Muzman on 19/12/2014 at 08:23
Owee ow. Still probably an aspect worth discussing a bit more as mostly it's all about the big hits and the cancelled ones.
How much did you put in?
Jason Moyer on 19/12/2014 at 08:50
"Dead State" had "over-reaching so far it's either never going to get released and/or it's going to get released in a severely broken or disappointing state" written all over it, simply by having Brian Mitsoda involved. I like the guy's writing, I think (AFAIK the only real sample of this is Bloodlines), but his previous work didn't give me a good feeling about getting a worthwhile return on my investment.
faetal on 19/12/2014 at 08:57
I was hoping for Jagged Alliance with zombies. I'll hang fire until there are some patches out I think and then see if I can get my £10 worth out of it.
Stitch on 19/12/2014 at 17:23
And who knows? You might have more fun with it than I did. The general consensus on Dead State seems to be "heavily flawed and fairly buggy, but there's an addicting game there somewhere if you're willing to dig for it."
But Dead State the game isn't the Dead State I was hoping to kickstart into existence, and my spare time is far too precious a commodity these days to spend on a game that needs to be met halfway.
But your mileage may vary!
henke on 21/1/2015 at 05:54
Hahaha that's indeed a great pitch video. :D
Malf on 21/1/2015 at 09:46
I've found with Dead State, a lot of its systems and best features are hidden behind a massive investment of time.
While the day-to-day scavenging and combat is okay at best, where the game really shines is in the "Crisis Events".
The characters you rescue are well written with distinct personalities and interesting hidden traits.
Not to spoil things, but certain events are reminiscent of rescuing certain characters in Demon's Souls.
Unfortunately, after a while the threat of the apocalypse diminishes quite drastically and you'll find yourself swimming in supplies and gear with very little able to threaten your characters outside of Crisis Events. It's at this point you have to settle in for the long haul and where the game will try your patience the most. The frequency of events is far too spread out , and the only thing to do between them is more scavenging.
Regarding levelling, it's quite obscure how it happens, but I actually quite like it. Instead of gaining levels through combat, you get experience through completing tasks on your "To-do" list. Additionally, you only have control over how the main character levels; NPCs auto-level, often depending on how you've been utilising them.
This can look like nothing's happening, but people will steadily be getting better in the background.
Myself, I've quite enjoyed it, but I haven't completed it yet. It's been over-shadowed by the release of Elite and a new Diablo 3 patch. I might go back to it this weekend just to finish it off. If nothing else it will be interesting to see how some of the political situations resolve.
Edit: One thing I forgot to mention; the large, multi-level maps are buggy as fuck and really not fun to play. Additionally, you'll have to go back to these places multiple times in order to haul back all the loot, even after getting access to your car and its storage. When going between levels, the camera will regularly bug out, characters will reset their entry points (often resulting in involuntarily alerting enemies) and there are no controls to switch between levels. The AI also seems to break over multiple levels and path-finding across them is atrocious.
Mr. Tibbs on 21/1/2015 at 19:22
On February 4th, I'll be backing Underworld Ascendant by Other Side Entertainment. I really hope they succeed. They are looking for a million for the base goal (source: (
www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/21/paul-neurath-brings-iconic-franchise-back-with-underworld-ascendant) IGN video).
(
http://www.underworldascendant.com/)
Quote:
When we completed Ultima Underworld II in 1993, I never imagined that this classic fantasy RPG franchise would go dark for the two decades.
The Underworld’s were arguably the first immersive 1st person games. Not only were they the first to create a real-time 3D texture-mapped world, they also pioneered player-driven sandbox gameplay. They influenced a whole generation of games: Doom, Thief, Deus Ex, Skyrim, BioShock and more. Today, leading game designers view the Underworlds as still astonishingly modern in design.
But when released, the games were years ahead of their time and didn't fit into the established genres of that era. This contributed to the franchise falling between the cracks and becoming lost in the publisher’s labyrinth depths. Over the years I’ve tried without success to raise the Underworld series back up. Just now have the stars aligned so this can happen.
I started OtherSide Entertainment an indie studio to rekindle this classic. Joining me is an incredible team of developers, who will be introducing themselves over the coming weeks. Some worked with me on the original Underworlds, along with Looking Glass favorites like System Shock and Thief. Others contributed to more recent classics including Deus Ex and BioShock Infinite. We have deep understanding of the genre, and share a passion for bringing Underworld back.
The newest incarnation of the franchise, Underworld Ascendant, will retain the distinctive fantasy RPG gameplay of the originals. We already have an early prototype running on the PC. At that same time we will be pushing forward with new innovations --- I can’t wait to tell you more about what we have planned!
But this can only happen with your help. As an indie studio, we are looking to our fans to fund a significant portion of the development through our upcoming Kickstarter campaign, which begins on February 4th. We aren't shy about our ambitions to make a great game, but that takes serious resources and effort.
Beyond funding, we are inviting you in on the making of Underworld Ascendant. Rarely have fans been able to participate in the often unpredictable, sometimes messy creative process that gives birth to innovative games. We hope you’ll join us on this adventure!
Paul Neurath
"Our goal is to retain what was great about the original," Neurath told IGN. "We're pretty convinced it will play as well today as it did 20 years ago. That deep immersion, that sense that you're there, the fun in exploring with that sandbox gameplay and RPG nature of the game."
(
www.ign.com/articles/2015/01/21/paul-neurath-brings-iconic-franchise-back-with-underworld-ascendant)
Quote:
Ascendant was originally called Underworld Ascension, but Otherside Entertainment subsequently changed the moniker. The team is launching a Kickstarter campaign on Feb. 4, with extensive stretch goals for subsequent funding. Neurath couldn't go into too much detail about the gameplay yet, but did say there will be opportunities for the player to maneuver between political factions in the living world that was created in 1992.
After 20 years of trying –– and finally succeeding –– to acquire the franchise rights from Electronic Arts, Neurath said the decision to fund the project through Kickstarter has a number of appealing possibilities for the team –– artistic independence, creative leeway and transparency for backers.
"When we created the original game, there was a wall between us and the fans," he said. "Publishers didn't really encourage us to reach out and have a dialogue. And that was a lost opportunity. And today, with crowdsourced funding and digital distribution, it's a cool opportunity for us to open it up and let the fans who supported the franchise all along to come onboard."
Otherside comprises 12 people. Some of them worked on the aforementioned titles at Looking Glass, the development studio that closed in May of 2000, so there's a lot of veteran talent working on the RPG. One name in particular will draw recognition from fans of Epic Mickey, Deus Ex and Thief: Warren Spector.
He worked as a producer on the original Ultima Underworld, and championed the game from its inception. Now, he's serving as a "part-time creative advisor," Neurath says, and Spector sees potential in the project, despite its long absence from the spotlight.
"Working on the original Underworld project was important to me, career-wise, as well as to me as a gamer," Spector told IGN. "Today, the world of gaming is different and, I'd argue, Underworld played a big, if under-appreciated role in that. There was a story and a level of player empowerment that most games –– even today –– can't match."
Spector said the team at Otherside has other plans than just trying to resurrect a past success. And the fact that some of the Otherside developers worked on the original Underworld is a comforting thought.
"We're still a young medium and there's still plenty left to do if we're going to move away from 'roll-playing' and move toward true 'role-playing,'" Spector said.
Neurath said more details will arrive alongside the Kickstarter launch, and now that pre-production is wrapping up, the team can continue to mold the game they set out to make. And although the franchise is old, the team remains confident that Underworld has a place in the modern games scene.
Tony_Tarantula on 21/1/2015 at 21:49
"suicide bomber" ants?
Doesn't sound like the simant I remember.
DDL on 22/1/2015 at 11:39
Simant for the jihadi generation!
