Fabled Lands News

Hey everybody! I am giving you my last dev-log and progress update for 2022 and what better occasion to do a wrap up of the year than to do it on my birthday with a cup of tasy afternoon coffee :)

The Fabled Lands theme has been vibrating in my being after a fantastic culmination of a 3-year journey.

The game released on May 26th and I am truly humbled by the faith you put in it and by the amazing results it achieved. It not only fulfilled my forecasts but also surpassed them, hence one of the greatest gifts for me is the ability to continue to practice game development as a full time independant, self-published developer.

Thank you!



[h2]Lords of the Rising Sun DLC[/h2]

If you have missed the announcement of the upcoming DLC, pause for a moment, go read about it in the last dev-log and make sure to come back afterwards :)

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1299620/view/3386171859245630023?l=english

The DLC update is in its final phase. The artist is currently rendering all the concept art and sketches and I am mostly waiting on several important updates from him to transition into alpha/beta testing.





[h2]Release Date[/h2]

Things are moving rapidly with daily beats but we're already approaching Christmas so realistically, we'll wrap it up in January.

Afterwards there will be Discord community mayhem of testers and bug fixing. All must be in perfect condition for the release date, which is going to be 16th of February!

The Steam team have prepared something special for the occasion and I cannot wait to share it with all of you when the time comes! So there's no delaying beyond this date. Be sure not to miss it by wishlisting the game:

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

I have updated the demo across all devices and platforms after the latest feedback round. I decided to keep it up permanently available to anyone who wishes to try out the experience first hand, and it's been up for couple of months now. Turns out it was a great decision as it didn't hurt sales but also helped positive reviews to flow more from people who know exactly what to expect.

Happy Holidays to all of you and stay safe!

[h2]I am happy to announce that Fabled Lands is now available on the Good Old Games storefront and quite frankly... Hell, it was about time![/h2]

Took me more than 7 months to make it happen. GOG were initially quite excited and happy about the game but then all of a sudden went silent. Poking them on the matter and they informed me they've rejected it. I knew very few succeed there so I wasn't that put off. However, after talking with fellow indie dev and friend from Inkle - Joseph Humfrey, on the subject, I decided to keep pushing. Eventually I had a breakthrough and the release is now a fact!

I take pride in that small victory not only as an indie developer but for the recognition of the game and genre. Fabled Lands is a faithful adaptation of a classic gamebook series from the 90s and GOG suits it perfectly. Even if it's prestige only, I am excited to be on the biggest hand-curated store for DRM-free games.

[h2]To celebrate, the game is 40% off to match the Steam's recent Autumn Sale Discount![/h2]

You can get it here: https://www.gog.com/en/game/fabled_lands

[h2]Incremented version to 1.0.13c[/h2]
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• Reworked Net weapon (still needs rebalancing).
  Net is now a Throwable weapon equipped in Ranged slot. Net is now a stackable item (4 stacks). The net gives you a 50% chance to entangle (stun) a targeted enemy on a successful hit for 1 turn. Damage and combat bonuses are the same.
• Nerfed Troubadour bonus when dealing with the Ice Queen from +3 to +1 (as is in the books).
  
• Fixed inverted pricing for Amanushi's different blessing costs at Yarimura.
  
• Added Go Back choice to Baroness quest list to avoid locking you of all choices if all quests are completed and you have no money on you.
  
• Added support for multiple secret shops from story choices (In preparation for The Lords of the Rising Sun).
  
• Added hidden Lord Kumonosu meeting in Yarimura (In preparation for The Lords of the Rising Sun).
  
• Added hidden Baroness of Ravayne Diplomatic quest (In preparation for The Lords of the Rising Sun).
  
• Added hidden Safe Travel blessing option when travelling to new locations (In preparation for The Lords of the Rising Sun).
  
• Fixed minor typos.
  

Hey, folks! It is with great pleasure to return to the dev-log updates with the anniversary post #30 and what better way to celebrate than to unveil the curtain on the upcoming BIG content update - Akatsurai, the lands of the Lords of the Rising Sun!



The Lords of the Rising Sun hold absolute power over the exotic kingdom of Akatsurai. But proud warrior clans constantly seek to overthrow them. In the turmoil of war there are countless opportunities for a quick-witted adventurer. Will you spy for the Shogun? Will you pledge your life to the Sovereign as one of his chivalrous knights? Or just play one side against the other in your pursuit of riches and power?

Track down the elusive, raven-winged Tengu to learn the secret arts of sorcery and swordplay. Defeat the vampires, skilled in martial arts, who guard the Lost Tomb of the Necromancer. Enter the dreadful cloisters of the Noboro Monastery, where you will fight the most dangerous opponent of all - yourself...



There are new powerful enemies in town. Their unique special abilities might make the Dragon fight look like a child's play. But what more than the joy to defeat them? Well, the spoils of war, of course. New loot like nothing the lands of Harkuna have seen.



There will be some new mechanics such as Bleed with several weapons such as the throwable Shuriken, a legendary dagger and a new passive skill embracing it.

In Akatsurai you can get special deals on cargo trades if you make the right friends. You can try and impress swordsmiths in order to gain access to local gear.

But the best is collecting the myths, lore and world building pieces together, discover the true wonders of these isles and change your characters' story forever.

For the patient explorers there will be new achievements to hunt!



[h2]What's the current progress on all that?[/h2]

The contents of the entire book 6 (the gamebook the update is based on) are all scripted and ready. All new items are in the build. Just coded some of the most powerful artefacts in the game and compiling new quests while the artist is rendering the world map in detail.



Backgrounds and enemies still need final touches but I will be implementing the sketches that I have starting from next week in order to test combat and start coding their abilities.

[h2]Alright, alright, but when exactly?[/h2]

I'll test some more myself and will prepare the DLC for closed beta testing within the Discord community towards the end of November.

Unforunately I cannot predict when exactly will be the release date but I am aiming to do it early December before the Winter Sale. This will be just in time for the Turn-based Fest which Fabled Lands will participate in, but more on that in a new post.

The best indicator will be how the beta testing will wrap up. If all is in good state, I can replace the art assets when they are done quickly and verify these areas. If things go south, I'll have to postpone for next year.

[h2]A honorary mention[/h2]

I was taken aback this week when a member from the communty posted this magnificent walk-through on how to get every achievement in the game on Ironman mode WITHOUT DYING. Without even using a resurrection deal.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2849188388

Yes, it is possible to do it, so never give up beating the dice, never surrender! As always, make sure to smash that wishlist button to make sure you DON'T MISS on all the action!

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

Fabled Lands is 33% off for a week, starting today, taking part in the Dev.Play event which celebrates Eastern European games. The event is both online and on site, having a good roster of speakers! I will personally anticipate the talk from Valve answering dev questions.

You can check the agenda here: https://dev-play.ro/agenda-2022/

Watch the developers talk to streamers during the Indie Festival here: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/devplay

The Fabled Lands panel will be live at 4 PM CET/10 AM EST.

As always, don't forget to wishlist or try the demo of the game if you haven't yet!

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