Indie RPG News Roundup, March 2nd
There has been a bit of news on the mainstream computer RPG front in the last couple of weeks, such as Titan Quest developers Iron Lore shutting down, and the entirely unsurprising announcement that a PC version of Mass Effect is coming in May.

But things haven't been silent on the indie RPG front, either. I hear about more and more independent computer role-playing games in development almost every week.

Scars of War
When he's not being bullied by a baboon (no joke!) for his lunch, Gareth Fouche is working on a Torque-based RPG entitled, Scars of War. In recent news, based on that linked article which includes the baboon attack, he's moved over to the higher-tech Torque Game Engine Advanced to use really cool shader effects and other advanced technology.

As if switching to a different game engine wasn't enough to slow down development and make him less productive (like me!), Gareth is also blogging about the development process and other subjects in "Blog of War." Check it out for some insight into the insanity of an indie RPG developer (IMO, insanity and "indie RPG developer" pretty much go hand-in-hand).

Blog of War

Depths of Peril
Official patch 1.009 of Depths of Peril is now available. This patch seems to address localization issues, but it also includes a new "loner challenge mode" and made the early part of the game a little easier, among other changes.

Download it at the Soldak Patch page.

Warrior Quest
NextGenBooks has a new, free flash-based RPG called "Warrior Quest." It's now public and technically playable, but still seems to be quite a bit on the buggy and incomplete side. As of right now there are no accounts and no way to save your character. Besides the usual attacks with magic and melee, the game system is based around the use of "battle cards" in combat. (Hat tip to Casual Gamer Chick)

WarriorQuest at NextGenBooks

Mount & Blade
While a publisher may have picked up the distribution rights, this is still a very indie RPG in my book. Mount & Blade has some new screenshots and information at WorthPlaying.com, with a comment about it being available in Q2 2008. The game is still available (last I checked) at a pre-release discount directly from the developer's site. (Hat tip to RPGWatch)

Mount & Blade Screenshots at Worthplaying

Dwarf Fortress
In case you missed it (hey, I mentioned it in the forums!), GamaSutra has a really awesome, extended interview with Tarn Adams on the development of the mega-roguelike strategy / RPG, Dwarf Fortress. It goes into a lot of technical, programmer-ish details about things like simulating water flow and the realistic generation of terrain, but if you aren't too allergic to occasional forays into geeky tech-speak, it's an awesome interview.

Interview: The Making of Dwarf Fortress

Frayed Knights
The Frayed Knights Pilot (subtitled The Temple of Pokmor Xang) has gone alpha. It is intended to be something of a free preview for the full release, as well as a test "pilot" episode to gauge reactions and put the engine through technical paces. The pilot should be released to the public on April 1st.

Frayed Knights Website

Caverns of Underkeep
Still in beta, there have been a number of improvements to this free web-based roguelike RPG, including an improved disarming interface, hotkeys for certain spells, faster potion usage, improved carrying capacity, and a major fix to ranged weapon attacks.

Play Caverns of Underkeep


That's what I've got for this week. Got more news, announcements, and other tidbits for me to pass along? Drop me an email or post something on the forum!

Labels: Indie RPG News

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