Thanks to Kliuqard for compiling DE responses in a recent Soulframe Discord Q&A!
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/PlaySoulframe/comments/16usj3y/soulframe_discord_qa_recap/
What is the Alca's Eye launch incentive?
Steve: The Alca's Eye is a Sword Customization/Upgrade. Specifically, the the little sphere thing embedded inside.
Can I still receive the Alca's Eye as a future console player?
Yes.
Crumbguzzler
The team debated pretty hard to include it in the presentation as a Devstream nod.
Will Soulframe stop my parents from fighting?
Steve: Soulframe will fix your sadness, and make your parents love each other again.
Who gets priority to the pre-pre-pre-Alpha?
The earlier you sign up, the faster you'll get in. If you're one of the first to solve the puzzle when Soulframe was first showcased, you'll almost definitely get in!
Is Soulframe Crossplatform/Crossplay/Crossave? Free-to-play?
Steve: Yes, but the Preludes/Alpha era will be limited to PC due to certification constraints. The game is also indeed Free-to-play.
Can we customize? How customizable?
Your Envoy is customizable! Steve describes customization akin to Baldur's Gate 3. Steve hopes to build up from what gets started. "Himbo" randomizer for Rebb.
Optimization?
The Preludes Alpha phase will unfortunately be a little heavy on your setups. Things will get better eventually.
Easter Eggs
This was touched upon earlier, but there are hopes and plans for Easter Eggs in the game. An example of this is referring to the Soulframe universe as "Tau" in development. Here's another easter egg:
How large of a pool will Soulframe Preludes start with later this year/early next year?
Steve: Probably just "hundreds" to start and then scale up.
Who's composing the music?
The same composers you know well from Warframe such as Keith Power and George Spanos are in involved in Soulframe's OST. Music is stated to be especially important here as they matter in gameplay.
Music Inspiration?
George: We're definitely taking inspiration from all different places - especially old folk songs. We really want to bring in different vibes from different types of music and mix them together to create something unique as we build it out.
Sound Design?
George: We use a lot of the same techniques [as Warframe] but we are approaching the sound design from a more organic perspective vs. sci-fi. So we are also recording a lot of custom sounds for Soulframe.
Animation Tech
There's new animation tech Steve called Motion Matching. It's a pretty big leap for the team. It's pretty similar to the system used in The Last of Us 2 and For Honor, and they're hoping to bring it to Warframe once the kinks are worked out.
Are there going to be Raid or Raid-like Encounters in the game?
Steve: I hope so in future - we will def have dungeons runs like that yes
More Q&A? On a monthly basis?
Steve: HMMM this is a good idea
How will lore be presented? Is it persistently accessible?
Steve: Yes - so your Envoy will have their personal Journal that records their experiences with the Lore
Will Soulframe's Devstreams diverge from Warframe's?
Yes. Currently they are fairly closely knitted, but once Soulframe is on its legs will Soulframe be more independent with its news.
Lighting Upgrades?
The lighting tech that was made for Soulframe has already made its way into Warframe's TennoCon 2023 demo.
What's the player retention plan?
Steve: That's the trick isn't it? We will be doing new fables (quests), new pacts (Omen animal bonds). and growing personal and global stories.
Hammer? Mace? Crossbow? Bow? Cannons?
Yes.
Do you think the slower pacer of the game is more inviting to the controller playstyle?
Steve: I think so, yes. We are definitely thinking of a slower pace this time.
Founders Program?
Steve: Yes we expect to do so, but for now we want to make sure our ideas and prototypes are good before we get there.
(Editor Note: Keystone/Amazing Eternals shipped a founder's pack too soon before it was scrapped, so the weariness is warranted)FOV and Camera customization?
Steve: Yes, but be sure to hold our feet to the fire when we mess that up.
Will Soulframe have a Crafting process like Warframe?
Steve anticipates this will behave differently in Soulframe.
Will Alca's Eye remain exclusive?
Up in the air. "FOMO hurts", Steve says.
How is open-world multiplayer going to function? Will it be similar to Warframe where you only get instanced with players after you load into a dungeon, or will we be able to see and interact with other players everywhere?
Steve: This is going to be more hybrid where you can see souls of nearby Envoys and then group up a bit more organically (this is a goal mind you).
What is the audience for Soulframe?
Steve: Hard to say just yet, but we want to try a different pace of game and one focused on nature and romanticism. The lore and story is a large driving factor to this.
Inspirations?
In terms of media, Elden Ring is a lesser inspiration. The biggest of them all is Princess Mononoke. Culturally, they want to cast a wide net. Celtic is among one of them, but they don't want to overdo it.
Return of the Steve Streams?
Steve: Cat's out of the bag so... hope to start here and there.
Clan System?
Steve: You got it, yes. On a related note, social hubs are also coming.
Captura/Photo Mode?
Steve: Very very likely (when, not if).
Will monetization be similar to Warframe?
"Yes", but things are too early to be definite.
Can you name your newfound Companions?
Not in the pre-pre-pre-Alpha, but eventually.
Sprint-as-default?
It's being tested at the moment.
Squad Size?
The squad size is expected to be low at around 3 or 4. If and when raids come around, it'll be a little higher.
Is that Sword-throw an ability or a feature?
It seems to be a feature of melee weapons you wield in the game.
Day/Night Cycles?
Steve: Yes, and Weather.
Difficulty?
Steve: Easy then.. harder.
Fishing?
Steve: Probably makes sense in context - BUT - with our themes we may piss off an Omen Fish animal god and get in trouble.
Can you return to the Nightfold (Orbiter-style area) whenever?
Steve: In the preludes build, anytime you want.
Nightfold customization?
Geoff: In a very different way...
Is the Pact system similar to Warframe's mod system?
Steve: Similar, but not a copy yes.
Release Window?
The roadmap for Soulframe is still a long ways away. We'll just have to wait for things to get clearer with time.
Will there be a creator program?
Yes, similar to Warframe.
Will your choices matter?
Steve: We're going to try!
Companions?
Steve: Expect so, you saw the wolf here and there, yes.
Secrets?
Steve: Yes, we love that kind of hidden stuff. I miss it too.
PvP?
Steve: Our focus is coop and exploration and the more methodical paced gameplay first - but dueling would be fun at some point.
What is the world size?
Steve: The open world will be (eventually) large - for Preludes its just a bit of an island that's connected with procedural dungeons (like the Dermak undercity in the demo).
Are environments destructible?
Yes, a fair bit. Stuff like doors, traps, containers will be destructible. Larger stuff like trees will not.
Will Soulframe have its own servers?
Yes. As for dedicated servers, it's a possibility.
Will the Alphas and beyond be private?
Steve: For those that do join us in the preludes all we're gonna do is watermark in the lower corner a bit - but current we don't have any plans to forbid sharing. This may change based on reception.
Will Soulframe Combat look like Duviri combat?
Geoff: It's a brand new system.
What animals can you pact with?
The team is looking to be fairly inclusive with Pact options, including more unusual such as bugs.
Any Sc-fi?
Geoff: The Ode is where we will sneak some Sci-fi into our fantasy.
The Soulframe Team's Narrative/Story Internal Documents from Steve:
Most Fables (quests) will be told as players discover them, in arbitrary order.
Except - for the opening, a high-fidelity story threading players through the setting and themselves.
As we grow the game, try to avoid deeply nesting stories to support more non-linearity.
For example, we may encounter a sly witch who demands a golden apple from a far-flung mountaintop and respond, "You mean this one?"
Avoid thinking of fables as major or minor. They may vary in scope. They may indicate outcomes or values to allow prioritization but avoid second-class stories.
Include an element of the soul as an anchor. E.g., In service of the Ode, Lady Deora has lost her soul, represented by her child form that we absorb and later return to her.
From a broken item for kintsugi to introducing new systems, always pair stories with gameplay. Entwine the fable's theme with the gameplay outcomes.
Hit our themes: romanticism, archeology, and the soul. The Ode have made the world forget itself, its values, its culture, its responsibilities. Our raison d'être is to remind them.
We are not grimdark… but there are often high stakes and drama. More Bluth than Elden Ring, but even Bambi starts with a bang.
Human characters ought to be redeemable. Not every twist needs betrayal. Not every man is self-serving. Villains should not be killed but redeemed. In a world where souls persist, death is not a last act of justice. Reconciliation and reform are. Think of LOTR.
Animals should have prominent roles in our fables. Modernity has made us believe that animals are apart from us in emotion and intelligence, but that is a human lens. In Soulframe, all creatures have the capacity for feeling, for joy, for suffering.
Love and romance options for the player do exist, and romantic encounters are possible, though presented suggestively, not explicitly.
Stories with happy endings, with lightness and tenderness, can be just as essential and mature as grim tales of cruelty and existential crisis. Avoid modern cynicism.
