Underworld Ascendant - Questions Wanted

[Couchpotato]

All right everyone I contacted OtherSide Entertainment, and got the okay for a new interview. So here is your chance to have your questions asked.

Do keep in mind I don't want to ask more than twenty questions so try to keep them to a minimum of two or three per member, The deadline is this Wednesday on the 11th.

More information.

 

[Couchpotato]

So five hours later and still no questions. Remember you have five days left.

 

[rjshae]

Okay I'll ask one:

Is this game going to use a fully realized three-dimensional environment with climbing, jumping, falling, levitation, and flying? I'm guessing probably not, but one can hope.

Feel free to use it or not.

 

[rune_74]

Are spells going to be like the old underworld game?

Will there be any cities?

Is it all underground?

 

[CelticFrost]

Is it all underground?

They did say in the kick starter video it was going to be all underground.

 

[Dajjer]

1) Any QTEs
2) Do you have to eat and sleep
3) do npcs have schedules

also curious about flying and climbing

 

[henriquejr]

Are you releasing the game with modding in mind ? Will you release modding tools ?

 

[Farflame]

Will there be any cities?

Yes, there will be underground cities. 3 big fractions are living there.

 

[Farflame]

My questions:

- One memorable moment in UU1 was that "lizardmen language quest" when you learn lizard words to talk with lizardman. Could we expect something like that (or more) in Ascendant?

- Mr. Neurath said: "quests and story in Underworld are player-driven." Does it mean…
1. Sandbox made of many mostly simple quests (quantity over quality, more repetitive, no real story)
2. There are few main stories or set of events which are not presented in the intro but player can uncover and pursue them.
What is closer to your vision?

- Do you use lore from UU1 about Cabirus and the history of colony in Stygian Abyss? If so how are you going to change it to bring in your new races which werent in UU1?

- You recruited Joe Fielder who was writer for BioShock Infinite. Do you/he has some fresh idea how to approach dialogues in underground fantasy realm? How to make some races/NPCs unique?

- Do you plan some mechanics for more realistic damage and recovery? For example - damaged arms are unusable for some time, vision can be blurred when you are strucked or confused by spell, full recovery needs healing skill and herbs… etc.?

- What level of interactivity between items and game world could we expect from your Improvisation Engine? For example - could you use hammer and chisel to cut holes (crude stairs) in rock walls to climb up? Or throw boulders into stream to create a pond?

- For Mr. Neurath - what were main differencies, pros and cons, between working for Origin and for EA?

————
I tried to be short, but there are many interesting topics. So here it is. I think it will be interesting.

 

[rune_74]

Wow, I remember that lizardman language....awesome.

 

[Nerevarine]

Arx Fatalis was a very logical progression of the Ultima Underworld design template. Have the developers played or examined Arx Fatalis? If so, how much have the ideas introduced in Arx Fatalis influenced the development?

 

[DArtagnan]

1. What are you doing to make sure the game will look and play like a "next generation" Underworld, given the relatively limited resources? The original UU got a lot of praise because it represented quite a leap forward when it comes to visuals and engine sophistication. The Unity engine isn't exactly known for being a great performer, and it doesn't seem like the best fit for a truly next generation immersion-oriented game like UA.

2. System Shock, the original, had a strong non-linear approach to level design - while the sequel had less of it, and Bioshock was almost entirely linear, with minimal backtracking involved. What is your position on this progression - and how will Underworld level design be handled in terms of linearity?

 

[Nameless one]

What made you decide to go with Unity engine instead of Unreal or some other alternative?Was cost only reason or are there other factors?

 

[henriquejr]

I already made my questions on this thread, but if Couchpotato does allow, I would like to add:

"What can you tell us about game's replay value ? Is there any reason to complete the game 2, 3 or more times ?"

 

[you]

Can you remove the co-op stretch goal and add more content.

Can you discuss in more detail the game play ? Will it be like an FPS; party base; turn base; ... have you considered using the D:OS engine ?
-
The kickstarter presentation talked more about history and not so much on future; can you expand more on the future ?

 

[Sacred_Path]

1. Considering there are cities in the game - how strong are the "survival elements" (crafting, repairing, food gathering)?

2. What can you say about combat resolution - how much player input will it take? Will ranged weapons take practice to aim well, and will melee come down to the good ol' forward-backward shuffle?

3. Will "diplomacy" be stat bound?

4. There's a piece of concept art that features the player leading dwarves into battle. Will we actually fight alongside NPC's? Companions/ summons/ pets?

 

[Xian]

I enjoyed the combat in the original games, will Underworld Ascendant use a similar method? You clicked the mouse at the top of the screen to perform a bash attack, in the middle for a slash, and at the bottom for a thrust/stab. You also had to charge your attack, waiting for the power gem to glow. I thought this added another element to the combat, as certain attacks worked better, depending on the opponent. For instance, a bash would work better on a skeleton, a thrust would just slip through it's ribs.

 

[Irian]

Are you releasing the game with modding in mind ? Will you release modding tools ?

This question has already been answered on their kickstarter page…

Underworld Builder Toolkit – All fans get access to the Toolkit, the essential suite of tools our design team is using to create the areas of the Stygian Abyss. Build your own areas and share them with friends!

Are spells going to be like the old underworld game?

Oh, yes, being able to cast apocalypse after learning it from a wisp would be nice

 

[marcuz]

I've read that the character progression allows for mixing the careers from the three templates, fighter/rogue/mage; will there be some random aspect to it, like the Shepherd class in the original game?

 

[DarNoor]

My question pertains to funding. They are only asking for 600k. That seems quite low for a game like this. Do they have additional funding avenues such as personal investors? Also, do they plan do do early access? Thanks.