Hi guys,
It's been two weeks since our last update. During that time we’ve been working tirelessly on new game content. And in this update, as is tradition, I’d like to share the next portion of our results.
CO-FOUNDERS
First of all, we’ve done a survey and in 3 days we’ve already received answers from 99% of you. A big thanks, guys, for getting back to us so quickly. It’s allowed us to be quick in getting to giving out Co-Founder statuses to your accounts on our forum. At the time of publication, almost all statuses have been attached to backers from $129 DIGITAL LIEUTENANT and higher.
We’re still giving out statuses and combining all three backer databases ("Direct Pledges" from the Store, "The Fall of Gyes" Kickstarter, and "After Reset RPG" Kickstarter) together. I expect that we’ll have given out Co-Founder statuses to everyone by the next update.
As I promised, we’ll stop giving out that status as part of game pledges roughly before the release of Steam Early Access, having continued to deliver additional content on the forum for Co-Founders. Actually, I’d like to increase the abilities and usefulness of this status during development of the After Reset universe as a special thanks to you, dear Followers.
THELOBBI.COM INTERVIEW
A few days ago, I was briefly interviewed by Jeremy Wilfinger for the site www.thelobbi.com, which you can read here: Thelobbi.com.
A big thanks to him and the site editor for putting our interview on the main page!
WASTELAND 2
Many of you know that After Reset was born in the moment when we simply got tired of waiting for a truly old-school Fallout 3 (Van Buren), in the moment when we understood that no one other than us, the gamers would do that. For a long time we were left with a very skeptical mood toward Wasteland 2… And it lasted until last week, when we got its release version on Steam.
Guys, it turned out to be very interesting! I.e., this game, of course doesn’t have anything in common with either Fallout 1&2&T, or with After Reset RPG… But it doesn’t even have to be like them, or even be a classic RPG. It has its own interesting style/setting/mechanics/gameplay… In general, I personally don’t understand what exactly its secret is, but it’s really cool and fun to play. I played all weekend without stopping (and there’s no end or border in this game), and I’ll be very happy to back Wasteland 3!
One nuance: two times in the beginning I thought of deleting the game after creating a character (a sentiment I’ve heard from plenty of gamer friends). I really didn’t like the character portraits, and I don’t like to play as a big faceless group. But Brian Fargo has slyly provided for the ability to load your own portraits and delete the others besides your own character from the group. We’ve prepared a character portrait pack from After Reset especially for you: Indiedb.com.
I’m sure that even if you’ve had doubts, with our pack, Wasteland 2 will sparkle with fresh colors for you! You have to play it; the game is really worth it!
MODELLING PROGRESS
Over the last week we’ve prepared a few great furniture collections from which, as a rule, the underground outposts of the Military Corps of the United Governments will be furnished. This modular furniture is made by KIMEA Industries from plastic and composite materials in a style traditional for Pastagers in 132 A.R. (132 years After the Reset).
Here are a few screenshots of our new in-game low-poly Workbench and Drawers models:
According to tradition, our Co-Founders can download and discuss screenshots in high-resolution in the Co-Founders’ Area on our forum: Afterreset.com.
Beyond in-game objects, we've also finished creating models for the M-88 Nail Gun and ammunition for it, the Small Power Block. In accordance with the game mechanics this is a one-handed weapon that you can find already in the Prologue, belonging to the Energy Weapons class and the Coil Weapons subclass. At the same time, in that the M-88 Nail Gun is just and engineering tool, this weapon will have the attribute Weapon Feat “NOT A WEAPON,” which will negatively affect its combat characteristics.
And so, allow me to present the in-game screenshots of the M-88 Nail Gun:
And Small Power Blocks produced by Ishima Engineering, compatible with all nail guns:
GAME MECHANICS
We're still working on the details of the game mechanics, a third of which we’re inserting into the programming process of character creation, but already in the next update we will be able to share the full gaming characteristics of the first ready combat items with their inventory icons.
HOSTING TRANSFER
In the last few weeks we’ve had more and more visitors coming to our site with growing regularity, and the load on our server has grown hugely. For your convenience, friends, we’ve transferred our site and forum to new powerful servers in Arizona.
LORE
Right now, I’m also starting to work on descriptions and texts, which can be obtained from the computers and mobile devices at the Gyes base while going through the prologue. All of them, somehow or another, will give hints as to the events that took place, reveal some characters, and/or cast some more light on the setting of the whole After Reset world that you’ll soon be able to travel around in.
In today’s update, I’d like to direct your attention to an extract from the data you’ll be able to get from the computers on the base:
"... Every marine should be a good shot, and the unquestionably severe battles in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas have facilitated the resurrection and perfection of this art after decades of the Military Corps being on temporary shutdown in Underearth. But now it is time to turn our attention to the cooperation of various types of armed forces on the battlefield. Now more than ever, military appropriations need rigid control on the part of the Economic Corps and the Supervisory Council.
The fact of how wasteful the marines’ tactics have become in recent years can be demonstrated with the example of armored vehicle use. In Oklahoma and Kansas, Survivor guerillas have set roadside mines that are regularly blowing up our light "Pitbulls." The Military Corps has spent 15 billion credits developing and delivering the MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) "Bear" armored vehicles. And now, when military operations in these states are at the very least hobbling to completion, the need for MRAP vehicles is gradually approaching zero. Its features, which were so necessary before, are becoming a burden: these vehicles cannot fit into standard descent carriers nor helicopters. And now soldiers are refusing these vehicles. There are already only 29 "Bears" left at the Odessa firing range this year judging by a report from lieutenant colonel Tim Fenning, …"
from a speech of Michael O’Shea,
Director of the Research Department in the Surface Recolonization Institute of Eos, 131 A.R.
If you like it, but you missed similar, earlier lore extracts, you can find them on our forum. For example, here and here.
INSPIRATION READING
In a recent update, I shared works of classic science fiction that inspired me when making the setting and plot of the game. Having appreciated your positive reviews, friends, I’d like to continue this tradition, of publishing inspiring small sci-fi stories that I personally like in our updates.
Today’s three recommendations are directly or tangentially related to the three major in-game races and species of the After Reset setting.
The first story, "Placement Test" by John Keith, exposes the concept of corporate meritocracy, closely linked with the United Governments before the Reset.
The second story, "Bluff" by Harry Turtledove allows you to take a look at what is truly great in human consciousness in an unexpected way, paving the way to the mystery of the Incorporeals’ existence.
The third, "White Death" by Stanislaw Lem will serve as a hint at the events of the graphic novel "The Fall of Gyes."
And, finally, the fourth, "The Battle" by Robert Shekley, I’m sure will make you smile, thinking about the Synthetics.
ROLEPLAY
And, topping off today’s news, I’d like to talk to you like an old roleplaying DM talks to future players. Because I’m beginning work on detailing dialogues and other roleplaying content for the Prologue, feedback from players is important for me to create realistic and captivating content. Well, you know, so you won’t just blaze through dialogues, messages and descriptions, but will really read them enthusiastically. And so the dialogue options for every alignment your character could have will be alive and realistic.
And so, imagine…
Silence… A quiet, endless silence, enveloped in a disarming darkness. All around you, in your head, instead of your body is absolute peace and emptiness. An emptiness you don’t melt into, but fill. You are that emptiness. For you, neither time nor space exist, only you. You are the alpha and the omega.
"Ting!" – not so much heard as felt by your entire nature, a sound suddenly rips through the cover of silence.
"Tiiiiiiing!" – and you feel like the very same sound, hidden deep inside, like ice being chewed slowly; it forces your bones to vibrate.
"Babaaaaaaang!" – a third sharp sound rips into your consciousness through your eardrums, suddenly breaking the silence and darkness that was covering you into a thousand pieces. A moment… and all that’s left in your ears is a whistling chirp gradually subsiding in the world revealing itself to you…
"Wake up, commander" – a young woman’s voice finally brings you to. “Wake up, commander,” repeats the pleasant voice persistently.
And finally you become aware of yourself, wet and naked, lying among shards of glass, metal and wires in the middle of some kind of fairly spacious room. Judging by the inscriptions on the walls, it’s some kind of laboratory.
"Wake up, Commander, you need to go," continues the same voice, insisting. You look around, but don’t see anyone around. “You need to go, Commander.” This time you understand that this voice isn’t coming from anywhere, as if it’s coming from inside your head. Partly on your own, and partly obeying this inner voice, you somewhat awkwardly pick yourself up from the floor and carefully shake the wet shards off.
The slightly flickering monitors around the table you woke up at the foot of are flashing red and are apparently showing error messages. To your left there’s an identical table, above which an empty glass capsule is mounted. It’s entirely possible that just such a capsule was next to you before…
You try to remember what happened "before" and with horror you realize that you don’t remember what happened before you opened your eyes, nor where you are, nor even who you are or your name. Your pupils widen, and in your head one question flashes: "WHAT THE!?"
"Commander, you need to go," says the same feminine voice leading you out of the numbness…
* * *
Just like that, friends, your adventure in the world of After Reset RPG begins.
After getting used to this role, just having come to (and obviously, not all the way), tell me by writing comments on these questions:
1. Which questions are eating you up?
2. What will you do with the voice in your head?
3. What hypotheses come to mind of what happened before your waking up?
Thanks in advance, I’ll be waiting impatiently for your answers, guys!
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