Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Oceanhorn Is Coming To Android - Steam Mac Version Out Now!

Oceanhorn – Classic Adventure Game for you favorite platform




Android has been one of the most requested platforms from us and we are happy to announce that Oceanhorn's world domination continues and Oceanhorn is coming to Android! Same team that works on console versions are behind the quality Android port. We'll get back to you with a release date later on!

In other news, we have just released an update for Steam version. It will add a support for Steam Controller and Steam link, but most importantly you can now play Steam version on your Mac! Save games in Steam are cross platform compatible.

So, in 2016 you will be able to play Oceanhorn not just on iOS, Apple TV or PC – but on Mac, PS4, Xbox One and even on your Android devices and Android TV!

Oceanhorn is the classic adventure game for your favorite gaming platform!



I am eager to tell you all what we have been working on for the past year – but it will have to wait just a little bit longer. ^_^

Monday, September 21, 2020

Welcome To My Process (Part 2)


Hello again!  We continue on the path of adventure writing.  If you're confused, start here.

The beauty, and perhaps frustration, is that there's no right answer as to where we go next.  So many things may be clamoring for our attention.  You just have to pick something and move forward in that direction.

Personally, I wanted to get a better handle on the look and feel of the dungeon. What is it?  Where is it?  Why is it?  That sort of thing.

This is going to be some kind of extra-planar temple between dimensions.  Therefore, it needs to have a special appearance.  In my opinion, standard square and rectangular rooms separated by corridors just won't do.

Since this will relate to the scenario Dead God Excavation, why not the interior of a deceased Old One?  I started sketching out the shell of a rather amorphous creature with tentacles.  Eventually, I'll send this out to a professional cartographer as a reference so he knows the kind of thing I'm after.  And one day, I hope, my original drawing inspiring the final version will be worth thousands of dollars in 20+ years.  That means keep your originals!

I'm not the best cartographer, but there are literally dozens of useful map drawing tutorials all over the internet.  Or just study the map makers you love.  I've picked up a few tricks from my friend and former collaborator Glynn Seal of MonkeyBlood Design.

As I drew, I tried to think of a few adventure details.  Such as, what was this particular dead god called?  And how does any of what I'm drawing relate to the title which was my last piece of the puzzle? 

In fact, that's a good way of looking at my process.  I'm just putting puzzle pieces together until I have a whole.  It's difficult at first, with so many blank spots needing to be filled in.  It gets easier as the puzzle nears completion.

As you can see from the picture, the Old One is (or was) named Tsuma'al.  That word Tsuma'al was just something I came up with.  The root may have come from Tsalal from Thomas Ligotti's weird short stories.

So, is Tsuma'al just a dead shell and nothing more... still alive but asleep, waiting to rise?  I'll have to think about it.  At the end of the day, whatever makes the adventure more fun and interesting is the right answer.

The darker bits are obstructions, perhaps fossilized organs or skeletal fragments that haven't disintegrated yet.  The last bits I added were zoth pools and streams that PCs will have to cross or wade through. 

What is zoth?  It's the blood of Great Old Ones.  Zoth is a glowing chartreuse ichor that enhances sorcery, magic items, and can be used as alchemist's fire.  It's powerful, but also hazardous to the touch. Yes, the Cha'alt connection grows...

Next, I'll probably detail what kind of encounters this dungeon will contain, what's currently going on in this weird planar temple and how will the PCs' involvement introduce complications.  I shall let ideas from the title, Slime Green Concubines of the Blood-Splattered Queen, percolate.

Stay tuned for part 3 either tomorrow or the next day!

VS

Saturday, September 12, 2020

AZ 030, The Activision Decathlon!

Welcome back to the show! I hope you all enjoyed the holidays, now we're back to playing Atari 2600 games every two weeks until I screw something up. The first game of 2020 is the Activision Decathlon by the amazing David Crane. I hope you enjoy the show. Next up will be Moon Patrol by Atari, so if you have any feedback on that game, please send it to 2600gamebygame@gmail.com by the end of the day 26th January. Thanks so much for listening!

Brand new Discord server! Why
Decathlon on Random Terrain
David Crane article by Tony Tyler, Big K magazine April 1984
David Crane article by Colin Calvert, Hi-Res magazine January 1984
From the Digital Press Activision Patch page:
Decathlon Bronze patch
Letter with Bronze patch
Decathlon Silver patch
Letter with Silver patch
Decathlon Gold patch
Letter with Gold patch
Atari Age Decathlon with Driving controller thread
Atari Age Decathlon Training Suit thread
Decathlon glove on Atarimania
Bugler's Dream by Leo Arnaud

What Is Amnesia’s Hard Mode?



A year ago we brought SOMA to the Xbox One, and along with it the Safe Mode. The optional mode removed the hostility of enemies and let players explore Pathos-II in relative peace. Most  players were pleased with it, and at best it meant that players that hadn't dared to traverse the Atlantic ocean floor before now had a chance to experience it.

Now finally releasing the Amnesia: Collection on Xbox One, and decided to also spice it up with a little treat. We bring you the polar opposite of the Safe Mode: the Hard Mode!

Amnesia: Collection will be released on Xbox One on the 28th of September, after which the mode will be available on Xbox and PC.


What is the Hard Mode?

It is really just as the title suggests: a mode that makes it harder to beat the game. You know, in case The Dark Descent wasn't stressful enough for you.
The Hard Mode has the following features:

- Autosaves are disabled, and manual saving costs 4 tinderboxes
- Sanity dropping to zero results in death
- Less oil and tinderboxes throughout the levels
- Monsters are faster, spot the player more easily, deal more damage and stay around for longer
- There is no danger music when the monsters are near.

So in summary: the environments are harsher, the monsters more unforgiving, insanity is deadly, and death is final – unless you pay a toll.

You can pick between normal mode and Hard Mode when starting a new game of Amnesia: The Dark Descent. The mode changes some fundamental elements of the game, and therefore can't be changed halfway through.

A Machine for Pigs and Justine do not feature this mode.


How does this affect achievements/trophies?

Beating the game on Hard Mode will earn you a new trophy called Masochist. Because, you know, you pretty much have to be one to complete the mode.

The mode affects the Illuminatus achievement, which you can't get during playing in Hard Mode as it reduces the amount of tinderboxes throughout the level.

The Masochist achievement.

Will it be on all platforms?

Yes! The Hard Mode will launch on Xbox and PC versions (Steam, GOG, Humble Bundle) simultaneously. We have started working on the PS4 version with our porting partner, and hope to have it out soon.

Extra

Want a Hard Mode wallpaper? Download a 4K version with and without the logo on our public Drive folder.

Friday, September 4, 2020

We Are Moving!

The end of an era is here. For 10 long years Frictional Games has used this blog for news about the games, hiring posts, and most importantly tips on tech and design.


After much consideration we have voted in favour of creating a more streamlined Frictional Games experience. In non-corporate talk that means that we have one website, and everything can easily be found on that one website.


Fear not, no information has been lost in the process! On the contrary, as the old posts have been transferred over, all the broken links and images have been fixed or removed.


Thank you Blogger – and thanks to every fan who has read, shared and commented. See you on our new website!