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Ashes Founders Topics: June 2015

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Ashes Founders Topics: June 2015

from AshesoftheSingularity Forums

Greetings and another welcome to the sausage factory of game development!

In no particular order here is this month's topic news dump:

Random-ish maps

We plan to open up the Ashes map editor to Founders. We don't plan to make it available for regular Ashes players (Except maybe as DLC).  You guys will get it though starting next month.

We are going to be looking for founders to create and share maps so that we can try out endless types of maps with each other to see which ones are fun and which ones aren't.  As we've done with some of our other games, some of the more prolific content creators may be offered contracts to create premium content later (little known fact but I contracted out to the GalCiv community to make the GalCiv II campaigns as well as implementing the Sorcerer King quests).  

We hope to have so many possible maps in the library that people will be able to select a "random" map and essentially get one they've never seen.  Check out how tiny Ashes maps are on disk.

Faction names and marketing

So marketing doesn't like the name "The Substrate" for the factions. They're not in love with "Post-Humans" either.  In Sins of a Solar Empire and Starcraft people get very attached to their particular faction so we want to make sure they have names that players like (Terran, Protoss, Zerg, Advent, TEC, Vasari, etc.).  Feel free to make suggestions in this thread. If we use your idea, we'll credit you in the credits.

Also, we do want the Substrate's full formalized name to have Substrate in it.  

Basic Lore talk

Ashes takes place in the year 2178.  The beginning of the game has various Post-Humans and Substrate AIs seeking uninhabitable planets to convert into Computronium.

Computronium

We hate the word.  We need a different name.  We'll give credit to whoever comes up with a name we like better. 

Mouse Controls

So we do want to make the middle mouse button be able to move the map around (instead of the right button) but we also do want people to be able to manipulate the camera angle with it as well which can be a bit awkward.

Update Schedule

We have an update ready to go with some balance improvements and perf improvements. Just waiting to get it up on Steam. No ETA yet. It may also have some changes to the unit sizes to deal with unit speed on the map.

We will have a major July update (think of the build you have as a Pre-Alpha with the July build being actual Alpha 1).  It will have  a much better UI and full blown AI in it.

Campaign talk

So right now the campaign intent is to have a 10 part series of missions that walks the player through the concept of the Singularity and the overall background.

Book

We are planning to release a prequel book this Fall called "Dawn of the Singularity" that takes place in the near future.  If it is well received, we have 2 more in the series we want to make.  It's been written by David Simpson (author of the Post-Human series).

Battle Group behavior changes

Battle groups will be getting a change in the near future where you will no longer have to have T1s hooked to T2s.  They will beocme, from a user perspective, non-hierachal (you can still make them so by selecting units and right-clicking on a unit to become children of that unit).  But you will be able to have a bunch of T1s and turn them into a single combat unit that will work as a single unit ala Kohan.

Zoom out debate

We constantly debate what level of zoom out to support.  As you know, we don't intend to replace units on screen with spams of icons.  This will continue to be a contentious issue and we have drawn no line in the sand beyond "no screen full of little icons".

Empire Tree

The empire tree will be getting a major overhaul between now and Alpha 1. It will play a lot closer to Sins of a Solar Empire.  We also have a lot of work for the mini map in mind but it remains to be seen if that will make Alpha 1 or not.

The leagues

The current *plan* is that once we have Alpha 1 we will probably issue 3 keys to each founder to give to friends.  Those keys won't entitle them to a "final" version of the game but will let them play the game multiplayer and participate here as your guest. Who you give them to will be at your discretion.  

The roadmap (CONFIDENTIAL)

This is NOT to be repeated anywhere.

2016: Ashes of the Singularity

2017: Ashes of the Singularity: Tides of War (adds naval combat)

2018: Ashes of the Singularity: Xenocide (you'll be fighting over inhabited planets too)

2019: Ashes of the Singularity: Nemesis (introduces the third faction)

In addition, we expect to release DLC every 60 days.  So those of you who bought the lifetime edition will be in for a real treat.  Each DLC will be around $4.99 to $9.99 each and the expansions will be between $30 to $40.  They come with your lifetime edition automatically.

Anyway, as you can imagine, we have a long-term plan for this game.  While the requirements for Ashes in 2015 are high, by next year or the year after, mainstream PC players should be able to participate easily. 

 Open Floor

Any other thoughts or opinions you want to share with the community please do so.  

 

74,509 views 36 replies
Reply #27 from AshesoftheSingularity Forums Top

Random-ish maps

Definitely excited to see this. I've had several map ideas that I've been wanting to try and I think that it will provide a lot of perspective for where, and how many, resource points to place in each region.

Faction names and marketing

I had several name ideas.

Good Post Humans: The Ascended, The Consciousness, The Sentinels (or Sentinel Coalition), The Saviors, The Straksi (or Straksy which is close to guardian in Russian).

Bad Post Humans: The Plague, Reapers (or Reaper Alliance), The Virus, The Viriacts (from virus for their widespread destruction), The Locust (or Cicadust/Locada as alternatives)

A.V.O.S. Acute Virtual Outspread Substrate (I'll try to work on a better acronym, but I like AVOS (A as in "hay" and OS as in "lost")

Computronium

A.R.C. Atomically Reduced Computer (or A.R.C.C. Atomically Reduced Computational Core (or Substance for ARCS)

Mouse Controls

No change in opinion here, I still prefer the ability to zoom out to the point of seeing the entire map at once. My only issue with the middle mouse button is that I need to disable any additional functions that my mouse has set to the button to use it.

Update Schedule

Sweet! Can't wait to see what UI changes there are and how an actual AI performs!

Campaign talk

I agree with MindlessMe's idea. 8 hrs minimum for gameplay. I think the other thought that I have is that it needs to be different from simply playing on a map. What I mean is there should be some objectives, units, structures, terrain features, and/or natural disasters (etc) that add something to just playing against the AI on a single player map. I want the experience to be different and, again referencing MindlessMe, not just teach me how to play the game.

Book

Is this part of the Lifetime Founders Editions? ;)

Battle Group behavior changes

Also excited to see what changes this will bring.



Zoom out debate

We constantly debate what level of zoom out to support.  As you know, we don't intend to replace units on screen with spams of icons.  This will continue to be a contentious issue and we have drawn no line in the sand beyond "no screen full of little icons".

Zoom out debate

I'm not sure that I need a "screen full of little icons", but I would at least like my units to have their little glow circle (the ones that show up when you hover over a unit) light up to let me know where my units are on the map. I personally zoom out to move around the map and would like to know where my units are, but what units are there isn't super important to me since I can zoom in really fast to see what's there anyway. And the little glow circles also show how large the units are. My suggestion is to have the glow circles around the units show up for every unit visible on the map after a specified amount of zoom-out and make them different colors for different players. 

The roadmap (CONFIDENTIAL)

I'm really excited to see the planned expansions as well as the DLC lineup. I've seen a lot of different types of DLC on the market and frankly have never bought any since I never wanted to fork out the money for them. I also mostly play single player games against AI since I like huge maps in Sins of a Solar Empire that last at least 4 hours and like to just save and return to them later so any DLC that includes extra units, terrain, structures, etc will just enhance my playing experience without worrying about multiplayer. That said there are plenty of people that want multiplayer support and adding things like that as DLC would either force you to exclude it from multiplayer (DLC units aren't allowed at all), give them to everyone in multiplayer (as long as one person has them in the game then everyone does), have an option to search for other players with similar DLC and only enable common DLC elements, or bracket everyone according to their DLC (which means that lifetime founders will pretty much only play with each other).

I like the idea of having anything be available through DLC because it means that you don't have to wait for the next expansion, but I think I ultimately have to agree with Liquifaction1 and say that units, factions, research, and structures should only be added through expansions.

 Open Floor

Really enjoying the Alpha (or Pre-Alpha I guess) experience and will add comments here if I think of suggestions.

Thanks for being an awesome Dev team!

SoundPackager - Customize the Windows sound scheme
Reply #28 from AshesoftheSingularity Forums Top

Alternatives to Computronium:

Optainium - like you have multiple options for she matter to shape - it optains anything you like

Vividium

Liquidium

 

Reply #29 from AshesoftheSingularity Forums Top

Random-ish maps

Sounds like fun.

Faction names and marketing

I love stuff like this and the more ideas people throw out the better it will work.  Here are my initial contributions -- I don't think they impinge on other people's ideas, but I read through the posts quickly, so consider anything I repeat a vote for the first poster's terms ;-):

Substrate Brainstorming Session 1:

"Automata" is the plural of automatron (i.e., a self-operating machine), and the word also plays into the cellular automata concept associated with Computronium.  Maybe:

  • Synthetic Substrate Automata or Subatomic Substrate Automata (SSA)
  • Cellular Substrate Automata (CSA)
  • Atomic Substrate Automata (ASA)

I know you want "Substrate" in there, but I think the acronym "ARC" sounds cool and subliminally captures the concept of sentient machines "saving" organic life. I also think it works better as a faction name than a replacement for computronium.  A few possible meanings:

  • Automated Reasoning Collective
  • Autonomous Reasoning Collective

If you HAVE to have Substrate in there:

  • Autonomous Reasoning Collective Substrate (ARCS) (nice I guess in that you get the feeling of plurality by adding the S, but it feels too long.)

Post-Human Brainstorming

  • I think names like the "Ascended" or the "Ascendant" work better for the post-humans than the Substrate.  To me, the name captures concepts of an extremely advanced race that could view itself as superior to other life forms.  You could also play up some kind of religious angle in the sense they view Computronium with a pseudo-godlike reverence (or at least use this idea to justify their actions).  This story line is more compelling to me than humans run amock -- it also ties into current geopolitical issues where people are doing things that many find unimaginable and justifying it (rightly or wrongly) with religious references.  The Transcendent gets at a similar idea.

More subtle ideas:

  • Verlos (Dutch/Afrikaans) – looks and sounds cool, two syllables which makes it easy on the tongue.  It means "deliver" in English with Verlosser translating to "savior".  Both are ironic since the post-humans devour everything.  You could also get the religious zeal component in here.
  • Dominary (Latin for Dominate).

Basic Lore talk

I agree that 2178 seems a little early.  I'm interested in the thought process behind that particular year, as I'm sure you all have a reason for choosing it.

Computronium

I agree that "Computronium" needs to go away – at least as the name for what you're mining on each world.  It's just too clunky.  You could still work it in, though, by stating that the creation of Computronium was only made possible by the discovery of a new underlying element named…… 

  • Awesomesauce (just kidding).
  • Transium – conjures up the ever-changing/transitory/transformative nature of Computronium and retains the concept of an elemental material imparted by –ium at the end.  Maybe not unique enough, though.
  • Vitrium – combines the Latin word Vitreus (i.e., crystalline or like glass) with the –ium ending for an element.  Easy to say, unique sounding, and ties in to the concept of Computronium having glass/crystalline qualities and the interesting patterns created by cellular automata.
  • Lacium – combines the Latin word "lacus" (i.e., lake, pool, water) with the –ium ending.  I kind of like this one because true computronium could have a water-like quality to it, in that it could be formed into any shape you wanted from an initial blob of material.  Computronium also helps "lace" things together, kind of like the animations for ships as they are built in-game right now.
  • Marium – combines the Latin word "mare" (i.e., sea or water) with the –ium ending.  Gets to the same water-like concept I mentioned above.  Sounds a little sinister too because you get the "Mar" in there and the post-humans are basically marring or blighting the worlds they destroy for the resource.

Mouse Controls

I don't mind the current set up, but I'll work with whatever.

Update Schedule

Excellent.

Campaign talk

I like it.  My sense is that people will focus more on the multiplayer/skirmish aspect of the game anyway.

Book

Put me down for the whole series ;-).

Battle Group behavior changes

I really like this idea.

Zoom out debate

A single transparent icon that varies in size with the size/strength of a metagroup could work.  This would give you one icon per group without obstructing your view of the landscape.  You could also see unit composition in the current UI (assuming you keep that).  Perhaps you also permit people to see the unit make-up via a mouseover effect.

Empire Tree

Sounds good.

The leagues

Excellent, I have folks in mind.

The roadmap (CONFIDENTIAL)

All I can say to this is WOW.  You guys are in it to win the entire genre.  Exciting stuff.

Open Floor

Nothing ATM.  Impressed with this whole process and it's still very early on!

Reply #30 from AshesoftheSingularity Forums Top

Change computonium to substrate because that is a building material then change the ai evolved race to the collective (if your allowed haha) or the culminate and maybe the evolved humans into the transcendence or transcended as it sounds fairly evolvly 

 

 

Reply #31 from AshesoftheSingularity Forums Top

Personally, given that it's a basic computation unit, I think it should be named after Alan Turing. Maybe Turinium, or Turnips ;) The substrate faction could be obsessed with passing the "Turing test".

 

 

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Reply #32 from AshesoftheSingularity Forums Top

Quoting Kollok, reply 32

Personally, given that it's a basic computation unit, I think it should be named after Alan Turing. Maybe Turinium, or Turnips The substrate faction could be obsessed with passing the "Turing test".

I spat out my coffee laughing at the "Turing Test" comment.  Turinium sounds cool, but no fair because you're already in the credits ;-) !

On a somewhat unrelated note -- the recent movie about Alan Turing's work to break the Enigma Device during WWII was great.

Reply #35 from AshesoftheSingularity Forums Top

Long time reader, first time poster. I have been playing computer strategy games for a good 20+ years and have complete faith in Stardock. This is coming from someone who bought Elemental:War of Magic.

I am glad that I bought the lifetime edition of Ashes. The current alpha version runs on my computer and I am excited by the potential that this game currently has. The expansion/DLC plans for the future sound excellent.

 

Comments on Factions:

Substrate:

The Substrate Legion

Legio Substrate

The Legion of Substrate... you get the idea. Could go by Legion instead of Substrate. Always loved the line "My name is Legion, for we are many.

Humans:

Since it appears that a good chunk of the current "Post-Human" units have greek-ish type names I think a name along the lines of United Hellenic Corp (UHC) would be appropriate. Other random names come to mind such as The Peerless, Justified, Chosen, (something to go against the legion aspect.)

 

Computronium: (agree in not liking the name)

Diamondillium, Diamondium (joking, just wanted to get a Futurama reference in my post somewhere)

 

Book:

I enjoyed Destiny's Embers (I want another one in that series). I am excited about a book companion to this game as well.

 

Other Misc. Comments:

I would prefer to see one unit produced at a time instead multiple "units". I first saw multiple units produced as one in the LOTR:Middle Earth games. (I'm sure other games did that before though). I thought it was fake and cheating that 5 units were produced at a time. Yeah it may look like you have a large army with 100 units in it but it is really only 20 units and 80 copies that look the same. Perhaps games like Total War can get away with it but not this one. Starcraft, SupCom and FA unit production is best in my mind. One at a time please.

Zooming: Allow us to zoom in more. In SupCom you could zoom in very close to the smallest unit. I want to be able to look at each of the smallest units like I was standing next to it. I'm OK with no icons when zoomed out extremely far, but why not have the option? Perhaps it would be cost prohibitive to fully implement something like that? Limiting players capability at this point in the game development sounds like a bad idea.

Use (+) (-) keys for faster/slower gameplay like SupCom does.

Experimental units please. :grin:

(I know you are not making a SupCom clone, but I really enjoy that game series)

 

Sorry if any of this was brought up prior. I have not read every comment. Keep up the good work and communication.

 

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