Hello everyone!
My name is Steve, a developer for Wimbus Studios. We recently released our turn based RPG, The Island of Eternal Struggle, on Steam Early Access and I wanted to start a dedicated DevLog for a number of reasons.
The Island of Eternal Struggle - what even is it?IES is a turn based RPG, built around a wacky array of job class mechanics, action command based combat, and a weird cast of characters. You'll play as the faceless soldier Ian, the holy woman Faye, the cyborg Faye, and the warrior Bera. Although it sounds like the start of a bad bar joke, as you learn about the tragic backstories of each of the characters, things start getting a little interesting.
The team wanted to make a good RPG but wanted to pour our bizarre sense of humor into it as well. We've been working on the game for over 3 years (we still aren't sure on the original start date. It's complicated.), have been to over a dozen different local gaming expos, and even ran a Kickstarter campaign for the project (which failed, but actually ended up working out for the best). It's been a journey.
The game is being built using Monogame.
So, why Early Access?Why put a (mostly) linear turn based RPG on Early Access? Valid question. There's a few factors here. Primarily, we wanted to get out of the bubble that we were working within, and begin to share the game with people who were invested in its future. We wanted to get real feedback about what worked, what didn't work, and what others would like to see. We also wanted to push and motivate ourselves, and make this game not just so we hit our own milestones, but so that we don't let down those that play our game. Reach was also important, and the number of folks that we could reach on Early Access is significantly more than just hitting local Philly expos.
How far along is it?Good question! It depends on what aspect of gameplay you focus on.
At the time of this writing, seven of the locations are available for play, not including the world map. Working, but not really ready yet (bugtesting, additional polish, updated dialogue, etc) are six additional locales. After that, we have about 8-10 locations to create, although we know what they are, and most mechanics have already been designed.
Switching over to mechanics, things are working (not perfect!), although we intent to shift design aspects based on player feedback. 8 of the 24 job classes are available for play right now, and the remaining 16 just need some polish and balancing and we'll toss em in game. The soundtrack is done, but many sound effects still need to be created.
Based on all of this, it's hard to give a percentage.
What's next?We've got a game to make! Since EA launch is finished, we're recollecting our thoughts and determining our next focus of development. In the meantime, I'm working on hard on continually fixing, polishing, and fancying up the game as well. We have new areas to work on, old areas to improve, and other types of cool stuff to implement.
Thank you for reading! Looking forward to continue the DevLog strong on these forums!
http://store.steampowered.com/app/534240/The_Island_of_Eternal_Struggle/Steve
Wimbus Studios
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