Ashes of the Singularity: New RTS from Stardock and Oxide Games

[Island Dog]

Ashes of the Singularity was announced today and is being shown at GDC this week. It's using Oxide Games' Nitrous engine which will allow thousands on units to battle onscreen. 

 

http://www.ashesofthesingularity.com/

 

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Ashes of the Singularity is a new real-time strategy game in which players fight for control of entire worlds. Multiple armies battle it out across vast landscapes as the player tries to take control of the key regions of the map to obtain their valuable resources.

 

Thanks to Oxide Games

[Island Dog]

Video of Ashes of the Singularity at the AMD booth at GDC.

 

[HawkMan]

The spotty smoke bugs me more than it should, I wish more would use liquid smoke, even if that would probably kill performance totally on that, but I would rather have shorter smoke trails than spotty, especially sine most military missiles don't leave smoke trails anyway(for obvious reasons you don't want to advertise where you're firing from, and smoke generally means inefficient propellant)

 

Game looks cool though, mostly because I'm a huge fan or properly strategic massive RTS games and I live the graphical style of the units. But it's certainly not the first massive RTS games with hundreds and even thousands of units/objects(projectiles and missiles) on screen at once, TA would be the first and still among the biggest, followed by it's spiritual successors in SupCom and the new planetary annihilation, though that cleverly avoids showing to many units at once due to the planets. But we need more huge strategic RTS games instead of these tiny tactical rts games like Star Craft. 

[Melfster]

Just looking at that video it really feels like the console are so far behind.  Even though this was running on Mantle... I sure same thing could be done with directx12. I can't believe how good next DirectX12 games are going to be. It really is a massive leap.

[+Asmodai]

I'm not an RTS fan. I tend to over focus on one unit or group of units while everything else goes to... anyway that's beside the point. Even being a non-fan of the genre this game makes for an amazing Tech demo. It's a really impressive thing to behold.

[+LostCat]

Now that I can get behind.

 

Every time I see this 'gamergate' related Curator garbage on Steam pages it's an instant turnoff, though.  (Stardock related, not for this game but...)

[greenwizard88]

So from what I'm understanding, I'll need to build a new PC next winter. I'm down for that

[HawkMan]

Just looking at that video it really feels like the console are so far behind.  Even though this was running on Mantle... I sure same thing could be done with directx12. I can't believe how good next DirectX12 games are going to be. It really is a massive leap.

 

Except the liit that's Mantle/DX12 fixes that this takes advantage of never existed on consoles...

[Island Dog]

The v.70 update is out and includes Ice Maps, Orbitals, New "Cruiser Factory" building, and more.

Orbitals
The new Orbital Command and the Orbital Fabricator buildings now offer you new ways to wage war with your enemies by ordering various types of assaults or assistance from above. 

Ice Maps
Winter is coming...and so are the Ice Maps! The team has added four new maps to the game: Shredded, Crater, Triad, and Frosthaven. As a bonus, Scorpio, Cerius, Aven and Frosthaven maps now also have night environments! Check out these screen shots - we think they're pretty...cool.

Cruiser Factory
Is your early game stuck on "cruise" control? Not anymore! Cruiser units now have their own dedicated factory required for construction. This allows for more variety and interest in early-game decisions as you start to construct your base and raise your army. 

Full change and more details about Orbitals is here: http://forums.ashesofthesingularity.com/473218/

 

[+trag3dy]

This game actually looks pretty good. I haven't played a decent (or any rts) game in a long time. Might have to give it a try once it's out.

[Draconian Guppy]

Looks cool, any non steam build demos for this?

[Island Dog]

On 12/13/2015 at 5:29 PM, Draconian Guppy said:

Looks cool, any non steam build demos for this?

It's on Early Access right now, so it's limited to Steam. It will be on GOG eventually.

 

Brad has a pre-mortem for Ashes of the Singularity up on Gamasutra. Check it out here: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BradWardell/20160104/262961/Ashes_of_the_Singularity_PREmortem.php

[FiB3R]

Link in OP is borked.

[Island Dog]

Beta 1 for Ashes of the Singularity arrives today with the Substrate Faction and other new features.

 

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Meet the Other Side: The Substrate!

You've had plenty of practice with the Post-Human Coalition, but now it's time to experience the conflict with the AI faction: The Substrate! With new buildings and units, it's time to revisit the battlefield from the other side.

 

Not only is the Substrate joining the fray, but there are lots of other new additions to the Beta:

 

NEW Dreadnought Progression System
With the new leveling system for your Dreadnoughts, you will be able to cause more devastation to your opponents by learning new abilities as your units gain experience from battle. You will be able to choose from abilities that upgrade your weapons, army bonuses, a one-time unit repair, and more. With so many choices, your opponent won't know what hit them by the time you come knocking at their door.

 

NEW Orbital Abilities
Up until now, we have only had a few orbitals to choose from. This newest release will let you rain terror upon your enemies with the following NEW Orbital Abilities:

• Amplify: Target amplified power generator gets a permanent 33% boost.
• Orbital Strike: After a 10 second count down, target area receives 5000 damage over 5 seconds.
• Carving Turret: Places a heavy plasma beam cannon in target location that does 500 damage to a single target over 3 seconds with a 5 second cool down.
• EMP: Units within target area (600m) lose all shields.
• Overcharge: Target power generator boosts region production by 200% for 10 seconds.
• Regenerate: Target units have their shields fully restored over a period of 5 seconds.
• Sensor Drone: Summons a sensor drone to a target location and floats around until it's destroyed.
• Boost: Target power generator receives a permanent 20% boost in output, stacks at half rate each time (20%, 10%, 5%, etc.)
• Drone Swarm: Place a swarm of drones in the target area (must be an uncovered FOW)
• Kill: Target unit receives 5000 points of damage over 5 seconds.
• Call Avatar: "Searcher" re-purposed to be a spawned unit that can build and attack strongly.
• Detonate: Teleports a bomb to target area that deals 4000 damage in 3 seconds to target area when it explodes.

NEW Maps
In addition to the randomly generated maps, we strive to provide carefully crafted battlefields for you to enjoy with others. We have added two more in this Beta - Frozen Wastes (4 player ice map)and Proving Grounds (1v1 desert map), with more to come as we move toward our official release!

 

NEW Ranked Multiplayer
Want to know where you rank among thousands of Ashes players? Try out our newly refined multiplayer match-making system and go toe-to-toe with friends or other random challengers!

 

 

More info and full changelog here: http://forums.ashesofthesingularity.com/474564/

 

[Island Dog]

Beta 2 is out today! 

New Multiplayer Season!
One of the best ways to enjoy Ashes of the Singularity is through custom or ranked multiplayer matches! The Dev Team will be re-setting the global leaderboards on Beta release day and starting with a fresh slate. This will be known as "Season 0" and will last until shortly after the final version of Ashes is released. Do you think you have what it takes to beat the Stardockians? Join us on Fridays from 4pm ET - 6pm ET for ranked and custom matches!

New Maps!
We are happy to provide 3 new maps for you to wage war on! Eridon, Pyn, and Cygnus make their debut in Beta 2 - we're sure you'll enjoy exploring the new terrain!

New Visual Effects!
The team has been working on improving the game's visuals, which include (but are not limited to) explosions and other weapon effects. Now all of that exciting war playing out on your screen is even more attention-grabbing and flashier than before. 

New Music!
Some new ambient musical tracks have been added, along with new tracks for your win/loss screens and new main menu and multiplayer menu music! The team has also added additional sound FX throughout the game.

Full changelog and info: http://forums.ashesofthesingularity.com/475457/

 

[Island Dog]

The release date is set for March 31, and a new trailer for the announcement is out.

 

 

 

 

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Now it's time for the game's release, and we are ready to bring you what you've been waiting for! We have listened to your feedback and have continued to refine and balance the game all through its time in Early Access. With your help, we have improved our multiplayer experience and have been enjoying our "Devs vs. Fans" Fridays. 

 

We have added several maps since our first beta and by the time we release 1.0 you will have the ability to edit maps to your own preferences! Closer to release, we will create a post with instructions and tips for how to do this.

 

Finally, we can't wait to tell you all more about the Ascendancy Wars campaign that will become available in full at the time of release. Keep an eye out on our forums for more information, and certainly load the game up when 1.0 releases on March 31st and give it a try for yourself!

 

 

[Island Dog]

Had another update go out (v0.94a), and today is Friday so we'll be playing fans today from 4-6pm ET.

 

Changelog: http://forums.ashesofthesingularity.com/476227/

 

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Achievements
• Additional Balance
• Stability & Bug fixes

[Island Dog]

Ashes of the Singularity has been released!

 

More info: http://forums.ashesofthesingularity.com/475672/

 

Gameplay trailer:

 

 

 

 

[PGHammer]

7 hours ago, Island Dog said:

Ashes of the Singularity has been released!

 

More info: http://forums.ashesofthesingularity.com/475672/

 

Gameplay trailer:

 

 

 

 

Stardock has outdone themselves with this  gem - it WILL actually stretch your brain and make you think!

 

First off, don't "jump right in" - just don't - you're setting yourself up for disaster.  This game may be similar in a lot of ways to other games; however, it is different enough that the tutorial IS a necessary.  In fact, there are TWO tutorials - one for Versus mode - you against another opponent (either another person or an AI opponent), and King of the Hill (multiplayer - with several options; all human, all AI, or a furball with a mix of both human and AI opposition).  Unless you plan on sticking to just one sort of opponent, playing both tutorials is STRONGLY suggested.

 

An even bigger surprise is that even on LOW detail, the game doesn't look bad at all.  I have what I expected to be the absolute floor of an Ashes setup - Intel G3258 (bone stock), 8GB of DDR3, GTX550Ti, and the lowest graphical settings.  (Yes, you DID read that right - a G3258 clocked dead-stock.  While a quad-core IS recommended (as was the case with the spiritual ancestors of Total Annihilation - Spring or any of the Supreme Commander series), a dual-core can still play.)

 

So far, I've played only the opening tutorial (I'm saving the KotH tutorial for the weekend, and my first steps into the Ascendancy Wars itself for mid-April at the earliest), I can give some tips that will help along the way, and are equally applicable to all phases of the game.

 

1.  Use your waypoints tactically.  Each deposit and/or generator is a step along the greater path toward conquest; treat them accordingly.  Put Extractors over Deposits (both metals AND Radioactives) and build Armories (all deposit and generator sites) and Quantum Relays (all Radioactive deposits and Radioactive Generators, if you find any).  You need Metal for units and structures, Radioactives to power the units, and Quantum Relays to generate Quanta (applied to research upgrades).

 

2.  Research, Research, Research.  While the tutorial won't necessarily tax the upper end of the tech tree, I WAS surprised by how LITTLE research I actually did - I actually left a LOT of capabilities un-researched, despite winning the tutorial.  I admit - I deliberately plodded my way through the tutorial; the stupidity I showed was letting my research stall.  Don't do what I did - don't stop researching.

 

3.  Don't outrun your tail, but DO grow extra teeth!  The extractors I mentioned earlier (both for metals and for radioactives) feed your factories and your Armories - the Armories are like storehouses (the logistics tail), while the factories build your units (the teeth).  If you're not sure you have enough units, you SHOULD wait until you are; however, you can do other things while growing new forces (such as research and forging that logistical tail, especially at that newly-conquered waypoint).

 

4.  Add teeth to your tail.   Keep some units back guarding your tail; also, build extra defenses near your Nexus.  While your Nexus itself has some serious defenses included as part of the structure, you can NEVER have enough defense for that Nexus; remember, lose the Nexus and you're done.

 

5.  Orbital tactics - there are as many ways to use Orbital capabilities as your researchers (powered by those Quanta you've been collecting) can think up - that's why I'm chastising myself for that research stall.  (And that was DESPITE uncovering the nasty surprise of the Orbital Strike - the "rods of God" - as part of the capabilities I DID research.  What did I not gain due to my stall?)

 

6.  Dreadnoughts - what applies to Orbital capabilities applies at least SQUARED to Dreadnoughts - and their capabilities.There are DEFENSIVE uses for Dreadnoughts - so don't ignore those in your research, either.

 

 

 

[Island Dog]

 

On 4/1/2016 at 11:33 PM, PGHammer said:

Stardock has outdone themselves with this  gem - it WILL actually stretch your brain and make you think!

 

First off, don't "jump right in" - just don't - you're setting yourself up for disaster.  This game may be similar in a lot of ways to other games; however, it is different enough that the tutorial IS a necessary.  In fact, there are TWO tutorials - one for Versus mode - you against another opponent (either another person or an AI opponent), and King of the Hill (multiplayer - with several options; all human, all AI, or a furball with a mix of both human and AI opposition).  Unless you plan on sticking to just one sort of opponent, playing both tutorials is STRONGLY suggested.

 

An even bigger surprise is that even on LOW detail, the game doesn't look bad at all.  I have what I expected to be the absolute floor of an Ashes setup - Intel G3258 (bone stock), 8GB of DDR3, GTX550Ti, and the lowest graphical settings.  (Yes, you DID read that right - a G3258 clocked dead-stock.  While a quad-core IS recommended (as was the case with the spiritual ancestors of Total Annihilation - Spring or any of the Supreme Commander series), a dual-core can still play.)

 

So far, I've played only the opening tutorial (I'm saving the KotH tutorial for the weekend, and my first steps into the Ascendancy Wars itself for mid-April at the earliest), I can give some tips that will help along the way, and are equally applicable to all phases of the game.

 

 

Good stuff. Glad you're enjoying it!

[Island Dog]

The v1.01 update went out today.

 

Full changelog: http://forums.ashesofthesingularity.com/476763/

 

HIGHLIGHTS:

• General unit, building, and economy balance
• Removed “Fringe” map from Ranked match playlist
• Visual polish & bug fixes on forests
• AI difficulty balance
• Campaign difficulty tweaks

[PGHammer]

18 minutes ago, Island Dog said:

 

 

Good stuff. Glad you're enjoying it!

I've enjoyed most RTS titles from Stardock, and I enjoyed Supreme Commander (the entire series) - I just refused to dismiss it as purely eyecandy (despite the abundance OF said eyecandy in the videos of it at full-tilt so far).  As I've said, a good RTS (regardless of developer OR publisher) will stretch you and make you think.

 

The biggest surprise in Ashes so far is, in fact, the AI - it really doesn't play the same way twice - even on the easiest level (which is the only way I've played it so far).  Battle three of the Ascendancy Wars (the "brainwhale") is the biggest evidence of that so far; while I got through the first time (a narrow thing - it was a serious slugfest), I just plain got CRUSHED the second time through.  Absolute galactic-class UGLY.  (It's what has been called a "Brooklyn stomping".)  Yet despite the tail-kicking, I've not given up yet.

[Island Dog]

The v1.11 update went out today with UI support for huge maps, balance updates, and more.

 

Full changelog: http://forums.ashesofthesingularity.com/477374/

[Island Dog]

The big v1.2 update is out today with a newly enhanced campaign, new units, substantial UI and AI improvements, global chat, and much more.

Highlights from the update: 

New Enhanced Campaign
We've really beefed up the campaign with this update. Since release, we have added 3 missions to this mode, and v1.2 brings fully voiced dialogue and new cut scenes.

New Unit: The Eradicator
This new long-range Substrate cruiser may be slow moving and a little expensive, but its attack power is devastating. In addition to its heavy weaponry, the Eradicator is extremely difficult to kill.

New Unit: The Athena
This new short-range PHC cruiser is small, fast, and armed with high energy laser bolts, thermal lasers, and a plasma bolt cannon.

New Global Chat
The new Global Chat channel makes it possible for gamers around the world to see who's playing at all times. Finding opponents to play against has never been easier.

Substantial UI and AI Improvements
We have made some adjustments to the late-game AI strategies and now allow players to choose the AI's "personality" in Skirmish mode. v1.2 also brings skirmish map sorting, the ability to add friends from the multiplayer lobby, more informative tool tips within the Army Unit panel, and more.

Full changelog: http://forums.ashesofthesingularity.com/477853/

[Island Dog]

New Turtle Wars DLC out today for Ashes with new maps and scenarios!

Info here: http://forums.ashesofthesingularity.com/477956/
 

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Scenarios 

Implosion - Race against three enemies to be the first to crack the defenses of a crashed Post-Human and their experimental Turinium Generator.

Eruption - Cut off from your factories, you must command a single Hyperion Dreadnought and a scattering of defensive structures to turn the tides of battle.

Mountaintop - Exploit your resource-heavy advantage and create massive forces to climb the mountain to the enemy entrenchment and wipe them out.

Turtle Wars - Hold off the frigates swarming from indestructible factories and survive the siege. Reprogram the factories to your advantage before the enemy crosses the mountain and finishes you off.

Maps 

Crack the Shell - Hold the high ground and the Turinium against your enemies in this asymmetrical 3-player map, best for 2v1 matches.

Turtle Wars - Enjoy a longer duel with your enemy on this epic-scale 2-player map. The open landscape with select chokepoints encourages huge armies and larger battles.

Eruption - Choose your path wisely - one leads to the lone Turinium Generator, the other to resources in this small 2-player map.

Implosion - One valley with an abundance of resources stands at the center of this large, asymmetrical map fit for a 4-player free for all with huge armies.