Kenshi - Samurai Desert Wasteland Sandbox - Squad RTS

Zekeen · 2012-07-11, 12:58 AM

Hey guys, I figured I might share an indy game I think is REALLY good, but seems underfunded.

Kenshi http://www.lofigames.com/

Right now, the game is in PRE ALPHA, yet still fun and great to play.

There IS a demo, buying the game gives a code to unlock all the features. The demo is still quite fun.

The game only costs 10$, and is frequently getting updated.

There is also a "kickstarter", not with Kickstarter, but Indiegogo. Donators can earn all sorts of things you won't get in other games. Your name appears in the game randomizer for NPCs, you can have minor NPC roles, Major NPC roles, create an entire FACTION in the game for anyone who buys the game to interact with. You can even have your face placed on an NPC!

His kickstarter page is here.
http://www.indiegogo.com/kenshi?c=home

Just a quickie of what the game has - RTS style squad gameplay, leveling up & equiping your guys and even finding roaming bands or armies to fight or assist. Buy or build buildings, trade, research, craft, create an army instead of a squad.

For a more basic description, it's like a samurai Tatooine with sci fi tech and squads and armies of individuals rather than minions.

Here are the official descriptions.

Kenshi is a single player free-roaming Role Playing Game, with a Real-Time Strategy influence. Its squad-based, meaning you have a whole team of characters who can split up and go to different ends of the world. The game world is 400 square km of seamless terrain with a world map screen for fast-travel, Fallout style. You can play with one character, or with 50, and there are advantages to both. Combat is real-time and is based on swords and bows, action beat-em up style but with RPG stats influencing the outcome. No Magic. No fantasy cliches. Think of a combination of X-Com Apocalypse and Oblivion.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/cXcuZV77UJY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

*Original take on the RTS-RPG hybrid genre. No "hero" characters with artificially stronger stats than everybody else- Every character and NPC you meet is potentially an equal, and has a name, a life.
*You are not the chosen one. You're not great and powerful. You don't have more 'hitpoints' than everyone else. You are not the center of the universe, and you are not special. Unless you work for it.
*Freeform gameplay in a seamless game world stretching over 400 square kilometers. The game will never seek to limit you or restrict your personal play style.
*Variation and possibilities of gameplay. Be good, be evil, be a business man, be a thief, live in a town, live in the desert, join the army, fight the army, travel alone, travel in hordes, build a fortress, raze a city.
*Purchase and upgrade your own buildings to use as safe fortified havens when things go bad, or use them to start up a business.
*Carry your wounded squad mates to safety and get them all home alive.
*Dynamic, ever changing world. Support or hinder whoever you wish, or keep to yourself, the world won't stop moving. This is not just a "game", you are living and surviving in a simulated world.
*Absolutely no Level-scaling. The world does not level up along with you, and the shops don't change their inventory to only items matching your level. At the start of the game almost everyone will be stronger than you, and survival will always be a struggle.
*Realistic medical system that affects gameplay. A character with a wounded leg will limp or crawl and slow the party down, wounded arms means you must use your sword one-handed or not at all. Lose an eye and it will affect your field of vision. Blood loss means you can pass out, and the blood will attract predators. Exhaustion affects performance and is increased by equipment weight, weather, blood loss and thirst. Severed limbs will need expensive robotic replacements.
*Intelligent AI that allows for characters to reason and work towards long-term goals and desires. Squads work together and carry their wounded to safety. Characters can be setup to take care of micromanagement for you.
*Aid or oppose the various factions in the world while striving for the strength and wealth necessary to simply survive in the harsh desert.
*Independently developed with no design influences, or alterations dictated by men in gray suits who have never played a game before in their lives.
*Original game world. There are no fantasy-knock-off cliches. No magic.

Due to his location, he's inelligiable for Kickstarter, so he relies on preorders and Indiegogo, which probably gets him less donators. He does this all on his own right now and is hoping to get enough money to hire professional assistance. I think the game is fun and just bought my copy, despite having played the demo since it was released. It's a unique game, and I think it needs some support so that it can grow into another truly great game.

Antivide · 2012-07-11, 05:15 AM

Oh wow, I had no clue this game was still alive. I remember reading about it and even visiting his site almost a year ago.

Looks fun, for sure. Incredibly rough but understandable.

Zekeen · 2012-07-11, 01:41 PM

Originally Posted by Antivide

Oh wow, I had no clue this game was still alive. I remember reading about it and even visiting his site almost a year ago.

Looks fun, for sure. Incredibly rough but understandable.

Yeah, more than alive, he's frequently working on it. I think it's going a bit slow because he lacks the money to hire more assistance.

Seems he's using a less obvious kickstarter, so he isn't exactly rolling in donations. But he has some nice rewards for donators, such as having NPCs named after you or something (so long as they fit in the game without being too offsetting).

This is his kickstarter page, I'll put it in the top post as well.

http://www.indiegogo.com/kenshi?c=home

Now, the reason I'm also talking on the kickstarter, is the base game is made. It works, and it's fun, really fun. It has no sound, tidbits are missing everywhere, and the chunk of super awesome stuff isn't in yet. But the game has the combat down, and even in this stage ,it's amazing. The mopre donations he gets, the more help he hires, the faster the game is built, the more features I can play, and the more awesome it becomes.

Features like - dismembering enemies and having cybernetic replace your lost limbs.

This is the odd kind of game where it is built faster the more popular it becomes.

TheBladeRoden · 2012-07-11, 06:19 PM

It does sound interesting

Graywolves · 2012-07-11, 09:10 PM

Sounds really cool.

Crator · 2012-07-11, 09:28 PM

Sounds like what SWG should have been based on. Or rather, core concepts are SWG-like. But I like his ideas....

blackfang · 2012-07-12, 06:42 PM

It really is awesome, bought several copies myself just to help him out

Baneblade · 2012-07-12, 06:50 PM

I'll take a gander at it later.

Antivide · 2012-07-12, 11:05 PM

Seems the kickstarter is over. Is he still taking money for this game?

Zekeen · 2012-07-13, 04:14 AM

Originally Posted by Antivide

Seems the kickstarter is over. Is he still taking money for this game?

Yeah, I just noticed that recently as well. Check with his forums on how to donate if you feel like it. I think the best support though is just buying it and getting all your friends to buy it as well. Fame will speed it up more at this point, seeing as it's so unknown.

TheBladeRoden · 2012-07-13, 04:39 PM

I always thought the deadlines on kickstarter were a little weird.

What is its purpose? To create an artificial sense of panic to drive up donations?

Antivide · 2012-07-13, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by TheBladeRoden

I always thought the deadlines on kickstarter were a little weird.

What is its purpose? To create an artificial sense of panic to drive up donations?

I think so that organizations can't endlessly ask for money. That would be a bit... tasteless right?

Zekeen · 2012-07-14, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by Antivide

I think so that organizations can't endlessly ask for money. That would be a bit... tasteless right?

The weird thing is there was a time limit, and he didn't even hit a fraction of his goal, and his goal was minor. With the 40k he wants, he could make the entire game with an incredible amount of detail.

Would make more sense if you could keep getting up to the goal.

bullet · 2012-07-14, 03:37 PM

I tried it. Couldn't get the camera working well and it always lagged after like 5 mins of gameplay. Idk if it was the settings or what but it was some bad Powerpoint type lag.

Zekeen · 2012-07-14, 04:55 PM

Originally Posted by bullet

I tried it. Couldn't get the camera working well and it always lagged after like 5 mins of gameplay. Idk if it was the settings or what but it was some bad Powerpoint type lag.

Well it IS pre-alpha, made by one man alone. It's rather buggy, but it will get better.