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Upcoming Projects - (Very) Basic Details


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This is not an official announcement post, but I thought I should probably let everyone know our future plans in a bit more detail as I've hinted at them strongly prior to release but then not actually said anything concrete.

Some of the team (myself included) are currently working on a few Xenonauts-related things still - the Kickstarter rewards, the Steam Mac builds, Steam Workshop integrations and ongoing bugfixes where required. But we're not a million miles away from finally being done with Xenonauts entirely.

However, other parts of the team are working on prototyping up two new titles. One is a "big" game which can be considered the successor to Xenonauts, the other is a "small" game which we are hoping to finish more quickly and put out on multiple platforms.

The specifics on these games are subject to change, and I will not announce the name or much of the setting / background of these games until their formal announcements. However, this is how they currently look:

BIG GAME:

The "big" game is a futuristic turn-based, squad-based strategy game. It is likely to have the same split strategy level / tactical level that you see in Xenonauts and Jagged Alliance etc.

It is currently a mix of Jagged Alliance, Valkyria Chronicles and the new XCOM. The idea is currently to to use the smaller teams and simple, elegant mechanics of XCOM, but with the strategic elements (i.e a grid map) and deeper soldier customisation (weapon attachments / ammo types etc) of Jagged Alliance.

We're also playing around with Valkyria Chronicles-style - i.e. first person - aiming which allows a fully realistic cover system and bodypart-specific damage. Obviously, this means it is going to be in full 3D.

All of that is subject to change if we find it impractical or not fun, but we'll see. I just thought I should tell everyone that we're working on some form of turn-based, squad-based strategy game that will use what we learned from Xenonauts.

SMALL GAME:

This game is planned to support tablets too. It's currently a turn-based sci-fi strategy game about managing a warship as it attempts to infiltrate an enemy system and destroy a specific target (one per level).

Again, it has a split strategy / tactics level. The strategy layer involves moving the warship around the system and equipping, supporting and deploying fighter squadrons on ground attack missions to destroy targets. The tactics layer involves playing out the ground attack missions in turn-based combat (using a totally different to the air combat in Xenonauts).

This is not going to be as deep or complex as Xenonauts or our "big" game, but the idea is that the pilots will be persistent in the same way the soldiers in Xenonauts are and it should be a nice strategy-lite experience. We're rather hoping it will be completed significantly before the "big" game is.

This too is subject to change, though - this game has been everything from a space RPG to a hard sci-fi FTL game to the current incarnation during prototyping and there is no guarantee it will not change again. But that's what it looks like right now and it is likely to be the first project we announce post-Xenonauts.

In terms of formal announcements, monetising these ideas or making either of these prototypes public - no details yet. We're planning to announce these projects and start making money from them relatively later than we did with Xenonauts, once the design is more settled. It's a bit exhausting to develop an entire game from scratch in public!

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The small game description reminded me instantly on the Polygon based "Carrier Command" from my early Amiga time, though this is some time back now. As far as I remember it was complex but fun.

Wish you great success with both of the games.

And a great portion of luck that you pick the right engine/software in the beginning and not having to find "effortful" workarounds to implement what you want in the games.

Edited by thixotrop
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It is currently a mix of Jagged Alliance, Valkyria Chronicles and the new XCOM. The idea is currently to to use the smaller teams and simple, elegant mechanics of XCOM, but with the strategic elements (i.e a grid map) and deeper soldier customisation (weapon attachments / ammo types etc) of Jagged Alliance.

I like that.

Pick a scope and do it well. Trying to do too much (large teams and extensive customisation) only ends up in micromanagement hell. =)

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Please NO game like Valkyria Chronicles perspective... I really like that system at the moment, but now there a a lot of game like that and is thing of the past and old PS.

There are infinite possibilities on visual dynamics, 3D is ok, but gameplay is other thing.

I like core of the idea ^^

Sorry as always be that critic.

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Chris, do you consider other than "turn based" game mechanics? Realtime with "pause" like in X-COM: Apocalypse is much more interesting IMHO.

Anyway you made great game with huge potential and i believe it is just a beginning!

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I'd first like to thank you for these cool games.

Second, do you have any idea what engine these will be on? I figure it's not the same as Xenonauts.

Lastly, in terms of the "big" game, by 2012 xcom-like, do you mean only in small teams (strike teams?) or do you mean more like in the 2 movement movement system? That's the only things I really have questions about.

Thanks for some more TBS games. Also, I do second the idea of the real-time system in apoc. I actually liked it as well. It felt different. Good luck.

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Good to see that it's not too much of a jump from the Xenonauts game.

I had dreaded something like "Weaving has always been special to us at Goldhawk. Especially the effect of the industrial revolution. That's why we're developing Dark Satanic Mill Manager..."

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Are you going to do some crowdfunding?

If so let us know

Indeed. When the time arises, keep it pinned.

Would love to see what you guys can do with a proper engine.

Xenonauts as it stands now is a whopper of a game. But going 3D? Oww yeah

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I had dreaded something like "Weaving has always been special to us at Goldhawk. Especially the effect of the industrial revolution. That's why we're developing Dark Satanic Mill Manager..."

Core features:

- enclose pastures

- watch jobless peasants flock to the cities

- experience the atmosphere of destitute desperation

- deluxe edition authentic life sized rotten potato replica

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Core features:

- enclose pastures

- watch jobless peasants flock to the cities

- experience the atmosphere of destitute desperation

- deluxe edition authentic life sized rotten potato replica

If it had the right sense of humor, I would totally play that game.

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