Honorable Knights of the Valley,
Three months have passed since the release of Alpha1 and I'd like to let everyone know about the good progress that has been made towards the next version during that time.
First off, the new health overview screen is now done. Such an overview is, of course, an important component in any RPG, and it's critical for the survival parts in Knights of Frontier Valley.
Much more exciting, though, is how the game world is really coming to life.
Game development sometimes reminds me of creating a theatre play. First you need a script (= game concept), before the stage (= game world) can be set up and the actors (= characters) brought in.
Going by this comparison, Knights of Frontier Valley's script is 100% complete, but it continues to be improved and added to as the play develops, up until the final release.
The stage is set up about 75% (most maps, and objects on those maps, are available), and more and more actors are being brought in - I'd estimate we are at about 50% here, but this part goes relatively fast, since artwork and animations are mostly done and it's just about integrating them into the game now.
Meanwhile, the actors are also being taught what their part in the play will be. Today, I implemented the change of the town guard, and the brave militia spearmen and archers of each shift now will happily leave the guard headquarters and walk back home to their families when duty of the day has been done (and their replacements are on-site).
At about 1 am, the afternoon shift is done and the guards are leaving the milita HQ
So really, each NPC has their own building, individually furnished and filled with items fitting to their role and status. As the player, you can enter their homes and try to rob them blind while they are at work, but messing with a town guard soldier is at your own risk.
The home of a wealthy citizen of rank
Since Alpha2 will be a sandbox game, story and quests are what's most incomplete. The entire groundwork for creating quests has been done and tutorial quests are already available, but content is king and it will take some time after Alpha2 to add a good amount of story-related content. When this is done, it's ready for the Early Access release.
Until next time,
Martin