Year: 2025

Airborne Rangers – Devlog 2 [AI, ragdolls & destruction]

I made a post about Airborne Rangers back in April this year. It presented the initial announcement trailer that looked very promising. Especially if you are into military simulations like Arma 3, with co-op as the core. Now, the developer team BlowPunch Gameworks has released a devlog in video format that showcases some truly cool stuff. We get an impressive ragdoll/gore system, detailed destructible environments and an AI that actually uses tactics, and looks challenging to defeat.

And with that, my hype has doubled. Could this be the first realistic tactic game in ages – a spiritual sequel to Men of War that will be good? The future will tell, of course, but I will allow myself to feel a little hype. Check out the video for yourself after the jump!

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Donations and Tomsgaming.com

After nearly four years of building this site, I figured it was time to set up a donation page through WordPress.com. Don’t worry, everything stays the same. It’s entirely voluntary, just a way to say thanks if you feel like it.

Your support will help cover hosting costs, game purchases, and upgrades to improve Tom’s Gaming Vault. I also want to keep the webpage ad-free, as browsing the internet can truly feel like an attack on your senses nowadays. Small donations will help towards this goal—to keep everything clean, readable, and somewhat nostalgic of an Internet that once was.

Remember, don’t feel like this is an obligation of any kind, the site will keep going regardless. But if you enjoy what you read, and you feel like contributing, you can do so on this donation page. Every gold coin matters, and is enormously appreciated!

Thanks!

– Thomas

Galdred Talks Medieval Combat (& Game Design)

Galdred, the man and myth behind the upcoming tactics RPG Zodiac Legion has made a presentation in medieval combat & armor with his own game as a reference point – talking about game design and application of armor in real life. Galdred is known for being a medieval warfare buff, so he knows what he is talking about. The format of the presentation is a bit odd, seeing as it’s a thread on Twitter (X) of all places. Even so, I recommend you give it a read, and you can do so by clicking here! Especially if you are looking forward to Zodiac Legion, or just want to learn something interesting about medieval times. 

Just as a reminder, I did an interview with Galdred last year, where we talked about the game, his experience as an indie dev, and all the hardship being a solo developer comes with. You can read it here, if you’re curious. 

Iron Tower’s future plans [Part II]

Way back in February this year, I wrote that Iron Tower is working on a new Battle Brothers inspired and Lovecraft themed game. However, nothing was being set in stone thanks to financial issues. While nothing is guaranteed yet, it seems things have perked up slightly, going by their latest post on Steam, called Future Plans, Part II.

Not too much is being shared, but it seems they are busy working towards their spanking new title, making good progress doing so using Unreal 5 [gulp]. Even praising the engine for its ease of use to create worldmaps (landscaping?). It does make me wonder: will it be a fully 3D game, or a top-down tactical one? Who knows, but I’m looking forward to more info, since this will probably be right up my alley, compared to their earlier outings.

Well, at least things are looking brighter, and I wish them all the luck. I hope this game becomes a slam-dunk!

Hell is Us – The free comic! [Quick review]

Hell is Us is soon to be released. The fourth of September, so less than two weeks. It’s one of the few semi-high production games I look forward to, and might actually buy on release day, since I truly enjoyed the demo. If that happens, it will be a first in many years for me, which feels like a nostalgic blast from the past when this was more commonplace. Now, onto the comic. In a previous post, I told you about a free comic they were planning to release. To explain why our protagonist, Rémi, left the Peace Corps, seeing as the game starts with us wandering the dark Hadea forest alone, but in peacekeeper uniform.

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