Sword of the Stars: The Pit Gold Edition (The Healer DLC) $

[Kerberos]

http://www.gog.com/game/sword_of_the_stars_the_pit_gold_edition

Now out in full on Steam and Gamersgate for $9.99

http://store.steampowered.com/app/233700/
http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-SOTSPIT/sword-of-the-stars-the-pit

Greetings all. We are entering the field of Roguelike development for the first time, and thought we would start up a small thread in the Announcements forum of this site for those who might be interested.

Sword of the Stars: The Pit is a science fiction roguelike set in the Sword of the Stars universe. The game is currently in late Alpha phase, and will be entering Beta at the end of November.

We have a crowd-funding campaign currently running on Indiegogo, which will be on-line until November 14th, 2012. The page will always have a lot of information about the game as well as links to videos, screenshots, concept art and all sorts of other details:

www.indiegogo.com/sots-thepit

There is also an official website for the game, which will continue to provide updates on development long after the campaign is over, answer questions, post screenshots and media for the game, etc:

www.sots-thepit.com

We have forums for those who would care to speak directly to the developers, offer feedback or ask questions of the Sword of the Stars community:

http://www.kerberos-productions.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=54

For members of the press (including forum administrators and bloggers who enjoy rpgs and roguelikes in general, of course), we have an ftp site which will allow you to download the game's art, screenshots, gameplay trailer, tutorial trailer, and a playable demo of the Alpha Build. Please write to contact@kerberos-productions.com for access to that material.

 We hope to have a playable demo for more public consumption available soon, preferably through Steam, which will provide distribution for the finished game in Q1 2013.

Thank you, and we hope to hear from you!

--Kerberos Productions

[getter77]

Welcome to the Temple of the Roguelike and best wishes on furthering the completion of The Pit----it looks to have style!   

From a brief look in the forum I should think it wise to let people know that, even if the funding target isn't reached in full, that all shall still be delivered upon and the game will indeed happen----a similar premise to the Grimoire IGG campaign:

http://www.kerberos-productions.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=56&t=35926

[Kerberos]

Fair point: many crowd-funding campaigns are "all or nothing", but ours is not. We will move forward with the game and complete it regardless, and the completed game will be available early in 2013.

[getter77]

Excellent----the team's persistence bodes well for the future of the project.    Flexible funding is an option exclusive to IGG, whereas what more people, in the US at least, are only moreso familiar with Kickstarter's "all or nothing".

[Kerberos]

Just dropping by to add some development updates and put in some easy links for anyone interested in the project.

Crowd-funding campaign is going well, with a small group of supporters stepping up to encourage the team. At this date we're about 22% toward our goal.

Here's the link to the ever-growing list of Frequently Asked Questions: http://sots-thepit.com/?p=1

Here's a brief list of all the Team Members and their credits: http://sots-thepit.com/?page_id=51

Link to the Gameplay Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-yHSF3HsAg&feature=youtu.be

Link to the Tutorial Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-yHSF3HsAg&feature=youtu.be

Link to Our Page on RogueBasin, which includes screenshots from the Alpha build: http://roguebasin.roguelikedevelopment.org/index.php?title=Sword_of_the_Stars:_The_Pit


Lots of concept art, animation sequences, and some monster and weapon data are also available on the game's main website.

An Avatar Gallery Based on the Game's Monsters: http://sots-thepit.com/?page_id=219

Concept Art and Monster Data - Proteans: http://sots-thepit.com/?p=264

Concept Art and Monster Data - Service Robots:  http://sots-thepit.com/?p=333

Concept Art - Death Animations and Cryptids: http://sots-thepit.com/?p=405

Weapon Data - Your First Pistol! : http://sots-thepit.com/?p=273

Announcement of Our Team-Up with Power-up Audio to Provide Sound for the Game: http://sots-thepit.com/?p=396

That's it for now, I think. More later!

[Kerberos]

Artist John Yakimow posts an update called "Monster of the Week" every week for the Pit.

This week's Monster: the DREADED MOON BEAR! Please check the link for concept art, animated images, stats and descriptions of these hairy denizens of the Feldspar Mountains. How did they end up in the Pit? Why do they keep trying to eat your face? HOW DID THAT BEAR GET A PLASMA CANNON!?

  http://sots-thepit.com/?p=414

MONSTER OF THE WEEK: MOON BEARS!

The Pit facility has been abandoned to the mercy of the elements for centuries. While the lowest levels remain intact, many of the upper levels have become exposed to a wide variety of indigenous wildlife. The most ferocious of these life forms is unquestionably the ‘moon bear’ – big as its Terran namesake, and twice as grumpy.

Moon Bears are highly territorial predators native to the Feldspar Mountain region of Arbuda IV.  These omnivores are very fond of caverns and rock shelters and prey on everything from Stream Squids to Mountain Sloths.  Many of these huge beasts have broken into the upper levels of the Pit and now use them as lairs and hunting grounds, attacking anything that trespasses into the areas they have claimed.

While an adult Moon Bear is already a serious threat, specimens that have penetrated into deeper levels of the Pit have become even more dangerous. They have been exposed to mutagens, weaponized plagues and malfunctioning cyber-surgery mechanisms. The result is a creature far deadlier than the average Moon Bear!



Moon Bear

Height =   2M
Weight =  400 Kg.
Armor =  Low
Resilience = High
Speed = Avg.

Special notes:  A large white bear-like creature who inhabits the mountains and takes over natural caves for shelter.



Diseased Moon Bear

Height = 2.2 M
Weight = 380 Kg.
Armor = low
Resilience = Very High
Speed = Low

Special notes:   A native Moon Bear that has been exposed to radiation and bio-hazardous materials. It should now be considered a very dangerous bio-weapon.



Name: Cyberjaeger Bear

Height = 2.8 M
Weight = 700 Kg.
Armor = Very High
Resilience = Extreme
Speed = Low

Special notes:   A native Moon Bear that has been captured and experimented on by insane surgery bots and automated augmentation bays.   It is now a roving, heavy weapons platform programmed to destroy all intruders.  Reports indicate the turreted weapon may be a plasma, or even fusion, cannon.

[Kerberos]

Thought I would add a few more Monster write-ups for those on the forum who are following the development of the game:

MONSTER OF THE WEEK: SERVICE ROBOTS!

The Pit facility is filled with lifeforms taken from across the galaxy, many of them sentient beings who are extremely intelligent and clever in their own right. Nothing ruins a battery of tests like the specimen getting out of its cage, and so the Bloodweaver has installed extensive security throughout his lab in the form of an army of robotic drones.

Security Drones come in a multitude of configurations suited to dealing with the wide variety of hostile lifeforms kept in the Pit. Ranging from small, fast-moving fliers to hulking, tank-like killing machines, the drones maintain order in the Pit with lethal efficiency.

 

Security Bot (Light)

Height =  1.3 M
Weight =  50 Kg
Armor = Moderate
Resilience = Low
Speed = Above average

Special notes:    This small, wheeled security bot uses to arms that mount small calibre weapons.  The standard models use ballistics but there are rumors of a laser variant as well.





Security Bot (Fast Response)

Height = .8 M
Weight = 10 Kg
Armor = low
Resilience = low
Speed = Very High

Special notes:   This very high tech, anti-grav security drone designed to respond quickly to alarms.  It carries laser weaponry as well as a stun device in order to restrain subject till heavier and better armed security bots arrive.



Security Bot (Medium)

Height = 1.7 M
Weight = 150 Kg
Armor = Moderate
Resilience = High
Speed = Moderate

Special notes:   This security bot mounts a heavy torso on tracks with a medium ranged weapon in one arm mount and a combat blade in the other.  Rumors persist of a grenade launching variant but no one has survived long enough to confirm.

[Kerberos]

MONSTER OF THE WEEK: PROTEANS!

Those of you who have played Sword of the Stars 2 have likely come across the Proteans before.

Amorphous, shapeshifting lifeforms of colossal size, the Proteans were genetically engineered by an alien race that has long-since vanished from the galaxy (three guesses why they aren't around anymore!).

Medium Protean
Height = 1.3 m
Weight = 85Kg
Armor = very light (thick skin)
Resilience = Moderate
Speed = Average

Special notes:  Pseudopods are covered in an acidic, sticky layer.  Danger to equipment and armor is quite likely, if Protean tentacles grab and hold.  Also, upon death, a medium sized protean will divide into 2 small Proteans.



The Bloodweaver couldn't pass up the opportunity to study a genetic masterpiece like the Proteans. He appears to have captured one of the starship-sized lifeforms and carried it to the Pit for dissection.

The problem with cutting a Protean into pieces, however, is that you'll soon end up with lots of smaller Proteans to deal with. Do it enough, and you'll get Proteans small enough to lurk in an access tunnel, slurp through an air vent, or hide in the storage crate you just opened...

Happy looting!

[getter77]

The art style of the game really seems to be coming along, well done!

After the game is released, or around that time, perhaps you should try to get on an interview on Roguelike Radio?  Gaslamp Games, of Dungeons of Dredmor fame, had a good time of it and I'd imagine Kerberos would as well.

http://www.roguelikeradio.com/

[Kerberos]

Many thanks for the suggestion! We did send them a message, but they have not responded.

[Kerberos]

Just another quick post to keep everyone up to date. We have released a free Alpha Demo today, so I thought that you folks might like to check it out.

Download The Pit Alpha Demo (130M) from the following locations;

[mirror 1]
[mirror 2]
[mirror 3]
[mirror 4]

More links will be added regularly, as new hosts pick up the demo.

This Alpha demo of The Pit provides you with an introductory tutorial and a chance to fight your way down into the first 5 levels of the game! But there’s still a lot more of the game that will only be found in the full game;

  -  2 More Characters to choose from… the Marine and the Pilot, each with their own unique advantages!

   - Level your character up as you dive down into 25 more levels, each one bigger than the last!

    - Dozens more enemies drawn from the SotSverse!

    - Dozens and dozens of additional weapons and armors with a variety of special effects, including flamethrowers, rocket launchers, plasma cannons and powered Brawler armor!

    - Randomized augmentation effects to make each game unique

    - Crafting Mechanics, which let you make special items from bits and pieces of your enemies!

    - 50 more items to discover, ranging from the familiar to the ancient exotic tech.

    - Dozens of room types containing a host of exotic devices to help and hinder the player

    - And while the demo will try and kill you in many fiendish ways, the final game will also include poisoning, disease, traps, radiation, and more!

If you run into any technical trouble or have any questions, please drop by our forums.

Thanks everyone.

[getter77]

Congrats on reaching this public alpha demo milestone, and worry not on the Roguelike Radio fellows as they will very likely get to things in due time.   

[Kerberos]

Thanks very much! We're very excited that people are downloading the game and playing it. We've already had the chance to make a few tweaks to improve performance, and one user discovered that the game ran easily in Linux, which was a treat to find out.

It's New Media Monday for the Pit campaign, which means that we have a ton of updates and images to share.

First things first, though: we got our first press coverage today! James Barrry over at Colony of Gamers did a full preview of our Alpha Demo, and even fired off a few questions to our Lead Designer, Martin Cirulis.

Upshot: "I had a blast with my time in The Pit, and highly encourage everyone to give it a shot."

Plus, screenshots!

[Kerberos]

Hey all! Just wanted to post another message to update our little announcement thread.

Since the Indiegogo portion of our crowdfunding campaign ended on November 14th, we have been frantically busy working on production of the game and fulfillment of all the Perks which were requested by our Supporters.

We're now winding down the first round of the fulfillment phase, and mailed off a ton of Concept Art Calendars, Ship Schematics, Mugs and other collectibles to our fans.

We've also been processing some player requests, and have developed a Digital Bundle for supporters who didn't want to have physical merchandise, but do like fancy wallpapers and illustrated fiction in .pdf format.

At any rate, we were informed today that we had made the list of Roguelikes in Development for 2012, and were totally thrilled to make the list. Yay!

As Roguelike purists, I thought the folks here might enjoy an Update on the game itself...



Got Items? Artist Ken Lee made us a little collage of some of the items. These are some of the goodies that you’ll be able to collect, use, and craft in the upcoming Beta.

We've also got stats and animations for many more monsters on the website, if you'd like to swing by and check their stats and lore.


Familiar Faces!







Hopkinites!





More Mechanical Minions!







Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday.

[getter77]

Excellent to hear things are proceeding smoothly, if frantically, on the project.   Keep up the fine work and I should think 2013 will prove a good year indeed with yet another promising Roguelike in the commercial fray.