Known for hit titles such as Magicka, and Cities Skylines just to name a few of their robust portfolio, Swedish based developer/publisher Paradox announced a new title (no points for guessing what it is!), gave some more information on other titles, and a lot of things to get hyped for on top of new expansions.
Paradox Fan Gathering 2015 began with some banter about the companies history before showcasing a mash-up of the latest titles released by the studio as well as upcoming ones including Magicka 2, Pillars of Eternity, Cities Skylines and Hollowpoint. If city management is something you enjoy, you're in luck. Cities Skylines is getting an expansion dubbed After Dark.
Dr. Seuss enjoyed building cities, you know? He worked and worked and didn't build slow!
Fans of Cities Skylines wanting a day and night cycle finally get their wish in this latest expansion. The premise of this expansion is to see what exactly your citizens in the metropolis you've build are really up to when the sun goes down. When the sun goes down, crime will increase and you'll find yourself dealing with the downside of the sweet perks you were tempted by.
We're presented with two new sector specializations that will aid in increasing tourism to your city, leisure and beach front. As the names imply, leisure is all about being entertainment focus and nightlife. One drawback to this late night fun is crime rate could increase - just like an actual city. If perhaps you're more into the water scene, building your city near a large body of water would offer a different take on gameplay. Take care of your property and that water front will go up in value.
Can't have any tourists hoofing it though! Beyond adding sectors and a day and night cycle, Paradox has given you taxi service to add another layer of realism to your experiencing. If any shenanigans occur involving the before mentioned crime, police have also been overhauled and your city now has a jail system. Throw in a cargo hub to round things off and Cities Skylines: After Dark should keep a fan of the game content.
In more expansion news, Josh Sawyer from Obsidian gives insight on Pillars Of Eternity: White March which is set to release August 25th for episode 1.
For starters, you get two companions and you get them fairly early on too -- a rogue and a monk respectively. AI is something that will often frustrate gamers, or go invisible when handled well. Given that Pillars of Eternity received complaints on that topic, it might come as little surprise that AI overhaul is one of the key aspects in a patch that will be releasing alongside the expansion. Not just individual AI however, Party AI will also come in, allowing you to focus on who you want to micromanage
Let's talk about the part of the game where you destroy things and how to destroy said things. Two words -- multiclass talents. You're either excited for this or not too thrilled as some posters on the Obsidian forum. Either way this will be implemented and will most likely be inspired by the system in Dungeons and Dragons 4e. Beyond multiclass talents, there are soulbound weapons that react differently depending on the class equipping them. These soundbound weapons can be pushed even further if you meet the criteria to do so but will be bound to the character that equips them. Solo stealth is also a thing now.
AI improvements will be in a free patch for anyone with Pillars Of Eternity, the patch is currently in beta.
Maybe you're more of a military buff? Paradox gave details on what is going with Hearts Of Iron getting it's 4th installment known as Hearts Of Iron IV.
What better way to kick off a video than to have a siren wailing in the background as Germany has a tiff with England?
Like any general on the battlefield, you're going to want a means to plan and Hearts Of Iron IV gives the player just that. Offensive or front lines, it's up to you to plan out your next move using the new battle plan system. You do want to lead your nation to glorious victory after all.
How your nation develops is how you choose to lead it. There is a national focus and your choices determine which direction your game will go. Are you more focused on having the most badass military on the planet or do you care more for your allies?
Paradox wants this series to be more accessible to more gamers and have streamlined their UI for just that. As quoted the UI was retooled because they wanted it to require, "no PHD in arcane user interfaces", so we'll take that as no overly complicated interfaces to drive more focus on the game itself. It's always nice when a game becomes more accessible to reach a wider audience.
UI may be made user friendly, but with the planning system for combat, the game is far from stripped down. Hearts Of Iron IV won't be coming out this year, but a 2016 release is possible although Paradox said they'd take as long as they needed.
Rounding out our announcements the, "worst kept secret in history" aka Stellaris was the last game shown at this years Paradox Fan Gathering.
From the initial trailer, all you can tell is this game takes place in space and there is exploration. It's called a teaser for a reason.
Something we do know about Stellaris is that at heart, it's 100% pure strategy. You're going to need your wits about you since map generation to the types of aliens spawned are randomized. This could be good or bad depending on perspective. On the plus side, every adventure is new.
The primary focus of Stellaris early on is exploration and discovery of your surroundings. Along your journey, technologies encountered will be more like loot or collectible cards more so than a traditional precise tree. With a vast universe to explore, do brush up on your diplomacy or be prepared for warfare. Your choice depending on your specific situation. Best to prepare for either to be on the safe side.
While there is warfare, this is not a battle simulation as exploring is how you truly enjoy the game content. Stellaris is meant to have a lot of procedurally-generated storytelling, which could include such scenarios of robot workers going rogue and other mishaps that could happen with advanced technology. Are you ready to tackle the great unknown?
It even has a steam page now, though still no release date.
Fans of Paradox games, I hope these announcements brightened up your day! Your wallet may be saddened, but you can't put a price tag on gamer joy. If you're not familiar with the studio, maybe this could be the chance to give them a go? This raptor is signing out!