On the GOG stream some of the devs of Underworld: Ascendant came to answer fan's questions, I compiled a short list. Unfortunately I haven't logged the beginning, in one of my questions I asked if the dungeon design was going to be complex/non-linear like in UU1 & 2, or if it was going to be streamlined / more linear, and the answer was that it'd be non-linear and pretty old-school.
As for the rest of the questions:
Nyast: @timstellmach Any thoughts on the magic system ? Rune based or something new ?
Timstellmach:
Nyast The magic system is only in concept phase now, but we always get lots of favorable comments about the rune magic system.
Judasiscariot01: @Timstellmach I understand the magic system is in the works right now but would Arx Fatalis provide any inspiration for the magic system?
Timstellmach: @Judasiscariot01 I'm of two minds about the rune-drawing thing they did in Arx. Comments from fans would be interesting.
Koshirro: @timstellmach that lockpicking minigame in the kickstarter trailer looked really nice. was it just for that chest or is that how the lockpicking works in the game?
Timstellmach: @Koshirro That lockpicking minigame was something I threw together to have a playable example of what a lockpicking minigame might be. The code I used supports swapping in pretty much arbitrary mini-games, and I like to experiment. But that one did turn out pretty well, yes.
Suvum: @Timstellmach is ascendant made for old school players or "skyrim" generation
Timstellmach: @Suvum We're hoping to have something for old school fans and new players alike. I've learned a lot in the past 20 years about how you can have accessible learning curves with deep systems, and without hand-holding.
Nintondo_man: @Timstellmach has much thought been put into the melee combat system as of now or is that something going in much later? guessing it isn't a major component which is fine but still curious since most modern first person melee games have been a bit crummy
Timstellmach: @Nintondo_man We're starting from the strengths of the melee in the original games (for the time). Like multiple melee forms, and emphasis on movement and maneuver. And yes, given the minimal focus on melee in most first person games, there's lots of room to do interesting stuff.
Koshirro: @timstellmach do npcs react to lightsources? like some monsters only lurking in the shadows?
Timstellmach: @Koshirro One example of that in our design is the Haunt, which has quite different behavior sets in light and shadows.
Nyast: @Timstellmach Will there be quest compass/direction hints or indicators on the automap ? Or will you have to figure out everything by yourself ?
Timstellmach:
Nyast We're not in favor of quest compasses. It's more narrative work to support players who forget where they were last time they played, don't keep notes, or whatever, but we prefer to not emphasize out-of-fiction UI like that.
Gilded_coprolite: @Timstellmach The kickstarter shows a destructible bridge. I assume the world in general will not be destructible. How much of that kind of interaction are you expecting in Ascendant?
Timstellmach: @Gilded_coprolite Destructible elements are still an active prototyping area for us. It's a fertile area for surprise and improvisation, so it's a priority for us.
Sector3600: @Timstellmach what does OtherSide Entertainment think will be the biggest challenge after getting funded?
Timstellmach: @Sector3600 From my point of view, it's navigating the innovation process. Trying to do something new comes with uncertainty. You have to think harder about your process.
Mrstarker: @Timstellmach Have you guys thought about voice acting? Is it feasible at this level of production?
Timstellmach: @Mrstarker Yes, we've talked about voice acting, but we don't have firm conclusions yet.
Sector3600: @Timstellmach where the stretch goals so far already planned out or will it require more design/testing to work everything? Also as this is self-publisher per se will you plan in enough time to get the components in play for release? Basically I am interested in the game state at release minus any major bugs that some game designers seem to forget about when for example getting green lighted or funded. I am not question your team's professionalism. Just wondering about the planning.
Timstellmach: @Sector3600 I'm not sure I understand the question. The stretch goals we've announced are based on pre-planned scenarios for various funding levels. We have softer plans for further stretch goals if it comes up.
Sector3600: @Timstellmach I guess a better way for me to ask what is be in game and a possible DLC?
Timstellmach: @Sector3600 Ah. We're not planning on content DLC yet. Perhaps if we saw a natural episodic structure that would otherwise take us past our planned ship date or something.
That's all I have to report for now
-Nyast
