KickStarter Underworld Ascendant Pre-Release Thread

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Conjecture, supposition and wishes are all we have until we see the finished and patched game. The alpha is incomplete (it's an apha, duh). It is premature to draw conclusions. They may have lost their stuff, we will see, but nobody ever has produced anything on par with LGS and the original UW in particular. It stands to reason that if these guys can't, it won't get done. I would expect more well wishing but that is asking too much from this place. Personally I find it disgraceful that so few on the codex have played UW. Fucking Sacrilege.

 

[duanth123]

I would expect more well wishing but that is asking too much from this place

You are correct, most people here don't suck developer dick and grovel like we aren't the customer, rather the cheerleader shill who's hoping grandpa can muster enough energy to play one more game of catch.

Nothing we say on this forum matters, anyway.

The reason the game still looks and plays like shit is due to a bunch of over-the-hill developers running out of money.

And I take no pleasure in that reality.

But many of you have denied it long enough.

 

[Doctor Sbaitso]

Sucks to be you.

 

[Nyast]

A little gem from a dev on their forums:

Grand Staircas-ing will have to wait once we see how we can arrange the levels with regards to each other.

So we're 3 months away from the release and they still haven't figured out how levels are structured in respect to each other. Just lol. can't wait to see the maps design, it's gonna be interesting.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=2037.0

Morning everyone! Time for another weekly update:

So this week, as some of you may already know, we've just started the first round of External Playtesting! Those of you with access should be able to see the PLAYTESTERS ONLY board underneath Underworld Ascendant. If you received an email with playtest instructions but do NOT have access to this board, please DM or email us at support@otherside-e.com so we can set up your forum account to receive access.

We're also going to be working long hours this week to address some of the nitty gritty issues that just need us to sit down and get it down. No one likes to sit at a computer for a week and fiddle around finding the magic number that makes the game feel right, but someone has to do it eventually

More concretely, Joe recently updated all of our item descriptions ingame so that the player can start making informed decisions before they start eating food they've found off the ground. As a reminder, food will be a somewhat rare but occasionally game-changing item, depending on how it's used. Be wary of food that may have been left out for too long, or hold onto food that may come in handy later, just not for you...

UI is still in the process of getting an overhaul, as well as turning our attention to optimizing the game. A lot of our levels (although perhaps not as apparent in the Backer Alpha available) are ENORMOUS with lots of interconnected areas and sprawling tunnels, as well as populated with unpredictable AI and some randomized environments. It'll be interesting for us to find a balance for all of this...

In the meantime, we still want to hear more about any discoveries or discussions you're having regarding the Backer Alpha! Link us to clips or streams you've had of the game so we can peek at what you've seen; we hear a few of you have stumbled across legendary armor or weapons as early as the tutorial level of the game, which made for some interesting puzzle solving.

 

[Curratum]

Wrong, we're less that 3 months away from release. :D

 

[RatTower]

Some new screenshots, probably from the later areas I guess:

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=2033.msg28464#msg28464

We're in the process of evaluating our launch date. That's all I can say for now!

 

[Zep Zepo]

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=2033.msg28464#msg28464

We're in the process of evaluating our launch date. That's all I can say for now!

LULZ

Zep--

 

[Big Wrangle]

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=2033.msg28464#msg28464

We're in the process of evaluating our launch date. That's all I can say for now!

It was inevitable.

 

[Melan]

Some new screenshots, probably from the later areas I guess:

Second one's straight outta Piranesi.

 

[Max Heap]

In their defense: Some of those look like Blighttown, so they might not be the only ones taking notes from those drawings.

 

[Infinitron]

https://www.othersideentertainment.com/forum/index.php?topic=6036.0

Morning everyone!

So I did a quick scan over what you've all been talking about this weekend, and I can address some of those before I talk about what we're tackling this week:

1. Feats.
Historically, these have been planned since even before I was brought on (in just a month it will have been my first full year at OSE!), but the system was a little different. Based on playtest and the Backer Alpha feedback, they're in the process of being tweaked so they're less invasive. The system itself is still integrated into the world since the Abyss is centered around survival and sharing knowledge, particularly with the Lizard Men. Your overall goal is about figuring out how to stop Typhon anyways, which will be about --- you guessed it --- interacting with the world, scavenging clues from other Factions, raising reputation with other characters to learn secrets, and more. It's all about information as currency, and being able to share your Feats with the Lizard Men can help make the exchange more real. Showing them: "Here's where I discovered a hidden passageway, and this is how you activate it."

2. Typhon
Who is he? Can you fight him?
So the short answer is no, you cannot directly fight him. He is a powerful entity whose reach is beyond the physical form, and the "Doom Counter" represents his strength and influence in the Abyss. You will have to find ways to restrict his powers... or not. Perhaps there are others you would rather stop instead. That's the most I can say right now.

For this week, our strike team has been focused heavily on Narrative and making sure the Player choices are more significant in the overall game. We hear you about how completing small quests in between sessions may not be very rewarding and feel disjointed, as well as some of the levels feeling too linear or seemingly too restrictive. There's been a lot of discussion among the core team, as well as with consultants from outside the company, who are helping us weigh in on how we can maximize with our scope. I saw a pass at the latest narrative draft, and I know I'm personally *really* excited to achieve some of these endings.

For the Backer Alpha and external playtest builds, we're working on that Mac fix that stops the game from starting with the metal shader issue, as well as addressing that key bindings issue, saving issues, and the notorious inventory bug. It's going to be busy on our end, but we'll keep you all updated when we can!

 

[Zakhad]

That makes it sound like they're still years away from release... when they're releasing in months. And "consultants from outside the company, who are helping us weigh in on how we can maximize with our scope", good lord. I Still want to hold out hope, but...

 

[Invictus]

That makes it sound like they're still years away from release... when they're releasing in months. And "consultants from outside the company, who are helping us weigh in on how we can maximize with our scope", good lord. I Still want to hold out hope, but...

Why couldnt they simply get it? We wanted a straight up dungeon crawler with some good enconters, level design and an interesting setting... not all their “reactive puzzles” bullshit, neon light enemies and cartoony ass monsters
I never got the butthurt over Fallout but I am begining to appreciate it with this, at least Tim Cain wasn’t the one rapping the remains of Underworld

 

[Curratum]

Because fuck you and fuck the KS backers and fuck the original games!

I'm not even sure who they're targeting with this bullshit. The Portal / Talos Principle / Quantum Conundrum crowd will never endure their shitty physics and dungeon setting, the RPG fans don't want the crap physics puzzles and the dumb feat system, the average gamer will be completely turned off by the "dungeons only" playspace and the relatively convoluted (by console popamole standards) level design. Who the fuck are you making this game for, Tim, Paul?

 

[Zakhad]

I think with all the decisions they've made they could still make a fun game.

I think the issue is that, like most kickstarters, they over-promised, had feature creep, and then ran out of money.

 

[Darkzone]

I think that they do not understand their audience and its core. And they got their minds lost in the ideas of physics and influencing the world by magic.
A straight forward first person game with a good RPG system and good (reactive and fluid) combat would have drawn more attention. And would made more fun and by this virtues reached higher sales. Their only chance for a comeback is now gone, because i don't think that SS3 will draw much attention after a "failed" UA. Simplicity is the key and they have dropped it into the sewers. I will play it for sure, but this is just me and some other guy that supported them on KS (exaggerated).

 

[Nyast]

They're still figuring out how to link the levels together, 3 months, err.. less than 3 months before release.

At the moment eveything is linked by magical portals. Not kidding.

They're speaking about making a giant staircase, but maybe not, who knows.

I've played the main hub ( Marcaul ) in the backer alpha, it's a giant linear serpentine layout. Even if they open it up here and there and add buildings interiors, if it stays anywhere close to what I've seen, it's gonna suck.

I'm trying hard not to be too negative, but if you're worried about physics puzzles at this stage, I believe you're fighting the wrong war. The game has far more serious issues than its physics puzzles, unfortunately.

 

[Ash]

A straight forward first person game

Simplicity is the key

Yes I'm sure that was Looking Glass' motto when making groundbreaking games like Ultima Underworld or System Shock 1/2. Sounds like it is you that doesn't understand the audience.

Their only chance for a comeback is now gone, because i don't think that SS3 will draw much attention after a "failed" UA.

System Shock 3 has Warren Spector and a mid-tier publisher's backing. A possible failure of UA would have an impact, but I wouldn't write off the commercial performance of future projects by the company based on it. Their chance for a optimal comeback is likely gone, but other than that we'll see.

 

[Infinitron]

We should wait until it's released, but right now my thinking is that this game should never have been made. They should have Kickstarted a "totally-not-Thief" game instead. The reduced mechanical scope of a pure stealth game would have been a better fit for a Kickstarter budget. And after the disappointment of Eidos Montreal's Thiaf, the Kickstarter would have done well.

 

[Ash]

That would be a recipe for success, but I don't think it would have been necessary. 1 million isn't a good fit for an Underworld-like and is most likely the main reason why the project appears underwhelming, but I think the root of their problems was the Kickstarter pitch. Who donates? The core fans. Relatively "Hardcore" old school gamers. What did they come out promising? Bunny rabbit companions, multiplayer, and only mild promises indicating it would be something worthy of a classic like Underworld, let alone an evolution of it. It was a rather underwhelming and definitely impacted the project's potential.

 

[Thal]

What did they come out promising? Bunny rabbit companions, multiplayer, and only mild promises indicating it would be something worthy of a classic like Underworld, let alone an evolution of it. It was a rather underwhelming and definitely impacted the project's potential.

Yeah, I remember how everyone was taken back by the co-op stretch goal. The first sign of trouble. Why would they put so much effort on a feature that would add next to nothing to a proper dungeon crawl experience? But considering the team's infatuation with various ways of solving puzzles, it seems to me that they were shooting for the Portal crowd with that one. Because it would add to that kind of game, providing more ways to solve them and more complex puzzles. I haven't played it, but wasn't Trine based on something like this, with a single player controlling 3 characters? Totally different game than UU though, which is why I think this stretch goal might actually have had a negative impact on the funding. The audience wanted a dungeon crawl with brains. What the devs wanted is less obvious, but I guess we'll know in a few months next year.

 

[Infinitron]

One thing that's always been clear is that they never wanted or intended to make a "retro" game.

There's this dude on the OtherSide forums, MasterLobar, who for years deluded himself into believing he was getting an Underworld 2 sequel with Ultima references and stuff. And now he's upset. Kinda sad!

But that would have been another advantage of making a Thief-like game instead. Thief was a less retro game, more in tune with the developers' current sensibilities, so their pitch for it would have been more forthright and honest.

 

[Thal]

One thing that's always been clear is that they never wanted or intended to make a "retro" game.

Which is absolutely right. UU was revolutionary and magnificent but its tech is ancient by today's standards. They shouldn't emulate it, because today's tech would allow them to make something better. The thing is, there is no simulationist first person free movement dungeon crawl is there? I believe many were hoping that UA would have been that game. I don't mean to sound all negative though. If the level design is on par with Thief for example and they can make combat satisfying, the game could still end up great. But that's a big if.

Agree that a Thief-like game would have been easier to make. Fewer moving parts, and thus easier to make with limited funding.