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We're done! For now...

The Q&A is finished! Thanks everyone for joining in, being great, hanging out, and a huge thanks to the awesome team behind Victor Vran.

There have been fantastic questions, in-depth answers, and some great news as well! There's plenty to take in - if you missed the main event, read up a sample below or just see the full thread. Stay tuned for more Developer Q&As in the future!






JustMaku: Why’d you call the game Victor Vran? Is there significance behind the name? (Unless that’s a major spoiler.)

"Hmmm… There are several different answers, all of them containing a snippet of truth. We loved the sound of the name, we were gloating about the idea how the English-speaking voice actors and players would try to say it, Victor is meant to be victorious, Vran means several things in several different languages that we all wanted to add to the background of the character… The rest is spoilers, my good chap!"

Selsius: Can we expect more weapons (greatswords, fist weapons)? I know one DLC with a spell book is coming.

"We definitely want to bring more weapons to Victor Vran and we have many ideas. The Tome (a spell caster type weapon) will be the first addition to Victor Vran's arsenal. The expansion will also add new weapons, but we will talk about them a bit further down the line. But we also want to hear what weapons and play styles you, the players, want to see in Victor Vran.”

stubbie: Any plans to implement a hardcore difficulty setting?

“We have "hard" mode already, in which you have all 5 Hexes turned on from the start of the game. Also, all monsters are slightly, sadistically stronger than their 5-Hex-versions. Of course, we aren't heartless and we allowed you to accept defeat by manually deactivating the hardcore mode for your character PERMANENTLY.
And if you don't feel challenged enough, we have an achievement to complete the story without dying even once. Do this in hardcore mode, please.”

gunshellmav: Would you say there are any books or stories that influenced the development of this game? If so, what are they?

“Too many. Not only books and stories, but also movies and TV series. Also, poetry. Lots of it. Examples include "Supernatural", classics like Bram Stoker's "Dracula", things like Batman - and then enter Yeats and Poe, even a bit of Nietzsche. As you can see, it's all over the place. So were we!”







Our guests:

BOYAN (Lead Designer, BoyanD): “My love for games got me into game journalism and later I co-wrote the second Bulgarian tabletop roleplaying systems.”
-- Worked mainly on combat, monster design and bosses for Victor Vran
-- Also worked on the Tropico series, Omerta, The First Templar & more
-- He’s a huge fan of Guild Wars, board games, and card games

MOMCHIL (Designer, uncle_quenchy): “I create content that would make the average gamer cry in frustration and throw his PC out of the window”
-- Loves his job in game design
-- One of his favorite games is Bad Rats. Least favorite is sports.
Post edited July 27, 2015 by Konrad
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justMaku: Why'd you call the game "Victor Vran"? Is there significance behind the name?

(Unless that's a major spoiler).
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...................................

Victor Vran is an ancient Illuminati anagram. But to solve it you would need a Masonic code-book.

Other than that, there are several different answers, all of them containing a snippet of truth.
1. We loved the sound of the name
2. It was the least-bad-sounding one from among the other 200
3. We were gloating about the idea how the English-speaking voice actors and players would try to say it. (VREN, VRAAN, RAAAN, etc.)
4.Victor is meant to be victorious, Vran means several things in several different languages that we all wanted to add to the background of the character.

The rest is spoilers, my good chap!
Post edited July 27, 2015 by Konrad
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andreiv72: Id there a + mode when you have completed the game.
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uncle_quenchy: Instead, upon completing the storyline, you will have access to the so-called Elite Challenges, my little Frankenstein babies, that make you return to older zones and water them with your tears. Of course, if you haven't completed all the "normal" challenges, you will be able to complete them, too. Trust me, friend, you'll have to sweat quite a lot to get 'em all done. I made sure of it.
Im married to a Romanian and we have a 2 year old little girl & a 3 week old boy dont you think I have enough tears already in the house.

:)
Post edited July 27, 2015 by andreiv72
Hi there.

Will there be an update for customized controller key mappings? Also there seems to be no option for inverting the camera control, which is very uncomfortable for me, as i'm used to this control.

Finally I would like to use a localized interface while using the original English voice acting. Right now the doesn't seem to be an option for this.

Nevertheless a great game so far! :-)
Oh and any plans to implement a hardcore difficulty setting?
How about a zoom feature as well. :-)
Post edited July 27, 2015 by stubbie
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Pixelion: Hi Boyan,

Well, I am a bit curious.
Can you tell me something about the tabletop you worked on?
If you know a link, it would also be OK.

Thanks!
Hi Pixelion,

It was a Bulgarian only tabletop RPG called Acsiom 16 (since it was built on a 3d6 formula) but it is quite dead now. I still have a few stacks of unsold books gathering dust in the basement. One thing to note it was a classless RPG just like Victor Vran :)
Post edited July 27, 2015 by BoyanD
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throgh: Hello!

Great having you all here: Major questions from my side.

Are there plans for the DRM-free release of the Linux-version - no date wanted just some time relationship?
Are there plans for a local network coop-mode?
What about DLC-handling in the game? Could we await getting them here as downloadable files? :-)
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BoyanD: Hey through,

To quote our CTO – “The Steam Linux build relies heavily on the Steam runtime to smooth over differences between different Linux distros.”

We are looking into the compatibility problem but we currently have no timeline for it since we are focused on the post-release updates and free DLCs.

One of our big free updates that we are currently working on is local coop – meaning 2 players on a single PC. Currently we have no plans for local network multiplayer.

As for the DLC – yes you will be able to download them here from GOG.
Thanks for the reply. and answers. :-)
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BoyanD: Hi Storr,

We were able to locate and fix the freezing issues they should be fixed in the next update.
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Storr: That`s cool , but main question is then , when update will come ... i wanna play this game so much ....
The update should arrive this week. The freezing issue is mainly tied to the mouse move control scheme you can give the Action control scheme a try until then.
Are you aware that the licenses of the Steam runtime and every single component of it allow you to use the Steam runtime with the GOG version of the game without any problems?
Would you say there are any books or stories that influenced the development of this game? If so, what are they?
Just wanted to say congrats for the game and for choosing to deliver it via GOG.
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Pixelion: Hi Boyan,

Well, I am a bit curious.
Can you tell me something about the tabletop you worked on?
If you know a link, it would also be OK.

Thanks!
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BoyanD: Hi Pixelion,

It was a Bulgarian only tabletop RPG called Acsiom 16 (since it was built on a 3d6 formula) but it is quite dead now. I still have a few stacks of unsold books gathering dust in the basement. One thing to note it was a classless RPG just like Victor Vran :)
Thanks for the information.
It´s too bad you don't have an English translation.
I would probably buy a book from you. :)
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BoyanD: The update should arrive this week. The freezing issue is mainly tied to the mouse move control scheme you can give the Action control scheme a try until then.
Oh wow, didn't think of that.
I was messing with different control systems and didn't tie the two together. Thanks for posting this.
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Matruchus: Will the free dlc mentioned on Steam be available for the gog version too?

Quote:"

- The free Tome of Souls DLC will introduce a brand new weapon type that unlocks new active abilities and a spellcaster playstyle. Of course, there will be legendary tomes of forbidden words and endless power, such as The Nekonomicon and Fifty Shades of Slay.
- The free Highlander Outfit DLC will open even more character build options and an exciting new look for the title character.
- The free Cauldron of Chaos DLC will add a huge new map which will offer a randomized layout, encounters and daily challenges."

Also will it be available as a simple dlc or will it include online activation drm as with the booster pack?

Is there a chance for a save feature to be implemented on the maps since sometimes its a problem to finish in limited time you have and then you have to restart it again.

Otherwise I must congratulate you on a very good game :)
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Scorpionscythe: I would like to know how DLC will be handled after the mixed reaction in the community towards the 'Treasure Key'. Will DLC's need to be activated through the servers or will they be provided as a separate download or patch. (That is assuming GOG is getting the free DLC just like Steam in the first place!)
The DLCs will be available on GoG as a separate download. They shouldn’t require online activation.

Also I have a bit of good news we will change how the GIFT-OF-GEAR is obtained with the next big update. It will drop when you enter the Hub without any need to connect to our online servers.
Looks like my earlier post got eaten by GOGBears. This is a question for Boyan:

It's easy to see how your love of card/board games influenced the design of Victor Vran. What lessons about game design did you learn from working on a simulation game like Tropico, and did any of those lessons transfer over into Victor Vran? (For example, did working on Tropico influence the way Victor Vran's in-game economy is set up?)

(Edit for typo.)
Post edited July 27, 2015 by Luned
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stubbie: Oh and any plans to implement a hardcore difficulty setting?
How about a zoom feature as well. :-)
Hey there, stubbie!

You've just ran out of question tokens but since I like your avatar, I'd risk being severely punished for breaking the Q & A rules the GOG team set previously.

We have "hard" mode already, in which you have all 5 Hexes turned on from the start of the game. Also, all monsters are slightly, sadistically stronger than their 5-Hex-versions. Of course, we aren't heartless and we allowed you to accept defeat by manually deactivating the hardcore mode for your character PERMANENTLY.

As you can see, in this hard mode your character doesn't suffer permadeath. This is because we have chosen the path of endless tears for you instead of that one "oh sh*t" moment after which you will experience the sweet relief of death and restart. Consider switching the hardcore mode off an ultimate defeat.

And if you don't feel challenged enough, we have an achievement to complete the story without dying even once. Do this in hardcore mode, please.

Also - zooming! Forgot about zooming. It's a popular request that we'll consider in the future.


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stubbie: Hi guys,
Love the game and glad to hear that the random freezes will be patched.
I really like how you gave so many options for controlling the game. Not many developers give you that.
One question I have is:
Is this game online all the time?
If I click the online option when playing, I get the chat screen instantaneously, suggesting that I was online already.
I can assure you of the opposite, stubbie, good chap. Our technical team just did an excellent job and thus your decision to go online impedes neither your experience nor your resources in any way. Please, enjoy your visit on our servers.
Post edited July 27, 2015 by uncle_quenchy