Game News Underworld Ascendant Kickstarter is LIVE

[Drax]

Pledged.


MOAR MOAR!! MOAR RPG!!

 

[Xenich]

and fear it will be a "more streamlined experience" for modern audiences akin to Skyrim (but underground).

Yep... like for instance having your map auto-filled in for you. If that shows up, you know its marketed to the console crowd.

You have never played Ultima Underworld have you?

I am talking about details, notes, directions, etc... (ie ala Skyrim, Oblivion, etc..) not the uncovering of the map itself.

 

[Jaesun]

Oh I doubt they would go full fucking retard like that for this.

 

[Infinitron]

Oh, wait, that wasn't a whoosh. It really should have been, though!

 

[twincast]

And I just bothered actually having a look at the runes on the logo. I was perturbed enough that SotA simplified their use to being less authentic than in Ultima, but this looks like utter gibberish.

The runic letters below the logo says:
'depthsawaken'

No, they don't. They spell "de[-]þs+æhæcen" or (with minor leniency) "de[-]þs+ahaken", the [-] being something that vaguely looks like a Latin K but isn't even an actual Germanic letter, much less the correct one.

 

[Spectacle]

It's just such a monumentally bad design idea that you have to wonder what other stupid crap they will come up with.

How is it a bad design idea? I can see it being a poor marketing idea that gives the wrong impression, but handing out some items really is irrelevant due to the ability to cheat anytime you want in a single player game.

Cheating is for cheaters, but "cheat items" that are part of the game means that gamists who enjoy taking advantage of everything in the game will find the challenge messed up. You can deliberately not use them, but then you're playing a game in your head instead of the one that really is.

 

[Infinitron]

Er, they're not actually cheat items. Rings that glow in the dark and a robe that increases your charisma? Pfft.

The adventurer's pack is the only one that seems like it could make the game easier in a way that has a tangible impact, and even that is only inventory management.

 

[twincast]

lol, what alphabet do you think that is?

Huh, I had checked the SotA wiki entry on runes in case of any deviations before posting, but only now went back to Ultima, and it seems like it was less authentic visually than I remembered it being thanks to a couple of oddities. Oh well.

 

[Xenich]

It's just such a monumentally bad design idea that you have to wonder what other stupid crap they will come up with.

How is it a bad design idea? I can see it being a poor marketing idea that gives the wrong impression, but handing out some items really is irrelevant due to the ability to cheat anytime you want in a single player game.

Cheating is for cheaters, but "cheat items" that are part of the game means that gamists who enjoy taking advantage of everything in the game will find the challenge messed up. You can deliberately not use them, but then you're playing a game in your head instead of the one that really is.

Why on earth would you use something that would ruin your game?

Oh, and think for a moment. You have to 1) donate to get them and 2) likely enter a code to have them available in game (similar to D:OS). It really is not feat of difficulty to avoid doing either of those if you are concerned about them degrading game play.

 

[Xenich]

Er, they're not actually cheat items. Rings that glow in the dark and a robe that increases your charisma? Pfft.

The adventurer's pack is the only one that seems like it could make the game easier in a way that has a tangible impact, and even that is only inventory management.

Technically they are, but they may not be of such use that it would hamper game play. At the end of the day, anyone who would use them and then complain about balance... well... that is a special kind of stupid.

 

[Spectacle]

Why on earth would you use something that would ruin your game?

Because not using everything available in the game will also hurt my fun.

 

[Xenich]

Why on earth would you use something that would ruin your game?

Because not using everything available in the game will also hurt my fun.

They are not in the game until you put them in. Problem solved and if you can't refrain from that... well... Bioware --> that way.

You must have went spaz like when BG1/2 were released? They all had special marketing gimmicks for either items, special vendors, etc... and I felt they imbalanced the game personally, but then I didn't install the additions to get them.

 

[Yaar Podshipnik]

Pledged on cheapo level. Will increase if they have nice updates.

 

[mindx2]

Well, I pledged at the $500 tier (the same as W2) but I do have concerns/questions and don't yet "feel the hype" as other KS in the past. The multi-player part concerns me greatly. I don't want valuable time & resources going toward this, period! The UUs were about the SINGLE-PLAYER experience, not paling around with your CoD friend online. We have enough AAA crap that shoves multi-player down player's throats that it doesn't need to infect these KS games. One question I will be asking them is did they not see the reaction Fargo got when he suggested these type of things...?

I see many fine Codexers are asking questions already so I will start that "Questions for Otherside" thread soon.

 

[Zed]

Even if I still used KS I wouldn't want to back this . Cheats ("kickstarter exclusive items") and an unnecessary co-op mode stuff are repellents not incentives..
They're using Unity so it will probably have long-ass loading times and shitty framerate even with low-poly graphics.

I wish them good luck and I'll get it at release if it's any good.

Why would you care about cheat crap? This isn't an MMO and anyone who was interested could easily hack the game on release to provide themselves with any cheat they like. PTW is only an issue in persistent online multiplayer games due to the risk of it affecting how they develop content. If people want to pay extra money so they can get a bunch of digital items in a single player game... well... /derp /derp, more power to them, it will have zero effect on our game play.

It's just such a monumentally bad design idea that you have to wonder what other stupid crap they will come up with.

This + it's a waste of backer-financed time.

You're right though – it's not an MMORPG. It doesn't affect me if others use it.
But it does affect me if I'm gonna have some shitty Get Item! pop-ups in the beginning of the game (think New Vegas) or if I'm gonna have to remove the items the first thing I do every time I start a new game.

 

[mindx2]

If others share my concerns about the co-op piece I hope you let Otherside know your feelings: http://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=103.0

 

[Vault Dweller]

Yeah, not feeling it. A lot of vague promises, very few details. Other than "UU FUCK YEAH RIGHT?!!!" not much to be excited about. Hopefully the upcoming updates will shed some light.

For example:

Alter the environment to your advantage. Flood an arid plain to help the damp-loving shamblers expand their territory, gaining their favor. Changes you make can ripple across the game's reactive, ever-changing ecology, producing startlingly unpredictable results.

This sounds pretty cool but if done right, it's a revolutionary design. That alone can be the foundation of the game, the core feature around which the game is built. In the pitch it mentioned very casually, like 'oh yeah, you can totally do it" like it's nothing. Of course it can be a cheap gimmick, but I'd rather not jump to conclusions and wait for a proper explanation.

 

[Xenich]

Even if I still used KS I wouldn't want to back this . Cheats ("kickstarter exclusive items") and an unnecessary co-op mode stuff are repellents not incentives..
They're using Unity so it will probably have long-ass loading times and shitty framerate even with low-poly graphics.

I wish them good luck and I'll get it at release if it's any good.

Why would you care about cheat crap? This isn't an MMO and anyone who was interested could easily hack the game on release to provide themselves with any cheat they like. PTW is only an issue in persistent online multiplayer games due to the risk of it affecting how they develop content. If people want to pay extra money so they can get a bunch of digital items in a single player game... well... /derp /derp, more power to them, it will have zero effect on our game play.

It's just such a monumentally bad design idea that you have to wonder what other stupid crap they will come up with.

This + it's a waste of backer-financed time.

You're right though – it's not an MMORPG. It doesn't affect me if others use it.
But it does affect me if I'm gonna have some shitty Get Item! pop-ups in the beginning of the game (think New Vegas) or if I'm gonna have to remove the items the first thing I do every time I start a new game.

Sure, if it is an "in your face" type of thing, I agree... but didn't New Vegas do that because it was a DLC they were selling? No offense, but you had to expect that from such a fucktard company. I don't think these guys will be like that. My guess is it will be more like D:OS, completely optional and you wouldn't even know it was there unless you added to the game specifically.

 

[Infinitron]

Yeah, not feeling it. A lot of vague promises, very few details. Other than "UU FUCK YEAH RIGHT?!!!" not much to be excited about. Hopefully the upcoming updates will shed some light.

For example:

Alter the environment to your advantage. Flood an arid plain to help the damp-loving shamblers expand their territory, gaining their favor. Changes you make can ripple across the game's reactive, ever-changing ecology, producing startlingly unpredictable results.

This sounds pretty cool but if done right, it's a revolutionary design. That alone can be the foundation of the game, the core feature around which the game is built. In the pitch it mentioned very casually, like 'oh yeah, you can totally do it" like it's nothing. Of course it can be a cheap gimmick, but I'd rather not jump to conclusions and wait for a proper explanation.

Did you watch the video? The prominence given to that bridge demolition scenario wasn't very casual. That's the same kind of thing. Seems clear to me that environmental manipulation is a centerpiece of the game's design.

 

[Vault Dweller]

I did. It looks cool. I don't doubt their ability to create destructible environments or environments you can manipulate (flooding, etc). I'm talking about all that "ripple across, reactive ecology, expanding territories" stuff.

Take that bridge, for example. Let's ignore the obvious - destroying the bridge won't stop the spiders, not in a cave. Does it mean that the way to access that area is gone for good now? Was it a case of hard decision-making or a gimmick? If I destroy a bridge only to use a spell to levitate or charm a spider to carry me back, it's a gimmick like the exploding barrels in D:OS.

 

[Zed]

And I just bothered actually having a look at the runes on the logo. I was perturbed enough that SotA simplified their use to being less authentic than in Ultima, but this looks like utter gibberish.

The runic letters below the logo says:
'depthsawaken'

No, they don't. They spell "de[-]þs+æhæcen" or (with minor leniency) "de[-]þs+ahaken", the [-] being something that vaguely looks like a Latin K but isn't even an actual Germanic letter, much less the correct one.

It's transliteral, you nerd. Using Elder Futhark, it's correct.

 

[Infinitron]

I did. It looks cool. I don't doubt their ability to create destructible environments or environments you can manipulate (flooding, etc). I'm talking about all that "ripple across, reactive ecology, expanding territories" stuff.

Heh, I guess I'm used to seeing stuff like that as puffed up marketing-speak. They're obviously not going to simulate a three faction real-time strategy game in their RPG. Most likely what they've done is created an AI that wanders around autonomously, but can only walk in certain types of territory. The shamblers can walk on damp territory, so if you create damp territory, the shambler AIs start wandering in it and "expand their territory". They're just building scenarios in the clouds on top of that basic functionality.

 

[tuluse]

Heh, I guess I'm used to seeing stuff like that as puffed up marketing-speak. They're obviously not going to simulate a three faction real-time strategy game in their RPG. Most likely what they've done is created an AI that wanders around autonomously, but can only walk in certain types of territory. The shamblers can walk on damp territory, so if you create damp territory, the shambler AIs start wandering in it and "expand their territory". They're just building scenarios in the clouds on top of that basic functionality.

I would be surprised and impressed if it was even that systemic (systemicized?).

If I were to bet, I would guess it's more like a Bioware style X number of points in the game where you're given an option "expand damp, decrease damp, compromise" and then get a scripted reaction (now area x is open to shambers). We'll see though.

I mean when Bioware gives real consequences, not fake ones, but still scripted as hell.

 

[Infinitron]

Heh, I guess I'm used to seeing stuff like that as puffed up marketing-speak. They're obviously not going to simulate a three faction real-time strategy game in their RPG. Most likely what they've done is created an AI that wanders around autonomously, but can only walk in certain types of territory. The shamblers can walk on damp territory, so if you create damp territory, the shambler AIs start wandering in it and "expand their territory". They're just building scenarios in the clouds on top of that basic functionality.

I would be surprised and impressed if it was even that systemic (systemicized?).

If I were to bet, I would guess it's more like a Bioware style X number of points in the game where you're given an option "expand damp, decrease damp, compromise" and then get a scripted reaction (now area x is open to shambers). We'll see though.

I mean when Bioware gives real consequences, not fake ones, but still scripted as hell.

From what I'm reading (in their Reddit AMA and elsewhere), these guys seem strongly opposed to anything scripted on principle. No doubt they will have to compromise here and there, of course.

 

[Minttunator]

It was at 47K when I looked at it a couple of hours ago. Took a short nap and now it's already at 100K - so it looks like they'll reach the 600K in a few days at most. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised it's doing this well - must be the Skyrim name-drop and endorsements by the likes of Levine and CliffyB.

It took them about 4.5 hours to reach 100k. It's now been an hour since then and they've only made an additional 10k. Nah, this is gonna be a long haul.

I suppose we'll see in a couple of days - you'll earn yourself another brofist among your countless thousands if you're right but I sincerely hope you're wrong - not because I want you to be wrong but because I really want to see this project succeed.

UUW was one of the first RPGs I ever played and after looking at this project in more detail there are a few things that I disagree with (such as the KS-exclusive in-game bonuses and potential multiplayer), but it seems to me that they're at least trying to do the right thing overall. AFAIK there hasn't been a game like this since Arx Fatalis and that was somewhat of a disappointment - the Grimrock games are p. good, but they lack the factions and social interaction that really made UUW memorable for me.