luj1
You're all shills
also radial menu is 
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Urban Strife - turn-based zombie survival RPG - coming to Early Access on December 10th
- Thread starter Jimmious
- Start date
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USG_Mucifikatorul did you make the jump to UE5, or the most recent LTSB of UE4?
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- Sep 4, 2018
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- 391
We moved to 4.27, which is the latest stable release. UE 5 is still in early access and not recommended for production work.
rusty_shackleford
Arcane
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- Jan 14, 2018
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Tangential, but did any of the other classic publishers rise from the grave with as much dignity as MicroProse?
If you look at their steam catalogue there's no difference from what they used to publish.
Looking forward to the full release of this after playing the demo last year.
If you look at their steam catalogue there's no difference from what they used to publish.
Looking forward to the full release of this after playing the demo last year.
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- Sep 4, 2018
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- 391
cyborgboy95
News Cyborg
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Really a surprising thing. If the games hold up it will really be a reason to celebrate.
Such high AP for such low fist damage? This does not bode well for me. >.<
DarKPenguiN
Arcane
Proper fisting takes great strength and concentration.
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- 391
That 9 AP cost is pretty low in the economy of the game. And the low damage is because a fist is considered a blunt weapon. And blunt weapons do more damage to stamina and less to health, allowing you to KO targets without killing them outright.
Last edited:
Alphons
Cipher
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Any plans to use this mechanic further than what was shown in the demo (something like capturing prisoners and using them as cheap labor/ ransoming them back to their faction/ interrogating them for some tactical advantage)?
Anonymous Wife Scholar
Arcane
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USG_Mucifikatorul USG anon! Good strong wifes game developer friend anon! Can you give me cute Urban Strife wifes anon! Can you! Can you cute wifes romance anon in Urban Strife game anon! Can you! Thank you anon! You are a good strong friend anon!
Alphons
Cipher
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That sounded strangely familiar to a very dear friend from Asia who wanted to give me very good best deal on leather shoes, 100% genuine originals, the other day, in an email.
Just wanted to check if it's the same person, apparently not the case, but it was worth checking.
Just wanted to check if it's the same person, apparently not the case, but it was worth checking.
- Joined
- Sep 25, 2012
- Messages
- 29,858
Anyone who can send shoes by email is a true bro.
Did a small interview with the Urban Strike devs about the game on my gaming related blog. It's my first ever interview, so some questions could have been better/gone deeper, but still I think I got some nice answers. Most of the information is probably already known for those that have followed the thread from the start, but might still have some interesting tidbits.
Thanks to USG_Mucifikatorul for putting it together!
Urban Strife – Interview
The isometric turn-based tactical game, Urban Strife, is one of my most anticipated upcoming games this year. It’s basically Jagged Alliance 2, with updated 3D graphics, set in the zombie apocalypse. So, what’s not to like? It’s made by the Romanian studio White Pond Games, and I managed to score an interview with the crew over e-mail. Down below, you can read some hopefully interesting tidbits about this upcoming title!
Tell me a little about yourself. What is your computer/gaming related background?
Razvan – ex-Ubisoft, engine & render programmer, reads Jagged Alliance 2 source code to himself as a bedtime story. Loves to play XCOM on Ironman Impossible.
Ciprian – journalist & writer, about 20 years of JA2 modding, never finished Dead State because one cannot leave so much loot behind and run away.
Alex – ex-Ubisoft, 3d/level artist.
What is your role in the studio?
Fulltime:
Razvan Radu – game architect & programmer, gameplay designer, started the project.
Ciprian Dudau – story & campaign designer, community manager.
Alexandru Trutescu – 2D/3D artist, level designer.
Part time:
Gabriel Vasile – 3D artist, set the tech behind materials, fxes, etc.
Virgiliu Ionescu – programmer.
Bogdan Petrica – 2D artist.
Marian Rotaru – 3D/2D artist.
Valentin Oana – character artist.
Mihai Daranga – character artist.
Cosmin Mirza – sound designer.
Valentin Nadolu – level designer, 3D artist.
Tony Neacsu – level artist.
Cristian Cotofana – scripting.
Alexandru Doiciu – trailer artist.
Is this the studio’s first project?
Yes.
How come you started to work on this game/idea?
If you take a lot of craving for a new Jagged Alliance inspired game and combine that with a true love for The Walking Dead series, you’ll notice there’s not much to play in that niche, except Dead State. And it’s about time that changes.
Is this a project you would still work on with unlimited finances, or had dreams to be reined in because of budget?
Unlimited budget would’ve been nice, of course, but we did have to prioritize our plans. At the end of the day we’re still an indie studio with an indie budget.
What is your relationship with MicroProse Software beyond publishing? Do they own your studio/rights to the game?
MicroProse put forward cash, know-how & marketing. They didn’t ask for anything else but for us to make a great game.
What kind of engine does the game run on?
Unreal Engine.
How come you picked this engine? Any particular reason?
Razvan had a lot of expertise with Unreal Engine from his time at Ubisoft. UE also has a similar architecture with proprietary Ubisoft engines he worked with so the choice was natural.
Has it turned out to be a good choice?
It’s the best modern engine for the job, if you have the know-how.
Any specific difficulties related to the engine?
We had to build the whole turn-based, tile movement support from scratch. It’s a very powerful tool, but also with a quite steep learning curve so recruiting programmers is harder than on Unity or other engines.
Have you guys considered what kind of ports you will make, or will the game strictly be PC?
Unreal Engine is multi-platform so porting the game should be reasonably easy in that respect. But some changes will be required.
Does modern game design make it easier to port stuff to different systems?
Depends on engine and interface controls.
How do complex PC controls translate to a gamepad?
Interfaces usually need to be designed or redesigned for gamepad controls.
What’s the inspiration for your game?
Jagged Alliance 2, Dead State and The Walking Dead series.
Why the zombie apocalypse setting, instead of something more “Jagged Alliance” like?
What is more actual than a pandemic virus? Let’s hope the game story doesn’t turn out to be even more realistic than it is.
What are your general thoughts about interface and UI? It almost seems like a long-lost knowledge to me, making good ones that is.
It is a very tough job, we still have a long way to go until we will be happy with the end result.
UI wise, what is most important – function or immersion?
Function comes first but the holy grail is a good blend of both.
How come you went with action points, instead of the more popular style of the modern Xcom games, aka more abstract board-game rules?
We had to represent in a granular fashion a very large range of actions (running, crouching, using various tools and weapons, drones, etc) and we would’ve hated to simplify these as simple push-a-button skills.
How much of an RPG can we expect from the game? Will it have hard hitting decisions?
It is one of the core three layers: combat, survival and role-playing. Your decisions will shape your entire campaign.
Does the game allow for failure & death, like for example the classic X-com games, and Battle Brothers?
Yes, it does.
So you can continue playing after losing half your crew?
Yes you can, but it will be very hard, because you won’t have unlimited recruits. Also if the main hero (player avatar) dies, you lose the game.
Will all recruits have a personality of their own? Will decisions affect how they feel about you? Can they turn on you and leave?
Yes, all have different personalities, but because you have a limited roster having such dramatic penalties (leaving) would not have made sense. They will react to events and tell you how bad you disappointed them, but their interest in keeping you close is stronger than animosity (no spoilers).
Will there be a limit on how many characters you can bring to a mission?
Hero + 4 (+1 slot is reserved for temporary escort guests).
Will damage be realistic, or allow you and your enemies to soak up damage?
Absolutely no bullet sponges, everything about damage and combat is designed to be as realistic as possible in a TBS game.
Will there be ways of protecting your crew from damage?
If you mean body armor, yes, there will be armor with various degrees of protection.
What kind of weapons can we expect, will gun-porn enthusiasts be pleased?
Default arsenal is representative for all types of damage, but it will leave enough room for modders to add variations later.
How will loot be distributed? Will it be rare, or will there be plenty of loot to be had?
Loot will be much better controlled and distributed in the full game than in the NextFest demo. It will fit the story of a post-apoc society.
Is all loot useful?
Not all loot is directly usable by the player party, but everything has an use back at home. After the initial hauls, you’ll have access to your own scavenger parties and they will haul the basic resources home, while you can cherry pick stuff whatever you need to push on.
Will there be quests?
Quests, missions, sidequests, minor quests, optional quests, personal quests, the whole deal.
Is the game open-ended story-wise, or does it follow a strict narrative path?
It is a strategic game with different paths you can choose so your gameplay experience will vary. The path will lead ultimately to the end game battle against the undead horde, but what happens before and after that is of your own choosing.
Do you have a dedicated writer for the story on the team?
Yes, we have, Ciprian has written everything (story/campaign, backstory/bios, dialogues, lore etc).
Can we pick and choose where to go and in what order?
Yes, it’s the core concept of the campaign, the freedom to choose allies, enemies and the routes to explore.
Will explosions send characters flying through the air?
Depending on blast strength, any dying character gets controlled by a ragdoll (instead of a special animation). There will be no exaggerations though, we are fans of realism without compromising fun.
How will fire work? Will it spread if it can? Can it end up with a whole map being consumed in a raging fire?
Each object in the game has an internal “fuel” value and the fire will expand as long as it finds fuel to burn. In theory a whole map can be consumed, but it would need to be packed with flammable objects.
How much gore can we expect, lots I hope?
Our only limit is the budget, so I guess a “normal” amount? We’re not skittish about blood or guts or some exploding brains, but all that requires time and budget expenses. If those are available, why not?
Can your own character or part of your crew turn if bitten?
Becoming infected is part of the game, but can’t spoil what exactly happens yet.
Will there be a level up system for your crew? If so, is it skill/talent based, or pure stat related?
It’s based on perks and attributes/stats.
Will the game be hard? Will it punish you for mistakes in the short and long term?
We aim for a hard but fair difficulty. Also there are difficulty levels to choose from. Some mistakes will be very punishing, such as attacking an ally.
And at last, how long will the game be on average do you think?
We aim for a minimum of 20 hours (if you’re an expert and you play just for the objectives) with a lot of replayability for those who enjoy taking their time.
The isometric turn-based tactical game, Urban Strife, is one of my most anticipated upcoming games this year. It’s basically Jagged Alliance 2, with updated 3D graphics, set in the zombie apocalypse. So, what’s not to like? It’s made by the Romanian studio White Pond Games, and I managed to score an interview with the crew over e-mail. Down below, you can read some hopefully interesting tidbits about this upcoming title!
Tell me a little about yourself. What is your computer/gaming related background?
Razvan – ex-Ubisoft, engine & render programmer, reads Jagged Alliance 2 source code to himself as a bedtime story. Loves to play XCOM on Ironman Impossible.
Ciprian – journalist & writer, about 20 years of JA2 modding, never finished Dead State because one cannot leave so much loot behind and run away.
Alex – ex-Ubisoft, 3d/level artist.
What is your role in the studio?
Fulltime:
Razvan Radu – game architect & programmer, gameplay designer, started the project.
Ciprian Dudau – story & campaign designer, community manager.
Alexandru Trutescu – 2D/3D artist, level designer.
Part time:
Gabriel Vasile – 3D artist, set the tech behind materials, fxes, etc.
Virgiliu Ionescu – programmer.
Bogdan Petrica – 2D artist.
Marian Rotaru – 3D/2D artist.
Valentin Oana – character artist.
Mihai Daranga – character artist.
Cosmin Mirza – sound designer.
Valentin Nadolu – level designer, 3D artist.
Tony Neacsu – level artist.
Cristian Cotofana – scripting.
Alexandru Doiciu – trailer artist.
Is this the studio’s first project?
Yes.
How come you started to work on this game/idea?
If you take a lot of craving for a new Jagged Alliance inspired game and combine that with a true love for The Walking Dead series, you’ll notice there’s not much to play in that niche, except Dead State. And it’s about time that changes.
Is this a project you would still work on with unlimited finances, or had dreams to be reined in because of budget?
Unlimited budget would’ve been nice, of course, but we did have to prioritize our plans. At the end of the day we’re still an indie studio with an indie budget.
What is your relationship with MicroProse Software beyond publishing? Do they own your studio/rights to the game?
MicroProse put forward cash, know-how & marketing. They didn’t ask for anything else but for us to make a great game.
What kind of engine does the game run on?
Unreal Engine.
How come you picked this engine? Any particular reason?
Razvan had a lot of expertise with Unreal Engine from his time at Ubisoft. UE also has a similar architecture with proprietary Ubisoft engines he worked with so the choice was natural.
Has it turned out to be a good choice?
It’s the best modern engine for the job, if you have the know-how.
Any specific difficulties related to the engine?
We had to build the whole turn-based, tile movement support from scratch. It’s a very powerful tool, but also with a quite steep learning curve so recruiting programmers is harder than on Unity or other engines.
Have you guys considered what kind of ports you will make, or will the game strictly be PC?
Unreal Engine is multi-platform so porting the game should be reasonably easy in that respect. But some changes will be required.
Does modern game design make it easier to port stuff to different systems?
Depends on engine and interface controls.
How do complex PC controls translate to a gamepad?
Interfaces usually need to be designed or redesigned for gamepad controls.
What’s the inspiration for your game?
Jagged Alliance 2, Dead State and The Walking Dead series.
Why the zombie apocalypse setting, instead of something more “Jagged Alliance” like?
What is more actual than a pandemic virus? Let’s hope the game story doesn’t turn out to be even more realistic than it is.
What are your general thoughts about interface and UI? It almost seems like a long-lost knowledge to me, making good ones that is.
It is a very tough job, we still have a long way to go until we will be happy with the end result.
UI wise, what is most important – function or immersion?
Function comes first but the holy grail is a good blend of both.
How come you went with action points, instead of the more popular style of the modern Xcom games, aka more abstract board-game rules?
We had to represent in a granular fashion a very large range of actions (running, crouching, using various tools and weapons, drones, etc) and we would’ve hated to simplify these as simple push-a-button skills.
How much of an RPG can we expect from the game? Will it have hard hitting decisions?
It is one of the core three layers: combat, survival and role-playing. Your decisions will shape your entire campaign.
Does the game allow for failure & death, like for example the classic X-com games, and Battle Brothers?
Yes, it does.
So you can continue playing after losing half your crew?
Yes you can, but it will be very hard, because you won’t have unlimited recruits. Also if the main hero (player avatar) dies, you lose the game.
Will all recruits have a personality of their own? Will decisions affect how they feel about you? Can they turn on you and leave?
Yes, all have different personalities, but because you have a limited roster having such dramatic penalties (leaving) would not have made sense. They will react to events and tell you how bad you disappointed them, but their interest in keeping you close is stronger than animosity (no spoilers).
Will there be a limit on how many characters you can bring to a mission?
Hero + 4 (+1 slot is reserved for temporary escort guests).
Will damage be realistic, or allow you and your enemies to soak up damage?
Absolutely no bullet sponges, everything about damage and combat is designed to be as realistic as possible in a TBS game.
Will there be ways of protecting your crew from damage?
If you mean body armor, yes, there will be armor with various degrees of protection.
What kind of weapons can we expect, will gun-porn enthusiasts be pleased?
Default arsenal is representative for all types of damage, but it will leave enough room for modders to add variations later.
How will loot be distributed? Will it be rare, or will there be plenty of loot to be had?
Loot will be much better controlled and distributed in the full game than in the NextFest demo. It will fit the story of a post-apoc society.
Is all loot useful?
Not all loot is directly usable by the player party, but everything has an use back at home. After the initial hauls, you’ll have access to your own scavenger parties and they will haul the basic resources home, while you can cherry pick stuff whatever you need to push on.
Will there be quests?
Quests, missions, sidequests, minor quests, optional quests, personal quests, the whole deal.
Is the game open-ended story-wise, or does it follow a strict narrative path?
It is a strategic game with different paths you can choose so your gameplay experience will vary. The path will lead ultimately to the end game battle against the undead horde, but what happens before and after that is of your own choosing.
Do you have a dedicated writer for the story on the team?
Yes, we have, Ciprian has written everything (story/campaign, backstory/bios, dialogues, lore etc).
Can we pick and choose where to go and in what order?
Yes, it’s the core concept of the campaign, the freedom to choose allies, enemies and the routes to explore.
Will explosions send characters flying through the air?
Depending on blast strength, any dying character gets controlled by a ragdoll (instead of a special animation). There will be no exaggerations though, we are fans of realism without compromising fun.
How will fire work? Will it spread if it can? Can it end up with a whole map being consumed in a raging fire?
Each object in the game has an internal “fuel” value and the fire will expand as long as it finds fuel to burn. In theory a whole map can be consumed, but it would need to be packed with flammable objects.
How much gore can we expect, lots I hope?
Our only limit is the budget, so I guess a “normal” amount? We’re not skittish about blood or guts or some exploding brains, but all that requires time and budget expenses. If those are available, why not?
Can your own character or part of your crew turn if bitten?
Becoming infected is part of the game, but can’t spoil what exactly happens yet.
Will there be a level up system for your crew? If so, is it skill/talent based, or pure stat related?
It’s based on perks and attributes/stats.
Will the game be hard? Will it punish you for mistakes in the short and long term?
We aim for a hard but fair difficulty. Also there are difficulty levels to choose from. Some mistakes will be very punishing, such as attacking an ally.
And at last, how long will the game be on average do you think?
We aim for a minimum of 20 hours (if you’re an expert and you play just for the objectives) with a lot of replayability for those who enjoy taking their time.
Thanks to USG_Mucifikatorul for putting it together!
Zizka
Self-Ejected
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2020
- Messages
- 429
I’d like to say that this looks so promising. I don’t want to get my hopes up but this is the kind of game I’m looking for. I can’t deal with action games anymore, just want some Jagged Alliance tactics. Backed by MicroProse no less!
I looked through the interview. Almost sounds too good to be true. Wise move not to have said: “it’ll be like JA 2”. Comparing to a titan would’ve been a risky move.
Godspeed!
I looked through the interview. Almost sounds too good to be true. Wise move not to have said: “it’ll be like JA 2”. Comparing to a titan would’ve been a risky move.
Godspeed!
It's not just wishful thinking considering they had a demo out. The game plays very well. The only thing I think missing from JA2 would be that you can't go prone.
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2004
- Messages
- 6,927
USG_Mucifikatorul can you remind me, and sorry for asking again, but does US:
1) Have sound-placed NPC markers for when you can’t see enemies but you can hear them, like Silent Storm?
2) is the building destruction comparable to silent storm? Ie blast through a wall to enter a structure, shoot through stairs/floor/wall to hit an NPC you can’t directly see, that kind of thing?
1) Have sound-placed NPC markers for when you can’t see enemies but you can hear them, like Silent Storm?
2) is the building destruction comparable to silent storm? Ie blast through a wall to enter a structure, shoot through stairs/floor/wall to hit an NPC you can’t directly see, that kind of thing?
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2018
- Messages
- 391
1. Sound propagation is done and it's quite advanced, but as we've said in the interview, we still have a lot more work to do on the UI part. That kind of marker is somewhere on our list.
2. Again, given it's Unreal Engine, making stuff destructible could surpass SS by far, but then we would need destroyed meshes and destruction fx for each and every construction. Do-able but costly. We'll try to have some destructibles now, add more later. For the second part of the question, we have some funny tests on our YT channel:
Blind shooting
https://youtu.be/p0G4_9HqK8M
Material resistance
https://youtu.be/1E-5Dh3xiLo
Buckshot vs slug penetration
https://youtu.be/GMarlXgBPyg
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 99,628
Hiring a senior level designer: https://www.urbanstrifegame.com/we-are-hiring/
- Joined
- Sep 4, 2018
- Messages
- 391
Yep, we need to step up maps production and we're enlarging the team a bit. More cool places to explore for you all. If know any level design wizard out of work, send him/her our way.
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2008
- Messages
- 2,901
Is our resident foot fetish nazi looking for work right now? 
Is our resident foot fetish nazi looking for work right now?
I'd be up for some level design, but don't have enough time for a full time job and doubt I'd be qualified as I never used Unreal engine before. USG_Mucifikatorul I guess my lack of UE experience counts me out, huh?
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