Divinity: Original Sin Kickstarter

[LordCrash]

Update 13: 5K left to go, New Update Theme, The History of Rivellon & a shout out!

 

In this update

• Better reward pages
• Only 25K left to go to the next stretch goal 
• The update song to end all other update songs
• The history of Rivellon (with some pictures)
• Shout out for the cool Battle Worlds: Kronos from King Art games 
•  

Better reward pages

 

There unfortunately are limits to what we can do on the Kickstarter pages, and one of those limitations is that we cannot modify the text in the rewards to include all of our additions. That's why we set up mirror pages where you will be able to find the right descriptions for each reward, in different languages. 

Have a look, you might have missed some cool stuff when pledging

 

 

Only 25K left to go to the first stretch goal

 

Since we already collected $5 331,39 via Paypal, the counter is now only 25K away from our first stretch goal: Your Homestead At The Shelter Plane At The End Of Time! If you missed yesterday's update, be sure to check out why you really want this.

 

 

The update song to end all other update songs

 

For two weeks some backers have been driving us crazy with their update song, pushing us to release update after update. We wanted to do something with said song in retaliation but it turns out that would be copyright infringement. 

 

So we asked Kirill, our house composer, to come up with something new. This is the same Kirill who will be giving an exclusive piano recital with Divinity themes here

btw.

 

 

 

All that's left for us to do now is get our animators to make some dancing weresheep, and our revenge will be complete  

 

 

The History of Rivellon

 

By Jodocus Lipsius, Court Historian

 

- Printed by Ye Olde Presse, Verdistis -

As a member of the Prancing Seahorse gentleman's club of Aleroth, I am proud to present this little historical summary of mighty Rivellon. May the reader find elucidation among its pages, few and incomplete as they are. What knowledge I have I share; I can do no more.

Note on the abbreviations of time:

• AR: Anno Rivellonis. The ancient way of identifying specific years.
• AD: Anno Deorum. How we count years now, in honour of the Seven Gods.

WARNING! For those readers who are unfamiliar with these events, but intend to learn more about them by means of interactive scrying stones, I issue a SPOILER ALERT! No need to thank me.

 

8800 AR - Dragon Commander

 

So long ago did these events take place that they may well be sagas rather than truths, but ancient souls swear they happened as described beneath. I leave it to my lectors to make up their minds for themselves and separate what they think is reality from what they think is fiction.

 

 

When Rivellon's first emperor Sigurd was killed by his own children, a bloody war for the throne began. The entire world was said to be in danger of destruction, for rumours persist through time that all battles were fought with giant machines and airships of incredible and devastating power; technology long lost - perhaps merely a fable. In the end a Dragon Knight - and son of Sigurd - prevailed. Details are few and far between, but my research indicates that he had the backing of the legendary wizard Maxos. If so, what a mighty pair these two must have made!

 

The Lost Centuries

 

Almost nothing is known of these lost times. One can only deduct that the empire united by the aforementioned Dragon Knight must have fallen or slipped into decadence. Did it stand for a thousand years? Two-thousand? We may never know.

During these lost times one cataclysmic conflict did most certainly take place: the prolonged and brutal Wizard Wars. I shall elaborate a bit more on these events further down the time line.

 

4 AR - Original Sin

 

Sadly I must confess that once more my knowledge about these long forgotten times is diminutive at best. Very little is known about the strange and spectacular events that befell two so-called Source Hunters. Nevertheless, if one can put faith in the fragmented stories told by old wizards, they both prevented and set in motion events that changed the destiny of fair Rivellon herself.

 

I'd sell my soul to know more, but those damned mages are so damnably reticent! Zandalor knows all, of that I am sure, but not even two carafes of spiced elven wine stir his tongue to speak of what happened back then. Something must have! Shortly after, we even changed the way we count time! AR to AD ... Was it truly just to honour the gods?

The history of this world; I swear more of it is secret than is known.

 

100 AD - The First Rise and Fall of Chaos

 

In this black year a new enemy attacked Rivellon, more vicious than anything that came before. It was called Chaos and it had been worshipped and brought to power by sinister forces at work ever since those times Zandalor refuses to talk about. Might there be a link? This is mere assumption on my part, but we all know what they say about smoke and fire - and when thick smoke curls up out of the wizard's pipe as he gives me that stern stare of his when I press him upon the subject, I do start to suspect evil and intricate doings. But this is neither here nor there, so suffice to say that after long, brutal battles, the enemy - personified by the demonic Chaos Lord - was defeated by dwarven armies. They alone safeguarded the world from succumbing to Chaos during these times and still deserve lavish praise for doing so.

 

 

611 AD - The Second Rise and Fall of Chaos

 

The Chaos Demon had been defeated centuries before, but an insidious wizard by the name of Ulthring (how Zandalor glares when the name is mentioned) had rallied the wounded demon and amassed fresh armies anew. This time Rivellon would have surely fallen had it not been for the Sacrifice of Seven: empowered by the Seven Gods, a human, a dwarf, an elf, a lizard, an imp and an orc gave their lives so that the Lord of Chaos would be defeated. Among them was Duke Ruben Ferol, and it was his apprentice Ralph who walked away from the battlefield with Ulthring's sword: the ill-fated Sword of Lies.

 

1218 AD - Divine Divinity

 

Alas it seems that Chaos can never be finally beaten, for even though centuries passed, its nefarious influence remained awake - and plotted.
(Let me interject that finally we come to those parts of our history with which I am much more familiar and my narrative will be the more elaborate for it.)

I'm sorry to say evil festered from within: humans, loyal to the Damned Hordes, sought not only to ensure the return of their dark master, but to give his Demonic form human semblance, so that rather than to destroy Rivellon, he would come to rule her. This group, known as the Black Ring, were close to achieving their goal and would doubtless have succeeded had it not been for both the tireless vigilance of Zandalor and the startling fate of an adventurer named Lucian.

This adventurer, guided as he was by the forces of good, exposed the Black Ring’s sinister schemes and when the time came willingly underwent a daring ritual that infused him with the powers of the Seven Gods who feared that Chaos could threaten their very existence. So the Divine was born!

 

Leaving but grim corpses in his wake - and aided as he was by a dragon; the Patriarch - the avatar of light followed the enemy to its stronghold, nestled deep beneath the desert wastes of Yuthul Gor, where he stalked and killed every Black Ring elder until finally he and their diabolic leader, the Demon of Lies, stood snout to face. The fiend smiled and told the Divine he was too late: the transfer was complete and the Lord of Chaos would walk again. Indeed, behind him, on a large altar lay a newborn infant, a shell of innocence wrapped around a soul of utter corruption. The Divine’s sword saw the Demon dead, but despite being able to put an end to the vast plague that had almost brought Rivellon to her knees, he could not bring himself to kill the child.

 

1218 to 1233 AD - The Youth of Damian

 

 

Lucian named his 'son' Damian, and for years the Damned One, unaware of the terrible forces that brimmed beneath his boyish exterior, grew up under the Divine’s tutelage. Until he met Ygerna. Sent to seduce Damian by her father, the Black Ring necromancer Kalin, she befriended the young man, who was instantly infatuated with her. Not only did she return his affections, but also his long slumbering powers. They practiced innocent spells at first, but later on more sinister magic, rarer incantations, and, most dangerous of all, they unravelled forbidden knowledge. For some time, Damian's Divine foster parent was blissfully oblivious of Ygerna’s ominous influence on his son, until evidence connected her to Kalin, whom he had recently executed. When questioned she confessed that she supported his rotten stratagems, the most important of these being the renascence of Damian’s dark, dormant powers.

After hearing such hideous testimony, Lucian had no choice but to execute Ygerna in turn: the Black Ring never enjoys clemency, whatever the circumstances. Under the eyes of the wise, but worry-plagued Zandalor, the Divine’s sword severed Ygerna’s head from her body. Yet, at that prophetic moment, while Ygerna’s blood was still claiming more territory on the floor, Damian entered and gave voice to a spell that utterly stunned even that mighty ensemble: the spell of Soul Forging. Before anyone could react, Damian turned back and seemingly disappeared. The Divine knew his son would from then on be his greatest foe and understood that Damian had already realised a great deal of his black potential: he who can Soul Forge, is a stupendous adversary indeed. The Damned One walked again.

As Lucian and Damian gathered their armies, Zandalor contemplated the repercussions of Damian’s acts. A Soul Forge is an exceptional enough event in its own right; a Soul Forge with a soul as it dwells amidst the few fragments of time between life and death, was unprecedented. Uncertain of the consequences for either him or Damian, he entrusted Ygerna’s body to the care of embalmers, forgoing the usual ritual burning of Black Ring corpses.

 

1233 AD - Damian Is Banished To Nemesis

 

 

Within days, the Black Ring and Divine Paladins clashed. Damian though, had eyes for Lucian only: he would show him the same kindness he had shown Ygerna. What he did not know was that the Divine was ready for him. He would lure his son to a Rift Temple and, if all went according to plan, banish him to another dimension. Blinded as he was by his all-consuming wrath, Damian did not realise he was being drawn into a trap and soon he was locked away in shadow haunted Nemesis. The Divine returned to Rivellon, glad that the threat his foster son posed was eliminated, yet strangely mournful because he realised that despite the evil that had taken hold of him, Damian’s spur-of-the-moment Soul Forge was essentially an act of love.

 

1238 AD - Beyond Divinity

 

 

The Damned One however, made the best of his situation in Nemesis. He bode his time, grew in stature and power, until he did what most thought could not be done: with the help of a duped paladin who knew not it was Damian he was fighting with side by side, he broke free from his prison dimension and initially overran the surprised Rivellonian forces.

 

1238 to 1300 AD - The Rise and Fall of Damian and the Divine

 

His thoughts were still wholly focused on one thing: to destroy the Divine and so revenge Ygerna. The war changed the face of Rivellon: for years it raged and one catastrophic event followed the other. Where once there were mountains there are now flat scorched plains and picturesque farmlands have been pushed up and turned into jagged cliffs. Nevertheless mankind faced its infernal foes with remarkable courage and tenacity. A decisive reason for their stubborn optimism was the new forged alliance between the Divine and the now very rare, but still immensely powerful Dragon Knights, the last and elusive proponents of Dragon magic in the Demon-swept realms. Throughout the climactic battle, the scales of victory could have tipped either way. But then the unthinkable happened: one of the Dragon Knights betrayed and slew the unsuspecting Divine. During the confusion that ensued, the Paladins started to fight Dragon and Demon alike. Luckily Zandalor was able to rally the troops and so narrowly avoid disaster. Damian, who had already lost much of his forces and had seen his revenge materialised, ordered his army to abandon the field. His dominion over Rivellon could wait. And besides, he had other things on his mind.

The war ended, but the fighting never stopped. Enraged by the betrayal of the Dragon Knights and the death of the Divine, humanity saw the foundation of the Order of Dragon Slayers, which specialised in the eradication of the Patriarch's chosen few. With Maxos gone and the Patriarch unwilling to intervene, their already very small number dwindled fast until ultimately only one remained: Talana.

 

1300 AD - Divinity II - The Dragon Knight Saga

Talana was hunted without pause and without remorse, but when she was finally tracked down and mortally wounded by the greatest of Dragon Slayers, Commander Rhode, she yielded all her powers to a young Dragon Slayer recruit who thereby became the last Dragon Knight.

It became his goal to kill arch-nemesis Damian by means of resurrecting Ygerna with whom he was soul forged. During the course of his quest it was revealed that the Dragon Knight who killed the Divine was mind-tricked by Damian and that the Dragon Slayers' hunt for Dragon Knights worked to his advantage. When he'd be back, he'd no longer have to deal with these fearsome foes.

 

 

As it would turn out, the mystery Dragon Knight who assassinated the Divine was not the last one to fall for a ruse, for the Dragon-Slayer-turned-Dragon-Knight too was tricked, by no other than Ygerna this time, who, claiming to be Talana, led him to her from the very netherworld – the Hall of Echoes – so that he would resurrect her. Believing this would kill Damian, the Dragon Knight did so, but soon discovered he was duped and found himself imprisoned in a realm beyond time and space: the Plane of Hypnerotomachia.

 

All worked out well for Damian who had unsuccessfully tried to resurrect Ygerna as well. But that was not the only thing he had been doing, for Damian knew his history and knew of the legends of Sigurd's empire. During the glory years of the Dragon Slayers he had been doing more than sit around and plan a next campaign: he had been researching the technology used by Maxos and the Dragon Knight to unite an empire so many thousands of years ago. The result was still a far cry from what this technology had once been, but nonetheless the crude, but imposing Flying Fortresses he had constructed were a force to be reckoned with and he lost no time deploying them against the human capital of Aleroth.

 

To protect the city, Zandalor employed desperate measures: he conjured a shield around the city which effectively safeguarded it from harm, but to be able to do so he first had to harvest this shielding magic from around the prison of a Chaos wizard by the name of Behrlihn who had been rotting away in his dungeon deep beneath Aleroth ever since he was incarcerated after the Wizard Wars.

Behrlihn, omnipotent in many ways, knew everything that had happened in the world despite his being locked away, and now that he sensed the disappearance of the shield, he immediately travelled in mental form to the Plane of Hypnerotomachia, something he could not do when the guarding magic was still in place. Here he found the lost Dragon Knight and no other than the Divine, who was in fact still alive and likewise imprisoned by Damian. Behrlihn made a deal with the Dragon Knight.
The latter would release the former's physical self from underneath the besieged city and in return Behrlihn would both free the Divine from his other-worldly captivity and give the Dragon Knight the Eye of the Patriarch, a mighty object that could destroy the armada of Flying Fortresses around Aleroth. And so the Dragon Knight was free once more to roam the city in search of ways to free the dread Chaos wizard.

In the end, the Dragon Knight freed Behrlihn who gave him the Eye of the Patriarch, but refused to free the Divine. Armed with this powerful object, the Dragon Knight set out to defeat the fleet of Flying Fortresses which turned out to be commanded by the freshly resurrected Ygerna. The threat above Aleroth was obliterated, but the fight was not over. Ygerna and Behrlihn spirited themselves away to the Plane of Hypnerotomachia and pulled the Dragon Knight in with them. At last there followed the final confrontation between these three and soon both Behrlihn and Ygerna lay dead.

Their lives and their powers had been undone and consequently the Divine was freed. Aleroth and indeed all of Rivellon rejoiced, but Damian remains alive to this day - and in a sense he remains undefeated.

 

The future - unlike Zixzax the Imp Historian claims - has yet to be written ...

 

 

I want this on my tablet!

 

We like turn-based games. We also like strategy games. And we also like friendly developers. When you find all three of these combined on Kickstarter in one project, you just know that you have to back it.

 

Battle Worlds: Kronos is such a game. It's already funded and is now well on its way to its second stretch goal. We know these guys personally and they are good developers, so if you like turn-based strategy games, you really should back King Art Games. I certainly want to play this on my tablet!

 

 

In Closing

 

You should listen

. And

. And

. 

Edited April 12, 2013 by LordCrash

[HoonDing]

Divinity 2 story would have worked if Damian knew about Ygerna's grand design, yet he turns out to be completely clueless - rendering the several parts where he shows up throughout the game to deliver an evil speech but failing to kill the main character, absurd.

 

Behrlihn was a terrible plot device, regardless whether the main character freed him or not.

 

And still no explanation how the Dragon Knight ended up in that stupid crystal.

[LordCrash]

Divinity 2 story would have worked if Damian knew about Ygerna's grand design, yet he turns out to be completely clueless - rendering the several parts where he shows up throughout the game to deliver an evil speech but failing to kill the main character, absurd.

 

Behrlihn was a terrible plot device, regardless whether the main character freed him or not.

 

And still no explanation how the Dragon Knight ended up in that stupid crystal.

 

Still no explanation? The two new games are set way before Divinity 2. If you want to know how the story of the Dragon Knight ends up you probably have to wait for another Divinity game (perhaps Divinity 3?)

Edited April 12, 2013 by LordCrash

[marelooke]

In Closing

 

You should listen

. And

. And

.

If that is their revenge I say: BRING IT ON!

 

Can't wait for the dancing weresheep!

Divinity 2 story would have worked if Damian knew about Ygerna's grand design, yet he turns out to be completely clueless - rendering the several parts where he shows up throughout the game to deliver an evil speech but failing to kill the main character, absurd.

Agreed, that was a bit too cliché to my liking, I like to pretend it happened differently...

 

Also the ending was pretty railroaded even if you got cold feet there was only one option, while understandable from a continuity point of view it was still a bit of a bummer (forum doesn't seem to support spoiler tags so I'll leave it at that)

 

Behrlihn was a terrible plot device, regardless whether the main character freed him or not.

It was also pretty funny how he stuck around in your head even if you didn't set him free Edited April 12, 2013 by marelooke

[Tigranes]

I remember nothing of Div2's story except that it made no sense. I didn't mind, I played that game for the wacky bits and little quests.

[IndiraLightfoot]

Well, I've started from the very beginning with Divine Divinity, the Steam HD version, and what a wonderful game that is, despite all those years that have passed since it was released.   I have never played any of the Divinity games, but now that I do, I just wonder how I could've missed them.

 

I just wanted to remind people who are interested in huge isometric CRPGs that it's just something like 4K left on KS till it reaches a stretch goal where Larian will throw in an entire pocket plane for us players to enjoy - the Sheltered Plane at the End of Time.

 

Hopefully, Torment will reach it's "stronghold" goal too by the 30th of April.

Edited April 14, 2013 by IndiraLightfoot

[Garod]

Well, I've started from the very beginning with Divine Divinity, the Steam HD version, and what a wonderful game that is, despite all those years that have passed since it was released.   I have never played any of the Divinity games, but now that I do, I just wonder how I could've missed them.

 

I just wanted to remind people who are interested in huge isometric CRPGs that it's just something like 4K left on KS till it reaches a stretch goal where Larian will throw in an entire pocket plane for us players to enjoy - the Sheltered Plane at the End of Time.

 

Hopefully, Torment will reach it's "stronghold" goal too by the 30th of April.

 

Definitely wish the folks all the best, and hope that anyone who has a few $ still to spare can help out. It's going to be a great game to tide everyone over until Torment is released.

Especially since Divinity Original Sin will be out this Fall already.

[LordCrash]

Update 14: Stretch goal ahoy, Designer Talk, Join the Forums

 

It's Sunday and the sun is finally shining here. What better way to start the day than a small Divinity:Original Sin update?

 

Stretch goal ahoy!

 

With a bit of extra support, it looks like we may make our very first stretch goal today!

In case you missed out on the description of our first stretch goal - The Shelter Plane At The End of Time – here are 3 out of at least 7 reasons why you want us to make this: 

• The Transcript of Unravelled Destinies: See what consequences your actions have on the future of Rivellon, while you’re playing. 
• The Coffers That Have No Bottoms: You can pretty much pick up anything that looks like it can be picked up in Divinity:Original Sin. Now you’ll have a place where you can store it all. 
• Secrets Galore: There are some really juicy secrets to be found on the Shelter Plane. It would be a pity if they remain secret. Maybe you’ll even discover whatever happened to this fellow… 

 

For even more reasons, check out the update we did on the Shelter Plane.  

 

Join the forums – leave your mark! 

 

A lot of people underestimate the impact of their comments in our forums. We often involve forum posts in our discussions at Larian, and it’s fair to say that several of the better features in our games were born from forum discussions and many more features were improved as a direct consequence of a post there. We also love getting feedback - it makes us better at our jobs.

That’s why we’d like to invite you to participate in the discussions on the Divinity: Original Sin forums. These forums are the place where discussions are going to continue post-Kickstarter and they are visited daily by many developers at Larian. 

Drop a note on the forums if you have an idea for something you’d really like to see in Divinity: Original Sin. You might be surprised at our willingness to pick it up.  

 

Designer talk 

 

Ever wondered why most multiplayer “RPGs” feel "dumbed down"? 

We tried to make a video about what's involved when you try to make one that's not "dumbed" down, but even that turned out to be complicated

 

 

In closing

 

This update is a bit shorter than usual, not only because it's weekend, but also because we're all watching this

. 

Have a great sunday!

Edited April 14, 2013 by LordCrash

[nikolokolus]

C'mon peeps.  You know you wanna pledge.  The editor alone has me drooling.

[LordCrash]

Update 15: Homestead Built, Expanding The Lair, More Than Meets The Eye, Kirill Live

 

Homestead Built!

 

Yes! You did it! The first stretchgoal has been successfully reached! The more we thought about it, the cooler all the features over at the Shelter Plane at the End of Time have become, and the more anxious we are to actually play around with them!

So what else is there? Of course, our next stretchgoal is in sight: talents and personal traits. But wait! There's more...

• Expanding The Lair
• More Than Meets The Eye
• Kirill Live This Thursday
• First Fansite Spotted

 

Expanding The Lair

 

From now on, for every 1000 backers that we gain, the lair of the monster beneath Phantom Forest will become deeper and deeper. (This means, we start counting at 10'000 backers.) Or in the words of Jan, our writer extraordinaire:

 

"As you travel onward beyond the woods of Luculla, it doesn't take long to reach the outskirts of Phantom Forest: a vast, towering woodland shunned by almost all that lives. Once entered, a few steps suffice to be engulfed in absolute nocturnal darkness that even the eyes of a cat would have great difficulty in piercing. Armed with a torch one might proceed, but it requires an iron will not to turn and run in fright when beholding the torturously contorted grimaces that seem to slither through every coarsely barked trunk. Dead bodies hang from twisted branches, silent and still, for not even the winds dare penetrate the foreboding canopy of Phantom Forest."

 

 

Phantom Forest, not for the weak of heart...

 

"Neither do the forces of evil that threaten our heroes, for it is said that deep within its reaches a creature lurks that is so cruel the world knows not its like - not even the sinister Engineer that shall plague the Marked One centuries later can compare with the shadow that stalks this distorted wood. And yet, it is there that the key can be found to unravel an essential piece of lore of infinite value to those who seek to control the Source..."

 

The lair of this nightmarish beast is a labyrinth riddled with death, puzzles and mystery. It's up to you however, to decide just how extensive this lair will be.

 

For every thousand extra backers that pledge from here on out, a new level full of pitfalls, threats and riddles will be added!

 

 

Hyperion doesn't even come close - The lair of the unspeakable...

 

With your help, the depths of Phantom Forest will become the stage of an unforgettable adventure, and to those that walk in unprepared, certain grisly death!

 

More Than Meets The Eye

 

In the following video, we want to show you how, just like in the previous Divinity games,  something seemingly small and trivial can unravel a whole new world in Divinity: Original Sin. Or how one lonely lamenting ghost above ground unlocks an entire society of ghosts living underground... (Minor spoiler alert.)

 

 

 

Kirill Live This Thursday

 

As a reminder, Kirill will be playing LIVE this Thursday.

 

You will be able to ask questions during and after the concert and we'll let Kirill answer after the concert. Join us at www.divinityoriginalsin.com:

7:00PM CEST (Central European Summer Time, also known as Belgium Time to us)

That's 9:00PM in Moscow, 6:00PM in London, 1:00PM in New York, and 10:00AM in San Francisco ;-)

 

We will be streaming this concert live but we will also record this and later on upload it to our Youtube channel.

 

First Fansite Spotted

 

Something started growing here in our Kickstarter comments section, which has started to lead a life of its own. After watching

, some people were wondering if the sheep would actually fight back, and one thing lead to another... So apparently, without us even realizing it, there are Weresheep in Divinity: Original Sin. We had no other choice now but

.

 

The Weresheep Guild now has its own website where they are gathering as much data as they can about Divinity: Original Sin. Bookmark it )

 

 

The logo of www.weresheep.net

 

And In Closing

 

At Kickstarter, everything always has to go up. Up, up, higher and higher: backers, pledges, rewards... It feels weird, but we wanna get that dungeon going

.

Edited April 15, 2013 by LordCrash

[Keyrock]

Awesome.  This should make it to at least Talents & Traits at 650k.  I'm still hoping Henchmen Become Companions at 800k happens, that's the stretch goal I want the most.  I've already pledged, so the most I can do now is keep beating the drum.  LordCrash is pretty much the drum master, but I'll do my best to spread the word best I can.

[Pope]

I really hope this hits at least 800,000

[LordCrash]

Yeah, I stil hope that they/we reach all stretch goals. They would really improve the game....

[IndiraLightfoot]

Do us a favor and click on "hartverwarmend" (heartwarming) on this article:
http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/4126/Games/article/detail/1612894/2013/04/11/Gentse-gamestudio-haalt-bij-internetters-340-000-euro-op-voor-nieuw-videospel.dhtml
Also at the bottom of this article there is a "aanraden" (recommend) button.
http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx…

 

It will help D:OS get more news coverage in Belgium, and thus hopefully more backers.

[LordCrash]

Update 16: With 9 days left to go the Phantom forest grows... + New movie

 

9 days left!!!

 

We have 9 days left to make it to the next Stretch goal. Given how other Kickstarter campaigns went, there's a really good chance that we'll make a few more stretch goals in the last couple of days, but obviously we're going to need your help. For instance, If less than half of you bring in a friend to play Divinity: Original Sin with, we're already at our next stretch goal, and that's a very cool one

 

So please spread the word. Also, don't forget - we have cool add-ons(bottom of page)!

 

In case you missed it, here's an overview of our stretch goals. 

 

 

The next goal which we hope to reach is the Personality Traits and Talents goal:

 

This goal will see us introduce traits and talents that further define your party members. They will help you in combat, in dialogues with NPCs, and in all kinds of other interactions. You get to choose some at character creation, by exploring the world, and occasionally through leveling up. 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. And like this, there will be many more. Essential stuff really, so please help us out.

 

 

More than meets the eye

 

We told you yesterday, and we'll tell you again today. There's more than meets the eye in Divinity: Orginal Sin. Yesterday was all about hidden dungeons, today it's about the art in the game. 

 

If you think you already know what Divinity: Original Sin is going to look like... think again!   

 

 

The Phantom forest grows...

For every 1000 extra backers above 10000 backers, we'll add an extra level to the Phantom Forest lair. There was much rejoicing in our comments section today when we achieved the first extension, but that may soon change... 

 

Why? Well, here's a fragment from a torn and frayed manuscript we found...

 

 

I must put this to paper or go mad!

 

What have I done? No god can save my sanity - not one of them; not even seven ...

 

Infernal fool that I am, I entered Phantom Forest ... the shire of shadow more tenebrous than fabled Tartarus.

 

It must have been the whispers that seduced me. It must have been the promises that came rustling through the leaves. No sooner did I hear my deepest desires echoing in the dark, than I perceived them in the undergrowth, right there for the taking. Entranced, I wandered forth, my hands set firm like claws - reaching ...

It was so close at first, but never did I quite draw nearer to my goal as I stumbled along fallen branches, dead and deformed. Lost was I, in sense and time, but still I persevered.

 

At last the moment came. All my desires afore me! Yet when my fingers were about to claim their long awaited caress, darkness fell within darkness and two eyes caught my gaze; two eyes more black then the furthest and most starless reaches of the cosmic wastes that surround us.

 

Frantically I turned and ran. Dashed like a madman while behind me, above me, beside me, the whispers beset me once more. I dare not write of what I heard. I cannot if I tried.

 

I have heard cruelty incarnate bare its soul. Long as it lives, death holds no fear.

 

Then suddenly ... sunlight. The dark's lust for prey must have made it spring its trap too soon. I escaped to tell my story. But why would I recount a tale of horror that would make the very flowers wither, should they catch wind of what I saw?

 

Let only this piece of pitiable parchment be stained by the inescapable agony that is ineffaceable memory.

 

O gods, what have I done? I entered Phantom Forest ...

 

The manuscript continues, and repeats these ramblings again and again. Are you really sure you want this dungeon to become even bigger...?

 

 

In Closing

 

We have a truckload of things we want to tell you still, but do let us know what questions you still have about Divinity: Original Sin. 

We'll try to give you an answer!

Edited April 16, 2013 by LordCrash

[marelooke]

Do us a favor and click on "hartverwarmend" (heartwarming) on this article:

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/4126/Games/article/detail/1612894/2013/04/11/Gentse-gamestudio-haalt-bij-internetters-340-000-euro-op-voor-nieuw-videospel.dhtml

Also at the bottom of this article there is a "aanraden" (recommend) button.

http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx…

 

It will help D:OS get more news coverage in Belgium, and thus hopefully more backers.

 

Link to De Standaard just goes to the homepage for me fwiw.

 

Apparently there's people that find this news depressing, heh...

[IndiraLightfoot]

Hi! Seeing Obsidian's great update today, I couldn't help getting inspired. So, here's the same info, but for Divinity:Original Sin instead:

 

What is Divinity: Original Sin?
Divinity: Original Sin is a fantasy roleplaying game in which the player takes control of a human hero set in Rivellon, the original world in the Divinity games (Divine Divinity, Beyond Divinity, Divinity 2) created by Larian Studios.  It can be played in single player mode or in tandem multiplayer mode (drop-in/drop-out coop). The camera has an isometric perspective.  The environments are 3D backgrounds combined with 3D characters and visual effects.
 
Larian Studios' team is focusing on three core ideas that will capture the Divinity experiences players loved so much:

• Unique, beautiful, dynamic environments that encourage and reward exploration.
• A non-linear epic game with plenty of choices and consequences.
• Fun and challenging tactical turn-based combat with a reactive environment.

 

What do "player character" and “party” mean in Divinity: Original Sin?
At the start of the game, the player can create and customize his or her human character. Thereafter,  the story is about two characters who can be a male and a female, or just males or females.  The character development system is deep, and the character(s) can fit any playstyle using the game’s classless skill and stats system.

In addition, you can enlist various henchmen. Henchmen start out as a certain "build" and with equipment, but once you hire them, you can totally change their equipment, and manage their inventories. And if they level, you choose their statpoint distribution and their skill upgrades.
 

Personality customization and potential character conflicts in dialogues

Divinity: Original Sin offer something unique to the CRPG scene: Other than customizing the looks and stats of your party members, you can also customize their personality. That means that if you're playing alone, and you don't want to roleplay both characters, the party member you're not controlling at the time of initiating a dialogue might actually disagree with the choices you make.

Key to this is a unique Party Dialogue System that has both players participating in an ongoing interaction, given that they're close enough to each other to hear the dialog and intervene. So rather than taking the party leader's final word, every member of the group gets to weigh in on the outcome. Disagreement is always a possibility, which makes for great roleplaying.

If you don't agree with each other, the game looks at your persuasive abilities. The decision that wins is based on stats, the particular situation and the the approach taken to persuade the party. The game remembers the nature of your decisions as personal traits, and this in turn affects the relation between the party members. 

 

The main characters’ relationship is defined by two different axes: Affection and Affinity. Affection is how much they like each other, Affinity is how well they agree with each other on moral dilemmas. So they might hate each other, but work well.  One of many ways that relationship can evolve is it turning into a love story, but that takes many conscious actions on your behalf.

 

How about the stats of the characters?

As the hero, you start the game with 5 points in every stat, and you get 5 statpoints for customizing your character. Per level-up, you currently get 1 statpoint. But 1 statpoint makes a difference.

Items that have an impact on stats, have their positive and negative effects, so there are trade-offs that help making a character. There are items that support different types of character “builds”. Stats are also used for saving throws against different effects. For instance, a high dexterity lowers your chance of falling down when walking over ice, and strength gives you a saving throw against being caught in a wall of ice (you can break through).

 

Level

• is a multiplier for your hitpoint bonus from constitution
• is a multiplier for your mana bonus from intelligence

  Primary stats

Strength

• gives damage bonuses to attacks with melee weapons
• defines how much weight you can carry
• defines what items you can lift
• defines how far you can throw items, depending on their weight
• gives you a bonus to intimidation

Dexterity

• gives damage bonuses to attacks with ranged weapons
• gives you a higher chance of successfully picking locks and picking pockets
• affects the "ideal range" of ranged weapons
• lower chance of triggering traps, higher chance of disarming traps
• better at repairing

Intelligence

• determines your amount of mana
• gives bonuses to magic (depending on the spell: damage, range, width of a cone, duration, how easy or hard the saving throw is...)
• gives you a bonus to reasoning
• helps you figure out NPC stats and resistances
• helps you to identify unknown items
• gives bonuses to mind resistance

Constitution

• determines your amount of hitpoints
• gives you higher resistance against poison
• gives you a bonus to charming

Speed

• determines the distance you can walk with one action point
• defines how good you are at dodging or evading attacks (defense rating)
• gives bonuses to initiative
• spend less action points when changing equipment or using items in combat

Perception

• determines how much chance you have of successfully hitting an enemy (offense rating)
• defines your sight and hearing which helps your enemy awareness (e.g. on the mini map)
• helps with discovering traps and finding treasures and secrets

And how about secondary stats? What is the combat like?
Divinity: Original Sin's combat is turn-based, featuring classic gameplay rules such as action points, initiative, alertness, flanking, backstabbing, attacks of opportunity and bonuses for efficiently working together as a party.

Moreover, one character can be engaged in combat while the other is roaming about somehwere else. The breaches of time is however “automagically” resolved. You can do these encounters one after the other, or you can jump from combat to combat by just clicking on their avatar icons (or using shortcut keys). And should you ever manage to get the enemies from both encounters close enough to one another, then the two combats would merge into one big combat.

  Secondary stats

Offense and defense
These are determined by your primary stat perception and speed. They can be boosted by magical equipment. When you attack someone, your offense rating is compared to your enemy’s defense rating. This determines how much chance you have of actually hitting him.

Damage
This stat is determined by your weapon or your spell, and gets a bonus from one of your primary stats. This can be boosted by well-made or magical equipment.

Critical chance and critical damage
These stats are determined by your weapon. They can be boosted by well-made or magical equipment.

Armor
When a hit is successful, armor absorbs part of the damage that was dealt. For instance, if you’re hit with 8 damage and you have armor 3, you only take 5 damage. If your armor rating is very high, it is possible to completely absorb all the damage that is dealt by a weak enemy. This stat is determined by your equipment and can be boosted with well-made or magical items.

Blocking chance

This is determined by the shield you are wearing, if you are wearing a shield. When a hit is successful, the shield gives you a chance of actually fully blocking the attack. Different shields obviously have different blocking chances.

Hitpoints
This stat is determined by your constitution stat, and can be boosted with magical items. Hitpoints do not regenerate automatically, and can only be regained by healing, eating or resting.

Mana
This stat is determined by your intelligence stat, and can be boosted with magical items. Magic spells cost mana. Mana does not automatically regenerate and can only be regained by drinking potions, eating certain types of food, or resting.

Sight and hearing
These secondary stats are determined by your perception stat. They can be boosted by special or magical equipment. They define how far you can see (we have a shroud, and fog of war system), and how well your hearing is (so you can hear and even identify an NPC without being able to see him).

Initiative
This stat is determined by your speed stat, and can be boosted with special or magical items. It gives you bonuses when combat starts and initiative is rolled.

Persuasion
This is determined by equipment bonuses only. Persuasion gives you bonuses when trying to intimidate, charm or reason with your party members or NPCs.

Walk speed
This stat is determined by your speed stat, and can be boosted with special or magical items. It determines how far you can walk with one action point in turn-based combat.

Luck
This stat can only be boosted with magical items. It’s the X factor of the game...

Poison resistance
Determined by your constitution stat. Poison resistance will absorb the damage poison would do every turn.

Fire, Water, Earth and Air resistances
Determined by magical items you are wearing. These absorb elemental damage.

Mind resistance
Determined by your intelligence stat, and magical items you are wearing. This helps against mind attacks (for instance fear).

Piercing, Slashing, Crushing resistances
Determined by the equipment you are wearing. These resistances absorb damage from physical attacks.

What will the art style be like?
The art style is a careful mix of fantasy realism and a slightly cartoonish vibe, the latter is especially true for characters and monsters.  The maps range from more natural, but still vibrant environments to fantastic environments, with unearthly architecture, unusual materials, brilliant colors, and beautiful embellishments.  Atmospheric lighting and swirling fog in the maps make for exciting settings - sometimes haunting, but often very intriguing and inviting.  

How about the setting and story? 
In the game, you control a party of heroes and guide them on a quest to learn a forbidden magic called The Source. This powerful magic was outlawed many centuries ago by the Council of Seven, the rulers of Rivellon, for it is written that from Source the lord of Chaos will spawn. Today, Source magic has been used to overthrow the Council. It's up to our heroes to save the Council and to do this, they'll need to uncover the mysteries of the Source and of those responsible for cursing the Council.  The Source (elemental) magic is not just for mages casting spells. It also gives you Source-based warrior and Survivor skills.
 

What other cool stuff will be in the game?
Thanks to Larian’s backers, players will have access to The Shelter Plane at the End of Time.

The Shelter Plane was created by imp historian Zixzax the Almost Wise; located on the Precipice of Ages - where time itself ends in endless black - you will find your homestead. It is a barren place; arid and forlorn, but beggars can't be choosers, and neither can a couple of Source Hunters down on their luck. In time, though, perhaps your Shelter Plane might turn into quite a cosy abode really: a place to put up your feet and relax by the fire, staring out unto the very edge of oblivion.

What engine does Divinity: Original Sin use?
Divinity: Original Sin uses their own in-house engine, it’s the same one that will be available as a mod editor for those who’d like to make their own adventures for friends to enjoy.
 
What platforms will Divinity: Original Sin be available on?
Divinity: Original Sin will be released for Windows, Mac, and Linux PCs.  It will be available through Steam and GOG.com.
 
Will Divinity: Original Sin use any form of DRM (digital rights management)?
The GOG version is DRM-free. The Steam version works like any other Steam game and does not have any added DRM. There is no online requirement to play the game nor any additional DRM imposed.
 
What languages will you be supporting?
At the moment, we are planning to release in English, French, German, Polish and Russian. Depending on several factors, more languages may be added later on. If more languages are added, people that already own Divinity Original Sin will receive them as optional updates.

[IndiraLightfoot]

Marelooke: You are right. Wonder why the link was bad?

 

Well, here is the correct link: http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20130411_00536968&word=divinity

Just vote "aanraden" if you'd like... 

Edited April 17, 2013 by IndiraLightfoot

[BruceVC]

Marelooke: You are right. Wonder why the link was bad?

 

Well, here is the correct link: http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20130411_00536968&word=divinity

Just vote "aanraden" if you'd like... 

 

 

Done

 

I liked it as you suggested, do I get free Belgium Waffles? I love Belgium waffles

[marelooke]

Marelooke: You are right. Wonder why the link was bad?

 

Well, here is the correct link: http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20130411_00536968&word=divinity

Just vote "aanraden" if you'd like... 

 

Bedankt, done

 

Hope the pace of pledges picks up near the end, needs to reach 800k! Alas, not looking like it's gonna happen right now, I'd be glad to be proven wrong though

[IndiraLightfoot]

8 days left: Maxos speaks,Major rewards update!

Update #17 · Apr 17, 2013 · 10 comments

 

 

Help from an unexpected source

 

 

With only 8 days left on the clock and some distance to cover still until our next stretch goal, our Kickstarter campaign received endorsement from an unexpected source today!

 

Maxos - The man who can teach you how to become a dragon!

Major rewards update

We added a number of new reward tiers today, and also added some extra goodies to existing reward tiers. Don't worry, nothing was removed. On the contrary, chances are high that you received some free extras.

• Dragon Commander: If you pledge more than 95$, you by default receive a digital version of Divinity: Dragon Commander.  
• Kickstarter badge/credits: If you pledge more than 25$, you by default receive a Kickstarter badge on the Larian forums. You are also included in the credits as a backer. 
• Dragon badge/credits: If you pledge more than 95$, you by default receive a Dragon badge on the Larian forums. You are also included in the credits at Dragon level.
• Weresheep badge/credits: If you add 6$ to your pledge at any tier, you will receive a Weresheep badge on the Larian forums. You will also be mentioned in the credits as a Weresheep and might even have a surprise in the game! You'll also receive... a hint.  

A number of new all digital reward tiers were added today. They are present in the sidebar  at the 95$, 135$, 150$ and 200$ level. 

Because we cannot modify existing tiers in the sidebar anymore, we made a visual overview of what the changes mean for all the other rewards.

Larger versions of the digital rewards chart and the physical rewards chart are also available. 

Remember, you can always modify your pledge by clicking on the "manage pledge" button. 

Kirill performing live tomorrow

Hear ye, hear ye! The marvellous and miraculous musical magician Kirill Pokrovsky will dazzle and delight your heart and soul with the soulful music of Divinity in a divine treat for the fans. Sit down, perk up and let Kirill take you to the world of fantastic fantasia known from Divine Divinity and beyond!

In the style of a true oriental oracle, the amazing Kirill will answer any questions you may have in an extensive Q&A session.

So mark the date:  Thursday, April 18th at 19h GMT+1 (19:00 Brussels - 18:00 London - 13:00 New York - 10:00 San Francisco - 21:00 Moscow)

Go to www.divinityoriginalsin.com to see the live stream.

 

 

Kirill is already rehearsing for tomorrow. He tells us he's more nervous for this event than he was for

In Closing

Don't forget to like Larian Studios on Facebook for more Bellegar encounters!

 

@Bruce: Belgian Waffles is a given!

 

@Marelooke: Thanks a bunch!

Edited April 17, 2013 by IndiraLightfoot

[LordCrash]

 

@Indira

 

Ok, you were faster this time. But you have to include the videos.

Edited April 17, 2013 by LordCrash

[IndiraLightfoot]

Done!

[Gfted1]

That dude looks like Tommy Lee Jones in a wig. That almost made me donate right there!

[LordCrash]

That dude looks like Tommy Lee Jones in a wig. That almost made me donate right there!

 

So you haven't donated yet?