Vigilantes: TB Tactical RPG [Coming to Steam Soon!]

TheVigilante

TheVigilante

First time out of the vault
Hello all,

Edit: After 3 years of work, Vigilantes went live on Steam early access on 5th October. Here's the release trailer and a link to the Steam page!



I'd like to share the game I've spent well over 4,000 hours working on since November 2014. Vigilantes is a crime themed, turn based tactical RPG inspired by the classics of the 90's, such as Fallout, X-Com, and Jagged Alliance. I've always had a passion for TB RPG's since playing Fallout and X-Com, and since getting into game development around half a decade ago, have always wanted to make a meaningful contribution to the genre.

Here's an illustration of Sam, the protagonist, after a rough night battling the criminal underworld:
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The aim with Vigilantes was to create a turn based tactical RPG with old school sensibilities, avoiding the current trend of simplifying mechanics and character system, with a combat focus, and in a setting which was not common to the genre. So we settled on a declining modern city, in the midst of an unprecedented crime wave, caused by the rise of three gangs: the mafia, paramilitary survivalists, and the cult like Church of the Final Exodus.

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A fanatic leading a coven of Church of the Final Exodus acoltyes in a bizarre ceremony.

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A pair of Mafia enforcers stand guard outside a meeting between a mafia boss and high ranking city officials.

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A new wave of Survivalist recruits ready to wreak havoc on Reiker.


In Vigilantes, you'll get to lead a team of vigilantes against the criminal underworld, taking down criminals in tense tactical battles with fist, feet, firearms and explosives, run surveillance operations to locate criminal activity, meet memorable allies, develop your team to suit your playstyle with the nuanced UPLIFT system, craft, loot or liberate a wide range of hardware, and enjoy a carefully crafted story backed by quality voice acting and artwork. On the mention of allies, here are a few that you will meet along the way:







A demo with around 3 hours of gameplay is available for Windows, Linux and Mac and can be found here.

Kickstarter and Greenlight campaigns are currently underway. On Kickstarter, we're well on the way to our modest goal of €5,000. The most popular reward is the limited, earlybird €8 standalone, Steam Key and early access package, which represents an almost 50% discount on the expected release price. There are also rewards offerinig perk design, or having a criminal, or NPC named after you. If you'd like to check it out, the Kickstarter can be found here.

On Greenlight, we're over 90% of the way to the top 100. If you'd like to cast your vote on whether Vigilantes deserves to be on Steam, the Greenlight is here. If you don't want the hassle of logging in on a browser here's a simple php script that will open Steam directly on the page.

Thanks for reading. If you have any questions about Vigilantes, or its development, I'd be happy to talk to you!
 
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When you say that it has a combat focus what does that mean exactly? Like are we talking Wasteland 2 combat focused where it does revolve around combat but also got dialogue and multiple quest solutions and periods of peace or are we talking about Fallout Tactics where it is far more limited and vastly more focused on just completing missions or are we talking XCOM where apart from managing the base it is focused exclusively on combat and has no dialogue or multiple quest solutions?
 
Hi Mr Fish. Thanks for the question. Vigilantes won't be as story heavy as Wasteland 2, but it's an area we are putting a lot of effort into. It's more in line with Fallout Tactics. There will be dialogue before some tactical missions, and this dialogue will have skill checks which allow you to gain an advantage in combat. Other rewards from dialogue, such as intel, cash, or items are likely. There will be a number of voiced cut scenes throughout the campaign, and a voiced introduction for each ally. Overall, we expect the story elements to weigh in at 10 - 15k words.
 
Sounds really good to me. Any RPG that departs from the most common setting (high fantasy in pseudo medieval Europe) is refreshing to me.

Timeslip's first game "Deadstone" received mostly positive votes on Steam, they have a downloadable alpha demo, the game is reasonably close to being finished (Spring / Summer 2017) and the digital copy tier is only around $9... So I am happy to back it.
 
Thanks daveyd. We made a point of avoiding fantasy and sci-fi settings early on, and we're glad that we did. Thanks for your support!
 
Hi eissa. Thanks for the question. Vigilantes is non linear - it's structurally quite similar to the original x-com, which is still one of my favourite games. Vigilantes has a city map, which you must run surveillance operations on, and then you can decide which tile to attack. It has more in common with the older TB rpgs, which allow you to spent ap, rather than perform a number of actions. The typical AP range is 5-15, 5 being for a low level character with limited fleetness stat
 
Congrats on passing your goal. I'm hoping that at least the first two revealed stretch goals are reached by the time the KS is over.
 
Thanks daveyd, and sorry I missed your message first time around.

We're now moving into the final two days of the campaign, and have achieved the first two stretch goals. This means we can add 10 extra perks (minimum 50 + perk reward tiers), 10 extra combat areas (minimum 45), and 1 or 2 new environments. With what will very likely be the last stretch goal, we are hoping to raise an additional €1,500 to add 10 more combat areas and 1-2 more environment types. This will bring a lot of value and visual diversity to Vigilantes, for a relatively small amount of funding. If you'd like to check out the campaign, you can find it here.
 
It's been a while since the last update, but we made it on Kickstarter, and even reached the first two stretch goals. Since the Kickstarter, there have been 2 updates, with another well on the way. The emphasis has been on adding the city map, and enhancing the combat system by adding features like the ability to target enemy body parts, to cause extra damage. Weapon crafting has also been added. On the content side, there are 8 new maps, 5 new weapons and 10 new perks. Here's the most recent development video, in case you'd like to have a look:



Meet Edgar Kowalski, a Reiker City fire fighter, a fire bug, and a schizophrenic with multiple personality disorder. Physically imposing and experienced with explosives, Kowalski brings an element of unpredictability to Sam's team. Here's Olga's illustration of him:

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What do you think of Edgar as an ally? Would you include him in your vigilante team?
 
Hello again. Vigilantes version 13 is now available for download. This update includes the usual boost of new content, with 4 new maps and 4 new perks.

Building on the emphasis of the last few updates on enhancing the tactical depth of combat in Vigilantes, 3 of these perks provide abilities which can be activated in battle to give you a tactical edge. Furthermore, a cone of fire has been added to shotguns, which brings both the potential to hit numerous enemies and the risk of friendly fire, making positioning of key importance. If you'd like to see some of the new content, and the additions in action, you can check out the development video below, or the release notes on our forums.



Suggestions, criticism and questions most welcome, as always!

The Vigilantes Steam page can be found here and Vigilantes is available direct, with both a standalone download and a Steam key, at a discount on the final release price here.
 
We're forging ahead with version 14, with 4 new maps in a residential setting, and a significant enhancement of close combat mechanics. Instead of just one standard attack for unarmed, blunt and bladed weapons, there are now multiple attack types. These include lighter attacks with a higher chance to hit, heavier attacks with a lower chance to hit, attacks with higher critical chance, and attacks which cause negative effects on their target. If you'd like more information on these changes, you can find out more on the development video below:



If you are a turn based tactical RPG fan, we'd really like to hear what you think!
 
Version 14 of Vigilantes is now available, and it's one of the more hefty updates so far. Here's a the development video and the release notes. Comments are very welcome!



Features
+ Added multiple attacks for each melee weapon type: unarmed, bladed, blunt
+ Added code to support temporary allies, which will allow for greater diversity in encounters
+ Characters can become lightly and heavily wounded as when their current HP drops below a % of the max HP. Wounded characters have less AP, are easier to attack, and suffer a CTH penalty on attacks
+ Enemies can now flee. Should they make it to the flee point, they will gain a level and you will have to encounter them later.
+ Added new pre combat encounter advantages: Reposition, Damage enemy
+ Added code to support encounter rewards: Cash, Items, Reputation


Content
+ Added 3 suburban maps
+ Added 1 suburban graveyard maps
+ Added 3 suburban city backgrounds
+ Added new encounter: The Hit
+ Added new encounter: Grave Robbers
+ Added new encounter: Bootleggers
+ Added new perk: Artery Strike - Unlocks a special attack, which can inflict the heavy bleeding status effect
+ Added new perk: Concussive Blow - Unlocks a special attack, which can inflict the heavy concussion status effect
+ Added new perk: Friendly Fire - Reduces chance of hitting ally in the shotgun's zone of fire to 33% of its existing value
+ Added new perk: Message Sent - Incapacitating an enemy with a shotgun has a 50% chance to apply the traumatised status effect (+15% damage for 2 turns) to enemies within a two tile range


Tweaks
+Improved lighting on all maps.


Fixes
+ Fixed a number of text errors. (Thanks Nathan)
+ Fixed errors in firing sniper rifles. (Thanks Nathan)
 
Hello all. Recently, we asked our Kickstarter backers which additions they would like, and improved mission variety came out on top, so we tackled this first. This development video shows two new mission types: escort and prevent enemies fleeing. In the first, you have to escort a temporary ally being pursued by a criminal hit squad, and in the second, you have to prevent a group of paramilitary survivalists escaping with the proceeds of a bank robbery. Comments and suggestions most welcome!

 
Vigilantes Version 15 Released!

Another month, another update, another step closer to release.

We've just released the 15th version of our crime themed turn based tactical RPG, Vigilantes. If you'd like to get info on the first half of the update, you will find it in the above video. In the second half of the version 15 update, we added the first non combat encounter, added support for withdrawing the player team from combat, 3 new encounters and 3 new perks.

If you'd like a more complete explanation of these changes, please check out the video below, and please leave a comment to let us know what you think!

 
Vigilantes Version 16 Released!

Version 16 of crime themed, turn based tactical RPG Vigilantes is now live. This version's key additions are: Interrogations as a means to gain intel on the criminal gangs of Reiker City, and Gang Leaders, dangerous opponents who must be taken down to eliminate each gang. If you'd like more detail on the update, you can check out the development video below, or the release notes below.



Thanks for watching/reading. Should you have any questions or comments, be happy to have a chat.

[Features]
+ Added first pass of interrogation feature, which allows you to gain intel from defeated enemies.
+ Re-integrated gang leaders (lieutenant rank)
+ Added a provisional gang intel screen.
+ Enhanced interrogation by allowing you to find intel on gang leaders

[Content]
+ Added 2 Old Industrial Area maps
+ Added 1 Old Industrial map background
+ Added hand drawn portraits for player team

[Tweaks]
+ Made a number of tweaks to visual effects
+ Visually improved a number of levels.
+ Improved lighting on all levels.
+ Carried out minor optimisations on all levels

[Fixes]
+ Fixed a number of minor issues with Downtown & Suburbs maps.
+ Fixed incorrect tile mapping on slum map
+ Repositioned car on slum map so cover display more visible
+ Volumetric spotlights disabled by default on Linux/Mac
+ Fixed a number of issues with suburbs 1 map.
+ Fixed shotgun fire mode button being active in error.
+ Fixed critical chance not being reset with certain firearms.
+ Improved quality of low level lighting.
 
Vigilantes Version 17: Update 1 - Player Facilities & New Maps

For the first part of version 17, we've added two new maps, and introduced player facilities. There are 5 facilities, which collectively make up your base: gym, workshop, library, surgery and firing range. Each facility can be upgraded 5 times, and each upgrade enhances the advantages the facility provides, includes free items, stat, skill, and damage bonuses.

If you'd like to check out the new map, and get more information on how facilities work, you can find out more from the below development video.



We're currently working on re-instating the gang strategic AI and adding criminal rackets, enemy structures which you will have to assault and destroy to remove the bonuses they provide to the faction to which they belong. This is mostly complete now, so expect the version 17 release soon!

Thanks for reading and/or watching. If you have any observations to share, or questions, please leave a comment - always happy to have a chat!
 
Vigilantes Version 17 Released!

Hello,

Hope you're having a good weekend! It's proved to be a work intensive and challenging update, but Vigilantes version 17 is now available. The second half of the update focused on two inter-related additions: rackets and the gang strategic AI.

Rackets are bonus providing enemy facilities, which are located in city districts. There are currently eight racket types. Three of these are main bases, of which each gang starts with one, and the remaining five rackets can be purchased and built by the gangs throughout the city. Each racket provides different local (adjacent tile) and global bonuses, and income.

The Gang Strategic AI directs the gang's actions on the strategic, city map level. We wanted to avoid giving each gang a set of rigid orders, (such as acquire upgrade x on day Y) which they would follow regardless of what the player is doing. Instead, we invested some time to build a system which would allow the gang to use their financial resources to react strategically to the player, choosing which upgrades and rackets best suit their current needs.

If you'd like to get more information on this update, you can find out more in the development video below. Apologies for the slightly choppy footage, I accidentally opened and activated a second video capture program during recording.



Thanks for reading/watching. If you have any questions, comments, or observations, please leave a comment - be happy to talk!
 
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