devtrackers.gg → Last Epoch

[2020] I am the Game Director for Last Epoch, AMA!


Original Post — Direct link

Hello everyone, this is Judd Cobler, Game Director for Last Epoch. We are 4 days away from finishing our Kickstarter as an indie development team creating a time-travel based action RPG similar to the Diablo series.

I'll be answering questions from 10AM CST/CDT to 11:30AM CST/CDT - Ask me anything!

Edit: Thank you all for showing up and asking some great questions! I'll continue to check this post and answer questions for the next few days. If you are interested in Last Epoch please consider supporting us on Kickstarter: https://kickstarter.lastepochgame.com - We look forward to providing you guys a game you can play for thousands of hours :)

External link →
over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by genesisFuz

nice! and i assume the game price will also be $19.99 or $24.99?

The game will be free to play up to level 20 so that you can try before you buy and then be $14.99 supported by selling cosmetic items that make your character look even cooler.

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by Veldara

Any plans on adding rifle/pistol weapons for my favorite class the Marksman?

We've discussed adding these in an expansion but there are no details at the moment.

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by JerleGamer

Hi Judd, this sounds very similar to the POE experience. I think someone mentioned in the LE Devblog about POE's party play which is that POE appears to be a single player game with multiplayer as an afterthought. D3 and POE are online only ARPGs so even single players are compelled to partipate in the online community somewhat. But with LE offering offline play, it appears there are little incentives for playing online? (PS: I understand leaderboards and such are mentioned, but other key attractions for online such as multiplay and trading appears limited, I am not sure the former is sufficient to incentivise players to go online?)

There are lots of reasons to play online! You have access to races, leaderboards, PvP, group play, trading, chatting, safe storage of your character server-side, the ability to gain XP/items a bit faster if organized, some class synergies (think paladin with heals or warlocks with debuffs). The team expects to see over 80% of players play online.

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by UrBoyJC

  1. What are the team's plans on frequency of patches?
  2. What is your opinion on smaller, more frequent patches versus larger patches?

We want to keep content fresh for our playerbase and will be releasing small content patches frequently, however we will save larger changes for patches that are released less frequently.

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by JerleGamer

Does this mean EHG frown on opie opie builds like COC/Mjolnir/wander builds in POE and hammerdins in D2?

I wouldn't say that we frown upon builds like that but the major issue with those builds is that players feel pigeonholed into playing them because they are noticeably more powerful than other options.

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by Majjhika

Will there be quest-like challenges similar to races, but for individual prizes with less competitive pressure? I've been playing Eternium which gets quite repetitive at the end game, so the main thing that brings me back to it are the events with collection or defeat goals and bonuses. I think it would be cool to include other kinds of questing to look for hidden easter eggs in Last Epoch. My kids and I just started listening to Ready Player One on Audible and my daughter commented how much she loves this kind of challenge.

Having challenging content with more deterministic rewards is something that we plan to have via monster/boss -specific drop tables. I think the Epoch's Call and the Monolith system may fill this role decently.

I'd love to hear what you think would be fun in this regard.

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by iApplepet

When you finish the PC version, will there be plans for the Nintendo Switch/Xbox One/PS4 consoles?

We'd love to have as many people playing Last Epoch as possible! After release we'll be a in a better position to answer this question. Unity does make it fairly easy to export to other platforms so, if we have the funds, it's likely we'll get there. My son and I would love to play Epoch on our Switch :)

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by Zaekath

Is the game meant to be designed around creating a single version of a particular class (D3) or will there be permanent allocations which would incentive players to play the same class multiple times in order to try different builds for that class? (PoE, D2)?

There will be a cost associated with reallocating your characters skills and passives so if players like the character they have and would like to try another build it's likely that they will re-roll another character of the same class. They of course can spend less effort altering their current character but it won't be as easy to switch skills/passives as, say, Diablo III, but less punishing than PoE.

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by Kedgannn

Druids! DRUIDS! DRUIDS!

I set it before and I shall say it again will my Wolfies! be beast of destruction or simply crowds dying instantly.

PS: Your fellow Dog Lover

So the big difference between Beastmaster and Necromancer is that a Beastmaster cares about his pets. As a Beastmaster you will not want to let any of your pets die as it will have an impact on your situation. They will be more durable than a necromancer's skeletons as long as you don't completely ignore the proper gear and passives. We plan to continue to improve the Beastmasters toolkit and you'll really start to see the synergistic abilities with bear taunts, enrages when a companion dies, the ability to flank, etc.

TLDR; Beasts of destruction confirmed.

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by Helmera

Where did the time travel idea come from?

Also im working on my own project with C#. Any tips for game development?

Our time travel is deeply inspired by Chrono Trigger, an SNES RPG. If you haven't played it, I highly recommend it.

  • Always ask for critical feedback - people telling you that something is good doesn't help you!
  • Schedule at least an hour a day to work on your project so you actually complete it.
  • Beware of scope creep.
over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by LoneStar64

Has this been asked, MP? Sorry if repeat been working a lot so I can support Last Epoch

Yes, Last Epoch will have multiplayer and associated systems!

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by carlbeck

Who is the coolest 4yo girl you've met in the last 24 hours?

Elanor! (right?) We both like Peppa Pig - she's ok in my book. :)

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by illusiveman150

Any idea on how end game gear is looking like? In D3, sets are king. It's very rare in D3 to be running end game without sets. In D2, I feel most sets were just fine in end game and helped leveling in early/mid game (Sigons set, Arctic set, etc), but they were there to help you gear into better uniques and rune words. I don't want sets to be the must have of Last Epoch.

Set's will not overshadow very well rolled magic items(magic covers what you think of as rares in the Diablo series) or uniques. Diablo 2 did sets best in our opinion.

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by YaniH7

Been playing the pre-Alpha demo and I'm loving it. Plan on backing very soon but I was just curious if there are any further plans for polearms and/or thrown weapons (specificially spears/javelins/etc) whether the plans are for weapons themselves or skills relating to them? I know that the Beastmaster currently has a couple of Polearm skills but is there anything further in the works? I would also like to say I'm very happy with how the game has handled melee weapons in relation to their skills.

We'll have many more base types added, including more polearms from what you're able to find in the demo. As far as throwing weapons, our lead developer has been lightly playing a Titan Quest update that introduced them and he's been raving about them so it's likely we'll see some throwing weapons introduced too. Stay tuned!

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by [deleted]

[deleted]

Oh, I see how what I said could have been interpreted that way. You cannot gear pets directly but the gear that you wear can include bonuses to pet health, damage, crit chance, dodge rating, defenses, and more. More interested pet-related gear coming soon too ;)

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by Anexio

Regarding other platforms, will they all be able to play together, or is it separated to each platform?

We'll have cross-platform play in mind when developing but nothing to confirm here yet.

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by breell

Yes absolutely - not yet implemented

Please no level requirements, and no stat requirements but stat suggestions instead: say if a sword is too heavy I can still wield it, but there will be consequences (slower to hit, less damage, maybe self damage, etc...).

I actually haven't heard anyone suggest this - I really like it. I will bring this up to the team in our next design meeting! Thanks for the cool suggestion, Breell!

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by AqilleuS

Hey there I am kinda concerned about the graphics are they gonna stay like this which i honestly doubt because its only a pre-alpha but just wanted to ask that and what u think how the game gonna look at releasse maybe u could compare to one of the current Arpgs like poe,d3 etc

Ty in Advance !

While I don't want to compare directly to the other games in the genre, I invite you to join our Discord server and check out some of the models being posted in the #sneak-peeks channel. Characters, environments, weapons, armor, will be slightly exaggerated and the environments will change drastically throughout different time periods and areas. https://discord.gg/lastepoch

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by breell

Maybe a skill that allows one particular pet to have gear? Maybe even make this a unique choice, ie you can only learn this type of skill once, so pick it for the type of pet you care most about.

Again, another cool suggestion that I really like. Join us on Discord, Breell, and keep the feedback and suggestions coming!

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by kalle2934

Maybe a petty question, but I'm wondering if you plan to add an option to permanently display enemy mini health bars (or health bars of enemies recently damaged)? I personally think this feature is great in Path of Exile, and I was kind of disappointed when I saw that Grim Dawn didn't have it, for instance.

Great question - We will 100% add this in the near future. We agree it's a great feature in other titles that have it. The only debate is whether we'll have it on by default or not - but it will definitely be toggleable in the options either way.

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by kalle2934

Wonderful, looking forward to it!

Speaking of future updates, do you have any plans on releasing a class or build that revolves on healing/support?

Look forward to our Paladin class. Their toolkit will involve plenty of this

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by Slickmaster5000

I think for friends playing together having a ffa option for that game instance only would be great so we don’t have to describe items all the time we can just drop everything and negotiate between eachother. But for rando parties it would feel bad if you got swooped

Good feedback - I'm sure we can do this fairly easily

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by Slickmaster5000

Tbh for how good this game already feels 15$ is a steal!

Glad you're liking it, Slick! It will be much better every month ;)

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by kalle2934

Sweet! Do you have any plans on enabling a Paladin build that is more like a traditional healer (like a Priest), rather than a healing tank?

Thanks for the quick answers by the way! I pledged a few hours ago, really looking forward to test the Alpha this summer. ~

You'll be able to build for full support if you want to but we're not having MMO-like tank, healer, and DPS roles. But... if people want I suppose you can simulate that haha!

over 6 years ago - /u/EHG_Judd - Direct link

Originally posted by gibbousmoon100

How do you intend to keep the reddit crowd from pressuring you more and more into a clear-speed meta?

Faster clear speed is often what players in these types of games strive for - I don't see that being any different in Last Epoch. If we see a skill that can go from screen to screen in a split second destroying everything in an area that is supposed to be challenging it's safe to assume that we'll combat that build in some way. A big way to prevent this up front is to build skills that do not hit the entire screen instantly. We've also decided to make mana matter much more than a lot of games by not introducing mana potions and giving powerful abilities high mana costs so you can't easily use them back to back.

I will not let our game become movement skill > screenwide kill > movement skill > screenwide kill, repeat. If you notice that happening in the future, copy and paste this comment to me and I will ensure it gets fixed. ;)

← More from Last Epoch





Recent Last Epoch Posts

Last Epoch Soundtrack Available!

about 22 hours ago - Averielle

Plasma orb - C467 Rahyeh + Harbinger - Messy controller gameplay

3 days ago - /u/ekimarcher

The Warrior Class - A suggestion

3 days ago - EHG_Mike

Is there a safe way to exit the game in full offline mode?

3 days ago - /u/ekimarcher
Get Discord notifications