GAMES
Behind the Scenes of Creating Monsters for Deck of Ashes, Releasing Today on Xbox
Hi everyone! We are AYgames and today we are going to talk about our favorite creation – Deck of Ashes! Although we will focus on the monsters and other unforgettable spawns of the Ash world, let’s start with a bit of a background.
Our title is a roguelite deckbuilding game and it follows the uncanny path of the gang of antiheroes. All protagonists of this story are members of the Outcasts – the extremely dangerous gang whose criminal success played a dirty trick on them. They dared to rob Lady Death herself. It’s no surprise she outsmarted them (that was their own fault anyway) and the Ash Curse was unleashed upon this world from the very artifact they intended to steal.
The basic gameplay mechanics of our game is deck building turn-based battles with the Deck of Ashes at its core. The cards you play burn and you will need to spend some resources to bring them back from the ashes (cards won’t be simply restored after each battle).
The outcasts now have to face the consequences of their terrible deed. The fire witch, Lucia, was burnt alive as often happens to witches. The dark assassin, Sly, can’t help, but hears the voices of the people he killed. The fearless warrior Buck almost lost the only creature he loved. Only the cunning jester, Magnus, seems to benefit from this apocalyptic event and yet he desires much more. Each of the Outcasts meets the Ash Master and he shows them the way out – they simply have no way to find Lady Death and eradicate the Ash Curse once and for all.
Their adventures following this encounter had something in common:numerous battles with monsters. These monsters are what we are especially proud of as we designed them truly horrifying and different! The players are about to spend a lot of time fighting hordes of these creatures trying to find the right approach to each type and using various card combos.
Black Knight
Let’s start with the pretty distinctive one – meet the Black Knight!
The embodiment of chivalry mercifully punishes the unclean with a noble power eager to purge the cities of the evildoers at all costs. Of all people (and monsters) the Knights are obsessed with duels. Now corrupted by the Ash Curse, the Black Knight challenges his foes on duels by the new rules… but it’s always a fight of equals.
While creating this mini-boss (sorry for the spoiler) we kept in mind the idea of the knight duel. That’s why one of the key mechanics with this one is the so-called “equality”. The knight replaces all your cards with his, so you have to come up quickly with completely new tactics!
Hell Hound
Speaking of monsters, there is one we just cannot fall to mention: the Hell Hound.
”If you thinkg your dog has a bad temper, take a look at the Hell Hound. The Hell Hound hunts sinners desperately trying to escape death, but also troublesome demons. It does it not only because its masters command it, but because it likes killing. This huge ex-dog with its demon rider will burn and devour the flesh of its victims!
This is a tough one. Inexperienced players might think that this is just a generic mob, but the Hell Hound will quickly teach them a lesson. It has a solid amount of health and its high initiative will turn the battle into a real horrible mess. This agile creature constantly avoids attacks and can easily get you to make mistakes and waste most of your cards.
Nosferatu
Meet Nosferatu himself! The real vampire. It will suck dry all your health like a juice box unless you can find the right tactics against this creature.
The Ash Master’s warning: “Once upon a time there were plenty of wizards studying the mystery of death. They managed to revive legions of the fallen warriors and were eager to sacrifice their own lives just to rise again as undead. Nosferatu is much smarter than any other undead and he leads them into battle with ease. At first glance, Nosferatu might seem not that dangerous but as he dies, he restores the health of his little army. That’s why facing Nosferatu is always a challenge and it can easily turn ugly with all these undead creatures fighting till the very end!”
This monster summons various undead into the battle. Killing these minions won’t be much help as Nosferatu can easily bring them back from the depths of Hell! Kill him as soon as possible or you’ll be swarmed by the endless wave of undead!
Cannibal
The local scrooge is corrupted by the Ash Curse – Cannibal.
Initially, in the cities only beggars stooped to cannibalism pushed by hunger and desperation. But as the time went by the human flesh started to look much more appealing, especially to the rich people. The Cannibal twisted by the Ash Curse is forced by his insatiable hunger, which he tries to appease even by eating his own flesh. Starving and furious like the wild beast, he blindly follows his instincts and attacks anyone on his path.
This enemy can give you goosebumps. Have no doubt, the Cannibal will use all the dirty tricks he has up his sleeve. He can eat the weaker monsters to fulfill his health. Find a way to cease this regeneration or you might end up as a pudding for this fatty!
We talked about just a few of the monsters you’re about to face in Deck of Ashes. The rest await you in the game. We’ve got something to surprise you. Will you dare to challenge the Ash Course?
Deck of Ashes is full of choices, challenges, unique mechanics, unforgettable battles and unforeseeable events. Embark on this adventure and solve the mystery of the Ash Curse! Follow the stories of Lucia, Sly, Buck, Magnus and Sybil. Each character is created with heart and has their own unique destiny. You are about to play it through in your own way.
Do not be afraid to explore and experiment. The game favors the brave! Good luck on your journey and may the Ash Curse fall!
Deck of Ashes: Complete Edition
Buka Entertainment
$24.99
$22.49
Deck of Ashes is an adventure game with tactical card combat. In this complete edition of the game an elven archer Sibyl the Dark Soul joins the cast of antiheroes on their quest for redemption. As Sibyl, use superior sharpshooter skills, resurrect fallen enemies or induce Fear and Hysteria in everyone who oppose you. One character at a time, explore the cursed fantasy world and hunt down powerful cards. Put your survival and resource management skills to the test when upgrading your Camp of allies.
The choices that drive your journey – where to go, which resource to collect, which risk to take, and which card to craft – are the difference between success and untimely demise.
Can You Rid the World Of the Ash Curse?
Dynamic and Dangerous World
Deck of Ashes features a procedurally generated world where danger waits around every corner. Sudden ambushes, cataclysms, and random events will force you to constantly adapt and explore fleeting opportunities to gain an edge! Refine your strategy on the go to ensure your survival!
Deck-building Done Right
We provide you with the best deck-building tools we could develop. If you are a newbie – we got you covered, as there are sets of cards that obviously work well together. And if you are ready to go crazy with your own deck idea, there is a 100+ cards for each character to explore and combine. BEWARE: a ton of potential to go nuts with the unexpected combos!
Upgrade the Camp to Meet Your Needs
Different strategies require vastly different upgrades of your Camp. The resources are scarce, and you won’t be able to upgrade everything in one playthrough, so choose wisely!
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GAMES
The German Empire Marches to Italy in a Free Expansion Today
We have a new expansion for our WW1 Italian Front FPS game Isonzo releasing today! It’s the first part of our Caporetto season of free expansions, and features a whole new faction with the arrival of the German Empire on the Italian Front, and brings a new map for the Offensive game mode. There will be two more releases in the Caporetto season, each one with a new map to ultimately link together into a three map Caporetto Offensive.
The German faction comes with more than ten new weapons, as well as historically accurate uniforms and equipment. This first Caporetto map sees you taking part in the early stages of the Twelfth Battle of the Isonzo, with German troops assaulting Italian positions on the road to Caporetto. Historically it was a military disaster for Italy which brought down the government – but maybe things can go differently with you on the battlefield?
The update sees new uniforms and equipment from the German Empire for Isonzo’s six classes: Rifleman, Assault, Engineer, Officer, Marksman and Mountaineer. For those who aren’t familiar with the game, each class has different weapon, gear and perk options that allow you to specialize your play style within the overall focus of the class. For instance, Marksmen are always sharpshooters, but a lot depends on your loadout. You could be a long-range sniper and observer identifying and eliminating high value targets with a scoped rifle, or you could equip body armor to take and hold a front line position with deadly accurate mid-range fire. Every class has choices to make in this regard.
In Isonzo’s signature Offensive game mode, one side must attack and break through multiple defensive lines. Thick layers of barbed wire, trenches, and whatever extra defenses the enemy engineers put together will stand in the way of a successful attack. Objectives can be taking and holding key points, or planting dynamite to sabotage enemy supply stashes or heavy artillery guns.
The new Caporetto map – the first of three in the season – is a huge battlefield based on the strategically important Monte Kolovrat. There are five defensive lines, where each line has two objectives for the attackers before they can advance further. While in the historical Battle of Caporetto both German and Austro-Hungarian forces were involved, in Isonzo we’ve chosen to focus on the German contribution, so the map recreates the stunning German advance from the town of Tolmein all the way to Kolovrat Ridge. It’s a damp, overcast day when the attack begins, and the attackers must first cut their way through lines of wire to break into a devastated town – including capturing a church defended by multiple heavy machine gun positions. Fortunately, in Isonzo there are many tactical options available to deal with such strong points: artillery barrages, smokescreens, snipers, rifle grenades, even poison gas. From there, it becomes a literal uphill battle for the German attackers as they begin to climb towards the peak of Kolovrat Ridge. They’ll need to sabotage bunkers and capture command posts while navigating rocky trenches and steep forested slopes. At the penultimate fourth defensive line there is a huge siege mortar to sabotage and a cluster of houses providing cover to the Italian defenders – then it’s one last climb to reach the final objective: Hill 1114. If the Germans can take it, the Italians will finally be the ones fighting uphill as their reinforcements stream in to try and counterattack.
Of course, things are no walk in the park for the defenders either – although it’s easier to maneuver when going downhill, and it’s much simpler for officers to deploy flares to call in support, the extensive trench lines can become a liability once the Germans get a foothold, providing cover as they advance. Some of the Italian defensive positions can be exposed against the sky, making it easy for German marksmen to pick off targets. Italian engineers should make good use of their construction abilities to put down additional sandbags and lay out extra wire to prevent German assault troops sneaking through the trees to flank trenches with their grenades or light machine guns.
As we mentioned before, historically the Battle of Caporetto was a disaster for the Italians. Appalling leadership led to poorly motivated and unprepared troops falling apart in the face of the combined Austro-Hungarian and German armies using cutting edge infiltration tactics. The Italian soldiers were not allowed to retreat until too late, and in the end hundreds of thousands would surrender. After Caporetto the top Italian general was fired and replaced by someone far more competent, who managed to turn the war around for the Italians. In Isonzo, it’s a more fair fight where both sides have an equal chance of winning, if they can use all the tactical options available better than their opponents.
The release will also bring other improvements to the game, including a prestige mode and higher level cap. Additionally, for those who want more options for visual customization of their character, the Royal Units DLC is releasing alongside the free expansion and contains uniforms from the German Kingdoms of Bavaria and Württemberg. Though part of the German Empire, these states had their own distinctive uniforms which we’ve carefully recreated with the same accuracy and attention to detail as with the other uniforms in the game.
The Battle for Caporetto Begins…
Isonzo is available right now on the Microsoft Store for Xbox, and the free Caporetto expansion is out today! Plenty of time to master the art of mountain warfare before the German Empire joins the action on the Italian Front. Follow us to get the latest development news as we add the finishing touches!
We’ll see you in the trenches!
Isonzo
BlackMill Games
$29.99
World War One expands to the mountains of the Italian Front – beautiful but deadly in equal measure. Inspired by the two year struggle for control of the Isonzo river valley and the Alps during World War One, Isonzo elevates the WW1 Games Series, figuratively and literally.
From the makers of Verdun and Tannenberg…
Take part in historical offensives from the Sixth Battle of the Isonzo to the Strafexpedition. Reflecting the course of the actual battles, as the attackers advance the fighting will shift through vastly different landscapes within a single offensive: from hillside fortresses to mountain trenches and fierce urban combat on city streets. Everything is recreated based on research and field trips, from sound effects and uniforms down to the houses, vineyards and trenches you’ll be fighting over.
The new Offensive game mode puts you right in the middle of key historical offensives on the Italian Front. Lead the charge across stunning Italian landscapes as you choose your path to victory – cut paths through barbed wire, flank your enemies by following mountain trails, or man a mortar to blast a way through. Shape a dynamic battlefield by laying sandbags and wire, placing ammo crates, deploying trench periscopes or sniper shields, and more.
Call in support with a unique historically accurate flare system: flare guns can mark targets for artillery or biplane flybys, or different colored flares can be used to guide your team. Once the big guns have softened up the enemy, finish the job at close quarters with an Arditi dagger or mountaineer’s pickaxe. Man heavy machine guns, mortars and even mountain guns for more direct fire support.
Choose from six classes based on historical combat roles and build your loadout from a selection of weapons, equipment and perks linked to that class, giving flexibility and variety while staying grounded in what real soldiers might have carried. You’ll be operating wire cutters, bandaging yourself and wounded teammates, and blowing the whistle to start an assault. One shot can kill and even lighter injuries can lead to quickly bleeding out.
Being an effective soldier in Isonzo is not just about being a good marksman. Mastering the terrain is also key – the mountain can be a friend or foe. Learn how to navigate well to maintain cover and surprise your enemies or support your allies.
Finally… watch out for the dreaded poison gas. You’ve never experienced WW1 action quite like this!
Isonzo key features include:
• MOUNTAIN WARFARE: Assaulting mountain fortifications, battling through ruined towns, and fording rivers are just a few of the challenges you’ll face as you fight your way through numerous enemy positions
• TACTICAL MULTIPLAYER FPS: Choose your role and loadout carefully to survive this high altitude combat – play a sniper to pick off the enemy engineers before they can cut your wire, use rifle grenades to clear enemy machine guns, and much more
• WORLD WAR ONE GAMEPLAY: Historical Offensive game mode based on real battles and focused on the unique challenges of Alpine warfare. Fight with 30+ WW1 weapons, poisonous gas attacks, and intense artillery barrages
• BUILD FOR VICTORY: Place your own wire, sandbags, trench periscopes, and more! Whether you’re digging in or on the attack, shaping the battlefield to your advantage will be key to victory
• FACES OF WAR: Make every class your own by picking from a variety of historically class-appropriate uniforms, accessories and headgear. As a finishing touch, you can even pick your mustache from several famous period-accurate styles!
• AUTHENTIC WW1 ATMOSPHERE: Accuracy in everything from maps and weaponry to music and the uniforms – fight for the Kingdom of Italy, the German Empire or the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy
MORE GAMES IN THE AUTHENTIC WW1 GAME SERIES
Immerse yourself in more WW1 action with our other standalone titles Tannenberg and Verdun. Experience trench warfare on the Western Front in Verdun, or maneuver for control of key sectors in Tannenberg on the Eastern Front. These authentic WW1 shooters let players choose from a range of squads from across the war, as they fight for control of the ever-changing frontlines.
GAMES
Transport Fever 2: Console Edition is Bringing the Full Transport Tycoon Experience to Xbox
Today, we proudly share a sneak peek into the development of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition, and how we managed to bring the full transport tycoon experience to Xbox.
Transport Fever is a very popular and highly rated transportation tycoon franchise on PC. Its latest entry, Transport Fever 2, delivers a level of size and detail never before seen in the genre. The goal of the game is to build a successful transportation company by constructing railroads, streets, water and air lines. Starting in the 19th century, the player connects towns and industries to transport both passengers and cargo. In addition to a customizable free game mode, there is also a fully-fledged campaign mode with challenging missions set in real-world transportation history.
After the huge success of Transport Fever 2 on PC, it was only logical to bring the experience to consoles as well. Not only that, but no efforts were spared to give the console community the full experience that made the game great on PC. In order to achieve this, the engineers at Urban Games had to pull some rabbits out of their engineers’ hats.
Always providing the freshest layer of paint
One of the most cherished features of Transport Fever 2 are its highly detailed vehicles. The game comes with more than 200 lovingly hand-modeled trains, ships, and airplanes, each sporting multiple 4k textures and normal maps.
On PC, it is easily affordable to have all the models and textures in memory whenever needed, as a typical rig has 16 GB of RAM and a GPU with a dedicated extra memory. Consoles, however, are built differently. They have a unified architecture with an overall smaller amount but ultra-fast memory. The key to make it work on consoles is texture streaming, which allows to clear textures of models that are not in view anymore. Moreover, this technology is used in Transport Fever 2 to constantly load textures at the highest affordable resolution to present the stars of the show, like the classic Class A 3/5 steam locomotive, in their best coat of paint at all times.
Keeping the ground like a console pro
A trademark of Transport Fever 2 are its huge maps. During development of the game, it was always paramount to provide a real sense of scale. The engine should allow for maps where a high-speed train, such as the famous Japanese Shinkansen, can really make use of its superior speed. So, a lot of effort was put into designing a highly effective terrain rendering pipeline that can handle maps of more than 120 sq miles of size with a detail resolution of almost 1 yard. Central to this is a dynamic terrain tessellation algorithm on the CPU that, while costing a bit of extra memory, makes sure the engine can render these maps on a wide variety of PCs.
Now, enter the world of consoles with their incredibly well-designed GPUs and graphic APIs. Here, the hardware can be leveraged very well for terrain rendering by making use of the GPU tessellation feature. This feature generates the render mesh for the terrain fully on the graphics card, saving valuable processing time for the complex economy and city growth simulations. While generating more triangles, the hardware approach still costs less memory overall due to its efficiency. So vast maps can be viewed from a bird’s view high up in the sky and seamlessly zoomed in down to individual rocks on a riverbank.
Inspiring the inner architect
Finally, let’s talk about constructions, a central and defining part of the Transport Fever 2 experience. Constructions are large assemblies that consist of dozens of assets, street segments, ground decals and terrain modifications. Think of structures like airports, train stations, docks, highway crossings, and many more. Anything that is needed to build a vast transportation empire.
For a smooth construction experience, it is key that the player really feels that he has precise control over the building placement. On PC, constructions are typically built using the mouse. As the average PC user is very well adjusted to this method of input, it is sufficiently performant to calculate the entire construction each frame and place it under the cursor. However, on consoles, the best way of building constructions is to have them always kept in the center of the screen and move the camera along the map for placement. And moving the camera needs to be as smooth as silk.
So, for the console release of Transport Fever 2, the construction preview pipeline was overhauled. All dynamic calculations are now performed in the background while a static preview of the structure and its underlying ground plan are shown. Not only are constructions now completely stable in terms of FPS, but they also give feedback to the player on what environment features the construction would tear down when built.
Let’s get tycooning on console
We are very excited to bring the Transport Fever franchise to consoles for the first time ever with the release of Transport Fever 2: Console Edition on Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One in February 2023, and we hope you will enjoy it as much as we did developing it.
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