Stormgate Receives Additional Funding & Begins Visual Overhaul

[@tristanmestroni6724]

The trajectory for Stormgate is always up. It's always improving. Now the trick will be improving enough before the budget runs out!

[@EB-bl6cc]

Time will tell but it may have been a blessing in disguise that they released "too early". Better to release earlier and realize that your trajectory was all wrong via feedback, than to spend a year or two more on that wrong trajectory

[@zionellis579]

T​@@EB-bl6cc That was partially why they released so early though, no? Making it an iterative process and listening to the community to make the best game they can for RTS fans (like them). But yeah... budget will always be a concern just because it's super expensive to make RTS. One of the most content heavy and thus expensive game genres to produce.

[@EricNapoli-z3d]

Insane cope

[@Frodonsake24]

I understand why people are worried about the budget, that's a legitimate concern...kinda. cause let's be real here : we don't know anything about it. We don't know how much they have, we don't know how much their team costs, we have no real information whatsoever other than what they shared, which is already a lot to be honest. It's rare that any of those information are revealed anyway. Guyz, FG has some of the most popular and experienced name in the business. Now I know RTS ain't that popular but if anyone can bring investors it's some ex-blizzard directors, seniors, leaders.

[@Frodonsake24]

​@@EricNapoli-z3dyou have any information about their financial situation, how much their team costs, how much money do they have ? Probably not. You're just yapping for the sake of it.

[@traviszito6408]

This is the first update in a while that actually has me excited about Stormgate again. I know that it's all easier said than done, but the new infernal designs are amazing. If they keep changing the factions to be more "doom" like, I think it will make a much more enticing universe to play in. I want the factions to be cool and badass, not look like toys.

[@Frodonsake24]

Yeah cause imma big boy now im badass. I'm not a kid anymore. I am BIG BOY GROWN ADULT! (I'm sorry I agree with you on the fact that - pretty much like most people - I love the new art direction compared to the old one. But calling it "toys" or even, like many said, "mobile game style" is a bit silly. Obviously none of us nerd know about art and know how to describe it)

[@NickAaron1994]

I think the new style for the Vanguard vehicles looks awesome, kind of a wartorn Apeture science vibe and yeah it does differentiate them well from like, Terran tech

[@EB-bl6cc]

yeahh. the new art guy is doing a great job fixing all the art. Should be a nice facelift when it's all done

[@PhoonBucgeneMY]

The new art director knowa what they are doing!

[@dutchgambit3416]

Now Vanguard need at least a tweak to keep up with Infernals 2.0, Celestials need a gameplay redo. Waiting on the sidelines, hoping.

[@finrodfel06]

Celestials will be last. I think they wanna do Infernals first to see how people react. Vanguard already has some stuff going on, with the new melee mech and hedgehog designs. Honestly Vanguard as a faction feels the most cohesive, and I don’t mind them being sleek and shiny compared to the usually scrappy generic scifi humans. What the art director said implies we will see, lorewise, why they are so advanced and such. So the identity of the faction is fine, unlike the other two which are all over the place. They just need some model tweaks. The hedgehog especially, the new one looks great.

[@ДитхартБельгард]

i'm so happy to hear that, my god. stormgate now has a chance! love this game even in unfinished state, excited to see what devs can achieve next.

[@BautiMusic1995]

I have a feeling that with the Infernals overhaul the game is going to reach an enjoyable state, the new designs really gave this game some hope, and Im actually excited about the 3v3 mode Edit: You are totally right, I don't play but I keep an eye on the news about it

[@3dartquest]

To be honest, I feel like Map editor would carry them over the early access development faze. They would not longer need to feel pressured when players themself would add additional content to the game and keep it alive and relevant.

[@Navhkrin]

This. Without map editor W3 would have died when SC2 launched. There are a lot of 1v1 players but without custom game community to keep game alive and draw more people in it wouldn't have worked

[@WeebJail]

people are only going to do that to a game they like

[@finrodfel06]

Thing is the map editor is pointless toll the rest of the game’s good enough to get people started. SG has a large following. Most people are just waiting. If they land 1.0, the game will be in good stead.

[@Frodonsake24]

Yeah I'm sure it doesn't require the game to be more refined, nore does it really takes time to develop the editor. Obviously the frost giant team has no experience on that. They did not work on warcraft 3....

[@MidniteCathedral]

I'm still skeptical they're going to land this, but if the campaign overhauls are done right, I'll definitely start playing again. The new art definitely looks like the right direction.

[@Navhkrin]

IMO Stormgate has incredible potential for custom maps. It is a F2P game on Steam with quite incredible tech behind it. If they give us anything like W3's editor this game is bound to pull at least 1K concurrent players. It has potential to completely eat W3's custom map community.

[@FedeeBlack]

Well, they were working a lot on it, so it's probably going to be as powerful as the Sc2 Galaxy Editor, hopefully it's not as complex as the GE, I had a very hard time understanding that editor

[@lonhamlala6846]

if you radically change the celestials then you will see a lot of people coming back.

[@peterlaanguila5098]

Yeah. That race made me lose interest in the game, i really dislike the visual design and gameplay

[@lonhamlala6846]

@peterlaanguila5098 Exactly the same thing happened to me.

[@Broformist]

Yes fuck Protoss. We had enough of Protoss in that other game already.

[@TrentBattyDrums]

THANKYOU Frost Giant I am SO excited for this game again!! LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOO. Honestly, if they had an editor and custom games i would play it right now. I can get down on some customs. I'm just Not the competitive type anymore.

[@ProfKisuto]

I'm one of those, keeping an eye on it. I really enjoyed my time when it came out, but was obviously a bit rough around the edges. I'll come back the day it's ready!

[@SergjDragunov]

The Infernal sorcerrer with the 6 folded arms is veey pog! Gives me mad darkness devil vibes, like mad ones lmao, poggers

[@eduardoserpa1682]

I like the "primitive" approach to Infernals a bit better to make the factions more different, but I get that they have to appeal to the biggest audience possible. The new direction is cool and does have some unique ideas. I just wish they had listened to the feedback on art style earlier, it was there from the very beginning. More importantly, it seems they're guaranteed to survive until 1.0, and that safety is big, even if they had to scale back on ambition.

[@heyblackduck]

lol I’m around 30 and there isn’t a single game I’m playing everyday. Just work and life and stuff gets in the way. That said I’m definitely watching this game and when I can I’ll play coop since I’ll be immediately outplayed in 1v1.

[@aviFlashbacks]

My issue with the hedgehog is that the turret/missile bay is raised really high in the mobility form, leaving a lot of empty space between it and the ground, and the cockpit looks kinda weird.

[@RealPeoplePerson]

The new demonic style is a definite improvement; more coherent and stands apart from other games. I hope they design a distinct way for these units to die - instead of normal flesh and blood, maybe they burst into soot and flame as the demon's spirit is pulled down back to hell.

[@Red-wb5jj]

Stormgate’s art direction can change as often as the developers desire, but without significant gameplay innovations, the game risks feeling stagnant. To truly captivate players, it needs deeper mechanics and features that enhance replayability and excitement. Procedurally Generated Maps Introducing procedurally generated maps would revolutionize the scouting, making it more dynamic and engaging. This approach would also vastly increase replayability, as each match would present unique challenges and opportunities. Players enjoy adapting to fresh conditions rather than memorizing static, handcrafted maps. Age of Empires 2 serves as a perfect example: its map diversity, ranging from Arabia to Nomad or Gold Rush to Black Forest or Team Islands to Arena, requires entirely different strategies and skills, keeping gameplay fresh and exciting across thousand of matches. Evolving Economy and Resources A more diverse economy system could further enrich gameplay. Imagine resources with distinct mechanics: one tied to fixed points on the map, like gold or minerals, and another that players can harvest or generate anywhere, turning the entire map into potential strategic hotspots. Such a design would shift the focus dynamically during matches, ensuring that battles and critical moments happen in varying locations. Art-wise, resources should also stand out visually, adding aesthetic appeal and aiding gameplay readability. This diversity would make every match unique and create opportunities for more complex strategies, enhancing both player experience and spectator enjoyment. Buildable Walls for Strategy and Comebacks Walls are essential for creating strategic depth in RTS games. Cheap, high-HP walls allow for defensive maneuvers, buying time, and enabling dramatic comebacks-especially in team games, where protecting allies becomes vital. Walls also influence the flow of battles, shaping chokepoints and forcing creative unit compositions. The destruction of walls can spark tense, exciting moments across the map, keeping viewers and players alike engaged. Without such a tool, gameplay risks losing variability and tactical nuance. Aiming Beyond SC2: Learning from Age of Empires 2 Stormgate aspires to be a next-generation RTS, but to surpass Starcraft 2’s appeal, it must broaden its scope. While SC2 excels in fast-paced 1v1 matches, Age of Empires 2 boasts the highest active player base in RTS history due to its unmatched gameplay diversity and robust multiplayer modes (1v1 through 4v4). Even if one personally prefers SC2, the numbers don’t lie: Age of Empires 2 has found a formula that resonates with a wider audience. Stormgate can benefit from adopting and improving upon these mechanics without losing its identity. Procedural maps, diverse resources, and walls would not make Stormgate a clone of Age of Empires, but rather a richer game that combines the best elements of various RTS titles. Embracing Innovation The success of RTS games lies in openness to innovation. Just as Stormgate borrows successful elements like early scouting from Age of Empires and player abilities from C&C Generals and AOM, it should embrace new features that foster replayability, strategic variety and open up more space for future differences between the existing and new factions. Procedural maps, walls, and an evolved economy are not constraints-they are opportunities to craft an RTS that stands out in the modern gaming landscape. By combining the best ideas from across the genre, Stormgate can deliver the diversity, excitement, and depth that players crave. To limit its scope would be to limit its audience, ensuring it remains a niche game rather than a genre-defining masterpiece. A broader, more adaptable vision will unlock Stormgate’s true potential. Listen to the nay-sayers who like Starcraft 2 will not improve Stormgate much. They want a game like Starcraft 2 and how successful this was and is we can see. It has less active players than SC 1 and Age of Empires 2. So they have to think about if they want to build a game for a small player base or they really want to build the best next gen rts possible. There are still plenty of things that differentiate Stormgate from Age of Empires. Not only the futuristic setting but also the look and feel of the units, the better technical execution, and the improved unit responsiveness make the game still feel like a Blizzard RTS. By the way, Age of Empires, like Warcraft 3, features units with higher HP, which is one reason Age of Empires has a larger player base as Starcraft 2 and why Starcraft 2 is beyond its potential. Even the developers of Stormgate knows that and that is the reason why they have increased the life of all units and structures compared to Starcraft 2. But here the good parts of Age of Empires doesn't stop. There is more like the benefits of procedural generated maps, walls and a bit more different economy. There are also good things for the economy in other games like C&C. The concept of power plants that work a bit like Pylons have a big potential to create interesting mechanics and decisions during one match. Don't just think about the mechanics in other games one by one, but also be creative. Change something in a new direction to the things you take from other games. To be successful, a game needs casual players, not just professional ones. The pros will come on their own if the game is successful with the broader audience-if players not only enjoy playing it themselves but also watching others play. Seeing the same revealed maps repeatedly, already knowing how they will be played (as is typical in Blizzard RTS games), becomes very boring for viewers. It lacks the variety and surprises that make for exciting spectator experiences. Everyone opposed to these changes should carefully consider their effects: fewer players, longer queue times in ranked matches, fewer tournaments, less support, and ultimately a less developed game. Is that what you really want? Then continue to be endlessly enthusiastic about Blizzard RTS games and ignore everything other RTS games have to offer. You can dislike Age of Empires, but you can't dislike walls or procedural-generated maps, because they offer too much for the exciting gameplay and the replayability and from which game these ideas come doesn't matter. There are lot of other games with procedural generated maps and buildable walls. Even Warcraft 2 had buildable walls and in all other Blizzard rts structures are used as walls. That shows how much a real wall is needed. They should stop applying band-aid fixes, covering maps with indestructible cliffs, and instead recognize the potential of buildable walls.

[@Frodonsake24]

I love how we are all acting like experts in the comments. Talking about a budget we don't know anything about, as if we knew how to handle these ; talking about the art direction as if we were art expert specialized in the video gaming industry ; telling FG what to do to make a good RTS as if we had more experience as these guys. Really we should be taking all the decisions in Frost Giant, obviously. The gaming community is... really something.

[@SeanSmithPit]

I've always appreciated your optimism! Looking forward to keeping an eye on your channel as the game continues to shape up. Being honest, I liked the look of the game however I'm clearly in the minority. The reaction to the new infernal artwork was overwhelmingly positive so hopefully that's worth the investment!

[@Stranzua]

The new unit designs look WAY better.

[@alanevans5353]

is Stormgate playable/going to be playable on Linux? I want to play Stormgate but I'm going to be going to a Linux computer when I get a new one here soon.

[@sluggath88]

I’ve played it on Linux already. I’ve played it on steam deck as well. Worked fine

[@theSleepyLamp]

hell, it's about time

[@polkulotznad3987]

i am more interested on modders how they will going to fix the game than the main dev doing right now.

[@dreg7305]

after giving it some more thought, I like all of these art changes and I do think it will vastly expand their audience and the potential of the game. however, I feel like for many people the creep camps are a major issue. they don't seem to have much of a place in a 1v1 vs mode if there isn't going to be heroes. 1v1 is supposed to be pure, unadulterated pvp, and by making pve necessary, I feel like it not only confuses people, but makes for a less interesting viewing experience for spectators. if it were a moba type experience where you were leveling up, it makes more sense, but I just don't see why they are so dedicated to this concept (maybe they aren't, given they've released maps without them) and have made them inexorably linked to faction balance, and overall game pace. outside of that, I am encouraged by all of the latest news and like you've said, will be continuing to stay updated on their progress. cheers

[@mgs85]

I think it's their only unique idea they had for the RTS genre so they won't drop it and it doesn't work at all. Nothing else that they're doing is new or unique, it's StarCraft (or WarCraft), but worse. Which is fine for a timeline where we're never going to get a new WarCraft or StarCraft game from Blizzard.

[@zergrush8709]

idk i think the hedgehog might need a bit more time to cook but I do kinda like the unit as a concept.

[@aidannikiforuk8397]

Can’t say it looks like an improvement for the internal, I liked the barbarian style. Will be interesting to see how it turns out.

[@nytmaire74]

said this already when i first saw the brute design the only downside it has is that it looks so cool that you would want to build them more which is a mistake lmao

[@Broockle]

I never liked the Cyclone in SC2 as both a model and as a unit. The hedgehog's concept is pretty cool how it recharges missiles in between shots it just make for interesting micro. And with the new model I think the Hedgehog is on it's way to become pretty awesome. But ye, the new Infernal concepts leave much more of an impression on me too 😆

[@matteofontana_]

im one of the people that looks at your channel sometimes and wait for it to be good to play

[@PhoonBucgeneMY]

Finally a hope for a better campaign experience.

[@Arcodus]

I hope this will help turn the ship for Stormgate! I backed the game with KickStarter so I'm more invested than most gamers :) But here's a pet peeve of mine: Stop calling throwing discs in fantasy and scifi for Glaives! It's already a name for actual real world weapons! They are a type of polearms, see?

[@teachmehowtodoge1737]

They should learn from No Man's Sky bounce back story.

[@yblue6116]

WERE SO BACK LETS GOOO (let me dream doomers)

[@Trazynn]

I disagree with that they released the game too early. I mean sure the game sucked but that's the whole point of releasing it early.

[@yellow4563]

You’re clearly wrong. They can’t get funding through the player base because it wasn’t polished enough. They couldn’t even maintain basic interest

[@Sleexb]

The new designs are good but its also very straightforwardly 'hell demons'. which brings me to the old inferno design, what were they even aiming for with this guys? They looked like orcs and babarians. Completely primitive.

[@shyzunk]

As as infernal player, I cant wait until all of the new stuff is ready. Even the hedgehog is pretty cool. I am not a fan of the plasticky chainsaw guy they got for Vanguard. In general, I wish they did a similarly drastic reimagining of Vanguard, as so far they still look a bit like toys. Except for Vulcans, those should not change too much.

[@NJHA91]

Nice to have a better coat of paint, but they need to make real changes to gameplay.

[@Grrblt]

Infernals are mostly fine, celestials are the problem. They aren't just protoss, they're specifically the derpy gimmicky bs from SC2 protoss.

[@DivinesiaTV]

I hope they change vanguard to more Red Alert -like style, not pokemon style.

[@talhosnit4653]

Nice now rework vanguard design too

[@Labolubu]

❤️

[@spearwy7240]

Awesome

[@02Machiavelli]

I think its too late unfortunately. Unfortunately, RTS development and first impressions are do or die.

[@mgs85]

Launching the game in 6-12 months? That fills me with dread, and, only dread. That's not a good thing for this game at all... Obviously that means they only have funding, for a 'lean' team, for a ~9 month window because there's just no way this game is that close to a feature complete release.

[@VeryBadPlayerTV]

Oh BITKRAFT..... you poor sorry fools. im so sorry..... These clowns are just soaking your money for no reason.

[@kyleg5141]

They should completely shit can the third race and start over.

[@TheAsd111111111]

under 50…

[@transistor3115]

your IQ?

[@VideoHeadII]

I honestly think the need to can the entire celestials faction. They are incredibly boring and really make the game look like PG-13 Doom

[@revanlord05]

A little too late now. They should've put this game out of EA and address the concern faster.

[@chubbybubbers13]

I regret giving these guys my money. Why would you make a zergling and make the only way to make zerglings to use a spell with another unit. Just reskin starcraft 2 and give us a more straightforward RTS without the wierd special ways to do everything

[@reylightrey1863]

Currently, Game is beyond dead