Frayed Knights 2 – Official Title, Q&A

Posted by Rampant Coyote on April 15, 2013

The last couple of weeks, we’ve had a sale on Frayed Knights: The Skull of S’makh-Daon, here (at that link) and on Desura. And we’ve been giving away games and … some other opportunities. As of right now, the sale is just about done – a few hours left until the end of the day.  We’ve also given away the opportunity to impact the sequel, to name an NPC, and are stashing a custom item for the winner of the weekend drawing.

Check your emails. The winner has been contacted. If for some reason said person defers, then another name will be drawn.

It’s been fun.

And now – with the big Rampant Games / Frayed Knights event wrapping up, I’m gonna talk a little bit more about Frayed Knights 2. (The screenshot to the right, btw, is still from Frayed Knights 1) .

So I guess we are overdue to announce the official title for the sequel.  It’s old news to some (it’s had a title since before FK1 was released), but it is the first time we’ve admitted announced it publicly:

 

Frayed Knights 2: The Khan of Wrath.

Or I guess we can abbreviate it FK2:KoW

Or something. Plain ol’ KoW sounds too much like my unreleased, needs-to-be-remade-in-Unity Apocalypse Cow game.

By way of explanation of the title – there are Rock Giants, as those following this blog and the comments already know. You may find them in a huge underground complex beneath Mount Wrath, “in the hall of the mountain Khan.” Yes, cue the theme from Peer Gynt.  And that’s all we’re gonna say about them at this point.

Here are some Q’s to be A’d about the game. Many of these have been asked and answered before, but there may be some new ones:

Q: Is this using the same engine as the first game?

A: Not unless I redo the first game using the all-new engine at some point. :0  We’ve started over… not quite from scratch, but close enough, using Unity this time around. The underlying game rules have changed somewhat, but aside from some radical changes to the interface, Frayed Knights veterans should be at home in the new game.

Q: What about my characters from Frayed Knights: The Skull of S’makh-Daon? Will I still be able to import them into Frayed Knights 2: The Khan of Wrath?

A: Yes, although you may need to manually reallocate some points, as there will be changes to several of the feats from the previous game. It may go so far as to unspend all of your feat points, for simplicity’s sake, so you can re-buy what you need. Also, some items may go away or be changed from how they worked in FK1.  Additionally, some of the choices you made in the first game may come back to haunt you in game 2.

Q: You said the spell system was changing to all these dynamic spells. Will Power Word: Defenestrate still be there?

A: Yes, there will be plenty of “fixed” spells that are either unique, funny, or necessary for a ‘baseline’ caster, in addition to the dynamic ones.  And knocking enemies through windows is quite or hitting them in the head with a bunch of boots are simply effects I do not want to give up.

Q: What’s the level range will Khan of Wrath?

A: Right now, we’re targeting level 10 through around level 20, though you may be able to progress a little above that.

Q: What if I never played the first game?

A: As much as I’d LOVE for you to play the first game, too, it will be far from necessary to enjoy the Khan of Wrath.  New players should be able to pick up with the sequel without even needing to know the first game existed. You know how The Skull of S’makh-Daon referred back to previous adventures of the Frayed Knights prior to the beginning of the game? It’ll be just like that. All important information will be repeated, so nobody should feel lost.

Q: The UI was too cumbersome in the last game. Will you fix it in this one?

A: The UI is completely redesigned. Hopefully, the new one will be far less cumbersome.

Q:  Why don’t you just use the UI layout from [enter favorite game where you play a single character]?

A: Because in that game, you play a single character. The needs of an interface where you control a group of up to six characters – especially one doing some of the unusual things Frayed Knights is doing – are pretty different. We’ll try to borrow what good idea  we have, but it’s not quite that simple.

Q: Wait, did you say six characters?

A: Yes, yes I did.

Q: Who else do you play in the game, besides Arianna, Benjamin, Chloe, and Dirk?

A:  Someone who’s name begins with an E. And someone who’s name begins with an F. And one with a G. And one with an H. Possibly others, but we’re not promising anything beyond that.

Q: Will the Rats of Nom be back? I love those guys!

A: Oh, boy, will they be back. With a vengeance.

Q: Can I join the Rats of Nom?

A: I guess we could add that as an option, but then the game would end immediately afterwards. ‘Cuz then there’d be no one to stop the Great Devouring.

Q: The what now?

A: Huh? What? I didn’t say anything. Look! A squirrel!

Q: Can we create our own characters from scratch this time?

A: No. Frayed Knights is about the Frayed Knights.

Q: Do we get to fight the arch-lich Nepharides in this game?

A: That would be something of a spoiler, but let’s say this: If so, he’d totally wipe the floor with you.

Q: Are bosses going to be as easy to beat as they were in the last game?

A: No, not quite as bad. But numerical superiority still conveys a hefty advantage.

Q: Will the game be available on the Mac this time? How about Linux?

A: Yes and yes. Part of the switch to the new engine (using Unity) was to make sure we have solid, mature multi-platform support this time around. We were hit by some unpleasant surprises last time, and want to make sure that doesn’t happen again. To that end, we’re shooting for releasing all versions of the game simultaneously (or as close to simultaneously as we can swing it).

We’re also planning releases for tablets and for the Ouya, but those will probably not be not be released simultaneously with the PC versions.

Q: So when’s the Khan of Wrath going to be released?

A: Alas, it’s not happening this year. But we hope to be in serious testing by the end of the year. I was really pushing for that, but real life conspired to kick me about six months behind schedule.  It’s the trouble that comes with being a part-time indie.

Q: Do you need help testing?

A: Not at this moment, no. We’ll be contacting members of the community (especially those who helped test the original game) when the time comes, but it will be a slow ramp-up.

Q: Will you be releasing on Steam?

A: We’ll be working with portals much earlier in the process the next time around, including Steam, GOG.COM, and Desura. We’ll see.

 

Okay, that’s about it for now. I hope that answers a few questions. Please note that while we’re pretty confident about these answers, everything here is subject to change. I mean, if I suddenly sold a million copies of Frayed Knights: The Skull of S’makh-Daon today and could quit the day job and hire full-time help, the game could very conceivably be done before the end of the year. That’s an answer I’d happily change.

We’ve still got a long way to go, but I’m really, REALLY excited about Frayed Knights 2: The Khan of Wrath. I personally learned a lot about making RPGs (particularly about making my kind of RPG) with Frayed Knights: The Skull of S’makh-Daon, and it’s been great being able to apply those lessons from the get-go.

 

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