This is spiritual successor to The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, made by people who created Daggerfall.

For those who are unaware, there was sort of a big schism in Bethesda after Daggerfall - Daggerfall team wanted
to make next TES game in the spirit of Daggerfall, Tod Howard wanted something different - so we got Morrowind.
And while I like Morrowind quite a bit, we never got another game that resembles and builds on Daggerfall. So if you
would like to see something that is based on those old school sensibilities, trying to recreate open-world/open-ended
TTRPG campaign in video game, augmented with new tech (part about Virtual GM especially), please consider backing
this up - sure, I fully expect final product to be overambitious and full of jank, but all my favourites in the genre are
like that, diamonds in the rough.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oncelostgames/the-wayward-realms

Welcome to The Wayward Realms, a Grand RPG by legendary game developers, Ted Peterson and Julian
Lefay. A game that aims to bring the “old-school” design philosophies of Classic RPGs together with the
latest technology and quality of life improvements, courtesy of Unreal Engine 5.

Get lost in a  massive, beautiful open world, filled to the brim with adventure. Explore vast, realistically scaled
cities, sprawling towns, deep dungeons filled with untold treasures, and a plethora of diverse environments.
Discover populations of warring factions, dangerous creatures, and an expansive cast of characters that come
to life the more you interact with them.

As a player, you will be traversing the great open seas in all sorts of weather. 

Spiritual Successor

In 1996, our founders—Ted Peterson and Julian Lefay—released The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall while
working at Bethesda Softworks, pushing the envelope of what was possible with computer games. Still
considered one of the largest games ever crafted, Daggerfall was massive both in its gameplay mechanics
and its potential. Shortly after its release, Ted & Julian pursued other projects and new work, yet Daggerfall's
impact and potential stayed with them throughout their careers.

Explore dangerous, dark, dungeons full of monsters & secrets.

Nearly 30 years later, they have teamed up once again to see that potential realized, bringing along fellow
Daggerfall alum Eric Heberling, the original composer, to once again create a memorable and immersive world.
Carrying forward everything that worked in Daggerfall, our aim is to refine and expand upon the systems that
have kept players coming back to it for decades, as well as introduce new systems and quality of life improvements
to create a modern classic – a true successor to Daggerfall.
 

Immerse yourself in a beautiful and richly diverse wilderness.

Core Game Pillars

In line with our Classic RPG Design, we have established 4 Core Design Pillars that define and guide our
plans for The Wayward Realms.

These 4 Pillars are Scope, Choices, Consequences, and Roleplaying.

Scope

The Wayward Realms offers a massive, procedurally-generated world with plenty of variety in the environments
and locales. Dungeons and cities are crafted to feel unique from one another, offering limitless options for layouts
and aesthetics. The world itself is ever changing; cities can grow, deteriorate, or be entirely destroyed by war, and
the sky, landscape, and flora change with the seasons.

Likewise, the worldbuilding runs deep, with thousands of years worth of history. Through item descriptions, dialogue,
lorebooks, and ancient rune stones that dot the land, players will be able to learn about the world, its history, the
various factions, and the people who’ve chosen to make the Archipelago their home.

Choices

The Wayward Realms gives players truly meaningful choices, with the potential for lasting effects on the world and your
experience of it. From your race, equipment, or skills, to narrative and gameplay tactics, or your involvement (or lack thereof)
in world events – everything is a choice.  

Meaningful choices go far beyond what sword you equip or how you choose to talk to an NPC. Our skill system is designed
to encourage a wide variety of builds and specializations, as each choice shapes your character in unique ways. The more you
invest in a skill, the wider the variety of options available to you in how you might utilize it.

Consequences

Player’s actions will have consequences, both good and bad. There is no such thing as a failed quest in The Wayward Realms,
only results and future consequences, depending on how your choices affected the outcome. Whether those are positive or
negative will be up to the world to decide, and for the player to experience, as every choice leads to some kind of change.
You could improve or degrade your ability to join certain factions, the amount and kind of reputation you earn, and how
the world reacts to your presence.

Roleplaying

While other RPGs railroad their players into specific roles, The Wayward Realms lets players decide what type of character they
wish to play, who they would side with, and what actions that character would actually perform.

For this reason, we have chosen to forego a traditional “Main Quest'' in order to craft many smaller and more varied narratives
for our factions, which will appeal to a broad swath of character types. The player can further shape their story by how they
choose to deal with major World Events. They can take part and influence the outcome, or simply stand by and live with whatever
consequences these events bring to the world.

Finally, our Virtual Game Master will take a character’s playstyle and tailor the quests, encounters, and rewards around them,
much like a real life tabletop game master.

Virtual Game Master

Perhaps the most exciting feature we are working on, the Virtual Game Master—or VGM—is a system designed to
bring roleplaying to the next level. Brought to life using the latest in machine learning technology, the VGM is meant
to tailor a player’s gameplay experience to their strengths and weaknesses, as well as their preferences and choices.

Loremasters decipher forbidden knowledge in the Library of Logos.

Through exploration, you will find hidden secrets and treasures.

Aside from the many hand crafted quests we plan to offer, the VGM is also in charge of creating new quests
for the player to encounter. This is accomplished by utilizing quest templates in a 5 act structure, letting the
VGM piece together new quests and opening up many new possibilities. The VGM will also take into account
other quests the player has already completed, their playstyle, who their allies and enemies are, and what type
of quests the player prefers, then utilize these variables to create new, tantalizing, and engaging content.

A Massive Fantasy World

Set in a massive world of over 500,000 square kilometers, with thousands of realistically scaled cities, towns and
labyrinthian dungeons to explore, The Wayward Realms aims to give players a truly epic setting to experience.
To accomplish this, we are leaning on some of the most advanced technology available, including Unreal Engine 5's
new procedural tools, along with our own in-house systems to craft this incredible world.

The landscape of Eyjar is a sight to behold with its dormant volcano towering in the distance.

Like Daggerfall, the world of The Wayward Realms is mapped out, with the procedural systems crafting
the landscape and building the cities and dungeons. In the spaces between, players will find a plethora of
content to keep themselves busy, such as bandit camps, mines, ruins, and other points of interest that
players will want to investigate and explore.

This, combined with the VGM’s ability to spawn in new content for players to come across, will ensure that
the world feels alive and full of things to do, animals to hunt, resources to discover, monsters to fight, unique
places to see, and new adventures to have.

Listed Game Features

Forge Your Own Path - In The Wayward Realms, there is no traditional “Main quest.” Players have complete
freedom to choose their own path, join factions that make sense for their character, and shape every quest
line they encounter. While there's no central storyline, there are faction quest lines and dynamic “World Events”
that players can influence. These “World Events” unfold independently of player actions, but offer the opportunity
to shape the future of the Archipelago, should the player choose to interact with them.

Character Creation - The Wayward Realms will feature 8 unique playable races: Humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Orks, Ogres,
Goblins, Cambion, and Fey. Players will be able to customize their character's features, as well as pick from various
skills and advantages/disadvantages to define their character’s playstyle.

Experience 8 unique playable races with distinct playstyles in the full release.

Classes - While there are several preset classes for players to choose from, this does not limit the player
to any specific equipment or skills. Players have total freedom to grow and define their character.

Skills & Attributes - Players will have their pick of over 30 Skills, affecting 8 attributes, used to craft and grow
their characters. As players level their skills by use, the corresponding Attributes will rise automatically, putting
great importance on your character’s actions.

Melee Combat - The Wayward Realms offers both traditional click-to-attack combat, as well as a Daggerfall-inspired
“precision mode” where players can swing their mouse in directional combat, with the ability to switch between the
two on the fly.

Prepare for combat that is fun, physical, impactful, and engaging.

Weapons & Armor - Featuring a more historical approach to armor and weapons, with a slight fantastical flair,
The Wayward Realms offers a broad range of choices inspired by the late 15th/early 16th centuries for players to
choose from, including the highly-requested polearms. 
Furthermore, all weapons come in three material types, with their own strengths and weaknesses, so players can
choose an arsenal that best suits their playstyle and character build.

Magic - The world of The Wayward Realms offers much in the ways of magic, from tried and true legends of the
genre such as Invisibility and Necromancy, to more exotic kinds, such as seeing the world through an NPC’s eyes,
or entrapping enemies within stone.

Spell Crafting - The Wayward Realms offers over 50 unique Spell Effects to toy around with in the Spell Creation System.
Spells can be expressed in many forms, from simple projectiles and explosions to magical waves and walls to hinder foes.
Players may specialize their spells as they see fit.

Relationships - During a player’s travels throughout the Archipelago, they will meet many interesting people with whom
to forge lasting friendships or, perhaps, something deeper. Each NPC the player interacts with will be saved by the VGM,
who can use them later down the line to push new quests and storylines towards the player character. This means that
any NPC has the potential to become an important character.

A Living, Breathing World on an Unprecedented Scale - The total size of the Archipelago—not including water—is, roughly,
521,000km² (201,160 miles²). It features thousands of procedurally generated cities, dungeons, towns, and points of interest
scattered between, allowing for adventures and exploration of epic proportions not seen in any other game.

Mass Crowd System - To make sure the sprawling cities of the Archipelago feel occupied and alive, The Wayward Realms uses
a Mass-AI system to display thousands of NPCs on screen at any given moment. To accomplish this, the crowd is treated as
a single entity. However, as the player approaches an individual NPC, they are outfitted with a background, occupation, and
routine, meaning players may follow them around and see their daily life play out.

Realistically scaled cities feel alive with numerous homes, shops, & people.

Sailing - With the setting being an archipelago, ships and boats play a huge role in the game. Ships may be
hired by players to travel from island to island or purchased outright to sail freely across the sea. 
Vessels come in various shapes and sizes, offering players a way to travel and even a place to call home,
depending on the type of ship. Unlawful players may also steal a ship for themselves, though that will of course
come with consequences.

The open sea is yours to roam and explore.

Mounts & Pack Animals - Players will have the option to purchase a mount to aid in their travels. There are 5
different types of Horses to pick from, varying in size and color; as well as camels in the deserts of Merothwyr.
Players can also purchase a pack animal to help carry loot and equipment. 
Apart from the animals themselves, players will be able to upgrade saddlebags and purchase new bridle, saddles
and even armor for their trusty steeds.

Reputation & Law - A player in The Wayward Realms is only as good as their reputation, which will be affected by
their actions, which factions they join, and any crimes they might commit. Joining a faction will attract allies and enemies.
The player’s reputation with these groups will shift further as they rise through the ranks.
Should the player find themselves on the opposite side of the law, they may be arrested and put on trial. They might
sweet talk their way out, do hard time, or try to escape from prison and live on the run.

Stretch Goals

Our goal is to raise $500,000 to fund one year of development on an Early Access build that will feature preliminary
versions of key systems. It is our aim to then take that Early Access build to publishers to seek out further funding
and continue development on the rest of the game.

We want to encourage those who want to see this kind of game made, but can't pledge high amounts, to support us
at the lowest tiers: Benefactor & Wanderer. These tiers are arguably the most important, as a high number of backers
will be instrumental in proving something that we have been saying for years – that players still crave this kind of game.

By supporting us at the Adventurer Tier, supporters will get the Early Access build as soon as it is ready.  This will include
a prologue chapter set on the starting island of Eyjar, which is approximately 140 square kilometers in size.

To fill that massive space, we will build the Early Access version to include a wide variety of content.  We plan to offer
Humans and Orks as playable races at the start, with several cosmetic and armor choices for each. Additionally, there
will be several factions to join with interconnected struggles to resolve, as well as a multitude of enemies to battle,
each with their own unique attack styles, resistances, and weaknesses. Exploration will not be imited to the landmass
itself. There will be ships and sailing available to players who wish to take their adventures into the surrounding waters
of Eyjar. Last, but certainly not least, there will be vast quantities  of lore to dive into and learn about Eyjar – and the world beyond.


https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/oncelostgames/the-wayward-realms