An Update Approaches
Happy Spring everyone! An update to Fantasy Realm is on the horizon, the focus of which is replacing all enemy monster/wildlife graphics and implementing battle backgrounds for exteriors, interiors, dungeons and caves (in other words, everywhere). Also included in this update is a pet cat, available at the start of the game, and a rebalance to crafting!
A Change of Scenery
After a tumultuous past 6 months, I've set up shop in a new state! This update comes something like 5 years since the initial release, so I set out some stuff to do to reacquaint myself with the game before I start tearing apart levels and systems. It's been a super beneficial approach - after this update will be a full pass on overworld/cave layouts and wildlife, and I'm feeling way more prepared for what is to come.
The big change here is battle backgrounds and enemy graphics. The enemy gfx are done by Akashics, and are really fantastic. He's got a massive library of graphics, and unifying enemy design does wonders for the consistency of the game. Battle backgrounds are being implemented by hand, rather than assigned by terrain type, so I'm going over every inch of each map to ensure the backgrounds feel appropriate to where you were and what you were doing before the battle scene.
Minor changes to crafting are coming as well, which have big affects throughout the game. The basic crafting manuals are gone, so as you gather supplies new crafting recipes will be unlocked. I've also rebalanced ink costs, so spellcasters should find the system significantly more accessible in the early game. I've also played around with the resolution/font sizes, and have settled on a smaller canvas. Things always seemed a bit too zoomed out for me, and sure enough, a smaller canvas makes the game feel much cozier and appropriate for the theme and genre.
A full list of upcoming changes can be found below - expect the update early to mid April! Thanks for checking out the post!
Change List for Version 0.27
-Updated all enemy graphics
-Added terrain-contextual backgrounds to all battles
-Added a cat companion, available at the start of the game
-Updated resolution, font sizes, etc.
-Greatly reduced crafting costs for ink used in scroll/spellbook crafting
-Changed basic crafting to no longer require crafting books
-Minor changes to a few attack animations
-Switched Field Lizards and Salamanders from aggressive to passive
