Howdy, folks! As we approach the Early Access launch for Yoltrund, I just wanted to take some time to clarify what will happen for the game.
So, let's go through the roadmap.
Scenes and Scene Deployment
What is a Scene?
To put it simply, a Scene is what we use to describe a sequence of events. A Scene is usually a level, for example, The Void is a Scene itself, but it's kind of tied in The Tunnel and The River Keter, all in the main Canto that is The Tunnel of Sorrow. The original story was divided into "Cantos" which talked about a specific area of Yoltrund. A Scene is a smaller sequence within the Canto.
So, in Canto I: The Tunnel of Sorrow, you have The Tunnel, The Void, and The River Keter scenes.
What we plan to do is deploy Scenes for review by the community. A Scene will be fully completed upon deployment and we will use that time to test, refine, and adjust the scene. Once all of the Scenes in the Canto is finished, we will released the Scenes in a Canto update.
For example, we will start with The Void and The Tunnel. Approximately beginning of February, we will release The River Keter Scene for the community to play and provide feed back. Once that's finished, we will say that the Canto is finished and begin working on the upcoming Scenes.
There are 10 Cantos in the original story and 18 Scenes estimated for the game to receive. We will attempt to do biweekly Scene additions and even have the updates laid out on our road map.
Will I have to pay for Scenes or Cantos?
Absolutely not. You won't have the base game come with Canto I and end up having to pay extra for the following Cantos. For 2 reasons.
1) It is unfair to you guys, our players who help shape this game, to have you reach into your wallet for content that you should have had access to begin with.
2) It is a nightmare. With the engine we're using, we can't just plop new Scenes in as DLC. Like having the game have all of the content and just drop the Scenes into the build and using the proper way to do it will just complicate something that has already been complicated and would take time and resources better spent to polishing the game. Why spend resources to trying to pry money from the community when it's better spent making the game better and worth said money? So for this, we have sworn that there will be no paid DLC or even free DLC besides the game soundtrack. All content that should come with the game will come with the game.
Are you actually done with the game and just releasing bits of it over time?
To be honest, I wish I was that smart, but no. The game is actually incomplete and we want to take this time to polish it.
We actually had a short development roadmap, and then we played with the concept too much to where it got too big, but it was still a good concept and we liked it and thought it added more to gameplay. So instead of scrapping the project or releasing an unfinished and unenjoyable product, we're taking this opportunity to let the community help shape the game. There's so much story, so much more than what was in the original story, so we want to make this your story.
Community Contributions
How will we get the community involved, you might say? Well, we will be closely monitoring the community on our Subreddit and on the Steam Discussions. We will deploy a Scene or Canto and review the community feedback. This is from the community saying "I don't know about this character. Maybe make him feel a bit more alive?" to "there's a major issue I'm having that I think you guys missed. Can you help?" We will even ask for the community to help us shape the game by asking things like "come up with your own dialogue for a Traitor" or "who do you think belongs in Yoltrund" or "where do you think this character is guilty and should be punished?"
Just know, when we ask you to make a character for Yoltrund, unless the name is of signifigance, we might change it. There is a lot of name dropping in the original story that isn't very comfortable and we don't plan to add anymore names. If your character is based on a real person, we will not use their name.
And please don't ask for the US President Donald Trump to be added to the game. We have been asked this before several times and we will not do so. There are lines that we won't cross; that's one of them.
Other than that, we are happy to take community feedback and we are more than happy to let you help us shape this game and make it truly the best we can make it.
And now for some quick FAQ's since I already brought some up.
There's this one person I REALLY want added into the game. Is there something that stops me?
Generally, if you want someone who is real (alive or dead), we are likely to say no. Decisions like those are usually done by our internal design team as well as myself since I wrote the original story. You can argue for someone well known to be added, although we are likely to use the character, but change the name out of respect. If this is someone you know personally, we are also likely to say no just out of respect.
HOWEVER, you can design a character around them and submit that to us. Or put your influence on a character we want the community to shape.
When will the game be finished?
Fantastic question. As of now, until we finish Canto I, our roadmap is like the megaquake to hit California. Quoting dearly departed Robin Williams "We have a window of opportunity...Could be tomorrow, or 10,000 years from now". That's pretty much what we're looking at; depending on when Canto I is finished and Canto II is in the works, the game will either be done by August 2018...Or May 2019.
However, we do want to keep in that time window since we are planning a Nintendo DS port that will be available around that time.
Overall, we'll keep you posted.
What exactly is the game like?
I'll sum up what I can. Basically, ignoring the story, Yoltrund is a 2D top down maze crawler. You travel through Yoltrund and each Scene is a maze. Some can be completed by finding the right path, some must be completed through challenges. At the near end of the Scene, you will be tested in a unique test depending on the sin of that Scene. If you pass the test, you move on. If you fail, you lose and must start again.
I'm also going to explain something with this in the next question since I can answer that question using the same statement.
Will my saves work no matter what Canto is released or will I have to start a new save every time?
Your saves will work no matter what version of the game is live so there's no need to start a new game with each update. In the event that a corruption occurs, contact us and we will do our best to fix the corruption of your save so you don't have to start all over again.
And now for the statement that ties in the above question and this one. When you select your sin at the start of the game, be incredibly mindful of the sin you selected. Choose something that works for you, but know that whatever sin you confess to will influence the game. The easiest feature to explain is that depending on the sin you confessed to, the maze for that sin will be on "hard mode"; the maze will be more complex, the challenges even harder, and should you fail that specific challenge, your save will be deleted permanently as your soul is forever lost in the dark halls of Yoltrund. If you fail on a maze or challenge not related to your sin, your character will "die" and whatnot, but your save will just pick up where you left off.
So do bear in mind, whatever sin you select affects the game and can either have positive or negative consequences.
You mention that Yoltrund is based off of an original story. Do we get to see this story? Or a copy of it?
Yes. The base game will include the story for you to read. Special members of the community will receive a limited one-time print of the story and signed by the developer and writer.
If you have any specific questions about our development plan, do let us know. As of now, we will create a public board so the community can see what we're doing and what we're working on. We will also (at a later date) implement a reporting and feedback system into the game and your responses will be posted on a separate board used to track and process bugs or issues or to catalog requests made in-game.
Sorry for the long read, but I really appreciate you guys and your support and I look forward to presenting Yoltrund to you.
Michael Cox
Lead designer.
Keep posted on Arylos' Twitter or the Templarius Games Studios Twitter for updated information in realtime. You can also go to the Yoltrund Subreddit to keep posted on developments!