Rejoice, spring is coming! Explore strange and peculiar worlds bursting with colours and go on amazing adventures. Take a walk in the ethereal realm in Tiny Echo, solve riddles in the quirky world of Pan-Pan or journey through the wild as a young lynx cub in Paws A Shelter 2 Game. These are just a few of the indie games from us at Might & Delight that are 70% OFF during the Steam Spring Sale. Explore the Might & Delight Steam Spring Sale here! (The sale is now live and ends on March 20.) Have a magical spring filled with wonder All the best from the explorers at Might & Delight

[ 2025-03-13 17:33:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changes:

• Reagents now occupy less volume in your inventory.
• Knots of Thankful Wishes now occupy less volume in your inventory.

Fixes:

• Fixed a bug that caused traders to no longer stock fishing rods.
• Fixed a bug that caused characters to get stuck after using a knot.
• Fixed a bug that caused Skills to not recognize reagents in pockets of equipped items.
• Fixed a bug that caused NPCs to look at players' trainmasters stash while checking if you have specific items. This could lock players out of certain trades or dialogue.
• Fixed a bug that caused items to disappear when trying to replace an item in a pocket with a worn item.
• Fixed a bug that caused items to disappear when trying to replace an item in the equipment with a pocketed item of the same item ID.
• Fixed a bug that caused the skill Read strengths to lock the player in place.
• Fixed a bug that caused trades to not update after moving items from pockets back to the inventory.
• Fixed other various bugs that caused trades to not update properly.
• Fixed a bug that caused the screen to get blurry while in combat.
• Fixed a bug that caused Skills to display the wrong amount of castings left when you first log into a character.
• Fixed a bug that caused fishing rods to not display their proper item description in the trade view.
• Fixed a bug that caused Resna to value reagents.

[ 2025-03-06 09:10:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Rejoice, the Holidays are coming! Make sure to relax, cuddle up in the comfort of your home and journey out on mesmerising adventures in the vast and wondrous worlds of Might & Delight. We are incredibly happy to say the Might & Delight Winter Sale on Steam offers discounts on all our beloved indie games, including 85% OFF on our acclaimed Shelter-series: Shelter, Shelter 2, Shelter 3, Paws - A Shelter 2 Game and Meadow - A Shelter Game. Other games on sale are Book of Travels in Early Access, the adventure puzzle game Tiny Echo, the handcrafted shooter The Blue Flamingo and the challenging platformer Pid. Explore the Might & Delight games on the Steam Winter Sale https://store.steampowered.com/developer/mightanddelight We hope you take this chance to venture into our serene worlds and go on breathtaking journeys into the wild. The Steam Winter Sale is now live and ends on January 2, 2025. Happy Holidays from all the explorers at Might & Delight MIGHT & DELIGHT GAME PORTFOLIO
Experience the wild as a badger sheltering your cubs from harm in Shelter. On your journey, you will get stalked by birds of prey, encounter perils of the night, cross fierce rivers, escape forest fires and face the looming threat of starvation. Food is to be found, but is there enough for everyone? Get Shelter here
Become a powerful Lynx and make your way through vast open landscapes in Shelter 2. Raise your cubs and strengthen them by mastering your skills for hunting prey. Explore the wild beauty of nature and do everything possible to prepare your little ones for the vicious entities dwelling on the cold tundra. Get Shelter 2 here
Enter the wilderness and protect your herd from lurking predators and the looming threat of starvation. Make your way through the world as a majestic elephant in Shelter 3, but be aware that you will need to make hard choices along the way. In the wild, all living creatures are put to the test. Be alert and gather your herd at times of danger. Your herd is your family, shelter is your only hope, and survival your only goal. Get Shelter 3 here
Journey through the expanded world of Shelter 2 as a young cub in the standalone, single player adventure Paws. Traverse a harrowing landscape together with your companion, and fend off threats as you try to make your way home. Paws combines all the unique elements from the much loved Shelter games to present a lovingly crafted story about loss, friendship and a search for lost love. Get Paws - A Shelter 2 Game here
Explore the vast and open landscape of Meadow. Band together with other animals or choose to explore it alone. Meadow is an online fable experience and owning other Shelter-games unlocks more ingame content. This is where all players of the Shelter-series come together to explore the wondrous world together. Get Meadow - A Shelter Game here
Transform the look of your favourite animals in Meadow with the new skin bundle that includes 14 different skins! Get the Meadow Skin Bundle here
Ready your pack, grab your walking stick and step into a world of mystery. Craft your character and wander around in the enchanted lands. Set your own goals as you adventure alone or together with Travellers you meet along the way in the serene TMORPG. Early Access build
Make your mark in the wordless narrative - with a Tiny Echo. Take a walk into the ethereal realm as you deliver messages to the spirits. Explore a mysterious world and solve puzzles at a tranquil pace to uncover locations and characters. A lovingly crafted world with quirky inhabitants awaits you. Get Tiny Echo here
Stranded on a peculiar planet, you must find your way home. During your journey, you will find unlikely allies and use gravity beams to conquer platforms and solve puzzles. Pid is a strange, gravity defying, and challenging platformer that transports you to a world beyond ours. Pid is like your world Only different. Get Pid here
Shoot your way through intense levels with a swiftly increasing difficulty, in a game world completely built with handcrafted models. Invest your score in upgrades or save it to gain interest with the risk of losing it all. Use your greed wisely to beat your friends and climb the score table in The Blue Flamingo. Get The Blue Flamingo here

[ 2024-12-19 20:51:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

As you may know, the video game industry is weathering a storm, and the team at Might & Delight have unfortunately not been spared from it. Earlier this year, we had to make the incredibly difficult decision to scale down our team. It has been a rough year, and weve been silent on our social channels as weve been focused on our team both the friends that weve had to say goodbye to, and the team that remains. Were still settling into our new normal, but we wanted to let you know that we are here, were working on our games and there are some things that we want to share with you. Weve been around for nearly fifteen years as an indie game developer, and we have a long, proud history of making games. We believe in game preservation and we aim to make sure our games are available to anyone who has supported us throughout the years. As we make decisions for existing titles and future projects, please know that this will be our guiding principle. Our team is smaller now, and we will need to be mindful of how many projects we work on simultaneously to ensure that we keep our team healthy and our projects manageable. However, our intention is to keep up maintenance of our existing titles, as well as finish development of projects that have been in the pipeline for a while. Regarding Book of Travels, our main focus for the foreseeable future will be to roll out several patches that are in the making including fixes and community requests and were also aiming to, among other things, do a balancing pass for the inventory, and look into releasing some map updates. During the next couple of months, youll notice our activity picking up on Discord and Steam. We want you to know that we are here, we listen to your feedback and well do our very best to keep you all in the loop as we roll out future patches. We are excited to say that we have a new game project slated for release in the fall of 2025. When we were a bigger team, we worked on the concept of this game in parallel for a couple of years, and at the time of writing this, were already halfway through development. We look forward to sharing more about it with you in the new year. For now, however, our main focus will be on our existing game catalogue. Also, for all you lovely people who supported Book of Travels on Kickstarter; please keep an eye on Kickstarter updates and/or your inbox. Beyond upcoming Steam updates, we will also be sharing some information directly with all backers early next year. Throughout this year, the one thing weve always come back to is the fact that we have such an incredible community. Were not exaggerating when we say that you are the main reason that we have managed to weather all the changes of 2024, and fight for a chance to not only continue the support of our previous games, but also to be able to release something new. A studio is only as good as its players, and were incredibly proud to have your support. Know that you can expect to see a lot more from us from now on. 2024 has been a turbulent and chaotic year (for many, not just in the video game industry) so we want to wish you all a peaceful and cosy end of the year. We really hope to start off 2025 with a sense of normalcy, and we want to be more active both with our online presence, and with our upcoming patches and announcements. Have an amazing Holiday and well be in touch soon Cheers from all the developers at Might & Delight
Might & Delight Website Instagram Facebook Youtube TikTok Discord

[ 2024-12-10 10:42:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes

• Fixed issue where certain combinations of pocketed items would cause character loading to fail
• Fixed issue where having too many items would cause character loading to fail
• Fixed issue where Passage sometimes failed to initiate
• Fixed issue where Letter Opener description would display incorrectly in some scenarios

Changes

• Added button to the Trainmaster's Stash view which when used deposits all Excess items into the Stash (only available while inventory system transition grace period is active)
• Extended grace period by 30 days

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Visit the Book of Travels website Visit the Might and Delight website Visit the Might and Delight Merch Store Visit the Book of Travels Lore Page Join our Discord server

[ 2024-08-07 08:59:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

We have been hard at work redesigning the inventory, and we are excited to share with you the fruit of our labours! The new inventory system is based around volume, with inventories having limited volume capacity. This translates to an updated gameplay where backpacks and pockets serve a greater purpose, and the trading of items comes with a new layer of strategy. Reagents are now an item type; they can be placed in an inventory, and traded with. In fact, there might just be a secret society in Braided Shore looking to trade these exact objects any traveller would be wise to keep an eye out for these herbalists. Beyond the updates to inventory and trading, we also have a new item; the letter opener. Once found, this item will allow you to interact with many other items in the game, and its name gives some idea to what nefarious (or not so nefarious) purposes it can be used for. Alongside the letter opener, we also expand upon the Postmaster questline, with new people to meet, and secrets to discover. For details on the new inventory system and the changes that have been made, please reference the detailed lists below:

Reworked inventory system:

• The backpack, the Trainmaster's Stash, and pockets now have an unlimited amount of slots.
• All items can now be stacked limitlessly unless they are classified as unique in which case stack size is limited to 1.
• All items now have a volume, and inventories have a limited volume capacity.
• Bag equipment now grants additional volume capacity instead of more slots.
• Reagents are now actual items that can be placed in any inventory space.
• Some item exchanges now require the player to freely select an item - that may or may not be accepted - to offer from their backpack.
• Some inventory-related traits have had their behaviour modified to work with the new inventory system.
• Added a new dialog window to facilitate moving or discarding of items of custom stack sizes.
• A new "Excess" inventory has been added to the backpack view, which will hold items that are received but do not fit in the backpack. While there are items in this inventory the backpack view may not be closed until the excess items either have been discarded or have had space made for and moved into the backpack.
• Characters created before this update will have a month long grace period during which they may forgo the deletion of excess items, to allow for inventory management.

Other changes:

• Added the letter opener item in a chest next to the Kasa Postmaster.
• Added new items gained from using the letter opener.
• Added a final envelope along with a couple of events to the Post Master questline if the player has delivered a letter each day (players may need to redeliver the letters to activate the flags).
• Added the wine cellar room.
• Added character terrain interaction vfx, e.g. dust clouds, water ripples etc.
• New events for Secret Society of Herbalists questline have been activated in the West and Outmark regions. They work with using reagents in trade.

[ 2024-07-09 16:22:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Reworked feature: Combat

As you might be aware, we've been working hard on a complete rework of the Book of Travels combat system. Some of you have tried it out on a preview server, and as a result of your feedback (which we thank you kindly for), several adjustments have been made to enhance the experience.

• Combat has been entirely reworked with a new gameplay system, new visuals, new sound effects and new animations.
• The old system is entirely replaced, and all events featuring combat now use the new system.
• If you need some know-how in how the new system works, you can either visit our steam page for the initial reveal of the feature, or maybe find a certain Warden in Bat Saha that could teach you
• We have not translated the existing combat skills into the new system just yet, so there is only plain sword fighting for now. Feel free to unequip these skills in the meantime, while we redesign them. We apologize for the inconvenience.
• We have temporarily disabled every non-humanoid fightable creature. This includes Kettems, Maisu and Wolves. This is due to technical reasons, but expect them to return sooner rather than later. We are working on it!

Here are changes we've made since the new combat made it's debut in preview:

• Completely new Combat UI.
• New Visual Effects.
• Additional sound effects.
• Additional animations.
• Added Duels.
• Added an interactive tutorial, given by the Duelist Warden in Bat Saha.
• Added around 10 new Combat events.
• Added a new music track that plays during Duels.
• Streamlined joining process.
• Easier to participate in multiplayer battles.
• Fainting in a multiplayer battle does not remove you from the battle. If your standing allies secure victory, they can help you back up and you won't lose a life petal.
• Added loot from combat encounters.
• Tied fainting and death functionality to combat.

(The following in particular were very much based on your feedback)

• You will be able to see your allies' and enemies' stats while in combat
• Targeting is easier to do, and easier to visually follow
• Health has been reworked to synchronize better with other combat features
• The defense skill is longer in duration
• More feedback when making actions in combat

Note: The revamped combat feature is still a work in progress. Its been tested internally but we may discover new issues as it goes out to our players. Were ready to revert these changes if they prove to impact the experience in a negative way.

Other Changes

• Added new events relating to the sudden disappearance of the Kettems and Maisu.
• New room: "Stairwell" accessible via West Wind Shores.
• Added the Head Apprentice event to West Wind Shores stairwell along with a new ring...
• Added various new rings to the game.

Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused NPC's to sometimes say the wrong lines.
• Fixed a Resna exploit with the Recreated masterpiece brew
• Fixed broken link to the game page.
• Fixed a bug that caused traveling shopkeepers to sometimes wander away in the middle of trading.
• Various typo fixes for items/poems/skill cards.
• Fixed a bug that caused intro pages to appear after a delay after starting a new character.
• Fixed the order of trade interactions with the Kasa postmaster when delivering the Weekly missive.
• Fixed a bug that caused NPCs to not hand out rewards when they should.
• Fixed various bugs that caused fishing graphics and sound to not play properly.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Visit the Book of Travels website Visit the Might and Delight website Visit the Might and Delight Merch Store Visit the Book of Travels Lore Page Join our Discord server

[ 2024-06-11 09:00:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes:

• Fixed a launch issue on Linux.

[ 2024-05-15 11:18:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changes

• New room: Clearing accessible via Myrt with the Tea Blender, Tea Ghost and Tea Grafter events.
• Rooms at capacity are no longer hidden in the room list.
• The "Refresh network info" button is now always available as long as refreshing is not in progress.
• When refreshing network info the previously selected region and room will remain selected.
• The room debug information string now accurately reflects the amount of players in that room.
• Lighting adjustments in Mountain's Secret and The Cistern.
• Updated the rewards for the Aveesh Wafkha event in Kasa. (The reward should still be obtainable if you have already completed the event)
• Made it easier to find Famous Kasa sausages.
• Rebalanced the stats of the Sodden boon.
• Added additional reactive dialogue to Geva Kha.
• Added new items.
• Added new effects.

Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused accounts to sometimes appear to have no characters available.
• Fixed trading preferences for Kasa Teahouse Host to avoid an infinite currency exploit.
• Fixed various visual bugs with the portal used for the skill Veiled Gate.
• Fixed a bug that caused shades to be rendered incorrectly.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Shade event to not spawn in Kasa.
• Fixed ground blending in Char Smog Switch.
• Fixed a bug that caused background mountains to flicker.
• Fixed grass moving incorrectly in Lakatos String.
• Fixed spelling errors in NPC names.
• Fixed a bug that caused players to get stuck in combat with no enemies.
• Fixed issue where NPCs sometimes would not hand out rewards when they should.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Visit the Book of Travels website Visit the Might and Delight website Visit the Might and Delight Merch Store Visit the Book of Travels Lore Page Join our Discord server

[ 2024-05-07 13:01:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changes

• Added the new questline "Old Friends".
• Various updates to Endeavours
• Added 12 new random events
• Added an apartment in Kasa
• New ambience added
• Added various new items

Fixes

• Fixed an exploit with the underbelly baker
• Made the spelling of the word "Colour" consistent during character creation
• Fixed a bug that caused characters to not fade correctly when far away
• Fixed a bug that caused character clothing to look transparent from one side
• Fixed an NPC fishing animation. They should hold the rod properly now
• Fix for emotes getting blurry against far away background

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Visit the Book of Travels website Visit the Might and Delight website Visit the Might and Delight Merch Store Visit the Book of Travels Lore Page Join our Discord server

[ 2024-03-19 11:24:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

A little over a month ago I turned to you to submit questions for our first AMA kind of video. That video is now done, and you can watch it on Youtube or right here below! It has taken me a bit longer to actually finish it than I wanted because I've been sidetracked by other things, but better late than never... So without further ado, for your enjoyment, here is Your Questions Answered! [previewyoutube=7M6gMbUOmTA;full][/previewyoutube] I want to wish you a very good weekend and thank every one of you who submitted questions for me to sift through, it's very much appreciated. And if you want to see more of this kind of thing in the future, give us a comment! Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Visit the Book of Travels website Visit the Might and Delight website Visit the Might and Delight Merch Store Visit the Book of Travels Lore Page Join our Discord server

[ 2024-03-15 14:10:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Happy Friday! Hope you're all doing well. Combat in Book of Travels is one of those things that currently does not function the way we want it to and that's why we've been working on a complete overhaul of the system. As you may remember, we recently announced that our new combat system is available for testing on a preview build of the game. We're very thankful for every single one of you who took time out of your day to try it out and provide us with invaluable feedback.
Very soon we'll be ready to implement the new combat system into the regular production build of the game, so you won't have to wait much longer. You'll hear from us again when it's time, with more information - but today I wanted to give you a sample of things that have been changed or improved in combat as a direct result of your feedback specifically.

• You will be able to see your allies' and enemies' stats while in combat
• Targetting is easier to do, and easier to visually follow
• Health has been reworked to synchronize better with other combat features
• The defense skill is longer in duration
• More feedback when making actions in combat

So, once again, thank you! This right here is yet another example of proof that your time spent in the game and your communication with us leads to the betterment of Book of Travels. We appreciate you! Until next time, Traveller, have a great weekend. Personally I'm off to play some more of a certain new Japanese RPG and see the new sand worm movie. Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Visit the Book of Travels website! Visit the Might and Delight website! Join our Discord!

[ 2024-03-01 16:47:14 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changes

• Added the Fish Compendium Questline
• Added volume to items previously lacking it
• Various events related to kettem and maisu lore
• Disabled the Tunnel Ghost event
• Added background boats to levels with a sea background
• Add new Effect card and Clothing
• Update in the Underground Kitchen
• Updated the stats of the Studded leather shoulder piece
• Change with the Kasa Post Master
• Change with the Kitchen trader
• Restricted the trade and loot spawn of the "Porcelain buckle"
• Setting correct scaling on characters in Lobby
• Updated the char smith apprentices event
• Various new events
• Added several new ambiences
• There is something going on with the sewers...

Fixes

• Fixed an exploit where Resna Rosespring would accept high value items that were wrongly categorized in the game files.
• Fixed error in the name of the "Kasyran Guard Plate"
• Fixed shader bug on clothing when sitting
• Fixed jumpy sit idle
• Fix for where fishing rod is rotated the wrong way in animations
• Fixed issue of house backgrounds not fading fully in
• Fixed issue of birds getting stuck in the air
• Fixed visual issue with item descriptions in character creation
• Various typo fixes
• Audio bug fixes

[ 2024-02-08 12:14:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Happy 2024 Traveller

It's time for the first Book of Travels update of the year. Firstly, we've added an extra EU region based in Ireland - so we now have EU West and EU Central servers. This update also includes new game content on top of the usual fixes and changes. The hollowed out caves on the southern beaches once held a rich bounty of alken ore. Now they provide occasional shelter for fisherfolk seeking to escape from the outside rain. A Khelim with an interest in rare fish may find value in the stories told by the experienced fishers huddling around their campfire.

• Updated the char smith apprentices event
• Added ambience to new room areas
• Fixed a bug where a player could recieve unlimited porcelain buckles after defeating the bug battling kids
• Updated the visuals of the "Bug catcher's net" and fixed the availability of the "Bear toad"
• Added the "Huddling Fishers" event + A Sleeping Warden to new rooms
• Fixing camera zoom in Outhouse, Bat Saha
• Added two new events to the rooms in Crossings
• Fixed wrong trade value being shown when the value should be 0
• Fixed wrong keybind showing while hovering the skillbook icon

[ 2024-01-09 12:00:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Might and Delight would like to wholeheartedly wish you all a very happy holidays, with lots of cosy quality time with friends, family and (obviously) terrific games. This is our last community post of the year as the studio will close down for the holidays and we will take some time to recharge.
We're grateful for the support and enthusiasm that you've shown us this year. We're also proud of the work we've done in 2023, with tons of fixes and changes, new exciting content and fresh features added to Book of Travels. Our overhauled combat system is currently in preview being tested both internally and by some of you, and next year we're looking forward to incorporating it in the production build of the game so that all of you can try your hand at being a successful duelist in Braided Shore. We're making good progress to our goal of reaching version 1.0 and thus leaving Early Access. And beyond that we have some cool announcements to make, but today is not the day for that. The point is - 2024 looks promising, and we can't wait to clue you in as soon as we're ready. In the meantime you can take a look at our new trailer titled "Play Together". It's short and sweet. Share it with your friends! [previewyoutube=LGeUogSRnnQ;full][/previewyoutube] That's all for today - and for 2023. Pardon us for sounding like a broken record, but again - we're very grateful to have such a wholesome community. Keep playing and keep sharing your screenshots, your own art crafts and stories with us. They give us life. Until next time Traveller - may your tea never grow cold. Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2023-12-22 15:18:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Note: As we look further ahead we are solidifying our localization plans. Part of this will include rolling out new server regions, the first of which will be an additional EU server in the coming weeks. This release introduces three new rooms, two new questlines, and a variety of other updates and bug fixes. In Crossings there are two new rooms: the top floor of the Teahouse and the top floor of the Smiths house on the eastern side of the town square. In The Jade Urn, there is one new room that can be found along the western edge of the level. A group of children playing a certain game have moved into the upper part of the Kasa Cistern. An opportunity for an enterprising Khelim to win a prize perhaps? The Kasa Cistern holds much more than just the refuse of the city above. Those dwelling in the sewers sometimes get their hands on artifacts that the shore above thought long lost to time.

Updates

• Added the Bug catching and Talzyre questlines
• Added new item icons
• Added ambience sounds to new rooms
• NPC ghosts now have proper ghost materials
• Endeavours unlocking will now be player bound (you can still do them together with other players if you interact at the same time)
• Sefra Shrines & Haunted Gravestones are now player bound. There is a one-time use with 30 minutes cooldown
• Random endeavours (i.e. lockboxes, tangled plants, mechanical parts etc.) will now start their despawn when any player engages with a 30 minute despawn timer
• Visual changes to gambling Sefra in Little Slip. New animation and materials
• Created a post profile for 4k monitors
• Changed Passage rules slightly
• Implemented new food props
• Added five new edible bugs

Fixes

• Fixed targeting issues when using skills/knots on NPCs and players
• Fixed issue of camera zooming out when entering rooms
• Fixed an error caused by a blacksmith sound
• Fixed a bug where the hud wouldnt show up properly if the hud was toggled while using a skill
• Fixed issues of player icons appearing on unknown maps and disappearing from the regular maps
• Fixed issues of writing in the journal/notes that would make hotkeys react to the player
• Fixed issue of teleporting to wrong entrance when transitioning to another level
• Fixed overall endeavour instability issues
• Fixed some Passage UI issues
• Fixed issue of map pin not saving if open when exiting the atlas
• Fixed issue where skills were not saving time equipped correctly; these skills should no longer lose a level on log out
• Typo fixes

[ 2023-12-12 14:00:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Traveller,

For the past several months, we've been hard at work updating and remaking the combat system. Our goal is to create a new system that is scalable, and where we can easily introduce new types of enemies, weapons, skills, and add new multiplayer features. We now have a version of this system ready to test, and we want your input. While we're hard at work behind the scenes finalizing UI, animations, sound and VFX, we want your input on the system itself. The new combat system is up on the Preview branch of Book of Travels. You can access it by doing the following: [olist]

Right-click on Book of Travels in Steam. Open Properties.

Go to Betas.

Enter the code: ThereBeDragons

Press the button that appears, Opt into: preview - Feature and tech previews.

Let the game update. [/olist] You can switch the branch from the same menu at any time, using the drop down at the top of the Betas menu. Once you have tested the version, we would be delighted if you could fill out our survey regarding the combat system: Click here to get to the survey! Note: We will start off with 5 rooms with 8 preview seats each, making it 40 seats total. This may change this as we go: most likely is that we will increase this number, as we want to do stress tests. But depending on the results of these stress tests, it's not out of the question that we will decrease that number as well. Also note that these preview rooms are only available on the EU server. With that out of the way, here is an overview of how the new Combat system works!

The new combat system

The new system is currently in an Alpha state and contains both temporary and missing certain UI, UX, sound, animations and VFX. Please approach the system with this in mind. Below is a screenshot of a combat scenario.
Do note that the HUD is a draft and will change in both presentation and placement.

Starting Combat

To start a combat scenario, you first need to equip a weapon. You can find one in your inventory, alongside some sets of equipment so you can try out combat with differing stats. You also get access to the skills Weapon Proficiency and Armor Proficiency. Besides a weapon, you need to find one or more NPCs that can fight. Players or hostile NPCs can initiate a combat scenario. When an enemy is within range, a player can initiate combat by using the Battle Stance skill. This will activate a Tension meter at the bottom of the screen.
Starting combat and the Tension meter. The Tension meter is the same for all combatants, and its the grace time you get before combat starts. When its full, combat begins. If you run out of the red circle before the tension meter is full, you do not enter combat. When the meter is full, combatants will jump to their positions, and then combat begins.

In Combat

The Sequencer This is the Sequencer. It is a main part of the combat system. Every combatant has an icon representing them on the Sequencer, and they gradually move to the right as time goes on. Players are placed on the bottom of the Sequencer. Enemies are placed on top. Combatants also have different colors assigned at the start of combat. The larger icon on the bottom is your character, and the larger icon on the top is your current target. While in the Decision segment of the sequencer, the icons move to the right at a speed based on the characters Speed stat. The more speed you have, the faster your character moves on the Sequencer.

Decision Phase

The segment marked with "Decision" on the Sequencer is called the Decision Phase. This is where the participants choose what action they want to take when the time is right.
Combat Skill Bar It is here that the Combat Skills comes into play. During the Decision Phase the player will choose a Skill to use. There are 5 standard Combat Skills and for this preview version, 1 Knot Spell available. [olist]

Swift Strike - A somewhat weak but quick strike. It deals a low amount of damage but is very fast.

Balanced Strike - An attack with a balanced attack speed that deals damage equal to your force. This is the default Skill that will get picked if no input is received from the player.

Heavy Strike - A slower but powerful version of the strike. It deals a larger amount of damage but is - you guessed it - very slow.

Defend - Assumes a defensive stance, which is the quickest Skill of all, but doesnt deal any damage. It does however net you an advantage on your next turn (more on this later).

Knot Spell: Arrow - This spell shoots a magical arrow at an opponent dealing damage. It is a fast and powerful skill, but you can only use it twice per combat, so use it wisely.

Flee - Similar to how fleeing currently works, you can use this skill to flee the battle to a random point in the map, gaining a negative effect card. [/olist] When a Skill has been chosen, the participant will assume a stance which indicates the skill they have chosen.

Action Phase

The segment marked with "Action" on the Sequencer is called the Action Phase. When you cross over from the Decision Phase to the Action Phase, your chosen Skill becomes locked and you can no longer change it. Your character icon on the Sequencer will also start moving at a different speed, which this time is based on the speed of the skill you chose. When you reach the end of the Action Phase and the Sequencer, you will perform the Skill you chose during the Decision Phase. When performing a skill, the combatant will jump in from their root position towards their target. They will then use the skill, and jump back to their idle position again. The Sequencer will pause and let the combatant perform the attack fully before starting to move again.
Jumping in to attack While in the Action Phase you are vulnerable, and if you take a hit while in it you will not get to perform the Skill you chose. Instead you will be knocked back on the Sequencer. Note: You can still be hit while in the Decision Phase, but you will not suffer a knockback penalty.
Being hit in the Action phase will knock you back to the Decision phase. The Defend Skill is a way to deal with this knockback. If you get hit in the Action Phase while using the Defend skill, you will take less damage and start further ahead on the Sequencer next turn. This is only if you actually manage to block an attack though. If no attack is blocked you will go back to the start of the Sequencer as usual.
Successfully defending against an attack will let you start further ahead on the Sequencer.

Targeting

You can only attack one opponent at a time. This means that you, and your enemies, always have a target selected. This target is selected when you start the combat scenario, and you can change your target by clicking on the character you wish to target. There is currently no way to way to see which opponents are targeting you (though there will be in the full version).

Stats

• Force - Force is your attack power. The more you have, the more damage you deal.
• Ward - Ward is your defense. It acts as an extra health bar that needs to be depleted before you start taking actual damage.
• Speed - Speed determines your speed in the Decision phase.
• Burden - Burden affect your speed negatively.
• Energy - Your health. You will be defeated and lose a life petal if it reaches 0. When you are out of Ward, you will start taking direct damage to your Energy.

Ending Combat

Combat ends when one side of the fight is out of eligible combatants. This can happen either by them being defeated, or by them fleeing. For this Preview version, nothing of note happens when combat ends. NPCs fade out and despawn when defeated, and players are despawned and respawned somewhere else. In the full version, there is loot to be found, of course!

Multiplayer

You can fight against enemies with other players. If you see someone fighting, just walk up and enter your Battle Stance like normal, and you will be added into the combat as soon as the system allows for it. Remember that the maximum amount of players in one combat encounter is 4.

Specific notes to the Preview version of Combat

• Only one level is included in this preview version, West Wind Shores. In this level there are a bunch of Bandits that you can freely fight.
• You will not die in this version. Your Life Petals are endless.
• Your health in combat is separate from your overall Energy in the game. You will always start combat with full health. This will not be the case in the full version.
• A newly created character will have a Sword, some equipment and access to the Weapon and Armor Proficiency skills.
• You cannot enter combat unarmed, and enemies cannot engage combat with you if you are unarmed. We have some plans for unarmed combat in the future, but it is not implemented as of yet.

Upcoming features for Combat

Here is a list of some other things we are working on for the combat system which are not present in this preview version:

• Duels - Currently, every fight is life or death. There will still be peaceful NPCs to duel without fearing for your life.
• Loot - NPCs will be able to drop loot when defeated.
• More enemy types - The enemies you already know like Kettem, Wolves, and Maisu will of course remain, but we are also looking at increasing the amount of fightable creatures in the game.
• Combat Skills - In the full version of this combat system, a player can, prior to a battle, outfit themselves with Combat Skills that will appear in the Combat Skill bar when they enter combat. You will be able customize your loadout of skills freely, even replacing the default skills if you so wish. Enemies will also be able to use skills.
• UI - The UI in the preview version is a test version only. We are working on a readable and comprehensive UI for the system. This includes everything related to Targeting other characters, seeing who is targeting you, and seeing allies stats.
• Other weapons - In this version, much like the game in general, you can only fight using a sword. This will change. We are already hard at work animating multiple other weapons to use.
• Boss fights - Bigger enemies will require more allies to take down. We are working on allowing a larger number of participants in combat encounters of this type.
• Multiplayer changes - If a player falls in combat, they should not immediately respawn and lose a life petal if they have allies left standing. If they manage to secure victory, they could help the fallen allies back up. Or even during combat with the help of magic.
• Interactive tutorial - There will be an in-game, interactive tutorial to learn how to play the new system.

We are very excited for you to get your hands on this early version of our brand new combat system, and we thank you for being a part of testing it with us and for lending us your ear for this lengthy presentation. Best wishes, The Might and Delight team

[ 2023-12-05 14:00:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

The Steam Autumn Sale is now live and Book of Travels is 25% off. This marks a great opportunity to take your first steps on your journey in Braided Shore, unearth its mysteries and make a name for yourself in the trading economy that make the wheels of commerce turn. Were also ecstatic to finally be able to say that our very own merchandise store is now live and operational. This is the first time weve been able to offer premium quality items with Might and Delight prints but its been highly requested by fans for a long while now. Click here to visit the store page. On day one we offer a selection of t-shirts, tote bags and mugs - but we have mouse mats and notebooks on the way, and were going to listen closely to what our community would like us to expand our assortment with. The t-shirts currently on offer are labelled First Edition on the neck tag and there are only 1000 of them available for now. We might not produce these particular prints again once theyre gone, so dont miss out! With that we wish you a very pleasant day and holiday season. Talk to you again soon! May your tea never grow cold Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2023-11-21 18:13:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes

• Fixed issue where some equipment would not register properly
• Fixed issue when leaving a room that would make your character get stuck in the void
• Fixing navmesh issue in West_03 (invisible box by the endeavor boat)
• Fixed issue of HUD icons being invisible when logging in

Changes

• Reduced random combat encounters

[ 2023-11-08 14:22:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Death returns. New adventures, achievements, and areas await! Click here to read our community update about what's new in Book of Travels.

Fixes

• Fixed issue where Passage behaved strangely when more than one player was playing with the same NPC
• Fixed animation stuttering when fishing
• Fixed animation stuttering when looting reagents
• Fixed an issue of not being able to click on NPCs that are behind each other
• Fixed issues of not being able to click on the ground at several places
• Fixed visuals errors during a Passage Game
• Fixed issue where no characters would appear in the character selection menu
• Fixed issue where dialog window was too long
• Fixed issue where server list would fail to load under certain circumstances
• Fixed a bug where equipping the Plain shirt item would dye the players clothes white.
• Fixed issue of adding double effects when logging in
• Fixed issue where dead effect would persist if you disconnect during the revive transition
• Fixed issue where closing the Passage window through keybinds would bypass the confirmation window
• Fixed issue where player could interact with loot as a ghost
• Fixed issue where player could incorrectly see glimmer effect on reagents
• Fixed a bug that caused zooming to be available with hotkeys when zooming was otherwise disabled
• Fixed a bug that caused zooming to always be available as a ghost
• Fixed issue where some events wouldnt despawn
• Fixes to ghost animation transitions
• Fixed poems that were not fading out properly
• Resurrection animation fixes
• Fixed portal interactions
• Various level and prop fixes
• Various typo fixes

Changes

• Added Dying and Returning feature
• Added several new events
• Added missing form icon to Passage
• Added curses carrying over when dying
• Adjustments to Passage AI
• Added a ghost dissolve sound effect
• Added various NPCs in and around with Kasa
• Improved smoothness of various animations
• Improved interactions, (Ex: player stops when interacting, player rotates towards objects when interacting)
• Added various new icons and items
• Added text interactions to Knalla tunnel
• Added a new event to Travellers Meadow
• Overall visual improvements when resurrecting
• Added reactivity to Adim with the shaggy coat and CUSTOM POEM fixes for Adim and Worm Lord
• Implemented new sails
• Updated Ghost Resurrection sound
• Added a new wake up scenario
• Added vocal expressions for characters in ghost form
• Added a one time popup for analytics opt in
• Updated end credits

[ 2023-10-31 14:01:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller

Time certainly flies - its October already! We hope that you're enjoying your autumn season and are playing lots of good games. How is it going on our end, I hear you ask? Well, were making good progress on Book of Travels and are hitting a new milestone very soon! This month marks our second anniversary since we launched the game into Early Access on Steam, and we have some exciting news to share with you today. In celebration of this anniversary, today were releasing the biggest content update of the year for Book of Travels. Firstly, we have 15 new achievements for you to work towards as well as 8 new events that will lead you to new areas and introduce you to new characters and merchants. Amongst these new areas are the updates 5 new locations; the Cistern, Knalla Tunnel, a mysterious shipwreck, a dark outhouse and the Siram Watchtower. Youll also find several new items that will aid you on your journey in Braided Shore. Another exciting ingredient to this update, which we think lines up perfectly with the Halloween season, is the reintroduction of death in Book of Travels. Braided Shore is a place of magic and spirits. Here, death doesnt have to be permanent. If you find yourself slain by bandits, or poisoned by blowfish, your spirit will not find rest. Instead, you will traverse the realm beyond death, and search for the passage back. You took a risk and gambled with your life - now, you may risk it all to return from beyond the grave. [previewyoutube=M9fKtwLxE9M;full][/previewyoutube] Theres also a reward for fans who venture out to Travellers Meadow, where (for a limited time of two weeks) there will be an encounter that upon completion gives you a flower crown. Its made from the petals of the flowers found in Travellers Meadow, which fans will remember was covered with one flower for every individual Kickstarter backer - so we consider it very special. This anniversary marks a milestone, as were now moving ahead with a steady release cycle of new content - moving closer to exiting Early Access and entering 1.0 release. Our focus is on expanding the game world with new locations, encounters and storylines, while we, in parallel, work on polishing old features, as well as introduce completely new game mechanics. Our goal during this time is to realise the full vision of the game, and make sure that every core feature of the original design is represented. The team and I think youll enjoy what we have to offer with this update but were not done yet, as there are things still on the horizon to look forward to. Weve mentioned previously that we are actively working on redesigning combat, and soon we will have something to show for our hard work. Within a few weeks time, we will publish a Preview of combat, separate from the main game. With this, you will be able to test the system itself. It will still have placeholder UI, UX, audio and animations, and you will be limited to only using a sword for the time being. Over time, we will update the preview with more combat features, and we invite you to offer feedback on the system - this will be your chance to make your voice heard. If you want, youll be able to follow along on Preview as we finalise this feature, but if youd rather wait until its complete, youll find it in the main game soon enough. Further ahead you can also look forward to more Southern locations, new mystery areas to explore, a complete inventory redesign (that lays the groundwork for several features that are dependent on easy item management), the beginning of survival gameplay like cooking as well as new combat encounters and skills. Also, you may know weve been working on getting a merchandise store up and running. Were happy to announce that it will launch in time for this holiday season. We will get back to you with the details when its live but we can say that on day one, our stock will include t-shirts, tote bags and teacups - with more kinds of items coming further down the line. Heres a small sample of our initial offerings.
Lastly, were glad to announce that were launching our Book of Travels Lore Page today as well. On it, youll be able to read up on the ins and outs of Braided Shore lore, straight from the source. We know that there are lots of lore fans amongst you and we expect that a site with all of that juicy information will tickle your fancy. Click here to visit the page, and do let us know what you think! All in all, a lot of stuff is happening in MaD land. Were excited to hear what you think of all this when you've had time to get your feet wet! Until then, may your tea never grow cold. Oliver Thulin Community Manager, Might and Delight

[ 2023-10-31 14:01:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes

• Fixed issues of loot/reagents being inconsistent to click on
• Fixing a bug with point lights not affecting player
• Fixed dark sprite and prop fade issue of the the fishmongers house in Myr
• Fixed a bug that caused characters to become nauseous when they caught a fish using soil worms
• Fixed issue that caused some characters to not load
• Fix to some small footstep sounds

Changes

• Added setting to mute audio when the game window is not in focus
• Added additional functionality to fishing areas based on the weather and time of day.
• Adding unique fishes in conditional fishing areas
• Added three new fish/fishable creatures
• Improved water rendering performance on the low and very low settings
• Performance Improvements to the fishing effects shader
• Implemented some new achievements

[ 2023-10-23 12:20:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes:

• Fixed an issue where map notes would close unexpectedly.
• Fixed an issue where you gained experience when you shouldn't.
• Fix to certain helmets that didnt show in the head slot when equipped
• Fixed an issue where the Call Umber Yu cooldown wasn't the same for all characters.
• Fixed an issue where the stickler trait couldn't apply bait to a fishing rod.
• Fixed an issue where characters could be created without allocating a talent point.
• Fixed so that the menu on the login screen will close when clicking Esc button
• Fixed so the settings menu will now show a prompt if there was any changes made on the login screen
• Fixed issue when scrolling through tutorial pages it will no longer affect zooming on the map
• Fixed glitching light in the underbelly
• Fixed an issue where random voices would play in the character creation.
• Fixed an issue where the trade tutorial image was being cut off.
• Fixed filter trading issues that lead to some players being unable to complete any trades
• Fixed ground blend material issues in The Burnings
• Fix to Floating knot on tent in Siram Fields
• Fixing clouds. Clouds are now back in all levels with a proper moving speed. Also clouds and background mountains no longer cull in levels with a big z-depth
• Fixed issues of duplicated NPCs at the same area
• Fixed an issue where the Pyre skill displayed the wrong VFX.
• Fixed stability issues when interacting with Endeavours
• Fixed title color of item description card.
• Fixed tag not appearing when hovering mouse close to it when having 1440p or 4k resolution
• Fixed text repeating when pressing enter while error popup was visible while creating a account
• Fix to the cloth simulation on all character forms with cape. Forms without cape no longer uses cloth sim.
• Fixed an issue where Poor Smith Ev would accept non metal items to make armour with.

Changes:

• Introduction of version one of a player journal, that allows players to write, edit, and save text-based journal entries within the game
• Added some item & skill Kickstarter rewards: Fan of the Hidden, Mark of the Hidden Winds, Lantern of Early Light, Ring of Cycles, Cotery Brew, Call Umber Yu
• You now get nauseous from eating soil worms.
• Added the description of Umber Yu droppings
• Lighthouse fire shows through ferry smoke
• Tweaked the duration, cooldown and effects of the "Call Umber Yu" skill
• Activated the Ghostly Skald in Burnings
• Altered the "Flowing Umber Lock" effects with playtest feedback
• Finished the effects of the "Call Umber Yu" skill
• Change to the witch and frog husband quest.
• Updated backgrounds in Kasa
• Removed random voices being played when editing character.
• Reduced the default amount of time required for tool tip to show up
• Changed the movement speed for the practical trait.
• Renamed help menu button to tutorials and made all tutorials viewable within that menu
• When exchanging items, the box showing the amount is now hidden if the item is unkown or the quantity wanted is 1
• Add a new, small batch of icons
• Added new footstep sounds to Kasa sewers
• Added audio to the Kasa sewers
• Removed "Blank journal pages" from general merchants and added a new paper trader to Bat Saha."
• Created and distributed Blank journal page items that can be used to add pages to the player journal.

[ 2023-08-31 13:00:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes

• Fixed the bug where trades were unable to be completed if filters were used

[ 2023-08-07 12:57:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes

• Decreased memory consumption during gameplay
• Fixed issues of FPS decreasing overtime
• Fixed so that Haunted Gravestones will now have a cooldown when being used
• Fixed spam error messages when disbanding a group
• Fixed the infinite "Flute of the Charmer" bug
• Fixed an issue where fireplaces did not apply "Very Comfortable" buff correctly.
• Fixed issue where hairstyle 26 was not visible in-game.
• Fixed issue where stamina would erroneously drain under certain circumstances.
• Fixed issue where trade view could be cancelled by clicking inside of the player inventory.
• Fixed issue where some sound FX did not play
• Fixed issue where knowledge gain feedback would play when it shouldn't
• Fixed when transition buttons overlapped it would teleport you randomly between them
• Fixed bug where apple trees would sometimes provide pre-packaged, dried apples
• Fixed an issue where effects would be removed erroneously.
• Fixed issue of a resting player to not stand up when talking to NPCs
• Fixed the random at the end of the auto-dismissing message after being given an item
• Fixed buttons in character creation not working as intended
• Fixed issues of animals being difficult to click on
• Fixed so that interactables will now pop-up when walking with the keyboard/gamepad
• Fixed audio issues when placing items inside the trading window
• Fixed issue where the logo was cut off with the UI scale set to large.
• Fixed an issue where Smoke Cylinder would get canceled on any interaction.
• Fixed an Issue where Soul of the Road Warden and Tricks of the Messenger buffs did not stack.
• Fixed issue where a quest reward would become unobtainable if inventory was full at the time of receipt
• Fixed issue of spawning in the void after entering the Kasa portal
• Fixed issue of player not walking after certain level transitions
• Fixed issue where the fishing skill would sometimes be granted too soon
• Fixed issue an where a character would sometimes appear to catch a sword during the fishing animation
• Fixed the issue with the disappearing legs of the Enfolder form
• Various Typo fixes

Changes

• Made the Kasa Postmaster's envelopes require knowing Vellan in order to read.
• Updated the values of the envelopes from the Kasa Post Master quests
• Added new quests to Kasa + New event to Mist Keeper's Toe
• Added so that we can now merge groups together if you stand next to another group
• Added decorative details to boats.
• Improved overall loading times
• Increased the value of the "Sweet Sylla" squid

[ 2023-07-03 12:59:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes:

• Fixed navmesh on western docks stair case
• Fixed stability issues when joining/leaving groups
• Fixed spam error messages when disbanding a group
• Fixed issues of group travel not working as intended
• Fixed a bug where certain item swaps in and out of pockets would be unnecessarily blocked by the item not being bait
• Fixed issue where trade button would sometimes be disabled even when the player had offered items of equal or greater value (by removing trader leeway)
• Fixed Blowfish consumption effect
• Fixed the infinite Flute of the Charmer bug
• Various Typo fixes

Changes:

• Various performance improvements in Kasa
• Added so that you can now merge groups together if you stand next to another group
• Turned the Souvenir Hawker around
• Added a new trader to Kasa
• Small change to the description of Stone from Humble Bridge
• Added a new Endeavour and item to Kasa
• Updated the inventories of certain general merchants to include crafted tradegood items
• Added notice to backer item descriptions
• Created an alternative way to remove the Eye of the Taker curse

[ 2023-05-25 14:15:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Greetings Khelim!

Since our last community update, our team has expanded quite a bit, and we have been hard at work on many different parts of the game. As you all know, there have been technical challenges for us to overcome, and were slowly but steadily reaching a point where our work is not just happening on a systems and tools level that is mostly out of sight to our players, but where we can actively put out new gameplay content, and expand the world of Braided Shore. We are now at a point where we have a wonderfully diverse team of engineers, artists, writers, user experience, level and audio designers, and this has enabled us to work on many features and events in parallel. For now, we will focus on the work thats been done in recent months, but know that youll get to know more members of our team soon! We have put a lot of work into our backend, development tools, and improving the game performance overall. This work has enabled us to finally inch our way to opening the gates to not only Kasa, but other new areas in Braided Shore as well. Right this moment, there are ways to sneak into the locked city, and as the mysteries of Kasa develop, you will find new stories to pursue, and new areas to explore. There are both technical and narrative reasons as to why were rolling out the city in these chapters, but were confident that the slow burn will be worth it, and we hope that youll find the new adventures rewarding. [previewyoutube=FO2Sa6kEm-c;full][/previewyoutube] Before we get into some of the other features being worked on, we have a note from the narrative team: Greetings from the scholars of Braided Shore! Kasa is a city with a long history. With parts stretching beyond even the Asken Folks arrival on Braided Shore. Even though parts of its history happened many ages ago, it can still be felt in her inhabitants and current events. A dire incident has recently closed down the city, and has impacted not just the ones stuck outside, but also the ones trapped within the city walls. With the helpful recent addition of a new Quest and Flag system, we now have a lot more tools to work with in order to design more reactive, varied and branching events. With these new tools we have been hard at work, writing and designing events and quests for the recent addition of Kasa and beyond! Just the Old Town district of Kasa has currently surpassed the Event count of the town of Crossings, with more being worked on and added in coming updates. It may take many trips into the locked city to uncover all her secrets and lore. Expect to meet Moonsoakers, Alley Grocers, Visiting Historians and more. Other parts of Braided Shore have also received new events with new items, along with updates to older ones. A Mystical Gravedigger, an Old Travelling Smith and a Fall Gem Searcher are just a few of the additions and updates to the outside. To complement the new fishing update that we rolled out a little bit ago, we have also included 20 new fish and fishable creatures to the waters around Braided Shore, with many Prize Catches hidden in certain out-of-the-way locations for the brave and talented Fisher to discover. -Simon, Narrative Designer [previewyoutube=-O_GoqRtMcc;full][/previewyoutube] As you can tell from this update, many of the features being worked on overlap in some way. The fishing update ties into a bigger collaborative effort to introduce cooking to the game. This work is not limited to only the cooking itself, but includes a complex system of recipes that are culturally significant to the inhabitants of Braided Shore, as well as inventory updates to support the feature. Similarly, many disciplines have come together to design an in-game journal. Since many of the Book of Travels developers are also active players of the game, were well acquainted with the habit of keeping a notebook on your desk as you play, to take notes on both areas that youve explored and interactions youve had on your travels. Our goal is to create a journal in-game, and that we can update it with new features overtime, so that you have proper in-game tools to chronicle your journey. But wait, theres more! (we say, as if we were a peddler found at the outskirts of Crossings, trying to trade you overpriced umbrellas on a sunny day) For the past couple of sprint cycles, we have been able to focus on combat once more. Its a long process of reviewing what we already have, redesigning some of it, and creating completely new animations and ways of fighting. It is also very rewarding work, though, and its bringing us one step closer to finalising the vision that we set out with back in 2019. Were very excited to show you the things weve been working on during the first half of the year, and as we get closer to releasing these completely new features for the game, you can expect in-depth looks at them, both through updates such as this, and videos. Until next time, take care, fellow travellers, and may your tea never grow cold. Best wishes, Eira & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2023-05-25 14:15:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes:

• Fixed issue where description window would behave strangely when switching between items with identical names
• Fixed invalid poems.
• Fixed the coupon knot's value for the knot trader.
• Fixed a bug that allowed swapping non-bait items into the bait slot of a fishing rod.
• Fixed issue where items would disappear from pockets
• Fixed issue where NPC's used wrong dialogue
• Fixed stuttering camera issues when walking close to level borders (Most notable are the borders in Siram Fields)
• Fixed Unveil ability so that it will now consistently show hidden/ghosts characters when used
• Fixed the Alley Grocer spawning during the day
• Various Typo fixes
• Fix for getting stuck in the clouds when using unstuck in Kasa

Changes:

• Added a new Bonebound Blade and an additional way to get the "Bonebound Blade (Whale)"
• Stopped the "Edge of the docks" from talking to the player.
• Stopped the grieving mother from trying to sell things to the player
• Updated the Old Umber Lake Frog
• Updated the item descriptions for Bait fish.
• Polished the item description for the "Flute of the Charmer"
• Made Geva Kha's lecture repeatable.
• Removed Masterless key collector from Kasa
• Gave the Kasa fish seller rods and worms
• Turned the alley grocer around
• Added some of the new fish/fishable creatures to the loot and trading pool again
• Removed Geva Kha needing the player to sit to get the lecture as it proved too unreliable.
• Updated the rewards for the Kasa Elder event.
• Made the Droil lockbox endevour more difficult
• Removed the Kasa flower seller's desire to walk.
• Demoted soils worms to Poor quality items.
• Added ability to use certain small fish as bait.
• Higher quality bait can now be used to increase chances of fishing success.
• Added smoothing movement to the player camera
• Added support for endeavours to have quest stages, so that individual players can solve endeavours by themselves
• All trading NPC's now update their inventory in accordance with what has been traded
• Added two new waypoints in preparation for upcoming events.
• Reagent cost is now only displayed for knots and teas
• Implemented sand footstep sounds in every relevant level
• Updated a couple of berry bushes in Kasa
• Added various new Kasa events

[ 2023-05-11 11:55:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes

• Fixed to guise abilities so that they will now reset correctly when logging out
• Fixed to guise abilities so that they will no longer manipulate other players character screen
• Fixed sprites in wrong sizes
• Fix to masking when going into some buildings.
• Fixed the Myr fishmonger's trading inventory.
• Fixed the effect cards for the Vials of Lilith's Cinnabar and Cobalt brews
• Fixed a bug where part of the fishing casting interface would appear offscreen if the character was at the edge of the camera border
• Fixed when turning in Mitra's Daily Challenges, that it will now require to talk to them once for completing it instead of multiple times.
• Fixed Post Warden Vastilla's quest, she will now return the bracelet when you turn it in during the night.
• Fixed issue where speaking to a non-ghost NPC triggered "A Ghostly Chat" achievement
• Fixed a bug that caused water reflections to update on lower graphics settings
• Fixed issue where water was rendered incorrectly on 16:10 window resolutions
• Improved rendering performance of various areas.
• Various typo fixes.

Changes

• Removed second tea pavillion host from the Myrt Tea Auction Event.
• Added a new event with a new item that hints at the Kasa portal's location.
• Added Moonsoakers to Kasa at night.
• Added Nightlighters to Kasa at night.
• Redesigned the ambient soundscape in Kasa
• Made the audible area of certain 3D sounds more realistic
• Added a message when the player gives an animal a pet treat as part of an exchange interaction
• Added reaction flags to the Yehan Cog Quest and the Stolen Tea Sample Quest
• Added descriptions for reagents
• Added gossip poems hinting towards the Kasa portal.
• Minor Kasa decoration(?)
• Added new music to Kasa(??)
• Added squid to Kasa along with a new fishing spot(???)
• Implemented sand footstep sounds in Kasa
• Added a volume to each game item (future: volume affecting backpack and pocket storage size in a meaningful way)
• Adjusted item edible categories so that they fit within planned inventory and cooking filtering systems
• Adjusted existing assets and templates to reflect updates to edible category changes
• Made the Blowfish dangerous to eat(hah!)
• Added 20 new fish/fishable creatures along with new and updated fishing spots.
• Added edible fish icons
• Added reagent icons.

[ 2023-05-02 09:18:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changes

• When you obtain a fishing rod, you are now automatically granted the fishing skill. (You still need to memorise it from your skill book to add it to your available skills.)
• You must now have a fishing rod equipped in your main hand equipment slot in order to fish. There are now two fishing rods in the game, a makeshift fishing rod and a casting fishing rod.
• Another new item, soil worms, can be loaded into fishing rods as bait. Without bait, you will not catch fish, just trash.
• Fishing areas are now easier to find because of added visual and sound effects.
• Fishing areas are now stocked with specific fish that deplete as they are caught and then gradually respawn over time.
• The type of fish you can catch in fishing areas is now reflective of the types of water (river, ocean, lake) and part of the world where they occur. Outside of fishing areas, you will generally now mostly catch trash.
• Your fishing skill level still limits your ability to catch more valuable fish and also affects the frequency in which a fish will escape with your bait.
• A casting mini-game (only available when using the new casting fishing rod) gives you the opportunity to reach more distant fishing spots, potentially catching more valuable fish.
• Rainy weather now speeds up fishing, as does an increased fishing skill.
• New animations, sound effects, and visual effects enhance the overall experience of fishing.
• Added a new quest, The Omin Pebble, to Bat Saha.
• Added a new quest for the Fall Gem Searcher.
• Updated the new Poor Smith event and the new Gravedigger quest
• Added an NPC to Myrt (new quest progress)
• Added a new quest with new items that may appear in graveyards at night
• Small update to the Kasa Gardener quest
• Added a few NPCs and Text Interactions to Kasa.
• Assigned all the sprites in the game to new sprite atlases
• Clarified the skill acquisition state of knot pattern items when trading
• Added a new way to resolve the "Myrt Tea Auction" quest
• Polished some Kickstarter rewards
• Reduced calls on WaterController
• Added new Edible, Arm, Cloak, Instrument and neck icons
• Added more worms to Traders and Fishers. (35 to traders, 20 to fishers.)
• Implemented new UnityAnalytics for fishing
• Improved visual effects for fishing
• Adjustments to the fishing mini game
• Improved animations for fishing
• Updates and tweaks to fishing sound effects
• Disabled sitting fishing
• Better notifications for fishing skill
• Updates to what items can be obtained through fishing
• Replace all sprites in spritemanager
• Added New Kasa event "Nightlighters"
• Added New Kasa Event "Arguing Bakers"
• Added New Kasa event Driftwood collecting Youngsters
• Added New Kasa event Weapon Merchant
• Added New Kasa event Date trader
• Added new details to south 03 Kasa
• Added three gossiping Wardens to Kasa.
• Change to Min/Max range on 3D sounds.
• Added clarity to the Swift Mystic Questline if the player is already in possession of Furikum seeds.

Fixes

• Fixed that when exchanging quest items to an NPC it will no longer appear in the NPC's trading inventory
• The Borderless Fullscreen window mode no longer behaves like Exclusive Fullscreen
• Various typo fixes
• Rebalanced a few rings.
• Adjusted the stats of "Fan of the Hidden" to align with what was promised on Kickstarter.
• Deactivated the fade out script on boatsmall_03's Engine
• Fixed a bug that caused the stat icons on item cards to not display properly.
• Various Kasa background, terrain and environment fixes
• Fixed issue where consumable effects would not last for the specified duration
• Fixed issue where some NPCs in certain cases would gradually degrade server performance
• Fixed two grave waypoints
• Fixed some issues with icons
• Fixed issue where some items offered in a trade in some cases wouldn't be traded
• Fixed issue where stacked items in some cases wouldn't show the stack size number
• Fixed issue where received stacks of equipment wouldn't distribute over individual slots
• Fixed floating torches at graveyard sites
• Fixed issue of player getting stuck on vehicles
• Fixed so the Endeavour boats will now work as intended(again)
• Fixed so that you always see other players on vehicles
• Fixed issue of player getting desynced and warped away from vehicles when arriving at an end destination
• Fixed so that players can no longer extinguish an NPC's fireplace
• Fixed so that fireplaces will now consistently extinguish during rain
• Fixed so that fireplaces will now always fade away when their lifetime has passed
• Fixed fireplace audio loop issue, it will now always fade away when it gets destroyed
• Fixed so you can no longer interact with spawned Pyre fireplaces
• Fixed bugged "Stolen Tea Sample Pouch" spawn locations.
• Fixed Containers in Kasa(!!)
• Fixed more instances of NPCs gradually degrading server performance
• Fixed issue of loud torch sound when transitioning to night
• Fixed issue where Ardent Lantern would fail to follow its summoner

[ 2023-03-31 12:22:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

One of the most prominent issues we hear about from our community is the compatibility issue on Apple machines with M1 chips. In the hardware requirements for Book of Travels, the recommended processor designated is Intel Core i7 processor (with Intel Core i3 being the minimum) and it's also noted that M based processors aren't compatible. We understand, however, that it's easy to accidentally buy a game on Steam when it says it's playable on Mac without further looking into the detailed hardware requirements, and that's why we so often hear about this problem impacting our players. The good news is that there's a work around which is detailed in a great Youtube video embedded into this post. This method has been successful in making some of our Discord community members being able to play it on their M1 machines. In summary: [olist]

Right-click Book of Travels in your Steam library and go to "Properties"

Click "Local Files" on the left and then "Browse"

Right-click on "BookOfTravels" in the directory and then "Get info"

In this window, tick the box "Open using Rosetta". You can now close all windows

Launch the game [/olist] [previewyoutube=W03uHsBUOu0;full][/previewyoutube] You can read more about Rosetta here. Note that this isn't the same as running an application natively on an M1 machine and is, again, to be strictly considered a work around for the compatibility issue. Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2023-03-30 15:46:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good day, Traveller.

We have a quick news update for you today. We just released a new video in which we detail the changes that we've been working on for the fishing skill in Book of Travels. For one thing, we're adding a new casting rod which will allow you to cast your line further out and get better fish. For the full details, please check out the video: [previewyoutube=g1D5PjNMKVg;full][/previewyoutube] We hope you enjoyed the presentation! That's it for today, but you'll hear more from us soon. Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2023-03-21 16:52:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes:

• NPCs now stay still for the duration of any interaction(!!)
• Fixed a bug that caused the info card to not appear when inspecting tea.
• Fixed graphics on endeavours that sometimes are invisible
• Fixed a bug that made the Item Card display outside of the screen in trade when using UI Size: Large
• Fixed a bug that caused tooltips to flicker when hovering over equipped items.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Robbery screen to have missing sprites.
• Fixed some lamp posts weird behavior
• Various Typo Fixes

Changes:

• Implemented some new icons
• Added a new NPC that may appear at campfires.
• Changes to quest system backend as follow up to an earlier release note.
• Updated properties for every Ring to reflect their new descriptions
• Added a small use for the "Cobalt Urn" item.
• Added some new offhand equipment items
• Removed the pocket slots from "Shard of rosewood"
• Optimizing areas around Kasa(!??!)
• Re-added changes to Kasa waypoints(!!)
• Improved stability of ping display
• Made various changes to rendering which should increase performance.
• Added cats, dogs and a surprise creature to Kasa (!!)
• Removed character spawning waypoints from the water in Kasa(?)
• Updated properties for Belts to reflect their new descriptions.
• Added the descriptions for "Offhand High" equipment and updated the rewards for completing the Myrt Auction quest.

[ 2023-02-20 14:52:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

NOTE: As you'll see in the "Changes" section, we've now added a adjustable FPS cap, which will default to 60 with this update. If you want it to go higher, you'll need to change it in the settings.

Fixes:

• Fixed Vastila's bracelet not displaying its description and Vastilla now properly returns their bracelet
• Fixed that on rare occasions animals/omins would speak when walking by it
• Fix to some lamppost lighting
• Fixed Tricks of Nightfeathers achievement trigger
• Fixed so you can press the emote buttons when holding down left-shift
• Fixed so you can no longer pet the Shipping Administrator in the Western Verve (sadface)
• Fixed "Withered thread of recollection" not displaying its description.
• Fixed descriptions not displaying for certain trade goods.
• Fixed issue of endeavours not setting the correct name and description after it was solved
• Fixed issue of when hovering multiple endeavours the name and description could linger and stay on screen
• Fixed issue of endeavours that didn't fade away as they should
• Fixed an issue of music not playing while in-game
• Fixed issue where a certain Mysterious figure wouldn't accept any trade
• Fixed memory leak in the settings menu that occurred when a keybind is active
• Fixed a bug that caused the player to get logged out after cancelling the log out.
• Various Typo Fixes.
• Fixed issues of endeavours not updating their name and description when solved
• Fixed issue of multiple interaction buttons popping up when clicking on an NPC with connected endeavours
• Fixed issue of a collider blocking NPCs that have endeavours connected to them.
• Fixed issues of objects not fading away as they should
• Fixed floating fire, smoke and lantern in Location: Skalds Union Retreat: The Burnings
• Fixed floating fires and rugs
• Fixed issues of endeavours not updating their name and description when solved
• Fixed issue of multiple interaction buttons popping up when clicking on an NPC with connected endeavours
• Fixed issue of a collider blocking NPCs that have endeavours connected to them.
• Fixed issue where NPCs would slide instead of walk when moving

Changes:

• Improved settings save/load error recovery
• Added FPS cap setting for players to set their own custom FPS preferences.
• Updated properties for further trade good items to reflect their new descriptions.
• Visual improvements to the login and character selection scene.
• Updated properties for trade good items to reflect their new descriptions.
• Added gatekeeping guards to the inside of Kasa(!?!)
• Updated properties for edible items to reflect their new descriptions.
• Added a unique description for every "Backpack Equipment" item.
• Adjusted intensity of lanterns of certain quality levels
• Items that apply effects on pickup now have them retroactively applied for items already in inventory
• Added actual functionality to ping display
• Prevented Sefra shrines from granting unlimited effects after a single offering
• Updated Discord rich presence layout and contents
• Small updated lore for Elden Statue text.
• Updated properties for "Equipment Arm" items based on their new descriptions.
• Added a unique description for every "Sword Equipment" item.
• FPS counter now scales with UI size correctly

[ 2023-01-27 11:29:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes

• Fixed an issue of player trying to stand up when interacting with fireplaces/teas when resting
• Fixed audio loop bug when interacting & finishing endeavours
• Fix to reduce endeavour interaction distance to from 50 to 15 meters
• Fixed an issue when interacting with endeavours the image wouldn't disappear when leaving it
• Fixed an issue where player couldn't navigate towards a target when the interaction markers was up
• Fixed issues when interacting with endeavours the player would interrupt and walk/slide away
• Fixed an issue of endeavour icons when interacting with NPCs would sometime not appear
• Fixed where creating a new character the intro screen wouldn't appear for a while and showed the level instead.
• Fixed an issue that could occasionally cause a new character to not save.
• Fixed a bug that caused the knowledge meter in the Character Sheet display incorrect amounts of knowledge.
• Fixed rotation and movement bugs with the sheep in the 'Travelling on Land' start scenario.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when returning items to a players or traders inventory.
• Fixed missing icon for various types of headgear
• Fixed issue where using a skill so you will no longer try walk to the old mouse position if you left-click during cast time.
• Fixed null reference regarding prop fade when switching levels
• Fixed a bug that caused revealed ghost characters to not be interactable (for example, Sayida the Seafury).
• Fixed a bug that enabled the player to run while nauseous by clicking an NPC or interactable.
• Fixed a bug that caused the player to not be able to view items cards while trading.
• Fixed some water missing issues.
• Fix a Cross river near bridge movement bug
• Fixed ping display (including your ping in bug reports will help!)

Changes

• More tweaks to character customization interface
• Evolved new intro starting conditions
• Winds are more present during gameplay. Players will be given a hint at login.
• Added a unique description for every "Offhand Cane Equipment" item.
• Added a unique description for every "Neck Equipment" item.
• Added a unique description for every "Ring Equipment" item.
• Add edibles to starting scenarios
• Added a child to the "I can't remember, North" start who gives the player a small gift.
• Added a Peculiar Sheep to the west "Travel by land" start who gives the player a gift.
• Added a bartering opportunity to the Journey at Sea start event.
• Added a fisher to the "Journey at sea" start who gives the player a small gift.
• The Shepard in the Siram Fields starting event now gives the player a gift.
• Reduced distance of how far you could click outside unreachable ground, this changes how players walk up stairs which would make it quite hard to navigate.
• Adjusted weather frequencies.

[ 2022-12-20 15:02:46 CET ] [ Original post ]

One of the frustrations often expressed is new content when?. As our community knows, we have spent several months looking at the tech in use in the game, rebuilding systems etc to hopefully improve the general stability and performance of the game (we are aware some people still have an FPS drop). As we have been doing this we have continued to work on new content but we have not yet shown that new Content. To this end we feel its worth taking a look at exactly what is meant by Content and what we have been doing. The DLC Plan:
During our Kickstarter we released a Roadmap which included different Downloadable Content packs and the order they would be released in. With this map you now get some ideas of what areas of the game world we will release in each DLC pack. This takes us to what is meant by Content, as for a large number of players content = maps, and this is a very misleading way of looking at games. Often on our reviews we see people say there is nothing to do and yet we know there are players who have played for hundreds of hours. This is because content is often layered within each area, and until you dig past the first few layers you dont find the content that is hidden underneath. We realise that being unable to find that content is our fault, and that is why we needed to re-write some of the features to make it easier to reach the content. During development and Early Access the general process is you create some features, people use the features and the number of features in an area reflects a level of content. When people ask for more content, pushing out more areas with features that dont work just leads to more things not working. An easy example is our fire creation system. You can build fires anywhere, but we have some prebuilt fires you can just light yourself. If that is broken, having 20 zones with 20 broken fires makes little sense. So, it is important to make sure features work and are robust and useable before you use them at a large scale. With a quest creation system, if its broken and thus delivers broken quests, adding 20 new quests just leads to more broken quests and a higher level of frustration with our players that we dont want them to experience. Changeable clothing is a feature, 20 different cloaks are content. If clothing is broken having 20 different cloaks does not mean anything. This is why its important to us to get Features working correctly as and when we release content. This includes changing the way we explain features so the existing and new content we have already added around starting quests and exploring can be experienced the way we want. As we released new achievements, new storylines and quests are starting to be uncovered. Over the coming weeks the layers of content around the changing storyline will start to be unlocked. Some of it is already there, and some of you have found it. We have enjoyed seeing people piece together their theories and examining every piece of junk they find hoping it reveals some dark secret there is more to come...
Until then, Joe, COO

[ 2022-12-15 15:16:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good Wednesday to you, dear Traveller,

Today I'd just like to share our latest video, Community Storytime. It's entirely based on first hand experiences that you have shared with us. It's our way of highlighting our wonderful community and their stories, and I personally think it came out really nice. Watch on Youtube: [previewyoutube=h0s-nMBAHGU;full][/previewyoutube] That's it for today, but you'll hear more from us soon. Thank you very much for your continued support, your passion and for playing Book of Travels. You are a big part of what makes our game special. Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2022-12-14 14:59:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Fixes

• Fixed a bug that caused NPCs to be highlighted when they didn't have any available interactions.
• Fix so that the reagent teacher in Bat Saha now gives the player Keen Eye as intended.
• Fixed a bug that let players use unlearned skills by using the filters in the skill HUD.
• Fixed an issue of Stiff Trait that made the player unable to run.
• Fixed issues of trading stacks of items that would make items disappear. When selling stacks of 99x will now separate on new trading slots.
• Fixed a bug that caused NPCs to stop being highlighted by tab after hovering over them with the mouse pointer.
• Fix to boarding and disembarking trains and boats
• Fixed issue where Discord integration not working on OSX was interfering with game operation
• Fixed walking with WASD making combat UI not show up and not interrupting combat
• Fixed a bug that enabled you to write map notes that were too long for the text box.
• Fixed a bug that caused selection circles to remain under NPCs feet after highlighting them with tab.
• Fix to walking out of camera view with keyboard
• Fixed an issue of gambling not working
• Fix to pet animals
• Fixed version number text display in main menu
• Jumping from a train during level transitions no longer results in infinite loading screens
• Cursor size is now consistent across all platforms
• Custom text fields in character creation no longer retains input from a previous creation session
• Fix to missing water in some world areas.
• Fixed fading objects when going towards camera.
• Fixed rare occasion desync issue when leaving and entering Shelters/Fireplaces that made the hud icon get stuck.
• Fixed a bug that caused players to be teleported to a random level if they tried logging in while in an Outmark level.
• Fix for some chickens not drawing correctly(!)
• Fix for crossing rivers near bridges (based on water depth)
• Fix for You need assistance to solve this prompt after failing an endeavour.
• Fixed some achievement triggering issues for new achievement unlocks
• Fixed issues of houses not lowering the sound volume when entering them. Sound volume will now reduce when logging inside houses.
• Fix to cloud brightness at dawn/night
• Fix to butterfly shader
• Fixed a bug that caused the character model in the character sheet to disappear
• Reduced volume to 25% on NPCs umbrella rain sounds
• Fixed a crash that occurred when returning items to a player's or trader's inventory after filtering

Changes

• Added 44 new achievements
• You can now see your selected character in the Character Select screen.
• The illumination range of offhand lanterns and lights is now affected by their item quality
• Added alternate debug menu binding (Left Ctrl + Left Alt), and ability to go backwards in menus (hold Shift + any debug menu binding)
• Change to make fishing area effect less subtle
• Created a new NPC system that will enhance performance.
• Players can no longer stand in the middle of a boat ride by spam clicking.
• Trade Good Currencies now shows their description when right clicking in the inventory.
• Tab now only highlights interactable NPCs in range.
• The Unstuck Me button works correctly when the player is in a vehicle
• Players should be able to move after being thrown to a safe spot
• Players may need to log out and log back in before they will be able to board a vehicle again after being thrown to a safe spot.
• Players will now leave their group if they are too far away from their closest group member for too long
• Change to critter particles
• Changed frequency of weather changes
• Changed server time to winter time.
• Critters adjustments
• Don't Show Tutorial button in the tutorial popup will now work as intended. You can now press Don't Show Tutorial in the tutorial popup without entering the tutorial.
• Added a fisher to the "Journey at sea" start who gives the player a small gift.
• Added a unique description for every "Ring Equipment" item.
• Added a unique description for every "Belt Equipment" item.
• Added a unique description for every "Head Equipment" item.
• Implemented a new trading interface. More slots for the player, filtering, and a text showing the players' total trade value.
• When raining the wet effect will apply as it should. Umbrellas will protect you from the rain when leaving and entering shelters. Umbrellas will still continue to shelter you from rain when switching levels. When wearing an umbrella, the umbrella rain sounds will now work as intended and no longer deactivate itself when going in and out from shelters . You will now be sheltered from the rain inside trains. When entering shelters and leaving during rain, the wet effect will now apply and remove as it should.
• Updated the layout and text of the character creator to make the experience smoother and clearer.
• Added a randomise page button (die roll) on every screen of the character creator to allow for quick yet novel character creation.
• Improved NPC performance in Western Harvest Route.
• During all starting scenarios, players will receive knowledge for the conversation interactions that are a part of those scenarios.
• The laughing child audio in the Travel By Land / West starting scenario will now play less frequently.
• A missing walk-by poem in the Journey By Sea / North starting scenario should now display correctly.
• Reduced the volume of the boat horn that announces upcoming departures

[ 2022-12-08 14:03:40 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

We hope you're having a fantastic holiday season. As you know, it's been over a year since we launched Book of Travels into Early Access and the world got to explore this world of Braided Shore that we've worked on for over half a decade. And even though there's been bumps in the road we are still fully committed to making Book of Travels the best game that it can be. More importantly, we see how much you - our players - share our belief in our vision for this world. We appreciate you very much. And as a small token of that appreciation, we're releasing piece of downloadable content that we call 1 Year EA Anniversary Digital Goodies.

A Bundle of Book of Travels art

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2223580/Book_of_Travels__1_Year_EA_Anniversary_Digital_Goodies/ This free fan kit art bundle includes a collection of pieces of art, music tracks, wallpapers and more. Its a small token of our appreciation of your continued support and passion for Book of Travels, and something to hold you over while you wait for the next big in-game content drop. Here's a download link to a zip file with the contents, if you'd rather have it that way! 2 BoT Cover images, Digital art (HD): The First Cover.png The Second Cover.png 3 Hand painted Forms, Digital Art (HD) The Crested.png The Goodward.png The Veiled.png 4 Hand painted Digital Art (HD): Kettem Rajh.png Kettem.png Maisu.png Saida the Sea Fury.png 1 Timelapse video: Painting Ketten Rajh.mp4 Music: Two free songs from the Soundtrack as MP3s: Paths (Main Theme).mp3 The Elden Road.mp3 1 Map: A new map of Braided Shore (Updated artwork, HD) Wallpapers for desktop and smartphones - a selection of beautiful and hand painted art from the world of Book of Travels: Maps, art with forms and creatures you can play or meet in the game, items, clothes, food and much, much more: 14 x 1080 x 1920 (smartphone) 7 x 1920 x 1080 (desktop) 7 x 1920 x 1080 (desktop) 5 x 1920 x 1200 (desktop) 6 x 2160 x 1920 (desktop) We hear from a lot of you that you'd love to get some high definition Book of Travels art in bulk, so we hope that this will come as a nice little surprise. Again - thank you for being with us as we continue to grow and improve Book of Travels. You'll hear from us again soon! May your tea never grow cold! Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2022-12-02 18:13:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Good afternoon Traveller, And a happy Friday to you! This is going to be a quickie, because we just wanted to put out a map of Braided Shore for you to do whatever you want with. Save it, use it as a wallpaper, a screensaver or print it or do absolutely nothing - choice is yours!
In a little while we'll all go home for the weekend but you can rest assured that we're working on very cool stuff for Book of Travels. In the meantime, stay magical and may your tea never grow cold. Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2022-11-25 14:53:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Changes

• Minor engine upgrade to Unity version 2021.3.10 (previously 2021.3.3)
• Minor Text Changes on some Poems and new messaging around boarding vehicles
• New Server system first trial using smaller "Headless Build" creation
• Added Rich Presence for Steam and Discord
• Improved performance of level prop visual fading
• New Vehicle UX for boarding and resting whilst travelling
• Players can now look at their map and inventory without accidentally triggering jumping off of the train
• Vehicle smoke now varies based on whether a train is stopped, accelerating, decelerating, or moving at full speed
• Station masters and boat hands on train platforms and docks now announce upcoming vehicle departures
• Newly added boats horns announce when a boat will depart soon
• Players now rest while riding trains and boats
• There are consequences for players who choose to ride boats in storms and jump off of trains
• The vehicle departure progress bar has been removed
• There are updates to how vehicles are implemented overall, that should result in a reduced number of disappearing and stuck trains
• Updated several map names.
• Added a unique description for every "Trade Good" item (around 800)
• Added a unique description for every "Shoe Equipment" item
• Proofread and polished in-game dialogue.
• Change to the way roads are handled this will not yet be apparent to players but will allow more accurate road usage in the future.
• Keys in the Control Settings will now change based on your keyboard layout.
• The NPC Resna will now value Knot of Thankful Wishes to same price even when traded.

Fixes

• Fixed stuttering in Main Menu camera movement
• Fix for initiating combat
• Fixed issue where an NPC would give the player unlimited item duplicates
• Improved usability of screenshot section of the feedback menu
• Fixed a bug that caused map notes to not appear when pressing the note button in the map screen
• Fix to arrow marker so it no longer rises up when navigating with keyboard. Arrow marker will now disappear when clicking underneath the player's feet
• Fixed several places where you could walk through objects
• Players in Mist Keeper's Toe can now see themselves on the world map
• Fixes to occlusion culling in various areas
• Objects will now fade faster when camera is too close and when a player is behind objects
• Fix to reduce memory consumption over time
• Tricks of the Messenger will now be more accurate when walking on roads
• You can now zoom in and out with the camera again
• You can no longer offer items when there are no items in the offering window.
• Inventory will now be saved after making an offering.
• Fix to floating item icon at offering shrine when leaving.
• Fix to blurry clothing.
• Items added to the trade window will now always have the same value as the UI tells us.
• Fix for UI becoming stuck in front of some shrines.
• Various Text changes.
• Various performance tweaks.

[ 2022-11-08 11:02:42 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

It has now been 12 months since we released Book of Travels, the Tiny MORPG (MMO-Lite) to early Access on Steam. Whilst initial momentum was beyond expectation, seeing us hit the top 10 most popular games on Steam, server instability and a number of frustrating bugs showed us that we had some issues we needed to solve. The first thing we looked at was the team. It may have not been explained very well at the time but we essentially took the team that had made the very successful single player focussed Shelter series and asked them to deliver a multiplayer experience. It became clear, and was poorly communicated at the time, that we needed to re-asses the team and hire different competencies. This had additional impact on the Shelter 3 release and the on-going support for Meadow and is a challenge to solve whilst remaining an independent developer.

A new team

The creative core and art direction was working well, but we needed different skills around multiplayer gameplay elements, server infrastructure and a different type of production pipeline to accurately release frequent updates for an MMO-Lite style of experience. Over the past 12 months we have hired a large number of engineering staff whilst keeping the majority of the art, stories and design the same, with the aim of improving on what we have. In order to deliver the existing Feature Set we have planned, and outlined as part of the new Road Map, some 7000 hours of development work remain ahead of us. This is before we add in things like bug fixes, design tweaks and adjustments based on feedback. Adding in a new Beta infrastructure allows us to playtest some of these new features early and work on fixes and tweaks as the features develop and ultimately will lead to cleaner update releases in the future (but we are not there yet).

The Pillars of Creation

Part of the rethink of the Feature Set has led us to look at the games positioning in your gaming library, where MMO-Lite sits and what we offer that makes us stand out from other games on the market. Our key focus can be divided up into pillars which are: Survival, Exploration, Trading and Mystery. As we deliver DLC in the future (and PDLC where applicable) we will touch on these four pillars both as the core DLC for each pillar, but also a percentage of change in each of the 4 in each DLC. So, we may release a DLC focussed on Survival, but it will contain elements that touch the other 3 pillars.

Long Term Pricing

Whilst many of our reviews comment on what do I do? the vast majority of our players have spent hundreds of hours in the game world with some spending in excess of 1000 hours. We will address the starting scenarios to better introduce players to the game world, even holding their hands for at least the first 20-60 minutes, but after that point the players will be free to explore and survive in a large and growing open world environment where dangers and mysteries lurk in unpredictable and often hard to find places. As content is released and the world grows, the number of seats per server will increase so the chance of encountering a player remains at the same level even though the world is larger. This growth is balanced against overall game client and game server performance that was addressed as part of our main tech rebuild (and is a constant area of improvement). To this end, the overall price of the game will increase as and when more content is added, the first of which is expected mid-November.

In Summary

The launch was far from ideal, and we had lessons that we needed to learn. We have had a major rethink and addressed these lessons and remain committed to delivering the vast world of Braided Shore. Book of Travels has performed well enough for us to remain dedicated to it for the long term and we are pleased with the reception, the player reviews and the excitement we hear in our community. We have a lot to show you over the next 12 months and look forward to watching your journey. May your tea never grow cold. Joe.

[ 2022-10-14 10:20:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

General Fixes:

• Fixed issue where "You are already logged in" message was shown erroneously
• Fixed a bug that caused keyboard movement to not work when the mouse hovers over an unwalkable area
• Fixed water not being placed correctly in Obo's Blade Pass
• Fixed flickering on certain UI elements
• Fixed a bug made it possible to use the scroll wheel to move the merchant inventory
• Fixed a bug that caused buttons to flicker when hovering over them.

Changes:

• Dockhand NPC will not give you repeated knowledge by talking to them anymore
• You can now start running when at above 5% stamina instead of 30%
• You can no longer interact while an NPC is in a defeated state.
• A Robbery event will no longer remember old values.
• A Robbery event will now value your items correctly when putting them in and outside the inventory boxes.
• Trade Modifiers that increase/decrease values will now be more precise.
• Reduced inventory slots on Ornate Fig Beads from 3 to 0
• Implemented some new effect cards
• Added tooltips to items in Character creation.
• Ghosts will now disappear correctly when disabling Reveal Ghosts effects (ex. Sighted)

[ 2022-10-11 09:57:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

This version contains all previous Beta updates as below. Additionally we have the following known issues in this version:

• WASD Movement still tracks mouse cursor position. If you are unable to walk please ensure your mouse is in the center of the screen.
• Player may become stuck on boats: You should be able to press the Right Alt Key (Alt GR) and select unstuck should you encounter this issue.

Update to a new Unity Input System to allow for new control schemes:

• Added WASD movement.
• Changed how the "Tab functionality" works. Previously it showed all the nametags of interactable NPCs, now it does so in a range around the player while also highlighting pickups and other interactable objects in the world.
• Added foundations for future controller support.
• Added functionality for Key-binding in the settings menu.

Implemented some previously unavailable items in the Settings Menu:

• Voice Volume slider
• UI Size dropdown. Choose between Small, Default, Large.
• Reset Interface Positions. Resets all user moved UI to their default positions after closing the menu.
• Always Notify Effect Cards. Toggle to always show effect card notifications.
• Small Emotes. Toggle to show smaller-sized emotes.
• Always Show Party Names. Toggle to always show your party members' nameplates.
• Show Selection Circles. Toggle to show selections circles around the character you have currently selected.
• Show Area of Effect Range. Toggle to show the AoE circle for skills.
• Show Combat Circle. Toggle to show the circle around a combat encounter.
• Show Walk Arrow. Toggle to show the walking arrow when you use click to walk.
• Disable Unity Analytics. Toggle to enable/disable Unity Analytics.
• Show Effect Cooldown. Toggle to show the effect duration when hovering over an effect card.
• Tool Tip Speed. Slider to choose the speed at which tool tips appear when hovering over UI elements.
• Emote Opacity. Slider to choose the opacity of emotes.
• Changes to Resolution settings

Platform Specific Fixes:

• Changed anti-aliasing method for OSX clients
• Updated Steamworks .NET to 20.1.0

General Fixes:

• Fixed a bug that caused combat to not initiate properly.
• Fixed a bug that caused NPC nametags to not appear when pressing Tab until they had been interacted with at least once.
• Temporarily removed dockhand worker to stop slide backwards and other movement issues
• Tea effects will now stack properly
• Poems will not appear when in menus anymore
• Calm Trait will now increase energy replenish to 1.25% instead of 1% when eating edibles.
• Glutton Trait will now decrease energy replenish to 0.75% instead of 0% when eating edibles.
• Self-Sacrifice Trait will now decrease energy replenish to 0.75% instead of 0% when eating edibles.
• You now cannot cancel a trade anymore after a trade has been confirmed.
• Wasteful trait will now have a chance to discard 2 - 3 items instead of only 2.
• NPC Interaction adjustments so the speech bubble will now appear on the first click
• Gave every wearable "Body" item a unique description.
• Fix for if your inventory is full when receiving a quest item the quest will break
• Change to item UI for value layout so value appears at the top
• Fix for Kasa Incident quest during Night time encounters.
• Added four more poems for the train headed west from Crossings.
• Wrote 4 poems for every different departure of ferries and trains.
• Added a more descriptions to arm and glove items. (Around 5000 words)
• Edible items without a unique description have now received one.
• Endeavour tutorial text change
• Added around 7000 new words worth of item descriptions for Edible items (Bread, cakes, etc) and fixed a couple of text errors.
• Fix for boat leaving the player in the water in West_09
• Fix for Endeavour requirements flash when loading Endeavour
• Character customization should now work in game
• Fix for Large Dried Fish wrong item type
• Fixed a bug that caused the debug menu to always display the current weekday as Monday
• Temporary time adjustments
• Improvements to water reflections

[ 2022-09-27 12:26:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

We are working on a lot of exciting things, as well as fixes and optimisation (some of which you can try out before it goes on the live environment by logging on to the beta branch) - but today I'd like to take a quick moment to shine a light on what improvements we are doing specifically for the vehicles of Braided Shore. We all love trains and boats but we know that, in our game, they could function better and be more intuitive to use. We wanted to change that, and the changes that I'm going to detail in this post are expected to begin rolling out in the coming weeks.
Screenshot by Steam user "Lunafreya" First off, when you board a vehicle you will immediately sit down and begin resting. There's no sense in straining yourself when occupying a cosy vehicle, right? You will also be able to check your map and inventory without automatically disembarking your mode of transport, which will be handy for plotting out your next course of action. Currently, as you may know, there is a time-to-departure progress bar that indicates how long you have to wait until the vehicle in question starts heading out. Instead of that, we're rebuilding the system to convey that information to you in a more immersive way through visual and auditory cues like horns, whistles, smokestack changes, and announcements from the conductor. On top of that station masters and dockhands will provide you with information about expected arrivals and departures for the trains and boats of Braided Shore. You will also be required to have a train or boat pass to take the trip, which will be consumed from the inventory upon boarding. Of course, we're also working on ironing out bugs and glitches causing you and your vehicle to end up in unintended places. Lastly, the team is looking at ways to enable the player to... partake in some ill-advised travelling etiquette. Obviously, no one at Might and Delight formally recommends you to, say, take a boat ride during a storm. Or jump off a train mid-journey. Or try to sneak onboard a vehicle without paying for a pass. But we kind of do want you to be able to, and then face the consequences of those actions. Let's call it a "dismantling of safety measures". Because what fun are those? Until next time! May your tea never grow cold. Best wishes, Oliver and the team at Might and Delight

[ 2022-08-22 15:09:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Today we wanted to talk about how our work looks in regards to the story of Book of Travels. We're thinking a lot about how we want to present the larger story of the game to the player, and how to expand it over time while still holding true to our original vision and design philosophies about not wanting to hold the player's hand too tightly or spoon feed them. When it comes to story in the world of Braided Shore, there is much to do. We are both looking to introduce more lore details to the world, and to expose the intrigue of the Prologue so that more players have the chance to find and play through it. Were introducing new lore both through item descriptions and, eventually, new encounters and events. We want the storytelling of Book of Travels to feel intuitive, and like something you unveil as you travel. With every item in the game world telling you bits and pieces of information, were hoping to add another layer to your roleplaying and immersion.
We also want the world to feel alive, whether youre wandering through the deep woods or bartering in a bustling town. Ensuring that interactions with NPCs feels worthwhile, and that the world highlights the quests and events available to you, is also a major focus of our current work. When looking at the steam achievements, and talking to the community, we can tell that the main intrigue of the Prologue is incredibly hard to find, and that many players simply have not played through it. We want to expose this story to the player, and ensure that the way we tell the story is in line with how the game is played; what if there wasnt a one singular path to the great city of Kasa? What if there was a way for Travellers to find many clues that point to the city, and the cause of its peculiar lockdown? This autumn and winter, you can expect hundreds of new item descriptions in-game (our story team has already written over 15 000 words of new lore in the past two weeks), many new dialogues and small encounters, as well as a mystery that seems to permeate the lands of Braided Shore. For a behind the scenes peek at what were up to, you can find our work on the Beta, where it will be featured alongside bug fixes, polish of features, and experiments with new gameplay mechanics. Were hoping that, from the very start of the game, youll feel the call of the open road, and that the stories you encounter along the way will not only entertain, but stay with you whenever you brew a soothing cup of tea, or when you walk past a grassy field and feel like you might spot omin hiding amongst the underbrush. You'll hear more from us in the coming weeks. As always, we encourage you to sound off in the comments and on the forums about what you think of any new information we put out. Until next time, Traveller. May your tea never grow cold... Best wishes, The Might and Delight team

[ 2022-08-15 11:57:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

We want to thank you for your patience. As you are aware we had some significant issues that we needed to take time to solve that we estimated would take 3 months. We are now 3 months and 1 week after that and finally have some news for you as well as a new Beta Test Environment for you to use. If you followed our Tech Blogs you would have seen that we were doing things but as it was all short comments aimed at internal users it may not have made a lot of sense. In essence, what we have done is change some of the core tech the game uses as well as streamlined some of our production pipelines. That main change with this is an update of the Unity Engine from a 2019 version to the newer 2021.3.3f1 version. If you look this up you will see that yes there are newer versions, however we needed one that offers Long Term Support as well as not jumping too far ahead from the 2019 version. Updating the engine comes with several benefits. You should initially notice that the game *feels* a bit smoother but mostly it allows us to add some new technologies in that we can use in the near future to give you better gameplay, from things like a new Input System (affecting mouse movement and potential controller support) to new cinematic cameras and live real time events. Now this stage is complete we need to present you with an updated Road Map which will be coming in the near future that will explain what we will fix and change as well as provide some detail on new content that we know you are all excited to hear about and play. As well as the engine update we have started to make other performance improvements by re-writing portions of code and changing some visual effects to give a higher frame rate. The area you will see the biggest change here is with water. We use a very detailed reflection system which lead to water being always on, which is very costly. We have now managed to improve this system so only a small amount of water around your character is rendered leading to a significant frame rate improvement. Overall one thing we need to avoid is making things worse. The problem with game development, especially in small teams, is being able to test all of the content to make sure its bug free and smooth before it gets released. This is one of the benefits of early access but also one of its greatest curses. One thing that greatly aids in this is a Beta environment, and that is what we want to share with you today. Please understand a version released on the Beta environment will be more unstable than one released on retail. It will also be a lot more restricted. However it allows us to have people play test updated versions without impacting the majority of players. We have now prepared an updated version of the game and propped it on the Beta Environment for you to try out if you wish to take part in testing new features. Also it is important to realize that we have only addressed underlying core tech issues and general performance. Many of you wait for specific issues to be fixed regarding quests etc and these are not delivered as part of this update but will be addressed soon. Be aware of the following:

• The Beta Environment is more unstable than retail.
• The Beta Environment will be turned off and restart at random with no notice.
• Characters created on the Beta environment will be wiped periodically do not use this for long term game play.
• Only 7 seats exist per region therefore only a total of 28 people can play on Beta at any one time.
• On Beta you will occasionally see content that is not fully known by other players. Please avoid Spoilers.

This gives us the following development pipeline so you can understand how we will release content going forward, where the quality of the game needs to be higher in each stage before it can be released to the next. This environment is Windows PC only. Local Development environment > Internal QA environment > External Test environment > Public Beta environment > Public Retail environment. Our goal is that a version will spend a week on the Public Beta environment before moving to retail. For those of you who play the current build on this Beta environment please be aware of the following issues:

• Boats will periodically teleport you when they reach docks this might lead you to landing in water and having to walk to land.
• Some water has rapid wave effects (most notably in Siram Fields)
• The game client might hang during logout. You should be able to close it with Alt+F4

You may join with the password BetaShore2022 - for details on how to join a Steam Beta click the "Discuss" button below. Thank you for your patience, Joe & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2022-07-18 14:02:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Its been seven weeks since we put out any sort of community update, not counting the set of patch notes that has gone out between then and now. Weve been very busy with our work to get Book of Travels to a good place and the studio is going through some important changes to that end, both in terms of how we structure and organise our workflow and in terms of leadership. You may remember our last communication in which we detailed our plans for the future development, and in broad strokes that plan still stands. What I want to do today is bring further clarity on what is being done and what is going to happen in the near future. Just like I put it on the table seven weeks ago, we are in a development phase of going back to the foundation and untangling the messier parts of the game code. To that end weve called in help from old friends with large amounts of experience dealing with situations like ours. Youll get more details about these additions of talent and what it means soon. For now, know that were taking the necessary steps to ensure we get to a place where we can efficiently build a better foundation for Book of Travels to grow on.
So, you may wonder what these actions mean for you as a player. Heres the deal:

• For the next 3 months well focus on more large scope tech issues.These wont be specific bugs or glitches that are typically visible to the player, but more world encompassing system issues that need to be addressed in order for the game as a whole to be more fertile ground for us to start eradicating the comparatively smaller problems that actually are evident to the player.
• During this time we may appear to be quiet or seem inactive. This is just because we will be very busy. Since the nature of these larger scale issues dont always make them suitable for traditional patch notes, you wont necessarily see a typical flow of those during this period. You will, however, notice the game getting updated in the Steam client, and if an update doesn't come with the traditional patch notes now you know why.
• After this period well resume with the releasing of additional content. By this point we plan to have the games foundation solid enough to allow us to start growing it again. We have lots of cool things that were dying to get into your hands. The city of Kasa, for instance, is very close to being finished and we know youre excited for the deeper character customisation tools that weve talked about in the past. But this doesnt mean that well be done with fixes, just that we can start doing both fixes and fun new content.

So thats the gist of it. We have a plan and the means to execute it. I hope that this has been informative and clear, and that you share our confidence in the projects future. As always, were enormously grateful for the patience and the excitement that you continue to show us. See you in Braided Shore! Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2022-04-08 17:01:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, Today, April 5th 1pm CEST, we're rolling out a new update to Book of Travels and it contains a few changes and a plethora of fixes. Read on to find out exactly what is being adressed.

Additions & Tweaks

• You now get a better default server region assigned per default, based on your local time zone.
• Implemented gameplay effects for some of the traits: - Observant players will now see collectibles glimmer more often. - Eager players will now run slightly faster. - Restrained players will now have a chance of retaining a small amount of reagents when brewing tea of their wind affinity. - Learned players will now retain a small amount of level progress on honed skills when unlearning them. - Focused players will now brew tea quicker. - Tough players will now have more stamina.
• Added popups to the settings menu when you apply settings, and when you try to close the settings menu without applying the settings.
• Added text to Whats the plan? under Why early access? in the main menu.

Bug Fixes

Server and Network

• Solved various issues around NPCs catching up with their pathing client side (NPC server desync).
• Fixed various causes of the players saved position not being used when logging in.
• Fixed a bug that created clones of NPCs in the login lobby when logging out.

Vehicles

• Several issues around traveling with boats solved (boats sometimes disappearing when stopping or changing level, issues with syncing position of remote players when traveling).
• Solved a case of the player not getting correctly attached to a vehicle (causing the screen to stutter as the vehicle moves, and caused movement issues for the player after disembarking).
• Solved getting stuck on a boat if disembarking by walking to an interactable object.
• Graphical vehicle details (effects, turning components etc.) should now update as long as it is running (and not stop a little moment before stopping sometimes).
• Solved that the train locomotive was sometimes visually turned in the wrong direction.

Combat

• The red combat circle now moves with the combat participants (as intended).

Movement

• Players should no longer be locked after gathering reagents or petting animals.
• Solved that you had to sit down before logging out to be able to log out.
• Fixed a bug that enabled players to pick up reagents from far away when they were unable to move.
• Fixed animal ports walk & running speed in water.

UI and Interactions

• Fixed text load errors regarding signs. You should see less [CUSTOM POEM] on signs now.
• Fixed a bug that caused skill cards to not show the correct amount of levels the skill can achieve.
• Text boxes should no longer disappear if enough time has passed. They now only disappear when closed or when walking away.
• Fixed issues with text boxes not scaling properly to the text if the text contained prose (centered and italic text).
• Fixed a bug that caused the settings menu to take a long time to open.
• Fixed a bug that caused the game to be blurred for a moment after transitioning between levels.
• Fixed an issue where the endeavour progress markers where not correctly closed and resetted.
• Fixed a bug that caused the endeavour UI to pop in on spawn.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Emote and Skill parts of the HUD to disappear when opening a menu with a hotkey on the frame as clicking to walk.
• Fixed a bug that caused the reagent UI to not display properly after logging out and in again.
• Fixed a small visual bug that caused the starting equipment to be marked as newly obtained when dragging them to the inventory.
• Pressing Tab no longer shows the name tags of invisible NPCs (such as ghosts).
• You should no longer be able flip pages with the arrow keys while picking your start scenario in character creation.
• Fixed a bug that caused scrolling tutorials to also zoom the map.
• Fixed a bug that caused the 'Ghost Smoke' effect to remove the ability to use emotes.

Events and Endeavours

• Fixed interacting with endeavours sometimes does not start the progress.
• Fixed an issue where endeavour progress was not correctly added.
• Solved an issue with social endeavours where the progress icons were not displayed.
• Solved an issue with social endeavours where the player would slide away.
• Solved an issue with social endeavours where the first interaction did not count towards the progress.
• The Patterfoot dog should now properly give out its exchange item instead of only showing it off.
• Solved a case of NPCs sometimes teleporting instead of walking/running.
• Solved a case of NPCs sliding.
• Solved a case of NPCs animating walk/run while standing still.
• Solved a case of animals bobbing their heads up and down (when supposed to graze).

Skills and Traits

• Fixed Veiled Gate portal not teleporting the player.
• Skills are now properly set as unavailable when another skill is being cast. This fixed an exploit that could be used to cast skills with less reagents, less casting time and bypassing skill restrictions.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Guise skills to not color skin-tight clothes properly (such as The Mosswalker's pants).
• "Fixed bugs regarding the Dyslectic trait: - Dyslectic characters can no longer read the Vellan language without the required skill. - Dyslectic now affects readable signs. - Dyslectic no longer affects tooltips for non-readable items."
• Creating a fireplace should now cancel logging out.

Audio

• Fixed a bug that caused mouseover sounds to play even when moving another UI element.
• Fixed an issue where the endeavour interaction sound would not stop after cancelling or succeeding with the interaction.

Levels

• Fixed a place in the Underbelly where you could fall through the terrain.
• Made a non-interactable fireplace in Little Slip interactable.

Miscellaneous

• Light should now properly affect transformed players at night.
• Fixed a bug that caused graphics settings to not be properly loaded.
• Fixed double text sign in Bat Saha.
• Changed the dialogue of the Masterless key Collector to avoid confusion.

Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2022-04-05 10:59:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, Tomorrow, on Tuesday March 8th at 1pm CET, we're rolling out a new patch to Book of Travels. Below you can read up on what it contains.

Bug Fixes

Combat

• Combat rule change: The attack counter now counts up even when defending. This solves the previously broken dynamic where a large number of weak NPCs could overpower a strong player, and that a player could defeat any single enemy by spamming attacks.
• Solved more cases of faulty positioning in combat (mostly attacking when too far away from the opponent).
• Visual tweak: Characters now rotate faster towards each other when putting their hands on their swords before combat.
• Solved various triggers for the player exiting the hand on sword animation while still in the hand on sword action.

Movement

• Several issues with remote player movement solved (Server desync of other players moving around in the world).

UI & Interactions

• Fixed a bug that caused the top half of a players emotes to disappear.
• A merchant's inventory will no longer be sorted after moving items to and from the receive box. The player can sort manually through the filter buttons.
• A merchant's inventory will stay on the same page when moving items to and from the receive box.
• Fixed a bug in the trade screen where trading an item you have duplicates of would always trade away the first instance of that item in your inventory. Trading should now always take the correct items from your inventory.
• Fixed various trade bugs that caused duplicate items to behave strangely in the trader's inventory. (Ex. clicking one item would remove all items with the same name from the trader's inventory, and other bugs.)
• Fixed a bug that caused stacked items in trade to appear invisible after shift-clicking them.
• Fixed issues in trade where Shift or Ctrl-clicking stacks of items would trigger the "Cancel Trade" prompt.
• Fixed a bug that caused the item Willow Nut item to not have a description and disappear from the players inventory after logging out.
• Eating from your inventory should now decrease the amount of a stacked item visually.
• Fixed a bug that caused life petals to not show when regained by an endeavour.
• For the skill Flaring Crescent, the spawned weapon now has a proper item icon in the inventory screen.
• Fixed correct display of weekday in the debug menu.

Events

• Teapots no longer disappear when entering a level by boat.
• Fixed cases where NPCs interactions and dialogues did not switch properly from night to day.

Skills

• The skill 'Flaring Crescent' is no longer available when the users inventory is full, since this would remove the currently equipped main hand item from the users inventory.
• Improved server synchronization for the passive skill 'Tricks of the Messenger'.
• Fixed some incorrect skill restrictions, like 'Hide in Water' requiring you to be on a road.

Audio

• Fixed a but that caused the weather audio to keep playing after logging out.

Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2022-03-07 13:55:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, In just under two hours, at 1pm CET / 4am PT, we're rolling out a new update of bug fixes to Book of Travels. As always, anyone still online playing at this point will be disconnected as the update files are being applied.

Bug Fixes

Combat

• Solved various cases of movement and positioning issues in combat.
• Fleeing in combat now shows the player running (as intended).
• Solved a case of gliding instead of running when charging at the start of a combat scenario.
• Solved that there was a brief pause between running to charge and attacking in combat.
• The red combat ring sometimes sliding over the screen after having started multiple combat scenarios at different positions in the same scene solved.

Movement

• Sometimes being stuck for 15-20 seconds after a level transition solved.
• The loading view fading out before the camera has been placed solved.
• Sometimes sliding slightly animation-wise when starting to walk or run solved.

UI and Interactions

• Fixed a visual bug that caused your inventory to not be loaded into the UI after using the Trainmasters Chest.
• Fixed an issue that caused interacting with drinking fountains to not work.
• Reduced the time the player is locked while interacting with drinking fountains.
• The "Hide hud" buttons are now properly greyed out if they are not interactable.
• The Atlas HUD button is now properly greyed out when not interactable.

Skills

• Fixed a bug that caused offhand items to turn invisible while being affected by the Knot of Mimarob skill.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Fold skill to not work on unconnected (but still valid) positions.

Best wishes, Oliver and the team at Might and Delight

[ 2022-02-22 10:13:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Before we get to the matter at hand Id personally like to thank you on behalf of the entire team at Might and Delight for playing Book of Travels, engaging with each other on our social platforms and providing us with the invaluable feedback we need to improve and grow the game. Now, weve always said that were going to be communicating our plans and priorities with you as they take shape and today Im going to tell you about how theyve changed recently. Our original plan was, as you may know, to continually flesh out the game with content in the form of additional features, levels, character forms and more all of it along with a flow of patches with fixes on a regular basis throughout the Early Access period that we call Chapter Zero. But the truth is and this is the part where we need to be brutally honest with ourselves Book of Travels is nowhere near the level of polish we expected it to be at this point in its life cycle, nor where we need it to be to make it a successful product in the long term. New content tends to birth new problems for us to deal with when they get added, and for a team as small as ours it quickly becomes unsustainable. Simply put: we need to get Book of Travels to a place where we can start building it with brick and mortar rather than putting bandaids on it. And for that to happen we need to go to the foundation.

Waging War on the Bugs

Its in light of this that we have decided to completely focus on fixing the game for the next few months, instead of having our attention split between fixes and new content. Of course, we realise that the fact that the game wont see any new major content additions for an undetermined amount of time will disappoint some of you. But we also believe that any player who has invested any kind of significant playtime in the game knows as well as we do that this is what Book of Travels needs.
Last week we put out a form open for any and all of you to fill out, and in it we asked you what technical area we need to focus on getting better first. As you can see above, the majority of you want the gameplay bugs to be taken care of primarily, whereas the server stability/functionally got the most votes as a secondary objective. This data didnt surprise any of us, and we think thats a good thing. It serves as a nice confirmation that the path were about to set out on is the right course of action. We do have the talent onboard to straighten this out, we really believe that. And with this new focus on fixing whats wrong with the game, all hands on deck, were going to put everything we have into the betterment of Book of Travels. And hopefully, with that, we also secure a stable future for the world of Braided Shore. That is pretty much everything that I wanted to tell you for now. While this new, aggressive campaign of ours indeed does mean that the output of new content will be put on hold, rest assured that we wont go into complete radio silence. Whenever we reach milestones you will hear from us, you will get the patch notes and we are interested in doing more forms that you can participate in further down the road. And I will be here, lurking, and forwarding your will to the powers that be. Because your input, your voice will continue to be vital for our progress. Thank you and Best wishes, Oliver and the team at Might and Delight

[ 2022-02-18 15:36:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Today we rolled out a new update to Book of Travels, which we've been calling World Update 0 internally. It contains some fixes, all of which we detailed in the patch notes yesterday. But the update also fleshes out the world of Braided Shore with new areas for you to travel and explore. We know that some of you have been clamoring for more places with new mysteries to unearth, so we're happy to be able to oblige! We've mentioned this expansion of land before, and here we are. The first of the two new areas we've added today is a little more of what you've come to expect of the Braided Shore wilderness:a mountainous forest area that connects the central western parts of Charwood to Lakatos Inlet. It's lively, beautiful and inviting a perfect spot for a stroll when you're in a serene mood.
But we're the first to admit that this isn't the most exciting of prospects, even if we all obviously also want these additions to the "overworld". That's why the second area is the one we're most happy about bringing you today! An all new outmark, which is what we call our game's basic equivalent to "dungeons". The reason that we try to avoid that word is because an outmark can be anything ranging from, indeed, a literal dungeon to building interiors and islands but the concept is just what a seasoned RPG player would expect: an area, or level if you will, of particular note with compelling secrets to discover and gameplay challenges that goes beyond what you'd generally experience on your average everyday travels. The Underbelly is an ancient underground area that holds many mysteries of its origins. We're not going to spoil how one would get access to these subterranean ruins, as we believe that it's part of the thrill to find your own way forward. But it is out there, ready to be found and searched by you.
And with that I say happy travels, my friends! We will have more to bring you soon, but in the meantime we hope that you will enjoy the new areas and what they have to offer you. Thank you for your attention, your love and your support. It's what drives us forward! Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1783460/Book_of_Travels__Cup_of_Kindness/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1849710/Book_of_Travels__Soundtrack/

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Unique Stories

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Book of Travels is now available in Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

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[ 2022-02-08 16:44:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, We hope you're doing well! Tomorrow, Tuesday February 8th, at 3pm CET / 6am PT, we're excited to be rolling out an update containing both new content (which we'll talk more about tomorrow) and a host of bug fixes to Book of Travels. Below you can read up on what those fixes do, specifically. Note that the servers are expected to be down for maintenance between 1pm and 3pm CET, so that we can apply the changes and do some "dusting".

General Changes

• Character level achievements now trigger retroactively when logging in (for non-deleted characters in the same region).

Bug Fixes

Combat

• Your ward will now get used if you get attacked while casting a knot spell. You will no longer be instantly defeated if hit while casting a spell.
• Fixed a bug that caused NPCs to occasionally joining a combat situation when they shouldn't (like chickens).
• Several cases of incorrect timings and double-triggered animations in combat solved.
• Characters sometimes not drawing their sword at the end of the combat initiative counter solved.
• Players no longer incorrectly exits the Hand on Sword state when entering it from walking or running.
• NPCs can no longer initiate combat with a player who is currently being robbed, or currently engaged in combat with another event (this solves several corner cases of getting stuck in combat).
• Fixed a case when attacking robbers would trigger a robbery during the combat.

Vehicles

• Boats no longer have an occasional delay between counting down and starting to move.
• Solved that vehicles boarding buttons sometimes showed up too late after stopping.
• Player is no longer locked for a brief moment when disembarking from a vehicle.

Movement

• Sometimes starting to teleport instead of walking after a level change or re-log solved.
• Fixed a bug that caused the player to continue their walk when starting to cast a skill.
• Fixed a bug that caused your character to sometimes slide towards a teapot when sitting down and clicking on it.
• Fixed a bug that caused your character to slide after logging in with an active animal port.
• Fixed player sliding when stopping while in animal form.
• Running can no longer be entered when in water by right-clicking interactables.
• When right-clicking to run, but circumstances does not allow you to (in water, not enough stamina), your character will now start to run if the circumstances change to allow it.

UI

• Stacking items in Trainmasters Chest should now work properly and not lead to items disappearing.
• Items should now properly save in both the Trainmasters Chest and the inventory after using the chest.
• Fixed a visual bug that caused your inventory to not be loaded into the UI after double-clicking items in the Trainmasters Chest.
• "Fixed a bug that caused the 'Take All' button to not give the player the items.
• Fixed a bug that caused spam clicking the 'Take all' button to duplicate items."
• Fixed an issue that showed trade buttons for NPCs that don't have a valid trade anymore.
• Fixed a bug that caused the compass button to indoor areas to keep the rotation of the last seen compass. It will now always point down.
• Fixed certain instances of flickering text boxes.
• Tea description sometimes not working on player created teapots is now fixed.
• Fixed a bug that caused certain headpiece items to not have an item icon.

Events and Endeavours

• The Elder statues are interactable again.
• Solved that some narrative events (like the night market in Charwood Forest) were empty / lingered with their props like tents, and some audio etc / had their NPCs standing in the same corner when the event was not supposed to be active.
• Invisible NPCs are interactable again.

Levels

• Added proper collision to a rocks in West Wind Shores.
• Moved spawn points of some out of reach reagents.

Skills

• Fixed bug where skill objects could spawn outside of valid terrain.
• Fixed projectile path looking strange when using certain skills without a valid target.
• Guiding Spark now recognizes House of Ari as shelter.

Tech

• The launcher now works on OSX.
• Fixed a bug that caused smoke to appear pink on OSX.
• Fixed various instances of ground color bleeding.

Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2022-02-07 18:30:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers (dead and alive alike),

Over the past months, many of you have raised concerns, questions, and frustrations about permadeath (haven't we all?). This is something that we have been discussing a lot internally, sharing much of the same concerns that you all have. Today we want to share some of our thoughts on this topic and how wed like to evolve it going forward. Firstly we believe that dying is an essential ingredient in the Book of Travels soup. We don't want to fall into the trap of trivializing dangers and risk, removing the edge from gameplay moments such as combat and survival. Therefore, our current plan is to keep both the life petals and physical death but add depth, meaning, and gameplay to the player characters post-death journey. Here is a spoiler free breakdown of the sequence of events that we are currently considering:

• Life is dependent on your life petals in accordance with original design.
• Characters can die, and seeing someone else die will ignite a special quest regarding mourning and closure.
• Your items will be stored by your grave, collectible only by you.
• Ghost forms can travel the world interacting with other ghosts.
• There is a path to be discovered to get resurrected. A way to gain passage back to the land of the living.

Where this will fit into our current update schedule, we have yet to entirely work out, but we will get back to you as soon as we have a better idea. For now, we just wanted to shed some light on our thoughts regarding this important part of the player experience. We hope you like the direction we are headed in with this and that you continue to stay with us on the road ahead! If you are interested in some insight into some of the inhabitants of Braided Shores beliefs on life and death, you can read a few tidbits from our vault of lore below: Life and Death Death is a topic surrounded by much speculation and study in Braided Shore. In the modern mythos, life and death are thought of as being synonymous with land and sea, echoing the stormy, mysterious origins of the Asken settlers that now call Braided Shore their home. The shore between life and death is seen as a realm of passage between the two worlds. Mystics calling themselves shore walkers'' have dedicated their mortal existence to exploring this uncharted middle-land, risking death, insanity, and perhaps even worse. In other cultures, such as the Malku Su, death is a completely foreign concept. Malkus believe their race exists as a finite number of eternal spirits. Should their bodies perish, their spirits are carried by lightning to nest with their goddess until a worthy Malku Su family is rewarded with a child. The goddess then chooses one of the nesting spirits to bestow to the newborn, thus perpetuating the journey of the Malku Su Soul. This mysterious circularity has shaped the mentality of the stoic Malku Su for countless generations and drawn awe and wonder from other species. Until next time, Jakob, Oliver and the team at Might and Delight https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1783460/Book_of_Travels__Cup_of_Kindness/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24232/Book_of_Travels_OST_Bundle__The_TMORPG__Soundtrack/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24250/Might_and_Delight_Complete_Bundle__10_Games__18_DLCs/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Book of Travels is now available in Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

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Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2022-01-14 14:54:24 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Everyone here at Might and Delight sincerely hopes that youve had an enjoyable and invigorating holiday season. 2021 was a huge year for us, both in terms of wonderful milestones and challenging hardships. But now were turning our gaze forwards, because 2022 holds plenty of exciting things for Book of Travels. Right now were deep in the trenches working on those things, two of which were aiming to have completed and rolled out in the near future. First off, well soon be adding more levels to be explored. A mountainous forest level to the west and a hidden underground outmark called the Underbelly. We know that some of you are very keen on more land to get lost in, so rest assured that Braided Shore will keep growing. On top of that were getting close to finalising our new character customisation tools. Soon youll be able to further change the appearance of your very own Traveller with hair, color options, and more! Well share more details about this a little further down the line, and we think you will be pleased with what we've been working on.
While we are a much smaller team in the beginning of 2022 than we were in the beginning of 2021 (as detailed in this post from last year), we dont plan on shrinking our ambitions for Book of Travels. Everything that weve confirmed were going to do is still on the table. Our workflow has obviously seen changes recently but again: Book of Travels will stay on its course to becoming the RPG experience of our dreams. And of course, on top of bringing more content to the game we will keep working hard to iron out kinks like bugs and performance issues. We've seen some concern regarding this on the forums, but just because we're working on new features and content doesn't mean that we're not focused on fixes. Both additional content and fixes are being worked on simultaneously by different people on the team, so we're definitely not done with bugs yet. That's all we wanted to tell you right now. Thanks for your attention and your continued support! In case you missed it, we outlined our plans for future content in our Early Access Journey. Youll hear more from us soon. Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1783460/Book_of_Travels__Cup_of_Kindness/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24232/Book_of_Travels_OST_Bundle__The_TMORPG__Soundtrack/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24250/Might_and_Delight_Complete_Bundle__10_Games__18_DLCs/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Book of Travels is now available in Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2022-01-06 17:43:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

First of all I and the entire team would like to extend our most heartfelt thanks for the loving support you showed us after we posted yesterday's studio update. It's been a challenging couple of months, not least of all emotionally, but seeing you express your faith in us and our game like this is deeply invigourating. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Now, on to the matter at hand. Today were happy to announce that the official soundtrack of Book of Travels is available for purchase on Steam. Of course, if youre a Kickstarter backer of a pledge level that includes the soundtrack, you will get a key through Backerkit without having to buy it. For everyone else, the soundtrack will cost $8,99. The music of Book of Travels is obviously a big part of what makes Braided Shore and its atmosphere what it is. It was produced by Josef Tuulse and Retro Family, and it was definitely a labour of love for them to bring this world to life with their musical prowess. I would love to take this opportunity to tell you more about this music, how it came together and why its so special to us. But no matter how much I admire what they managed to accomplish through their artistry and musicianship, I dont feel its my place to do that. Therefore I reached out to Retro Family to write a little something for the fans themselves

A word from our musicians

"Thank you for listening and getting lost with us in Book of Travels. We are very proud of this soundtrack and hope that it will transport you to the adventures of Braided Shore. What's unique about the music in Braided Shore is that everything is played and performed live by the trio, which makes the music come alive and breathe. The style and instrumentation were experimented with until we came up with something that matched the feel and pace of the game. The Oud, Darbuka and flute are heavily featured instruments, and traditional music from Turkey, Armenia, Egypt, Greece and Iran served as a big influence in creating this beautiful soundtrack. It was a challenge to learn these instruments and make them all blend together. Another great experience, or obstacle, was to mix classic RPG music with that of classical Ottoman music and to make it work for the game. But in the end I think we did a wonderful job and the result is something we are very proud of. Enjoy!" - Retro Family Retro Family consists of Jokke Pettersson, Alfred Andersson and Ulf Wahlgren. It goes without saying that Book of Travels would be lesser without the music that these gentlemen dreamed up for it, and judging by how many of you that has reached out to me asking about when the soundtrack will be released I think its fair to say that many of you would agree with that sentiment. Thank you for your continued support, and enjoy! Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1783460/Book_of_Travels__Cup_of_Kindness/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24232/Book_of_Travels_OST_Bundle__The_TMORPG__Soundtrack/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24250/Might_and_Delight_Complete_Bundle__10_Games__18_DLCs/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Book of Travels is now available in Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-12-22 12:19:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Community members, Travellers, Friends

The past months have been the most revolving, intriguing and emotional that we have ever experienced at our studio. Releasing Book of Travels in Early Access and trying to keep up with the logistical and emotional aftermath has been both fun and challenging. It's safe to say that this period has been unique for us. It's in the wake of these events that we reach out to you with some important news. With the ambition to be both transparent and concise, we want to share the current status of our company to you all. Our goal is always for you, our community, to know who we really are whatever that may be. In light of the launch not going quite as well as we had hoped, we have had to make some rather big, and difficult, cutbacks to our beloved team. In order to stay alive, we have been forced to cut down our team from around 35 people to 10 people. Saying goodbye to so many skilled, trusted and loved Might and Delighters has been, without a shadow of a doubt, our most difficult test in our 11 year history.
Understandably, many of you will wonder how this is going to affect the game going forward. We have suffered a setback and as a result the production pace of coming content WILL be affected. We want to be transparent regarding that. However, we also want you to know that the team that remains is determined and hell bent on two things: surviving and bringing the best possible content to the game. We will do whatever it takes to keep Book of Travels going, and continue to bring it and the company forward together with you. We want to end by sharing this sentiment; Might and Delight have always been a company that has thrived on the edge and in the margins. We have always sacrificed much in order to bring our visions to life, sometimes going against the smartest strategy in favour of a path closer to our hearts. In the coming days we will be releasing the game's Original Soundtrack and today we published a donation-like DLC called Cup of Kindness that you can pick up if you wish to further support the project. We sincerely hope that this news, grim as it is, reach you well. With hope to continue the journey together. All the best, Founders Anders, Jakob & Dev Team https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/ https://store.steampowered.com/app/1783460/Book_of_Travels__Cup_of_Kindness/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24232/Book_of_Travels_OST_Bundle__The_TMORPG__Soundtrack/ https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/24250/Might_and_Delight_Complete_Bundle__10_Games__18_DLCs/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Book of Travels is now available in Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-12-21 15:06:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, Today we've brought you yet another small but much needed patch of changes and fixes. It contains some of the most frequently requested fixes to boats and endeavours. Thank you for your valuable feedback, it really does make Book of Travels a better experience for everyone. Keep it coming! Now to the list:

General Changes

• The Guise skills now last for longer (10 minutes -> 30 minutes).
• Added a black border to the loading screen for alternate aspect ratios.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where the interaction with an endeavour was delayed. - NOTE: Due to this fix, players might see other players teleporting to endeavours to interact with them. This is a known issue, but needed for the current solution.
• Boats should now start as soon as the "Time to Depart" counter is done.
• Boats should now visually move when they start from standing still.
• There should no longer be a black screen lingering for several seconds in some cases when changing level with a vehicle.

Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2021-12-15 14:49:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, In a little more than an hour, at 2pm CET (5am PT), we're pushing out a new patch of fixes to Book of Travels. Most of you probably know this now, but anyone who is still online playing by then will get disconnected as the update is being applied.

General Changes

• If the player is given an item as part of an interaction, a prompt will now tell them if their inventory is full and therefore could not receive the item.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed various issues with Achievements not triggering correctly.
• Events that spawn on specific days now spawn according to local time instead of according to the UTC time zone.
• A case of some day time dependent events appearing or not appearing at the right time of day solved (i.e., some night events not appearing at night and so on).
• The Carpet Seller in Bat Saha no longer sells the skill Knot of the Infamous.
• Knot of the Infamous now has the correct name and description.
• Occasionally getting stuck when changing levels on a train solved (this fix also solved some overshooting when stopping for trains).
• Fixed a bug that caused the HUD to disappear when spamming the HUD buttons.
• Fixed a bug that caused swapping places of items to duplicate the favorite icon on both items.
• Fixed a bug that caused the favorite icon to be displayed on pocketed items that were not favorited.
• Toggling the hood now matches the animation.
• Conjure Flowers now works on the correct terrain type.

Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2021-12-13 11:40:25 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Its been a while since one of these community updates were posted. Since last time, the team has been busy with ironing out bugs (as usual) but also with getting our first Skill and Achievement Packs ready for you. Were pleased to announce that they will be released today! As you are aware, we refer to our Early Access period as Chapter Zero, and as such we like to call these content drops Pages. This is the next Page. Lets talk skills first. There are six of them in todays content drop, two of which were designed by backers of our Kickstarter campaign! Being able to invite our audience to directly participate in molding Book of Travels with us is one of the wonderful benefits of having done that campaign, and were very happy with how that collaboration has taken shape so far. So without further ado, here are the new skills that your Traveller will be able to learn from now on: Glitterfall Wind: South Type: Knot This spell sets the air alight with a glamorous waterfall of sparkles. Credit goes to Ashley Corkill for coming up with this spell. Summon Spirit Familiar Wind: West Type: Knot This spell summons a travel companion from the spirit world to the binders side. Credit goes to Dennis, Savinien and Kaz Floyd for coming up with this spell. Keen Eye Wind: East Type: Passive Your sharp eyesight allows you to highlight collectibles around you more often. Knot of the Infamous Wind: West Type: Knot This spell permanently changes the knot binders eye colour to a random hue. Rain Ward Wind: East Type: Passive The natural power of rain resonates strongly with you, strengthening your resolve and raising your Ward as a result. Knotbinders Fervour Wind: North Type: Passive The mystical energies that surround you sometimes makes your knot spells take effect instantly.
Now, how you actually acquire these skills for your Traveller is going to remain a mystery. And you wouldnt have it any other way, surely? We are going to say that these skills will be in the possession of certain inhabitants of Braided Shore, and we do encourage you to share your findings with your fellow Travellers on popular meeting grounds such as the Steam forums or our Discord server. How fast will you be able to claim them all?

Achievements to mark your accomplishments

Like already stated, the Skill Pack isnt the only thing to get added to Book of Travels today. We also have the first Achievement Pack. Below you will find a list of the ones that the game gets right now. We wont tell you how to achieve them though! There will be more to come as we continue fleshing things out during the Early Access period. Note: Unfortunately, these wont be unlocked retroactively if you already have fulfilled the requirements. They will need to be earned from scratch.

• Survived Character Creation!
• Journey Started
• Reached Safety
• Bat Saha
• Dandelions
• Learn Vellan
• The Dandelion
• First Trade
• Gather Your Party
• Party of Heroes
• A Bag of Riches
• Robbers Delight
• And other, hidden achievements!

Lastly, I would once again like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support. We believe in the vision of this game, and its incredibly gratifying to see so many of you doing the same. Needless to say, this batch of content is the tip of the iceberg of what were planning for Book of Travels and its future. Have fun with these new additions in the meantime, and well talk again soon. Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Help us bring Braided Shore to life!

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Book of Travels is now available in Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-12-09 13:56:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, Today, at 14:00 CET (06:00 PT), we're updating Book of Travels with a host of various changes and fixes. As usual, anyone that's online playing at that time will be disconnected as the patch is rolling out - so try to plan your playtime accordingly.

General Changes

• Players can now cancel casting knots and brewing teas by walking.
• When using a skill that requires you to target a character, hovering over a targetable character will now highlight them. Untargetable characters will not be highlighted even if they have interactions while in this state.
• Level transition buttons now align properly to passages and portals in the world.
• Implemented new animations for musicians.
• Various new text descriptions for skill items, skill effects and reagents added.
• Removed direction text for indoor gates.
• Polished the look of the Flower Kettem texture.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed various bugs that caused the player to teleport on click instead of walking.
• Prompt messages no longer get queued up if the same prompt is already set to display in the queue.
• Fixed a bug that caused skills to not be able to target other characters.
• The cave wall in the Jade Urn no longer fades from inside the cave.
• Fixed a bug that caused the Careful trait to trigger a prompt when close to a non-hostile NPC that the player could duel with.
• Fixed the "New Foundry Special" item name that was mentioning it to be a bread, instead of a beverage.
• Added missing icon for Fake Pearl Studs.
• Fixed a bug that caused the name sign of a hovered character to flicker.
• Fixed a bug that caused notes on the map to be placed in a horizontal line when logging out and back in. They should now always stay in the position they were placed in.
• NPCs gambling animation should no longer sporadically twitch.
• Fixed a bug that caused Kelim's Gate to be available outside of Nomad's rests.
• Fixed a bug that caused the "out of breath" audio to play when running out of stamina while in animal form.
• An equipped Offhand item should now properly toggle off when using the Deep Rest skill.
• Fixed a bug that caused items to move around in the inventory after swapping the places of two equipped rings.
• Fixed a bug that caused having the Cheap knotted cord message in your inventory to break certain UI elements (such as tooltips, or using skills).
• Fixed a bug that caused the Party tutorial to show up for all party members if at least one member had not yet seen the tutorial.
• Map notes are now properly removed from the database when their text contents are removed.
• The Learn button on skill cards is no longer interactable if you already have the skill in your skillbook.
• Fixed various culling issues with background clouds.
• Players should no longer clip through the train when sitting down while travelling.
• Fixed a bug that caused hostile NPC name tags to not show up when pressing Tab.
• Fixed a bug that caused textboxes to not properly pre-scale to their largest size in an interaction. This created instances of the text box being different sizes in one dialogue, and making the next button jump around to different places.

Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2021-12-09 11:49:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Book of Travels stream.

[ 2021-11-24 14:36:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

I hope this little update finds you well on this fine Monday. Last week I sat down with one of our programmers, Arvid, to talk about the work the team is doing to make Book of Travels a little better every day, as well as how your valued feedback reaches them. Now, for anyone who is wondering what Arvid does Ill make a quick introduction. He is in charge of the user interface (UI) and player interactions. The UI is incredibly important since its pretty much the visual language through which you, the player, engage with the game. Just like Im sure youve experienced yourselves, I have been turned off from otherwise interesting games because of their UIs being too complex, too cluttered or even visually unpleasing so its definitely one of those things that absolutely needs to be just right, and even though I personally think Arvids done an excellent job with Book of Travels UI so far its still an ongoing process. And as previously stated he works a lot with making player interactions smoother and more efficient. An example of this was how he made lighting a fireplace better since its inception. Previously it worked like this: you clicked on the ground to spawn the fireplace, and your character had a little fireplace construction animation. However, the actual fireplace started to form after this animation during which your character would just be stuck in a standing position. When the fireplace was put where you wanted it, you had to click on it again to light it on fire, which had its own little animation. Arvid made it so that putting up the fireplace and lighting it was fused into one player command rather than two. So that is one example of the work he is focused on.
Screenshot captured by: Con

Sometimes you need to do some firefighting

Speaking of fireplaces, after launch we discovered that some players was using them to grief other players. Since we didnt want Travellers to be able to stand in the fire, they were made into solid objects that you cant walk over. This fact was abused to essentially trap others in corners and against walls. That is an example of how the community made us aware of a problem we didnt foresee, and we made sure to fix that as soon as possible. Right now, you can walk right over it but Arvid told me that they plan on making it so that you take damage if you for some reason would willingly stand still in the fire. And as were on the subject of player feedback making its way to our team, I thought Id take the opportunity to clear up how that process works. Ive had some of our more dedicated members of our community approach me with concerns about it. Doesnt the more critical feedback get buried in less urgent issues? Is the latest piece of feedback the one to get looked at last in the pile? The short answer is no. Were always primarily looking for good feedback, so if someone reports an issue that is completely detrimental to the experience, whatever that may look like, and provides us with lots of useful information on how this issue occurs we will look at that before smaller problems. Our QA department is in charge of going through all feedback we receive. They look at an issue, try to replicate that issue with the information they get in the bug report, and then they pass it on to our programmers, who in turn start working on fixing that problem. One might also ask questions like Ive reported bugs X and Y weeks ago, why arent they fixed by now and the answer is that not all of our programmers are specialised in every field. Arvid, for instance, would be the one to look at bugs related to the UI, whereas a combat bug would go to someone else. In other words, we dont often have large groups of programmers working on the same thing. Furthermore, some problems take longer to solve for various reasons. So dont worry, we are hearing you and were working tirelessly to optimise, bug fix and otherwise make Book of Travels better and better. It just takes time. If youve managed to get to the end of this post, I thank you for your attention and I hope I could provide some clarity to what our work flow looks like in regards to your feedback. Until next time!

Best wishes,

Oliver & the team at Might and Delight https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Book of Travels is now available in Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

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Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-11-16 17:30:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, Twelve hours from now, on November 16 at 9:30 AM CET (12:30 AM PT), we're rolling out a new patch. It is mostly made up of fixes for fishing, but it contains a couple of other things as well. Here it is:

• Fixed an issue that could result in a faulty intro and create further problems regarding placing the character onto the starting level.
• Fixed a possible issue that prevented certain events from spawning.
• Fixed an issue that could prevent showing speech bubbles.
• Fixed various bugs regarding fishing: - Fishing animations and lock time are now faster overall. - Fixed issues with the fish prop being visible during an animation transition. - You should now always finish fishing when the fishing timer is full. - Off-hand items should disappear properly while fishing. - Clicking to walk away while fishing should no longer put the character in a gliding state. - The Fishing skill card will no longer show as "inactive" when you have a full inventory, but will still prevent you from fishing and give a warning prompt.
• The daytime issue should now be solved, and server time should be set according to the regions time.
• Fixed a case of items disappearing from both the inventory and pockets. Please report if you are still losing items.

Best wishes, Oliver & the team at Might and Delight

[ 2021-11-15 20:30:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, Yesterday we rolled out a new patch with various bug fixes. Why wasn't this communicated beforehand? Well, lets pretend that it wasn't due to miscommunications within our team and blame omin shenanigans instead! Regardless, below you'll find the list of patch items.

Bug Fixes

• Solved corner case of sometimes being invisible after a level change, post fainting.
• Fixed kids running into each other in Bat Saha.
• Fixed faulty values on the rain emission on gazebo.
• Fixed interaction button for endeavours not showing up when clicking from afar and walking closer.
• Fixed error caused by reaction.
• Fixed a bug that caused you to be able to place an item with a pocket inside a pocket by swapping equipment.
• Fixed a text display issue where the number '40' would get cut off and display as '4' for item amounts.
• Offhand Item no longer reappears while using Meld skill.
• Combat no longer spawns double loot. Sorry!
• Meld animation now plays correctly.
• Fixed map object not being lit correctly in player's hands.
• Using a portal in a tea house no longer spams errors.
• Vosnan now reacts to player sitting down by starting a game of passage.
• Fixed gather mouse icon not changing when moving the mouse from a reagent to a NPC directly.
• Solved hover character/no walk zone conflict on cursor icon.
• Fixed some endeavours not being interactable.
• Fixed reagents spawned by endeavours not being interactable from time to time.
• Fixed an issue where lanterns during night would be audible over the whole level and thus overtake the audio. Their sound volume is now correctly set in relation with the players position again.
• Fixed various cases where a static exchange would not find the needed item in your pocket.
• Inconsistencies in acceleration and deceleration of vehicles is now solved.
• Prevent cursor from flickering on interactables.

Best wishes, Oliver & The Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-11-11 10:59:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Book of Travels is nearing its one month anniversary on the market, and while there definitely has been ups and downs, we've thoroughly enjoyed watching you explore Braided Shore so far. We're also listening intensely to what you have to say about our game, and what your biggest points of concern are. Right now we gauge that permadeath is causing a lot of headaches for many players. We know that it has been a controversial topic for some players since the start, and we've expressed our thoughts on it in terms of the design philosophy behind it before. The real issue isn't even that the game currently has permadeath, but that because of the nature of Early Access there are bugs in the game that could cause the player to die through no fault of their own. I've personally talked to some of you that have had hundreds of hours of playtime go to waste because of technical issues. Obviously, that's not fair. What are we going to do about it, one might wonder?

What we're doing about it

Starting beginning of next week, we're going to turn off death entirely, making it impossible to die at all. This may seem like an inelegant solution to a larger problem, but we want to stop unnecessary loss of Traveller lives as soon as possible and preferably without taking too much resources from the fixing of bugs and polishing efforts of our team. We discussed several alternatives to this solution, but ultimately we decided that this would cause the least frustration for our players. We're also going to revive every character that has already died up until this point. This probably won't happen at the same time as death is disabled, but we're aiming for this to be done within a few days of the update rolling out. Please note that while your dead characters indeed will come back to life next week, their inventory will sadly have been wiped. This is an unfortunate side effect of the revival that we couldn't get around. However, any equipped gear should still be there, as should any items stored in a storage box. We've said before that permadeath isn't holy to us. We've been experimenting with various ideas of how to make ghost gameplay more interesting and we've talked about implementing cool ways for Travellers to revive fallen players through special quest lines or rituals. The problem is that these things take time to get realised, and eliminating the risk of dying completely is simply the fastest way for us to put a stop to players having their characters lost unfairly right now. We're not considering this a permanent solution. Our goal in the long run is to have death play a role to give our game the sense of tension we strive for but how that looks in practice is impossible to say with any certainty right now. Today we're only concerned with limiting player frustration. Best wishes, Oliver & the Dev Team https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-11-04 18:30:58 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, We have a small update for you today, with just a few fixes. This one will roll out on 4pm CET (8am PT), so in less than half an hour from now.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed night-day cycle not being synced with the 24 hour clock of the region chosen.
• Fixed so that Shelter is moved to the side when used.
• Fixed ghosts visible for other players.

Best wishes, Oliver & The Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-11-04 14:30:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, Today, November 1st at 5pm CET (9am PT), we'll be rolling out a new update with fixes for Book of Travels. As always, be aware that anyone still online playing at that time will be disconnected as the update is applied.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed the black screen when logging in with new character.
• Fixed the gambling Sefra for OSX so it's not a black orb.
• In Kuro Orchard, the game of passage is no longer missing with Farmer Ravda.
• Fixed so that you can see players standing still when entering a level.
• The south exit in Western Verve has been corrected.
• The exit zone has been changed in Little Slip.
• Fixed endeavours that are inert and not interactable.
• Structure in The Two Wanderers has gotten collider applied.
• The large boat "Seagull" in Myr can no longer be entered or interacted with.
• Fixed spawning in the wrong location when leaving The Char Cape passage to the west in a group.
• The tea auction in Myr has had its behaviour changed.
• Fixed not being able to assemble a fire under a wind shelter.
• Fixed instances where starting a fire would make the screen flash for a frame.
• Fixed instances where Hide in Water skill wouldn't make the character hide in the water.
• Fixed so that fire beneficial message is prompted before the fire is active.
• Fixed teapots with no interaction ring on it.

Best wishes, Oliver & The Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-11-01 14:34:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, Time for another patch with changes and fixes. This one is coming out today, October 26th at 4pm CEST (7am PT). Like always, when this patch starts rolling out, anyone still online playing will be disconnected. Please try to plan your play time accordingly. Now, on to what the patch actually contains.

General Changes

• Added icons for equipment items.

Bug Fixes

• Added correct linebreak codes to loading screen texts.
• Skill cost only takes primary wind affinity into account.
• The information prompt should no longer start opaque.
• Fixed a bug that caused edibles eaten from the pickup spot to duplicate in the player's inventory.
• Fixed character lighting not working in outmarks during day time.
• Fixed a bug where group stats effects would not apply when rejoining a group.
• Fixed event props not appearing when travelling into a new level.
• Fixed an issue that prevented repairing boats.
• Dead NPCs are not displaying walk by poems anymore.

Best wishes, Oliver & The Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-10-28 12:15:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

While the team continue to battle the pesky problems in the game itself, animators Alex and Jennie have been bringing to life pests to plague your paths in the more southerly regions of Braided Shore. Though they aren't quite ready to make their debut in the world, the Omin you see here are brimming with mischief and raucous energy. These little miscreants are quick to pick up things left unattended, simply taking what they want. their anti-social tendencies extend also to one another, and they seem to enjoy agitating their fellow Omin whenever possible. Theirs is a childlike kind of malignancy and they do little in the way of damage to your character, but you'd be well advised to be on your guard and keep your treasured items close!








What beasties have you had to beat, battle or evade on your travels so far? It would be great to know how you've experienced the Kettem, Maisu, Sefra and Omin of the land so far - if you are to shed some light on your experience of Braided Shore's more supernatural side drop us a line or two in the comments section! Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-10-27 15:55:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller, Later today, October 25th at around 4pm CEST (7am PT), we're going to roll out the latest update to Book of Travels. Please be aware that anyone still online playing when that happens, will be disconnected from the servers. Prepare your gameplay time accordingly.

Bug fixes

• Made it so that the highlight circle does not travel further down than 0.1 units if there's no terrain. Makes it look better.
• Merchants along the road should now move better.
• Flowers should now be spawning in higher quantities.
• Getting soft locked should no longer cause the player to teleport instead of walking.
• Inspect interactions should no longer immediately close after clicking on them.
• Fixed a bug that sometimes caused effect cards to not be placed correctly in the HUD.
• Tweaked the navmesh at train platform edge again.
• Train no longer soft locks when travelling between areas.
• Updated light source script and prefabs, should now work properly.
• Pyre no longer plays double audio on extinguish.
• Train should no longer get stuck travelling between areas.
• Guiding Spark: Shelter knot now also finds Nomad's Rests.
• Added failsafe for corner case nullref when NPC moves away from object.
• Fireplace and Pyre no longer block movement.
• Hanging trees now fade entirely.

Best wishes, Oliver & The Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-10-25 12:24:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

We're closing in on the end of our second week on the market with Book of Travels. As of Monday this week, we had 19 023 active accounts, and it is growing from there. It's been an absolute pleasure for us to read what you think about the game so far, and I've personally been loving to pop into the voice chat on our Discord channel and listen to your discussions and anecdotes of what you've experienced in Braided Shore. Of course, we're still working hard on the game optimising and fixing various technical issues and bugs, and there's a lot to be done in the coming two years. I know this has been said in so many contexts that it almost has lost its meaning, but this truly is only the beginning for Book of Travels. We haven't been able to slow down our work pace just because the game now is available for purchase. Certainly for myself, there is more to do than ever. Besides talking with you, our lovely community, about everything and nothing, one of my favorite parts of my job right now is to look at all of the beautiful screenshots and pieces of artwork that you show us! So, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favourites. It was really hard to decide on just a few, and I had to stop myself at a certain point because I still have other things to do (sadly), so these aren't the only masterpieces that are out there. Just a small selection of them.












Your artistry and passion is amazing to us! Please keep doing what you do, it really makes our day. In the meantime, have a fantastic weekend! Best wishes, Oliver & The Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-10-22 16:07:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Book of Travels stream.

[ 2021-10-21 13:56:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

General Changes

• Added additional means to acquire several skills.

Bug Fixes

• Characters disappearing from character select screen potentially fixed, will monitor further.
• Fixed an instance of items disappearing from pockets.
• Added the missing Kuro Orchard watermill sounds.
• Fixed various issues with tool tops not appearing correctly for traits.
• Fixed Endeavours too close to the edge on some docks, causing loot to spawn on water.
• Fixed a bug that caused players spawning together to not from a group.
• Fixed a bug that caused tool tips to add unnecessary line breaks.
• Player should no longer randomly teleport after travelling with a vehicle.
• Fixed setting for Customer NPC to not collide as often.
• Fixed faulty cooldowns on skill cards.
• Fixed missing text on some item descriptions header.
• Fixed Endeavours linked to NPC sometimes being unavailable.
• Shaders needs to be double sided and can't use depth information if they want to be reflected. The more you now!
• Fixed a bug that caused the amount of skill uses left to be displayed incorrectly.
• Fixed issue where player would not sped off vehicle properly on other clients.
• Brew of Hidden Cries now highlights NPCs as it should.
• Fixed pickup sound spamming after picking up loot from Endeavours.
• Tossing an equipped bag will now destroy the item properly.

[ 2021-10-18 15:03:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Travellers!

We are thrilled about finally having launched Book of Travels into Early Access! This is the start of a new world that we'll be building together with players, and by way of a launch trailer, artist Lotta gives an overview of the phases of development that will come next in this video. We hope you like what you see! [previewyoutube=D6UFUUvWzUA;full][/previewyoutube] Take advantage of the Early Access Launch Sale and get Book of Travels for 10% off! (Sale ends Monday, October 18th, 10 am PT.) https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Celebrate with a beautiful bundle!

To celebrate the launch of our TMORPG Book of Travels we've put a beautifully packaged bundle of Might and Delight treats. We hope you agree that this array of goods comes at a really appealing price and will give you any extra incentive you need to get on board and support Book of Travels in its fledgling week. https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/23065/Book_of_Travels_EA_Launch_Bundle__10_Games__16_DLCs/ Thanks for keeping your eyes on our games and our studio here on Steam! If you've missed out on any or all of our journey to this audacious moment, please take a little peek at our blogs and videos on our news page we'd love to have you with us on this great adventure! Best Wishes, Helen & The Dev Team

[ 2021-10-16 15:17:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

We're approaching the end of the first week of Book of Travels Chapter Zero. I think it's safe to say that we all wish that we could have offered a better start to it, especially in terms of server stability. Right now we're in a much better place and we love seeing you exploring Braided Shore with such enthusiasm and inquisitiveness, but the weight of the frustration that many of you experienced on launch day is not lost on us. We've said it before and we're saying it again we're sorry for that, and we're very thankful for the patience you've showed us. Now, on to more exciting things...

Colours of the wind

So, what are we doing right now? The current task ahead for the development team is to stabilise the game, remove bugs and make all interactions smoother, removing instances of locking or hindering the player and other quality of life fixes. But on top of that we are very eager to address some of the more common suggestions and wishes that you've put forward for us. A more personalised character creation is probably on the very top of the list of popular requests, and we agree that Book of Travels very much so would benefit from that. Below you can see some concepts for upcoming changes to character customisation and some new tweaks to the emotes feature.

With these changes you'll be able to change the height, skin colour, hair style and clothing tear for your Traveller when creating them. It will go a long way to make your particular character feel unique, we feel. As for the emotes rework, it's an idea we had a while back that we think will make for a more understandable system that distinguishes between emotes and symbols, and separating them in a nice way. You get the idea when you look at the image. Again, thank you so much for being with us on this journey, and for playing Book of Travels. And remember, you can always jot down any ideas you have in our pinned thread Suggestions & Ideas. We don't have the time to reply to all of them but we are definitely paying attention! Best wishes, Oliver & The Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Help us bring Braided Shore to life!

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-10-15 16:56:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

One of the many folk you can meet on your travels in Braided Shore is Professor Cavo Linhea, a Spirit Naturalist at Rivenleaf University. Should you find her, be sure to stop and hear what she has to say, she might just need your help. Which of Braided Shores mystical beings will you be able to spot? Let us know how you get on in the comments section! Helen & The Dev Team xx
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2021-10-13 16:28:35 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

If you're curious about how Book of Travels is made or just want to see the tired faces of its Creative Director and Technical Artist play the game, then join us today on Twitch! Jakob and Peter are going to be talking Book of Travels with the Unity team today, October 13th at 6pm CEST where they'll also shed some light on our teething troubles on those servers (they seem to be settling down now!). Tune in and join us later today! In the meantime reacquaint yourself with Jakob in this interview or Peter in the video from back in the early days of development... [previewyoutube=_aZpAlpqKVU;full][/previewyoutube] Best Wishes, Helen & The Dev Team https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2021-10-13 09:31:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

The worlds first Tiny Multiplayer Online RPG Book of Travels is out now on Steam! Be there at the start of a new Online RPG as Book of Travels enters its Early Access journey on Steam. Join and help shape the game! 10% Discount Early Access Launch Campaign: 10% Discount

[ 2021-10-11 17:18:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

Here you can find out about the full set of Forms who'll be with you from the outset of Book of Travels' Early Access release. Between them the twelve offer a range or moods and starting points with which to create your own characters. So go ahead, choose a name, pick some personality traits, make a note of your wind affinity and set forth!

The Goodward and The Reachant

The Goodward (wind affinity: eastern) has a pure heart and simple tastes. Harmony and safety are important factors to a Goodward and they enjoy providing such happiness to others. But this is also a character whose curiosity may lead them far from the calm and order they so enjoy. Somewhat eccentric, The Reachant (wind affinity: northern) naturally absorbs the wisdom of the world and is conscientious in their collection of truths and teachings. Usually restless, their journey is one of spirituality and personal betterment, and they enjoy mastering crafts.

The Gleaner and The Enfolder

The Gleaner (wind affinity: southern) is resourceful and self-reliant - their independence knows no laws and may take a rogue turn. Quick wits and self-sufficiency make The Gleaner a collector of both material and immaterial wealth, but whether they gauge the value of what is amassed is another matter entirely. Tempering strength with kindness and kindness with strength, The Enfolders guardianship and servitude never detract from their grace and individuality. Their might comes with the sensitivity of one much invested in their kind (wind affinity: southern).

The Crested and The Ribboned

While The Crested (wind affinity: northern) shows no vanity, they are naturally dignified and uninhabited about their sophisticated ways. Their ease and clear mindedness finds them accomplished in many arts and well placed to succeed in all kinds of company. The Ribboneds love of home and nature manifests a spirituality that makes profound connections with all things living. Home and community are where The Ribboned is most energised, but their grounded, centred soul means they take both in heart when travelling (wind affinity: northern).

The Larker and The Veiled

Likeability is not The Larkers goal but merry times are in the offing when The Larker is around. Adventures come in many forms and are rarely serious - so long as leisure and idle times abound, a Larkers day is as it should be (wind affinity: western) . The Veiled (wind affinity: western) is at once inconspicuous and remarkable, holding to the edges of activity where they absorb goings-on from a place of detachment and stillness. But obscurity comes with mystique, the allure of which makes this solitary watcher an enigmatic type with a quiet penchant for power.

The Mirther and The Dimmed

The Mirther (wind affinity: western) is creative and embodies honesty and youth. They echo rural Romantic archetypes such as shepherds, wandering musicians and artists. They are a daydreamer and find much mirth in or out of company. By contrast The Dimmed is an older, wiser type whose light shines less brightly. Their stoic attitude in company does not temper their thirst for exploration, especially when the quest is enlightenment (wind affinity: eastern).

The Moss Walker and The Weatherer

The Mosswalker(wind affinity: eastern) has feet that are deep in the earth and finds magic in all things mundane. They live a relatively ordinary life but their values are wide and true, making them something of an unconventional, Bohemian type. Striding and far from domestic, The Weatherers spirit is forged by exposure to elements literal and metaphorical. Their unequivocal thinking and broad experience finds them well placed in exploration and adventure (wind affinity: southern). If you like these Forms and want to take a bit of a deep dive into some of the inspirations for the Book of Travels character creation process, check out our Steam post about just that right here or let Game Designer and Programmer Arvid talk you through it in the mini video below! Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team xx [previewyoutube=8na_Vv6P2sk;full][/previewyoutube] https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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[ 2021-10-08 17:32:54 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Were super excited to share details of our plans for Early Access development with this journey map a quick scroll will give an idea of just how much we have ahead of us! As we travel, well be using this list to track our progress right here in this post so come back from time to time and see what new features are on the horizon...

Bigger, deeper and more mysterious...

Our Early Access journey can be mapped across five areas, each of which comes with a combination of exciting new content, regions, areas and Forms some of which are the fruits of our magical Kickstarter campaign. As Braided Shore grows, more Endeavours and dangers will expand across the land, giving even the most seasoned Travellers more to explore. This map shows the area that's currently yours to explore and just like the list above, it will be updated right here as we go.

Explore, meet and collaborate

We hope you like what you find and we ask you to step into this brand new world in a spirit of kindness, commitment and collaboration... Explore its corners knowing that it will only grow bigger discover its secrets knowing they will only go deeper. Together we are the founders of a new land. We will be few and we will be many - join us there and share your adventures here on Steam or Discord. We cannot wait to travel with you! Best Wishes, Helen & The Dev Team https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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[ 2021-10-07 17:47:16 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller

Today is the 4th of October which brings us just 7 days until release We are so excited we can barely sleep! Over the last two years we have shared many things with you, and we will be sharing more in the weeks to come. If you enjoy any of it, please do help us get the lift we need by sharing with your friends and on your social channels.(Links to which are just at the bottom of this post!) Today weve gathered all eight of our dev videos Inside Book of Travels in one place. These short and sweet talks from our team cover all kinds of topics, so go ahead and pick your favourites and dive right in! And of course, please comment and share! [previewyoutube=Fdul17jmnUU;full][/previewyoutube] [previewyoutube=RwCrEgFokbk;full][/previewyoutube] [previewyoutube=PVVPxxLTFVc;full][/previewyoutube] [previewyoutube=75STbGbm7ZE;full][/previewyoutube] [previewyoutube=kaH-5goDW68;full][/previewyoutube] [previewyoutube=jKcfsPfo3J0;full][/previewyoutube] [previewyoutube=8na_Vv6P2sk;full][/previewyoutube] [previewyoutube=4psIf2VEkKY;full][/previewyoutube] Seven days to go... Stay tuned! Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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[ 2021-10-04 15:18:15 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Should you ever wander into The Voices Tavern at night time, you may be offered a game of Passage. Passage is one of many ways to distract yourself on your travels and its a game of luck and strategy. For full ambiance, why not take a listen to the soundtrack A Game of Passage as you read... [previewyoutube=iCDkLjVQUIQ;leftthumb][/previewyoutube]

A game with hidden depths

While the game play is relatively simple, the cards themselves are said to hold deeper significance and are regarded as something far more solemn and auspicious than mere entertainment. To many, Passage cards hide a secret, and some folk are quite fixated on discerning a revelation in their inter-relations. And so its not only for the material losses folk have suffered that a game of Passage is taboo in Braided Shore. The game is more than a little socially unacceptable, which is why gamblers tend to play discreetly - most usually, Passage is played in The Voices Tavern, although Travellers may on occasion find themselves approached by a card-prone stranger.

Gambling & deck building

Youll be able to play Passage at any point in Chapter Zero, and while gambling isnt possible just yet, in future youll be able to win or lose your belongings and gamble your way to fortune or destitution. In the meantime. trying your hand at Passage risk-free will be a good opportunity to get to grips with the game in general and to learn some strategy. Then, when gambling is in place, youll have Passage skills enough to put to work and win! The game will also become a deck builder, and as the world evolves, so will your cards! We look forward to sharing more about how youll collect new cards and what youll be gambling with in a future post.
With just less than two weeks to launch we are really excited to share all that we've shown you here on this blog for the last two years! What features are you looking forward to trying out? Is there anything more you'd like you'd like to get more info on before you play? Please do drop your thoughts right here! Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team x https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-09-28 12:25:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

When we made the decision to delay Book of Travels back in August, we knew we wanted to make sure that we were confident that we could meet the new deadline before we announced it to you. A while ago I wrote a post in which I described a set of nasty bugs that I (un)lovingly called the Unholy Trio, and the team has since vanquished that beast. Therefore I can finally say, with confidence, that we have a release date to share with you. Book of Travels enters Early Access with Chapter Zero on October 11th. Wow, that felt good to get off the chest. We knew what date we wanted to go with all along, and it has been a challenge to keep that from you until now. Especially when seeing some of you speculating that the game was delayed to next year, or worse. But now it's out there and we can all start gearing up for launch. Thank you again for still being with us it means the world to us!

Growing together in Early Access

We do, once again, want to point out that this is an Early Access launch. There will be issues to be solved, there is content to be added, mechanics and systems to be iterated on and (most importantly) player feedback to be heeded. Chapter Zero is the first season, if you will, of the ongoing story we're telling with Book of Travels. It will last for the entirety of our Early Access period of two years and we're beyond excited to have you come onboard and be a part of shaping this into the game of our dreams. We'll have more to share about our roadmap for Chapter Zero soon, but we can share that the first month after launch will be strictly about looking at player feedback and taking suggestions no extra content will be added until we've taken that time to closely examine your first impressions. We want you to feel like we're actually listening to what you have to say about the game after launch, and part of my job will be to make sure you do. Exciting times, indeed! Once again, thank you so, so very much for your support, patience and passion. We're less than three weeks away from our maiden voyage, and we can't wait to have you with us in Braided Shore! Best wishes, Oliver & The Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-09-24 13:00:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Some time ago we took a look at the Book of Travels character creation process in a post that explains how character creation is one of the ways in which the game will allow you a wide range of personal expression in your roleplay (you can get a video insight with Programmer, Game Designer and Discord hero Arvid right here on Youtube). [previewyoutube=8na_Vv6P2sk;full][/previewyoutube] Today were excited to be sharing four new Forms, and just like last time there will be Discord roles available for each one, so if you havent joined us there yet, please do dive in and get roled up! Its been really cool to dip into Discord chat these last few weeks and hear your thoughts and ideas about our videos and reasons for our final date push its also becoming clear that choosing Forms is something of a topic and not always easy! So it should be good to know that youll be able to create many characters in the game, and its not too early to start thinking about yours - this is a game for creative souls and character creation is just the beginning. Wed love to hear your ideas here or on Discord. And please know that while the Forms represent a kind of archetype they are only the starting point and its up to you to develop personas, backstories with as much detail, complexity and nuance as you see fit. We hope you like our latest additions! And to keep things in one place weve added the previous Forms here too, what a varied gallery they make

The Crested and The Ribboned

While The Crested shows no vanity, they are naturally dignified and uninhabited about their sophisticated ways. Their ease and clear mindedness finds them accomplished in many arts and well placed to succeed in all kinds of company. The Ribboneds love of home and nature manifests a spirituality that makes profound connections with all things living. Home and community are where The Ribboned is most energised, but their grounded, centred soul means they take both in heart when travelling.

The Larker and The Veiled

Likeability is not The Larkers goal but merry times are in the offing when The Larker is around. Adventures come in many forms and are rarely serious - so long as leisure and idle times abound, a Larkers day is as it should be. The Veiled is at once inconspicuous and remarkable, holding to the edges of activity where they absorb goings-on from a place of detachment and stillness. But obscurity comes with mystique, the allure of which makes this solitary watcher an enigmatic type with a quiet penchant for power.

The Mirther and The Dimmed

The Mirther is creative and embodies honesty and youth. They echo rural Romantic archetypes such as shepherds, wandering musicians and artists. They are a daydreamer and find much mirth in or out of company. By contrast The Dimmed is an older, wiser type whose light shines less brightly. Their stoic attitude in company does not temper their thirst for exploration, especially when the quest is enlightenment.

The Moss Walker and The Weatherer

The Mosswalker has feet that are deep in the earth and finds magic in all things mundane. They live a relatively ordinary life but their values are wide and true, making them something of an unconventional, Bohemian type. Striding and far from domestic, The Weatherers spirit is forged by exposure to elements literal and metaphorical. Their unequivocal thinking and broad experience finds them well placed in exploration and adventure. ------- Finally, wed like to say a word about what has been termed our indefinite postponement... it is not indefinite! With every day that passes we get closer to securing our new release date, and while were not yet ready to reveal it, it really isnt that far away! Its so important to us that we have your trust and that means that we want to be sure that the date we give really is the date we release and not a day later. So when we know for sure, you will too. Book of Travels is coming! Stay tuned and stay in touch! Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-09-14 15:54:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

When you last heard from us, we made the announcement that we wouldnt be able to hit our previously set release date of August 30th. Today we would like to give some more insight on why this decision was made and where we're at in development. But first things first: on behalf of the entire team at Might and Delight I would personally like to thank every one of you for the amazing understanding and support that you showed us when we announced this delay to you. It was clear that many of you were disappointed, just like we were, but the overwhelming majority of you still voiced your support and faith in our decision and it's hard to explain how comforting that was to us. So, once again, thank You so much for still being with us! Now, onwards...

The Unholy Trio

As we described in the delay announcement, it was thanks to the feedback and data provided by our beta testers that we realized that we werent in a releasable state. And while there are many things that could use some ironing out, it was mainly three issues that we felt absolutely needed to be looked at before launch. Since I'm so cool and edgy I've been calling this set of bugs The Unholy Trio". The Unholy First, and probably the most annoying out of the three, is a severe case of rubberbanding. This would have our players click to move somewhere, only for the game to slingshot them back to a previously occupied location and it made travelling take much longer than it should. Obviously this would be a problem in any game, let alone one called Book of Travels. Worse yet, it didn't only affect the player, but also things like NPCs and our combat system. The Unholy Second made it so that things started spawning in places where they shouldnt. Events would appear in the wrong positions on the map, forest animals could be seen in densely populated cities and enemy characters would pop up into tea houses. Is there any place more inconvenient to be ambushed in than a tea house? The Unholy Third is simply making NPCs invisible to the player, which happened randomly here and there. We cant have that, now can we?

Blessings in disguise

Now, I'm happy to report that the team is very close to fixing all three of these issues so that none of the players jumping in on launch day will be haunted by them. Of course, since we are launching into Early Access, we do want to emphasize that the game will have issues like bugs and balancing issues on release. Its just that these particular bugs were too prevalent and too detrimental to the general play experience for us to just roll with it, despite the fact that Early Access titles arent expected to work flawlessly right out of the gate. The Unholy Trio needed to go. Besides polishing work, theres another upside to the extra time that we've allowed ourselves. The team is currently deepening the experience further than we wouldve had time for previously, with more quests and dangers for the player to dive into. Additionally, we are making new areas that well add to the game world early in the Early Access period. We will have a more detailed roadmap of what is to come after launch soon. Were not announcing the release date today, but we have decided on one and it's not as far off as some of you have been speculating. Were so excited to start this journey with you, and that's what it is going to be a journey. That's why we're doing the Early Access period, because we want to shape Book of Travels together with our players. The game we envision in our dreams wouldn't be possible to make without you and we're so appreciative of every one of you who wants to be a part of it. Until next time, Oliver & The Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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[ 2021-09-02 17:59:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dearest Traveller,

Thank you for being excited for Book of Travels, and tagging along on our journey with us whether it's in the comments on Steam, replies on our various social platforms or with a pledge to our Kickstarter campaign. We can't properly express how much your support and interest means to us, and how invigorating it is. We're giving this project our all, and have been doing so for years now. It feels strange to be so close to "the finish line" that is the Early Access launch and have all of you be able to experience our game with us. However we aren't as close as we like to, or even thought we'd be. This became apparent to us during the course of our closed beta, as our wonderful testers sent their reports to us. So we made the difficult decision to postpone the launch of the game once more. The team simply needs the time to stabilize it.
We want to be able to deliver an Early Access game that we can stand by. But believe us when we say that we don't make this call easily, and we understand that this will disappoint anyone who couldn't wait to jump into the game this summer. At the same time we also believe that we owe it to the game, to ourselves and more importantly to you to make sure that Book of Travels meets our standards. Therefore we won't give you a new release date today. Instead, we'll nail that down when we are in a position of confidence that we can actually hit the new deadline. Again, we understand that this isn't the news you want to hear. We crave for You to be able to play our game too! Right now, though, we can only hope for your understanding and patience. It won't be long before you'll hear from us again. Thank You. Sincerely, Oliver & The Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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[ 2021-08-24 16:04:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

If youve been following our various ramblings youll no doubt have heard us using the initialism TMORPG for Tiny Online Multiplayer and today were going to try to answer some of the many questions that weve heard and address some of your practical concerns about playing together. Lets dive right in

How many people will there be in my game?

Currently we cant give even a rough estimate just yet, and this is because the team will spend much of Early Access reading the play data in order to adjust numbers to make a good balance of player meetings and solo experience. Game Designer Beta Alves says Well be watching how often groups form and balance and tweak accordingly. Well be avoiding a situation in which youll always be in groups - we want the joy of company to come with the contrast of some solitude so you can appreciate how it feels to travel alone and with others. To tell us what your experience of meeting frequency is and to keep your views heard, be sure to drop them into the relevant chat in our Steam forum (to be populated!) once you start playing in just 13 days - eek!

Can we play with friends?

Even though they appreciate the incognito elements of the game, players want to connect with their friends says Beta, and thats been something that weve heard often from backers and community. In response, the team has been working on ways to make sure that you can find one another. To set out together, start by joining the same server, and then once youve created your character, youll be asked how your journey begins - choose the same options as your friends and youll spawn together.

Finding one another when already on the road

If youre travelling together and log out together youll be together when you log back in, resuming your adventure in the same place - together. But if you want to meet with someone whos setting out at a different time (or time zone!) than you, an ancient temple on an island makes a landmark meeting point. Its known as the Khelim Temple, and if you need a quick way to get there, theres a particular knot spell that will come in handy. Dont worry, its not hard to acquire, but to do so youll need to unravel a little - so listen as you travel! Of course another very special place to rendez-vous is Travellers Meadow in the north west of Braided Shore. You can of course get there on foot or for Kickstarter backers, use the Travellers Portal - and take any non-backer companions with you.

Communication

When you do find one another youll be able to communicate using emotes, your own collection of pictograms that will evolve through growth and usage as you travel the world and gain knowledge of its land and culture. You can read more about emotes here. Weve been listening to your thoughts and ideas about how youd like to leave traces of your travels or exchange thoughts or memories in the game. As part of our Kickstarter we promised to implement Sharing memories, a way to remember your meetings through passed on items.

Finding each other beyond the game

If the chance encounters that you have lead to meetings out-of-game that would be lovely, and Steam and Discord will be the main places to find one another. We also hope to have some other ways for you to share stories in the future, but at the moment these plans are far too raw to reveal For now we are just very much looking forward to hearing all about your travels - together or alone, we hope they are many and magical! Best Wishes Helen & the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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[ 2021-08-17 15:13:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

Combat in Book of Travels has been something of a (ahem) divisive issue, with many wanting a damn good brawl while others would rather avoid confrontation altogether. There will indeed be avoidance tactics at your disposal - more on those later! For those in the former camp, heres a bit about the kind of conflict you can expect.

Pit your wits against bandits and beings

As you might imagine, theres no PVP combat in Book of Travels, instead youll face off against characters, creatures and mysterious beings, most of which youll find in the Wilds. Towns or villages are somewhat safer, where the main threat comes in the shape of bandits offering a duel, but off the beaten track packs of wolves or bandit gangs may present you with a heavy duty challenge. Supernatural adversaries may appear too, so stay watchful or you may just find yourself up against the might of a Maisu or the chaos of a Kettem. Fighting for survival is one thing, but acquiring exceptional items or bounty hunting may also find you baring arms.

Preparation, tension and targets

Should you find yourself in a combat situation, the first thing youll need to do is prepare. This is a combat system designed around preparation, initiative and timing and there are three essential stages that build up to the decisive moment. Before you begin of course, youll first need to survey your surroundings for a worthy opponent. Putting your hand on your sword will cast a red circle about you, alerting you to anyone (or anything) within challengeable radius. Youll also be able to see their Force and Ward numbers, which will help you decide if you want to take them on.
Having selected a worthy opponent, youll need to make sure that youre ready for action: equip your gear, cast any knots or drink any teas that you think are fit for the occasion (such as the Warding Arc - a knot that protects you from one hit, or Lilit's Cinnabar Brew - a tea that increases your force). This is also a course of action that youll need to take as a preventative measure should you see a threat close by, so even if youre not looking for a fight, its a good idea to keep some spells close to hand. Some opponents are aggressive and will put their hands on their swords or enter combat preparation stances (e.g. wolves or Kettem) if you get too close!
Once the initiative has been taken its all about the timing! The longer you wait to strike your opponent, the more accurate your blow will be - so while your chance of hitting your target increases you will remain vulnerable to assault. Every second that passes between you and your opponent will be loaded with the tension of not knowing who will strike first... Dare you risk receiving a blow or will you deal your own, less accurate strike? The choice is yours! The stakes get higher still once youre hit, which will leave you dizzied and knocked off balance and with your chance to hit back diminished - a very strong blow can significantly reduce your chance of landing a return strike. Should you take a hit during battle, your Ward becomes depleted by the total count of the Force owned by the attacker. But once it's all over and should you survive, your Ward will return to its full value.

Fight, flight or flee?

Weve often been asked, can you evade conflict altogether? Certainly! Just as in life there are ways to stay out of trouble! If youre a more peaceful player and you detect a threat from afar (red name tags are an indicator) you can choose to skirt around it, and if that doesnt work, then youll be able to evade it by equipping skills such as a Smoke Cylinder - a fast acting ability that grants temporary invisibility. This way you can choose to quietly pass trouble by, or hide, or become invisible. And if youre feeling cheeky and in need of supplies, you might be able to nip in and steal from a bandit without any conflict at all by using teleportation!

Oops, I changed my mind - get me out of here!

And what if you want to decline? Or if, once that circle is drawn an enemy takes initiative, you dont want to fight? You can simply walk away. If its bandits you face, then in this case your worst fate is usually robbery, and unless you refuse to hand over whats demanded you won't face an attack. Your final get-out option after initiative is taken is to flee - fleeing wont have any permanently adverse impact on your character, but it will mean that youll wake up somewhere completely new and for a while youll be slow and demoralised. ----------------------- We hope this sheds a little light on this much anticipated topic, and well get some answers to your questions so please do leave them below! In the meantime you can find out more about dangers in Braided Shore in our new video short with Artist Lotta tomorrow (follow our Youtube to get notified), or hear a game dev perspective on designing combat for a serene game from Lead Programmer Jens at his Nordic Games talk right here. Just 20 days to go! Thank you for being with us! Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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[ 2021-08-10 18:03:50 CET ] [ Original post ]

Travellers!

We are just over three weeks till launch day and we are EXCITED! During these last weeks we'll be sharing some short videos where the team talk about the game - we hope you like them! Number one is about cooperative gameplay and features Lead Programmer, Jens Berglind. Please support us by sharing it, and if you haven't wishlisted us yet, just press that button below! We'll be posting two videos each week, so subscribe to our Youtube to get notified... and please do leave us your comments! Maybe we can even drag Jens away from his keyboard to say hello. [previewyoutube=4psIf2VEkKY;full][/previewyoutube] Much love, Helen & the Dev Team x https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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[ 2021-08-04 16:53:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

Communicating with emotes is one of our favourite features of Book of Travels, and we believe its going to play a key role in freeing you from your everyday self and really allowing you to get fully immersed in your character and the game world. Such a feeling can only really be understood through experience, and with only 5 weeks until thats possible we cant wait to set you free to do just that! In the meantime, here's an outline of how emotes will be part of your characters development, and a little look at the way that you, the new denizens of the land, will shape its future course.

Lose yourself in a new identity

When Meadow was born, we hadnt quite expected it to work the strange magic that it did. Meadow was our first TMO and players shared powerful feelings about running for hours with a player-badger or unlocking obelisks with a player-fox. It became clear that emotes were part of the magic and that these moments shared with strangers couldnt exist with in-game player chat. With only symbols to communicate with, players came together with a shared sense of purpose and play, forging meaning through a system of rudimentary signs. If youve ever visited a place where youve had to speak a new language youll probably be able to relate to this! Without our native tongue were freed from our familiar identity and can let other parts of our personality come to the fore. In Book of Travels youll be able to make detailed characters and then set them adrift to be someone new - free of the language and mindset of your everyday self.

Creating meaning together

Just as in Meadow, meaning will be made as players work together. All practical bases have been provided for by way of a starter set of emotes, so youll start your game with a range of emotes that will allow you to communicate enough to get by. How you use these with other players is up to your and their creativity. This is one of the ways in which Book of Travels will be a dynamic experience players will bring the language of emotes to life as they combine symbols to share feelings, convey intentions, and communicate knowledge and experience.

Evolving the language for you and for Braided Shore

As you journey through the land your collection of emotes will grow as you unlock the symbols and signs that correspond to the various places you visit and the encounters you have. Your growing collection of emotes will add another dimension to your expressive capabilities and were very excited to see how players use additions to build on ways to express themselves.
As your character grows through this language, so too will Braided Shore. Behind the scenes, this is one of many ways in which the team will absorb activity, watching the way that emotes are being used, checking for ways in which they help or hinder your fluency, roleplay experience and gameplay, and developing new emotes accordingly. Evolving this language together is one of the many ways that players will influence the world, and were very much in a state of anticipation at how early access will be the start of this long and exciting journey! -------------------------------- Of course many people will want to find spaces and places to talk to one another in text and speech, and thats something weve heard a lot of requests for. We are very keen for you to do just that and were looking forward to watching the game world and the community develop side by side here on Steam and also in Discord. Have you played any games that have a special way to communicate? What do you think about our emotes design? Perhaps youve played Meadow and already have thoughts about it? Wed love to hear from you! Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Unique Stories

When you play Book of Travels there is no linear questline, instead every player will have their own journey and stories to tell. Find out more about how our game design works to make your journey unlike any other...

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-07-27 15:30:30 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

We are almost ready, we really nearly are... but we decided to take three extra weeks before we set out on our journey into Braided Shore. Weve been listening to your anticipation (it really is the wind in our sails!) and we know that some of you are so ready to get going that youve made launch day plans and were so honoured to hear it! We hope that this announcement leaves you time to make adjustments for our new launch date of Monday 30th August

• 7pm CEST (Central European Summer Time)
• 5pm UTC (Coordinated Universal Time)
• 1pm EDT (Eastern Daylight Time)
• 10 am PDT (Pacific Daylight Time)

[previewyoutube=mfPJ12NlF-c;full][/previewyoutube] Every detail that we check now and every final touch thats made will make your adventures more immersive, more compelling, more rewarding. Thank you for bearing with us! Braided Shore will be all the better for these last few weeks attention. Below are some scenes to show you a little bit more about where we'll all be very soon!
A Kettem approaches
Travel by water or land
Trains rest in the shade at Western Verve Junction
A coastal walk in the shade

Be with us on our final stretch

Stay with us as we try to steer ourselves away from this too-trodden path of travel metaphors onto a momentous course to early access we have beauty and backstage treats to share in abundance, so follow our Youtube LINK to get notified of upcoming video insights, and if you havent already, wishlist us with the button below to get that glorious launch day notification! And for an extra special soon-to-be-announced treat, sign up to be a Traveller at www.TMORPG.com. We cant wait to get this game out and share it with you!! Helen & the Dev Team xxx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games, books and pretty much everything. Join here.

[ 2021-07-21 14:34:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

As our teams head out for summer vacations, weve decided to give them a break from preparing and sharing artworks from Book of Travels. Instead, were sharing some of our favourite articles about the game. Its quite incredible to me to think that not so long ago, when the name for the game wasnt even set in stone, wed search up Book of Travels to find only references to an ancient Ottoman literary tradition. Today a quick internet search throws up a wealth of images and articles: some are ours, but many are the work of others, and today we want to saythanks to anyone and everyone who has ever written about or shared any news about our Online RPG. The articles and features shared here express so well what Book of Travels is about and the ambitions we have for your Braided Shore experience. We very much value words like these - they are our sounding board, our mirror, our friend along the way, letting us know who we are, where we are, and that were heading in a direction thats right and true.

Words about the date reveal trailer

Heres what Screenrants Coleman Gailloreto had to say about our Date Reveal Trailer

A close look at first gameplay

Rachel Watts at PC Gamer put excellent words to how Book of Travels differs from classic MMOs and shared our first ever gameplay video in her feature last November...

An appreciation of detailed character creation

Loren Morten at Rock Paper Shotgun took a look at the same video and enjoyed the games detailed character creation process...

An interview with our Creative Director

In old media form only (we do love analogue press here at M&D) Creative Director Jakob Tuchten talked with Edge's Chris Kerr about the studios "punk" ethos.

Regular and expert angles on these Steam posts

For anyone who hasn't come across Massively Overpowered yet, we'd like to shine a light their way Bree and Justin's synthesise of our sometimes vague and often slippery reveals have been a great read and always reassure me that we're saying what we mean to! Each fortnight they comment on our Steam post with the insight of true RPG aficionados so get the kettle on, get cosy and catch up on our their backlog of short reads right here...
We hope you enjoy reading this selection - as always, we'd love to read your words right here Share anything you like about the game, about these articles, or about your own experience on sharing a project with the world Wed love to hear them! Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team x P.S It's been a long time since we posted anything on Reddit, but we finally made it happen and you can now connect with MMORPG fans and take a look at our developer spotlight post right here, and if you're a Reddit user, we look forward to seeing you there more often in the future! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games, books and pretty much everything. Join here.

[ 2021-07-14 05:58:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

How does an RPG look when there is no linear questing? Weve often talked about how the narrative experience of Book of Travels is different from traditional and classic RPGs, and today Im going to paint a clearer picture of how the game is designed so that you, the player, will go on a story journey thats unlike any other.

Rare encounters

Book of Travels takes much inspiration from tabletop roleplay games and live action roleplay, each of which evolve story experiences from the beats of randomly generated scenarios. Readers who have ever LARPed, who like to roleplay or whove ever taken part in immersive theatre will know the feeling of being captivated by a stumbled-upon dramatic event. This can be even more special when encountered with only a friend or compadre, and perhaps better still as a singular and solitary audience. Scenarios in Book of Travels are threaded throughout the game world in such a way that players will not share a common set of experiences, and theres a chance that youll experience a scenario which is so rare that you could just be its only witness.

The personal pattern of your journey

Scenarios which are less rare may still be encountered by only a few Travellers who, having taken their own path and honed their own world view, will interpret them in that light. Other experiences will be more common, but whatever kinds of encounters you have, their course and pattern will emerge from the choices you make on the road. Since there is no linear plot through which to advance, Travellers will instead come across many story strands to weave together along the way, but not every player will hold the same threads. Essentially your exploration of Braided Shore will be entirely different from that of any other Traveller and your adventure will take a shape that's all its own.

Shifting events in a living world

Should you tell another Traveller about an exciting moment, they should know that they wont be able to recreate that experience - events in the game are not static and cannot be depended upon in terms of gameworld time-and-space. In many ways they comprise a vast and eternally shifting collection of encounters that together form the body and soul of Braided Shore.

Shaping chapters

One of the advantages of making a PC game based on Steam is that it allows us to listen to players opinions, so over the course of Chapter Zero well be reading and absorbing your responses as well as using game data to observe how Travellers are experiencing and responding to the world and its stories. This insight is something we are really excited to explore, since well be able to respond to the marks that you leave and the tracks you make to craft Chapter One, which we think will help us make it a much richer experience. Thank you so much for being with us - were unbelievably only six weeks away from our launch date of August 9th! Wed love to hear what you think about our narrative design in the comments section below where our Narrative and Game Designers Dennis, Andreas and Beta will drop in and answer your questions. What gaming story experiences have made great memories for you? We'd love to know! Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-06-29 16:17:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

Today we sample some of the culinary delights available to the visitors and denizens of Braided Shore. Among them are the rudiments of sustenance found, foraged and bartered for, as well as more gastronomical delights to be enjoyed at moments of leisure. When it comes to food, our design is comfortably conventional, with nutrition and nourishment coming by way of breads and vegetables. And when it comes to variety and distribution, Travellers will find much that is familiar - a socio-economic pattern has been applied, with pastoral regions such as Crossroads consuming much grain and bread and coastal areas like Myr enjoying abundant fish suppers (even game designers should pay attention in Geography class).

Urban Eating

Of course the larger the settlement, the more likely youll be to find a variety of imported or cultivated foods, and in Kasa in particular a wide range of regional treats are yours to barter for in local and occasional markets. Among the fanciest of pleasures are Honey Marinated Boar Ribs and sublime dessert, Wanderers Joy, as well as a very expensive wine cheese (an exceptional item) which has been marinated in wine for reasons revealed two paragraphs below.

Foraging in the Forest

Having packed a bag full of food for fun and fuel, youll be ready to strike out into the wild yonder of the citys hinterlands. Along the way there will be opportunities to purchase local and more limited food items, but you may find it more fun to forage for your supper. There are lots of edible treats growing in the nooks and crannies and even the wind strung peaks of this land, and most can be eaten raw and cooked.

Drinks and drinking

Drinks are sweet or savoury and of course a nice cup of tea is the staple of Asken life and can mean much more than a simple cuppa in both flavour and function. But drinkers should know that wine is forbidden, being deemed too chaotic and perturbing on the spirit. Cider, on the other hand, is much enjoyed among some and perfectly permitted. But since wine is banned, grapes are also hard to come by. That doesnt mean that the odd illegal vine cant be found curling out of a crevice here and there, and theres a small hatch in a wall in Kasa through which, for a price, one can be served a very fine and suspiciously grapey tasting cider.

The role playing dimension

When it comes to the importance of food in roleplay joy, there are many games to look to for inspiration, but foremost comes Zelda, Breath of the Wild (and weve heard from many of you in this last year about your love of Zelda!). And yes you will be able to cook in Braided Shore! Thats a feature well be working on while you are playing through Chapter Zero, aka Early Access. But have no doubt that there will be plenty of cute, quirky, vile and strange foods to choose from to furnish your character with, and veggie and vegan lifestyles will of course be catered for. What are your best game food memories? We'd love to know! And as always, let us know how you'd like food and drink to feature in your Book of Travels adventures... Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-06-15 14:12:19 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

We've been journeying together for a little while now... buttoday the time has finally come to reveal our date for Early Access along with some more glimpses of the world we are getting so close to embarking on. We hope you love it! We know that some of you are as excited as we are about setting foot on Braided Shore, and now we have a date... So circle the calendar and prepare your hearts, adventures of wilderness and wonder lie before you! [previewyoutube=4nDrqkvumhg;full][/previewyoutube] Thank you for your patience and your company we look forward to travelling with you! Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team xxx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/ Help us grow by following us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and share the news. Thanks! [url=www.facebook.com/TMORPG]
[url=https://bit.ly/35dEobk]
[url=https://bit.ly/3pQJcgC]

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Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-06-12 22:13:53 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dearest Travellers,

In Braided Shore a whole range of encounters is possible; an enraged Sefra might knock you from your path or a happy hearted one surprise you with a boon, or perhaps a meeting with a Malku Su might leave you feeling a little small. But look down and think tiny, because little lurkers are also on the move! Some will come in single spies, and others in battalions, but in most cases these little creatures will cause you no sorrow and are in fact as harmless as rabbits...
Folklore from all around the world tells us that spirits arent always spooky - they can manifest as many moods and keep all kinds of habits, and so it is with the ones you see here. You might recognise the predecessors of these little creatures in the worlds of Studio Ghibli or the Moomins - they also echo the sprites of Swedish folklore where their collective name is Oknytt. in Braided Shore, the collective name for this range of sprites and small spirits is Omin, and today were taking a look at production sketches outlining many kinds of Omin.





The early sketches of Omin here are just some of the many that may come into being. Some will debut in Early Access, but most will have to wait until Chapter One commences, and some may in fact never make their escape from paper to game world... Wed love to hear which ones you like the most so that we can take your wishes into our design considerations, so please leave your comments! Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Become a Traveller

Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-06-01 18:28:59 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

What word best describes those items used in spell casting? In Braided Shore these ingredients are known as Reagents, and as your travels unfold youll come to know a great deal about them...
As with all things that nourish our lives, the occurrence of these magical ingredients is sometimes logical but at other times seems to have no obvious cause. When it comes to logic, Reagents manifest as a complex expression of many things: the natural landscape, the relationship between the land and its various inhabitants, and the history of both of those things. Like mycelium beneath mushrooms and the roots under trees, there are deep systems at work, and theyre largely the labour of Game Designer Beto who took inspiration from picking flowers for a midsommar garland: I knew vaguely where I could find each flower I wanted, so I went kind of where I remembered them to be, but I still had to do some searching, and as I did, I found pleasant surprises - it felt so much like the experience I wanted for Travellers in Braided Shore.
Those who dig deeper are more attuned to the gifts of earth and can express themselves with the language of the Winds and the aroma of Tea. - Soyda, Mushroom Specialist, Rivenleaf College, Naturalist Faculty

What are Reagents?

While weve talked a little about some of Braided Shores more supernatural aspects and some of the effects and skills that can be conjured by way of teas and knots, weve shared little about the items required and how you might encounter them. With the correct combination of Reagents, players will be able to use skills and make knots spells and magic teas (such as the Brew of Hidden Cries). Reagents can manifest as many things - beautiful, ordinary, natural or manufactured, and their properties are studied by scholars and Mystics across the land. As a newcomer to Braided Shore you too will become a student of Reagents as you get to know the many aspects of Reagent lore and usage.

Tune in to the presence of Reagents

The most obvious way to detect the whereabouts of Reagents is by paying attention to the world around you. Just as with items, youll find them in hidden places, and thoughtful exploration will pay off - light, colour or movement might signal that something potent is close by. But as you familiarise yourself with the world youll also learn its logic and figure out where youll have the most chance of searching out more common Reagents such as Dandelion or Garden Balsam. Folk you meet and conversations you overhear may also reveal tips and pointers to an all-important, spell-completing Reagent.

Find signs of Reagents in the wild

When it comes to wildlife, theres more to the surrounding flora and fauna than decoration. For example Yellow flowers indicate that Garden Balsam or Char Mustard are somewhere closeby, and noticing where wolves like to hunt will help you seek out a rare tuft of animal hair.

Look for logic in towns and villages

Just as with items, towns and villages are the site of a greater abundance of Reagents, but that doesnt mean that youll need to be any less discerning. Some Reagents will be found in places theyd naturally occur, such as the Pure Soot in dockyards and railways, and Woots Powder which is also commonly found by train tracks and sites of rudimentary industry. But Reagents may be moved, dropped or hidden and as a result, turn up in some unlikely locations...

Rare Reagents may mean high stakes

Rare Reagents are much sought after owing to their special properties or simply to their scarcity value. The rarest are as elusive as they are powerful and players will most likely need to invest some energy to locate them. One may be cause for a special expedition, another may require the kind of commitment that involves risking ones life A Silk Flower, for example, grows far from any road or settlement, where landscapes are desolate and sublime, and should you seek a Tuft of Animal Hair while wolves are hunting, you might run the risk or a wolf attack. But not all rare Reagents are as pretty to behold as flowers and fluff - Coagulated Engine Oil is as sticky and stinky as you might imagine (its rarity owes to the sparsity of oil in this inherited railway infrastructure). Once youve packed your latest Reagent safely in your pack, its yours to use as you wish. Theres a plethora of Reagents already in Braided Shore, but nothing is fixed - some Reagents may disappear while new ones may emerge or be discovered. ------------------------------------------------ Were really looking forward to hearing about your discoveries come Early Access! No matter what the findings, there will be an endless abundance to seek out as the world opens out before you and countless tales are told... Are you a believer in the power of spells and magic? Or do you only harvest magical ingredients in your gaming life? If so, where? As always, our best wishes and seasonal blessings, Helen & the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

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Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-05-18 14:37:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

Today instead of our regular post, we have some scheduling news, plus an exciting addition to our team, so lets dive right in...

Tuesdays are the new Fridays

If only they were, but maybe theyll be a little more perky now that theyre our new content day... From now on, our usual Friday dev update as posted here on Steam and Kickstarter will now come on a Tuesday. Our next post is this coming Tuesday the 18th - its all about Regeants this week and I cannot wait to share it with you... [previewyoutube=lBXesID_Z74;full][/previewyoutube] Along with our monthly Fireside Chat on Youtube this means that well have something to share with you for three Tuesdays of every month - were still wondering what to do with that fourth Tuesday, but for now well try and deliver something fun on our Twitter account, so if youre a Twitter user be sure to follow us! And maybe you have an idea about what monthly occurrence youd like from us a competition? An art day? Wed love to hear it in the comments!

Our new CM Oliver

MORE TO THE POINT Oliver would love to hear about it! Please welcome him - hes our brand new and dedicated Community Manager and wont be split between roles as I have been these last years. Oliver loves games and has worked as a games journalist and with various communities and games in the last few years. You can find him on Discord or just say hello in the comments right here Hes great, we love him, you will too.

Shifted release window

Now to our almost-news concerning release - we realise youve been waiting for a Q2 release and were very aware that this frame is close to its June end... Well, weve shifted the window - but not by too much! We can tell you Book of Travels really is coming soon, we can tell you its all going very well, and we can tell you it will be released this summer. As you might expect, fixing a solid date for release involves coordinating a fair few aspects and schedules. Right now were working on doing just that so that we can nail that date once and for all. When we do, well let you know right here - expect something in the coming weeks! That's all for now - we look forward to sharing Braided Shore magic with you on Tuesday! Helen, Oliver & the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Become a Traveller

Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-05-14 18:59:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

As you may know, the Book of Travels experience is one of immersion and discovery, so it makes sense that in this game, level design is as much the work of the art team as Narrative Designers. Here were sharing a little bit about our approach to designing levels and the intended play experience we hope to create.
Passing place or site of hidden loot? Working to a fairly wide brief, artists design spaces where players will discover items, lore or story fragments while taking a rest or cooking up some roots. This means they must take into account both aesthetics and gameplay, so crafting a location that is as intriguing as it is beautiful is just one part of their work.

Where set design and gameplay come together

Of course levels in the game vary greatly in size and scope; some, such as cities and towns are bigger and more interactive, while others, like the one above, may appear to function as a passage or an interlude. But this being Book of Travels, the best things can happen off the beaten track, and all levels are designed to enrich your journey, often in unexpected ways...
Hints of blue behind these trees hint that theres more to discover.

Creating curiosity in different spaces

Working with narrative components as well as items and NPCs, our Level Designers task is to ensure that there's not only a good degree of activity and discovery in all areas of the world, but that the experience of exploring them is rich and rewarding. In areas where the players field of vision is limited such as the one above, that means revealing small parts of hidden things - they might be spirits, bandits, buildings or beasts - to prompt further investigation. In areas where land is open and a long field of vision is available, levels must work to suggest possible pathways, challenges and rewards.
Obstacles, pathways and discoveries are hinted at from afar.

Levels that feel like a painted world

A large part of this work involves decorating the world with hand painted props made by the 2D art team. These props work to reinforce the feeling of walking around in a painting. Since we dont have full control over where players will go, the goal is to make every place one where a beautiful view can be enjoyed.
A village will likely have more NPCs to meet, but isn't necessarily where the most interesting things happen, and a quiet pathway might not be as empty as it looks. But its not all about the woods and wilds - following the main road will eventually lead you to one of Braided Shores more populated areas where you can find buildings to rest in, goods to trade with and hear a tale or two.
Making a journey at night can be beautiful, magical, dangerous or simply peaceful.

Balancing design with open play

Weve often said that Book of Travels doesnt set your direction for you - youll be free to go where you wish, unbound by linear narrative or pre-planned player paths. However, levels are designed to offer suggestions to where you could go next. A fork in the road, a structure looming in the distance or dialogue with a passerby are among the many things that might alter your path. The goal of designing to reward exploration is to have the player find something wherever they decide to go, be it an item, a lurking spirit or just a silent clearing to play an instrument or sit and take stock But to find what secrets hide in this world youll need to take risks and steer away from the roads - we think that youll be enticed by the levels that await you! We hope this gives you a little more sense of how it will feel to roam free in Braided Shore. Please drop your thoughts in the comments right here, and tell us what kind of exploratory games youve enjoyed most... Olle, our Level Designer will pop in and respond next week. Best Wishes! Helen & the Dev Team https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Become a Traveller

Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-04-30 11:55:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

In between dev updates weve trickled out some of the lore of this land, peeking in on spirits, listening to the thoughts of everyday folk and soundtracking its wilderness. But we want to share how it feels to play a part in this world, so today we cordially invite you to imagine immersion through... stuff. So this post is all about the objects and items that youll be able to toss into a backpack as you travel around Braided Shore and how theyll enrich your play experience. As ever, wed love you to drop us a comment or two with your thoughts.
Backpack slots accommodate accessories and musical instruments created in our 2019 Kickstarter.

Fill your pack with many things

As with most RPGs the most appealing aspect of collecting items is in imagining how they may one day serve you well in trade. Among the many items youll come across on your travels youll find various edibles (pickled seaweed, simple soot bread) and equipables (alabaster armbands, a walnut flute) - together these will protect you from dangers, keep you fed, and ready you for all kinds of possibilities. But many items dont seem to have an immediate obvious benefit do not dismiss them, for who knows what unknown trade potential they may hold? One persons junk is indeed another persons treasure in this land, and a perfect example can be seen in this gameplay video where a bag of rusty nails brings joy to an NPC building a treehouse. And who knows? A cobalt glazed tile shard may be useful to someone...

Skill cards

Skills are also items: skill cards can be acquired, used to learn new skills, or traded. Recipes, knot skills and fighting techniques are some of the skills youll be able to acquire from those in their possession. Items vary in quality and rarity, but all can be used to trade either for other items, or for skills or services and such trade deals will be one of the many beats in your story journey. Heres a little more about the different kinds of items you can find...

Poor & good items

Poor items are exactly that - low quality items that usually have low use value and little trade value. Often discarded, such items may be broken, rusty or mouldy and can be found in all kinds of places for you to pick up and keep. But they are not all without value stale bread will sustain you and a poor sword will still serve as some defence. Whether for reasons of practicality or curiosity, a Traveller with an empty backpack would be well advised to hang on to some poor items. Unsurprisingly good items can be useful in all kinds of ways and include everything from clothing, weapons and backpacks to lights, lanterns and umbrellas. Much like real life, these objects of use will need to be obtained from a merchant or in a shop. Amongst the many generic pieces there will also be many outstanding items with individual appeal. Besides those pictured above, examples of good items include a flower-scented tunic, protective tombac footwear, a conductors lucky knot ring and an adventurers blade.

Great & exceptional items

Great items are very rare and sometimes unique and come with a story that reveals something of its past. There are countless great items in the region but theyre not to be found in shops or markets and are unlikely to be traded possessing them takes some effort and will require an undertaking such as a search or quest. Should you acquire a great item, listen to its lessons, carry it safely with you and let its spirit lighten your step and warm your heart. Extremely rare and always unique, an exceptional item is tantamount to a historical artefact. Each one of these special objects has played a part in the history of Braided Shore imparted to its owner, such story fragments will contribute to a deeper understanding of the land and perhaps give clues to one of its unsolved mysteries. Effort alone will not yield such items time and luck will also play their part.

Pack smart... and look out for Reagents too

Since theres no currency in Braided Shore, when managing your inventory its good to aim for a selection of items of varying value, that way youll have items small enough to trade should you need a quick snack, and youll be able to avoid being forced into an unequal trade in an emergency. A Traveller who carries only a diamond and a Master Iron cog will have a hard time making a good trade for a torch or some farmers field bread. Reagents, (Braided Shores magical ingredients) will also need seeking out, and each one will bring new possibilities to your story. Weve lots to share about reagents too, and well dedicate a post to them further down the road! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you deeply for once again spending your time with us! What are your attitudes to things and how you relate to them? Are you a hoarder or do you travel light? What games have types of items that youve enjoyed? Let us know below and we can talk! And as ever, you can chat to us on Discord too Best Wishes, Helen and the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Become a Traveller

Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-04-16 13:08:08 CET ] [ Original post ]

Sometimes you find things that you love and get lucky enough to find a job that makes the most of both passions! That's what happened to Magnus... Find out how he became a Sound Designer and where he gets his inspiration, and please do say hi in the comments section!

Where have you been until now?

My life travels started in Porvoo, a small town in southern Finland. It was mostly "normal growing up in a small town stuff" with lots of video games, movies, music and books. I sorta stumbled upon music production at around the age of twenty, this rekindled my lost passion for creating thing. This then grew into my hobby, passion and career, which led me to my current path of working in video games. This was quite obvious once I connected the dots in my head and I decided to combine my interest for audio, with my love for storytelling in games. This is also when I moved to Sweden to study Sound and Music Production in Falun, my studies ended with an internship at M&D.

How did you find your way to Might and Delight?

The internship was about three years ago, but I was not offered work after my internship. So I went on to start my small business and worked as an audio freelancer in Stockholm for around two years, until last year when I got a call from Josef asking me if I was interested in working with Book of Travels again! I was really happy to jump back on the project! I also worked on Book of Travels while doing my internship, felt great to dive back into a world that I was already so heavily invested in.

What do you most enjoy about your work at Might and Delight?

Having a job in these rough times feels like a blessing in itself, so I'm very grateful for that. But most of all I enjoy the atmosphere around the studio and working with my teammates, there is a creative energy that I haven't felt in any other place.T his I feel can also be seen and heard in the studio's games. I think we can make something truly unique and wonderful with Book of Travels!

Where do you get your inspiration from?

This might be a boring answer, but from all around me. Actively listening to my surroundings and walking in nature is my go-to. But some other inspirations for me lately have been music composed by Austin Wintory, the game Inside, Critical Role (D&D in general!) and I'm currently re-watching studio Ghibli movies! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Become a Traveller

Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-04-09 10:45:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dearest Travelling Travellers,

As that title suggests, the heart of Book of Travels is about your journey and your stories, threading together as one. Through wandering and roaming your adventures will unfurl, in traversing and trundling your discoveries will enrich them. Mostly this will be done by foot, but respite can be taken on boats and trains, and from time to time magical means might see you travelling in more unexpected ways. Today were dipping into these gameplay possibilities, we look forward to your thoughts!

Travel the land on track

A single train track runs around the central basin of Braided Shore in a loop, stopping at the busy city of Kasa and the town of Crossings. Other stations will be open along the way as further areas of the land open up beyond early access. Each station has a warden who you can speak with to find out when the next train leaves, and if you see a train about to leave youll be able to call out to the warden to get that extra few seconds to climb aboard. Trains are fairly frequent so if you need a break from walking or just want to take a journey with a fellow Traveller, a scenic ride to Kasa might be just the ticket (ahem). Of course train travel will not take you to the outer wilds and all that lies beyond the middle ways, but it should be a merry treat and might save time if your adventure involves getting to a faraway destination or the need to pick up some supplies in Kasa. And if you're looking for somewhere to stash some items, you'll be able to leave them safely at a tarin master's chest (there's one in the gif just below).

Boat across The Verve

If you want to cross between the western and eastern islands of Braided Shore, youll need to cross The Verve, which currently requires travel by boat (no air travel exists in the region as yet). Boats travel regularly from Myr and are a very relaxing way to get to the island of Bat Saha and the north west lands beyond. As with trains, boat stations have wardens who will let you know when the next boat taxi will depart. Travellers can also find abandoned boats around the shores of the region and can be unlocked for use through Endeavours, so these journeys will be for pairs or small groups and will take you to places off the beaten path.

Draisine

Draisines are small carts that require two people to lever them across tracks. We dont expect draisines to be any use in closing distances since they cover a small area. But if youd like to meet with a friend and spend a little time spending some energy on a metaphorical mini journey of friendship, these might be the wheels for you. Funded by one of our Kickstarter stretch goals, we are looking forward to finding out how players engage with their draisine mini-travels when early access comes this summer.

Magical means

Were not going to give too much away here, but for now we can reveal that the magic unlockable in knots and tea might also lead you to magical means involving travel... Shapeshifting can also be explored as a means to taking on the travel abilities of another animal or being, and a Travellers Portal, also from our Kickstarter, will allow you to skip the candles in seconds. Thats all for now, but before signing off I want to thank Nippon Ginko For suggesting this topic on Discord - great idea! If you have ideas for things youd like to hear more about please do post them below or in Discord In the future well be sharing more about travel, including how distance is measured and how you might acquire skills for navigation and finding folk. Thanks again for taking time with us! Wed love to hear your thoughts on this and all things travel and RPG so please do drop them below! Best Wishes Helen & the Dev Team https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2021-04-02 16:31:02 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Travellers!

Today we are going a little off topic - because today is the day that Shelter 3 goes live and we wanted to reach out to you and invite you to join over one million Shelter lovers (if you haven't already!) in supporting us through launch! We espeicially want to let you know about our launch sale, which comes with an extra 10% discount for those of you who already own a Shelter product. But, sales aside we're also here to share our launch trailer which we think gives the best flavour yet of how it will be to guide those elephants. It will be hard. Your path will be treacherous. Your babies will need you. [previewyoutube=U_IlNFERdzE;full][/previewyoutube] For a limited 24 hour period we are also reducing two of our favourite bundles (the M&D bundle and Shelter bundle - which means that you can get a whole lot of Shelter for less than 70% - including Shelter 3! (The cost of any games you already own will be discounted from the final price.)
Wed love to hear all your thoughts on Shelter 3 its definitely something a little different from its predecessors and were curious to know what kind of emotions well be reading from you in just a few hours! Of course wed love to hear your comments and reviews, so please do stay in touch with us right here on Steam or on Facebook or Twitter (buttons below). Well be responding as fast as we can throughout the launch period. Well also be speaking to devs live on our Youtube channel at around 7pm CET or check out the video if you miss us. Thank you from our hearts for being here with us on this third part of the Shelter journey. We humbly await your reception. Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team https://store.steampowered.com/app/977630/Shelter_3/

[ 2021-03-30 14:04:03 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Travellers!

There are many ways in which wed like to bring you closer to the world of Braided Shore - in music, travel guide and lore readers of this post have come to know how it feels to live in its woods and wilds and to travel its age old roads. But theres no better way to understand a land than by listening to its people, and in this weeks post we hear a little bit about life for four of the regions denizens. Below, a Travelling Merchant, Historian, Farmer and Bandit give us their views on how life is for them. We think youll find that theres much to ruminate on in the hopes and fears that their words reveal. We hope you enjoy your acquaintance with them- please do say hello and drop your thoughts in the comments section, they are always well received!

Magdra, a travelling merchant

"The road is long but my pack of trade goods is light - I can ill-afford ample stock. Unless I spy a possible customer I keep my eyes and my nose to the sides of the road. Now and again a little something to eat appears among the bushes and the undergrowth like a Sefras bounty. Now and again I meet someone who is looking to trade for something. Like my grandfather taught me, I keep little samples of the things I have to trade hanging from my pack in little colourful strings so that wayfarers might readily spot them. I am so very hungry all the time, and my legs ache along with the soles of my feet. But I know of a Nomads rest some way up ahead, and who knows maybe some Wind-spun luck will be lingering there. It is a long road, but it is my home. And should I settle in some bountiful place, I know I would soon get homesick."

A History Professor Myrak of Rivenleaf

"Yes, the university City of Rivenleaf is a site to behold for sure. But I prefer to muddy my sandals in the field, digging in the dirt and lost ruins for the truth. Sadly, a large part of my time lately is spent in the teahouses, trying in vain to open the eyes of the faculty professors to the implications of my findings in the Potters Field and the emerging revelations in the writings on the Maratesh shards! Im most upended at how the old professors refuse to support new discoveries. That they value the comfort of their reputations as experts rather than embrace curiosity over new evidence is a disgrace to our profession. Knotting these lines, I now realise how Ive wasted my time. I will grab my shovel and join my servants in the Potters Field! Thank you for helping me realise where the true value of my work lies!"

Mijha, a grain farmer from Myr

"Its hard work drawing bounty from the earth. We must spend most of our daylight hours tending the fields, keeping only the dark of morning and evening to tend to ourselves. But though hard, there is a feeling of security in the strict repetition of each day, and each evening's rest is a welcome reward. We enjoy good food, with vegetables and meats traded with our neighbours, taken with the hum of song and pipe of the familys music making. I feel fortunate to live in these times, where the climate is mild, the wardens keep the beasts of the wild from our doors and the tax burden is fair for all. The old folk reminds us it has not always been so, and the wiser among us try to set something by for a future that may not be as kind as the present."

Ezra of The Broken Lantern Gang

"I used to work one of the wool carders in the Milomak Weavery. I had seven younger siblings and parents who seemed to take me for granted. Every day I felt the monotony crush me little by little. Every day the same work, the same people, the same places - like eating gruel at every meal. One day I broke away, walked into the forest and wandered. I guess I got lucky - a group scooped me up before the woods took me - the Broken Lantern Gang. We are banded together now, like-minded and free! The carding made my arms strong and I am good with a blade. Tomorrow we might clash with some nasty bandit gang, the next day well lighten the purse and knapsack of some overfed merchant. I might be taken by a warden but what does it matter? Today I'm the hammer and the world the anvil. Tomorrow the roles might change." Travellers, thanks again for spending your time getting to know Braided Shore. The world is growing so fast now and early access is a place not too far away - just a few months! If you like our game we'd be very grateful for any sharing you could do to help it on its way to the big wide world this summer. We've made some handy buttons below to make it easy for you. Thanks again and best of wishes from us all here in Stockholm! Helen & the Dev Team https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2021-03-19 18:00:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dearest Travellers,

There are many layers to the making of Book of Travels, and while weve shared a lot about game mechanics, our processes and our team, few posts have touched on the world that will soon be yours to explore. Here we share a little outline of the region - just enough to help a newcomer get their bearings but not too much to dampen the curious spirit. We hope your interest is piqued and wed love to hear your thoughts!

Geography and climate

Braided Shore is the western peninsula of a large uncharted land mass to the east. This fertile region is largely divided in two by a stretch of sea called The Verve, and the entire land mass is characterised by its many waterways, islands and rugged shorelines. Flora and fauna proliferate across the regions fertile and undulating landscape. Mineral deposits are plentiful, however none have proven of the quality to match Master Iron, the material that comprises the regions inherited industrial infrastructure (see below). Small desert areas provide the only sand in Braided Shore, and as it is unsuited to glass making, the domestic life of its inhabitants is one without glass panes or vessels (although some imported items can be found). The regional climate is very temperate, with cold spells being incredibly rare and the notorious local winds being mainly warm. Braided Shore is separated from its eastern neighbour by cliffs, rapids and an ancient wall; the region beyond it is uncharted.

Key historic periods

Visitors to Braided Shore have made observations that give clues to something of its past. The rudimentary industrial infrastructure points to a legacy left by inhabitants who lived in a culture marked by a moderate degree of manufacture and travel. These mechanical relics and the mechanised society that produced them are the subject of much research, but at present, remains little understood by todays inhabitants. Machine parts, made of a foreign material known as Master Iron, have never been replicated or reworked. Thought to come after the Machine Age is the Varhim period, the key artefacts of which are a scattering of busts made of an unknown composite. The busts and their shadow are considered bad portents and so remain untouched. Several large structures sharing similar sculptural characteristics are also attributed to the Varhim era. Most scholars agree that it was the Varhim era that saw the destruction of much of Braided Shores industrial infrastructure, although contradictory theories also abound. The current people of Braided Shore are known as Asken. The Ancestors of the Asken folk are said to have arrived as boat dwellers, bringing with them a practice of complex knot crafting. The name Braided Shore was given to the land by these people whose search for a homeland brought with it a yearning for the order and harmony symbolised in braids.

Language

The spoken language of the area is known by the locals as Elskeni, and since The Age of Halzhaan, the languages of the Malku Su and Selke have been widely spoken and can be studied in the regions college in the north west. Elsken syntax and orthography is formed by a symbolic language of knots thought to be the primary means of communication used by the first settlers who, both young and boat-bound, were without the means and methods to develop the writing skills of their forebears. Knot tying as a practice of both magic ritual and communication remains at the heart of culture in Braided Shore and a small iconography of common knot sentiments can be found across the land. Visitors to Braided Shore may glimpse a little of the lives of its folk in the fragments of knots that can be found dropped around the place, lost or kept for recycling.

Sefra and spirits

Spirits and mystical beings abound in Braided Shore, all greatly varying in number and character. Sefra are the most powerful of all spirit beings and have, over time, entered into cordial relations with the Asken people, mediating their relationship through especially chosen individuals known as Voices. Sefra are large and elusive beings known for their erratic moods but who work with communities to assist in council and community decisions. Other ethereal beasts include the shape-shifting Omin, chilling Mares, the Kettem wind spirit and a mischievous storm child spirit called Little Lilit. Phantom fires and energy draining spirits of wanderers, ghost dogs and rail walkers also inhabit the peninsula. ------ Much of Braided Shore is yet to be known, and we are all very excited to learn the findings and theories of future Travellers! In the meantime, we'd love to hear your stories of travels to unusual places and your views on Braided Shore right here in the comments... Best Wishes, Helen and the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2021-03-05 17:47:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

If youve ever thought that a career in programming means dull days in front of a computer without travel and mobility, read through our new programmers career journey, and think again! Were happy to introduce you to our new team member, Charlotte Auger - here she tells us how her experiences shape her work. Let Charlotte know if you have any questions in the comments section below!

Where have you been until now?

Mostly in France where I studied Game Design and then Game Programming. I also spent a few months in Belgium for an internship and it made me very excited to go abroad again.

How did you find your way to Might and Delight?

The Book of Travels Kickstarter sparked my interest for the company and since I really liked their values and projects, I just applied as an intern. I guess luck did the rest because they apparently needed someone with my profile right at that time for Shelter 3!

What do you most enjoy about your work at Might and Delight?

Working with amazing people and especially our dream team of programming women on Shelter! And Im so happy to discover Sweden, I just love it here! Regarding the games, Im very pleased to work on experiences focused on themes such as emotions, communication and care.

Tell us about something that you love doing when youre not working...

I usually enjoy socializing, parties and going out a lot, but with the current circumstances I try to draw, send letters to the people I care about, work on some lino printing and other cosy activities.

Your favourite game and why?

Recently I would say I am Dead. Its playful, genuine, emotional and well-crafted. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2021-02-22 15:12:49 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

In our blog today were taking you for a rummage in the studio attic. In its many draws, folders and cabinets are sketches showing Book of Travels in many stages of its life. The first sketches were made in 2016, at the very beginning of development and were created by the art team to explore the kinds of places and people that might exist in this new world.

Pre-production sketches

Below are sketches from the pre-production phase - exploratory designs from a time before the style had solidified.

Production sketches

These are sketches from the ongoing production. Traditional pen-and-paper designs play a major part in the design of the in-game graphics - the current amount of sketches could easily drive a fresh recruit mad!

Sketches to come back to

These strange looking sketches haven't found their way into the game yet but may be part of the future of Book of Travels.




We hope you enjoyed this little peek into the attic! We'll be back in a couple of weeks with a very exciting update... Till then stay safe and take care. Best Wishes, Helen and the team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels

Want more info?

Become a Traveller

Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-02-19 18:30:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

With two of our most ambitious titles to date releasing soon, we thought that this was the perfect time to ensure that they'll be cross checked to perfection with the help of Quality Assurance Officer Fleur. We hope you like their Q&A and are brimming with questions yourself to ask them in the comments section!

Where have you been until now?

At Blekinge Institute of Technology in Karlshamn studying digital game design, I loved the programming part of the course although the story elements hold a close second. Before that I lived on a small farm outside of Grythyttan where we keep sheep and chickens, of which my favorite is the big grey rooster Sebastian which I raised from a hatchling.

How did you find your way to Might and Delight?

Through a student group posting job advertisements where I fell in love with Might and Delights art style and game concepts, it [quality assurance] was a completely new position at the company so it seemed intriguing.

What do you most enjoy about your work at Might and Delight?

The people! Everyone is super kind and welcoming, almost feels like an extended family.

Whats something that you love doing when you're not working?

I love cross stitching and reading fantasy novels! The Terry Pratchett series Discworld holds a special place in my heart for their witty style, intriguing plot and cleverly disguised social commentary. Cross stitching is a relatively new hobby which I started with to keep my hands occupied while watching [tv] series but found that it's really relaxing to do as long as the threads cooperate. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2021-02-12 09:42:57 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

So far weve shared a lot about how serene the Book of Travels experience will be, but as we talked about in our inspirations blog, the beauty of the world lies partly in its shadows and the tension that lurks at the periphery. This week were looking at some of the dangers that can sneak up on you in Braided Shore. Here we share a few that you can expect to encounter when early access launches this summer. Be warned - the shadows in this world do not fall at the usual angles...

Beware the chaos of a Kettem

Also known as the spirit of the middle winds, the Kettem (Plural:Kettem) is a malicious spirit that rides the winds that bisect the cardinal coordinates. Having no physical form Kettem animate themselves with any objects that lie in their path, creating wild and chaotic melds of unknown intent. A Kettem is a harsh opponent in all cases, but harsher still when animated by harder objects, such as parts of trees or broken boats. Other common Kettem components include seaweed (being plentiful on a high tide) and hay (being skimmed from hay bales). Abandoned junk and personal objects are also sometimes caught in a Kettems path. Once its physical form has been destroyed, a Kettem becomes a harmless wind spirit once more and will quickly vanish.

Never mess with a Maisu

The Maisu (Plural: Maisu) is not known as the spirit-of-foul-words for nothing - this spirit is the embodiment of every expletive spat in vitriol and is said to be summoned by feelings of hate. Where spite is usually something unleashed in rare and hot flashes, for Maisu it is an eternally roaring fire. They love nothing better than to hurt folk and cause them distress, but their attacks can often be more baffling than life threatening. But Maisu can also be cowardly and not particularly strong-willed - farm families will sometimes come together to vanquish a Maisu that has been troubling the surroundings. Because of Maisu, Braided Shore folk choose their words wisely, scolding Curse-for-the-Maisu! at folk who use foul words. Maisu are bound to a knot symbol of unknown meaning that also resembles their facial features. This rune can be seen floating in the air before the demon itself becomes visible.

The torment of Mares

Called simply 'Mares' these dream horrors take the shape of slender yet beast-like creatures that fly in a swimming fashion. Mares are a fairly recent phenomenon in Braided Shore and are believed to be a manifestation of the ills that have more recently troubled the region. There is no doubt that an encounter with a Mare is a very serious moment indeed: their uncanny aspect transfixes all who lay eyes on it, but a Mare must be quickly dealt with for their attack is mighty. Over time, Asken folk have come to know these ghouls as the nightmares of Sefra, wrangled loose from their dream world and drifting in torment across the land. Some say they have witnessed a Mare dissolve as its Sefra wakes, and others have been successful in destroying Mares while its Sefra sleeps on, more peacefully with its Mare now returned to its world of dreams.

Be watchful as you wander

These are just a few of the dangers you can expect to face in Braided Shore, but theres plenty to watch out for on the roads and in the wilds too All kinds of earthly good-for-nothings will knock you off your path. Poachers, kidnappers, smugglers and bandits may choose to rob or attack you, and though they may not be the most daunting of foes, an encounter with one may leave you as confused and depleted as any sprite or gast! As always, we are so glad to have your company! Wed love to hear your thoughts about these and other beings so please do drop them right here in the comments section below Best Wishes and Stay Safe, Helen and the Dev Team x https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Become a traveller

Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-02-06 11:23:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

How does it feel to travel the road? What is it like to take a turning from the beaten path? Well-worn tracks bear the shape of familiar behaviours, but making new tracks brings us to the present moment, releasing new energy for fresh adventures... Such choices in these times are, for many of us, flights of fantasy, and today we hope to keep those flights aloft with the help of some music from Book of Travels. Whether youre home-bound, locked down, or on the road, we hope you get some time to listen to them and let us know what you think... [previewyoutube=MmnRt2hNvKI;full][/previewyoutube] [previewyoutube=siWzzOaxRZ8;full][/previewyoutube]

Different moods for different journeys

The title 'Book of Travels' stuck because it so clearly places journeying as the heart of the game, and so its vital that these journeys are rich in mood and ambience, and here music plays a huge part, creating not just mood but depth and variety. Lead Sound Designer Josef Tuule explains: These two pieces are meant to be companions for different kinds of areas in the game. The Elden Road offers the comfy vibe of walking a path that others have walked many times before. By contrast, The Weaving Wilds describes the kind of terrain we think of as an off-shoot - where culture and tonality may differ from your normal path. The player should feel they have progressed into a new area, hence the expression is more vivid.

Instruments from the East recorded live

Music in Book of Travels has many different roles to play in the game, as well as being present as a traditional game score, it will be performed by the inhabitants of Braided Shore themselves. All scored pieces are composed and produced by Josef Tuulse and Retro Family, who comprise Ulf Wahlgren, Jokke Pettersson and Alfred Andersson. The band has a long relationship with the studio and is responsible for the unique sound of the Shelter Games series. Ulf Wahlgren attributes much of that style to the bands method of recording live performance: We play all of the music and instruments live, nothing is programmed or fixed, and that makes the music come alive within the game. Retro Family play instruments from around the world, and for this soundtrack combine the oud, flute, darbuka, saz and bass with hand percussion.
The soundtrack takes influences from artists in Egypt, Turkey, Greece, says Ulf, A new instrument to us is the oud, an Arabic string instrument, which reminds me of a lute. It has no frets on the neck, so it slides beautifully between notes, and we use a fretless bass to blend with that. Just as the game design takes inspiration from many sources, so does the sound design. Ulf and the band look to classic adventure and RPG games, classical Ottoman music and a wide variety of traditional music from Armenia, Greece, Turkey and Iran to name a few. As with all things Book of Travels, the aim is to take these most excellent ingredients to make something fresh and exciting. As Ulf says, We want the player to feel that a new world is awaiting them, a world, mayhaps, that they have not experienced before.

Celebrating music in our games

To hear more of Retro Familys soundtracks and watch them play live, check their Youtube channel. You can also follow their Instagram where they post pics and the occasional musical video clips. This week we are also celebrating Retro Familys score for Shelter Games as we head towards the release of Shelter 3. Check the post here and get a free soundtrack DLC of Shelter 2 by joining our Shelter newsletter here. Were super glad to be sharing this music with you and we cant wait to share more lovely things as the game gets closer to completion this year. In the meantime, please let us know your thoughts right here in the comments What music do you like to travel to?? What other games have you enjoyed journeying in? If travels your thing, theres a whole channel dedicated to just that in our Discord. We'd love to see you there. Best Wishes and stay safe, Helen and the Book of Travels dev team x https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

Want more info?

Become a traveller

Sign up on our mailing list for news and an in-game treat in our upcoming game at www.TMORPG.com.

What is TMORPG?

The T in TMO signals an alternative to the more common industry standard MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) putting 'tiny' in the place of 'massive'. That means fewer meetings, which we think means more magic... Read more here: What is a TMORPG?!

Revealing the Early Access World

Later this year Book of Travels will be available for Early Access on Steam. In Chapter Zero parts of the Braided Shore will be open, and among the places to visit is the gem of the region the city of Kasa. Read more here.

Join our Discord

Join our super friendly Discord to exchange ideas on all things Book of Travels as well as art, games and books. Join here.

[ 2021-01-22 17:15:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

The last year was one where we slowly opened the door to Book of Travels and all it involves. Weve been deeply gratified to read your response, in particular those replies that have lead us to books, art and other media that you feel share similarities with the square-peg project that is our TMORPG. With that in mind, and to make for a reviving start to the epic year that will be 2021, were dedicating this post to a deeper investigation of key inspirations behind Book of Travels, and we hope you feel inspired to share your own inspirations with us too!
The Library of Babel by rik Desmazires

Circularity and uncertainty from literary magic realists

Argentinian Jorge Luis Borges is famous for fiction that undermines all notions of reality. One of his best known works is The Library of Babel, whose (almost) infinite stacks of randomised texts prompted the production team to begin designing a game world that has players get lost on an (almost) infinite quest of their own design. In Borges story characters respond to the uninterpretable texts in many ways - as cultists, cabalists, or simply on a searching for meaning and truth. The exploratory decentred experience that is Book of Travels owes a lot to Borges library and Ficciones. Other stories such as 1001 Nights and Judith Schalanskys Pocket Atlas of Remote Islands have also inspired the dreamy reality and magical everyday of Braided Shore.
Tove Janssons Hattifatteners haunt Moominmamma

Light and darkness from Tove Jansson

All Moomin fans are familiar with how the light-hearted domesticity of Moomin life is made brighter by lurking darkness. A Groke, hattifatteners and the Lady of the Cold all loom in from the periphery to quietly nudge you out of your existential comfort zone. No matter the infinite beauty of the new days sun theres always something unnerving in the offing. If Book of Travels gets anywhere close to conjuring this kind of uncanny we would be thrilled indeed.
Standing in the rain with Totoro

Peace and solitude from Studio Ghibli

Hayao Miyazakis work is much loved in the studio, and the stillness and silence in films like Spirited Away, Ponyo, and Totoro is something we love a lot. These daring minutes of peace arent validated by any narrative task, theyre simply part of a meandering journey, allowing us to get lost in something or nothing in particular. Weve often written about getting lost in Book of Travels and about how tranquil it is, the effect of Ghiblis ma is something we dream of achieving in game form.
David Luptons Ged from A Wizard of Earthsea

Ambiguity from Earthsea

Everything mundane and ethereal in Book of Travels emerges from a grey zone somewhere between good and evil, and the games design and scattered narratives quite consciously evade that classical binary. So while were clearly very inspired by fantasy RPGs, the spirit of the games design owes a lot to fantasy classic A Wizard of Earthsea, in which Ged learns about the balance of the cosmos and fights inner turmoil rather than outer forces of darkness.
Layers of mystery from Baldur's Gate

Open world gaming from Baldurs Gate

If there is one game we never tire of paying tribute to its Baldurs Gate. This was the original it-doesnt-hold-your-hand RPG and many of the team have spent uncountable hours playing it, both since production began but also way before the Book of Travels seed was even planted. The sense of just wandering the lands freely, just enjoying nature and the adventure is still an unparalleled experience in the RPG genre. Interestingly BG1 was created by medical doctors and not seasoned game devs - they wanted to make a game with a much more open style of play. In terms of game design, this is the teams number one inspiration and well be over the moon if we can even slightly live up to its achievements! Other games that we looked at are Journey, ICO and RPGS like Knights of the Old Republic.
A still from Jiri Trknas A Midsummer Nights Dream

Character design and a diorama aesthetic from Czech animators

Czech animation has something of a cult following, but its Jiri Trnka in particular whose illustrations and puppets are an all time favourite of Art Director Jakob Tuchten. Trknas almond-eyed, graceful-limbed creatures are dressed in the deeply-hued cloaks of medieval style fairytales, an aesthetic that blends easily with feudal Japanese and Middle Eastern dress. Trknas animation also inspired Book of Travels diorama feel. This mix of 2D and 3D was a big technical challenge but, we hope, now evokes a Trknaesque atmosphere, suggesting fictions consciously staged in a world thats deeply immersive.
The Blue Heron by AJ Casson
Arnold Bcklin's Isle of Death

A light and dark aesthetic from many fine art masters

While ambiguity is a source of dramatic tension in Braided Shore, visually, dark and light are very polarised. For the painting style, inspiration finally came from AJ Casson whose picture above became the cornerstone of the games visual style. Cassons lines are fluid, vivid and detailed, and echo expressionists (such as Munch and Van Gough) in invoking the motion of wind. Wind is a very important phenomena in Braided Shore, so this aesthetic also works to hint at its continuing presence and magical influence. Away from the woods, dense looking rocks and flat reflecting water are borrowed from Arnold Bcklins Isle of Death series to create a bleak feel. The art team also looked to the Orientalists whose figurative art documented everyday life in Middle Eastern cities. From them comes the hustle and bustle of our biggest city, Kasa.
The Reception of Ambassadors in Damascus, by an unknown Venetian artist
Waterhouse's Love for Circe

Those unexpected human things

Of course there are tonnes of other influences that go into the Book of Travels cooking pot to stew, some of which are those unplanned, organic and human things. Theres a phenomena in the theory of visual art whereby artists cannot resist the temptation to fill all available space with detail. Its known as Horror Vacui, and unsurprisingly thats exactly how the game ended up looking how it now does. For that we have Lead Artist Marcus to thank! A studio copy of Madelaine Millers Circe now creaking with use like it has a spirit in its spine has also bled into our approach to spells and magic. ----------------------- We hope that this very brief dive into our various influences has inspired you to discover something new and fun. For sure, our journey of discovery is never over, and we'd love to hear all your suggestions for cultural rabbit holes that we can lose ourselves in, so please drop us a line below and let us know what Book of Travels makes you think of... Thank you so much for spending your time with us! From the whole team, best wishes and stay safe! Helen and the Dev Team xx https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2021-01-08 17:10:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

We would love to be able to wish you a kul jul with a traditional looking shot of our snowy Scandanavian island, but alas, it has not snowed here yet. So we share instead this photograph of our gate, taken by Studio Manager Joel in January 2019. That time was a very white winter in Stockholm and covered our little island in snow and froze Lake Malaren for weeks on end.
The second photo is the Might and Delight house just last week We are never many here these days and are sitting through this bleakest of winters working to those all-engrossing deadlines and wishing for a better 2021 We are sure you are too, and today we want to send you our seasonal wishes with an extra serving of spirit to help with all you may be going through... and with extra special thanks for supporting us over this last year.
We cant wait till the days get lighter and we get ever closer to that early access date! Well have a whole new set of Book of Travels sneak peeks to share with you between then and now - until then, take care and stay well. Best wishes and a happy new year to you, From us all at Might and Delight <3 https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2020-12-24 09:18:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dearest Travellers,

If youve already checked out our gameplay video, you might have noticed that Creative Director Jakob spends some time explaining how to create characters. No doubt, character creation is a huge part of the soul and spirit of Book of Travels and we hope youll love getting deep into your character before starting your adventure. So today were sharing a little bit of insight into the thinking behind those character creation fields. We also have a first ever peek at artwork and info on four of the games 15+ Forms, plus a nice little bit of character-related community news...

The Wheel of Personality, Jung and Chinese Theatre

The character creation process in Book of Travels allows for very detailed and creative player input, which we think will enable rich and characterful roleplay. (You can see some of the fields youll be able to complete in the image below the next.) Every character begins its life as one of a selection of Forms, each of which has been inspired by a combination of archetypes. In creating the Forms, our research took in personality theory from many disciplines including Comedia dellarte, Chinese Theatre and Jungs twelve personality types. All have been sources of inspiration rather than templates, and our main intention has been to build a framework that allows players to create complex, nuanced personalities.
Just like classes in traditional RPGs, each Form comes with different gameplay orientation and skill affinity, but in Book of Travels, Forms are designed to help players create an individual playstyle and enjoy a high degree of personal expression in their roleplay. Further character complexity can be added by choosing background, gender (a freeform field) personality traits, skills, talents and appearance, which will together make for a unique character and a unique play experience.
There are over 15 Forms to choose from with more to unlock as you solve narrative chains and engage in gameplay events. Here are four for you to get to know right now - well be sharing another four sometime soon.

The Mirther and The Dimmed

The Mirther is creative and embodies honesty and youth. They echo rural Romantic archetypes such as shepherds, wandering musicians and artists. They are a daydreamer and find much mirth in or out of company. By contrast The Dimmed is an older, wiser type whose light shines less brightly. Their stoic attitude in company does not temper their thirst for exploration, especially when the quest is enlightenment.

The Moss Walker and The Weatherer

The Mosswalker has feet that are deep in the earth and finds magic in all things mundane. They live a relatively ordinary life but their values are wide and true, making them something of an unconventional, Bohemian type. Striding and far from domestic, The Weatherers spirit is forged by exposure to elements literal and metaphorical. Their unequivocal thinking and broad experience finds them well placed in exploration and adventure.

Choose a Form role on Discord!

From today, Discord users will now have the ability to choose from one of the above forms as a role. These are our first lore based roles and there will be more in time to come. So if you havent already, come by and say hello :) Which Form resonates with you the most? Let us know in the comments here, and please feedback your thoughts on anything you think you like or are unsure about in our character creation process. Thanks so much for spending your time with us! Best Wishes, Helen and the Dev Team x https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2020-12-11 14:05:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Travellers!

Today we are thrilled to share a gameplay video in which Creative Director Jakob Tuchten talks us through processes like character creation, skills and trade. Rachel Watts at PC Gamer was first to share the video yesterday alongside a fabulous feature that you can read right here. [previewyoutube=O30gZZLCq4Y;full][/previewyoutube] We hope you like what you see! We think it's going to give you a much clearer sense of the game and show how much it has changed since early screenshots and beta testing. Be sure to leave your comments and Jakob will come by and respond later this week! Best Wishes, Helen and the Dev Team x https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2020-12-01 18:01:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

Today were sharing some sketches and screenshots of Braided Shores chief urban hub and capital city, Kasa. With its deep waters, Kasa has been the launching and landing place for Travellers for time immemorial, and for most visitors it's their first impression of the region. But bustling as it is, they'd be deceived to think the whole of Braided Shore as dense and thronging; a Traveller need not wander far to find themselves in nature and tranquillity.

A hive of activity in a serene land

In both our game announcement and Kickstarter campaign we described Book of Travels as a serene game, a description that received a very positive response. Certainly players of the beta will have found the world very tranquil, so it might seem a little surprising that the regions capital is as dense and demanding as any real world one - so much so that Travellers might feel disinclined to stay for long.

Trade, commerce and culture

But just like a real world city, Kasa will be the place for those wishing to acquire basic provisions and the odd item of exotic equipment, its also a key destination for Travellers interested in the variety of the regions culture and customs. Being a harbour city means there will also be chances to encounter the immigrant cultures of the Malku and Selka people.

Design sketches from Kasa

These sketches show various buildings from Kasa which draw on 18th Century Turkish and Italian architecture. While they hint at an industrial society the intent is to keep a largely romantic feel.

Contrasting environments

Intense as it may be, we think Kasa will be a place to stimulate the senses, thronging with the kind of sights and sounds that can only be found in a highly populated area. However, its very existence is intended to contrast with the regions peaceful hinterlands. We think theres something more satisfying about solitude when the knowledge of human tumult is somewhere in the distance, and a visit to Kasa is sure to enhance the feeling of peace beyond it. Thank you for reading about Kasa! What are your experiences of urban density in games - and in life? Do you enjoy tranquillity more when you know that bustle is close at hand or further away? We'd love to hear your thoughts on this and Kasa in the comments section. Best Wishes, Helen and the Dev Team x https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2020-11-13 12:27:45 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Travellers,

Were so pleased with progress on the game world of Braided Shore, and today were excited to reveal just how much of it will be yours to explore in early access. As you can see, this western land mass is cleft by rivers large and small and there are many bays and inlets to explore as well as larger settlements, such as the northern city of Myr. New areas of land will be added throughout the early access period, extending the region across The Verve to the east and south and opening up more land, lore, levels and scope for adventure.

Wilds, waterways... and a bustling trade city

At the south-easterly edge of the early access map lies the gem of the region - the city of Kasa. A huge old harbour city to the south of Braided Shore, Kasa owes its status as the lands key trading city to its deep waters. The image above offers a glimpse of its outskirts as it looks now (these arent final graphics), and in our next post well be sharing more screenshots and information about the city.

Starting with Chapter Zero

Book of Travels early access period marks the start of Chapter Zero, the first in a sequence of chapters that will frame the evolving story of Braided Shore. Once early access levels up to full release, Chapter Zero will close and give way to Chapter One. Each new chapter will mark a new phase as the overarching storyline unfolds along with multiple small plots and event chains. Chapters will also involve unique gameplay features and items which will be exclusive to the lifespan of that particular chapter, a design which we hope will enrich the experience of long time players over the games long life span. Were still working on this concept and well share more in a future post once we have more details in place. In the meantime, wed love to know what you think about it, so please do post your thoughts below! Best Wishes, Helen and the Dev Team https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2020-10-30 11:15:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

With Shelter 3 due for release in Q1 and Book of Travels in Q2 next year, the time has truly come to hire a professional to help share them with the world. Luckily, we came across Anna Westerling, a PR pro with a passion for culture, events and roleplay. Read about her dabbles with vampires and larping right here, and ask her a question in the comments!

How did you find your way to Might and Delight?

I went to a party at Might and Delight and met Jakob and it was game-love at first sight. I liked his approach to making games and the Might and Delight aesthetic. Ever since then, Ive been looking out for when a suitable position would open up... and then it did!

What are you most looking forward to in your work at Might and Delight?

To step into a new organization and get my hands dirty! Until now, the team has been handling their own PR in between the cracks of game development and marketing, so Im excited to come in and continue the work with building a PR-organisation and spreading Might and Delights games to the world.

Tell us something about your previous experiences?

As a Marketing Manager in the culture/geek sphere Ive done a lot different things, from filling the Royal Opera with 1200 vampires for their premier of Dracula, to producing the Swedish version of the computer-games exhibition Game On 2.0 for the National Museum of Science and Technology. Previously I've run my own marketing company Westerling PR & Events, and I work with marketing for Sverok, the national non-profit youth organization for gaming and gaming culture. I also do events for the roleplaying game publisher Free League Publishing.

Tell us about something that you love doing when your not working?

I come from a gaming background and love larping and roleplaying. I also love nature, dancing Lindy hop and since Corona Ive begun working out, and it turns out moving your body is fun!

Tell us about a favourite film or book...

I love Jane Austens Sense and Sensibility, both the book and the Ang Lee movie from 1995. It is a debate on whether to use your sense or sensibility in making decisions and that question never gets old. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2020-10-28 18:31:34 CET ] [ Original post ]

Weve used the term TMORPG ever since Book of Travels was announced back in September 2019, and if youve ever wondered why, were here to explain... Those letters stand for Tiny Multiplayer Online and represent one of the most important aspects of the game. Essentially, it means that players per server are limited and meetings between players will be uncommon.
If youve seen our Kickstarter campaign video the abbreviation may sound familiar, and weve been really pleased to notice that for some, its one of the games biggest attractions. While its not exactly a genre, we think it works pretty well to describe a game where the amount of online players is capped. The result is that meeting other players is not commonplace and therefore, something a bit special.

It all began with Meadow

Might and Delights first networked game, Meadow , was something of an experiment, bringing the style and ambience of the Shelter series to an open game world where small groups of players can bound around together in animal guise, unlocking magic obelisks and communicating with emotes. The response we had from players was incredibly positive - they loved the magic of sharing wordless adventures together. Four years on, were proud to say that the Meadow forum and Discord channel is filled with stories of special moments of meeting and connection.

Find the Few

Feedback on the emotional impact of these connections took us by surprise, and we soon knew that the TMO experience was something we wanted to explore further. Players of Journey will know exactly how moving it can be to chance upon another player, especially in a non-directive, non-linear game world. In Journey, the multiplayer aspect is pushed to the limit of its definition: meetings with companions being as few as one per game (and make for a truly sublime emotional beat). In Meadow up to fifty animals share a grove, and in Book of Travels well be using our Early Access period to experiment with player numbers.

The game design challenge

While this isnt entirely new ground for us, we know it's going to be a challenge. There are many table top roleplayers in the Book of Travels dev team, and they know just how important player interactions are in bringing adventures to life. So, striking a balance between rich roleplay and sparsity of player meetings is the challenge that we now face! Well be counting heavily on your feedback and the help of beta testers to finetune that balance.

Help us in our endeavours!

What games have you enjoyed where player meetings are infrequent? Do you love RPGs? How do you feel about fewer meetings? Wed love your input, right here in the comments section. Thanks again for spending time with us! Best Wishes, Helen and the Dev Team x https://store.steampowered.com/app/1152340/Book_of_Travels/

[ 2020-10-16 08:34:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Narrative Designer Dennis Gustafsson has previously published nine comic books and worked on 35 games. Book of Travels brings him from Malmo to Stockholm, usually by motorbike, but soon as a permanent relocation. We hope you like his Q&A. Be sure to ask any questions in the comments, Dennis will be popping in to answer them!

Where have you been until now?

I have been in too many places to mention since my first game was released in 1991. Most recently I worked for King as a combined Art, Level & Game Design Lead in King's Malm studio.

How did you find your way to Might and Delight?

Im an old friend of Joel's [Studio Manager], and when Book of Travels needed to evolve its narrative, he contacted me and me offered a position supporting the Game Designers as a Narrative Designer. Ive always dreamed of working on a game thats as ambitious as Book of Travels is, but until now Ive never had the chance. As a professional Game Developer getting the chance to influence the type of game you work on is the rare exception rather than the norm! Book of Travels will be my first indie game and I'm honoured, humbled and delighted in equal measure to be invited to join the team and the studio.

What do you most enjoy about your work at Might and Delight?

Being part of a game team who's design vision is driven primarily by aesthetics and feel, all else follows in its wake. Another rare exception in game development.

Where you get your inspiration from?

Music, mainly - it has a lovely habit of kicking down hidden walls in my imagination!

What other experiences do you bring to the role?

I'm a fully trained train engineer!

[ 2020-10-12 10:45:28 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Travellers!

Today were really excited to begin our fortnightly programme of updates with this video of gameplay clips. For many of you this will be a first glimpse of the fully functioning game world - we hope you like it! [previewyoutube=5qPH4rjAmaI;full][/previewyoutube] These clips were recorded on a single player server, so they give a sense of the game world without the presence of other players. We hope they give you a glimpse of some of the areas, environments and features that we're currently working on. Book of Travels is a TMO and we're looking forward to sharing more about how you'll interact in those occasional player meetings at some point in the future. Our next video update comes in November, when we'll be sharing longer, uninterrupted gameplay footage! As always we would love to hear your thoughts, and the team will be checking in to answer your questions, so please ask away! And if you have something about the game that you want us to talk about or show, let us know right here in the comments section.

Best Wishes, Helen & the Dev Team

[ 2020-10-02 10:38:04 CET ] [ Original post ]

Game Designer Beto was brought onto team to help balance the play experience in Book of Travels. Currently he's working on resources distribution across Early Access levels alongside colleague Andreas Wangler. We're super excited to have Beto with us all the way from Brazil! Here's his Q&A - we hope you like it, and ifs you want to ask him any questions, pop them in the comments section!

Where have you been until now?

My arrival in Sweden happened in 2017, after working as a game designer in different Brazilian studios - Aduge, Aquiris and Black River. Here in Sweden, I studied Serious Games in the University of Skvde and worked at Attractive Interactive in Karlskrona.

How did you find your way to Might and Delight?

After playing Tiny Echo, I got inspired to reach out to the studio. Joel [Studio Manager] was super sweet and invited me for a coffee. It wasnt until 2018 I managed to get there, and it was such an inspiring day! It was also the coldest day in a long time, haha.

What do you most enjoy about your work at Might and Delight?

The nurturing environment and kindness of everyone. No wonder the studio creates such unique heartfelt experiences. It seems very natural to me that the games are what they are. After all, they carry bits of several beautiful souls.

What are you most excited about with Book of Travels?

To me its the fact that the game is built around the aesthetics of serenity. That, combined with the genre defying aspect - a TMO instead of an MMO - frees me up to explore so many unique designs.

What do you love doing when you're not working?

Making more games? That shouldn't count, right hahah! A few years ago I rediscovered nib calligraphy and that's been a passion again. Either writing or drawing with nibs.

Do you have a favourite game?

Kentucky Route Zero

[ 2020-09-29 08:52:55 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Traveller,

We hope this update finds you well. Its been a long and strange summer for us all, and during its course the team realised they needed to make a new schedule for Book of Travels - that schedule means a bigger, better early access gameworld and a new programme of regular game dev updates here on Steam.

Our first gameplay video drops in November

As you can see in the graphic above our next stop is going to be a gameplay video along with a major update in November. We're REALLY looking forward to this and we think you're going to love seeing the progress that we've made!

Fortnightly game updates

Your enthusiasm and anticipation really have been soul food to us through these trying times! And we're going to be much more present from hereon. With our new schedule in place we've been able to make space for a new series of regular, fortnightly updates which will give details about where development is at and how the game is shaping up as well as lots and lots of screenshots. They'll start on October 2nd and we'll be waiting for and responding to your questions and comments. Later in the year well be continuing our series of insights into different aspects of the development process in our Ask the Devs videos. Weve also heard your desire for merchandise and will soon have an Art Station store which we'll be adding to as our library of artwork grows - we'll post an update when it's ready. We're enormously grateful for all of your encouragement and kind words these last months and we're looking forward to connecting more on our travels on the road to release. Stay in touch! Best Wishes, Helen and the team at Might and Delight

[ 2020-09-23 15:31:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

You probably know by now that Book of Travels isnt a game that fits neatly into any kind of genre, well the same can be said of the writing in the game. Together, the different modes of ingame text comprise the contours of the story world: the backstory, NPC dialogue, item descriptions and UI text all play their part in bringing Braided Shore to life. Of course we can say this about all game worlds, but Book of Travels is a bit different: its a non-linear, exploratory, immersive experience where questing isnt centre stage. So in this case, the main role of text isn't to drive forward stories or point players through the next beat of an epic plot. This means we can have a bit more fun and allow it to enhance the experience in different ways.

NPCs as story book characters

One of the major differences between Book of Travels and conventional RPGs is that you wont be able to converse with the NPCs you meet. This wasnt a hard decision for us, we feel (and we think players feel) tired of that frustrating feeling of talking with an NPC as it runs through its script, so here we saw a great opportunity to do things differently. In Braided Shore NPCs speak repeatable, poetic lines - they'll still do all the conventional work of lore seeding and world building but since they dont simulate conversation the NPCs work more like two dimensional story characters than limited chabots. We hope that by creating them this way players will have a less wall-breaking and more immersive experience, and with its pop-up book aesthetic and 2D feel Book of Travels feels like exactly the right place to invite the player to encounter text in this bookish way. For me, the more poetic lines echo the painted, two dimensional scenery of Braided Shore - they add atmospheric detail and depth to the world as you navigate through it. Here a merchant and musician speak some character 'poems'.

Getting the tone right

Writing dialogue for NPCs is an obvious opportunity to enrich the fairytale picture book aesthetic of the game world, and the style and tone that we hope to have achieved is a mixture of folk wisdom, upbeat chit chat and lore-based whimsy. Each class of character has a range of lines that are each designed to reveal a little about their role in the world along with a tint of personal attitude. Weve crafted them to be a little bit poetic - some use rhyme, others use phonic or rhythmic patterns. The intention is to create a style that enhances the feeling of being in a picture book world at the same time as withstanding a fair degree of repetition. Players will also encounter dialogue that imparts something less ordinary, little parts of story or information. We wanted these to stand out a little bit and be less two dimensional so they are written in a tone that is more personal and direct - these are the aspects which signal happenings beyond the scenery and rhythms of everyday life. Stories, if you like!

Seeding lore

As with all RPGs, the text is a worldbuilding, ambient component of the game world and being so, must seed notions of the past history and current issues affecting its inhabitants. When I write dialogue I try to write it as though through the eyes of someone living its lore and history, so that fragments of these are revealed naturally when characters speak. This is one of the major ways that players will discover things about the magic, infrastructure and social practices of Braided Shore. There are a lot of unique and complex aspects to life there and they all matter to its inhabitants - we hope that over the course of your time there youll be able to learn from them and to piece together its unique culture. When Im writing text I have all this in mind - the challenge is to seed little bits of lore without being overly explicit or compromising the integrity of character voice, its a balance I think Ill always be in the process of perfecting!

Glimmers of story

While theres no overarching questline in Book of Travels, there are intrigues to explore - eventually players will start to see signs of a region-wide drama, but mostly they are event chains with narratives that have the small-magic feel of folklore. Both will be seeded throughout the dialogue, so look out for hints or between-the-lines implications.

Finding the balance between subtle, naturalistic exposition and something more clearly revealing isnt easy, so we expect to be working hard at that balance and well be listening to your feedback to do so. Thanks for reading, I look forward to hearing your thoughts in the comments below! Helen x

[ 2020-06-22 16:18:27 CET ] [ Original post ]

[previewyoutube=p0Rqpe1qHHA;full][/previewyoutube]

Hello!

We proudly present part three of Ask the Devs - this time Rasmus and Alex answer community questions about animating Book of Travels. (Get ready for some dancing...) We'll be taking a break from video production over the summer, but we'll be back in August to let you know who will be next in the hot seat. If you have a particular area of game development you'd like us to feature, let us know in the comments and we'll hunt down a team member! Thank you so much for all your attentions - we hope you're well and staying safe and connected. Best Wishes from Helen and the team

[ 2020-06-15 09:47:44 CET ] [ Original post ]

[previewyoutube=dQcyx2TMbGY;full][/previewyoutube]

Hello!

After some delay, we're pleased to show you part two of Ask the Devs in which Sofia and Jens answer your questions about programming Book of Travels. We managed to sneak this interview in before the beta launch, from now on you'll see a lot less of them as they are fixing bugs bugs bugs. But we'll ask you for questions for our next interviewees (and reveal who they will be) on Discord in the next few days, so hop in and join us there if you haven't already! Please let us know your thoughts or about any processes you'd like to hear about in the next video in the comments below! That's all for now - we hope you are all well and staying safe and connected. Best Wishes from Helen and the team xxx

[ 2020-05-15 12:01:22 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers,

One of the most crucial parts of any RPG is the interface: your inventory, your character screen, your skill book. Today we want to share the progress that's been made and invite you to look, judge and comment on this omnipresent factor: the UI! The interface is probably one of the more difficult parts to develop in any game, mainly because it comes with so many expectations. Its core purpose is functionality, but its also a vital visual component - one that appears on your screen almost the entire time you are playing. Our idea is to make a somewhat classical interface that leans on many conventional solutions found in other games. But we also want to do it our way, adding flavors from the games ethos. One example is that we're using a lot of icons and symbols instead of text - not everywhere, and not only, but often. Together with inspiration from classical pen and paper roleplay, the style makes for an interesting mix of traditional and new. To get around the annoying inconvenience that symbols can entail, one can always press the question mark to read about a particular UI-screen or use mouse over to write out the name of symbols.


The look itself is inspired by paper and cards. Items and Skills are presented as cards and when creating your character you get to choose between different background cards that tell the story of your character. Being able to bring life to your character through its personality is vital for us, and we have added in many options to write your own custom information besides the choices of traits, origin and other factors that you must choose.

HUD

Skills and emotes are two major focal points of the ingame HUD and to always have access to these is very important. Their importance needs to balanced with the often large space of the screen they cover. So we've implemented functions that allow you to shrink, expand and hide individual parts of the interface - or hide it all together. Besides skills and expressions, energy and stamina status is visible in the top left corner, along with the shortcut buttons at the lower middle. Currently these include: - Game view - Character sheet, Stats, Custom info - Inventory and equipment - Skillbook and Reagents - Map, Diary and notebook - Take screenshot - Menu/Settings
We hope you've enjoyed this first peek at the interface. As fans of the genre it would be amazing to hear your ideas and feedback regarding the UI. Together we can fine tune this part of the experience so that it fits the game that we are creating, and the people we are creating it for! As always, thank you for your time and commitment! Jakob and the Book of Travels team

[ 2020-04-14 11:40:20 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Travellers!

We are thrilled to share another big piece of the puzzle that makes the core of our game design in Book of Travels - skills! This has been one of our focal points as of late and now were ready to offer a deep dive into their function in the game, shedding some light on what makes them special compared to other RPGs and how they look and behave. Firstly it's important to keep in mind that were trying to build a roleplay experience that challenges many of the norms and structures that fans of the genre are taking for granted. Its our hope that what you read here will shed light on our philosophy regarding skills and that youll be as excited about them as we are!

The four types of skills and the four winds

In order to start explaining something as complex an RPG skill system, we need to begin with the foundation. There are four types of skills that your character can learn. Knots, Teas, Abilities and Passives. They each have different tones, uses and gameplay orientation. What all skills share is that they are not all tailored to boost your stats or give you obvious advantages. Many skills are just ways for you to express your character and to use for roleplaying purposes in social situations.

Knots

The tying of knots is a magical practice in the game world and allows for a variety of wondrous effects and functions. The time it takes to tie a knot depends on its complexity, but after untying it, the effects of knotspells are often direct.

Teas

If the knots are the scrolls then teas are the magic potions of our world. Deeply rooted in the culture of the world, the brewing of tea is a common practice both among ordinary folk and practising mystics. It requires preparation and patience but the results are often rewardingly strong and may last for long periods of time. The only limitation is that just one tea effect can be enjoyed at a time.

Abilities

These are skills that don't work by magical principles. Hiding in bushes, fishing, tricks and perks will instead improve everything from social skills, world interactions to survival gameplay. Some can be used all the time, others require special conditions or even tools.

Passives

Even if the term is common in RPGs we treat passive skills a bit differently in Book of Travels. Obviously they work on the principle of giving permanent bonuses to your character, but many of them can give you unusual and flat out weird bonuses if used correctly. Our idea is that players can use the other categories in conjunction with their passives to create tricky chains of bonuses. An example is drinking a tea that makes you unaffected by the elements, using a knot to call for rain clouds and then having a passive skill that gives you bonuses when standing in rain. With the amount of skills we are prepping, we are quite convinced that you can come up with some pretty awesome combos.

Winds

Besides the four types of skills there are four winds. These are a big part of the world lore and are considered divine or magical. Each skill, regardless of type, has a wind connected to it. The four winds all have their own personalities and they represent differences between skills. Skills of the Southern Wind are orientated towards physicality, interactions and trade. Skills of the Western Wind are often focused towards creativity, illusions, and strong magics. Northern Wind skills are cerebral and orientated towards science, protection and group aiding spells. Skills of the Eastern Wind are naturalistic, spiritual and often include animal skills and survival tricks. Each character has an affinity for one of the four winds, making skills of that wind easier to learn.

How to acquire skills

Unlike many RPGs, your character won't learn skills per automation upon leveling up. Instead we have made gathering skills into something a bit more contextual and roleplay like (you are likely to learn the fishing skill from a fisherman, and a master at a tea house might teach you a magical tea blend). Of course there are numerous ways to acquire skills, such as learning them from NPCs, receiving them as rewards in events, trading for them, or finding them randomly in loot. A skill you write in your skill book must be activated or learned before it can be used. This is done by allocating points in the skills you want to use. Skills vary in how many points are required to learn them, and its up to you to balance your array of skills. Will you collect many cheaper, simpler skills, or a few more potent and rare?

Using skills

Skills all have conditions on when and where they can be used. We are not very fond of do whatever you like type of RPGs and will prohibit players from assembling a fireplace on a wooden deck in a tea house. Besides the conditions of when and where, skills are used differently depending on type. Passives are always active. Abilities can be used freely without cost but work as cooldowns. Knots and teas both use the same fuel: reagents. These are things that you collect in the wind that you then use to craft knots and teas. A combination is often needed to complete a knot or a tea. Dandelion plus a tuft of animal hair to give one example. In our world the magical practises are somewhat alchemic and reagents are not always gathered from nature. Coagulated engine oil and driftwood dust are amongst the things you can expect to tie into your knots. We hope you have enjoyed this summary of skills in the game. Please let us know your thoughts about them in the comments. As always we do actually read everything and will gladly use suggested skills in the future so feel free to brainstorm! Much love from the team

[ 2020-03-14 11:19:05 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello!

Much has been said about the art style, our pipeline and graphical process we use in making BoT. Today we're sharing a peek at some of our most recent assets - ones that we are now implementing in the game. Its really important that everything you see in the game is carefully handcrafted and painted manually. This takes a team of four 2D artists working full time on the project. Some assets can be painted in a day, others take up to a week for one artist to paint. Below you can see two ancient trees that only appear in one place in the game world. Their names are Kesnan and Kham and they stand tall in one of the areas on the western side of Braided Shore. You can also see a tipping lantern, which can be interacted with via an Endeavour event and has to be created in several parts to be able to animate.

Nerdy Art Trivia

(Or scroll to go directly to the images) In order to make all the painted assets of the game coherent we've created a meticulous 2D pipeline that ensures that the style is consistent and that all things visual are in sync. We use a specific brush for all assets and never stray from it or its size (15px). We also use a tricky hatching technique for the brushwork. It gives the art more of a textured feel and adds detail and variation to each piece. Besides that, we have also adapted a rather unusual way to underlight the objects, using brighter values low and darker ones high. This was inspired by A.J Casson whos unique style is one of our major influences. The underlight helps to create an unpredictable and odd impression that we really love. Once finished, our game designers can start drafting and implementing events that take place at or near these unique props.



We hope youve enjoyed this first dive into our process. Wed love to hear any thoughts, feedback or ideas about this or suggestions for things you would like us to feature here. Let us know in the comments section! Thank you for your time! Jakob, Marcus, Charlotte, Olle and the rest of the team

[ 2020-03-06 13:05:13 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello!

I while ago we asked all of you on Discord (go here to join!) if you had any questions that you wanted our Lead Tech Artist to answer. Well, today we're happy to present the results! This is the first in a series of short dev interviews that we hope you will enjoy. Here he tells us about the unique perspective the game offers and some of the challenges it presented to the team. Take a look and do not hesitate to ask more questions in the comments (we will force Peter to answer). Until next time! The Book of Travels team [previewyoutube=_aZpAlpqKVU;leftthumb][/previewyoutube]

[ 2020-02-27 12:12:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

Dear Travellers

We're happy to share the first of a series of mini posts that will take you behind the curtains of Book of Travels production. In the coming months we'll be sharing small insights into the production journey, leading up to early access release later this year, and towards full release! Today we want to share some progress on the game design systems. As many of you have read before, Book of Travels balances a lot of contrasting gameplay elements and its very much up to the player to pick and choose which parts to engage in. One of the pillars of the experience that were currently working on is a multiplayer feature we call Endeavours.
Endeavours are special events that require players to help each other and cooperate to solve situations (players of Meadow will recognise traces of obelisks). The amount of players needed, the context, the goal and the rewards all vary greatly from event to event. Starting out, your character represents one slot in any endeavour (see the above screenshot), but as your character develops it might gain the ability to cover two. Some Endeavours can be solved alone, but others will require you to gather a large band of travellers before engaging. Some will reward you with small magical boosts or items, and other, rare Endeavours can be the starting point of larger adventures! Endeavours are divided into four categories; physical, mystical, mechanical and social.

Physical Endeavours

These situations challenge your group with feats that require strength, such as operating a draisine cart, pulling objects out of a well, or clearing heavy rubble to uncover items.

Mystical Endeavours

These can be anything from praying by a shrine or singing at a graveyard to interacting with magical beings and invoking visions of the past.

Mechanical Endeavours

Braided Shore is a land that inherited an ancient industrial infrastructure, some of it is still noticeable in today's society. Through mechanical endeavours your group can use ancient steam boats and train engines, unpick mechanical locks and use various mechanical devices in the world.

Social Endeavours

Examples of these are a merchant who doesn't give access to her wares unless a group convinces her to, or a scholar who can give lectures to larger parties earning them valuable skills and knowledge in the process. Social endeavours are about interacting with folk in the world and affecting their response to you depending on your numbers.

Current status - your input!

Were currently developing these systems and plan to try some out in the upcoming beta. We truly hope that you like the idea of Endeavours, and wed love to hear your thoughts regarding them in the comments right here. If you have ideas for other types of Endeavours we can add, please comment below and we might implement them! (And credit you for it in the final game of course!) Thank you for your time! Jakob and the team

[ 2020-02-25 11:13:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! Today we are really excited to share this, our newtrailer! We hope you like it. Much like an elephant, development is coming along slowly but surely. Currently the team areworking on elephant behaviours, level design and bringing some animal NPCs to life.
Elephant Development But the truth is that we should have been further along than this by now, and today we're writing to let you know that we've had to revise our schedule - release is now set for a realistic early 2021. We're sorry - we know that some of you have been waiting so patiently! But we're a small team and along with updating Meadow, we just don't have the resources to move much faster than this. This means that we won't be working on any new updates forMeadowuntil Shelter 3 is released. Pulling resources away from Meadow means that we can fullycommit to our deadline for Shelter 3, however we do have plans for some funMeadow updates when that time comes - we think it will be worth the wait! Meadow in the Meantime Meadow has been an unexpectedhigh point in our journey andwe want to say a huge thank you for making Meadow what it is today - it's been four years of animal joy, and we've never stopped being surprised, touched and deeply grateful for all that you have produced and shared. Thank you. Our recent Kickstarter means that there's been a few new faces in Meadowrecently, and we'll continue to do more Play-with-the-devs events (one soon-to-be-announcedfor April). We also want you to know that the emotes you've been using so effectivelywill be gaining a sibling in our upcoming fairytale RPG, Book of Travels. Again, to all Meadow players, a huge thank you for helping us test and develop this communication system and showing us how magical it can be. That's all for now - thank you for all your comments here on Steam! (We've been a little absent lately but we'll be around more often to say hello in the future.) Best Wishes, Helen and the team at Might & Delight

[ 2020-02-06 14:32:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! We hope you are well! Here in the studio we've been laying tracks for our final destination, full release of Book of Travels. We are super excited to be resuming this adventure with you - for everyone who supported us in any way whatsoever in last year's Kickstarter, thank you so much! We are now in a great place to really move things forward! That means we're at the exciting stage of finalising what goes into the beta! Key play dates are...

• Beta testing in May and June
• Early access in October

If you pledged to beta test for us we will be in touch with more info soon via email. Until then feel free to say hi in the comments section right here. We look forward to sharing more new soon! Best Wishes, Helen and the team Might & Delight

[ 2020-01-31 15:59:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! As I write we are nearing the end of our Kickstarter campaign for Book of Travels, and if you've been thinking of getting involved and backing us but haven't done it yet, now is the time! We write to you now to update you on two very important topics! Rewardsand... a cat!
Free games now included+ map book We want to make sure you don't miss out on our last little bit of Kickstarter adventure...It's been a crazy campaign and we've flown a little bit by the seat of our pants, which included adding someextra free thingsto the rewards bundles. Every pledge Traveller and above now gets Meadow + an illustrated Map Book, and every pledge Settler and above gets (Meadow and) Tiny Echo + an illustrated Map Book. (If you already have these games you are free to give the key to a friend!) Flik the cat goes to Braided Shore Did you know we have one member of the team who is not quite human? She isFlik, our visiting cat. To celebrate the end of the campaign, and to honour the calm and chaos she brings to the studio we're going to add her into the game as arare event, try to spot her on your travels! Here is Flik in real life! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiWLH8VONK0 Thank you so much for checking out the campaign in these final hours! We will be much more present here on Steam in the coming weeks, and we'll be opening a new thread where you can add your game ideas! If you havent clicked your way to the campaign yet there may still be time! Here's the link onceagain. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bookoftravels/book-of-travels-a-serene-online-rpg?ref=creator_nav Best Wishes, Helen and the team at Might & Delight

[ 2019-11-24 15:16:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Everyone! If you didn't catch us on Kickstarter already, we just want let you know that the campaign is going really well and we'd love you to check it out! We've had a lot of great feedback and today we are even on the front page of www.kickstarter.com! We've grown to a 3.5 thousand community and unlocked stretch goals for draisine travel and in-game Go, and we're on the cusp of unlocking a play-music-together feature! We revealed new stretch goals today (which include a whole new range of pets!). They're all the result of the conversations we're having with people on Discord and in Kickstarter and beyond... If you haven't already joined us, please do! Best Wishes, Helen and the team at Might & Delight DISCORD here! https://discord.gg/JFHnbae

[ 2019-11-11 16:08:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! Our Kickstarter for Book of Travels is now LIVE! Were celebrating our adventure by creating a dedicated meadow that sits just to the at the foothills of the mountains of Braided Shore. Its called Travellers Meadow and at the moment its empty, but well be adding a wildflower for every backer, so in the next few days we hope it will be filled with our collected energy. And when you play Book of Travels, it can be your special place to take some time to rest, or arrange to meet with other players. Were very happy to have your attention here on Steam, but of you want to check out the campaign here we are! https://tinyurl.com/y39kkj68

[ 2019-10-24 15:40:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello! For those people interested in our Kickstarter campaign, we have to let you know that we are now postponing by one week... our new date is Thursday 24th October, that's next week only! We can't wait. Stay tuned and get the newsletter update here if you aren't already a Traveller :) www.mightanddelight.com/rpg

[ 2019-10-15 14:37:01 CET ] [ Original post ]