Stygian Sentinel 17
Issue #17, December 21st 2015
Me Smash![edit]
The foray into combat has begun! We’ve got an internal Prototype where you can now smack things with… well, at the moment, a stone axe. Not glamorous, but does the blunt work.
As with the other game systems, our goal with combat is to give the player a range of interesting choices on how to approach a problem. At the same time, we don’t want seventy-five buttons for the player to memorize. The trick is in striking the right balance between tactical depth and keeping the system streamlined enough so that players can readily get a handle on combat.
We also realize there are different types of gamers out there. Some love moving though a 3D space like an over-caffeinated ninja. Others prefer to be more careful and slower-paced about their actions. On the team, Chris is a twitch gamer. His idea of perfection of movement is Ninja Gaiden or running around in Mirror’s Edge and Titanfall. Tim isn’t as much a fan of twitch gameplay, preferring more paced and tactical thinking in his combat.
Since we’re a role-playing game at heart, we’ll be leaning more towards tactical pacing for Underworld Ascendant.
- Seems appropriate considering the rocky terrain, don’t you think?
A good example of more tactical pacing would be the sword fight from the film Princess Bride. In it, two masters use both their skills and the environment in an intense match, but don’t fly around a la Iron Monkey.
- Boot to the Head skill
One way to introduce some twitch gameplay into the system is to have a handful of ‘twitchy’ abilities deeper in the skill tree. This way, players who enjoy these aspects can get it, if they work for it.
One concept we’re diving into is “running combat”: battles that span across spaces, where terrain, elevation and obstacles paly into the tactics. Objects can become part of the fight; from picking up and throwing a wine bottle to causing a stalagmite to fall on your enemy. Sometimes disengaging and moving off is the best idea. What we’re trying to avoid is what we call “chopping wood” combat. Where you stand there, click the button and… whack, whack, whack, the enemy dies.
Like with all of our design elements, this is an iterative process. We build the foundation, then start adding on layers. The initial core is mostly complete for basic combat. After that, comes testing, refinement, and, if needed, redesigning parts that don’t pass the fun test. We plan to have a playable build featuring core combat for backers to try out early next year.
Prototype Early Access[edit]
As you know, we released our early Prototype “Playground” build to high level backers last month, and have made a number of updates and bug fixes to it since then.
Starting today, we’re offering early access to the Prototype build available to all of our backers who pledged at the Pioneer or higher tier as a $5 Add-On. With this Add-On, you’ll also earn a $5 credit good towards a future pledge. To learn more details, go HERE.
An Old Friend[edit]
Like all holiday seasons, it’s great when old friends comes by for a visit… even if they’re megalomaniacal AIs.
Yep! In case you missed it, we’re excited to announce System Shock 3.
If you swing over to the SS3 teaser site, you can hear voice actress Terri Brosius (System Shock 1 & 2, Dishonored) reprise her role as the voice of SHODAN and see an early peek at the evolving ‘next generation’ look of the character by concept artist Robb Waters.
System Shock 3 is currently in the very beginning stages of concept development and we won’t be digging fully into game production for some time. Our studio focus today remains squarely on Underworld Ascendant. But we thought it’d be fun for our Underworld Ascendant fans -- many of whom are fans of the System Shock series as well -- to get a peek at what will be coming down the road.
Final Thoughts as we Cross into 2016[edit]
We can’t thank you enough. The fans have allowed this motley crew of dreamers to follow our passion. In the games industry this is a rare gift. With that in mind, we’ll continue to work hard on Underworld Ascendant over the coming year to make a great game, worthy of its pedigree, for you to enjoy.
We’ll be taking a bit of a needed respite over the upcoming holidays. As such, you can expect our next newsletter on January 11th.
In the meantime, Happy New Year!
The OtherSide Team