Finally, here are some launch details:
Early access starts at Steam and Itch.io (I’m still waiting news from GOG) in October 10th, which is the birthday of Finland’s national author Aleksis Kivi.
What is included in the early access release:
For starters, if you have tried the demo, you will notice that it was more like a ‘light version’ of the game with less mechanics and non-existent story content while the release version is deeper and vaster in many ways.
- Early access launch version will contain at least four overworld areas, Twin Falls, The Great Forest, Pramea and Marsh of the Condemned, which all are divided in multiple areas. For example the biggest of them all, Twin Falls, contains five main areas, plus two smaller areas, and the Castle Town, which also has two parts. At the moment I’m finalizing Lake Road, which is almost complete, but because of the day/night cycle, I have to make some adjustments to it, so I can’t promise it will make it in time for the launch. If not, it will follow during the first month in the first updates.
- Each of those main areas contain their own secrets and side quests.
- There will be several dungeons, some of them are bigger than others, with puzzles to solve, traps to avoid, enemies to fight and secrets to be found. Four (or five, if you count the small one) of them are related to plot, others are optional.
- Several plot related quests to progress the story and some bigger and smaller side quests.
- At launch there are at least seven character classes: Guide, Warrior, Hunter, Shadow, Mage, Priest and Witch, but I’m working on two other classes, which will either be part of the launch or follow in the first big content update. Some classes have alternative skill/spell sets: For example Mage can choose to become Warlock or Wizard with different set of spells, or he can learn little bit from both.
- Stat and skill system, which affects beyond battle system: For example to find some secrets, the main character must have good Perception, or good Charisma if you want some of the non-playable characters to discuss about certain topics and to progress in those conversations Speech skill is needed. But beware, if you do questionable things that lower your reputation, some NPCs might stop talking to you. On the other hand, if you build up reputation with good deeds, some NPCs may notice it and reward you with a gift.
- Lots of weapons (swords, axes, daggers, maces, bows, crossbows, staves), armors (robes, light, medium and heavy armors) and other useful equipment like shields, cloaks, gloves, rings and necklaces. Some of them raise stats and have other helpful qualities.
- Tools and other items such as torches, lanterns, lockpicks, camping gear, potions etc.
- Quest related items.
- Turn-based battles and boss fights, but some boss encounters doesn’t have to end up in violence.
- Day and night cycle, so dungeons aren’t the only places where those torches and lanterns are needed. Streets will get quieter and merchants will lock their doors when the night falls, but there might be other things happening when common people are sleeping.
- Nvidia 3D Vision support. At Steam when launching the game you should be able to choose between normal and 3d version. At Itch.io 3d version will be included in the same zip-file as the normal version. There will be some differences in the skyboxes between both versions because I haven’t found a way to add depth to the cloud layer and therefore they appear at screen depth when playing in stereoscopic 3d. I will be testing an alternative solution for the clouds, but it might affect the performance in a negative way. I will share some details about this at a later date once the testing is done.
What will be added in the future:
If Lake Road is not included in the launch, it will follow during the first month in the first content update. If it is included in the launch, I will focus on finalizing the next overworld area, the Autumn Valley, which will be added with the next big content update. After that I will focus on the last two overworld areas and their dungeons. There will be a bigger content update every time new area is finished with the story content and some smaller updates to fix possible bugs, balance things and improve the overall experience. Some of the smaller updates might also bring new stuff to existing areas, such as side-quests and perhaps new secrets to be found.
I will also update some of the graphics during the early access period as there are some pre-made assets used as place holders.
Though I’m working on this game full-time, this is still a solo dev project, so it will take some time to finish the rest of the content. Nevertheless, if there won’t be any surprising delays, the game should leave early access before the summer 2024.
At the moment I’m finalizing the game mechanics so I wouldn’t have to add them after the launch. This should prevent the need to start a new game after updates.
Early access price will be 16.90€/$, but there’ll be a small launch discount during the first two weeks. Full release will raise the price about 10€/$, so participating in early access you’ll get the game cheaper and support the further development. And don’t worry, there will be plenty of content to justify the price.
Thank You and hope to see You soon in Twin Falls!
