Show Off Your Skills!
It’s been a while since our last update, which means we have a LOT to tell you about. For starters, development has been running smoothly. Our team has grown along with our ambitions, and we’re still on track for a 2024 release. This game has become a larger undertaking than any of us could have imagined when we began development, and we couldn’t be more excited for everyone to get their hands on the final product. So, what have we been up to? Well I thought you’d never ask.
Skills are the most important addition to combat since weapons. With a wide variety of attacks, buffs, and debuffs, they open up countless new ways to deal with enemies. We want players with all kinds of playstyles to find skills that fit them best, so we made sure to include plenty of variety. You can slow down hulking foes with an ice blast, call an airstrike of meteors on groups of alien minions, or go berserk to increase your speed, damage, and overall destruction.
Each weapon category has its own primary skill, with a secondary skill that changes from weapon to weapon. Primary skills were designed specifically to compliment the weapon type they’re attached to. For example, the shotgun’s primary skill lets you move faster and do more damage, reinforcing the up-close playstyle of the weapon. Secondary skills, however, vary between weapons, giving players the option to choose the weapon with their favorite skill attached.
As you upgrade a weapon, you upgrade its respective skills. Buffs last longer, chargeable skills can charge to new heights, and the number of projectiles increases. Upgrading your weapons opens new doors for blasting, something we can all get behind.
Other than the addition of skills, weapons themselves have come a long way since the last playtest in March. Each basic weapon class has been redesigned and given a cool lighting effect, and dozens more weapons are in the works for future releases. We’re also working to create weapon cosmetics, which will allow players to customize the appearance of all weapons within a certain group.
Our artists and level designers have been working hard to bring the world of Etheria to new heights. We’ve effectively doubled the map since the last available playtest, and we suspect to increase it even more by the time the next playtest comes around (stay tuned).
The Atomic Wasteland is the largest (and dare I say coolest looking) map addition so far. As the second of five planned areas, you can expect 3 more map additions of this caliber prior to release. The Atomic Wasteland is made of 5 unique subareas. It wouldn't be hard to list off some of the points of interest that make this area so special, but it would be best to let you experience it in-game.
We've all been there before, the first combat encounter of a new MMO. You've either got to fight off wolves that are attacking villagers, or clean up some rats pestering a farmer. We opted for the latter. Right outside of Etheria’s capital city, you'll see a family of Etherian farmers tending to their crops and (rather large) livestock. If you're feeling helpful, you can assist by cleaning up some of the pests so that they can focus on their farm work.
