Paradox Interactive recently has announced Ancient Space, a game developed by CreativeForge Games. Ancient Space is classified as a real-time strategy game of space ship combat, focusing on a single-player campaign. The game seems to be inspired by the sci-fi RTS classic Homeworld. Despite this would have been long awaited news to many, Paradox and CreativeForge have kept a tight lid on its production announcing the game after Gamescom and less than a month before the official release date: September 23, 2014.
You can check out the announcement trailer below:
The game’s focus is on tactical space combat and exploration of a region of space known as ‘The Dark Zone’. The game focuses on the story of the player leading the scientific expedition to discover the secrets of this region. The interesting thing to note is the focus on a mission based single-player campaign, since lately RTS games have been more multiplayer focused. The game will feature recognised sci-fi voice actors and from the videos, screenshots, and minimum system specs required the game has high production values.
The player will command his fleet through various missions in full 3D space, while being able to level-up his officers which you choose for each mission and upgrading your fleet as you progress through the story. The game doesn’t seem to have any multiplayer or even some sort of AI skirmish mode, meaning the campaign is the main and only course. This might disappoint some modern RTS fans, but is a breath of fresh air for those that do enjoy single-player campaign strategy games. Fortunately, the game seems to be fairly priced for what it offers.
Hopefully, the campaign will live up to the expectations and for those that are still curious about the game can watch the gameplay video with the input from the developers:
Some additional images courtesy of the official website:
Ancient Space will be available on Steam for release and can be pre-ordered at the Paradox Store for $17.99 (full price $19.99). The game will use the Steam client even if it was purchased elsewhere. The game’s official release date is September 23, 2014 and you can find more details at their official website. It has been a while since we had a game like this, leaving many fans of this sub-genre hoping for one to come to our shores.
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Graphically, it looks attractive, and the premise is interesting. I hope the control scheme for full 3D movement is as intuitive as was Homeworld’s.
I appreciate the developers’ desire to release the game only when complete rather than going the tiresome “Early Access” route, but I’m a little uncomfortable when a new franchise bursts on the scene without a preview or pre-release review. Civilization: Beyond Earth can get away with a surprise release because it is based on a tried-and-true franchise with a large fan base. Ancient Space has neither, and such an approach leads some of us suspicious types to wonder if there is something to hide?
I certainly hope all goes well with the launch; the space genre is always in need of new blood.
Or they are in dire need for money and must rush the game out without any preparatory PR. I think this is suspicious to announce something very short after the Gamescom and very short before the release, so there’s no time for previews.
Well according to the developers who just recently had a project founded on Kickstarter actually a XCOM-like Squad-turn-based-strategy game in a Wild western setting, the publisher (Paradox) has been sitting on this for a while.
Ah. I am a backer of Hard West, but didn’t remember that it was Ancient Space when they anounced it in Update #13:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1752350052/hard-west/posts/960170
I am also somewhat concerned about the sudden announcement and release of the game. I certainly hope it ends up being a great title as it sounds like something I would be very interested in, but I worry about running into another Legends of Pegasus situation. With Paradox having a history of hit or miss releases, I’m looking at you SOTS2, I’ll be skipping any preorders this time and waiting to hopefully see some positive reviews before picking this game up.
I completely sympathize with everyone’s concerns about how this seemed to come from out of nowhere and blind side everyone, though IMO this is ameliorated somewhat by the apparently high production values.
Damned if you do / damned if you don’t?
Also, Civ:BE is hardly a “surprise release” : announced 6 months before release with already a ton of previews and developer commentary.
I doubt Creative Forge Games / Paradox have nearly as much PR money as Firaxis.
Love the fact that its single player focused although I’m not so enchanted by the fact that its RTS. That said, I’m actually getting a strong “Nexus the Jupiter Incident” vibe from the video which would be a good thing if true, I’d certainly prefer Nexus over Homeworld.
Paradox have a good reputation for deep, multi-layered strategy games, so I have my fingers crossed that this one will inherent some of that Paradox DNA.
Same here with the Nexus vibe, but that only makes me want it more…
Haha, I totally agree about liking the single-player focus, but not the RTS element.
The whole reason I am drawn to single-player games is because I enjoy the freedom to play at my own pace and start/stop frequently.
So a turn-based single-player strategy game is always what appeals to me the most.
You and I have a few things in common.
More turn-based single player focused games, please!
>The interesting thing to note is the focus on a mission based single-player campaign
>The game doesn’t seem to have any multiplayer
Thank the Gods !
finally something that is not multiplayer bullshit centralised.
Well, the game really looks nice. Also, the focus on single player should do wonders for the game.
It’s important to remember, though, that in this case Paradox is just the publisher and not the developers.
Finally a game I really am anxious to buy :) and play ofc
Maybe I’m looking a gift horse in the mouth here, but the $20 price tag makes me a little nervous. I suppose they might be trying to compete with the rapidly approaching deluge of big, expensive AAA titles, but still. If they had more confidence in their product, or if there was a worthwhile amount of content, you’d think they would be asking for ten to twenty dollars more…
So while I definitely won’t be preordering it for the discount, I’m still hopeful that it will be a fun game. I’m wasting away waiting for Homeworld Remastered – and I’ve BEEN wasting away since Homeworld 2 waiting for a great space combat game!
It looks like the game was developed in east Europe or Russia, so the development costs might be cheaper compared to western europe or North America. You can deduce that from the name and accent of the “CEO and Lead Progammer”.
Netherless, it looks good, I will wait for the first reviews :-)
They’re Polish :
http://www.creativeforge.pl
http://www.skillshot.pl/search/creativeforge%20games
It looks good but there are two publishers I always wait on: Paradox and Iceberg Interactive. They both have a really mixed bag of great vs crappy games. Sometimes the crappy ones get fixed and sometimes not.
I hope it is good though. I’m playing through Nexus Jupiter Incident again and having a lot of fun. I played through Conquest Frontier Wars not too long ago and it was really fun too (albeit a different type of space RTS). Oh and Haegemonia: Legions of Iron. Played that again a couple months ago.
I just got this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O.R.B:_Off-World_Resource_Base but haven’t played it yet. It’s next in my queue though.
Any game that even slightly resembles the classic “Homeworld”, has to be on my radar. One key for me will it have to replay value though. Seen too many titles the past 5 years that gather dust after 2 or 3 play troughs. And I’m not to thrilled about reading it has high PC requirements. Most strategy gamers I know, whether turn-based or real-time tend to have lower-end to mid-range PCs. So not sure who they think their target audience is for the game. Will definitely follow its progress.
Here is the real game play done by the developers.
Look after min 30 because is only advertising till then.
http://www.twitch.tv/paradoxinteractive/c/5063557.
It will be after me only single player and no sandbox (only 3 scenario). This is very bad IMHO for replayability.
Yep, no sandbox is a huge letdown all right, I was really hoping it would have that.
Although the game looks fun and I like that they are focused on SP and the storytelling/campaign, lack of sandbox has really put a dent in my enthusiasm. I will have to wait and see a “Lets play” to see if it’s compelling enough for me to get it. $20 seems like a steal honestly. But not if I am only going to play through it in a few hours.
Hopefully, Sandbox will be added later, as an expansion pack?
I think Paradox should just stick to the grand-strategy games, or if they have to make a strategy game that isn’t a GSG stick to 4x games like Warlock. While there are a few exceptions, most of their games that aren’t strategy or 4x games haven’t been that great.
I also see little reason to be too exited about this game when SD2 is coming soon.
Paradox is a publisher that’s known for selling non-AAA titles. It’s only recently that their name become synonymous with grand strategy.
Personally, I welcome any publishers giving non-CODs a chance to shine; it’s not like Paradox themselves are coding the game after all.
Indeed, you’re confusing Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio.
Paradox Development Studio developed CK and EU.
Фирма “1С” developed Warlock (not to be confused with Warlock for Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo)
Kerberos Productions developed SotS1 and 2
Arrowhead Game Studios developed Magicka
Ancient Space is developed by Creative Forge Games
And all of these games (not 1995’s Warlock) were published by Paradox Interactive (with SotS1 being initially published by Lighthouse Interactive).
After watching the 2nd video again, it’s possible that Paradox (Interactive?) are the ones in charge of (working with the actors doing the) voicing the in-game characters, which looks like as a pretty important part of this game.
It may look and feel Ok – but the Steam Key requirement kills it for me.
So sorry – but NO.
Sad but true – I have nothing but issues with Steam – and the constant updating before being able to play – forget it.
Will you need to run Steam to run the game?
Steam Offline Mode still doesn’t work properly?
Funny you should mention that. I reformatted my hard drive about six months ago, did not reinstall Steam, and I’m delighted to report that I don’t miss it at all. In any event I think Steam has really gone downhill with all the early access clutter and cheapo Indie side scrollers. Alas, I suspect I will need to reinstall Steam if I plan on playing Ancient Space, to say nothing of Sid Meier’s Beyond Earth. Sighs.
I only have 2 games on Steam but I dread firing them up because it means that Steam will attempt to force-update itself which means I have to sit around and twiddle my thumbs while it does its thing. Then it will usually fail miserably and crash, forcing me to try again once or twice until it finally gets it right and allows me to play.
I definitely try to avoid Steam whenever I can, if there is more than one way to obtain a game I will *always* choose the Non-Steam, Non-useless-client-running-in-the-background option.
Yep same here there are many good alternatives to Steam and some of them are certainly way more customer friendly I wish publisher would consider spreading out a bit. IMHO it is always a bad idea to put all your eggs in one basket
I have no problem with Steam. I guess it is a personal preference. I’ve been sold on the portal since Halflife 2: I got the game free with a CPU upgrade many years ago. I started the game, but never finished it. Two computers and several years later, I found my old Steam info, and on a lark, downloaded Steam and entered my info. In less than an hour, I was playing HL2, this time to completion. I’ve been a Steam fan ever since.
My problem with Ancient Space is that it is mysterious: it has obviously been in development for a long time, but we haven’t heard about it until recently. How come?
I’ll wait for a review.
You seem to assume that all Steam games need Steam to run them.
This is not the case.
This is not even the case with all Steamworks titles (though, if you run them without Steam, you might miss some features).
And this is especially not the case with Paradox games (developed and some of the published ones)… that’s why I’m asking.
I suspect that for some “Steam(-compatible)” games, you might not even need to run Steam to install/update them (obviously, you’ll need to get the files from somewhere else, like a DVD, the publisher/developer website or via peer to peer), though this is probably quite rare. That would make them really DRM-free.
http://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/The_Big_List_of_DRM-Free_Games_on_Steam
I wasn’t actually aware of that so of course I immediately tried the .exe’s of both my Steam games without the Steam client running and sadly both of them refused to run without Steam coming up first (and updating itself again….grrr). :(
Pity, it would be nice to be Steam-free while playing and still be able to get the occasional patch.
Why am I only hearing about this now??? O_o
*regains composure*
This game looks like a cross between homeworld and nexus, two of the best games ever made and I for one am salivating over it, plus with paradox at the helm I’m sure (hopefull/confident) it will be a masterpiece! Saying that, absolutely need to force myself not to preorder, I’ve been wrong about EVERY space game that gave me that feeling released in the last two years…
Hopefully it will have more tactics than “the only way to win is to capture every enemy ship for salvage” from Homeworld. That game was annoyingly single-minded.
While capturing every single enemy ship for salvage was an interesting achievement to do in Homeworld 1 (because it broke the game so much), I don’t think it was the only way to win the game.
One thing I noticed in the LIVESTREAM was it mentioning BUYING SHIP WEAPONS AS DLC WTF????
When?
This game does look pretty stunning, kind of like Homeworld on steroids. It appears to have very high production values, and they must have spent a bundle getting geek favorite Dina Meyer and the great John Billingsly from ST: Enterprise doing voice overs.
That said, I’ve definitely learned the hard way the past few years about steering clear of pre-orders (and I lump early access and Kickstarter in that category), especially after getting burned on the dreadful Elder Scrolls Online early this year.
Still though, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Ancient Space is going to be, as Zaphod Beeblebrox would say, amazingly amazing! lol Anyway I anxiously await the reviews.
On a related note, I’m surprised SS isn’t covering space mmo’s like Elite Dangerous or the upcoming STO expansion Delta Rising. If you guys can bend your own rules a little to cover sword and sorcery games and Crusader Kings, you can do the same for space mmo’s. ;)
We’d like to do a bit more coverage for games like Elite Dangerous, Star Citizen and the like, but we need more men! :) Right now, we’ll have to do our best within our traditional areas, which include space and sci-fi strategy, fantasy strategy and 4X games in general. But, rest assured that you’ll get your big headlines for Elite Dangerous and Star Citizen, when the time comes.
Cool Adam. You know, the more I learn about Elite Dangerous, the more I like what I see, and developer Dave Braben seems like a class act. I’m sorely tempted to jump in on the beta (which has been getting mostly favorable comments from players thus far), but think I’ll wait since the official release can’t be too far off.
Alas, I don’t have the same level of enthusiasm concerning Star Citizen. So many things about that project and the way it’s being marketed just seem so wrong, especially the way it is being so heavily monetized for a game that will probably not have any semblance of an official release before 2016/17. Anyway, far be it for me to hijack the thread.
I’ve found that Space Sector is very responsive if you can provide info or links to new information concerning appropriate games. Perhaps you’ve noticed that many of the reviews have been submitted by readers who have personal knowledge of the covered games.
While I have many posts, I don’t believe my game knowledge or writing skills are up to reviewing standards.
If your’s are, maybe you can give us the info on these developing titles?
The more I look at Ancient Space the more I like what I see. I’m also impressed by the eerily ambient music that seems to support the feel of mystery in the story. Space gaming fans have been through so many disappointments the past several years that it seems we are long overdue for a winner. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Ancient Space is the real deal, and I anxiously await the reviews.
Looks like Nexus Jupiter Incident, hopefully it plays just as good (cross finger, touch wood). I’m a fan of the former and played it several times over the years. It’s a classic. The replayability factor for good SINGLE PLAYER games always exist – never fear!
The core game concepts (think space opera experience) isn’t multiplayer friendly per se and I applaud the game designers for not jumping into the multiplayer bandwagon, which would introduce compromises to the original design.
Put it this way, if you’re a min-maxer player, you rarely choose the in-betweens. Instead, you tend to favor the extremes – either on the highscale or lowscale. It’s specialization.
Ancient Space has been out the better part of two days now and player comments have been decidedly mixed. Sighs. :( On the negative side, some of the comments have been that gameplay is simplistic, the campaign is over-the-top difficult, and pathfinding (the bane of rts games)can be an issue. On the plus side however, a number of people have said that the visuals, music, story, and general ‘atmospherics’ are excellent, and that gameplay is, if not groundbreaking, at least ‘good enough’. These pluses combined with the modest price tag may yet entice me to spring for it, providing of course that most of the official reviews from space sector and others are at least fair to midland (7 or better).