Revival - Mature Lovecraftian horror MMO - The Something Awful Forums

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Decrepus: May 21, 2008; In the end, his dominion did not touch a single poster.

randombattle posted:

Maybe if it was a limited edition military type of bowl that is only gonna be sold for a few hours.

There is no indication of size so it might be a Dyson Bowl.

# ? Dec 26, 2015 13:53

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# ? May 31, 2024 20:47

throw to first DAMN IT: Apr 10, 2007; This whole thread has been raging at the people who don't want Saracen invasion to their homes

Perhaps you too should be more accepting of their cultures

Can I have sex with the bowl? And if I can, what kinda buff does it give?

# ? Dec 26, 2015 14:20

throw to first DAMN IT: Apr 10, 2007; This whole thread has been raging at the people who don't want Saracen invasion to their homes

Perhaps you too should be more accepting of their cultures

2 raiders, 1 bowl.

# ? Dec 26, 2015 14:21

Facebook Aunt: Oct 4, 2008; wiggle wiggle

You've probably been wondering what your play experience will be like if you don't shell out your life savings on an imaginary house. Well, gentlegoon, this week's dev blog is for you. In your tent, with your trusty rear end at your side. https://www.revivalgame.com/blog/62-weekly-blog-update-60-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-nomad

quote:

Weekly Update

And just like that the year is over. 2015 has been a rollick, but out with the old, and on with the show. All that new-yearsy stuff. We�ve had a week with the patcher live and no major crises, Snipehunter is hacking on an Origin Matrix simulator in the skunkworks, and art continues apace on the Estates. They�re so close to done, but we keep stumbling on the last mile, fear not though, things are coming together for their imminent release. The wheels, they do turn.

Hail Hydra!

Great Minds of Theleston

There have been many mentions of shelters for the wayward, and we�ve touched more than once on the idea that many denizens of Theleston won�t own property of their own. Fawn is one of these, a wanderer, and in this Day in the Life, we will follow her.

Fawn rarely spends too long in town. She is happier on the drift, passing through to pick up supplies when necessary, or to sell a bit of news down the line. If one asked her what she did for a living, she would be hard pressed to give a straight answer. She might qualify as a part-time adventurer, and she�s seen places that your average cityfolk have only read about, but for her, life is more about seeing the world than it is about plunder. She isn�t often rich in coin, but her wealth of worldly experience makes up for it. On the road she�s seen every city on the map, sailed Blackwell sound with merchants and thieves, and trekked the grasslands of Khollaja, camping on the shore of the freshwater sea.

Fawn�s a half decent shot with a bow, and once or twice she�s done a bit of shrewd negotiating with a dagger, but her targets are more often game, and her knife cuts more skins than throats. The road may have a reputation for danger, but in Fawn�s experience, shrewdness and forethought generally suffice to keep her out of trouble. In the worst case, her bow is likely the most expensive thing in her packs, and that could be replaced in any big city. She has a vault-box in Tide�s End for her few objects of great value, maps, mostly, but sometimes the occasional artifact.

When she�s not camped, Fawn�s kit is stowed on her mule, Frank. Aside from her bow, Fawn�s kit includes the makings of a camp site. A tent of tight canvas, a bedroll, a tinderbox, cookpots, a small bundle of food. These things allow Fawn to go anywhere and still rest in relative comfort, out of the elements, sipping tea as she looks over her maps. It is in this tent, sheltering from a steady grey rain, that we join her.

Fawn is a few minutes hike up into the woods, off of the road, a ways down the mountain from Skypass. She picked the site last night, under clear skies, but now the rain is apt to make for cold, slow travel. Skypass is an expensive place for a wanderer, and Fawn doesn�t like to stay in that city for too long as a rule, but her passage from Anakhatha had only taken her as far as the dingy freeport at the base of the Bulwhark, and the only route over those mountains is straddled by the Brauggine�s ancient stone gatehouse. So, to Skypass she went.

The night she spent in the common room of The Stone Man proved fruitful after all, though. A few hours� conversation with a fellow explorer and a tip about safer places to camp in Anakhatha had netted her the map, purported to hold the location of a ruined Brauggine abbey in a wood known as Fallshollow far to the southwest. Fawn was headed south already, and this ruin sounds like an interesting destination. Once she�s seen it for herself she�ll turn about and loop back north to the coast to follow it back towards Tide�s End.

The rain hasn�t let up, and Fawn wonders how long it will go on. At first, the wetter weather this side of the channel was welcome, but right about now, Fawn is wishing for the predictable aridity of the Anakhathan desert. She stokes the fire, and makes tea before returning to the map. It�s still a bit of a journey south toward Falcreek on the side of lonely Cloudspire, but Fawn intends to skirt that mountain to the east, and keep to the thicker woods where she�s less likely to be hassled. On the way �round, though, she�ll stop by the burgeoning camp just at the base of the mountain, where the road starts to climb again. There are always a few folks there, and Fawn can usually make a few good trades without going all the way up to Falcreek. It�s a popular camp, already traders have come together in common cause to build a trading post amidst the tents and Fawn suspects that it may grow into a township in its own right, one of these days. If she spends a night there, and drops a little bit of coin, she�ll be helping them along.

Frank, tied nearby, snorts in the rain, and Fawn worries about losing the whole day in this tent. On Anakhatha she�d spend the hottest part of the day in the tent and ride all night, but on Greyshore traveling at night isn�t Fawn�s favorite choice. The less-savory types prefer the cover of darkness, after all. Still, sitting on the side of a mountain in the rain isn�t getting her anywhere, and if she packs up and gets going now she can at least make the plains before it�s really dark. Fawn looks out at the sky again and sighs, stows the map, and finishes her tea before packing the campsite up onto the mule, and heading out into the rain. At least it wasn�t snowing.

That�s a nice bit of crockery!

Is it just me, or does that Hydra medallion imply that Hydra's official symbol is a stylized puckered anus? :stare:

Hmm, maybe I won't go fishing after all.

# ? Jan 2, 2016 07:38

Decrepus: May 21, 2008; In the end, his dominion did not touch a single poster.

Butthole slider would be a cool character customization feature.

# ? Jan 2, 2016 08:42

Yodzilla: Apr 29, 2005; Now who looks even dumber?

Beef Witch

I loving love it when devs roleplay out inane poo poo like "go to inn, get quest item, click rest button in menu."

# ? Jan 3, 2016 06:44

Facebook Aunt: Oct 4, 2008; wiggle wiggle

Year in review wrap up. https://1496006.content.nlgrid.com/...mswZlE9PQ%3D%3D

tl;dr: We've fallen behind, but it's all star citizen's' fault. Those guys suck.

# ? Jan 8, 2016 17:53

Soup du Journey: Mar 20, 2006; by FactsAreUseless

well i mean, it would probably suck to have to do business with chris roberts. that rear end in a top hat can't balance a budget, and i'm sure the first ones to get the axe are the contractors

not sure if starting your own competing boondoggle is the best way forward, though. maybe i just lack vision. i guess thats why im a lowly janitor (doctorate in sanitation, u see) and not a bigtime entertainment creator

# ? Jan 8, 2016 18:09

CuddleCryptid: Jan 11, 2013; Things could be going better

Angela Christine posted:

You've probably been wondering what your play experience will be like if you don't shell out your life savings on an imaginary house. Well, gentlegoon, this week's dev blog is for you. In your tent, with your trusty rear end at your side. https://www.revivalgame.com/blog/62-weekly-blog-update-60-a-day-in-the-life-of-a-nomad

Is it just me, or does that Hydra medallion imply that Hydra's official symbol is a stylized puckered anus? Hmm, maybe I won't go fishing after all.

What gets me is that no one aside from over the top RP-ers will spend much time in their houses. Archeage proved this when there was a massive rush to get spaces for housing at launch, not because the houses were super cool but because you had about five extra feet of planting space and you could cover your house with in-jokes.

You have to make these places have practical benefits or no one is going to give a drat in the long run. And if you make people overpowered with buffs because they paid real money then the majority of the player base will complain.

TLDR: Non-attackable, limited space player housing is dumb

# ? Jan 8, 2016 19:26

Soup du Journey: Mar 20, 2006; by FactsAreUseless

is creator even the right word? or would it be entertainment maker? hackspacer?

we word good in new millenium :mrgw:

# ? Jan 8, 2016 19:52

CuddleCryptid: Jan 11, 2013; Things could be going better

Doctor Schnabel posted:

is creator even the right word? or would it be entertainment maker? hackspacer?

we word good in new millenium

Technomancer

# ? Jan 8, 2016 20:06

randombattle: Oct 16, 2008; This hand of mine shines and roars! It's bright cry tells me to grasp victory!

Doctor Schnabel posted:

well i mean, it would probably suck to have to do business with chris roberts. that rear end in a top hat can't balance a budget, and i'm sure the first ones to get the axe are the contractors

not sure if starting your own competing boondoggle is the best way forward, though. maybe i just lack vision. i guess thats why im a lowly janitor (doctorate in sanitation, u see) and not a bigtime entertainment creator

But they got kicked from star citizen for working on this instead of working on star citizen. It's like aliens colonial marines all over again but with two games destined to never come out instead.

# ? Jan 8, 2016 20:43

Freakazoid_: Jul 5, 2013; Buglord

DreamShipWrecked posted:

Technomancer

Digital Cabalist

# ? Jan 9, 2016 03:46

tamphex: Jun 21, 2003

I would pay a reasonable streaming fee to watch Derek Smart & Chris Roberts go it in a boxing match.

# ? Jan 9, 2016 07:48

Facebook Aunt: Oct 4, 2008; wiggle wiggle

It's weekly devblog time: maps. Do you like maps? How do you feel about maps that don't actually show you anything? https://www.revivalgame.com/blog/63-weekly-blog-update-61-x-marks-the-spot

quote:

First, Kedhrin has been at CES this week, showing the world what IllFonic is all about these days. If I was a gambling man, I would bet that you'll see some mention of our other projects in the news this week, if you haven't already. Meanwhile, the rest of Team Revival has been hard at work either testing renovation kits for their imminent release. Anyone who wasn't testing and fixing bugs this week has been working to put the last layers of spit and polish on the estates or is hard at work on the features necessary to begin stage two of our production.

It's basically been a three pronged attack, with Dan and the engineers finalizing all of the behind-the-scenes tech necessary for renovation kits and friends lists and a few other online features to come online, the designers working on fixing renovation kit bugs, and the artists working on finalizing estates or preparing to layout Crowns Rock in preparation for stage two of production. Really, the only people off book are ombwah and myself who are working on content of various forms. (I'm working on the origin matrix, while Ombwah is feverishly writing the books you'll find in-game) It's been a busy week!

Maps also make for handsome accents to any room

Great Minds of Theleston

Early in the development process of Revival, we had to make some core decisions about the "tone" of Revival. Some of these decisions, like "will it be dark?" or "will it be horror?" were pretty easy to answer, but one which stayed open for a long time was "how 'simmy' is the sandbox?" You see, we knew from the get go that we'd be more of a sandbox than your typical, guided adventure MMO of the type we often call "theme parks" these days, but we weren't really sure how deep the sand was, if that metaphor makes sense. Were we the type of game that has a sim for everything or were we a sandbox more in the sense of our approach to adventure than in the way we handle the simulation? I've always been an advocate of a more simulationist approach to game development, which probably comes as no surprise to anyone, but even I was pretty shaky about answering these questions.

That is, until we got to discussing the way we would approach simulation. I wanted to take an emergent approach, but I was so used to being shot down when I suggest it that I held back mentioning it at first, and so we had lots of conversations about certain game features that would end in comments like "Yeah, but that's stupid amounts of work for a feature no one would use!" Cartography, the skill of making maps, was one of those and so for a long time, we weren't sure if we were going to do it.

It wasn't just about the how, to be fair; the question of "why" was a big one at first, too. How "inconvenienced" were we really going to let a player be? Would we leave a player in the world with no map? And if the answer was no, then wtf was the point of letting players make maps?

Thankfully, when I finally did bring up the emergent strategy in the systems design, I wasn't shot down (honestly everyone looked at me like I was an idiot for not bringing it up sooner, but that's a different story), and that left us free to brainstorm ways in which a relatively simple cartography system could interact with other simple systems to create depth and our modern cartography skill was born. So how does Cartography work?

Well, I suppose I should start with the basics. Everyone will start the game with a fundamental grasp of the "known world." That is to say, they'll know the basic shapes of the landmasses and the locations of major cities, but the rest of the world is pretty much a blank slate. What is directly around them will be shown to a player in some detail on the minimap based on their own awareness, but it won't be recorded permanently in the maps of their journal. In a sense, this creates a "fog of war" style effect. This is actually critical for the MEOW that Revival is, because you can't reasonably know what's going on in places you aren't presently in, but it does sort of throw a wrench in the works when it comes to planning ahead, which is where cartography starts to become useful.

The minimap's level of detail depends on your skills. What you see there is a factor of what you know. For example, an archaeologist is going to more easily spot ruins, signs of ancient camps, etc., while a hunter is more likely to notice game trails or signs of the types of animals that are resident in an area. This is great for you, but how do you pass that information on to someone else later? You could write a bestiary as a hunter, or you could stop and examine each ruin to write entries in your journal, but this level of detail may actually obscure the basic information you're trying to get across, which is essentially "hey lookout, this stuff is over here!" What you need, is a way to convey the information on your minimap to someone else. And while we're at it, wouldn't it be great if you could "fill in" the fog of war the minimap system causes, so that what you know about an area is permanently recorded in your world map?

Can you see what I'm getting at?

That's what Cartography is; it's the ability to turn what you know about an area into an actual map. It uses the same basic mechanics as the art system, and in fact technologically it basically is the art system in terms of player input: When it comes time to make, modify or add to a map of an area, you select your materials (pen, ink, map/parchment) and execute the cartography skill's mapmaking action. This opens the cartography game, where you can see your surrounding area overlain on the map or parchment. (If the source material is a map already and where you are won't fit on the map, you're told you can't add this area to the map. Otherwise, you will see your minimap's information in the appropriate space on an existing map. If it's a new parchment you started with, you can drag this overlay to the part of the paper where you want to start your map. Once that's selected, the mini-game begins and it's up to you to trace out and annotate the map via the mini-game. Your own skill at cartography and how close you are to overlay's information determine the final level of quality of the map's visual representation and, perhaps most importantly, what tags from your own tag queue are attached to the map.

Once you have a map in hand, you can simply look at it, which will open it up much like your main world map in your journal, for you to review, or you can "add" it to your main map, updating the data for the region in your main map so that what's in the map shows up in your minimap even through the fog of war. For example, if you add a hunter's map to your world map that shows that bears overwinter in the caves below falcreek, that will then be visible on the world map even when you're not in the area, allowing you to plan around that knowledge.

There is an important thing to remember here, though: nothing is permanent in Revival. The information encoded in a particular map may not be accurate any longer. Bears may move to new digs, or bandits might set up a camp in a new location, and your map won't show you that if you don't know that. But that cuts both ways; an old map may show the location of a destroyed city ripe for looting if you know where to dig. So, while some maps may lose their value over time, others might actually increase in value over time. And, of course, players won't be the only folks making maps. It's possible that NPCs will, or have, made maps that make you aware of locations you didn't even know existed, or that highlight treasures just waiting to be found and dug up.

In the end, what cartography does is give the citizens of Theleston a way to trade in geographic information, a critical ability in a Multiplayer Evolving Online World.

WIP - An altar to the Trinity of the Sea

Bonus vagina altar there. Nice to see someone getting away from phallic stuff all the time.

# ? Jan 9, 2016 20:51

kloa: Feb 14, 2007

they must've gotten a new female employee and they wanted to make her feel included

# ? Jan 10, 2016 08:08

randombattle: Oct 16, 2008; This hand of mine shines and roars! It's bright cry tells me to grasp victory!

I'm glad they were teasing their call of duty but with zombies game. That is definitely gonna change the gaming landscape forever.

# ? Jan 10, 2016 22:56

CuddleCryptid: Jan 11, 2013; Things could be going better

kloa posted:

they must've gotten a new female employee and they wanted to make her feel included

Either that or someone went "I don't know about you guys, but we just made a dick throne. Isn't that a little, I don't know...gay?" And the room erupted into chaos

# ? Jan 11, 2016 21:15

Facebook Aunt: Oct 4, 2008; wiggle wiggle

This week in fan-fiction theater, we have a medieval noir mystery. Sort of. Pretty light on mechanics this week. https://www.revivalgame.com/blog/64-weekly-blog-62-a-kidnapping-in-crowns-rock

quote:

Great Minds of Theleston

Now then, it's story time. Are you sitting comfortably? Good. I'll begin:
* * *
I've got a place I rent up in Cullwarren, #5 Alder Crown. It's not the biggest place in the neighborhood, but she does me right and it's perfect for running the agency. If your idea of perfect involves taking the time to walk the �warren, anyway. But I like that just fine. Keeps the dangerous customers away. You ain't going to see an heiress or an alderman walking through the door up here. At least, that's what I thought.

On this particular day, I started work hours in the usual way, kicking a half empty bottle of sour wine across the floor as I shuffled into my tunic and got the fire going. I wasn't expecting any clients, at least not before the Stabb'd Face opened its doors this evening. I get most of my callers after the torches are lit. People out here only need people like me after nights spent in places like that, I thought. Turns out, I'd be wrong about that, too.

The knock on the door came early enough that I ignored it at first. Kids, I figured, throwing rocks or something. By the time I got the door open, she was actually already turning to leave. I didn't have to study her long to realize she didn't belong in the �warren. She was tall and lithe, wearing a dress of black under a broad brimmed hat and veil that obscured, but didn't quite hide, the sharp features of a Valiri woman. Locks of silky hair, reddish black in the morning sun, fell from beneath the veil to gather at her shoulders. She might have been hiding who she was, but there was no hiding her wealth. Probably from Crown Hill or the Reach.

"Mr. Hobbes?"

I nodded, taking a moment to study her in more detail. The dress was silk, expensive. Probably came with her from Valir. The hat was a style popular in Tide's End. The woman had connections, maybe she was a trader.

"Fraid so. What can I do for you?"

I stepped aside so she could step inside while she spoke and led her to the parlor.

"You come highly recommended by an associate of mine; I'm led to believe you�re the man to call when you need to find someone."

I smiled, pulled out a chair, gestured for her to sit.

"I know a thing or two about finding people who don't want to be found. Someone skip out on a contract?"

She looked up confused for a moment, but even behind the veil I could see the start of a smile.

"No, nothing quite so gauche, Mr. Hobbes. I need you to find my husband."

Now it was my turn for confusion. Marriage was for yokels, or old families. People who dealt with the fragility of life by focusing on legacy.

"Maybe you should start from the beginning, Lady�?"

"Aimata. And, very well..." She began. Her husband was the public face of a trading empire the two had built over the last decade, starting with a small wine plantation in Valir before expanding into shipping from Tide's End and finally, Crowns Rock. They moved to the Rock just last year, and on the eve of their anniversary, her husband hadn�t made it home for their celebratory dinner. When she headed to the docks, she found their ship the Raven's Wing, docked in the harbor, but strangely, it was empty. The guard refused to look into the matter, and that's what brought her to me.

"The crew is missing too?" I asked.

"They are, Mr. Hobbes."

"Were they slaves?" It wasn't something I'd normally ask a woman like her, but they traded slaves in Valir and it would explain a lot. To her credit she maintained her composure, only bowing her head slightly before answering quietly.

"Yes."

Well, I thought, there you have it. They probably saw an opportunity to break their bonds and took it. There were plenty of sympathizers on Crowns Rock who'd hide them until they could make their way back home as free men and women. Mr. Aimata was probably on the harbor floor, tied to the ship's anchor. I started to tell her as much, but before I could get a word out, she cut me off.

"I know what you're thinking, Mr. Hobbes!" She stood up, suddenly, taking my hand in hers, "But it's not possible! The crew loved us! They would never take Poma from me! I think something has happened to them, too! Please, all I ask is that you go to the ship and see for yourself. I'll pay you well!"

"25. Sovereigns." I figured I'd go for broke. After all, if I was going to waste my time, I might as well get something out of the bargain.

"Done." She answered so quickly, I felt like I'd undersold myself.

"A day." I answered, just as quickly. A deal isn't done until you shake on it, as my father used to say.

"Of course. You will find the Raven's Wing docked at Hoensport. Please send word to my home when you have discovered something. I'm counting on you, Mr. Hobbes."

We shook hands and I led her from the house. I figured it was an easy job; I'd take her sovereigns, find proof that the slaves revolted and call it done. If I was quick about it, I might even get back before the sun went down and pick up another client or two. There's never a shortage of folks who need a deadbeat found.

Hoensport, though; that was an odd choice. No one docked at Hoensport anymore. At least no one with a legitimate business enterprise. It wasn't that the pier was shady, per se, but the port was too shallow for big ships and fishing had been bad over the last few years, so even the locals were using the big harbor on the south of the island these days. Now a days, if you were docked out at Hoensport, it was because you didn't need the prying eyes of a customs agent taking too close a look. It made me think that maybe Mrs. Aimata wasn't quite the innocent she seemed.

The Raven's Wing didn't really change my impression. She was a sleek little thing; not a trading ship, but a triple-rigged barque with a forward slung main mast designed to grab the wind with a death grip as it slipped across the wavetops. She was rigged with two ballistae, a wicked looking harpoon thrower on the bow and a larger hull crusher on the forecastle. This wasn't a trading ship at all, it was a pirate hunter. Or a raider. Hmmm.

As soon as I got on deck, I got to work. Just as she said, the place was empty, no signs of life at all. Her lines creaked as the boat rose and fell with the waves, but otherwise she was deathly quiet. At first glance, the deck seemed clear, but I knew better than to take a first glance at face value, so I took a slow tour of the deck, studying every inch. The wood was well kept; slaves or not they seemed to take pride in the ship's appearance and as a result the deck really was immaculate. There were no signs of heavy toil or combat, no signs of a struggle. If the slaves did stage a revolt, it took place below decks. The only evidence of the ship�s use at all was a small mark carved into the wheel, the 6 sided mantle of Haedra, a common sigil of luck among sea travelers. Though, I noted, it seemed fresh. Maybe their trip out was a rough one.

Unsatisfied with what I found above deck, I stepped into the stairwell beneath the forecastle and climbed down into the dark depths of the hull. I cursed as I search my pouch for a firestarter. Feeling the hull in the dark, I found a glass lantern and opened it. Striking sparks I lit the sour whale oil wick within and it hissed and spat to life. A thin orange light spread into the dim. Hammocks were strung between support columns running from floor to ceiling every few feet. There were no signs of bilboes or other restraints; these slaves clearly didn't live as prisoners. I frowned. Maybe the Lady Aimata was right, and something else happened here. These slaves were slaves in name only. Revolt could have happened anytime, so why now? With a sigh, I realized I'd have to earn my money. It was time to go work.

I tore the lower decks apart looking for evidence of a fight. What I found in my study of the ship was interesting, but hardly proof of anything. Three unusual things stood out. First, two separate kegs of grog had been tapped, even though the first was still half-full. Second, another Haedra's mark, this one carved into the arm of the captain's chair in his quarters. Finally, the third, carefully hidden in the space between the captain's bed and the wall. It was a scroll written in a knife-edged series of characters and sigils that I'd never seen before, but it too bore Haedra's mark. As I unrolled the scroll, it grew warm in my hands, smouldering and blackening as if burned, until it was completely unreadable. Magic!

So, what to make of what I'd found? Why open the second keg of grog, risking it would spoil? I investigated both, hoping to learn more. The grog in the newly tapped keg was oily and thick, as if it had been doped with one of those syrups made of island flowers. A quick taste left my tongue numb. It was drugged. A sleeping draught, if the lethargy that suddenly came over me was any indication. Someone was drugged, was it Poma? Was this a kidnapping? If so, why had no one come forward to demand ransom?

And what of the carvings? They bore the mark of Haedra. Haedra was worshiped by many across the Greyshore sound, but not here on Crowns Rock. And yet, the carvings were fresh, made after the ship had last been cleaned and polished.

And then there was the scroll. It was clearly magical and it too was emblazoned with Haedra's mark. I didn't know much about magic, but I know who did. I decided I'd take the scroll to Monan. The old treasure hunter had been tracking down items of magic for years. He might know how to tie it all together.

Monan was an old man when I'd first met him a decade earlier. That had been a hell of a job; we'd both been tracking the same man for different reasons. I needed to bring his head back to his creditors, Monan needed an amulet the cretin had stolen from a collector in Nightgaunt's Reach. After a tense negotiation, we'd decided to work together and split our pay. We'd been farming jobs to each other ever since. As usual, I found him at Second Hand Treasures, the pawnshop in Ichral Arch, next to the Sternhamer. He worked out of the cramped dim showroom, holding court in a clear corner near the window.

"Ah!" He said, his voice cracking with age, "If it isn't Jinne, my favorite mancatcher. Working on something new?"

I nodded as I shook the old man's hand. He'd grown frail over the last decade, but his wits were as sharp as ever. He drew his hand back quickly, gasping.

"You're working on something dark, my friend. You've the reek of Haedra on you."

I wasted no time, producing the blackened remains of the scroll.

"What do you make of this, Monan?" I asked as I handed it over.

He glared at the remains of the scroll warily, "Where did you find this? Surely not on the Rock!" I shook my head, no.

"I found it on a ship, behind the captain's bunk. It wasn't scorched like this at first."

"That captain has enemies. Powerful ones. This is a curse, and a heavy one. It�ll takes time to unfold, weeks."

"And when it does?"

"The soul of its target is food for the mother of beasts." Monan spat on the floor, a ward against evil, before continuing, "This is the sort of thing you prepare a sacrifice with, Jinne. Tell me exactly what you found."

I explained everything I knew to that point, Monan's eyes widening with each new revelation. Finally he held up a hand to command my attention once more.

"Your client's husband might still live. But, he is to be given to Haedra and soon. Her star walks the sky this time of year, and this very night it joins with Dagon's wanderer beneath the light of a red moon. Someone aboard that ship was an acolyte to the mother of the sea and conspired to take him, but one thing confuses me. Where is the rest of the crew?"

I thought a moment before answering, "surely they were in league, no?"

Monan shook his head, wisps of gray hair moving back and forth like kelp in a sea current, "Then why be so surreptitious? Why hide any of it? Why not simply take the man at sea? No, if the crew were united in this you would have found a very different scene awaiting you on that ship. So where, then, have they gone?"

Where indeed? If you were a slave, and your master was abducted in front of you, would you run? If you did, you'd run to a sympathizer, someone who was part of the Way, who would keep you safe until you could get out of town. Rumor had it, the biggest sympathizer in town was Dame Heflin, the rotund matron of the orphanage on the west side of town.

The Wayward Rest was in good shape this year. In my time on the Rock, I'd seen it change hands every so often, and every keeper of the orphanage had a different style. Dame Helflin was more the heavy-handed type, she threw her considerable weight into the job of making the orphanage the safe haven for the homeless children of Crowns Rock that it was meant to be, and it showed. I had to give the lady credit, the kids looked healthier under her care. Happier, too.

"That's far enough sir. The children are not expecting visitors today." I looked up from my reverie to find the Dame herself standing before me at the gate surrounding the property. I raised my hands reassuringly, showing her that I was unarmed.

"Fair enough, madam. I'm actually not here about the orphans though. I'm here about the sailors who have come your Way recently." At the mention of sailors, beads of sweat formed on her brow. Finally, things were coming together. I just had to convince her I wasn't here to start trouble.

"This is a home for imperiled children, sir, not an inn. You'll find that quite a ways south and east of here, across from the gallows behind the cathedral." She turned as if to dismiss me then, but I cut in.

"Meaning no disrespect ma'am, but this may very well be a matter of life and death. A man's life stands in the balance, their captain's. I believe he was taken and I believe they have seen the faces of those what did it."

She remained turned away, as if refusing to look at me, but she paused. I had no idea if my choice of words had had their intended effect; I couldn't read her face from here. But eventually she turned and I could see that I'd said something that registered. She opened the gate and ushered me inside quickly.

"It's not what you think, sir. The captain is alive and well, and I aim to keep him that way!"

"He's here?!" I said, as we walked.

"He is. His crew was able off to ward off the fiends who�d infiltrated their midst, but not before the captain had drank a draught of poison. He sleeps now in a deathlike state, not truly dead but only barely holding on to life."

She led me into the orphanage as she explained what had happened. Two new members of the crew were acquired when the Wing made port in Valir. They quickly integrated with the crew and, by the time they headed round the eastern coast of Crowns Rock on their way to port, everyone had accepted them as brothers at the mast.

All were seated to feast in celebration of their place in the crew, when suddenly the captain fell unconscious, the last of his grog spilling from his cup. The two crewmembers leapt from their places at the table, each brandishing sinuous blades of blackened steel, intent on murdering their new brethren. Before the crews' eyes, these would-be killers transformed! Their eyes bulged and grew black, their skin became sallow and puffy, mouths stretched into wide grins and revealed triangular teeth! Half the crew stood frozen in fear, but the remaining four managed to fight the creatures off. They drove the beasts onto the deck in in vicious duels of steel on steel, eventually driving the monsters to the gunwales where they leapt overboard and disappeared into the inky waters. The slaves then gathered up their captain and made their way to the orphanage, where they knew they�d find an ally in Dame Heflin. She kept them safe in the basement, ever since.

After a proper introduction to the crew, I explained what I'd learned from Monan. I spoke about the conjunction of stars, the marks of Haedra I had found, and about the role their captain was to play. All the loyal crew needed to do was keep their captain alive and safe through the night. Though they were worried of the risk, I managed to convince them to allow me to fetch a discrete healer. It was then that I took the opportunity to inform Mrs. Aimata that her husband was safe and sound.

I thought nothing of it, at the time. I'd been caught up in the rush of actually saving a life and wrapping up the case, and that drat veil she wore obscured her face as she spoke. It was only as I returned to the orphanage with a chirurgeon for her husband that the oddly... predatory tone of her voice registered or that I realized that the shape of her smile was too wide, the flash of her teeth too bright, but it was obvious when I saw her again, stepping into the orphanage. The red light of the moon cut right through the veil and painted that pelagic visage the color of fresh blood. She looked right at me, her smile widening, revealing row after row of sharp triangular teeth, as she slammed home the door. Even as I took to running, desperate to catch up, I could hear the latch bolt slide home in the lock.

What a fool I was, I thought as I slammed into the door, hoping to batter it into submission. I had led that monster right to her prey! Who had arranged the addition of the crew? She had, of course. She as much said so when calling the effort to build their empire a collaborative one. It would have been her responsibility to arrange the purchase of new slaves.

The door came crashing down after five attempts, no doubt alerting the entire neighborhood to the break-in, but I didn't care. I could use the guard's intervention, candidly. I pulled my one meager weapon, a small silver utility knife as I half-tumbled down the stairs the basement.

Three of the creatures awaited me, two males flanking Mrs. Aimata as she read guttural words from an ancient wooden codex. behind them huddled the crew of the Raven's Wing, their captain sprawled on the floor beside them. They were frozen with madness, their eyes wide, mouths drooling. Either ensorcelled or simply mad with terror, they were out of the fight. I realized, I'd been foolish in my haste to catch them at their work. I was going to die there, beneath the orphanage, at the hands of these monstrosities, these children of Haedra.

All I had was my knife. As the first of the monsters came at me, I lashed out with the puny thing, hoping to at least take one of them to the grave with me, but the blade simply skipped along its slimy, shimmering skin, too insignificant to even mark the passing.

The creature snarled, drawing back its claw to smashing it against my head in a backhanded motion that sent me flying across the basement, to crash into the flagstone wall. Stars filled my vision and tears flooded my eyes as I struggled to stand. Pain shot through my left arm, which failed to respond to my commands. The second creature turned toward me as I heaved myself up the wall, the little blade still held tightly in my right hand. This, I knew, was the end.
* * *
"But, it wasn't the end, was it?" The old man looked at me over his flagon, a twinkle in his eyes, "So quit your mewling and finish the story already!"

I laughed at Monan and took a long pull from my own glass, savoring the tart smoky flavor of Valiri sour wine.

"You wouldn't believe me anyway, old man." I said, putting the empty glass safely back on the table before standing unsteadily on drunken feet, "but I'll tell you this: I'll be praising Nodens and his Nightgaunts every year from now on, and you should too."

Monan gave a knowing nod, draining the last of his mead before standing to join me. He placed an arm around my shoulder as we headed for the door.

"So, is this finally it for you, Jinne? Done sticking your nose into trouble for people you don't know?"

"What do you think, old man?" I asked, as we stumbled into the night.

loving blueballs. I guess it was running long so they had to cut the ending. :argh:

By the way, I checked the map and there is in fact a tavern named The Stabb'd Face in that neighbourhood. Just thought you should know.

This weeks two token screenshots have nothing to do with the story, but they sure are pretty.

Renovation Kit - A Blacksmith's Forge

WIP - Chandeliers for Estates

# ? Jan 16, 2016 05:56

9foxtails: Jan 13, 2016

Looks promising. Hopefully the game wont be in development limbo for long.

# ? Jan 16, 2016 11:08

randombattle: Oct 16, 2008; This hand of mine shines and roars! It's bright cry tells me to grasp victory!

9foxtails posted:

Looks promising. Hopefully the game wont be in development limbo for long.

9foxtails posted:

Hopefully the game wont be in development limbo for long.

9foxtails posted:

wont be in development limbo for long.

9foxtails posted:

development limbo

FYI this is from the developers who were kicked off Star Citizen for not making enough progress. The Star Citizen developers looked at them and thought they were in development limbo. STAR CITIZEN!

# ? Jan 18, 2016 00:45

Sindai: Jan 24, 2007; i want to achieve immortality through not dying

For these guys scope creep isn't a problem, it's a way of life.

# ? Jan 18, 2016 18:11

CuddleCryptid: Jan 11, 2013; Things could be going better

They already are making bank off of no product, why would they interrupt their revenue stream?

# ? Jan 18, 2016 18:57

Kramjacks: Jul 5, 2007

DreamShipWrecked posted:

They already are making bank off of no product, why would they interrupt their revenue stream?

Are they tho? Do we know how many houses they've sold?

# ? Jan 19, 2016 21:41

CuddleCryptid: Jan 11, 2013; Things could be going better

Kramjacks posted:

Are they tho? Do we know how many houses they've sold?

IIRC they have had whales buying up some of the huge expensive houses so that is at least something, not sure how much of the everyday houses they have sold off. It can't be -too- much since this game isn't exactly widely advertised but I assume they are getting by

# ? Jan 19, 2016 22:10

Facebook Aunt: Oct 4, 2008; wiggle wiggle

Kramjacks posted:

Are they tho? Do we know how many houses they've sold?

Huh, I wonder. They don't directly publish that number, but the store page is there, it should be simple math to extrapolate how many have sold. But on the other hand, :effort:

Okay, each server starts with 20 pages of 25 listings each. 500 properties per server, 10 servers, 5000 properties total.

Each server has:

300 tenements, about $40 each = $12,000
100 cottages, about $90 each = $9,000
50 houses, about $200 each = $10,000
45 Manses, about $400 each = $18,000
5 Estates, unfinished, unpriced = ???

Total available per server = $49,000
Total for all ten servers = $490, 000

So if everything sells out, they'll make about half a mil, plus whatever the estates go for. That's . . . not really a lot.

They haven't even sold out yet though. Most of the 7 FTP servers have sold basically nothing, probably less than 100 properties between all 7 of them. The US Gold (subscription) servers have sold out of most of the upper class housing, leaving only cheap crapshacks for sale now. The EU Gold server has sold less than half.

Blackwell has sold 374 of 500 properties. $44,910
Ghoratul has sold 251 of 500 properties. $34,240
Anakhatha has sold 200 of 500 properties. $27,790

So based on unreliable napkin math, they've made about $106,940 on imaginary house sales so far. Compared to SCs 100 mil or even Shroud of the Avatar's 6 million, that's basically nothing. This game is never coming out.

# ? Jan 19, 2016 23:10

Thunderbro: Sep 1, 2008

good, anybody who buys a $400 video game house doesn't deserve happiness

# ? Jan 19, 2016 23:13

Firstborn: Oct 14, 2012; i'm the heckin best
yeah
yeah
yeah
frig all the rest

This will never be a video game

# ? Jan 22, 2016 17:49

Kimsemus: Dec 4, 2013; by Reene; Toilet Rascal

Thunderbro posted:

good, anybody who buys a $400 video game house doesn't deserve happiness

Hello, I'd like to introduce you to the Star Citizen thread.

# ? Jan 23, 2016 08:24

Hra Mormo: Mar 6, 2008; The Internet Man

Hang on, so this game would let me bum goons?

This game has to happen.

# ? Jan 25, 2016 05:30

xutech: Mar 4, 2011; EIIST

What's even more awesome about these player houses, they can be burned down during story events.

# ? Jan 25, 2016 19:07

Thunderbro: Sep 1, 2008

Kimsemus posted:

Hello, I'd like to introduce you to the Star Citizen thread.

that's already an infinite pit of money and despair so I'm fine with it

xutech posted:

What's even more awesome about these player houses, they can be burned down during story events.

~Things That Won't Happen~

# ? Jan 25, 2016 19:20

Facebook Aunt: Oct 4, 2008; wiggle wiggle

Devblog time, yay! https://www.revivalgame.com/blog/66-weekly-blog-update-63-animal-husbandry It's late this week because motion capture ruins everything.

quote:

Weekly Blog Update #63: Animal Husbandry

Kedhrin: 37 minutes ago

Weekly Update

Hey everyone,

Sorry about the delay in the blog! As some of you may have heard, I an unfortunate food poisoning at the airport after recording some motion capture for our Friday The 13th: The Game project. I�m glad to be back in the swing of things and get you this blog before i�m out of the office for a week or so!

Right now our guys are busy set dressing the estates to wrap them up. The ren kits have a major bug still that is blocking us from being able to release the update. We think we might be onto a solution right now though and should be getting it wrapped up soon. These are the final 2 tasks for Stage 1 so we�re really hoping to wrap this up fast.

WIP estate being wrapped up.

Great Minds of Theleston

Husbandry is all about cultivating crops and livestock. In the world of Revival, both are important skills and we aren�t putting them in the background as an �if you want to� part of the world's economy. Eating, drinking, resting and relieving yourself are things that aren�t required for gamers to do, especially the casual players who only like to play on the game�s more welcoming surface. However, the players that want to get deep into these systems will be extremely rewarded.

We talked about farming and controlling plots of land. Animal husbandry follows a similar formula. However, livestock is very different in that creatures are raised in different styles with varied purposes. While you certainly could cook and eat anything with meat on its bones, it may not be the most financially beneficial investment to put a lot of money into animals that don�t yield high financial gain. Some animals are better for labor, protection and even pets - depending on the demand from your customers. You potentially could raise animals only for yourself.

Livestock always has a high cost and will require a lot of attention. Once you have land established, bringing livestock into your ownership is as easy as physically moving the livestock onto your land. If you supply the needs of the animals, they will stay around, knowing they have what they need. If you start slacking in their needs, they may flee and/or potentially revolt against you/destroy property... or they may simply just die. There are many things you can do to help this process. Hiring farm hands or getting slaves is a major step toward controlling livestock, but can definitely be expensive.

Breeding can be a simple thing or a very complex thing. Animal population in the wild is controlled by our spawning system but once animals are in your control they breed based on rules controlled by the type of animal. Some animals are female dominant, while others may be male. There may also be fierce competition between breeding animals. Because we don�t want this to become overly complex, we�re working to make breeding something you have to actually turn on in your farming systems rather than it be a negative thing because of the bad side effects. Some animals will need to be separated from each other, regardless of breeding. But a lot of the time, you�ll want to specifically segregate the livestock that you want to breed so that you keep the gene pool in top condition.

If you�re only interested in cycling animals in and out, maybe breeding isn�t your thing. However, unless you're constantly searching for the finest livestock to cycle in and out, breeding may be the better path. It is definitely the path for anyone doing livestock for labor, pets, or protection as pedigree can be important.

Using your husbandry skills, you are able to find out information about animals. You can discover their strengths, weaknesses, fertility, needs, breeding habits, and other traits that they may pass on to the next generation. This isn't a simple system trait matching, however, whenever an animal breeds in one location, the offspring will branch off to create its own list of traits in a genetic lottery that never guarantees which traits will "Breed true" from parent to child. this will be very different than anything you could find on a guide website. This allows people who create livestock careers the ability to have their own stable and "Brand" in the game world for the product that they produce.

If you refine your breeding and the offspring into a very special kind of meat producing animal, cooks from around the world that look for a meat that boosts �stat X� in their meals will flock to you. If you are trying to raise a pedigreed mount that is insanely fast, you can do this through a lot of breeding to get to that refined bloodline that is a product of your skill. Through nutrition, weather, animal happiness, and lots of attention players will be able to create a robust amount of statistically varied animals and leave their mark upon the world.

This is no easy task, mind you, but something we can confidently say is that anyone who puts the time and effort into this trade will have extremely rewarding payoffs.

WIP - Large grand hall in an estate

Livestock breeding minigames. Sure. Why not? Everyone loves Secret of the Magic Crystals.

# ? Jan 26, 2016 03:34

Ra Ra Rasputin: Apr 2, 2011

Does the relieving yourself buff stack with the sex buff? I need to know how to best min/max my character.

# ? Jan 26, 2016 07:04

RudeCat: Aug 7, 2012; The rudest cat for the rudest jobs

Can't wait to get deep into the systems revolving around relieving myself in a video game.

# ? Jan 26, 2016 08:06

JainDoh: Nov 5, 2002

UnwiseTrout posted:

Can't wait to get deep into the systems revolving around relieving myself in a video game.

That's a core feature for the audience they're trying to attract - people who want to have "realistically gross sex" with internet strangers.

Golden showers and scat just aren't as engaging or immersive without deep mechanical roots.

# ? Jan 26, 2016 09:00

randombattle: Oct 16, 2008; This hand of mine shines and roars! It's bright cry tells me to grasp victory!

Angela Christine posted:

So if everything sells out, they'll make about half a mil, plus whatever the estates go for. That's . . . not really a lot.

You forget that you can lose your house so in theory that's INFINITE MONEY! :shepface:

# ? Jan 26, 2016 09:08

neonbregna: Aug 20, 2007

Ra Ra Rasputin posted:

Does the relieving yourself buff stack with the sex buff? I need to know how to best min/max my character.

Peeing in someone's butt it the meta.

# ? Jan 26, 2016 11:51

Ra Ra Rasputin: Apr 2, 2011

neonbregna posted:

Peeing in someone's butt it the meta.

Your thinking of last patch, they nerfed the poo poo out of that, you want to poo poo on someones chest for the strongest buff and they don't both stack.

You really got to keep up with the new builds.

Ra Ra Rasputin fucked around with this message at 12:58 on Jan 26, 2016

# ? Jan 26, 2016 12:54

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 31, 2024 20:47

clone on the phone: Aug 5, 2003

Kimsemus posted:

Hello, I'd like to introduce you to the Star Citizen thread.

Don't forget to stop by Shroud of the Avatar for your several-hundred-dollar-houses.

# ? Jan 31, 2016 02:33

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The MMO HMO > Revival - Mature Lovecraftian horror MMO

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