Non-RPG General News - Frostpunk Revealed

@GamePressure takes a long look at Frostpunk and finds its an intriguing new title from This War of Mine developer 11 bit studios.

….

The age of ice and steam

You want some cold facts? Well, I suppose we can safely assume that Frostpunk will be a unique mix of various genres and mechanics: we can notice RTS mechanics, elements of survival, social and urban management, as well as decisions that will influence the lives of individuals and the fate of the entire society. As the devs themselves have said:

"We're not trying to reinvent the wheel; we want to combine the existing genres in such a way that we get something original."

Contrary to what you might be expecting, the game isn't set in the future. It depicts an alternative vision of the 19th century. After a cataclysm has almost wiped out humanity from the face of the earth, it's the players' task to preserve the lives of a handful that survived the disaster. The devs promise that the players will be able to explore the reasons behind the Armageddon - was it a divine punishment, or simply a natural phenomenon?

The technology that will become our lifeline will be based on steam and ice. We really like this idea, as it seems more than plausible to use this unlimited resource offered by a world covered in ice. The 19th-century-ish technology of Frostpunk will have us melt ice to get water and steam, and steam-powered engines will in turn enable us to warm the dying residents. As to the stuff we will do in the new game from 11 bit studios, we can only wonder: resource acquisition and crafting? Perhaps some mining and metallurgy, who knows? What we do know is that our main task will be to efficiently manage the city, make the right decisions, provide for the residents, and… sacrifice individuals in the name of survival of the collective.
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More information.

Melting ice to generate power? Err, I don't think physics works that way. Presumably they're digging for coal?

Just wanted to drop in and say I love the news heading of this. It allows me to totally skip the thread in question as I'm a crpg player only. It is still great for anyone else who might be interested too. Kudos!

The age of ice and steam

I like this idea, something original for a change is always welcome. I was getting tired of all the copy-pasted, generic fantasy bunk.

Originally Posted by rjshae
Melting ice to generate power? Err, I don't think physics works that way. Presumably they're digging for coal?

Steam power explanation:

From wiki

A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.

Steam engines are external combustion engines,[1] where the working fluid is separated from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be used. The ideal thermodynamic cycle used to analyze this process is called the Rankine cycle. In the cycle, water is heated and transforms into steam within a boiler operating at a high pressure. When expanded through pistons or turbines, mechanical work is done. The reduced-pressure steam is then exhausted to the atmosphere, or condensed and pumped back into the boiler.

In general usage, the term steam engine can refer to either the integrated steam plants (including boilers etc.) such as railway steam locomotives and portable engines, or may refer to the piston or turbine machinery alone, as in the beam engine and stationary steam engine. Specialized devices such as steam hammers and steam pile drivers are dependent on the steam pressure supplied from a separate boiler.

The use of boiling water to produce mechanical motion goes back over 2000 years, but early devices were not highly practical. The Spanish inventor Jerónimo de Ayanz y Beaumont obtained the first patent for a steam engine in 1606.[2] In 1698 Thomas Savery patented a steam pump that used steam in direct contact with the water being pumped. Savery's steam pump used condensing steam to create a vacuum and draw water into a chamber, and then applied pressurized steam to further pump the water. Thomas Newcomen's atmospheric engine was the first commercial true steam engine using a piston, and was used in 1712 for pumping in a mine.

They did an amazing job with This War of Mine, gratz. They experinced a terrible genocide and made a great game. My main problem, which prevents me from replaying even to this day, was the horrible decision to call you a murder, if you killed the invading soldiers at the base they overthrew.

Love it when an indie tries a truely new idea. Sounds interesting with luck it works out.

Never heard of This war of mine.

But I spotted yet another trailer gem on Platige's official site - about Frostpunk. Here it is:


The game is not RPG, seems it's randomgenerator garbage. But if ingame graphics is on the level of that trailer as it's PC exclusive, I'll buy it being a graphics whore.