Bard's Tale IV External News Thread

[jrodman]

Um. Yes. We would call that a "skill check". But, you know what, if I want to try anyway? I should be allowed. I may fail miserably. I may have a rare moment of glibness. I may roll a critical success. But I should be allowed to try. I don't want the game (or the GM) to say, "you can't do that".

Well, off off topic, but it's reasonable for a game master to decide that you fail at your attempt without a roll, in some situations.
But agreed it would be ridiculous for them to declare htat you can't try.

[Gizmo]

Then I think that you've misunderstood it.

To force an extreme: Imagine the PC has a crippled limb (or two), and the player wants to equip a pogo stick... and the PC cannot use the pogo stick ~either at all, or perhaps not without extreme penalties to it. That's a physical injury, and they can try to overcome it, but cannot really perform as a healthy person. Imagine a different PC who is afraid of heights. If this is not in the game, then the game doesn't account for it, but if it is, then it probably came as a trade off, and so the PC should at times be unable to willfully subject themselves to great heights.

*I'm no fan of self-gimped PCs for roleplay if the game doesn't account for it, but presumably if a player wanted, they could consider the PC not capable of crossing a rope bridge, and take the long way around instead.

[jrodman]

Nope.

[Gizmo]

Then I take it that you consider a party of two or more PCs as avatars of yourself without a past, personality, aspirations, aptitudes, wants, fears, and/or opinions. So... no role, just class archetypes. Okay then. (That's about what EoB, and Bard's Tale offered; but then they were more puzzle game than RPG.)

* I would be pleased with a BT4 in the spirit of BT2, but I don't think that's what is planned. If it's going to become more RPG-centric... I'd rather not see it turn out like a turn based Oblivion, and much rather see it lean towards RoA instead.

[ZiN]

And recall that many of us want a bloody sequel that's true to the originals. "Innovation" was tried with WL2, and we saw how that ended up.

So do I... but we are not going to get that; most of us realize this already.

Hope they prove us wrong about that. Otherwise, the most aggravating thing about it, will be that Fargo & InXile will nevertheless get praised to the heavens, as the saviour of old-school, giving their fans just what they want. As with the mediocre-at-best Wasteland 2 (although they are going to patch it up and give it for free, gotta give them that). After all of this, i'm starting to have doubts about Torment as well now.

[Gizmo]

I don't expect a bad game in BT4 or Torment, but I've been following Torment less, mostly for it to be a [hopefully pleasant] surprise.

[thebruce]

Ok, catching up... and I still see a great divide, as drool put it, more like axiomatic separation here.

In a table-top RPG, roleplaying is a descriptive concept; the DM decides what is and isn't possible.

In a CRPG, the program is hard coded with defined ruleset, and so classes and abilities are prescribed. You can't just do anything because you're truly "role-playing" your character. If it's a definition of a character, you can do it (with a chance at success or failure). But if it's not in the character's definition, you simply cannot even attempt to do it.

No it is not. Roleplaying is extrapolation of a native's behavior... not taking their place in the situation. Not Costume Quest. (Yes you are ~essentially playing with chessmen, in the sense that a Knight can only act as a knight, and not as a bishop.)

But... from what you were describing about pickpocketing, it sounds more like "well, if the knight wants to move diagonal a few spots, that should be an option so he can try and fail". But then, knight movement is no longer a rule, just a guideline. But it is a rule, because that's the definition of a knight. And chess reflects that - every piece 'type' is defined by their abilities. A fighter cannot pickpocket. It's simply not -prescribed- by the character class.

The character is there, the player is not, and the player's only influence in the game should be what is achievable to the PC.

Yes? That's what I'm saying... =/

Those games [with a leveling system, experience points, skills/attributes/hitpoints etc that go up] are on rails

O_O Yowza, you've got a very different concept of 'rails' than we do then
I know you're referring to plot options - but man, Bard's Tale was not a game on rails. Not, at least, strictly speaking. It would have to depend on what you subjectively consider too "linear" a gameplay experience. The only linearity in BT were certain plot points, certain game elements, that had to completed in sequence. -Everything- else offered a completely different experience, right down to random encounters potentially defining your success or death.

What's the point of choices if nothing comes of it?

In BT, the options are pretty much whether you're successful or not at any encounter or task; sure, the main plot arc doesn't change based on your choices, but there are -so many option- by which to proceed through the game, in your own way, based on your party construction, character development choices, and navigational tactics.

Ever played a pirate that can't swim?

If the pirate's character sheet lists swimming as a weakness, then having him swim would be met with failure or at least minimal success. We're saying, if a pirate [class] shouldn't swim, then it shouldn't even be an option (in any manner; even phobia) on the character sheet (in the digital game, which is very different from a table-top rpg).

~these are [effectively] no different than class limits like Clerics not using swords... even if you tell them too.

Not really. In a digital game, the software has to give you defined options. In a table-top, you can request pretty much anything, so the DM needs some guide for how to respond to the request. In a CRPG a cleric can simply not be allowed to wield a sword (instead of attempting to and failing every time). The game has to tell you what you can or cannot do - it's not imposing, it's simply a ruleset. You've already chosen a class knowing its ruleset, so why would you want to (and thus be denied) do something it cannot do? I agree that for the table-top style RPG, it should be possible. But not a CRPG; at least not in a [classic] Bard's Tale experience.

That's IMO. So feel free to disagree about wanting to see that in BT4

But we do have very different ideas, clearly, about what "role playing" is, and to what degree player agency has in determining what a PC can or cannot do (as defined by the flexibility of the system and the nature of the "dungeon master" - human or software).

[Gizmo]

In a CRPG, the program is hard coded with defined ruleset, and so classes and abilities are prescribed. You can't just do anything because you're truly "role-playing" your character. If it's a definition of a character, you can do it (with a chance at success or failure). But if it's not in the character's definition, you simply cannot even attempt to do it.

I'm hoping this is accidental, and not an attempt to parrot my argument back at me as correct, and as *proof* of why I was wrong.
(This has happened before; so it's why it occurs to me to wonder about it.)

I am thinking that we are essentially arguing the same things, but dancing around some silly misinterpretation that stands as a point of contention.

No it is not. Roleplaying is extrapolation of a native's behavior... not taking their place in the situation. Not Costume Quest. (Yes you are ~essentially playing with chessmen, in the sense that a Knight can only act as a knight, and not as a bishop.)

But... from what you were describing about pickpocketing, it sounds more like "well, if the knight wants to move diagonal a few spots, that should be an option so he can try and fail". But then, knight movement is no longer a rule, just a guideline. But it is a rule, because that's the definition of a knight. And chess reflects that - every piece 'type' is defined by their abilities. A fighter cannot pickpocket. It's simply not -prescribed- by the character class.

What did I say about pickpocketing? Nearest I can tell, is that you've read what you wanted to read and assumed that mention of percentage based thief skills in Baldur's Gate was anything more than just mention of percentage skills in Baldur's Gate ~when before it was said that there weren't any. Beyond that... it's an insignificant aside. The phrase, "[chess] Knight can only act [move] as a knight, and not as a bishop" means the same thing as " [D&D] Fighter can only act as a Fighter, and not as a Cleric" ~we were talking about character classes.

The character is there, the player is not, and the player's only influence in the game should be what is achievable to the PC.

Yes? That's what I'm saying... =/

And yet you seem surprised at what I'm saying.

Those games [with a leveling system, experience points, skills/attributes/hitpoints etc that go up] are on rails

O_O Yowza, you've got a very different concept of 'rails' than we do then
I know you're referring to plot options - but man, Bard's Tale was not a game on rails. Not, at least, strictly speaking. It would have to depend on what you subjectively consider too "linear" a gameplay experience. The only linearity in BT were certain plot points, certain game elements, that had to completed in sequence. -Everything- else offered a completely different experience, right down to random encounters potentially defining your success or death.

As per the quote... "Those games" == "No One Lives Forever", "Blood" and "Duke Nukem"; not the Bard's Tale series.

What's the point of choices if nothing comes of it?

In BT, the options are pretty much whether you're successful or not at any encounter or task; sure, the main plot arc doesn't change based on your choices, but there are -so many option- by which to proceed through the game, in your own way, based on your party construction, character development choices, and navigational tactics.

That doesn't answer the question you've quoted.

~these are [effectively] no different than class limits like Clerics not using swords... even if you tell them too.

Not really.

Yes really; try playing most D&D titles as a cleric. In most D&D titles, the cleric will not use piercing weapons. (This is an ethical/tenet based choice; against spilling blood. This is the character refusing to do what they feel they must not do.)

[thebruce]

In a CRPG, the program is hard coded with defined ruleset, and so classes and abilities are prescribed. You can't just do anything because you're truly "role-playing" your character. If it's a definition of a character, you can do it (with a chance at success or failure). But if it's not in the character's definition, you simply cannot even attempt to do it.

I'm hoping this is accidental, and not an attempt to parrot my argument back at me as correct, and as *proof* of why I was wrong.

Then I'm failling to grasp what you're saying elsewhere, as it feels like it goes against what this paragraph is saying about classes prescribing vs describing...

I am thinking that we are essentially arguing the same things, but dancing around some silly misinterpretation that stands as a point of contention.

Essentially, but you've said things that are pretty clear that I don't agree with (that imo shouldn't be in BT, at least).

But... from what you were describing about pickpocketing, it sounds more like "well, if the knight wants to move diagonal a few spots, that should be an option so he can try and fail". But then, knight movement is no longer a rule, just a guideline. But it is a rule, because that's the definition of a knight. And chess reflects that - every piece 'type' is defined by their abilities. A fighter cannot pickpocket. It's simply not -prescribed- by the character class.

What did I say about pickpocketing?

Sorry, I was harkening back to lock-picking:

Then what is the point of even giving them a name, much less a skill or two. I'm reminded of just how impressed I was in Gothic two, when I first tried the option to pick a locked gate, and my PC idly mused of having no understanding of locks ~that's in the game, until the PC is taught how to pick locks; and subsequently becomes capable of complying with the demand to pick locks.

..where I essentially responded that either lock picking wouldn't be available at all outside a class that has it an learnable skill, or if class lines are descriptive then then option to lock pick wouldn't be there until they've begun to learn the skill (and thus have at least a chance at success) - which spawned into why not let all skills be available to everyone then, where most wouldn't merely be refused until/unless they had at least minimum ability for success. Prescriptive vs descriptive. BT is prescriptive. You choose a class, and those are the only options the PC has, whether you're more likely to succeed or fail at any point. No cross-class abilities available.

Those games [with a leveling system, experience points, skills/attributes/hitpoints etc that go up] are on rails

O_O Yowza, you've got a very different concept of 'rails' than we do then
I know you're referring to plot options - but man, Bard's Tale was not a game on rails. Not, at least, strictly speaking. It would have to depend on what you subjectively consider too "linear" a gameplay experience. The only linearity in BT were certain plot points, certain game elements, that had to completed in sequence. -Everything- else offered a completely different experience, right down to random encounters potentially defining your success or death.

As per the quote... "Those games" == "No One Lives Forever", "Blood" and "Duke Nukem"; not the Bard's Tale series.

That was in response to crosmando:
"Ehhh, if it has a leveling system, experience points, skills/attributes/hitpoints etc that go up, I'd be willing to concede it's an RPG. Being an RPG doesn't make it a good game, there's such a thing as a bad RPG."

So are "those" in reference to games "with a leveling system, experience points, skills/attributes/hitpoints etc that go up", or no? If yes, then that is Bard's Tale...
It really seems like we are getting lines crossed somewhere here...

What's the point of choices if nothing comes of it?

In BT, the options are pretty much whether you're successful or not at any encounter or task; sure, the main plot arc doesn't change based on your choices, but there are -so many option- by which to proceed through the game, in your own way, based on your party construction, character development choices, and navigational tactics.

That doesn't answer the question you've quoted.

Yeah it does I'm saying "nothing comes of it" is not true - many things come of [choices], a portion of that is just not changes in the main plot arc. It's only "linear" in that certain plot beats need to be achieved in order to progress through the game. Everything else is a direct result of every choice you make in the game. The value or significance of those results is entirely subjective.

~these are [effectively] no different than class limits like Clerics not using swords... even if you tell them too.

Not really.

Yes really; try playing most D&D titles as a cleric. In most D&D titles, the cleric will not use piercing weapons. (This is an ethical/tenet based choice; against spilling blood. This is the character refusing to do what they feel they must not do.)

...yeah. But in the CRPG version, if the cleric is defined as not being able to wierd piercing weapons, then it's not even an option to do so. I presume we agree on that? On a tabletop you could perhaps ask that your cleric attempt to wield the weapon, and the DM would decide whether or not (likely not) to even allow it straight out.


I also just realized that this is taking place in a thread about a different topic perhaps we can move it to a different more appropriate thread?

[Gizmo]

I also just realized that this is taking place in a thread about a different topic perhaps we can move it to a different more appropriate thread?

Quite.

*Clerics refusal is in the engine itself, it's not an option, but the fiction ~the reasoning, is personal choice; in their case it's a vow against using piercing weapons.

[Drool]

What's different from me smashing the window to my car and smashing the window to your car?

From your perspective, it is that it's your car, but from my perspective, your car is rented.

Holy crap, an analogy on the internet actually provided clarity instead of just muddying things further.

And, I was right: it's a difference of axioms that won't be resolved. I'm always going to see it as my car, you'll always see it as a rental. Of course, you're wrong, but...

[Crosmando]

I also just realized that this is taking place in a thread about a different topic perhaps we can move it to a different more appropriate thread?

Quite.

*Clerics refusal is in the engine itself, it's not an option, but the fiction ~the reasoning, is personal choice; in their case it's a vow against using piercing weapons.

Well, same goes for Barbarians wearing heavy armor or having anything to do with magic.

[Themadcow]

Old(ish) but I haven't seen it posted here:

http://www.gamingnexus.com/Article/4862 ... Interview/

Bards Tale IV Interview

What are your favorite memories from the original Bard’s Tale games?
Having worked on each of these games myself my perspective tends to be a little different. I mostly look at it in what we were trying to accomplish and how well we did at that. No one at that time thought we could make a game that could rank up there with the biggest titles of the day, and yet we did, by pushing graphics as far as they could go and introducing innovations like the eponymous bard class and evolving magic user classes. But when it comes to favorite memories, nothing can beat facing death in the form of 99 Berserkers, 99 Berserkers, 99 Berserkers and 99 Berserkers.

What differentiates the Bard's Tales franchise from the other RPG’s on the market?
The first-person dungeon crawl with deep phase-based combat has not been a genre that we have seen a lot of in the last years, that alone makes us stand out. Our goal with The Bard’s Tale IV beyond offering a more intuitive, smoother but still challenging and deep gameplay experience is to make it a graphical leap forward for the genre, much as the originals were, while introducing some innovations into combat and the way the world’s puzzles work.

Are there any ideas being built into Bards Tale IV that were are remnants from the previous games?
We are bringing back a lot of concepts from the originals! For one, this game will be centered on the new city of Skara Brae, built on the ruins of the old that was destroyed in the original storyline. You won’t have had to play the originals to get our story, but as we did with Wasteland 2 we’ll have a lot of story hooks for our hardcore fans to spot. Additionally, where we can we will use design elements from the original for our systems, such as our character system, classes etc

How are you going to introduce the game to players who are unfamiliar with the franchise?
The advantage of making a game of this style is that when designed right it can be very immersive, walking around in a beautiful environment in first person will grab the player immediately. Beyond that what is most important is making sure the interface and control of the game are smooth and intuitive, and for that we’re taking lessons from many more recent games.

inXile has had a tremendous amount of success funding your games on Kickstarter- what do you attribute that to?
The secret to sustained success on a platform like Kickstarter is respecting your backers, communicating with them and listening to their suggestions and feedback, but of course also proving you can deliver on your promises. We released Wasteland 2 to praise from our backers, and that is a huge factor in our success with The Bard’s Tale IV.

Looking ahead at the development of the game what is the one thing that concerns you most
The technological risk factors are pretty low, which leaves sensibilities as the biggest risk. We need to make sure the game is compelling in the very first moments and then delivers on all the touch points we promised. Combat must be engaging and the sense of discover and beauty high. Thankfully we have constant communication with our backers allowing us to hone in on these things.

I saw that the game will be a continuation of the original trilogy. Will the 2004 release be acknowledged at all?
We had a lot of fun making the 2004 release and maybe we’ll make a small nod to it here or there, but its story is not canon in our world. It was a funny little side-track for the franchise but not part of this main series of games.

You developed Wasteland 2 and Torment: Tides of Numenera with the Unity engine. Why are you going with the Unreal engine for Bard’s Tale 4?
We select our engine per project, depending on the unique needs of each project. Unity fit our needs very well for our previous projects and we’ve been very happy working on it but The Bard’s Tale IV has very different requirements. We’ve used Unreal Engine before as a developer so it’s another engine we are pretty familiar with and having the flexibility to decide which one to use is a great boon.

Will the game mostly take place in Skara Brae or are you going to have areas outside of the city to explore in?
A lot of the game will take place in Skara Brae and in the ancient dungeons and ruins underneath it, but you can also roam into the wilderness, castles and ruins surrounding Skara Brae, as well as towns such as Torr Fion and Fettercain. Finally, we will also let you explore the legendary realms of Elves, Dwarves and Trow,

Is this the same Skara Brae we’ve seen in previous games or has the town changed over the years?
Well, the original Skara Brae was destroyed, but in the hundred and fifty years since people have built a new Skara Brae atop the old. But if you miss the old Skara Brae, you can always go underneath the new city and explore these ancient ruins!

Could you talk about how the classes will evolve as you play?
Evolving classes was a unique concept from the original trilogy, where you could advance your magic users from their basic types into types such as the Geomancer or even the Archmage. Our plan is to not just keep this system but expand it to other classes, so that as you level up your basic Warrior or Hunter will get a new path open to him to evolve into.

What's your favorite part of the new game so far?
It's a bit too early to say what my favorite part is, I'll know the moments when the pieces come together. But I will say that I am very excited to get the combat system in. We have some great ideas to make the encounters really pay off both visually and strategically.

What can you tell us about your new race, the Trow?
The Trow were a faery that was tied to the folklore of the Orkney islands, the home of Skara Brae. They are closest to a Kobold in traditional D&D terms but there are many variants of their race. They were typically a nocturnal race who lived in side of earthen mounds. You can find so many inspirations that Tolkien had from Scottish and Nordic mythology.

How will combat in the game work? Is it turn based?
The short answer is yes, it’s turn based. The long answer is that we’re basing our system heavily on that of the originals, but polishing it up into a system we’re calling Dynamic Phase Based, where the flow of combat is as quick as you want it to be, and we’re allowing more and finer tactical options.

Nice to get more affirmation that the 'epic' sized encounters were fondly remembered (and hopefully will try to replicate in some form?) and I probably missed it before, but having Old Skara Brae as a dungeon beneath New Skara Brae sounds great.

[Gizmo]

What can you tell us about your new race, the Trow?
The Trow were a faery that was tied to the folklore of the Orkney islands, the home of Skara Brae. They are closest to a Kobold in traditional D&D terms but there are many variants of their race. They were typically a nocturnal race who lived in side of earthen mounds. You can find so many inspirations that Tolkien had from Scottish and Nordic mythology.

That's going to take some getting used to. Trow were used in Myth 2, and were giants, like the FO3 Behemoths. In Myth 2 they'd kick warriors and the warriors would burst.

https://youtu.be/77MbpqZew-A?t=22m35s

[Themadcow]

Shamelessly taken from Infinitron's post of this interview at the codex:

http://blog.playfire.com/2015/07/the-ba ... rview.html

You guys are Kickstarter veterans now, and great success stories. What's been the key to nailing that balance on the crowdfunding platform?

We certainly have some advantages of being in the games business for so long. Crowdfunding is the ultimate test of trust when people give you their very hard earned money up front and count on you to come through with them. We've also struck a nerve for a certain kind of game/genre that was perhaps underserved and that gamers wanted to see more of. The goodwill we try to foster goes way beyond the Kickstarter campaign.

You've spoken a lot about immersion being key to The Bard's Tale IV, could you elaborate on that point?

Immersion or suspension of disbelief is the hallmark of good entertainment to me. When a film is great you forget you are in a theater and when a game is great I don't realize I'm looking at a monitor anymore. This feeling comes about when the visuals, audio and interface come together perfectly. I think a dungeon crawl type RPG is perfect in its simplicity of movement, you don't need to fight with the camera and your focus on wholly on the world when exploring. Walking around a mystical torchlight dungeon and listening for audio cues about traps and enemy movement is a grand time to me.

The dungeon-crawling genre is pretty packed these days. How will The Bard's Tale IV stand out from the crowd besides is storied history and series acclaim?

I'm not sure I would consider the genre packed but there is certainly some choice in the category. We have a major focus on what the latest technology can offer making the visuals a key component of the experience. We are making sure to utilize the latest in particle physics, photogrammetry, hair works, fabric modeling etc to make a game that looks as good as the demos you see from Nvidia or Unreal. A dungeon crawl has some unique aspects to it that allow us to push the hardware. I'm also feeling quite confident that our combat system will be both visceral and deep. And I might add that our musical approach with the Scottish talent and Mark Morgan will give it extra flair. I'm really about making the game.

Can you tell us a little more about The Bard's Tale IV's free-form exploration?

Freedom to go where you want, when you want is a key to RPGs for us and The Bard’s Tale IV will be no different. We don’t stop you from going where you want, but on the other hand we don’t protect you from that choice either. So don’t be surprised if an Ogre Brute comes up to you and smooshes your low-level party into the ground. There will also be some puzzles and challenges you can not yet pass at early levels so it won’t be free-form in the sense of a Skyrim, but neither will we guide you through linear corridors.

Wasteland 2 was a narrative-heavy, text-stuffed experience – will The Bard's Tale IV be more mechanically focused, and how will that feed into questing and combat systems?

Traditionally the dungeon crawl genre has been focused almost purely on the mechanics side, heavily focused on detailed character systems and challenging combat as well as devious dungeons. We’re maintaining a lot of that so yes, the game will be heavily focused on combat and exploration, but we’re also believers in telling a great story so the Bard’s Tale IV will be more story-heavy than its predecessors, though not as story-heavy as Wasteland 2 or Torment.

In terms of the game's story, will The Bard's Tale IV directly follow on from the previous games? Where do we pick things up in this game?

Yes, The Bard’s Tale IV is a direct follow-up. It is one hundred and fifty years after the destruction of Skara Brae, and a new town has been built on top of the old. The practice of magic is a sin and the old races have been banished, and even the Adventurer’s Guild closed by the Church of the Sword Father. But adventurers still gather in the dungeons beneat Skara Brae, the old city, seeking to survive in a land that now wants them dead.

Reconciling past and present is often a question raised with longstanding series such as TBT, but as Brian's mentioned in previous interviews, you're playing modern games all the time. Is there almost too much choice in determining how to modernise a game such as this, and how do go about reconciling nostalgic experiences that come with decade-old franchises like this with the need to cater to new players and potential fans?

There are definitely a lot of choices but I don’t think you can often have too much choice. The important thing is realizing what the core of the experience that people loved was and then unapologetically embracing it. We don’t really want to cater to anyone other than the hardcore RPG fans that continue to back us on Kickstarter, and that allows us to craft games that take advantage of modern technology and design ideas without ruining what makes these kind of games great.

What's the most awesome thing about The Bard's Tale IV?

It’s a bit too early to say what my favorite part of the game is, you really need to see a game come together to discover what those moments are where you truly struck gold. Personally what I’m most excited about now is getting the combat system in, we have some great ideas to make encounters a real experience both visually and strategically.

Highlighted some of the key points in red.

[Crosmando]

Seems good. Though players are always going to end up "testing" how open a world is by cheating to make their characters invincible and seeing if they really can go straight for the last dungeon or if there's a "hard story block" there.

[sear]

https://bardstale.inxile-entertainment. ... view&id=46

We have added RSS and Atom feeds to the web site for those who want to follow the latest news on The Bard's Tale IV using a feed reader app or service.

To use your preferred feed format, just visit the News page and click the "RSS" or "Atom" button and/or copy the feed URL to your reader of choice.

[Lucius]

That's great. Especially since I just figured out RSS can be added and followed in Flipboard. Actually atom as well, and it formats better as atom.

[sear]

https://bardstale.inxile-entertainment. ... view&id=47

Today we're proud to announce a partnership with Gamepedia, who will be hosting the official Bard's Tale IV wiki page!

http://bardstale.gamepedia.com/The_Bards_Tale_IV_Wiki

This means we will have one dedicated place where fans of The Bard's Tale IV can collect knowledge and information on the game for others to find. As the game goes on in development and heads towards release, you'll be able to contribute and help build a great, open and community-driven wiki for everyone to enjoy!

Community is a huge component of what makes our games important, and we are always looking for ways to reach out to our fans and create places for them to share in their love of RPGs.

So, check it out! We're excited to see how it grows along with the game.

You can find more information over at Gamepedia as well:

http://www.gamepedia.com/news/890-the-b ... -the-bards

The Bard’s Tale, the legendary fantasy cRPG from thirty years ago, is being reimagined in an exciting sequel from Brian Fargo, the game’s original creator, and inXile Entertainment. The Bard’s Tale IV will feature maze-like, puzzle-filled dungeons and plenty of phase-based combat. Want to learn more? Gamepedia is proud to present the Official The Bard’s Tale Wiki, a growing resource for learning more about the upcoming game.

Known for their phenomenal Kickstarter campaigns, inXile Entertainment successfully raised over $1.5m for The Bard’s Tale IV in June, promising fans of the classic trilogy a long-waited return to Skara Brae. These funds, in addition to the $1.25m from inXile, will help create a game filled with Gaelic music, rich exploration, and dangerous dungeon encounters. The Bard’s Tale IV is being built using Unreal Engine 4 and will be available for PC, Mac, and Linux users.

[Brother None]

For our Polish fans, the latest issue of CDAction has a preview of BT4.