We want to share a quick update to let you know that the Official Ripstone Autumn Tournament will start tomorrow, 29th September, at 10am BST. We're really looking forward to launching the second official tournament as there were some incredibly impressive games played during the first competition.
We made some changes to the way tournaments work during the Summer leg, so we're confident that the Autumn Tournament will run a lot more smoothly! There is a 72 hour (3 day) limit for making a move when playing a tournament game, which will help to keep things moving and advance players through each round more efficiently. We also removed the in game timer to make way for this 72 hour time limit, so make sure to return to your game with plenty of time!
Get ready to bring your A-game and battle for the top spot.
Good luck everyone!
Pantheon DLC Out Now - Environment + Chess Set
Hey everyone,
We're really excited to share that the first DLC pack for Chess Ultra is available now! The Pantheon Game Pack includes a brand new environment and also an exclusive chess set that can be used in various combinations with the existing base sets.
The environment is an exquisitely detailed model of the Pantheon in Rome, bringing a touch of ancient history to Chess Ultra. The pack also includes a hand crafted set of bronze cast Roman chessmen.
We hope you enjoy the new DLC and we'll have more updates about future content soon.
Thanks for your ongoing support!
Team Ripstone
Update 3 Arrives Today + DLC is Coming!
Hi everyone,
A new update is now available which makes a few changes as outlined below:
• Added a popup showing Elo changes to the game-over sequence
• Fixed tournament achievements not always unlocking correctly
• Fixed the 'piece' camera mode not being movable during the opponent's turn
• Fixed non-timed tournaments always showing 0 time remaining
• Other minor bug fixes
We're always looking for ways to improve Chess Ultra so thank you to everyone that has provided feedback so far! We are incredibly grateful for your ongoing support.
We also have some exciting news to share...
DLC is coming to Chess Ultra!
You can get an exclusive first look at one of the new environments above and we can't wait to share more details with you in the coming weeks. Also, let us know what sort of DLC you would like to see, if there is a specific chess set you would like to play with in-game or any environments you would like to visit in VR!
Thanks as always for your support,
Team Ripstone
Update 2 Available Now: Style Changes and Bug Fixes
Hey everyone,
Thanks for your patience with our second update to Chess Ultra. We really value your feedback and support so we're really happy to share this latest update with you that includes a variety of style changes and a few bug fixes...
- Cross-platform matchmaking made easier
A search feature has been added so you should be able to find your friends easier when playing on different platforms. If you have friends playing on other platforms they won't be able to use this feature yet but it will be going into the update we do on console in the near future.
- Free camera option
We know some of you wanted to be able to explore different camera angles to view the board and the beautiful locations you're playing chess in. The angles you can move the camera to have been expanded and the camera can be locked in place.
- Single Tournament 'No Timer' option added
There's now a 'no timer' option for tournaments, nothing much else to say here!
- New end game camera
There's now an all new cinematic end game camera. It also tells you why stalemates happened, and differentiates between winning by checkmate, resignation, or time forfeit.
- Indicators to show whether a player is online or not
This will show you whether a player was active online in the game within the last few minutes.
- Offering a Draw
This was missing from the menu UI, but it is now there so you can draw by agreement. However, if you are playing cross-platform, you won't be able to offer a draw against someone on console until the update has gone live for them.
- What are the controls?
Some of you were unsure of what the controls were in the game, so we have added this to the menu to make it clear for everyone.
- Missing tutorial text
Some of it decided to hide, it has now been found and is no longer missing.
There's been some other minor general fixes too. As always if you have any feedback please let us know on the Discussions page or email us on info@ripstone.com
Thanks again for your ongoing support!
Team Ripstone
Update: Bug fixes and Tournament Rule Changes
Hey everyone,
First things first.. the whole team here at Ripstone would like to say a huge thank you to everyone that has been in touch with us since Chess Ultra launched. Your support has been amazing and we’re incredibly grateful for your feedback. We want to make Chess Ultra the best it can be, and with your support we’re confident that we’re well on our way to doing just that!
This morning we launched the first update for Chess Ultra, which addresses a couple of reported issues and also made some changes to the way tournaments play out. Here are the update details in full:
- Amended end game camera
We’ve slowed down the end game camera to make celebrating a win (or crying over a loss) that little bit easier on the eyes.
- HUD timer
There is now a timer built in to the HUD for every game played using a time control.
- Missing Tutorial Text/Missing Localisation
All tutorial text will now be visible! Fixed an issue that was causing text to disappear for certain users. We have also added in the two missing Russian/Dutch messages from the tutorials too.
- Sneaky ELO comma
A wild comma found its way into the main menu as part of the ELO ranking display. It has now been banished.
- The Ripstone phone is on silent
The vibrating phone in Mulholland has been silenced, so no more buzzing.
- Official Tournament capacity display
The capacity of the official Ripstone tournament will now be displayed in the tournament menu, so it is clear to see when a vacant slot is available.
- White AI bug
Fixed an issue that was causing the AI to play repetitive opening moves when playing as white.
- Tournament Rule Change
There has been a delay to tournament proceedings due to inactivity, so there is now a 72 hour (3 day) limit for making a move when playing a tournament game. This will help to keep things moving and to get through each round more efficiently. We've also removed the in game timer that is currently used in official Ripstone tournaments to make way for this 72 hour time limit. We're confident that this will improve the tournament experience and are looking forward to seeing the Ripstone Summer Tournament start moving again!
A couple of things to be aware of, if you were playing in a tournament and hadn’t made an opening move/had been inactive for over 3 days, your position will now have been forfeited since the update went live earlier today. But this does mean that there may now be some vacant spaces, for anyone that didn’t manage to jump in the first time around!
We’re here to listen to your feedback, so please let us know of any issues on the discussions page, or email us at info@ripstone.com.
Thanks as always,
Team Ripstone
Chess Ultra is Out Now
Hi everyone,
Chess Ultra launches today for PC, HTC Vive and Oculus and we’re super excited to finally share the game with you all. We’ve worked incredibly hard to create the ultimate chess experience, with 4K graphics, authentic AI levelling and full (optional) VR compatibility and we hope that you love it as much as we do. Whether you’re playing to enjoy the 4K environments or jumping straight in with a VR headset, there really is something for everyone.
We’re here to listen to your feedback, so please let us know your thoughts and any ideas you may have for future updates. This is only the beginning for Chess Ultra, so jump into a game and start improving your ELO ranking, there are tournaments to win!
Thanks as always for your support,
Team Ripstone
Chess Ultra Launch Date + Grim Reaper Reveal
Hi everyone,
We can now announce that Chess Ultra will be launching later this month on 21st June!
As well as sharing details of our launch plans, we also just revealed a brand new launch trailer which is available to watch here and on the Chess Ultra Store page.
The trailer not only showcases the stunning 4K environments and sets of Chess Ultra, but introduces the Grim Reaper, who players can meet face to face in VR. Virtual Reality players can challenge Death in the pits of Gomorrah, their mortal soul in the balance. Play well and he’ll get angry; his eyes burn with rage and the lava will flow ferociously. But lose, and he’ll reach over and take your soul.
We're hosting a developer stream tomorrow on Twitch from 4pm BST to discuss the announcement and to answer any questions you may have, so hope to see some of you there.
Check you later! (sorry for the bad joke)
Ripstone
Chess Ultra Checks in on Steam
Hi everyone,
We're incredibly excited to be bringing you the first update about our latest game Chess Ultra!
Bringing together community feedback, stunning 4K visuals and seamless VR compatibility, Chess Ultra is online chess like you've never seen before. Developed internally by the development team here at Ripstone, we have spent a lot of time curating the perfect chess experience and we can't wait for you to start making your moves in game.
Chess Ultra includes a range of features that cater to all abilities and skill levels, from beginner tutorials right through to Grandmaster challenges, an online tournament mode, Twitch integration and a variety of time control options. We also worked closely with a team of Grandmasters during development to ensure continuity and accurate AI levelling, so get ready to bring your A game!
Watch this space for more updates in regard to the launch date and pricing, and make sure to catch us on Twitch every Monday at 4pm BST for developer streams and exclusive feature showcases. You can now add Chess Ultra to your wishlist to be notified when the game launches, and if you have any questions, please drop us a message in the community hub and we'll get back to you as soon as we can!
Hey everyone,
Hey everyone,