Latest News

In response to the frequent criticism that RtK was too short and not challenging enough, Ray posted this:

You are not alone in your perceptions regarding RtK. I could bore you with the horror stories associated with the evolution of the game through four years of development under a dozen producers, but I won't. Suffice it to say 1) I'm astonished there is a game in the stores at all 2) I'm mostly pleased with the results 3) we're listening to as many people as we can on the various boards about RtK and we're making sure that in future, those things that are clearly 'not good' to the majority of players are addressed.

We're trying.

On a personal note, I'm nearing the end of the game, and am thoroughly enjoying it.

Ray posted this bit, detailing how well his books sell per capita:

Oz, number 1 absolutely. I get hundreds of people turning out in places like Toowoomba, for heaven's sake. Long lines in Penreth, Paramata, and Perth (wow, Australian alliteration and it's barely 7 am!).
England next, then the US. The market seems to be growing quickly in Germany, and I understand I'm number one inFinland.

The newest PC Gamer has a fan poll, ranking the top 50 games of all time. Betrayal at Krondor secured 41st place, a very good showing.

Ray has made several posts recently detailing the next series of novels, which he is now calling Conclave of Shadows:

Well, then you're in the majority, because when it comes to the Conclave of Shadows (Yes, that's the title of the new series; I've finally ditched the 'saga' label) I ain't talking to anyone (well, a little to Steve Abrams, but that's only natural).

The Conclave of Shadows will involved almost all new characters and those few old faces you see will be secondary or tertiary characters. As I said, this story is set in the Eastern Kingdoms and ask yourself how many times so far those characters you listed went to the Eastern Kingdoms?

Originally, I wanted to put the Conclave of Shadows 100 years after the Serpentwar, but after I decided to move the action of the story to the Eastern Kingdoms, I decided a shorter window might be in order, something on the order of 30 years.

Ralph Askren sent me this update to the Unofficial Atlas to the Worlds of Ray Feist:

Novindus has now been posted on the Unofficial Atlas. You can get there the easy way by clicking on the index page's link...or, try sailing southwest from the Bitter Sea. :-)

Ray said goodbye to the RtK Development Board with this message:

First of all, thanks to those of you who took the time to share your reactions to RtK with Sinjin and myself. While we'll never make everyone happy, the feedback is valuable in planning out coming products.

And for those of you who managed to disagree with one another without resorting to name calling, thank you again, for it keeps the tone of the conversation upbeat.

As far as news, I'm working on a new novel, Krondor: the Assassins, which will be a bridging story between Krondor the Betrayal and Tear of the Gods, which is what the novel of RtK will be called.

There is also an Atlas of Midkemia in the works, authored by myself and Stephen A. Abrams, cofounder of Mikdemia

And while no official announcement is being made, plan on having another Krondor based game around before Christmas 2000.

Lastly, this is goodbye. Time doesn't permit me the luxury of continuing to visit the board to answer questions. There are enough experienced players out there now to give hints, and I think Sinjin and I have covered most of the salient points of discussion about the game. I must now turn my attention back to writing and getting on with other projects.

May the New Year be the happiest you've ever known and the worst of all those yet to come. As an old Irish blessing says, 'May the wind always be at your back, may the road rise to meet your feet, and may you be in heaven an hour before the devil knows you're dead.'

WarZone has posted a less-than-enthusiastic review of RtK, rating it at three stars:

Return to Krondor is not a disappointment because what's there isn't good. It's a disappointment because of what isn't there. It's far too short and combining that with completely linear gameplay leads to a title that isn't even very replayable. Plus it has the added pressure of living up to Betrayal at Krondor's lofty reputation. It doesn't.

The overall gameplay is quite good. Combat is fun and addictive. The story, while it lasts, is engaging and well told. The controls are easy to get used to despite some clunky handling of inventory. What really mars the experience is a camera that switches position and angle so often you'll feel like you just got done spinning yourself in circles for sixty seconds.

Computer Games Online has posted a review of RtK, giving it four out of five stars:

Boot up Return to Krondor and you can expect to give up sleep, food, and meaningful interactions in the real world for at least a few days (the game is so compelling that you tend to devour it in as few bites as possible, like a great thick novel). Return is a stunning return to form for the Krondor series, and bodes spectacularly well for any future installments in the on-going tale.

GamesFirst has also offered a review, giving RtK three of five stars:

Return to Krondor is a good interactive novel brought to its knees by lousy camera angles and brevity. The expansive fully-explorable map of Betrayal at Krondor is sorely missed, and even the story is lacking by comparison. The graphics, combat system and puzzles are a step in the right direction, but Return to Krondor certainly fell short of my high expectations for a Raymond E. Feist RPG. Nonetheless, I still recommend it to Feist fans and adventure gamers who want a taste of role-playing.

But he's getting pretty upset with everyone bugging him about it on the list <g>, so read this and accept it, and leave the man alone already!

Midkemia is a planet.

Triagia is the contenent upon which the Kingdom and Kesh reside. If you sail east, you will hit Winet or Novindus if you don't sail between them, and then you'll reach the west coast of Triagia.

Got it?

Concerned reader Aaron Giamanco let me know that c

Ray posted this mysterious bit to the list (which BTW seems to be undergoing some technical difficulties):

Can't say anything officially, yet, but you can expect a sequel before Christmas 2000.But I never said that.

Although I have not seen any sales figures, RtK has received good reviews, so a future title seems likely.

The address of the RiftMUSH Home Page has changed

GameOver has posted a very positive review, giving RtK a 94%:

I may have beaten RtK, but I am still amazed by the gripping world it created. I've gone back to various parts in the game to find there were little things I missed. This is definitely a game well worth playing for anyone that likes a good fantasy story. It is a little too linear compared to BaK, and thus it's not quite as much of a classic as BaK was. Sierra has come through with Return to Krondor and made one of the best RPG's of the year. It's without a doubt the best interactive story of the year and will keep RPG fans engrossed until they've beaten it. Return to Krondor makes my list of top ten games for 1998.

Sierra Studios' Krondor contest ended on the 19th, and the winners have reportedly been notified.

Gamepen's RPG Group Therapy includes a review of RtK.