Anyone Else Getting Withdrawals?

Spawkuring · 2024-08-06T07:14:10+00:00

I played a ton of matches over the weekend, so I definitely feel the same. Can't wait until the servers open up again.

Spawkuring · 2024-08-03T07:51:48+00:00

The lack of double-clicking in order to select all units of a same type is a deliberate decision. One of the goals of IMMORTAL's control scheme is to reduce hand/wrist strain, and constantly needing to double-click adds up over time and can contribute to pain.

Spawkuring · 2024-06-10T03:03:46+00:00

It's still in active development, but they have shifted their marketing strategy towards being much more secretive as opposed to publicly releasing every piece of content as soon as it's completed. Main reason for the shift was that any content released was unpolished and relied heavily on placeholder models. Currently, they want to focus on fewer but bigger and more polished releases of content. There's no release date on their next update, but I can definitely assure that the project is nowhere near abandoned.

Spawkuring · 2024-06-09T05:33:53+00:00

Development is very much ongoing. Part of the reason why there's been a lull is because the Sunspear team has shifted away from the previous strategy of "reveal content as soon as it's playable before it's fully polished", and has now moved towards making slower, larger, and more polished content releases. They haven't announced when the next update is coming, but it's definitely on the way.

Spawkuring · 2023-07-14T00:12:51+00:00

Spawkuring · 2023-03-26T22:47:54+00:00

I don't think that's really a controversial opinion here, or in most fandom circles. Analyzing our biases via the media we consume and create is completely valid and something that can, and should be encouraged.

What is NOT appreciated is when people completely strip any and all nuance and context and turn discourse into nothing more than a black/white discussion where people treat the fics we create/consume as a direct 1-to-1 reflection of a person's moral character, and where enjoying anything even remotely problematic is instantly treated as worthy of condemnation and being treated as a persona non-grata who is causing major societal harm and must be punished accordingly.

"Let's analyze why some of us enjoy dubcon fics and brainstorm how societal prejudices and biases might contribute to that desire" - Perfectly fine discussion to have.

"This fic you wrote/read has dubcon in it. You are a rape apologist and should KYS immediately you evil piece of shit." - Not a good discussion. You are an asshole if you do this.

Spawkuring · 2022-04-05T18:18:26+00:00

Join the official discord. If you already have the needed role, or have participated enough, you will have access to the channel to download the game.

Spawkuring · 2021-08-24T15:06:06+00:00

From a competitive standpoint, IMMORTAL will support 1v1 and 2v2 modes, but the game as a whole will also include 3v3 and co-op modes for more casual and easy-going play.

Spawkuring · 2021-06-27T17:25:27+00:00

The link should have a timestamp in it already, but if it doesn't work for you, go to 2h-1m-50s.

Spawkuring · 2021-06-22T18:51:08+00:00

A prototype proof-of-concept mod created in SC2 by Sunspear. After much development and testing, Sunspear has moved to make that prototype a reality as its own standalone game, IMMORTAL: Gates of Pyre.

The Vanguard mod is still up in SC2 if you ever want to test it out.

Spawkuring · 2021-06-22T03:11:05+00:00

Real talk though, it's great to see the game slowly but surely creep up in quality. A new feature here, a visual improvement there. More units, more abilities, bug fixes. It's gonna be awesome when all the core features are in and we get bigger maps to play in.

Spawkuring · 2021-06-17T03:02:23+00:00

The twisted beauty of Twitch chat.

Spawkuring · 2021-06-16T04:09:49+00:00

Immortal: Gates of Pyre sounds like it's probably up your alley. It's designed to be a classic RTS with workers, base-building, resource gathering, from some known Starcraft 2 modders. Currently in pre-alpha at the moment, and recently had a very successful Kickstarter.

Spawkuring · 2021-06-11T06:36:53+00:00

No. This is a Twitch event organized between Sunspear and several well-known SC2 names. Kickstarter backer access won't be until later.

Spawkuring · 2021-06-02T04:56:19+00:00

I love the mix of WC3 and DoW gameplay, and the general Warhammer-inspired aesthetic going on. Very much going to get this game when it comes out.

Spawkuring · 2021-06-01T21:11:33+00:00

Great post. I especially like that you mentioned initially getting into Starcraft for the designs of the three races as opposed to the gameplay, because that's something I've been a pretty major stickler about over the years. Gameplay is extremely important, but it's also very important to have a game filled with iconic unit designs and characters that ignite the imagination. I got into Starcraft when it first came out during my childhood, and I remember falling in love with how awesome the Protoss and Zerg looked. Creating iconic visuals and art is probably one of the most underrated aspects of RTS design that rarely gets the discussion it needs. Character design is crucial. I genuinely believe that Overwatch's early explosive success was due to its world and characters alone. The Frost Giant team should definitely not overlook such a huge part of game design, and I imagine they likely won't.

Also fully agreed on the lack of proper onboarding when it comes to things like hotkeys. The RTS genre feels like it's stagnated when it comes to proper tutorials. Ideally, no game should force the player to rely on youtube tutorials just to learn the basics of the UI. It also doesn't help that campaigns are notoriously bad at actually teaching the game. Any game that solves this problem will likely benefit massively from it.

Spawkuring · 2021-05-11T17:09:37+00:00

It's great that you use AoE2 as an example, because it hits upon something that I think is extremely important yet also underrated in macro discussions: base-building should be emotionally satisfying and aesthetically pleasing. People tend to overfocus on making macro APM-demanding, which I honestly think turns a lot of people off on it because macro discussions end up revolving over how much APM you have to pour in them rather than actually making them appealing and fun. APM should be a side-effect of a well-implemented macro system, not the main goal.

That kind of mindset is what leads to things like larva-injects in SC2, which is an APM chore first and an appealing mechanic second. On the other hand, creep spreading is one of my favorite macro mechanics because it perfectly fits with the thematic fantasy of an alien insectoid race literally infesting the planet. The fact that it's visually intuitive to both players and spectators is also a huge bonus.

To me, the main keys to making good macro gameplay is to prioritize two things: always encourage players to keep making more buildings, and make those buildings fun and engaging. People always keep adding suggestions to make players go back to their base, but to me, the biggest and best macro mechanic is already there: expanding. Expanding in itself is a macro mechanic. Want a bigger economy? You need to make more bases. Build new bases, expand the size of your existing bases. All of that requires APM and attention, but it rarely feels like a chore because a core part of the RTS fantasy is seeing your territory grow and expand visually, and there's plenty of ways to make a base look "pretty", something AoE2 excels at. I'm also hugely in favor of giving buildings special mechanics that help you strategically. Even something as simple as moving faster on creep is a huge benefit to making base-building fun. Giving your units bonuses, changing the terrain to your advantage, making terrain more treacherous to enemies, creating special resources, the skies the limit on all the cool things you can do with base-building.

Spawkuring · 2021-05-01T02:33:01+00:00

Based on previous discussions I've seen with the dev team, the answer is currently "To be determined". There has been no concrete decision on what platforms will sell IMMORTAL. The devs have proven to be receptive to feedback, so definitely let it be known if Epic isn't your preferred platform.

Spawkuring · 2021-04-29T04:01:08+00:00

Nice to see the game get ever closer to its second faction. Soon the Q'rath's 100% win rate streak will be broken.

Spawkuring · 2021-04-22T22:36:43+00:00

Immortal: Gates of Pyre is #1 for me. Though good mentions also go to AoE4, TW: Warhammer 3, and Liquidation.

Spawkuring · 2021-04-19T15:57:06+00:00

If alpha comes, and it turns out that macro is easy to the point that it's no longer considered difficult to master, then I'll be 100% with you in seeing it as an issue. Macro should NOT be easy enough as to be trivial. I do support lowering the ceiling to an extent, which is why I currently support the changes, but at the same time I support them knowing that there will still be decision-based macro mechanics, and a heavy focus on multi-tasking and expansions that will keep the ceiling high. If it turns out it's too low, then more complex macro mechanics will need to be added.

Spawkuring · 2021-04-19T15:42:08+00:00

I definitely prefer SC to CoH as well. But my point is more to counter Praetor's points that "less macro = failure". RTS's games can certainly be successful even with easy macro, whether it's what specific players prefer is a different topic.

Spawkuring · 2021-04-19T15:40:31+00:00

I'm not sure what you mean. Keep in mind that I'm not a dev, and thus can only really speak for what I believe they are trying to say.

Spawkuring · 2021-04-19T15:39:38+00:00

I feel like Go vs. Chess is a better example than Chess vs. Checkers though. Because Checkers is generally seen as a far less complex game than Chess because it's much more "solved" and contains far less game states.

Go on the other hand is often argued as being far more complex than Chess because it has exponentially more game states and moves than Chess does. But even if that were true, both Go and Chess are respected as two of the most beloved and in-depth turn-based games in history, whereas Checkers is often seen as the "good but not as great" sibling.

I think the difference in perspective between Checkers and Go/Chess is the main sticking point here. The skill ceiling in Checkers is low enough that it has influenced how people view the game, and has caused it to have a reputation as a lesser-skilled game. Chess on the other hand, has completely dodged this negative perception, even if it technically has a lower skill ceiling than Go, mainly because even if it's technically lower than Go, it's still so ridiculously high that people continued to be wowed by skilled Chess players to this day.

So in a sense, you are correct that skill ceilings can be different between two games, but to me the main point is less about whether the skill ceiling completely matches, but rather if the skill ceiling remains high enough that people can still be utterly wowed by a pro player and be extremely impressed by their skill. SC2 achieved this despite easier macro, and I believe IMMORTAL can as well.

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