KickStarter Underworld Ascendant Pre-Release Thread

[Infinitron]

Nekot-The-Brave Tell us more about spellcasting and how it works.

Here's the prototype's SteamDB page: https://steamdb.info/app/419160/subs/

 

[V_K]

 

[Metro]

This is easily the most overhyped vaporware game on the Codex.

 

[Zep Zepo]

LOL!

What a fucking joke.

but I was under the impression the prototype was going to be an expansion of what was shown months before with the shadowbeast etc.

Yes, that is what they led people to believe. But being it was just bullshit scripted nonsense they couldn't release the lie.

And seriously...untextured Default Unity shapes? Couldn't be arsed to throw a fucking texture down?

Come on, men! I know you think I am to down on this "game"...but look at it...LOOK AT IT.

I'd go hide under my desk if I released this "prototype" piece of shit.

Zep--

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

People already get butthurt over a prototype lol.

 

[Sonus]

How do up-front statements about this being focused on physics and being stripped of assets and aesthetics get turned into an expectation of a vertical slice of a current game build? Goddamn.

 

[Zep Zepo]

How do up-front statements about this being focused on physics and being stripped of assets and aesthetics get turned into an expectation of a vertical slice of a current game build? Goddamn.

How? Well, they "supposedly" already had a fully textured "prototype" they promised to release. But instead, they release this 3rd graders "My First Level!!!11!"

Man, these Otherside guys are comedy gold.

Zep--

 

[Infinitron]

No other major Kickstarter-funded game developed from scratch has ever released anything playable to backers so soon after being funded, so I guess we'll just have to happy with this for now. Perhaps the pre-alpha early next year will be more like the Shadow Beast demo.

 

[Zep Zepo]

No other major Kickstarter-funded game developed from scratch has ever released anything playable to backers so soon after being funded, so I guess we'll just have to happy with this for now. Perhaps the pre-alpha early next year will be more like the Shadow Beast demo.

Uh What? Everytime I update the "LOL UA Pledged: $914,363 11/25/2015"

You jump in with, "They have external backing. The KS Fund are just for shits and giggles."

Make up your mind, dude.

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[Obviousplant]

An interview with one of the developers, there's a question timeline in the description.

 

[Infinitron]

Is that Dawnrazor's interview? He looks pretty normie.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Sometimes I wish I could unscrew the top of people's skulls, like a peanut butter jar. A small poof of 'derelict dust' poofs out to the sound of pulling the aluminum seal off a fresh tin of coffee. Then I envision myself placing a small measure of sense and capacity from my brain to theirs into their heads, then screwing the top back on. I step back, feeling magnanimous and wait for the lights to flicker on. Suddenly the person is capable of considered thought, making new connections. Win win.


If only it were that easy. Guess that makes me a douche.

 

[Bubbles]

They preemptively debunked the "this is all fake, the entire video is a scripted event!" argument by telling us that backers are going to be playing this themselves less than a month from now.

A wise move, actually.

 

[Irenaeus II]

#LMAO

 

[Infinitron]

They preemptively debunked the "this is all fake, the entire video is a scripted event!" argument by telling us that backers are going to be playing this themselves less than a month from now.

A wise move, actually.

My bad. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ At the very least, it proves that scripted events aren't all they have.

 

[Zep Zepo]

At the very least, it proves that scripted events aren't all they have.

Thank god, at least they have all those default untextured unity assets and effects...

Zep--

 

[Obviousplant]

So to what extent does the spell casting system work in the demo? I'm interested to know how fluid it is, given that the rune systems weakness is how slow it is to jump between spells in a combat situation. I hope they can combine the casting system of MMOs (where you can choose from 15-20+ spells at any time) with a minimalistic UI of an immersive sim and creative spell combinations that a rune based system allows.

Is that Dawnrazor's interview? He looks pretty normie.

Yeah. We wrote the questions together, Dawnrazor did the interview, Chris captured the video and sent it to us.

 

[DawnrazorDCLXVI]

Aside from fidgeting in an uncomfortable chair, and having my eyes glaze over while I read questions from a computer screen, it was pretty alright.

Mind you, I am still stuck at the rope climbing bit in the prototype. The collision detection makes it somewhat iffy to jump, since you end up jumping 'into' the rope, even when you try to crawl around the side of it. How did some of you guys get through the testy collision detection?

Have not gotten to the stairs yet. Hopefully they'll fix some of this in the prototype, I did get the feeling it needed a couple months in the oven. To Otherside's credit, they sound completely confident in their end product.

From what I gather interviewing Chris, the game is a dedicated sandbox simulation, which is about as Looking Glass as it can get. Everything responds just as it should in real life. You are in a persistent sandbox, the game gives you a toolkit, and then allows you to engineer your own solution. That is the ideal at this point, anyway.

 

[Nekot-The-Brave]

So in regards to the rune-casting system, I've got a bit of an explanation here with some examples and pictures:

Taking some paraphrasing from one of the devs on the Otherside forum: The rune-casting system is built around 'nouns and verbs' which you pair together to create a 'sentence'. Not all combinations are valid (and I didn't take pictures of invalid combinations). But you open up the rune window using the 'tab' key and select your rune noun and verb which are on screen. These combinations have different effects, not all which are completely apparent. I still don't know what a few of them do.

Pictures below:

Spoiler

As shown, this is one of the first rune combinations that you learn. It allows you to light your torch and light other torches and maybe something else.

Another rune combination that you learn with the 'B and S' looking runes allows you to create vines from ceilings and mushrooms on the ground.

Another combination allows you to create wind that blows in your direction that boosts movement or pushes objects.

This next rune for combination for example creates a vortex (the first picture is actually the aftermath since it was so quick that I didn't get the picture in time)

Another combination is like something that pushes stuff around from the epicenter, like the opposite of the vortex.

There are a lot more, but they are kind of hard to demonstrate without a video, I'll see if I can get some more examples later.

 

[Nekot-The-Brave]

Mind you, I am still stuck at the rope climbing bit in the prototype. The collision detection makes it somewhat iffy to jump, since you end up jumping 'into' the rope, even when you try to crawl around the side of it. How did some of you guys get through the testy collision detection?

You have to physics the rope. So, when your camera is level (like horizon level), you can press the forward and backward keys (w and s by default) to build up momentum and you can jump after you feel like you have enough clearance to get to the ledge.

 

[Obviousplant]

Of course it's still a work in progress and there are no enemies to fight (?), but does it feel like changing your rune layout would be doable on the fly while in combat? Like say you're being chased by an enemy and you come across a chasm, which you can jump over by aiming the push air spell at your feet while jumping. Can you do it fast enough if there are no keyboard shortcuts for switching between your active spell?
What I worry about is if selecting runes manually is unconducive for making split second decisions in combat (like exploiting the environment/elements), it would be a shame if the system essentially locked you to using the same spell for the entire duration of the fight. Less chances for creative use of spells.

 

[Zep Zepo]

I feel for you guys who paid big money to play this first.

I'd be super pissed off if this was what was delivered to me and I paid a high tier.

I don't even want to play it last after looking at it.

Zep--

 

[Irenaeus II]

It is probably not ready for prime time.

 

[DawnrazorDCLXVI]

For whatever it's worth, the devs are pros in the industry, and they feel truly confident about their finished product. I think that says miles more than any fan interview could disclose.

 

[Zep Zepo]

For whatever it's worth, the devs are pros in the industry,

No, they were pros 18 years ago.

Then they went whale fund and MMO bullshit...and Underworld Ascendant is what you get.

These guys now, washed up has-beens trying to re-live some glory days as their last hur-rah. The Glory Days!



Zep--