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Age of Darkness: Final Stand News

v0.8 Preview

Protectors of the Light,

v0.8 is encroaching upon us. To help you navigate the coming darkness, let this be your flame in the night.

[h2]New Units[/h2]

[h3]Hunter[/h3]

The Hunter is a Rebellion-specific unit, replacing Arbalests for the faction. What the Hunter lacks in range, it makes up for in tactical options. The Hunter comes with the capacity to place a trap at its feet that when triggered, slows and damages enemies within its area of effect. You can use your Hunter to pull groups of nightmares into a deadly snare, or lay down lines of traps in preparation for a Death Night.
Hunter Trap - Active ability: Deadly trap that when triggered releases a puff of toxic smoke that damages and slows enemies within.

[h3]Cultist[/h3]

Cultists are also faction-specific units, replacing Soliders for the Volatists. When trained, two Cultists are provided for the price of one. They don’t hit nearly as hard or have as much health as a Soldier, but when you train one, you get two. They also have the ability to shred armor with their attacks – an attribute not available so early to other factions.

[h3]What about the Order? [/h3]
As of this coming release, the Catapult will become an Order-only unit. We can also share with you some awesome things that are coming in v0.9:
  • NEW Order-specific unit, The Lightbearer
  • Further Faction modifiers, giving more play differentiation between each Faction

Wait a minute, we said shredding armor?

Pretty sure if you look here, you’ll see it’s pronounced “Armor”.

[h2]Armor System[/h2]
A long-standing issue with Age of Darkness was the tendency for more advanced, higher cost units to completely supersede early units. The prime example of this was the Arbalest, which for a long time was strictly better than archers of equivalent cost, except for its lower movement speed.

Unrelated to this, we also felt that players, regardless of faction, could generally reach the perimeter of the map - where all those juicy gold veins live - too quickly. The strategy for experienced players tended to involve making a beeline for the edge and scouting for the best veins early.

We also had a smaller issue that Armor in Age of Darkness was of negligible usefulness. It flatly reduced incoming damage, and no unit had more than 1.5 armor. Also, secretly, damage was never reduced below 5, so armor did nothing to mitigate Crawler attacks.

To recap, we had three issues: Units became obsolete, players could reach the edge of the map too quickly, and armor was not very useful. Our solution was to completely rethink armor.

Armor is now a resource. While a unit has armor, incoming damage is reduced by 70%. If you want to deal full damage to that unit, you'll need a way to get through its armor.



So we're also introducing a new stat -- Armor shred. Armor shred acts like damage, except it only applies to armor. A unit with 5 armor shred will need to hit an enemy with 15 Armor 3 times to break through. Damage is calculated after armor shred is applied, so the final of those three hits, in addition to removing the armor, will deal full damage. Once Armor is depleted, it will only recover when you're near your Keep or one of the Workshop buildings.

What does this mean in practice?

Well, many units now have some armor or armor shred. Sentinels have extremely high armor, and Arbalests have high armor shred. But Nightmares now ALSO have armor and armor shred.

While exploring the map, you'll need to consider your unit composition more carefully now. Do I have enough sources of armor shred to take high-tier nightmares down before they can wreak havoc? Do I have enough raw damage to kill a Wraith before it can shred through my Sentinels?

In all likelihood, you’ll find it a lot harder to reach those outer limits, as units like Axemen and Spitters become much tougher to take down with pure damage. Likewise, you’ll find that many units which normally get left by the wayside become integral to keeping up your momentum. Arbalests can punch through armor like no one else, but you may want to keep a squad of Archers waiting in the wings to deal pure damage once that tough shell has broken.

You’ll also find units with armor much more durable in some scenarios and much less in others. Your Sentinels can withstand far more attacks from a swarm of Crawlers, and can hold the line in a Death Night much longer. But if you want to keep getting value out of those units, you’ll want to consider where you’re building your Workshops.

This system is designed to create roles for existing units as well as create space for future units to exist without invalidating any of the current line up. It also opens up space for future blessings, malices and faction properties – some of which you’ll hopefully see sooner rather than later.

[h3]v0.8 will be releasing next week - make sure you finish your current saves![/h3]

As always, if you come across any bugs or crashes, please report them to us either through the Steam forums, our Discord server in the ‘bug-reporting’ channel or using the in-game bug reporting tool.

[h3]AoD Social Links:[/h3]

AoD Discord - Join our official Discord server AoD Website - Official Website & Blog Twitter - Follow us at AOD_FinalStand Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page Reddit - Join the r/Age of Darkness: Final Stand community
YouTube - Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel

Have a question about the game? We have a handy FAQ we’ve posted on the Steam forums that you can view. If your question hasn’t been answered there, we’ll be doing our best to keep up with questions here, on the forums and our Discord server.

Speaking of which, you can also chat with our team and ask them questions on our official Discord server here!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1426450/Age_Of_Darkness_Final_Stand


v0.8 First Look Dev Livestream - Age of Darkness: Final Stand

UPDATE: You can find the VOD for the livestream below:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Protectors of the Light,

Take your first look at v0.8 with members of our Dev team! They’ll be giving you a preview of next week's release on our Twitch channel on Monday, August 1 at 1:30pm AEST (Sunday, July 31 8:30pm PDT).

[h3]Follow our Twitch channel so you don’t miss it![/h3]

Come check out the new content, ask our team questions, and help protect the Light! Remember, if you can’t make the stream, you’ll still be able to catch up with the VoD after.


As always, if you come across any bugs or crashes, please report them to us either through the Steam forums, our Discord server in the ‘bug-reporting’ channel or using the in-game bug reporting tool.

[h3]AoD Social Links:[/h3]

AoD Discord - Join our official Discord server AoD Website - Official Website & Blog Twitter - Follow us at AOD_FinalStand Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page Reddit - Join the r/Age of Darkness: Final Stand community
YouTube - Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel

Have a question about the game? We have a handy FAQ we’ve posted on the Steam forums that you can view. If your question hasn’t been answered there, we’ll be doing our best to keep up with questions here, on the forums and our Discord server.

Speaking of which, you can also chat with our team and ask them questions on our official Discord server here!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1426450/Age_Of_Darkness_Final_Stand

Edwin Everard, Wielder of the Flame

As Edwin Everard rose through the ranks of The Order, he never imagined he would come face-to-face with the full force of the Veil's Nightmares. Adept as he was with the blade, he saw himself as a peacekeeper - not one to lead the charge into battle.

Edwin swore an oath, however, and he takes that oath seriously - more so than many others of his rank, and perhaps even more than the Bishop he reports to.

Edwin was blessed with a curious power few seem to possess; the talented Knight can conjure dancing flames that bend to his will, yet do not consume him. A lesser man would have let these embers guide him to power and wealth, but Edwin serves a higher purpose.

He has seen what hides in the shadows. He has seen the Order cast aside its singular purpose in favour of petty politics. He believes they are unprepared for what they must face. Now Edwin believes that, if he does not uphold his oath, humanity is lost.

He may be right.


[h2]Coming in v0.8.0[/h2]

[h3]Edwin Ultimate Ability - Flame Shield[/h3]
Edwin engulfs himself in a flaming shield that blocks damage and harms nearby attackers, exploding when it is destroyed or expires.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]Edwin's Flame Shield ability

Some eagle eyes also noticed a new ability for Aelis in our behind-the-scenes look into how we find our voice actors.

[h3]Aelis Passive Ability - Royal Decree [/h3]
Aelis survives a fatal blow by sacrificing a Loyal Guard, healing her to a set percentage of her health bar. While not on cooldown, Aelis condemns enemies she hits, causing them to take additional damage from all sources.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]Aelis sacrificing a Loyal Guard

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]Aelis condemning enemies

Stay tuned for more v0.8.0 updates next week!


As always, if you come across any bugs or crashes in the future, please report them to us either through the Steam forums, our Discord server in the ‘bug-reporting’ channel or using the in-game bug reporting tool.

[h3]AoD Social Links:[/h3]

AoD Discord - Join our official Discord server AoD Website - Official Website & Blog Twitter - Follow us at AOD_FinalStand Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page Reddit - Join the r/Age of Darkness: Final Stand community
YouTube - Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel

Have a question about the game? We have a handy FAQ we’ve posted on the Steam forums that you can view. If your question hasn’t been answered there, we’ll be doing our best to keep up with questions here, on the forums and our Discord server.

Speaking of which, you can also chat with our team and ask them questions on our official Discord server here!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1426450/Age_Of_Darkness_Final_Stand

The Voice of Aelis Syren

Come take a behind the scenes look at how our audio team finds the perfect voice and gets it into game. To take a peek behind the curtain we have Chris O’Neill, PlaySide Studios’ Audio Lead and Rhiannon Moushall, voice for Aelis Syren.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

How do you know what voice a character should have?

Chris: Honestly, with a whole batch of directed questions. We start with a lot of internal brainstorming about the character and their individual traits. What do we know about their past? Their motivations? Their day to day mannerisms and behaviours, or their cultural and societal structures/circumstances?

From there, we explore some preliminary script ideas and have a chat with the art department. What has been envisioned so far in terms of concept art and ideas?

An earlier version of Aelis Syren

Aelis' sculpt

We will then work with our casting coordinator to help refine our direction and casting packet. Kevin is phenomenal at coming up with solid references for characters, accents and pivotal scenes to use as a compass in helping us narrow down our field. He consolidates all the information we have into a neat little bundle and puts the job listing out into the ether. Within a week or so, a swarm of talented auditions is narrowed down into a top 5-10.

We then listen through internally to narrow down any of our favourite auditions, and then favourite takes therein. Sometimes the same person does an okay job at a specific speed or emotion, but delivers perfectly when it comes to an entirely different one (perhaps the angrier, grittier line, for instance).

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Once we have a couple of final contenders, the test lines get put into the game for context checking. This makes all the difference, and usually shines a light on the best candidate far quicker than during audio-only assessments. It’s very regular that we think we know exactly which audition best fits, only to have that blown out of the water when tested in context!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Why was Rhiannon the right fit?

She had a fantastic tone and range. The accent was consistent, regal and intelligent, but not to the point of being obnoxious. But honestly? What really sold it for me was when she absolutely let rip in her audition. The rage and pure gravel in her voice made my jaw drop, and was followed by a loud cry of “OH MY GOD” at my desk, without even realising I was doing either.


Now we have the wonderful Rhiannon, voice of Aelis, to tell us a little about her experience and journey with voice acting.

You can find Rhiannon Moushall through the links below:
www.rhiannonmoushall.com https://twitter.com/rsmoushall

How did you get into voice acting?

Rhiannon: I was a stage actor and then the pandemic hit, so I was more unemployed than usual. I was privileged and fortunate enough to have some savings and a partner with a steady income, so I took 2020 to invest in the training and equipment I would need to become a full-time voice actor. I started out doing serial comedies with my friends at The Penny Peepshow Podcast, and then in 2021 I just went for it with all my strength. I’ve been pulling it off ever since and inadvertently discovered it was my dream job!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

As a voice actress how do you get yourself in the zone for different characters?

I start by reading the brief and/or their background, soaking in the key characteristics – hunting for all those juicy adjectives – and if there’s character art, that’s a huge bonus! Then, with those words and images at the forefront of my mind, I read through the lines and play with those characteristics within the context given. I’m a deeply empathetic person (often, to a fault) so this comes quite easily to me. I only read the lines through once or twice before getting in the booth and recording them out loud. My best work usually happens in the first couple of reads, because that spontaneity and ‘gut reaction’ to scenarios is easiest to create when the words are genuinely coming out of my mouth for the first time.

What kind of characters do you like to voice?

ALL OF THEM! I like the sweet, idealistic princess; the bloodthirsty queen; the beleaguered ship’s captain; the rambunctious little boy; the decrepit crone; the materialistic valley girl; the loyal soldier; the snivelling coward; the world-weary detective; the well-meaning murderer… I’ve had the pleasure of voicing a wild range of characters, and I hope I continue to get those opportunities.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

What's it like having to switch emotions for different voice lines?

It depends on the role. If I’m playing a larger role in the context of a scene, the build of emotions is usually gradual and quite natural. If I’m playing a smaller part that has less lines through which to react, I have to do the non-verbal acting behind the scenes – I run that character’s thought process between the lines to ensure that even though their emotional state has changed, the listener can understand ‘why’. Sometimes I get lines out of order, in which case I rely heavily on the context and do my best to be present in that moment. However, emotional whiplash is almost always part of the process. Aelis was a series of one-liners, so with the help of the wonderful directors Kevin and Chris, we concocted scenarios that would give the lines palpable intent. Hopefully, that came across!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

That's all for today! Thanks for reading, and let us know what you think. What else would you like to see from the team?

If you're heading to TwitchCon in Amsterdam this weekend, make sure to check out Age of Darkness: Final Stand at the Team17 booth!


As always, if you come across any bugs or crashes in the future, please report them to us either through the Steam forums, our Discord server in the ‘bug-reporting’ channel or using the in-game bug reporting tool.

[h3]AoD Social Links:[/h3]

AoD Discord - Join our official Discord server AoD Website - Official Website & Blog Twitter - Follow us at AOD_FinalStand Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page Reddit - Join the r/Age of Darkness: Final Stand community
YouTube - Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel

Have a question about the game? We have a handy FAQ we’ve posted on the Steam forums that you can view. If your question hasn’t been answered there, we’ll be doing our best to keep up with questions here, on the forums and our Discord server.

Speaking of which, you can also chat with our team and ask them questions on our official Discord server here!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1426450/Age_Of_Darkness_Final_Stand

July Player Survey

Protectors of the Light,

[h3]Update, July 19: Thank you so much for all your responses! We're now closing off this survey.[/h3]

Thanks for all your recent feedback both on Steam as well as on Discord. We had such a great response to our May survey that we’d love to get more thoughts from the community.

[h2]Take the July survey here![/h2]

We’re keen to use your responses to help inform our decisions as we continue the development of Age of Darkness: Final Stand. This survey will remain open until the morning of Tuesday, July 19 (AEST).


As always, if you come across any bugs or crashes in the future, please report them to us either through the Steam forums, our Discord server in the ‘bug-reporting’ channel or using the in-game bug reporting tool.

[h3]AoD Social Links:[/h3]

AoD Discord - Join our official Discord server AoD Website - Official Website & Blog Twitter - Follow us at AOD_FinalStand Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page Reddit - Join the r/Age of Darkness: Final Stand community
YouTube - Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel

Have a question about the game? We have a handy FAQ we’ve posted on the Steam forums that you can view. If your question hasn’t been answered there, we’ll be doing our best to keep up with questions here, on the forums and our Discord server.

Speaking of which, you can also chat with our team and ask them questions on our official Discord server here!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1426450/Age_Of_Darkness_Final_Stand