GAMES
Out of This World Customization in OlliOlli World: VOID Riders
The first expansion for OlliOlli World has landed, and with it come over 70 all-new customization options to add to the vast selection already in the base game.
The V.O.I.D. Riders are an all-new alien crew who’ve landed in Radlandia on a quest to find the mystical Hyped One — a truly out-of-this-world skater worthy of cosmic celebration. Could that skater be you? Will you be able to impress their mysterious leader, Nebulord? And, most importantly — what kind of fresh new fashions are these intergalactic visitors bringing with them to Radlandia?!
I spoke to Arthur Tubb, lead character artist & animator at developer Roll7, who gave me the inside scoop on the new customization options in this DLC, and how all these extraterrestrial ‘fits came to be.
Roll7: Hey, Arthur! First things first. Could you tell me a bit about the process of designing a customization item?
Arthur Tubb: We start by figuring out how many new items we need, how they are unlocked, and how they fit into the narrative. Then we go crazy and try to design them. I work on all aspects of the process, from concepting, modeling, texturing, skinning, rigging, and setting up the prefabs in-game.
Roll7: What’s a Prefab?
Arthur Tubb: Well, in this context, the Prefab is the item of clothing and how it fits into the customization system.
Roll7: So, for example, there’s a Prefab that’s just a basic t-shirt shape, and then you and the customization team can put different colors and patterns onto it?
Arthur Tubb: That’s right!
Roll7: What was your thought process when working on the new ‘VOID’ line. What was the vibe you were aiming for?
Arthur Tubb: In terms of vibe, I always try to steer it back towards existing skate culture… most of the items I’ve actually seen people wearing whilst skating at some point, whether it’s eccentrics in the streets or in old skate videos from the 80s!
Roll7: How did you go about capturing that out-of-this-world feeling with these new customization items?
Arthur Tubb: The rainbow shader probably makes them feel the most cosmic, and the wiggly effect on the Nebulord items. The Rainbow Shader is a special type of effect on the custom items within the game, creating a kaleidoscope of colors that moves across the object. I can’t take the credit for that, it’s down to our VFX artists! But I did make a board where the griptape is a portal into another dimension…
Roll7: There are a couple of new grabs and animations in this DLC, too. Which were you most excited to see in-game and why?
Arthur Tubb: Yup, there are a few new ones! I animated the grabs, and our 3D animator Aurelien Duhayon created the animation options for your character to do at the start and end of runs. The Rocket Air is really cool, as I like 80s vert tricks, but the Cosmic Caveman start animation is just hilarious. We had fun with these new ones, for sure.
Roll7: There are also some new hairstyles. How does the process of choosing and designing those work?
Arthur Tubb: We did get some requests to make even more diverse hairstyles, and we were happy to take that on board. Our amazing concept artist German Reina came up with new hairstyles based on those requests, and then our 3D artist Jeremi Boutelet modeled them in all their squishy glory. The toughest part of that is probably creating the blendshapes, so they fit perfectly under all the hats! A ‘Blendshape’ is an effect which modifies one object into another shape, in this context it is the difference between a hairstyle with or without a hat!
Roll7: If you could wear/own one item from OlliOlli World: VOID Riders in real life, what would you pick and why?
Arthur Tubb: My personal style is pretty boring, I like plain things with maybe one accent color. So, I’d opt for the black Believe T-shirt with the pink print.
Roll7: What’s your favorite new customization item you worked on for this first expansion, and why?
Arthur Tubb: Oh, that’s a tough one, I love them all for different reasons. But the hoodie with the hood up is great, gives some new variations and doing the skinning around the neck was fun. The Lagoon Creature outfit is cool too, as it’s got big, oversized feet and a permanently dumb expression.
OlliOlli World: VOID Riders brings a brave new world of challenges and space-age gear as you prepare to enter and explore an alien biome: the V.O.I.D. VOID Riders is the first of two expansions for critically acclaimed OlliOlli World created by the BAFTA and multi-award-winning studio, Roll7. You can pick up VOID Riders today on the Xbox Store for $9.99.
OlliOlli World: VOID Riders
Private Division
$9.99
Skate me to your leader – the VOID Riders have landed in OlliOlli World’s first expansion! Extra steezy extraterrestrials – Sair’Rah, Khehvyn, and Pftangxi – have arrived in Radlandia, intent on acquiring skate specimens for the mighty Nebulord. OlliOlli World: VOID Riders brings a brave new world of challenges and space-age gear as you prepare to enter and explore an alien biome: the V.O.I.D.
Feel the flow as you trek across the snowed-in Cloverbrook, grind the eerie Sunshine Valley, and visit storming Burntrock. While traversing Radlandia, find yourself swept up in alien abduction with the new tractor beam mechanic. Stick the landing and impress Nebulord with your extraterrestrially-inspired style and you may just find yourself in favor to become his favorite skate alien! Kick-flip into the raddest reaches of space in OlliOlli World’s next out of this world adventure.
VOID Riders is the first of two expansions for the critically acclaimed game OlliOlli World, created by the BAFTA and multi-award-winning studio Roll7.
Key Features:
● Enter the V.O.I.D.: Ollie through a variety of levels with your otherworldly companions and experience an all-new side of Sunshine Valley, Cloverbrook, and Burntrock. While your alien cohort retrieves skate specimens (and cows), endure the obstacles ahead to unlock the VOID Riders’ home planet: V.O.I.D.
● UFO Sighting: “Defying gravity” takes on a whole new meaning in VOID Riders. Encounter massive beams of light lifting up everything in their path…including you! Take your tricks to the next level and grip your board before hitting the tractor beam. If you succeed, you’ll be able to use anti-gravity to your advantage to perform even more steezy tricks. Missing those opportunities could risk a crash landing like none other. Up for the challenge?
● Extradimensional Expression: Show your true self with out of this world looks, including everything from alien streetwear to a cow onesie. There are lots of all-new customizations available to transcend your personal sci-fi style with unique outfits, fresh emotes, and slick tricks.
OlliOlli World: VOID Riders is the first expansion that can be purchased individually or as part of the OlliOlli World Expansion Pass or OlliOlli World Rad Edition. OlliOlli World base game is required to play expansions. Please be careful not to make duplicate purchases.
OlliOlli World
Private Division
$29.99
$23.99
Traverse a delightful and weird world as you take on missions, challenges, and make new friends along the way. Customize your character’s looks, tricks, and style while you experience explorable levels with multiple paths that provide an array of opportunities for player expression. Challenge the world in Leagues or dare a friend to beat your best tricks on one of millions of sharable levels. Experience the accessibility, depth, and player freedom as you dive into the signature flow state gameplay of OlliOlli World.
OlliOlli World marks the third entry in the critically-acclaimed OlliOlli series from Roll7, the BAFTA and multi-award-winning independent studio.
Key Features:
• Welcome to Radlandia!: Take a trip across a lush skateboarding utopia that is filled to the brim with eccentric characters and vibrant locations that are begging to be explored. Find your grind in Inflatable Alley or blaze down Los Vulgas to discover new paths, fresh side quests, rad rewards, and epic trick opportunities. All perfectly complemented by a hand-picked compilation of IDM and Electronica tracks.
• Play at your level: Super tight controls combine with highly refined gameplay to ensure a silky smooth ride. Not a Pro? Don’t worry – OlliOlli World welcomes you with open arms, allowing new players to tear down streets and pull off sick method grabs without fear of faceplanting the curb. Think you’ve got what it takes? Achieve mastery through millions of unique levels in sandbox mode or compete against rivals around the globe in leagues with a hugely deep combo system with over 100 moves to master and combine in your battle for the highest score.
• Freedom of expression: Cruise through Radlandias epic skate-haven and prove your skills to unlock special rewards that let you customize your character’s looks, tricks and style. Want to skate in your flip flops… go for it. Want to wear a bumble bee onesie …ok then… no judgement. In OlliOlli World as long as you’re on board anything goes!
GAMES
This Week’s Deals with Gold and Spotlight Sale
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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