My name is Tom bird, and I'm the lead singer on the post-launch Age of Wonders: Planetfall. Planetfall has been an amazing game to work on – it gave us the opportunity to explore a lot of cool sci-fi ideas and give us our own, and to create a new atmosphere for people to explore. However, even though we heard the game was there, there was room for improvement, and a few months ago we started the process of creating a major update, including the feedback we had received from players.
One of the main applications was contained over the course of the game. Previously there are many exciting levels for a player to explore, but once a player has begun to send more powerful troops, these sites have ceased to be a challenge. There were some great landmarks that needed powerful armies to defeat, but these are rare, and players missed something that they would occupy right in the middle of these early game stages.
For the first step I stayed with Thomas Schuiten, the lead architect and tactical combat maps (he also wrote a lot of unpleasant site stories from Awakenings DLC). We have determined that one section of the world map is not undermined in the current construction: Travel Destinations.
DNA Vault site for a visit from the Pre-Tyrannosaurus version of the game
The DNA archive above gives a temporary bonus to the troops who visit us (hence the name visit), but because of the patronage of the troops, they are often overlooked as it is not worth the time for soldiers to take down the building. He also suggested that we could use these structures as a starting point to develop a new category of structures that could provide a legitimate challenge to the players' absence. The following week he presented a draft proposal:
This screenshot is part of the original draft document; the old sites are on the left and the redesign is on the right
The invention greatly increased the economic value of the other sites, and also provided them with the potential for expansion of units located in the Colony containing the area. The "tour" effect will be deleted, so that the description of the place cannot be changed. The basic idea was that the sites would be the most desirable structures we could distribute to the world, with strong defenders that would require developed armies to clear, bridging the gap in the course of the game.
It was decided to keep two tourist facilities around, the Charging Station because the many distribution centers were very useful to the players, and the Repair Center because the healing units were also useful. The most popular tourist destination (Hard Weapons Factory) offered a bonus of great damage to the visiting soldiers, so we decided to combine that with the Repair Station, and increase its potential value.
As construction had passed the first obstacle was the time to bring in Sarah Obert. Sarah is the artist responsible for making natural art for Planetfall & # 39; s DLC, and she and Thomas have previously collaborated to create battle maps for Awakening & # 39; s DLC. Sarah's task would be to put up battle maps for each site, so that the players who entered them could be truly sold into the story of each site.
The first step is to use the existing game assets to create blocks for each map. This can be used to test the composition to make sure it works for gameplay purposes.
DNA vault block-out. Vault walls were recycled from the interior interior maps, where they represented computer banks covered with bright lights
Block used for testing:
- Is there enough space to move around – if the spaces are too small, then the melee units will have difficulty reaching their intended target
- Is AI behaving ethically, not restricting itself and using the apartments designed for construction
- Are there good sight lines and areas to cover a wider battlefield, especially in a & # 39; assembly area & # 39; (the place where the fight will appear in the default solution)
- We can build a map that sells a map story
Once the block is complete, Sarah and Thomas work together to try to make the map “more realistic.” For example, the stairs were moved so they were in positions where the stairs would be needed for the actual building, rather than simply where it was ready to fight.
Eventually, Sarah started working on “mapping.” The process is similar to building a house in The Sims. Sarah has a great library of assets that she and other designers can use to make the map beautiful and tell the story of an old stadium, full of ancient secrets of the old Star Union.
Full vault map. Lighting and particle effects are also very important to get the right atmosphere for the map
The final step is deciding on the composition of the plaintiffs – as this is a site that deals with genetic research, the Xenopentl army set is chosen as the best fit!
Also a view of the new DNA vault on the world map
Of course, this is a one-stop Testing Site. This process was repeated on six other sites, bringing a total of seven new assessment frameworks to review! This includes the Imperial War Monument that offers endless behavioral bonuses, as well as a Terraforming channel that provides resistance to the effects of the situation.
Warriors Muslims are pushing to take a high-profile channel from their Promethean fighters
Along with these new formats, the Tyrannosaurus update contains a huge amount of improvements. The economy is already distributed, reducing micromanagement so players can focus on the biggest and most important choices. Contact areas have been upgraded, with a major overhaul on the overview maps to help players plan their economic growth. We've added new game modes, such as the highly requested No Colonizer Mode, as well as a new Vacation Mode for players looking for a new experience.
As well as many limited modifications, bug fixes and minor health quality tweaks, the Tyrannosaurus update is the biggest update to the game made remotely. We hope you enjoy playing it the way we enjoyed it!
