Ashes: Two Worlds Collide - Game Update

[Corwin]

ShadowMoses, one of the creative minds behind Ashes:Two Worlds Collide and a regular visitor to our forums, sent me some information on where the game is currently at. This is a small budget Indie game which should appeal to all those traditional RPG lovers out there who are decrying the paucity of good 'old fashioned' games on the market today. Here's the latest from the 'source'.
Anyway, Ashes is progressing well although slowly. The engine went along two code paths for a while due to a different implementation for the scheduling system but the latest build is almost complete which should bring everything together. It should include npc schedules, finished TB combat, particle system, party dialogue system and a new GUI system. With this the engine will be almost complete.

We've started building the actual world - which is 9 times bigger than U7 and i'd say a large proportion of the gfx content it done, it's just a matter of placing it on the map.

We hope to release a video or two in the future showing npc schedules and combat and there is a possibility of releasing a small demo... maybe the starting island or something but don't hold your breath, it could be a while!
Visit their website for more details about the game, here (http://ashes.lalista.org/) .
More information. (http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/newsbit?newsbit=4270)

[Ionstormsucks]

Eeeks... that's one ugly engine.

[ToddMcF2002]

I disagree. Did you see the animated weather cycle video? Screenshots really don't do the engine justice.

http://files.filefront.com/asheswood_hiavi/;5114789;;/fileinfo.html

[Maylander]

It all depends on how the gameplay, story and dialogue is. I'll await further information before I make up my mind about this one.

[Dhruin]

I think it looks very nice in motion.

[Ionstormsucks]

Maybe I'm just not the indy type. It certainly looks a bit better in the movie, still can't say I like it.

[ShadowMoses]

The game certainly isn't for everyone. I'm completely biased but i think the gfx are fine but i completely understand if people will not play the game because of it... scrap that, i don't understand at all! :P

The thing is that even if the gfx were upto current standards there'd be other elements in the game that would put people off anyway - elements that have or will be implemented with a more old school approach - elements that people would find frustrating. So in the end the people that don't mind the gfx so much are probably those that will be most interested in the gameplay due to their nostalgia for such games.

Although at the same time i think alot of people that haven't played the likes of Ultima will appreciate it as well.

At the end of the day it'll be completely free so you may as well try it! ;)

[User Name]

Ya, the engine is ugly. So is AoD. So what? You can't expect these indie games to have a la Oblivious crap graphic with their budget. I fully expect them to have rather grappy graphic but also expect them to provide higher degrees of rpg experience.

[Dez]

I agree it looks ugly... I don't usually pay much attention on gfx, but have you read the system requirements page?


CPU: Athlon XP or Pentium IV, 1500 mhz
RAM: 256 mb
GPU: ATI Radeon 9700 or GeForce 4 MX
HDD: ~200 mb


Mayb its because the work is still in progress, but seriously I know dozens of older games that look much better visually. And those games even run on my older pcs.

[Corwin]

I'm sure SM will be happy to discuss the system requirements, but those don't seem high to me.

[ShadowMoses]

Mayb its because the work is still in progress, but seriously I know dozens of older games that look much better visually. And those games even run on my older pcs.

Were those games coded by 1 person with gfx created by 1 non artist?
System requirements are high relative to graphic quality for this reason. We have no time to optimise the game for every gfx card out there.

[txa1265]

I think it looks fine, but of course as a huge fan of Spiderweb's work I have already demonstrated that for me the graphics aren't all-important (I get plenty o' graphix-whoring in my FPS games ;) )

[magerette]

I also have no gripe with the looks--if it has decent turn based combat it makes my watch list.

I like this quote:
...at least we've relocated our forums to the RPGCodex message board. Why? There are a few reasons. Mostly we did it because the Codex boils with activity from all kinds of RPG people...

A very vivid and accurate description. :)

[Alrik Fassbauer]

Indeed the graphics don't look toogood - yet somehow my intuition tells me that it is possible to have good fun with the game - if everything else is good. :)

Does anyone remember Siege of Avalon ? I played it only last year, and I was surprised how much fun I had with this game ! :)