The battle map now includes less flat surfaces and the appropriate location model to make them more interesting and immersive.

So, we’re at the end of July now, and I am sure you’re all wondering how things are progressing, right? Well, things are going well. We are producing regular patches (8 big ones so far) to catch bugs as well as modify features due to feedback and/or add new ones.

Our biggest hurdle remains firmly in the AI behaviours. While the AI at the moment is learning more and more complex tasks and combinations, and in the weeks to come, we will hopefully have it become more and more aggressive and proactive towards the player.

But for now, we come across such odd diplomatic conversations:



I mean, I did not declare war on him, and I certainly did not refuse any offers, maybe I accidentally said no to a date, or something, and he’s upset now? Don’t know, but he is angry...


I’ve had a few questions on social media in regards to what we’ve changed from the original, so I’ll try to give some examples here. We do not have a list that we can share, as many of the changes happened organically, so while trying to implement a thing, it needed to be changed because it did not work with our systems; or, feedback and ideas leading to new features, etc.

So spells are one of the things that we tried to copy almost 1:1, but inevitably, there are things we could not duplicate. All of the original spells from Master of Magic are in the game, but some have changed mechanics. I’ll discuss the few examples I can think of:

Original web - Web is a Common Nature Combat Instant. For a base cost of 10 Mana, it may be cast on an enemy unit during combat to prevent that unit from moving or attacking for a while. If the target is a flying unit, it will also lose this property until the end of the battle .

New Web - A strong spider's web tries to entangle the enemy. Target unit gets -3 resistance and may be immobilised (D10 roll - current resistance the result = number of turns active, but the minimum is 1). Web also prevents flight for the rest of the battle, even if it did not immobilise its target.

The reason for the change was that we did not have the mechanic to handle the original design, in terms of it being immune to resist rolls. We had many talks about how to best imitate the original with what we could do, and after a discussion with our beta testers, this was the compromise that was reached.

Another such spell is Flying Fortress. In the original, the spell made the town and all its defenders float, and thus, the spell's effect is to prevent Walking and Swimming units from entering or leaving the town limits during combat.

Our version has been renamed (fun fact, it is actually the only spell we renamed, I think...) to Fortress of Flying, and it now gives all of its defenders the ability to fly. Again, the change was made because it would be very resource consuming to try and emulate the original mechanic 1:1, it would also potentially require additional graphics changes on top of the correct mechanic. So, in the end, our solution was to keep with the spirit of the original - making it harder for non-flying units to conquer a city.




One of the most talked about feature changes was actually movement points. When we started Beta, back in May, the movement points for all units were doubled. This did speed up the overland exploration quite a bit, but we soon discovered we had not fully considered the knock on effect this would have, especially on battle tactics. Ranged units were particularly affected here, as they could now move quite a bit and then still shoot in combat. Some of the more powerful creatures that were originally slow but dangerous, also got, well, more dangerous with that extra speed.

So, after a lot of talks with the testers as well as the team, we reverted the changes to adding +1 movement to all units, with exceptions of +2 movement to such units as settlers, engineers, ships, heroes, floating island and non-flying mounted units(mammoths, beetles, turtles). In addition, non-magic ranged units were given +1 to ranged attack, to compensate for the range penalties as enemy units can now run further away.

And while we are talking about ranged units, we also made a change to magic ranged attacks, in that our system does not use Mana for magic ranged attack, it uses the same system as normal ranged attacks, so ammo. A unit with magical ranged attack will have the ranged attack strength listed as usual, but they will have the magic ranged skill listed in their abilities and thus their ranged attack will have the ‘magic’ qualities. This was once more a decision led by the need to streamline certain areas of the game, in terms of not adding more custom mechanics that are complicated for us to script and potentially for a new player to grasp.

And, one of the sticky points that we’ve tried our best to resolve via dialogue with our testers as well as our own design ideas, is the hydra. After many talks and ideas, we decided we are unable to emulate its original 9 figure mechanic, but instead, we worked hard to give our Hydra more robust statistics so that it remains a strong and interesting fantastic unit. So our hydra now has an impressive melee attack of 15 and 45 hit points (in comparison to 6 attack and 10 hit points in the original) which we hope compensates for the multiple vs one figure change.




Below I shall also mention a few things our wonderful testers added to the list of changes and stuff they wanted to talk about in the dev diary.

So, in the spirit of every little helps, we have the: Dethstryke the Swordsman had an axe but he has been fixed and given a sword - I mean, it ain’t much, but it shows we care, right?



Amongst some of the memorable bloopers we had so far, we had the inexplicable, yet somehow lore appropriate gaps in reality where Myrran cities could be seen on Arcanus and vice versa... Or, our draconians were so into the fact that they can actually all fly, they decided that building shipyards is for wingless fools only. We also had like really polite raiders, where if you were defending a town and got attacked, you chose to flee, because you knew you would get murdered, and yet, the nice fellas would let you stay in your city after you flee, effectively, giving up their sure victory...




I can’t give you a detailed one, but let me try to map out a few things we have planned for the coming weeks:

• Animation speed adjustment option is awaiting implementation
  
• Choosing the number of enemy Wizards you will face in a game
  
• Choosing the map size
  
• Implementing Time Stop and Fortress of Flying
  
• Fixing the end game (this may in fact be in before I publish this...)
  
• AI improvements continued
  
• Adding High Score table

Out of development, we’re also working on some things for the marketing team, as well as putting together a game manual (yeah, that was fun to do, considering the complexity of the game...)


Thanks for your patience and stay tuned for future updates.

Changelog
-Improved audio processing
-Fixed too high deadzones with controllers
-Tweaked tire wear on cup cap
-Re-added filtering dropdown to wheel control settings (can be used as a workaround to rebind controllers)
-Temporarily disabled tilt-shift effect on track editor (blurriness)
-Added votekick option to multiplayer (/kick player)
-Added few tooltips to track editor
-Fixed unecessary wait time when resetting while driving alone in practice
-Fixed wheel controls reverting every time you go driving
-Fixed not being able to look around in first person with controllers
-Fixed tires not making any sound
-Fixed ffb gain not saving
-Various fixes & improvements

Hi explorers! It's Steve from Noisy Head here.

Next week is Tiny Teams festival, run by The Yogscast, and I'm really honoured to have been selected for this year's event!

Tiny Teams is a week long Steam festival, celebrating micro studios with 5 or less developers. There will be some indie classics on sale, as well as free demos for a ton of up-and-coming games across a bunch of different genres.

The Yogscast will be streaming throughout the week on the event Steam page, as well as on Twitch. If you want to catch them playing Beyond the Long Night, then check out the stream on Monday 1st Aug, between 5-8PM BST.

Yogscast Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/yogscast

If you've never played the demo before then it will be returning to Steam next week too, so make sure to grab yourself a copy!

See you all soon for an exciting week of streams!

Asterigos: Curse of The Stars takes place in and around the majestic city of Aphes. During your journey, you will have to face the myriad of dangers that lurk in the streets and alleys of this legendary ancient city and unravel its mysteries.

Today we would like to tell you more about how we created this majestic architectural marvel.


Click to enlarge the image

The City of Aphes is the ancient fabled city of stars. Favoured with divine grace of the gods, it sat at the financial and political apex of the entire world… only to crumble in one night due to a single curse.

For more than a thousand years, many intrepid adventurers and thieves tried their way into Aphes, but none had returned. There were rumours of gigantic man-eaters, terrifying evils, abandoned fortunes, and great, forgotten powers which had yet to be claimed.

Since Hilda, the protagonist, comes from a medieval-fantasy world, we wanted to create the best ancient city that matched the spirit of adventure and at the same time had great potential in terms of history, culture and story.

We believe that Ancient Rome and classical Greece are fascinating sources in which we can find both influence and inspiration. Myths, philosophy, systems and history are so rich that the more we delve into them, the more our imagination runs wild with images and ideas.

It has taken some time to put it all together into a coherent image. However, we also wanted to bring something of our own into the mix, so we created magical minerals for the city - Starite.



The Aphesians are adepts of magic using starite. They use it to enhance their lives and create many wonders, including arming their mighty legion.

To ensure that the visuals matched our imagination, it was important for us to use buildings made of marble, traditional columns, carvings and statues. But on top of that, we wanted to make the world a bit different from what players would expect from a setting like this. That's why colours play another important role and they have to match the aesthetic of the game we wanted to create - a more lively, colourful and an animated look.

In the example below you can see how we created the scene step by step.



And so the mysterious and powerful city of Aphes was born, with its architecture and culture inspired by two legendary ancient civilisations and a pinch of magic and wonder.

The story begins on the outskirts of the city, in Outerrim. It is a magical forest inhabited by dangerous beasts and monsters.


Click to enlarge the image

Once you enter the town through the aqueduct, which is next to the sealed city gates, you enter Arges Bazaar and the streets where most of the cursed citizens live. But Arges Bazaar has been occupied by a cult that claims to be able to free people from the curse, using even more evil and twisted magic.


Click to enlarge the image

Next to Arges Bazaar is the Phalan Academy, the military base of the Aphes Legion, and Arges Plaza, an area of nobility in Aphes. These places still retain their former glory and grandeur.


Click to enlarge the image

Of course, in addition to the central squares and royal districts, you'll also find slum areas where the poor live, or mines where most of Aphes' magical mineral starites are mined. These areas are controlled by bandits. In addition to that, the city has the Acropolis area, a holy place where temples and shrines are located.

The place Hilda gets to after the first introductory zone is The Shelter. It is the main quest hub of the entire game, and this is where the real adventure begins.

The Shelter is the base of the Adherents, a group of noble Aphesians who have sworn to save the city from the Curse of the Stars. They have been dedicating themselves to this ideal for many hundred years. But never before have they been so close to their goal, as Hilda will play an important role in their campaign, while also carrying out her mission to find her lost father.


Click to enlarge the image

Shelter offers Hilda a place where she can return and feel completely safe. Here you can take new quests from the Adherents, make use of the document archives, the vaults, talk to the blacksmiths, visit the shops and even find a sparring partner if you need training! There's plenty to do in the Shelter, and as you progress through the game you'll discover more opportunities.

The Shelter is also a central hub that connects to several major areas of the city. We want players to have a sense of 'universal connection' as they explore it. So it's not a place where you teleport or load in and out, but a place where the real exploration of the city begins.

We think it's important that the enemies match the terrain and the areas they inhabit. We want players to have an immersive experience as they go through their adventure in Aphes.

For example, the cultists of Ethrus and their sublimated followers can only be seen in the streets of Arges Bazaar, as the story has the area abandoned by the Aphes Legion and occupied by cultists. The cultists' minds are perverted by the teachings of their priests, and they prefer to ambush any intruder, hiding in corners when the streets are shrouded in thick fog.


Click to enlarge the image

The Phalan Academy, on the other hand, is a stronghold of the mighty Aphes Legion, so the military town is guarded by brave soldiers, decurions and trained beasts such as battle lions, led by a centurion. They are well trained, disciplined, loyal, and willing to give their lives to protect the last intact civilians not only from cultists, but also from bandits, monsters, and any strangers.


Click to enlarge the image

The city of Aphes has many enemies and factions, each with unique abilities and behaviours. Get ready for a wild ride!

---

When we built the city of Aphes, we wanted it to look like a "real city" that players could immerse themselves in. Therefore, to prevent further spoilers for the game, we just want to remind you to pay more attention to details and explore every corner of Aphes, as you may discover wonders and surprises all around!


Click to enlarge the image

We hope you've enjoyed this little dip into the history of Aphes' creation and we can't wait for you to enter the city!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1731070/

Make sure to add the game to your wishlist and follow us on social media to stay up to date with all the news and announcements!

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We’re excited to announce a new trailer that better reflects what the game looks like in its current state.
In addition to this change, our steam page will be updated shortly to better describe the game's features, so if you're interested, check back in a few days.

Also available on YouTube:

Friends!

The game will soon offer brand new content and lots of novelties: new weapon models and series, a new map, features and more. Read on to learn details!


Buckled Lupara

A new secondary weapon will become a reliable ally for Snipers. It sports high damage and an excellent rate of fire. The gun will help you at close range if the enemy catches you by surprise when you are out of ammo.

The combination of its advantages is offset by a lower magazine capacity and moderate range — you will have to shoot accurately as firing at long distances will not work. The weapon is very effective in combat, but requires increased concentration.

"Raider" Series

This is a new weapon series that is indispensable to survive out in the wild. The weapons are fixed with the blue electrical tape, but they are time-tested and have excellent characteristics! The series includes the IMBEL IA2 Assault, SIX12 AUTO-SD, Desert Tech MDRX, Barrett M82A1 and the Hunting Knife.


"Gas Station" ("Plant the Bomb")

Good news for fans of the "Plant the Bomb" mode — a new map will appear in the game! "Gas Station" is a colorful map with a futuristic design. It features unique destruction mechanics — players can blow up doors and gates and, thus, gain more tactical options.

But there is an important detail! Although players can get more ways to attack by destroying objects, the explosion sounds will give out their position.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/fC9WHvoaHBo

You will soon be able to play on the new map and leave feedback about its unique features. "Gas Station" will not be available in Ranked Matches.

Barrett M82A1

The Barrett M82 (standardized by the U.S. military as the M107) is a recoil-operated semi-auto anti-materiel rifle used by many units and armies around the world. It is very similar in performance to the AWP — it also has high damage and a very low rate of fire. The novelty differs from the competitor in the principle of firing and by its special silencer that does not degrade the weapon specs, as well as unique bipods that increase the rate of fire in the prone position.

The rifle boasts an exclusive digital scope with a compass, rangefinder, tilt angle display, system time and the number of eliminated opponents. In addition, it highlights players when hovering over them.

Agent Alligator Set

The set includes: weapons and cammos of the "Alligator" series, a Sniper suit and a thematic charm and achievements. You will be able to get them and other useful items by completing new contracts.


Improved Scoreboard

We continue to work on improving the in-game interface. In one of the upcoming updates, the scoreboard will be revamped.

The previous version had many shortcomings — it was the same for all modes and did not show important information about the player's success in a particular mode.

On the new scoreboard, we divided information by game modes. For example, in "Capture", the number of delivered launch codes is displayed, in "Plat the Bomb" — the number of bombs planted and defused, and in "Storm" — the number of captured points.

List of Players from Previous Matches

In one of the upcoming updates, we will add the possibility to view a list of players who participated with you in the previous matches. This will make it easy to find other fighters: study their profile and statistics, add them to friends, invite them to a clan and play together.

The feature is currently under development and will be soon available.


See you in the game!

Join our Social Media and don’t forget to leave your feedback:

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-Health Bar Updated
-Stage Header Banner Added to Pause Menu
-"Finish Game Under 20 Deaths" Achievement bug fixed
-Stage 18 Updated
-Stage 21 Canon bug fixed
-Stage 25 Bomb bug fixed
-Play Time Added for Achievements & Main Menu UI

Welcome back for our July update, which barely made it into July!


In City of Beats, we want to make sure that every weapon feels unique, both in terms of gameplay as well as its soundscape and what it adds to the music. So, in the past month we’ve been working on another rather unexpected instrumental weapon: a flamethrower called Blazemaker.



Shooting flames with it adds an euphoric synth layer to the music, as was our idea right from the start. But it quickly became clear that something is missing: while our other weapons play a melody on each shot, the flamethrower just… continuously shoots flames. Our solution was to play the melody through our burning enemies: Enemy drones take fire damage each quarter beat, and this is what plays harmonic notes that create the melody. Therefore, make sure to keep them burning if you want the melody to keep going!
(In hindsight it might not have been the best idea to work on a flamethrower weapon during the heatwave here in Europe. Literal heat & sweat went into creating the Blazemaker. Might want to reschedule that Ice Beam weapon we had planned for Winter.)


Besides the Blazemaker, we’re also reworking and adding to the game’s metagame systems and persistent progression. If you’ve played the demo, you already know the trait system, where you can permanently improve your character stats.
In July, we’ve implemented the hovercar AI component system, which allows you to upgrade your hovercar’s software to gain out-of-combat advantages on your expeditions. Examples for this are unlocking new flight paths on the map or even re-rolling combat rewards if you’re not happy with the selection you were given. You can buy/upgrade these components in the hub and enable up to 3 of them at the same time.


WIP screen of the hovercar upgrade menu


Last but not least, there’s a new blog post from Nick where he explains the techniques we’re using to get the player into a “state of flow” in City of Beats.
Check it out here!

Thanks for reading & see ya next time!
Kai

Added

• Drop system activated again.
  
• Added information to Tutorial that player must go to Van to finish game.
  
• You can now earn money from tutorial map if you leave from zone by using Van.

Fixed

• Calculation mistake on earning at the end of the game that causes people earn less money.
  
• Dead players earn same money with others.
  
• Item collisions block player movements after dropped on ground when player died.
  
• Ouija board key informations.
  
• Dropped items cannot be used by clients.

Changed

• Calculation of drop transform.
  
• Character prices decreased to more affordable prices.

Removed

• Flashing lights on the maps because of causing misunderstanding while there is a ghost with Flashing Light evidence.

The 1.7.0 update is now live and contains:

• New hand graphics
  
• Daily challenges
  
• New soundtrack
  
• Removed annoying explosion
  
• Boot scene changed to indoor