Farflame spotted an update for the sci-fi RPG Eden Falling:

Dev Journal: The Level Design Team's Role in the HDRP Conversion

Hey all, Level Design team checking in with a brief update!

Recently with the changeover to HDRP, a lot of major progress with level work has been halted. As one can probably imagine, updating all the assets to work with the new requirements for HDRP, one might find some issues. Some assets need more full-fledged fixes. It is also a great time to do some spring cleaning. (It’s spring, right? I’m a gamer, so I rarely head outside or see the Sun.) Some of our more artistic team members have volunteered to help out with the Art team getting assets updated and organized.

Note: the environments seen in this post are pre-HDRP conversion

Work on our levels has not halted. We are going back through our completed scenes and making sure everything is updated correctly. Our first target was the roadhouse scenes, including the bar-like amenity and the main menu. We needed our wall kit fixed up.

Right now, our focus is on getting the early roadhouse scenes fixed up, but with only two of them in the current demo, that isn’t much work to spread around the team. While we have gotten most of the stuff needed to fix up the roadhouses, we need to get the rest of our team something to do. With that in mind and the wall kit in hand, we have started to focus on the other demo scenes with the same wall kit pieces, which are about every scene. We’ve now gotten the walls working again, albeit with a new textural bug rearing its head (ah, the joys of game development), so we’ll show off our fixes for that in the next journal.

That leaves us with our next big target to tackle: the settlement. The settlement recently got updated right before we swapped over to HDRP; not sure if it made it into the last builds or not, but looking at it now, it will need a lot of work to get back up to where it was before the swap over, but our team members are up for the task.

[...]

Take a look at the new character assets of the post apocalytic RPG Epocylipse: The Afterfall:

Character Assets

Character assets has been very busy since the last development journal update from us. We’ve mainly been working on updating our existing clothing to be usable in game. There was an update to our character base meshes, which shifted it’s position ever so slightly, so all of the clothes needed to be changed to reflect that shift. In addition we received notes from the rigging and animation department about topology necessary for proper character deformation. This also needed to be implemented to avoid clipping and unnatural looking folds in the clothes when the character is making more extreme poses or movements.

Apart from updating our existing catalog, we have also been adding new outfits and hairstyles along the way. One important thing we’ve been striving for is having a variety of different outfits for each faction. Our latest series of outfits were done for the steppe tribe. Outfits were done for both male and female characters, with mix and match possibilities leading to many different clothing combinations. It’s important to have a wide variety of outfits so there won’t be characters walking around that look exactly the same. On the hair side of things we are wrapping up the final assignments for hair styles. All that’s left are some facial hair styles and then we’ll be completely done modeling the hair cards. Then we’ll be able to completely focus on the remaining clothes needed.

Here is a trailer for Epocylipse: The Afterfall showing some animated artwork.

Some information about the Harbingers in Epocylipse: The Afterfall is provided on the official site with one of its members Govind Ezra.

Razor Edge Games – Epocylipse The AfterFall – Kicks it into High Gear – The Harbingers pt. 1 May 6th 2016

Screams, groans, engines and storms...the Epocylipse is rarely quiet. And when it is, you’d best be searching the shadows. But not every sound is a precursor to pain or a mark of hardship. Thanks to the music of the Harbingers, there’s a sure sign of life-real, thriving, hopeful life-in the AfterFall.

Razor Edge Games would like to introduce you to the first member of the rhythmic Harbingers, Govind Ezra. Every wasteland adventure needs a driving, colorful soundtrack, and any epic score would be woefully incomplete without an energetic rhythm section. Setting the tempo for the band and keeping everyone on their toes with his drums, Govind kicks things off with a checkered past and wild style all his own. This chaotic drummer hails from the Steppe Tribes, but even the wise tribe elders couldn’t tame his spirit. He instead cut his teeth with the mysterious and deadly Shadow Walkers, and to this day can wield knives just as effectively as his drumsticks. Govind has since found a new family in the Jug Band, but he hasn’t forgotten his roots. He brings the lessons he’s learned over the pandemonium of his life to his music and a fiery start to the band!

Adding to the immersive world of Epocylipse: The Afterfall, the unique sounds of the Harbingers will captivate players. The vibrant personalities of the members will inspire and add a unique touch to the gaming experience.

The Seventh faction, Cartel, has been announced for Epocylipse: The Afterfall. From the press release:

With the end comes an invasive beginning. The Epocylipse brings forth a culture of daring rivalry, limited resources, treacherous allies, and bittersweet victories. While it may have been a hope of many to carefully evade the prying eyes of government with the fall of civil society, reality is a kick to the teeth. Ladies and Gentleman, Razor Edge Games partially unveils to you, the Cartel.

We’re not here to seed hope; the Cartel is a massively inaccessible entity guarding secrets passed down from generations of faceless institutions to modern day. It towers with ubiquitous, preeminent control, gripping the shattered world in an economic noose. While the Cartel is indeed the neutral face of industrious need, gamers may find themselves haunted by a paranoia that the overly-helpful faction is more than a convenient ammunitions supplier. Half the fun is having no proof to support or deny that nagging inkling.

Razor Edge Games provides the Cartel to gamers of the Epocylipse as a refreshing aid as they salvage and scrounge just to make ends meet. Wanting only to collect data and keep economy alive and well, the Cartel may be inclined to host a variety of services for the weary or weathered survivor. Neutrality has its perks; no matter what faction(s) gamers may decide to support, the Cartel will remain persistently present to extend its friendly advice, disclaimers, warnings, and commerce where it provides the most impact. But please, don’t disregard a little helpful chatter in your ear on your travels-you have much less value dead than alive, and Big Brother The Cartel knows best.

Here is the announcement of the sixth faction in Epocylipse: The Afterfall, The Patriots.

It’s week six of Razor Edge Games’ montage of the good, the bad, the gritty, and the triggerhappy. As we sail smoothly through the playable factions to be offered to gamers in the upcoming RPG Epocylipse the AfterFall, Razor Edge Games stands attention with a firm salute to the bravery, ambition, and hardcore drive of the Patriots.

The Patriots are exactly as the name might imply. A steadfast, thick-skulled group with a laundry list of down-to-earth priorities to keep their world in check, this Faction wards against frivolity. It’s all business when gamers choose to get involved with the highly militaristic group of wayward soldiers picking up where the world left off. The Patriots of Epocylipse the Afterfall want you to step and be a leader who can stand equal with those already preexisting the in their ranks. In fact, they’re willing to throw gamers through a blazing gauntlet of troubles to make sure all that remains is a hardened, cunning warrior fit to fight at the drop of a hat.

Should it really strike a not-so-secret fantasy to feel like you’re trapped in a blistering bootcamp following the end of the civil society, the Patriots are exactly what you need. There’s no sympathy for the slacker, and no reprieve for the devoted when gamers choose to support the ideas allocated to this particular group. The important thing to remember as always is that having a hardened soldier at your back is probably one of the most comforting feelings you can expect as a survivor of the AfterFall. Well, as long as they’re on your side.

The beauty of the Epocylipse the AfterFall game is the level of customization that it provides to the players and the faction system is a perfect embodiment of this. Players have a total of 6 factions to choose from and can decide which group fits more closely with their ideals and survival plans when confronting a dangerous and uncertain future.

Stay tuned weekly for more updates about the game and for all 6 factions to be revealed. For more information about the Patriots and the other playable factions in the game, go to the Razor Edge Game’s website at http://razoredgegames.com/epocylipsetheafterfall/factions/

The Confed are the fifth faction in Epocylipse: The Afterfall.

Let’s get something straight; whatever happened before now, whatever we were, whoever we were, it’s done. No one cares about the corpses in the dust, in the ash, in the broken ruins, abandoned cities–no one cares. What matters is who we are now.

Hadley Riggs, Uma Fatherton, Celly Godds. These are our leaders. You’ll know them by their pride; by their strength. Now, the Authorian Class rules. Hadley believes in strength at all costs. The Authorian Class might not be gentle, but they get the job done. They own, inherit, and order whatever they’ve taken control of.

The weak must be ordered. They don’t know any better, and there’s no use in wasting manpower. World is tough enough without worrying about others not pulling their weight. Under the authority of the right members, even the spineless can be made better, helpful, and obedient. Got to be careful. Sometimes you get the insubordinates who think they have the brains or guts to stand out. Brand em’. Put em’ back to their paces, and they’ll remember who’s in charge. No room for nonsense. No room for questions. Trust your Authorian Class. They know best. Hadley knows best.

The fourth faction of Epocylipse are the Steppe Tribes:

Steppe Tribes

Elders have said many times; man must not take more than he gives. He must not try to reach for stars he cannot grasp. He should not try to make better already perfect design.

When the star fell, we knew man was too much. Too bold.

Before big settlements–called “cities”, crowds, people fighting to control more than even the nature around them, there were stories of true people. Our ancestors did right by the laws of true nature. They worked for the land, bled for it, and respected it. But these old ways were washed from the selfish man’s world. He demanded more things, bigger things, and things that would give him more control over his world.

The true people were forgotten. Some were infected by the selfish man’s ideas. They were seduced by the easy Tec–the convenience. We lost many to such ways. But among us there were still many who held onto our true selves.

While I do not remember the fall of the star, I do remember the elders’ stories. They say only the wise and strong knew what to do. Many of the selfish men did not know how to survive without their Tec. They did not remember what the land once was, and died quickly because of their own arrogance.

At first we had no home left. The cities were overrun by the greedy who took all they could carry and ran, or made up settlements that jealously horded what they had. We knew better. The few of us that first came were tired but strong. They had hunted escaped animals–still healthy and fat from captivity. Using skills passed to them from their elders they remembered how to use all of the beast for clothing, oil, and food. They had good sense unlike the selfish man, abandoning the ground to settle higher and further from places that still had what the selfish man was used to–what he would kill for.

We recognize the wisdom of our own. In this way we have been independent yet unified. Unlike the selfish man, the tribes know each of our kind survives best and different in their own way.

Elder Jobi made home for the hunters near an abandoned zoo. She was smart to keep many of the animals living and breeding, protecting them against marauders and killing them only when needed to support her kind. She gained respect as one of those who had been swayed by the selfish man’s ways but still kept tradition. She can be found when the tribes need weapons to match the changing world.

Elder Kattak came from a land far across the sea, but was trapped here when the star fell. He brought with him a fierce spirit, resistant to the modern Tec, but firm in knowledge of defense. His small family quickly bred into its own tribe which he took to ground but wisely trapped and barricaded against intruders. Kattak welcomes only the strong, challenging any who might come upon his land. It is said the weak do not survive. His people are especially prejudice against the selfish man, but can be called upon to defend the tribes with unmatched ferocity.Steppe_tribe

Elder Nasay is a rare kind of herbal master. Her painted skin and ageless beauty make her a strange one already. She, too, came from another place but was trapped here
as the world was broken. She may not speak our way, but she can heal any sickness. Only she and her son Hotan know this skill, and their small but useful tribe is the only one that needs no walls to keep away the plants or bugs. It is unwise to go to see them. When called upon, they must leave their settlement to visit others.

There are others who can be found to help us remain free and many. When we first began, we were more distant. Many did not think other groups would help. But our roots are stronger than our fears. The world changed meaning we had to change, too. Now we are stronger than most. The nine surviving Elders join together many times to talk about how to keep us safe. There is no tribe higher than another, we are not the selfish man; we work together. Survive together. But the elders know best, and have seen more of the world. They will guide us so that we do not repeat old mistakes or offend the natural design.

Core Beliefs

• It is important to explore, this is the only way to reconnect
• Elders know best
• Knowledge comes from the past; tradition is vital

Two more factions for Epocylipse have been made public recently; Texas Star and Freedom Fighters.

Texas Star

Lost? Confused? Out of place, and without order? Do you have virtue, strength, a solid gut instinct, and a desire to defend all that you’ve worked for? Oh, we have time for you. Time, I might add, that you’re running well out of.

Life is short. If you ask a Teller, they might be polite enough to phrase it; ‘life is shorter’. Idiots. You don’t have the time to think about where you belong. Now, you can spend all your precious moments–those handful of years you might survive the storms, toxins, and critters–out there wandering like a fool. Or you can join us and be worth each damn breath you draw.

The Star won’t judge you for what you can’t accomplish. But we’ll surely weigh in on what you can. You can be useful. Get out there, put hands on something real, something solid. You can carve your name in the abandoned places, marking new territory for a family who values you. You can bring to us the weapons we’ll need to gun down those who might try to steal from you your hard earned resources.

.....

Freedom Fighters

Grandfather used to say with this look on his face like the sun was in his eyes, “Law, liberty, and freedom are the things a man fights for but never earns.” He was full of sayings like that. As far as we know, he might have seen what it was like before. But that’s the thing; it’s just as far as we know. He’s dirt now. Where the land used to be black, and split up, and rocky without rock. He went out in a storm when the sky was red and there was fire on the ground. We left the body. We always leave the bodies if they get too far from the wall. The plants grow up through the cracks when it gets cooler. Cartel says they can fix it. S’not the point.

Point is grandfather used to say strange things that make me think it hasn’t always been like this. I don’t know what liberty means, but I know that freedom and law are what the settlement believes in. It’s what we go on. The elders who aren’t so afraid to work by or outside the wall anymore are hard on the word order, too. “It’s what makes right, right.”

They say that just before the asteroid hit, people knew what was right. After, maybe not so many do. Mother says that Grandfather–Pa Edwin, as she’ll call him, was meant to survive the Fall so that he could keep fighting for law, liberty, and freedom in whatever state the world went to when things calmed down.

Thanks Eye.

The devs of the game with the odd name, Epocylipse: The Afterfall, has made the first faction known.

Razor Edge Games - Epocylipse the Afterfall - Reveals First Playable Faction

– The Desert Rats -

Phoenix, AZ – February 16, 2016 – Razor Edges Games is revealing the first playable faction that players can join in their brand new game Epocylipse the Afterfall.  They’re called the Desert Rats and their 3 core beliefs are:

• The old world is gone and the new world should be re-explored and mapped.
• Survival takes many forms, so you can’t judge how others defend their lives under any circumstance.
• You don’t have to help anyone.

Founded by Andrew Taves and Kavor Hewitt, the Desert Rats are made up of the wandering survivors in the Southwest region. Desert Rats frequently send out runners to other regions and are sometimes labeled as marauders by rival factions.

The beauty of the Epocylipse the Afterfall game is the level of customization that it will provide to the players and the faction system is a perfect embodiment of this. Players have a total of 6 factions to choose from and can decide which group fits more closely with their ideals and survival plans when confronting a dangerous and uncertain future.

Stay tuned weekly for more updates about the game and for all 6 factions to be revealed.

For more details check out their website.

Razor Edge Games, who are developing the post apocalyptic RPG Epocylipse: The Afterfall, have decided to start the media campaign for their game.

Calling all RPG Gamers: Epocylipse the AfterFall has Arrived

Phoenix, Arizona - February 12, 2016 - It's time to customize your own role playing adventure in a huge open world, non-linear, procedurally generated game. Razor Edge Games introduces Epocylipse the AfterFall, a brand new role playing experience that breaks away from the "kill everything you see mentality" that has now become expected for digital RPG style games. Get ready for a more realistic approach to gaming in an exciting post-apocalyptic environment.

Epocylipse the AfterFall features detailed artificial intelligence, jaw dropping graphics, cinematic camera angles, along with a 100+ hours of gameplay and thousands of locations to discover. Combine this with a totally customizable game rule set, character aging, skill based gameplay and everyone is able to uniquely experience the game and make it their own. These are just some of the features in this dangerous but believable post-apocalyptic world rife with feral humans, mutated insects, toxic plants, where getting your character killed really matters.

Razor Edge Games founder, Mike Weiser, disenchanted with where modern role playing games were going, designed the first tabletop version of the Epocylipse game. In his own words he says, "Early in 2006 I decided to start to write a game that I could play solo or with friends, but also have an unending campaign that would allow me to play on even if they couldn't join me for specific play sessions. I wanted to design an RPG I always wanted to play, one that allowed me to experience the same feeling I had while playing a traditional table top game but without the need for a game master." Epocylipse the AfterFall is a true tabletop game come to life.

Developed by an international group of experienced game designers, cinematic executives and a host of passionate contributors, this game brings forth a new vision of what an RPG experience should be all about. Come discover the old world and explore the new one in Epocylipse the AfterFall.

For more information or any questions about the game please go to http://razoredgegames.com/. For the latest updates on game progress and for access to breathtaking new content, visit our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Epocylipseafterfall/