Underworld Ascendant - Trailer & September Release

@Worth Playing Underworld Ascendant will release this September according to the latest trailer.

Players will return to The Stygian Abyss, a breathtaking fantasy realm, rife with danger and full of intrigue. They are provided a wide array of tools to experiment with and create their own ingenious solutions to challenges. The story and world will react dynamically to player choices, challenging and rewarding their creativity and allowing them to author their experience.

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Thanks Farflame!

More information.

Some bad news here:
http://www.rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=10918

Originally Posted by kopija
Some bad news here:
http://www.rpgcodex.net/article.php?id=10918

Yeah, i saw that too. The good news is that the devs seem to be aware of the issues and are focused on fixing them. Lets hope they do before release.

PC Gamer gave them a thumbsdown too. Then again, it's PC Gamer, so take with a grain of salt.

This is the sort of thing I feared - throwing in too many possibilities that are going to be hard to translate into meaningful and satisfying gameplay.

Yea a bit worrisome if it releases in Sept. Maybe they are short of $$$ but to release it early will just cause more $$$ issues.

UA is my most anticipated RPG for the remainder of 2018, so I hope they get these issues sorted out even if it means delaying until next year.

Originally Posted by you
Yea a bit worrisome if it releases in Sept. Maybe they are short of $$$ but to release it early will just cause more $$$ issues.

It's going to be a trainwreck either way, so they might as well get it over with.

Perhaps it's a matter of too many rampant ideas, and very little focus on actual cohesion. I suppose we'll all find out in a few months.

Originally Posted by TheMadGamer
Then again, it's PC Gamer, so take with a grain of salt.

Actually, I consider it a very bad sign. PC Gamer doesn't often say bad things about a game before release. Heck, most companies won't let them see it if they don't have confidence in it!

I already played Prey this year and I've got Death of the Outsider and Mankind Divided still to go. Even if Ascendant starts off on a bad foot, I'll be able to wait plenty long for the fixes/mods.

I backed it. Warren’s not only my former boss but a genuine good guy, and I’ve heard good things about this team. It’s a tough, tough business, and it can be devastating to watch a project you’ve poured your creative soul into get panned. Sometimes, it’s all you can do to keep the lights on, but you do your best with what you have. Hopefully, the critics haven’t seen the best the game has to offer. I wouldn’t count the game out just yet.

"In such a deadly environment, innovative tactics are required…"

*PC throws box in skeleton's face*

Originally Posted by Michael Dean
Warren’s not only my former boss but a genuine good guy, and I’ve heard good things about this team.

I take it you are the Michael Dean listed as an artist in the credits for Fallout 1/2, Arcanum, Deus Ex 1/2, and Thief 3? Fairly solid resume right there…

From quickly reading these previews, they are not saying that UA is a bad game but that they feel it adds nothing to the genre that has been evolving since Ultima Underworld over the last ten years. Moreover it seems that the level design and mechanics do not encourage creative solutions (though available) and therefore do not justify the effort in making the simulation aspects in the game.

It is too early to tell and probably the demo released is designed to be easy for preview purposes with little challenge or with no need of resource to clever solutions. I am still optimistic.

Right now I'm mostly concerned about the lack of story/lore in the trailers. When I think of the Underworlds I mostly think of the interaction with NPCs, as they filled the dungeons and caverns with life. They made me care about the environment. So I wish the Ascendant trailers would show a bit of dialogue and hubs with civilizations…

It simply doesn't have to re-establish the entire bloody genre for me to have a great time with it. When it is actually out, I will judge and play it on its own merits, not those of other products. They certainly still have some time to address issues, and I suspect this game may see more than the usual amount of patches when it is actually released to us.

Like the various articles at PCGamer, RPG, etc., I'm really surprised at how clunky and unpolished this looks for a September release. They'll need to basically be locked within 2 months, at least for the actual release version. On a personal level, I'm fine with the game being polished for 2019, but I'm concerned that it'll end up seeing a lot less success than it would've gotten with a stronger launch.