axisdescending

[axisdescending]

Thank You!

As of 2018, Axis Descending’s development has been cancelled.

The project has lead to a number of amazing friendships, moments of discovery and serves as the penultimate learning experience for me from 2009-2017. After working on the project for almost a decade, taking 4-6 months off here and there to focus on developing my academic career, getting married, moving between homes, celebrating the birth of my son and so on, your support and interest has not gone unnoticed. My friends, family and supporters are what helped me find the drive to continue building a world that was broken, both within the narrative and the development process.

As I noticed it becoming more and more unhealthy to continue working on, I still found myself surrounded in people who saw a part of its vision. They admired something in this world I was showing them. They wanted to see more of a world filled with floating islands, colorful characters and a band of sky pirates looking to help their leader get revenge, save the world and have a few laughs along the way. It reminded them of something. Something important. So when I look back and miss working on this, grieving as I have to displace something that was always on the edge of my mind, I’ll remember that.

A connection was made. You saw a piece of it too, and that is all that matters.

[axisdescending]

u20 Change Log

- The graphics creating the floor, wall and ceiling tiles have been shifted from vector symbols to bitmaps, resolving scaling issues where tiles would have gaps, improving framerate throughout the game and simplifying some of the level design process on my end - Nexus Isles have been redesigned to follow a more vertical layout, reduce the amount of larger and memory-bug-causing rooms both in the editor and in-game, and provide a more cohesive experience throughout that initial chapter - The lightning slash attack has additional non-slash animations now that still have the same length and timing but offer some variation to showcase Axis' control over lightning - Down Magic Attack can no longer be held and simply initiates a one swing attack - Forward Magic Attack can no longer be infinitely looped if you hold down A or S - Removed extraneous information from animation regarding the removed Dual, Polearm and Bow weapon types - You can no longer Forward Magic Attack into clingable walls! - The dual wielding Rogue enemy can no longer be parried - Andras no longer requires his shield to be revealed - Andras' defense has been increased to compensate for his lack of invulnerability - Axis' dramatic landing animation when touching down on the Vile has been reduced - Axis' landing animation forces your weapon to be stowed - All cutscenes are skippable with R and will properly fade to black before moving forward - Content outside of the camera is now masked out - Enemy soldiers now telegraph their attacks more adequately - Enemy soldiers no longer fade upon death - Removed some excess pixels from armor (goodbye white floaties I'll miss you) - Lengthened the Unarmed Jump midair loop animation - The "Rocket Boost" is now similar to the Super Jump in appearance and can be charged for increased speed and length - Entering the Rinpoche deck no longer locks you in place - You can no longer jump off the Rinpoche deck to enter the Severn Outskirts - Fixed an error when skipping the "Reveal" cutscene in Nexus Isles - The Crest, Nexus and Severn itself have been blocked off until they are given the new bitmap treatment - Sliding to a stop no longer creates run particles - Updated Axis' idle animation when wielding a sword - Updated fx for running, jumping, landing - Narrowed the activation range of the wardrobe - Screen fade has been replaced with a vertical swipe fade (emphasizes the whole "descending" thing) - Adjust some lighting, tweening and  on the title screen to improve performance - Adjusted some tweens throughout the intro to improve performance - Added a tutorial area where Huey breaks down gameplay mechanics for you! - Axis now regenerates Mana over time - Return is now available for testers right away, allowing you to teleport back to the player ship by holding R

[axisdescending]

u19 Preview

One of the biggest additions is the way the camera will function from here on out. Larger areas tend to pose a navigation problem, visually. In tighter areas the camera’s distance is appropriate but when you reach those giant sprawling environments you need to be able to take in more of that world and see where you can go, where you’re heading and key points of interest. Now, the camera steps back a bit in those areas to resolve those issues.

A new upgrade is available and spread throughout the world called “Chalices”. These objects are normally hidden behind the same illusory purple magic that hides away hidden treasures and other objects. For now, it’ll be unlocked right away, but these act as more of an endgame upgrade to make traversal easier. If you are nearby one you can use the magic key to teleport to it and launch yourself in the air. Think Specter Knight. Shortcuts, effectively. Like getting the Space Jump/Screw Attack in Super Metroid and discovering yourself able to float your way through levels with ease.

More tool interactions with enemies/objects! Use that sneaky Magnus Glove to pull the Guard’s shield away and make them vulnerable. Use those Bombs to blow up MORE walls and debilitate your enemies. Experiment to see what works best and discover what enemies are weak against!

Foreground elements. Every area in the game has been given foreground art that, in my opinion, really ties the room together.

Armor sets, instead of picking and choosing individual armor pieces, makes a return. Additionally, further scope cutting measures have resulted in Dual/Polearm weapons being removed from the game. This means the Longsword weapon type is getting a few new attacks and skins! It simplifies things, placing more focus on the balance of physical and magical attacks and the way they impact the environment and combat.

New enemies! More lively environments really need this sort of thing. More flora/fauna! Slimes are just one example of this and are accompanied by Hefals (goat cow bull things) and other crawlies.

[axisdescending]

Axis Descending is a finalist for Intel’s Level Up Contest!

[axisdescending]

I am proud to announce Axis Descending was one of the Golden Joystick finalists for Terminus 2017 over the weekend! The event provided quite the dose of positive and constructive feedback. Thanks to everyone out there who gave it a go. Special thanks to Eric, Alex and the finalists for keeping me company and making those mixers/parties so much fun!

[axisdescending]

1.83 of Axis Descending’s Beta is live! Download it by hitting that Demo button!

[axisdescending]

Demo 1.83 Preview

Reclaiming Lost Loot

Losing and reclaiming loot is going live. That means materials you collect throughout the game now function in a very Dark Souls, Shovel Knight sort of way. If you are defeated, materials you’ve earned since you last left your airship will be lost. Return to that spot to reclaim your goods. If you can’t, you forfeit them!

Reworked Armor System

You aren’t restricted to costume-like armor swapping anymore. Now you can choose individual armor slots to change your appearance. More skins will be coming with this update as well, so stay tuned for more non-set-related gear to pop up and populate the wardrobe!

Reworked Ability System

Abilities and spells armor sets provided in the past can now be equipped to a hotbar of sorts. This means you can create your own custom character build for your adventures and utilize more of the abilities, spells and tools Axis has at his disposal at any given point in time!

New Primary Weapon: The Polearm

The polearm is finally in! Featuring input-driven dynamic range, you can attack foes from afar or up close with pole vaulting strikes and aerial maneuvers. The weapon type’s physical combo ends in a leaping jump attack that can be ended prematurely, or allowed to hang to increase the attack’s range and damage.

[axisdescending]

Demo 1.8 Preview

The Demo for Axis Descending is getting its largest update yet with version 1.8. The update features a complete rewrite of the collision code and subsidized animations, resolving hits to the framerate and microstuttering completely. It also revamps the current content, providing better context for the introduction sequence through edited dialogue, additional and revised cutscenes and more. 

1.8 introduces the Charge mechanic that stores excess electrical energy you earn and can be released through a powerful burst attack. Earrings can now be equipped as well that provide unique bonuses like replacing your dodge roll with a dash or reducing your friction and increasing your speed.

Current mechanics, like certain armor sets, have been reworked. The Aegis and Hunter sets have been given overhauls to better suit their role in the game and provide unique and interesting augments. Aegis now gains mana when defending and struck and can release a boomerang-like shield. The Hunter pet is no longer directly controlled by the player and will follow their lead, using different attacks autonomously depending on the attacks you use.

After completing the introductory sequence, players are introduced to the Rinpoche airship. The player’s home and game hub. Here, you can explore the island of Severn and discover the first side quest “dungeon” in the game called the Kar’Kaden Crest. The Crest includes a brand new tileset, look and feel, and story content that explores the lore of Axis’ world and introduces a few new characters to the mix.

[axisdescending]

Axis Descending has been Greenlit on Steam Greenlight! Thanks so much for your support! I’m always updating the public demo build with new content, so keep giving it a look and stay tuned for more updates.