Rejoice! Good news!
Even though I've been focusing on a completely new game project, I've decided not to let a good year's effort go to waste. Despite the odds, I will complete and release Dragon Riddler too.
Based on feedback I received, it seems to me that the Journey act, in which the adventurer searches for the dragon's lair, was either way too easy or frustratingly hard.
Over the couple of months I had the development of Dragon Riddler on hold, I kept thinking about it a lot. I believe I have figured out how to make the game better in every regard.
The concept changes a bit. Don't worry: it's still very much about seeking treasure and fighting dragons of various breeds and age categories, so let me explain what's coming.
The word-duel system will dominate the game, and your adventurer will fight the kinds of enemies you'd expect in heroic fantasy. You've already faced some during Journeys, but now you'll be able to fight them individually.
But that's not all! I'm not the kind of designer-developer who just hacks something together and moves on. Let me introduce you to the Regions (or Realms) system. (I haven't decided the final term yet.)
In a typical adventure there are 5 Regions. You start at Region 1, facing the easiest challenges, and your goal is to reach the final Region where the dragon's lair is.
Each Region is protected by a few monsters and a boss, a stronger opponent. For example, the boss of the first Region is a Hatchling dragon who doesn't yet have any breath weapon but is already a formidable foe. Not all bosses are dragons.
The Region boss guards a Gate or Portal (again, terminology not yet decided). To open it, you'll need to break a magical seal by playing a quick, refreshingly challenging new type of word puzzle aimed at building a stronger word than the one sealing your progress (no, this is not a puzzle you might have seen in my previous game, Words of Yendor, it's completely new idea). If you fail here, the magical ward throws you back at the start of the Region, and you must fight your way back past respawned guardians to try again.
Once you break the seal, your adventurer gets their reward and a clue about the nature of the final dragon breed. As you collect these clues moving forward through Regions, you'll have more information to prepare for the final confrontation, since each dragon breed is very different. Oh, and lest I forget to mention, each time you fail a Gate challenge, the dragon becomes older and tougher. Use this advice both as a warning and to your advantage!
I don't yet have a date to announce for the demo update, but I'm making good progress, and can't wait to share my work with you -- you happy few, you band of fearless adventurers.
Thank you for remaining on guard and not giving up hope when I, the creator of Dragon Riddler, had to make that dark decision a few months back. But now I am back, and so is Dragon Riddler!
See you soon!
Sandor