Solasta: Crown of the Magister (D&D SRD 5.1 CRPG)

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Sun Oct 18, 2020 12:23 pm

This is the other D&D 5E CRPG going into early access this month.

There is going to be a pre-launch event (since it's EA, should that be pre-pre-launch?) on Fextralife's Twitch channel on Monday, 19 Oct at 0800 EDT, with a chance to win a Steam key.

Hey there folks!

We're less than 48h before going live on Steam! To celebrate that, join us on Solasta's pre-launch stream with the folks over at Fextralife tomorrow!

Tune in to https://twitch.tv/fextralife on Monday 19th at 8 am EDT / 2 pm CEST to chat and maybe get a Steam key!

Cheers,
Myzzrym

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Mon Oct 19, 2020 5:06 pm

The VOD for this morning's Fextralife dev stream is here.

stimpy · Post by **stimpy** » Mon Oct 19, 2020 5:13 pm

Max Peck wrote: Mon Oct 19, 2020 5:06 pm

The VOD for this morning's Fextralife dev stream is here.

Crap. Meant to attend this live. Damn work got in the way!!!!

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:20 pm

It's the 5e SRD, which means it isn't the entire ruleset, just the portion they've allowed use of for other works.

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Mon Oct 19, 2020 9:51 pm

Blackhawk wrote: Mon Oct 19, 2020 7:20 pm It's the 5e SRD, which means it isn't the entire ruleset, just the portion they've allowed use of for other works.

Correct, the dev stressed that point during the Twitch stream this morning, but I had to look it up later in the day to find out what it actually meant.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Oct 19, 2020 10:05 pm

For others, the SRD is the System Reference Document. It is the core of the rules, with a few classes, a few spells, and so forth. The basic framework of the D&D rules. Since 3rd Edition, Wizards of the Coast (the D&D company) has offered it free of charge on a special free-use license (Open Gaming License.) It serves as a reference to the rules, as a sort of free demo, and (most importantly) it allows fans and other companies to write content using their rules without running afoul of their lawyers. As an example, anyone can use the OGL/SRD to write D&D compatible adventures or supplements as long as they don't mention the name of anything copyrighted that isn't in the SRD. Anything not included in the SRD, including many races, classes, abilities, spells, monsters, items, and so forth are off-limits. This is why you see tons of products advertised as being "Compatible with the world's oldest role playing system" (the term "Dungeons and Dragons" being copyrighted and not in the SRD.) Nothing, however, stops an author from creating new classes, races, rules, etc to flesh out the SRD stuff. A prominent example would be Pathfinder, which used the D&D 3.5 SRD as the core for their system, then built the rest on top of it.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Mon Oct 19, 2020 11:29 pm

I was mildly interested in this except I'd want more than the SRD. Give me the stuff in the full PHB!

I love the combat in D&D (most editions really). Keep thinking I need to pick of the Temple of Elemental Evil PC game some day because it was supposed to be such a faithful rendition of D&D 3.0.

Bought Low Age of Magic and played a fair bit of that just for the combat system (3rd ed D&D). Then a fair bit more trying to figure out trade and make some money. That was a while ago, they've added a ton since then. I should go back and play that some more.

Neverwinter online is as close as they get to 4.0 I think and the only game that is anywhere near to D&D 4.0.

Was looking forward to the idea of true D&D 5.0 game.

Guess I will keep waiting...

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Oct 20, 2020 9:29 am

Zenn7 wrote: Mon Oct 19, 2020 11:29 pm

Was looking forward to the idea of true D&D 5.0 game.

Guess I will keep waiting...

Baldur's Gate 3?

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Tue Oct 20, 2020 9:37 am

The Fextralife streamer seems to believe that Solasta is closer to P&P than Baldur's Gate 3.

Zenn7 · Post by **Zenn7** » Wed Oct 21, 2020 10:01 pm

Not that the mechanics won't be interesting, but identically matching (as close as possible) the characters I play would be more fun to me. Let me try out my characters and ideas, see how well they might work combat/mechanically wise.

EDIT: I get that is not the focus of RPG games. Just tends to be what I tend to enjoy the most about them.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Oct 27, 2020 8:27 pm

This is out now in early access for $34.99 and takes up 20 GB of space. Has anyone tried it? I saw an early review that said it is similar to BG3, about the same number of races/classes, but somewhat lesser graphics. Resting is once per day and less convenient. You have to carry provisions (bummer) and ammo (arrows I guess) runs out (bummer). You get to create your whole party of 4.

The Early Access version of Solasta includes Act 1 and a teensy bit of Act 2 – which should be more than 10h of content to go through. Every ancestry, class and archetype is unlocked during Early Access, with the maximum level capped to 6. We believe that it is very important for players to reach level 5, as many archetypes start shining around this stage: 2nd attack for martial classes, access to powerful AoE spells, stronger cantrips... It is a very different experience from the early levels, and can affect the balance of later encounters drastically.

I will probably get it since I already have over 180 hours on BG3.

Edit: Oh yeah! You get to re-roll stats - I'm in!

Edit #2: Not that many choices of appearance in character creation, but I like how it inserts your actual characters into cut scenes.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:14 am

I never thought I would say this, but they actually went overboard on re-rolling stats. There is an option where you can add as many points as you want, up to maxing out every stat. Takes the fun out of rolling.

Also people (myself included) have encountered game stopping bugs. Best to stay away for now.

NickAragua · Post by **NickAragua** » Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:17 am

Jaymann wrote: Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:14 am I never thought I would say this, but they actually went overboard on re-rolling stats. There is an option where you can add as many points as you want, up to maxing out every stat. Takes the fun out of rolling.

Back in the Gold Box games, that's exactly what I did, max out all the stats. Those games were already tough enough, no need to gimp your characters by giving them anything below 18.

Daehawk · Post by **Daehawk** » Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:25 am

Looks interesting except for the combat which makes it a no go for me.

The Meal · Post by **The Meal** » Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:55 am

Videos I've watched makes this look like a combat simulator with role-playing elements tacked on top to make a story. So think somewhere in the continuum of Icewind Dale to Temple of Elemental Evil.

Sounds intriguing to me, but I'll hold off until it's done more cooking.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Wed Oct 28, 2020 12:04 pm

The Meal wrote: Wed Oct 28, 2020 11:55 am Sounds intriguing to me, but I'll hold off until it's done more cooking.

Same

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Thu Oct 29, 2020 10:51 pm

Well I finished the early access rather abruptly, just as it was getting good. I spent about 28 hours, but that was while watching TV and internet (I don't know if they count the time it is paused). It is pretty much on a rail, only exploring about 3% of the visible world map. I may have missed a few nooks and crannies, but I doubt it. There is not much point in hauling items to sell, as there is nothing to buy except potions and food. You do find plenty of arrows and bolts. At least it did leave me wanting more.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Wed Mar 17, 2021 1:42 pm

This is shaping up to be one of my most anticipated RPGs ever. I cannot wait for release day. This is an RPG tweakers dream. So many settings and sliders to fiddle with. I may never make it out of the character creater. I really do think this is more true to older D&D titles than BG3.

I've played a fair bit, but I really want to hold out to get the full game experience on launch.

Spring update will be out on March 25 and it's a big one:
https://www.solasta-game.com/news/120-s ... march-25th
The Dungeon Maker looks great. As does the Adventure Board for more side missions.

Also the price is increasing from $35 to $40 on March 31 so pre-order before then. This one is for all those old school RPGers out there.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1096 ... _Magister/

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Thu Mar 18, 2021 7:00 pm

Old saves not compatible with new patch. No biggie for me, I am willing to do a re-roll in order to get at those side quests. I suppose there will be a level cap though. [sigh]

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Thu Mar 25, 2021 2:34 pm

Downloading the patch now. They also increased the max level from 6 to 8, which is nice. Looking forward to playing some user created levels.

Hyena · Post by **Hyena** » Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:15 pm

How on God's green Earth have I not heard of this? What's this comparable to, still ToEE and IWD? Probably going to preorder tonight!

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Thu Mar 25, 2021 4:09 pm

Hyena wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 3:15 pm How on God's green Earth have I not heard of this? What's this comparable to, still ToEE and IWD? Probably going to preorder tonight!

I know. Every old school CRPGer/D&D player should be all over this. I'm more excited for this than BG3 which feels so similar to Larian's other RPGs (which I do love).

gbasden · Post by **gbasden** » Thu Mar 25, 2021 4:39 pm

Any idea how close this is to final release? I can't seem to find that information anywhere. Are we looking at something soon, or is this a year or two out?

Max Peck · Post by **Max Peck** » Thu Mar 25, 2021 8:01 pm

gbasden wrote: Thu Mar 25, 2021 4:39 pm Any idea how close this is to final release? I can't seem to find that information anywhere. Are we looking at something soon, or is this a year or two out?

The patch notes imply that this is the last major update prior to the 1.0 release.

Aside from hotfixes, we've got our sight now locked onto the final 1.0 release. Keep an eye out for more information about our official launch date!

stimpy · Post by **stimpy** » Thu Mar 25, 2021 10:23 pm

Jag wrote: Wed Mar 17, 2021 1:42 pm Also the price is increasing from $35 to $40 on March 31 so pre-order before then. This one is for all those old school RPGers out there.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1096 ... _Magister/

On sale for $28 until March 31

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Sun Apr 04, 2021 11:13 pm

I finished the additional main quest content of the latest patch - it approximately doubles the main quest line. I did 3 of the side quests available and still have 3-4 left to do. They were nothing special, but I enjoyed. Got my characters up to level 7 (out of 8 max) with plenty of geld and some decent equipment. They got the scavenger guild working, where they pick up all the loot you leave in the field, taking a cut of the profits. This is a fantastic idea I have not seen elsewhere.

One thing that cracks me up during battles is one of my characters will say, "Bend the knee or perish!" At that point it is a little late for knee bending, especially if you are fighting spiders.

Hyena · Post by **Hyena** » Mon Apr 05, 2021 12:09 pm

Ran into an annoying bug (to be expected, of course in an early release). It might also be from an update, maybe? In either case, all my saves are corrupted and I can't load them. I tried validating the files through steam as suggested, but no dice. I hadn't gotten too far in (went to the first fort and cleared it out), so I'm not too upset.

Damn but this scratches an itch, though. I have an entire elven party, mostly Sylvan elves, and they are doing great. Lots of fun, and I can't wait to get into the full experience. How much of this current build is the original game? Is the level cap at 8 for the game, or just this playable section? In either case, I don't care, I'll be playing it through.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Mon Apr 05, 2021 12:13 pm

I am pretty sure the level cap is only for this early access. I had a few corrupted saves also. I learned to do multiple saves close to each other so I would not have to go too far back.

Hyena · Post by **Hyena** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:42 am

Jaymann wrote: Mon Apr 05, 2021 12:13 pm I am pretty sure the level cap is only for this early access. I had a few corrupted saves also. I learned to do multiple saves close to each other so I would not have to go too far back.

Yeah, I went back to a previous save and it was clear. Only lost about 15 minutes of play time. Still loving this.

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 12:49 pm

Just starting this, as well. Went with my own party as I think they recommended and had a lot of fun creating too many alts to use. I doubt that I'm anywhere near an optimized party but that's part of the appeal.

I need to get a better handle on how to craft-while-camping and it looks like there is the ability to customize some equipment to align with your deity that I don't understand yet. That and pouches that I can't seem to store my flowers in.
Figuring out a better approach to fights will be important, as the 2nd Sorak battle has shown me.

As for where I am in the story:

Spoiler:

Can easily recommend if a turn- and squad-based RPG is your thing, either now or when it's out or early release.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Tue Apr 06, 2021 1:18 pm

I got to level 8, but there are a couple side quests I could not solve, will wait for a video. I found unlimited exp:

Spoiler:

I didn't try any crafting, will wait for the full release to put in the time and do it right.'

One small nitpick is lack of storage. There are a few chests in the merchant quarter you can use. But you eventually get rewarded with a room in the palace and they couldn't spring for a wardrobe or two? Hopefully there will be enough complaints to the developers to remedy this.

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Fri Apr 09, 2021 9:50 pm

Thanks. Might play with that just for exploits sake. Have my 2nd jewel and landed back in main town. Need a break so time to stream some music.

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Fri Apr 16, 2021 7:50 pm

Out of Early Access on May 27

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:06 pm

They say most likely the 1.0 release will be compatible with existing saves. I wonder if I can start a new campaign with my existing party.

Edit: Looks like you can, but they will revert to level 1.

Jolor · Post by **Jolor** » Sat Apr 17, 2021 8:14 pm

Reached the end of the early access quest with some side quests still available, so will pursue a few of those. Ended up at L6 & getting to the point of more powered gear so looking forward to getting my hands on those.

First self-rolled party was: Dwarf Fighter, Human Paladin, Human Mage, Elven Thief.

Good game. Looking forward to its 1.0.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Sat May 15, 2021 3:48 pm

They released the full game for backers a few days early. I am loving this game. Probably closer to true old school D&D crpgs than anything i've played in a very long while. Really happy with what they have done. I used my characters i created in early access and they worked with no problem.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Sun May 16, 2021 7:41 pm

I looked on the steam page and didn't see anything about early release for backers. No biggie, 5/27 will be here soon enough. They did say current saves will probably be compatible with the full release. I will probably start over anyway to get the full game experience.

Jag · Post by **Jag** » Tue May 18, 2021 2:30 pm

Solasta is coming to Gamepass PC on 5/27. That's amazing. No reason to sleep on this now.

hepcat · Post by **hepcat** » Tue May 18, 2021 9:00 pm

And of course I just bought it on steam a few weeks ago.

stimpy · Post by **stimpy** » Wed May 26, 2021 3:02 pm

Damn near pulled the trigger on this today when Steam notified me it was on sale.
Gamepass ftw!!