Underrail Forum

Underrail => Development Log => Topic started by: Styg on June 28, 2018, 09:53:47 pm

Title: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Styg on June 28, 2018, 09:53:47 pm
Hi guys,

Just want to let you know that development is going more or less according to plan. After finishing the Rig and the stuff in the old world, we've moved back to the Black Sea and are now polishing up some of the areas and wrapping up quests and the like. You can see some of the interesting areas in the video below as you relax to the excellent atmospheric music of Josh Culler.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbUtbJogXc4 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbUtbJogXc4)
 
We've also started working on the savage natives and their areas, so expect to see some of that in the next dev log.

That's all - just a short update to let you guys know that the development is going more or less according to plan and that you guys should stay tuned for more dev logs in the coming months.

Let us know how you liked the areas showcased in the video.

Cheers.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: harperfan7 on June 28, 2018, 10:04:57 pm
Hmm, giant grasshoppers (can't call em cave hoppers, can we) and siphoner tadpoles?
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Fenix on June 28, 2018, 11:17:21 pm
I like the music that start on 4s mimute, but not before honestly.
Art looks in a way I want to sink my teeth into it...  :D
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: TheAverageGortsby on June 29, 2018, 03:23:54 am
Ah, now I see why you changed the behavior of insulated padding on leather armors  8)
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Bruno on June 29, 2018, 06:41:47 am
The landscapes look very well. Thumbs up.

The music started on a great vibe, but my personal opinion is that from the start and until about 2:50, the disharmony and many different notes at the same time was very rough on the ears. I get that it is supposed to be a bit unsettling/creepy, but I think that track is too much man. Could benefit from some cleanup. No offense, just trying to help.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: ciox on June 29, 2018, 07:49:09 am
Ah, now I see why you changed the behavior of insulated padding on leather armors  8)

So you get freeze immunity now, that's nice, I always thought cold resist gear was underpowered.
Insulated Vest should probably have the same effect, I've never made one of those until now.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Turbodevil on June 29, 2018, 08:08:58 am
I like how dungeons and transition areas look like, the reef + cthulhu sculptures are nicely blended into underrail cyberpunk + cave theme.

The music sounded great, perfect balance between ambience and noticable melody/tunes. Better than most background music I heard because it was usually too ambient/bland for my taste. This also make it unsettling which fits exploring those dungeons perfectly, but can be tiresome, so I will probably turn the music down/up depending on my current mood.

Overall, I just can't wait for the expansion.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Trashos on June 29, 2018, 02:54:35 pm
Looks great, love the music.

Yeah, insulated armors needed some love.

The thing I am worried about is the difficulty progression/balance of a full playthrough (main game+expansion) with the expansion. Mid game expansions unbalance games too much for my liking, unless devs go to great lengths to rebalance them.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Trashos on June 29, 2018, 06:41:17 pm
As far as I know the idea is to tweak the late game and endgame parts that come after the expansion's content to keep them balanced. The large free-form midgame part, which Expedtion expands, stays mostly the same.


Still, I can see the whole Core City, the Protectorate/Free Drones questlines, and the Institute of Tchort becoming much easier if I can level up further before I tackle them. Unless their difficulty is changed just for the people who own the expansion.

Personally, I think that the best way to do such a thing is rework the leveling up progression all the way through *just for the people who have the expansion*, so that everyone ends up at the same level entering DC, expansion or not. The example I have in mind is New Vegas' JSawyer mod (which is more less what it did, although it added 5 levelups to the vanilla progression). But it takes a lot of determination to do that successfully.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Altos on June 29, 2018, 09:15:44 pm
Wow. Just wow.

This looks and sounds incredible. I can't remember if Mac is still the only one in the art department, but if so, he has seriously outdone himself! It's crazy to look back on the old alpha / Early Access version of Underrail and compare it to what it is today. It's almost unbelievable that it's even the same game!

I'm just in total awe. And the new graphics for the cameras look awesome!

Regarding the music, I thought it was great. I personally didn't find it bothersome at all. It all sounded just right. :)

Keep up the great work, guys. I'm so proud of how far you've come! :D
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Yonaiker on June 29, 2018, 09:21:19 pm
At this rate Mid 2019 is the release date, calling it.

Regarding the landscapes, looks like a trip back to Bioshock Rapture City, it only needs the Rivet Gun to make it perfect.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: TheAverageGortsby on June 29, 2018, 11:14:05 pm
Still, I can see the whole Core City, the Protectorate/Free Drones questlines, and the Institute of Tchort becoming much easier if I can level up further before I tackle them. Unless their difficulty is changed just for the people who own the expansion.
If you really want, you can easily hit level 20 before you start any of the plot quests or important&difficult content in the mid-game (Core City, Foundry, Rail Crossing). You can already outlevel the content trivially, there's no point worrying if you'll *still* be able to outlevel it trivially.  If you're worried about outlevelling content, play Oddity.  It's still possible, but much harder, to outlevel all the game content with Oddity, and that's what it was made for.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Trashos on June 30, 2018, 02:25:34 am
Right, I do play Oddity. I am on my 2nd full playthrough (Oddity/Hard). Entered Camp Hathor at level 10, Rail Crossing and Foundry at levels 11-12, did some exploring, and now I am starting Core City at level 14 (almost 15). By no means am I a master of the game yet, but I expect I will enter Institute of Tchort at level 19-20, and DC at ~22 (hopefully 23). It works out very nicely currently. That's why I am worried about the expansion.

Yes, that's mostly the idea. The expansion becomes available at some point in Core City. Main storyline stuff after that point will be tweaked for the expansion owners to keep it relevant at their level. Mid-game content that's already accessible over a wide level range (including the drones/protectorate questlines) will stay as it is.

Actually, the way you put it makes sense. If the expansion content is harder than Rail Crossing/Foundry, the progression may work with minimum casualties. Although it will probably be best if the expansion is harder than Core City (ie, expected to be done after getting the house).
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Mac Orion on July 01, 2018, 07:43:45 pm
Wow. Just wow.

This looks and sounds incredible. I can't remember if Mac is still the only one in the art department, but if so, he has seriously outdone himself! It's crazy to look back on the old alpha / Early Access version of Underrail and compare it to what it is today. It's almost unbelievable that it's even the same game!

I'm just in total awe. And the new graphics for the cameras look awesome!

Regarding the music, I thought it was great. I personally didn't find it bothersome at all. It all sounded just right. :)

Keep up the great work, guys. I'm so proud of how far you've come! :D


Nikola works now some time with us, he does the characters and helps me with some assets so I have more time to focus on smaller details that make the difference. Thanks for the praise and support!
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: drealmer7 on July 01, 2018, 08:53:11 pm
looking and sounding great

most anticipated game of 2017 still most anticipated game of 2018 !

I'm ready to make it past the Junkyard and REALLY get into the game !!!
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Altos on July 01, 2018, 09:37:15 pm
Nikola works now some time with us, he does the characters and helps me with some assets so I have more time to focus on smaller details that make the difference. Thanks for the praise and support!

I'm glad that it's not just you anymore! You guys are truly amazing artists! :)
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Hazard on July 02, 2018, 02:09:10 pm
I wonder if these structures were built by some other organization than Biocorp, since the architecture is so different from the base game areas.

In any case, the video looks really neat. Good job, and hurry up with the release. :D
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: UnLimiTeD on July 06, 2018, 09:06:22 am
Whelp, I regularly come here to check for new comments or tidbits of information, and it just occured to me that I never actually read the OP of this topic.
*facepalm*
Nice environments, I can really see the evolution.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Fenix on July 06, 2018, 01:08:33 pm
Nice environments, I can really see the evolution.

Tchort is evolution!
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Dieusama on July 14, 2018, 03:52:13 pm
Styg, what are your intentions with UnderRail and Expediation ? Do you still plan to release it as an expansion pack ? Or, as Infinitron of RPG Codex suggested, do you consider "upgrading" UnderRail to UnderRail +++ with Expedition content ? Or are you undecided ?

Thanks for the answers
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Styg on July 16, 2018, 09:24:39 am
Styg, what are your intentions with UnderRail and Expediation ? Do you still plan to release it as an expansion pack ? Or, as Infinitron of RPG Codex suggested, do you consider "upgrading" UnderRail to UnderRail +++ with Expedition content ? Or are you undecided ?

Thanks for the answers
I plan to release it as a DLC.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Billy_Wellington on July 18, 2018, 05:34:36 am
Styg, what are your intentions with UnderRail and Expediation ? Do you still plan to release it as an expansion pack ? Or, as Infinitron of RPG Codex suggested, do you consider "upgrading" UnderRail to UnderRail +++ with Expedition content ? Or are you undecided ?

Thanks for the answers
I plan to release it as a DLC.

Hello. If It's not a secret, why expedition is not available for preorders? I am sure many People would have done it already.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Styg on July 18, 2018, 08:44:04 am
Styg, what are your intentions with UnderRail and Expediation ? Do you still plan to release it as an expansion pack ? Or, as Infinitron of RPG Codex suggested, do you consider "upgrading" UnderRail to UnderRail +++ with Expedition content ? Or are you undecided ?

Thanks for the answers
I plan to release it as a DLC.

Hello. If It's not a secret, why expedition is not available for preorders? I am sure many People would have done it already.

Because it wouldn't make any difference except putting pressure on us. You'll have plenty of time to throw your shekels at us once the expansion is out.
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Billy_Wellington on July 18, 2018, 07:16:36 pm
I really respect your decisions and love the way you choose to work.
I will definitely trow some shekels when the time comes :D
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: hilf on August 10, 2018, 07:53:15 am
Let us know how you liked the areas showcased in the video.

All right: i want 4th location as my wallpaper!
( 1920x1200 )
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: Mac Orion on August 10, 2018, 09:05:17 am
Here you go
(https://image.ibb.co/eUh5d9/Screen_Shoot_Hilf.png)
Title: Re: Dev Log #58: Environments Preview
Post by: hilf on August 10, 2018, 10:24:13 am
:O Tchort has answered my prayers!
It's marvelous!

Tchort guide You, Mac Orion.