We know what is on everyone's mind. "Yoltrund was to be in early access for a year or less. The game came out in 2017 though and it's still not finished! What happened?"

This post will explain in detail what has been happening over the past year. But to answer the question beforehand; Yoltrund was essentially put on hold for a brief amount of time, but weeks turned into months and into a year due to a lot of issues.

So, let's go down a list to explain what happened

• The Hohenheim & Diaghaltas update was to be a big update; adding a new mechanic to the game (like how Hekehldahr did) and setting up a huge plot point. The problem was that this update was actually too large and caused more harm than good. We had to redo the update several times since the game was not designed for this scope of work from the start. This started from my bad production skills and not realising just how bad for the game this update could be on the backend. So we had to delay until we could get it working and time continued to go on.
  
  
• New projects started to come to light. I know how it looks; we start a poll on what game you would like us to work on next and then seemingly abandon Yoltrund, possibly for something newer and shiny. Granted, we did divert resources to a newer RPG, but in light of it, it won't succeed without Yoltrund's success. And since there's still years of work for that RPG before it's finished, we can take a step back to try and finish Yoltrund.
  
  
• In light of recent problems with Valve, we've been unable to push updates that we've been wanting to. Essentially, Steam had given us problem after problem (hence the hiatus of the game Negative Type). However, most of those problems have been resolved and we will resume work as soon as possible.
  
  
• Dev Ops encountered several issues. Essentially, the game sometimes wouldn't work in various situations, hence why there is still no Linux build of the game. We wanted to get the Linux build done before the next update and that became nothing but backlogs.
  

So, here at Templarius Studios, we spend the month of July brainstorming our plan what we should do and where we are headed. This process helps us figure out our plans and ensure we remain on track with development and we have plans for the future. Now on top of finishing Yoltrund and releasing a new unique game, we have some more stuff for our development team; 2 new concepts that we think will be amazing and we want your input on what we should prioritise!

To be clear, you're not voting on what game we should make over the other; both concepts will become games to be released. You are simply prioritising our efforts, making sure we prioritise the game you guys want more. If you don't like either concept, that's fine; there's an option for that.

The brief version will take only a couple minutes to complete and asks one question. The detailed version will ask a lot more information if you have more time on your hands and want to provide some more feedback.

Take the survey here!

We do encourage you to fill out the survey; even the brief version will tell us a lot about what we should be doing for our future.

We will also make a habit of doing this every July to make sure we remain on track with what you guys want as our ongoing goal to give you what you want. Without you, the community, we would be nothing.

Mark Reardon
Templarius Games Studios - Social Media Manager

After plenty more delays and a long time of no updates, we are proud to present the newest and freshest content for Yoltrund in the Canto IV update! Travel Hekehldahr, the Realm of Pride

Canto IV: Hekehldahr, the Realm of Pride

Leaving the dark Parforiah, my Master shows me the other realms of Yoltrund and I know then that my journey is far from over. I make my way to Hekehldahr, a realm trapped in Yoltrund where the selfish prideful are imprisoned and tortured by acid rain. Along this journey of mine, my Master leaves me, stating that someone is hunting me. Who is this hunter? And should I be afraid should my Master fail?


New content!

• Added the Hekehldahr scene for Canto IV..
  
  
  
• Introduction of two new characters; Diaghaltas and Aikhemheil, and Hohenheim.
  
  
  
• Introduction of a new mechanic of the Acid Rain, degrading health over time.
  
  

How's it going, everyone? I hope you all had a very nice month of Yoltrund. Beginning of the month, we have been proud to present the Canto II and III update to Yoltrund, bringing in Kurldehv and Parforiah. And after sorting some issues, we think the update is a nice addition to the game. We will continue to tweak the update behind the scenes to smooth some corners out.

So, I believe it is time to fill you all in on the current progress of Yoltrund!

What has been developed so far?
Sadly, as of now, not much actual development has taken place for Yoltrund. After fixing some major launch issues with the update, we've been playing a game of catch up. Because of this, not much more than planning work has been taking place with Yoltrund.

With this, what we are trying to do is cement a solid plan of implementation. Now that all of the base code is added, we can continue to build, but we're also planning a port so we're trying to find a balance between the two. However, once we get this all sorted out, we will be loading content into the game like there's no tomorrow.

Right now, we're in the process of determining between a 2D or 3D map once again. We're really wanting to use 2D on this one with some cool parallax effects, and with that we're trying to smooth out some other effects. We're also trying to determine when to release the Canto IV update and the Canto V update and whether we should release them together or separately.

Now, while we've been on a good 30 day implementation schedule, that likely won't be the case for this update and it may not be done until later in April, sadly.


How's getting the game completely done looking?
Right now, we're having some good feelings about getting the game done on a good time. We're still shooting for August 2018 with March 2019 as a fallback. This is all also reliant on the Nintendo DS porting process.


Yoltrund will come to the Nintendo DS?
That is the plan right now. We're still smoothing some things over for the port and how exactly to implement the port with the dual-screens and all, but we're slowly but surely making good headway. The port is not expected to come out until late March/April 2019.


What about the Nintendo Switch? Will you guys port Yoltrund to that?
We would absolutely love to port to the Switch, however we're still working with Nintendo on just the DS port. A Switch port may come at a later date with some love and support from you guys.


Will the game be finished when it is ported?
We're looking at two options. 1) Yes, the port won't be done until the game is finished and available in retailers. 2) It will be available digitally on the eShop in Early Access (available before 2019) while once the game is finished, the game will be available from retailers.

Option 1 is the likely scenario, but option 2 is available if all else fails. Depending on the support for the game both on PC and on the ported DS, the game might come to Switch. Although we don't want to say anything official at this time about it.


When will Yoltrund have its price changed?
The short answer, when we feel like the price no longer fits the game.

The long answer, we don't really know just yet. We feel the game is a great value for the price right now and we don't want to take that value away. We are currently expecting a price change around Canto V or VI, but only time will tell.

If you have concerns about pricing, please let us know. To be very honest, we would rather you tell us what you want to pay, how much value the game has for you. So please do let us know.

As for how much the price may change, depending on feedback, probably a dollar or 2. The game will be no more than $15 by release, we do know that. For all we know, the game will be $5-$10 on finishing it.


Since you guys are around halfway finished with the game, what will you do afterwards?
That's a really good question. We are aiming to move on to a newer project that Yoltrund actually comes from, an RPG known as Junsereig. This RPG will be set in the same world and lore as Yoltrund, but a more complete RPG. We actually plan it to be a spiritual successor to what Elder Scrolls 6 could be if we end up not getting that game and the mindset of Elder Scrolls 6 is how we're approaching Junsereig.

This means Junsereig will feature a unique open world, quests, insane dialogue, amazing and exciting combat, and a story based around dragons, gods, Titans, god kings on earth, an alternate reality of history, demons, devils, monsters, and more all in 3 novels, each roughly 600 pages a piece all put into this massive RPG we have planned. It will be ambitious, yes, but it will also be fantastic and with your support, it will become a reality.

To top if off, have you ever wanted to wield the power of an incredibly powerful god? The playable characters are actually gods who must return to their rightful place in power, one of these characters is the King, Arylos, himself.

2 playable characters are set for Junsereig, each will play the same story, but with different points of view. This means if you choose to play as the other character, you will experience a different version of the tale, different quests, NPC's, fights, and so on.

All of this and more. It's a whole lot we are planning for Junsereig and a more complete statement will come later about the game. When we are starting development, you all will be the first to know! So if that sounds amazing to you, show us some love and let us know.


Will you need funding for Junsereig?
Every good game needs funding, but we honestly don't care. The reason Yoltrund has such a low price point is because we want people to experience Yoltrund rather than pay for it. Junsereig will be no different; we are focused on putting out an amazing piece of art first, if we make a happy buck in the process, that's all good with us. We want to give you something you will love and when we make a good game first, the money will come later.

Yes, the more funds we have, the faster the development time and the more we can put in, but if we get it right the first time, the better.

However, we do know that the game will not be Early Access. We were pushing the limit with Yoltrund and with Junsereig, we feel that Early Access won't be helpful to the overall content of the game.


What technology will you use for Junsereig?
Yoltrund was a test of half of the functions in Junsereig, therefore we are likely to continue using the Unity engine, as it has done wonders for us, and continue using the Fungus and Ork Framework systems. Those two systems have been amazing so far for Yoltrund and can only do amazing things for Junsereig.

We also have a functioning protoype of an old game that will grow into Junsereig all made in Unity, so yes, we will likely still use our current assets. We will also partner with a few extra studios to give us a guiding hand so we're not messing everything up.


I have some more questions about Junsereig.
Please let us know on Reddit or on Twitter. And feel free to offer your opinions or ideas; we would love to hear them.



And I do think that's it for now. Granted, there's still more stuff I haven't covered, but those will come out in due time. Let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Michael Cox
Lead designer.

Keep posted on Arylos' Twitter or the Templarius Games Studios Twitter for updated information in realtime. You can also go to the Yoltrund Subreddit to keep posted on developments!

How's it going, everyone? I hope you all had a very nice month of Yoltrund. Beginning of the month, we have been proud to present the Canto II and III update to Yoltrund, bringing in Kurldehv and Parforiah. And after sorting some issues, we think the update is a nice addition to the game. We will continue to tweak the update behind the scenes to smooth some corners out.

So, I believe it is time to fill you all in on the current progress of Yoltrund!

What has been developed so far?
Sadly, as of now, not much actual development has taken place for Yoltrund. After fixing some major launch issues with the update, we've been playing a game of catch up. Because of this, not much more than planning work has been taking place with Yoltrund.

With this, what we are trying to do is cement a solid plan of implementation. Now that all of the base code is added, we can continue to build, but we're also planning a port so we're trying to find a balance between the two. However, once we get this all sorted out, we will be loading content into the game like there's no tomorrow.

Right now, we're in the process of determining between a 2D or 3D map once again. We're really wanting to use 2D on this one with some cool parallax effects, and with that we're trying to smooth out some other effects. We're also trying to determine when to release the Canto IV update and the Canto V update and whether we should release them together or separately.

Now, while we've been on a good 30 day implementation schedule, that likely won't be the case for this update and it may not be done until later in April, sadly.


How's getting the game completely done looking?
Right now, we're having some good feelings about getting the game done on a good time. We're still shooting for August 2018 with March 2019 as a fallback. This is all also reliant on the Nintendo DS porting process.


Yoltrund will come to the Nintendo DS?
That is the plan right now. We're still smoothing some things over for the port and how exactly to implement the port with the dual-screens and all, but we're slowly but surely making good headway. The port is not expected to come out until late March/April 2019.


What about the Nintendo Switch? Will you guys port Yoltrund to that?
We would absolutely love to port to the Switch, however we're still working with Nintendo on just the DS port. A Switch port may come at a later date with some love and support from you guys.


Will the game be finished when it is ported?
We're looking at two options. 1) Yes, the port won't be done until the game is finished and available in retailers. 2) It will be available digitally on the eShop in Early Access (available before 2019) while one the game is finished, the game will be available from retailers.

Option 1 is the likely scenario, but option 2 is available if all else fails. Depending on the support for the game both on PC and on the ported DS, the game might come to Switch. Although we don't want to say anything official at this time about it.


When will Yoltrund have its price changed?
The short answer, when we feel like the price no longer fits the game.

The long answer, we don't really know just yet. We feel the game is a great value for the price right now and we don't want to take that value away. We are currently expecting a price change around Canto V or VI, but only time will tell.

If you have concerns about pricing, please let us know. To be very honest, we would rather you tell us what you want to pay, how much value the game has for you. So please do let us know.

As for how much the price may change, depending on feedback, probably a dollar or 2. The game will be no more than $15 by release, we do know that. For all we know, the game will be $5-$10 on finishing it.


Since you guys are around halfway finished with the game, what will you do afterwards?
That's a really good question. We are aiming to move on to a newer project that Yoltrund actually comes from, an RPG known as Junsereig. This RPG will be set in the same world and lore as Yoltrund, but a more complete RPG. We actually plan it to be a spiritual successor to what Elder Scrolls 6 could be if we end up not getting that game and the mindset of Elder Scrolls 6 is how we're approaching Junsereig.

This means Junsereig will feature a unique open world, quests, insane dialogue, amazing and exciting combat, and a story based around dragons, gods, Titans, god kinds on earth, an alternate reality of history, demons, devils, monsters, and more all in 3 novels, each roughly 600 pages a piece all put into this massive RPG we have planned. It will be ambitious, yes, but it will also be fantastic and with your support, it will become a reality.

To top if off, have you ever wanted to wield the power of an incredibly powerful god? The playable characters are actually gods who must return to their rightful place in power, one of these characters is the King, Arylos, himself.

2 playable characters are set for Junsereig, each will play the same story, but with different points of view. This means if you choose to play as the other character, you will experience a different version of the tale, different quests, NPC's, fights, and so on.

All of this and more. It's a whole lot we are planning for Junsereig and a more complete statement will come later about the game. When we are starting development, you all will be the first to know! So if that sounds amazing to you, show us some love and let us know.


Will you need funding for Junsereig?
Every good game needs funding, but we honestly don't care. The reason Yoltrund has such a low price point is because we want people to experience Yoltrund rather than pay for it. Junsereig will be no different; we are focused on putting out an amazing piece of art first, if we make a happy buck in the process, that's all good with us. We want to give you something you will love and when we make a good game first, the money will come later.

Yes, the more funds we have, the faster the development time and the more we can put in, but if we get it right the first time, the better.

However, we do know that the game will not be Early Access. We were pushing the limit with Yoltrund and with Junsereig, we feel that Early Access won't be helpful to the overall content of the game.


What technology will you use for Junsereig?
Yoltrund was a test of half of the functions in Junsereig, therefore we are likely to continue using the Unity engine, as it has done wonders for us, and continue using the Fungus and Ork Framework systems. Those two systems have been amazing so far for Yoltrund and can only do amazing things for Junsereig.

We also have a functioning protoype of an old game that will grow into Junsereig all made in Unity, so yes, we will likely still use our current assets. We will also partner with a few extra studios to give us a guiding hand so we're not messing everything up.


I have some more questions about Junsereig.
Please let us know on Reddit or on Twitter. And feel free to offer your opinions or ideas; we would love to hear them.



And I do think that's it for now. Granted, there's still more stuff I haven't covered, but those will come out in due time. Let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Michael Cox
Lead designer.

Keep posted on Arylos' Twitter or the Templarius Games Studios Twitter for updated information in realtime. You can also go to the Yoltrund Subreddit to keep posted on developments!

Here comes the biggest update to date for Yoltrund; two Cantos in one! Canto II: Kurldehv, the Steps of Judgement and Canto III: The Sea of Incontinence.

Canto II: Kurldehv, the Steps of Judgement

After sailing from the dark Tunnel, I arrive at the foot of a towering mountain shrouded in mist and wrapped in massive chains with ruins of an ancient temple peppering across the surface of the mountain. Flames and smoke lick the mountain as the shadows of tormented souls move up along the mountain to the peak. In the distance, a booming voice shouts. What new torments await me?

Canto III: Parforiah, the Sea of Incontinence

After finally scaling the mountain and allowed through to the depths of Yoltrund, I see what look like stars within the gaping maw of the mountain. At the bottom of the mountain, a dark sea sloshes about as souls cry from under it's murky surface. A foul stench rises from the sea and even with myself at a great height from the sea, my nostrils burn. I must see what torment these foul souls by climbing down to the water's surface. What awaits me there?

New content!

• Added the Kurldehv and Parforiah scenes for Canto II and III respectively.
  
  
• Added stamina mechanic, taking away infinite sprint.
  
  
• Added the final touches to the Punishment System, allowing NPC's and the levels to change according to sin.
  
  
• With the final additions to the Punishment System, permanent death is now possible should you fail any tests related to your sin. Pay close attention to characters with red name text; failing their tests will result in permanent failure. The Punishment System will also add content when you fail in this way.
  
  

Here comes the biggest update to date for Yoltrund; two Cantos in one! Canto II: Kurldehv, the Steps of Judgement and Canto III: The Sea of Incontinence.

Canto II: Kurldehv, the Steps of Judgement

After sailing from the dark Tunnel, I arrive at the foot of a towering mountain shrouded in mist and wrapped in massive chains with ruins of an ancient temple peppering across the surface of the mountain. Flames and smoke lick the mountain as the shadows of tormented souls move up along the mountain to the peak. In the distance, a booming voice shouts. What new torments await me?

Canto III: Parforiah, the Sea of Incontinence

After finally scaling the mountain and allowed through to the depths of Yoltrund, I see what look like stars within the gaping maw of the mountain. At the bottom of the mountain, a dark sea sloshes about as souls cry from under it's murky surface. A foul stench rises from the sea and even with myself at a great height from the sea, my nostrils burn. I must see what torment these foul souls by climbing down to the water's surface. What awaits me there?

New content!

• Added the Kurldehv and Parforiah scenes for Canto II and III respectively.
  
  
• Added stamina mechanic, taking away infinite sprint.
  
  
• Added the final touches to the Punishment System, allowing NPC's and the levels to change according to sin.
  
  
• With the final additions to the Punishment System, permanent death is now possible should you fail any tests related to your sin. Pay close attention to characters with red name text; failing their tests will result in permanent failure. The Punishment System will also add content when you fail in this way.
  
  

How's it going, everyone? I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day. Go to a fancy dinner? Someplace special?

As for most of us, many of us have been working hard on the upcoming Yoltrund update, Canto II: The Steps of Judgement. Over the last few weeks, we'll go through what has been done (as well as summarize some ninja changes that have been made)

Ease of use

ninja update - already fixed.
We recently noticed a minor issue that we sorted out in the last ninja update. When it came to loading scenes, the wrong manager was being used. While minor, the scenes weren't loading as smoothly as they could be since a lot of the data was being saved and loaded at the wrong times. (The scene would load resources first, and then load your sin, which would change the level layout, causing the scene to load again) We sorted this out to make it smoother.

We also added a loading icon when loading a save, so that way you're not brought with a black screen.

We also noticed a minor issue where the sin selected wasn't loading correctly; if you start a save with one sin and start another, it would not properly overwrite the old sin, resulting still having the old sin from your previous save. While not serious now, it's best to fix this issue before it really becomes a problem. This has been fixed.

Current progress

We're using a new tilemap (of course) for Kurldehv, and after about a week of prototyping, we roughly have what we want, and that will be detailed in the imgur post below.

2D vs 3D

Feel free to offer your opinions as we're still in the planning stage as to using 3D.

We also added a proper settings menu complete with graphics and resolution settings. This way, we can get rid of that default config launcher and those resolution commands. The commands will still be there, but not the primary way to set those settings.

We also got a new audio setup for recording, allowing better vocals with clearer quality. This will allow us to make better sound effects and music in the future updates (and finally add voice acting to the new game menu).

Speaking of the new game menu, I (Michael "Arylos" Cox, lead designer), am responsible for voicing the King and the Master. I have not been able to get around to finishing either's voice lines as of yet, although I've been perfecting how they should sound since the announcement trailer where the King's voice was used. We are totally expecting to have the voice lines for the Master finished up to this canto (yes, including Canto I).

We have not announced a voice actor for the main character, although we plan to have him selected by Canto V at the latest. It's mostly the sheer volume of lines needing to be completed if we have all dialogues voiced. If we go with only main dialogues voiced, it will be easier. We're still sorting these details out.

We're also storyboarding characters for this scene right now, figuring out the best placement, kinds of dialogue and interactions, as well as different tests for the player. I would offer some photos of this, but as River Song would say, "spoilers".

And finally, we're putting the finishing touches on the Punishment System, where the level will change depending on your sin. We'll describe how this works below. (no fancy pictures this time.

The Punishment System

When you start a new save, you select a sin to confess to which will then set a string value (Lost, Branded, Lost, Lust3, Traitor, etc). This value is then referenced like and alongside your character name. A character that will respond to your sin will check the value and if the value equals a specific value, the character will respond in that way.

For example, when the Master spoke about your sin, he would first check what that value read, and if it read "Lost", he would respond with the appropriate dialogue.

How will the Punishment System affect my game besides dialogue?

There's many uses we have planned for the system, but the main one you will all see in the Canto II update. Kurldehv, in Canto II, will change according to your sin. So if you confessed to being Lost, the level will load all resources and adjust the objects in the scene. If you are not guilty of being Lost, anything tagged for that specific sin will disable and the basic level will load and all behaviours will act accordingly. If you are Lost, it will disable any resources not tagged for that sin and tthe behaviours will act accordingly (spirits and souls will be more hostile, more chances to die, and the final test will be difficult).

As for future implementations, we want to use the system to change things like the flow of the story, add mini-games outside of your final tests, and even have characters appear or disappear based on your sin. We also want to add hallucinations depending on your sin and if you're being tested. We already played with this a little with The Tunnel in Canto I and we want to see what more we can do.


A final implementation that will be put in with this update that we will perfect is the player's soul being lost. This is a cool implementation where if your soul is permanently lost to Yoltrund, you will see your lost self if you play again. So if you failed your test in Kurldehv, if you play again, you might see your old self sill in Kurldehv. This feature is still in the testing stages to make sure everything works correctly, but will be done by the Canto II update.

We're still allocating some data space for this data, trying to see what storage options work, but once we're past that, it's just planning the spawns.



And with that, that is our updates on the Canto II update for Yoltrund! Sorry about the length, but there is quite a lot we're working on. We plan to fully announce the update (teaser and all) by end of the month. We're expecting the update to go live around the beginning of March, but nothing official yet.

Michael Cox
Lead designer.

Keep posted on Arylos' Twitter or the Templarius Games Studios Twitter for updated information in realtime. You can also go to the Yoltrund Subreddit to keep posted on developments!

How's it going, everyone? I hope you all had a lovely Valentine's Day. Go to a fancy dinner? Someplace special?

As for most of us, many of us have been working hard on the upcoming Yoltrund update, Canto II: The Steps of Judgement. Over the last few weeks, we'll go through what has been done (as well as summarize some ninja changes that have been made)

Ease of use

ninja update - already fixed.
We recently noticed a minor issue that we sorted out in the last ninja update. When it came to loading scenes, the wrong manager was being used. While minor, the scenes weren't loading as smoothly as they could be since a lot of the data was being saved and loaded at the wrong times. (The scene would load resources first, and then load your sin, which would change the level layout, causing the scene to load again) We sorted this out to make it smoother.

We also added a loading icon when loading a save, so that way you're not brought with a black screen.

We also noticed a minor issue where the sin selected wasn't loading correctly; if you start a save with one sin and start another, it would not properly overwrite the old sin, resulting still having the old sin from your previous save. While not serious now, it's best to fix this issue before it really becomes a problem. This has been fixed.

Current progress

We're using a new tilemap (of course) for Kurldehv, and after about a week of prototyping, we roughly have what we want, and that will be detailed in the imgur post below.

2D vs 3D

Feel free to offer your opinions as we're still in the planning stage as to using 3D.

We also added a proper settings menu complete with graphics and resolution settings. This way, we can get rid of that default config launcher and those resolution commands. The commands will still be there, but not the primary way to set those settings.

We also got a new audio setup for recording, allowing better vocals with clearer quality. This will allow us to make better sound effects and music in the future updates (and finally add voice acting to the new game menu).

Speaking of the new game menu, I (Michael "Arylos" Cox, lead designer), am responsible for voicing the King and the Master. I have not been able to get around to finishing either's voice lines as of yet, although I've been perfecting how they should sound since the announcement trailer where the King's voice was used. We are totally expecting to have the voice lines for the Master finished up to this canto (yes, including Canto I).

We have not announced a voice actor for the main character, although we plan to have him selected by Canto V at the latest. It's mostly the sheer volume of lines needing to be completed if we have all dialogues voiced. If we go with only main dialogues voiced, it will be easier. We're still sorting these details out.

We're also storyboarding characters for this scene right now, figuring out the best placement, kinds of dialogue and interactions, as well as different tests for the player. I would offer some photos of this, but as River Song would say, "spoilers".

And finally, we're putting the finishing touches on the Punishment System, where the level will change depending on your sin. We'll describe how this works below. (no fancy pictures this time.

The Punishment System

When you start a new save, you select a sin to confess to which will then set a string value (Lost, Branded, Lost, Lust3, Traitor, etc). This value is then referenced like and alongside your character name. A character that will respond to your sin will check the value and if the value equals a specific value, the character will respond in that way.

For example, when the Master spoke about your sin, he would first check what that value read, and if it read "Lost", he would respond with the appropriate dialogue.

How will the Punishment System affect my game besides dialogue?

There's many uses we have planned for the system, but the main one you will all see in the Canto II update. Kurldehv, in Canto II, will change according to your sin. So if you confessed to being Lost, the level will load all resources and adjust the objects in the scene. If you are not guilty of being Lost, anything tagged for that specific sin will disable and the basic level will load and all behaviours will act accordingly. If you are Lost, it will disable any resources not tagged for that sin and tthe behaviours will act accordingly (spirits and souls will be more hostile, more chances to die, and the final test will be difficult).

As for future implementations, we want to use the system to change things like the flow of the story, add mini-games outside of your final tests, and even have characters appear or disappear based on your sin. We also want to add hallucinations depending on your sin and if you're being tested. We already played with this a little with The Tunnel in Canto I and we want to see what more we can do.


A final implementation that will be put in with this update that we will perfect is the player's soul being lost. This is a cool implementation where if your soul is permanently lost to Yoltrund, you will see your lost self if you play again. So if you failed your test in Kurldehv, if you play again, you might see your old self sill in Kurldehv. This feature is still in the testing stages to make sure everything works correctly, but will be done by the Canto II update.

We're still allocating some data space for this data, trying to see what storage options work, but once we're past that, it's just planning the spawns.



And with that, that is our updates on the Canto II update for Yoltrund! Sorry about the length, but there is quite a lot we're working on. We plan to fully announce the update (teaser and all) by end of the month. We're expecting the update to go live around the beginning of March, but nothing official yet.

Michael Cox
Lead designer.

Keep posted on Arylos' Twitter or the Templarius Games Studios Twitter for updated information in realtime. You can also go to the Yoltrund Subreddit to keep posted on developments!

The awaited first update to Yoltrund is now here! Introducing the final piece of the first Canto: The Keter River!

And don't forget we're still running that content poll on Reddit about dialoge box changes.

Canto I: The Keter River

The Dark Tunnel of Sorrow continues on into the abyss, but the deeper the tunnel goes, the brighter it becomes. There's salt on the air and the tunnel is not in as much of a dilapidated state. There's a cry of pain on the wind and the sound of water, but still water. And in this dark place, I meet one who is willing to help me. Will my new Master return me to the Light?


The Keter River update - content additions

• Added The Keter River scene and content, wrapping up Canto I.
  
  
• Added idle phrases to the main character, adding more dialogue content.
  
  
• Added a drone sound to all Tunnel scenes, adding just a little more atmosphere.
  
  
• Added the player's ability to die. A wrong turn or a wrong answer and your soul could be forever lost.
  
  
• Added more content related to the player's sin, allowing more individual experiences. From this update, the game will start to change depending on the sin you have chosen.
  

• Added colouring to names on the dialogue boxes. The colours signify the character's relationship to the player. (The player's name remains white) Green signifies friendly or helpful. Blue signifies neutral. Yellow signifies unfriendly or unhelpful, dangerous. Red signifies importance and the giver of a Purification Challenge (future content). And finally, Black signifies unknown or unidentified.
  
  
• Added a "new content" window to the main menu, detailing recent changes or current content polls. (modified from original to better fit screen)
  

• (Jan. 31st) Fixed an issue where The Tunnel scene would not transition properly.
  
  
• Fixed an issue on Mac where sometimes the dialogue would not engage and would require spamming the spacebar.
  
  
• Linux users were getting a build of Yoltrund that was not working properly. We have removed the build pending changes to fix these issues and will be put up officially on the store by the end of the month. If you are receiving an "invalid app configuration" error, that is due to the fact that the build is empty. We will address this in time once we fix the issue with the build.
  

• We will begin working more with the Linux build to fix an issue with the mouse cursor. This is expected to be completed by the end of the month.
  
  
• We are planning content for Canto II now that Canto I is finished. There's no date on Canto II just yet, so keep posted on our social media.
  
  
• We're working through some kinks with the Sin system to make Canto II the first step into using your sin against you. We're wrapping up some tests and will begin full implementation in Canto II.
  
  
• We will be adding a feedback form within the game itself within the next week or so. This form will import directly into a publicly visible Trello board so the community can see our progress on responding to feedback and any reported bugs. On implementation, if you are having an issue, it's good to check the Trello board to see if it has already been reported and how we are progressing on fixing the issue. Fast, quick, easy. And it will be as easy as pressing F8, filling a box out, and pressing "submit". Done, we'll take it from there.
  
  
• We will be working on autosave. Originally, the game had it, but we found some issues and decided to take it out pending some fixes and changes. We hope to reintroduce autosaving shortly.
  
  
• We will be adding some voice lines to the "new game" screen to add some more auditory flare. It sounds empty there and we'll get around to spicing that screen up. That is likely to be done around the time we add the content form or end of the month.
  
  
• Updates will be coming to the pause menu, specifically the menu showing your sin, known as the Brand. We will be updating it to pretty it up a little (and to get rid of the compression artifacting on the screen). We are possibly going to add some effects to it, although that is up in the air at this time.
  

The awaited first update to Yoltrund is now here! Introducing the final piece of the first Canto: The Keter River!

And don't forget we're still running that content poll on Reddit about dialoge box changes.

Canto I: The Keter River

The Dark Tunnel of Sorrow continues on into the abyss, but the deeper the tunnel goes, the brighter it becomes. There's salt on the air and the tunnel is not in as much of a dilapidated state. There's a cry of pain on the wind and the sound of water, but still water. And in this dark place, I meet one who is willing to help me. Will my new Master return me to the Light?


The Keter River update - content additions

• Added The Keter River scene and content, wrapping up Canto I.
  
  
• Added idle phrases to the main character, adding more dialogue content.
  
  
• Added a drone sound to all Tunnel scenes, adding just a little more atmosphere.
  
  
• Added the player's ability to die. A wrong turn or a wrong answer and your soul could be forever lost.
  
  
• Added more content related to the player's sin, allowing more individual experiences. From this update, the game will start to change depending on the sin you have chosen.
  

• Added colouring to names on the dialogue boxes. The colours signify the character's relationship to the player. (The player's name remains white) Green signifies friendly or helpful. Blue signifies neutral. Yellow signifies unfriendly or unhelpful, dangerous. Red signifies importance and the giver of a Purification Challenge (future content). And finally, Black signifies unknown or unidentified.
  
  
• Added a "new content" window to the main menu, detailing recent changes or current content polls. (modified from original to better fit screen)
  

• (Jan. 31st) Fixed an issue where The Tunnel scene would not transition properly.
  
  
• Fixed an issue on Mac where sometimes the dialogue would not engage and would require spamming the spacebar.
  
  
• Linux users were getting a build of Yoltrund that was not working properly. We have removed the build pending changes to fix these issues and will be put up officially on the store by the end of the month. If you are receiving an "invalid app configuration" error, that is due to the fact that the build is empty. We will address this in time once we fix the issue with the build.
  

• We will begin working more with the Linux build to fix an issue with the mouse cursor. This is expected to be completed by the end of the month.
  
  
• We are planning content for Canto II now that Canto I is finished. There's no date on Canto II just yet, so keep posted on our social media.
  
  
• We're working through some kinks with the Sin system to make Canto II the first step into using your sin against you. We're wrapping up some tests and will begin full implementation in Canto II.
  
  
• We will be adding a feedback form within the game itself within the next week or so. This form will import directly into a publicly visible Trello board so the community can see our progress on responding to feedback and any reported bugs. On implementation, if you are having an issue, it's good to check the Trello board to see if it has already been reported and how we are progressing on fixing the issue. Fast, quick, easy. And it will be as easy as pressing F8, filling a box out, and pressing "submit". Done, we'll take it from there.
  
  
• We will be working on autosave. Originally, the game had it, but we found some issues and decided to take it out pending some fixes and changes. We hope to reintroduce autosaving shortly.
  
  
• We will be adding some voice lines to the "new game" screen to add some more auditory flare. It sounds empty there and we'll get around to spicing that screen up. That is likely to be done around the time we add the content form or end of the month.
  
  
• Updates will be coming to the pause menu, specifically the menu showing your sin, known as the Brand. We will be updating it to pretty it up a little (and to get rid of the compression artifacting on the screen). We are possibly going to add some effects to it, although that is up in the air at this time.
  

How's it going, everyone? I hope all of you had a pleasant first journey into Yoltrund (about as pleasant as Hell could be) and have had no issues so far. On a side note, we did notice a little oops that I (Michael) did with The Tunnel where the scene didn't end properly; it just black screened. That was fixed, although some of you may have experienced the issue.

We are very proud to finally release our work so far and we're so excited for The Keter River scene to be added next week. We weren't able to finish all of the added features in time so we kept our February 7th release date for that update.

One question we constantly get regarding the update, will I need to pay extra for the update? Our answer; absolutely not. The price you paid for the game is all you pay. The update is added to the game as a normal Steam game update; no extra work required. We will announce scenes or Cantos to be added and the game will also properly tell you what the current update is and when the next one is due.

The Keter River scene will complete all gameplay mechanics and show you what the "hard mode" version of each map looks like. It will also introduce one of the main characters known as The Master, and no, not the Time Lord The Master. It will also introduce the ability to fail or die, bringing on some consequence for your actions.

While I'm at it, we would like to say thank you for the content creators who jumped on streaming and playing the game right after release, specifically CheeseWhis for pointing out the issue described above where the game would not move on to the next scene properly for myself and our Project Team to get fixed in a timely manner.

An official announcement for The Keter River will come shortly.

At this point, we're taking feedback on the game so far and The Keter River update when it comes out, although we are not putting up the content for public changes just yet. The following update Kurldehv - The Steps of Judgement will receive public scrutiny so get your lore hats on for that one; so many characters, so little time.

In the meantime, enjoy your initial journeys and see you next week for The Keter River.

Michael Cox
Lead Designer

Keep posted on Arylos' Twitter or the Templarius Games Studios Twitter for updated information in realtime. You can also go to the Yoltrund Subreddit to keep posted on developments!

How's it going, everyone? I hope all of you had a pleasant first journey into Yoltrund (about as pleasant as Hell could be) and have had no issues so far. On a side note, we did notice a little oops that I (Michael) did with The Tunnel where the scene didn't end properly; it just black screened. That was fixed, although some of you may have experienced the issue.

We are very proud to finally release our work so far and we're so excited for The Keter River scene to be added next week. We weren't able to finish all of the added features in time so we kept our February 7th release date for that update.

One question we constantly get regarding the update, will I need to pay extra for the update? Our answer; absolutely not. The price you paid for the game is all you pay. The update is added to the game as a normal Steam game update; no extra work required. We will announce scenes or Cantos to be added and the game will also properly tell you what the current update is and when the next one is due.

The Keter River scene will complete all gameplay mechanics and show you what the "hard mode" version of each map looks like. It will also introduce one of the main characters known as The Master, and no, not the Time Lord The Master. It will also introduce the ability to fail or die, bringing on some consequence for your actions.

While I'm at it, we would like to say thank you for the content creators who jumped on streaming and playing the game right after release, specifically CheeseWhis for pointing out the issue described above where the game would not move on to the next scene properly for myself and our Project Team to get fixed in a timely manner.

An official announcement for The Keter River will come shortly.

At this point, we're taking feedback on the game so far and The Keter River update when it comes out, although we are not putting up the content for public changes just yet. The following update Kurldehv - The Steps of Judgement will receive public scrutiny so get your lore hats on for that one; so many characters, so little time.

In the meantime, enjoy your initial journeys and see you next week for The Keter River.

Michael Cox
Lead Designer

Keep posted on Arylos' Twitter or the Templarius Games Studios Twitter for updated information in realtime. You can also go to the Yoltrund Subreddit to keep posted on developments!

I regret to inform the community that Yoltrund will be delayed until January 31st due to build complications.

We had some issues with the build that will not be ready until next week. Instead of releasing an already unfinished game in any worst condition, we're delaying it a week to sort out these issues. We will also be adding more content.

We were expecting the final scene "The River Keter" to be released February 7th. However, in payment for this delay, we will take this time to add the scene to the game to fully finish Canto I. This way, we can provide more content to play through on the game's release.

We are very sorry for this last minute delay and we will work our hardest to make up for it.

Michael Cox
Lead designer.

Howdy, folks! As we approach the Early Access launch for Yoltrund, I just wanted to take some time to clarify what will happen for the game.

So, let's go through the roadmap.

Scenes and Scene Deployment

What is a Scene?

To put it simply, a Scene is what we use to describe a sequence of events. A Scene is usually a level, for example, The Void is a Scene itself, but it's kind of tied in The Tunnel and The River Keter, all in the main Canto that is The Tunnel of Sorrow. The original story was divided into "Cantos" which talked about a specific area of Yoltrund. A Scene is a smaller sequence within the Canto.

So, in Canto I: The Tunnel of Sorrow, you have The Tunnel, The Void, and The River Keter scenes.

What we plan to do is deploy Scenes for review by the community. A Scene will be fully completed upon deployment and we will use that time to test, refine, and adjust the scene. Once all of the Scenes in the Canto is finished, we will released the Scenes in a Canto update.

For example, we will start with The Void and The Tunnel. Approximately beginning of February, we will release The River Keter Scene for the community to play and provide feed back. Once that's finished, we will say that the Canto is finished and begin working on the upcoming Scenes.

There are 10 Cantos in the original story and 18 Scenes estimated for the game to receive. We will attempt to do biweekly Scene additions and even have the updates laid out on our road map.


Will I have to pay for Scenes or Cantos?

Absolutely not. You won't have the base game come with Canto I and end up having to pay extra for the following Cantos. For 2 reasons.

1) It is unfair to you guys, our players who help shape this game, to have you reach into your wallet for content that you should have had access to begin with.

2) It is a nightmare. With the engine we're using, we can't just plop new Scenes in as DLC. Like having the game have all of the content and just drop the Scenes into the build and using the proper way to do it will just complicate something that has already been complicated and would take time and resources better spent to polishing the game. Why spend resources to trying to pry money from the community when it's better spent making the game better and worth said money? So for this, we have sworn that there will be no paid DLC or even free DLC besides the game soundtrack. All content that should come with the game will come with the game.


Are you actually done with the game and just releasing bits of it over time?

To be honest, I wish I was that smart, but no. The game is actually incomplete and we want to take this time to polish it.

We actually had a short development roadmap, and then we played with the concept too much to where it got too big, but it was still a good concept and we liked it and thought it added more to gameplay. So instead of scrapping the project or releasing an unfinished and unenjoyable product, we're taking this opportunity to let the community help shape the game. There's so much story, so much more than what was in the original story, so we want to make this your story.


Community Contributions

How will we get the community involved, you might say? Well, we will be closely monitoring the community on our Subreddit and on the Steam Discussions. We will deploy a Scene or Canto and review the community feedback. This is from the community saying "I don't know about this character. Maybe make him feel a bit more alive?" to "there's a major issue I'm having that I think you guys missed. Can you help?" We will even ask for the community to help us shape the game by asking things like "come up with your own dialogue for a Traitor" or "who do you think belongs in Yoltrund" or "where do you think this character is guilty and should be punished?"

Just know, when we ask you to make a character for Yoltrund, unless the name is of signifigance, we might change it. There is a lot of name dropping in the original story that isn't very comfortable and we don't plan to add anymore names. If your character is based on a real person, we will not use their name.

And please don't ask for the US President Donald Trump to be added to the game. We have been asked this before several times and we will not do so. There are lines that we won't cross; that's one of them.

Other than that, we are happy to take community feedback and we are more than happy to let you help us shape this game and make it truly the best we can make it.




And now for some quick FAQ's since I already brought some up.

There's this one person I REALLY want added into the game. Is there something that stops me?

Generally, if you want someone who is real (alive or dead), we are likely to say no. Decisions like those are usually done by our internal design team as well as myself since I wrote the original story. You can argue for someone well known to be added, although we are likely to use the character, but change the name out of respect. If this is someone you know personally, we are also likely to say no just out of respect.

HOWEVER, you can design a character around them and submit that to us. Or put your influence on a character we want the community to shape.



When will the game be finished?

Fantastic question. As of now, until we finish Canto I, our roadmap is like the megaquake to hit California. Quoting dearly departed Robin Williams "We have a window of opportunity...Could be tomorrow, or 10,000 years from now". That's pretty much what we're looking at; depending on when Canto I is finished and Canto II is in the works, the game will either be done by August 2018...Or May 2019.

However, we do want to keep in that time window since we are planning a Nintendo DS port that will be available around that time.

Overall, we'll keep you posted.


What exactly is the game like?

I'll sum up what I can. Basically, ignoring the story, Yoltrund is a 2D top down maze crawler. You travel through Yoltrund and each Scene is a maze. Some can be completed by finding the right path, some must be completed through challenges. At the near end of the Scene, you will be tested in a unique test depending on the sin of that Scene. If you pass the test, you move on. If you fail, you lose and must start again.

I'm also going to explain something with this in the next question since I can answer that question using the same statement.



Will my saves work no matter what Canto is released or will I have to start a new save every time?

Your saves will work no matter what version of the game is live so there's no need to start a new game with each update. In the event that a corruption occurs, contact us and we will do our best to fix the corruption of your save so you don't have to start all over again.

And now for the statement that ties in the above question and this one. When you select your sin at the start of the game, be incredibly mindful of the sin you selected. Choose something that works for you, but know that whatever sin you confess to will influence the game. The easiest feature to explain is that depending on the sin you confessed to, the maze for that sin will be on "hard mode"; the maze will be more complex, the challenges even harder, and should you fail that specific challenge, your save will be deleted permanently as your soul is forever lost in the dark halls of Yoltrund. If you fail on a maze or challenge not related to your sin, your character will "die" and whatnot, but your save will just pick up where you left off.

So do bear in mind, whatever sin you select affects the game and can either have positive or negative consequences.


You mention that Yoltrund is based off of an original story. Do we get to see this story? Or a copy of it?

Yes. The base game will include the story for you to read. Special members of the community will receive a limited one-time print of the story and signed by the developer and writer.


If you have any specific questions about our development plan, do let us know. As of now, we will create a public board so the community can see what we're doing and what we're working on. We will also (at a later date) implement a reporting and feedback system into the game and your responses will be posted on a separate board used to track and process bugs or issues or to catalog requests made in-game.


Sorry for the long read, but I really appreciate you guys and your support and I look forward to presenting Yoltrund to you.


Michael Cox
Lead designer.

Keep posted on Arylos' Twitter or the Templarius Games Studios Twitter for updated information in realtime. You can also go to the Yoltrund Subreddit to keep posted on developments!

For you those of you excited to play Yoltrund as we are to present it, we are proud to announce that Yoltrund will start Early Access effective January 24th and will be able to be purchased and played on that date! We will then start our collaboration efforts!

Keep posted on Arylos' Twitter or the Templarius Games Studios Twitter for updated information in realtime. You can also go to the Yoltrund Subreddit to keep posted on developments!