Fabled Lands News

[h2]Target release in May![/h2]

Folks, the time for the release of Prime Games' biggest title to date is nigh! Fabled Lands debuted in Early Access on May 21st last year, and in May 2022, it's going to transition into a full release with the biggest content update so far!

6500 players from around the globe have supported the EA, helping me fulfil and live the indie dream! Their early support made it a blast to work and update the game. THANK YOU!

23000 more have wishlisted the game and I hope to convey to them the awesome adventure that the Fabled Lands are and help them make the leap when the time is right.

[h2]Pricing[/h2]

In preparation for the release, it's time to increase the base pricing of the game as stated in the Early Access manifesto on the store page:

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?
“We expect to increase the price of the game by an undetermined amount when it comes out of Early Access.”

Thus starting from next week (11th of April) the price of the EA will be increased from 14.99USD/12.49EUR/11.39GBP to 18.99USD/15.99EUR/14.49GBP. The increase must happen atleast 28 days prior to the release according to the latest Steam policy, so this will give you a rough estimate on when that will be.

[h2]What you get?[/h2]

The Early Access began with the release of 2 chapters (The War-Torn Kingdom and The Plains of Howling Darkness). Over the course of the development there were 18 patches with 250 patch notes methodically updated in the Change Log thread on the forums https://steamcommunity.com/app/1299620/discussions/0/3104647961278908710/. I have always aimed for a stable and bug-free Early Access on every step of the way.

The third chapter, The Cities of Gold and Glory, was added for free as a content update back in November, 2021. The next chapter, The Court of Hidden Faces, will go live simultaniously with the official release of the game, thus concluding the main continent in the Fabled Lands, Harkuna, and all coastal waters around it. It will be a free update for all who have supported the Early Access up to this point.

Gameplay timewise, the content for a single hero playthrough completing most things will be between 20 to 36 hours. But being an open world game, trying out different professions, having lots of hidden secrets, time can easily jump up. Add Ironman mode on top of that for a full spectrum of challenge and emotions!

Work will not stop with the release! Absolutely not! Next in line are 2 more chapters, Over the Blood-Dark Sea and Lords of the Rising Sun, that will come out as DLCs, expanding the world with the oceans, sea voyages and the first far off land. Aside from that there are so many things and ideas that me and the artist want to implement. I am very eager alongside the authors, Jamie Thomson and Dave Morris, to grow this beyond the first 6 books but to do so I'll need your help to make this a successful endeavor!

[h2]Thank you![/h2]



I am really proud how the game turned out and of the path I took. At least I know I have a little fan who will discover the amazing world of reading and gamebooks soon enough ;)

#WhatAGameDevLooksLike

As always, don't forget to wishlist the game while you're at it!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1299620/Fabled_Lands/

A southerly breeze stirs the sails. Standing at the rail with head tilted back, you bask in the warm sunshine. Is it your imagination, or can you really detect the scent of exotic spices and swaying palm trees carried on the wind?

You notice a bottle drifting buy. It contains a map of Bazalek, which is a small isle in the waters near Disaster Bay. Make of it what you will...



Ah, who doesn't love a good old puzzle! Well, I know some won't. Personally I would enjoy if the game made me scratch my head a bit to obtain key information that could prove handy later on.

Back in the early days of the Early Access I received several mixed emotions regarding Bazalek Isle. It's a challenging place to be and players could face grave perils or survive and get fantastic loot. Many a resurrection deals have expired on that isle, that's for sure. Few know though that they could actually find a map with all the missing pieces filling their blind spots of information or should I say lack of.

When developing Golnir I implemented the first treasure map, that of the Forest of the Forsaken. Now when working on Uttaku and Old Harkuna I am adding more! Such as that godforsaken (May Ebron with his fourteen angles forgive my heresy...) book called the Black Diptych I found when I drove a stake through not one but three vampires' black hearts. Should come in handy I am sure of it...



Definitely glad I've shared all of that before I venture forth. Don't forget to wishlist the game before you join in!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1299620/Fabled_Lands/

[h2]Incremented version to 0.17.2[/h2]
---

[h3]UI[/h3]

• Reworked Skills & Spells.
  Spells now differentiate between Learned and Memorized. Added Skill Slots. Learned spells are now unlimited as long as the player has the initial requirements to learn them. Added support for old save files with the new Spell system.
  
• Implemented visual character customisation during Character Creation.
  Adjusted hero models for all characters displayed. Added support for old save files with the new Customisation system.
• Implemented combat info tooltip (action points, range, chance to hit, valid target) next to pointer.
  

[h3]Gameplay [/h3]

• Implemented auto-succeed ability roll.
  
• Implemented Shards as a stackable item. Added missing reward as choice to various loot chests throughout the game (as it is in the books).
  

[h3]Bugs[/h3]

• Fixed some enemies applying diseases to the hero instead of the ally.
  
• Fixed a bug when summoning a fourth ally unit on the battlefield causing it to not spawn.
  
• Fixed an error causing you to lose all your investment in Metriciens' Trade Secrets event rather than half of it.
  
• Fixed inaccurate calculation of armour's defence used throughout the story side.
  
• Fixed game saves list order when switching between Mac and Windows.
  
• Fixed wrong label for the dice score to get Ogre with three heads event.
  
• Fixed Haggart's Corner warning text about the Trau.
  
• Fixed description text inconsistency of Castle Ravayne with the art on the world map.
  
• Fixed reported typos.
  

It's hard enough to focus during these troublesome times we live in, let alone sound cheerful about an upcoming... game patch. But hardships remind me of the opportunities I've been given, even the small everyday ones, the ease with which they can vanish in thin air and help me cherish them a tad more. Games have always been my small isle of serenity. Games allow us to communicate from afar, generating positivity, appreciation, and... hope.

[h2]Character Customization[/h2]

With that being said, what I want to talk about in this dev log is the upcoming Character Customization feature.

A lot of people love to create a custom character in RPGs. It's quite common to say that in gamebooks YOU are the hero and it echoes the desire to make it feel your own experience. It feels only logical it was one of the most heavily requested features ever since the first demo of Fabled Lands went online.

So, I am pleased to announce that with the upcoming patch 0.17.0, the first character customization feature will go live.



[h2]How it started and how it went...[/h2]

Whoever said it's hard, nay extremely difficult to make a hand-painted 2D game have a character customization... was damn right. And I am not talking that 2D vector thing used in web or mobile games! The artist and I both had to overcome various difficulties.

I had to change the game logic without touching my architecture which proved challenging initially but I had a breakthrough 7 days into the task. Afterwards it was clear sky and calm waters, and I was even satisfied with the produced code.

I had to update my layer ordering scripts to support multi-layer isometric objects. Which was tedious but not that hard. Changing the UI to display the character, however, was quite the head scratcher. In the end I turned to what 3D games do, spawn my character somewhere off screen, make a dedicated camera to look at it and project its image to a texture. It was then possible to display this in the UI and maintain all animations and objects as is.

Shaders went into play too in order to achieve highlighting and the illusion effects. This helped me to reduce the amount of pre-generated images and save some memory.



Bernar on the other hand nailed it with various hair styles, beards, clothing pieces, equipment, pets, and weapons. It was important to maintain the ratio and looks of the original characters while updating their model a little bit to support subtle changes.



[h2]Make it your own[/h2]

The first part of this task is done and currently being tested. Expect it live in the near future. To complete the character customisation, I want to do one more iteration, which is to adjust your abilities (I am planning a point-buy system), skills & spells (any of combination of two from the ones accessible for the six professions at the start) and equipped weapons (out of the common weapons' list within the same pricing) when you create your character.

But for now I want to focus more on the addition of content for Uttaku, to make sure everything is on track for the premier in May. I will look forward to your feedback when you are able to play test it but I am glad the foundations built are solid and should support changes.



Hope to see you around next time!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1299620/Fabled_Lands/

Last month I posted a roadmap update and from the comments came some interesting topics regarding combat!

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1299620/view/3097912220598606430

It gave me the idea for this week's dev log to lift the curtain a little bit on how things are progressing in the combat 'department' which is one of the important bullets from my roadmap update. I've touched upon player skills & spells in recent updates, so this time around I'll take a look at the enemies...



Uttaku is the most difficult area from the main continent of Harkuna. It has the highest rank requirement which means you must avoid getting hit by a sledgehammer in the face if you venture too deep without good preparation. Of course, experienced players with good game knowledge can still drift around with a low-level character to gain quick mid-game advantage. But I'll leave those cookie cutter strategies for you to discover!

A peculiar place to explore is a range of low, broken foothills rising up to the peaks of the Grumes to the west called...

[h2]The Crags of the Long Homes[/h2]

‘Are you holy enough to haul the hoards from these halls, hero? You choose a chill charnel-house to challenge your chances. These homes are sacred, and not for the greedy or the guilty. You must indeed be sure of your right arm and your righteous cause to dare enter here.’

There is a book called the Black Diptych. A dark and sinister manuscript that guards a secret to a treasure, but at the same time it's the cause for more bloodshed than the treasure itself! If you have found it... then you'll have a clue what to do. Otherwise, you would rely on your intuition and sometimes blind luck. The rewards? Immense. The risk? You'll have to find out! But better beware of...

[h2]The Hangman! [/h2]

This barrow contains a circular chamber at its centre – all around the walls hang decaying corpses. The fresh ones are garrotted and dangle from a hangman’s noose – the skeletons grin from gibbets. You feel your own throat tighten as a dark figure emerges from the gloom, thin and tall. His magic chokes you as he draws a long pale sword.



The Hangman is a special type of enemy. It will haunt you through the area for your sacrilege. While in the Crags, his special abilities and stats are at their high, but even if you win and escape, he'll meet you again and his damage to your soul and abilities is permanent... His Shadowfall ability is cast each round and you must make a high Sanctity roll to mitigate its devastating damage. On the other hand, his Soulbane hits that drain your ability points would make you wish you hadn't set foot in Uttaku in the first place!

To get rid of the Hangman, you must find out how to lift its curse. Which is a quest on its own. Of course, with the new Skill system I mentioned last time plus some good gear, you'll have the chance to prepare well and figure out how to survive those encounters even without lifting the curse.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1299620/view/3092285258419557381



Last but not least, there is hidden knowledge in this area that can help you in another place. Somewhere there is a lake guarded by a powerful foe. If your knowledge of the arcane arts is good enough, you'll figure out its weakness. A possible choice could be to lure it outside of its lair. Otherwise, welp, you'll have a rough underwater combat coming up, that's for sure...



But hard-won battles mean hard-won loot!



Those are a few examples of the 100 enemies you can meet in the Fabled Lands. Some you'll meet more than once, others will beg for your mercy if they survive. Sometimes your hardest battles won't be fought on the tactical grid but when you meddle in the court intrigues. Better wear your stripped and spotted scarves!

See you next time, folks! If you've made it this far in the post, don't forget to wishlist the game if you haven't already:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1299620/Fabled_Lands/