Hello, Merchants!
We wanted to jump in and give another final update on the status of the Closed Beta. Our progress had slowed recently due to some issues not related to development, but we have made consistent progress nonetheless, and we are now almost back to our normal pacing!
With that said, the reason we are calling this our final update is because our next post will be the actual announcement of the release date for it! And we don’t expect it to be a long wait from announcement to release. Most likely when we make the announcement, it will be within days of the actual time we intend to release the Closed Beta.
So, we also wanted to remind everyone of what exactly the Closed Beta is, as it is going to be a very odd state of the game.
The live version of Merchant’s Guide has a few major issues that we are wanting to resolve before implementing the final features and leaving Early Access. These are the UI/UX and the Logbook/Tutorial. We have awesome plans and changes coming for these features, however, because the new Logbook will be entirely based on the new UI, and we want to test the UI before finalizing it, when Closed Beta initially launches, it will not have a Logbook included! This means that if you are not already an experienced player of Merchant’s Guide, the vast majority of what is happening in the first version of Closed Beta will make little to no sense, so we advise that you take part in the first phase of Closed Beta only if you have a decent understanding of the game mechanics, and even then you are in for a big learning curve to adapt to the new way the game plays. We will release a video along with Closed Beta that will help, but it will be tough if you are not familiar.
However, the second phase of Closed Beta, which should arrive only a couple of weeks after the first phase starts, will include the inevitable fixes/changes to the first phase of the UI, as well as the Logbook. So if you are eager to try the game with the new UI and the new Logbook, and you are wanting to help with the testing process, the second phase of Closed Beta is for you! We will make sure to release a community update once Phase 2 starts!
The new Logbook itself is going to be short video clips that you can watch to get the rundown on the various game mechanics as you see fit. There will be written instructions as well, but the idea is to make it so someone can get through the entirety of the game without having to read a single word of instructions. A very large change from the current live version of the game.
Keep an eye out for another Community Post like this coming soon, where we will announce the details of the Closed Beta and the launch date. If you want to participate in the Closed Beta, be it the first or second phase, you can do so by simply joining our Discord! We have a closed beta channel and the instructions will all be discussed there for anyone who wants to be a part of it! You can join our discord here:
Finally, we don’t want you to leave empty-handed! We have another new track coming your way which is the theme song for the Earthstone itself! The physical manifestation of raw power! Listen to the new track ahead of its in-game debut here:
View game page
Thanks for reading, and we will see you again very soon with our next post announcing the release date for the Closed Beta!
-Devs