Get ready for a game-changing experience as we partnered with leading global game publisher Asmodee, to bring the worlds of tabletop and card gaming and pinball together for the first time ever in Game Night Pinball Volume 1!

The pack will feature three entertaining pinball tables, each themed after iconic tabletop games: Gloomhaven, Exploding Kittens, and Terraforming Mars! It will launch on Pinball FX this holiday season, with more volumes expected to release in 2024!


Step into the mesmerizing world of Gloomhaven on a pinball table! As a fearless mercenary in the city of Gloomhaven, you’ll embark on an epic journey that will challenge your skill. Engage in strategic pinball battles in dungeons, collect gold to unlock powerful upgrades, and uncover a web of conspiracies that go beyond a simple theft.

Listen to Thomas Crofts, Senior Designer tell you about our magical new pinball collaboration!



Would you like to see more? Stay tuned for more information on Exploding Kittens®: A Pinball Cat-astrophe, and Terraforming Mars Pinball!

Hello there,

This week, we begin the countdown to Season 6: Dark Creations*, and throughout, you will be hearing about everything that is on its way once the season launches next week on October 10th.

Today, we will be diving further into the creation of Redacted, the upcoming Season 6 map and bring to light some of the Dark Creations on their way…



As we begin to unpack Redacted, we are also inviting LevelCap, veteran Battlefield™ content creator with a passion for informative driven content, to be a part of the process. He will be exclusively interviewing members of the development team that were involved in the construction of Redacted, and show more gameplay moments surrounding the map. Keep your eyes peeled for his coverage later on in this Dev Note!

In its most simplistic form, a “battlefield” can take place at any moment, any time, any location and Battlefield™ 2042 represents this through the maps, tone and themes that we have aimed to achieve, from the desert dunes of Doha, Qatar to the shipping ports of Singapore.

Through looking at the experiences that Battlefield 2042 currently offers and assessing feedback and requests from our community, it was evident that there is a particular type of experience that our players had been wanting more of… Close-quarters.



But we didn’t want to just create any standard Close-quarters experience, and with Redacted we wanted to push boundaries and create a map that is truly unlike anything we have on Battlefield 2042.

Redacted is our answer for relentless infantry-only, close-quarters combat fun alongside a full narrative-driven theme from start to finish.

Pulling off this unique location, however, presented some very interesting creative challenges to the team both on a gameplay level and visual perspective.



It was clear that we wanted to create a pure infantry map as our next location in Battlefield 2042, and throughout the entire ideation process we frequently looked back to our previous maps that were known for this particular experience as inspiration.

Redacted is inspired by fan-favorite maps from Battlefield’s past like Operation Locker (Battlefield 4) and Operation Metro (Battlefield 3), experiences that have resonated with so many over the years.

Evolving from those experiences comes a brand new map that is tight and frantic, with an emphasis on claustrophobic and chaotic infantry-focused combat. A map which also asks you to work with your squad to communicate the location of the enemy, through your selection of Class, Specialist and Loadout in order to achieve perfect win scenarios.



Feedback surrounding Redacted’s spiritual ancestors were frequently around the linearity and relentless chaos that it brought, and this feedback became top action points for what we wanted to improve upon with Redacted.

And while we still encourage extreme action that challenges you to act on evolving combat scenarios, it’s important that there is ease of flow and opportunity to flank at every moment.

LevelCap recently sat down with members of the Development Team to discuss how we are making steps to improve upon that, and also goes hands-on with Redacted to highlight some of the improvements, take a look below!



Most of our maps are derived from real-life locations or themes and, as part of the development process, we often go on reference or scanning trips to capture content for the maps we are making.

Redacted was no different, but since the map takes place in an underground research facility, situated in the remotest parts of Scotland, we had to get creative in where to draw inspiration from. After all, it’s quite difficult to find hidden underground research facilities.

As we collected references for our initial mood boards, we realized that many of the images we had gathered actually came from the same place, one of the offices of Swedish internet service provider, Bahnhof.

Their office, or bunker, has been used as a filming location for several movies and TV shows due to its remarkable architecture and atmosphere. Before being turned into an office-space and server hall, it served as a command center for the Swedish military during the Cold War era, capable of sustaining a direct hit from a nuclear warhead. Discontinued in the 90s, it was later repurposed by Bahnhof to serve as a data center.



We used this facility as a key inspiration for us at the start of production since it reflected the modern, yet mysterious, underground facility that we wanted to recreate, and it fit perfectly with the look and feel of Redacted. Bahnhof was kind enough to let us visit, take photos and even record some audio.

Going on reference trips together is not only a good team-building, but also a great way to experience what a place really looks, feels and smells like; using all of the senses to pick up the little details that you might otherwise lose out on if you are just looking at images online.

As mentioned previously, we always look at and utilize the real world as much as we can, in order to deliver an experience that feels authentic and immersive. One way we do that is by using a technique known as photogrammetry, commonly referred to as photo scanning. Photogrammetry is a process in which you take photos of objects and use computer software to generate 3D models and textures. This is the only way to make an object look truly photoreal, as you are re-creating it digitally from photos you’ve taken!



We started using photogrammetry during the production of Star Wars™ Battlefront. Since then, we have used photogrammetry in every game we have developed, both for characters and environmental assets, including vegetation, buildings and props.

Another technique we use, which is similar to photogrammetry, is laser scanning. Where, instead of taking photos of an object, you scan it with laser pulses to generate a 3D model. When we start working on a new map, we usually scout for real-world locations we can travel to, that will allow us to scan either architectural and/or nature assets to use when building the level.

Looking at the narrative of Redacted, we are exploring the Boreas facility in the Hebrides. A subsidiary of the Arkangel Corporation, Boreas is a R&D laboratory invested in the future of cybernetic combat enhancements, improvements to prosthetics and neural-linked military support. It houses first-in-class laboratories and training grounds for augmented soldiers.



To help make our prosthetics more believable, we were lucky enough to visit an orthopedic clinic in Stockholm called Aktiv Ortopedteknik. They gave us a tour of their workshop, explained how their prosthetic limbs are made and even allowed us to laser scan a few prototypes to use as a base and reference for our prosthetic limbs. Being able to visit and speak to experts who are working with the very thing we were trying to digitally recreate was such a great experience.

Holding the object you are 3D modeling in your own hands helps massively when you are trying to make it look as real as possible. It helps you understand how it’s constructed and how each piece fits together.



We then took the scans we captured during the visit and made a lot of functional and aesthetic changes to ensure they fit with the visual style of Boreas, heavily featuring the signature “Boreas blue” color that you will see throughout Redacted and on our Specialist cosmetics.



We also used our modified prosthetics to create in-world advertising for the lobby area of the map, showcasing how Boreas are marketing themselves as a benign manufacturer of medical equipment, while the public is none the wiser about the forbidden research they are actually conducting behind closed doors.



Another element we added with the intent to dial the atmosphere up even further, as well as explain what had happened in the facility, were the bodybags. These bodybags contain failed test experiments that have been produced and later eliminated during the horrific testing they’ve been subjected to inside the facility.



To help with making these assets, we bought a bodybag online (yeah, you can do that apparently!), stuffed a mannequin inside and scanned it with the laser scanner. Despite odd looks from our fellow colleagues, the end result turned out really well and gave us an incredibly detailed model to work with!



Modeling and sculpting fabric with folds that look believable is a very time consuming process, so scanning a real-life version both saved a lot of time and increased the quality of the final asset.



As you play through Redacted you will start to detect visual differences depending where you are within the map, bodybags are one of many visual cues that will help you situate yourself in your map and prepare you for what’s around the corner.

Another detail we wanted to include was blood, both to hint at the struggle and fighting that had occurred in this location, but also for written messages left by the human test subjects. While the blood is fairly easy to make, the hand-written look is more difficult to recreate digitally.



To help with that, we bought some fake theatrical blood, and wrote messages by hand, which we then scanned with a custom-built photometric stereo rig. This camera rig takes a series of 8 images, each one with the light coming from a different angle, which we then use to create a texture that we place on surfaces such as the walls and floors in the level.





We also used this approach to scan medical supplies we had acquired which we use as litter scattered across surfaces, further hinting at the sinister medical experiments that have taken place.





And that’s it for our behind the scenes look at Redacted, what techniques like photogrammetry and laser scanning gives us, and what’s in store for you once this map launches.



Alongside this Dev Note and our LevelCap’s exclusive interview with members of the team, keep your eyes peeled for our upcoming Inside Battlefield Podcast where we continue our coverage of Redacted!

We are incredibly proud of the work we have done with Redacted, and we cannot wait to see you experience it on October 10th once Season 6: Dark Creations arrives!

As always, see you on the Battlefield!

//The Battlefield Team

*Requires Battlefield 2042 (sold separately) & all game updates.

This announcement may change as we listen to community feedback and continue developing and evolving our Live Service & Content. We will always strive to keep our community as informed as possible.

In the rich and sprawling world of the Wilderness, the Chicken Police are two hardboiled cops and the stuff of legends. The duo of Sonny Featherland and Marty MacChicken, who have unraveled many a fabled case during their long association with the Clawville Police Department's predatory division, is known across the continent. Not without good reason, either!

What started out as a mockery of a name – because let's face it, the name 'Chicken Police' just isn't very flattering – slowly took a life of its own. The Chicken Police wasn't just known throughout Clawville's underground. Nay, it became a household name, a beacon of hope, the very image of justice itself. Everyone knew The Chicken Police, and everyone with bad intentions knew to fear them. 'Chicken Police' is a concept. It's not just about the duo. It's about the story of Clawville as a whole.

Though, many would forget about the two roosters that make up the duo. They're only human after all... or poultry, I guess? So, let's properly introduce you to the two, their roles in our story and how we, the creators, came up with their characters.


At first glance, Sonny Featherland is your typical tired, grumpy, "I'm too old for this shit" type of detective. You know, the usual stuff. As you get to know him better though, you soon start to realize there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. Having spent over 20 years in the predatory division, he knows what's going on in Clawville. He knows notorious criminals by name and can tell if someone is lying or not just by looking at them.



That's not all. He has a knack for taking on the most complicated and messy cases, the ones most detectives shy away from. This is often at his own behest and without the boss' knowledge. A real troublemaker you could say, so he needed a partner who was just as much into causing a mess. Doesn't matter if he thought differently at life, the world or even the law. This is where Marty comes him, Sonny's partner-against-crime.


Marty MacChicken was but a rookie when he was assigned to work alongside Sonny, who was already a veteran copper by then. Sonny didn't think the kid would last a week, but a brutal case – later appropiately dubbed 'The Bloody New Year's Eve' – brought them together for life.



Marty grew up with Sonny, though Sonny doesn't believe he really grew up at all. Fierce and feisty, Marty loves guns, trouble, cars, women and guns. His mouth is always a step ahead of his brain, but deep down, he's a golden-hearted rooster who would jump into fire for his partner and loved ones.


Together, Sonny and Marty earned the nickname Chicken Police, which made them famous. They solved cases one after another, and even got their best-selling series of novels about their adventures. Their latest case brought down the biggest criminal gang in the city of Clawville, and indeed in the entire Colonial Empire, seemingly bringing peace to the capital. Unfortunately, life doesn't work like in crime novels or noir movies, as Sonny and Marty have actually just started a fire where there were only embers.


Sonny & Marty during their last big case: Chicken Police - Paint it RED!

Now, their partnership will truly be put to the test as they must not only save the city, but the entire world order, lest it all crumble and collapse. All Sonny ever wanted was retirement, peace and a trip around the world. It seems the city won't let him go and Clawville's criminal gangs are out for revenge.


The tale of Sonny and Marty has not been the only eventful journey; creating our heroes and the story of The Wilderness has been quite the adventure as well!

The duo started off as characters from a comic book script, only roughly encompassing the now fleshed-out personality they have taken on. An old rooster and a young chick (well, according to Sonny) with their battle-worn magnum and a brand new, shiny 12-gauge respectively. This soon turned into the script for a short animated film, as well as a short story that became "Bloody new Year's Eve" and appeared in print here in Hungary.


The dynamic duo as early pixel-art adventure characters


The Chicken Police - one of the first mockups with the black and white theme and photoreal characters

We even had a novel in the works before our writer Bánk came up with the idea to turn Chicken Police into a video game. This idea made so much sense to us that we simply had to follow through on it. We continued working this out, and from there on the story truly took off with the creation of the two protagonists and their unique relationship. It quickly became apparent that Sonny was going to be more than just a sharp-tongued, snarky, self-pitying cock, and Marty evolved beyond the typical hot-headed, hotshot, brawn-over-brain character.


Our heroes throughout the years - early drawn mockup, Chicken Police - Paint it Red (2020), then Chicken Police - Into the HIVE! (2023-)



When it comes to creating characters, background and motivation are incredibly important. Everyone either wants something or is driven by something, even if they don't realize it themselves. This affects every aspect of your life, your character, your choices. So our first step was to work this out for Sonny and Marty. Who are they? What drives them? Where did they come from and where do they go?

Sonny started life in a loving family, the very picture of a good upbringing. Unfortunately, he lost his parents early on and ended up in an orphanage. Life there left him bitter but also taught him the value and importance of various things in life. Later, he came back to help out at an orphanage, which is where he met his wife, Molly. However, their marriage was short-lived, as Sonny's harsh past and fanatical pursuit of justice led to a breakup and his eventual loneliness.


The parents of Sonny Featherland

There's something Sonny is looking for. He doesn't quite know what, but there's a void in his soul that he's always trying to fill. He's grumpy, snappy, depressed, but at the same time afraid to show his emotions and... move on. Move on from his old life, his old self. Move on from the demons of his past, and the city of Clawville.

Marty however, is different. With the dream of fame, women and guns left to gather dust, Marty settled down and faces a new challenge in a new life. Will he be able to live a normal life, start a family, become a father? The thought alone scares him to death, but it's something he also considers the greatest adventure of his life.


Little Marty MacChicken and his mum

His story is not an easy one either. Marty was raised by a loving mother, but they were alone and poor. He learned early on what deprivation was and tried to compensate for it in his later years by pursuing every kind of pleasure he could wish for. With Sonny as an anchor and Laura as his wife-to-be, he realized there was more to life than fleeting pleasures and glory, if he's willing to accept it.

That's all we have for this devblog! We hope you enjoyed it, and maybe even learned something from it. We'll be back with more devblogs like this, so until then: be good, play more and say yes to life!

Also, say yes to the wishlist button if you haven't already! It helps us out a whole lot ;)

- The Wild Gentlemen

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2362090/Chicken_Police_Into_the_HIVE/

---

X/Twitter Facebook Instagram Bluesky TikTok Discord

A new update is now available, which brings you the following changes:

- We've rewritten the first Gloria puzzle hint so it's easier to understand.
- Fixed choosing difficulty Easy can sometimes be switched to Hard.
- Text now wraps better inside the dialog box.
- Performance Optimization.
- Lots of other minor bugs fix

Please update the demo now to enhance your overall experience and
if you find any bugs, please let us know via our Discord!

Hello, this is BLACK STIGMA.

An event to make the Global Testing Tour even more fun!

During the Global Testing Tour, play 'Kill Them All' and 'Challenge',
Aim for ranking Top 20!

Depending on the ranking you achieve, we'll give you a Steam Wallet gift card worth up to $50!



[Event date]

Please check the schedule below for EA region.




[How to participate in the event]

1. Please participate in the Global Testing Tour.

2. Access the BLACK STIGMA game and enjoy the following two modes.
A. ‘Kill ‘Em All’
B. ‘Challenge’

3. Achieve a ranking of at least 20th place in any of each mode.

4. You can check the intermediate ranking in the following way.
A. Access the game
B. Select RECORD menu



> Left tab: Kill 'Em All Rankings



> Right tab: Challenge Rankings





[Event Goods]

For users ranked top 1 to 20 in Kill Them All or Challenge in each region.
We provide Steam Wallet gift cards.
(The ranking criteria is calculated at the end of service in each region.)



Regardless of region,
rewards for the top 20 ‘Kill 'Em All’ ranking and ‘Challenge’ ranking are
One Steam account can only receive reward of ‘Kill 'Em All’ and 'Challenge'
up to 1 time each.



[ Precautions ]

1. We will notify you of the confirmation of eligibility within 2 days after the end of the region.
If your Steam profile name changes later, it may be incorrectly sent to other users.
Please do not change your Steam profile name until you receive the product.

2. Rewards for the Top 20 rankings can only be received up to once each for ‘Kill Them All’ and ‘Challenge’.
If an account enters the top 20 rankings for the same topic in another region even though it has already received ranking rewards, the account will be recalculated with the excluded ranking.

3. If you achieved the ranking through illegal methods such as illegal programs or bug abuse,
You may be disqualified from ranking.

Enjoy the game during the testing period,
We hope you achieve a high ranking and win prizes.

Thank you.

Dear fellow Dream Builders,

We are delighted to announce that Sweet Dreams Alex is available to purchase now!



It’s time to get creative as you build labyrinths full of traps and distractions, designed to keep Nightmares away from Alex until the morning comes.

Take a break from the stresses of life and immerse yourself in Alex’s dreamscapes, where over 250 hand-crafted puzzles await you. Every moment is accompanied by a deep, relaxing atmospheric soundtrack by acclaimed lo-fi artists such as edelwize and Towerz, which perfectly complements the charming pixel art aesthetic.

There are six unique dream worlds to explore, each with different gameplay mechanics and cute slice-of-life diary entries for you to discover. You’ll also find an easy-to-use but powerful custom level editor, enabling you to create levels to share with fellow Dream Builders.

To find new custom levels to play and share your own, and discuss the game with your fellow Dream Builders, join us in the Sweet Dreams Alex Discord.

Hey, Gas Jockeys!

Another hotfix is already live just before the weekend. I don't want to take much of your time, so without further ado let's jump straight into the patch notes

• Fixed an issue that caused crash during loading a game related to employee scheduling
  
• Fixed various issues with Party Spot triggering/resseting
  
• Employees now should avoid trash container near Warehouse

Dear #BestCommunityEver! We've got some exciting news for those who are anticipating the arrival of the West Balkans DLC in Euro Truck Simulator 2. Mark your calendars and get ready to hit the virtual roads of this beautiful region.

The West Balkans DLC will be released on October 19th, 2023!

We're just as excited as you are, and to keep your anticipation high, we've released an official trailer for the West Balkans DLC. This video trailer will give you a sneak peek of the wonderful landscapes, vibrant cities, historical landmarks, and interesting new industries that await you in this map expansion. Make sure to check it out!


Rest assured, our team has been working really hard to make the entire West Balkans DLC a fantastic addition. We've been fixing any problems, whether that is in the new region or surrounding areas, and making sure everything runs smoothly. Our goal is to give you an amazing virtual trucking experience, and we're committed to making that happen.


Are you ready to take on any challenges in the new region? If so, make sure to add the map expansion to your Steam Wishlist in order to be instantly notified once the project becomes available for you to download.









We want to say a big thank you for supporting us throughout the entire development period and we hope you will enjoy everything that this challenging project has to offer. We’ll see you on the road!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2004210/Euro_Truck_Simulator_2__West_Balkans/

Changing perspective.

Harbingers,

The time is finally come and your – and our – journey is just at the beginning. The Bloodline launches today via Steam Early Access!



(A huge thanks to our community member JuanCupO'Juice for providing some of the footage!)

Developed by solo developer Miles Whittaker at Shieldbearer Studio, The Bloodline is an open, freeform Adventure RPG that lets you play your way. Reforge bonds between kingdoms, explore the wilds, craft and plan adventures and wield mighty weapons or magic as you prepare for what is to come…


The Bloodline is available now via Steam Early Access for $19.99/€19.99/£15.99 but you can grab it now with a 33% discount as a part of our launch celebration!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1159290/The_Bloodline/


The Bloodline is now in Early Access, so this means that the game is still in active development.

Early access will allow the further development of The Bloodline and open up opportunities that would otherwise be impossible to achieve. It will also allow the dev to balance, tweak, fix and perfect the game with a large playerbase to provide detailed data.


The Bloodline is an Open World Fantasy Action RPG where you take the role of a descendant of the Harbinger bloodline - a lineage gifted the power of foresight by an ancient god to protect Eudros from the Unforgiven. A legend that seemed faded in time… but your visions show The Unforgiven marching, the Harbinger defeated, and the land devastated.

• A journey not written in stone, but in blood - The adventure is yours. Follow questlines and help the people of Eudros, or roam the world freely at your own pace, allowing organic opportunities to arise. Reform bonds between kingdoms, construct your village, and prepare the world for the return of The Unforgiven.
  
  
• Explore the world - Join various guilds, hunt magical creatures or become a bard at the local tavern – the world is yours to enjoy and experience how you desire.
  
  
• Be rewarded by playing how you want – nearly every action you do has a level associated with it. From jumping, climbing and running to ragdolling, wall-running and swimming. Craft gadgets and equipment, catch rare fish, cook exotic dishes, brew potions, transform yourself into a beast…
  
  
• Plan your adventures by using your foresight – the ability to see events that will transpire in the near future. From meteor storms, goblin attacks and even ghostly pirate ships!
  
  
• A vast world to explore - There are different biomes with distinctive flora & fauna filled with impressive landmarks: blooming towns, magnificent castles, mysterious lakes, dangerous dungeons… and much more.
  
  
• Define your own play style - With over 500 skills to unlock and hundreds of different weapons and equipment at your disposal, your character is truly your own. Will you be a silent assassin or a paladin adorned with plate mail? Or perhaps you’d rather do something more unique - a necromancer who uses martial arts, or an engineer who can transform into animals using druidic magic? The choice is yours entirely.

if you want to share your adventures with your fellow Harbingers, don’t hesitate to join our Discord and follow Shieldbearer Studios ( TikTok | Twitter ) & HOOK ( Twitter | Facebook | TikTok ) to be always updated about what’s happening in Eudros 🏰

Steel your heart, and may your journey be written in blood. ⚔️

HOOK x Shieldbearer