author=DBAce9Aura
Has the reaction system gotten an update since the previous VC games, cause I have a feeling that most players will just stick to counterattack for every character just to make the battles end slightly quicker if it hasn't.

The basic system is still in place but there are a lot more reactions with very different effects now.

Wow, you noticed that fast! Nothing has changed under the hood, but we're now planning to group the episodes into three sets for marketing purposes. The reasons why are mostly psychological.

Each episode is probably going to be around $10 USD and will have enough content to justify that price tag. If you buy them all as they come out, it seems like a pretty reasonable deal. But if you're a newcomer to the game and it's already all out, the thought of spending $80 or $90 (we're considering splitting EP8 into two since it is enormous) for the full game is pretty outrageous, so we'd have to offer it at a discount. Although I'm not opposed to discounts, I think lowering the price to $60 for the whole set would be undercutting the value of the game and also kind of a slap in the face to anyone who was supporting us by buying each episode as it comes out.

To make it more palatable, we're going to offer three bundled sets, one for each major plot arc. So after EP3, EP4 will mark the start of "VSA2." Since each new plot arc is accompanied by a shift in tone and a jump forward in time, it also gives us the opportunity to take the time we'll need to create new character art.

Again, nothing's changed under the hood except the way we'll be naming it.

IMO, that'll be a good choice to make, as long as you can clearly notice that it's split into different story arcs

Believe me, it'll be very obvious. At the start of EP4, a few major characters are redesigned. At the start of EP6, everyone is.

IMO, you have to be prepared for that discounts can happen later when you buy a game in it's "early life". Has happen to me at least 2 times on Steam now.

Yeah, fair enough.

Personally, I don't mind this, but I personally I would want to see it names Ep 8 and 9 instead. Even if you'll notice that they was supposed to be the very same game, that not necessarily a bad thing IMO (For example, Robin Hobb's books Dragon Keeper and Dragon Heaven is the same book that is split into two different books. But I had absolutely no problems with that)

Yeah, that's the idea. It's like how VS1 is composed of Acts I-III.

Assuming that each episode will cost 10 USD, that Ep 8 will be split into two episodes and 3 arcs with 3 episodes in each, I think that 25 USD for a bundle of an arc seems to be a fair deal, both for those who discovers the project along the way and those who has been buying each episode as they come along.

Yeah, that's more or less the idea. Nothing's set in stone of course, but that's our current thinking.

When you on the Kickstarter page asked what platforms the backers would want to see the game on first, I said that I wanted the PC version most but I've changed my mind and I want to take the Android version as my KS reward (long story short, I don't technically own any of my laptops (so almost all my PC games are on Steam)), is it too late to change or will you ask that later on.

You have plenty of time to change your mind. When the time comes, I'm going to send out an official questionnaire on Kickstarter where I ask details about reward fulfillment.

With regard to your third comment:
I can't say anything that's not in some way a spoiler, so you'll just have to wait and see. Your attitude is exactly right, though. Players of Contention are ideally going in with heavy skepticism and wondering how it all fits together. That's the mindset I wrote the story against.

I think you did misinterpret my comment, though. I didn't mean that the cast wouldn't be likable to players of Contention, rather that some of the characters in Contention were not necessarily meant to be liked. I thought it was an interesting experiment at the time but it seemed to have turned some people off from the story, so this time around, you're actually meant to like all the protagonists.

For the most part.

Personal opinion here, but I actually liked that some of the main cast wasn't likable. This is also a reason why I like the new Tomb Raiders story based on how far I've played (about two thirds in). Sometimes (but now always) in games, it feels as if the entire main cast is made likable just because.

Yeah, I agree. In fact, in fiction, my favorite characters are often the ones that aren't meant to be likable.

author=AxelRantila
Even though I know that I shouldn't trust you when it comes to dates, I'm still wondering, is there a rough ETA on when the Kickstarter rewards that is the anthology and art-book/guide will be delivered in PDF-form? Is it before Ep1, after Ep1 or after a couple of episodes? Just wondering.

It'll definitely be after EP1. I'm still undecided as to whether or not it'll be before or after EP2. I'm entertaining the thought of waiting until EP2 is out because that means substantially more content in the artbook/guide. EP2 introduces a huge number of major characters, so having its content included would make the artbook much more attractive.

What platforms will you be rolling out beta testing to first?

PC first. Android will probably come second (although I might hit Ouya second since it's literally Android, but easier), but not until the PC version is squared away. I'm going to do it one platform at a time.

Most likely, we'll do PC then hit all the mobile platforms since the tough part is going to be making sure the UI plays nicely with a touchscreen. Then hit Mac and Linux on the way back around for the like 2 people who play games on them.

Are you planning on making some kind of Season Pass available for the game?

Aside from Tidebreaker, there's not planned to be any DLC other than the additional episodes and, if that changes, it'll be made available to KS backers free of charge (e.g., anyone who pledged for EP1 will get all EP1 DLC, anyone who pledged for every episode will get all DLC).

We are planning for a "Paradox Prince Bundle" though, which includes EP1-3, the OST, Tidebreaker, and maybe some other bonus that hasn't been decided on yet. I think it'll be around $30.

Is the PC distribution platform decided yet?

Ideally Steam but we'll see how that pans out. Implementing things like cloud saves and achievements multiple times is going to be kind of annoying, so I don't want there to be a ton of different APIs to support on PC.

Although we'll be testing on PC and releasing the game to backers on PC first, it'll likely be the last platform we publicly release on since we're planning to hold off until it's accepted onto Steam (otherwise, we'd need to maintain two separate versions of it, which would be annoying and add to fragmentation).

author=AxelRantila

author=Sailerius
Aside from Tidebreaker, there's not planned to be any DLC other than the additional episodes and, if that changes, it'll be made available to KS backers free of charge (e.g., anyone who pledged for EP1 will pDLC, anyone who pledged for every episode will get all DLC).

I meant more of like a season pass that includes all upcoming episodes

Probably not, just because it would be making a huge longterm commitment on our end and something unexpected might happen in the coming years.

author=kentona
Let me know if/when you do a Steam Greenlight.

Will do. We're planning to come out of the shadows like the boogeyman and start seriously marketing once we have the new trailer done, which will kick off the Greenlight campaign.

Also, how is METIS coming along? Is it ready for an engine profile here yet?

We've released a game (The Vestibule) with it, but I'd say it's still premature.

author=AxelRantila
How's the development coming along?

Extremely well. The majority of the assets are done and we've been working harder and more consistently than at any other part of the development cycle. The big remaining outlier is the battle system and the assets for it.