Vestiges: Fallen Tribes News

[h3]Our Closed Beta has been available for about 3 weeks now (unlock your access here) and it is part of a critical milestone in the development of Vestiges: Fallen Tribes. It allows us to gather feedback from our dedicated community: YOU. You help us identify and address potential issues, refine gameplay mechanics, and ultimately fine-tune the gaming experience before it reaches a wider audience. One of the elements we’ve been working on lately is optimizing scaling and VR mechanisms.[/h3]



Before anything, it is important to understand the difference between zooming and scaling:

• Zooming in VR typically refers to adjusting the field of view or focal point, bringing specific details closer to the user's viewpoint.
  
• Scaling in VR involves adjusting the size of objects, environments, or characters within the virtual space. It changes the overall dimensions, making elements appear larger or smaller relative to the user.

The significance of scaling in VR cannot be overstated, as it forms the bedrock of a truly immersive and believable experience. It goes beyond mere aesthetics, becoming a crucial element for users to perceive depth, distance, and proportion authentically. The ability to move inside the game and change your own scale allows the player to literally “fit” in their own army.

“A well-executed scaling mechanism ensures that objects, environments, and characters in the virtual space mimic their real-world counterparts convincingly”, Lohan Blanc UX Developer explains. Since developing a strategy card game/autobattler in VR is quite new to us, we have to try different ways to make the game immersive and UX friendly at the same time. “Now scaling allows the players to actually sit inside the ballista and see what the unit sees”, Guilhem Hounieu UI/UX designer adds.

Game designer Pierre Heinisch already explained here that he was really inspired by Warhammer miniatures when creating Vestiges: Fallen Tribes and the collection and customization aspect of it and wanted to bring this feeling of collection to Vestiges. Scaling will definitely amplify this feeling.

Optimized Grab and drop



Before: you had to pick the card with your hand and drop it in the exact position you wanted it to be. That implied you had to move around the battlefield and get closer (at arms’ range) of the chosen position so it could be well placed.
“Although it was very immersive because it allowed you to physically pick up the card and manipulate it, this method was not very intuitive since it required you to make adjustments and plan your movements accordingly”, Guilhem adds.



After: you will have a laser pointing on the element you want to select and can now point in the area you want to put your unit without having to get closer to it.

It may seem like a very small detail but it makes a big difference when you’re playing in VR. This not only emphasizes the sense of presence but also contributes significantly to the user's spatial awareness, a vital aspect for effective interaction and engagement. Less transportation also helps prevent motion sickness.

New hands incoming !

One of the things that is going to enhance the overall immersive experience is the representation of the player’s arms and hands. Our first draft was very simple and neutral. We mostly did not know much about the player’s persona, but after a few brainstorming sessions our Concept Artist, Suzanne Rault came up with various idea representing the player’s arms.



This representation not only adds a layer of realism to interactions but also provides users with a tangible connection to the game’s universe while facilitating a more immersive gaming experience. It was important to us that this element was perfected quickly.

Vr compatibility

A few of you were concerned about the performances in VR and we heard you. This is also something we’re working on thanks to your feedback. We are currently testing our builds on Quest 2, but through Steam. It basically means that we are developing the game for PCVR, and are not focusing on standalone headset’s ports for now. It is still very early for us to give you a list of compatible PCVR headsets but please keep trying your gear and tell us about how the game runs on it. This will help a lot !



At WanadevStudio we believe the Closed Beta phase is not just a preview for our players but a collaborative journey. The insights and suggestions we receive during this phase play a pivotal role in shaping the final product, ensuring that Vestiges: Fallen Tribes is not just a game but an immersive adventure crafted with the input and passion of our incredible community.

There are a few ways to give us your feedback on the game :

• the feedback form , the most efficient
  
• the discord, the most detailed
  
• X, also a possibility
  

Thank you for being a part of this exciting evolution, and we can't wait to see where the Closed Beta takes us!

[h3]The Steam Next Fest Winter 2024 is over and the enthusiasm generated by the festival has been incredible. We are thrilled to announce the next chapter of Vestiges: Fallen Tribes, our game demo is evolving into a Closed Beta! Get exclusive access to the latest updates of the game by registering here.[/h3]



This closed beta will give you access to exclusive content such as:

• regular updates and fixes
  
• new features
  
• improvements
  

This marks a new stage where your involvement becomes even more crucial. We invite you to continue this journey with us, providing valuable insights as we work together to shape and perfect the game.

There are a few ways to give us your feedback on the game :

• the feedback form , the most efficient
  
• the discord, the most detailed
  
• X, also a possibility
  

Thank you for being a part of this exciting evolution, and we can't wait to see where the Closed Beta takes us!

[h3]Join us on our page to play Vestiges: Fallen Tribes or just chat with us on Thursday at 3pm (UTC). You'll be able to play against the dev team and ask them your questions !
Don't miss it !
[/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2511780/Vestiges_Fallen_Tribes/

If you can't make it then, you can still join the game everyday at 1pm (UTC) to match with other players !

[h3]Vestiges: Fallen Tribes’ pre-alpha build is available on Steam. Creative Director and Game Designer, Pierre Heinisch, talks about his inspirations, climate change and what the Studio would love to see in the game.[/h3]

Can you tell the players a little bit about yourself?

My name is Pierre Heinisch and I’ve been working in the video games industry for about 6 years now. I was first a level artist at WanadevStudio, I worked on our rhythm game Ragnarock and the horror series Propagation. It’s only been recently that I became Creative Director. I had ideas that I wanted to pitch to the team and one of them was what became Vestiges. It’s been a very good experience so far in the industry and I’m very excited for what’s to come.

If you had to pitch Vestiges: Fallen Tribes in a few words what would you say?

Vestiges: Fallen Tribes is a collectible card game mixed with an autobattler in a tribal science fiction universe. As water disappears from the surface of the Earth, people fight for their survival. Each player creates a deck affiliated with a faction from their card collection. Turn by turn they can play their cards, put their units on the battlefield and analyze what the other player does to be the last one standing. It’s a card game with action and great replayability !

This is a pretty dystopian future that you are painting in Vestiges. How are ecology and environmental issues impacting the making of the game?

Ecology arrived quite early in the design of the game. Climate change is a reality we cannot escape, Vestiges is just a hyperbole of our situation. We thought about what could possibly happen in the near future. We're already living in a world where water is becoming scarce and people are fighting over it. We then pushed it to the extreme and created this dynamic where populations and tribes have to fight for what’s left of that resource in order to survive. Although we are a small Studio and we’re not pretending we can change the world, I think it is important to raise awareness about those global issues. If our game can help talking about those issues a bit more then it’s a first step we are willing to take!

How did you come up with the idea of Vestiges: Fallen Tribes?

I’ve been thinking about making a strategy game for a while because I’ve always been a very big fan of card games such as Magic and Hearthstone. The Studio is known for its VR games, but we want to diversify ourselves and offer a PC game compatible with VR. This is how using figurines and mixing the card game with an autobattler came up. Being able to move around the battlefield and be close to your figurines after you’ve played them was an exciting idea.



Why choose figurines to personify the cards?

When creating a VR game, we have to think about elements that would make the immersive experience even more interesting and figurines are one of those elements. I used to have Warhammer miniatures when I was a kid and always loved spending time collecting and painting them. I think players will enjoy collecting (and perhaps customizing in the future) the cards in the same way. Building their own decks and showcase the figurines on the battlefield will definitely create a sense of pride to the players.

The Studio has never done this type of game before, what would be the biggest challenge according to you?

I think the biggest challenge is to get your game the audience it deserves. It’s always a risk for a small video games studio to develop multiplayer games. Your game exclusively depends on the number of players and we definitely want to create a community of passionate players. “Strategy” is a difficult genre to master. There are serious competitors, but I think it will be much fun to play for VR and non VR players.

Once you choose your artistic direction and the main gameplay elements, how do you get to a public build?

I took the first prototype that was made out of fake cards and from which the map was just a giant chessboard, then adapted it to our theme. We had to create the first two factions, determine their strengths and weaknesses and 5 main units that would compose those decks. The two factions needed to have very different gameplay styles in order for the game to be enjoyable to play. After all the models were integrated into the game, we did lots of testing to balance everything. And we finally got the first phase ready!

You have both Creative Director and Game Designer roles in this project. Does that mean that you control all aspects of the game?

Although we are a small team, we still are 10 people working together on this project. I share my vision to the production and communication teams, and I help in the developing part but most of the time decisions are made together. It is my idea, yes, but it’s a team effort!



Is it complicated to develop the VR version of the game?

It is not that difficult because we’ve been doing it for a while. But it’s the first time we are developing both VR and non VR versions at the same time. It is a lot of work. VR requires you to focus on specific parts of the game itself such as the user interface, the players hands or the environment. The gameplay mechanics are mostly the same. What changes is the way the player interacts with the game. It’s almost like working on 2 different games at the same time.

What is included in this first build and what is expected from the players?

The players have access to a tutorial to learn about the game mechanics, a practice mode, and the random match making! They have the opportunity to enjoy the whole gameplay experience but limited to just 2 pre-built decks of cards for now. We want the players to have a taste of what Vestiges: Fallen Tribes will look like and how much fun it is going to be. We are looking forward to hearing back from you guys. The Studio wants to know what you like and don’t like and what you would like to see in the game.

What other feature could possibly be added to the game in the future?

Deck Building is the biggest feature we will add to the game soon. It implies that we have enough content to offer so the decks are worth being “built”. Adding action cards (spell, action, buff…) will also diversify the gameplay and offer more strategic decisions. Being able to win skins for our units and customize them is something that we’re thinking about. We largely focused on balancing and calibrating the game as a PvP but we would love to make it 2v2. 


Please continue playing and telling us what you think about the game :

• the feedback form , the most efficient
  
• the discord, the most detailed
  
• X, also a possibility
  

Thank you for your time, your feedback and your support !

[h3]Join us on our page to play Vestiges: Fallen Tribes or just chat with us for an hour today at 3pm (UTC). You'll be able to play against the dev team and ask them your questions !
Don't miss it !
[/h3]

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2511780/Vestiges_Fallen_Tribes/

If you can't make it today, we are planning a second event on thursday 8th at 3pm (UTC).
You can also join the game everyday at 1pm (UTC) to match with other players !