14 May 2024Developer post

Our demo is coming soon

The demo of the recasted version of Drifter’s Tales is now set: May, 29th. What will you find on the demo? All the features we planned to include in the final game will be implemented. Compared to the prologue, you will find: The tutorial, 5 stories to play, along with the choice

10 Feb 2024Developer post

A short playable preview will come in an update on 27th March

We are happy to announce that you will be able to try the features of the recasted version of Drifter’s Tales in an upcoming prologue. Explore the very first level of the game - which won’t be the first to play The prologue will take you in an area you already saw on other market

We are happy to announce that you will be able to try the features of the recasted version of Drifter’s Tales in an upcoming prologue.

Explore the very first level of the game - which won’t be the first to play

The prologue will take you in an area you already saw on other marketing materials and trailers. In this prologue, you will be able to do all the things you will normally do in a playthrough of the recasted version, such as trading, exploring, opening chests, finding encounters, etc. We also integrated a battle that will allow you to test the fresh-looted cards you had.

Your character will have more gems to allow you to buy more cards and try some deck builds.

The documentary

Because this is more than “a story” you can try, we integrated in the prologue some developers' comments about how & why we made the recasted version. People interested in how indie developers are making games would be interested in that documentary, full of archives from our Game Design Document and early prototypes.

How to launch the prologue & limitations

After updating your game on Steam through the usual process, you will see a new button in the game title screen labelled “Play to Recasted: Prologue”. Choosing this action will launch the standalone prologue level through a new process and close the legacy game automatically.

If the prologue cannot be launched (some configurations can prevent a game to launch another .exe file), you can find it under [your-game-directory]/prologue/drifters_tales.exe

You will also have some limitations due to the standalone nature of the prologue:

No options (language, sound, graphics)
The language will be selected automatically according to your system configuration
No save data
You won’t have access to 29 cards: the ones given at the end of a level, the enhanced versions of the starting cards, the cards obtained with The Storyteller and the advanced cards of the origins.

What’s next?

After the prologue, we will continue the development of the recasted version as we had to before Steam decided to delete our game page. We will also continue to polish the demo we had to release during the Steam Next Fest and release it on early June as announced previously.

We are so closed to the end of the development of the recasted version! As we are writing those lines, we finished 3/4 of the production of the game, and we will go to the post-production polish end of May.

We will continue to post updates to keep you informed about our progresses.

Cheers!

Teddy

Original post

18 Jan 2024Developer post

Drifter's Tales: details about our recast

This event follows the cancellation from Steam of our relaunch and our participation to the Next Fest. All the details here: We are now ready to share with you the timeline of the casted version of Drifter's Tales and what will happen in the following months. A prologue will appe

This event follows the cancellation from Steam of our relaunch and our participation to the Next Fest. All the details here: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1935960/view/6770665671984125089

We are now ready to share with you the timeline of the casted version of Drifter's Tales and what will happen in the following months.

A prologue will appear in your game

Steam won't let us push the demo for the recasted version to the "demo" section of the game page. So, end of March, you will see an update on our game. We will add a prologue for all our players to try the new gameplay on the recasted version.

This prologue will be a way for us to share with you the massive amount of work we have put in the recasted version.

More details will come soon about the prologue, stay tuned!

How to play the demo outside of Steam

You will be able to try the demo we wanted to release during the Next Fest that Steam cancelled. We will generate thousands of Steam keys and we will deliver them on our website. You will just have to click on "ask demo key" to have one.

We will release the demo in June 2024.

Price change

Once the recasted version out, we will change the price to 10$. We think to put back the initial price is fair since this game is a completely new one. If you already bought the initial version, you will have the recasted version automatically through an update on end 2024. If you participated to the free early access, you will have the recasted version too.

Free DLC for our community

Our plan to release a DLC with the story of the first version with the mechanics & features of the recasted version is still on the agenda. If you already joined the community on The First Spine, you will receive it for free by email.

We do not have any details to share about the pricing for now. The date is set on second half of 2025.

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Recasted version details

As a reminder, here's the details about our recasted version of Drifter's Tales.

A brand-new story

You will be able to try a brand-new story, which will take you to the continent of Carmina, full of legends and threats. During your playthrough, you will have to choose your own path to your main objective. We are not sharing many details about the story, but we are excited about this one!

Know that one playthrough won't be enough to discover all the stories - some will be available according your choices, and all of them will change on the NG+. Ah yes, a NG+ mode is fully integrated in the recasted version.

New gameplay

In the initial version, you must pick from a card to another to move around. In the recasted version, you will be able to move a pawn on a map and pick the card you want to. It will allow you to move around quickly and not waste time on cards you already have read.

The battles were also fully rebranded. We increased the readability of them, allowing you to move the point of view on the game board. Plus, some enemy moves require you to avoid projectiles and draw rune to test your reflexes and dexterity.

New cards, new ways to obtain them

30+ new cards. Not less! You character will be able to create new cards at the end of each story and will have to remember some lost memories to unlock more cards.

We have added more cards in the chests and more random encounters and each story has a secret card you will have to discover.

Finally, some cards will be hidden behind legends to read on the story selection screen. These cards are powerful and will change your build if you find them!

New customization features

We are also proposing you to customize your player cards by increasing their stats. Those customizations will be available with a new character, the "Alchemist". He will help you to create potions from some ingredients you could loot around.

Economy balancing

Finally, we have balanced the economy. Thanks to this balancing, you can buy more cards and build a real deck for breaking your enemies. And if you run out of gems... you can destroy some cards to earn some more.

Quality of life improvements

We integrated too some QOL improvements in the recasted version:
- full mouse / keyboard / gamepad support without choosing a mode
- battles / exploration / return to checkpoints without any loading
- file-based save system for the masters who want to edit their saves
- mods support
- performances improvements

Original post

20 Dec 2023Developer post

New screenshots for our relaunch of Drifter's Tales

As the end year festivities are approaching, we would like to share with you the latest visuals we have on the new Drifter's Tales. As a reminder, you can wishlist us on this page: store.steampowered.com/app/2366490/DRIFTERS_TALES__A_narrative_board_game Before presenting you the

11 Sep 2023Developer post

Dev diary #7: Deep dive in the very first moments of the game

Hello everyone ! Last time we shared a few tricks that we use to make every fight in Drifter's Tales as epic as possible. Today we are going to reveal the first moments in the game. And yes, it's time for you to find out how your adventure will begin! Don't forget to wishlist us

Hello everyone ! Last time we shared a few tricks that we use to make every fight in Drifter's Tales as epic as possible. Today we are going to reveal the first moments in the game.

And yes, it's time for you to find out how your adventure will begin!

Don't forget to wishlist us on Steam here: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2366490/DRIFTERS_TALES__A_narrative_board_game/

At the origin of everything

The very first step of your journey will introduce you to one of the biggest new features compared to the original game. Your character has a story!

This origin will be chosen randomly from 4 available: Healer, Blacksmith, Architect or Priest. Each story will allow you to gradually unlock new cards. For example, the Architect will be able to modify the game board while the Blacksmith will improve his cards to make them stronger and more resistant!

Drifter’s Tales has a fairly significant replay value. Because in addition to having this origin, you will have to choose a path and play 6 stories among the 12 available in a single run. And if you want to try another path your run, you can try it with the New Game + mode.

Buy a ticket to Carmina

Whatever your origin, you will have to board the Victoire which will take you to Carmina, the new region covered in this game.

Not far from this vendor, a secret will be revealed to you, allowing you to enhance your deck with a new card. Because yes, we have stuffed the game with secrets of all kinds! The covenants will no longer be the only puzzles to solve, you will have to be attentive and think outside the box to complete your collection of cards.

The first battle

Arriving in Carmina, you will have to very quickly lead your first fight against “Someone”. Your hand will be predefined and each stage of the fight will be explained to you as you go.

We focused on clarity in this part of the game by overhauling the entire combat system. Camera movements will accompany your actions to allow you to concentrate on the action in progress.

You will notice in the gif that accompanies this article that there is no loading between combat and exploration occurs. Everything is fluid, and we are very happy with the transition effects that accompany the state changes between exploration & combat!

Aside: Steam Next Fest & Twitch streams

We will be participating in the Steam Next Fest from October 9th to 16th. This will be the opportunity for you to download a demo of the game containing the first 3 stories. We have also integrated feedback from our alpha tests into this demo (and we thank you for your valuable feedback!)

Finally, you will be able to participate in the development of the game on Twtich because we stream certain development sessions here: https://www.twitch.tv/teddydeveloppeunjeu

Original post

12 Aug 2023Developer post

Dev diary #6: How to make cards battles epics?

One of the challenges we faced was of course to answer the following question: how to create a cards game that contains epic fights? This article is the sixth devlog for our relaunch of Drifter's Tales, a narrative board game available on Steam in early 2024 here: Impactful visua

One of the challenges we faced was of course to answer the following question: how to create a cards game that contains epic fights?

This article is the sixth devlog for our relaunch of Drifter's Tales, a narrative board game available on Steam in early 2024 here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2366490/DRIFTERS_TALES__A_narrative_board_game/

Impactful visual effects

The first thing to do to release the epicness of a game is to work on the visual effects. So we've designed effects for each spell, item, summon, and enemy movement. Each animation must meet a few specific criteria:

each animation must be unique and easily identifiable
an animation must not interfere with the reading of stat changes (such as damage inflicted for example)
the more powerful the effects, the more the animation should be strong

Clear feedback

The other lever on which we can press to have epic and memorable fights is the feeling that the player can have with each action.

We have therefore particularly worked on feedback. The camera shakes depending on the damage inflicted or received, and the destroyed cards have a particular animation.

Also, the edges of the screen turn red when the player's life is below 50%. In the original game, this threshold was 25%, but our tests showed that this threshold was too low due to the low number of life points available to the player.

Keep player active during opponent's turn

Fighting in Drifter's Tales is a test of strength and strategy. As such, we've changed the way to play during the opponent's turn pending player actions. He will no longer be passive and various tests of speed and skill will await him.

Hidden mechanics

In our alpha testing, we iterated around to find out which things we can do to increase tension, and it turned out that the number of hit points was the central thing - much more than the number of cards on the playing board.

So when the player's hitpoints are below 50%, the game becomes a bit easier. On the contrary, above this 50%, the game is a little more difficult and the player will lose the first half of his life quickly. The player therefore has the impression of being on the go and this creates tension during the fights.

Original post

28 Jul 2023Developer post

Dev diary #5: Alpha post-mortem, upcoming changes & Steam page

We launched our alpha version a few weeks ago and we already have a lot of interesting feedback on how our players have used our game. If you would like to participate, you can register here: Oh, and also we finally have our Steam page for our game! We will tell you a little more

We launched our alpha version a few weeks ago and we already have a lot of interesting feedback on how our players have used our game.

If you would like to participate, you can register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeaYRR1KQjarm1cZcuW6aHoCTA66PnAy1xuV-E9AWdCcht8tQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

Oh, and also we finally have our Steam page for our game! We will tell you a little more about it at the end of the article if you wish to wishlist us.

Some metrics, and what they mean

In order to share with you the work we have done during these few weeks of watching you play, we have decided to share with you some metrics that we consider interesting.

The first metric is the usage of stories in this alpha release. The first story to be chosen is undoubtedly the one called “Following the Footsteps”. We don't know (yet) if the main reason is that the button to choose this story is the first one, or if the story has a more welcoming title.

Also, the abandonment rate of stories after a failure is very low (around 11%), which is a good indicator for us!

The second important metric is on the use of the cards while battling. Unsurprisingly, creatures are the most used (because they are the most offensive), but a few secret cards were used (Gargoyle, The Wall and Break).

Also, spells and items are being used correctly, and we're very happy with how the fights are going.

Changes to the game

We're going to do some small changes to the game in the coming weeks, based on your feedback and what we've noticed in your playing habits.

First, we are going to shuffle the order of the buttons while selecting a story. Thus, we will see if the discrepancy between the stories played is due to the position of the button, or to the title of the story.

Then it occurred to us that the puzzles on the chests were too complicated and required knowledge of the game that new players don't have. We will therefore simplify them.

Also, we had a new review in the original game which we found to be very interesting. Enemy actions are not legible enough if they have a lot of text. We will therefore make the validation of these actions mandatory when they are presented to you for the first time.

We are on Steam!

And yes, we have - finally - our Steam page! You can find all the necessary information there and wishlist us at this address: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2366490/DRIFTERS_TALES__A_narrative_board_game/

We are going to participate in the Steam Next Fest next October!

Original post

24 Jun 2023Developer post

Dev diary #4: A sneak peek at the first stories

Last month, I had the pleasure to let you know how we will support the alpha version of Drifter's Tales. Today, it's time for you to discover the two stories that will be present in this alpha version that you can obtain by filling out this form: In Drifter's Tales, you won't be

Last month, I had the pleasure to let you know how we will support the alpha version of Drifter's Tales. Today, it's time for you to discover the two stories that will be present in this alpha version that you can obtain by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/Qyi2a7VBwKYciT7AA

In Drifter's Tales, you won't be able to play all the stories in one go. You will travel to the continent of Carmina, and you will have to choose where to go.

We have planned more than a dozen stories that all have unique features. The first stories you will be able to experience are those that we offer you to discover in the Alpha version.

Following the footsteps

In this story, after losing your memory, you decide to follow footprints in the sand. There you will discover the desert of Melates, leader of the thieves faction in Carmina.

This story will be an opportunity for you to discover the joys of combat with 3 different enemies. Each fight will have a unique setup - you will have the opportunity to experience different plateaus and different enemy behaviors.

A far landmark

Would you have preferred to follow another path? No problem, another story is available. In "A far landmark", you'll be heading towards a huge mountain, but a strange temple will stand in your way. It is the temple of Daïs, said the Lover.

This temple will be filled with traps of all kinds that you will have to counter through tests. During a test, you will have to draw a number which will be between 0 and 9 - the latter must be less than your life (in case of an endurance test) or a number of cards of a certain type in your deck .

But still…

You have noticed that the pawn representing you has several shapes. This is your origin, and it grants you a few extra cards. You can have 4 different origins, and each origin has three unlockable cards.

You can't choose where you come from - but in Drifter's Tales, you'll have the ability to choose your destiny.

Also, you may meet a strange character to whom you can swear. In order to keep your promise, you will have to (or not do) a particular action to win an extra card at the end of the story.

Finally (but that's not all we put in these stories, there is a lot to discover!) there is a small chance - or bad luck - that you will come across a random encounter. You will also have the opportunity to choose which encounter to draw according to three randomly chosen possibilities.

These are only a small part of the possibilities available to you in these stories. You can also find chests, solve puzzles and discover some well-hidden secrets.

We put a lot of love into this game that we've been building since last October, and we hope it will meet your expectations. We've compiled all your feedbacks from the first game to produce this brand new proposal and we're very happy to have the chance to improve! And this is thanks to you!

Original post

03 Jun 2023Developer post

Dev diary #3: Private alpha & support plan

Hello everyone, The release date of the first private alpha is approaching and it's time to show you how we will support this version. Today no screenshots or fancy images. He are going to talk about telemetry, data and cakes. Yes, about cakes. As a reminder, you can participate

Hello everyone,

The release date of the first private alpha is approaching and it's time to show you how we will support this version. Today no screenshots or fancy images. He are going to talk about telemetry, data and cakes.

Yes, about cakes.

As a reminder, you can participate in this alpha at this address: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeaYRR1KQjarm1cZcuW6aHoCTA66PnAy1xuV-E9AWdCcht8tQ/viewform?usp=sf_link

The usefulness of tracking actions

Since we deployed the first version of the online counterpart of our board game, we have developed our own telemetry system called “Solid Pancake”. Behind this name automatically generated by Github (thanks a lot for this legendary name) hides an event-based tracking system.

It's not an easy exercise, but I'll try to explain how this telemetry works. Each time you launch Drifter's Tales, the game informs our Solid Pancake service that a new session has been opened. This session has information about the product (not you), such as platform (Windows, Switch, etc.) and current product version. Then, with each action you take, we send a signal to the telemetry service so that we can know what you are doing.

So when you play a card, choose an action or win, we are able to analyze it all in order to balance the game and give you the best possible experience.

Here is a small overview of what we collect:

This tracking will be actively used during the private alpha to detect any issues that may arise during this test.

Solid Pancake is of course an open source project that you can build yourself on your own server: https://github.com/thefirstspine/solid-pancake

From collecting to display via Looker Studio

Tracking user actions is one thing. Being able to do something about it is another. For this we have set up what is called an ETL (Extract Transform Load). This ETL is responsible of transforming the data we have to be able to make a more usable and readable version of it in a visualization system.

In order to visualize the data we use Google Looker Studio, which allows us to display relevant data about your experience. Here's some examples about what we can have:

story completion rate
rate of discovering secrets and oaths
most played cards, most discarded cards
hardest, easiest stories
etc.

Private Alpha Support & Distribution Plan

With all this data, we will be able to have qualified feedbacks on the experience of the testers.

The private alpha will be sent to you via a Google Drive link to the email address you provided in the form. It will be maintained until the end of December, where all the issues and improvements will be pushed with monthly updates.

I sincerely hope that you will be satisfied with this relaunch of Drifter's Tales. Believe me when I tell you that we are more than excited to have your first feedback!

See you soon !

Original post

13 May 2023Developer post

Dev diary #2: A look of the new cards

Hello everyone, Last month I talked to you about the struggles and issues inherent in transposing a paper board game to a video game format. This month, it's time to take a closer look at some of the cards in the game, as well as the different ways to get them. Some explanations

Hello everyone,

Last month I talked to you about the struggles and issues inherent in transposing a paper board game to a video game format. This month, it's time to take a closer look at some of the cards in the game, as well as the different ways to get them.

Some explanations on the cards

In Drifter's Tales you have many cards with various and original effects. Each card has its statistics as well as its effects. Each side of a card has a strength (in red) and a defense (in blue), with the number in the center representing the total hit points the card has.

For example, the Cyclops Statue card is not very powerful (one and only one life point, no strength, no defense), but once placed on the board, it grants you gems in order to add some money to your purse.

How to get cards in a story

There are many ways to get cards in a story!

Among these are random encounters that can occur during your game at any time. Each encounter allows you to have one or more new cards in a different way.

For example, the Broken Mirror encounter allows you to obtain the Duplicate card, at the cost of a wait that could be... somewhat fatal.

Then, each story has one or more chests. These chests contain a puzzle to solve and - if you succeed - you will get a random card from a pool of 5 cards.

One of the cards you can get, Replacement, allows you to replace any of your cards on the game board with another.

Other means are at your disposal to get new cards. Many secrets are scattered throughout the game, allowing you to add new cards to your collection. For example, you may meet important characters asking you to take an oath that you must respect. But beware: woe to you if you betray your oath!

Upgrade your cards

At the end of a story, you will also be able to upgrade the base cards of your starting deck to a more powerful version. Thus, the Banshee could be replaced by the Banshee of Mara.

Each of your basic cards will be replaced by this improved version, and your choice will be very important for the fights to come!

The collection

The original game had 35 cards. Although for some players this number could seem limited, I find that it is a sufficient number for a game with a lifespan of a few hours. Reviews of the original game were taken in account, and I added some 50 more cards, increasing the total number of playing cards to 85.

Your collection will have over fifty unlockable cards across all of your saves, and - who knows - you'll discover a secret that I put there.

Next month

Next month, I will tell you about the first private alpha to collect all your feedback! Because - indeed - I really need to playtest this version before going to production. If you are interested in this test, here is the registration link: https://forms.gle/w4GPCauoSgitTibZ6 - your name will be credited at the end of the game!

Original post

Updates & announcements

The core concept: strategy on a living grid

Progression and crafting: earning your power

Fair competition: matchmaking and seasonal play

A collaborative approach

Each card is unique

Level-based matchmaking and different lobbys

There is more than one way to obtain new cards

This is The First Spine, with new rules

How to obtain the demo?

How to play the prologue

Limits

What now?

Explore the very first level of the game - which won’t be the first to play

The documentary

How to launch the prologue & limitations

What’s next?

A prologue will appear in your game

How to play the demo outside of Steam

Price change

Free DLC for our community

Recasted version details

A brand-new story

New gameplay

New cards, new ways to obtain them

New customization features

Economy balancing

Quality of life improvements

We are wishing you happy holidays, full of games and rest!

A brand new story

More cards, more mods

Revamped battles

We learnt from our failure

Some explanations on the cards

How to get cards in a story

Upgrade your cards

The collection

Next month