The Wayward Realms FIRST LOOK - Spiritual Successor to ELDER SCROLLS?

[@OnceLostGames]

Thank you so much for the coverage. We would like to answer a couple of questions raised. Voice acting is nearly impossible for us, with the cost being a big reason, but mainly because of the procedural nature of the game. Quests variables can be very different depending on your character, gameplay choices or even the world state and events. So any voice acting would sound mechanical or stilted and would probably be more of an immersion breaker than simply reading it. We do plan to offer a text-to-speech mode for accessibility purposes though. As for diseases, the majority of them will have mostly negative buffs, but there will be some exceptions, usually magical in nature, that can serve as a boon depending on the situation. We also count Vampirism and Therianthropy (Werewolves, Wereboars, and Wererats) among them and those obviously come with a lot of buffs for the afflicted player. Oh, and we do plan to have drop-in/drop-out co-op with friends in the full release. The host would determine things like the world state, resting and fast traveling, while the other players will get to keep any items or XP earned while playing. It is not a dedicated mode, just a way to have fun adventuring with friends. Thanks again for the coverage and we are always happy to answer any questions on the game!

[@NoProSkills]

Super excited to see where this goes. Hopefully everything goes to plan, wishing you guys the best!

[@kquixotic]

I'm very excited to see this project take shape. Take your time and know people are rooting for you.

[@jeenyus424]

This looks incredible. Wish you guys the best of luck. Will there be a 3rd person option as well?

[@OnceLostGames]

@NoProSkills we appreciate it!

[@OnceLostGames]

@@kquixotic thank you!

[@user-wd7ro7xp4w]

Hello, lead writer here. Co-op will be in the full game. It was a KS stretch goal, but we didn’t hit that target. We're aiming for old-school drop-in-drop-out co-op.

[@Jabberwokee]

Hey there, Is there a place where someone could go to keep track of the project? What’s the best way?

[@user-wd7ro7xp4w]

@@Jabberwokee oof, i think my comment got yoinked. The community discord would be the best place to keep track of development.

[@skalapunk]

Please don't put pronouns or other woke bullshit in the game.

[@hugogogo13]

It's a bit of an old-school looking game so it makes sense the coop would follow that as well. Since you're in the development stage, I would suggest to randomize some elements through AI but not replace entirely what feels like an actually written and edited world and story. The rewards and balance are crucial for a game to be explored deeper, so please do not give us a button smasher game where we cruise through every enemies without a challenge.

[@Jabberwokee]

@@skalapunk I think it’s important that you specify “unique” or “non-standard” pronouns when you say this because, as a man who identifies as heterosexual, your pronouns are He/Him - that’s how the English language works - if you have concerns over unique or non-standard pronouns, you should specify that Pronouns are not an “invention of the woke” it is a standard descriptor within the English language, what you have concerns over are non-standard pronoun usage

[@DrukenReaps]

Pretty cool to see the Devs in the comment section tbh. If nothing else it's like 'oh dang, they're actually excited to be making this' :)

[@OnceLostGames]

It's truly a passion project for us. Plus we want to talk with you guys. We like the feedback and constructive criticism. It's how the game becomes better. We've tried to incorporate the community as much as possible from the beginning.

[@mirceazaharia2094]

​@@OnceLostGames It looks outstanding. Make it easier to mod / install mods onto than Skyrim and you've got yourselves a new fan and customer in me.

[@OnceLostGames]

@mirceazaharia2094 mod support is planned. We'll be offering a mod toolset, but that will come after full release.

[@andrejz8954]

@@OnceLostGames Have to say, it looks like my dream game so far. I especially like no voice acting. At least, don't make the protagonist voice acted. That really sucks imho, and it's very limiting as far as (role)playing goes.

[@OnceLostGames]

@@andrejz8954 We are actually doing a keyword system, so players don't directly pick what the protagonist says, with the aim of allowing you to roleplay your character better.

[@nicodemusedwards6931]

People have gotten so tired of waiting for Elder Scrolls VI that they’ve decided to do it themselves.

[@Vidy4.]

Real

[@mattm7798]

LOL

[@mattm7798]

Another sad thing is when ES6 is finally released, it will likely need 3-6 months of patches and mods to make it playable.

[@JulioFrosi]

Yeah... my hopes in Bethesda were already low even before Starfield.

[@meqdadfn]

Check the tainted grail fall of avalon

[@KavalanSol]

Ive never seen procedurally generated quests and stories feel memorable or impactful. Would be suprised if this will change that but I hope it does.

[@OnceLostGames]

@@KavalanSol our goal for the system is to make it as character centric as possible, so it's relevant to what you are experiencing, with lots of variables that can be injected into it, not just a simple fetch quest. There will also be lots of hand crafted quests as well, especially for the main factions.

[@Alloveck]

I was thinking the same thing. I'm not opposed to procedural generation, if it ever worked right that'd be cool, but in my experience, be it quests, stories, or the physical layout of the map/dungeon/world itself, it's good or procedurally generated, pick one. And as long as I'm airing my personal doubts, everything I see here looks... bland. Aesthetically it seems to be more generic fantasy realism I never want, and it appears to be too sparing with the magic and fantastic elements that draw me to fantasy in the first place. The colors look kinda flat, the lighting looks flat, and the character designs are all bland. I don't even care so much that the characters and enemies all seem like stock fantasy concepts so much as the art direction itself just portrays those stock fantasy concepts in a dull, non-flashy, realistic way that doesn't grab me at all. I do not need more fantasy games full of mundane, mediocre looking at best potato people and fantasy humanoids who are just humans with pointy ears. Lizard or cat people or whatever are more different and fantastic and therefore better, but not by much if, like in Skyrim, they're just standard human bodies using the exact same human proportions and animation rig but with an animal head instead and a different body texture. Head transplant humanoids are lame, either make it obviously not human from silhouette alone or don't bother adding non-humans at all. Anyway, simply put, I already live real life. I don't want more of that from my fantasy escapism, and this game is more of that. And yeah, I get that budget issues and being early in development may be responsible for the flat and drab lighting and such, so graphical presentation stuff like that might improve, but budgets don't force generically bland realistic art direction, and games unfortunately probably don't change their fundamental aesthetic this far in. So yeah, procedural generation and more bland fantasy realism in a mostly realistic setting with only occasional magic weirdness?... Even if the first person combat itself looked promising, I definitely very much like exploring huge open worlds in general, and the lack of voice acting doesn't bother me at all, I can't say this preview left me with much hype so far.

[@OnceLostGames]

@@Alloveck might not be a game for you, which is perfectly fine. We are aiming for a more grounded fantasy setting.

[@Alloveck]

@@OnceLostGames And if that's your vision, stick to it. Not everything has to be for everyone, and even if your creative goals aren't what I'm looking for, I applaud you sticking to them. Just sharing this particular potential consumer's thoughts on the matter, and I wish you luck. Still though, as long as I'm talking about what I wish I could buy, I really wish that we got more of the fantasy equivalent of your Fallout and Borderlands games. Those games, especially Borderlands, aren't very grounded at all. Robots and wacky scifi stuff EVERYWHERE, and the general tone is far from serious business. But for whatever reason, if it's fantasy and has anything close to a budget, then it's grounded, serious business, no fun allowed, ugly/bland character design, desaturated color fantasy. As a person who strongly prefers fantasy to scifi in general, that makes me sad. And a bit mystified, since I'd think that if anything, fantasy would be the genre MORE inclined toward stylized visuals and very non-realistic wacky stuff everywhere and scifi should be the more serious business one. Anyway, if someone would just make a big, open world, colorful and stylized minimally grounded fantasy game with actual ambition and budget behind it for once, I might finally buy a game at release for the first time in... I can't even remember how long. I like fancy graphics and actual production values, but I am so. sick. of. realism in general, and it especially bothers in fantasy settings specifically.

[@SuleymanAkhundov]

I just hope this game will not turn into another Starfield.

[@joehesketh9370]

As a backer, I obviously like the sound of this. Fingers crossed development of the early access continues to go well and they secure a publisher.

[@OnceLostGames]

Thank you for the support!

[@3lloGuvner]

The more voice acting you mandate that characters should have, the more restricted the range of possible dialogue options and paths for story progression, that's why many modern RPGs feel so much more limited in those regards. Largely or entirely forgoing VA is absolutely the correct decision for a game that intends to have heavily procedurally generated stories, I really don't see how it could possibly be any other way tbh.

[@aeringothyk5445]

Honestly if people want voice acting so bad just get a community of modders and independent voice actors to go through what will possibly hundreds of thousands to millions of lines of dialogue and voice it themselves in modpacks

[@kunalsingh4418]

Bg3 has both voice acting and lot of player choices. So it is possible. Just tough to do well.

[@3lloGuvner]

@@kunalsingh4418 I knew someone would bring BG3 up, BG3 is an outlier unfortunately, the planets had to align for that game to come out in the current industry imo.

[@friendofdavid1423]

The Witcher 3 had excellent voice acting. No more excuses.

[@CFarrer10]

Wow, wasn’t even on my radar, now it’s one of my most anticipated. This is exactly what I have been wanting!

[@mattm7798]

Checkout tainted grail of avalon. If you like this, I think you'll like that

[@OnceLostGames]

Glad to hear it!

[@davinci451]

As a guy who ignored dragons in Skyrim and Oblivion gates in Oblivion so they wouldn't get in the way of my questing, I appreciate the concept of this game.

[@OnceLostGames]

This one's for you!

[@FuzFuz]

I'm probably the biggest Daggerfall fan on Earth. I haven't been this hyped for a game, ever. I don't care for voice acting and it makes total sense in this game.

[@Cr0wsMurd3r]

Daggerfall Unity was the first game I played last year... only game that had any appeal for me. Unfortunately I am as good at breaking the game as I was as a kid with the OG 😂. Tavern mage ftw!

[@Sir_Howie]

Have been following this one a while. Cautiously optimistic. Hope it is good.

[@OnceLostGames]

Thanks for following along!

[@grimrevan4660]

This really isn't a similar experience to Elder Scrolls. This is an evolution of it. This more like Dungeon and Dragons 1st person experience. Hope the developers can achieve their vision.

[@OnceLostGames]

Thank you.

[@dhgmrz17]

@@OnceLostGames I would argue it has the old school Elder Scroll experience, this game is obviously closer to Daggerfall than Skyrim.

[@Vartazian360]

Man, procedural generation just never creates interesting things like humans would. Patterns arrise, and once those patterns are found, the immersion is broken.

[@OnceLostGames]

It's true. A huge focus for us is to minimize that as much as possible, but we know it will happen to some degree.

[@rogeriopenna9014]

small places of unrealistic size crafted by hand, or natural wonders every 100 meters also break immersion.

[@tzmedia5345]

A good counterpoint to that is something like Spelunky or Dead Cells. Even when you see the patters in those games, it doesn't stop the gameplay from being immersive and enjoyable. As long as there's sufficient diversity and enough layers in the development algorithm, it can remain fun even when you understand how it's built. CK3 is another excellent example of how a player-driven story system can work. It's build on layers and layers of procedural content that is built on top of hand-crafted template items. Every single game of CK3 plays similarly, with similar activities, but each time feels unique and distinct. It's an insanely hard balance to achieve, but if they manage it we'll be playing it for years.

[@prometheus9096]

Dwarf Fortress wants to have a word with you ;)

[@TimvanHelsdingen]

That’s why you should build procedural tools that fill in gaps in hand crafted worlds.

[@matthewmay8572]

Wayward Realms is the number 1 game on my watch list: already backed the kickstarter and been checking in with the discord daily. The devs have a podcast coming at the end of January also. Can’t get enough

[@Lorespire]

hell yeah!

[@gporr7004]

Every time I hear that a game includes choices that truly shape the world around you, they never deliver.

[@OnceLostGames]

It's not an easy thing to do, but that is one of the benefits of having a procedural world that we aim to take advantage of.

[@SlickMajestic]

And they never will.

[@Mugthraka]

Theres Sverog's Dream that does it

[@larrote6467]

translation: "i only play action-adventure games"

[@Duranous.]

It depends on if outcomes are prebaked. If the game is based around the simulation of events and not a ridged narrative structure it could happen. It's just that basically every rpg so far has had a ridged narrative, some with a few variations or different endings. If you code sequences of events, there are obvious limitations to the number of outcomes but if your system uses procedural generation you could in theory have wars that actually change the map or even have say a whole town wiped out. Which is what TWR states they want to do.

[@phillipmccollam7554]

This game's been on my wishlist for a couple of years. Good to see it still getting coverage!

[@OnceLostGames]

Thanks for wishlisting!

[@fivo9028]

I see people in the comments misunderstand Procedural Generation. Its fair to see it as a red flag because it has been used poorly in the past, however it has been used amazingly in the past as well. Procedural Generation has been used since the 80s, Peterson and LeFay mentioned in the video used it in the 90s for Arena and Daggerfall and it is what gave those games their size, especially for Daggerfall. If the systems behind it are solid and the devs create enough variety it can be done beautifully and there are many examples of it. From what I understand the devs behind this prioritize the systems of the game, which is good. I hope they also prioritize the ambiance, general feel of the world and the music. The ambiance and music is the step up that took TES games from Daggerfall all the way to Skyrim. My worry and what I would like to see is optimization, graphics are nice but not on 3fps. It has to be optimized to run on a toaster. No idea what they've done on that part I just say this because for me poor optimization is the plague of modern gaming. Very exciting to see this and hope to see more soon.

[@OnceLostGames]

Very well worded about proc gen. Music wise we have Eric Heberling, composer for Arena and Daggerfall, back to do the score. Optimization is also very important for us. Our aim is 60fps minimum, but things could always change on that as there is still a lot of work and a lot of systems that need to be added.

[@FrankHarwald]

Yes, but it wasn't used well in Daggerfall. Daggerfall is simply much too repetitive.

[@CvntForceDrama]

Procedural generation is what sucks about daggerfall. It’s ultimately the worst part about it. This isn’t a good case for it tbh imo

[@predragpesic5953]

Well said. There are games that use pre-built sections that are then procedurally stitched together, and they do it really well, such as Warframe or The Division: Underground DLC. So I have no worries about the procedurally generated areas. My only worry would be the combat state machines and the animations that are meant to support them. Because so many studios (even the AAAs such as Bethesda) don't get that 100% right. And it is always state machines and animations that make or break the combat. I noticed that the devs are reading these comments, so my recommendation for them would be to get Dark Souls 1 and to have a real in-depth look at it. And by that, I mean to really analyze it, frame by frame if needed. The way how DS1 enemies move and attack, what attack poses are they using, how they cock the sword above their right shoulder when they are about to attack, hold it there for a brief moment and then they commit to attack. For example, study the differences in timing and posing between a tutorial Hollow zombie VS something like a Black Knight or Havel the Rock. Same thing goes for enemy reactions... Once their poise (stagger resistance) is broken, they need to react properly to every weapon that player is using (from a low-damage dagger to a giant greatsword). Dark Souls 1 nails those things perfectly, and their combat pacing and timing works great in 1p and 3p view. You really could not ask for a better template. Best of luck with the game, it looks extremely promising. 👍👍👍👍

[@OnceLostGames]

@@FrankHarwald that was just the limitations of the time. It was ground breaking back then, but certainly not by a modern lens. The tech has come a long way and we can do so much more with it now.

[@ICaImI]

A modern Daggerfall is exactly what I want, which is why I backed these guys 💜

[@OnceLostGames]

We greatly appreciate the support.

[@theshackledgamer799]

Ive been helping to support this game for years, and took part in the Kickstart. It is exciting to see them make progress!

[@OnceLostGames]

Thank you so much for all the support!

[@mattm7798]

I love hearing they are trying to make the combat less simple than Skyrim.

[@heatrayzvideo3007]

Welcome to Honeywood, Adventurer. I used to be an adventurer till I took a Starfield to the knee.

[@prismaticbeetle3194]

LMAO

[@thesilentgod7863]

Nice day for fishing ain’t if huh hah

[@300SonsofOdin]

"What buffs would you even get from being sick?" 1. Silence and Solitude 2. Be left alone by anoyying family members 3. Sick days 4. Basically, payed vacation 5. Time to play games

[@OnceLostGames]

Be sure to bring your guild leader an apothecary's note so your PTO clears.

[@rogeriopenna9014]

Lycanthropy and Vampirism are sicknesses in most fantasy games. I guess anyone can think of the buffs they bring.

[@mightystu49]

Voice Acting being just "turned off" still means they'd need to record so much dialogue, which will take a ton of resources and cost a lot, without actually adding that much. Just being able to turn it off is not the issue, it's a question of resource allocation and frankly optimization. Frankly if that's a deal breaker for you, you really aren't much of an RPG enthusiast. Tons of the best ones just use text.

[@Lorespire]

yeah, that statement from fextra didn't make alot of sense

[@syntheticsleep]

I know this is a personal taste issue, but with a game like this I prefer the text rather than voice acting. It simply allows for more choices, more branching paths and more organic outcomes and conclusions to quests and adventures. There is also the real-world benefit of allowing vast amounts of resources to be allocated to actual gameplay elements in the game. For an open-ended rpg, this really is optimal.

[@OnceLostGames]

Truly.

[@dhgmrz17]

Exactly, one thing I loved about Daggerfall was the way you could talk to any NPC and get information from them about quests like the location of a building or person you were seeking out. You wouldn't be able to do that with full voice acting and even if you could, you would likely get something similar to Skyrim with voices be reused across hundreds of NPCs.

[@syntheticsleep]

@@dhgmrz17 Never got into Daggerfall, unfortunately. A bit before my time, at least for that type of game. But that's how I feel about Morrowind at the very least. The conversation system is miles better than Oblivion or Skyrim and it makes questing so much more interesting.

[@XXveny]

7:00 Well, lycantropy or vampirism are diseases that are somehow useful in games. I can also imagine diseases increasing certain atributes while decreasing others. Or provide buffs like toxic blood etc.

[@OnceLostGames]

You got the right idea.

[@Lucitaur]

Funny how just few weeks ago I was thinking about wanting to play 'modern Daggerfall', only to see this video pop up. :)

[@OnceLostGames]

Great timing!

[@Direwolf9818]

It’s never coming out, i wouldn’t get your hopes up

[@Lucitaur]

@@Direwolf9818 And you know that how?

[@Lorespire]

@@Direwolf9818 THe development for EA seems to be coming along quite well... You can still back the game via a late pledge on The Wayward Realms Kickstarter to gain access to The EA build set to release at the end of this year

[@Aetrion]

The reason why it doesn't have voice acting is because voice acting makes dynamic dialogue impossible. If all of the voices in a game are text based you can code a system where you can ask any NPC in the game for directions for example. Because it's text based it can construct an answer from the direction, the distance, and known nearby landmarks on the fly and have that NPC give you an answer. But if the game is voice acted that's not possible, because you'd have to record an ungodly amount of dialogue to let NPCs answer questions like that.

[@OnceLostGames]

Plus even if we did, the voice over would sound stilted and mechanical, much worse than if it was just silent.

[@duarteleonardo8352]

What buffs from being sick? Uhhh...you mean like the buff from catching Sanguinare Vampiris, which turns you into a freaking Vampire?

[@OnceLostGames]

Let's not forget turning into a Wereboar!

[@jonna2834]

Yes more coverage for this game!!!!

[@OnceLostGames]

We second this! 😁

[@blackmonish]

I thought Michael Kirkbride would be involved... but I'm still stoked. Started playing Daggerfall for the first time, and I do see the appeal. Very groovy.

[@aaronhumphrey3514]

500k square miles is almost twice the size of Texas. That definitely doesn't sound small, lol.

[@GOAT-rl2uq]

Also seems kinda pointlessly oversized.

[@aaronhumphrey3514]

@GOAT-rl2uq Probably.

[@connornolan4432]

500k square *kilometers, so ~193k square miles, only 72% of Texas so it's totally reasonable! 😂

[@jackinthebox301]

@@GOAT-rl2uq It's an archipelago. Much, probably most, of that size is water. Hence the need for proper sailing.

[@aaronhumphrey3514]

@@connornolan4432 Ah I thought he said 500k square miles. Huh. Who the hell wants to play a game with such a tiny map? 😉

[@NelsonNewman-u3f]

I donated to the Kickstarter. I'm pumped for this game. I'm gonna get to play when the alpha releases.

[@OnceLostGames]

We appreciate the support!

[@cicio7777]

Please give to Wayward Realms kickstarter campaign if you are open to it...

[@Monkeybaruso]

Been gaming for over 30 years. “Your actions and choices will have a profound effect on the game world” is a promise that I’ve heard tons of times. Havent really experienced it yet, at least not in the way that its always announced. Half a million sq kms is a needlessly big space to fill.

[@ramireza6904]

Play Bannerlord.

[@HouseRavensong]

Pertinent to the comment about diseases, I'm thinking that if they consider lycanthropy and vampirism to be 'diseases', that is one way you could have a mix of buffs and debuffs associated with an illness.

[@OnceLostGames]

@@HouseRavensong you are correct!

[@Solike99]

I've been learning about this game since the first information about it came out. I'm so hyped.

[@ScribeAlicious]

If they succeed it wouldn’t be a rethinking or reimagining but it will be a realization of what rpg creators originally dreamed it to be but weren’t able due to technological limitations

[@OnceLostGames]

Indeed.

[@michaelerickson7364]

Honestly this sounds exactly what I would like out of an RPG.

[@OnceLostGames]

Glad to hear it! 🙂

[@punkylesh7575]

I literally was just talking the other day about how there should be a modern day Dagger Fall equivalent! I really eagerly await this game.

[@InlandEmpire011]

No we should not have that. They scaled down the size of the world for a reason

[@OnceLostGames]

Glad we aren't the only ones who think so. 😁

[@OnceLostGames]

@@InlandEmpire011 It is a different style of game and admittedly not for everyone. We understand if you prefer the smaller more detailed worlds. There are plenty of folks who do want a successor to Daggerfall however, our dev team among them.

[@Duranous.]

@@InlandEmpire011 Yeah, we are really reaping the rewards of BGS dumbing shit down and slowly removing every single RPG mechanic...

[@TruthIsKey369]

As long as Bethesda isn't in charge of such a game, and it has developers pushing physics and interactions, then I think they have something good coming our way. Good physics is key to future games, and if they can make it look good at the same time it's a bonus.

[@Ghost-In-The-Machine-II5]

I'll keep an open mind but to be honest more often than not procedural generation is a bit underwhelming in my experience.

[@mattm7798]

Agreed, but for a smaller studio, it's a good way of expanding the world for less money. IMO, as long as they nail the combat, world building can be added in latter and modded in.

[@InlandEmpire011]

The game looks like crap

[@Ghost-In-The-Machine-II5]

@mattm7798 procedural sometimes work when coupled with a strong gameplay loop, like Returnal or the Remnant series for example. Open world RPG might be a little more tricky though.

[@OnceLostGames]

@@InlandEmpire011 That was all pre-alpha footage so we are working on improving all the visuals as we speak.

[@beethovenlivesupstairs4182]

the game isn't for you. This game is based on daggerfall, a game world that is built using procedural generation.

[@MuffinsHivemind]

Sounds cool, I hope the devs can deliver on their goals!

[@joshmason6800]

One benefit of a disease in these games I can think of is the fact that if they have vampires or werewolves in the game the benefits are more power with the costs of being perhaps shunned by people when in form or being susceptible to other damage types

[@OnceLostGames]

Exactly.

[@ChartreuseDan]

Ngl though, procedural generation is ringing alarm bells for me

[@saschaberger3212]

Ofc it should. Everyone gave Bethesda the hate when they found out about it in Starfield. Everyone being a goldfish ngl

[@yeetedsquirrel9890]

Honestly it can be done well. Remnant did it absolutely wonderfully

[@Jasta85]

@@yeetedsquirrel9890 Remnant isn't really procedural generation, they basically have different rooms/sections of zones that are hand made by the team and then randomly chosen and arranged to form a level which is why it feels good to play. It's similar to how Warframe does it's levels. Starfield used full procedural generation for its random planets which is why they felt so boring to explore.

[@yeetedsquirrel9890]

@Jasta85 I see what you're saying but I feel like games like Remnant give me hope that it can work ya know?

[@OnceLostGames]

It might not be for everyone, but we do understand the negative aspects of a procedural game and hope to minimize them as much as possible while taking full advantage everything procedural generation can bring to the table.

[@TopherTheLost]

Thanks to Star Field I take a strong pause when I hear procedurally generated with hand crafted POI. This game is on my Steam wish list and I hope them the best but I'll wait till release, even early release before spending money.

[@OnceLostGames]

We have a completely different design philosophy than Starfield when it comes to proc gen and filling the world with content.

[@TopherTheLost]

@OnceLostGames I truly hope so. Y'all are on my radar and I'm keeping you on my Steam Wishlist. Who knows, maybe I'll jump in early if the opportunity arises.

[@sloopadoodle]

@@OnceLostGames Time will tell, good luck to you and your team, truly. I hope you all have been paying attention to the current landscape of gaming and are positioning yourselves to overcome these "issues"

[@carlwestman1131]

This is looking more and more interesting. The dialogue window reminds me of Morrowind, which in my books is a plus!

[@Janx14]

The lack of voice acting makes sense. Outside of the 'nostalgia', if you're going for a world thats tailoring itself around the user, its extremely difficult to have voice acting for all scenarios that feels natural. Unless they do like text to speach on things.

[@Legoman775]

im very interested in this game but also very worried about the scope and size. Im hoping im wrong ofc but when i hear about games with these massive scopes its usually to good to be true and then hearing the words procedurally generated makes me even more skeptical. I will definitely be keeping an eye on this one though and wish the devs all the best.

[@OnceLostGames]

Thank you. It is possible this type of game design is simply not for you, which is perfectly fine. Our aim is to create a realistically scaled and simulated world as opposed to the theme park type of worlds found in most modern RPGs. This means that there won't be something to interact with every few yards, or sometime hidden around every corner, but rather there are massive locations that you can get lost in and going from one place to another feels like a true journey. We feel if Frodo had to walk across a modern game world to destroy the one ring, it would have been an afternoon hike, not the fantastical epic that it is. Hopefully that makes sense and makes it clear why we are doing what we're doing.

[@streamdungeon5166]

Sounds a lot like Hello Games' "Light No Fire" project to me.

[@armchairwarrior963]

I played daggerfall when it came out. I have played elderscolls games ever since. Ill give this game a chance.

[@OnceLostGames]

Glad to hear!

[@casediedwell5094]

One of the OLDEST games on my Wishlist. And with the info in this video about where they are in the Development; gonna be on my Wishlist for a LONG, LONG time...

[@OnceLostGames]

Thank you for wishlisting. Early Access is slated for late this year. Hopefully not too much longer for full release.

[@lafunk1978]

I hope they do a third person option.

[@OnceLostGames]

It is planned.

[@clarenceriley6050]

yeah i find actually seeing your character nice like what's the point of getting some super cool looking armor to never see it,plus spending time in the character maker to get everything just right for a idea of a character you have, plus kinda feel like melee combat kinda works better in 3rd person if it's anything like Skyrim easier to maneuver when you can see where you are 1st is nice for bows though so being able to switch would be good

[@karsb2012]

Fuck I hope it has multiplayer where I can play with my friends as Tanks, healers, and DPS

[@OnceLostGames]

We do plan to have drop-in/drop-out multiplayer with friends.

[@yuyio3]

So it's a 3D Caves of Qud with elements of the classic Elder Scrolls? Sounds Masterpiece-like to my ears!

[@OnceLostGames]

We really like ourselves more to Daggerfall, which is the basis for the game, but there are definitely elements shared with CoQ.

[@ShadowedCross]

500,000 km² is about the size of Spain, for context.

[@TevorTheThird]

There's lots of benefits to not doing voice acting in a text heavy rpg. First off there's pacing. You're never actively going to be participating in conversations, which means "talking" is essentially cutscenes and sometimes dialogue prompts. It's a very passive part of any game which can be a huge pacing issue when the player is often stopping to just listen to dialogue for long stretches. But I can read a hell of a lot faster then an actor can preform a scene. You always run into this when comparing the written word to acting, two fundamentally different art forms. Does the player want to be sitting there statically for 5-10 minutes, staring blankly ahead at the void, while listening to npcs act out a little scene for them? No? Typically the solution to that is then not to write a ten minute scene. But it's an rpg going for huge world building and depth, so you want actual writing in it, not action movie writing or even tv writing. So with just text you can have the long detailed prose because the player can read through what might take actors five minites to get through in about thirty seconds. And you're back to actively playing the game instead of constantly sitting through essentially cutscenes. Then of course there's player choice and consequences. You can be much more granular with representing such things in text for the simple practicality that you 're not paying and recording someone to read through every permutation of outcomes. You want the NPCs to be active and actually acknowledge thousands of choices? That's kind of hard to do when you gotta record lines for each of those choices, or combination of choices, and at such a cost for something that by design the player won't see the vast majority of. You can be much more granular if it's just written text. All that and more. I don't know what to tell ya really. Learn to read? It's quite easy.

[@InlandEmpire011]

Maybe don’t be cheap and hire voice actors

[@OnceLostGames]

That is basically why we are not doing voice acting. The quests are meant to change depending on who you are, what you are, and what the world state is. It isn't a static game where the dialogue would never need to change.

[@ThisIsMyYouTubeAccount1]

@@InlandEmpire011 Voice acting is literally overrated and unnecessary to make a good game

[@lafunk1978]

​@@ThisIsMyKZbinAccount1 voice acting makes the world far more immersive... It gives characters far more personality... Not to keep going back to bg3... But the outstanding voice acting added sooooo much to the game.... Voice acting is the way forward.

[@ThisIsMyYouTubeAccount1]

@lafunk1978 I get what you mean. But a map with tens of thousands of NPCs with unique dialogue being fully or even partially voiced isn't feasible even by the biggest game studio out there. It's really not that bad or difficult to get used to

[@westywest4480]

This is looking like the game we have been dreaming of since Daggerfall. I can not explain how excited I am.

[@Paul-iz1fy]

I backed it and have been following it since it was first announced. Only concern is I hope they didn't bite off more than they can chew. Other than that, I am looking forward to the demo which I believe they are aiming for a release later this year. First rpg I ever got into was in high school which was the Demo for Daggerfall from pc world magazine just before it came out. Loved the freedom in the and for it's time in the mid 90's I was amazed by it. Only other games that made me feel like that was KCD and cyberpunk 2077. Not many games wowed me like Daggerfall did back in the day. All I'm hoping the wayward realms to be is a much improved version of Daggerfall and if everything is how they say it is then I am glad I backed it.

[@OnceLostGames]

Thank you for the support!

[@adamaccountname]

Voiced greetings are nice to have so the world isn't silent. I don't mind reading dialogue, although morrowind definitely was improved in openmw by using colours to indicate already read

[@chadwolf3840]

I hope these guys can pull it off. It looks really good. I do hope the world is hand crafted. When I hear procedurally generated I think Starfield slop.

[@johnhorne1839]

Starfield's procedural worlds weren't the problem. Bethesda's previous "hand crafted" game was Fallout 4. And it sucked just as hard.

[@aedynhenderson8625]

7:40 or you can use your imagination like you had to back in the 90's.

[@bazaab42]

I am very interested in this game. I love open RPGs, make your own way, own life style. Good luck to the devs!

[@OnceLostGames]

Thank you!

[@SeymourVarges]

The concept of illnesses giving both banes and boons is decades old. Especially in the early TES games. Think of being drunk in Oblivion or using Skooma in Morrowind. So it does make sense in terms of classic RPGs. If it doesn't exactly matchup with most real illnesses.

[@jessecizauskas2665]

I love the graphics.

[@OnceLostGames]

Thank you.

[@arissp4950]

i beg for a game like this for ages. not being the chosen one or the hero. I am just a dude that goes out and adventures. the only game that kinda gave me this feeling is skyrim (when you dont do the main quest), dragon quest 11 and pathfinder kingmaker

[@OnceLostGames]

We feel ya.

[@Randoir11]

I have been waiting for a popular gaming channel to do an overview of this game ! I'm a KS backer and am Looking forward to playing the early release when it comes out !

[@OnceLostGames]

@@Randoir11 thanks for the support!

[@zedetach]

You got me at '...the depth of Kingdom Come Deliverance'. I've always HATED melee combat in western rpgs because of how dumb they feel. It's like the devs weren't even interested in creating a compelling combat experience for the players.

[@OnlineHipHopTV]

It actually is compelling as it is not just button mashing. That's why it feels like a real swordfight against not a totally braindead npc. Winning a fight actually feels rewarding.

[@thomasrosendahl2783]

I look forward to it, but i am also very worried about the lack of voice acting and third person gameplay. Production value and how many play the game go hand in hand. Look at Baldurs Gate 3 how successful it was compared to the more indie crpgs like Pillars of Eternity 1, Warhammer Rogue Trader, Divininty original sin 1 or Pathfinder kingmaker and wrath of the righteous.

[@OnceLostGames]

We do plan to have 3rd person, just not for early access. We'd love to have voice acting but due to the way our quests can greatly vary based on character, world state/events and player preference, there is no feasible way to do it.

[@thomasrosendahl2783]

@@OnceLostGames You think there will be 3rd person gameplay, when the team reach the alpha of beta stage? And i really want to know if Wayward Realms takes inspiration from some of my favourite rpgs like Baldurs Gate 3, Neverwinter Nights 2, Dragon Age Origins + Inquisition and Pathfinder wotr. All these games have some of the best companions, that sets them apart from the Elder Scrolls which does the open world/sandbox much better.

[@mickjayplays]

Considering the open nature of everything, recording VO for *every single* possible line and every possible variation the game could have isn't really feasible. That said: this is actually a place where AI voiced NPCs would make sense.

[@OnceLostGames]

The legality and morality of AI voice over is a bit questionable at the moment, but we're not against people modding it in.

[@rantingsofamadman9796]

Or just not doing va at all. Non voiced games are some of the best especially for something like this. There likely won't be much va if any

[@EssensOrAccidens]

Procedural generation is a tool, nothing more. It can be used well, poorly, or anything in between. Handmade locations consist of the same basic assets as proc gen, after all. The key is to have a sufficiently large portfolio of assets with procedural variations in form, placement, combination, etc. I think the design of such systems would be great fun. Text, as opposed to voiced, takes a few minutes to get used to and frankly once that initial adjustment is done I find I prefer it. I always have captions fully enabled, anyway. I find it more effective for following what is being said. And it is the only option for a game scaled this way. I am cheering for the devs and backed the Kickstarter.

[@OnceLostGames]

We greatly appreciate it. You also worded everything really well.

[@robbywendel7229]

Cheers for the video! The game looks promising. I look forward to seeing the game progress through development.

[@YouTubdotCub]

Very excited for this game, procedural generation's envelope was pushed forward IMMENSELY by Daggerfall, and those same people are aiming to do it again.

[@OnceLostGames]

Once more into the fray!

[@ciprianlica]

Super hyped for this. Procedural generation, if done right, could lead to great replayability. I suspect that if quest are also being procedurraly generated may be the reason for the lack of voice acting.

[@OnceLostGames]

Correct. They have lots of variables that can change within them based on your character, your allies and enemies, and the state of the world. If we did VA it would have to be very modular and sound stilted and mechanical. It just wouldn't work.

[@dhgmrz17]

You had me interested when you mentioned that it was being developed by former Daggerfall Devs. I didn't play Daggerfall growing up, but after going back and play Daggerfall Unity the game has a certain charm that alot of RPGs lack. I also love that the world is so big that it's basically impossible for a single person to explore the whole game. Each playthrough allows you to experience a new place to go.

[@dragonballzgt1989]

I get nervous whenever procedural gets mentioned.

[@OnceLostGames]

It might not be for everyone, but we do understand the negative aspects of a procedural game and hope to minimize them as much as possible while taking full advantage everything procedural generation can bring to the table.

[@KoalaSTP]

Valheim?

[@DarkPragmatist-q4c]

Any Troubador/Bard abilities? Musical type skills either magical or not would be both nifty and fun.

[@istvansipos9940]

I hope the R in RPG will be important. It is... well... technically speaking fuggd up when a door in the basement claims to be a goddess, but no dialogue option exists about it with ANY npc, not even with the owner of the castle. (1 example from Skyrim. A really great PG, not RPG)

[@OnceLostGames]

It's very important to us.

[@romankampelmacher4685]

Looks like my type of game, will wishlist it

[@OnceLostGames]

We appreciate it!

[@nexarath]

For all the hype around this game, the complete lack of main quest and focus on procedural generation and replayability are red flags for me. Look to Kingdom Come: Deliverance II or Arx Fatalis or Freelancer for games that actually marry some of the best concepts these guys are going for with a more narrative-focused experience.

[@OnceLostGames]

We have plenty of hand crafted narratives, we just don't aim to shoehorn the player into a role that does not match their character. Each of the main factions get their own storylines and players can allign themselves with whoever they feel best matches their playstyle. The procedural generation is to create a believably scaled world and not a theme park that is waiting on the player to play its scripted sequences. It is a simulated world in which players can get lost. That being said, a large procedural world is not for everyone and we certainly understand if it does not appeal to you.

[@nexarath]

@@OnceLostGames Hey, thanks for a detailed reply man! Don't get me wrong, I'm not 100% against it nor do I think it hasn't come a long way since the early days - I'm just a bit wary of it sometimes, but of course it's pretty much mandatory for a world this size. It's just a matter of making it feel less artificial than it used to. And it's awesome that you DO have these narratives, that is exactly the type of thing I was hoping for, actually. It reminds me of Outward, a more recent (and definitely way smaller-scale) example that also had stories and questlines to uncover, there just wasn't one big world-changing one. I just love interacting with multi-stage questlines and unfolding stories - not just ones I make for myself, although that is awesome, too. I've actually started gaming on PC with three games: Doom, Lands of Lore, and TES: Arena, and have definitely lamented the gradual simplification of further ES games, ever since Daggerfall. If you guys can deliver a more engaging and less grindy and random version of that original Daggerfall experience, which is what I gather you're going for, it's definitely going to be a fantastic game that I'm gonna want to check out.

[@rjwest0004]

Already Kickstarted!

[@OnceLostGames]

We truly appreciate it!

[@tyller77189]

2:01 Up here, in Canada, in North America, we use kilometers. Don't lump us in with Americans who use the imperial system.

[@johnhorne1839]

You'll be part of the USA soon enough ;)

[@tyller77189]

Lol, the USA can't handle Canada. After all, our country is bigger then yours and we have 10 provinces compared to your 50 states. We are too big for you. ;)

[@Vet_-xp4oh]

I really hope this game turns out to be the Bannerlord of open world RPGs with its sandbox mechanics. Looking forward to spell creation and freedom in a classless system and hoping the game comes out in EA in 2025! I think fans will be understanding that not everything will be fleshed out right away in EA but will enjoy the experience as it continues to develop.

[@OnceLostGames]

Our fans have been absolutely wonderful. We have no doubt that you guys will help us make the game live up to its full potential.

[@johntownPSN]

Yes please! I have been waiting for an RPG like this for a long time.

[@OnceLostGames]

Sorry to have kept you waiting. 😁

[@johntownPSN]

@@OnceLostGames I think the wait will be well worth it!

[@masterdano651]

I’m curious what will have audio in the game if there are no voices and things mostly procedurally generated? Like what will I hear when walking around a city or fighting a monster?

[@OnceLostGames]

Everything else has sound, just not the dialogue. There will also be some greetings, battle cries, grunts and ambient chatter when walking through cities.

[@masterdano651]

@@OnceLostGames Ok cool!

[@Mugthraka]

As long that we can do Necromancy im In

[@OnceLostGames]

Oh, we got necromancy!

[@edward.constantine]

This is pretty much my dream game. Been waiting for it since 2021.

[@OnceLostGames]

Thanks for following along with us.

[@MsVector666]

I am waiting for this game so much, I hope they will finish it because it looks so good for me

[@OnceLostGames]

We fully intend to, it is something we ourselves want to play and being created purely out of passion.

[@MsVector666]

@OnceLostGames I am following you I think since your first upload about wayward realms, so I am exited! Will be happy to see new updates from you guys!

[@OnceLostGames]

@@MsVector666 Thank you for joining us on this crazy ride!

[@emmyturner7385]

Text to speech mode is good enough for me. Thank you for thinking of us with disabilities ❤️. So excited to play your game.

[@OnceLostGames]

You're very welcome!

[@TheGabrielbowater]

I hope this one lands, I was obsessed with the idea of daggerfall back in the 90s, though the reality never really lived up to the promise. This seems to be shooting for the same ideal, maybe with 30 years of game design improvements we can get so thing closer to the dream

[@vdanger7669]

I'm really looking forward to this. Avowed and its art director can go pound sand.

[@theteagrowmancer]

"Go pound sand". Hahahaahha that's a good one, I'm gonna use that one from now on.

[@DustinManke]

I really hope they find a way to incorporate multiplayer even if it’s just someone else showing up in your world to play alongside you. It would make the player driven narrative angle much deeper if you can go out with a party.

[@OnceLostGames]

That is exactly the plan. We actually do plan to have drop-in/drop-out co-op with friends. The host determined the state of the world and quests as well as things like fast travel and resting, while the other players get to keep any XP and items they obtained while playing. It won't be a dedicated mode, just a fun thing to do with friends.

[@DustinManke]

@ this is exactly how I wish Bethesda would have done a multiplayer system for their games instead of how they did ESO or FO76.

[@danburke6568]

The very early beta of the starting zone will be out maybe next year.

[@OnceLostGames]

The goal for Early Access is late this year for our backers and probably a few months later for everyone else.

[@Gunshow0]

@@OnceLostGames Aw yissss!

[@Nikanoru]

I think you get better writing with text dialogue.

[@OnceLostGames]

Absolutely true. We aren't as limited and quest objectives can vary greatly. We can also have the VGM rewording our writers dialogue so that not every NPC will say the exact same thing with the exact same phrasing. That would definitely not be possible with voice acting.

[@jaam1667]

We can hope that the next-gen technology will move to the point where procedural generated landscapes or content will be miles ahead of what Starfield offered on top of the Pagliarulo's horrendous style of writing - this game has potential in another words. It's not just to judge it now but have concerns as technology today will vary next year and a year after.

[@koheletcalaforexclan6508]

On the contrary I’m thankful for the focus on text based dialogue. Don’t have to hear awful voice actors or the same one good voice actor over and over 😂

[@CrappyCar]

Getting big Fable energy here. I hope it works out.

[@OnceLostGames]

Not really too comparable to Fable. Daggerfall is really the basis for the game design.

[@CrappyCar]

@@OnceLostGames I'm referring more to the concept of quest and NPC adaptation to play style and decisions more than overall design.

[@OnceLostGames]

@@CrappyCar got it.

[@feiwong3634]

I've been following this since it was announced and super excited! it looks amazing!

[@ChaosDestroyah01]

TES 6 who?

[@clintfsu]

I like the concept and the pedigree.

[@Odisseia-hh2td]

5:33 Oblivion's magic crafting system is great imo. Though it could come with some tweaks.

[@OnceLostGames]

It originated in Daggerfall, so it is a must for a Daggerfall spiritual successor. 😁

[@Odisseia-hh2td]

@@OnceLostGames nice! I was not aware. Hope you guys are cooking lots of cool magic crafting shenanigans! :D

[@OnceLostGames]

@@Odisseia-hh2td You better believe it!

[@matchocassidy4099]

It was a downgrade from previous games