Age of Wonders: Planetfall – Dev Diary #1: Welcome and Premise

[sikbok]

I do really look foward to play this gem on the PS4. If it comes out, it would be definitely the best Turn based game ever released for PS4.

Welp. Not sure how I missed this for a month but I'm ecstatic. This game looks awesome. Hype already at 11. Looks good!

Never thought that would be the next thing from the guys that made AoW3. Just as I was waiting for AoW3, I'll be waiting for Planetfall to come out, wish you guys luck and not-so-exhausting crunches out there!

Thanks everyone!

 

[kpipersburg]

Hi there! and welcome to the first Age of Wonders: Planetfall development journal. From here on, the team at Triumph will be giving you weekly updates on our progress and revealing details of the game along the way.

Join us at the Paradox Forums: First a request to the AoW3 community: we kindly ask you to join us here on the Paradox forums, as the old Age of Wonders ones will be closed down later this year. This way Triumph can spend more time making games and less on fighting spam-bots. Please create your account here.

Inspiration: By Gandalf’s beard - A sci-fi Age of Wonders? Yes - It’s been a long-standing wish from many of the team to do something with our love of sci fi: Starwars, Dune, Fallout, Starship Troopers have all been an inspiration in one form or another. We feel our beloved war-focussed 4X game formula is a great fit for sci-fi themes - and futuristic weapon arsenals. At the same time, nothing gets the creative juices flowing like a new setting.

Premise: As one of the heirs to the shattered Star Union, you emerge from a cosmic Dark Age to craft a new future for your people. You travel to one of the many lost worlds of the old empire, where you will find marvels among the remnants of this once great civilization. You will need to develop / rediscover technologies and social doctrines for your colonists to thrive on these hostile worlds, for you are not alone here. Other houses compete with yours to rebuild the Star Union, and you will need both a carefully crafted arsenal, and a firm grip on diplomacy if you are to have a chance at victory.

Our Goals:

• Build a new setting filled with lore and new gameplay opportunities.

• Transform the melee centered fantasy battles to new ranged sci-fi clashes with cover, overwatch and destructible terrain. Hit chances are back. It’s familiar and vastly different at the same time.
  
  
• Develop Planetary Empire building: Compared to AoW3, we want to added new layers of depth to the economy and diplomacy systems. Sessions now play on wrapping planets which are procedurally generated.

• Roll out the fourth generation of Triumph’s Creator Engine, which is 64 bit, has a PBR renderer and a new toolset. This allows us – and eventually you through modding – to create a better looking worlds, that contain more content, more efficiently.

There is nothing that reflects the fusion of the gameplay and the setting better than the unit line up. So here is one in pre-alpha state for you: A Vanguard Liberator with Flechette Ammo and Jetpack mods called the Screaming Eagle. How would you name this unit variant?

View attachment 380265

Next week we’ll tell more about the setting and its central element: the galactic empire called the Star Union.

I played AOW way back in the day (and have kept up with every iteration). I can't express how excited I was to finally see Triumph's reveal. That said, hit chance is back!!! those random battles when a halfling slinger on a wall could kill an entire army alone or miss every single shot is back baby!

 

[Liberty_Valance]

Will grenades and items like it, be on a cool down like aows or consumable with a limited use?

 

[BloodyBattleBrain]

I played AOW way back in the day (and have kept up with every iteration). I can't express how excited I was to finally see Triumph's reveal. That said, hit chance is back!!! those random battles when a halfling slinger on a wall could kill an entire army alone or miss every single shot is back baby!

No! It isn't back in the same way.

I forget the details but the chance to hit is always a big chance, and the old chance to miss is now chance to do minimal damage, and there's a very small chance to miss completely.

Will grenades and items like it, be on a cool down like aows or consumable with a limited use?

Good question.

Limited ammo *could* make for interesting racial variation (melee units need no ammo, units with ammo require resupply etc) but could just as easily end up as annoying micro management.

 

[Revan Katarn]

Limited ammo *could* make for interesting racial variation (melee units need no ammo, units with ammo require resupply etc) but could just as easily end up as annoying micro management.

Maybe they can limit the ammo per battle, i.e., you can use 3 grenades/battle, but without need to send the unit to a supply depot on the map once the battle is over to have those 3 grenades. This way there shouldn't be any micromanagement related. Or, instead of per battle, per turn on the strategic map, so if you're planing on having two battles, you have to be careful not to run out on the first battle. That would also add more "drama" if you get ambushed/attacked before your next turn begins. Then, of course, there can be an upgrade to carry more grenades (or other ammunition) and/or a tech to have your troups resupplied after each battle. I'm sure they thought about this kind of things and will find (if they haven't yet) a good way to implement ammunition limitations.

 

[Leyrann]

I'm sure they thought about this kind of things and will find (if they haven't yet) a good way to implement ammunition limitations.

That implies ammunition limitations are needed, while I could also see a game where the balance is around unlimited ammunition. Or perhaps they'll use cooldowns for more powerful things, like they did in AoW3.

 

[Revan Katarn]

That implies ammunition limitations are needed, while I could also see a game where the balance is around unlimited ammunition. Or perhaps they'll use cooldowns for more powerful things, like they did in AoW3.

Well, I don't know all the weapons, but for the bigger/more powerful ones, I would assume that some limitations are a good idea. Cooldowns (or reloading time) are defenitevely a good technique. Now I don't remember for which weapons, but in AoW3 they also included ammunition limitations for some units, like only one flying chicken per battle (it's the only one I can remember right now).
Anyway, all this is mere speculation (or willing thoughts), at least from my side, as I don't know more apart from the dev diaries and a couple interviews I read.

 

[Leyrann]

Well, I don't know all the weapons, but for the bigger/more powerful ones, I would assume that some limitations are a good idea. Cooldowns (or reloading time) are defenitevely a good technique. Now I don't remember for which weapons, but in AoW3 they also included ammunition limitations for some units, like only one flying chicken per battle (it's the only one I can remember right now).
Anyway, all this is mere speculation (or willing thoughts), at least from my side, as I don't know more apart from the dev diaries and a couple interviews I read.

The only options in AoW 3 were:

-Usable every turn.
-X turns cooldown (potentional: starting on cooldown).
-Once per battle use.

 

[cefre00]

I would call them DFA Squad and DFA stands for death from above (as being a Battletech fan too).
Can't wait to play this... Go Triumph!

 

[sikbok]

I would call them DFA Squad and DFA stands for death from above (as being a Battletech fan too).
Can't wait to play this... Go Triumph!

Nice one, makes me think of the SC2 Reaper unit : )>
And *Works even harder*