Ashes: August 2016 Dev Update

[Frogboy]

## The goal: Create the biggest scale real-time strategy game ever ##

Ashes of the Singularity is a real-time strategy game set in the not-so-distant future where a single person can control thousands of constructs (the distant descendants of today’s drones) in order to conquer an entire world.

The world is broken up into regions with each region containing various resources that players capture and can then build up defenses, exploit the resources within and use as a staging area to conquer more of the world.

## Little tiny ants ##

On the one hand, we want players to get a sense of the epic scale of these maps and see vast armies battling it out without turning them all into icons. On the other hand, we want players to be engaged with the world so we’ve resisted getting too abstract with how we display everything. Every unit in Ashes is unique with a specific role whose differences can be subtle. Hence, if we got too abstract, it becomes impossible to recognize the interplay between different unit mixes. One of the strengths of using Oxide’s Nitrous engine is that we can zoom way way out without hiding or abstracting units. The downside is, of course, you zoom out enough and everything looks like “little tiny ants”

## Hardware requirements ##

The other big challenge has been hardware requirements: Ashes of the Singularity v1.0 requires a video card with 2GB of video memory and a 4-core CPU with a display of 1920x1080 and 4GB of video memory.

According to the Steam hardware survey these requirements have consequences for us.

The 4-core CPU requirement costs us 51% of the Steam user base right off the bat.

The 2GB video memory eliminates 59% of the user base

And the display resolution cuts out 53% of the user base.

It is safe to say that at least 70% of the Steam user base cannot currently run Ashes of the Singularity due to low hardware requirements. Despite that, during the month of July Ashes of the Singularity past the 100,000 units sold mark.

We knew, long ago, that our hardware requirements would ensure that Ashes was a niche title on release. It’s done substantially better than projected (in fact, it has done far better than it has any business doing given the hardware requirements and the genre).

To put it in perspective, Ashes sales are at the top of the RTS charts for new 2016 releases despite not having a well known IP and costing $39.99.

Still, a goal of ours is to reduce the hardware requirements. That’s where version 1.3 comes in.

## Version 1.3 ##


On August 4 Ashes 1.3 was released and we are on the edge of being able to reduce the hardware requirements to 1GB of memory and a 2-core CPU. We’re not there yet but we’re getting pretty close. The one area we really need to work on is the minimum display resolution which is tricky given how generous we were in our UI design (generous to ourselves that is).

Some highlights of 1.3 include:

New unit physics system so that units can now turn on a dime and are exceptionally responsive.

New army organization system that breaks armies into companies if they are split up so that they don’t always have to be together in a single giant group

Updated pathfinding so that units don’t glomb up on each other

Updated UI across the board

5 new (free) maps

Map ping for multiplayer

Various bug fixes and balance updates

It’s a pretty meaty update, particularly under the hood. Someone who bought Ashes of the Singularity in May who hasn’t played it since and downloaded version 1.3 would discover that Ashes is a lot faster, a lot smarter, a lot prettier and has a much better campaign. Too late for reviews but important for rewarding early adopters and fans.

## Multiplayer: Season 2 begins ##

Season 1 is over and the winners are:

http://draginol.stardock.net/images2016/Ashes-of-the-Singularity-August-update_1021D/image_4.png

The ranked multiplayer in Ashes is similar to that of Hearthstone which probably isn’t surprising since it was designed by Adrian Luff who joined us after having been an architect of Battle.net for twenty years. Of the top 10 players, 6 players were Substrate and 4 were PHC.

You can explore the Metaverse by going here: http://www.ashesofthesingularity.com/metaverse. This site also includes the DirectX 11/12 hardware performance results.


## Single Player: What’s coming ##

Ashes having a pretty lively multiplayer community, over 95% of the player base only plays single player. As in, they have never attempted to play multiplayer. This is important for fans to understand because we often see people wanting us to spend more time on multiplayer features (something we tend to want to do because we play multiplayer).

So often we have to make tough decisions on whether to put engineering time into features to help multiplayer or engineering time to support modding (we think a lot of people would love to make their own units or just share scenarios and maps with one another via Steamworks).

For that reason, modding and sharing mods will make up a lot of our upcoming engineering time. We want people to be able to make maps, units, scenarios, UI changes, buildings, terrain, etc. and share it easily with one another.

## Expansion News ##

The first expansion for Ashes of the Singularity will be coming out this Fall. It will be a stand-alone expansion (i.e. you won’t need to buy the base game). This is the same thing we did with Sins of a Solar Empire and Fallen Enchantress and it worked well. A new player would just buy the expandalone and get the base game and the expansion integrated. DLC from the base game will migrate to the expansion (i.e. players won’t have to buy it again).

We also plan to allow people with the base game and the expansion (despite being different products) to be able to play together in multiplayer. We don’t want to split the community and it gives us an opportunity, over time, to make the base game of Ashes of the Singularity a good introduction.

We’ll be announcing the expansion soon but in the meantime, here are some general details:

Will have three episodes (one of which is Imminent Crisis from the base game)

Lots of new defense buildings

New global abilities

Bigger map size

More players per map

Roughly a dozen new units

Game setup options

New types of worlds

Global view (similar to Strategic Zoom in GalCiv, SupCom, Sins)

There are a ton of other features as well but those features will be added to the base game as well for free.

The base price for the expandalone will be $39.99. For a limited time, the upgrade price for existing players will be $14.99.

More soon!

[facciola007]

In my humbe opinion its too bad that you must work on lower the requirements instead of the game. Just like the MP or single player resources it pulls away from other things, Its really not fair the majority of people play from a toaster built in 1995 on windows XP and wont buy a new PC. A line has to be drawn and at some point they need to get a better system. In example if you want to play xbox one you need the xbox one, your gamecube isnt going to cut it.

Thanks for the continued support on the game. I am glad to have been a part of it!

[RAZORLIGHT]

the expansion sounds awesome, thank god we turtle players get some more toys :)

ps. i totally agree what facciola007 said, sooner or later those people have to upgrade their PCs if they want to enjoy their HOBBY!

[Sakhari]

Game setup options

Is there any more detail you'd be able to offer on this bullet point?

Specifically, will this include the option to restrict units and (more importantly) orbital abilities in single-player lobbies?

[Schism Navigator]

The expansion is coming out in September right? Will it come out with the big September update?

[Frogboy]

The idea is for it come out in September along side 1.5.

The expansion is going to be an expandalone so it'll be a new product (new forums unfortunately on Steam).

But the two should be able to play each other in MP (though it'll have the lowest common denominator units for ranked games for fairness -- and expansion players will be able to filter who they connect to).

The upgrade to Escalation is going to be very aggressive. Only $9.99 which is basically the same as 2 DLC even though it's a pretty huge update.

I do want to emphasize that the base game will continue to get updates including the Steamworks integration we have planned.

[pacman]

I still don't get it. So if I decide to not buy the expansion, I will miss out on all the new units. If I do buy the expansion, I won't be able to use these new units with people who decide to not buy it.
Isn't that its own kind of splitting the community?
-pac

[Schism Navigator]

Originally posted by pacman:

I still don't get it. So if I decide to not buy the expansion, I will miss out on all the new units. If I do buy the expansion, I won't be able to use these new units with people who decide to not buy it.
Isn't that its own kind of splitting the community?
-pac

It sounds like he means during ranked 1v1s it will default to base level. However, like Sins or Starcraft 2 if someone with the expansion hosts a game and a friend joins they will inherit the expansion units for the sake of the custom game.

At least that's how I hope it works.

[ebe-a51]

Originally posted by Draginol:

The idea is for it come out in September along side 1.5.
The expansion is going to be an expandalone so it'll be a new product (new forums unfortunately on Steam).

Oh man... thats NOT cool - why?
Why cant it just be a patch and it ALL be Ashes of the Singularity? I dont know how customers and new players will react with an entirely new Ashes product being released soo soon after the first is released - but in my experience playing games that have done that, its not good!
Its such a pain in the /\SS having multiple titles for, what is essentially, the same game.
Its something EA Games would do to milk an IP (sorry :P) - i honestly believe it would be better for the existing community AND new players if the Ashes title stays singular and you just build into it - and all that really helpful information on the Ashes forum will be lost for newcomers :(

A lot more needs to be done too with multiplayer.
Multiplayer gives games longevity.
While i believe ranked and custom games right now are fine as they are - i feel we REALLY need a non-ranked matchmaker. A no-stress, no-pressure, no-stats recorded multiplayer mode that people can just click, enter, play and not have to worry if theyre not playing at their best or if their stats are going to take a hit or if their rank is going to drop.

.... but seriously, new standalone product for Escalation i dont think is cool - at all. Sorry :(

[bbc6rgf 57 ytty5 y xy w5gt]

I don't mind that's it's a separate product, it looks like a lot of content will be added and it seems the base game will still be supported and updated. I'm sure some people won't be happy at all but it's inexpensive for current owners of Ashes. Some RTS games have had a major expansion in a timeframe very similar to Ashes and have been successful. Everything that's upcoming on the roadmap are things that the players wanted. The devs have always communicated well with the community and I like that the people that play single player are not being forgot about.

[TAG Utter]

I will say the same has on Stardock forums .

Supreeme commander was released, and then comes

Forged Alliance stand alone expansion

same as Ashes is doing and is the right decision .


I do not see the interest of optimizing the game for low-cost systems like something good, a DX12 game that faces the future with the latest technology thinking in systems with 8 years old will alow lag games on multiplyer, its the fact we have to understant if you think in +6 players games.



In faf to many New Players have old systems,making players with good systems baned them from multiplayer games because they just kill all the fun.

No one buy GTA 5 or Tomb raider 2016 or Project Cars or any other latest game this last 3 years if they dont have a decent PC configuration and honestly any actual gamer must have at least I5 and a graphic card that alowed run the last 2 years games with medium settings.

I understand the wy , but its not worth the engineers time vs the amount players ashes can have its what i think ,when they can work in multiplayer performance or any other task like:

• Background Applications and Running Processes.
  
• Server Latency.
  
• Optimize Router Settings and Environment.
  
• Client Rate setting to see how many packets the game server sends to your machine to keep it synchronized.
  
• Steam workshop.
  
  

All the rest i see Ashes has the best RTS to be to play and work , this game its just daam good, when you start understand all the process is done and will be done .

No one here will see any other team doing, what Ashes team is doing in a RTS game.

[Frogboy]

Re MP: Non-ranked multiplayer is coming. Might be in time for 1.5 even.

Re expandaloens: SupCom: Forged Alliance was an expandalone. Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebllion, is an expandalone.

Nothing will change on the game's official site: www.ashesgame.com. It's still all one forum. But Steam handles their forums differently.

[RAZORLIGHT]

dang it, totally forgot about Supcom FA beeing a standalone ^^

ps. Draginol, some screenshots from some new untis maybe? ;)

currently i am waiting for the upgradeable defense buildings and the DX12 panning bug since i wanna enjoy this game in the best possible state

[Ticktoc]

Originally posted by Draginol:

But the two should be able to play each other in MP (though it'll have the lowest common denominator units for ranked games for fairness -- and expansion players will be able to filter who they connect to).

Is that wise? The expansion players will want to and will be used to playing with all the new stuff so will almost certainly filter out people without the expansion. This will effectively create two ranked leagues running in parallel all within one single league. And it will make wait times worse too.

If you release the non-ranked 1v1 at the same time then the non-expansion owning players can practise with the new units in there before going into ranked, so won't be at the disadvantage you seem to be worrying about.

[Ekko Tek]

I think non-ranked matchmaking is a bad idea personally unless Ashes active MP playerbase increases a lot. We could potentially have just a few hundred people split between SP, custom game MP, non-ranked MP, base game MP, and expansion filtered MP. Then again, if people use non-ranked MP as a stepping stone to getting better and more comfortable with MP and then trickle into ranked MP, it could be a good thing (obviously from the perspective of someone who wants to see a healthy ranked MP population).

[Sunbeam]

Originally posted by Draginol:

The first expansion for Ashes of the Singularity will be coming out this Fall. It will be a stand-alone expansion (i.e. you won’t need to buy the base game).

The base price for the expandalone will be $39.99. For a limited time, the upgrade price for existing players will be $9 and then later updated to $19.99 eventually (we want to thank our early adopters for their loyalty and support).

PA got ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ on for doing it.
Why not do it normal way like Paradox does...

Originally posted by Ekko Tek:

I think non-ranked matchmaking is a bad idea...

^ This, also not even sure how Ranked going to work do to expansion...