Graywalkers - Development Update

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Kickstarter update #28 for Graywalkers Pugatory:

Where We Are
Development continues to move forward continuously. We've come a long way and we're halfway through the year. Nonetheless, there are still lots to do as usual.

For the past month, we've finally managed to figure out our process. Knowing this, we now have a pretty good idea of how much more work needs to be done, and an estimate of what can be done in the time available. We realized that with the quality we have decided to pursue, it is either going to take more time or its going to cost more. At the moment, we have our set budgets and we have seen our limitations based on that. Of course if we manage to get more funds, then this issue becomes moot as we can hire more people beyond the current full time team of 10 people.

We are currently re-assessing our features and trying to see which ones are core, and which ones can follow as we update after release. We're doing this early so that we can manage expectations at this early stage, rather than later down the line when expectations are already set. This does not mean that these features won't eventually get into the game, it is simply that we will have a priority list and the others can follow after. This is where we want your feedback as backers. Your thoughts will guide us on how we are to proceed with regards to these.

Our current plan is to focus on the Single Player Campaign, and all the features that will go with that. The other modes such as Freeform and Multiplayer, will be to follow. All features related to these 2 features, will be put on the secondary list and will be addressed only after majority of the single player campaign will be done.

Also, we already mentioned before that the story will be released as major story arcs, together they will tell the whole grand story that we had originally planned. On their own, each are complete stories unto themselves. We've worked this out to the whole story being released into 3 parts, with each story arc coming out within 6-8 months after Chapter 1 is released, as a free DLC for all KS and PayPal backers. Each chapter will have the adventure happening in a third of the map of the whole country of Purgatory. By the 3rd chapter, you would have explored the whole of Purgatory. This also means that the potential Graywalkers you will find in the first chapter may not be all the available characters yet. Potentially, we are projecting about 18-22+ characters (enough for 3 teams) in the first chapter, another 10-15 by the 2nd and another 10-15 by the 3rd chapter. This means the total number will be over the original 40+ planned, but will be spread out more among locations and chapters.

We would like to know your thoughts and opinions on our plan. These are not final and are subject to change. As we said, this game is not only about what we want, but also what you as backers want as well.

Skills
We now also want to discuss a bit about skills. We have now a more or less final list of skills that will be in the game. Of course this is still subject to change based on your feedback, but if there are no violent reactions, these are the skills. We would like to hear your opinion regarding them, especially with regards to which skills needs to be added, condensed or expanded. As it stands, Skills govern all the actions you do in the game, both in and out of combat. As you level up your skills, added special effects and abilities are unlocked.

• Arcana - this governs spellcasting, supernatural lore, enchanting, ritual magic and conjurations.
• Athletics - this covers physical skills such as running, jumping, climbing, swimming and sports in general.
• Computer - this governs the use and knowledge of all computer related equipment. This is also used for programming and hacking.
• Demolitions - the safe use of explosive materials, as well as disposing and disarming them.
• Dodge - this is simply the ability to avoid getting hit from ranged and close combat attacks.
• Drive - this is the required skill to drive vehicles of any kind. The skill affects what type of vehicles you can drive, a factor in the defense of the vehicle from avoiding damage, and the maximum speed of the vehicle.
• Mechanics - this is the ability to use, repair and build primarily mechanical devices and machines.
• Electronics - this is the ability to use, repair and build primarily electronic devices.
• Martial Arts - this is the ability to fight hand-to-hand, or martial weapons that are considered close combat.
• Medicine - governs the ability to heal various wounds and ailments by natural and scientific means. This includes first aid, herbalism, pharmacy, surgery and other medical fields.
• Merchant - this is the ability to appraise items, sell them for the best prices and to haggle for the best deals. The higher your skill here, the higher price you get for things sold and the less you have to pay for things bought.
• Perception - this is the ability to use all your senses to observe your surrounding and assess the details.
• Persuasion - governs the ability to convince or manipulate people to believe in what you say and sometimes even do what you tell them to do. This can be used for gathering information, getting past guards, or many other applications.
• Divinity - this is the knowledge about divine beings, religions and prayers. This also governs the ability to cast divine spells, assuming you have access to them. It also includes the ability to sense, exorcise, summon, banish and contain otherworldly beings.
• Scavenging - this is the ability to search and find useful items from areas and make the most of what you find. The higher your skill in this, the higher percentage of finding scavenge material, as well as finding more in quantity as well as in quality.
• Science - this is the catch-all skill for scientific skills such as chemistry, mathematics, physics, astronomy, and the like. It also includes the use of high tech science devices and machines.
• Stealth - this covers various skills that include infiltration, moving silently, avoiding detection and camouflage.
• Subterfuge - this includes all thievery and criminal type skills such as lock-picking, safe-cracking, pick-pocketing, streetwise, forgery and the like.
• Survival - this skill covers your ability to use and find things needed for survival in the wilderness. It allows you to better manage your resources, letting you consume less depending on how skilled the members of your team are. It also helps you avoid unwanted encounters and improve your chances in avoiding conflicts when you want or need to.
• Weapon Skill (WS) - these are the proficiency skills for each type of weapon. It governs the use of those weapons effectively, as well as its maintenance and basic repair (fixing jams). More advanced repairs and modifications will require mechanics or engineering skills however. Below is a list of all the weapon type groups.
• WS: Assault Rifles (automatic rifles such as M4, Ak47, FAMAS)
• WS: Blunt Weapons (hammers, maces, clubs, etc.)
• WS: Edged Weapons (daggers, swords, axes, etc.)
• WS: Launchers (grenade launchers, rocket launchers)
• WS: Machine Guns (light machine guns, medium machine guns, etc.)
• WS: Pistols (revolvers, semi-auto pistols, flinlocks, etc.)
• WS: Polearms (Glaives, Spears, Halberds, etc.)
• WS: Projectiles (Bows, Crossbows, Slings, etc.)
• WS: Rifles (Bolt-action rifles, Sniper Rifles, etc.)
• WS: Shotguns (Pump-action, semi-auto shotguns, full auto shotguns, etc.)
• WS: Sub-machine Gun (small automatic weapons such as Uzis, MP5s, machien pistols, etc.)
• WS: Thrown (Shurikens, Throwing Knives, Kunais, Javelins, Grenades, and basically any other thing you try to throw at a target

Take note that the Table-top RPG will have more skills and are less condensed.
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