Q&A with the Devs №1
Greetings, adventurers!
Thank you for all the questions you left for us on Steam and Discord for Of Ash and Steel. There have been so many that we have decided to publish our answers once a week, every week! Let's start with the first batch:
Q: Could you tell us more about the team at Fire and Frost? When and where was the studio founded?
A: We began our journey in July 2021. Initially, it was just me (Viktor, from Saint Petersburg) working as a solo indie developer. After finding success at the Unreal Engine Dev Contest, the team grew to four people—we were still very much indie, working on the project in our spare time. Thanks to a small grant from event sponsors, I was able to fully focus on developing the project and presenting it to publishers. About a year later, we reached the pitching stage for Of Ash and Steel, which is how we connected with tinyBuild. After signing the contract, our team expanded to 15 people, and for nearly two years now, we've been working hard on the game.
Q: When did production on Of Ash and Steel start?
A: We could say we started in July 2021, but only with a small team. The full team joined the project in March 2023.
Q: How much of the game has been completed so far?
A: Most of the game is complete. We’re adding the final quests to the world and moving on to the polishing phase.
Q: What games inspired the mechanics, combat, and gameplay of Of Ash and Steel?
A: As for combat, it’s something between Dark Souls, Gothic, and The Witcher 3. Gameplay and mechanics, however, are where we tread our unique path. We aim to combine the golden era of RPGs from the 2000s with modern RPG designs, all while bringing our personal touch. It was important for us to maintain a high level of immersion, even in side activities, and to ensure the world reacts to your actions wherever possible.
Q: Will there be magic?
A: There is magic in the world, but it’s more of an elemental force accessible only to a chosen few. However, the hero can master the Ancient Knowledge, granting him magical abilities.
Q: Do enemies have level scaling?
A: No, all enemy levels are fixed. We want players to feel their character’s progression. However, over time, more dangerous enemies might appear in the locations you visited before.
Q: Can we make decisions that significantly impact the game? Can we screw ourselves up by making bad choices?
A: Of course, it’s an RPG! Decisions made in both the main story and side quests can lead to the prosperity or complete destruction of entire locations.
Q: Will there be difficulty settings, and how will they work?
A: We have three difficulty levels: Story, Classic, and Ash and Steel. The first is a simplified version of Classic—enemies are weaker, and the hero is stronger. Classic is how we envisioned the game. Ash and Steel adds extra challenges to Classic, such as saving only in safe zones and deadly negative effects, but you’ll gain more experience in return!
Q: Is the protagonist silent, or will they be voiced?
A: All characters will be fully voiced, including the protagonist.
Q: Will there be a toggleable quest helper option?
A: No, but we understand there’s no fun in searching for a tiny ring in a massive forest. In most cases, you’ll get helpful hints by talking to characters, checking your quest log, or simply observing your surroundings.
Q: With no quest tracking, will fast travel be limited or disabled? Will there be mounts?
A: Horses went extinct on the island due to an incident involving herbs. BUT! One of the sub-factions has a, uh... rideable creature so to speak. Fast travel via portals will become available later after acquiring Ancient Knowledge.
Q: Is it possible to create a “pure mage” in the game, using only spells in combat?
A: No.
Q: Will there be a character editor?
A: Our hero has a backstory that will significantly impact some events later on. However, you’ll be able to customize his appearance by visiting a barber. Beware of amateurs!
Q: Will the game be released on VK Play?
A: There are no plans to release the game on VK Play.
Q: What will be the emphasis: world exploration or story quests?
A: We’re not fans of extremes in games. Everything should be balanced and harmonious.
Q: Will the battle system progression be like in The Witcher 3 or Gothic?
A: It’s closer to Gothic. Skills require a teacher and meeting attribute requirements.
Q: How many references will there be to popular culture or any works of art?
A: Mostly from the games we love. Remember the annoying fan in Oblivion? Well, we’ve got a hater!
Q: Will Ancient Knowledge waste any resources?
A: No, but it has a fairly long cooldown.
Q: Is it possible to kill any enemy using a stick if you try long enough?
A: It’s possible, but it will be very, very challenging.
Q: A question about the musical score: It’s no secret that background music and ambient sounds make up a significant part of a world’s atmosphere. How is this handled in your project?
A: We’ve got that covered. Our composer has written around 100 tracks, not only for different locations but also for different times of day. In some cases, the mood even changes based on story events.
Q: Looking at the video, it seems like the game has few conversations with NPCs and quests. How many are there currently?
A: We already have over 21,000 lines of text just for character interactions (not counting notes, journal entries, etc.). The game has a MASSIVE amount of dialogue.
Once again, thank you for your questions and interest in the project — the number of them is absolutely monstrous! On the bright side, this solves the issue of infrequent posts for at least a couple of months, haha.
Thank you for all the questions you left for us on Steam and Discord for Of Ash and Steel. There have been so many that we have decided to publish our answers once a week, every week! Let's start with the first batch:
Q: Could you tell us more about the team at Fire and Frost? When and where was the studio founded?
A: We began our journey in July 2021. Initially, it was just me (Viktor, from Saint Petersburg) working as a solo indie developer. After finding success at the Unreal Engine Dev Contest, the team grew to four people—we were still very much indie, working on the project in our spare time. Thanks to a small grant from event sponsors, I was able to fully focus on developing the project and presenting it to publishers. About a year later, we reached the pitching stage for Of Ash and Steel, which is how we connected with tinyBuild. After signing the contract, our team expanded to 15 people, and for nearly two years now, we've been working hard on the game.
Q: When did production on Of Ash and Steel start?
A: We could say we started in July 2021, but only with a small team. The full team joined the project in March 2023.
Q: How much of the game has been completed so far?
A: Most of the game is complete. We’re adding the final quests to the world and moving on to the polishing phase.
Q: What games inspired the mechanics, combat, and gameplay of Of Ash and Steel?
A: As for combat, it’s something between Dark Souls, Gothic, and The Witcher 3. Gameplay and mechanics, however, are where we tread our unique path. We aim to combine the golden era of RPGs from the 2000s with modern RPG designs, all while bringing our personal touch. It was important for us to maintain a high level of immersion, even in side activities, and to ensure the world reacts to your actions wherever possible.
Q: Will there be magic?
A: There is magic in the world, but it’s more of an elemental force accessible only to a chosen few. However, the hero can master the Ancient Knowledge, granting him magical abilities.
Q: Do enemies have level scaling?
A: No, all enemy levels are fixed. We want players to feel their character’s progression. However, over time, more dangerous enemies might appear in the locations you visited before.
Q: Can we make decisions that significantly impact the game? Can we screw ourselves up by making bad choices?
A: Of course, it’s an RPG! Decisions made in both the main story and side quests can lead to the prosperity or complete destruction of entire locations.
Q: Will there be difficulty settings, and how will they work?
A: We have three difficulty levels: Story, Classic, and Ash and Steel. The first is a simplified version of Classic—enemies are weaker, and the hero is stronger. Classic is how we envisioned the game. Ash and Steel adds extra challenges to Classic, such as saving only in safe zones and deadly negative effects, but you’ll gain more experience in return!
Q: Is the protagonist silent, or will they be voiced?
A: All characters will be fully voiced, including the protagonist.
Q: Will there be a toggleable quest helper option?
A: No, but we understand there’s no fun in searching for a tiny ring in a massive forest. In most cases, you’ll get helpful hints by talking to characters, checking your quest log, or simply observing your surroundings.
Q: With no quest tracking, will fast travel be limited or disabled? Will there be mounts?
A: Horses went extinct on the island due to an incident involving herbs. BUT! One of the sub-factions has a, uh... rideable creature so to speak. Fast travel via portals will become available later after acquiring Ancient Knowledge.
Q: Is it possible to create a “pure mage” in the game, using only spells in combat?
A: No.
Q: Will there be a character editor?
A: Our hero has a backstory that will significantly impact some events later on. However, you’ll be able to customize his appearance by visiting a barber. Beware of amateurs!
Q: Will the game be released on VK Play?
A: There are no plans to release the game on VK Play.
Q: What will be the emphasis: world exploration or story quests?
A: We’re not fans of extremes in games. Everything should be balanced and harmonious.
Q: Will the battle system progression be like in The Witcher 3 or Gothic?
A: It’s closer to Gothic. Skills require a teacher and meeting attribute requirements.
Q: How many references will there be to popular culture or any works of art?
A: Mostly from the games we love. Remember the annoying fan in Oblivion? Well, we’ve got a hater!
Q: Will Ancient Knowledge waste any resources?
A: No, but it has a fairly long cooldown.
Q: Is it possible to kill any enemy using a stick if you try long enough?
A: It’s possible, but it will be very, very challenging.
Q: A question about the musical score: It’s no secret that background music and ambient sounds make up a significant part of a world’s atmosphere. How is this handled in your project?
A: We’ve got that covered. Our composer has written around 100 tracks, not only for different locations but also for different times of day. In some cases, the mood even changes based on story events.
Q: Looking at the video, it seems like the game has few conversations with NPCs and quests. How many are there currently?
A: We already have over 21,000 lines of text just for character interactions (not counting notes, journal entries, etc.). The game has a MASSIVE amount of dialogue.
Once again, thank you for your questions and interest in the project — the number of them is absolutely monstrous! On the bright side, this solves the issue of infrequent posts for at least a couple of months, haha.