Hello everyone !
It's been a while since the last devlog in December. I hope you're all well.
I'd like to take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year (it's never too late). I'm going to do a quick summary of what happened previously.
Last Year, I tried to do a kickstarter which unfortunately failed, and I also regret to announce that I did not find a publisher either, ( I think they do not realize yet the ambition of the project è__é ). I did my best but the main problem that came up was that they preferred to edit a game that did not rely on freelancers. In fact, I started the project alone and I currently use a freelancer for everything that is programming, and sometimes colleagues who help me to make magnificent animations or 3D models. The project was initially able to start thanks to the help of my brother who financed it and who manages everything administrative/accounting.
I still had to revise things downwards, but early access is still planned for this summer, I will try my best to make it as good as possible.
by the end of April I will offer those who wish to test an alpha, this will allow me to have feedback and to correct/add features. To be informed about this, I invite you to join my Discord, where I regularly post progress on the project : https://discord.gg/RPbeAk3CcQ
Oh and on Twitter too I post a lot of little things : https://x.com/Sydnus83
Early access will be half of the first chapter (three chapters in total in the final game). I don't know how long it will be yet, but there will be side quests and you'll be able to explore the world of The Explorator in several paths (semi-open areas).
I completely redid the forest and beach levels from the old demos to make them look more natural and semi-open
Initially planned as a frenetic doom-like, The Explorator has become an atmospheric shooter, inspired by Stalker, E.Y.E. Divine Cybermancy, and The Long Dark. You'll explore majestic and immersive locations while being on the lookout for the constantly lurking danger. I hope you enjoy this new direction. I also took the opportunity to remove the demo, which no longer fits the game's new vision. you will be transported to the beauty of Ospolis Island which is matched only by its danger. There will be many various encounters on your way, from fearsome militarized goblins to phantasmagorical creatures, environmental elements such as burning geyzer pits or immense toxic ooze.
Having quality equipment will be essential if you hope to cross the most remote areas. You can acquire it by searching enemy bases, gathering resources to craft them, or purchasing them from vendors. The crafting system will allow you to create new and improved equipment, you will always be able to buy what you are missing from merchants in exchange for a higher cost.
A pleasure village of Explorator, you will be able to stock up on logistics and information
There will be walking sim and light RPG elements, there's still the stalker-inspired inventory system, you'll have a wide range of equipment to choose from and upgrade, and lots of information to gather from Explorators and locations that you can consult in your codex and quest log. Storytelling will become a major component of the project, there will be a lot of writing to do and edit, but I will strive to make it exciting to discover. I also wanted to implement more survival mechanisms like item durability or bleeding, but that will have to come later in early access. There will also be additions of new enemies or even new quests planned in the already existing levels.
A short moment of relaxation in an Atlantean cathedral
My goal this year would be to properly launch early access this summer and set a sales figure of 3,000 by the end of the year. This would allow me to properly continue early access. If I'm lucky enough to exceed this figure, I could help myself with new talented freelancers and add more features and quality to the overall production, whether it's animations, sets, writing. In any case, I will continue to work on the rest of the chapters. I plan to sell the early access for around fifteen euros, and the price will increase as new chapters arrive.
I'll do what's necessary to advertise on social media and through influencers. By the way, I wanted to ask you if you had a good contact list of influencers/youtubers/streamers who would be interested in playing the game, to be honest I don't know many and I thank you warmly in advance for any information !
To properly prepare for the launch, I'm putting together a trailer that will be exciting (I hope). It will also be very different from the last trailers I've made. It'll be a bit of a surprise for those who have been following the project from the beginning.
I'll launch early access at the same time as the trailer. I'm currently looking for an event in June-July to launch the trailer; that would be ideal.
Thanks again to those who are still following me on this adventure. I'll keep you updated just before the early access release.
Sydney