Alterborn
Alterborn Development Update
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqmMLMfBVkk
We want to be as transparent as possible and despite the game still being in early stages of development (pre-alpha), we wanted to showcase the current state of Alterborn.
We hope you enjoy this brief gameplay teaser showing footage from an early pre-alpha build.
See you in the Shattered Lands!
Alterborn Devlog #4
Most games try to replicate a specific formula; the same formula that was utilized by hundreds if not thousands of other projects beforehand, with similar systems and mechanics. While there have been countless soulslikes and shooters made over the years, there have been very few soulslike shooters like Alterborn which makes it a one of a kind benchmark.
These two genres are very different, in some cases having solutions that are literally polar opposites of each other. The potential to create something unique with a breath of fresh air is limitless but at the same time, there are some challenges to overcome.
All of us at the studio are very passionate about making something that will truly stand out on the market and on a daily basis we spend many hours analyzing other games and playing our own, to come up with the best formula possible.
Soulslike Mechanics
Many have tried to replicate the essence of From Software games. Creating a soulslike is an extremely nuanced and complex topic which honestly deserves its own book but just briefly I’ll try to give you an idea about what goes into making such a game.
At first glance, AI in soulslikes can seem quite simple. There are no stealth mechanics of any kind and once an enemy commits to an attack action, they won’t change their behavior mid-animation.
Each enemy action in Alterborn has an explicit 'tell', signaling to the player that they need to prepare to avoid an incoming attack.
The thing is, extreme care and thought is put into the animation timings themselves and the resource management system, as is the case with Alterborn. As a player, often by trial and error you have to learn the said timings with extreme accuracy, a single animation frame can be the difference between success and failure.
In Alterborn, we try to take this to the next level. You will have tools at your disposal that are not seen in many soulslikes, letting you briefly become extremely powerful and interrupt deadly enemy actions that otherwise would punish you. Basic actions in Alterborn are also designed to correlate in a meaningful manner, for example if you time your Heavy Melee Attack correctly as an enemy prepares to leap onto you, you can interrupt their leap mid-air and stagger them.
Playing a soulslike game can sometimes feel like an action chess if you will; you commit to an action, usually planning it ahead of time and if you fail to predict something, you are punished for it.
Then there are additional gameplay mechanics such as an action queuing system that actually lets you cancel action animations within a specific time window in order to perform a different one. Holistically, all of these mechanics make up for the engaging gameplay that has captivated millions and we work hard to make sure ALL of them are present and very polished in Alterborn.
Enemy Balancing & Placement
While in some games you take on hordes of enemies that alone can pose little to no threat, in soulslikes each encounter feels meaningful and if you are not paying attention, one basic enemy can be the cause of your demise.
Rarely are there more than a couple of enemies rushing at you at once and yet the intensity spike is more severe than in any other action game. If one pays attention, they’ll realize that in some games enemies are just there to act as an extremely slow target dummy, to occupy the level’s geometry and let the player hack or shoot at something. Rarely will an enemy have a faster attack animation than the player. That is not the case with soulslikes - some enemies will be much quicker than you BUT they will have a downtime that will reward you IF you are patient and observant. In Alterborn, we also design our enemy and player actions to achieve such a gameplay outcome.
Each Combat Arena is an intricate puzzle that can be solved by those who take their time to spot patterns and most importantly, understand and learn them.
And yet, with the shooting action thrown into the mix, having a swarm of target dummies is pretty much a requirement to keep one engaged when traversing a gameplay space. So how does one achieve that within the soulslike formula? These are the kinds of things that require careful consideration and many hours of playtesting and we feel pretty confident that we managed to come up with optimal solutions that will make for a captivating experience.
While in Alterborn each combat arena will feel memorable as is the case with combat arenas in From Software games, with meticulously positioned enemies that let you approach fights tactically so that you can plan out your movement (and toolset) in advance, there will also be moments which surprise you with a flood of enemies, forcing you to adapt to the situation and play a bit differently. Our AI operates on a hive-type logic meaning it tracks each other's actions and based on that, makes informed choices on what to do.
This is it for this entry, we will follow up on it later on. We also have some exciting news coming your way in the future so be sure to stay tuned on all our socials.
And if you have not joined our discord server yet, here is the link: https://discord.gg/eFZeyKU4Xg You can ask us anything about the game and we’ll do our best to provide an answer.
Thanks and see you in the Shattered Lands!
Taste of Power - A Short Story
Chapter 1: Taste of Power
by Pawel Pernak
It was bitterly hot and as the sun glared and the sand sizzled, the three children scurried and screamed, pretending to be heroes and villains of primal myths, seemingly no care in the world. Scraps of metal were protruding from the desert accompanied by faint, reddish stains; telltale signs of a recent skirmish between brigands of the Shattered Lands. Just miles away the wasteland ended and something else began, with no conscious thing alive in slight, just the ever spreading, nefarious corruption.
All of a sudden, they stopped dead in their tracks. The air around them shifted, turning dense with an abnormal mist. Daliah, the youngest of the three, felt something calling to her. It was hard to describe really, as if an alien voice dominated her thoughts. Out of nowhere, a sunken rift materialized in the distance, with an entry point illuminated by a crimson light as ominous and yet alluring as the ethereal essence which has overtaken the nearby flora. Daliah glanced at the others, who both seemed to be oblivious to the rift. Entranced, she ran towards it, moving ever closer towards the unnatural void in the ground and the mysterious energy surrounding it. She truly lacked the words to describe it.
Daliah was puny and short, even for her age. Her common tribal rags were exactly the same as those of the other two children that were now calling after her but she couldn’t hear them, or simply chose not to.
“Daliah wait…” Askil, Daliah’s older brother, was running after her, to his surprise barely being able to catch up. As opposed to his sister, he was tall, sinewy and tanned with long, black hair. Myrie was right behind him, the oldest of the three, she was even taller than Askil, of an athletic build. Honestly, Daliah hated that. She always felt like the weakest of them all, with no purpose other than playing the second fiddle to whatever they did.
As she entered the rift, traversing ever deeper into the complex of underground tunnels, she heard echoed, muffled voices behind her but chose to ignore them. All that mattered was the voice inside her head, telling her to push forward.
Seize it, it said.
And there it was. An indescribable, bizarre object, obscene in a way but she couldn’t help but stare at it in utter awe. The longer she looked, the more magnificent it seemed, its tissue twisting and churning, reacting to her movement. She reached out with her hand, eager to touch it, to commune with it.
“Don’t!” It was Askil, barely able to contain his breath. But it was too late, Daliah’s hand already made contact with the object. The world around her changed in an instance, reality but a blur. She pierced the veil. All that remained was a blooming crimson lurking from behind the fog and obscure silhouettes slowly emerging from the dark. Were they trying to tell her something, whatever they were? Yes, she was sure of it, but she did not understand. Were they phantoms of the dead? No. These specters, whatever they were, were beyond her comprehension and seemed as far from human as anything she ever gazed upon but somehow she knew they were alive, just somewhere else. And now, she was here with them and she felt at home, like she belonged, possibly for the very first time in her entire life. Despite the high strangeness of it all, what she was now perceiving felt more tangible and authentic than the ‘real’ world, the world she despised. She felt no fear, just curiosity. But then, these entities dissipated, replaced by others. They took the form of rotting hands beyond count, sprouting from the crackling ground, grasping at her. They were ready to crumble at any moment but some extrinsic force held them together. She felt their emotions, their anger and hatred towards her and all that ever was, their mortal shell long gone.
She ran and to her amazement, there was no pain that she usually felt. On the contrary, her legs moved effortlessly, faster than ever, as if they had a will of their own. She took note of her hands that were glowing red! It was as if she held the power of the entire world in her palms. And then, she witnessed a presence that made her gasp in terror. A black, shadowy figure with mad, mystical fire burning in its eyes. Before Daliah could react, the being appeared right in front of her and grabbed her by the throat. Shock, awe and fear overwhelmed her all at once, coursing through her more vividly than ever before, followed by an indescribable pain. It felt like she died a thousand times over and all that remained was a mere flicker of a soul. There was nothing left for her to experience but an aetherial, endless darkness. The nothingness was truly a horror beyond imagining.
Then the experience ended as abruptly as it began. The vortex of emotions was replaced by disappointment and sadness, a sense of mundanity creeped in. Daliah tried to speak but no words came out of her mouth. It was as if her body was some unknown vessel, refusing to obey her. Come back! - she wanted to scream, despite everything. She was still in shock, both physically and mentally, trying to comprehend what just happened to her. Slowly, she managed to move her stiffened, half-paralyzed limbs. There was something different about her; her thoughts, her motions, as though they belonged to someone else entirely. Was she less? Was she more? Honestly, she could not tell. Humanity steadily ebbed from her, replaced by a brand new framework of mind and matter.
Askil and Myrie were lying on the ground next to her, unconscious.
You went straight into the shadow without hesitation. Well done. There it was again, that voice.
She brushed it off and instead sprinted towards the duo. “Wake up!” was all she managed to mumble, to no avail.
Leave them.
She whirled her hands in panic, horrified but to her relief, both Askil and Myrie opened their eyes simultaneously. Myrie was the first to speak:
“Get away from me, freak.” She continued:
“I told you, we should have left her.” An annoyance or even outright loathing could be heard in her tone.
“Yeah? You think I enjoy having to constantly look after my half witted sister?” Askil was already dragging Daliah by force but she resisted with all her will, gazing with longing at the mysterious object.
Go back in. Every choice has led you to this moment.
And so she did.
Daliah's fate will be revealed in Alterborn. In the next chapter of the story you’ll be able to learn more about a brand new character from the actual game.
Alterborn Devlog #3
With that out of the way, today we’ll be briefly talking about Alterborn’s IP meaning the game’s setting and storytelling.
All of us at the studio are engrossed by pop culture and various sci-fi/fantasy works. Suffice to say, we’re deeply passionate about crafting memorable, thought provoking experiences in all types of media.
While our development philosophy has always been to first and foremost get the gameplay right, we also believe in a holistic approach when developing games, which is why we pay great attention to detail when it comes to all aspects of Alterborn, including the narrative.
Worldbuilding is a complex process; when designing specific characters we always try to envision what caused them to be the way they are, what motivates them and so forth, usually via storyboards.
Crafting an engaging story is not some abstract, elusive notion that happens by chance. It is a skill that can be learned and that requires one to analyze what came before, to understand nuances of human psychology. After all, the most memorable stories are those that we can relate to on some level, that make us wonder about the world we live in while at the same time immersing us in something else entirely.
We try to invoke such experiences in Alterborn which is set in a grim, lawless world of no heroes, just various entities with conflicting desires and moral ambiguity (after all, morality is just a social construct that is very relative). At the same time, we intertwine drama with comedy, steeping the diegetic world in dark humor. Whenever we experience something in the real world which alters our paradigm or even causes trauma, we tend to brush it off as a joke simply as a coping mechanism.
We want the characters of Alterborn to be memorable and somewhat exaggerated if you will, much as is the case with games like Borderlands or Hades, taking a step back from the epic poetry style that most soulslike games seem to follow. Some of the grandeur is still there, we don’t want to take away from the fundamentals that made all the From Software games a worldwide cultural phenomenon but at the same time we don’t mind playing loosely within the narrative framework we set up, slightly innovating on the formula, hopefully in an interesting manner. We do feel confident about the creative direction we’re taking.
A BLEAK FATE
The world of Alterborn was ravaged by a mysterious, otherworldly force. Some call it a plague, others consider it a gift, outright worshiping it. In the end, no one really knows what caused this force to awaken from its slumber and what exactly is its nature.
Corruption can take its toll on the host, transforming those affected beyond any recognition or imagining into vile abominations.
Suffice to say, all living things are inevitably changed by it.
AN ALTERBORN
It began with utter chaos. First it was flora, then fauna, then civilization itself. Countless lives were lost, becoming mere lifeless husks, hosts for… something else. Others hid, struggling to survive within a crazed, unstable world. Then there were some who fought off the host, managing to elude death but not without cost. Their tales are shared by few in hushed tones, the common folk branded them as ALTERBORN.
Unspeakable horrors from beyond await those that dare enter The Altered State. These horrors, once human perhaps, were consumed by the power within...
...there are also those who were able to tap into that power and embrace it. While unlike Alterborn, their old self was lost, they wield considerable power and managed to regain their wit.
It is said that Alterborn are capable of entering different realms of reality at a whim or manipulating untold energy, causing ripples through the very fabric of time and space. They tell of the mad, mystical fire that burns in their eyes. Whether these things are true is anyone’s guess.
A NOBLE GOAL
Many tried to learn more about the force that overtook their world, the world they once knew, perhaps hoping to stop the ever spreading corruption or seize its power for themselves. And many have perished in their futile quest.
As fate would have it, you, one of the Alterborn, are thrown into a whirlwind of events which cause you to embark on a dangerous journey, roaming a vast, bizarre wasteland.
When traversing the Shattered Lands, you either adapt and survive or die. Most survivors utilize whatever scrap they can get their hands on to craft tools that let them overcome countless deadly challenges.
You stumble upon other survivors, a bunch of misfits, with a seemingly noble goal no less; reaching the source from which the force, or a plague, whatever it may be, originated and ending it once and for all.
Next week we’ll be sharing a short story entitled ‘Slice of Lunacy‘ set within the Alterborn IP that will explore the backstory of multiple characters which you will encounter in the actual game! We’re really excited to share this very first, more in-depth look at the world of Alterborn with you; so stay tuned and be sure to keep an eye out on our social media channels.
Alterborn Dev Talk #2
Be sure to join our discord server: https://discord.com/invite/eFZeyKU4Xg and stay tuned for more such updates in the near future.
Alterborn - Dev Talk #1
Also, for the first time ever, get a glimpse at the gameplay itself.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts regarding the game! Be sure to join our discord server: https://discord.com/invite/eFZeyKU4Xg and stay tuned for more such updates in the near future.
Alterborn Devlog #2
Once again, this is Pawel, Alterborn's Lead Game Designer here to directly address some concerns from you, our community.
1. Truly HEARING, not "hearing".
FIrst and foremost we'd like to thank you for showing interest in Alterborn. We've been taken aback by the initial reception to the game and plan to showcase much more in the coming months; what we feel is even higher quality content in contrast with what was shown so far.
Not much is known about the nomads that traverse the Shattered Lands.
The demand and interest is clearly there and we're motivated, like never before, to bring into your hands a game that we'll be proud of as both developers and players.
You'll find mysterious altars spread throughout the Shattered Lands, some hidden, that act as checkpoints. After interacting with such an object, you'll be returned to it after dying.
"We hear your feedback loud and clear" - some of you are probably used to... hearing this. As avid gamers, we are too. Yet the feedback one provides is often overlooked or outright ignored. Filtering feedback as a developer is not an easy task; you'll never be able to make everyone happy, a design philosophy that appeals to one might be loathed by another. Nonetheless, we want to try to do better.
2. Transparency
What does the above entail you might ask. Well, we want to openly share with you our thought processes and reasoning whenever talking about a feature that is being implemented, design choice and so forth; no PR bullshit or generic marketing buzzwords.
Concept art for one of the weapons that MIGHT make an appearance in Alterborn...
...does it remind you of anything
As we continue to work on the game, we'll be sharing more detailed information regarding specific systems and in turn we'll be asking you for feedback.
The Hollow Eye flavor text, taken directly from the game: "You hear faint, dreadful whispers when looking at... whatever this is." One of the items that those daring to venture deep into the Shattered Lands might stumble upon, granting them lost, forgotten knowledge.
Same goes for choosing which visual assets to add into the game. Take the above concept art - we've already asked you on our discord server (https://discord.gg/eFZeyKU4Xg
) which variant you liked the most. Such feedback will strongly influence our decisions, shaping the final game.
3. Gameplay?
We heard your feedback in regards to the Future Games Show trailer; you wanted to see an actual gameplay taken directly from the game. If you're dying to see something, take a look at our Steam page. You'll see that we've added brand new GIFs showcasing never before seen footage!
Tainted Ripple Ability flavor text: "It is said that some Alterborn were capable of empowering their weapons with untold energy, with each slash causing ripples through the very fabric of time and space." In Alterborn you'll find many active abilities that can be mixed and matched in order to define your playstyle.
We've also seen your comments and wanted to reply to one of the most frequently asked questions: what makes our game stand out on the oversaturated soulslike market?
- Different action pool - we give the player a lot more tools to deal with the challenges throw at them; abilities, guns and more.
- Procedural content - we want each playthrough to feel unique. Even within a single session, your experience will vary.
- Meaningful progression - expect something a lot more interesting than change parameter X from 10 to 11. You will have to make many difficult choices when it comes to customizing your character. Also, there is a lot of loot. Like a lot.
"Further exploration of various weapon archetypes. We want each gun to feel distinctive and gameplay-wise, fulfill a specific, unique role."
As for an actual gameplay reveal - we want to show you something that looks and most importantly, feels polished. We apply such an approach to everything, including our game. We want to uphold a certain standard of quality and take our time with the development, to release something we're proud of.
With all that being said, keep an eye out on our socials (and discord) where we'll be sharing exclusive reveals, potentially including (but not limited to) snippets of gameplay.
Alterborn Devblog #1
We're hard at work on the Vertical Slice; an early prototype that is meant to showcase all the core gameplay systems, mechanics and act as a proof of concept for what we try to achieve.
I am Pawel, Alterborn Lead Game Designer and I will walk you through some of our pre-production thought processes.
1. Inspiration
It is my belief that you can't make games without actually playing them. Well, not decent games anyway. Take a good look at any successful game, especially an indie premium one; these games usually have a lower budget in contrast to triple A titles and achieve both commercial and critical acclaim mainly because of good design direction and subsequent innovative solutions in areas with relatively low risk and high potential.
As you play Alterborn you'll encounter many varied enemies with diverse action pool; you will have to learn the said actions methodically to triumph.
Our very first step was to break down our favourite games into prime factors and think long and hard about what makes them tick if you will. Is it the action loop of the player? The game's structure? Progression systems? All of those combined? Or something else entirely?
Alterborn healing object asset.
Which in turn led us to many prototyping sessions and the current state of Alterborn.
2. Player Fantasy & Action Pool
This is where I think the absolute best games of genres such as soulslike, roguelite and looter shooter shine the most. Having fluid and intuitive gameplay player tools is pivotal to a good experience; frame by frame, we analyzed multiple titles and replicated specific mechanisms, at the same time trying to improve on them in some aspects.
Concept Art of the Player Character's initial armor suit.
In Alterborn you can jump, shoot, slash, crouch and use countless abilities which let you throw enemies onto walls or reflect projectiles. All of these actions have their place within the game flow and if used correctly will make you feel like an absolute badass.
3. Progression
There is a reason why most modern games borrow from the RPG genre and utilize many progression systems; a fair amount of players, including myself, like to feel like they continuously get something out of playing the game, even if they don't always succeed.
An early iteration of the Alterborn Character Screen; keep in mind that this mockup does not represent the final UI and we'll be completely overhauling it prior to the final release.
What a lot of these games seem to have forgotten is that a sense of progression is futile if not combined with meaningful choice. What is the point of having talent points if you can unlock all of them at some point within the game? You basically strip the game from player agency and the player will just end up having a stronger character with X% more value on specific parameters. If you're forced to make a difficult decision though, the game instantly becomes more interesting.
Head Slot wearable item Concept Art.
This is what Alterborn progression systems are all about; as you play the game, you'll find countless weapons, armors, trinkets, slottable passive and active abilities and much more. You won't be able to equip all of them though. In fact, you'll be quite limited and have to constantly tweak your loadout to adapt to challenges that are being thrown at you. As you keep on progressing through the game, you'll learn more about enemy archetypes and whatnot subsequently being able to make better, informed decisions.
4. Game Structure
I am not big on linear games but at the same time, I'd rather not be overwhelmed with an expansive open world. This is why I am an avid fan of roguelite games which are seemingly linear but utilize systemic logic to procedurally generate additional content and make every single playthrough feel unique.
After we finalize a gameplay blockout (functional whitebox) we proceed with making an environmental Level Art concept.
Alterborn is not a roguelite per se BUT it does have gameplay systems which will make all the players familiar with the genre feel right at home. We combine interesting, handcrafted geometry with procedural content to achieve what these games do best and eliminate what they suffer from the most.
I hope you enjoyed this glimpse at the development process of Alterborn. Stay tuned for many more such updates in the coming months along with an eventual lengthy gameplay reveal. We look forward to reading through your feedback; you can chat with us over on our discord server: https://discord.gg/eFZeyKU4Xg
Thanks and see you in the Shattered Lands!
Alterborn will make its debut on the Future Games Show!
[previewyoutube="E_C4rfSx86g;leftthumb"]https://youtu.be/E_C4rfSx86g[/previewyoutube]
The show is scheduled to take place on Thursday 24th March 2022. See the times listed below to find out when the showcase will start in your region:
North America: 3pm PDT / 4pm MDT / 5pm CDT / 6pm EDT
UK/Ire: 10pm GMT
Europe: 11pm CET / 12am EET
Asia/Oceania: 7am JST / 6am AWST / 9am AEDT