We are very proud to announce stretchgoals this early in our campaign. We have 82% of our target pledged, and that wouldn't have been possible without our pledgers. So even if this starts sounding like a broken record: thank you!
We have listened to the community in setting up these stretchgoals. We hope you recognize some of your influence ;-)
In this update:
The Shelter Plane At The End Of Time is a barren place at first, and not without its issues, but with the proper care, we're sure you can turn it into a cozy, homely place. You can then recruit NPCs who will perform special services for you, provided they can overcome their initial fear...
Don't forget, this plane exists at the end of time only, and changes according to significant choices you make in the present. Beware the Imp Historian though, he still pays you visits and he's very interested in everything you have and he has his own ideas about interior decoration.
For instance, Animal Empathy allows you to talk to animals. Slippery Eel allows you to evade attacks of opportunity. Interdimensional Touch lets you send items to far away party members but also to your Homestead on the Shelter Plane At The End Of Time.
Personality traits reflect the choices that you make and may shift during the game, depending on your decisions. These personality traits give your characters benefits and penalties. For instance, a Ruthless character gains certain bonuses in combat but becomes more infamous. A Loyal character receives bonuses when fighting back to back, but gets a penalty when trying to flee.
Not all talents and traits have already been designed and we'll be looking at our backers for input!
Companions will have their own talents and personal traits, and will affect the party's spirit. A high party spirit means that in combat the party is more efficient.
Companions will be able to stay at the Shelter Plane At The End Of Time. Because it's handy to be able to switch sometimes if the situation calls for another approach...
The day and night cycles and the moons of Rivellon have an impact on magic and on monsters. The weather changes, and has an impact on the environment and affects magic as well.
As promised, here is an early sketch Kirill came up with for Divinity: Original Sin. (A sketch is a piece of music he recorded all by himself, an idea. This is in no way recorded as it should, unmixed, unmastered and unproduced.)
(Out of respect for Kirill's music, we will not end this update with a silly video. I'm serious.)
Designers have a tough job. You'd think it's all fun and games for them, but they actually have the toughest job of us all. When coming up with quests, and scripting them, they constantly have to think about the logic, approach it from different angles, and how players could break those quests. When you've got an open world where you're very free to do as you please, which has got teleporter pyramids and systemic behaviour, nothing seems certain.
The following is a re-enactment of something we found out by accident. In hindsight, it was predictable, but surprising nonetheless. It takes longer to explain than to watch it, so enjoy the video :-)
We'll try not to go back to prison. 'Cause I can't go back there man. Not after what they did to Johnny.
75% funded!!!! Wow! Who would’ve thought we’d hit 75% that fast? Several days ago, we were making contingency plans on how we’d deal with a failed Kickstarter campaign, but you really are a fantastic crowd! A warm thank you from all of us to all of you!
To celebrate the occasion, there will be two updates today. This is the first :)
In this update:A lot of people told us that our Kickstarter movie was too long and that a shorter version would help in spreading the word. We listen to what you say, so here it is: the 1:30 minute version of our Kickstarter movie. Spread it please. As much as you can. We’ll reward you with a great RPG.
You want it, you got it: we posted some avatar icons which you can use to customize your portrait here on Kickstarter or on other forums. We also posted two cool wall-papers. Click the links to have a look, and we hope you find at least something to your liking. Look, here's one of them. Completely totally randomly picked. (Well, no, it's my personal favourite really.)
After updating the rewards and the tiers, we decided to make a visual representation so that we would know at least what to pop in everyone's virtual or physical box. Then we realized this may also be handy for you guys ;-)
Here are some interesting opinions on this Kickstarter campaign.
In English: Eurogamer
In French: Gamekult
In Polish: Gry Online
In Russian: AG
In German: PCGames
Speaking of interesting, Swen wrote a blog post containing some of the statistics behind our campaign.
GOG.com, DRM-free digital purveyor of all that's good in gaming, has announced that they will be partnering up with us for Divinity: Dragon Commander and Divinity: Original Sin. That means that if you want, you will be able to get your digital version of Divinity: Original Sin via GOG.com.
They also announced that they’ll be participating in the pre-order campaign for Divinity:Dragon Commander (part of the 65$ tier here on Kickstarter) and to promote it, they will host a live Google+ Hangout On Air Q&A session on Wednesday, 10 April 2013 at 2:00 GMT (10:00 AM EDT), which will reveal new gameplay footage from Divinity: Dragon Commander.
For more information on Divinity:Dragon Commander, head over to www.divinitydragoncommander.com
Now that you can visually tell what rewards you get for what tier, maybe some of you are going to make the jump to a physical tier? In that case, sing along to this! If not: sing along anyway!
It's not even been a week and we are now two thirds funded. A big mega-thank you everybody for helping us out!!! And a special thank you to the order of the Weresheep of Original Sin for assisting in spreading the word!
If you want to join this grand order, we suggest you check their Codex in the Larian Forums. They are a great gang and well on their way to earning something special from us!
In this update:
There was quite a lot of demand for this so we convinced Zandalor to spend some overtime and he's now ready to donate his Trunks of Epic Intelligence to all our backers. He's even included a gender bender component to the spell that holds the Trunks together!
About the Trunks of Epic Intelligence
Few people who are now acquainted with the wise and benign wizard Zandalor, know that in his early years he was given to indulge in the vagaries of youth, and was quite famous for his pranks and practical jokes among all who attended the Wizard Academy.
His most celebrated stunt was to successfully enchant the favourite pair of nether garments of a certain headmaster who had had the audacity of questioning Zandalor's demon-enslavement abilities. Late one night the entire academy was roused by such a scream, many thought a rift to the seven hells had been opened. In fact it was but the unfortunate headmaster who had put on his demon-infested briefs after a reinvigorating bath.
The next morning he walked - or rather stumbled - into the classroom with a rather dark countenance about his face and threw the bewitched item of clothing unto Zandalor's desk. The apprentice was to wear them for the remainder of the year: such would be his punishment.
Of course everyone thought the young wizard would soon take to stumbling too, and lose the deep timbre of his voice to boot, but such mishaps luckily never materialized. Quite on the contrary, he proclaimed his demon trunks gave him both excellent support and no end of pleasant conversation during the otherwise lonely moments when nature calls.
These trunks - properly laundered - can now become yours! For let's face it: who doesn't want talking briefs, especially of the demonic variety? Oh, the stories they could tell! Oh, the places they have been!
The following is an excerpt from the diary of Zandalor the Wizard (here depicted), written in the year of the Divines 945.
It was late in the afternoon as I arrived on the island.I have always hated sea travel, and these storms are playing toss-ball with my stomach. I headed for the remains of Blackrock Citadel, but just when I observed its toppled towers in the distance, I stumbled rather ungracefully over some obstacle in my path. I cast an angry glance back at what I assumed would be the impudent branch that caused a wizard to lose his balance, but to my surprise I beheld not a log, but a lizard - a dead one as a matter of fact. By a mark upon his person (if one knows where to look) I immediately perceived him to be a Source Hunter. My guess is he died as he sought to escape the recent onslaught that befell his headquarters.
Next to him I spied a bag that upon inspection turned out to contain a missive written by none other than the Grandmaster himself. The light it shed upon the matter - if any - led me to deduce that he was in no way aware of any imminent attack on Blackrock Citadel. Here are the contents of the letter, which I shall copy in full.
My name is Thorgal Bloodfurst. I know you know who I am...
First of all, let me express my deepest condolences for the death of your father. His passing is a loss to us all, but if his dark demise has a silver lining, surely it must be your ascendancy to the throne, wherefore I congratulate you heartily. I express the fond hope that your first endeavour as king will be to expose and execute the lowly assassins that killed our late ruler. Whereas I usually abstain from mingling in the intricate and often brutal political affairs of the Civilised Races, I am deeply shocked by this savage murder nonetheless.
But now, my lord, to business. I need hardly call to memory the blood-oath you have sworn afore the Council, and I should like to remind you of its solemn vows of secrecy. The information I am about to share with you must be yours alone to keep, and may death catch up swiftly with those who wrongfully learn of the confidences I am about to impart.
Until this letter reaches you, my king, you will have been blissfully unaware there exists a sordid, secret form of malignant magic that gives its wielders power and access to the very fabric of reality... and beyond. This devilish sorcery is in essence the unification of all that is magic and as such can be considered to be the source of all wizardry. This is the magic the gods wield; magic that creates and destroys; magic that has no like. Those few who partake in its precarious splendours call it The Source.
Know though, your majesty, that The Source is incredibly volatile and ultimately dangerous. Never should it be used by us mere mortals!
Indeed, so strong are the powers manipulated by Source wielders that they risk to be consumed completely by those same powers they foolishly believe they exert control over. The results of such consumptions could well spell catastrophe, and perhaps - if the soul of the devoured wielder is powerful enough - could possibly even lead to the unravelling of nature itself! For if one fools around light-heartedly with that which binds all existence, one risks the unbinding of existence as well.
You may think I am giving in to hyperbole, sire, because after all, does not demon magic also abound? And are there not hosts of necromancers that wield it just the same without succumbing to its infernal influences? A strong mind may resist corruption, yes, but in the case of the Source things are quite different. Many prophecies foretell that from the Source, Chaos will spawn: Chaos, the herald of the End Times!
Prophecies, as we know, predict many possible futures, but only one from the tens of thousands that have flown in dread whispers from the Temple of Prophets, anticipates that Chaos will not spell the universe's end. I am not a gambling man, sire, but these are odds I do not like.
Only one prophecy among so very many...
One that requires unseen heroics to realise...
It is a gamble I would not take!
And yet... And yet the citadel I administer - proud Blackrock! - forms part of the Council of Seven's attempt to ensure the One Prophecy will be our future! Within its walls you will find battle mages; warriors; farseers; riftrunners, and I do not exaggerate when I say it is they who stand between oblivion and the continued survival of the Seven Races. These brave men and women scour the realm in search of accursed Source practitioners. When they are found, they are never seen again. Our enemies call us Source Hunters, and well they should! They whisper of us with quivering voices and when they look into our eyes they know they are as helpless as a deer surrounded by wolves. And yet even you, one of the royal family, have never heard of these relentless hunters, which attests to how well-trained, efficient and always lethal they are.
But now that you are king, your path and that of a Source Hunter may sometimes cross, which is why I am informing you of their existence. Even at court, surreptitious Source users can sometimes be found - only to be removed.
So remember your blood-oath, sire, and take to heart full well the following rules:
- As decreed by the Council of Seven, we are NEVER to be interfered with.
- We are to be given ANY assistance we ask for.
- We are to be OBEYED without questioning; without faltering.
I am told you are an intelligent man, my lord. I trust my message is clear, and I furthermore wish you a fruitful reign. If you follow our rules, I don't see why you shouldn't do better - or at least last a little bit longer - than your unfortunate father...
Yours kindly and sincerely,
Signed: Thorgal Bloodfurst, Grandmaster of Blackrock Citadel"
It took me the better part of a well-stuffed pipe to finish reading Bloodfurst's laboured and frankly unpleasant letter, composed in that dreadful handwriting of his. Many of the things he spoke of I knew, but never had I read about them in such plain, yet menacing terms. The epistle wasn't addressed to anyone in particular, but clearly the unfortunate lizard messenger was to deliver it to Edwin Stormfist, our new king (and prime suspect in the affair of his father's murder). This communication - obviously meant for his eyes only - may have been signed by the Grandmaster alone, but its royal recipient would have known very well that if a letter is signed by Bloodfurst and closed with thick scarlet wax bearing his seal, the implication is clear: the entire Council of Seven is behind the message it postulates. Not many would dare to break the Grandmaster's seal I should note, but curiosity got the better of me. Let us hope, unlike the poor proverbial cat, curiosity does not kill me.
I finished my pipe and continued onward to the ruins of Blackrock Citadel, which I intended to explore. If ever it was as black as its name implied, the citadel certainly lives up to its epithet now, for fire has devastated it wholly and left but a barren, charcoaled waste behind. Nothing could have survived the siege that took place here - or so I thought - and I shuddered to think what forces could have brought low a castle filled to the brim with hunters held in such high regard by the Council.
Amid the mass of blackened stone though, I suddenly saw a set of stairs spiralling downward into shadowed depths. I descended them step by nervous step and in gloomy, corpse-strewn dungeons found two Source Hunters - a young man and a young woman - who still drew the breath of life, if ever so feebly.
I brought them up into the light and made them swallow one of my famed red tonics that can cure disease and even deep flesh wounds like a draught of water quenches thirst. After they came to, and I waved away their kindly words of thanks, I found myself asking them to seek out Source users as is their want, but - and this is crucial - not liquidate them, but instead to enlist their help! They were quite puzzled by my request, but I venture to guess they felt they owed me and even though the girl informed me she and her companion are but apprentices, they swore I'd find in them allies. Alas the pair seems rather weak and they may not live to see my request fulfilled, but what other choice did I have?
Thorgal Bloodfurst would have my head if he knew, but so dire is the situation... so hopeless, that I must learn more about The Source, so that I can remedy, yes, unbind if necessary, the evil that has befallen us...
The Council of Seven too, would most probably brand me a traitor, but where is the Council now? Lost! Undone! Only I am left. What I say goes, and I say: if there is hope, the answer lies in The Source.
A moonless night is now upon me like a shadowy serpent ready to strike. The candle I lit is about to fail. Darkness is drawing near.
Come the dawn I will try to find the Patriarch and beg him to share what knowledge he has to offer. In times so utterly bereft of light, I fear only a dragon's wisdom may illuminate the path to salvation...
The boat tosses upon the waves like a rider atop an untamed stallion, and once more my stomach lurches in counter-natural ways.
You gave us a lot of feedback on the reward tiers and so we made a few changes. Unfortunately, we cannot update the descriptions anymore, but we'll try to clarify as much as we can here, and on the main page. Of course changes to existing reward tiers apply even if you pledged already.
Backers that pledge this new $175 tier, or above, will be invited to guide the hands of the gods, by providing them with a pool of names and descriptions (backgrounds) to randomly draw from. Your creative endeavor will be in the final game for everyone to see.
This new $175 reward tier also includes: Kickstarter Potion + Divinity Original Sin Kickstarter Box Copy with Printed Manual, Soundtrack CD and Cloth Map + Divinity Original Sin Digital Copy + Soundtrack Digital Download + Developer's Cut Digital (Documents and Videos) + Message in a Bottle + Beta Access + Listed in the Credits at Council level + Name the Undead + Alpha Access + Name a Pet
The original $500 tier was limited to 20 backers, and these early birds were well rewarded. However, there is high demand for this tier, and we have decided to re-introduce it at $550.
Stating the obvious
As a disclaimer, for any "creative reward" that lets you name or describe items or NPCs, the following should be taken into account: we have to approve of the names and things you come up with. The names and descriptions given to characters or objects, has to correspond with the spirit of our fantasy world. We will, for instance, not accept brand names or URLs or curse words, or words or sentences that may offend. We will also not allow items such as guns or motorcycles because they wouldn't fit in the world of Rivellon. (And the technology from the era of Dragon Commander is long lost.)
And in closing...
Support your local shepherd. May come in handy one day.