Reply With QuoteThat's fantastic news
Looks like Underworld - officially - will be returning with Underworld Ascension.
What I don't get, though: Underworld had you going downwards, 'Ascension' means going upwards. OMG.
That's fantastic news
Well this looks interesting.
Paul Neurath, co-founder of Looking Glass Studios, has got Tim Stellmach signed on to be the lead designer. Stellmach was not only the lead designer of Ultima Underworld II, but also the lead designer on both of the classic Thief games.
I always thought Stellmach's role in the original Thief games was a bit under-appreciated -- in both the media and in the community. When people mention Thief's development, they often name drop certain big names like Ken Levine, Warren Spector, Doug Church, Randy Smith, etc... some of whom were barely involved.
But Stellmach was the only one in a key leadership position on both of the original classics.
I eagerly await the first bits of insight into how they'll approach this project.
For the record, I don't think I said anything either way about being lead designer on Ascension. I *should* have kept mum at this point about even being involved, and more details about the composition of the team are still forthcoming. Plus, I'd hate terribly to take anything away from Paul, because Underworld was always his baby.Originally Posted by Twist
That said, I'm extremely excited about my involvement and gratified by your appreciation. Wish us luck!
- Tim
This is great news and I'm really excited about the project! With the right approach, a small team and even a moderate budget can build a great successor to UUW. Any word on the funding model?
Hopefully more info will appear soon after that press release. Man, this feels good.
Whoops... I apologize for the misunderstanding! It's still great to see you involved in whatever role you fulfill! And it's great to see you post here again.
Also, to clarify my earlier statement regarding the name dropping: I meant no disrespect to Ken Levine, Warren Spector, Doug Church or Randy Smith -- and especially to Doug Church! He, too, is often under-appreciated. As I understand it, that's partially by his own design. As I understand it, he prefers to avoid the limelight.
It's just that I see portions of the media lean on the same big names over and over again -- especially Ken Levine and Warren Spector -- when talking about the origins of Thief, and too often leave out people like Tim Stellmach, Paul Neurath and Doug Church.
Bah, it's all sounding wrong.Sorry. I'm really just trying to briefly acknowledge how and why I'm excited to see this classic franchise rebooted and to see Paul Neurath and Tim Stellmach actively involved in the development of an immersive first-person game.
No worries. And, hey, among his other talents, Ken is a genius at publicity (a wonderful skill given his role as a studio head), and Warren is ... well, Warren is Warren, so he has everyone he's ever worked with cheerleading for him. These are not bad things.
So happy to hear about this! I really hope they can pull it off.
Awesome news!
Incredible. This has made my week. Can't wait to hear more about it.
This is fantastic!!
Best of luck to Paul, Tim (always nice to see you here), and the rest of the team. I can't wait to find out what you guys come up with.
(Oh man... avoiding spoilers is going to be hell...)
Underworld is back. Amazing.
This is the best news I have heard about video gaming in many years. After all these years, you are working on a 1st person crpg. Joyous day! Thy noble efforts are greatly appreciated. Go forth adventurer, and bring back core elements of magical gaming, as you are the true Keeper of ancient knowledge. The roads ahead are infinite, and all the choices are yours to make. So choose wisely and good luck.
Fantastic! Can't wait for this.
If there are other LGS inspired projects in line, I'd wish for an update to Terra Nova. They only need to update the graphics, really. The FMVs are akin to the elevator muzak in SS1 (somewhat awkward contrast to game play) and the story/mission style has no need for any polishing as far as I'm concerned.
May have to play these games again.
Glad to see you working on this, Tim...So many wonderful possibilities...
Awesome news! Good luck team!
A short and, tbh, not particularly insightful interview here.
In fairness it probably says about as much as it could, given that they're only a matter of weeks into the project.
Then again, the author names Richard Garriott as a former Looking Glass employee, so it's not the best piece of games journalism you'll read.
This is amazing news. Make a couple million extra and remake 1&2 while you're at it.
*FROTHS* I want this incredibly! This news made my day. Please see this through to fruition Tim (EvilSpirit) et al! We're all behind this endeavor.
Update: The name of the project has been officially changed to "Underworld Ascendant".
Edit: As noted on this thread...Why the name change from "Ascension" to "Ascendant" ?
Last edited by Vae; 27th Jan 2015 at 19:20.
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