TL;DR: New Reward for $50 Tier and $75+ Tiers. Brian Mitsoda joins the writing team. Third Fathom. More Stretch Goals, including best-selling fantasy author! George Ziets talks about Torment’s setting and the Bloom (video).
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Hail, Forgotten Ones, It’s been a while. I’ve missed you. We’ve been busy and will soon have more to share. We won’t be away as long this next time.
We recently surpassed $2.7M, more than tripling our initial funding goal! Your support has been overwhelming and our excitement for how rich and polished a game we can create (and our sense of responsibility to you to do so) continues to grow. We appreciate your continued efforts to spread the word about Torment so that we can aim even higher. And remember: every little bit helps. Every dollar helps us create a deeper storyline, add more dialogues, build more areas, add more detail, design more items and creatures, add new foci, and more. If someone asks you why they’d donate to a project that’s already funded, you can tell them it’s so we can make Torment even better (and so that they can get a great deal on what we intend to be an RPG classic)! New Reward: Digital Comic Book We are adding a digital comic book as a bonus reward to the $50 Tier and to all Tiers $75 and up.
Torment: The Jack's Gambit will be a 20-page digital comic that reveals some of the dark secrets of a potential companion's past. What drives her to put herself in harm's way? What turned her into the person she is today?
What was the horror that tore her apart, and how did she rebuild herself? Get a glimpse of her past here and maybe you'll figure out how she fits into your long-term plans. See a sample page (though not from the actual comic, which we haven't written yet =) ). $2.75M Stretch Goal Achieved!
Third Fathom Reached! On Tuesday, you brought us past the $2.75M Stretch Goal, and Brian Mitsoda will be joining our writing team! Also, Reflections of companions and NPCs will be added to the Castoff Labyrinth’s mysteries.
Speaking of which, at more than 51,000 Backers, we’re now at the Third Fathom of the Labyrinth! (Note that PayPal backers do count toward the calculation of Stretch Goals and Labyrinth Fathoms. For simplicity, the matching by Brian Fargo and Steve Dengler isn’t included in the ongoing tally for Stretch Goals. Those boosts (which are approaching the full $200K at $3M!) will still go toward improving the game, of course, and also serve as an insurance policy against cancelled pledges when the campaign ends.) Stretch Goals – Epilogue, Cult,. Pat Rothfuss! We’re adding additional Stretch Goals based upon your feedback and ideas on in.
Please keep your ideas, votes, and comments coming! (The most popular Stretch Goal idea is for 2D pre-rendered graphics – we’ll have more to say on this topic soon.). $2.85M Expansive Epilogue This had the most supporters (283) of any suggested (even beating out the 2D pre-rendered graphics Stretch Goal in number of supporters, though not in votes). With Torment’s emphasis on reactivity, we had always planned a satisfying conclusion to the game – the details of which would depend upon your legacy and some specific choices – including the fates of your companions as well (at least those you found). But with this Stretch Goal, we’ll take it even further and tie up loose ends throughout the game for many other aspects: regions, cults, factions, etc.
The details of what is discussed – and what might not be – will depend upon what we determine is best for the game and narrative, but we will take it as far as we can. The epilogue will be presented through text, combined with 2D art for some elements. And, as with everything in Torment, its level of polish and detail will increase in general based on overall funding – for example, increasing to 11 Legacies at $3M will result in even more variety in the epilogue.
$3.1M Third Cult: Dendra O'hur At $3.1M, one specific addition will be a third cult: Dendra O’hur. Followers of the Great Queen Sar'lavun, the Lady of Maggots, the Dendra O'hur are a nomadic cult of cannibals and devourers of the flesh. They draw power from their victims, the strength of the fallen meat passing to their limbs and the command of the numenera to their minds. Recognizable from their tattered and moth-holed cloaks and their sharp-but-rotting teeth, the Dendra O'hur have no friends. But they command fear, and this is enough for them.
$3.25M Pat Rothfuss We are excited to announce that at the $3.25M Stretch Goal, will join our writing team! Most of my fantasy and science fiction reading took place in the ‘80s and ‘90s, and I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that until a couple months ago I was unfamiliar with Pat’s work. Colin is more literary than me and has been targeting Mr. Rothfuss since even before Torment emerged as a real possibility: “If you haven't heard of Pat Rothfuss or read his Kingkiller Chronicles ( The Name of the Wind, The Wise Man's Fear, and the upcoming third book), then what are you waiting for? Go read them and then come back and finish this Update. Granted, it might take a while, but you'll be glad you did. Actually, it might be a better use of your time to trust me and read the books at your leisure.
I heard about Pat's work years ago, but because the series wasn't complete and I hate being caught between releases, I held off on reading it. Finally, to stop some friends nagging me ('You'll love it, Colin!' 'Colin, have you read it?'
'Colin, I know it's 3:30 am but THIS IS A GREAT READ'), I read the first book and I was floored at the beauty, wit, skill, and sheer audacity of the narrative. Nvidia geforce2 mx 100 200 drivers for mac. I tore through the second book and then went back and re-read them both. So at GenCon in 2012, I heard Pat was there and went to introduce myself to him and thank him for writing such engrossing fiction. It was a tremendous surprise, then, to discover that he was a huge fan of PS:T, and it was a shock to have PAT F.ING ROTHFUSS praise my work instead.
With that in mind, once Torment started rolling I made it my mission to recruit him for T:ToN. Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to say: Mission accomplished.
From a purely selfish perspective, I'm annoyed with myself for tearing him away from finishing book 3. From a development perspective, I am hard-pressed to imagine a better addition to our writing and story development team, and I am truly excited about the possibilities that have just opened up. This is going to be so cool.” (And you can read what. (And he was actually writing it this morning - he sent me an email about it a little after 3 AM as I was finalizing this Update.)) $3.5M Stretch Goal –. Oh wait, that's for a bit later. =) A Few Words about “Spoilers” We’ve heard a few comments from backers concerned that we’re revealing too much about Torment, so I wanted to talk a bit about that. There’s a tricky line here – if we reveal too little, we risk losing people’s interest and trust, so we want to give you a taste of our plans.
But it really is just a taste, the equivalent of saying that Planescape™: Torment is about an immortal who loses his memories when he dies. Also, not everything we’ve told you about will be in the final game.
=) The themes, our pillars, the Tides (at least the basics of them) – these things are planned and well-established aspects of our design. But the details about areas, creatures, characters – even gameplay elements like the Meres – these are all subject to change, and some even have already. Game development is highly iterative and only our best ideas will survive – much will change as we go and as our tale evolves and solidifies in our minds.
So please enjoy these examples, knowing that the game you play at the end of next year will have more and better secrets. I was watching George’s final video below before writing this update. My thought was: “Wow, that’s even cooler than what we had discussed a few days ago.” I talked with Colin about it, and sure enough, there was even more to it than I knew. And months from now, who knows how the Bloom will have evolved as part of our design, and as part of the Ninth World. As the in-game visuals come together, as we hear more of Mark Morgan’s music, as we read all of your ideas about the game, as the stories and characters and gameplay all come to life, both in our minds and as playable content.
The plans of today are just a caterpillar beginning to spin his cocoon. So rest assured that in the grand scheme of things, we aren’t really spoiling anything. =) George Ziets on Torment’s Setting and the Bloom This video focuses on our second pillar: A World Unlike Any Other. In Tales of Torment, episode 4, George talks about the influence of the setting on a game’s narrative and, through the example of the Bloom, delves into why the Ninth World creates a wealth of opportunity for quality storytelling and adventures. And attached to this update (see the audio link at the bottom) is Mysteries of the Bloom, another fantastic piece by Mark Morgan, and intended as a theme for this region of the game.
Press, Community, and an Invitation to a Party Yesterday, where we were joined by superfan Steve Dengler. We covered a lot of topics, including (but not limited to):.,.,.,.,.,.,.,.,. and much more. We’ve also had a few articles over the last several days. The Penny Arcade Report – several months ago, when our work on Torment began, we had high hopes, but didn’t know if the project would be funded at all.
I would like to add that we weren’t alone in taking a leap of faith to begin work on Torment. It’s amazing how much support we’ve had from colleagues. Adam Heine has been involved with Colin and me the whole way, and is to credit with much of the Tides system (and more). Others such as Thomas Beekers (whom some of you know as BrotherNone) and Aaron Meyers have also gone above and beyond to contribute to Torment before we knew if it would be possible. Another example: the voice you hear at the end of the video updates (and in the Kickstarter Video) is that of Alexander Brandon, of game audio studio.
Alex and I worked together at Obsidian on Mask of the Betrayer and Storm of Zehir, and he volunteered his voice talents for us. The sample comic page posted on tumblr was something artist David Pursley (who also made the First Castoff concept) created on his own.
The passion for seeing this Kickstarter be successful, so that we could make this game, has been phenomenal and inspiring. Anyway, I just wanted to note that while the article focuses on Colin and me, we were far from alone. We’re just the ones handling many of the interviews. A second and an interview with give some additional details about the game. And our Leader in Exile was interviewed by alistdaily in general. Recently, Formspring announced that they will be shutting down at the end of this month. So Colin and I will be looking to relocate our Q&A homes, but we’ll probably wait until after the Kickstarter to do that.
Finally, we’ll be having a Torment closing party on Friday, April 5th, beginning in the afternoon in the Newport Beach area. We have a about it. We thought it would be nice to see if some of you wanted to join us. If you will be in the area then, and would be interested in coming, please post in the comments on Facebook – we’ll do an actual RSVP later, but for now just want a sense of how many of you might want to celebrate with us so that we can choose a suitable location.
Thanks again for your support and your time. I hope this update was worth the wait and that you enjoy what’s soon to come as well. TL;DR: New concept art (and ) by Andree Wallin. Designer/Writer Adam Heine talks about Tides and Legacies (video).
Novella Compilation explained and included in a new $39 Tier. Game Idea forum opened. Second Fathom of Castoff’s Labyrinth achieved. Hi Forgotten Ones, It’s been a typically quieter second week of our Kickstarter, but we’re still making the news. When we launched last Wednesday, your outpouring of support led Torment to break Ouya’s record for the! Your support will not only make an incredible Torment, it already made history. Our record was short-lived, with the new Veronica Mars Kickstarter’s success this past Wednesday.
But who could talk about their new record without acknowledging ours? =) This week Torment was mentioned by outlets such as CNN. New Concept: The Ascension of Kex-Lianish We’ve received many requests from you to give you some more tools to help spread the word and get more people interested in Torment. The more we raise, the better the game we can create. We are excited to share with you Andree Wallin’s first Torment piece, The Ascension of Kex-Lianish, which shows a crystalline dimension to which you may travel (or perhaps not).
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It’s available as a. Art lovers – the three concept pieces you’ve seen thus far (Chang’s The Sojourner of Worlds and Sagus Cliffs at Dawn and Andree’s The Ascension of Kex-Lianish) are all options for the Signed Limited Edition Print that’s included in the $1,000 Limited Edition Signed Print tier, as well as the $5,000 and $10,000 tiers.
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(After the campaign, you will pick which of the available pieces, including these, you’d like.) Choices, Consequences, and the Tides Adam describes Tides and Legacies a bit further, and explains some of how they will contribute to Torment’s reactivity. Novella Compilation – From the Depths The Novella Compilation features standalone novellas by Colin McComb and Monte Cook andas well as From the Depths, five interlinked novellas by Adam Heine, Mur Lafferty, Nathan Long, Ray Vallese, and Tony Evans.
Colin's novella will be tied more directly to the story of our game, with backstory on some of the characters or companions (no major spoilers, of course). Monte's novella will be a more proper introduction to the Ninth World and the Steadfast. From the Depths will be a series of novellas interlinked, not in their stories or characters, but in their connections to the Tides and Torment's part of the Ninth World. Each novella will take place in the history of one of Torment's locations, and will revolve around the stories of individuals who, through their actions, embody one of the Tides.
We’ve talked about how the Tides are complicated and nuanced concepts – through these stories, you will gain a deeper understand of what each Tide means, and how each manifests itself. You'll read the tale of Luthiya, a young girl who lived in Ossiphagan, back when the town faced destruction by the Fire Wights, and the extraordinary measures she took to save the lives of those around her. And the more personal tale of Reen, who led an expedition into the heart of a murderous city in an insane attempt to cure his wife's deadly illness. The third novella is about the abhuman Baji, forced to choose between his people and a group of air-breathing refugees on the brink of death.
Then we tell the tale of Zelor, the artist exiled to a world of creatures who could not see, hear, or – apparently – feel, and how he awoke the fires of their minds. Finally, you'll read about the Great Chila – long before she was ever called Great – and the role she played in the conflict between the rulers of Sagus Cliffs and the fugitives living within the Bloom. All seven of these novellas are included in the compilation, available at the new $39 tier, the $50 tier and all tiers $75 and up (Colin's novella is included in all tiers $28 and up). They are also available as a digital add-on to ANY tier for $15.
Any new novellas we may add will automatically be included with this reward. The printed version of the novellas is included in all physical goods tiers $250 and higher. It will be a limited edition print run that’s only available to backers. (Note that while we are localizing the game text in French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian, and Spanish, these novellas will only be available in English at this time.) New Tier at $39 For those eager to learn more about the Ninth World, Torment, and the Tides, we are adding a new Lore Aspirant Tier at $39 that includes: 1. DRM-free Digital Game (PC, Mac, or Linux) 2.
Planescape: Torment Developer Retrospective 3. Access to the Official Torment Community 4.
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Digital Strategy Guide 5. Digital Novella Compilation, which includes all novellas (currently 7) This limited Tier is the same as the $28 one, except that it also includes the Digital Novella Compilation (at $4 less than it would be at the add-on price of $15). Second Fathom Achieved The Second Fathom of the Castoff’s Labyrinth was reached this morning as we surpassed 48,000 Backers! We’ll have the Second Fathom available soon, but in the meantime here is the first, sketched by artist Dana Knutson. (This may not be going exactly where you expect - one's mind is not always predictable.).