Oct 28, 2024

Age of Wonders 4 - fangirlcrazily

Hi all!

Today we’re going to be trying something new, by putting the whole of the upcoming Tiger Update into an Open Beta! This means that if you have the game on Steam, you will be able to play on that update by opting into the Tiger Beta (see instructions below).

This Update changes an awful lot of things, including the massive Hero Skill Rework and Ambitions System, so we’re setting out to achieve two things.

We’re keen to start collecting your Feedback early about how the system works and if (or in all likelihood - how quickly) the balance of it can be completely broken to make unkillable god heroes who single handedly kill 18 strong armies of tier 5 units.
We also want to give the Modding Community a headstart in updating their content to match the new update. We’ve done some testing to verify initial compatibility but there’s a vast variety of mods and mod combinations out there.

After updating to the Tiger Beta your in-game version will read 1.009.001.99114.

Getting into the Beta - What you need to know

If you want to take part in the beta there are a few important things you need to know!

This Beta is only available on Steam, owners on Console, Epic or GOG will receive the full Tiger Update alongside the Ways of War Content Pack on November 5th.
If a save has been made in Open Beta, there’s no going back! You will not be able to open that save in the game outside of the beta until the beta ends on November 7th!
Only use this in multiplayer if all participants agree. Make sure you do not use the beta in multiplayer without checking with the other players first, once a multiplayer game session has been updated to use the open beta, you cannot go back to previous versions!
The changes we make during the Open Beta will not be integrated into the main game on the 5th! They will be integrated when the beta ends. This means that, if you step out the beta before it ends (on the 7th) you will be going to an earlier version of the game!

That being said, to access the beta you will need to do the following:

To switch to a custom branch in the Steam client, right-click on the game from the library page and select "Properties".

Among the available tabs will be the "BETAS" tab.

The Tiger Beta should be listed in the dropdown menu under "Select the beta you would like to opt into:" A restart of your Steam Client may be needed if the Branch isn’t visible.

Leaving Feedback

The most effective way to provide us with feedback is by making a Discussion Thread in the Open Beta Discussions. There’s a couple different types of Feedback that we can process during this Beta period.

Balance
- Balance changes that focus on adjusting values such as Damage, Cooldowns, AP Costs etc. are easy to implement. If there’s any extreme imbalances that need to be tackled asap, would need to be tweaked as such.
- Balance changes that require us to change text are not feasible for the November 7th date. Any Balance changes that involve us reworking abilities/functionality can be provided as feedback but cannot be done until a later point in time.
Stability
- Crashes reported with the Crash Tool will automatically show up in our back end, so when you experience a crash please make sure to Upload those.
- If you have a Blocker i.e. a Crash or Hang that will not allow you to continue your game, please make a report and include your Crash Report Name - given after upload - so we can tackle it.
- Any general Bugs reported are welcome but not the main focus of this period, we’ll try to address those in a timely manner depending on our available resources.
Modding
- If you experience issues and suspect that it might be related to one of the mods you have installed, then please verify which mod it may be by disabling your mods. If you’ve determined which Mod is causing your issue try to contact the Mod Developer first.
- If you experience crashes with your mods, then please make a thread as stated above. While outdated mods can cause issues, we do try to ensure that they do not crash.

Starting on November 5th we’ll be busy with the official launch of Ways of War and the Tiger Update so after that goes live, our availability to respond here will vastly decrease. This also means any feedback after November 5th may not make it into the November 7th version, so be aware.

Complete Tiger Update Notes

Check out the full list of changes included in the Tiger Update here.

Get Expansion Pass 2:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3181480/Age_of_Wonders_4_Expansion_Pass_2/

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Oct 28, 2024

Hostile takeover first look

Executive Assault 2 - Firestorm_one

Hello, Executives,

It’s been a thrilling year since Executive Assault 2 graduated from early access, and it's been amazing to see the enthusiasm and support from our dedicated player community.

The success we’ve experienced has allowed me to dive back into development, embracing player feedback and enhancing nearly every aspect of the game. From refining the interface to updating the graphics and gameplay mechanics, this overhaul is designed to polish the experience and eliminate the “jank”—those issues that disrupt immersion.

One of the most exciting updates is the introduction of Hostile Takeover Mode. Inspired by the original game, this mode delivers faster, more action-packed gameplay in a single-map setting, perfect for fans seeking condensed, high-energy skirmishes.

Here's a Sneak Peek at What's Coming:

Enhanced Graphics Pipeline: With Unity’s latest graphics engine, Executive Assault 2 now shines with updated visuals and lighting.
Streamlined Interface: Your feedback has been invaluable. The interface is now simplified with additions like quick build queues, a relocated power screen in RTS mode, placement commands for construction vehicles, and all terminals now accessible with the mouse on a focused screen.
New Game Mode: Experience epic battles on a single, expansive map—an homage to the original game. Whether it's all-out ground warfare on a massive asteroid or intense space battles across asteroid clusters, this mode guarantees fast-paced, strategic gameplay with simplified resource gathering to keep the focus on pure action. I'll be generally keeping the original modes economy system largely separate from Hostile Takeover's.
Automated Tech Upgrades: Say goodbye to outdated tech! Now, new designs automatically incorporate the latest advancements, saving you time and keeping you at the cutting edge.
Expanded Role for Executrons: Executrons are getting an upgrade! They can now build structures, defend command outposts, and even gather personal research data from combat to enhance their companies tech tree. Picture delegating command outpost defence to an Executron while you focus on high-level strategy!
Multi-Crew Ships and Vehicles: Co-op gameplay takes a leap forward! Now, you can crew ships with friends, rescue teammates in shuttles, or man turrets on a starship while someone else handles the piloting.
New Units and Technologies: Fresh units and reimagined ship upgrades bring new tactical possibilities to the battlefield.
Increased Unit Cap: With significant graphical and network optimizations, I’ve boosted the unit cap. Now, each team can field up to 500 bots and ships, creating larger, more intense battles.

There’s still more to come as I continue fine-tuning, expanding the tech tree, and enhancing the graphics. Below, you’ll find highlights of match with me and Armada teaming up in a co-op game against the AI—catch a glimpse of the new upgrades in action!

Cheers,
Rob

Oct 28, 2024

Development Update 09/06/2024 - Routes, Plays & Playbooks

Axis Football 2026 - Axis Games

Hi Folks,

I hope everyone is enjoying the turn of the weather and the start of the NFL season! I wanted to share what we’ve been working on for the past few months. In April, we started a three part series where we unveiled some of the gameplay changes we had been working on. After a brief delay, we’re finally ready to share the third and final part of the series: Routes, Plays, and Playbooks.

Our goal with this series of updates was to raise the overall quality and fidelity of the gameplay on the field. We wanted the players to make better decisions, we wanted their movements to be more dynamic, and we wanted them to look better doing it! In the first two parts of this series, we already shared that we added run, pass option plays to the game and completely overhauled the QB / RB handoff animation sequence. In this final update, we’re going to take a broader look at offensive plays.

Routes

Our goal with Axis Football is to replicate the highest levels of professional football. When we compared our offensive playbooks with what we were seeing in professional football, there was a big gap. This starts with individual route assignments. Simply put, our routes and instructions were basic, covering only what a pee-wee team might need. Axis 2026 will contain loads of new (and more modern) types of routes and blocking assignments. You can expect sluggos, crooked routes, whips, angles, tables, spots, and much, much more. While new routes are fun, the feature we’re most excited about in this category is the addition of new Block and Release (BAR) routes. These routes will show up in blue on your pay art and designate that a player (RB or TE, usually) will first look to pass block for a short period of time before releasing to run the designated route. BAR routes are versatile tools for an offense, as they allow for protection against a potential pass rush without the downside of keeping too many blockers back to defend. I can tell you from a lot of play testing these routes, they’re a lot of fun and create a lot of dynamic plays!

Plays

The next step up from individual routes is plays. If our routes were basic, then our plays were outdated – much better suited to capturing football around the turn of the century. This led to predictable gameplay that rarely flashed moments of surprise. To fix that, we needed to overhaul the plays and the way we organized the data that comprised a play within the game. To make a long story short…er, the solution in this case was to completely revamp the entire code structure for how play data was stored and transferred to players. This meant that every single play from Axis 2024 was removed… and we started from scratch.

Beginning with formations, there are now over 75 offensive configurations (nearly doubling what the previous Axis had). More importantly, the personnel within these formations much better aligns with current professional football. You will see 2 RB sets, 2 and 3 TE sets, modern uses of FBs and more! We’ve made likewise changes to the depth chart to support these improvements, but that’s a topic for another update. For each of the 75+ offensive formations, you can expect there to be an average of 15-20 plays per formation. That totals to a number that is well in excess of double the size of the plays in the previous Axis. Furthermore, with the addition of the new routes above, we’ve been able to create a much more dynamic set of plays that better captures the wide array of offensive strategies that a lot of different teams employ. You’ll see draws, misdirections, designed QB runs, modern route combinations, and so much more!

Playbooks

With the update to the plays and formations available, we were able to make similar changes to the playbooks. In an effort to provide better strategic options out of the box, we’ve increased the number of default playbooks available. As with the previous Axis version, you will be able to utilize the built-in playbook editor to manually craft new playbooks from scratch or edit the provided ones to suit your individual team(s) needs. I will note here that we are also making several improvements to the play calling weights that control how the AI select plays, but that will come in a later update.

Player Behavior & Logic

The work for this update took quite some time. Hand-coding over one thousand individual plays takes a lot of time, but the real reason this update was so long in coming is because of the freedom I allowed myself when making the plays – a freedom that I haven’t been afforded when working under a yearly release schedule. Let me explain. My workflow for adding new plays was to focus on a single formation and code three plays at a time. Once a set of plays was coded, I tested each one several times against different defensive sets to make sure players were doing the correct thing. And that’s where the rabbit holes started popping up… In the past, I was forced to have a higher threshold for what was considered acceptable player movement and behavior, due to the fact that I couldn’t allow myself to be derailed from the current project or feature I was working on. As I tested these new plays, I didn’t have a looming release pressuring me to disregard the slight errors or issues I noticed. When I didn’t like the way players looked coming off the ball (combined with previous feedback that player acceleration was unnatural), I implemented new animations for players coming out of their stances. When players made illogical blocking assignments, I rewrote the decision-making or handled the edge cases that the defense presented. When I didn’t like the way hitch routes worked, I scraped the current system and rewrote it. There were many more examples.

What happened over the months, as the new animations and improved movements gradually raised the collective bar of the acceptable standard, I continued to find small areas to improve. And that’s how an update that was intended to be finished a months ago stretched into the fall months of 2024. I am very pleased with how everything has improved, and I know we will continue to iterate on the gameplay as our new standard for excellence drives us forward. Let me leave you with a short video of a sample play that illustrates some of the improvements mentioned above. I didn’t record this video with the intention of using it here, but I think it fits nicely in this update.

As always, we would love to hear your feedback! Feel free to reach out to us using any of the platforms below!

Discord: https://discord.gg/YFuF9TSZKV
Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/axisfootball?lang=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AxisGames/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaxisfootball/

Best,

Danny Jugan
President & Lead Developer, Axis Games