Before we begin, here is the cinematic trailer for WestFallen Early Access!
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Release Date...Sorta
The plan is to launch the game as soon as possible, hopefully sometime either on the 12th of December, or sometime in that week, seeing as the game is fully ready to launch, minus the final approval from Steam. All that is left is to remove the partial controller support check box, since that feature does not yet feel consistent with the gameplay as of now.
What is Coming Next
So you might remember in a previous announcement a roadmap to the release of the arena/early access. From that roadmap, all that is really left is to improve some of the voiceover work. Some of it does not capture the feel, but that is a minor tweak that should not take more than an afternoon while waiting for the final greenlight from Steam.
Along with the release will be another announcement regarding the early access vs final vision for the game, and what to expect, likely in the form of a summary of a YouTube video that is in the works.
Final Comments
Thank you to everyone who wishlisted, we are up to almost 350, which for us is well above what we expected, seeing that motivates the work on the game, so thanks again, and we hope that you guys all enjoy the game.
In the coming while, we will be releasing concept art, prototype gameplay of the open world segment, and turning some of the features seen in the early access into fully fledged systems that stand on their own, so stay tuned, as on the second Sunday of every month there will be a small announcement detailing the work done, so you guys can stay up to date.
Cheers!
~The team at Ninja Software Studio
State of WestFallen - 10/9/2022
Hey all!
So, the last announcement posted had a roadmap that listed several things that had to be done before the arena could be launched. Both fortunately and unfortunately, there has been a big change to that.
First some positive news!
I have been very busy creating new enemies, and finding ways to make them exciting and fun. Since this early access portion is mostly just a horde mode, I have been able to have a lot of freedom with the kinds of enemies I create. Below are some images of a few of the enemies you will face in the game.
As well, the enemies all have something that differentiates them from the other ones, giving you a unique challenge depending on the mix of them in front of you.
Secondly, work has been progressing well on the redesign of the arena map. While currently I do not have anything really worth showing, the redesign is adding some new elements and features to the map that originally were not there, such as elevation changes, area traps, as well as some secrets and some hidden Easter eggs that I hope you find.
So what's changed?
tldr; I have changed my approach to how combat works in the game, causing a delay.
While testing out the game, the main issue I found was that arose was that the gameplay was very monotone. The combo system showcased on Instagram was not the most exciting after some time with it, and dodging the witch spell was also hard with the movement system I had. To change that, I added some abilities that made the game more exciting and much more fun. However, this introduced a lot of bugs into the game. And despite numerous attempts, the final method to fix this, which works much better is to use Unreal Engine's Gameplay Ability System (GAS). However, that means that I won't be releasing the game as soon as I had hoped, leading to a delay in progress.
What does that mean?
In the end, what this means is that this coming week is going to be spent reworking the combat so that instead of using the previous method of combat interaction, I will now be using the GAS framework, which requires a far more involved approach.
Hopefully, this only adds an extra week or so, but only time will tell.
In the meantime, make sure to stay up to date by following the progress on Instagram here, as well as on this page, where I will post updates every other week.
See you all next week!
~Ninja Software Studio
WestFallen Road to the Arena!
Roadmap!
Hear ye! Hear ye! This is all that is left until the game can be released! As we come down to these last few weeks, a release date will be finalized as soon as the game is in a state that can actually be played from start to finish.
For quicker updates, small gameplay tidbits and teasers, please consider joining the Discord here!
Once this roadmap is cleared, I have a few things I would like to touch up while I wait for Steam to approve the game's build, but those will not affect the release of the game or the roadmap.
We look forward to finishing this part of the game for you all to play!
~Ninja Software Studio
State of WestFallen - 7/27/2022
The last week weeks...
The last few weeks have been filled with work on the arena experience.
What's that? What have we done? Well I am so glad you asked, dear hypothetical reader.
First things first, the combat!
Isn't she just stunning? I know, I know, that looks like a mannequin slapping another, more colourful mannequin. Well, it is...soooooo...
In all seriousness, the combat system is taking shape, currently the player is able to chain together a combo which is based on the weapons currently equipped, which for the arena is likely to be just the classic sword and shield. As you saw, the enemy takes damage, updates the health bar, and after losing all their health, dies.
The other system that has taken shape has been the arena mode, which is comprised of a wave system controller and spawners. To skip over all the techno mumbo jumbo, the wave system works similar to that of something like Call of Duty Zombies, with increasing health, staggered spawns, spawn locations, and so on. Still some minor tweaking to be done to get it to feel like it belongs, but it is getting there!
Finally, the map in which this arena mode is taking place has taken shape, and while there are small improvements I am sure I could spend weeks and weeks tweaking and testing and admiring, I think for now it is best to leave it as is. I am going to be aiming the development time towards adding in the small little things that build lore and ambience, such as easter eggs, information, and the sounds. The lore for this arena environment ties into the larger game, so make sure to poke around when you're playing!
Some spring cleaning...
When I first started this whole thing, I was dedicated to posting as often as I possibly could, and well... we can see how that has worked out.
To make things easier on me, and more reasonable overall, from now on, there will be a biweekly update about the progress on the game here on Steam, along with any other announcements/updates that won't affect the biweekly state of the game announcement. On Instagram, expect a post a week, with things coming out more often the more I have things to actually show, but until then just the once, again unless there is something cool to share that I can't wait to let you know about.
Additionally, I had originally claimed I could get the game out by the 30th of May, and clearly that did not happen. Fret not, dear reader! If you made it this far, I can only assume you have an interest in playing this game. And soon enough, you will be able to! I will be releasing the roadmap to what needs to be completed so that the arena can be finished and uploaded to Steam for you to play. I likely will release this roadmap tomorrow, but it will be basically a fancy version of the Trello page found here. Once that roadmap is fulfilled, I will be releasing the next roadmap that will bring the game into the first chapter of our epic story.
To end this first State of WestFallen off, I just want to say thank you to everyone who has wishlisted, that number is greater than I ever expected, and I hope that the game lives up to what you expected.
Regards,
Ninja Software Studio
WestFallen Release Date Announced!
We are proud to announce a few things today.
First of all, our game now has a release date! WestFallen leaps into early access May 30th! That means that the arena mode will be playable, showcasing the game's melee and ranged combat, NPC AI, NPC interactions, as well as an introduction to the lore behind the world of WestFallen!
Secondly, we are holding a giveaway on our Instagram account, found here, as well as our Facebook page found here. Prizes include things like helping to design your very own side quest for players to come across and play, naming things in the world, and more, so go check it out!
Finally, we want to make some wallpapers that you could use for your PC or mobile device, and will be posting those alongside a developer AMA! Make sure to reply ask your questions either on the AMA thread on our community forum here on Steam or our AMA posts on Instagram, Reddit, Facebook, or Twitter We will put together the best questions and turn them into one big AMA where we answer everything.
