Hi folks,
Steam Trading Cards are now live for Erannorth Renaissance! Along with them, you'll find exclusive profile backgrounds, emoticons, and, of course, badges to showcase your achievements in the world of Erannorth Renaissance.
Meanwhile, our next content update, unofficially dubbed Oxgate, is well underway, and if all goes as planned, it will be available to everyone by the end of the month. While the plague-ravaged town of Oxgate won’t introduce any new merchants or activities just yet, it plays a crucial role in completing the kingdom of Doven. With Oxgate in place, you'll finally have a fully connected region to explore, making your adventures even more immersive.
All the content in Erannorth Renaissance so far has been handcrafted by me and professional freelance writers. While it often includes many permutations and elements of randomness, the procedural factor has remained minimal.
A good example is the new lake area added in Llanford. It also serves as a nice backdrop for more intimate encounters.
While it may take a few passes to unearth all its secrets and you can use it for fishing, eventually, you will come to expect what you’ll find.
Our handcrafted content offers good replayability, but I want more. After all, Erannorth Renaissance isn’t just a story-rich game. It’s also a sandbox. This brings us to the major feature of the upcoming update: which are procedurally generated contracts.
Contracts are side quests that range from escorting NPCs and tracking bounties to clearing lairs and delivering goods. Success builds trust and opens new opportunities, while failure, betrayal, or unforeseen risks can shape your reputation and standing in the world. Friends can become rivals, rivals can become allies, and NPCs may end up arrested or dead—eventually replaced by others—gradually reshaping the fabric of the world with every action you take.
As of the development build 0.6.75, this system is well in place, most of the quirks are already ironed and you can test it out now in the beta branch. Currently, there are four types of regional contracts available:
- Escort – Safely transport an NPC from one location to another.
- Bounty – Track down and bring a wanted criminal to justice.
- Lair – Eliminate all hostiles in a designated area.
- Supply – Deliver a shipment of goods to a specific NPC.
Completing these contracts will grant various rewards, including farthings, experience, and randomized loot. Additionally, your actions will influence your relationships—positively or negatively—with the person issuing the job or the individual you're pursuing. Most importantly, this update establishes a solid framework that we can build upon and expand even further in the future.
I am looking for work in Valetport.
Escorting this Ulysses fellow sounds like a plan.
Okay, so he wants to go outside of Llanford. See the gold pin?
Let's zoom out a bit. Okay, first we actually need to pick him up. That's the first marked tile.
I'm now in Keywick. My thirst is ravenous, but before grabbing a bite, let's see what's on offer here. Hmm, maybe tracking Alden—I’ll have to ask around and see if anyone in Keywick has spotted him. Now, off to feed!
Okay, full disclosure—I was looking for something to drink and instead stumbled upon my bounty. How quaint!
He tried to run, but oh well, I've seen plenty of runners before.
The majority of the new content will, of course, remain handcrafted. However, by blending handcrafted and procedural elements and weaving them together, I believe we can create even more dynamic and immersive adventures—making it truly your story.
So beyond the new contracts and shiny new cloaks, I've also introduced a fatigue system (or thirst for vampires). And depending on how much content I receive from my freelance authors by the end of the month, there may be even more.
In the meantime, you can join the beta and experience the Oxgate update as it takes shape. Your feedback is always welcome, so if you have any questions or suggestions, drop them in the comments!