Geneforge 2 – Infestation April 2023 Update

Spiderweb Software’s Kickstarter campaign for Geneforge 2 – Infestation successfully concluded last month. And now, we get this here project update that details the scope of this remaster using Shaper Zakary, a prominent NPC, as an example. The update then asks for backer input to help in the shaping of the new creation the project will be getting thanks to hitting one of its stretch goals. We also get some fresh concept art.

Here are the text bits:

Greetings from Spiderweb Software! The Kickstarter is done. The dust has settled. And, at last, we are settling in to writing Geneforge 2 – Infestation!

We’ll be sending out updates about Geneforge 2 every other month or so. There is so much to do. So many sections to remake. Tons of quests and sections to add. As we grind through remaking the story, we’ll let you know where we’re at and what we’re working on.

Also, we’re ready for your suggestions and ideas for designing the game. Interested? Read on!

The Details of Remastering

We wrote Geneforge 2 over 20 years ago. I’d been making games for a living less than ten years. I’d come a long, long way from where I started, but, by current standards, the work is really rough. The remaster is a chance to remake it with the benefit of many more years of experience.

For example, one of the major characters in the game is named Shaper Zakary. You meet him at the beginning of the game. He’s the head of a faction and plays a major part in the storyline. By the standards of 2002, I wrote a lot of dialogue for him.

Yet, looking at it now, he is a very threadbare character. His actions set the story in motion, but you know very little about what he actually did or why he did it. As head of a faction, he sends you on a lot of quests, but he said very little about where he was sending you, why he was doing it, or what you were supposed to do when you got there.

No longer. I completely reworked his dialogue. There’s a lot more of it now, and it’s good stuff. It really fleshes out his character and the world of his Shapers. When I add stuff, I’m careful not to add too much. People only want to spend so much time reading. However, there is almost always room to add a little bit of good stuff.

Multiply that by every character and every section, and you have the work of a full remaster.

The New Creation

It is now time to start working on the New Creation stretch goal. We are adding a new player-made creation to Geneforge 2, to accompany the cockatrice from Geneforge 1. But what will it be? Don’t know yet! That’s for you to help us figure out.

The cockatrice was a special, powerful creation that came into its own at the end of the game. This new creation doesn’t have to be that. Maybe you find the new one in the mid-game, or the beginning. That remains to be figured out.

So here is the first step: We need to figure out what the creation will be. I am now asking all backers for suggestions. What will it be? Animal or vegetable? Something simpler or something more mythological? I will pick one backer’s suggestion.

So send your description of what the creation will look and act like (along with any other ideas you have) to geneforgegame [at] gmail.com. You have until May 15, 2023. I’ll go through all your suggestions and pick one that will fit in well with the new world and story. I can’t wait to see your ideas! Then we’ll move on to the next step.

High-End Backer Design Ideas

If you backed Geneforge 2 at a high level where you get to add something to the game, thank you! We have sent out the instructions for how to add your contributions. The deadline for good placement is August 1, 2023, so it’s definitely time to start thinking.

If you never got a message, be sure to check your spam folder.

Back To Work

Lots of sections to make. Lots of overdue polish to apply. We’re getting back to work now. Thanks again, and we’ll have more to say soon!

– Jeff Vogel