It seems that you're using an outdated browser. Some things may not work as they should (or don't work at all).
We suggest you upgrade newer and better browser like: Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Opera

×
Through a sea of secrets.

<span class="bold">Herald: An Interactive Period Drama - Book I &amp; II</span>, a choice-driven adventure set in the 19th century, is now available, DRM-free on GOG.com!

It's no secret that the colonial times were a period of inequality and deep-seated prejudice. But the purpose of the Herald's fateful voyage? Now that's a very well-kept secret, one which Devan, a steward of mixed heritage, will have to uncover by chatting with the passengers and carefully exploring the ship.

<span class="bold">Book I &amp; II</span> form the basis of this branching story. Each Book has its own narrative arc and the two remaining Books will arrive as episodic content at a later date.



https://www.youtube.com/embed/BmhM1tqTqyc
Post edited February 23, 2017 by maladr0Id
high rated
Selling story as DLC is scummy.. :/
Hmm, sound like an interesting concept. Will wait for the full release.
avatar
Bigs: Selling story as DLC is scummy.. :/
Hey, I'm sorry you feel this way!
We're a small team with limited means. Releasing episodically allows us to fund the development of a narrative heavy game. We've chosen what we think is a fair price point so that you can decide if you like it and should buy the next episodes when they become available.

Hope you'll give Herald a chance! :)
To be honest, I don't think this DLC approach is as bad as some seem to think. I'm usually against DLCs, because most of the time it's just squeezing another dollar out of an already expensive game, by shipping "extras" which ought to be part of the game from the get-go. Why is it any different here? Because it's nothing else but an episodic release. Sell the first part for a reasonable price to fund the rest. It's not like they want you to pay extra for a funky in-game hat.

EDIT: Kind of ninja'ed by Draakbeest ;)
Post edited February 22, 2017 by DeMignon
high rated
avatar
Bigs: Selling story as DLC is scummy.. :/
avatar
Draakbeest: Hey, I'm sorry you feel this way!
We're a small team with limited means. Releasing episodically allows us to fund the development of a narrative heavy game. We've chosen what we think is a fair price point so that you can decide if you like it and should buy the next episodes when they become available.

Hope you'll give Herald a chance! :)
Many gamers are just allergic to the term DLC, especially around here.

I'm not sure if the theme of the game is of interest to me, but for what it's worth, ~10 bucks seems like a reasonable price to me. Essentially what it comes down to is, you're receiving a partially completed game, and make a partial payment for it, which seems fair to me. It even has the advantage that people who don't enjoy it won't have to pay for the second half of the game. Unlike other full price games where you pay some 60 dollars, regardless of how much you ultimately enjoy the game.

Anyhow, I think I'll wait for the release of the remaining chapters, before I decide whether or not to buy a copy. Thanks for taking the time to post here!

Edit: The more I think about it, the more I like the way you decided to go about the pricing. When you buy TellTale games, or similar episodic releases, you have to pay for the whole game up front, and have no idea when the remaining chapters will be released. But you guys are only charging for the content which is already completed, so this is really a better deal for the customer.
Post edited February 22, 2017 by CharlesGrey
avatar
Zoidberg: So, 10€ for half a game of 4 hours...

It starts out interesting but I'm not sure it's worth it. Better wait for the full version...
avatar
Draakbeest: Wispfire dev here!
Let us know what you think! We love to take player feedback into account during the development of Book III and IV.
feedback:

this is not the way to release this game. if you want to do the telltale thing, do the telltale thing. [make it cost a lot more than it should, but make that be a "season pass."]

this just seems...i dunno, crass? you're selling the rest of the story - that should have been there since this is a release - as dlc?!

better yet:

make a demo.

then charge $20/15 [whatever the end result is going to be] for the whole game.
Post edited February 22, 2017 by lostwolfe
high rated
avatar
lostwolfe: feedback:

this is not the way to release this game. if you want to do the telltale thing, do the telltale thing. [make it cost a lot more than it should, but make that be a "season pass."]

this just seems...i dunno, crass? you're selling the rest of the story - that should have been there since this is a release - as dlc?!

better yet:

make a demo.

then charge $20/15 [whatever the end result is going to be] for the whole game.
... why? Aside from using different terms ( DLC, episodes, chapters, season pass whatever ) how would that be any better for the customer?

As I just added to my post above:

The more I think about it, the more I like the way you decided to go about the pricing. When you buy TellTale games, or similar episodic releases, you have to pay for the whole game up front, and have no idea when the remaining chapters will be released. But you guys are only charging for the content which is already completed, so this is really a better deal for the customer.

Edit: This approach also means devs have a greater motivation to actually complete their games, since they only get paid for the missing chapter once they are completed. Some episodic games remained unfinished for years(!) after the devs charged for the full price up front. I really fail to see how that is a better deal for the customer.

Worst case, people can just wait until the game is fully completed and buy it then. ( Most likely at around 20 bucks total, which is perfectly acceptable for this type of game. )
Post edited February 22, 2017 by CharlesGrey
avatar
lostwolfe: make a demo.
avatar
CharlesGrey: ... why? Aside from using different terms ( DLC, episodes, chapters, season pass whatever ) how would that be any better for the customer?
two reasons:

the first is that this feels like a pr blunder. dlc has come to be defined as "extra stuff for a game." season pass has come to be defined as "more stuff for the same game coming at a later time."

secondly: the demo path does sort of what they want. a lot of this seems wonky and a little weird on the surface. they "want feedback." ok, so we're now doing a staggered release where we're your beta testers, but we're paying you to test your game? uuhhh. then it should be early access, not a release. [cf: ghost of a tail, which is using this exact model in more-or-less this genre.]

moreover, a demo [say two or three rooms] gives folks a good indication of what they're going to buy into somewhere down the line. this feels sort of like shareware. annnnnnd i didn't know gog did that. [shareware, in case you're not aware, was an old "episodic" format from the bad, old days pre-internet. you'd get a little bit now [say, episode 1 - generally for free so that you would plonk down more money later for the whole thing.]]

edited: silly brackets. this is why i no longer write software.

plus: this /does/ feel a little sleazy.
Post edited February 22, 2017 by lostwolfe
avatar
Zoidberg: So, 10€ for half a game of 4 hours...

It starts out interesting but I'm not sure it's worth it. Better wait for the full version...
avatar
Draakbeest: Wispfire dev here!
Let us know what you think! We love to take player feedback into account during the development of Book III and IV.
Hello, and thanks for dropping by!
I was wondering whether you've already started with the development of Book III and IV, or whether you have a rough idea when those can be expected?
From what I understand, the game utilizes a framing device (Devan narrating his story) so am I correct in assuming the "story thus far" will end in a massive cliffhanger/cut off mid-story? Or is it somewhat self-contained? The reason I ask is that it can be a bit disheartening to know that I may have to wait years to learn how the story ends, at which point I've probably forgotten what happened up to this point.

Btw, I checked out your kickstarter page and it seems there was a demo which has subsequently been removed... However, a demo is still available for download elsewhere, but I'm not sure it is meant to be that way? Meaning, I obviously prefer having a demo, but I'm not sure whether it is meant to be available at this point, or if somebody simply forgot to remove the link...
For what it's worth, I did play it, and it increased my interest in the game significantly :)
avatar
CharlesGrey: ... why? Aside from using different terms ( DLC, episodes, chapters, season pass whatever ) how would that be any better for the customer?
avatar
lostwolfe: two reasons:

the first is that this feels like a pr blunder. dlc has come to be defined as "extra stuff for a game." season pass has come to be defined as "more stuff for the same game coming at a later time."

...
Still seems like you ( and some others in this thread ) mostly take offense at their use of the term DLC, and probably wouldn't have complained if they had released it as "Part 1", at the same price point and with no practical differences other than different terminology. Just strikes me as silly, when it ultimately comes down to the same thing. ( People receiving the same amount and quality of gaming entertainment, at the same price point. )

A demo would be nice, as usual, but I guess it's difficult to create a good demo for this kind of game... ?
avatar
CharlesGrey: ...But you guys are only charging for the content which is already completed, so this is really a better deal for the customer. ...
I do see it your way, there is just one little difference unmentioned, yet. When you buy a season pass, the developer has an obligation to deliver the rest of the game. With a mere announcement of two DLCs, they're not really legally bound to do so. Thus, worst case is being left with an unfinished game.
avatar
lostwolfe: secondly: the demo path does sort of what they want. a lot of this seems wonky and a little weird on the surface. they "want feedback." ok, so we're now doing a staggered release where we're your beta testers, but we're paying you to test your game? uuhhh. then it should be early access, not a release.
I agree. I think they should have put this as In Dev, charging $9.99 for the first parts, then going out of In Dev when the later parts are released and increasing the base price to $14.99 or $19.99—early buyers would get the upgrade for free, though.
high rated
It's mostly a terminology issue I guess.. but on their website they're talking about using interns to make the game.
That's also not tremendously cool IMO.
avatar
CharlesGrey: ...But you guys are only charging for the content which is already completed, so this is really a better deal for the customer. ...
avatar
DeMignon: I do see it your way, there is just one little difference unmentioned, yet. When you buy a season pass, the developer has an obligation to deliver the rest of the game. With a mere announcement of two DLCs, they're not really legally bound to do so. Thus, worst case is being left with an unfinished game.
I suppose, but in reality, buying a season pass is no guarantee that you'll ever see the finished game, either. ( Shit happens. Sometimes it may take years to complete, or worst case the dev studio goes down entirely. ) The only difference is, in the case of a season pass ( or kickstarter campaign etc. ) you've already paid for the full game. In this case you're only paying for the content that's finished and available.
avatar
CharlesGrey: ...But you guys are only charging for the content which is already completed, so this is really a better deal for the customer. ...
avatar
DeMignon: I do see it your way, there is just one little difference unmentioned, yet. When you buy a season pass, the developer has an obligation to deliver the rest of the game. With a mere announcement of two DLCs, they're not really legally bound to do so. Thus, worst case is being left with an unfinished game.
Legally bound? *sigh* People do die, you know, and with them their vision, dreams, and guidance. OTOH, sometimes it's the dreams that die... leaving their originator an empty carcass. Life happens, and sometimes that means death, either viscerally or soulfully.