Being a Bishop is not an easy task. As you might have seen in our Playtest, the job requires a good deal of resilience, strength, and creativity. As you embark on Ezekiel’s journey, you will immerse yourself in a magical fable and engaging gameplay. Our goal is to ensure that every quest and adventure is not just an activity, or a breadcrumb, but a meaningful part of said journey. By bringing forth rich narrative experiences over mundane tasks, we seek to draw you deeper into the worlds of Antioch and Erebus for a compelling and memorable experience you’ll want to come back to.
Quest Design Approach
If you’ll excuse a truism: role-playing games are largely about, well, role-playing. We believe that immersing yourself properly in the world and the story as presented is a vital part of the genre. Quests, as designated outlets for broader lore, become pillars of personal immersion; an ill-fitting, awkward, or particularly “gamey” quest can take the player right out of the experience. An unpleasant feeling, to say the least.
Our goal with SacriFire has been to avoid these kinds of pitfalls. We’ve aimed to design content that is not just padding, but also a genuine invitation to become further invested in the world we’ve created. Naturally, it’s only a part of the whole spectrum of issues - many players enjoy the genre for its number-crunching goodness, and with that in mind, we’ve also made sure that quests would come with appropriate rewards. In other words, in terms of incentives, it’s swords *and* words.
The Tale of Ezekiel Ridan
Perhaps unsurprisingly so, SacriFire is, first and foremost, Ezekiel’s personal tale. It is his ongoing struggle against the growing forces of Heresy that constitutes the majority of the game’s main quest line. By advancing these ongoing story milestones, the player gains access to new areas and tools to facilitate gameplay, such as new DIVOS forms and their associated exploration skills; indeed, all core systems of the game are introduced and unlocked in such a manner.
Naturally, this does not exhaust the full extent of questing activities, nor does it mean that the world remains static. As the plot progresses and the game unfolds, new problems pop up around Antioch, opening multiple side quests for the player to pursue. Unlike the main story, these are strictly optional and serve as diversions for fun and profit. On the one hand, they help flesh out the setting and its characters, turning the spotlight on day-to-day issues and the reality of living in a fantastic city under the ground. On the other hand - one probably more pertinent to a classic RPG hero - they present opportunities to score some sweet loot. Be it in the form of XP, Lux (so, money), consumables, or various assorted items to upgrade your weapons, the reward pool for completing side quests remains wide and exotic.
The Number of Quests
Our top priority is to find the sweet spot when it comes to the pacing of the game. To achieve that, we’re continuously working on introducing new quests to the SacriFire and making sure each of them brings a certain value to the story. We want to make sure that whatever ends up being included won’t end up tripping over each other in terms of type and content - after all, nobody likes plowing through a checklist of nearly identical tasks. As immortal as slaying rats in a cellar may be, we’d like to believe that the subterranean and spiritual world of Antioch lends itself well to quests with unusual premises and interesting stories. No spoilers, though!
As we continue to develop SacriFire, our priority remains clear: to provide an RPG experience where every quest contributes to a richer, more immersive world. Each decision, each challenge, and each reward is crafted to enhance your adventure and deepen your connection to the story. As you explore Antioch and Erebus, and face their challenges, we hope you find yourself thoroughly engrossed in both the story and the gameplay. Your journey with Ezekiel is just the beginning, and we are thrilled to have you join us on this adventure.
We'd like to inform you, that we've successfully released a new server security improvement update, but as for now it's available only for PTR players.
This fix will go live for all players with the global release of 2.22.0 update.
The weather is getting maddeningly hot, as if some eldritch horrors were trying to torment everyone who was looking forward to summer... Let's descend even further into the insanity and unleash glorious nightmares - Forgive Me Father is now 50% off and even the sequel, Forgive Me Father 2, is discounted by 20%, both until July 11!
And of course, you can use the convenient Forgive Me Father Franchise bundle to either get both titles in a convenient single package, or just use the extra discount to complete your collection with the one you're still missing.
We are also proud to announce that Forgive Me Father 2 joined forces with two other awesome games to collaborate on bundles that work the same way with them. Behold!
Cyberpunk Nightmares Bundle
The first new pairing we bring before you today is that of Forgive Me Father 2 and Deadlink, connecting nightmares of the past and the future.
In Deadlink, dive into a high-octane cyberpunk universe. Take on megacorporations with your guns blazing as you pilot a humanoid combat shell on covert ops missions. This FPS with roguelite elements promises intense action and strategic gameplay.
Both Forgive Me Father 2 and Deadlink are a testament to the innovative spirit of Polish game development. The teams from Byte Barrel and Gruby Entertainment have exchanged ideas and collaborated to push the boundaries of the boomer shooter genre, meeting at events like Digital Dragons to share their passion for creating unforgettable gaming experiences.
Forgive Me HROT Bundle
Forgive Me Father 2 also teamed up with one the boomiest of all the boomer shooters out there, HROT!
A true blast from the past, HROT is a single-player retro FPS set in a small socialist country neighboring Soviet Union (Czechoslovakia) after an unspecified disaster in 1986. Those times were dark and terrifying and so is the game.
• [new] Chat mention: simply type the letter @ and select from a player list of recent chat and Subspace encounters.
• [tune] Corrected Steam update text message layout. • [tune] Improved Subspaces closing mechanics, meaning you will encounter new ones more often. @Sakuya • [tune] Pinned cargo UI now hides when a menu is opened. • [tune] Enemies close to the Subportal will engage if provoked • [tune] Corrected more translations, @Siskataran
• [fix] Resolved an issue where Steam Deck would crash due to missing Game Recording functionality.
Yes, we had a quiet month. No, the reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated. We’re still here, working away at our desks to bring you another update, addressing a range of reports from our wonderful trucking community, as well as some new cosmetic DLC!
Truck Skin Pack is a collection of 10 skins inspired by the geometric style of real-life paint jobs of American big rigs and we have some mighty names to match their impressive designs;
Winter
Zeus
Etos
Greeno
1988
Fizzy
Ares
Eternal
SubLime
Other: Ember - available for Conveyor C-87C and Eagle One
Patch 1.5 covers a broad range of locations, features and fixes which we hope you all enjoy.
Full patch notes:
Fixes:
Prevented trucks from disappearing because of getting outside world bounds
Fixed the issue when autosave in workshop or during truck repairs could cause problems
Fixed the instances of the truck disappearing when being teleported to the hospital near Ice Roads
Fixed the problem where you could die while sleeping
Fixed the bug where connecting the dump trailer in Estate Construction Site could cause damage to the cargo
Fixed an issue where you could lock yourself into a wall when exiting the truck
Fixed the Groovy achievement
Fixed the issue where the player could become immortal
Accessibility:
Added colorblind correction options to graphic settings
Increased the size of the font in longer location names for better visibility in the job screen
Other:
Further optimization in Fairbanks, Wasilla, and Palmer, as well as optimization of specific assets, incl. trucks
Reduced grass distance pop-in
Improved loading times for ferry transport
Fixed the floating trucks in truck store
Tweaked speed limits near the refinery for better AI behavior
Player now gets experience for adding coolant
Fixed terrain loading near Coldfoot
Reduced the fog effect in rainy weather
Updated navigation near Moose Creek so GPS doesn't show a big detour
Localization improvements and fixes
Fixed the problem with duplicated tasks on the job list
Removed some pipes from the Pump Station near Glenallen so bigger cargo can be transported without problems
Fixed the tutorial book opening after closing the map using a controller
Many other minor fixes
Please make sure to drop by our Discord and share your tips and tricks for trucking success. We love to hear about your time on The Last Frontier, see the beautiful screenshots and tales of woe from people who tried (and failed) to take a turn while breaking the speed limit in pursuit of a delivery deadline. We salute/chastise you.
If you’re having technical problems, our Discord community is also a great place to report an issue and get support.
Lastly, if you are coming back to the game after an absence or have stuck with us over these months, please check to see if the review you left at launch still reflects how you feel about our wonderful mix of simulation, survival and management. We love everything we have achieved and we hope to keep bringing it to new people, with your help.
Good evening, good morning and good afternoon. Whatever timezone you're in, it's time for another Mod Spotlight! For this mod spotlight, we look to conclude our series showing off post 1.37 Major updates. With future mod spotlights going back to covering some of the more (hopefully) unknown diamonds in the rough. For now though, lets dive straight into a look at the upcoming Ante Bellum content, Blood and Iron. Presented by Lead Dev Parmelion.
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Hello everyone! My name is Parmelion and I am the lead developer of Ante Bellum. Today, I would like to present to you the upcoming ninth major update of the mod, titled ‘Blood and Iron’, which is releasing in less than two week - on July 8!
For those of you who are not familiar with the mod, Ante Bellum is a vanilla+ alternative history mod. The main design philosophy of the mod is to completely preserve the base game gameplay and add no new invasive mechanics to the game that would make the player feel like they must learn to interact with a new system in order to play optimally. In other words, if you know how to play the base game, you will instantly know how to play Ante Bellum! The mod’s main appeal is a completely new country setup caused by multiple historical points of divergence – Normans losing the Battle of Hastings, Arabs failing to conquer Persia, Mongols succeeding in invading Japan as well as five years’ worth of content, with hundreds of mission trees, government reforms, events, decisions, formable nations and so much more! If you are looking for a more general overview of the mod, I would recommend you checking out the first mod spotlight of Ante Bellum.
Now, let’s shift our attention to the main topic of today – the 1.9 ‘Blood and Iron’ update. In this update, we have decided to revisit one of the most popular regions in the world and give a proper facelift to the Holy Roman Empire. Although the HRE was a side focus of the 1.4 ‘Empire’s Downfall’ update, the update was released four years ago, and the content is visibly dated and no longer up to our current standards. Now, I would like to show you a short list of the update’s main features, and then I will speak about them in more detail:
Province and country update of the Holy Roman Empire
Nine new or updated imperial incidents
Hussite, Gaelic and Anglican HRE paths
Overhauled custom achievements screen window
Protestant & Reformed religious schools
Reformation changes & Counter-Reformation
Paladins special unit
German, Italian, Gallic and Byzantine pre-set colonial nations
24 new mission trees
New soundtrack, loading screen, bookmark, achievements, formable nations, events, decisions, estate privileges, government reforms, monuments, cultures, cosmetic renames, dynamic province names and so much more
The first thing you’ll likely see when booting up Blood and Iron for the first time is our new loading screen. This original piece of artwork depicts Robert de Hauteville, also known as the Mad Duke of Capua – one of the most popular characters in the entire mod with quite literally insane event chain dedicated to him. If you are looking for a challenging and flavorful first campaign in Ante Bellum, then I would highly recommend you check out Capua!
Many centuries have passed since the Ottonian dynasty's illustrious reign came crashing down. Trampled under boot by the resurgent Carolingians, Saxony was thoroughly harried, with furor far surpassing even Charlemagne's war against Widukind. All the while, the princes prostrated themselves before the French, offering oaths laced with sedition and tribute stained in blood. Since then, the Holy Roman Empire's integrity - and by extension that of the Roman Catholic Church - have been called into question; Trinacria's fall to the Saracen menace in the 14th Century came as a devastating blow to Italy's security, followed mere decades later by Bohemia's immolation in the Hussite War. Now, as if adding naphtha to a pyre, 1443's Humiliation of Valencia dangles precariously over Emperor Lothair's head like the Sword of Damocles. Whether the Emperor or the princes prevail, there is no doubt that the Empire's destiny shall be forged through blood and iron.
Next up, you’ll encounter our new country setup and bookmark whose description you can read above. As we were mostly fine with the country setup established by the 1.4 ‘Empire’s Downfall’ update, the map overhaul of 1.9 is much more modest compared to our previous major updates. Despite that, you will still have a lot of new countries to play as, including Ivrea, Ravenna or Chur. We were also pretty satisfied with the province density, so the map update was not as massive as it is otherwise common for our major updates, but still, we do have some new provinces, such as the Isle of Elba, and wastelands here and there.
The first major feature I would like to talk about are the new imperial incidents. They are a great tool which revitalizes the game in the HRE and gives all tags something to interact with. In Blood and Iron, we are adding nine new or reworked imperial incidents. Our new incidents include Lotharingia’s Imperial Entrance, the Wendish Threat or the Fate of Francia which fires once the Carolingians lose the imperial mantle. The new Emperor will be able to kick Francia out of the Empire, and if the princes vote for kicking the French, Francia will be able to contest this decision and declare the War for the Fate of Francia and the Empire against the Emperor. If victorious, Francia will reclaim the imperial mantle and force itself back into the HRE. Imperial princes will be choosing sides and joining either Francia or the new emperor, so this war will eventually turn into a mini league war.
Now, let's shift our focus to religion for a bit. In Blood and Iron, we have decided to better represent various Protestant denominations by giving the religious schools mechanic to Protestant and Reformed religions. The new religious schools will not only add new flavor and more depth to intrareligious interactions but will also provide the player with some additional bonuses. You will be able to embrace a wide variety of religious schools, including Lutheran, Waldensian, Calvinist, Puritan and more! Moreover, you might have noticed a Center of Reformation with the Catholic cross next to it on the screenshot. In Blood and Iron, Catholic countries which have embraced Counter-Reformation will be able to spawn Centers of Counter-Reformation to fight the heretics more effectively!
Those of you who are familiar with Ante Bellum know that we have our own achievement system. As of now, the system works primarily through decisions, but since the addition of moddable custom GUI, the system was converted to be supported by an interactable interface. We originally wanted to make it look exactly like Steam achievements, but decided to go for a more unique and authentic design. Achievements are also sorted by major updates, as indicated by the small patch in the bottom right corner. For our achievement hunters, Blood and Iron will be adding about 20 completely new achievements!
Pre-set colonial nations are one of the most unique and fan favourite features of Ante Bellum. Essentially, they are pre-made tags which your generated colonial nations turn into should you have the option enabled. This allows us to assign various unique features to them, such as custom country flags. In Blood and Iron, we will be adding new pre-set colonial nations to Germany, Italy, Gallia and Byzantium. Here’s a preview of their new custom flags: Now, to the fan favourite part of all updates - mission trees! When it comes to missions, Blood and Iron will be the largest update Ante Bellum has ever received. With new mission trees for over 20 tags, and some trees exceeding 70 missions, the player will have a lot of great content to go through. Since most of these trees are regional, almost every single nation in the HRE – anything ranging from Carniola, Frankfurt, Holstein, Ravenna to Lombardy – will receive a unique mission tree.
Here's a look at some of them:
Francia [expand type=details][/expand]
Hansa [expand type=details] [/expand]
Aquitaine [expand type=details] [/expand]
Bohemia [expand type=details] [/expand]
Germany [expand type=details][/expand]
Genoa/Italy [expand type=details] [/expand]
Besides that, there is a lot of other content coming, including new formable nations such as Aquitaine, Helvetia or Rhineland.
New great projects such as the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the Palace of Arles.
New government mechanics including Helvetic Militarization and Hanseatic Commercialism.
New menu indicators for nations which have received a mini-update or have access to pre-set colonial nations.
New special units
Blood & Iron also comes with a completely originally new soundtrack by the prolific composer, Utopia. You can listen to that here:
And that’s far from over. There are hundreds of new events, decisions, government reforms, estate privileges, dynamic province names, cultures, lore startup screens and much much more. Blood and Iron is the result of more than a year of hard work, and we are excited to finally release it to the public on July 8. All of our supporters, however, can play the update in early access right now. If supporting the mod’s development is within your means, definitely consider it, as you will unlock yourself about 15 amazing rewards, including early access to all future updates or the ability to request content additions to the mod. If you would instead prefer to watch the new content in action, several content creators have already covered it, and you can watch the playthrough of multiple 1.9 nations in their videos:
Thank you for taking the time to read this mod spotlight. See you in Ante Bellum!
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Back to John Paradox speaking, Thank you all for joining us! Be sure to check out Ante Bellum on July 8th, especially if you haven't already tried this breathtaking mod. If you're reading this as it comes out, we also invite you to check out our selection of Paradox titles currently on sale now in the Steam Summer sale. Including Eu4 and select DLCs for up to 70% off.
As we mentioned at the start, we hope to bring these spotlights back to their roots and show of some of the lesser known mods in the coming weeks/months. We'll see you then!
- Fixed the issue where Mihawk had incorrect maximum health damage during battles. - Fixed the issue where Drain the Soul couldn't trigger the Thunder Finger. - Fixed the issue where Elemi would only deal 40% damage instead of 80% if the first attack on the same target missed. - Fixed the issue where Undercurrent could initiate battles with heroes in the same cell as Stone Hound. - Fixed the issue where removed equipment from previous versions would reappear in the current season. - Fixed the issue where skipping the internet cafe match would disable all heroes. - Fixed the issue where defense towers participating in battles were displayed as heroes in the end-of-match summary. - Fixed the display issue in fullscreen mode on non-16:9 screens.
We know it’s been a long time since our last update—two years, to be exact. We want to thank you all for your patience and support during this time. We’re excited to share that our game has undergone significant changes and improvements.
In the opinion of the team, here is what we want to highlight without going into too much detail:
Multiple Changes: We’ve revamped and enhanced many aspects of the game, including the visual assets.
Quality of Life Improvements: Your original feedback(from very long ago) has been invaluable, and we’ve implemented many changes to make the game more enjoyable and not just hectic.
Refined Mechanics: We’ve fine-tuned the gameplay mechanics, including the responsiveness of the controls, to ensure a smoother and more engaging experience.
Fully Cast and Fully Written: Our game is now fully written and cast with international acting talent. With 400 pages of script and over 70 characters, each with a fleshed-out backstory, we have meticulously crafted an immersive experience. Needless to say, we can’t wait for you to experience and immerse yourself in the lore of VICE.
The REALLY Important bit: The game is almost ready for launch, and will be released in 2024.
We apologize for our silence and lack of transparency with regards to the development of VICE Undercover. From now on, we’re committed to keeping you informed.
Stay tuned for more details to be revealed in the coming months, particularly around the end of August or early September.
Thank you for sticking with us!
Best Regards, Your friends at Ancient Machine Games