Arcen Games is pleased to show off several new additions, improvements, and changes for our upcoming survival action-adventure title A Valley Without Wind. We have a variety of items to update on this week, including interior generation, a reworking of the game's story and setting, settlement changes, implementation of new features such as Explorer NPCs and Evil Outposts, and much more.
To start, there have been some major shifts in AVWW's story and setting that we'd like to share. We are keeping the broken-earth setting and former ice age focus for the title, but the real-world future setting has been replaced. Instead the game is now set in a purely fantasy world called Environ -- taking place in the year 888. We feel that exchanging the reality-based future setting for a more fantasy/sci-fi mix (that still keeps elements from the real world) gives us a lot more flexibility as we put together the major themes of the title. More details on the new developments, including a basic timeline for the known history of Environ, can be found on our updated feature page for A Valley Without Wind.
Onward from that, we've made a rather significant breakthrough in terms of the creation and generation of AVWW's interiors. Interior procedural-generation was a troublesome task that others have solved in various ways, but which nobody seemed to have solved in the specific way that was needed for the game. So our lead programmer Chris Park has come up with a moderately new approach to the problem, basing part of his work on how the issue in a roguelike is dealt with, resulting in some very interesting and varied interior floorplans at this stage. In a month or two when it's further polished, Arcen will be releasing the C# source code for our interior generator as open source under the MIT license, so that others can make use of it. Chris has written up a technical outline in this developer journal thoroughly explaining the step-by-step process of the program for those interested.
Many other additions and improvements have found their way into A Valley Without Wind as well. The game now makes use of the helpful Explorer NPC's and the not-so-helpful Evil Outposts, there's been major progress to settlements and the Minimap, and lots of new and upgraded visuals have been added as well. We could go on all day, but the title's new animation test video does a much tidier job illustrating some of the aforementioned items. While a complete explanation on everything that's been touched on can be found in our latest Games By Design post.
For more info about the title and what else Arcen Games is working on, make sure to check out our recent interview on Gnome's Lair. A Valley Without Wind is currently targeted for official release on PC and Mac in October 2011, with a playable Beta build available to pre-order customers coming this summer.
About Arcen Games
Arcen Games entered the PC indie scene in 2009 with their cult classic AI War: Fleet Command, which was named the 40th best-reviewed PC game of the year by MetaCritic. Their second year was a busy one, seeing the release of The Zenith Remnant, the first full expansion for AI War; Tidalis, an innovative block-based puzzle with casual appeal and hardcore depth; and Children of Neinzul, a micro-expansion for AI War with all profits benefiting the Child's Play charity, of which Arcen is a platinum sponsor.
AI War's third and largest expansion Light of the Spire marked Arcen's first release of 2011, and now the company has shifted its focus and excitement to the development of A Valley Without Wind. Originally a one-man shop, Arcen Games has grown to have half a dozen part-time or fulltime contributors to its various titles. For all the latest news, media coverage, and some of our other musings, follow us on our developer and individual game pages on Facebook or on Twitter: @ArcenGames.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Announcing The AI War Alien Bundle And AI War Two Year Anniversary Sale!
Has It Really Been Two Years!?
It seems like just yesterday that AI War 1.0 made it's public debut, but it's actually been two years. And what a busy two years! In that time we've released three new expansions, changed the game to the Unity 3D engine, added Mac OSX support, created our puzzle game Tidalis, and released version 5.0 of the base game free to anyone who bought 1.0 of the game or higher.
In celebration, of the two-year anniversary of AI War's public debut, we're running a big sale on the entire Arcen Store from today through May 24th. All of the individual titles are 50% off, and the bundle (see below) is 30% off its regular reduced price.
Two years later and AI War is more popular than ever, with more expansions planned, and with us still making the games we always wanted to make. We couldn't be more grateful for the support of our players!
Alien Bundle: The AI Isn't Your Only Adversary...
Right from the start, the universe of AI War has always included a few alien craft. However, it wasn't until each of the first three expansions were released that the three alien races from AI War were fully explored: from the ancient, venerable Zenith; to the short-lived, vicious Neinzul; to the massive Spire.
These first expansions represent something of a watershed for AI War, because these are the only expansions that will be focused on individual alien races. Future expansions to the game will focus on other aspects of the AI War universe, as well as pulling in a few ships here and there from all three of the races.
That makes these three something of a matched set; and for the first time ever, we're bundling them all together with the base game at more than a 30% discount off their combined total price (and during the two-year anniversary sale, there's another 30% off applied on top of that regular 30% discount).
What's Included In The Alien Bundle?
* AI War: Fleet Command (standalone base game)
* AI War: The Zenith Remnant (expansion 1)
* AI War: Children of Neinzul (expansion 2)
* AI War: Light of the Spire (expansion 3)
Child's Play
When you purchase the AI War Alien Bundle, you're not only getting a great game and three huge expansions, you're also supporting an important cause. Arcen Games is a platinum sponsor of the Child's Play charity, pledging 100% of the profits from sale of Children of Neinzul (excepting any taxes and distributor fees) to helping sick kids in need. That works out to 9% of the purchase price of the AI War Alien Bundle.
It seems like just yesterday that AI War 1.0 made it's public debut, but it's actually been two years. And what a busy two years! In that time we've released three new expansions, changed the game to the Unity 3D engine, added Mac OSX support, created our puzzle game Tidalis, and released version 5.0 of the base game free to anyone who bought 1.0 of the game or higher.
In celebration, of the two-year anniversary of AI War's public debut, we're running a big sale on the entire Arcen Store from today through May 24th. All of the individual titles are 50% off, and the bundle (see below) is 30% off its regular reduced price.
Two years later and AI War is more popular than ever, with more expansions planned, and with us still making the games we always wanted to make. We couldn't be more grateful for the support of our players!
Alien Bundle: The AI Isn't Your Only Adversary...
Right from the start, the universe of AI War has always included a few alien craft. However, it wasn't until each of the first three expansions were released that the three alien races from AI War were fully explored: from the ancient, venerable Zenith; to the short-lived, vicious Neinzul; to the massive Spire.
These first expansions represent something of a watershed for AI War, because these are the only expansions that will be focused on individual alien races. Future expansions to the game will focus on other aspects of the AI War universe, as well as pulling in a few ships here and there from all three of the races.
That makes these three something of a matched set; and for the first time ever, we're bundling them all together with the base game at more than a 30% discount off their combined total price (and during the two-year anniversary sale, there's another 30% off applied on top of that regular 30% discount).
What's Included In The Alien Bundle?
* AI War: Fleet Command (standalone base game)
* AI War: The Zenith Remnant (expansion 1)
* AI War: Children of Neinzul (expansion 2)
* AI War: Light of the Spire (expansion 3)
Child's Play
When you purchase the AI War Alien Bundle, you're not only getting a great game and three huge expansions, you're also supporting an important cause. Arcen Games is a platinum sponsor of the Child's Play charity, pledging 100% of the profits from sale of Children of Neinzul (excepting any taxes and distributor fees) to helping sick kids in need. That works out to 9% of the purchase price of the AI War Alien Bundle.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Brutal Gamer Interviews Arcen Games
Brutal Gamer's Amy Nelson followed up her Tidalis review by interviewing us on all things Arcen and indie games. We discuss several topics including potential consoles/handheld devices we've considered for our games, as well as our selling points for A Valley Without Wind.
Here's one of the questions and responses from the piece:
"AI War: Fleet Command is a RTS, Tidalis is a puzzle game, and A Valley Without Wind is an action adventure. You seem to be hitting on all the popular genres. What do you have in store for us next?
Chris: Well, these are the genres that I have a lot of personal interest in — my goal was to never be thought of us “just a strategy game developer.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I have broader interests than just strategy games, and part of the freedom of being an indie is getting to pursue your interests. I think we’re going to be busy with AVWW, and expansions and free DLC for both it and AI War for another year or two — ideally, anyway. Beyond that it’s hard to say with any clarity, but we’ve got a lot of game designs floating around the team. If there’s one thing we never have a shortage of, it’s ideas! I think perhaps the most popular next project idea at the moment is a very streamlined turn-based tactics game built partly on the AVWW engine."
Read the full interview over on Brutal Gamer.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Tidalis (Mac) Reviewed on Brutal Gamer
Amy Nelson of Brutal Gamer has taken the time to have a look at the Mac version of our puzzler Tidalis. In it she touches on the amount of variety in the game, as well as discussing both the more intense and zen-like modes she came across and how they compliment one another.
She concludes her review by rewarding the game a score of 8.5 out of 10, with a strong recommendation to puzzle fans looking for something new and different, describing it as such:
She concludes her review by rewarding the game a score of 8.5 out of 10, with a strong recommendation to puzzle fans looking for something new and different, describing it as such:
"Tidalis is engaging, challenging, unique, and just plain a whole lotta fun. With such a great variety in levels and items, the game just never gets old. The ability to create custom levels adds even more variety. The characters and music fit perfectly with the colorful style of the game. Tidalis is just a well-rounded and well-executed game that really gives you bang for your buck."Read the full review over on Brutal Gamer.
New AVWW Q&A, Facebook Page, and Preview by Jordan Rivas
Arcen Games has a trio of items to share related to our upcoming procedurally-generated action adventure title A Valley Without Wind.
CEO and lead programmer Chris Park has written up a new Q&A inspired by several questions from a user on our forums. In it, Park responds in length on a few major subjects regarding AVWW's world including economies and crafting. Discussion includes crafting process, resource properties, plans for a unique economy set-up, and in what ways crafted items can differ from one another.
Outside our own confines, writer Jordan Rivas has put together an in-depth preview for the game in which he looks at both the interior and exterior aspects of its development. His research on the game dates back to when Rivas and Park first chatted about it in an interview last August.
Lastly, A Valley Without Wind now has a Facebook page for fans of the game and users of the social site to follow along in the game's development process. We're hoping it will be another solid place for interested parties to get updates and discuss the game with us.
CEO and lead programmer Chris Park has written up a new Q&A inspired by several questions from a user on our forums. In it, Park responds in length on a few major subjects regarding AVWW's world including economies and crafting. Discussion includes crafting process, resource properties, plans for a unique economy set-up, and in what ways crafted items can differ from one another.
Outside our own confines, writer Jordan Rivas has put together an in-depth preview for the game in which he looks at both the interior and exterior aspects of its development. His research on the game dates back to when Rivas and Park first chatted about it in an interview last August.
Lastly, A Valley Without Wind now has a Facebook page for fans of the game and users of the social site to follow along in the game's development process. We're hoping it will be another solid place for interested parties to get updates and discuss the game with us.
A Valley Without Wind is currently set for official release on PC and Mac in October 2011, with a playable Beta build available to customers who pre-order coming this summer.
About Arcen Games
Arcen Games entered the PC indie scene in 2009 with their cult classic AI War: Fleet Command, which was named the 40th best-reviewed PC game of the year by MetaCritic. Their second year was a busy one, seeing the release of The Zenith Remnant, the first full expansion for AI War; Tidalis, an innovative block-based puzzle with casual appeal and hardcore depth; and Children of Neinzul, a micro-expansion for AI War with all profits benefiting the Child's Play charity, of which Arcen is a platinum sponsor.
AI War's third and largest expansion Light of the Spire marked Arcen's first release of 2011, and now the company has shifted its focus and excitement to the development of A Valley Without Wind. Originally a one-man shop, Arcen Games has grown to have half a dozen part-time or fulltime contributors to its various titles. For all the latest news, media coverage, and some of our other musings, follow us on our developer and individual game pages on Facebook or on Twitter: @ArcenGames.
Arcen Games entered the PC indie scene in 2009 with their cult classic AI War: Fleet Command, which was named the 40th best-reviewed PC game of the year by MetaCritic. Their second year was a busy one, seeing the release of The Zenith Remnant, the first full expansion for AI War; Tidalis, an innovative block-based puzzle with casual appeal and hardcore depth; and Children of Neinzul, a micro-expansion for AI War with all profits benefiting the Child's Play charity, of which Arcen is a platinum sponsor.
AI War's third and largest expansion Light of the Spire marked Arcen's first release of 2011, and now the company has shifted its focus and excitement to the development of A Valley Without Wind. Originally a one-man shop, Arcen Games has grown to have half a dozen part-time or fulltime contributors to its various titles. For all the latest news, media coverage, and some of our other musings, follow us on our developer and individual game pages on Facebook or on Twitter: @ArcenGames.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
A Valley Without Wind Update #10: Overworld Maps, Soft Focus, and NPCs
Arcen Games is excited to share the latest update for our procedurally-generated survival action-adventure title A Valley Without Wind. Many new developments have taken place since last we checked in, highlighted by the addition of the new Soft Focus visual style, revamped Overworld sections, and tons of progress on Crafting, NPCs, Settlements and various other areas in the game.
We now have a map editor with a variety of functionality for drawing, filling, and smoothing that allows us to create a large number of heavily randomized maps and variants for players to explore. All Overworld chunks are now 256x256 in size; many of them were previously 128x128, which makes for a fourfold increase in size. To give a visual comparison, each tile on the world map is equal to around two-thirds the size of the the entire world map of the original Legend of Zelda.
To fill these large and numerous maps, a lot of progress has been made on crafting, NPCs, settlements, and other meaningful areas. Visually, we've added and improved several areas including new objects, spell/environment effects, and more. We've also introduced a new and improved visual style around the entire game that makes colors more saturated and dramatic, as well as ties all the elements together.
To show everything off our latest video -- Pre-Alpha Footage #10 -- is out now, and nearly two dozen screenshots are available to view on the official AVWW page. For a complete comprehensive look at what we've done this time around, we point you to the title's latest Developer Journal which explains every aspect of the update in full detail.
A Valley Without Wind is currently targeted for official release on PC and Mac in October 2011, with a playable Beta build available to customers who pre-order coming this summer.
About Arcen Games
Arcen Games entered the PC indie scene in 2009 with their cult classic AI War: Fleet Command, which was named the 40th best-reviewed PC game of the year by MetaCritic. Their second year was a busy one, seeing the release of The Zenith Remnant, the first full expansion for AI War; Tidalis, an innovative block-based puzzle with casual appeal and hardcore depth; and Children of Neinzul, a micro-expansion for AI War with all profits benefiting the Child's Play charity, of which Arcen is a platinum sponsor.
AI War's third and largest expansion Light of the Spire marked Arcen's first release of 2011, and now the company has shifted its focus and excitement to the development of A Valley Without Wind. Originally a one-man shop, Arcen Games has grown to have half a dozen part-time or fulltime contributors to its various titles.
We now have a map editor with a variety of functionality for drawing, filling, and smoothing that allows us to create a large number of heavily randomized maps and variants for players to explore. All Overworld chunks are now 256x256 in size; many of them were previously 128x128, which makes for a fourfold increase in size. To give a visual comparison, each tile on the world map is equal to around two-thirds the size of the the entire world map of the original Legend of Zelda.
To fill these large and numerous maps, a lot of progress has been made on crafting, NPCs, settlements, and other meaningful areas. Visually, we've added and improved several areas including new objects, spell/environment effects, and more. We've also introduced a new and improved visual style around the entire game that makes colors more saturated and dramatic, as well as ties all the elements together.
To show everything off our latest video -- Pre-Alpha Footage #10 -- is out now, and nearly two dozen screenshots are available to view on the official AVWW page. For a complete comprehensive look at what we've done this time around, we point you to the title's latest Developer Journal which explains every aspect of the update in full detail.
A Valley Without Wind is currently targeted for official release on PC and Mac in October 2011, with a playable Beta build available to customers who pre-order coming this summer.
About Arcen Games
Arcen Games entered the PC indie scene in 2009 with their cult classic AI War: Fleet Command, which was named the 40th best-reviewed PC game of the year by MetaCritic. Their second year was a busy one, seeing the release of The Zenith Remnant, the first full expansion for AI War; Tidalis, an innovative block-based puzzle with casual appeal and hardcore depth; and Children of Neinzul, a micro-expansion for AI War with all profits benefiting the Child's Play charity, of which Arcen is a platinum sponsor.
AI War's third and largest expansion Light of the Spire marked Arcen's first release of 2011, and now the company has shifted its focus and excitement to the development of A Valley Without Wind. Originally a one-man shop, Arcen Games has grown to have half a dozen part-time or fulltime contributors to its various titles.
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