Hey Everyone!
I have decided to end the current playtest.
Thank you to everyone who took the time to play and share their feedback, you guys are awesome!!
Based on your experiences, I will be making the following changes.
The idea of leveling is going away entirely and will be reserved for new game +. Many of you expressed frustration that your skills reset when you leveled up and that you felt punished for it. If I do not force a hard reset but still allow you to double your strength, the game becomes way to easy to early and so I decided to do away with it all together. Because the code still exists though, I will treat each new playthrough as a "level up" which allows me to repurpose all of that code into a NG+ system. The cost to level each skill will be reduced though.
The wilds are being cut completely. While I thought the wilds would be a massive hit, they were not. Most of the players who went to the wilds went back once before quitting the playtest entirely. While I definitely get that those who loved the wilds will be disappointed, it was ultimately best to re-use that code to make the islands around the villages better.
The islands around the village are coming back! I will be using many of the systems I created for the wilds to create new and interesting islands around Stoneshade village and beyond. While players felt lost in the wilds, in previous versions they were doing exactly what they should at the islands around the town. This means you will need to learn the landscape around the village's more, but will feel more free in your exploration knowing there is always a route home. I will be using many of the systems developed for the wilds in these new islands to keep things interesting.
Changes to Stoneshade village: Stoneshade village has been in way to good of shape thought these playtests. Stoneshade village will be in much worse shape when you first arrive and through smart decision making and crafting, you will be able to restore the village to it's former glory.
The way you interact with the world is changing. Nightly raids of enemies will start attacking the town and the buildings you made or restored. Each night, enemies will pass through the gate in an attempt to capture lumen and destroy your buildings. Enemies will get stronger every 5 days until they reach max level. Will defenses you make hold, or will you need to step in?
Player bases are going away. I am removing the idea of a player owned base and are instead adapting it into the existing villages systems to make make you feel like you are rebuilding the broken world and that your actions are more impactful.
Building: As of today I am trying to find a way to keep the building system in the game, but because the wilds and the player base are no longer going to be in the game this will take some careful thought. I am looking into allowing building on the islands surrounding the major cities and will do so if it adds value or fun to the player experience. If you have an opinion to share on this topic please do so in the discord!
Join the Shores of Stellaluna Discord!
I will need some time to implement these changes, but for those of you who did not get the chance to play, I will be running another one soon so be sure to request access!
See you in the shores again soon!
- Dustin