Here's a quick post launch hotfix round of bugs we encountered (and successfully fixed!) just now:
Fixed bugged behaviour in the Wasteland Beast Master event
Fixed a bug in tutorial (not showing the button if you go back during the initial event)
Fixed a few localization issues
Fixed a bug with Twitch integration poll in RU localization
Outcast Tales: The First Journey is OUT NOW!
Greetings, misfits!
It is finally time to set foot into the perilous wastelands of Outcast Tales! You heard it right: as of this moment, the prologue chapter of Outcast Tales titled Outcast Tales: The First Journey is out now! So you can pause reading this devlog and go download it right now. We’ll wait.
“But Mr. Outcast, what is this prologue chapter?” we hear you ask. Here is the rundown, just for you:
Your first journey awaits!
More than just a prologue, Outcast Tales: The First Journey features a unique shorter campaign you can sink your teeth into right now! Just don’t get any sand in your mouth.
Assemble your crew, battle your way through monsters and crooks, awkwardly stumble around social interactions, and maybe even defeat some big guy at the end of the run! Not yet an Outcast Tale, but an Outcast Short Story for sure!
The first step towards your own tale awaits.
Many tales to tell
Finishing your first run is just the start of that journey, though. It ain’t a good tale if you don’t want to read it over and over again, after all! And there’s plenty of stuff to keep you coming back: try out the 4 available characters and 5 available personality types, engage in numerous unique events, and challenge yourself with 3 difficulty modes.
Enjoy multiple characters and personality types, with more to come!
Once you finish your first run, you will get access to Contracts to spice up your journey even more: finish unique tasks and who knows what might happen!
Old wounds, new looks
One can’t attend a big event without putting on something dapper! To celebrate the game’s sort-of-birthday, we got it some new clothes as well: the UI has been completely revamped for that rustic Western-y look, and the backgrounds have all been given a new life. The Wasteland has also been populated with many more items and deadly enemies. So look around, but don’t dawdle!
Living to tell the tale
The cool thing about surviving is not making it, but telling everyone else you did. To that end, we added Twitch integration for all your backseat gaming buddies. And if you’re more of a lone wolf, The First Journey will have plenty of achievements so you can style on your friends without ever having to lock gazes.
A reliable narrator
One can’t have a tale if there’s no one to tell it. Thankfully, Outcast Tales features a narrator ready to describe all of your ups and downs, failures and successes, questionable decisions and downright awkward moments.
To make the zany and often-ridiculous world of Outcast Tales more cohesive, the story needs to be delivered with all the deadpan impartiality of a British voice, and who could be better for the role than Samuel Barnett? Known for his roles as Dirk Gently and Cyberpunk 2077’s Delamain, Barnett’s soothing cadence is sure to alleviate the pain of failure and make that one sneaky dialogue choice resonate that much more.
We hope all of these arguments convince you to drop everything you were doing and give the game a go right now (aside from the whole prologue thing being free, of course). All of that and more is just the start of our collective journey as we’re reaching the finishing stretch of development: expect the full game to feature a much longer campaign, tons of new enemies and items, more characters and personality types, and many more of those sweet unique events. Speaking of that…
…the full version of Outcast Tales will be released this year!
Now that you’re all buttered up, set forth! And once you’ve had your share of adventure, don’t forget to share your tale on our Discord and Twitter. See you soon!
We’ve been through a lot together. The adventures, the drama, the extensively-written devlogs… And we finally arrived at today, a special day. No, we are not releasing Outcast Tales just yet, but we’ve got just the next best thing for you: the Prologue release date announcement!
Without further ado, Outcast Tales: The First Journey will release on…
January 29, 2024.
That’s right! The release of the prologue chapter of Outcast Tales is just a few days away. This prologue chapter is releasing free-of-charge, but it is more than a mere demo.
The release includes:
The entire first act of the game's campaign
Multiple heroes and personalities
Tons of in-game content
Surprises for especially die-hard junkyard junkies
…and more!
We’ll share more details on the Prologue and the game proper on release day, so stay tuned!
Before you go and share the good news with all of your loved ones, join our Discord and Twitter! The people there are just as excited as you all are.
One last thing: the Steam page for the full release of Outcast Tales is now live, so you can wishlist the game and keep up with all the updates to come. See you around!
These past few months, you’ve read many entries about the world of Outcast Tales (formerly known as Ragtag Crew). Now you’re all prepared to brave the wilds and become the best diplomat/cutthroat you can be! However, this time we’re going a little meta: we know you’ve been clamoring to know more about the current state of the game, and we’ve come with some good news. So here are some answers to questions you asked. Or didn’t. But you probably thought about them in your head anyway!
Q: How’s the game coming along? What’s taking so long?!
The game is steadily nearing completion. No specific dates yet, but a lot has been done in the meantime. There are still some things we’re working on, — such as adding more narrative events, balancing the game, tweaking meta-progression loops, adding voiceover, and giving everything that extra polish, — but rest assured: the biggest bulk of the game is done. We’ve also completely revamped the UI and updated the look of the game’s locations, some of which you might’ve noticed from our previous devlogs!
Nothing says “a blood-soaked wasteland” like that rustic UI look
Q: Wasn’t this called Ragtag Crew? Why the name change?
True, it was: the game changed the name from Ragtag Crew to Outcast Tales. We feel that Outcast Tales is more than just a roguelite with loot and numbers going up, and really want to focus on the storytelling part of the experience, as well as the numerous stories (or “tales”) your characters will encounter along the way. At its core, it’s still the same game you’ve all been looking forward to, just bigger and better.
Q: You’ve been working on it for too long! Hope the game lasts more than a couple of nights, at least…
Expect Outcast Tales to have lots of content and replayability. The game now boasts many characters, possible archetypes, and events. There are numerous ways to mix-and-match it all, so the number of possible variables and thus unique runs is somewhere in the thousands. More than that, the heart of the game lies in its unique events, and rest assured we’ve got plenty of those (totaling up to 160k words and counting!). But don’t fret: you don’t have to read all of it thanks to all the narration we’re putting in! And with the many possible endings on offer, you aren’t going to be stopping your adventure any time soon…
Q: So that’s it? You got anything more… exciting?
You got us. No one likes leaving empty-handed: it’s a holiday, after all. Here’s one last piece of good news:
The Prologue Chapter, Outcast Tales: The First Journey, is coming out Q1 2024!
…And while you’re getting that sweet taste of wasteland massacre, we’ll be putting the finishing touches on our game. Expect the Prologue to support multiple languages as well, such as English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. There are a couple curious tidbits we still wanted to share with you… but now you’ll just have to play the Prologue and find out on your own!
Whew, now that was a load off our chest. We hope this update answered some of your more pressing questions and got you excited for what’s to come. Now sit tight as we put the finishing touches on the Prologue!
And if you want to share the hype, don’t be shy and hop on in to our Discord and Twitter.
See you all very, very soon!
Devlog: Shoot Never Talk
Greetings, misfits!
Last time we took a peek at the various personalities of Outcast Tales and took some guesses on what kinds of interactions might arise from these hellish concoctions.
This time we are diving even deeper into the banter, the contemplation, and the eleventh-hour backstabbing.🗡
As you venture through the Wasteland, it’s not just mindless goons and loot that await you. There are also events, encounters, sticky situations, and all manner of shenanigans to block your path forward. Will you shoot ‘em with your gun or strike ‘em down with the pure, unadulterated power of your mind?
Ah, witch hunting. Your run-of-the-mill moral dilemma.
Some dialogues are tied to in-game mechanics, such as shops. But unlike many other games, accepting or declining the offer ain’t your only choices…
The famous 30% off stare-down.
Still, some choices are more complex than that…
Child’s play indeed.
Not only are there skill checks, but you can choose between personal and party checks as well. Really puts all that character creation you did in the beginning into perspective, doesn’t it?
Dead bodies in a post-apocalyptic wasteland?! The horror!
Beware: failing skill checks might put a damper on your morale, among other things. And nobody likes a party pooper. But hey, at least you'll have your two trusty (and deadly) sidekicks to bail you out, just try not to make them regret tagging along with you in the first place.
If only our parents saying that came with a perk…
As in life, failing at something can also come with experience of its own. No pain no gain, right? Not all encounters are one-off affairs, by the way. Some are multi-phase events that just keep going as you keep traveling. But just like in reality, actions have consequences. So don’t expect being a weirdo not to catch up with you.
This road sign just won’t let up!
So many people, so many stories! Sometimes you meet a kind stranger on your way, sometimes you get indoctrinated into a weird cult. Stuff happens. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, so we hope you join in for more soon! And do expect a bigger update just around the corner. 👀
Finally, here's something to chew on for dessert: a couple of dialogue snippets you might or might not run into during your adventure. Don’t forget to join us on Discord and Twitter while you’re chewing: they say it’s good for you.
Outcast Tales Joins the Roguelike Celebration Starting Oct 19
That’s right! Outcast Tales will take part in the Roguelike Celebration Steam Event taking place on October 19 through October 26. You know, Outcast Tales is not just an exercise for tactical masterminds, or a story of many choices, or a gritty post-apocalyptic tragicomedy. It is also, coincidentally, a video game of the roguelite variety that you can play. And play it you will!
In the spirit of the event, let’s take a couple of (carefully curated) peeks at some of the things that make Outcast Tales a roguelite.
You grow as one does in most RPGs. However, this game being a roguelite contractually forces us to turn progression into an irreversible choice…
…Still, you continue to grow even after you finish your run…
…No run ever ends without pain, though…
…Which is still worth it, as you might unlock something much bigger than a typical 0.1% damage boost.
We hope that our use of the scientific method has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that Outcast Tales is, indeed, a roguelite, and thus deserves to take part in this milestone event.
We’re looking to celebrate it with you, so join the festivities on Discord and Twitter and share your impressions of Outcast Tales and other cool rougelik(t)es you find (just don’t forget to play our demo while you do that). Sit tight, some bigger news is coming up pretty soon.
We’ve now spent some time getting to know our enemy and finding ways to deal with various threats. But what about getting to know ourselves? What about the battles fought with words and emotions?
One would think this heartless world is all about brute strength and material possessions, but personality does matter!
Personalities
Stats or a sharp tongue? You decide!
Character flaws come in two flavors!
As you create your starting character, you must imbue them with a preset personality. This not only determines their skills and abilities, but nets them positive and negative traits, which affect conduct in battle or during events. Here are some of those personality types:
Hermit. Someone who grew tired of the bloodshed and decided to work from home. Apparently, they became so attuned with nature, they managed to befriend a… pet they’re now riding, which technically qualifies them for being promoted to a Disney princess.
Having a scaly companion does give them an intimidation factor, but what good is it if they’re so averse to violence? They are just begging to get reprimanded by a ragtag group of killers. Let’s hope they learn the error of their ways.
Daredevil. The complete opposite of a Hermit. They love getting their hands dirty (note: the “dirt” mostly consists of the guts and tears of their enemies). As expected, someone with that much pent-up rage is hardly a role model of emotional maturity: avoiding dangerous situations leaves those adrenaline junkies with a bad case of withdrawal, which leads to temper tantrums. Aww, he just wanted to rip this cute little wobot in half with his bare hands!
Will your team of delinquents simply get annoyed or provide the Daredevil with a counseling sesh? Time will tell.
Egghead. One cannot underestimate the importance of intellect and resourcefulness in a world ripe with scarcity. Still, for all their IQ, the Eggheads are lacking in empathy and do not mince words, which can create unwarranted tension with friends and foes alike.
Let’s hope your crew gets to make a delicious omelet without breaking a few eggheads along the way.
Eye catcher. A charmer and a smooth-talker. Due to their ego, they hardly pay attention to the more practical side of things, which results in more wasted rations during your journey. Guess our diva just doesn’t like fried lizard tail for breakfast. However, they are a smooth operator and know how to diffuse all sorts of situations, whether on the battlefield or within the team.
How does one even get good at diplomacy if the world around you is just hideous creatures and village idiots?
Lone wolf. This is a no man’s land, and the Lone wolf takes the expression literally. Their weariness and mistrust of society will inevitably become a point of tension within your crew. However, this does come with some upsides: the Lone wolf (also known as “the cooler Hermit”) exhibits worldly awareness that is sure to put you out of harm’s way.
What will give first? Your party’s patience as they try to get into the Lone wolf’s good graces or your patience as you groan at yet another “hard-boiled cowboy” monologue?
There are more personality types you will unlock along the way. We will let you discover them on your own, which is our way of saying you should really play this game.
Other tips
Not getting your neck snapped is not the only perk of being a good sport. Healthy communication helps smooth out misunderstandings within your own team and keep your spirits high.
They will remember that… Probably
Who knows? Some of them might even grow closer. And in the harsh, lonely lands of Outcast Tales the only treasure you can really find is a good friend. That, and overpowered alien technology.
Lastly, you simply cannot decimate hordes of living creatures and save dozens of towns without wanting to curl up in a little violent ball and cry at least some of the time. To illustrate this idea, we’ve included the morale stat. Each character has their own view of the world which will affect their morale, so choose your responses wisely during events. Boosting your team’s morale improves combat performance, while low spirits may prove detrimental and even result in emotional outbursts unbecoming of a team of adult raiders. Seriously, it’s not a pretty sight.
Well, that was a ride. We bickered, we talked, we laughed. Just as friends do. But like most relationships, this lecture must eventually come to an end. Don’t worry, though: there’s still loads to learn about the world of Outcast Tales, so stay tuned for more very soon!
And now that you’re a master of social interactions, don’t be shy and hop onto our Discord server or check out our Twitter! See you next time!
Devlog: Mind Your Status
Greetings, misfits!
Last time we covered the basics of planning your moves and setting them into motion, like a broken-down-but-still-oddly-amusing Rube Goldberg machine. It’s time to cover a few extra points that should add a bit of spice to your encounters.
Status effects
They say “making it” is all about money and status. Well, would you look at that: they are right! Especially about the status thing.
Status effects are special passive attributes that might make your journey a bit easier or sucker punch you into the stratosphere if you’re not careful.
Hover over an enemy icon for a dose of extra sugar (or spice)
Attacks that inflict status effects include the status description for you to read. Who knew mercenary life came with so many text boxes?
Some status effects “stack”, which makes them synergize with other status effects, while some do not. Think of it as waking up with a cold and an upset stomach all at the same time, yikes!
The status effects inflicted on your characters are displayed as icons above their health bars. Aside from enemy attacks, there are other situations that might get you a buff or a debuff, like an enemy ambush. Maybe stay on your toes and dial back on philosophizing with your teammates next time.
Sometimes, you might even debuff yourself. And same goes for your enemies! Guess you aren’t the only one who tends to skip the fine print. You know what that means: time to put your strategist cap on! Or maybe a skull would be more appropriate…
Never forget that those status effects can apply to both your enemies and your party. And it’s your job to make accidents into miracles.
A few more status effects for you to chew on. Just don’t get a stomachache…
Healing
It’s time to address the elephant in the room — healing your party. Sounds simple enough. Just cast a little healing spell or one of those fancy buffs, right? Slow down there, cowboy. Why would everyone live in a dump if things were so easy?
There are very few ways to heal during battle, so don’t expect to make your way out by just tapping X. Even the most simple encounters could prove fatal if you don’t play your cards right. Each stolen health point can and will come back to bite you in the long run. And this game is all about the long runs.
Here is one way to handle the situation: armor. It acts as a protective layer that absorbs HP until it’s destroyed with enough damage. How do you get extra armor, you ask? By using those pesky status effects again! In other words, you have to attack first to trigger the Armor status effect. Since you usually know which party member gets attacked next, that gives you yet another opportunity to strategize.
Whew, all this talk about fights and enemies must be exhausting — sometimes you just want to sit down and talk to people. So do expect some of the upcoming devlogs to focus on the characters and their interactions.
Speaking of interactions, don’t forget to check out our Twitter and hop onto our Discord server to stay updated on all things Outcast Tales. See you soon!
Devlog: Know Your Enemy
Greetings, misfits.
Your survival in the Wasteland depends on braving the elements, scavenging for resources, and outchatting your adversaries - But even with all this riveting dialogue, your sword (metaphorical, use guns instead) will sometimes be mightier than the pen (also metaphorical, most characters can’t even read, let alone write). Here are some things to keep in mind as you’re playing with sand in the Wasteland:
The battle system
Outcast Tales is a turn-based game. You rearrange your enemies’ faces during your turn, and they respond in kind. You can choose the order your party members attack in, allowing for deeper strategic maneuvers. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Well, here is a little “western” twist:
Your mightiest weapon. No oversized swords required.
Those icons correspond to the upcoming moves of your opponents. The enemy order, the approximate damage you’re going to receive, and even the attack type. You won’t survive in the Wasteland for long if you can’t use this knowledge to your advantage. You are far from being a clairvoyant, however. Take a gander:
Stand back, I'm good at dice.
As you can see, a lot of the stats and outcomes are not predefined. Even if the initial fate of your party is somewhat out of your control, your final destiny isn’t. Will you take your chances and attack? Will you debuff the enemy before they show their hand? Will any of this matter, if you're but a tumbleweed, rolling through the sands of life? Life in the Wasteland is like a game of chess, but your opponent is a donkey who can simply flip the table. (Just like in real life!) But seeing the enemy’s hand lets you flip the table back while it’s in the air…(Okay, maybe not exactly like real life)… This is the sort of mindset you must adapt if you wish to live another day.
Punching bags
Here are some threats you may come across as you and your crew make your way into parts unknown.
Screechers
You might want to squish this repulsive bug, but beware of its hellish shrieks as you do. Becoming deaf will rob your party of its Ability Points for a while - which is kind of important. How will you plan ahead? Do you concentrate your fire on the sucker or buff yourself in preparation?
Insectoids
Call pest control; we've got a situation here... If you get sprayed by its pheromones, you become the primary target for the enemy team. But they ain’t looking for hugs: the pheromones’ effects make you extra brittle and damageable, making for a nice slushy to digest later. Sounds rough, but perhaps a more callous tactician can take advantage of this knowledge…
Worms
No, these guys don't wield bazookas. They might look scary but are actually very shy: they will immediately burrow underground till the end of the turn after they receive damage. But this ain’t the end of the story, as they will come back in style… Maybe you should wait and save them for dinner?
Scavenger bots
This universe didn't have an Azimov, so many robots are inherently hostile. These little guys are dropped by Scavenger Technicians and act as an extra defense barrier. However, they take a while to activate, which is something you can track and account for. *Beep*repared!
This ends our little debrief for now, but these basic tips can only get you so far and the war is only beginning. But don’t fret: there are plenty more battle tips and tricks waiting for you in our next devlog.
In the meantime check the Outcast Tales demo and try stomping some worms yourself! Who knows what secrets you might learn?
See you soon! Don't forget to follow us on Twitter for gameplay teasers, and feel free to drop in and say hi to us on our official Discord!
Devlog: Battling and Common Threats
Greetings, misfits.
Your survival in the Wasteland depends on braving the elements, scavenging for resources, and outchatting your adversaries - But even with all this riveting dialogue, your sword (metaphorical, use guns instead) will sometimes be mightier than the pen (also metaphorical, most characters can’t even read, let alone write). Here are some things to keep in mind as you’re playing with sand in the Wasteland:
The battle system
Ragtag Crew is a turn-based game. You rearrange your enemies’ faces during your turn, and they respond in kind. You can choose the order your party members attack in, allowing for deeper strategic maneuvers. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Well, here is a little “western” twist:
Your mightiest weapon. No oversized swords required.
Those icons correspond to the upcoming moves of your opponents. The enemy order, the approximate damage you’re going to receive, and even the attack type. You won’t survive in the Wasteland for long if you can’t use this knowledge to your advantage. You are far from being a clairvoyant, however. Take a gander:
Stand back, I'm good at dice.
As you can see, a lot of the stats and outcomes are not predefined. Even if the initial fate of your party is somewhat out of your control, your final destiny isn’t. Will you take your chances and attack? Will you debuff the enemy before they show their hand? Will any of this matter, if you're but a tumbleweed, rolling through the sands of life? Life in the Wasteland is like a game of chess, but your opponent is a donkey who can simply flip the table. (Just like in real life!) But seeing the enemy’s hand lets you flip the table back while it’s in the air…(Okay, maybe not exactly like real life)… This is the sort of mindset you must adapt if you wish to live another day.
Punching bags
Here are some threats you may come across as you and your crew make your way into parts unknown.
Screechers
You might want to squish this repulsive bug, but beware of its hellish shrieks as you do. Becoming deaf will rob your party of its Ability Points for a while - which is kind of important. How will you plan ahead? Do you concentrate your fire on the sucker or buff yourself in preparation?
Insectoids
Call pest control; we've got a situation here... If you get sprayed by its pheromones, you become the primary target for the enemy team. But they ain’t looking for hugs: the pheromones’ effects make you extra brittle and damageable, making for a nice slushy to digest later. Sounds rough, but perhaps a more callous tactician can take advantage of this knowledge…
Worms
No, these guys don't wield bazookas. They might look scary but are actually very shy: they will immediately burrow underground till the end of the turn after they receive damage. But this ain’t the end of the story, as they will come back in style… Maybe you should wait and save them for dinner?
Scavenger bots
This universe didn't have an Azimov, so many robots are inherently hostile. These little guys are dropped by Scavenger Technicians and act as an extra defense barrier. However, they take a while to activate, which is something you can track and account for. *Beep*repared!
This ends our little debrief for now, but these basic tips can only get you so far and the war is only beginning. But don’t fret: there are plenty more battle tips and tricks waiting for you in our next devlog.
In the meantime check the Ragtag Crew demo and try stomping some worms yourself! Who knows what secrets you might learn?
