Putting the 'role' back in role-playing games since 2002.
Donate to Codex
Good Old Games
  • Welcome to rpgcodex.net, a site dedicated to discussing computer based role-playing games in a free and open fashion. We're less strict than other forums, but please refer to the rules.

    "This message is awaiting moderator approval": All new users must pass through our moderation queue before they will be able to post normally. Until your account has "passed" your posts will only be visible to yourself (and moderators) until they are approved. Give us a week to get around to approving / deleting / ignoring your mundane opinion on crap before hassling us about it. Once you have passed the moderation period (think of it as a test), you will be able to post normally, just like all the other retards.

Game News Underworld Ascendant Update #31: Introduction to Marcaul

Infinitron

I post news
Staff Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
97,228
Codex Year of the Donut Serpent in the Staglands Dead State Divinity: Original Sin Project: Eternity Torment: Tides of Numenera Wasteland 2 Shadorwun: Hong Kong Divinity: Original Sin 2 A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Pathfinder: Wrath I'm very into cock and ball torture I helped put crap in Monomyth
Tags: Joe Fielder; OtherSide Entertainment; Underworld Ascendant

This month's Underworld Ascendant update was supposed to come out over a week ago, but was mysteriously delayed. Turns out OtherSide had to finalize Underworld Overlord, their bizarre Dungeon Keeper-esque VR spinoff title for Google's Daydream platform, which came out yesterday. Later that day, OtherSide finally released a new Ascendant update to backers, a tantalizing but disappointingly undetailed introduction to the Marcaul vertical slice scheduled for release in February. The update is now available to the general public on the studio's brand new website:

Our current efforts on Underworld Ascendant are focused on creating a tight, polished experience that demonstrates its core distinctive gameplay.

As you know, Underworld Ascendant takes place in a deep, dark subterranean realm, set into the caldera of a volcano. Life exists there – improbably – but, there are sights of wonder.

One of them is Marcaul, a Tangiers-like neutral zone, a key nexus point for the player throughout the game. As you start our current level, you glimpse it in the distance, a beautiful vista, but are barred from entry. The inhabitants there want you to prove yourself first — before they’ll allow you inside. You’re sent to perform The Challenge of Ishtass in the caves below.

This is how we introduce the player to The Improvisation Engine: the bevy of tools at your disposal that allows player-authored solutions to problems. It’s one of the key aspects that differentiates Underworld Ascendant from other games.

Later, we’ll get into the particulars about which Fighter, Rogue, and Mage-related skills and equipment are available to you and what the (secret, lore-related) goal of The Challenge of Ishtass is.

But, what’s barring you from your goal?
  • LIZARD MEN — Well-known and loved characters from Ultima Underworld, who were tied into some of the most memorable moments of the game. There are swordsmen and archers with behaviors — and magical weapons — that are clearly readable from a distance.
  • THE MIND CRIPPLER – It’s a horror…. A disembodied brain with stinging tentacles and a unique hunting technique: It uses a psychic attack that enrages other creatures and causes them to fight, then hangs back and eats the fallen.
The player enters this space from above and has an opportunity to observe the situation to formulate a plan first.

Each class has a different take on solving challenges and unique options, while the environment – and the creatures within it – present interesting opportunities as well.

That’s what The Improvisation Engine is all about: player choice. We present a challenge and a bevy of interesting tools, and the solution is up to you.

It’s one the distinctive, core elements of Underworld Ascendant and the next stage in the kind of player-authored gameplay that Looking Glass helped invent.

We’ll have more details next time and, as mentioned last month, intend to share it with backers early next year!​

Another month, then.
 

Durwyn

Prophet
Joined
Oct 29, 2006
Messages
1,132
Location
Erewhon
b..but it's text yeah ? Text is great in video games. Just imagine how much text will be in this game if there is so much of it in the updates. It must be surely a great game with so much writing effort put in it. Word-count is quality !
 

Aenra

Guest
I think it's only indicative of their fucking around; partly extra income, partly experimentation, partly getting it out of their system (VR VR VR). Plus, connections.
As to what having a dev team fucking around entails? You don't need my help for that :)

Extra lols for the timing however, this should be noted. All those happy KS contributors, this is exactly what they pledged for! So that during UA's development, the team would use part of the funds* to launch another, separate game. An accident of course. They meant to warn everyone, they just.. forgot to make mention of it during the actual campaign.

edit: *office space, software, man hours/wages. They did not have all that prior to KS right? It's why they did it they said. They did not have a VR game ready prior to KS either right? Meaning they first set up shop with that KS money, then somehow came out with a game -other- than the one people paid them for. Was there additional funding involved as well? Uninterested. The timing is damning, the result is the same.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Joined
Jul 26, 2015
Messages
1,350
PC RPG Website of the Year, 2015 Codex 2016 - The Age of Grimoire Make the Codex Great Again! Grab the Codex by the pussy Divinity: Original Sin 2 BattleTech Bubbles In Memoria A Beautifully Desolate Campaign Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire Pathfinder: Kingmaker Steve gets a Kidney but I don't even get a tag.
I think it's only indicative of their fucking around; partly extra income, partly experimentation, partly getting it out of their system (VR VR VR). Plus, connections.
As to what having a dev team fucking around entails? You don't need my help for that :)

Extra lols for the timing however, this should be noted. All those happy KS contributors, this is exactly what they pledged for! So that during UA's development, the team would use part of the funds to launch another, separate game. An accident of course. They meant to warn everyone, they just.. forgot to make mention of it during the actual campaign.
Did you even pledge to the campaign?
 

Aenra

Guest
No Nekot, i didn't. And in case this helps prevent the follow up question, yes, i still find me entitled to an opinion.
 

LESS T_T

Arcane
Joined
Oct 5, 2012
Messages
13,582
Codex 2014
As an exclusive to Google's VR platform, I think Google, like other VR platform holders, likely paid them some portion of development cost.
 
Weasel
Joined
Dec 14, 2012
Messages
1,865,661
I think it's only indicative of their fucking around; partly extra income, partly experimentation, partly getting it out of their system (VR VR VR). Plus, connections.
As to what having a dev team fucking around entails? You don't need my help for that :)

Extra lols for the timing however, this should be noted. All those happy KS contributors, this is exactly what they pledged for! So that during UA's development, the team would use part of the funds* to launch another, separate game. An accident of course. They meant to warn everyone, they just.. forgot to make mention of it during the actual campaign.

edit: *office space, software, man hours/wages. They did not have all that prior to KS right? It's why they did it they said. They did not have a VR game ready prior to KS either right? Meaning they first set up shop with that KS money, then somehow came out with a game -other- than the one people paid them for. Was there additional funding involved as well? Uninterested. The timing is damning, the result is the same.

It's Daredevil Donut Lad all over again...
 

Aenra

Guest
As an exclusive to Google's VR platform, I think Google, like other VR platform holders, likely paid them some portion of development cost.

I did mention extra income, twice.
And i still think it's problematic at best, making this game while the one they got paid for is still underway. Am not even touching the 'type' of game this VR piece of shit is, don't need to go there at all.
 

resilient sphere

Educated
Joined
Nov 27, 2014
Messages
73
the entire office staff of ""Looking Glass"" is spinning slowly on an office chair right now, tapping a pen thoughtfully against their lips and glancing at their monitor to see if it's gone into power saving mode
 

Burning Bridges

Enviado de meu SM-G3502T usando Tapatalk
Joined
Apr 21, 2006
Messages
27,562
Location
Tampon Bay
What a bunch of incompetents. If I had given money to those clueless bunglers I'd probably be foaming with :argh: by now.
 

As an Amazon Associate, rpgcodex.net earns from qualifying purchases.
Back
Top Bottom