Most esteemed Innkeepers!

There are still 10 days left until the end of the campaign. So far we've managed to gather almost 80% of the initial goal. During those 10 days left anything can happen, so we decided to create extra goals for our campaign. Check out what additional elements of the game we can create with your help.




$34,000 - Scenario editor and Steam Workshop integration

Achieving this goal will allow us to transfer some of our workforce to create an editor for maps and game scenarios, which will be integrated with Steam Workshop.

$38,000 - Hiring a lector of our dreams

Thanks to this amount we will be able to hire Brian Blessed, famous actor, as a narrator for Crossroads Inn.

$42,000 - Additional tavern games: “Four and a half finger”, “The Shutmouth”, “Hand to hand”, “Bone poker”

The money from this level of support will free us from other work-related responsibilities, allowing us to design unique tavern mini-games, from the world of Delcrys.

$50,000 - Additional campaign - Martyn’s Legacy (Martyn establishes a tavern) +2-3h of gameplay

Thanks to these resources, we will be able to pay for additional work, to create an individual campaign for Martyn.

$80,000 - Nintendo Switch and Playstation 4 ports

This level of support will allow us to hire an additional programmer, who will create PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions of the game.



Each of those additional goals is within the reach of your hand. Help us fill to the mug and enjoy the game even more!

We would also like to remind you about our live stream and "AMA" session on Wednesday. It'll take place on Wednesday, 6th at 19:00 CET (13:00 EST). The life stream will last for 20 minutes. Hope you'll be there to spend some time with us!

Good news everyone! We’ve reached ⅔ of our campaign goal. Meaning - we have $20.000! Huge thanks to all of you who backed us and supported us in any other way.



We would like to announce something special we plan for next week. That’s a live stream and “Ask Me Anything” session with the team standing behind the development of Crossroads Inn.



So save some time for us on Wednesday, 6th of March. We’ll be answering any question you have regarding the game or our team. Keep your heads up for more news!

🍺 http://kck.st/2WYth0H

We still have ⅓ of the road ahead of us and we would appreciate any kind of help very much - whether it’s a pledge or spreading the word about our campaign.

In the meantime, have a great weekend!

https://youtu.be/LNviWCE3Ypw
The process of creating special characters is different than in the case of universal characters. There are many more elements and details that need to be developed. W need to show who a given character is, what are its special features, its personality. In Crossroads Inn players will interact with these characters. Therefore, during the dialogue they will see their full silhouettes. That's why Jakub's task in the case of these dozen or so characters doesn't end with initial sketches, which are enough to create 3D models. He has to create a fully rendered illustration of each character, on which the current emotional state and her attitude is marked.



Jakub Balewicz: Usually I try to show classical features in characters, which often refer to stereotypes. At the same time I mix them with interesting, often contrasting details, which are supposed to bring something unique out of the character. It's like building "visual conflicts" that are meant to extract something one of a kind.

As an example of the process of building special characters, we will focus on two of them. The first one is Martyn. The central person of the campaign and the player's guardian, who introduces him to the flow of the game, presents the first information about Delcrys, the history of the kingdom and our past. The second character is Kii. She belongs to the one of the most important groups in the game - Vedetas. This is a group of special workers, whose members have additional functions and requirements during the game. This particular character also shares certain features of the representatives of Courier faction, because it originates from them.

Martyn

Martyn is the face of our game. He appears in a huge amount of visual materials promoting Crossroads Inn. That's why designing him was a very important task. As a character he is a bartender and owner of a basic tavern in the campaign. That's why, on one hand, it was necessary to show his current profession and, on the other, to smuggle information about his past. As a former soldier he wears parts of outfit that refer to years of his youth spent in the army. These are a military vest in the colours of Yorevale and a knife with a handle made from antlers of a Daer, which were used by the King's side soldiers.



Martyn must look like an experienced and dangerous person, but at the same time he must also arouse the player's sympathy. The balding head and wrinkled face is meant to show age, but the hairstyle (moustache, sides, etc.) suggests that he still has a lot of life and verve in him. He's powerful, a bit thick. Strong, but also caring and a little bit melancholic. The intention was to build him as a person you can always count on and who is able to sacrifice everything for the people important to him.



Martyn was one of the first characters to be created. With the development of the game and changes in some concepts, his image evolved. From the gloomy, almost pale character, it was necessary to bring out more life, rejuvenate him a bit and make him more player-friendly. He had to become a character you will like starting with the first conversation and whose fate you will be concerned about until the last moments of game. Hence the changes that you can see on the graphics below.



Kii

Kii has a completely different task in the game than Martyn. She represents Vedetas, kamasutra masters, who have the function of special workers. In addition, Kii comes from the Kurier faction, what is indicated by her ethnic features and specially selected outfit. These mountain people, who ride on extraordinary creatures such as griffins, are inspired by the cultures of the Far East - especially the inhabitants of Tibet. Kii's costume, which is supposed to resemble kimono, is diversified with a tunic inspired by the fashion of ancient Greece. Delicate colours and accents of feathers and flowers are supposed to make her appearance softer. The tattoo and a determined attitude are supposed to suggest that she is full of strength and a kind of wildness. Her rich outfit additionally suggests that not everyone can afford the unusual pleasures that she can provide in her private chamber.



Jakub Balewicz: I believe that each of us has a certain set of features that help to assign him to a specific group - in connection with the profession they perform, the subculture with which they identify, their hobbies or their life passion. These features make us fall into a unitary mass of people, we become a homogenous group. At the same time, these features are intertwined with a set of special qualities, very often incompatible with the rest. Those qualities make us stand out from the crowd and give us our own, unique voice. If we look at somebody long enough, we will get to know them, we will discover that everyone is an extraordinary, unique person. And this is what I try to show in the characters that I design.

The workshop of a 3D graphic designer

The process of creating 3D models begins with the analysis of concepts prepared by Jakub. First, Tomasz chooses the right body for the hero from among several types that occur in the game (e.g. ordinary, muscular, slender).



It is always good to set up an action plan. That's why the order and priority of creating individual parts of characters is set first, so that the working time is well distributed among them and unnecessary complications are avoided. For example: If the characters are wearing long coats, it is a good idea for them to first create their lower body parts. Otherwise it may turn out that the coats are unmatched and penetrate the legs, for example.



Tomasz Kuczyński: I use classic workflow, that is I create a very detailed highpoly model first. Usually this stage is the most crucial during the creation process and often takes half of the whole process. Then I create a simplified variant of the model, which will be used directly in the game. I move the details from the detailed version (chiaroscuro, normals, accents on the edges, etc.), thanks to which it seems to contain almost the same amount of information, but it does not overload the computer so much.

The next important step is texturing. Our graphic designer has a database of different materials and procedural tools at his disposal to improve production. Almost all texturing of characters takes place in Substance Designer, which in the case of character creation is quite an unusual method of work.



Thanks to the visual scripting system, the appropriate materials are allocated to different parts of the model and colour variants are created by changing the values of several variables in the program. Certain fragments of such completed graphs are often copied between different assets, which saves even more time. This way, despite a small team, we are able to texture a whole group of characters very smoothly.

Tomasz Kuczyński: often modify the characters and their clothes from concept-arts, styling them in such a way that they look good from afar and do not get lost visually in the crowd. It is very important how a given character looks from a bird's eye view. I focus on this perspective, because most of the time Crossroads Inn heroes are seen this way by the player. At the same time, I try to maintain the appropriate level of detail, so that after zooming in on the camera, the player has something to keep an eye on. It is his experience and the pleasure of spending time in the world of Crossroads Inn that are the most important for us in the end.

This part concludes the tale about the creative process of our graphic designers. Hope it was informative and inspiring for you. If you know anyone who might be interested in our project give him or her a shout. We still need your help to finish our Kickstarter campaign successfully!

🍺 http://kck.st/2WYth0H

Today we would like to show you a little bit of the process standing behind the development of workers and guests that will visit your tavern.

https://youtu.be/KxZ7GL07Qwo
The question which social groups and employees will appear in our game was one of the first we asked ourselves. Searching for the right answer was a tedious and long process, but when the answer was finally given, our 2D artist could start working in full force.



Jakub Balewicz: The first step is to find an initial idea for the character. Within our team, we talk and wonder what role does a new character play? In case of universal characters, customers or employees, the most important stage of my work was the development of their outfits. Here, the first stage is to find references for them.

Our game is set in the fantastic world of Delcrys, which is inspired by the Middle Ages and Renaissance. In order to give the characters a credible and consistent appearance, it was necessary to collect information about life in those times, how were the people dressing up and how it looked like in different cultures. The effects of this work led to the creation of the first notes, ideas and small sketches - mainly presenting patterns and shapes.



Only after gathering all this information it was possible to create the initial sketches. First, simple, quick drawings presenting a general outline of the outfits.

Jakub Balewicz: Inspired by the facts and images we found, we were seeking clothes that would fit into our world and reflect the spirit of a particular era. It is about patterns, materials, sewing methods and combining individual elements. Also, the available technology from a given period was a very important determinant of how different objects can function and look like.



In the case of employees, the first sketches led us to the images of specific professions and 3 different levels of experience for each of them. In the case of clients, we divided the sketches into 5 separate social groups which resulted in guest classes.

Kitchenstaff

Today, we wanted to introduce one of the groups of employees - Kitchenstaff. In their case, the most important elements of the design were, of course, the apron and specific kitchen tools. Those we use as visual indicators of the level. The lowest one, Kitchenhand, is wearing a dirty, torn outfit, and as an apron serves for him an old piece of cloth. "Fetch", "sweep", and " stir" are his daily bread. As a requisite, we gave him a ladle. With it, he prepares the simplest dishes, most often serving as a help to more experienced cooks.



The next level of Kitchenstaff are Cooks. In their case, the owner of the inn, i.e. the player, had to invest a lot of time and money in their development. That is why we assumed that he would like to be amused a little with the effect. Therefore, Cook has a new outfit and a clean apron. Here, we decided that the distinguishing item would be a knife. That’s because this character is connected to the activity of slicing and matching ingredients. In addition, Cook can already prepare much more dishes than Kitchenhand.



When we move to the third and highest level of a kitchen workers we get a Chef. Here, we have a rich, tailored outfit with much better materials, which are available only in the heart of the kingdom from the best tailors. His outfit is associated with the late Renaissance. We wanted to highlight the differences between him and the previous levels, where we used simple medieval costumes. The Chef, which can only be 1 in whole tavern, has a spoon and a shiv. His task is mainly to control the rest of the team, try dishes and add the last accents like spices and decorations. He is a master of his trade, who has gained experience in many kitchens, in many cities.



Jakub Balewicz: After consultation with the rest of the team and minor corrections, I was able to start making final drawings, in which I have already marked more details, color schemes and characteristics of individual professions. When this stage was finished, I delivered the charts with sets of refined sketches to Tomek, our 3D graphics.

About the differentiation system:

At Crossroads Inn, the diversity of customers and core employees must be very large, so we had to develop a system that would allow us to create a large number of combinations. The clothes that are meant to present the customer to the players are being designed separately. They translate into information from which social group and which region of the world a character comes from, and in the case of employees, who he or she is when it comes to profession and at what level.



Portraits and hairstyles are also created separately. These variables together - clothes, portraits and hairstyles - create a database from which combinations are created, which give a great variety. The variety we are looking for encompasses both 2D graphics and 3D models.

3D graphics:



Tomasz Kuczyński: We really wanted the Crossroads Inn world to be colorful, full of life and convincing. Few things spoil the immersion of the game world just like a screen filled with the same, duplicated models of characters. We wanted to avoid this problem and give the game the greatest depth possible.



Each group of guests has its own set of clothes, separate for representatives of both sexes. In such a set there are different clothes, headgear, types of trousers. Usually it varies from 6 to 12 objects. There are also different types of beards and hairstyles of characters. In the game engine there is a specially prepared script which, according to the established rules, combines everything into a ready-made character of the guest. This allows for a large variety of visitor appearance. This method of creation is called kitbashing (a term derived from Model building).

This method requires some planning and observance of certain rules during production, but in a relatively short time it allows to create a diverse crowd. In addition, with this method we use techniques that save RAM and CPU load, so it has a positive impact not only on the visual aspect of the game, but also on its optimization and performance.



You will have a chance to see the effects of this creative process in our game. We hope that you will like the characters created by us.

🍺 http://kck.st/2WYth0H

Crossroads Inn Calendar

Nobody knows what will the 2020 bring. What new trends in gaming industry, what new gaming consoles shall be announced... One thing is certain though. You can personally start next year by building your own unique fantasy tavern! You’ll be able to spend each day of 2020 among the best dishes and drinks, listening to the magnificent tales of bards and adventurers. You'll be able to mark these days in a special Crossroads Inn Calendar, that we’re preparing exclusively for our backers.



Bards, Adventurers and Vedetas

One of the prizes we’re also assembling is a set of 18 postcards featuring Crossroads Inn's special workers, designed by our 2D Artist Jakub Balewicz. In the game, each of them might knock on your door at any minute seeking a place to drink and dine. Who knows? Maybe they will fancy your tavern so much that they will offer to stay and work for you? Furthermore, if you manage to keep them long enough, they will share captivating stories about their life.



Cookbook

This unique collection of recipes has been created in collaboration with a bunch of culinary adventurers - Nerds’ Kitchen. Their team has prepared a culinary e-book based on the world of The Witcher for the famous CD Projekt Red.

Now, Nerds’ Kitchen has embarked on a journey to gather 12 legendary dishes of Delcrys. Knowing how to cook them is the ultimate goal and ambition of every respected innkeeper. Grab the book, which is one of a kind and let the flavors of Crossroads Inn flow into your very own kitchen!



Beer opener

To finish this marvelous feast, make yourself comfortable and use our unique Beer Opener open to open a bottle of your favorite drink. This practical puppy will fit every pocket and in the moment of great need can help you enter the realm of joy and relaxation.



Something extra - Martyn’s Delight Mug!

You can pour the content of the bottle into Martyn’s Delight Mug. This is the prize we’re adding today as one of the prizes in our campaign! In mugs like these, Martyn is serving his own special drink, made in accord with his own original recipe.

The physical versions of the calendar, the postcards, the mug and the beer-opener are available on the Tavern Trendsetter ($100) pledge and up. The physical version of the cookbook will go to backers who support us at least on the Royal Brewmaster ($500) level.

There is 16 days left until the end of our campaign and we still need your support. Every pledge counts, so please spread the news and let other innkeepers know about it! In the meantime, thank you for every kind word and comment you've sent. We salute you and raise mugs and drink to you, friends!

Meanwhile, if you haven't supported us yet - you can still do it!
🍺 http://kck.st/2WYth0H

Disclaimer! We can’t predict every obstacle we encounter during the production process of the prizes, so we reserve the right to adjust slight changes to their final appearance.

A week has passed since we have launched the Crossroads Inn campaign on Kickstarter. During this time, almost 500 wonderful people from 31 different countries have supported us with almost $13,000! Thank you!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEuXpYbpID0&t=12s
Our goal is to be as close to our community as possible. As such, we're very happy about every question that you ask! This week has been a rollercoaster for us! Answers to the most common questions can be found below!

1. On which platforms will the game be released?
We are currently developing our game for PC, Mac and Linux. We have a small team, so once we finish working on the PC version, we'll also try to port the game to Xbox One (especially as it currently supports keyboard and mouse controls). Another platform is a matter of raising adequate funds.

2. What languages will the game be localized in?
Looking at our current wishlist and supporters, we will make Crossroads Inn in English, Polish, German, Chinese and Russian. We are still considering French and Spanish as an option, depending on the level of interest we get from these territories.

3. What DLCs are you planning?
We plan to keep developing the game after its release. Our development team will work on add-ons such as new equipment, furniture, drinks and food. There will also be features such as new missions, scripts and activities connected with new employees. In general - a lot of content after the release, both free and paid.

4. Will the game be released in case of a failure on the Kickstarter?
The game is on the final straight - we want to hand it over to you by the end of the year! The release of the game is not dependent on Kickstarter. We are here to collect money for additional game features.

5. What does the Crossroads Inn campaign look like?
In Story mode, the campaign will last a year, which we divided into seasons - you start in early spring (this plays the role of a tutorial), and then you play through spring, summer and autumn, until the big finale in the winter. This seasonal distribution is important because it affects the availability of resources, while gradually increasing the level of difficulty. In each season you will encounter and try to eliminate one of the successors to the Delcrys throne (you can see them in our story trailer). The difference between Crossroads Inn and typical RPGs is that you have to use economics and market practices to defeat much more powerful opponents. We don't want to spoil too much, but as an example, we can use an Early Spring case. Your first opponent is Duke Rockburry, who has a monopoly on wine trading in the Delcrys region. To get rid of his monopoly, you will attempt to introduce a previously unknown - to Delcrys citizens - exotic, golden liquid, better known as beer! This is just as good as wine, but much cheaper. If you do everything right, your actions will soon undermine the main source of Rockburry's income and destroy his business empire, eventually leading him to bankruptcy and eliminating him from the race to the throne.

To celebrate this week, we would like to share with you the latest gameplay recorded today and some cool screenshot from the latest build!







We almost forgot - we are updating our Kickstarter page every day, so remember to visit us from time to time! Currently, you can find a “Making of” video about the OST, screenshot section, gameplays, etc.

We still miss almost 60 %, that's why we'll be grateful for every single donation: http://kck.st/2WYth0H

Crossroads Inn not only mixes sim management with RPG genre. Kraken Unleashed knows that there is no decent inn without proper, atmospheric music. That's why Crossroads Inn will be seasoned with music made on unique instruments from the epoch, and composed and produced by Marcin Przybyłowicz, the author of music in numerous games - including The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.

Music in Crossroads Inn is a combination of two worlds. On the one hand, classical and illustrative music with symphonic elements, which perfectly matches the history of fantasy, and on the other hand, a mixture of sounds played on instruments typical of the late European Middle Ages. All this will translate into a better immersion of players in the world of Delcrys.

Crossroads Inn takes place in times close to the late Middle Ages or early Renaissance, so we couldn't deny ourselves the pleasure of gathering in one place a very interesting instrumentarium. Among others, fiddle, suka bilgorajska, classical lira, sarangi, or famous classical cello - these and many other original instruments will hear the attentive ear in the background while playing Crossroads Inn. Our musical arsenal is very rich, we wanted to disenchant these long forgotten instruments, so players will hear them in completely new arrangements - says Marcin Przybyłowicz, the composer of music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_IMHY2nRNA

The world of Delcrys is made up of three completely different kingdoms. Utermarchy, Yorevale and Sambria are inhabited by different peoples who have their own culture and customs - this is also reflected in music. An additional taste is also the emphasis on musical motifs of various social groups and castes.

Currently there is a crowdfunding campaign Crossroads Inn on Kickstarter. The creators have already collected nearly 30% of the expected goal. One of the goals of the action is to further expand the music layer with new songs. All this in order to maximize immersion and enjoyment of the game. After all, every player knows that the soundtrack is an indispensable element of a successful production. There are only 27 days left until the end of the action.

http://kck.st/2WYth0H

Dear Backers!

We have passed the milestone of $6000 and hopefully we are heading straight to the next goal...You can’t imagine the euphoria of our team with every, even the smallest pledge we receive from you.

https://giphy.com/gifs/kickstarter-klabater-crossroads-inn-WdjV6TO6FgE4jkRUWb

Thank you so much for every single amount - we appreciate the trust you are putting in us. We promised that Crossroads Inn won’t disappoint you. Patryk, Szczepan, Kuba, Michal, Tomek, Michal, Paulina - the entire Kraken Unleashed Studio, would like to ask you for another favor.

Any social media, press article, remarketing doesn’t work like a good, old fashioned word of mouth. Now on, investing money in us, you have become our spokesman. We play in one team now! So please, let your friends and family know about us!

We also invite you to add us to your wishlist on Steam - you will be up to date with the progress of our work.

Cheers and happy Valentine day!

Dear friends!

Today is a very important day for Kraken Unleashed. Our game Crossroads Inn - that we have been working last 12 months over so hard just debuted on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter!

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/klabater/crossroads-inn-a-fantasy-tavern-simulator?ref=project_build

Over the past year, a small developers team has put all its heart to provide you with a game that will meet your expectations. The idea for the game was born a few years ago in Patryk Pietraszkiewicz's head, surprisingly, over a mug of beer:)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aTEeZUtXZE
"I love simulators, but I've always missed the storyline, some captivating story. By creating Crossroads Inn we would like to fill this niche and creatively combine popular tycoon mechanics with adventurous and role-playing elements. The enthusiastic community response is a confirmation that there is a growing demand for such a production. "

That's why Crossroads Inn combines two most popular genres - management sim and RPG. Thanks to this unique blend, it goes beyond the scheme known from the typical simulator games, thus refreshing the somewhat rusty genre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvEYlvIoHDU&t=21s
Our goal is to raise $30k dollars, which will allow us to broaden the game content, but above all reach as many future players as possible. Those additional funds will allow us to expand the game itself and add elements such as: animated cut-scenes, more complex music layer including minstrels ballads and a world-class lectors to dub key in game characters to increase level of immersion and build a uniqueness of our game. We have already invested a lot of funds and time in the game and still we are going to give it more but for some of the features we would need community extra help.

Sink or swim - in order to receive the money, we have to collect the entire amount. That's why the key to the collection is the first 48 hours and momentum that will allow us to reach the finish line happily.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiVTsih3WCU
For this to happen, we need your support, which will give this first kick. That's why it would mean a world for us if you decide to back us or spread the word on your social media channels and encourage your family and friends to support our fundraising..

In return, we offer really cool gifts - among others, if you hurry up, you can buy the game for a price way lower than on the release day!

Thanks for supporting us and we promise to deliver a game you'll be really proud of!

Cheers!
Kraken Unleashed Studio Team