Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation News

We've released a minor update today for Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation. Changes include:

• Added support for Microsoft GamePass
  
• Updated language system; languages are now integrated with the base game and can be selected from the in-game options
  
• Updated strings for non-English languages
  
• Updated audio library for improved stability and general improvements
  
• Updated game to use Epic Online Services for multiplayer lobbies, chat, etc.
  
• Deprecated Vulkan API option
  
• Fixed several incorrect Achievements
  
• Various multiplayer stability improvements
  

It's the middle of the month, just about, which means a fresh wave of Xbox Game Pass games, this time around including the best Watch Dogs.

A smaller crop than the batch of games that dropped on Game Pass in the first half of the month, but we've got a good mix of small and big titles to choose from (via Xbox Wire). The first set of games for the latter half of July will arrive tomorrow, July 19, which is where you can get stuck in with some interactive drama, and some stylish hacking.

First off is As Dusk Falls, which is a day one release on Game Pass. This one comes from developer Interior/ Night that "explores the entangled lives of two families across thirty years," and will be available on cloud, console, and PC. It got shown off at last month's Xbox Games Showcase, and in it you'll make choices that can have big impacts on the character's lives.

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Now available on Steam is the new 3.10 update for Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation. This latest version includes performance improvements, balance changes and more.

[h3]Change Log[/h3]
Balance

• Reduced maximum speed for siege units (Artemis, Destructor and Tormentor) to 120 (from 150).
  
• Increased Substrate Clutch of Eggs spiderling spawn count by 1 (as intended previously).
  
• Changed Substrate Sky Ender to no longer target drones.
  
• Added Weapons Lab as a pre-req for the Artillery Post when built by a PHC Sapper (as intended).
  
• Lots of AI updates to adjust AI bonuses, update army compositions and remove redundancy. Special thanks to Tarnished Knight for his work on this!
  
• Reduced metal cost of Substrate Mobile Nullifier to 825 (from 875).
  
• Updated King of the Hill scenarios to have difficulty levels. Special thanks to resopmok and drivver44 for this one.
  
• Updated costs for Artemis and Destructor to: 452 metal (up from 380), 107 radioactives (up from 90) and logistics 12 (up from 9).
  
• Adjusted steering on Artemis and Destructor to keep them from kiting so hard. Special thanks to drivver44 on this.
  
• Updated campaign mission Genesis to account for balance changes: AI difficulty levels reduced, swapped out Heavy Annihilators for Disruptor Cannons, shifted turret positions and jammers; and increased starting constructor count to 5.
  
• PHC EMP orbital: shield damage decreased to 1250 (from 3000), cooldown decreased to 10 (from 30), AoE reduced to 250m (from 600m); adjusted visuals to match radius.
  
• Substrate Nanite Assassinate damage reduced to 5000 (from 9000).
  
• Substrate Drone Swarm orbital drones have had their HP increased to 300 (from 30) with negative HP regen to -10 (from -1). May now target air units as a last priority.
  
• Substrate Reaper energy cost to fire reduced from 5 to 3.
  
• Substrate Capacitor radioactive cost decreased to 17 (from 30).
  
• PHC Medic radioactive cost increased to 25 (from 17).
  
• Drone leashing on PHC Drone and Repair Bays increased to 650 to match effective radius.
  
• Lots of various map adjustments - thanks to drivver44 on these!
  
• Increased acceleration on Hades and Punisher units; adjusted targeting module to give the player a bit more control.
  
• Updated Substrate Punisher weapon and visuals. It now does AoE damage as part of a plasma rocket barrage.
  
• Reduced PHC Artemis HP to 480 (from 575)
  
• Updated Turtle Wars and Entropy scenarios to account for 3.0 balance changes
  
• Updated Oblivion scenario to work as expected.
  
• Updated Oxide logo
  
• Regenerated Nashira map (no changes)
  
• Special thanks to Tarnished Knight!
  

General

• Added missing files for updated Devastate ability trails.
  
• Compressed map files to reduce download size/RAM use.
  
• Fixed incorrect range radius displays for PHC Constable, PHC Orbital Nullifier and Substrate Blossom Launcher.
  
• Added AMD Radeon 6x00 series GPUs to device detection list
  
• Updated VO warnings when a Tier 3/4 unit is taking damage. This will now alert the player sooner so they can potentially take action. Note - this will only work for new games (not saves).
  
• Updated mesh optimization pass to reduce game load up times by up to 70%
  
• Adjusted camera angle to be less top-down and adjust as the player zooms
  
• Increased max thread count from 16 to 24 to increase performance on machines with more CPU cores
  
• Adjusted rendering priorities so that larger units look substantially better when there are fewer units on screen
  

https://youtu.be/RUhUYyWSLlg

Stardock released the Core Worlds DLC for Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation today. The DLC adds new asymmetrical maps based on real-world geographic locations and distributes resources to offset the geographical disadvantages on each battlefield.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1715480/Ashes_of_the_Singularity_Escalation__Core_Worlds_DLC/

Each map is of varying size and have metal and radioactive resources distributed in a way that offsets some of the disadvantages provided by the terrain. The asymmetrical design is meant to challenge the player to manage their units so that they are not bottlenecked or steamrolled by their enemies. Players should study the geography and strategize to use it to their advantage.





“We wanted players to feel like they were fighting in a real-world location,” said Brad Wardell, CEO of Stardock. “Since the geography was taken from places that do, in fact, exist, we accomplished exactly that.”

[h2]Core Worlds New Maps[/h2]

• Dubola: This medium map for up to 6 players offers few places to hide and tight maneuverability for your armies. There are plenty of metal and radioactive deposits for you to claim, but you'll have to defend them carefully to prevent your enemies from overtaking them.
  
• Gibraltar: There's hardly any room to breathe on this small 2 player map that promises almost immediate action as you fight your opponent for what precious resources are available. The temptation of a single Turinium reactor between you both is almost too much to resist - be careful not to waste too many resources trying to guard it! You might just leave your Nexus defenseless.
  
• Nantes: Up to 6 players will contend with one another for control on this medium-sized map. Each base sits on unique terrain, from plateaus to craters, and you will need to guard your surrounding resources carefully to prevent your enemies from gaining an advantage.
  
• Freising: Face down your enemies on this frozen tundra for up to 4 players. Each base is tucked behind a plateau, obscuring visibility, and other choke points are tactical places for setting up your defenses along the trenches that run through this landscape.
  
• Jigsaw: With winding trenches and vantage points for your base atop small plateaus, this small map provides a close-quarters challenge for up to 4 players. Your armies will need to fight for dominance on the combat paths - maybe a coordinated airstrike can turn the tides in your favor while your enemy is distracted.
  

Stardock’s massive-scale real-time strategy game received an update today that reduces load times and improves combat balance and visuals.





Ashes of the Singularity: Escalation takes place in a post-technological singularity world where sentient AI, known as the Substrate, are in a war of annihilation against the Post-Human Coalition.

"This update makes significant improvements in performance,” said Stardock CEO Brad Wardell. “We increased the number of CPU cores that can simultaneously interact with the GPU from 8 to 16 which should translate to smoother performance when thousands of units are on screen.”





The Turtle Wars and Entropy scenarios have been re-balanced in order to implement changes from previous version updates. Additionally, the Nashira map has been adjusted to correct some pathing issues that were previously reported.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/507490