgan, who is also the soundtrack to Planescape: Torment had composed.

Financing phase

The project was approved on Kickstarter to fund on March 6, 2013, as a minimum funding were $ 900,000 targeted, the campaign period was set at one month. Within just six hours, this sum has already been achieved and exceeded the threshold of one million U.S. dollars in 7:02 hours. This sparked Torment ( 8:22 hours) for a short time from the fastest project financing with more than one million U.S. dollars the game console Ouya. This record was a few days later by the Veronica Mars Movie Project broken (< 5 hours). With ultimately 4,188,927 U.S. dollars of 74 405 supporters it triggered Project Eternity as the highest -funded game project on Kickstarter from. There were also additional 239 438 U.S. dollars, which were referred to an extended funding period to 29 April 2013 on the payment processor Paypal. Additional $ 200,000 in reserves were ever made ​​by Brian Fargo half and Steven Dengler available to compensate for possible defaults on the crowdfunding phase.

Prominent financial support received, the project among other things by the game designer Markus Persson ( Minecraft ) and the manager of the hardware manufacturer Razer, Min - Liang Tan. Due to the significant additional revenue, it was possible to expand the scope of the project compared to the original concept idea clearly ( "stretch goals" ) and the support of the former Obsidian designer George Ziets and Tony Evans and the author Patrick Rothfuss to win. Chris Avellone also finally joined as a consultant and author of an accompanying character of the team. Due to the extended period of funding through Paypal and a low failure rate of the debits by Kickstarter supporters amounts ultimately all featured bonus targets were added to the scale of production, including the originally missed the bonus target for 4.5 million U.S. dollars from inXile.

Production

For the production of the project developer inXile hand back on the resources and experience of the previous Wasteland 2 project. The game therefore also uses the Unity engine 4 The financing was launched before the completion of work on Wasteland 2, to ensure a direct transition are no longer needed for this project designers and artists on a new game and a sufficient follow-up financing for the development studio to be able to.

Reception

Crowdfunding

On larger interest was the funding success of Torment: Tides of Numenera among other things, because after initially large crowds in 2012 a gradual slowdown of the trend was predicted. In addition, it already These were inXiles second Kickstarter funding in the millions, although the first game Wasteland 2 to the financial time point was still unfinished, and thus could not be evaluated conclusively. The development studio Roberts Space Industries (Star Citizen) and game designer Tim Schafer (Broken Age), both also successful beneficiaries of the crowdfunding trends, concluded that crowdfunding has established itself as a permanent alternative for financing and contrary to the predictions still potential for further projects is available. On May 2013 Schafer also started before the completion of his first project, a second Kickstarter funding for the strategy game Massive Chalice.

Fiction

Be published Jump to seven short stories ( " Novellas " ), written by Colin McComb, Monte Cook, Adam Heine, Ray Vallese, Nathan Long, Mur Lafferty and Tony Evans; as well as three books, written by Chris Avellone, Patrick Rothfuss, and Colin McComb, together with Adam Heine.