KickStarter Underworld Ascendant Pre-Release Thread

[Infinitron]

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1980.msg27290#msg27290

There is planned DLC for UA, but I believe that's the most I can say about it right now. We're still aiming for the September release month, and we appear to be on schedule, so I would expect mid-October at the latest, unless something disastrous happens in July/August.

Backer Beta is slated for early August, if I recall correctly. This is also subject to change depending on how much is left to polish. In terms of feedback, it's actually critical for us to receive feedback NOW, in Alpha/end of Alpha. Beta builds indicate that all of the core features are nearly finished and polished up already, and we're only working on bug fixing. Your reactions to the Backer Alpha build will help us reassess whether we need to postpone launch.

 

[Infinitron]

Devs are out in force today.

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1974.msg27316#msg27316

Thanks for the feedback about the marketing materials, we appreciate it. Some of you may recall some older threads where you guys gave us feedback that the game doesn't have enough awareness, that not enough people know about it. We of course agreed and have done a bunch marketing toward generating more awareness of the game. That means some of what you've seen is release IS more bite sized, "feeling" creating trailers, screenshots, etc. to try and get some new people excited about the game. To that end, those assets may not be all that appealing to you guys and that's fair.

At the same time we have also tried to keep engaged with all of you and our hardcore fans, hoping that the Dev Diaries and newsletters would be something that would appeal a lot more to all of you than new people. Have you guys liked those? Should we do more? We've tried to include meaningful updates in those newsletters, balanced by sharing stuff that's actually ready enough to be shared. And Sam has been very active in the forums with you. Is that you would like to see us do to engage with you guys? The suggestion to watch one of us play through the game is a good one and we've talked about streaming something like that. We can do something like that and it might be fun to see how we do different things.

In any event, you want less talk and more show, that's fair: The Backer Alpha is coming next week so you'll be able to actually play and tell us what you think of the game at that point and in that state. Also, as Sam mentioned, we would be interested in some of you doing more robust game testing, meaning you would get access to more of the game on a somewhat regular basis (like every 2 weeks or so) to provide ongoing feedback and improvements to key things like usability, intuitiveness and how "fun" various things are from combat, to questing, looting, etc., depending on the focus (note, this is something that's been in the plan and is not a knee jerk reaction to recent sentiment). External, objective playtesting where we get qualitative and actionable feedback is critical to landing this game at the quality level we hope for. Of course, if you don't want to spoil the game, you don't have to do it. We'll tee up a separate thread with signup survey

The two negative reviews on Friday were a gut punch, no creative people like to hear things like that, but sometimes you need to hear it. That was the experience those people had based on the demo we put in front of them so we are taking the feedback to heart. The feedback from the PAX demo was much more positive and encouraging, which I think underscores that the release timing (something we didn't talk about at PAX) seems disconnected to those reviewers and you guys. All I can say about that at the moment is that we're re-evaluating based on what we're hearing.

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1974.msg27340#msg27340

If you all had it your way, we would have had that Grand Staircase with portals behind doors

(which isn't to say this is even off the table...)

TheAbsolute, you're correct, I've mentioned (rather honestly) that we showcase the physics elements because its the most finished feature and easiest to showcase. It wasn't intended as a marketing tactic to purposely bring in younger fans who are interested in action games. They'd be sorely surprised to find that UA isn't all about action (which is where we also suspect a large amount of confusion with the recent articles may lie as well.)

Thank you for all of your feedback by the way. The respectful criticism has been much appreciated, and we can start implementing some of your suggestions as early as the next B-roll and trailer, which start getting filmed next week. Longer gameplay segments, showcase more of the world and less about all these physics doodads...

Something Joe brought up during one of our meetings today was an old demo we let playtesters mess with that contained hints about rune combinations scattered throughout rooms. They were written behind crates on the sides of walls by bored scribes, on ceilings by frantic Lizard Men, in corners where a prisoner breathed his last... and people LOVED discovering those. In typical LGS-fashion, exploration is exciting when you can discover things for yourself. We'll be looking for more opportunities we can highlight those little moments in our upcoming marketing beats, and touch on the narrative more accurately without it being too combat-centric.

Also, Thomas (our lovely vampiric QA Manager) posted some details about the Magic system here, in case anyone missed it. Chris Siegel (MajorMalphunktion) also revealed some of the exciting stuff he's been working on in this thread.

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1980.msg27324#msg27324

A more detailed post re: the spell system coming shortly, hang tight. The high level is that many games simply use magic as a direct weapon against enemies (fireballs, lightning, etc.). Our magic is more interesting (we think) in that it can be used as a tool for non-combat uses as well as combat, it's just that the latter uses sometimes require some creative thought as to how you can manipulate the objects and environment in offensive combat ways in addition to any direct ways to can use magic on a baddie. That's more true (again, we think) to the systems-based immersive sim type of game we like to make. The team will chime in with more detail and examples that will shed more light on this, but maybe that's a helpful start, at the risk of triggering more questions.

I have tested and written plans for a lot of games in my career as a QA Tester. Mobile, MMORPG, Fighting, RPGs… all of them have some challenging system to create a proper test plan for. Usually this isn’t foreseen, such as the impact randomness adds to a test or the sheer amount of edge cases that exist. In this game, the known hurdle came from an obvious location, the spell system.

The spell system has clear goals: be fun, promote and reward clever behaviours, and please be more than just fireball. These are MY qualitative take-away feelings from Tim’s design document. Yeah, he’s got his own goals, but as a sort of player representative, I felt the above in my first tests of our early prototype spells and thus, stuck with those sensations.
Spells have some very interesting options; there are a few obvious rune combinations in fact that yield obvious results. These are often stated spells that are like tasks, they do a specific thing with a, more or less, specific purpose. Yes, part of my job involves finding OTHER purposes for these straight forward spells.

It is an excellent job.

As an example, Magic Fist makes a projectile that damages. Alright. Does it scale? Does it affect objects? Spirits? Myself? How about Create Fire? It will do just that, and it is a simple test. Does the item have fire on it now? Is it taking damage? Should it BE on fire? Destroy Spirit will do damage to an undead. What about adding another rune… a lot of sudden new complications.

But what about combining the runes (using our shorthand called) Create and Plant? What does it do? It has a power-level, how does that change it? How do I use it in the world? What about adding that ever complicated third rune? How does this change the effect? Can I make vines now? Did this just create berries for me to eat? Sure, I have a spec, but testing this spells versatility, value, and function is significantly different.

All in all, we have a few spells designed a with a purpose in mind (which we then find out have other uses... PHYSICS!) and a much more robust and complex series of amazing runes that can be combined for some very clever, and nearly impossible to test, effects.

When you play the game, especially you backers on the forums here, I would urge you to share some of your discoveries and funky uses of spells. I’ll try and do similar … as long as Tim doesn’t notice.

 

[LESS T_T]

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1974.msg27397#msg27397

Let me weigh in on the art style and explain some of the reasons why we went in the direction we did. First, as noted earlier in the thread, we wanted to have some representation like DnD miniatures. DnD play sessions are what drove Paul and Warren toward making games in the first place. They describe those sessions in the 80s, where players would interact and solve problems together and then talk about them later. This is why, as they’ve told me, the pushed for the systems-driven “immersive sim” type games they’ve made, so that people can solve problems in creative ways and be able to talk about them with friends later. So doing something in that style pays homage to the thing that drove them to make games in the first place. That’s very meaningful to us and to them and is an important reason for the stylized direction, but not the only. Second, we also wanted to create something that is somewhat distinctive, something that we can own a bit and is recognizable. I think we've succeeded to some extent there, certainly differentiating from games that are attempting a more realistic style as well as games that are 2d / more cartoon shaded. This is generally a smart thing for any game to do, to help you stand out. Third, as noted in the thread, we needed a style to be something we can accomplish with the time and budget we have. E.g., there’s no way we could do something in a more realism style. So yes, budget was a factor, but it wasn't the only one--it did necessitate us doing something more stylized.

Overall, we are very happy with how the game looks, how it connects us to past and we feel like we've been able to do something pretty solid based on our constraints. We wouldn’t want to change it. We really do wish it made all of you happy too. We have have made a bunch of recent updates to the style, a lot in the lighting and materials, that I'm sure you guys have seen in the latest video and screenshots. We were hoping that it might help bridge the gap for some of you since those changes were done in part based on the feedback some of you have given us in the past about the over saturation and color. We're not done tweaking either and certainly hear what some of you are still saying about the saturation and color and will take a look at that.

I realize that for some of you, this isn't necessarily going to make you feel better. But hopefully, as I often try to do here, providing more insight into what we're thinking and the factors that went into the choices we've made, we can at least help you understand where we are coming from.

p.s. - Jar Jar Binks? Really? Ouch!

 

[Curratum]

You're coming from a place where you mishandled and misplaced your budget on an expensive "big name" art director who was supposed to make the game unique but served up mediocrity, then you let him go because you could not afford him anymore, you dumb gimps...

 

[Big Wrangle]

Dishonored's artstyle is disntinctive. Underworld Ascendant? Not really, nothing about it really stands out and makes you think of the game. Also for an explanation on your art direction, that post really explain little.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Let's assume he as at the high end. Still not a significant factor.

 

[Infinitron]

They're in Boston FYI.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Concord MA is about 20 miles outside of Boston I think, but still, salaries are lower in MA than CA.

 

[Comte]

Concord MA is about 20 miles outside of Boston I think, but still, salaries are lower in MA than CA.

Wrong, Concord is a very wealthy town.
Average income is $129,960.

 

[Infinitron]

New stuff from Sam: https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1985.0

(Psst... I come bearing a sneak peek at some of the stuff we're working on this week!) Some pretty exciting stuff in here...

Hopefully this makes up for our lack of a weekly update.

As always, spoilers beware!

I'll let the images speak for themselves...

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1974.msg27420#msg27420

I think several of you have brought up how the claustrophobia and tight spaces added to the feeling of urgency and fear while you were trying to survive, thus the importance of it.

I agree, a mix of level design and light balancing is key to making sure that the different levels FEEL, LOOK, and operate differently. There ARE a number of wider-open areas for you to explore, but the entire level is not designed as open. If anything, I think one of the swamp areas we've only briefly shown offers three large branching paths from the beginning: you can sneak through an old fortress through the front, poke around some ruins in the back, or even traverse through an eerie forest that bleeds into dilapidated hallways.

I don't want to spoil too much of the story, so another potential spoiler tag:
The Abyss in UA is designed to be tragic. In UW1, everything was cramped because the settlements were all recently trying to expand into the volcano and they hadn't had as much time to expand. In UA, it's obvious that a LOT of time has passed. Many of the still accessible areas have forts and familiar settlements buried in fauna, abandoned long ago by the settlers who attempted to live there, and with the deeper areas becoming larger with more desperate attempts to harness the power of the volcano's lava. As always, there aren't even a lot of people left remaining in the Abyss because the environment is so unforgiving. While many of the denizens have fled to the upper levels where it is relatively safer, they may not feel optimistic about future generations...

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

What conversation are you having?

My response was to an assertion that project budget was squandered on hiring a reputable art director, I assume because they don't like the art.

 

[Curratum]

Dishonored's artstyle is disntinctive. Underworld Ascendant? Not really, nothing about it really stands out and makes you think of the game.

Don't say that, Underworld Ascendant has a quite distinctive artstyle - everything looks plastic.

I wish I had those fancy emote options so I could brofist this.

 

[Infinitron]

Huh, leaked early? https://otherside-e.com/wp/welcome-to-alpha-underworld-ascendant/

It's password-protected.

 

[Curratum]

The pass for the insider blogs doesn't work here.

 

[agris]

Wait, did their forum goers finally realize the art style and color palette were generic hogwash?

 

[Infinitron]

Wait, did their forum goers finally realize the art style and color palette were generic hogwash?

? They've been complaining about it since Day 1.

 

[Infinitron]

Looking for playtesters: https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1988.0

Hey everyone!

We’re looking for playtesters for Underworld Ascendant so we can get qualitative and actionable feedback on a regular basis from our fans. You do NOT need to be a Kickstarter Backer to apply!

Playtesters will have access to a new build will be available every 2 weeks or so, and while you do not need to participate EVERY cycle, the more feedback we receive, the better it will be for the game. The initial build will have a bunch more content and features than the Backer Alpha build so there will be more for you to see and test. Our current plan is to start this testing the week after E3.

If you don't want to spoil the game, you do not have to participate in the playtesting. Since we do not want to spoil the game for others, accepted playtesters will be invited to a private forum thread to discuss the contents. Playtest feedback will be also be collected via Google Forms. Please note that you MUST have a Steam account to be eligible if you're remote. There are also local options available.

If you prefer Discord, we also just launched our official Discord server, which includes a #playtest channel where other playtesters can discuss the game contents. Join here!

Please sign up for playtesting here!

The playtesting builds will be SEPARATE from the Backer Alpha/Beta builds. As far as Steam is aware, it's an entirely separate game.

Playtesters bound by NDA can still discuss any PUBLIC content that is also available, which would mean anything related to the Backer Alpha and Beta. For example, as of next week, they cannot allude to features that are not present in the Alpha build until those features are officially revealed in the Backer Beta build. Hopefully this makes sense!

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1974.msg27436#msg27436

Btw, here's a thing we did to the rock shaders about a month or so ago (maybe longer) to try to make things more gritty and detailed, based on your guys' feedback. The team is doing that for other materials as well.

https://imgur.com/a/F9u7er4 (gif is too big to embed)

 

[Big Wrangle]

Oh great, now we'll get inconsistent artsyle, that's even worse.

 

[mck]

so what are the chances this game will be any good?

 

[unfairlight]

Low, but I doubt it will get finished in the first place.

 

[LESS T_T]

Alienware again?

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=1992.0

Morning everyone! Sorry for the delay, we're super busy this week!

Paul, Walter, and Joe are flying over to California for E3 as we speak! Anyone on the showfloor can head over to Alienware's booth and check out Underworld Ascendant starting Tuesday!

The rest of us in the office are focused on 2 things in particular:
1. (Mostly today and tomorrow): Locking down the Backer Alpha build this week! We have a candidate from Friday's build we could use, but there's always some last minute changes that we want to squeeze in, if possible.
2. Getting external playtesting branches ready! For any of you who missed it, we're looking for external playtesters (Steam, Windows only at the moment) to help us refine the game. You do not need to be a backer to participate, but of course we'll be interested in pulling some of you from the forums in particular to playtest for us.

Both of these tasks are going to eat up my attention, especially for the first half of this week. Also, Justin and I are going to Unite Berlin NEXT week, so we're making sure we have all the materials ready for his presentation! Justin's going to be talking about Lighting for Stealth in UA, and the importance of controlling the light in level design. (I believe this will be uploaded somewhere on YouTube for later, I'll link you all when it's up!)

We have other E3 events planned too! Here's the list of announcements for this week:

- We have an Official Discord! Join us! I may or may not be able to post some things in the Discord #kickstarter chat first rather than the forums...

- At E3: Paul Neurath & Joe Fielder will participate in Alienware livestream + Q&A on 6/12 at 2:30pm PST. Don't miss it! You can watch directly on Alienware's Twitch channel tomorrow!

- We're holding a Community Q&A with Joe Fielder over Twitter livestream on Thursday! You can submit questions here.

 

[Curratum]

Alienware again?

Seeing how it's a janky, physics-centric, first-person Unity title, it will only run on the highest tier Alienware rigs anyway, so that makes sense...

 

[RatTower]

You can submit questions for a livestream on the 14th:



It's a google form so you don't need to sign up for anything. I submitted a couple. Among others about the amount of levels, the scale of areas, whether the hub is slowly opening up during the game of if you can explore it freely from the beginning, weapon types, secrets and some stuff I don't remember.
Worth a shot.

I guess the backer alpha will be released on Thursday then.