After the launch of Sands of Salzaar's latest major update “Battle of the Black Sun” which brought English localization and a slew of new content, now we are ready to reveal what’s coming up next in the development of Sands of Salzaar.
November 2020: Quest Improvements and Additions to Multiplayer
The current iteration of multiplayer in Sands of Salzaar is just a framework of what is possible, and for the next major update we want to address the issues discovered during this period and further polish the current content.
Update highlights
- New additions to the multiplayer framework and “Battle of the Black Sun” map
This includes refinements for the co-op map, and various multiplayer specific item/gear changes.
- Continuous development of mod tools and expanded support for English language mod tools
There will undoubtedly be increased demands on mod tool features and stability after the English launch and the multiplayer feature, this is something crucial for talented mod makers to unleash their creativity. We are also looking to optimize the support for English mod makers so no matter what language you choose to play in, you could always share the freedom of modding.
- Quest system improvements
We also want to address some of the most emergent pain points like the quest system and further refine quest content.
- Additional mod developer support for multiplayer
- More battleground map variations in singleplayer
We are targeting a 1-2 month development time for this update, the features listed above are more urgent, with additional challenges from the multiplayer.
January 2021: Siege Battle Improvements and New Class
One of the most frequent feedbacks we received is the lack of variety in siege battles, especially during endgame and repeated sieges. More siege command options, and unit pathing are also we are specifically working on to fix and improve.
Update highlights
- Siege battle improvements
The current siege battle design is not interesting enough, the lack of AI challenge makes endgame a bit on the tedious side of things. A revamp to siege battles would significantly increase the quality of battle experience throughout the game.
- A new starting class
I mean, who doesn’t like new playable characters? Although we’d love to keep the details on this in wraps for now. Plus, we are also making improvements to other classes and tuning the overall balance.
- PvP multiplayer map sample.
After the previous additions to the multiplayer framework and Battle of the Black Sun co-op map, we are planning to add a simple competitive multiplayer map as a sample.
- Existing classes optimizations
- Existing troop balancing
- Troop AI improvements
April 2021: Better Character Interactions, New Side Quests and Controller Support
For this kind of open world game, nuances in character interaction is a very interesting aspect. To achieve what we want from the system, a few major changes must be made, including a redesign of favor/reputation system, more character side stories and more variety in NPC actions.
Update highlights
- Nuanced character relationships
We envision Sands of Salzaar to be leaning towards the RPG side of a game, and we want it to feel like a proper one. The depth, characteristics, and the resulting possibilities in their interactions are what make every playthrough unique and interesting, and we want the players to have the desire to understand the world, the people and their backstories.
- More faction activities
Factions within the story will become more active in their trading, plundering and under table dealings. They will be much smarter when it comes to decisions, which leads to many more uncertainties and possibilities. You might want to change how you approach that certain Sultan a little, or a lot.
- More character side stories
- Controller support
This is a very important feature for us, and is something necessary for Sands of Salzaar to expand to other platforms like the Nintendo Switch. It’s relatively simple to support controllers for combat, but a total UI overhaul is necessary for full controller support, so this is something we are doing a bit later into development.
Final Words
That’s what we have today for the next chapter in the world of Sands of Salzaar. We will also continue to update the game, fixing bugs and adding key features during this stage of development.
We are truly humbled by the tremendous amount of support since our last major release, and all the constructive feedback is incredibly valuable for us to determine what to do next for the game. We hope you like our showings here, and see you in the desert!
