Kedemara - The Orphan's Ballad News

Hello everyone!!


The day is (finally) here! Chapter 5's release date is contained within! If my lack of communication isn't sufficient to imply it, I will state here that I've been QUITE busy with it and...other life events. The more and more I worked on it, the more I believe that splitting Chapter 5 up was the right move. Between several life surprises (and a WEEK without electricity...), things have been anything but smooth. Enough of that though, let's get some context on progress and then, on with the news!! =)


[h2]Test's Been Good To Me, So Far[/h2]
With the exception of Chapter 5's tail-end, and a couple of historical cinematics, beta testing of story content for Chapter 5 is completed! While it may not sound like much, this means roughly 90-95% of the work is done. THAT was the portion that takes up the most time, so it's a huge relief to have it out of the way. So what's the verdict on Chapter 5's content so far?

While Chapter 4 had a sort of "inverted bell curve", the beginning and end having a dense concentration of content (with the middle being rather "unbalanced"), my Tester has said that Chapter 5 is VERY consistent and the quality of content is excellent. The pacing is good, story content in areas feels properly balanced, and the content in general fits well together.

Without any encounters or Boss battles included, the content during the playtest was about 8 hours, meaning around 8.5 hrs for the finished product. Since things aren't 100% finalized yet (still need to polish and may expand a few parts), it could be even more. One of the other issues with Chapter 4 was the perceived lack of content, I feel Chapter 5 will not suffer from that same issue.


[h3]The Mysteries of Histories[/h3]
I had thrown out a number before about the "living history" segments, which DID make for a great expansion of content, but since the chapter is being split I'll give an updated number on what to expect in terms of historical entries...
Sahaiah of Myrador = 1 entry
King Robert MacLeod = 2 entries
King Namath MacLeod = 1 entry
Queen Cora MacLeod = 1 entry
Prince Edgar = 2 entries
King Phillip Norton = 1 entry

With the exception of Sahaiah's, these are all repeatable in their designated locations. There will be a part in Chapter 6 where you can replay/recall ALL of them if you wish to (with the exception of Sahaiah's). All but Sahaiah's are 100% voluntary, but a lot of love and work went into making them. The story will be far richer and the context much clearer if they are experienced when possible. I've had very positive feedback on these from Testers, please be sure to give them a try!!


[h3]The To-Do List[/h3]
As far as what's left, I do have some testing and another dialogue revision lingering. This is for the last 30 or so minutes of Chapter 5. Once this is completed, it will be on to encounters, item/gear creation, combat balancing, and a final pass to buff out the rough spots. Combat aside, up until the last 30 mins or so is completely done and in a playable state. Bugs are going to happen though, and keeping in mind that I work a full-time job, I'll try and squash them as soon as possible. It's typically not figuring out the fix, but having the time to sit down and apply fixes that's the problem. Patience with me on this is greatly appreciated!

[h2]
Drum Roll, Please![/h2]
The current planned release date is....August 23rd, 2024!

While this may seem excessive, given the progress I noted up above, some issues can only be found by playing the Chapter in its entirety. Pacing and other such things can be done in segments (no need to replay the whole thing), but even a single playthrough is checking through 8 hours of content at a careful pace. Combat balancing and testing can also be time-consuming, as some folks grind a lot to reach max level, while others play through in one shot.

I want to make sure that battles are fun and engaging, without forcing someone to radically alter their play style. If it's too easy, you can always self-impose more difficulty! Try defeating a boss without items or heals! You can also equip old gear to make the fight more challenging! Just remember to save often before you do!! =)


[h3]Chapter 6...finally?[/h3]
Obviously, I don't have a release date for Chapter 6 (the final Chapter of Kedemara) at this time. To get the possible disappointment out of the way, this one may not be as long as other Chapters have been. Some of the teaser trailer content WAS from what's now Chapter 6, but the mapping and other content is in a VERY alpha state. I also have none of the living history segments for Chapter 6 completed.

I may be able to finish this in less time than previous Chapters have taken. My IDEAL release date will be Spring/Summer of 2025. The living history segments are sort of a wild card right now (even though the outlines are already written), but I wouldn't count on Chapter 6 being a full 8-9 hours either. It will likely be somewhere in the ballpark of 5-6 hours total. Candidly, I'm looking forward to wrapping things up and moving on, as I've been working on Kedemara for a very, VERY long time! What was planned as a 20 hour game will be over 50 when all is said and done!

There's a lot of emotional attachment to the game for me, but I look forward to introducing new friends and new stories to everyone! I'm also looking forward to taking a break on a weekend or two! Of course, until I start on Kedemara II...speaking of!



[h2]Kedemara II, anyone?[/h2]
A few people I've spoken to are QUITE excited about the alternative mechanics of Kedemara II. I'll state that like many facets of life, you can't please everyone (...even when it happens to be free lol). I wouldn't call it "better" or "worse" than Kedemara I, just different. Your characters in Kedemara I have a set class designation, but have access to all abilities because of that. You learn Shield Bash, you always have Shield Bash!

Based on what gear you equip, characters in Kedemara II will have access to different skill sets and abilities. One character may function more like Deirdre with a sword and shield equipped, but has the ability to heal with a Mace and Tome equipped! This helps you find combinations that work best for the situation and the characters in question. Again, not better or worse but different!

The story in Kedemara II will DEFINITELY be fun and engaging, but past the Prologue, "Episodes" will be playable in nearly any order (working in a very broad "tier" set) and can be replayed later on too. The tightly interwoven narrative of Kedemara I is not necessarily feasible with the format Kedemara II will have. Each episode will be enjoyable and story-rich, but will function more like an episode of Star Trek: TNG, where Kedemara I's story could be compared to a show like Breaking Bad...where it is a clear, linear progression from start to finish. To reiterate, not better or worse...just different!


[h3]Voyage Length?[/h3]
The first installment will be the Prologue (probably about 5-6 hours long) and a couple of episodes as well. We'd be looking at about 8 or so hours of content total in that first installment. Kedemara II will ALSO be 100% free, so no worries about paying per-episode or purchasing the "Elite Naval Commander Gear Package" for $4.99 upon release. As long as I can keep these free, I will!

Due to it's episodic nature, Kedemara II will be able to go indefinitely...in theory. There MAY be a wrap-up point at some time (maybe after 40-50 hours of content?), but there won't be any cliffhangers or something along those lines to contend with in the story. A different approach, but hopefully one that allows me to reclaim some of my personal and social life! Who knows, I might even pick up an MMORPG or two ;-)


[h3]Trying for a Trifecta?[/h3]
Kedemara II isn't even released yet, and I've had people asking about releases coming after it! XD

True enough, I am on record saying there could be 5 games in total. I have sets of characters and "worlds" built for that many entries in the series if I so choose. The issue is that by Kedemara III, there's too much about that game that would necessitate a 3D environment. It COULD be doable in 2D, but a lot of what sets it apart would be lost. It would also be set MUCH farther into the future (we're talking a few CENTURIES here...), which could cause some confusion for people jumping straight into that entry first.

I've explored the possibility of other 2D projects, and while a partnership with a developer/publisher sounds nice, I am uncertain if that's a plausible scenario for me in the foreseeable future. I DO love the end result of game development (people enjoying and having fun playing the game), but this is by far not my only creative outlet. I've performed music for MUCH longer and my D&D experiences pre-date game development too. Who knows though? Kind of hard to shake any "bug" that manages to latch onto me ;-)



Well, I hope this was more than tolerable to read! As always, I truly appreciate everyone who has played and streamed Kedemara! Without everyone who does, making this game would be like telling jokes to myself! My driving force as a Dungeon Master was the enjoyment of my players, game development is no different for me. Thank you all for your support, and look forward to Chapter 5's release next month!!



- Andrew (Creator)

Hello again, Everyone!!


Well, at least this update came sooner than previous intervals! I'm always more motivated when I have GOOD news to share, instead of something that will bum everyone out. This is a pretty important news update, so I would ask you read the Chapter 5 news in its entirety at the very least.

In short, Chapter 5 will be coming out sooner than expected! However...that might not mean what you think it means. There is a release window of a couple months from now (narrower date range below), but let me explain what's happening and why...



[h2]***State of the Game***[/h2]
I did another "coarse draft" test with one of my Playtesters, and while most of this was to work out bugs, I was again surprised at how much content was there overall. There were some issues with main story progress and no combat was present, but having only gone through about 2/5ths of the fine-draft content thus far, we're looking at ~6-8 hours thus far, once all the content is in order. Now, being in the "Fine Draft" state has several things unaccounted for that take substantial amounts of time. Combat balancing, enemy creation, items/gear, encounter rate adjustment, map scaling/tweaking, finalizing dialogue, and adjusting "pacing" for the chapter so as not to have combat or dialogue fatigue. While this may sound superfluous and quick, time required for getting things "just right" is hard to nail down and VERY vital to the final result. In the same way an FPS or fighting genre game needs to "feel right", the story and flow needs to be the same in an RPG.

Concerning WHAT they played thus far, they REALLY enjoyed the new "living history" segments I discussed in the last post, where you assume the POV of a historical figure, taking control of them and exploring/having conversations as them during this glimpse into their history. As a storytelling tool, it felt like a good bit of variety when peppered in between "cinematics", making it more interactive to get the history of that person. This is also a chance to put a name and personality to a face. It's one thing to see and hear about Prince Edgar, it's another to experience his thoughts and motivations. I feel this has definitely been a change that was quite worthwhile. I look forward to seeing everyone's experiences with it, and creating the rest of them slated for the rest of Kedemara!

Aside from that new feature, they also enjoyed the main story and new areas as well. I feel very confident in the variety and aesthetics the new locales and cities will offer in Chapter 5, as the tilesets are some I've never used before. There are still many laughs to be had, but there are some very compelling and emotional scenes you'll see in Chapter 5 as well. "The Feels" was a phrase that came up often in the rough and fine drafts thus far...definitely in line with what has been expected of Kedemara thus far. With all of that in mind, Chapter 5 will be releasing soon, but that is because the originally planned layout will be split in two...


[h3]--Why the change in plans?--[/h3]
As stated prior, after filling things out and polishing, we're going to be looking at about 7-8 hours of content for the now-planned Chapter 5. It may end up being MORE, as shifting the goalpost to a different part gives me more flexibility to pace the story and make additions where needed with more grace. The new ending point for Chapter 5 will be a very good spot and sets up Chapter 6 quite well.

While Chapter 4 had a fantastic, well-paced climax in my opinion...it didn't really leave much suspense or clarity as to what Chapter 5 had coming up. That won't be so with the transition from Chapter 5 to 6. The quality of the content thus far is much more "full" and without compromise, even compared to the pacing for Chapter 4 was. I felt the strength of the story in Chapter 4 had a sort of an inverse bell curve to it, where Blanchielle and Port Habhid felt incredibly strong, but Port Regatta and Wakeru City were a little softer, though still enjoyable according to my friends and Playtesters.

I always strive for consistency, while looking at the big picture of someone playing the game from start to finish...I feel like the trajectory for Chapter 5 that will follow into Chapter 6 is definitely where I want the pacing to be.


From a timing perspective, it's hard to explain the different phases of development and how they intersect with my personal life. I am a team of one, and while I can buy asset packs for art or music (or commission assets), the production of the game is totally up to me. This is all done in what time I can spare between my career job, home management, family/friend commitments, and unexpected life events like switching jobs or moving to a new residence. I've had previous release windows for Kedemara pushed back for months, in the last two years I've changed jobs 3 times. As the adage goes, "Third time's the charm", and I do not regret the decision I made with my current job at all.

However, that and the ending of my lease agreements being in that timeframe added up to things like insanely delayed progress and Chapter 4 not getting released until 4 months after I'd planned it to be. Chapter 5 development was subsequently pushed out 4-months later because of when Chapter 4 released. With my job change and this past January (and other issues with housing around the same time), I'd prefer to push the release date schedule (where I aim for about 1 year between releases) to late summer instead of start of the calendar year. I don't really like to bring personal life into the discussion, but this just to say it will assist me in making content more consistent and quality for future releases.


[h3]--Going forward, what can we expect?--[/h3]
My goal will be getting Chapter 6 out roughly a year from when Chapter 5 releases. While I don't have AS much completed for those later parts, the bulk mapping and many other things are already laid-out for Chapter 6 as I write this post. I'll be starting with better footing for it than I did for what is currently Chapter 5. This will help ensure the development process will go smoother and there will be less guesswork when it comes to story and layout.

Ideally, we're looking at August of 2024 for the release of Chapter 5. Sometime in July I will be able to give a more solid release date, but for now that's the plan!! This should slate the release of Chapter 6 (the final one, for sure this time) as Summer 2025, or possibly sooner! If all works out, it will come out in the Spring of 2025 to coincide with my desired release schedule for Kedemara II.

SPEAKING of Kedemara II...


[h2]***Kedemara II News***[/h2]
It may seem premature to talk about Kedemara II given the news I just delivered about Kedemara I, but this information gives some context to why Kedemara I's development has been the way it is, how Kedemara II will be structured differently, as well as what that means for content and player experience moving forward...


[h3]--Story Structure--[/h3]
While Kedemara II will still have the same spirit, fun, and excitement of Kedemara I, it's important to understand the perspective of Koda as compared to Deirdre. In Kedemara, Deirdre is re-telling the story to someone, so understandably the game is told and experienced in a very linear (story) format. The scale of the game from a mapping perspective is VERY large...we're talking 300+ maps for Kedemara thus far. There were many structure and scripting decisions I made in the past that would be rather difficult to try and "clean up" at this point in development. If I had a better idea of what I was doing back then (this IS my first game), I may have structured things in a way that is easier to manage, but I've taken advantage of it's linearity to try and make content farther in better arranged.

Kedemara II is experienced as it happens (well, the first time around), and is much more focused on the "here and now" than the past. Koda is just starting her adventure, so the game is experienced in a different format entirely, from a story perspective. This gives me FAR more flexibility, I will also be starting this off in the RPG Maker MZ engine (instead of MV) or perhaps whatever comes out soon that may or may not be superior...I've got another year to make up my mind =)

Besides just having a far better approach to organizing the back-end of things at the start, Kedemara II will be a far more flexible and laid-back approach to how the game is experienced by the Player...which is in alignment with the attitude and tone of the story as well. Kedemara II will have a more "Hub-and-Spoke" layout to the story, where the end goal will be doing the story in (nearly) any order.

There will be a prologue at the start of the game, which will be roughly 6-8 hours, in line with a typical Kedemara I chapter release. This is to get you acquainted with the main cast of characters, the setting, and explain the core mechanics of the game in a well-paced chunk of story. Once that part has been completed, you'll be in your "Story Hub", which will serve as the launching point for your choice and departure into various "Episodes" that will be released.


[h3]--"What's an 'Episode' going to entail?--[/h3]
The main difference with the "episodes", is they will be around 1-2 hour long chunks of story that are self-contained. These should be doable in any order, but there may be some "Tiers" or "Sets" of episodes that may be used to manage difficulty or things along those lines. Experience will be gained at completion of the episode, not on a fight-by-fight basis. This will open the possibility of not doing random encounters for character progress, but there will certainly be some mechanics that help you if boss fights or story encounters become too difficult. Since there will be more focus on combat and progress in Kedemara II, this may not be a problem once I get farther along in my planning.

Given the format of these (and hopefully with better planning), these Episode releases will happen twice a year, at least. There may be some auxiliary content releases such as secret dungeons, caves, or "raids" if you will that are accessible from your "hub". These may be for challenge purposes, making episode combat easier, or getting special achievements/items as well. There's a lot of possibility for fun mechanics with this new format and I'm very excited to see where this takes us in Kedemara II.

You will also be able to REPLAY all of these episodes as well!! Now, the only things you would need to go back and play through an episode again for would be episode Achievements, missed story content, or perhaps combat technique manuals you didn't locate the first time around. There has been some disappointment from Kedemara I not allowing you to backtrack for all Achievements, so I feel like this will address that concern for players of Kedemara II. The explanation in-game for how this replaying is possible is pretty cute, I'll leave it for an announcement when we're closer to Kedemara II's release.

[h3]
--What about combat items and such?--[/h3]
While your "story hub" is a distinct location, there will be another "hub" accessible from there that will have new items, weapons, and other content available for purchase after completing Episodes. This will, again, allow me to make the episodes far more flexible on what order you experience them in. The changes may be good or bad depending on your tastes, but I think it'll be a positive change in practice.


[h3]--Will the content be the same level of "maturity" as Kedemara I?--[/h3]
Anybody who feels the tone of Kedemara I is too juvenile, has in nearly all cases never completed Chapter 2 or played much of Chapter 3. The tone of Kedemara I is incredibly "progressive", in the same way that aging brings you more awareness of how the world truly is...a concept similar to innocence lost with age. Since the story of Kedemara I covers about 3-4 years of Deirdre's life, this fits very well into the concept of the game.

The episodic nature of Kedemara II means that Koda is largely the same age through most of what you'll experience in the game. Koda and friends start off older than the crew of Kedemara I, so you may see more mature themes incorporated (TASTEFULLY) into the story. The humor will definitely be intact, but there may not be as many "hard feels" in the story that you come across, compared with Deirdre's story. Koda's goals and priorities are different than Deirdre's, so it would make sense that their experiences would be dissimilar.

There will be some dark drama that sneaks its way in, but this will reveal itself more in character development and perhaps consequences for the actions you choose. Events happened on a world-scale with Kedemara, so things in Kedemara II may feel a bit more localized. While this may generate a sense of less significance to your actions or the story, I feel it will make the world of Kedemara II feel "bigger" and as if you are traversing more ground than you did in Kedemara I. I'm fairly confident people will enjoy the change in pace for Kedemara II.


[h3]--What else can you tell us about Kedemara II?--[/h3]
I have much more planned ahead of time for Kedemara II than I did for Kedemara I, so while that is advantageous, it also gives me time to tweak and refine things to where I'd like them to be. I do want to leave some surprises until closer to release, but there is a lot that can change in a years' time. Considering the release of Kedemara II's Prologue may not be until 2026, I don't want to speak too much into the public that could very well change by then.

I can say that it's a new cast of characters, they are fun as all get-out, and the setting will be excellent for the strong themes of "Adventure and Exploration" that Kedemara II will be focused around.




So given the information about Kedemara Chapter 5, I hope everyone is feeling better about what's on the horizon. I will be drilling down VERY hard to get things where they need to be for the new proposed release window. I hope the updates continue to be positive ones, and that the wait will be worth it.



Thank you all!! =)
- Andrew (Creator)

Hello all!!


My, oh my...if only game development moved as quickly as life does! I'd be writing up posts on Kedemara II if that were the case! Long overdue, but here's another update on Chapter 5's progress and some neat things to look forward to in it!

Life events (such as changing dayjobs and ALMOST moving again) aside, things should be leveling out a bit more now. My new job affords me more sanity (though less money and vacation time), but the quality of life and overall positivity of the environment is well worth the sacrifice. There's more consistent time during the year to work on Kedemara, but I am without massive breaks during the year like my last job. That aside, I believe I'm settling into the new schedule and things should be moving along at a better pace now.

But enough about that...time for a new feature that may be delaying the release, but is WELL worth it, in my opinion!!



Living History
Kedemara is a very story-heavy game, I'm sure anyone who made it past Chapter 2 is well aware of this! I like to introduce something fun or different into each Chapter release, and it's even better when it can be thematically consistent with the narrative concepts!! This new feature for Chapter 5 is definitely taking more time to flesh out properly, but I think it will be worth it in the long run.

As Deirdre ages, her awareness of the world and other contents therein becomes more vivid and complete. It only seems appropriate to do the same with experiencing detailed historical accounts. Without adding spoilers, there are different locales in Chapter 5 which make "enhanced storytelling" a plausible scenario for Deirdre to experience. As of right now, it will be roughly 4 or so "locations" where this happens.

Where automated events or "cinematics" occurred as a watch-only experience in prior chapters, Chapter 5 will immerse allow you to take control of historical figures at certain points to "play out" the story or account being given to Deirdre. You will move about a new map environment as this historical figure, able to speak with others, interact with their environment or experience events as they saw them in the past.

The numbers may fluctuate some, but thus far it's a sizeable amount. Four are already completed, with the final total being somewhere in the ballpark of 10 or so. Different historical figures may have multiple "stories" you experience, but here are a few notable ones you will get to experience:

King Robert MacLeod (father of Prince Edgar)
King Namath MacLeod (son of Prince Edgar)
Queen Cora MacLeod (Descendant of the MacLeod family)

Prince Edgar
Lady Anora Erling
King Phillip Norton

Izakael Thaen
Prophet Malakhai
Prophetess Tovah
[this one's a secret...]

Sahaiah of Myrador


Needless to say, while adding this in now is QUITE the undertaking, it will bring some fresh storytelling options that I'm sure the lore-lovers will enjoy. With the exception of 2 or so, these will be voluntary experiences, so you won't be forced to check them out if you don't wish to. Hopefully after trying one, you'll want to check the others out too!

Aside from the required ones, the others will be repeatable in their areas of origin. Later on in the game, you'll have the option to re-experience all of them from one place if you so choose. No worries if you missed a few here and there earlier!! You may also get something really nice for checking all of them out ;-)



Estimated Release Date
I would love nothing more than to pull a quick one and tell you it's coming out next month, but since Chapter 4's release time set me back (and the job I was working back then), I'll readily admit I'm far behind where I'd like to be on the release date. I'll give some context to where we are and give my best guess at what we can expect.


Since I was at ROUGHLY the halfway mark for the rough draft a month or so ago, I had one of my alpha testers do a quick run-through. I still felt the dialogue needed polishing and many things needed finalizing (background music, sound effects, minor interactions, etc.), but she was very happy and impressed with what I had thus far. Even without music to enhance the setting, she felt it was very powerful and emotion-invoking as it stood. I sincerely hope things will be even more profound when completed.

This was prior to having the living history portions (except one of them) in the game, and we were looking at roughly 3 hours of gameplay. There was also a large chunk of story near the end that was inaccessible because of a programming error at the time, so we are likely closer to 3.5-3.75 hours of content so far.


A lot of things are done out of order during creation, such as mapping, then graphical assets, then eventing/programming, map tweaks and music too. The finishing touches are usually smaller environment interactions, combat, items, and mini-games/secrets here and there. I believe, when all is said and done, we should be clearing 9-10 hours of content when Chapter 5 is done...EASILY. It's quite likely the whole of Kedemara will exceed 50 hours total.


So when are we looking at release, date-wise? I still need to go back over the earlier chapters (namely, 1 and 2) for text reformatting and a few other fixes that were minor but affect consistency. As far off as it sounds, it will likely be Winter of this year (2024) at the earliest that we'll see Chapter 5 completed and the game where it needs to be as a whole.




I really want to finish strong on this game, and my alpha tester's feedback about progress thus far tells me it will be worth it to proceed in like fashion. Hopefully the pace can quicken, as I get used to my new normal. I appreciate everyone's patience with me and sincerely hope the wait is worth it for everyone. Til next time...



- Andrew (Creator)

Hello all,

A player cited an issue with the Dock Guard in Port Brahma resetting and becoming impassable after migrating to another map. Here is the RCA and resolution for the issue:

Cause:
- A local flag ("Switch" in the engine) was set after the inventory check for the Ships Ticket when the player engaged the Dock Guard
- The Guard moved and a check for the local flag would render only dialogue if the initial interaction already proceeded.
- Moving to another map reset the position of the Guard without resetting the local flag properly, so it would not allow another check for Ship Tickets to move the guard.

Resolution:
- The initial interaction (upon success) now sets a reserved, global flag to check if the player has already had this interaction
- The Guard object now becomes deleted and a dialogue-only object is generated in his place off to the side.
- The Trigger location for departing has also been moved further up the dock to save you guys a few steps ;-)


Sorry for the inconvenience on this, fortunately I was able to get this done before my lunch break was over! (Who needs to eat anyways, right? lol). Please be on the lookout for the update in the next 10-15 mins. You may need to restart Steam to see the update request come in.


Thank you all!
- Andrew (Creator)

Hello all!!

I hope this update finds all of you in good health and happiness! Time seems to escape our grasp with haste as we age, it's hard to believe how long ago the Chapter 4 release was done! I won't make this announcement too long (compared to previous ones), but I hope to give everyone a decent idea of what to expect thus far.



[h2]Chapter 5 Progress[/h2]
I suppose there's no satisfactory conditions for progress until something is completed, right? I won't belabor the circumstances, but my career has been eating up more and more of my time and mind recently. Negative changes are happening rapidly, and it has me pondering the true value of time and peace. We could all use more hours in a day, but compared to prior circumstances this is remarkably more trying.

As I attempt to navigate that (and keep a roof over my head), I try to pace myself and tread forward with Chapter 5 when possible. In regards to milestones in the story, I would say I'm nearing the halfway mark right now, for the rough draft of this chapter's creation. There's still some minor mapping to do, eventing, and filling in dialogue and encounters. I try not to stress myself too much, since there will be 2 more stages of rewrites and refinement, and keep pressing onward through this chapter. Which brings me to the target release date.

Of all the chapters I've released for Kedemara, nothing could be more vital to "get right" than the final one. There are many fantastic moments and elements that deserve the utmost attention from myself, and I intend to do them justice as best I can. While it's difficult to gauge progress or content length until I'm in a beta testing phase, I want to leave time to step away and step back to view things with fresher perspective. I may be able to reach the end of the rough draft by December of this year, but I want to leave ample time to polish what I'll have at that point. I am probably going to push the target release date back to sometime in Spring or Summer of 2024.

I certainly hope things can go quicker than expected, but save for some major changes in my life during the following months, I don't see it being avoidable. This will also include some other refinements such as the text formatting for Chapter 1 and 2 (to widescreen-friendly) being completed, and a few other tweaks to combat, items, and dialogue. It will be quite the sensation to change the title to simply "Kedemara: The Orphan's Ballad" =)



[h2]What's Next?[/h2]
I haven't done much outside of Kedemara 1 for the past few months, though ideas will stew in my brain while driving in the car or resting. Kedemara 2 will have such a different tone, that it's rather jarring to bounce between working on Kedemara 1 and 2 right now. I write down ideas I have from time to time, but as for seat time in the engine, I've done next to zero for quite some time.

Ironically the start-up for Kedemara II will be far simpler and cleaner than it was for Kedemara I. The lessons learned these past few years will be sticking with me quite a bit! I've even seen it bleed over into my job, in regards to how I plan or execute tasks or projects. Things on the back-end will be much more organized with Kedemara II, this will hopefully speed up production time and improve the end result. I look forward to starting a new set of adventures with a new cast of characters. I think you will all enjoy hearing their stories too, and experiencing the world through their eyes.




When things are coming together a bit more, I'll post some screenshots and other content to help wet the appetite. I appreciate everyone's patience and support on this. Hopefully the final chapter will meet everyone's expectations and then some! Thank you all, I look forward to sharing the rest of Deirdre's story with you all :)


- Andrew (Creator)



P.S. - Thank you to Naya for the beautiful artwork of Tessa! (in the cover image)