The Dungeon Saga - new epic RPG by GameLab [Archive]

GameLab

06-09-2011, 06:33 AM

The Dungeon Saga
A epic new puzzle/strategy RPG by GameLab!
Explore endless dungeons,
challenge hundreds of enemies....

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3577/5814400427_2d2f2e97cc_m.jpg

be prepared...

Zyub2rFJSlo

and some (random) screens with fight, upgrade, map screen and much more :-)

http://gamelab.eu/download/screenshots/dungeon_package.jpg

Out soon on iPhone and iPod

undeadcow

06-09-2011, 07:20 AM

The art design here looks promising but there's nothing of actual gameplay design. What will the mechanics be like?

mekanikal fiend

06-09-2011, 07:21 AM

cool video style, but nothing from the actual game? could you post some ingame shots please? even if they are early, at least i could get some insight on the direction your going!

crex

06-09-2011, 02:30 PM

Awesome icon and trailer! Love the art! :)

GameLab

06-10-2011, 03:47 AM

All right so here we go with screenshots :-)
its a random collection of 8 screens with the map, fight (one on one) shop upgrade screens etc
You can even see some spells in action!

enjoy :-)

http://gamelab.eu/download/screenshots/dungeon_package.jpg

rogerchiu

06-10-2011, 03:56 AM

I love RPG and Match-3. ^_^

Dazarath

06-10-2011, 04:16 AM

Yeah, I was also hoping for some gameplay in the video. Is this game going to be similar to Puzzle Quest?

SteveWD40

06-10-2011, 05:13 AM

Looks very similar to Dungeon Raid, looking forward to this, got an ETA?

psj3809

06-10-2011, 05:35 AM

Saw a typo, on that upgrade statistics page it should be STRENGTH not STRENGHT

Tyra

06-10-2011, 06:25 AM

Oh that looks good - I really hope it´s like Puzzle Quest or Dungeon Raid!
:D

Vovin

06-10-2011, 07:17 AM

OMG! OMG! Just what I was waiting for, even if it looks a bit like Dungeon Raid! Release date?

Coldar

06-10-2011, 07:31 AM

This does have my interest. Keeping an eye out for it.

pluto6

06-10-2011, 10:42 AM

Hopefully an iPad version is coming, or better yet - maybe universal??? I'll be watching regardless, and probably buying regardless. Looks really good guys..

Tyra

06-10-2011, 01:52 PM

any release date? :)

GameLab

06-10-2011, 03:43 PM

Hi again!

pluto6@ the game will be iPhone/iPod only on release day but we are planing a iPad version (not sure if this will be universal or not).

Tyra@ About the Release date... The game is in beta now. And actually through it :) the only thing we are tweaking right now is the tutorial. So... it is possible that we will submit the game in less than a week.

Pitta

06-11-2011, 09:27 AM

Somehow I missed this thread and found the iPad one.
Very interested in the iPhone version.
Loving the artstyle...seems something in the vein of PQ meets Dungeon Raid
Subscribed!!!

GameLab

06-13-2011, 06:20 AM

Hi again

just change the name of the game its now called:
"The Dungeon Saga"

(if some of the admins could change the threat name pleaseee :-) )

and we are happy to announce that the game will be submitted to apple today!!

Dazarath

06-13-2011, 06:39 AM

Glad to hear it's been submitted. Could we get some more information on the gameplay itself? The screenshots look really nice and I'm leaning towards purchasing this one opening day, but right now, we haven't been given much with regards to how the game plays.

Vovin

06-13-2011, 07:27 AM

Bring it on as fast as you can and I'll promise you an insta-buy.

Loved Last Temple, btw.

Tyra

06-13-2011, 08:02 AM

*Yeha* Great to hear!!! :D

PointOfLight

06-13-2011, 03:41 PM

I so want this game. Puzzle Quest and Dungeon Raid are among my favorites as far as mobile RPGs go. I love the way match 3 works so well as a combat mechanic for RPG games.

GameLab

06-14-2011, 10:00 AM

Hi!

and happy you like what you can see here :-)
Besides the awesome 2D art we put a lot of effort in the AI - I'm pretty sure you will love the challenging way the enemy plays (not only because of much higher strength/defense).

Btw If I will have some time tomorrow I will make a little "in game" video so you can better judge about the actually gameplay.

strivemind

06-17-2011, 09:11 AM

This is shaping up to be a must-have.

Dungeon Raid style matching and simplicity, but with Puzzle Quest style 1vs1 battles... so awesome.

PointOfLight

06-17-2011, 09:13 AM

So how long before this comes out? Better yet, do you need any beta testers?

dalbertson

06-17-2011, 10:20 AM

I believe they said it has already been submitted to Apple...really looking forward to this one as well! Would love to see the in game video...

PointOfLight

06-17-2011, 10:36 AM

I believe they said it has already been submitted to Apple...really looking forward to this one as well! Would love to see the in game video...

My bad - you are correct. They submitted it on the 13th.

dalbertson

06-17-2011, 02:14 PM

Menezesmaia

06-17-2011, 02:19 PM

Want!

Dazarath

06-17-2011, 02:21 PM

Edit: Ignore this post, I thought I was in a different thread.

undeadcow

06-17-2011, 02:49 PM

Call me when you've got something original... (that's right, I said it).

idragoncool

06-17-2011, 03:02 PM

this wont be universal :[?this game looks very cool i cannot wait for the purchase!

GameLab

06-17-2011, 03:24 PM

My question is, will it go live once Apple approves it, or will they wait to release it on Thursday?

...also, sorry to everyone waiting for actual news on this game, every time I see this thread with a new post I get excited for news from the developer. Now I'm the one bumping it up.

Hi
the game will not be out this week! :-(
We need to re-submit it on Monday (nope not Apple's idea) - we found a little bug - not a big issue but well we will have a app that is as perfect as we can make it so I hope you understand :-)

We will let you know if we know the release date!

this wont be universal :(?this game looks very cool i cannot wait for the purchase!
This is a topic we need to discuss now. It is highly possible that this will become universal :-) but... we will see.

idragoncool

06-17-2011, 04:36 PM

awesome i am very looking forward to it:] i hope it will be ^^!do we play as a character we create in this game?

Tyra

06-18-2011, 05:49 AM

do we play as a character we create in this game?

-> woah, I hope for that!!!! :)

Joshnsuch

06-19-2011, 11:45 AM

*Hopes for some sort of release date and TA coverage*

idragoncool

06-19-2011, 09:00 PM

i hope this comes out soon i only have 2 dollars from my gift card left its so tempting to spend :[, but i really want this one very much oh god it looks so awesome!

Link6746

06-20-2011, 12:05 AM

parranoya

06-21-2011, 10:50 PM

A puzzle game with RPG elements does not make an RPG. There is a fundamental difference between a match three game with rpg elements and any kind of RPG, just as borderlands isn't an RPG, but a shooter with RPG elements. That said, this does look promising, even though it misuses the term "RPG" when it is really just a puzzle game with RPG elements. For a game to be an RPG, it has to emphasize story, have gameplay where stats have a more than passing effect on battle (PoTN didn't, but I own and play that due to it's resemblance to puyo pop), gameplay that involves a competition between NPC and player, a story, and either talking to NPCs or a reason for not being able to.

Oh, and I don't like this kind of game personally, but that doesn't mean it's a bad game.

I can chalk up my dislike of these games to bitterness at games being marginalized and made much easier, basically turning into interactive picture books- then base genres being watered down until they are just adjectives added to casual game types.

Sorry if this post is off topic, I'll remove it if necessary.

Wow. This guy sounds like one of those aspergers kids you know in school. They just have no idea what it socially acceptable.

And I think a role playing game might just be considered a game in which one plays a particular role! Hence the acronom RPG. Role Playing Game. So then I think this game fits that...if you play a role that is. Please do not mix this up with Advanced D&D 4th edition...which is also an RPG.

I am actually excited as I love the matching games...ala Puzzle Quest and Dungeon Raid...and if playing time gives you extra stats and enhances gameplay....YEAH! Nothing like adding spells to a game to make the people happy!

Psac42

06-22-2011, 07:47 AM

What's the expected launch price?

Joshnsuch

06-22-2011, 09:52 AM

I think all he was discussing is that this isn't a game in the sense that you take the role of one character while the plot in the game deeply involves character development of yourself and other characters. This game would have RPG elements, but it isn't a full-fledged RPG. Either way, RPG elements are a great way to expand the reach of the game as well as expand the content of the game.

I'd say the comments on game difficulty isn't quite relevant.

Either way, I'm looking forward to this game. I was a giant fan of Dungeon Raid and this looks like a Puzzle Quest and Dungeon Raid mash-up. Definitely intriguing.

FPE

06-22-2011, 10:06 AM

As a beta tester (I hope I am allowed to say the following...), I can say that this game plays like Sword & Poker, but instead of poker you have a match3 approach (like in puzzle quest). You also have skill trees (different per character) with passive and active skills, you can upgrade your health/stats and you can buy items along the way (with in game points). There is quite a variety of monsters and bosses (like S&P) with very different skills. Regarding difficulty .... it start easy and get more interesting after a few dungeons.

It is very much a fun (at least i liked it and I am still playing the latest build) and people who like S&P, Puzzle Quest and Dungeon Raid, should definitively have a look at it.

GameLab

06-22-2011, 11:05 AM

@Joshnsuch its like you say. Btw its much easier to explain a mechanic if you say that it has for example "RPG elements" (upgrading, character evolve, loot etc)

Anyway if you would like to be pedantic you can say that actually none(or almost none) of current "RPG's" (even for PS3, Xbox...) is a true "RPG" :-)

@FPE of course you can talk about this :cool:
I never notice there was a game like Sword & Poker - awesome idea to play poker against monsters instead of puzzling them to death :-)

PointOfLight

06-22-2011, 01:21 PM

Very intrigued. I've tried to like Dungeon Raid, but it just doesn't do it for me ... maybe this one will come closer.

I will say that I hope it's not just an endless grind, though. That's my main complaint with DR; it's just the same thing over and over until the end of time.

Have you played Puzzle Quest? What did you think of that? Judging by the screen shots I'd say this will be a lot closer to PQ than to Dungeon Raid.

FPE

06-22-2011, 01:46 PM

Yes, I enjoyed the original PQ. There were things like levels, traveling around, boss battles, side-quests, etc. ... the exact types of things that helped to break up the potential monotony of endless match-3 battles.

I took a closer look at the screen shots, too, and it looks like Dungeon Saga might be something I'd be interested in. There appears to be maps, levels, etc. I hope that's the case, because the game just looks fun, and I want to give it a shot.

Well, as far as I have played the dungeons are pretty straight. No side quests like in PQ. But the big difference with DR is that here you have various opponents and they have different skills. Also the various upgrade (skills, items, stats) will force you to make choices that will affect your strategy.

PointOfLight

06-22-2011, 01:55 PM

It sounds to me like this might be a happy medium between DR and PQ. More RPG elements than DR, but less questing than PQ. Fortunately, I'm in the position of liking both of those games, so I'm sure this will be right up my alley as well. Gamelab just needs to get this out so we can stop speculating :)

FPE

06-22-2011, 01:58 PM

I do not speculate I am playing it right now :D

PointOfLight

06-22-2011, 02:00 PM

I do not speculate I am playing it right now :D

Yeah, but that doesn't help the rest of us decide how this game plays compared to the competition :P

FPE

06-22-2011, 02:06 PM

Yeah, but that doesn't help the rest of us decide how this game plays compared to the competition :P

You got it right. It is more linear version of PQ1 and has more rpg-like components than DR. And much more variety in monsters and bosses than dr.
I am not sure this is still the same, but it has 100+ dungeons. Quite big.
Also, game labs did say once they have ambitions for the title and had already quite some idea for updates .... And I hope they will follow the plan!

DaviddesJ

06-22-2011, 06:21 PM

PointOfLight

06-22-2011, 07:01 PM

The brilliance of Dungeon Raid is no opponent. That means there's a lot more strategy because you can actually control what happens to the tableau. I'd love to see more RPG-ish games like that. Still, I hope this will be fun.

I might just be a bit slow tonight, but can you expound on this a bit? I'm not sure I quite follow what you mean.

DaviddesJ

06-22-2011, 07:14 PM

I might just be a bit slow tonight, but can you expound on this a bit? I'm not sure I quite follow what you mean.

Have you played Dungeon Raid and Puzzle Quest? In Puzzle Quest (and apparently Dungeon Saga), you take turns matching tiles with an adversary. You generally can't set up combos, because your opponent will use them. In Dungeon Raid, you are the only one who matches tiles. So you can have a plan that plays out over several turns, because you can control the situation you are setting up and take advantage of it when you want.

polmanteer

06-22-2011, 07:33 PM

Art style is great but hope it doesn't get in the way of the gameplay - PQ2 killed me with all the running about and transitions which felt done just to show off the art.

PointOfLight

06-22-2011, 08:12 PM

Have you played Dungeon Raid and Puzzle Quest? In Puzzle Quest (and apparently Dungeon Saga), you take turns matching tiles with an adversary. You generally can't set up combos, because your opponent will use them. In Dungeon Raid, you are the only one who matches tiles. So you can have a plan that plays out over several turns, because you can control the situation you are setting up and take advantage of it when you want.

I have played both of them, I just wasn't quite sure what you are getting at. It's true that you can set up combos to an extent, but since you don't really know what's going to fall after you've made a match, that only has limited usefulness (I would argue that "several turns" is stretching it a bit). However, I do see your point now. Thanks for clarifying.

DaviddesJ

06-22-2011, 08:27 PM

I would argue that "several turns" is stretching it a bit.

It's not really an exaggeration, in Dungeon Raid. For example, you can accumulate coins over several turns, and then clear them all on the turn when you trigger your Boost Gold skill.

I've even used the Magic Sword skill, and built up a dozen or more Magic Swords, which I didn't use but stored at the bottom of the grid for when I would eventually need them. So that's a plan that plays out over 100 turns, or more.

PointOfLight

06-22-2011, 10:11 PM

It's not really an exaggeration, in Dungeon Raid. For example, you can accumulate coins over several turns, and then clear them all on the turn when you trigger your Boost Gold skill.

I've even used the Magic Sword skill, and built up a dozen or more Magic Swords, which I didn't use but stored at the bottom of the grid for when I would eventually need them. So that's a plan that plays out over 100 turns, or more.

I'll admit that it's been a while since I've played the game, but I can't really picture the board being big enough to hoard things like that. Either way, though, I always took Dungeon Raid to be more of a "quick fix" kind of game than a real strategic endeavor.

DaviddesJ

06-22-2011, 10:16 PM

I always took Dungeon Raid to be more of a "quick fix" kind of game than a real strategic endeavor.

You missed quite a bit.

PointOfLight

06-22-2011, 10:30 PM

You missed quite a bit.

Not really. I got what I was looking for out of it, and enjoyed it quite nicely as a result.

mlkaufman

06-22-2011, 10:32 PM

I always took Dungeon Raid to be more of a "quick fix" kind of game than a real strategic endeavor.

You missed quite a bit.

Not really. I got what I was looking for out of it, and enjoyed it quite nicely as a result.

I think he means that if you didn't play enough to get the strategic elements of the game, you missed a lot of the fun of the game.

I agree with him.

No offense intended.

PointOfLight

06-22-2011, 10:37 PM

I think he means that if you didn't play enough to get the strategic elements of the game, you missed a lot of the fun of the game.

I agree with him.

No offense intended.

I know what he meant, I just don't agree. At the time I was looking for games that played somewhat like SpeedQUEST in brevity and scope, and Dungeon Raid fit the bill quite nicely. However, in light of this new way of viewing the game play, I might just go back and give it a try again. Besides, I'm pretty sure they've added a bunch of stuff since the last time I played. Thanks to both for the insight.

And no offense taken :)

Joshnsuch

06-22-2011, 10:45 PM

I would like to know if there is a something like a a quick play option or something along those lines.

I guess my issue is that I don't want to get all the way through the game and then have nothing left to do.

Any idea when this will be available?

PointOfLight

06-22-2011, 10:52 PM

I would like to know if there is a something like a a quick play option or something along those lines.

That would be an interesting option, but while I'm not sure it has been explicitly mentioned in this thread, I think everything is randomly generated. If that's the case, you could just play the game over again! If I'm wrong, though, your idea would be great.

PointOfLight

06-22-2011, 10:54 PM

Any idea when this will be available?

On the 17th they said they were resubmitting on Monday, so assuming they made that cutoff, hopefully the game will be approved in the next couple of days.

DaviddesJ

06-22-2011, 11:09 PM

I think he means that if you didn't play enough to get the strategic elements of the game, you missed a lot of the fun of the game.

No, not even that. Just that there is, in fact, more in the game. If he was in the mood to play the game differently and non-strategically, nothing wrong with that. But it doesn't mean the strategy doesn't exist, just that he didn't search for it or find it.

I'm not saying storing up a dozen magic swords was the best possible strategy. Hard to know. But I know for a fact that I did in fact do it.

FPE

06-23-2011, 12:29 AM

DR and this game, as well as puzzle quest and sword poker, are very different games. DR is more of an endless solitaire game, with a different type of strategy involved. These other games are a bit more action games, with definitively more speed and variety, but less deep strategy (no endless matches).

I like both, but I mostly prefer faster games to endless solitaires like DR.

You can think of a comparison to card games. Some people like solitaire, DR, some like fights, the rest. Few both.

DaviddesJ

06-23-2011, 12:38 AM

FPE

06-23-2011, 01:24 AM

But the biggest difference is not endless solitaire vs. matches, it is taking turns matching in a tableau vs. having your own tableau so that you can do more planning. You could have matches and still have your own tableau.

That is the difference between solitaire and fight. DR is based on a endless solitaire mode. This means you need strategy on how you use all resources vs the random elements of a game.
When you have two opponents it is always best to limit resources and use one shared board and use character skills and some tactics to win. Basically ... Two tableau would remove an important aspect of fight based games ... An enemy that screws your plans by doing something.

And btw I like DR as much as PQ and co.

Devs, multiplayer dungeons would be really cool.

GameLab

06-23-2011, 03:24 AM

@Joshnsuch For now there is actually no something like a Quick Play mode BUT it is a great idea for the Update :-)
I have a lot of ideas for this game that are not build in so far so you can expect to get much more in the future :-)

@FPE I can say that we are working on some type of multiplayer but I don't want to talk about it now :-)

DaviddesJ

06-23-2011, 08:33 AM

That is the difference between solitaire and fight.

No, it's not. It's orthogonal to the difference between solitaire games and fight games.

It's perfectly possible to have a fight game where in each fight you take turns with an opponent (or opponents) manipulating a single tableau. It's also perfectly possible to have a fight game where you generate power and win or lose the fight by manipulating your own tableau.

There's no reason that people can't make puzzle-RPG-fight games where the fights involve a tableau that you can control but your opponent doesn't directly control. (Such games could have the opponent indirectly affecting your tableau, such as the Puzzle League games where opponents can send garbage blocks into your tableau.) They could also be symmetrical, where opponents have their own tableaus, or asymmetrical, where opponents use some different kind of power mechanism. There are lots of possibilities.

FPE

06-23-2011, 08:38 AM

No, it's not. It's orthogonal to the difference between solitaire games and fight games.

It's perfectly possible to have a fight game where in each fight you take turns with an opponent (or opponents) manipulating a single tableau. It's also perfectly possible to have a fight game where you generate power and win or lose the fight by manipulating your own tableau.

There's no reason that people can't make puzzle-RPG-fight games where the fights involve a tableau that you can control but your opponent doesn't directly control. (Such games could have the opponent indirectly affecting your tableau, such as the Puzzle League games where opponents can send garbage blocks into your tableau.) They could also be symmetrical, where opponents have their own tableaus, or asymmetrical, where opponents use some different kind of power mechanism. There are lots of possibilities.

It is true, but two tableaus (as I wrote in the cut out part of the post) remove one important element of fighting that is somebody can screw up your plan but stealing your resources plus it reduces speed, that is something (for me at least) important in fights.

DaviddesJ

06-23-2011, 08:43 AM

It is true, but two tableaus (as I wrote in the cut out part of the post) remove one important element of fighting that is somebody can screw up your plan but stealing your resources plus it reduces speed, that is something (for me at least) important in fights.

Of course having a tableau which only you manipulate reduces the element of having opponents manipulate your tableau. That is the whole point. That is what makes games like Dungeon Raid much more enjoyable for me, and I would like to see that in fight games as well. A fight game with single player tableau could have the advantage of variety (different opponents with different powers and strengths) and also of more control.

I don't see that it has anything to do with speed. I think one can play games like Dungeon Raid pretty fast.

Joshnsuch

06-24-2011, 09:46 AM

Thanks for the response, GameLab. I'll definitely be looking for it.

Some can play Dungeon Raid fast, others cannot. I've easily had games that had me spending over an hour or two in a round. On the board here, I've read about people spending ridiculous amounts of time in a single game.

DaviddesJ

06-24-2011, 09:52 AM

A game of Dungeon Raid can certainly take several hours, but that's just because it's a thousand turns or more. If you play a thousand turns of Puzzle Quest battling, that will take hours too.

Three hours for a thousand turns is only 10 seconds a turn. Is Puzzle Quest much faster than that? I don't think so.

A complete game of Puzzle Quest definitely takes much, much longer than 3 hours. So why is 3 hours for Dungeon Raid ridiculous?

FPE

06-24-2011, 09:54 AM

Of course having a tableau which only you manipulate reduces the element of having opponents manipulate your tableau. That is the whole point. That is what makes games like Dungeon Raid much more enjoyable for me, and I would like to see that in fight games as well. A fight game with single player tableau could have the advantage of variety (different opponents with different powers and strengths) and also of more control.

I don't see that it has anything to do with speed. I think one can play games like Dungeon Raid pretty fast.

I think it gets personal taste also. I love DR played slow and this game played fast. Because dr needs deeper strategy and games with one tableau tactics as once the fight is over, it is over (well certain things like mana do not reset of course, or the game would be pointless).

Joshnsuch

06-28-2011, 05:47 PM

Is this gonna be a release for this coming Thursday?

idragoncool

06-28-2011, 11:01 PM

Its out already, great game i just purchased it not so long ago pretty good, i hope there will be a Univeral update, cause i thought it wouls be universal what gamelabs said or maybe D:.

PointOfLight

06-28-2011, 11:23 PM

Just picked up a copy myself. Can't wait to try it out.

Dazarath

06-28-2011, 11:27 PM

Its out already, great game i just purchased it not so long ago pretty good, i hope there will be a Univeral update, cause i thought it wouls be universal what gamelabs said or maybe D:.

It's not a good sign when the people eagerly awaiting the game don't even know that it's been released. I had no idea it was out either. Maybe they should post an official thread in the iPhone/iPod games section?