Hands on History

Today during the gamescom 2021 Xbox Stream, the Age of Empires team revealed an exciting storytelling element from the upcoming Age of Empires IV, Hands on History. This series of twenty-eight unlockable videos was filmed on location with experts around the world, and give players a deeper look into the way people lived, fought and ruled in the past. Age of Empires IV will bring history to life like never before, with Hands on History telling more stories as players build, battle and Age up!

Fans got an exclusive first look at one of the videos today, highlighting everyone’s favorite medieval weapon – the trebuchet! Shot on location at Warwick Castle in England with Mechanical Engineer Dr. Shini Somara, players saw a full-scale trebuchet in action with insight into how this weapon of war worked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNAp-SO6CvQ

Gamescom 2021 Trailer

As part of gamescom Opening Night Live, the Age of Empires IV team gave a first look at the remaining launch civilizations and campaigns; The Rus, The Holy Roman Empire, The Rise of Moscow and The Mongol Empire.

At launch, players will get to build and expand Moscow over time. The Rus’ skills in hunting, trade and construction combined with a battle-ready cavalry will see them become more powerful as they expand to new frontiers through the Ages. The Opening Night Live trailer showcased two unique units, the Streltsy and Warrior Monks (wololo!). The Streltsy’s combination of axe and gunpowder partnered with the conversion capabilities of Warrior Monks will make a Rus army a force to be reckoned with.

The Holy Roman Empire’s civilization is shaped by a powerful infantry army and early access to religious units. Seen in today’s trailer, their Prelate unit supports and heals, inspiring nearby armies to grant benefits. The two-handed sword of the Landsknecht will be an asset to any battle.

Relic Entertainment will be going live later on Friday to recap the week, chat with the Age of Empires team and answer community questions. Tune in at https://www.twitch.tv/relicentertainment on August 27, 2021 at 4:15 PM PDT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUKSBTeJ7bs
Want to learn more about Age of Empires IV? Head to the Age of Empires website to deep dive on the civilizations, learn more about the campaigns and join the conversation. The game is available for pre-order now on Steam and will be playable starting October 28!
Pre-order Now Learn More

Age of Empires Anthology Bundle

This week we also released the newest Steam bundle: the Age of Empires Anthology!
Age of Empires Anthology titles included:

• Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
  
• Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition, plus the new “Dawn of the Dukes” and “Lords of the West” expansions
  
• Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition, plus the new “The African Royals” expansion
  
• Age of Empires IV – Digital Deluxe Edition

*Please note: the Anthology does not include the Age of Empires III: Definitive Edition – United States Civilization.
Buy Now

Congratulations to the Age of Empires IV team on a win for the Best Strategy Game award at Gamescom!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUKSBTeJ7bs

Hello everyone!
As we near the end of Q3 of our development, we have wonderful news we’ve been dying to share with our amazing community.

As you may know, we’ve recently changed our pixel art to pixel perfect, which means a huge performance improvement for the game. That also means we upgraded Europa’s run and combo animations to fit this new style. Keep in mind your attack variations! Alternating between light and heavy attacks can knock an enemy off balance, and if you use a heavy attack as a finisher, it’ll become stronger!





But these are more than just combos; Europa’s elemental abilities are vital to progressing the game, as they unlock special areas and are also designed to battle specific enemies. For instance, enemies like these can only be destroyed through lightning, fire, water and earth respectively.


Speaking of enemies, we have also been working on some of the backer enemy designs you guys came up with! Now, Talos Castle is full of lore-infused characters that will make the story that much more interesting - and challenging as well!


Keeping the diverse elemental advantages and disadvantages in mind will be crucial to interact with your surroundings and be ready for combat at the same time, especially knowing how to switch between them to make the most out of Europa’s powers.

And we couldn’t have an update without some gorgeous art pieces from a couple of Talos’ areas; here’s a glimpse of the castle’s entrance and the water area, where Europa's journey will take many twists and turns!



Speaking of twists, there’s nothing that gives us bigger goosebumps than the newest fire area track. You can feel just how the stakes get higher for Europa and Apino as they venture into this blazing labyrinth while time is ticking. Check it out!

Tracks like this get us extremely excited, especially knowing we’ll be working with talents of Manami Matsumae, Michiru Yamane and Norihiko Hibino’s caliber! Do you like what their characters look like in-game?




Lastly, make sure you’re on the lookout for Future Games Show, Gamescom edition this Thursday, and tune in during the event for a special treat!


If you’re as thrilled about Europa’s adventure as we are, don’t forget to wishlist 9 Years of Shadows! You can also join our Discord where you can talk with other fans.

Stay tuned for more updates coming soon!

The Halberd Team

Since our livestream in July, players have had opportunities to access our Public Test Server (PTS) and give us initial feedback on the updates we’re making to Combat Styles. Following the Jedi Guardian and Jedi Sentinel, we are now adding the updated Sniper and Operative Combat Styles to PTS. Before we get into the details of how players can access this content, we wanted to share some of the philosophy behind our changes to the Imperial Agent.

In the Imperial Agent’s current state, there is quite a bit to learn and memorize--you need to understand active abilities, passive modifiers, selectable utilities, and how they all work together. Our goal is to make these relationships clearer and easier to understand, while also ensuring that the class retains its identity.

To achieve these goals, we are identifying key aspects of the Sniper and Operative, and understanding how players both perceive and utilize the classes’ abilities. Our focus is to equip the player with knowledge and understanding of these abilities so they can make impactful choices when it comes to ability upgrades and customizations. To make the Sniper and Operative feel less encumbered and customization more concise, we are working to reduce the quantity of abilities but ensuring that these classes remain distinct and unique.

As this round is a high-level first look at the Sniper and Operative, you will be limited on what will be available to play and customize; however, players are now able to have a first look into the Ability Tree UI. This will be available for the Jedi Guardian, Jedi Sentinel, Sniper, and Operative.

For each class, the main questions we want players to focus on is “does this feel like a Sniper and Operative? and “what abilities make this class unique?” We want to make sure that the foundation is strong and everything we build on top of that is in line with our goals for Combat Styles and giving players a sense of new but familiar.

Check out our PTS sub-forums for details on how to access PTS and leave feedback.

Other updates will also be available to test on the PTS in the following months, all leading up to the arrival of Legacy of the Sith. Stay tuned for more in-depth details on future PTS opportunities!

Please note that PTS is provided in English only.

Steam PTS
When PTS is available, there will be a new prompt on our storefront page. Clicking the link there will start the process to getting the PTS installed!

Inspired by classic survival horror. Bachman Manor sprawls into a maze of corridors, bedrooms, foyers, and more. Filled with puzzles, traps, and hidden passageways that explore the secrets of its dark history and occupants.

• Check and mark your map while exploring the vast Bachman Manor and surrounding estate.
  
• Look for items, keys, and solve cryptic riddles to advance through its dark halls.
  
• Arm yourself with anything you can find to stay alive, from modern weapons to medieval ones.
  
• Search for supplies, secrets areas, and letters to increase your chances of survival.
  
• Numb Bodies, Feral Dogs, Dollfaces, Starved, “The Bloody Woman”, and “Samual” are residents that will keep you running for your life and looking over your shoulder.
  
• Learn of your mysterious friend “Christina” while she helps you along the way.
  
• Discover “Deathbloom” and be pulled into a world between life and death.

The Manor and surrounding properties sprawl into a maze of corridors, bedrooms, foyers, libraries, studies, galleries, gardens, and more.Filled with puzzles, traps, and hidden passageways that keep the player exploring and solving the secrets of the Manor.


You are not alone, the occupants and even manifestations of the Manor itself keep the player running, hiding, or fighting for their life.

Say goodbye to southern hospitality in the backwoods of America.

The Swine is a short horror experience (under an hour) that explores isolation, witchcraft, and unforeseen consequences in your rural homestead.

• Explore your home and property as it changes day-by-day.
  
• Find ‘corrupted’ Tarot cards and live through their esoteric meanings.
  
• Encounter the occult group “The Swine” and their dark methodologies.

Immerse yourself:

• Realistic graphics bring you closer to the terror.
  
• Detailed environments bring the story to reality (leave the lights on or off, open all the doors and drawers, feel the dust and humidity of your old creaky house).
  
• Find small clues hidden away that hint about events to come or events of the night before.
  
• Discover a strange new breed of esoteric magic and it’s dark abilities
  
• Talented Voice Actors bring the characters to life.

Fear the unknown: Who are these people that have crashed into your quiet life? What do they want? What twisted dogma do they believe?

Genre: A Psychological Horror Walking Simulator with puzzles, items, and story elements that takes place over a week tormented in your house.

Continue your journey through Bachman Manor as you inch closer to freedom, or towards your mysterious friend Christina and her candle-lit secrets. Going deeper into the estate reveals more locations like the Abandoned Wing, Lower House, and the bunker complex "Salvation".

• Continue your journey through Bachman Manor and find the conclusion to the horrors within.
  
• Arm yourself with 10 different weapons, each hidden throughout the dark rooms and dusty corridors.
  
• New and original enemies stalk the Manor seeking to drag you into its pits.
  
• Search for supplies, secrets areas, and letters to increase your chances of survival.
  
• Find your mysterious friend “Christina” while she helps you with her candles.
  
• Avoid the mists of “Deathbloom” or be pulled into a hallucinatory state between life and death.

Explore new regions of the Manor, more dark and dangerous than ever before. Filled with puzzles, traps, and hidden passageways that keep the player exploring and solving its secrets.


You are not alone, the occupants and even manifestations of Bachman Manor itself keep the player running, hiding, or fighting for their life.

It's winter break 1994 and schools out at Harthorn High School, but not all is silent in its empty classrooms and dark hallways...

In a sudden change: Harthorn has upgraded its security, including new locks, alarmed windows, and you patrolling it's halls as the new part-time security guard. One night aided by your radio dispatcher, April, you investigate a broken window not into the school, but out of it, which leads to a story-driven dive into psychological horror.

• Explore the vast Harthorn, every room can be entered in a true-to-life high school.
  
• Talking to April, solving puzzles, reading notes, and checking your map are keys to survival.
  
• You're not alone: carelessness is repaid with lethal consequences.

Immersive Horror:

• Harthorn is story driven and fully narrated by talented voice actors.
  
• Detailed environments beckon exploration, from gymnasiums to frozen forests.
  
• Find clues that tell a bigger story, the more you investigate the more you'll learn.
  
• Discover the true terror of Harthorn and whose behind (or under) it.

Genre: Harthorn is a short story driven psychological horror game with dialog, puzzles, and exploration at its core.

Updated to latest steam library / steamworks.net.

Hey explorers! OK, so we've been looking into this 0% loading issue and found a couple of reasons this may be happening for some players. Not only did we solve these, but we added more detail in the loading sequence so that you can clearly see where the game is with loading of data. If after getting this update you are still having problems please contact our support here. We want to help.

As exciting as load meters are, we've done a bunch more since Friday. Lots of various clean up throughout the game, including adding back in the creature health indicators (though we may eventually make this a suit upgrade) and Drone controls on the map are working again (our bad on that one, slipped through the cracks!). Here's the full list:

Added - Proper location names for Aziel
Added - Improved Aziel planet rendering
Added - Improved Zer planet rendering
Added - More detail on loading levels in readout
Added - Creature health indicator is now back on
Added - Set all planets to have proper map location names

Changed - Set VSync back on for now, may create an option for this
Changed - Temporarily turned off creature foot camera shake
Changed - Texture and sound optimizations
Changed - Aziel terrain specularity adjustments
Changed - Limited Compass to display up to 3 names on merged markers

Fixed - Solved 0% loading error
Fixed - Droid control panel in the map is once again operational
Fixed - Minimap now turns back on when exiting dungeons
Fixed - After death, player's animation state is now properly reset
Fixed - Removed all colliders in Main Menu
Fixed - Increased resolution of melee crosshair
Fixed - Particle lighting to gather correct location settings
Fixed - Reticle displaying at player death
Fixed - Particles to show correct color per planet
Fixed - Cleaned up extra colliders in all dungeons
Fixed - Simplified carrot collider
Removed - Unused heat triggers in Aziel trench

In the meantime, we're chipping away at more story integration, controller support, and creature AI upgrades. So, lots to do!

One of my favorite movie tags of all time:
"In space no one can hear you scream"
-Brian

Small update. There was a bug where the health items would refresh your health but reset your armor to 0 in doing so. This has been fixed.

Also a slight adjustment with objective text coming up. Some of them were not showing properly. This has been fixed as well.