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[Card Boy]

Just buy the game at episode 3 to 5 and by that time it should be 50% off.

 

[ab.aeterno]

Just buy the game at episode 3 to 5 and by that time it should be 50% off.

I'm in way too deep already for that.

 

[Lime]

Imagine, after all this time and wait to see the plot wrap up after the disastrous ending to Dreamfall, that Red Thread and Ragnar didn't manage to put out all the episodes. Like if he and co. once again leaves us hanging after all these years.

 

[Hastati]

Imagine, after all this time and wait to see the plot wrap up after the disastrous ending to Dreamfall, that Red Thread and Ragnar didn't manage to put out all the episodes. Like if he and co. once again leaves us hanging after all these years.

I don't like your imagination.

 

[arglebargle]

Imagine, after all this time and wait to see the plot wrap up after the disastrous ending to Dreamfall, that Red Thread and Ragnar didn't manage to put out all the episodes. Like if he and co. once again leaves us hanging after all these years.

why would you say this?

i didnt mind the update. getting the game episodically is fine for me (though i may change my tune when i finish an episode and have to wait for the next one), and i like that he still talks about the longest journey sequel.

 

[inm8num2]

I'm neutral on this matter, but this was funny to see on the KS page:

 

[KernelPanic]

Imagine, after all this time and wait to see the plot wrap up after the disastrous ending to Dreamfall, that Red Thread and Ragnar didn't manage to put out all the episodes. Like if he and co. once again leaves us hanging after all these years.

Dreamfall wasn't disastrous. Instead of answering lingering questions from TLJ he just created more, more frustrating to have another cliffhanger.

I really hope he doesn't pull a Chris Carter with X-Files.

 

[kurahador]

I'm neutral on this matter, but this was funny to see on the KS page:

Haha...yeah, I remember this.

Not really a dealbreaker for me, I just hope the episodes will be out in a timely fashion unlike Kentucky Route Zero.

 

[inm8num2]

Haha...yeah, I remember this.

Not really a dealbreaker for me, I just hope the episodes will be out in a timely fashion unlike Kentucky Route Zero.

It all comes down to how well the first episode sells, I suppose. I don't mind the wait, but what if for some reason the game just doesn't do well? Would RTG have enough of their budget left to still finish the game (with some story elements, locations, etc. being cut out), or would that jeopardize the game's completion?

I trust and respect their decision, as I doubt Ragnar and everyone else made it lightly or without a great deal of consideration and planning, but ultimately it's a risky choice that could pay off or not pay off. Only time will tell!

edit - there's a discussion at the RTG forums, and Ragnar answers quite a few questions. Link.

 

[ab.aeterno]

Compiling the most relevant Q/A bits with Ragnar:

On the interactive summary recap:

We're still trying to work out the format for the interactive Dreamfall summary thingy, and how to maybe (MAYBE) include it with the game itself. We always knew we wanted this out before the game released (naturally) but I'm not sure one or two months in advance is going to happen, or that it's the best idea. Ideally, this will come out just before the game releases or with the game's release, in order to refresh people's memories (or get new players up to speed) just before they embark on the new journey.

Anyway. That's what we're figuring out now and working towards. We definitely want to make sure everyone's on top of the story before getting started with Chapters!

The game must be played from the beginning, you cannot jump in at later chapters:

I'm not sure if I answered this or not, but that's not the case: the books can not be played separately. You have to play through the story from the beginning, and all your choices and actions are recorded, remembered and used to change things in subsequent books. The structure is episodic, but your path through it is linear — you can't just drop in at any time. Then it wouldn't be YOUR journey anymore. And we want everyone to experience the story from the beginning.

The Longest Journey Home, the next planned game and direct P&C sequel to The Longest Journey, is financially bound to Dreamfall Chapters financial success:

Correct: the future of The Longest Journey Home is 100% dependent on the sales numbers for Dreamfall Chapters. Even though we may decide to take TLJH to Kickstarter at some point, we will still need to invest quite a lot in the game ourselves, and to do that we need money. And that money will come from Chapters. If Chapters is a commercial flop, it might be Red Thread's first and only game. But that's not going to happen, of course, because you will all help us spread the word and make Chapters a hit! Right? Right!

On choices and consequences:

The effects will follow across the entire game. Choices made in Book One will come back to haunt you in Book Five!

Most choices will actually affect things in both current AND upcoming books. Some consequences are long-reaching. You will need to play the game from the beginning to the end; you can't start in the middle, since we're dependent on a lot of the choices made earlier on. Part of the joy will be in seeing how seemingly insignificant actions in one book can have serious consequences in another.

On the scope of the different episodes of the game:

Wrong: Europolis is part of Book One. Book One is pretty big. Book Two is even bigger. Book Three…well, Book Three may not be bigger than Book Two. But it's still big. Book Four, on the other hand. Oh, boy!

But, yeah, Europolis is definitely in Book One. All of it.

As for more updates — yeah, that was the plan, but I think we decided it would get lost in the shuffle, and since we have a new trailer coming next week, we figured we'd save the rest of it for then. I hope you guys don't mind, it's been a busy few weeks!

On the budget of the game:

Dreamfall Chapters is a pretty huge game. We have a reasonably big team — 16 people in-house, plus outsourcing and freelancers — along with associated overheads. I won't break this down into numbers, because that's information I'm not necessarily allowed to share, but it's quite costly.

The Kickstarter funds constitutes a big and important part of our budget, but it's not our entire budget: we've had other investments and grants, and the total budget is certainly higher than $1,5 million.

Book Two is in Alpha:

Book Two is in alpha right now. And we've finished a bunch of the locations and characters for subsequent books. It's not like we've only been working on Book One; we have worked towards a full release for almost a year.

On release plans:

Wait, what? Why? If people ask questions about Steam, we answer them

Every episode (book) of Dreamfall Chapters will be released on GOG, Humble Store — both DRM-free — and…Steam. Yep, also Steam.

Correct — your Steam copy will be automatically updated and bug fixed.

Playing across multiple episodes once they're released should be pretty seamless:

You won't have to restart the game to get to the next book — it's all pretty seamless

Still scheduled for a 2015 date to release the last episode:

Oh, 2015 for sure. We just don't want to make any promises on release dates, because we don't like *breaking* promises. But 2015 for sure.

The game's locations that are across episodes will have some variation.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

Great info. Thanks for compiling it.

 

[Slowdive]

Compiling the most relevant Q/A bits with Ragnar:

Nice info.

 

[ab.aeterno]

Happy to help. I'm (currently) on the docket for the OT, so I need to get info wrangling practice in. I'm a bit nervous for it, never done an OT before. I should start getting stuff lined up for that, actually.

EDIT: All kinds of new stuff not posted I just realized, so here it is, added to the top of the post for maximum visibility.

Coming Soon page added to Steam!

A trailer for Episode One: Dreamfall Chapters Book One: Reborn

Since it hasn't been posted IIRC, here's the key art they released:

Finally, one of the pieces of key art in high res, pulled from Steam

Original post:
Anyways, trawled through for more info:

Should be out before November, release date to come around August:

Ugggghhhh, I promised myself I wouldn't do this, because it always backfires but:

The plan is to have it out BEFORE November, for sure.

BUT (buts are prevalent, they are everywhere) we're not going to release something half-arsed or buggy or unfinished or just plain not great. So we're not going to set a specific date quite yet, even though we have a target milestone internally. And we're not going to release this game on the same day as the biggest and most hyped PC release, so we need some leeway.

I expect and hope to be able to announce a final date at the end of August. But before November, for sure (except, y'know, with lots of caveats).

There will be "Previously On"-style recaps for each episode:

We will do very brief "next time on" sequences at the end of each book. You can skip them, but they won't be spoilery. They'll whet the appetite for what's coming next. And they are important, because we do want players to be excited and talk about it and be engaged and spread the word.

But yeah, if you know you're going to keep playing the game, feel free to skip 'em.

Choices will predominantly affect dialogue/story rather than content experienced:

Choices and consequences affect conversations more than anything, so I've made my own workdays a lot harder — and longer — but the environment art and tech remain mostly unaffected by that game mechanic. Tech-wise, we had a working choice-and-consequence system very, very early on. And all the characters (well most) and locations are there in all branches: even if we had no player agency, we'd still need Europolis, Marcuria, Storytime… And those things take up most of our time.

Let's say we didn't have any choices in the game: it wouldn't be the story we wanted to tell or the game we wanted to make; it would be a much less involving and engaging game; it would not be what we'd been working towards for many years — and it still wouldn't be ready, because the art takes a LOT of time. A lot. That's our biggest challenge, to be honest: but at least the game looks spectacular, and when we release Trailer #2 tomorrow or Wednesday, you'll be able to see for yourselves.

Choice and Consequences isn't just a mechanic, it's a central theme to the game and the story:

Whenever someone writes C&C I always think, for a moment, that they're talking about Command & Conquer…

No, our story was shaped around the choice mechanic — or, more accurately, our story is ABOUT choices and consequences, and how seemingly insignificant actions can have major and long-lasting ramifications much later on.

That's our theme. It's the core of our story. We couldn't tell this story without it.

You'll see when Book One comes out: I think you'll all understand what I mean.

Social mechanics are in place to show what choices people made (like The Walking Daad?):

The social mechanics are already up-and-running and have been for a while.

You don't need an RTG account and you don't need to connect to anything. If you want to use Facebook or Steam connect to see what choices your friends have made in the game, you can do so, but it's not mandatory. You can also see what the world in general has chosen to do without connecting anything — but this is also optional. You can play the game without being connected to any servers or services.

But it's pretty cool to see what everyone else is doing. I'm addicted to it!

Reiterating their current budget allows for completing the game, but more money means more time to polish (and other financial stuff):

As with most things, we're scaleable when it comes to finances.

Will all five episodes get made regardless of sales? Yes. Do sales numbers have an effect on our company and games? Of course.

Without going into specific numbers, I can say that lower than expected sales numbers will definitely affect our timelines and team size. But our sales estimates are also quite conservative, and we're not banking our future on Chapters becoming a breakout hit. We're a cautious lot when it comes to money, and we've made some equally cautious estimates that — if met — will allow us to maintain our current team size and development velocity.

And if we sell more than our base estimates, we will of course use that money to make an even better game — but without scaling things up or adding more content. We want to focus on polish and bug fixing, rather than adding even MORE content. We have enough of that already.

Worst case scenario, Chapters is Red Thread's first, last and only game. If that happens, so be it: I'll be heartbroken, but we founded this company to make Dreamfall Chapters, and if that's all we ever do, I won't regret a thing. I'm really proud of what the team has accomplished. If Chapters is enough of a success to allow us to make more games — TLJH, Draugen, whatever comes after that — I'll consider it a bonus. This is an incredibly tough industry, and I feel really blessed to be able to do what I do. I never take it for granted.

But yeah, it's a tough question to answer. Part of the reason for going episodic is because we want and need to generate income. Our war chest isn't bottomless, and our budget is tight. We want to have a buffer, and we want to know that we can deliver a game that we can all be proud of, within a reasonable timeframe. Luckily, we have enough experience to set realistic targets — and that's what we're doing. With intricate spreadsheets!

We will definitely keep everyone in the loop once the game is released. We probably won't release detailed sales numbers, but we'll definitely let you know if and when our targets are met, and how that affects production. And if we do better than expected, we'll include you all in the celebrations…somehow!

Finally, someone has created their own FAQ/Q&A. Give it a look if you want, I didn't include everything, only the most critical bits.

 

[Pachimari]

Will this game be a continuation of The Longest Journey and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey?

 

[Deleted member 102362]

Will this game be a continuation of The Longest Journey and Dreamfall: The Longest Journey?

It's a direct sequel to Dreamfall. Red Thread wants to make another game, The Longest Journey Home, as a direct follow up to TLJ.

 

[Pachimari]

But Dreamfall is a direct sequel to The Longest Journey?

 

[ab.aeterno]

But Dreamfall is a direct sequel to The Longest Journey?

Yes and no. It is a sequel in that it takes place after TLJ and covers some familiar ground, but my understanding is that Dreamfall (and Chapters) is also a sort of separate story contained in the much larger saga. It's like the Ezio trilogy inside the Assassin's Creed series. That was my understanding.

The Longest Journey Home will be a direct sequel to TLJ that will pick up where that game immediately left off, and cover the aftermath of (TLJ spoilers):

Spoiler

finding out you're not actually the chosen one.

 

[teiresias]

Yes and no. It is a sequel in that it takes place after TLJ and covers some familiar ground, but my understanding is that Dreamfall (and Chapters) is also a sort of separate story contained in the much larger saga. It's like the Ezio trilogy inside the Assassin's Creed series. That was my understanding.

The Longest Journey Home will be a direct sequel to TLJ that will pick up where that game immediately left off, and cover the aftermath of (TLJ spoilers):

Spoiler

finding out you're not actually the chosen one.

I think TLJH is mainly just supposed to be a direct sequel to TLJ in the fact that it will focus squarely on April - unlike Dreamfall.

I'd imagine it would be a "smaller" narrative basically showing us how the April we knew in TLJ becomes the April in Dreamfall, since there has been some obvious changes in her between the end of TLJ and when we see her in Dreamfall. I sort of doubt it will be as sprawling and large in scope as the whole Dreamfall story seems to want to be (this is just conjecture on my part obviously).

 

[epmode]

I just want confirmation that Zoe's voice actor is back, SIGH

 

[ab.aeterno]

I think TLJH is mainly just supposed to be a direct sequel to TLJ in the fact that it will focus squarely on April - unlike Dreamfall.

I'd imagine it would be a "smaller" narrative basically showing us how the April we knew in TLJ becomes the April in Dreamfall, since there has been some obvious changes in her between the end of TLJ and when we see her in Dreamfall. I sort of doubt it will be as sprawling and large in scope as the whole Dreamfall story seems to want to be (this is just conjecture on my part obviously).

Oh, no doubt. I believe they've said it will be a much smaller game in scope than Chapters. It'll also be 2D I believe, but perhaps not a traditional point and click as such. They're quite coy, as it hasn't even started pre-production.

 

[inm8num2]

August production update

With the end of August approaching, many of you are asking when Book One is coming out. Right now, we have an internal target date, but we're not making any announcements quite yet. The autumn is a busy time for games and we want to make sure our date doesn’t conflict with any big titles with a massive marketing spend.

We hope to be able to narrow it down a bit more by the beginning of September, and we will most likely announce our final release date three to four weeks ahead of time. We do not foresee any delays, as work on Book One is currently wrapping up and the team is slowly transitioning over to the Book Two beta phase.

Also, new screenshots in 4K:

 

[kinoki]

I actually finished both The Longest Journey and Dreamfall this year. Really looking forward to this. It can't come soon enough.

 

[TouchMyBox]

Man, fall is going to be awesome.

 

[Purkake4]

August production update



Also, new screenshots in 4K:

Those look really nice.

 

[spindoctor]

Some unfortunate drama surrounding this.

The devs decided to hold a music competition where backers would submit pieces of music to the studio and if they were good enough, they'd make it into the game as background music (at bars etc.). Some folks/musicians got pretty angry that they were trying to commission music for the game without having to pay for it. It apparently got pretty ugly and they cancelled the competition.

 

[HadesGigas]

Seems like the lazy way to "resolve" the issue. Leaving no one happy who wanted to submit music (either for free like the original plan or with some sort of compensation). Only winners are people who had no intention of submitting music but were using it to make a point about game developers treatment of musicians.

 

[jb1234]

Yeah, it's basically a bunch of drama over nothing (and I speak as a musician). The devs made it very clear they were doing it for the fans and already had a professional composer hired to handle original scoring.

 

[wrowa]

That's utterly dumb. If you don't agree with that kind of treatment, then don't participate in the contest. Ruining the fun for everyone sucks.

 

[ab.aeterno]

Yep. Combined with the grief they suffered over the WiiU news and over publicly supporting Anita Sarkeesion, the internet have been pretty big shitlords to RedThreadGames over the past few weeks.

 

[Lime]

People are so weird when it comes to Kickstarters. The reaction to Banner Saga and Shadowrun: Returns for example was also incredibly over-the-top and this news with the music just seems like another case of unjustified criticism.

 

[derFeef]

Book 1 is close, really excited

 

[wrowa]

Yep. Combined with the grief they suffered over the WiiU news and over publicly supporting Anita Sarkeesion, the internet have been pretty big shitlords to RedThreadGames over the past few weeks.

I just looked up what happened to the Wii U version (completely missed that they even announced Chpaters for that console) and if I understand it correctly they sure've chosen the worst possible way to make the cancellation public :lol

It seems they announced the cancellation by simply writing a Tweet "Dreamfall Chapters confirmed as a PS4 console exclusive" without even adressing that they've already announced a Wii U port last year. That's definitely not a nice way to handle this.

 

[ab.aeterno]

I just looked up what happened to the Wii U version (completely missed that they even announced Chpaters for that console) and if I understand it correctly they sure've chosen the worst possible way to make the cancellation public :lol

It seems they announced the cancellation by simply writing a Tweet "Dreamfall Chapters confirmed as a PS4 console exclusive" without even adressing that they've already announced a Wii U port last year. That's definitely not a nice way to handle this.

For clarification, they never actually announced it, just that they were exploring the WiiU because of interest from Nintendo. But they clarified after everyone started running "Dreamfall Chapters coming to WiiU!" headlines that that wasn't the case.

We actually haven't confirmed that we're definitely, absolutely going to be on ANY console. Yes, we're "exploring" the Wii U, and if we can make the game look great and play well on Nintendo's platform without compromising anything, we'll definitely consider porting & self-publishing the game via the eShop. We'll reach more players and a larger audience, and that's A Good Thing. But we'll see how it plays out and how well the game works, and then we'll take it from there.

Source

 

[JaseC]

Some unfortunate drama surrounding this.

The devs decided to hold a music competition where backers would submit pieces of music to the studio and if they were good enough, they'd make it into the game as background music (at bars etc.). Some folks/musicians got pretty angry that they were trying to commission music for the game without having to pay for it. It apparently got pretty ugly and they cancelled the competition.

Talk about making a mountain out of... well, nothing. There's no controversy if the terms of the competition were clear (they were) and the candidates were aware that the reward was their ambient music being incorporated into the game rather than something monetary (they were, assuming they bothered to read the page).

 

[ab.aeterno]

Talk about making a mountain out... well, nothing. There's no controversy if the terms of the competition were clear (they were) and the candidates were aware that the reward was their ambient music being incorporated into the game rather than something monetary (they were, assuming they bothered to read the page).

From what I can gather from Twitter, a couple of sites ran stories drawing incorrect conclusions ("they want professionals to work for free!") without either confirming they have a composer (they do) or contacting the company for comment. Take with a train of salt since I can't claim to have done much other reading on it, but honestly wouldn't be surprised.

 

[spindoctor]

Talk about making a mountain out... well, nothing. There's no controversy if the terms of the competition were clear (they were) and the candidates were aware that the reward was their ambient music being incorporated into the game rather than something monetary (they were, assuming they bothered to read the page).

Yep. The general idea of those opposing it was that professional musicians shouldn't have to compete against people who can do it for free, and this is a slippery slope or something like that. What they didn't consider is that the project already has a composer who is getting paid for most of the music in it. This was just to add a few bits here and there to give fans a sense of connection with the project. There was no ill intent and there was no exploitation.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

Wouldn't this have given people who got their work in the game exposure?

 

[derFeef]

Wouldn't this have given people who got their work in the game exposure?

Yes of course, not only those who are in the game, everyone involved. But hey "MY WORK IS PRECIOUS, PAY ME!"

 

[dreamfall]

We just need it.

So badly.

And it's coming so soon! Gahhhhhh.

The music controversy was pretty ugly- I'm glad they responded so officially, and I do wonder if they'll actually use some of the submitted music/provide compensation. Red Thread 4eva!

 

[Yasae]

Yes of course, not only those who are in the game, everyone involved. But hey "MY WORK IS PRECIOUS, PAY ME!"

Ultimately it wasn't used to fill gaps - the fact that they withdrew the contest proves this.

But usually that's not the way it is. They could have removed much of the scrutiny by giving away some exclusive trinket/LE etc, i.e. something with monetary worth though not money directly. Exposure is fine but the problem is that it's not unique.

 

[Messofanego]

Have they given an exact release date? Is the first episode slated for November?

 

[Slowdive]

Have they given an exact release date? Is the first episode slated for November?

No official date yet. They said they will most likely announce they date 3-4 weeks before it's out.

 

[addik]

Damn, the cancellation of the music contest actually sucks.

My brother was pumped up about it since he wanted to have more (international) exposure. Even if he'd earn little, he would have wanted to join. It's not like he was going to make a song specifically for Dreamfall: Chapters. He could just send in a song he already released online.

It was cool because it wasn't going to interfere with the score they intended for the game. Of course, gaming journalists have to be sensationalize the issue and we got a shit nothing.

However, I DO think offering even a little compensation would have solved everything. Or maybe not. Damn Journalists have been CRUEL to RTG. They've been so cool over twitter and over fan response, they seriously do not warrant this.

 

[Deleted member 102362]

A free copy of the game (or 2 or 3 for your friends) would've been something nice, for example.

I hadn't actually realized there was even a music contest or controversy over it until after it happened.

 

[Kimaka]

October Update

Pre-ordering on GoG is now available. Steam and Humble Store pre-ordering is coming soon.

The pre-ordering package, Dreamfall Chapters Special Edition, comes with some digital extras. Backers who pledged more than $20 will be getting these for free.

Today is the last day to pledge. So do any updating on your pledges before it closes.

 

[teiresias]

I'm a bit confused, how are those of us that pledged via Kickstarter actually getting the game. I pledged at a level that got me a physical copy, but I think they're putting that off until all the episodes are out, so I'm not sure where I'll download Episode 1 now.

 

[Shurayuki]

I'm a bit confused, how are those of us that pledged via Kickstarter actually getting the game. I pledged at a level that got me a physical copy, but I think they're putting that off until all the episodes are out, so I'm not sure where I'll download Episode 1 now.

Dreamfall Chapters for Kickstarter is given out through the Humble Store.
DRM-Free and Steam key:

RedThreadForum Thread:

(1) Backer reward retrieval/schedule, Backerkit, Humble Store

To receive and retrieve all your rewards, you will need your Backerkit as well as a Humble Store account.
Link your Kickstarter/Paypal pledge to your Humble account by using the same email address. In your Humble account/Library page, click "claim past purchases". That should generate an entry for Dreamfall Chapters at the bottom of the Humble game page.
Afterwards, link your RTG forum account to the Humble account by redeeming your backer code from Humble and adding it to this forum (detailed instructions here). This should give you a forum badge.
note that the Humble Store only displays digital rewards, and it only displays the highest corresponding pledge level that gives digital rewards. Don’t worry then if the Humble Store displays a lower or slightly different pledge level than the one you have pledged!
The Backerkit, on the other hand, should absolutely display the correct pledge level.
The backer DVD versions of the game (and most of the physical rewards) will be produced after all episodes are available, not before (source).
The Doppelgänger/Unreal World/Most Wanted tier backers should have been contacted in the meantime. Contact RTG ASAP if this was not the case (source)!
RTG expects to have Roper Klacks appear in episode 3, which is the moment the Puppetmaster tier backers come into play (source). These backers have not been contacted yet.
The Benefactor of Marcuria tier backers have also not been contacted yet.

 

[MUnited83]

Preorder on Steam is up - http://store.steampowered.com/app/237850/

 

[teiresias]

Dreamfall Chapters for Kickstarter is given out through the Humble Store.
DRM-Free and Steam key:

RedThreadForum Thread:

Geez, that was a bit convoluted, but I did it. Unfortunately, my Humble Store account lists the wrong pledge tier (two levels below what I actually pledged). I sent RTG an email via the contact form on their website to ask about it, but my pledge level is correct on Kickstarter and Backerkit though.

 

[~Kinggi~]

So if i was a KS backer im getting all the episodes right?

Also this comes out in like 4 days. Hype!