Building a Contemporary Classic: Kythera AI in Deadhaus Sonata
Apocalypse Studios chose Kythera AI to power the AI in their gothic RPG *Deadhaus Sonata.*
Apocalypse Studios was founded by Denis Dyack, an industry veteran known for his Lovecraftian gothic fantasy RPGs including Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain and Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem.
Deadhaus Sonata is a free-to-play Action RPG and promises to be a spiritual successor to Denis’ previous works. It's Narrative Drivenwhere you play the Undead fighting the living. Players can fight as a Vampire, Revenant, Liche, Banshee, and more interesting and beautifully designed characters. Contrary to the usual approach of a noble hero defending against mindless hordes, one to six players take on the role of the undead, wreaking destruction and feeding on the warm-blooded masses in the dark fantasy setting of Nogosaua.
The studio is focused on changing the way people experience games. Apocalypse takes a cloud-first approach in game development to move the medium of the games industry forward, and we're proud to have been chosen to help bring that vision to life.
“Immersive experiences in video games rely upon realistic behaviors of opponents. Kythera AI provides excellent ability in creating the immersive experience that gamers will expect with the next generation of online games.”
- Denis Dyack, CEO of Apocalypse
Deadhaus Sonata is being developed using Amazon’s Lumberyard engine, further cementing Kythera AI's reputation as the go-to AI solution for this emerging toolset. Development is leading on PC, but will support all major platforms.
The game makes of Kythera AI's tools for group tactics including Formations. This feature allows large numbers of characters to be kept in tightly ordered ranks, operating as a single formation while navigating around a complex world, easily broken down to smaller groups or individuals, or reformed into new arrangements.
The game also relies on procedural generation, making heavy use of Kythera AI's dynamic navigation mesh feature. Find out more about Dynamic NavMesh here.
“We’re particularly excited to be collaborating with Denis, as an innovator and industry veteran. His expertise in RPG worldbuilding and his love of gothic style and diverse mythologies create a unique vision for this title,” said Matthew Jack, CEO of Kythera AI. “With Kythera AI, Deadhaus Sonata has access to the very best AI tools available, enabling him to fully realize his signature creations with new levels of immersion and texture.”