Hey all, time again to provide a quick update regarding recent news and progress. Most of our updates have skewed heavily on the design and theory side, so this time we’ll be delving into the more artistic ends of the project.
Early next week I’ll also be posting our massive outline for the general design principles behind every AI subsystem. I was originally planning on including that with this post, but the length was starting to get a little crazy so I decided to hold off and split things up.
Unit Animations
The team has started on the rough animation work for the units. These will eventually be painted over, but I figured you guys would enjoy a little sneak peak.
The schedule and budget call for around 180 unique unit animations which run the gamut from running to fighting to dying. We’re starting with the run cycles.
Audio
We’ve had an audio intern on board the past couple months and he’s been helping produce some great sound effects.
One of the ways we’re using sound is instilling even more life to the changing of the seasons. I’ve uploaded the ambiance tracks for spring and autumn, so give ’em a listen. You might need to turn down your volume to get a proper feel, as these pieces will only be just loud enough to help create a mood.
Leaders
We’re doing concept sketches for all of the leaders before any more full paintings are finished, just to make sure every character is sufficiently unique from one another. We have about half of the concepts done, and I’ve included a couple here.
Is anyone able to identify either of these fascinating gentlemen?
Steam
On the programming front, we’ve now hooked the Steam overlay into At the Gates. This is completely optional and won’t be required to play the early builds nor the final release, but I know many PC gamers prefer having everything in one place.
When the time comes, if you’ve bought the game the option to claim a Steam key will appear on your Humble account page. I’m expecting this to be available right when alpha testing begins, but I can’t make any guarantees just yet.
Where, When and How to Download the Game
We recently finished the migration of At the Gates over to Humble’s system. The biggest perk of this is the ability to easily manage builds, but it also means we’re now able to start officially accepting pre-orders, so go tell all your friends!
Everyone that has contributed to the game via Kickstarter or PayPal should now be able to access their download page for AtG by going to Humble’s key resender and entering the email address associated with your Kickstarter (or PayPal) account. This page is where new versions of the game will be posted, so it’s definitely an address you’ll want to bookmark.
The plan is to start alpha testing in a couple months, and to officially release the game during the third quarter of 2014 (July/August/September). Of course, our #1 priority is making the best game possible, so there’s always a chance we need to push that back. If we do move dates around I’ll make sure you know as soon as I do.
Alright, that’s it for today – look forward to some AI fun next week!
– Jon
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Jon Shafer on Design 
Did soldiers actually walk with the spear in time with their left leg? I’m curious, because I find it really hard to walk like that (although I don’t have a spear).
They’re basically using it as a walking stick, but I think you’re right, it does seem to be an awkward way of using it. 🙂
– Jon
That’s not how you walk with a stick though: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFMEmG6YKDI&t=103
The natural way would be to move the opposite leg in time with the spear.
horses are drawn with a great skill!
while roman equipment looks a bit anachronistic. google images show something different for the ‘late roman army’: helmets arent that elaborate and theres no shoulder guards
Another question: why all of them are left-handed? 🙂