AI.VI News

We're very excited to share some big news with you today! The public demo for AI.VI is ready and will be available for you to try on the 19th of May. We're looking forward to seeing what you think of the game and all the strategies you'll think off. Here's a snippet of what to expect.



You'll have 7 different weapons available for this demo. All will be available in the shop for you to pick up. Here's a preview of four of them.

[h2]Pickbow[/h2]



AI.VI's most trusty tool. Each hit might not seem very strong, but as you scrape your pick against enemy robots your weapon charges up a superpowered bolt for massive damage!

[h2]Maelstrom[/h2]



A fast shooting gatling ready to shred with lead. As it shoots damage and dispersion get out of control, activate an occasional recalibration to center that aim again.

[h2]Splash Photography[/h2]



AI.VI's friend T.C.P's old camera repurposed for something a little less artistic. Splash pain across your foe's faces, and if you need a break, a stunning flash can stop an advance. Say cheese!

[h2]The Bass Hit[/h2]



An old siren converted to hammer. Hit hard and charge into the fray with this heavy pole!


[h2]And more![/h2]

We'll let you discover the rest as you play~
There's are many more planned for the full release, enough to suit any playstyle! You'll see more updates as development progresses.




For this demo you'll have 12 constructions to play with. A mix to place on the floor, walls and roofs of the levels. Let's check out a few.

[h2]Magnetic Floor[/h2]



An electromagnetic coil that disrupts the movement of robots. They crawl to a halt; it's quite the struggle to get off that floor, good thing AI.VI isn't magnetic.

[h2]Flame spitter[/h2]



This wall contraption spits out some massive heat. The burning gases are sure to leave a mark on every enemy that passes in front.

[h2]Piezo slab[/h2]



A slab that shocks anyone that passes over it! It can zap enemies three times before needing to recharge.

[h2]Sound System[/h2]



AI.VI's own design, this speaker can play your favourite beats at 150dB, enough to send you flying!

[h2]And more![/h2]

There's still so much more awaiting you in the demo, and even more to come out in the future!
We're excited to see the combinations you come up with.




To finish up, let's talk something we haven't detailed yet. The Elements system in the game.


On top of your weapons and constructions, you can equip and elemental skill. This gives you an extra action in game but also lets you apply elemental damage with your weapons for a few seconds:

- Electric dash: This lets you dash through the air or enemies and creates a blast of lightning on arrival.
- Fireball grenade: A lobbed fireball that leaves a large explosion on impact.
- Ice shield: An icy protection that absorbs some damage for you.
- Corrosive tornado: A tornado of corrosive liquid that attracts enemies.

These elements can be mixed, and hitting enemies with multiple elements can cause a variety of reactions and effects! Experiment with different constructions and skills to find the effects that suit your strategy.



[h2]Final notes[/h2]


That's it for today, but we've got exciting news coming soon. Something that might have to do with a certain steam event this summer~

Back for another peak at the game. A big part of our game experience is the mixing of the Tower Defence genre and FPS gameplay. It's not strictly new, but it's definitely something we haven't seen much, and we thought we had good ideas to bring our version.



The game have a large panel of tools at your disposal, but for each mission you'll have to choose the ones that suite the level (and your gameplay) the best!



In your loadout you can equip up to 4 weapons and 6 constructions. Once the waves start coming, you'll be stuck with it, so choose wisely!

[h2]Constructions[/h2]


Like most tower defence games with a player character (or hero tower defence) the constructions will be placed on the path of the enemies. You'll have to make a selection of contraptions that fit the level layout and your gameplay, taking advantage of floors, walls and ceilings (creating some truly deadly hallways at times).



[h2]Weapons[/h2]

We've got an array of weapons planned for the game. We want them all to have their use and viability, so you can arrange your build however you want. It's a lot of work getting original, fun weapons with interesting roles. Each has a simple left click action for damage and then a more unique right click action to give that weapon its identity. We hope you'll have fun with them!



As you progress through the game, so will your arsenal. You'll have access to new weapons and constructions, as well as the option to upgrade them. Some are unlocked by beating missions, and others can be purchased in the armoury. You'll get materials from beating missions used to purchase and upgrade items. You can repeat a mission as much as you want to farm materials (don't worry, the game won't be too grindy.).


Each item also has two unique upgrades that give it new cool functionalities. These require medals obtained from beating a mission for the first time or completing special challenges.



And as a little extra for today. We've got a brand-new cool design for our AI.VI!
We wanted to push forward with the more western aesthetic of our environments and weapon designs to give the game a clearer identity. Hope you like him!

We have been working hard at creating the best game possible for everyone. We're not great at posting and apologise for taking so long, but are glad to finally have a rhythm that'll let us share game progress with you more consistently.


[h2]Art Direction[/h2]

These past few months, we've done a complete overhaul of our game's graphics. With many new models and textures, as well as experimenting with different post-processes. The goal is to get a more distinct and coherent art direction for the game. There's still some dressing up to do, but we're also trying to give a bit more personality to our level's environment and make each one memorable for the player.






[h2]Tower defence & FPS[/h2]

The biggest challenge for the game is to find the proper balance between the tower defence experience and fast action base FPS. We've really been working hard on adjusting our weapon and construction design to give them all a sense of existence in the game.


[h3]Elements and reactions[/h3]

For a bit of spice we've introduced an element system with four different elements your constructions can apply: Electric, Fire, Ice and Corrosion. Certain enemies are weaker or resistant to these elements and hitting them with multiple elements that create various reaction beneficial to you.

Your character also can choose a skill in battle that can transform your weapon's elemental damaging (usually hitting regular physical damage)

I won't go into too many details, as I plan on detailing our design process on this system in a future dev log, but we've been having a lot of fun with this idea and feel it'll bring an extra layer of dynamism and strategy to the experience.


[h3]Enemies[/h3]

Our enemies also got a bit of a glow up. Our base trooper got himself 3 variations now, each stronger than the last. We're to add a good more enemy types as development comes so look forward to seeing of the P.A.S.C.A.L's minions in you feed.




[h2]Closing[/h2]

That's going to be it for this month. We look forward to sharing more of our advancement for 2025. Look forward to the release and don't hesitate to wishlist and follow our socials to keep updated.