Hey y'all! I figured it was about time for a bigger update about the overall development of the game.
I'll also leave Update notes here if I add/change anything. 6/24 Update: Set it to any free backers & added a note on the Leagues
The Guild Leagues are our first foray into PvP. That doesn't mean it will be our last. This was a system that made the most sense to implement as a PvP opportunity because it touches on all of the gameplay, not just combat. We have a lot of plans for it so please let us know what you think of its implementation so far!
We're still working and getting closer to a 1.0. We’re planning on an August/September 2024 launch, but things change. The longer we wait, the more it's gonna hurt when we reset progress.
We've added the groundwork for localization. This means more languages, which means access for more players. We're also investigating solutions that allow in-game player to player communication across a language gap.
Region 4 is the first one that deviates from the original game, and it's going to be an archipelago. Lots of little islands, each with its own potential ecosystem, special materials, special bosses. That gives us the opportunity to have region content for a much longer period of progression. You might be sending level 80 heroes to fight here, who knows. As such, we're going to withhold this region until we 1.0 launch, so you have something to come back to after the launch.
We're a small indie team of ~6, and most of the team is part-time. Tyler (owner/me) hasn't paid himself from the business for years. (In fact, I've been investing my own $ since 2021) If we had gone more P2W with Merchant we would get more revenue, but we stuck with our convictions on an ethical approach to F2P. We'd like to keep it that way.
If you're unhappy with the rate of updates or progress, there isn't much we can do unless we look for outside money. An investor or publisher would lead to demanding more revenue from our users. We could also promise more future content to get more backers, but there's a long history of kickstarted games that did exactly that and still haven't launched. We don't want to be that either. If you’re familiar with the phrase “good, fast, cheap - pick two” , well... fast is definitely not our thing.
Making updates on a live game is harder and slower than updating an internal-only project. We may consider halting the public beta before launch so we can pack in more content and make it a more significant 1.0 launch. Patreon backers at the higher levels will still have access to regular builds, and all beta players with connected accounts will get special in-game cosmetics for helping out.
iOS doesn't have a public beta like Android does, so our iOS version is for Patreon backers only. This will be the case until we're ready for the 1.0 launch. In order to play the iOS version, you need Testflight. After getting Testflight, check the Patreon & Discord paid backers channels for the iOS invite.
We're adding Pride icons to the player icon select. If that upsets you- bye