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Torment: Tides of Numenera aims to be a spiritual successor to Planescape: Torment, but it seems producing vastly complex, non-linear RPGs is a difficult task. Following the success of Wasteland 2, inXile’s other Kickstarted game, Tides of Numenera has swapped its previous ‘early 2015′ release date for a revised ‘late 2015′. In a lengthy post at the Torment blog, the team have offered update on the game’s current development.

The short version is that Wasteland 2′s success in Early Access meant the team had more time to continue working on it. That meant that the Torment team similarly had more time in pre-production, to tinker with ideas and test their designs, but also consequently have yet to begin full production on the game. With Wasteland 2 launching for realsies this August, more of the team are beginning to move over to working on Torment.

The slightly longer version:

For the last while, we’ve been in what I’ve called a “limited production” mode. During this phase, the emphasis has been on proving out our design and pipelines (i.e,. how exactly we get anything from being an idea to being fully implemented in the game). This is typical for preproduction, but the distinction I’d make is that we’ve been creating actual game content, which is unusual in the industry. During this time, we’ve had relatively few people creating content and have been allowed time to experiment and iterate, prioritizing getting things figured out over getting things done. This leads to greater productivity, fewer mistakes, and ultimately a better game. This goal is generally somewhat at odds with completing feature X by date Y, which is typically what you do during production to ensure that the game can be completed to the quality desired given the time and/or resources you have available.

Chris Keenan wrote:You may remember me as Project Lead on Wasteland 2 and the recently released Director’s Cut. If you didn’t follow that project, here is a small bio: I started working in video games at 15 years old, as a QA tester at Brian Fargo’s Interplay. I couldn’t even drive to the office so my dad had to drop me off at work (which is just slightly embarrassing). Most of my adult life has been in game development and I’ve been here at inXile for over 12 wild years.

I will be managing the development on Torment: Tides of Numenera from this point forward. There is a core vision in place and along with the creative leadership of Colin, George and Adam, I plan to ensure the vision is upheld.

As a fresh set of eyes on the project I can tell you it’s shaping up to be the awesome experience you all expect and deserve. However, to maintain the quality standard we’ve set for ourselves, we can’t rush through these final stages to get it out the door. Instead, we’re going to take the time we need on Torment: Tides of Numenera, which means we are planning a 2016 release.

An important part of our process is getting the game in your hands and iterating based on your feedback. Releasing the Crisis Alpha Systems Tests was a big step for the team. We’ve been happy to receive detailed feedback on what can be improved, and very gratified to see our backers respond that we’re heading in the right direction.

Now, it’s on to working towards the beta release. The level art is largely done, and we’re making good progress on the general game systems, level design and UI elements . We’ll keep you posted on the progress of the beta release in the upcoming updates, as we have full intentions on releasing the beta this year. I look forward to leading this incredibly talented team and working with all of you to bring Torment to completion!

inXile's crowd-funded fantasy role-playing game Torment: Tides of Numenera launches in beta form this month.

The beta for the thematic successor to Planescape Torment launches on 17th January for eligible backers. Then, the game comes out on Steam Early Access on 26th January.

InXile boss Brian Fargo said the beta starts players at the beginning of the game and "is quite lengthy for an early beta".

It covers the introductory sequence as well as most of the first major location of the game, Sagus Cliffs.

cg1700 wrote:Eu o sa mi-l cumpar cand apare dar nu stiu daca o sa il si joc atunci. Vad un trend in RPG-urile astea Kickstartuite unde se lanseaza o versiune enhanced la vreun an si ceva dupa aparitie asa ca ma gandesc ca mai bine astept. Asta desigur daca o sa ma pot abtine.