Can’t believe it’s already July! We would like to update everyone on how we have been working on the game so far in 2022, and provide transparency on our plans for the remainder of the year. Our goal is to provide the best possible turn-based tactics and RPG experience, but doing so without making any further delay to the game launch. The team has been discussing and debating the dev roadmap everyday to achieve that goal!
Wrapping Up the First Half
In the first half of 2022, our primary focus was on making improvements and changes based on the feedback we collected from the community during last year’s first beta while building the content.
Thankfully, we could test the new changes and improvements via the second PC beta, and we were happy that the changes and improvements were received with positive feedback! The second beta also provided us with an opportunity to identify new areas for improvement. If you want to learn more about our learnings from the second beta, as well as the changes we are planning to make based on the feedback, you can read them here).
We also worked hard to create the Lost Eidolons build for Xbox consoles! Initially, we aimed to support both the Xbox One family and the Xbox Series family. However, we encountered hardware limitations on the Xbox One family, learning that we might not be able to provide the best possible game experience. It was not an easy decision to make, but after multiple discussions we concluded that we should keep Lost Eidolons only on Xbox Series X|S consoles, while we focus our resources on optimizing the game for the Xbox.
With the Xbox build available, we were able to run a small first beta test via the Xbox Insider Program! All the feedback and the performance data from the Insider Program helped us craft a plan to complete the game. We are currently working hard to finish up the final dev roadmap for the Xbox version and hope we can announce a more detailed schedule for the Xbox in the near future.
Plans for the Future
Thanks to the community, we have successfully participated in the Steam Next Fest, and took more feedback on the game! Since we have all the great feedback from the community, we are very close to finalizing the dev roadmap up to the official launch!
We plan to share the details once we finalize the plan, but we wanted to first share some high-level focus items to give you an idea how we plan to make further improvements to the game!
Key Dev Focus
Story/Lore
The team’s main focus of improvement will be how we tell the story/lore so that it can be more immersive. We could clearly understand current cutscene progress can be boring and not effective in progressing the story. Thus are allocating more resources to make significant improvements and acting on things like below:
Adding more in-game rendered cinematic cutscenes
Shortening/removing some of the dialogues to streamline the storytelling
Potentially converting some of the dialogues to in-game event cutscenes
Improving the speed of dialogue transition among characters
[Same line shown in a dialogue cutscene and a cinematic cutscene]
Camp Contents
While the contents of the camp are not close to final, we believe it will provide a much better experience at the official launch That does not stop us from taking in the valuable feedback you shared with us, so we will be working on some of the major improvements as below:
Adding VO or reaction voices to the dialogues in the camp
Providing more context related to the upcoming battles in the camp so that players can make better preparations
Adding side battles (this was already planned, and we could confirm the importance of this content through feedback during the beta and Steam Next Fest)
Other Areas
We can assure you that we will also be working on more areas than what we shared above, such as quality-of-life improvements, polishing graphics and animation, adding more sound effects and BGMs, etc.
We will be sharing all these progress via the regular dev chat streams. If you haven’t already, please follow our Twitch channel and YouTube channel to watch them!
Also, we are working hard towards preparing the marketing for the official launch. We are an independent developer and self-publishing the game–which means, while we will have our own marketing campaign prepared, we hope the community can spread the word about the game to help us along! Every bit of your support would be very appreciated!
Know any tactical turn-based RPG fans? Make sure they have their eyes on Lost Eidolons. Know any content creators we should partner with? Give us a holler! You can always reach out to us on our Discord server ːsteamhappyː
We are deeply grateful for your support for Lost Eidolons, and we look forward to bringing you more updates in the future.
- The ODS Team
Thank You for Joining Lost Eidolons in Steam Next Fest!
Greetings, Tacticians!
We’d like to say a big thank-you for enjoying Steam Next Fest with us! We had a blast as you joined us in various ways–by playing Lost Eidolons demo, watching our streams, giving us feedback, and recommending other notable demos to us!
While Steam Next Fest ends, our efforts continue to make Lost Eidolons better–and we need your help.
If you played our demo but haven’t filled out the survey yet, here is a link to do so! The survey will remain open until June 26th, but it’s always good to finish it earlier while your memory is fresh. Your feedback is essential for us to keep improving the game, especially as we make continuous improvements for release later this year.
We’re looking forward to sharing more development updates and news with you in the future, so please stay tuned!
- The ODS Team
Take a 5-minute Survey to Help Lost Eidolons
Greetings Tacticians,
Finally, the weekend is upon us and we can park ourselves in front of a screen to demo some excellent games thanks to Steam Next Fest. We hope you're reading this because you thought Lost Eidolons was one such game!
If you are currently playing Lost Eidolons, please do fill out this quick survey to help further our journey to launch in Q3 this year: https://bit.ly/3Hm8FqE
It’s almost all multiple choice questions that shouldn’t take more than 5 mins of your time, and you get to answer questions like which character seems most interesting, (we are seeing some surprising results already!) what kind of art you think best represents the game, etc.
When the Next Fest shutters on June 20th the Lost Eidolons demo will also come to an end, so play on and tell us what you think!
We thank you for all your efforts!
- ODS Team
[UPDATED] AMA & Hard Mode Playthrough with Jin Sang Kim
[Updated schedule information in the announcement body on 6/14 PT]
Greetings, Tacticians!
The brilliant creative mind behind the game now faces his work on the other end. Join Jin Sang Kim, the creative director of Lost Eidolons, as he steps up to the challenge of playing Lost Eidolons on hard difficulty!
This will also serve as an ask-me-anything session: throughout the stream, pitch Jin Sang with any questions you have about Lost Eidolons.
Learn more about Lost Eidolons from the one who knows all the ins-and-outs of the game, and be inspired by how he tackles difficult situations in combat. Now, will you take on the hard mode challenge yourself? We’d say, go for it!
Updated broadcast time per time zone is as below:
<*> PDT: June 19th 9PM<*> EDT: June 20th 12AM<*> GMT: June 20th 4AM<*> KST: June 20th 1PM
Don’t forget to hit the “Set a reminder” button so that you don’t miss his stream!
There was a mixup where the announcement body and the event reminder had different times. We updated the information accordingly. Sorry for the confusion!
- The ODS Team
Join Ocean Drive Studio Team Play Lost Eidolons!
Greetings, Tacticians!
With Lost Eidolons participating in Steam Next Fest, the Ocean Drive Studio team has been preparing for a few opportunities to showcase the gameplay live, right here on Steam!
First off, ODS GeeK will be blazing through several of the early battles in the game for a brief gameplay stream this week! Broadcast time per time zone is as below:
PDT: June 9th 4PM
EDT: June 9th 7PM
GMT: June 9th 11PM
KST: June 10th 8AM
The big celebration for Steam Next Fest starts next week, as ODS GeeK plays the demo with some ODS staff occasionally dropping in for a chat here and there. We’ll be live for 3 hours, covering chapter 4 and onward! Broadcast time per time zone is as below:
PDT: June 13th 2PM - 5PM
EDT: June 13th 5PM - 8PM
GMT: June 13th 9PM - June 14th 12AM
KST: June 14th 6AM - 9AM
Celebration intensifies with Jin Sang Kim, the creative director of Lost Eidolons, also hosting a livestream later next week, combining an ask-me-anything session and a gameplay stream on hard difficulty! Broadcast time per time zone is as below:
PDT: June 16th 7PM
EDT: June 16th 10PM
GMT: June 17th 2AM
KST: June 17th 11AM
Tune in to the live broadcasts and come celebrate Steam Next Fest with us. Of course, make sure you play the Lost Eidolons demo yourself and lead Eden’s forces to victory!
- The ODS Team
Lost Eidolons Is Coming to Steam Next Fest!
Greetings, Tacticians!
Lost Eidolons will be participating in the upcoming Steam Next Fest June 2022 Edition. What better way is there to get ready for the party than to tell your friends to check out the game you enjoy–especially when it’s immediately available?
It’s time to spread the word to fellow turn-based RPG fans that Lost Eidolons demo is available right now! Also, feel free to take this opportunity to try out different strategies and set-ups from what you used in CB2 in order to exercise your tactical mind.
Below is the full schedule for Lost Eidolons demo access:
PDT: June 9th 9AM - June 20th 10AM
EDT: June 9th 12PM - June 20th 1PM
GMT: June 9th 4PM - June 20th 5PM
KST: June 10th 1AM - June 21st 2AM
The demo build is based on the CB2 version (first 8 chapters of the game), with some minor improvements made. While we are eager to share major changes we are working on, for this demo our focus is on providing a stable gameplay experience for as many players as possible. We will share changes based on CB2 feedback via other channels in the future.
Let’s get geared up for Steam Next Fest together!
- The ODS Team
Our Next Steps on the Journey Beyond CB2
Greetings, Tacticians!
It’s been some time since CB2 ended. Based on the feedback we received, the Ocean Drive Studio team is planning what the next steps would be. As many of you already know, we believe the feedback loop between the community and the studio is an essential part of creating a game. We have our vision of where we want to take our games, but it is a journey we walk together with the community, learning from our community’s ideas and suggestions along the way.
To give you a brief recap about the beta itself, we had over 2,000 players sign up for beta on Steam! We also received much feedback from many different channels. On Feature Upvote, we received about 50 new suggestions, almost 200 new comments, and nearly 400 new upvotes. On Discord, we received more than 50 suggestions/feedback. Last but not least, we had over 70 players provide detailed notes on the survey.
We categorized the feedback into 5 main categories. While the team continues to take a deep dive into each feedback, we wanted to share some of the ideas that are being reviewed, planned, or worked on. Though it is not a complete list, we hope this is an opportunity for you to see how your feedback is impacting the game. Before we start, please note that all changes mentioned here are not final but still work-in-progress, as we take a closer look to check our options, feasibility, resources, and other circumstances.
Story
Baptized in Fire and Blood: You have conquered your first monster fight!
78% of survey respondents told us they completed chapter 4 or more, which means they successfully got through the Hellhoundes. Congratulations on achieving such a feat, Tacticians!
We would like to share some of the feedback we received on the story. Below each topic, you will find our notes either explaining our take on the issue or the steps we're taking to address it.
Lost Eidolons CBT2 Patch Notes
A Note From Ocean Drive Studio
Tactician, we are deeply grateful for your being part of this beta. As the nature of the beta, you may find some rough edges--bugs, glitches, unbalanced mechanics, placeholders, etc. Please provide your feedback and report issues on our Feature Upvote board or our Discord server. Your feedback is what shaped a lot of things in this beta, and will be what shapes the game to come in the future.
- ODS Team
Improvements from CBT1 on Steam
In October 2021, a playable build for Lost Eidolons was revealed through the first closed beta (CBT1). Ocean Drive Studio team was able to evaluate the game from multiple aspects, with players sharing much valuable feedback during the beta. We have been working hard to make the game more enjoyable by reviewing and making changes based on the feedback from players and from within the team. In CBT2, we made improvements to what could have been better from CBT1. We hope this beta is an opportunity for players to see how far Lost Eidolons has come.
Combat Improvements from CBT1
Implemented some of the feedback we received from Steam Next demo and CBT1
Added various triggers for in-battle events for each chapter
Improved presentation (camera, animation, etc.) and sound effects for attacking/taking hits in combat
Improved combat UI/UX
Improved combat controls/system
Details can be found under the relevant section under Content Changelog.
Camp Improvements from CBT1
Implemented some feedback from Steam Next demo and CBT1
Improved quest stories in the camp
Improved camp content/system
Improved presentation (camera, animation, etc.) and sound effects for each camp content
Improved camp UI/UX
Details can be found under the relevant section under Content Changelog.
Cutscene Improvements from CBT1
Added opening cinematics
Changed the previous 3D character cutscenes into dialogue format cutscenes
Implemented camera and animation improvements
Applied voice-over and improved sound effects to cutscenes
CBT2 Content
Added Opening Videos
Added opening videos and tutorial battle that give you an inkling about the lore and relationship among characters.
Animated illustrations
Opening cinematic
Opening battle (includes tutorial for basic controls)
Cinematic for Eden’s escape
Chapters
Chapter 1: Mercenaries of Lonetta Contains 5 cutscenes and teaches the player basics of the system menu and turn-based combat system.
Chapter 2: Trouble Calls Contains 4 cutscenes and teaches the player about ranged combat, guards and critical hits, zone of control, utilizing items, undoing actions, and displaying risk range.
Chapter 3: Breakout Contains 10 cutscenes and teaches the player about spells, weapons and weaknesses, swapping weapons mid-combat, turn limits, and item drops. Additionally introduces the camp outgame system, instructing players the basics of interaction with allies, rapport, quests, and Spells/Map UI.
Chapter 4: Break of Dawn Contains 1 cutscene and teaches the player about battle preparation and fighting monsters. Camp section introduces merchants and Advancement Ceremony.
Chapter 5: The Proving Grounds Contains 6 cutscenes and teaches the player about context actions, combat skills, tile effects, treasure chests, and special enemy mechanics.
Chapter 6: Murder of Crows Contains 5 cutscenes and teaches the player about poison effects and charged attacks.
Chapter 7: Thorned Rose Contains 4 cutscenes.
Chapter 8: Slumbering Bear Contains 5 cutscenes.
New Features and Systems
Since the Steam Next demo and CBT1, we’ve added:
Gamepad support in CBT2
Content Changelog
Combat
Improved combat animation
Improved the animation speed-up feature for allies/enemies
Added the animation speed-up setting
Added the animation skip setting
Made in-battle events more varied
Added/improved in-battle events for each episode
Combat system
Added tutorial information, as well as weapon/armor affinity information (added tooltip/icon information)
Implemented real-time display of enemies you can take hit from in battle
Added indication for units that can take action/already took action in battle
Added attack range display for the ballista placed on the battlefield
Added the More Info feature for enemies/allies (select a target unit and press Left Shift)
Added terrain tutorial, as well as effect description of each terrain on UI
Improved controls so that you can directly attack a target within your movable range
Improved the placement of the Ram Gate command (if it is available as an attack, it will be placed at the top of the list)
Added the Restart menu to restart the battle
Added the Manage menu (allows for making changes to characters before battle)
Added the Return to Title menu
Improved/added hotkey features
Can be set under Settings - Controls
Improved UI
Added ally units' experience bar in battle
Improved indicator for weapon equipped by the character (can be checked when swapping to secondary weapon)
Changed portraits to match the attire of the unit
Improved information notation in the More Info window
Gameplay & Balance
Implemented normal and hard difficulties
Camp
Improved/added story for camp quest and regular dialogue
Main/side quest dialogue
Character interaction dialogue
Improved Advancement Ceremony presentation and information display
Added overall class information table
Added detailed information at the time of class unlock presentation
Applied improvements to the training content within camp
Improved the real-time training (sparring) system
Implemented training plan content for growth
Implemented the per-skill details and range display UI under the Skills menu
Added icons for characters you can talk to in the camp
Improved the character menu UI/UX in camp
Improved Advancement Ceremony UI and presentation
Codex System
Improved the Leadership system
Reputation board
Complete the quests provided through in-game activities or combat to receive rewards for each reputation stage
In-game currency, accessory equipment, or consumable items
Improved the UI for Characters, Equipment, Class, Skills, Grimoires, Storage, Journal, and Camp Map menus
Added the Codex, Rapport, and Conversation Log menus
Class Advancement
Added an information window where you can check all information on classes
Bug Fixes
Fixed issues reported in CBT1
Known Issues
General Features
Applied localization for multiple languages
Some text may be untranslated for the supported languages
There may areas where the UI sizing is not optimized for each language
Issue where a lingering image remains on the screen during screen loadings, when you transition from a cutscene to a battle and vice versa
Cutscenes
Please be advised that cutscenes are still under development (polishing)
Cutscenes have been changed to dialogue format
Some awkward character animations remain. These will be continuously improved until launch
Characters' gaze, expression, and lip sync improvements are continuously in progress
Camp
When using fast travel through the Camp Map menu, an intermittent error may occur where it triggers in place, instead of moving to the character you selected
Some awkward character animations remain. They are continuously being improved/fixed
Issue where a character is obstructed by another character during Advancement Ceremony
A brief camera issue occurs during the presentation of sending troops through the Taskmaster at the camp
Combat
In dialogue, there are cases where some soldiers do not have lip flaps implemented. These will be addressed before launch.
Some awkward monster animations remain. These are under improvement work
Cases of some terrain being obstructed in combat remain. These are under improvement work
There is an issue where the graphics quality drops for the combat background in chapter 2 and chapter 7 (trees, grass, etc.)
We are working on combat background asset and lighting optimization to address this
We are working on character lighting optimization to address this
Please note that there may be other errors that have not yet been identified.
In Development
Animation for monsters that appear in battle
Saving during battle
Saving gameplay during battle is currently under development
For now, the game auto-saves at the start of the battle
We are developing a feature that automatically equips skills that are learned as the character levels up
Localization
Supported Languages
German
Russian
Spanish
English
Portuguese
French
Korean
Localization Bug fixes
Voice-over applied
Camp only has VO for the main quest line and it’s as intended
Various text related bugs reported during CBT1 resolved
Localization Known Issues
Loading text display in English for other languages
Some menu items display in English for other languages
Some UI has text cut off in all languages
Some UI texts have overlapping text in all languages
Some icons for keyboard shortcuts display in English in other languages
Some text place holders (-no-value-) displayed in all languages
Some characters' lips are not synced to dialogue
Discoverable items, “Documents” do not appear in the inventory at the current time
Different Keyboard layout for other languages are not yet supported
Closed Beta Runs 4/28 - 5/2
Greetings Tacticians,
It’s finally here—dates are confirmed for Lost Eidolons’ second closed beta! This beta will take place for 5 days, starting on 4/28/2022.
Without further ado, we’d like to share some quick facts about the upcoming beta:
Date:
(PDT) 4/28/2022 10:00 AM - 5/2/2022 11:59 PM
(EDT) 4/28/2022 1:00 PM - 5/3/2022 2:59 AM
(GMT) 4/28/2022 5:00 PM - 5/3/2022 6:59 AM
Key features:
Play through the first eight chapters (out of 27 total) of the game
English voiceover
Updated cutscenes, dialogue, tutorial, camp content, and more
Various fixes/changes/improvements based on feedback from CB1
If you haven’t signed up yet, there is still time! Head over to our Steam Store page and click “Request Access”. If you are selected, you will get a notification so that you can download and play.
Looking forward to seeing you on beta and hearing what you think!
- ODS Team
Closed Beta 2 Registration Open
Greetings Tacticians,
We're thrilled to officially announce the Q3 2022 launch of Lost Eidolons on Steam and Xbox! That's right, you will be able to play on either Steam or Xbox when we release the full game.
To that end, it’s time for Closed Beta 2! Coming in the last week of April, CB2 will run on both Steam and Xbox.
Some quick info on CB2:
On Steam for PC and Xbox S/X
About 5 days total (exact dates TBA)
Cover first eight chapters of 27 chapters
Fully dubbed with voice-over (English only)
For those of you who played in CB1:
Updates to UI
New story-driven tutorial
New and changed cutscenes
Updated/improved Camp content
Bug fixes that you reported
Lots of quality of life updates based on your feedback
Note: If you participated in CB1, you do not have to register for this beta. You are already in! Sit back and relax until you get an update that it's time to play.
For everyone else, follow below to sign up:
Head over to Steam Store page now and click on “Request Access.” That’s it! You will be notified if you are selected so you can download and play.
