“So, Marcus, now you’re calling me a marauder? Bullshit. Calling me a historian would be closer to the truth.
“Look here, for instance: a fine pair of boots. I fished these out of an empty trash barrel at a gas station. They’re practically new. Someone hid them there is my guess, planned to come back for them at some point.
“You see now, yeah? Every thing has its history. That’s what I’m looking for, that’s what I collect. A sucker like you wouldn’t understand. Wait, what’s that sticking out of your pocket?”
We love stories too. A good story is the most important part of any classic RPG, and there are many of these little vignettes in Encased, each of which contributes to the narration in one way or another.
Narrative, along with gameplay and graphics, is one of the “whales” upon which a successful project depends. The narrative is served not only through dialogues, character cues and in-game documents. We, like our nameless marauder, love telling a story through things. A battered rifle hidden beneath the floorboards of an abandoned hut can tell you a lot about its deceased owner: twenty notches on the barrel, homemade ammo clip, and a telescopic sniper sight worth tens of thousands of combonds - a small, but complete story reveals itself to the attentive player who is prepared to look and think.
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This experience is inspired by dozens of playthroughs of original Fallout, Planescape: Torment, and other cool games. We, like you, are players above all.
How does our tiny tale lead us to the rewards? Easy: recall the stories. In the world of Encased, one does not simply open a chest and pick up a “Kickstarter Shotgun” or “Backer Armor.” “Rewarded” items become part of the plot, with a natural and organic backstory for the players who supported our project from the very start. The origin of each reward item will be interwoven with the lore of the game’s universe.
But do not expect these rewards to make the main character an invulnerable killing machine, destroying all life in their path. Balance is of no less importance to us than storyline, and we consider “Kickstarter” items to be an interesting way to reveal secrets about the world of Encased (i.e. additional lore and quests).
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Take, for example, this lunchbox. It will not protect you from a high velocity round (though it might stop a pistol shot). It does not give the owner immunity to high levels of radiation or grant regenerative powers to the sandwiches you keep inside. But on discovering such a thing near a dusty old skeleton, sitting by a locked door deep in an abandoned bunker, one can assume certain facts. And having examined the scratches, blood stains and wiped clean handle - one might even come to definitive conclusion or two. Also, don’t forget that sandwiches do need to be safely stored someplace.
Although our campaign is already finished, everyone has the opportunity to leave their footprint in Encased. We are still collecting CRONUS employee questionnaires. Anyone who sends an interesting and detailed character bio via the form will be included in the CRONUS employees database. And if our writers find your character interesting enough, you will have a chance to see them in the game! So act now, citizen, because when release day comes, the questionnaire will be taken offline permanently. Hurry up and you’re gonna make it!
As a last point, we’ll tell you about our rewards issuing protocol. Don’t forget to check your Inbox! In the very near future, surveys will be sent to clarify contact details and shipping addresses. In addition, we will need to clarify a couple of points: how do you want your name to appear in the credits of the game; an CD-key for which gaming platform do you need... The specifics will depend on the list of awards you have chosen. Our goal here is for both digital and physical bonuses to find their owners as quickly as possible.
At the beginning of early access period, in-game rewards and pre-order bonuses will become available to anyone who helped us with the Kickstarter campaign and also supported our game on Steam. For example, a helmet and gloves from the “Pathfinder” kit - they are associated with the history of the Dome exploration, and thus may be useful at an early stage of the game.
Keep and eye on inbox, surveys will be sent soon
As you may remember, some rewards include the participation of backers in the creation of additional content, including NPC portraits, mini-quests, personalised items and characters… The work on them will be conducted during the early access period. It won’t be long now until your own little piece of the game world, created together with our writers and designers, shall appear in Encased. So another reminder: keep a close eye on your email!
Physical rewards will be sent out shortly after the final release. We take our obligations really seriously.
Once again thanks for supporting us and stay tuned!
If you have not wishlisted Encased on Steam yet - please do! (and share with friends). If you missed KS-action there is still a chance to pre-order the game.
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Some friends of ours recently released a free demo - the prologue of their upcoming game, Sin Slayers. Sin Slayers is a dark, dark fantasy RPG with roguelike elements.
We’ve played an early version ourselves, so let us share our impressions: these guys are creating a solid, old-school, turn-based game that’s hitting all the right notes. The “heart” of Sin Slayers is turn-based combat reminiscent of classic JRPGs and the beloved HOMM series.
The project has been in fulltime development for over a year now, and is currently in the playable alpha stage. Guys are hosting a Kickstarter campaign now and they need your help!
Sin Slayers is a worthy successor to the roguelike/RPG tradition, and the additional crowdfunded budget will help make the game experience deeper, more interesting, and more varied. So if you like classic turn-based tactics within a well-developed combat system, pay attention to this game. Perhaps because of your support, Sin Slayers will reach its full potential.