As work continues on Early Access 02 Arakion has joined the Steam Autumn Sale. Sorry about the delay, I was so focused on development I totally missed that the sale was going on!
If you haven't already picked Arakion up now is a great time. Enjoy everything that Early Access 01 has to offer (around 10 hours of gameplay) and get your bearings before the launch of the next chapter in Early Access 02!
Have a wonderful day!
Lavidimus
Early Access 02 [alpha] 3
Hey Everyone!
[alpha] has been updated with Windows version once again. Cloud builds are in progress and Linux & Mac will be updated as soon as they're done (around a 24-hour delay).
Thanks to everyone for reporting bugs in the alpha and look forward to all your feedback on this one! [beta] will be rolling out in the next few weeks with a full release with a sale soon after!
For now - this continues to be a limited build simply to refine new code, shaders, and all that jazz. Please remember if you're going to test the [alpha] version to start a new game.
Have a wonderful day!
Lavidimus
I'll post a full list of changes in the beta announcement.
Happy Halloween!
Hey Everyone!
Hope you all are having a fun and festive time this Halloween season!
Keeping with the Tuesday update schedule - I want to inform you that cloud builds are once again working in Arakion and I'll be posting EA02 Alpha 3 later this week for Mac, Linux, and Windows! I'm excited to transition to the cloud build system as it frees up a ton of additional dev time.
(Cloud builds have a 24-hour turn around time so I'm working on the timing to make sure that they're out on Tuesday in the future.)
The update this week introduces the first new large zone to hit Arakion and second Dreamrealm zone. I'm excited for all you enthusiastic Venturers' to get your hands on it! I'll post another update as soon as the builds are up.
Thanks to everyone so far for the feedback in the Alpha builds!
Have a safe and wonderful Halloween!
Lavidimus
Early Access 02 [alpha] 2
Hey Everyone!
[alpha] has been updated with Windows version once again. I'm still working with Unity to resolve the cloud build issues and as soon as it is resolved I will add the Linux and Mac versions!
Thanks to everyone for reporting bugs in the first alpha and look forward to all your feedback on this one! I'm hoping to have the [beta] rolling out next week including ALL Early Access 02 content.
For now - this is a very limited build simply to test new code, shaders, and all that jazz. Please remember if you're going to test the [alpha] version to start a new game.
Have a wonderful day!
Lavidimus
Version Early Access 02 [alpha] 2 | October 17th 2018
Please keep in mind as this is an Alpha version some content will flow a little weird and may seem out of place. This is normal and will be resolved in a later version.
Gameplay
Readjusted starting zone once again - players will now start in the Dreamrealm (Spiritrealm)
Opened up additional access to new zones.
Testing for new town building is now available.
Implemented new mob 'Faun'
Graphics
Optimized Arakion shaders a small amount
Added a new shader for spirits.
Bugs Fixes
Gameplay: Fixed a bug where throwing objects wouldn't always work.
Graphics: Fixed a bug that was causing some vegetation to 'Pop' visually.
Graphics: Added crossfading to some vegetation objects for better LOD transition.
Graphics: Cursor was displaying incorrectly when over selectable and map UI
Fixed most bugs reported.
Early Access 02 [alpha]
Hey Everyone!
WINDOWS ONLY UNTIL CLOUD BUILDS ARE FIXED :
Unity Cloud Build isn't working in the project (they're fixing it now) so I had to build this one on my end. I will upload Mac and Linux as soon as cloud builds are working again.
The Early Access 02 [alpha] version for Windows has been uploaded. If you would like to play this version, please switch your build target to [alpha]. Please note that this version is currently extremely limited in scope. It is intended to be played with a new party! [alpha] is for testing out all the new shaders, graphics, code, etc before the wider rollout of the [beta].
I will be using [alpha] from time to time for large overhauls such as this one. This version includes the new starting zone and dungeon, with about 30 minutes to 1 hour of total gameplay.
Thanks to everyone for your patience. Updates will now be headed your way on most Tuesdays! I'm excited to be bringing you new content again!
Please post below if you have any questions and be sure to post any bugs here on the Steam forums or our Discord channel.
https://discord.gg/SRHhPyr
If everything goes well I will upload the much larger scope [beta] later this week.
Have a wonderful day!
-Lavidimus
Quick Update!
Hey Everyone!
I'm starting to feel like George R. R. Martin on South Park.
"Oh don't you worry, it's coming, it'll be here soon!"
Jokes aside, Early Access 02 [beta] should be launching later this week. With that in mind, this post is to inform you that if you are going to participate in the EA02 [beta] phase, please MAKE A BACKUP of your current save files. Ideally, until EA02 is out of beta just create a new game.
Early Access 02 is a major systems update, content and script overhaul and may or may not corrupt save files until I get all the bugs worked out. I've done my best to ensure compatibility, but with Acade focused solely on getting Turn-Based in game, I've been left to my own devices testing out Early Access 02.
This warning will also be included in the EA02 launch but I figured better safe than sorry, don't want anyone losing their save data!
Back to work, so much to do so little time - check out some test shots below!
Have a wonderful day!
Lavidimus
The Fall Main Menu (WIP - Kinda looks more like spring yeah?)
Dungeon Preview
(Also some EA02B UI adjustments, notice how the selected character is more highlighted)
(Additionally I'm testing some tweaks where the UI disappears when out of combat)
Dev Blog - Early Access 02
Hey Everyone!
I'm happy to announce that after a long time in development, Early Access 02 will be launching soon! The [beta] will be launching sometime in the next two weeks (if you want to access it before then - come hit us up on Discord) - with a full launch likely one week after [beta].
With that said let us talk about what all is going to be added in the Early Access 02 Cycle. Please remember that each version (A, B, C, D) has a two-week development cycle. The version will release one week with a hotfix version the week after for feature refinement and bug fixes.
Early Access 02A
Chapter Zero - An all-new starting chapter with new content to sink your teeth into!
New Building Mechanics - Worldbuilding got a complete overhaul. It is now much easier to use, much more expansive and much more fun!
Dungeoneering - Create and explore custom player-made dungeons! Take the banner off the corpses of players who have fallen in your dungeon or head to other dungeons and steal banners directly! Banners can be exchanged for numerous rewards!
Early Access 02B
Crafting Update - Another 100 craftables ready to launch!
Skill Update - A massive cleanup for skills.
Combat Upgrade - General combat upgrade (This is part of the turn-based mechanics overhaul)
Early Access 02C
Town Visiting - Visit and shop at other players towns. Each town can focus on unique research that allows specific blueprints to be purchased there.
Turn-Based Mechanics - This is currently Acade's singular focus. He's trying to get it out as soon as possible and has gotten a lot done already.
In The Pipeline
Chapter Two - This could be added at any point. It is mostly done but requires to fit seamlessly with the previous content.
Steamworks - This will be implemented so that players can mod the game with their own world, pets, weapons etc. The basics of this are already implemented but it requires extensive testing. We also have to decide how expansive we want this to be in the initial launch.
New Profession! - Keeping this under wraps for now but a new profession is about to launch!
Extra Sexes - Finalizing the rest of the sexes that don't exit (IE Human Females)
Be aware that these are the general goals. Updates more than 3 out may change as we may shift focus to something else if it's deemed more important.
What took so long?
The first reason for the delay is that Arakion hasn't generated much revenue through its initial launch. This isn't a huge deal and was semi-expected but it did end up limiting my work on Arakion the last couple months as I focused on freelance work to get funds for development. With that said we're full-steam ahead again!
The more important issue was that Arakion desperately needs more community involvement. I decided that more town, dungeon, and world-building will greatly help in this area. Although these features will be launching relatively lightweight they should get much better with time. Being able to visit each other's dungeons internally has been an awesome experience and I hope you all get the same enjoyment out of it!.
That's it for today. Have any questions or comments? Leave them below, otherwise hit us up on discord at https://discord.gg/SRHhPyr
Have a wonderful day!
Lavidimus
Progress Update - Dungeon Builder
Hey Everyone!
Progress update today, we're hard at work on Early Access 02 and it is AWESOME! I'm really excited for you all to get your hands on it. The launch window is currently late August. Sorry about the delay (it was supposed to launch today), it took a little longer than expected to get everyone in the project and collaboration tools setup.
As you know a big focus in Early Access 02 is dungeon building. We've spent the last two weeks building a new level editor and dungeon builder from the ground up. These will be the same tools that I'll be using to build levels from now on. Eventually, you will not only be able to build your own dungeon, but you'll be able to create your own adventures, campaigns, and worlds! You will have a ton of control over everything including puzzles, visuals and more!
Soon, I'll post a video update previewing the dungeon builder in all its glory! Until then, here are a few screenshots showing off some features.
Vegetation and detail painting? Check! (The blue circle is the painting area)
Click and drag linking? Check! (Also full customization of all things like notes, traps, and more)
Ability to create beautiful and treacherous dungeons? Check! (This took 2 minutes to build)
A video update will be coming soon followed by the [beta] launch of Early Access 02! So get prepared to enjoy a massive content update!
Have a wonderful day! Lavidimus
The Team Grows!
Hey Everyone!
Although Early Access 02 isn't quite ready, I wanted to post a general update. I'm very excited to announce that two amazing developers will be joining to work on Arakion part-time.
Andrew Milne a coder extraordinaire! He helped code the foundation of Arakion a long time ago and will be joining to create and maintain some of the new Early Access 02 features as well as improve existing features.
Daniel Viana Alcaraz an excellent 3D and graphic artist. He will help develop additional graphics and once the new editors are finished will hopefully join in on level creation/content implementation!
With these two joining in, I need to bring them up to date on all things Arakion. This shouldn't take longer than a couple weeks. Afterward, we'll be able to produce better content for you at a faster pace. The long-term goal is to eventually bring them on full-time but part-time for now is fantastic and a huge help.
So let's talk a little about Early Access 02.
So what is it? Early Access 02 is a massive update and content addition for Arakion. It adds a new early chapter, multiple new dungeons (and new randomized dungeons), tons of new loot and puzzles, an extensive town overhaul, player made dungeons, the ability to visit other players towns (universes), extensive graphical updates, extensive skill updates and so much more!
When is it? The new planned launch date is August 7th. A little later than I wanted, but this is a good thing. Internally we're focusing on speeding up long-term development including building new and better custom editors (that you'll be using to create your own dungeons in-game!)
Will saves transfer over? Yep, no worries.
Some New Features:
[beta] Player made dungeons - This OPTIONAL gameplay mechanic allows you to create a dungeon beneath your town that your friends can visit. If they fall in your dungeon you are rewarded. The first player to succeed in your dungeon daily will receive a reward.
Massive optimizations! The install size has already been reduced from 5.5 gigs to 2.5 gigs in early testing. Additionally, memory usage and the overall cpu/gpu footprint has been decreased dramatically. Additionally, Arakion is now being built with Unity Cloud which will allow all versions of Arakion to be built every week.
Extensive town overhaul! You will begin creating your town within an hour of beginning your journey. Additionally, the content of the town will expand greatly and [beta] town customization will show up (like changing the season).
New starting chapter! This will be right before the current Chapter One and will introduce the player to the major threat of the game.
New Recipes, new dungeons, new content! Just lots more of the same stuff you already love.
General mob and combat improvements (maaaybe turn-based, we're working hard on it!)
Lots of player feedback features implemented!
So very very much more!
A big focus of Early Access 02 is to bring the story to the forefront and get the community more involved in the game. Having two people help develop, even part-time, will go a long way towards speeding up development in Arakion.
So be sure to get involved! Tell me what you think below and what you'd like to see (or not see) in this big update. What type of dungeons would you like to create? What recipes would you like to see? What type of areas would you like to explore? I take player feedback to heart and really try to implement features you all would like to see.
Until next week!
Lavidimus
Early Access 01F
Hey Everyone!
Fingers crossed Early Access 02 should be out next week. At the latest, it will launch in two weeks. For today we have another minor update with some bug fixes and general changes. I will push the Linux & Mac versions out later this week as they take some time to build.
Version Early Access 01F | June 26th 2018
Changes <*>Changed movement animation to feel smoother with new speed.
<*>Removed escape pausing, was causing too many issues and needs custom implemented.
<*>Journal has been removed.
<*>You can now exit character creation.
<*>You now have to confirm before releasing a recruit.
<*>Clicking on the quest popup will now bring up the quest log.
<*>Updated a few tooltips to be more accurate.
<*>Items can now be right clicked on for easy equipping.
Bugs Fixes
CRITICAL - Game would fail to load properly if a potion was set on an Action bar slot.
Unity will now pause when alt-tabbed out again.
Changing recruit will now properly update stats.
Left-Hand action buttons were showing the wrong tooltip.
Character window will update now when switching stances.
You were able to modify the right and left-hand action buttons of Hero 1, this is unintended.
Action button potion icon was incorrect, this has been fixed.
Left-hand icon is now more accurate.
Female Yin has the wrong animations
Skill panel will now close when other UI windows open
Construct panel will now properly show the interact key.
Hunger descriptions were inaccurate
Camera will no longer shake when a game is loaded.
The update has been pushed directly to the [default] branch as it has a critical bug fix. If you have any questions or comments be sure to post them below!
