Artificial Extinction 2 News

After 1 year of work, the current build has the basics implemented and is playable. It's been a long road to get to this point and there's still a long way to go but it's a big milestone to celebrate!

We've added 'Power Towers' which provide energy to all your equipment. The player must build equipment within the power range of the Towers for them to work. Here's how they look in the game now:





The concept was a suggestion from the community and it adds a lot to the feeling of progression, expansion and enjoyment of the game.

Early testing has also already added another cool feature. Building equipment is done from a 'top-down' point of view which is really efficient but one hurdle is knowing the Turrets 'line-of-sight' when you're placing it. The terrain isn't always flat and it's possible to place the Turret with an obstructed view. The solution is to add a 'view-port' overlay that shows the Turrets 'pov' as it's being placed.



To help the community become more involved with the features of the game, I've created a Trello board that allows players to vote on features, see what I'm working on and what's left to be done. I'll do my best to keep it updated. Check it out here: https://trello.com/b/9SOPwuDB/artificial-extinction-2



Replayability is a priority so the game is being designed to include features such as different game modes, maps, biomes, challenges and a player customizable level.

Please join us on Discord, get involved in active development and help me bring this concept to it's fullest potential: https://discord.gg/p62Afqr

[h2]Cheers![/h2]

We're excited to share the trailer with you which shows you some of the early development footage. We hope you enjoy it! As the game progresses we will update the trailer and release more footage.
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
The Turret Systems having been progressing well. Currently there are 8 different systems, each with their own special role to play. For air targets, the Missile Turret targets drones and launches heat seeking missiles. Incoming mortars and missiles can be picked out of the sky by the gatling guns of the Anti-Missile Turret.

Ground Targeting Turret Systems specialize in different ranges from the long range Sniper Turret to the short range Shotgun Turret. Some Turrets degrade the enemy's shields while others are more effective against armour. Although each Turret is quite basic at first, use the Tech Tree to upgrade different systems on each Turret class to bring them to their greatest lethality.

















Your feedback encourages and helps me move in the right direction. Please let me know your thoughts, follow the game and show your support with a Wishlist!

I'm regularly chatting on Discord as well so join us there too:
Discord link: https://discord.gg/p62Afqr

Development has been going very well, we are working on more complicated features that take more time to code. One of them will be featured today! Thanks to all the valuable feedback the community has given us, it's been very beneficial towards the development process.

[h2]Dropship, Drones and Troops[/h2]

The Dropship concept gives the Mechs the ability to call in re-inforcements upon engagement. The way it works is that the Mech can signal for support, drop a smoke grenade to mark a landing spot and a Dropship will fly in and deliver up to 8 Ground Troops at a time. Currently there is only one mech that can do this, the Scout Mech, but depending on how testing will go, this can definitely change!



Currently, there are 3 different types of Ground Troops, each with their own behavior. The Sniper will engage at a farther distance and behave more cautiously. The Machine Gunner will engage at a medium distance and not advance too close. The Assault soldier will behave most agressively and advance with a sacrificial behavior. These troops may distract your Turrets from the more valuable Mechs in a strategic move to overwhelm your defenses. While individually these won't prove too much of a threat, in groups they can be devastating if unchallenged!



There are three enemy drone classes each with their own weapon system and threat level. First you will encounter the lower level drones, but as time goes on expect to suffer the more powerful drones!







All these enemies! Time to start working on the vast arsenal you will have to combat this army of enemy AI. This 'Emergency Drone' is on your side. Feel like your being overrun? Need some backup? This emergency drone is extremely powerful and devastating, but it's also got it's disadvantages such as long reload time as well needing lots of Tech upgrades to perform it's best!



[h2]What's Next?[/h2]

Turrets, turrets and more turrets. With such a vast array of enemy classes, you will need just as equal a variety of weaponry to defend against their attacks. Initially quite basic, there will be many upgradable features on each Turret to transform them into efficient machines of destruction. There are currently plans for up to 8 different turrets all with differing roles on the battlefield. Keep in mine, it's still early in development and anything can change!

If you would like early sneak peaks at what we work on before the monthly post, join our discord to see them!

Thanks again for all of your support and suggestions!

Discord link: https://discord.gg/p62Afqr

[h3]Until Next Time![/h3]

We're migrating the Development Updates to this store page and will continue to post them here.

[h2]Mechs and Drones[/h2]

Here is a summary of the Mech's specifications to date. Don't think these are final though, we can't stop them from evolving so expect them to be deadlier by the time you meet them. In fact, the deadliest Mech has just been discovered, check out the new Level 4 Rocket Mech!

















We have designated all of the Mechs into different levels based on their difficulty. At the moment, there are 4 levels. As the levels go up, the difficulty and sophistication of enemies increase. The Scouts are the basic enemy you encounter at the start of a game, so it'll be the easiest to deal with! But towards the end of the game, you'll meet enemies like the well rounded Battle Mech, which are universally strong and have a wide array of weaponry. So far, it is the most dangerous of the mechs as of yet. However, while it is well rounded, it doesn't excel at specific tasks like breaking shields like the Laser Mech can.

The new drones are functional but their weaponry has not yet been added. We will talk more about Drones on a later date once they are more developed.

[h2]Armour and Shields[/h2]

As described on the Mech Spec Sheets, their defenses are broken down into categories Shields, Armour and Health. Turrets and enemies will both have this system. As of right now, shields take more damage from energy weapons. Armour absorbs more heavy damage and non-energy weapons and health is the primary health bar on which everything survives. As of right now, all of this is still in development and can change at any point!

[h2]What's Next?[/h2]

Hard at work developing individual Mech abilities! For example, the Scout Mech can now expel a smoke
grenade that acts as a beacon to bring in reinforcement ground troops. We aim to create abilities like this for all of the Mechs, to make each one unique and a completely different challenge from the other!

Discord link: https://discord.gg/p62Afqr

[h3]Until Next Time![/h3]