Dec 10, 2022

UBOAT - nihilcat

Dear skippers,

There is a new patch available for 2022.1. Changelog:

Localisation:

- Chinese localisation update by Alex Zheng, JM-LeiDao, 36 D, Xenon_Tennessee.
- French localisation update by FvJ and Placebo.
- Czech localisation update by Spid3rCZ.
- Japanese localisation update by Surumeika1987, Largo, [JP]AWPsan, 泥遊戯, Mononok Kori.
- Spanish localisation update by Miguel Haakon.
- Turkish localisation update by Narberal Gamma.
- Portuguese localisation update by AlexShuma.
- Russian localisation update by Hard.
- Ukrainian localisation update by vovanvoks.
- German localisation update by Ruby.
- Polish localisation update.
- Fix: Improved fonts used by Spanish localisation.

Simulation:

- It's now possible to make your boat harder to detect for the enemy asdic/hydrophone operators by moving close to another ship with working propellers or by moving inside a convoy with many ships nearby.
- Non-alarmed warships are now less effective at detecting u-boats using hydrophones and asdics.
- The damage inflicted on the u-boat by high water pressure at great depths (as indicated by the red section of the depth meter) was slightly reduced, to make it more viable to hide under the thermocline.
- Sight range in moonless nights was considerably reduced.
- Thermocline depth is now a bit more varied and is now often slightly higher than it used to be.

User interface:

- Added a short congratulatory message from the command on the screen that appears when a campaign objective is completed.
- Added icons to the tooltip of notification about survivors to help with distinguishing between different survivor types, such as a captain and chief engineer.
- Added a label to the shop window that indicates when the fuel tanks are full.
- Clicking with a right mouse button on the notification about less important incoming messages is now marking all of them as read.
- Added an information about speed and range of each torpedo type in their respective descriptions.
- Added a confirmation popup when an attempt is made to overwrite an existing game state.
- Changed icons for torpedoes with a revised Pi1 pistol to have them labeled as Pi1+ instead of having a star in the corner.
- User interface scale set in the settings is now applied also to the loading screen contents.
- Added notifications about completing certain optional objectives during assignments like sinking a certain tonnage during a patrol.
- There is now a lunar phase shown on the weather state icon that appears in the map view.
- Added a label with the ending date of the campaign objective on its details screen.
- Torpedo icons now have color-coded detonator types.
- Fix: The notification about background loading wasn't appearing in some situations where something important was being loaded.
- Fix: The notifications about new messages were often appearing again some time later after dismissing them with a right mouse button.
- Fix: If a character customisation option was highlighted and previewed on the character, and then player left the character screen entirely, the previously highlighted item would be worn by the character, even though it wasn't confirmed.
- Fix: Group contact markers from the map could remain visible in HQ scene.
- Fix: There was a redundant scroll visible, if cursor was moved over an item with a long description in the storage user interface and then moved over a blank slot.

Settings:

- Added a new gameplay setting that allows to specify, if time compression should be stopped after receiving a low priority message (for example, from another u-boat). The default behaviour is now not to stop the time compression in such cases.
- Added a new realism setting for disabling torpedo solution previews, as well as additional information that comes with it, like the estimated salvo hit angle.

Interactions:

- Fix: When neutral ship trading with an Allied port was inspected, the documents could clearly state that the ship is headed towards the Allied port (making it a valid target), but the story was ignoring that fact.

Crew:

- Fix: Blue light and leader's iron fist skill weren't decreasing noise made by an engineer loading or performing maintenance tasks on the torpedoes, while it was explicitly mentioned in the iron fist skill description that it has an effect on it.
- Fix: Crew was reporting flames on deck on enemy ship, even if the ship wasn't seen at the moment.

AI:

- Various improvements to NPC u-boats behaviour during wolfpack attacks.
- Fix: If player ordered a neutral vessel's crew to evacuate and then attacked that vessel, the alarm bells would activate on the ship, even though there was nobody left on the ship.

Audio:

- Reworked the sonar ping sounds on the u-boat's hull. They are more frequent, consistent and their volume depends on many factors.
- Fix: The ticking sound audible during the use of a chronometer was improved and is now looped correctly.
- Fix: Background music could become permanently muted after watching cutscene with orchestra, on return to port.

Missions:

- The mechanism that selects side missions during patrols was reworked in a way that should provide more variety and a break from repeating the same mission types frequently.

Ports:

- Fix: Cars no longer spawn on roads that don't connect with any other roads.

Graphics:

- New models for the civilian official suits.
- Civilians no longer stand near war maps in HQ and appear only near Enigma machines.
- Changed the texture of a newspaper that lies on one of the tables inside the u-boat.
- Fix: Moon light intensity wasn't affected by the current lunar phase.
- Fix: Lighting on conning towers other than Turm 0 was wrong inside the submarine pens. The affected conning towers had a blue tint on them like they would be out in the open rather than inside a building.
- Fix: Various shadow artifacts on the light casted by Flower-class spotlights.
- Fix: Corrected a typo on one of the electric engine labels.
- Fix: Some types of ships weren't having damage decals displayed on their hulls after being hit.
- Fix: Turm I and Turm II conning towers were having some artifacts on them in rainy weather.

Modding:

- Fix: Mods referring to assembly "com.unity.standardassets.Runtime" couldn't be compiled by the game.

General:

- Lifeboats with a crew evacuated from a ship are now numbered.
- U-boat upgrades now have a minimum installation time of 5 hours. None of the upgrades are installed instantly.
- Fix: Potassium absorbers were present in a warehouse in La Rochelle even before completing the associated HQ task that unlocks them.
- Fix: The warehouse icon inside submarine pens is now correctly centred on the warehouse worker.

Yours,
DWS

Dec 10, 2022

Gatewalkers - UPDATED Frequently Asked Questions

Gatewalkers - A2Softworks

Greetings Gatewalkers!

Here is the updated version of the answers to the most common questions. If you don't find the answer you're looking for here, go ahead and ask us whatever you want in the comments section or via our Discord server.

Questions About the Gameplay:

What type of game is Gatewalkers?
Gatewalkers is a cooperative action RPG with survival elements, where players travel across different worlds in order to save their own. You will explore procedurally generated worlds, face hostile inhabitants and survival challenges. The storyline focuses on discovering hidden secrets of the Ancients and finding a way to save your home.
Are there predefined levels in the game?
Yes and no :)
In Gatewalkers we are procedurally generating the map at the start of each expedition. This means that the player will never come across the same world twice. However, there are locations (quest locations or dungeons) that are prepared by our level designers and they do not change during the game.
Is it a class-based game?
We didn’t want to limit players with strict classes. You can choose from a variety of equipment, which can be compared to creating a one-of-a-kind class. Weapons and armor can be mixed freely, for example, creating a mage in heavy armor or a warrior in mage robe. When you start the game you can choose from three basic weapons, but after a few missions you can change your armor and weapons for something else creating a combination that suits you best.
How many different types of worlds will we see in the game?
We have five types of worlds - Forest, Fire, Ice, Toxic and Sky Rocks. You can read all about the worlds and their challenges here. Apart from the worlds, you will also visit some extra dungeons.
If I join a world can I keep my inventory or just gear?
Yes, you keep both your inventory and gear, also when you play in co-op.
Will there be character skills or levels, something that makes you stronger except for gear?
We don’t have typical levels in Gatewalkers. When it comes to character strength, progress points are something that will be responsible for that - we covered the topic of progression here. We also have passive skills and chargeable skills which can improve your character even more - you can read about them here.
Is it possible to delete a character and replay the story?
Currently no. The Gatewalker’s storyline is linear - you don’t have multiple choices here, so you can finish 100% of the game with one character. However we know that this is a feature requested by the players, so we are thinking about it as some post-release upgrade.
WASD movement option or click to move?
We encourage you to try the WASD movement option, however a lot of players asked for the click to move, thus there will be a possibility to play click to move too. Also we will support controllers and steam decks, so you have a lot of possibilities.
Can you pause the game?
No, there is no possibility to pause the game. Single expedition takes around 20-45 minutes to complete, so you can take a break between quests. Of course if you need to stop playing the game while doing an expedition you can just teleport back to the Guild (but all progress from the world you have teleported out of will be lost). In the Guild your levels of hunger or thirst are not dropping, so it’s a safe spot to take a longer break.
Will there be an in-game chat for players?
No, we do not plan to have in-game chat on release.
Can I play the game offline?
No. Even in the single-player mode, you will need access to the Internet.
Will the game be moddable?
No. We don’t plan to allow modding the game.

Questions About the Release:

When is the game going to be released?
Gatewalkers release date is 12.01.2023!
Do you already know the price of the game on the day of its release?
We estimate that it will cost around $25. On the day of the release the game will be at a discounted price - around $20.
Where can I purchase the game?
Gatewalkers can be purchased on the Steam platform.
How long is the game? Will there be end content?
The game is around 50 hours of gameplay, and the end game is to kill and face each and every creature and unlock all weapons. There are no seasons or neverending dungeons. However we plan to add some extra content and DLCs after release.
Are more updates/DLCs planned for the game? Any plans on a roadmap for future updates?
Yes! Currently our plans are:
- Launching one paid DLC later in 2023 with new bosses and challenges to overcome. We will also add some free content to all the players then.
- Also we plan to do extra two content updates with some new gear and enemies. They will be free!
- We will post more info about it after the release.
What languages will be supported?
Gatewalkers will be playable in English (full version with voiceover) and Polish, French, German, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish and Russian (interface and subtitles).

Questions about the co-op mode:

Can I finish the game solo?
Yes - the main storyline can be completed solo. If you wish to finish 100% of the game, there will be some additional missions when you need to do a co-op. In this case, you can team up with your friends or another player from our Discord community.
How many players can play together at once?
In cooperation you are able to play up to 4 players.
How about local multiplayer mode?
Currently, we are not working on local multiplayer mode. We are now focused on solo and co-op online experiences. On release you will use the steam friends list to invite someone to the game.
If I play with friends how is the progression handled?
Everyone plays their own story. That’s why in co-op, especially in the main storyline, it’s best when you and your friends are in the same spot so you can progress the story together.

Questions about hardware and systems:

What are the system requirements for the game?
The latest system requirements can be found on the Steam store page, and it's best to check there for the most up-to-date information.
Are you planning to support XBOX/PS controllers?
Yes, there will be controller support.
Can I play Gatewalkers on Steam Deck?
Yes! Gatewalkers will be playable on Steam Deck.
Are you working on a Mac/Linux version?
The game will be officially released on PC Windows first. We would like Gatewalkers to be available to all gamers in every system, however for now it will be playable only on Windows. When it comes to Mac it was originally in plan but it's problematic because of M1 and no eGPU. We will make some experiments for Mac later.
Are you planning to release Gatewalkers on consoles?
Yes, we are planning to support XBOX and PS consoles, however, the exact date of the console release is still unknown.

General Questions:

If I find a bug during gameplay, where can I report it?
The best place to do it is on our Discord server.
I would like to write/record a review of Gatewalkers. Who can I contact?
We are happy to hear that! Please send us an email here: press@a2softworks.com
Are you looking for talents?
We are always open to talented people so if you feel that you would be a good candidate for our team send as your CV: contact@a2softworks.com.
Where can I follow the game development?
The best place to follow the game development is on our social media:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GatewalkersGame/
- Twitter: @GatewalkersGame
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gatewalkersgame/
- Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/8Tn76pT
- TikTok: @GatewalkersGame
Who is the developer of Gatewalkers?
A2 Softworks (A2S) is a game dev studio based in Poznań, Poland. We are a team of young game enthusiasts and as players ourselves we want to create games that we cannot find on the market. For us creating games is not only a job but first of all a fun and joyful way to express ourselves.

(click on the banner above)

Dec 10, 2022

Map Pathing Dev Log

Astrea: Six-Sided Oracles - [AG] Buddy

Hey, oracles!

In the grand tradition of writing big ol' devlogs like the one my good friend, Riv, wrote on Tuesday about Sentinels (which you can check out at this link if you'd like a little more detail,) I figured I'd put a little time into writing one myself. This one is very simple. I just want to show you one of the core features in Astrea: The Map.

A lot of ink and footage has been dedicated to talking about the game inside of Astrea's battles but today, we're going to take a minute to focus on what the game has to offer outside of battles. What does the map that you move through look like? What sorts of decisions can you make? Why might you choose some of the destinations on your journey? Let's find out!

The map in Astrea is populated by different nodes, some of which you can see in the above. Every node does something different and you can hover over them to check out what they do specifically in the tooltip! Big nodes that glow red are battles, so let's talk about them first! There are three types of battle in Astrea: Normal Battles, Hard Battles, and Boss Battles!

One of the most common nodes you'll see blocking your path, battles feature the normal, expected difficulty of the game and the normal, expected rewards. There are many different types of battle that a player can walk into and they won't be able to see the specifics of who they're fighting beforehand. But they will know that they'll be rewarded with a dice chest and fifty star shards after every battle, so as long as you win, you're coming away with something powerful.

A little less common are hard battles, which feature a different set of more powerful enemies. Like normal battles, you won't be able to see exactly who you're fighting beforehand but you will see rewards and they are hefty! Defeating a hard battle will grant you a chest, one hundred star shards and a star blessing, so proving yourself victorious here will make a massive, massive difference!

And then least common of all are the boss battles! Boss battles cap off each individual region of the game with players needing to progress all the way through the map to reach. Interestingly, though, the icon above isn't generic; it's a unique representation of that specific boss. Every boss in the game has their own icon so crafty players will be able to see exactly whom they're going to fight. Boss battles also have incredible rewards as well, offering players who beat them one-hundred and fifty star shards, a sentinel, a black hole blessing, and a golden chest containing an epic die! Additionally, beating the boss of a region will fully heal your oracle so it's a great way to recover health!

But battle nodes aren't the only nodes on offer in Astrea and navigating the map between other nodes is a massive part of the game. Here's a breakdown of the other nodes on the map!

The most basic reward in Astrea is the simple Chest! Each chest contains up to two dice for you to add to your dice pool. The dice you pick, though, won't be random, it'll be one that you directly choose of three options, one safe, one balanced, and one risky! And if none of the dice are to your liking, fear not! You can always feel free to skip adding dice to your pool in exchange for ten star shards!

There are other chests to choose from in Astrea as well. The blue chest, for instance, contains only Safe dice to choose from, guaranteeing that you'll be able to choose from the safest options available. Similarly, a green chest and red chest will direct you to only Balanced and Risky dice options for you! You'll be able to skip these dice for ten star shards as well from any of these three chests.

Speaking of Star Shards, you can also pick up fifty of them just by landing on that spot on the map! Star Shards are the core currency in Astrea, allowing players to really fine tune their build as they get deeper and deeper into the game. Picking up heaps of Star Shards can make a huge difference when your dice pool is stable but you want to find an opportunity to improve before moving to the final boss.

Speaking of star shards, this is one of the spots where you'll use them! A Forge Shop will allow you to spend star shards to upgrade the different die faces on your dice. Customizing die faces to remove some of the most dangerous effects will help you turn your riskiest dice into some of your most powerful dice.

The Sentinel shop, on the other hand, allows players to upgrade their little buddies and make them a more powerful piece of their build. The only opportunity to upgrade a sentinel comes from the star shop, so if you find a sentinel particularly key to your build, you can spend Star Shards to make sure it doesn't fall by the wayside as you progress.

The third shop type is the Epic shop! Everything in here is very powerful and incredibly impactful to your runs. Star blessings and epic dice, all purchasable for hundreds of Star Shards. Beware, though, since that cost makes it the most expensive shop in the game to visit. You had better save wisely if you plan to visit the Epic Shop and take advantage of the services there.

Another powerful opportunity to pick up Epic Dice, Star Shards and Star Blessings, Shrines allow you to pray to Astrea for power, riches or health! You will always be able to trade one of your precious hearts for an Epic Die or Star Blessing if you're willing to take the risk. But if you've lost a heart or two while traversing the map, you can also rest and replenish a heart here as well. Finally, if neither a heart nor a risk is worth it, you can always take a heap of Star Shards with you as well. Shrines always appear just before bosses so you can expect to find them before the hardest fight in the region.

Sadly, some shrines have been desecrated by the forces of corruption, removing their healing properties. These broken shrines will appear throughout the map and always allow you to sacrifice a heart for a boon-- or take fifty star shards if you need the money!

Other nodes offer perhaps the most deceptively simple, most straightforward choice: You must destroy one die in your deck; which one do you choose? The answer can be harder to decipher than you might think! Creating a dice pool with enough consistency and power to beat the bosses of Astrea is no easy feat and you'll need to choose wisely to get rid of dice that are clogging up your draw each turn. These are some of my personal favorite nodes on the map, so make sure you don't sleep on them! They have quite a lot to offer.

The Duplicate node offers the opposite choice! Choose one die in your deck and add another copy of it! If you're like me and you immediately think of the Epic Dice in your deck, be forewarned that Epic Dice are ineligible for duplication so you must choose something less obvious. One key to powerful runs can be to make a single die incredibly strong through the Forge Shop and the duplicate it multiple times for incredible effects! As long as you have the Star Shards, it can change your run immensely for the better.

The final node on the map, the Mystery! Inside could be anything! Incredible rewards! Devious trades of curses for power! An ambush! The Mystery node includes so much I can't get into all of the different details and permutations here, nor would I, since opening the box to see what's inside is half the fun! The mystery node does commonly feature choices with immense power but be forewarned that some of the most debilitating curses in the game will afflict you if you're too greedy!

And that's everything I have to say about the map! Those of you who've played the Astrea demo are likely well-aware of some of the ins and outs, ups and downs of navigating through Astrea's map. If you haven't gotten the chance to play, keep an eye out for when the demo goes live with events! I'll probably have more devlogs to write in 2023, thanks!

-Buddy

Dec 10, 2022

End of the Year Progress Update on the Main Game!

UNBEATABLE [white label] - 龍 Chi Xu

Hi gang! We hope you're staying safe this winter! With [white label]'s upcoming patch and our appearance at MAGFest, the team is ready to close off the year on a strong note.

So, how's production on the game going?

Since we last talked, the team has continued making great progress on the story mode.

First and foremost are the litany of visual enhancements we've brought to the game! Characters now display dynamic rimlighting to help them pop against the environment, all of which is affected by both the sun and the plethora of dynamic light sources we have added to each environment. This has been combined with an overhaul of our material and surface shaders - every object in the game now has defined paint strokes that catch the light at different times of day in just the right way, which, coupled with the refined cel-shading, helps lend each environment a lovely, hand-crafted feel…

That wide variety of lighting conditions, from early mornings to gorgeous sunsets, isn't just there as eye candy, either - depending on the time of day, certain activities, characters, and events become accessible. For example, you can't use the batting cage when it's closed! Hell, you can barely use it when it's open. It's very difficult. It has maybe (???) killed people?

We've also been carving out more of the game's environments, and have completed an early pass of several explorable locations. Our day/night system allows us to handcraft lighting at all times of the day, allowing us to carve out light and shadow in the precise places the artists want.

We've spent lots of time running around just to soak in the vibes. This is probably the twentieth time someone has said this, but it's starting to look more and more like a real video game.

Our new tools engineer, Sam Chiet (welcome to the team!), has also helped us develop cutscene tools to streamline further the process of constructing the many scenes present in the overworld.

This marked his first major task as a part of the project, going above and beyond in servicing a tool that is not only intuitive but also filled with cute flourishes, such as this wonderful little doodle of Beat…

More and more NPCs are starting to come to life, too! Here are some of our favorites, done by one of our animators, Michelle:

The various characters you'll be seeing in the world of UNBEATABLE!

As for Treble and Clef, they have new overworld animations done by both Michelle and Camille! Here's Clef (roughs by Michelle, cleanup/color by Camille):

Eli also did work on this shot of Beat waking up - it marks the start of every day!

Everyone else on the animation team has been hard at work putting together tons of cinematics and storytelling flourishes - all the animation being put together looks absolutely phenomenal. That said, as much as we would love to show off that work, avoiding spoilers comes first, so… we'll hold off on that for now.

In addition to all the new tracks and charts we've added, Peak Divide has also been putting together a bunch of brand new BGM for the overworld. You may have already heard the night version via UNBEATABLE DEMO TAPES, but check out a preview of the day version of "homework salad"!

Both Jeff and their co-charter Cheryl are also workshopping how we rate difficulty for the final version of the game. Tentatively, we're working with a scale of Lv. 1 to Lv. 25. For those interested in seeing this in practice, we'll be deploying the first pass of our current difficulty ratings in the upcoming patch for UNBEATABLE [white label]: PATCH V1.0.9!

Despite all of our progress, we still have a looong way to go - "game development takes a while" is, perhaps, the understatement of the century. However, everyone on the team is so excited about what we've built thus far and there's so much we just can't wait to share with you all. This update is just a taste of things to come!

(you can ask the dog what looks good on a poster)

Sunsetting the SLACKER BACKER Campaign

Since we launched our funding campaign we have received so much support and love from everyone, and now we need to start the process of making sure you all receive your orders. To ensure we can fulfill your orders, we will be closing the Slacker Backer on December 20th at Midnight EST. This is your final chance to snag one of our campaign-exclusive merch tiers, so please check it out before it wraps up! Andrew is hard at work on the designs for this merch, and we'll be showing them off soon!

https://www.unbeatablegame.com/slackerbacker

More updates will follow as we get closer to the fulfillment of orders. We've also updated our FAQ here. As a reminder, any changes to your information (name, address, etc) need to be made through the backer forms emailed out earlier this year. If you need assistance or have questions please reach out to dev@dcellgames.com.

UNBEATABLE: MAGFest 2023 Plans

Last week, we announced that we're coming to MAGFest! And now, we're excited to share more details about the merch, exclusive songs, and our competitive event today.

Most of the main team will be here, alongside two of our remixers, Dante and Lumena-tan! We'll have several setups featuring an event-exclusive version of UNBEATABLE [white label]. If you're coming to the event, come say hi!

For those wondering, we'll have the following songs to play at the event:

Worn Out Tapes
BLANK PAGE (featuring a new STAR chart by Cheryl Stelli, "Cheryl's Mix")
FUTURE PEOPLE

We are bringing back our old stock from MAGFest 2022 (our shirts, stickers, and hoodie) alongside a new special poster design, drawn by our director Andrew Tsai! Check it out:

Our competitive event, UNBEATABLE: MAGFest 2023, will feature a new circuit, featuring the event exclusive songs and their hardest beatmaps! The highest score will win a full set of our currently available merch, including the new poster! Some of the competition from this year will be returning, so you better be prepared if you want to win!

Winter Break

A majority of the staff will be on break from the 16th to the start of next year. Though some of us will pop back in occasionally to help with the sunsetting of the SLACKER BACKER and the release of the new [white label] patch, do expect responses and messages from us to be slow over the holidays.

Thank you so much for your support over the past year, and see you on New Years Eve with the release of [white label]: PATCH V1.0.9!

<3 FROM D-CELL GAMES

PS: also what the hell jacob geller played white label