Cyber Knights: Flashpoint News

The year of 2020 is coming to a close (imagine that!) but we didn’t want to miss the chance to give you another update on our progress and to thank every single backer for your support of our project. With your backing, we are making our dream heist cyberpunk RPG.

It has been a very busy December! We're working through the game now in big sweeps, deepening systems, improving concepts and expanding and hardening the saved game format. There is still so much work to do before it is ready for first alpha contact, but the progress shows daily. Through December we’ve been working to build out more depth for the enemy’s security systems, laid the foundation for Matrix Mk2 Hacking system and started another major pass on the missions system that is the cornerstone of the heist-style gameplay-- pre-mission advantages, mission rewards and requirements and all the rest.

But, Are you saying "But murdercat, I can't wait for this game!"? Here's a chance to put your mouseclicks where your mouth is: you can vote for us in RPG Site's Most Anticipated RPG of 2021 poll. RPG Site has been covering RPGs since 2006; we just got our first coverage from them this year, and it's been great to get on their radar. If you have 20 secs to click-through and give us a vote, we appreciate the help!

Also, this holiday season the entire Trese Brothers catalog is part of Steam’s Winter Sale, offering the best prices of the year for gifts to gamer friends or to snag that one you haven't tried yet.

• We recommend starting with Star Traders: Frontiers, our award-winning space sandbox RPG that players have called "Firefly meets Dune."
  
• If you’re looking for a big dose of challenging tactical combat to get ready for Cyber Knights, then Templar Battleforce might be the xeno-crushing, mech-stomping battler you’ve always wanted.
  
• Miss classic fantasy RPGs? Heroes of Steel is our early-days "hidden gem," inspired by old-school Gold Box games like Pool of Radiance.
  

[h2]Matrix Mk2 Prototype[/h2]
Work has officially begun now on the Matrix Mk2 prototype, by far the largest addition to the game’s scope funded by the Kickstarter stretch goals. We’ve been working to design the system, the character jobs, cyberware, decks, software, IC enemies and more over the last few months. It is a critical system due to how tightly it is tied to the game's real world as well as to the mission objectives. Every hackable matrix access point lets you link into an entirely separate matrix map and exposes digital challenges that might the physical world in very important ways -- letting you smash up security, open that blast door or in the worst case, die when a IC fries your brain stem. The first prototype is high on substance and low on graphics but our early hacker characters are now gliding from node to node across connections, seeking out data stores to steal valuable data and blueprints or control nodes to reach back into the physical world and remove obstacles for their team.


[h2]Character Customizing[/h2]
Even as the art team is approaching the finish line for all of the game's assets, the wonderful creative and skilled team members are finding ways for us to create even cooler results and options. At the moment, there is some extra focus on heads, cybernetic overlays and head customization.

The short video below is very early but shows off some of the ideas the team is currently testing with our 3D asset stack --
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

The short video shows some of the options were working to bake into your character design studio -- adjusting chin, nose and eye size as well as adding cybernetic overlays, as well as facial tattoos or paint, plus facial animations (which will be used very judiciously lol) and every conceivable coloring options including eye color (glowing, red, terminator, whatever), eye makeup (none, some, purple!), skin color, tattoo or paint colors, and even lip color. Not to mention adding hair, beards, helmets, hats, masks and eyewear ...


[h2]Next Level Security[/h2]
In November and December, we have been expanding the stealth and security aspects of the game in all sorts of exciting ways. Our first step here was to expand the range of security devices as well as add new capabilities, integrate dynamic elements and determine how they could be defeated by the player. New devices like pressure sensors, laser mesh fields and thermo-radar arrays have now come online. Branching out from cameras, we added listening posts which pick up the sound of nearby gunfire and create areas where you can still operate but must be careful of your weapon choices and weapon mods. Motion detectors pick up fast moving objects, creating areas where you can go but must move slowly and therefore risk being caught in the open.

Our second focus was to improve the security team response and the security alarm level meta. We’ve now transitioned from the prototype’s immediate response model to a staggered response model where enemies and security devices have a slight delay before they are able to report their security events (seeing a dead body, one of your characters, getting shot) up to the security AI. This window dramatically improves the feel, giving your team the opportunity to synchronize ambushes and clean up loose ends before the call goes over the radio. This also means the arrival of additional reinforcements are now delayed as well.

And finally, we’ve rebalanced the security meta and doubled the count of the major and minor alarm levels which helps slow down the extreme security responses (instead of always “calling Brave Star now...!”) and let us be much more granular with the security alarm values. For example, being picked up by a motion detector is far less serious than being spotted by a guard and the extra room in the scale helps model that. The larger scale also helps enable a dynamic element where security systems will turn on as you pass different major alarm thresholds. If a patrol comes across a body and punches the alarm level higher, certain security doors may hardlock and laser meshes may flicker to life to block off other restricted areas.


[h2]Scheduled Executive Producers #4[/h2]
In November, we held the third Executive Producers meeting and looked closely at the game’s multi-job system and a stealth job’s ability to slip through security and patrols. We’ve sent out the invites now for the fourth Executive Producers meeting which will take a deeper dive into advanced security systems and the Matrix Mk2 prototype. We can’t wait to share another snapshot with the EPs and gain invaluable early feedback.



[h2]Reddit /r/PCGaming AMA[/h2]
In early December, we posted an AMA (“Ask Me Anything”) on the PCGaming subreddit and were happy to get awesome reception, spread the word about the game and answers tons of questions not only about Cyber Knights: Flashpoint but about game dev, our game worlds, the business side of what we do and more. If you’d like to catch up on all that, check it out on Reddit.

[h2]Reward and Stretch Goal Progress[/h2]
With each update, we include the progress bar infographic to make it easy to check on our progress and where we are at with all commitments, rewards and stretch goals. With this update, we’ve completed the final art stretch goal slotted before alpha! The new corporate outfits are coming in looking very gilded and with a strong power-suit air. For those mercs looking to cut a classy style or for all the high-powered megacorporate connectors you might meet, these new outfits are mint.



We are excited to say, that closes out the final art stretch goal before alpha except the 3D faces for our Backstory tier backers and above. It's a major notch in the progress tracker.



Here comes 2021! Let's go!



Every week, Cory is working on different aspects of the game on the Trese Brothers Twitch channel on Tuesday or Thursdays at 4PM EST. Recently, he's been showing off the progress on the Matrix Mk2 prototype, so we hope you'll join up to see the fun in action!

It is a thankful time of the year and we’re taking some time to reflect on all the support that you and our wider community have given us over the past decade. That last part can be kind of hard to believe -- that Cory and I have been creating games professionally together for ten years and as a hobby for our entire lives. We couldn’t have done it without you, without our repeat Kickstarter backers, without our Patreons and without our entire community. Thank you all for what you’ve given us, which has allowed us to give you these games in return!


[h2]Executive Producers #3[/h2]
In November, we held the third Executive Producers meeting to give a demonstration of Cyber Knight’s multi-job system and its job trees. We looked closely at the Vanguard’s job tree and did a bit of leveling up to show the tree in action. Then, we took the Vanguard out for a spin in a small stealth level and used her Talents to dodge patrols, knock out security systems, jack a terminal and then quietly executed two guards who were too close to our objective. There were some rough spots -- as stealth gameplay is a hard system to get just right -- but we all had a blast and the demonstration generated a ton of useful feedback and questions.

Our executive producers are our “first line alpha team” who receive early presentations of the game’s features in action and who we rely on for invaluable early feedback. We’re looking forward to scheduling the fourth session soon! The more EP meetings there, are the more you know we're closing in on alpha :D


[h2]Recent Press[/h2]
We’re excited to share that Cyber Knights: Flashpoint has recently been featured by the some gaming sites that we love --


In our first appearance on the site, PCGamer's Jon Bolding shared Cyber Knights: Flashpoint and discussed the game's design approach and unique take on cyberpunk in the year 2231. It’s been a dream of ours for a long time to be featured on top-tier gaming sites like PCGamer and we couldn’t have gotten up there without your support!

We also had a chance to sit down the GamingOnLinux team and discuss how Cyber Knights: Flashpoint is both classic and innovative within the tactical turn-based genre and what it has been like developing indie games over the past decade. So, check out “A chat with Trese Brothers the makers of the upcoming cyberpunk Cyber Knights: Flashpoint”. The Linux gaming community may be small, but they are mighty and we’ve been proud to bring all of our Steam games to Linux over the years.


[h2]Steam Autumn Sale[/h2]
Every year, we bring some of our best deals out for the Steam Autumn Sale and this year is no exception. While you’re waiting for Cyber Knights, we’d highly recommend you check out its extremely well reviewed tactical predecessor, save 60% on Templar Battleforce. And don’t miss a chance to sail the stars as an intergalactic bounty hunter, spy or space pirate. Save 50% on Star Traders: Frontiers where you can see the true depth of our idea of endless replay and how we lovingly support our games after launch.


[h2]Reward and Stretch Goal Progress[/h2]
We always include the progress bar infographic to make it easy to check on our progress and where we are at with all commitments, rewards and stretch goals. With this update, we’ve completed one additional art stretch goal -- the new scout drone chassis. Coming in hot on 3 rotors, the tri-scout is equipped with powerful comms and sensory equipment making it a real boon to your team to gather battlefield intel or a real threat to expose your team and leave you in their sights.



We’ve also made a minor adjustment to the progress bar graphic to be sure the timeline of dependencies is clear. We are working our way from the top to the bottom. Therefore, we have moved the Pen and Paper RPG reward to the bottom of the stack to be sure there is confusion that the alpha will not launch until that campaign is scheduled and completed. We're getting there!

Cory and I are beyond excited about the progress we’ve made on the game over the past year. Sometimes it is easy to get stressed about individual milestones and internal delays, but as we hit our stride in Q4 of 2020, we are taking a moment to look back with deep gratitude for all that you, our backers, have given us. Cyber Knights has now been in the works for almost two years if you include all the planning and build up to the Kickstarter and the wild ride since. But we’ve been dreaming about it for a lot longer. This game is built on a campaign world more than 10 years in the making, and each of you who joined us as backers have become part of this decade-long journey.

We have such a dedicated team of creative people who have put so much work into making this game a success. Along the way we’ve gained new partners, new allies, new team members and more. So -- while there are still mountains to climb -- we want to once again, say thank you to the Cyber Knights team!

Our commitment is to keep you updated on progress continually, even if nothing earth shattering has happened. We’re making steady progress toward alpha, building out systems, playing, testing, iterating to improve.


[h2]Iterative Deepening[/h2]
Our promise to you is to create complex systems with extreme replay. One of the ways we have always achieved that at Trese Brothers is to practice an iterative style of development. We trained in this style for years working with larger teams and razor-thin deadlines in the enterprise software world. It has served us very well in game dev and so in the month of October we’ve been doing a classic iterative “deepening” pass on some of the game systems.

In October, we’ve been revisiting the distinct planning phase of missions and working to make the breadth of pre-mission advantages even more exciting and impactful. When we set out to iterate on a system, we look specifically for ways to increase player agency and help the system cleave closer to the original feeling we wanted it to create -- in this case, the pre-heist planning before the high-tension mission. As we find with many deepening passes, the new planned improvements are going to expand and make this part of the game even more important, fun and impactful on how your team approaches missions. Our focus here has been how to allow your pre-mission planning to alter a mission's structure so that if you plan for it, you can choose different entry points, skip certain segments and avoid or hunt out optional challenging objectives.

And, while it may not seem like the most likely component, we have been revisiting our movement and pathing system. It is a key component that underpins everything -- from assisting a player find the right cover position to driving enemy patrol paths and hunting behavior. We’ve found consistently over the last few months that we are bumping up against the edges of what we can achieve with Unity’s built-in navmesh and pathing system. In this deepening pass, we’re coming back through to replace the movement and pathing system with a best of breed 3rd party component -- the A* Pathfinding Project -- that promises to provide the APIs we need to smooth out those edges and open up new capabilities for smarter AI movement, better handling for flying drones and improved assistance to the player when entering move orders.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]Art and Music Milestones[/h2]
The art team is approaching an important “alpha ready” milestone, meaning they will have completed all of the art that is planned to be rolled out during the alpha phase of the game. This is a massive achievement with thousands of 3D pieces included from environments to weapons to faces. We’re exceedingly proud of the work they have done and can’t wait to start the next phase of the project which will be to take alpha feedback and gather the “Early Access ready” project manifest.

On the music side of the house, both the Skyrise and Safehouse tracks are now in composition. We’ll share more soon but we are working on some exciting directions for the Safehouse tracks, including bringing on voice talent for one track and using a vocoder to punch up another.


[h2]Executive Producers & Patreon Meeting[/h2]
The invitations for the next Executive Producers meeting have now been sent out. We are bringing together this team to do a deep dive into Cyber Knight’s multi-Job system and all of the abilities that they can unlock through their advancement trees.

This week we will also be sending out an invitation to our 102 supporters on Patreon to join us for a separate meeting that will dive into the same topic. This is a special reward offer we have extended to our patrons who have supported our studio for a long time, many giving a small monthly pledge for years. If you’re interested in helping the studio continue to grow beyond Cyber Knights and like digital rewards and sneak peaks, you might consider joining us there!
https://www.patreon.com/tresebrothers


[h2]Reward and Stretch Goal Progress[/h2]
In updates we always make a point to include the progress bar infographic to ensure that our dates, progress and commitments are clear. With this update we’ve completed two more of the art stretch goals that stand in the way of the alpha. As the art team nears their final milestone of alpha-ready we’re closing in all of the art stretch goals coming to pass.

The art team has recently completed the Attack Drone and Support Drone stretch goals and they are looking awesome, as you can see below. These additional drone types greatly expand the options of chassis that we will be able to include in the game, making the drone pilot all that more fun, and the enemy drone fleet all that more terrifying.

The heavy chassis of the support drone is slow moving on its hover rings but is capable of packing powerful weaponry as well as extra gear and powerful buffs and defensive maneuvers.



The lightweight chassis of the attack drone is built around its weaponry, speed and jets. Targets are spotted, hunted and eliminated.

Knights and Backers,

Our goal with our Kickstarters has always been to provide top tier communication to you, our backers. So, with that said, we’ll jump right into the schedule update as we wrap up Q3 2020.

[h2]Schedule Update[/h2]
Far too many Kickstarters wait until there are already major problems to update their backers. As we wrap up Q3 of 2020, we want to share our realistic estimates that it is now more likely that the Cyber Knights Alpha will start in Q1 2021 rather than late 2020.

As many other game and movie studios -- big and small -- have found this year, it has been challenging to keep to previously planned schedules. There are many reasons for the slowdown including COVID-19 which has impacted not only on our team but each of our partners. We’ve also made some decisions this year to focus on refining and expanding parts of the game’s foundation, which has traded some time for significant future benefits of features and speed of delivery. This includes rebuilding our UI kit, adding cross-platform cloud sync capability, language translation support and integrating Wwise to achieve both reactive and dynamic music/SFX.

To help everyone stay on the same page, we’ve updated the Progress Bar to reflect the revised timeline. With every update we will continue to share as transparently as we can about any schedule changes and will always post the most up to date Progress Bar in each update so these milestone dates and progress on stretch goals and rewards are all clear.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
[h2]September Progress[/h2]
A delay in schedule doesn’t change the fact that we are working tirelessly to bring this game to the alpha phase as soon as possible. While it may feel like a set back, at this stage it is far more important that we take our time and get it right than to try to rush it to make up for lost hours in 2020.

We have been cranking -- September has been a month of major progress. We’re integrating systems while adding and pruning others judiciously to ensure the best flow and focus for the gameplay loop.

One example is the formal addition of Blueprints, a type of item that is the plan to build another item. While we had planned for blueprint-like features within the story and crafting, they’ve recently gotten the upgrade to full system. They are now first class citizens with all the necessary bells and whistles to buy, sell, loot, steal and craft items from your blueprints in your safehouse or through a crafting-focused contact.


Mergers and integrations of systems and continued refinement of the gameplay loop is naturally pushing us to take stock of the original prototype content -- weapons, armor, monsters, everything -- that we loaded into the game and balanced. To prepare for the larger content build out that is to come through the alpha, we’re diving back into our balancing tables, statistical models and equations. One example here is the massive pricing matrix that we are building out to preplan the relative price of all the types of resources, rewards and challenges in the game. This work is necessary in order to be certain that the scaling and balance of mission payments to maintenance cost to your stream of upgrades is balanced and fun. The starting point to this on-going exercise was to peg the basic mission payment at $500. If level 1 weapons (which you have) are $100 and level 2 weapons are $200 then you could finish your first mission and upgrade two weapons. With minor medical treatment is $10, medium is $50 and major treatment is $250, if your team got banged up a bit on the mission, your ability to purchase the 2 weapons might waver. And with level 1 armor costing $200 and level 2 armor costing $400 which means you could ... this table has many columns, rows and internal calculations! Weapons, armor, gear, items, grenades, medkits, cyberware, drones, dogs, cats, safehouse upgrades, matrix hacking rigs, mission rewards, blueprints, medical treatment, recruits ... oh my!!



We’ve been working on the battle map to bring better visualization to the active elements such as Overwatch, sight lines and cover. The AI’s sight lines have especially helped us fine tune the stealth and sneaking game and will be important parts of the gameplay. By improving the rules and raycasting used to detect players we’re getting entirely consistent and logical results.


Now that the AI understands cover and the optimal ranges of their weapons, they are running around in much more dangerous fashion, ducking behind barricades and taking flanking positions to flush your team from cover.



As always now, everything we add further expands and deepens the animation controller which has blown up the monster you see below. The overwatch animation transitions have just been added and we’re prepping to add step-out from cover, which will be another major chunk.



The art team is finishing the Skyrise stretch goal environment now with just a few more props to go. The concept art for the Streets environment is complete and the hard surface modeling team has transitioned to bringing those gritty pieces to life.



Progress and more progress! We’re preparing in October to reconvene the Executive Producers team to give a gameplay-focused preview and to gather early feedback from that excellent team.

[h2]Cyberpunk Day is 10-10-2020 - join us for a game preview and Dev Q&A stream![/h2]
For everyone who's a genre fan or wants to dive deeper, join us and a coalition of authors, musicians, filmmakers and more in celebrating all things cyberpunk on the first World Cyberpunk Day, 10-10-2020.

The day will be a hashtag-driven (#CyberpunkDay) celebration, with people sharing author readings, film highlights, new music, and more -- just check the hashtag link above on the day, or follow @CyberpunkDay for the "official" highlights. We'll be joining in the festivities by streaming a game preview and live Dev Q&A at 3 PM Eastern; add it to your calendar and check @CyberKnightsRPG for the link to watch.

Join us in celebrating all things cyberpunk!



[h2]Reward and Stretch Goal Progress[/h2]
As always, we’ve included the progress bar infographic to ensure our progress and commitments are clear. With this update, we’ve completed a few more of the art stretch goals that are between us and alpha. Your support on Kickstarter gave us a significantly expanded art budget to add new character outfits, drones, dogs and even cats! We’re getting closer to completing all the art assets required for those even if some of them (such as cybercats) still have significant game dev needs to be game-ready.

The art team has now completed both the Street Outfit and Military Outfit stretch goals and they are looking awesome, as shown below. All four of them offer a lot of new versatility to the outfit options. We hope you like the look of the street berserks and the career mercenary outfits.



The new Corp Outfits are still in their high poly phases but will be heading to be prepped for the game and textured soon.





We know a schedule slip is never something any backer wants to hear. We appreciate your patience and we will keep marching to our commitment to make this amazing game for you!