Hinterland: Loot, Level and Build

[Varsity]

Surprise! Tilted Mill will release Hinterland (http://www.tiltedmill.com/hinterland/) this summer, as a digital distribution-only game. Steam will have it (http://steamgames.com/v/index.php?area=posts&id=1685), so stop asking before you even start!

Your goal is to lead a handful of peasants to establish a small haven in the wild backcountry of a fantasy kingdom. You must also carefully select members of your village to put down their ploughs, leave their comfortable homes, taking whatever weapon they may have at hand, to join you on expeditions of exploration and conquest in the surrounding lands. There you’ll encounter the characters and creatures of myth and folklore, and find much needed resources to expand your village. Should your forays meet with success, fame, fortune and prosperity await. But you must take care, for even the loss of a lowly farmer can spell disaster when harvest time comes.

Can you build a vibrant settlement, lead your people to prosperity, and tame the wild Hinterland?

http://www.tiltedmill.com/hinterland/images/art/barbarians_thumb.jpg http://www.tiltedmill.com/hinterland/images/art/farmattack_thumb.jpg (http://www.tiltedmill.com/hinterland/)

Without any of the usual publishing baggage (http://www.tiltedmill.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17000) Hinterlands is purely its developers' game, and as is made clear by this Fidgit/Tom Chick interview (http://fidgit.com/archives/2008/07/tilted-mill-heads-out-into-the.php/) there's, so far, none of the usual secrecy or marketing hyperbole that surrounds most unreleased titles.

Long ago we realized that people who played city-building games saw their creations (their cities) almost as characters to nurture and develop. Perhaps this comes about naturally as the 'walkers,' 'Sims' or whatever they happen to be called that appeared to live in these buildings and wandered about their daily lives breathed an all too rare sense of life into the collection of buildings that formed their environment. Separately, we privately mourned the lost opportunity in RPG games when you ran out with your character, performed some menial task (for which you were rewarded) but sadly the world did not change- even 'big scale' quests did not really change the world in any way.

Hinterland gives depth and context to the RPG experience, by allowing you to do something more meaningful with the spoils from your RPG adventures. Rather than just re-invest in yourself, you build something much bigger than yourself, that 'other character' - your village and its people. Thus the city building feeling of ownership becomes intertwined with your RPG character while at the same time creating a more seamless or consistent world, something that is always a goal of ours when making a game.
...
Over the years of working together we also realized that we all feel that many of our favorite moments in games are starting new characters, or setting out in a fresh unknown land, and Hinterland focuses on this by keeping the scale of items, resources and characters very intimate… almost humble.Can you feel that? It's a breath of fresh air. Monkey wants.

[Lekon]

Huh, never heard of this game before today.

That slightly reminds me of Depths of Peril, but seems a lot more fleshed out. Color me interested, but where are the screenshots, if its coming out so soon?

[HotCod]

ooooooooo i'd not hared about this either but i'm really really interested in it now. I'm not normally a huge fan of city building as such, i enjoy them but it always feels lacking. But if i ever get the chance to build something in an RPG i love it, like the strong hold in morrowind and the village in the expiation or even the keep in nwn2... its exactly what they talk about in that quote, the feeling of doing something "more" with your loot and having an effect on the world.

I mean i really enjoyed my life as a king but i was chomping at the bit to go out exploring my self and this game seems centred around those ideas... you go out adventuring and plough that back in to building up your place...

me wants

[Zawath]

The game does sound promising. I really like the fact that you only have one small village and your peasant buddies aren't expert warriors who can easily defeat all kinds of monsters.

[Demo_Boy]

i think the front page news story size was too large

[Varsity]

i think the front page news story size was too large

I make no apology.

[Kryopsis]

i think the front page news story size was too large
So?

It sounds promising on paper but I'd like to see some screenshots, mainly of the interface. The closest thing to this that I've played was Majesty and that game was excellent! Here's to hoping that this game will work out.

Isn't it a bit hasty to conclude that Hinterland will be released on Steam just because the company's previous effort was?

[Lekon]

After reading some of the stuff on it, I'm really curious now. Just really hope they show some game play so we can see how it works. They've made some decent games so far, it looks like, though Simcity Societies wasn't really my cup of coffee.

[Varsity]

Isn't it a bit hasty to conclude that Hinterland will be released on Steam just because the company's previous effort was?

They released Children of the Nile on Steam just a week or so ago, after buying it back from their former publishers.

[Savok]

i think the front page news story size was too large
I don't care.

My awesome-sense is tingling.

Over the years of working together we also realized that we all feel that many of our favorite moments in games are starting new characters, or setting out in a fresh unknown land, and Hinterland focuses on this by keeping the scale of items, resources and characters very intimate… almost humble.
Somebody fucking gets it! *cries*

[silv]

This looks like it could be a fun game.

[HotCod]

ah steam, how i love thee... if this dose come on steam at an reasonable price point i'll buy it no question.

How was that nile game? i think with the more in depth city building stuff it would be a better judge of that side of this game than society

[Lekon]

I don't care.

Quote:
Over the years of working together we also realized that we all feel that many of our favorite moments in games are starting new characters, or setting out in a fresh unknown land, and Hinterland focuses on this by keeping the scale of items, resources and characters very intimate… almost humble.


Somebody fucking gets it! *cries*

If they mean they'll make it so its not every second item is super magical/powered up... and the rare items are rare because they are that awesome... Then hell, sign me up. This could be the first non-monty-haul RPG in quite sometime.

[Libuke]

First thing that came to mind well reading this was Dwarf Fortress.

[Varsity]

though Simcity Societies wasn't really my cup of coffee.

On the same site as the interview I linked to is a piece on how much Societies has changed since its release (http://fidgit.com/archives/2008/05/simcity-societies-urban-renewa.php) (even though it stands no chance of being re-reviewed!). Might well be worth giving it another shot.

First thing that came to mind well reading this was Dwarf Fortress.

Finally! I resisted the temptation to mention DF in the OP just to see how long it took before someone else did. :)

[Lunar Blue]

So the game is coming this summer and there are no ingame pics out? Am I missing something here?

[alienchild]

It sounds VERO cool, and it's on steam. I'll definately get this one (unless it's friggin $70 like COD4).

[bean19]

This is remarkably similar to a game design for which I won a contest in a game design course at my college. Obviously, I am excited to play this.

[Varsity]

VERO cool

This is your new user title.

This is remarkably similar to a game design for which I won a contest in a game design course at my college. Obviously, I am excited to play this.

Curiously, it's also quite close to an idea I had (but never built) when I was mapping for Age of Empires 2. :)

[HotCod]

On the same site as the interview I linked to is a piece on how much Societies has changed since its release (http://fidgit.com/archives/2008/05/simcity-societies-urban-renewa.php) (even though it stands no chance of being re-reviewed!). Might well be worth giving it another shot.



Finally! I resisted the temptation to mention DF in the OP just to see how long it took before someone else did. :)


That they seem to have put so much work in to almost rebuilding the game to make it better is good sign in the devs but the game was still just very bland when it came out. So long as we don't have to wait on a "fun patch" for this game it should at lest be interesting.

Also, i thought of DF even if i've never played it. I don't care if the guy is just a programmer, team up with a damn artist and build a good GUI and visual game world and your game will be a billion times better and have a tone more players. its not rocket science

[MacD]

First thing that came to mind well reading this was Dwarf Fortress.

Exactly what I was thinking. Well, that and 'where's the screenshots?'

[Spigot]

This does indeed sound awesome. I like games where you're not tripping over a pile of magical loot every five steps.

Sign me up with the rest of you!

[Derella]

Sounds like a lot of fun!

[Ravenlock]

I like the idea. I'll definitely keep an eye on this one. :-D

[Xerxes]

i think the front page news story size was too large

Does seem like a shill job.

[Spigot]

Does seem like a shill job.Shill away if it actually brings some info about a game nobody's heard of and that sounds really cool.

I'd rather read stories like this than announcements about announcements or about when the next demo for overhyped game X is going to come out.

[saulob]

Ok... coming this summer... 2008.. and no screenshots ? ... That's bad. Even Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, that is coming god knows when... has a LOT of screens.

EVEN Duke Nukem Forever... :o

[Xerxes]

Ok... coming this summer... 2008.. and no screenshots ? ... That's bad. Even Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, that is coming god knows when... has a LOT of screens.

EVEN Duke Nukem Forever... :o

Exactly... I have a awesome game too. Coming next week. :rolleyes:

[Delenda]

This sounds like a game made specifically for me. Take my money, Tilted Mill, take it now.

[Kryopsis]

Exactly... I have a awesome game too. Coming next week. :rolleyes:

I had no idea you were a respected game developer with several well-known titles under your belt.

[Zawath]

Ok... coming this summer... 2008.. and no screenshots ? ... That's bad. Even Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, that is coming god knows when... has a LOT of screens.

EVEN Duke Nukem Forever... :o

The game was announced just yesterday. I'm sure they will be releasing some screens next week.

[alienchild]

This is your new user title.

Hahaha if I knew how to change it I would :p Now stop being so damn... um... spelling-aware!

[Kem0sabe]

Sounds nice. Altought its not an original concept, Majesty and MAjesty 2 both use similar gameplay aproaches. Theres also at least one game from nay years ago that played similar to how hinterland is discribed, but i just cant remember its nice, it was on Windows 95? not sure.

[Kem0sabe]

Disregard my previous post, seems i was half asleep when i did it, pity there's no edit button.

Fixed:

Sounds nice. Although its not an original concept, Magesty (http://www.majestyquest.com/) and Magesty 2 (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/majesty2thefantasykingdomsim/news.html?sid=6189541) both use similar gameplay approach. Theres also at least one game from nay years ago that played similar to how hinterland is described, but i just cant remember its nice, it was on Windows 95? not sure.

[Panthera]

I don't really see how that resembles Majesty at all.

[Nicodemus]

This sounds really promising. I can't wait to see more.

[Xerxes]

I had no idea you were a respected game developer with several well-known titles under your belt.

What developer and how many titles?

[Varsity]

It's all a bit Seven Samurai, isn't it?

[bean19]

We'll be releasing in a few months. . . but we don't have screenshots or gameplay footage. You know it's going to be awesome.

Honestly, a good game design can get right around poor graphics, but it can't be so bad that the terrible graphics are a distraction. . . though honestly, I really want these features in order to get an idea about the gameplay.

[saulob]

The game was announced just yesterday. I'm sure they will be releasing some screens next week.

I remember when Starcraft 2 or Diablo 3 was announced... there was, complete web page, with screenshots and videos :)

On the SAME day.... :rolleyes:

[Savok]

I remember when Starcraft 2 or Diablo 3 was announced... there was, complete web page, with screenshots and videos :)

On the SAME day.... :rolleyes:
ZOMG THEY'RE NOT BLIZZARD!

DOOOOOOOOOM!!!

[HotCod]

I think its ok to be a bit sceptical about it coming this summer if they don't have game screens now but it might just be that they are a small studio that needs all the press they can get so if they hold off on realising in game screens they can make more "big news" out of the first ones they show and then the first trailer and so on.

[Varsity]

Or perhaps they're just not very good at doing their own PR yet. :p

[Ravenlock]

Disregard my previous post, seems i was half asleep when i did it, pity there's no edit button.

Fixed:

Sounds nice. Although its not an original concept, Magesty (http://www.majestyquest.com/) and Magesty 2 (http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/majesty2thefantasykingdomsim/news.html?sid=6189541) both use similar gameplay approach. Theres also at least one game from nay years ago that played similar to how hinterland is described, but i just cant remember its nice, it was on Windows 95? not sure.

<Gearshift> Holy crap, Majesty 2 is coming? :D Fantastic. I loved that game!

[SilentScreams]

Screenshots or not, I'm interested.
I don't really care how the game looks if the gameplay is as good as it sounds.

[bean19]

ZOMG THEY'RE NOT BLIZZARD!

DOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Someone pointing out that a reveal of a new product with screenshots and video is highly effective in comparison to someone who releases nothing but concept art only a "few weeks before release" is not making a Doom post.

[bean19]

Screenshots or not, I'm interested.
I don't really care how the game looks if the gameplay is as good as it sounds.

Same here. Unless, as I said before, it is so bad that it's crappiness becomes a distraction.

[Mason]

Someone pointing out that a reveal of a new product with screenshots and video is highly effective in comparison to someone who releases nothing but concept art only a "few weeks before release" is not making a Doom post.
Tilted Mill doesn't have an annual global conference celebrating their products, either. The jerks.

Once the game comes out, screenshots will exist, official or otherwise. So that isn't really a concern, even in the worst case scenario.

They haven't had more of a PR campaign because they don't have a publisher. This means that they're paying wages and development costs out of pocket or through direct investment. Putting together press kits either means hiring new staff or redirecting some developer time. I'm sure that they'll deliver more information as we get closer to release, and I'm willing to live with that if it means supporting truly independent titles.

[Savok]

Someone pointing out that a reveal of a new product with screenshots and video is highly effective in comparison to someone who releases nothing but concept art only a "few weeks before release" is not making a Doom post.
When you don't have a multi-million dollar advertising budget you need simple things like news stories about screenshots for people to even know your game exists.

Not their fault they can't afford to blow their load.

[Grey]

I like the games title :)

[Varsity]

Let's hope that the tutorial for Hinterland is better than the one in Children of the Nile. It's all "build 6 of these" and "build one of these", so fast and so thick you have zero time for enjoyment and very little to actually learn and retain what's going on or why.

[bean19]

When you don't have a multi-million dollar advertising budget you need simple things like news stories about screenshots for people to even know your game exists.

Not their fault they can't afford to blow their load.

Except that they are supposedly a few weeks out from release. Now is the time that you blow your load. I'm sufficiently interested to look at the website, now they need to show off the gameplay before I lose interest and move on to something else.

[Varsity]

Summer doesn't end for at least two months, you know

[KiloFro]

I find a lot of the reactions in this thread to be pretty dis-heartening. Here we have a small developer who is taking a gamble on some innovative game play, releasing it via pure digital distribution, and not chasing the "killer screen shot." (their quote)

I'm personally quite satisfied to see a website without any flash content, no pre-release game play videos, and previews of the title slathered from here to the ends of the earth. Let them channel their resources into actually building a top notch game, not greasing the wheels of the enthusiast press PR machine.

Once it's out, then let the hype begin. I'm tired of people deciding to buy games months before their released. I'd love to see more marketing in the vein of Armageddon Empires. See Bill Harris's Article (http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2008/05/12/180-degrees-the-secret-of-armageddon-empires-indie-success-part-i.aspx)

[Spigot]

I'm sure I'm not the only person who thought of this (http://www.hww.ca) while reading about this game.

Oh well. Who can resist a beaver shot like this?

H-aoWSpFor0

Seriously... that was all we had on Canadian TV until 2003. Feel sorry for us!

I've said it before in this thread and I'll say it again. Crapping on this game for not having AWESOME SCREENSHOT X is a step above whining about an indie game for not having CGI sequences on par with a Final Fantasy game.

[Magnanimous Gnome]

I'm definitely going to look out for this one. Indy development deserves the support of gamers. I for one am pretty tired of the hype machine, so I'm all for what these guys are doing.

[bean19]

Crapping on this game for not having AWESOME SCREENSHOT X is a step above whining about an indie game for not having CGI sequences on par with a Final Fantasy game.

Who is crapping on the game? Why is criticism of a slow marketing strategy considered criticism of the game? Do you view all criticism as negative?

I know you were trying to be funny, but pretending that someone holds a position that they have not taken in order to make your joke really sabotages the joke.

Have you guys ever taken screenshots, captured video, or made a webpage? These aren't difficult things to do, and bandwidth isn't very expensive. A short well-encoded video showing gameplay could easily be hosted on the website, or could even be released to the media and then costumers could be linked to the new trailer that was just released on Gametrailers, etc. This isn't a "big budget" thing that an indy developer can't spare the money or manpower to complete. The game either isn't ready for this exposure, or they are, as some posters have mentioned (and what is most likely), using even the release of screenshots as a way to get a little bit of press.

That marketing strategy is something that is interesting to discuss. Why do you think that it is more viable to do it this way than to have a website with this material. I read the interview and I'm already interested in the gameplay. Eventually, I'll see the screenshots and a gameplay video SOMEWHERE, so why not hook me now? There is an interesting discussion to be had beyond misrepresenting and insulting other people's positions if you want to step up.

[Spigot]

Maybe I misread some of the earlier posts but it just seemed like people were saying that since there is only concept art up on the site and no screenshot, ergo the game is either a) crap or b) not worthy of being a newspost.

It just seemed like more people were interested in discussing the lack of screenshots than the game concepts and for whatever reason, that got under my skin.

If they tried to pass off the concept art as final product, THAT would be worth discussing!

[HotCod]

hey, this isn't limbo of the lost spigot! at lest i hope it's not

[Spigot]

hey, this isn't limbo of the lost spigot! at lest i hope it's notNo. That would be when they try to pass off other people's concept art as their screenshots :)

[dirtbag]

The details so far are enough to catch my interest. Assuming the public's first impressions upon release aren't tales of horror, I'll throw down $20 to give it a try -- that's how Armageddon Empires got my cash.

[Savok]

Except that they are supposedly a few weeks out from release. Now is the time that you blow your load. I'm sufficiently interested to look at the website, now they need to show off the gameplay before I lose interest and move on to something else.
You remember the obscure indy games that are 6 months off you read about last week? I don't. The longer they drag reports out, the longer it stays in our electronically stunted brains.

It's like you've all lost the ability to be patient.

[mckulz]

from the interview
CB and JF: We’re not using the [Children of the Nile] / Caesar IV / [SimCity Societies] technology. We’re using a third party engine. graphically it will be more modest

Read between the lines people, they're bashing this game out quick and the graphics are going to suck. Ofcourse they're not releasing screenshots. :p

[Kem0sabe]

Read between the lines people, they're bashing this game out quick and the graphics are going to suck. Ofcourse they're not releasing screenshots. :p

If the gfx are even more modest than in Caesar IV, im guessing it wont look very good, but then again, people like Dwarf fortress, but that one is free.

[Savok]

Golly, you guys were right, it's hideous (http://www.joystiq.com/photos/hinterland/937144/).

Oh, wait, no it's not.

And look, Joystiq gave the screens a post...

[Kem0sabe]

Golly, you guys were right, it's hideous (http://www.joystiq.com/photos/hinterland/937144/).

Oh, wait, no it's not.

And look, Joystiq gave the screens a post...

Those screens dont look so hot to me. I especialy dislike the interface, but as people say, gameplay is king, so lets wait for a demo, then we can judge for ourself's if the game sucks or not.

[SilentScreams]

Those are perfectly passable graphics. Now they just have to nail the important part.

[dirtbag]

Those screens dont look so hot to me. I especialy dislike the interface, but as people say, gameplay is king, so lets wait for a demo, then we can judge for ourself's if the game sucks or not. They look $20 good, but it's going to be the gameplay that makes the difference.

By the way, are you stationed at Lajes Field? We lived there for 5 years when I was a kid (1978-1982), in a cottage on Santa Rita Hill (H-146, I believe).

[Savok]

Those screens dont look so hot to me. I especialy dislike the interface, but as people say, gameplay is king, so lets wait for a demo, then we can judge for ourself's if the game sucks or not.
Says the man waiting for Warhammer Online.

[Kem0sabe]

Says the man waiting for Warhammer Online.

Not only waiting, playing it. :)

As i said, gameplay is more important, i still play x-com now and again.

I really think they should revamp the interface tho, something that would occupy less screen space.

They look $20 good, but it's going to be the gameplay that makes the difference.

By the way, are you stationed at Lajes Field? We lived there for 5 years when I was a kid (1978-1982), in a cottage on Santa Rita Hill (H-146, I believe).

Not actually stationed, there, im Portuguese, well father is Portuguese, mother is South African, and was born in the island. Tho i spend a lot of my time there, Lajes Field, as im coordinating the waste collection for the base and the city. That actually remind me i have an interview with USAF, about a new job at Engineering.

I hope you liked your time here, its change a lot since those times, if you want some pics of where you used to live, im would be happy to oblige.

[Grey]

After seeing those screenshots last week my care-o-meter felt into the negative scale.

[Savok]

Not only waiting, playing it. :)

As i said, gameplay is more important, i still play x-com now and again.

I really think they should revamp the interface tho, something that would occupy less screen space.
Maybe they'll only pop out when you need them/mouse over.

These people are obviously gamers (something I don't think a lot of game designers are these days), and speaking as a gamer, when I see a screenshot I want to see the fucking interface, not whatever useless bullshit panoramic view they cooked up with the dev tools.

Not saying that's the case, just that it could be.

[Bad_Buddha]

Exactly what I was thinking. Well, that and 'where's the screenshots?'

It's all ASCII characters. Nothing worth showing.

Ӝ

[mckulz]

Golly, you guys were right, it's hideous (http://www.joystiq.com/photos/hinterland/937144/).

Yeah, it's pretty generic looking. I hope the gameplay makes up for the complete lack of style. Hopefully you won't be spending 90% zoomed out looking at little generic dots.

[bean19]

It isn't quite hideous, but it certainly isn't pretty. I will definitely give it a shot because the concept is so cool. If they deliver on the gameplay, then I'll be able to forgive the graphics. . . and hopefully someone will invest in them so that they can make a Hinterlands 2 that includes a budget for professional artists.

[TARDMATE]

The gameplay features, concept and setting, Steam, PRICE, and, particularly, the long-term game support that the developers showed recently for "Children of the Nile" all make me want to buy this game day one. :)

[MelbaToast]

I think the concept is fantastic and will definitely give it a shot.