Friends!

I can confirm now that 13 is a lucky number for the game, as it seems that I got fired and approached by a business partner on the same day - yes, things seem to be ramping up to another all-in crunch! :) Among most recent areas of progress I can list the new Level Editor - which will be made public and ready for modding soon after EA:
... And some new combat-UI: (WIP)
... vs an old one here for comparison:
Now, as I said in the last ominous update, the plan is to go into Early Access this winter. So let's make a baseline reality check: The EA version will be Act I (out of 5) of the campaign and have the following:

• 4-5 locations to make dungeon-runs into (each one will be randomized, but have a core quest)
• 20 playable Eidolon heroes (and of course custom-hero creation, but with a trick)
• A singular Boss-Dungeon
• 2 brutal Bosses - Soul Harvester and Storm Lord
• 8-15 hours of gameplay
• Beside the campaign, a Custom Dungeon mode with lots of templates and settings

The idea is, it's already an experience representative of the franchise, so I can let people buy it and not lose sleep over it steamhappy Next - can we make it in time? Let's see:

Progress estimate for Eidolons

(relative to *EA* release, not full!)

• Gameplay mechanics: 80%
• Artwork: 50%
• Graphics systems: 60%
• Hero content: 60%
• Enemy/Level content: 30%
• Dialogue: 10%
• Audio: 40%

Long ways to go, but I feel confident that we can have a solid playable version and start iterating towards the ultimate goal! I also feel were close enough to release so I can make some concrete promises now. Let's get into it:

1. Eidolons will be a No-BS RPG

Time is precious, and patience is scarce! To bring a great RPG experience in the modern way, one has to make sacrifices. Thus, E:NF will have no fetch quests, no junk loot, no forced dialogue, no grind or save/load chores and... no orkz! steamsad

2. Though hard, the game will be fair

Unlike what our testers may think, I do not take pleasure in making the player suffer. Especially if it means resorting to grind! You will not be forced to play overcautiously, on the contrary - risk-taking and dogged perseverance are rewarded. The mantra is - dying is also moving forward!

3. Dark Fantasy genre, not vibe.

Eidolons is that dark in its theme and presentation not to stand out or outdo some other dark game. The setting has evolved over nearly a decade and I have tried to never let the concept of style of fitting the trend drive the decisions I made. The death-centric focus of the story is not a glorification, but an exploration that I hope will be interesting to engage in. Expect to delve deep into realms psychological, spiritual and emotional.

4. Replayable - in the way you want to replay

The campaign is shaping up to be very modular, so each Act will be accessible as a new game's starting point once youve unlocked it. I never understood games that did not do this, and as a result, had their bad-ass end-game packed into 1% of playtime (or people just resorting to YouTube to find out how else this could have ended...). So if you want to replay a certain part of E:NF, you will be able to do so, with some options for past-choice and hero-asset customization. On top that, we will have Custom Dungeon mode where you can create your perfect run and get to play [strike]a twisted version of[/strike] it!

5. E:NF will not force its setting on you, if youre in for the gameplay

Though heavy on the story, it will not force it onto you. There will always be a slaughterhouse-shortcut that you can take if you just enjoy killing more than plunges into lore and soul-digging the game's characters and protagonist.

6. E:NF will make the most of being Indie

All in all, we're not smoothing out the hard edges. No political correctness, no sjw NPCs and no sj in general - it's medieval times, and it's not the point... Yes, this means were not likely to find a publisher (or are we?..), but you cant have it all. And yes, the game is shaping up to be M or even AO rating. No explicit content of course, but no playing dumb either.

7) It will surprise you!

Thats more of a personal ambition, I just like surprising people, but I hope that others will benefit from it as well (and maybe suffer just a little). Mostly it's about RPG-tropes turned upside down - questing, trading, crafting, hero-progression, party-adventure and more. If you think you know how those things work, think again! steammocking

That's all for now, thanks for reading! ... Actually, no - while I am working on a comprehensive in-depth post about Eidolons key features, I invite you to ask away if you want anything cleared up - its much easier to answer concrete questions! It's the difference between a one-eyed dwarf trying to hit a zombie with a bolt, or taking an ax to 'em! steamfacepalm

[ 2020-05-13 20:35:34 CET ] [ Original post ]