Dec 11, 2018

Pathway Devlog #5 - Introducing Brunhilda & More

Pathway - Leth

Say "Hello" to...

Brunhilda, Queen of the Valkyries (aka Helga Bjarnsdottir)
Vitals: 28 year old female
Nationality: Icelandic

Helga was part of a traveling circus where she used to perform as a female wrestler and strongwoman. Formerly known as 'The Female Volcano' (a reference to her nordic origin), she once rescued Jackson and his crew during one of their adventures, and later decided that "somebody that cute" could use her protection. Since that day, she has stayed at his side to protect him from harm.

Tall and buxom, Helga has a very impressive physical presence, and tends to run berserk in the heat of battle. She has a secret crush on Jackson and is not too subtle with it. Subtlety is not her strength - strength is her strength.

"That's just my stage name. It's Helga for you, sweetheart."

Boots On The Ground

Over the past few months, we've had an opportunity to exhibit Pathway at three different events; specifically, we demonstrated Pathway at Twitch Vancouver (on August 19th), EGX Rezzed (on September 21st) and most recently at Day of the Devs (hosted by Double Fine on November 11th).

Above are images of our booths at EGX Rezzed and Day of the Devs. Also, we have uploaded an excerpt from an interview with Stefan Bachmann - one of the coders on Pathway and a co-founder of Robotality - that was hosted during our exhibit at Twitch Vancouver

https://youtu.be/QOmIGwV18w8
These events have been great for both observing the 'new player experience' in Pathway (or for any unreleased title) and for connecting with new fans in general. Also, conventions tend to be filled with other industry professionals and development studios interested in exchanging those oh-so-valuable 'industry trade secrets', and also with some large publishers/distributors who are scouting new games for their platforms.

On RNG...

In Pathway and other turn-based games, Random Number Generation (RNG) is used to determine if you will hit your target when you fire on them, but this has led to some player frustrations in other games. At the end of the above interview video clip, Stefan took an opportunity to discuss how we have addressed those RNG frustrations in Pathway:

"[RNG is] something that a lot of people that play XCOM get frustrated with... where you can stand next to a unit and you have a 99% hit chance, you still miss them, right? Super frustrating!

So we try to address this in a way that I think is quite elegant. Which is, basically, if you are exposed and open on the field, you get a guaranteed shot... You got a straight shot? 100% hitchance - no matter what.

But if you're behind cover, that's where RNG comes in. So, as soon as you go behind cover, you got maybe a 50% hit chance or a 75% hit chance. And I feel like that's a really neat twist on that system... it makes 'flanking' an interesting strategy. The game becomes a lot about 'how do you position your units to make sure you can optimize on that guaranteed hit'..."

That's just a snippet of information from this interview so if you want to know more - and also want to see some of the game (still a work-in-progress though!) - then take a look at the 14 minute video above.

Give us a follow!

That's all for this devlog! Follow us on twitter, Facebook, or here on Steam to stay up-to-date on any news or upcoming events for Pathway!

Sep 12, 2018

Pathway Devlog #4 - Events

Pathway - Leth

When venturing across the desert plains or through long-abandoned temples in search of forgotten artifacts, you may sometimes find yourself in tough situations - and tough situations often require tough choices to be made. We call these situations, Events. In this devlog, we’re going to dive into Events, and expand on how your characters abilities might influence the outcomes…

The Old Sewer

Here we’ve discovered an old sewer, and the group has decided to dig deeper after hearing some shouting and gunfire. When we reached the bottom, this is what we found; a gruesome display of soldiers’ bodies among strange plantlife. When presented with the choice of examining the soldiers’ corpses, searching the side corridors, or leaving the scene, we decided to search the side corridors…

Well then, it turns out the plants were carnivorous and deadly to humans! Fortunately, we made it out safely and apparently we were rewarded with some loot for our troubles.

Lone Temple

The Lone Temple Event is a more intricately designed Encounter, which has many different outcomes depending on the path you choose to take.

Let's enter!

Notice, we have an option to use a Raw Strength Perk to try and “Stop the stone” - that seems a bit risky so instead we’ll just jump to the next fork...

After escaping the boulder trap, we make our way to the center of the Temple, where we are able to find some items to take with us before moving on...

Now, let’s go back to the start of this event and see how it could have played out differently. This time, we’ll use our Language Perk to “Read inscription” rather than simply entering the Temple...

This action enabled us to bypass the boulder trap and find the throne room more quickly.

However…

We run into some German Officers this time, and are forced to engage in a shootout!

Events Wrap-up

What would have happened differently if we had investigated the front of the temple? What if we had failed to dodge the boulder trap, or had chosen to back up? All of these considerations come together to generate a new, adventurous narrative each time you replay a scenario in Pathway.

Often times, your Event choices will have a ‘chance of success or failure’ being calculated in the background, so keep that in mind when making your decisions.
Your Event choices may play a brief animation sequence in the left panel of the Event window. This helps immerse you into the action!
There are over 300 Events in Pathway (so far), and there are also many different types of events: Combat, Trading, Resting, Recruiting, Encounters… which sometimes result in Experience Gain or Loot (or both).

That’s all for now - until next time, adventurers!

Jul 25, 2018

Pathway Devlog #3 - Characters

Pathway - Leth

With every great adventure, you are bound to come across a few interesting characters. Whether you are closely following the story arc of the protagonist, or butting heads with some mysterious and sinister menace, memorable characters are an essential part of any story. We’d like to take an opportunity today to fill you in on how Characters are an important part of your experience in Pathway, and explain our level advancement system in some more detail.

Assemble Your Troupe!

At the start of your adventure, you’ll be given an opportunity to select a couple of characters to begin your journey. One character I find myself using fairly often is Jackson...

Jackson Sheffield
Vitals: 32 year old male
Nationality: British-American, born in Boston, MA, United States of America

The “American Globetrotter”. Jackson is a carefree daredevil with a dry sense of humour. His boyish awkwardness strikes a chord with the ladies and chronically fools male adversaries into underestimating him. Behind his harmless facade lurks a true fighter, tough to the bone. Not classically good-looking, but handsome in a negligent sort of way. A distinctive, unique face upon which life has already left its marks.

“See, Fraulein Sturmbannfuhrer, it's not at all what it looks like... Say, has anyone ever told you that you have really beautiful hair? I mean, really beautif- Hey, watch it!”

Learning As You Go…

Pathway boasts a simple-to-use, yet diverse character-leveling system; every character advances in the same way (through Events and Encounters, but more on this later), however, each character has their own unique set of Skill Perks to choose from as they advance.

For example, Jackson begins the game with the following, unique Skill Perks:

Nazi Hunter: +25% dmg vs Nazis
Animal Lover: -25% dmg vs Animals (usually cute German Shepherds… until they bite!)

After obtaining Level 2, we can open up Jackson’s Skill Perk table and select from either:

Trickster: Enables his team to select actions that require deception.
Daredevil: Enables his team to select actions that are high risk yet high reward.
Occultist: Enables his team to select actions related to occult knowledge.

Beyond the various tactical choices you’ll be presented throughout your game, Pathway’s leveling system presents you with a choice on how your characters will evolve. This gives them new and exciting ways to tackle the various encounters you will face...

Normally your team would be wise to sneak past the fortified Nazi encampment, but Jackson, feeling a bit like a Daredevil, thinks he can rig the fuel depot to explode… What do you do?

ːsteamhappyː

Oh and whilst we have your attention: What would you like to hear more about? Any aspect of the game you are curious about?

Jun 13, 2018

Pathway Devlog #2 - Soundtrack Preview

Pathway - bach

Come gather around! We have a nice little treat for your ears in this Devlog! We (virtually) sat down with Pathway's brilliant music composer and sound designer Gavin Harrison and asked him a bunch questions about his approach to composing. We're also really excited to share some tracks from the game for the first time!

So ... put on your headphones, click play on this video, grab a coffee and read on:

https://youtu.be/ezZdm69UaE0

How did you end up making music for Games?

The starting point for my interest in composing for games reaches right back to the start of the 90’s. I’d been gaming on a ZX Spectrum for as long as I could remember but it was around this point I was introduced to the world of the demo scene. I loved that all these incredibly talented programmers were creating software purely for fun to see just how far they could push the ZX. Of course alongside this were the musicians providing music that was both technically brilliant from the perspective of squeezing the most from the AY chip (or sometimes the 48k beeper) as well brilliant to actually listen to! One month on the Your Sinclair cover tape was a copy of Soundtracker and I guess I never looked back from there. Not only did I start writing for various demo groups but I also ended up building my own MIDI lead and connecting my Spectrum 128K to my first ‘proper’ synth, a Roland D10.

Thankfully these beginnings stood me in good stead when it came to composing for games later in life. I’d always maintained an interest in music and continued to compose into my early 20’s. After taking a break for a few years (though never quite stopping completely!) I came into contact with the Dutch indie developer OrangePixel. At the time he was in the process of developing ‘Inc’ so I put myself forward to compose the music, with the idea of using Soundtracker on the original ZX Spectrum to create it all.

I’ve been extremely fortunate from this point on to have continued making contacts and finding fantastic projects to work on!

What music inspires you? Any particular inspirations for Pathway?

I have to say I don’t listen to enough music. I know that may sound odd but after composing all day sometimes you just want some silence! However, listening to music is incredibly important - we all have influences and draw our own ideas from the inspirations of others, so I find I have to put aside time for actual listening. Telefon Tel Aviv have been a massive influence on me, they were one of the reasons I starting writing again after the break in my 20’s, I was so inspired by what they were doing with sounds and synths that I had to be a part of that sound. Generally any song that can spark a feeling or a sense of a moment in time is what I’m drawn to.

I think when it comes to the Pathway soundtrack most people will be able to come to an accurate conclusion as to the inspirations behind the music. Given the setting for the game though I tried to draw something from the large orchestral soundtracks of the 50’s and 60’s where budget was no constraint and it was all about the dynamics of a piece as opposed to everything being full volume in your face all the time.

What makes a good game soundtrack in your opinion?

That’s a hard one - it’s so particular to each person what they enjoy from the music. For me a good soundtrack is one that compliments, you’re not trying to outdo or overshadow the game. So as a composer I see my role to be another piece of the puzzle that makes for an all round complete experience. If you can achieve this, the soundtrack will be memorable for all the right reasons. Music can be enjoyable but doesn't always have to be at the forefront, indeed I’ve had experiences when composing before where after a lot of ideas / development I’ve gone down the route of stripping all the music back and having little to none - give the game what it needs.

Can you tell us a bit about your process for composing the Soundtrack for Pathway?

It’s been a process of intense composing then a break, followed by more intense composing. Fortunately I’m also responsible for the sound effects so there’s always been work to do but it’s been useful to be able to step back for awhile before approaching things again. I’ve tried to go back to a very simple way of composing, as would have been the case on a lot of the soundtracks I’m drawing influence from. Ideas have all started from me sitting down at a piano and working out harmonies and melodies, thinking in my head how things will work dynamically. Once the main ideas have been formed I’ll start to actually orchestrate the piece and usually at this point I’ll start to think of extra ideas, or perhaps move repeating melodies across the orchestra. I’ve also been fortunate enough to be able to draw upon the talent of Rob Northcott who has helped with some of the orchestration. This is actually a good point, as a musician it’s important to know your own skills and to not be afraid if / where possible to bring in the help of others who may have more expertise in certain areas. Outside opinions are very rarely a bad thing, even if they just reinforce your own view point it’s important to listen.

What are you trying to achieve with the Soundtrack?

I’m trying to give the landscape it’s own sense of life and story. When you see the desert I want players to know that they are in their version of events but that this is a setting full of history and adventures that have happened previously. I also hope to give a sense of scale, events can happen quickly when playing however this is a vast area that would in reality take a long time to explore.

What's been your biggest challenge thus far working on Pathway?

Am I allowed to say writing the music?! As always it’s the ideas. Sometimes it’s possible to write 2 minutes of complete music in a day, other times it can be a matter of seconds and even those can get scrapped the following day. The battle music have been the toughest pieces to write, indeed I still have ideas to finish here. It’s a tough balance between creating a good atmosphere and making sure the music is not repetitive.

For me, as is the case on most projects, the greatest challenge is always my own self doubt.

What tools do you use for making the music?

Anyone who knows me will tell you I’m a massive synth head, I sit in a studio everyday when composing surrounded by several (11 at last count) vintage synths from the 70’s and early 80’s. Well, very little of these have been used here! After the initial ideas have been drafted out via a piano everything goes into Logic. I then use a lot of sound libraries to create the full orchestra sound as well as creating a rough mix, finally once I’m generally happy with all the parts and arrangement I bounce everything out into audio and import into Pro Tools. From here I’ll fine tune the mix as well as occasionally adding an extra part where needed, or sometimes taking parts out. I know some people may find it an odd process to move from one DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) to another but having a separate mix process like this really brings a lot to the table. If I need to do any actual sound shaping then I’m a massive fan of UAD plug-ins.

Where possible I’m currently in the process of adding some live players into the mix as well. Sound libraries these days are fantastic and can wield extremely impressive results but a live musician will really just add something to the table that a computer can’t. I appreciate it’s not always possible but it’s definitely worth it if you have the option to.

Will the Soundtrack be available for purchase once the game is out?

Yes - I just need to finish it! It’ll be on my Bandcamp page when ready (https://gavinharrisonsounds.bandcamp.com/) and I’m hoping to push it out to iTunes and Spotify.

And lastly, where can interested people find more about you and your work?

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GHarrisonSounds
Bandcamp: https://gavinharrisonsounds.bandcamp.com/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/gavinharrison
Website: http://www.gavinharrisonsounds.com/

And that's it for today's Devlog. We hope you enjoyed this little peek behind the scenes!

May 23, 2018

Pathway Devlog #1

Pathway - bach

Starting today, we want to begin sharing a bit more about the development process of Pathway and what's happening behind the scenes at Robotality.

To get the big question out of the way: We're not quite ready yet to announce when the game is being released, but we're getting very very close to being able to do so. We're still on course to release the game in 2018. We've made amazing progress and are really happy with how the game is taking shape!

In today's devlog we're going to give a quick recap of what's been happening since the announcement of the game.

In case you hadn't seen this, we had the opportunity to chat to PC Gamer about Pathway and shared quite a bit of thoughts around our game design decisions and inspirations behind Pathway: PC Gamer interview

In April we were demoing Pathway for the first time publicly at EGX Rezzed in London. Showing a game in public is always a nerve wrecking experience but thankfully the game was received really well and we've written down pages of notes of feedback. Being holed up in our dev caves it can be super easy to develop a tunnel vision of the game. Getting lots of other people to play the game for the first time is really refreshing and helpful. Thank you to everyone who came and played the game!

Speaking of events, we are showing the game at Overflow #003 on May 30th. Overflow is a local chiptune event in Vancouver, Canada. We're showing the game alongside a few other indie games and of course there's lots of chip inspired music. So if you live near Vancouver this is a great opportunity to play Pathway pre-relase! (You can get tickets here: Overflow #003 Tickets).

And to finish up today's devlog, here's a first look at a new environment we've been working on "The Mines":

Until next time!