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[Kickstarter] Beautiful DESOLATION - Isometric African Post-apocalyptic Adventure Game [Funded]

KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
edited February 2017 in Off-Topic


From the makers of STASIS and CAYNE comes another adventure game with epic setting. Like their previous two titles, Beautiful DESOLATION is going to be an isometric post-apocalyptic point-and-click adventure game. This time however, it plays not in outer space, but on the vast continent of Africa.







  • Point-and-click adventure game
  • 80s retro technology look and feel
  • A story set in a post-apocalyptic future
  • 2D isometric, detailed rendered environments
  • African landscapes captured with photogrammetry
  • Extensive use of miniatures and scale model elements
  • Unique tribal punk aesthetic
  • Bizarre creatures and animals, and vibrant characters
  • From the creators of STASIS and CAYNE


  • A never before seen African post-apocalyptic setting.
  • A dramatic science fiction story inspired, in both look and design, by the 80s, with a futuristic twist.
  • Explore a beautiful wasteland to discover villages, destroyed cities, and uncover the secrets of strange and abandoned technology.
  • A synth inspired soundtrack.
  • Multiple characters and companions.
  • A classic adventure game whereby you solve puzzles, combine and use items, discover clues and work your way through an epic story.


One day has passed since they started their kickstarter campaign of Beautiful DESOLATION, and already received $45,364 from 1,510 backers. Their funding goal of $120,000 seems more than doable, given the sheerly stunning quality of their passionate work.
They've finally reached their funding goal of $120,000 with three days to spare! Now I'm eagerly awaiting for them to reveal the stretch goals! :D

Also tagging @DragonKing because African games are so rare. :)
Post edited by Kamigoroshi on
ButtercheeseTroodon80CrevsDaakMathsorcererGrammarsaladJoenSoRavenslightJuliusBorisovPsicoVic
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Comments

  • ButtercheeseButtercheese Member Posts: 3,766
    Consider me intrigued.
    KamigoroshiTroodon80CrevsDaakGrammarsalad
  • Troodon80Troodon80 Member, Developer Posts: 4,110
    Kickstarter has been kicking my wallet recently...
    ButtercheeseKamigoroshiCrevsDaak
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    edited January 2017
    First two kickstarter updates are out!

    However, please excuse me for not posting the first one here. Since that update is for backers only. :wink:

    What a great start!

    In only A DAY we're almost 30% of the way to our goal of making BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION a reality.

    Make sure you don't miss out on the SUPER EARLY BIRD reward tiers with just 24 hours left!

    The response has been truly humbling and this is the reason that we decided to create these awesome niche indie games.

    BUT…

    Our work has just started. We need YOUR help to spread the word about BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION any way you can. Share, Tweet and Facebook... even an email to your congressman - every little bit helps!

    You're the reason we make these games, and you're the best marketers that a developer could hope for. We made a super nifty social page to make it easier: http://thebrotherhoodgames.com/social

    If there is a place where you've posted about DESOLATION or CAYNE - please let us know so that we can stop by and say hello.

    Thanks,

    Team Bro

    PS. Hadley’s screams have also been heard around the world as CAYNE has been downloaded over 12,000 times! (Play it for FREE here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/532840)

    Don't forget to check out the backers only update.
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    Their earlier games look amazing as well.
    KamigoroshiCrevsDaak
  • ObsidianShadeObsidianShade Member Posts: 69
    Hmm...Africa, post apocalyptic... Frankly, for large areas of the place, who would even notice the difference?
    Wandering_MinstrelCrevsDaak
  • ButtercheeseButtercheese Member Posts: 3,766
    @ObsydianShade Wow. Just wow.
    KamigoroshiCrevsDaakJoenSo
  • FinneousPJFinneousPJ Member Posts: 6,455
    Looks like they are based in South Africa.
    Kamigoroshi
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870

    Looks like they are based in South Africa.

    The region around Cape Town, to be precise. Not only are the developers located in that city, the kickstarter video also spoke of a location where the Atlantic and Indian oceans met. So I guess the game's main show places will the Cape Floristic Region, the Great Escarpment and possibly the Central Plateau as well. It will be most interesting to see these unique locations in an post-apocalyptic setting. :D
    ButtercheeseCrevsDaakFinneousPJ
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    Beautiful DESOLATION is currently at 53%, meaning $64,430 out of $120,000 has already been secured. Not bad at all for the first three days of the campaign I'd say! And according to kicktraq, it is trending towards 279% with its remaining 21 days and 7 hours. :smiley:

    Personally I can't wait to see this breathtaking world of wonders in its full beauty at release, Q4 2019!
    Who knows... maybe we even see more of the Bischoff brothers newest world setting in form of a parallel story at some point in the future as well. Like they did with STASIS and CAYNE. :3
    FinneousPJCrevsDaakDragonKing
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    edited January 2017
    Newest update is out with fantastic insights of how Brotherhood creates their world.
    Or more like; it's a full blown documentary! :D

    Also a bit of backstory about CAYNE, plus an interview with SA GAMER. For those who haven't played it yet: try it and be amazed! It's completely free over at steam and will very likely come to GOG this week. :)

    PHOTOGRAMMETRY - BUILDING BETTER WORLDS

    We're fast approaching 2/3rds funding in under a week!

    Thank you so much, Kickstarter backers.

    CAYNE has over 90,000 players, which far exceeded our expectations!

    UPDATE # 2

    During pre-production we decided that we wanted to create a unique look for DESOLATION. Due to the real-world appeal we wanted to achieve, we felt that the design should be grounded in reality.

    I've always been fascinated by the idea of film miniatures. The incredible model work on early films has always given me a sense of wonder. I'm the guy who watches the hours of features on the Bonus DVD.

    THE CONCEPT

    Working in a post apocalyptic world gives us SO many incredible opportunities to work with miniatures. It starts with an idea. These can be as simple as a scribble on a napkin or a more complex 3d recreations of the scene we're going to create. These concepts then allow us make educated decisions about what we need to create and the final locations we're going to put our model in. Once we have an area fleshed out it's off to the model shop!

    THE MODEL

    Model kits are combined in unconventional ways in a ‘kit bash’ fashion. Paint is then applied with an airbrush, including additional details and weathering. We also include a destructive phase - that involves matches and a hammer (you'd want to see this!) - and then more paint.

    THE LOCATION

    How exciting it is for us that we get to use actual locations in South Africa for our game? The locations could be as simple as an interesting construction site, or a pristine beach. The human brain has a difficult time distinguishing the scale of an object if there is nothing familiar to compare it to. Knowing this rock could become a building sized boulder, and a sand eroded cliff can become a mountain range.


    While BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION is only seen from an isometric angle, the model is scanned in 360 degrees giving us even further freedom when putting the scene together.

    THE RESULT

    All of these photos are taken into our software which then outputs a dense 3D model and texture generated from the photographs.

    This ship (above) and its surroundings have over 10 million polygons! To put that into perspective, a normal AAA game character will have around 40 000 polygons.

    Once this has been set up, additional details to provide the needed scale are added. Grass, water, and other natural elements are placed, and any story elements are integrated into the scenes. From there it gets painted over and taken into Unity where another detail pass of 3D objects, particles, and finally lighting through the use of normal mapping ties it all together.

    Every image contains a piece of Africa - a moment that we have captured forever.

    - CHRIS

    PS

    We sat down with SA Gamer and did an interview on BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION, here is an excerpt:

    [SA Gamer] Thank you so much for agreeing to an interview. I know things must be pretty crazy right now, so I appreciate you making time for this! It’s only a pleasure! BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION has shots of Cape Town and a distinct African aesthetic. Many local developers aim for something more first world in their creations. What was the reasoning behind this choice?

    We’re using a place we know well, and we’re twisting it into a post apocalyptic world. To many, Africa is already quite a different setting and we love the post apocalyptic genre – so it seemed like a natural step for our environment. As we started to really explore what we could do in that world everything started to fall into place. There is something romantic about walking through the ruins of a long gone society – a place that you remember, but it’s different… changed and transformed into something else.

    Explain how CAYNE came about, you were prototyping the framework of BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION, correct?

    During the STASIS Kickstarter campaign we added an additional game chapter as a stretch goal. It was originally going to be built in the same engine as STASIS, but after STASIS’ success we decided to push ourselves with CAYNE and do something new. The advantage was, as you mentioned, using it as a prototype of sorts for our future games. We now have all of the systems in place, and a tried and tested engine and framework to create our future games on. It’s quite a freeing experience to know that we can just dive straight into production!

    Will we see more stories in the STASIS universe?

    It’s an interesting place to explore, isn’t it? And yes, we do have a lot of ideas to explore in that universe.

    STASIS had a lot of themes in common with Alien. What would you say your influences are in BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION?

    Visually, BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION takes a lot of its cues from 1970s and 1980s science fiction. A Boy and his Dog, Soylent Green, Logan’s Run, and a healthy dose of Mad Max. The 1980s design aesthetic and music is also heavily influenced by those films – even the colour grading is a great reference.

    ...MORE...

    READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE; http://sagamer.co.za/2017/01/30/an-interview-with-the-brotherhood-about-stasis-cayne-and-beautiful-desolation

    ______

    REVIEWS OF CAYNE

    http://www.criticalhit.net/review/cayne-review/
    8/10
    “Gorgeous, horrifying game with a unique protagonist. “

    https://www.gamingonlinux.com/articles/cayne-the-free-point-click-horror-game-set-in-the-stasis-universe-is-now-out-and-its-damn-good.8997
    “I can highly recommend it and it's free so you have nothing to lose. Hadley is a real bad ass of a character they made.“
    CrevsDaak
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    edited February 2017
    Another interesting kickstarter update was posted. This time, it focuses on Beautiful DESOLATION's music: a wild mix of African drum beats, Maasai choirs and old-school synth tunes from the 80's! :smiley:

    “The end comes soon. We hear drums, drums in the deep..."

    We learnt a lot while crafting an audio experience for STASIS and CAYNE.

    George Lucas famously said that "sound is 'half of the film' experience". We think that sound is even more important in interactive media and we take great care in building a detailed audio pallet for our players.

    When producing the sound for STASIS, we started by watching as many 80s sci-fi and horror films as possible. What we often do is turn off the picture completely and then dissect the background audio atmosphere. Something that you will notice first is that film always has some sort of backtrack playing. Subtle ambient sounds and music is used to prompt the mood of the viewers. They use this to great advantage in horror films where silence replaces the background sound and is as powerful as an orchestral score.

    Both STASIS and CAYNE play an ambient ‘back track’ for the entire duration of the game, including over menus and cut scenes. You probably haven’t noticed it, but it is there - subtly piecing everything together. We also include an infrasound layer. This low-frequency sound can apparently cause an emotive response of awe or fear.

    We then have scene specific ambience. For instance, a passage in CAYNE may feature mechanical sounds in the far off distance or a garbled PA announcement.

    The next layer pertains to scene specific sounds, a whirring fan or a crackling electric fuse.

    We've found that creating this multi-layer soundscape further immerses and engages the player.

    Often with the newer gaming engines, sounds are post processed at runtime. This means that reverb and other special effects are applied while the game is being played. Our games are 2D and we feel that it we would have more control over the sound if we applied the effects prior to adding them into the engine. This is a stylistic choice that we may revisit at a later date.

    On top of the soundscape, we then add a musical score that attempts to convey the mood we're trying to create in this area. This music shouldn’t overpower the events but rather add a rich audio experience to the action unfolding. When we created STASIS we wanted an instantly recognizable melody. Mark Morgan wrote a hauntingly beautiful piece of music which we then based all of our other musical tracks on.

    MUSIC OF BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION

    This world of DESOLATION gives us the opportunity to create a unique musical score. We plan on creating a fusion of African drum beats, Maasai choirs and the iconic synth sounds of the 80s.

    When the game moves into full time production and we start to work with our chosen composer, we'll bring in the strong melodies and weave them into a beautiful and unique soundtrack.

    The trailer music was the first piece we created as an attempt at the rough direction we want to take the musical score. In 2 minutes we travel from the 80s through to the alien sounds of The Penrose, and then end with the wonderfully twisted sounds of a post apocalyptic Africa. While all of these scenes are vastly different in their design, the music brings it all together.



    Another music track we did for the making of videos:



    Currently Beautiful DESOLATION has 9 days left and $25,102 to go. So if there are still players out there who enjoy this fascinating, post-apocalyptic African setting in isometric gaming style, please consider backing this unique work of art! :wink:
    CrevsDaakFinneousPJ
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    Big news: the guys over at Beautiful DESOLATION will do a Q&A live stream this Wednesday, at 8:00 PM GMT! Also, there has been another interview. This time it was done by startingthingsup. An interesting read as always. :)
    Hey Guys,

    We have scheduled our Kickstarter Live QA session for:
    Wednesday - Feb 15
    8:00 PM, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
    12:00 PM, Pacific Time (PT)
    3:00 PM, Eastern Time (ET)


    You can see a LIVE countdown here:
    https://live.kickstarter.com/broadcast/13431/overview

    We won't do a backer update tomorrow, so feel free to come through on Wednesday and say HI!

    You can also submit a question now at that link.
    We're currently at $109,119 and 4 days to go. They will make it! I feel it in my nucleus! :smiley:
    CrevsDaak
  • MirandelMirandel Member Posts: 526
    Another game in my huge queue of "need to play NOW" games. Good thing it's still in development. Looks really great.
    Kamigoroshi
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870

    100%

    WE THANK EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU.

    Nic and I are humbled by your faith in our vision for BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION.

    We're certain that you're going to love the world we're cooking up.
    Nothing easy is worth doing and nothing worth doing is easy; so now the hard work begins.

    We're working on a stretch goal announcement tomorrow (you know us, it has to be fancy).

    Chris & Nic

    Let's chat on Kickstarter Live (Wednesday - Feb 15):
    8:00 PM, Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) / 12:00 PM, Pacific Time (PT) / 3:00 PM, Eastern Time (ET)
    P.S.
    We owe a debt of gratitude to the folks at Torment: Tides of Numenera,
    Wasteland 3 and Pillars of Eternity 2 : Deadfire.

    PoE: Deadfire is crowd funding now (http://goo.gl/AIgXF2).
    Torment is on Steam Early Access (http://store.steampowered.com/app/272270/).
    Wasteland 3 (https://wasteland3.inxile-entertainment.com/) still has late backing open.
    Each of these games have had a massive influence on DESOLATION - check em' out!

    “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known.” – Carl Sagan

    THEY . FINALLY . DID . IT ( ! )

    Thanks to backer shout-outs from Wasteland 3, Torment: Tides of Numenera and Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire, Beautiful DESOLATION gained huge amounts of finantial boosts over the last couple of days. They've reached $120,238 just some moments ago which means this gem of a game got funded! :D
    However, there's still a bit more than 3 days to go until the campaign gets closed. Meaning it is time for stretch goals to appear real soon! :sunglasses:
    AedanCrevsDaakMirandel
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    edited February 2017
    Just now the first stretch goal was revealed!

    STRETCH GOAL - THE WORLD CODEX

    Hey Backers,

    We're pleased to announce our first stretch goal:
    THE WORLD CODEX

    $ 135,000
    Every place has a history, a story. That's a theme we want to push forward with BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION. We want players to explore the world we've created, make new discoveries and uncover the history of all the exciting places you visit.
    The Codex is Dr. Mark Leslie's field notebook that will grow each time a new animal, plant (or the like) crosses his path. It will then be updated with drawings, facts and other information about the find in front of you. The Codex will include Mark's field drawings, photographs, notes - and even voiced entries.
    It may also help you learn the customs of different tribes and factions: Who are friends or foes? What foods they eat? What has happened to them in the epochs since the Penrose appeared?
    Sometimes these will be world building, and at other times will offer up clues to help you on your way. All while uncovering the secrets of BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION's technology, from strange constructs that pierce the sky to small alien-looking medical implants.

    The lore of our world is just waiting to be unearthed!



    Also, the live stream will start in just 1 hour and 10 minutes. Be sure to watch it if you're interested in Beautiful DESOLATION! ;)

    Ok, so the live stream has ended. But those of you who have missed it can still watch the replay.
    Lots of interesting stuff has been talked about within that one hour. :D
    Post edited by Kamigoroshi on
    CrevsDaak
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    edited June 2017

    “If you don't know where you are going any road can take you there”

    Hello Backers!

    THE MAP

    One of the major inspirations in our game design was bringing back the excitement that we felt when exploring the original Fallout's map. Our map is a core feature of BEAUTIFUL DESOLATION and provides a tangible link to all of the interesting areas that you're able to explore in this post apocalyptic world.



    Mark has commandeered an ancient weather satellite that provides an aerial view of his current location. Shifting clouds of deadly gasses cover the earth making areas inaccessible but frustratingly visible.



    Geography and history will entwine to reflect in the environments and their march through time. Working on the histories of the different areas and how they've grown out of this ruined world, is both exciting and challenging. We're building a tome of writing for each and every area.

    The map will also feature varied biomes that in turn allow for awesome design possibilities.



    A GAME FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
    Our father is now assisting us with the immense amount of 3D modelling required to build the DESOLATION scenes. He has 40 years of architectural knowledge and this will bring a practical grounding to the locations.

    The first area he is building for us is Greenpoint.

    GREENPOINT

    In the heart of the Meadowland, an idyllic grassland, Greenpoint sits like a dark pustule. A slave compound has been built in the center of a crumbling sports stadium...

    We're currently focusing on the shanty town that has sprung up around Greenpoint.



    Keep on adventuring!

    Chris & Nic

    BE SURE TO LIKE OUR FACEBOOK PAGE (AND SHARE IT!): https://www.facebook.com/desolationadventure

    FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER:
    https://twitter.com/stasisgame
    Finally we have some news from the Bischoff brothers! :)
    FinneousPJ
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    Latest update revealed that Beautiful DESOLATION will feature the Bischoff Brother's largest environment art as of yet: all backgrounds are at a whopping 7680x4320 resolution! For the record, STASIS' were at 1280x720 and CAYNE's at 1920x1080.

    Now that's what I'd call a *huge improvement*. Can't wait to see this post-apocalyptic African game in ultra-high-definition! :D
    Mirandel
  • DragonKingDragonKing Member Posts: 1,977
    More!


    Kamigoroshi
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    First Autumn update of Beautiful DESOLATION. Now with extra South African eye candy photos! :sunglasses:
    And here's a short clip about the Bischoff Brother's never ending quest of seeking interesting local locations for putting into their game:

  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    edited April 2018
    Beautiful DESOLATION's April update just has revealed one of its races/tribes which the player will encounter around the post-apocalyptic Cape Town: the Fley!



    According to the devs the fley are highly advanced people which are infected by a parasite called brissel worm. And that those 'dreadlocks' are actually the worms breathing organs. Kind of like mecha-using goa'uld, only way cooler looking! :)

    In other news, here are some videos from older updates, which I totally forgot to post (^_^ "):

    ThacoBellFinneousPJ
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    Been a while since we had an update about this game. They're currently doing the remaining VO's of the total 50 voiced NPC's. Apparently they sum up to over 1000 spoken lines. After that comes the localisations of Beautiful DESOLATION.

    The big news is that the public release will be pushed back to Februrary 2020. Bit of a shame that there's a five month delay. But better late and fleshed out than early and delivering a mess of a game.
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870


    Brand new trailer is up. And it's looking better than ever! ?
    Devs are optimistic of launching Beautiful DESOLATION sometime within this month on both GOG and steam.
    MirandelGrammarsalad
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    edited February 2020
    Hey folks! :)
    Today is the day: Beautiful DESOLATION is finally out on both GOG and Steam! It's currently -10% off on both storefronts. And even better: GOG throws in a free copy of STASIS for you as well.
    JuliusBorisovThacoBellMirandelMathsorcerer
  • DrHappyAngryDrHappyAngry Member Posts: 1,577
    So how is it? The genres a little oversaturated at this point and I've been waiting for Wasteland 3 to come out, but this might scratch the itch while I wait if it's really good.
  • KamigoroshiKamigoroshi Member Posts: 5,870
    Personally? Loving it so far. The point & click puzzles are decently difficult (certainly more than in Gibbous). And the visuals themselves don't lose to the game's name at all. The brothers/player characters sometimes throw in a word or two in Afrikaans/Dutch around but it's easily enough to guess the meaning.

    All in all it's really refreshing to see a post-apocalyptic sci-fi setting outside the usual suspects (USA with Fallout, Wasteland, Mad Max, and Eurasia with Chernobylite, Metro).
    JuliusBorisovMathsorcerer
  • MathsorcererMathsorcerer Member Posts: 3,037
    I don't have as much time for gaming these days as I used to have, but I will look for this one this coming weekend. I *love* post-apocalyptic settings.
    Kamigoroshi
  • PsicoVicPsicoVic Member Posts: 868
    This looks pretty good, and it is a refreshing approach. I am looking forward to this one.
    Kamigoroshi
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