Apr 22, 2018

Frostpunk - Rufus Blackwood

Welcome, Citizens!

The time has come to tell you a little bit about Frostpunk's ADDITIONAL SCENARIOS! Some of you may already know that on top of the main campaign, which you could already see on multiple Twitch streams and YouTube let’s plays, full version of Frostpunk offers two more robust scenarios.

Both of them adding different perspectives on society survival, introducing new challenges to tackle and extending your overall experience. In both scenarios you’re gonna have to come up with smart ways of planning and building your city, adjusting strategy to differently shaped maps surrounded by new sites to discover.

SCENARIO #1: THE ARKS

‘We've been chosen to safeguard a priceless treasure – the seeds and seedlings of plants from all over the world. They've been deposited in Seedling Arks to stop them from freezing, but it falls to us to build a city to protect these precious buildings until the winter ends, however long that may be. The only way to do this is with automatons. We'll ensure the green earth is reborn – even if we aren't there to witness it.’

‘The Arks’ leaves you with very limited population, pushing you onto the path of technological advancement, where automatons become vital for the city’s survival.

SCENARIO #2: REFUGEES

‘We were condemned to die with the rest of the common folk when London was destroyed. But we rose up. We commandeered the ships that were meant to carry the wealthy to safety and sailed north. Here we found a Generator and claimed it for ourselves. Now we must gather all our people in this new city before the lords arrive to rob us of our freedom again.’

If the ultimate winter was not enough, in ‘Refugees’ scenario you have to deal with social stratification & unrest in rapidly growing society.

--- RELEASE DETAILS & EXTRA INFO ---

Frostpunk releases on 24.04.2018 (4/24/2018)
at 3:00 PM CEST / 6 AM PDT.

You can add it to your Wishlist here:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/323190/Frostpunk/

Additionally, release of Frostpunk is not the end of our journey with the game. Be aware that free content updates are planned. For details and new announcements stay with us here or follow on:

Also, be sure to check out previous updates:

And if you want to learn EVEN MORE about the game - we have just released "11 facts about Frostpunk" - a feature preview video. You can watch it here:
https://youtu.be/1VEKpJBX8V4

THE CITY MUST SURVIVE!

Apr 20, 2018

Path of Faith | Developer Update

Frostpunk - Rufus Blackwood

“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.”

― Søren Kierkegaard

Hello there, Citizens!

Pfew! Crazy times! We are getting ready to release the game on 24.04.2018 - but we still want to show you some new stuff. If you’re watching Twitch - you’ve probably already seen the second path that you can choose in Frostpunk, besides the Path of Order. However, for those of you who prefer to avoid major feature spoilers ('cause streamers tend to show you the whole thing) - we prepared a brief presentantion of some basic laws that you can establish if you choose the path of the true devotion!

“There's a saying "There are no atheists in foxholes" and we felt it rang true for the situation depicted in the game. But Frostpunk is about the extremes people go to to survive and we asked ourselves how it could impact the need for faith people would naturally develop. A cynical leader might twist it to control and brainwash, supplanting the idea of a higher power with cynical will of man. We wanted to ask the players whether they are comfortable with that, if it meant greater chances of survival.”

― Marta Fijak, Senior Game Designer

Click here for full size

--- GAMEPLAY DETAILS ---

Choosing the Path of Faith means showing your society a brand new way of life. However - for you as their leader - it means unlocking new instruments to influence the shape of the city itself. Discover new buildings and abilities as you make your first steps on the Path of Faith. Here are some examples:

Law: House of Prayer
A small place of worship for our people. Prayers, sermons and small ceremonies are held here. People living near Houses of Prayer will be more hopeful.

This law will unlock a new building: House of Prayer, where people can practice their faith in peace. It also unlocks new ability: Sermon. When you use this ability, people living nearby will gather to pray, which will raise their hope.

Law: Shrines
A small shrine where passers-by can pray and put their trust in faith, gaining hope. People nearby, reminded of why they toil, work more efficiently.

This law adds a new building: Shrine, and a new passive effect: shrines will raise the spirits of people in nearby workplaces, so they work more efficiently and are more hopeful.

Law: House of Healing
A hospital run by the faithful. Heals the sick and the gravely ill slightly slower than an Infirmary, but doesn't require engineers. Slightly raises patients' hope.

This law will unlock new building: House of Healing. It doesn't require engineers, treats the gravely ill and gives all patients a small hope bonus.

Law: Field Kitchens
Each Field Kitchen will provide people working nearby with hot meals to keep them warm.

After establishing this law you will gain access to another building called Field Kitchen. Any workplaces in range will get a bonus to their heating thanks to the warm meals served in this building.

Law: The Temple
The symbol of our devotion and our central place of worship. It brings peace to the faithful and inspires hope throughout the city. It may cause some doubters to mend their ways.

This law unlock a new building: The Temple. It will kindle hope in the hearts of the faithful and sway the doubtful. It also gives you a new ability: Ceremonial Service - that raises hope and comforts the discontented. There can only be one temple in the city.

Law: Evening Prayers
We shall meet and pray together to warm not only our bodies, but also our souls.

This law unlocks new ability: Evening Prayers - each use raises hope and lowers discontent.

--- ADDITIONAL Q&A ---

1. When exactly does it release on Steam?
Game releases on 24.04.2018 (4/24/2018) at 3:00 PM CEST / 6 AM PDT.

2. I've heard there was na AMA on the Fan Discord Server! Can I see it anywhere?
We didn't have time to archive it, yet - but you can read the summary on Survive This website!

3. Where can I find the previous updates?
They are available on Steam, same as this one:

4. I can't wait to play the game! What can I do about it?!
The best solution is to add Frostpunk to your Steam Wishlist and wait for its release on 24.04.2018:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/323190/Frostpunk/
5. I want to learn more about the game! How can I do that?
Perfect timing! We have just released "11 facts about Frostpunk" - a feature preview video about our game. You can watch it here:
https://youtu.be/1VEKpJBX8V4

THE CITY MUST SURVIVE!

Mar 9, 2018

Frostpunk's RELEASE DATE announced!

Frostpunk - Rufus Blackwood

Hi there!

We don't want to tease you anymore than we already have - so without further ado, here's the:

Frostpunk's Official Release Date Trailer - "Serenity":

https://youtu.be/YPCgltNJoHI
Grzegorz Miechowski, managing director at 11 bit studios says: “We wanted to make it before end of Q1, but we ended up slightly moving the release further. The reason is simple - we needed this time for the final polishing required to deliver a game that, we believe, is the best 11 bit studios title so far. For us, production value is always the most important thing and a bug-free, carefully-balanced game is crucial to offer gamers the experience we want them to have. This War of Mine was a unique game about moral choices, and with Frostpunk, we are bringing this to a whole new level. It’s true that it took us some time to get here, but I’m happy to say that it was worth it!”

Coming to Steam, GOG.com, and Humble Store at launch, Frostpunk will land on PCs in a digital version for the price of $29.99 USD and retail version for the suggested price of $34.99 USD in the form of a special “Victorian Edition”. This special edition includes the “New London - The Art of Frostpunk” hardcover book which shows off the beautifully crafted artwork and concept images from Frostpunk’s icy interior.

Be sure to follow our social media:

Have a good one and see you next time!

Mar 9, 2018

Frostpunk's RELEASE DATE announced!

Frostpunk - Rufus Blackwood

Hi there!

We don't want to tease you anymore than we already have - so without further ado, here's the:

Frostpunk's Official Release Date Trailer - "Serenity":

Be sure to follow our social media:

Have a good one and see you next time!

Feb 28, 2018

IRREVERSIBLE | Developer Update (Endgame + price reveal!)

Frostpunk - Rufus Blackwood

Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking.
- Niccolò Machiavelli

Hello everyone!

Last time we have introduced the automatons with The Cogs of Progress Update - this time let’s talk about something even bigger: advanced endgame mechanics. It’s something we’ve kept secret for a long time - even though you tried really hard to squeeze some information out of us. We’re finally ready to show you one of the biggest choices you’re going to make in Frostpunk: choosing the path for your people. Showing them purpose... even if you have to do it with an iron fist.

--- ENDGAME MECHANICS REVEAL ---

"What makes you a good leader? Or to put it differently - what makes you an effective leader? If you're democratically elected one in some modern country, or if you rule a city in a video game about last bits of civilization trying to survive on a frozen Earth, the rules stay the same" - says Aleksander Kauch, lead gameplay programmer of Frostpunk. "You can try to be the noble one and listen to the people, no matter if they're right or wrong, or you can believe that your cold-blooded calculations will prove valid over the course of survival. Introducing Neighbourhood Watch Law can be the answer to the need of safety on the streets... unless you deem it insufficient and decide to send guards to detain rioters with bats. From a watchful overseer to the rigorous visionary that puts the higher cause over decency - that will be your choice as a player."

See the newly unveiled endgame mechanics and features in the “Irreversible” Developer Update video:
https://youtu.be/pFId6lm2MZo

--- GAMEPLAY DETAILS ---

Choosing the path of Order will deeply impact your society - and for you as a leader it means a whole new range of tools available at your disposal. We want you to discover them when you play the game but let us show you some examples of new laws that will become accessible after you choose to pursue the path of Order.

Law: Neighbourhood Watch
We need to mobilise and stand together to help people in need and protect them from troublemakers.

Neighbourhood Watch allows you to construct a brand new building: Watchtower. People living nearby Watchtowers are protected by their neighbours serving as watch members and feel a lot safer. This gives them hope.

Law: Guard Stations
Organised militia will guard the peace and order in our city and help us deal with anyone who would threaten it.

This law allows you to establish a Guard Station. Guard Stations bring peace and order to nearby homes. The presence of guards lowers the discontent and restores hope.

Law: Patrol
Ensuring safety and order is of utmost priority to the long term survival of our city.

This law won’t unlock any new buildings - but it gives you an active Patrol ability to use. After enabling it, guards will patrol the streets near their guard stations to uphold law and order. You'll have to provide them with extra food for their effort.

These are just three basic laws that you can introduce after choosing the path of Order. More of them - in different form and magnitude - await you in the world of Frostpunk!

--- RELEASE DETAILS ---

We’ve already announced that we aim to set the price for Frostpunk to be on a “premium indie” level. What most of you assumed was €35-40... so you should be happy to hear that Frostpunk’s digital version will be available for $29,99/EUR 29,99 (or your regional equivalent)! We really want it to be as accessible as possible - so we hope you’re happy with this price!

That’s not all! We have also finished the box art for the game! It was created by one and only Jakub Kowalczyk - who was responsible for a lot of “This War of Mine” artworks as well. Jakub - busy as he is - was cool enough to share some insights about creating Frostpunk’s cover art:

“The biggest challenge here was to create an inclusive art that would show all aspects of the game: harsh and freezing weather, the generator that towers above the city, cross-section of the society and - of course - you as its leader. It not only had to work as an attractive illustration - but I had to make sure it’s still usable as box art - which means adjustability for different platforms etc. You never know where some additional pesky logos may appear...”

Click here for high resolution

What about the price of the retail version? What versions of the game are we preparing in general? Do we plan to release an art book? What about the release date? We’d love to answer all these questions now but we’re still discussing some final technicalities with distributors and whatnot. We will give you all the details in one of the future updates - stay tuned!

--- ADDITIONAL Q&A ---

1. Do you plan to support controllers (Xbox/PS4/Steam Controller)?
Maybe in the future - but definitely not on day one.

Click here for high resolution

2. Are you going to do a surprise release or are you going to announce a release date some days in advance?
We plan to announce it beforehand. We just gave you the box art and the price so rejoice! We want to share more info about the release in one of the future updates, stay tuned.

3. You started to show new things from the game: first the automatons, now the Order. Are you adding it to the game last minute?
Don't worry, we are not adding new stuff to the game at this point. Automatons are not something new, we didn't introduce them two weeks ago. We just didn't show them before! Same situation with the Order mechanics - they are not new by any means, we were just keeping them a secret.

4. Do you plan to make some kind of AMA in the future?
Yes, we would love to do that later on - when we have more information revealed already. In the meantime, we try to visit this discord channel created by our wonderful community: https://discord.gg/CukfhBG - we tend to answer some smaller questions there, so be sure to visit us from time to time!

Click here for high resolution

5. One word: airships. Do you plan to include them in Frostpunk?
Well… you have already seen the Beacons that we have in game, right? Let’s just say that they are not the only flying objects in Frostpunk! However, remember that we try to depict our vision of steampunk - which is quite pragmatic and authentic. So don’t expect huge fleets of airships or something like that.

6. Is there going to be a new preview demo for press/influencers anytime soon?
Nope. We focus on bringing the final game as soon as possible so the next build that we plan to distribute is going to be the full, review copy of Frostpunk.

Click here for high resolution

7. When do you plan to post next update?
We want to release it in few weeks at most. Again, the idea is to create substantial updates - and those take some time. However, in the meantime we’re going to share some cool screenshots (and GIFs?!) on our social channels - so be sure to follow us there:

Have a good one and see you next time!

Feb 28, 2018

IRREVERSIBLE | Developer Update (Endgame + price reveal!)

Frostpunk - Rufus Blackwood

Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking.
- Niccolò Machiavelli

--- ENDGAME MECHANICS REVEAL ---

See the newly unveiled endgame mechanics and features in the “Irreversible” Developer Update video:
https://youtu.be/pFId6lm2MZo

--- GAMEPLAY DETAILS ---

--- RELEASE DETAILS ---

--- ADDITIONAL Q&A ---

1. Do you plan to support controllers (Xbox/PS4/Steam Controller)?
Maybe in the future - but definitely not on day one.

Have a good one and see you next time!

Feb 2, 2018

THE COGS OF PROGRESS [Developer Update]

Frostpunk - Rufus Blackwood

"Despite the darkness and deepening gloom... We could see something heading towards us...
We stopped at the verge of a wide and deep ravine, marveling at the steel bridge spanning it and above all at the huge automaton sweeping snow from the roadway..."

Hello there, everyone!

We've been quiet for some time - focused on developing the game itself - but the time has come! Time to show you something brand new. Something that we are really excited about - because it fully basks in well-oiled steampunk-y glory: THE AUTOMATONS!

An automaton heading to a mine to replace manual labour crews.

Full animation loop of an automaton working in Charcoal Kiln.

--- THE AUTOMATONS AND FUTURE UPDATES ---

Lifting the curtain on Frostpunk's lore and the development progress is the game’s Art Director, Przemyslaw Marszal:

It’s been a long journey, and I’m happy to see Frostpunk reaching its final stages. The game evolved into an unprecedented mixture of survival, city-builder, and society simulator. In the upcoming weeks we'll be releasing a new gameplay trailer intriguingly named “Irreversible”, and unveil more details about the game, including release date. Before that happens, let me tease you with these new sneak-peek images presenting the automatons - huge, steam-powered machines that are the pinnacle of human engineering, used to ease the burden of hard labor from your wearied citizens. They’re an example of pragmatic and authentic steampunk technology, used to endure cold and ensure humanity’s chances of survival. Of course, automatons are just one of many features you may encounter in your city - there’s plenty more to see in the upcoming trailer!

Watch Frostpunk's Lead Designer Kuba Stokalski introducing the automatons in The Cogs of Progress video:
https://youtu.be/EQgJeLskhmo

--- WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE GAMEPLAY ITSELF? ---

Automatons are mankind's greatest creation! They will help your economy greatly by replacing entire manual labour crews. They work around the clock, caring not about the overwhelming cold, with only short breaks to refuel at the Generator. You can also research upgrades to raise their efficiency and capability. Besides that - they are automatons - so they look freakin' cool!

We will be showing more details about the automatons and other features in future updates. There is PLENTY of stuff that you haven't seen, yet - and we want to show you everything as soon as we're ready. There's more where that came from - so stay tuned! In the meantime, here are some screenshots, concepts and work in progress designs of the automatons that we have never shown before:

Click here to view full size

--- Q&A ---

We've received a lot of questions and feedback from you - be it on Steam Discussions, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube - and we are VERY thankful for all of it! With that said, we've already addressed some of concerns - but we want to be sure that our answers reach all of you, so here it is:

1. Is this game DEAD?
Nope. :) It is very much alive and kicking.

2. Have we seen all the choices available in the Book of Laws?
Not at all! There are A LOT more choices to make later on in the game. We didn't even show half of it, yet.

3. What happens when I finish the campaign? Are there any other game modes?
We plan to implement more modes besides the main campaign, yes. We already hinted before that there are going to be different modes in Frostpunk. We don't want to get into details right now. Be it sandbox/endless mode or some scenarios - we can't tell you that, yet - but we have a lot stuff hidden in the shadows. Stay tuned for future updates!

4. I want to fiddle with the in-game camera. What are the limitations?
We're still tweaking the camera. The graphics in the final game will be better that you've seen in the demo. It already looks better and different in the current build that we are working on and testing internally. So the limit for the zoom-in will be dictated by a simple question "does the game still looks good when zoomed in so close?".

5. What threats/enemies are there in Frostpunk?
This is a society survival game set in a frozen, post-apocalyptic world. So the overwhelming cold, hunger, lack of supplies, civil unrest - are your main "enemies". You will have to face a lot of tough moral decisions - and that's another roadblock that Frostpunk will throw in your way. Again, there are some decisions and parts of the game that we didn't show, yet - so we can't tell you everything in this update. :)

6. Is Frostpunk first game in some kind of bigger series?
Yup, the general idea was that Frostpunk will be starting a brand new world for us - a world that we can explore in other games in the future. This is something we knew and talked about from the start. But how will it develop, what ideas do we really have in mind - our lips are sealed, it's totally too soon to say anything. :) But yes - there is room here for other Frostpunk-related games, for sure.

7. What's the price of the game?
We can't give you the exact price (but we want to announce it as soon as it gets set in stone) - but we can give you a hint. It's not going to be priced as small indie game, our team is quite big at the moment - and it's not an AAA game either. Think about it as a Premium Indie title or an AA project - that might give you some ideas. ;)

8. When can I preorder the game?
We don't have a specific date in mind, yet. But we are most definitely thinking about preorders and we'll announce it as soon as we're ready.

9. Can you tell us something about the release date?
The game is scheduled to be released by the end of Q1 and we are right on track to make this happen. Starting from February we are bringing out the big guns, so in upcoming weeks you can expect a lot of news about the game, which should shed some light on the premiere date.

10. What platforms can we expect?
Frostpunk will be available on Steam, Humble Store, GOG and other digital stores for Windows. For the time being be sure to follow it on Steam and add it to your Wishlist, though!

That's all the stuff we've planned for this update - more info coming in following weeks! In the meantime, be sure to follow our social channels:

Have a good one and see you next time!