Bringing the world to life...
Since most of the game "systems" are already in place and working, my current development focus is content. Quests, characters, items, encounters, little secrets found here and there... in sum, what you call a game.
This is, no doubt, my favorite part of developing a role-playing game. It is the reason why I am making Archaelund: to tell stories. It is also the hardest part, especially in an open-world game in which things can be done in any order (or not at all!), and when quests are designed to have multiple outcomes, with consequences for the party's choices. I've been writing down many of these quests for years, and now it's the time to implement them into the game!
Development status, and Early Access goals
I'll give a breakdown of what we have, and what is enough to release the Early Access.
The world of Archaelund is divided in outdoor square "sectors", each of them large enough to include multiple locations such as villages, towns, ruins, bandit camps, or entrances to dungeons. Some will be more civilized and include human settlements, others will be wildlands, and typically there will be a number of dungeons accessible from them.
The first of such "sectors" is about 90% ready for the Early Access. It includes a town and many other special locations, lots of NPCs to talk to, a dozen quests and quite a few surprises. Currently it takes ten to twelve hours to create your party and go through that content, although it's hard to estimate the playing time given the open nature of the game.
There are currently another 3 accessible sectors which you can walk around, but the content in them is still only outlined.
We intend to release the EA with three sectors, and at least a dozen dungeons, although these goals may be revised. All these early sectors include towns or villages, which makes them pretty dense in terms of content. After Early Access release we plan to keep adding sectors to the game map, with a goal of 21 sectors when we reach version 1.0.
Archaelund: The Orchestral Suite performed by live orchestra!
This evening (19:30 EST) the Georgia Tech orchestra will perform a selection of themes from the Archaelund OST as the opening of the concert. If you happen to be in Atlanta, you can attend this free event at the Ferst Center in Georgia Tech university campus. Otherwise, you can follow it live on youtube!
After the suite, our composer Laura will perform Beethoven's Fourth Concerto for Piano and Orchestra.