Cyber Knights: Flashpoint News

Knights and Backers!

We are so excited to welcome 2021! It will be a very big year for the game as we march down the to-do list (stretch goals and rewards) towards the alpha with 1,000+ amazing backers. December ended on a busy note and as January opens, we are roaring into the new year of development!

[h2]Alpha Schedule Update[/h2]
As we arrive in 2021, it is time to revisit the alpha schedule. All of our internal scheduling models show that the Cyber Knights: Flashpoint alpha will not be ready during Q1 of 2021. We’re making good progress every day, but the game is big and we added a lot of scope to it through the campaign’s stretch goals.

This is always a hard decision. There are hundreds of factors at play. Without a doubt, 2020 has been a tough year. And, as we’ve learned from watching game launches over the years, and over the past few months, it is so critical to launch at the right time. It is up to Cory and I alone to make the decision as to when the alpha is ready. We are always very careful not to risk burning your trust or burning your time by releasing the game to alpha before it is ready and fun to play.

We are committed to continuous updates on Kickstarter -- one a month or more -- and to being as transparent as we can be about the schedule and our progress. We’re thankful for everyone’s patience in giving us time to get this right.

[h2]Adding and Trimming Scope[/h2]
When it comes to schedules and deadlines, scope is always a top concern. Getting the right level of depth in all the right systems is key to setting a foundation that will support an amazing game. Over the last few months we’ve both added some scope -- as our development exposes how exciting some of these areas can be -- and judiciously trimmed scope where it feels right.

Key to gridless movement system are simplified costs and a generous "grace" in the cost of movement

A good example of added scope is in pre-mission advantages, where we have found that this heist-style setup can be such a fun part of every mission. We quickly knew that pre-mission advantages needed even more capabilities (such as unlocking previously inaccessible areas in missions), more interactivity options with the maps (such as bribes to buy keys to certain doors) and that it also needed tighter integrations to the Matrix Mk2 expansion.

A good example of a scope trim is that we have fully separated the venn diagram of Contact services and safehouse offerings. The original design contained some overlap between Contact services and safehouse modules that impacted your safehouse build strategy, allowing you to rely on Contacts for some things and build your safehouse to cover the others. In practice, we found this to be too much to manage and it added confusion instead of depth. A key example of the separation is that your safehouse will no longer have a cyberware clinic or hospital ward -- these are services provided by Contacts only. Your team will heal slowly at the safehouse on their own and there is no option to invest in becoming a doctor’s office. What's more, you don't have to weigh the decision of becoming a doctor’s office against truly exciting things like a drone workshop or a weapon crafting workshop.

There is only one true color for loots!

[h2]January Progress[/h2]
As we march to alpha, we are dedicating each week to a specific area of the game -- finishing data modeling, adding new content, integrating more widely with other systems and pushing testing data through the game. In January, our weeks have been focused on (1) expanding the mission capabilities and allowing stories to fully create missions, (2) improving loot and mission objectives interactivity on the map and (3) Contact services, Traits and the tiered laddering of their offerings. Next up, we are revisiting pre-mission advantages again and pushing even more feature-awesome into their stack as they make up the bedrock of the heist RPG style. Then we’ll be heading back to the safehouse to support a new set of modules including drone workshops and kennels.



Even as we work through a cycle of focus weeks, we are continuing progress every week on some major systems that are still in construction. The biggest of these in the Matrix Mk2 prototype. As promised when we set it as a stretch goal, we are taking a simple system and expanding it into something full blown with an entire job specialty, its own branch of equipment, completely new enemy type (IC) and an AI system for them, special hacking focused cyberware, cyberdecks, matrix missions and more. We’re setting aside some hours each week to make progress on this big one.

A story diagram from the EP meeting showing the flow of an early storyline, codenamed “Sibling Salvage”

[h2]Executive Producers / Patreons[/h2]
Last weekend, we met with the Executive Producers for the 4th time. In this meeting, we discussed the story design theory we’re using to tackle the challenge combining deep, threaded narrative stories with a squad-based RPG where you have the freedom to create or recruit all of your characters. We shared our architecture and design decisions that helped us form the game’s data structures and design patterns that are allowing us to create very unique storylines in each playthrough, by engaging and progressing characters and contacts in stories from many different angles.

We’ve included a five minute excerpt from the introduction to the Executive Producers session where we outlined the goal we’ve set for the game’s story system. It doesn’t include the juiciest details we shared with the Executive Producers team, but we hope you’ll find it exciting to hear what kind of experience we’re aiming to achieve!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Next week on Thursday, we’ll be sitting down with the Patreon crew to go through the same story design presentation. Any patron at any pledge level is invited to join us for this last “Patrons Only” Executive Producers meeting which is a thank you to those supporters who pledge to our efforts every month.

[h2]Streaming on Twitch[/h2]
You can find Cory (and sometimes Andrew) on the Trese Brothers Twitch where we are streaming game development, answering questions and talking about the studio Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4PM EST.

[h2]Rewards and Stretch Goals[/h2]
As always, we include the progress bar infographic to ensure you can see the status of every reward and stretch goal in a single glance. Last update, we were excited to announce the last of the art stretch goals before alpha had been officially completed. With this update, we’re very close to closing out the major art reward for backer’s 3D faces in the game. Hopefully this week or next, the 3D renderings will be going out to our backers to check out!



Also, we’re continuing constant pressure on the Hacking Mk2 prototype, but there is still a lot of work to complete as discussed above in the January Progress section of the update.

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.