Achilles: Legends Untold News

The Road to Update 0.2.0 (Devlog #1)

Hi everyone!

Recently, we have been sharing some insights about the development of Achilles: Legends Untold. The posts were pretty well received, so we decided to officially make them into a regular thing! This is the first entry in a new series of Devlogs, that will show you some of the features we’re working on, as well as behind-the-scenes stuff happening at our studio. Let’s begin, shall we?

We’ve been working on a big content update for some time now.

One of the main and most requested features that will be making an appearance, is the in-game map. Well, we think you’ll be happy to hear that the hardest part is already behind us, and the basics are already in place!

The map in Achilles: Legends Untold will consist of a minimap on the HUD, and a bigger, fullscreen one, that you can scroll around to seek various points of interest.

Of course, it still needs improvements, but seeing it in a working state made us all even more motivated to work. We're still working on the visual design of the map, but we’ll have something nice to show you soon ;).

Another thing that’s in development right now, are the fight arenas.

It’s a new activity for Achilles to take on – the player will be able to enter a new level, where he will face a sequence of special enemy waves.

We grabbed a short gif of the place, to showcase where you’ll be fighting. Take a look!

The Arenas are all Hades-themed, with a slightly spooky vibe to them. You’ll get to fight unique, stronger enemy variants, tainted by the underworld’s energy.

Each arena can be visited once, through an entrance point on the main map, that will close after you successfully complete the challenge.

[h3]Tydeus[/h3]
The next feature we want to talk about is our newest boss fight. The enemy in question is the mighty Tydeus, known mostly from the story of the Seven Against Thebes, who fought to take back the Thebes for Polynices.

The boss fight itself is still being polished, but if you’re curious how’s he going to look, here’s a concept art straight from under the pen of one of our artists:

[h3]Castor[/h3]
That’s not all! We’re also still expanding on our current bosses. Castor just got more skills to aid him in defending his village. He’s a master in wielding his battleaxe - he’s able to perform a powerful 2-hit combo, swinging it at you, or rush at you from a distance. Be careful while fighting him, or you can easily get chopped in half.

The boss also received a second move - he can slam his shield against the ground, summoning a healing circle around him. His health will slowly regenerate while he stands inside, so better try and kick him out of there!

Castor will now pose as a greater challenge for heroes daring to cross the stone bridge, that the passage through he’s guarding so vigilantly.

We’re livening up the map a bit! Now you’ll not only encounter warriors and various beasts scattered around Greece, but also the villagers that live and work there.

They’re not really the combative type – when they see a fight, they get scared, scream, and run for their lives. See for yourself!

Killing them is completely optional, and it doesn’t grant any rewards, so it’s up to you to decide what kind of warrior you’ll be.

Apart from working on the new features, we’re still honing our current ones. The AI will be getting a new and improved player targeting system (see our previous dev post for more details!). Some items will be getting a bit of a rework, mostly new icons and descriptions. We’re also smoothing out the controls, squashing the leftover bugs and increasing the overall optimization.

It’s all hard work here at Dark Point Games! Our team’s morale is high, and we’re excited to let you play the update for yourself when it releases.

Achilles: Legends Untold’s setting is entirely based around Greek Mythology. It’s full of interesting stories, and we’d love to share some of them with you! From here on out, the Devlogs will have a special trivia section at the end - ranging from fun facts about our characters, through some lesser-known details about the events from the myths they partake in.

[h3]Did you know?[/h3]
Tydeus was mortally wounded by Melanippus during the war. Athena, the Goddess of Wisdom, intended to make him immortal, but the seer Amphiaraus cut off the head of Melanippus and gave it to Tydeus, who proceeded to eat the brains of his killer. The Goddess, revolted by what she saw, changed her mind and left Tydeus to die.

[h3]FOLLOW US[/h3]
Discord ► http://discord.gg/achilleslegendsuntold
Website ► https://achillesgame.com
Twitter ► https://twitter.com/DarkPointGames
Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/AchillesLegendsUntold
Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/achilleslegendsuntold/
YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/c/DarkPointGames

Virtual Photography and using Nvidia Ansel

Hey everyone! This week we wanted to highlight some great screenshots from our community, and show you how you can become a virtual photographer and set up your own amazing shots in Achilles: Legends Untold!

[h2]Nvidia Ansel[/h2]
Players with Nvidia cards have a built-in tool to be able to create their own unique shots in most titles. We made a quick video to show you how to use the tool!
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Community Shots[/h2]
Below are some great creations from virtual photographers in our community! Share your own creations with us on our social accounts and in our Discord for a chance to be featured in our next community showcase!

Photo credit: Shinobi

Photo credit: Steffi Syndrome

Photo credit: LUCEFER_DW

[h2]🐐[/h2]

Photo credit: Flibbley NovA

AI Improvements and Additions

Hey everyone! We're back with another behind-the-scenes look into our development process. This week we're diving into how we're improving combat in the game by focusing on improvements to enemy AI.

Achilles: Legends Untold is an action game - one of its most important elements is the combat system. And, as you know, combat is only as good as the enemies you fight! That’s why we give special care to the enemy AI during development. We want the game to provide you with truly formidable opponents and memorable, challenging encounters. Here’s an inside look on how we’re managing and continuing to improve our enemy AI:

[h2]The Old AI System[/h2]

The original system we were using was based on “attack tokens”. First, the game checked the current condition of the fight - how much time has passed since the last attack? How many enemies are fighting Achilles right now? What type of enemies are they?

Then, the enemies, who were chosen after the condition check, were given some amount of attack tokens from the limited total pool. They were able to consume these tokens by attacking Achilles - then the AI returned them to the pool, so they could be dispensed again, during the next condition check.

(Enemies attacking & instantly backing off)

That’s how the game chose who will be striking at our hero and when he should do it. We decided the system needed improvements. We’ve been getting feedback from our players, that the opponents back off too quickly after attacking, and that it’s hard to counterattack efficiently. We’re listening! - and that’s why we’re making some changes.

[h2]The New AI System[/h2]

The new & improved system is similar, but it splits enemies into certain groups. The AI can either be on the passive or the active list. What does this mean?

Active - An enemy that gets on the active list will stay close to Achilles and try to attack him.
Passive - On the other hand, the enemies on the passive list will give way to the active ones - they will move around at a distance and taunt our hero, waiting for their turn.

What does that mean for the player? With these changes, the combat will feel a lot more continuous - enemies that attack Achilles will stay focused on him longer, giving the player a better opportunity to punish them and counterattack. The fights will be much more natural, with enemies moving around more strategically. It will make the whole system feel less clunky, improving on the current AI behavior.

(Improved token system, enemies stay more focused)

[h2]On the Offensive[/h2]

The combat style of our AI is shifting from a focus on defense to a more offensive-minded behavior. Now the enemies will be more vulnerable to your counters, but they won’t just let you attack them so easily. They are becoming more aggressive and will hunt you relentlessly! You will have to adapt your fighting style and strategy in order to survive against these more aggressive enemies . This fundamental change will make gameplay feel more dynamic and keep you on your toes, as you maneuver your way through more challenging opponents.

[h2]New Enemy Abilities[/h2]

That’s not all! Apart from improving the AI system, we’re also actively expanding upon it. We want our enemies to have a wide array of attack types and environment interactions, so we’re constantly experimenting and adding new ones. For example, here are two new abilities we’ve been working on:

[h3]The Spear Throw[/h3]

See these spears in the ground, scattered around the map? Enemies are able to locate them, pick them up, and throw them at Achilles using all their might and strength. If you don’t want to become a human shish kebab, watch out and dodge them!

[h3]The Flaming Arrows[/h3]

We have many fireplaces placed in all of Greece, and it’s time we put them to a better use! Apparently, the archers haven’t been taught not to play with fire - they are now able to come up to any fire source, and light their arrows with flame. Better extinguish their enthusiasm, or you’ll get 3rd degree burns!

[h3]Bonus[/h3]

We’re also creating unique abilities for the bosses. As you might’ve already seen, in patch 0.1.3 we expanded on Menelaus’ skillset. Now he’s carrying a bottle with a purple fluid - he can drink some of it and spit at Achilles, poisoning him. He’s also able to cover his weapon with it and start dealing poison damage on hit.

As it turns out, Menelaus is also a bit of a pyromaniac - he likes to light his sword on fire, burning Achilles with each strike. Using it, he can also spit fire at you! A dangerous foe indeed.

We’re giving our all to the game’s combat. We want to make it dynamic and exciting, but to also fully incorporate the strategic aspects of the top-down view, so it’s a challenging experience for the players. Thanks to the input we’ve been getting from you, with each update we’re getting closer to that goal!

Remember that you can also become a part of the process - we’re actively collecting and looking through your feedback, both here and on our Discord server. If you have any thoughts you want to share with us about the game, make sure to write us a message in a discussions thread, or in the dedicated Discord channel (link below).

See you in the next development update!

Creating new models - An inside look at Triremes

One of the things we’re focused on, while creating assets for the game, is the time period in which our story takes place. The Trojan War is estimated to have taken place in the 12th century BC. It was during the Greek Bronze Age, that our hero took his journey to vanquish the Trojans. But it’s a long way from Greece, leading right across the Aegean Sea - to get there, he needed a suitable vessel…

[h2]The Trireme[/h2]
The Greek Triremes have been known as formidable warships. They had three rows of oars on each side, manned with one man per oar. One of these ships could hold up as many as 200 warriors, every one of them ready for battle.

We haven’t really felt like the model we’ve been using (the one behind in the photo below) was adequate to their legend, so we took it upon ourselves to design one that would get even the best shipwrights of the time to look in awe.

[h2]Research[/h2]
As usual, the creation process began with research, mainly of the ship’s architecture and its overall look. We got reference from photos of real ship replicas, which were perfect for our needs.

We carefully studied each detail and feature using reference photos, and after all that work, the 3D model finally came to be. Of course, there was still far more work to be done, we only had a shape back then.

[h2]Models[/h2]
The ship itself is composed of multiple parts - there’s the standard low poly version, as well as a sculptured one with all the ornaments, making the textured model look much more realistic.

[h2]Textures[/h2]
Of course, the textures had also needed to be separately prepared. For example, the wood from the ship consists of a few different texture images. The most important ones are the normal map and the color texture. The first one contains all of the bumps and dents in the wood and is used to give it depth.

The second one, as you might’ve guessed, is used to give the wood colors. Pretty straightforward, right? After putting them together and applying the finished texture to the model, the ship is looking really natural and convincing.

[h2]Lighting[/h2]
And now, the thing that really gives the scene life - lighting! After setting up the scene and carefully placing the light sources, the ship is looking better than ever. The reference images we used were a great help in reproducing a realistic sunset over the Aegean Sea.

[h2]In-Game[/h2]
Now we can put the ship in the game’s engine. As you can see on the GIFs below, it’s not just a rigid model - it actually supports physics! It’s a great accent, making the boat look alive, as if it really was sailing through the waves.

We hope you enjoyed seeing some of the behind the scenes stuff and us revealing parts of our creative process. It’s not just the fixes that we’re focusing on - as you can see, we’re actively working hard on creating and adding more content to Achilles: Legends Untold.

We want to make more posts like this one in the future, as we love to share our passion for making video games with the players. Make sure to follow our announcements page, so you won’t miss out on any of them!

We’d also like to really thank our players for all the feedback we’re getting, both on Discord and Steam. Thanks to your help, we’re on our way to creating the video game that everyone will be able to enjoy. If you also want to take part in the development, you can leave us your suggestions and input, either on the discussions page or on our Discord server (link below).

See you soon!

[h3]FOLLOW US[/h3]
Discord ► http://discord.gg/achilleslegendsuntold Website ► https://achillesgame.com Twitter ► @DarkPointGames
Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/AchillesLegendsUntold Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/achilleslegendsuntold/ YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/c/DarkPointGames

Patch 0.1.4

Hey warriors, we're back with another patch Achilles: Legends Untold!

In Patch 0.1.4 we added a "New Game +" mode to give players a more challenging experience after they've finished the last quest available. We've also added an "Attack at Cursor" mode, the ability to split sprint and dodge inputs, and made a variety of other quality of life improvements to the game.

Below is the full list of all the updates made to Achilles: Legends Untold in Patch 0.1.4.:

[h3]Added Features[/h3]

"New Game +" mode - after finishing the last quest available in the current version of the game, you can choose to either continue playing or enter the New Game + mode. The game will carry over your progress to a new campaign, where you can continue to play and upgrade your character.
"Attack at Cursor" mode - Selecting "Attack at Cursor" in game options will make Achilles strike in the direction the cursor is currently facing.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Split Sprint and Dodge inputs - Mouse and keyboard players can now choose to split the sprint and dodge inputs between two buttons, or to have a singular one for both actions.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Side mouse button binding - you can now add inputs to side mouse buttons 4 & 5

[h3]Fixes and Improvements[/h3]

You now get the Shield Throw and Kick skills during the tutorial in Troy.
Improved the target-locking system. Switching between enemies will now be a lot smoother.
Grenades will now target the exact location of the cursor when thrown, while target-lock is disabled.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Autosave frequency has been decreased.
Fixed all known level collision issues.
General improvements to AI behavior.
Slight improvements to ambient environment SFX.
More weight behind attacks. They should feel more satisfying.
Improved visibility of enemies hidden behind map elements.

Thank you to everyone in our community who have been following our updates and continuing to play Achilles: Legends Untold throughout Early Access! We're working on a lot of exciting new things for the game in the coming months (including an in-game map, new bosses, and more!), and we'll be revealing our full roadmap in the future!

We're monitoring all platforms for player feedback, though the best way to chat with the team and compare notes with other community members is in our Discord server.

[h2]FOLLOW US[/h2]
Discord ► http://discord.gg/achilleslegendsuntold
Website ► https://achillesgame.com
Twitter ► https://twitter.com/DarkPointGames
Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/AchillesLegendsUntold
Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/achilleslegendsuntold/
YouTube ► https://www.youtube.com/c/DarkPointGames