Lost Isle News

[h2]What's New?[/h2]

Over the last year or so we've been looking for the right way to make our different types of first-person combat (magic, archery, melee) fun and rewarding for those who skillfully use their weapon, while keeping the mechanics as simple and approachable as possible.

I.e. Low barrier to entry with high skill ceiling.

Many games use various forms of builder/spender systems. The player has a resource that starts at 0, and the more accurately/successfully you play your character the faster that resource increases. Once the resource passes a certain threshold you can use a very powerful ability.

Since Lost Isle doesn't have fixed classes or characters, our builder/spender system will be entirely centered around weapon types, and the resource will be called "Focus".

[h3]Focus[/h3]

Whether your weapon of choice is a magic wand, crossbow, or battleaxe, each of your successfully landed basic attacks will reward you with Focus.

Giantsbane for example is a tier 3 two-hand battleaxe with basic attacks that are slow but strong slashes.


Since the attack speed on this weapon is slow, it will take fewer successful hits to fill up your focus compared to weapons with faster attack speed.


Once you reach 100% focus your weapon will glow with a unique effect, indicating to you, and your enemies, that you're ready to unleash a powerful ability.


And you'll be able to unleash your weapon's special; in this case, Execute: a devastating attack that deals extra damage based on each point of your target's missing health.


Each different weapon type has a unique full-focus glow effect and special ability, so whatever your play style might be - a spell-slinging wizard, an arrow-flinging archer, or an axe-swinging warrior - there is something awesome for you!

[h3]Other Notable Notes[/h3]

• We're neck deep in development preparing for our Beta launch in early August. If you're interested in participating as a playtester make sure you join our Discord! (link below)
  
• With Beta coming up soon we're looking to partner with content creators of all types and sizes. If that's you, join our Discord and send us a message!
  

[h3]Stay in the Loop[/h3]

Don't miss out on important updates - make sure to wishlist Lost Isle here on Steam, join our Discord community, and follow us on X!

Lost Isle's third round of Alpha playtesting will take place on Thursday, June 13! We'll be giving out 75 access keys this week to approved playtesters for the Steam build that will be available to download with servers live to join from 7-9 pm ET.

If you're interested in participating in this round of playtesting, or any future testing, all you have to do is follow the simple sign-up steps below - this process should take

1. Join our Discord community
   
2. Navigate to the "playtest-sign-up" channel in the General Hub. Review the requirements, fill out the fields, and submit this form for admin review
   
3. When approved, you'll receive a message with instructions to navigate to the "playtest-embargo-agreement" form. Review the terms and, if you agree with them, complete and submit for admin review
   
4. After your embargo agreement form has been reviewed and approved, you will automatically be given the role of "Playtester" and have access to the "playtesters" chat channel which will serve as the hub for all playtesting participation
   

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out in the Discord and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you for your willingness to participate in playtesting - this is an extremely important part of the process of making our game the very best it can be.

We look forward to surviving together with you, and against you, very soon.


-The Lost Isle Team

[h2]What's New?[/h2]

In the last month we held our first two Alpha playtests. The main focus of these early tests has been network and server multiplayer functionality and stability, and although we've encountered some bugs of various shapes and sizes (as expected during this stage), we're happy to report that server performance was smooooth like butter. Success!

As we grow increasingly confident in stability, we're able to add more and more features to the open world. Below are some newly added areas that players are starting to encounter throughout the Lost Isle. And in case you're wondering... Yes! We do have many more in our back pocket to be added in upcoming builds.

[h3]Points of Interest[/h3]

Watchmen's Garrison


Formerly a stronghold built and manned by members of the Order of the Watchmen, now overrun and infested by the skeletal Forces of Mauroth. Supplies are abundantly available here for anyone brave enough to fight their way through formidable foes.

Sunken Wellspring


A reliable source of fresh water where people can meet fellow adventurers and rest from their travels. An unwritten rule of truce and peace exists here, and only the most depraved and bloodthirsty would dare to break it.

Abandoned Homestead


The former inhabitants appear to have been humble farmers, either killed or forced to flee the home they worked so hard to build. Perhaps they left behind a journal of some sort that tells their story.

Ruined City


What was once a bustling hub of trade, art, and politics, is now reduced to rubble and ruin. What could have caused such destruction? Surely there must be treasures that a determined seeker could find among the debris.

[h3]Other Notable Changes[/h3]

• Major bug fixes regarding monument and AI spawning
  
• Base building optimizations and quality of life improvements
  
• Significant HUD and UI changes
  

[h3]Stay in the Loop[/h3]

Don't miss out on important updates - make sure to wishlist Lost Isle here on Steam, join our Discord community, and follow us on X!

Lost Isle's first round of public playtesting is only one day away! The primary focus of tomorrow's test is to assess network and server performance with 20+ players in a single server simultaneously harvesting resources and building individual bases. Participants who are approved as playtesters will receive an access key to the Steam build that will be available to download and join on Friday, May 3rd, 7-9 pm ET.

If you're interested in participating in this round of playtesting, or any future testing, all you have to do is follow the simple sign-up steps below - this process should take

1. Join our Discord community
   
2. Navigate to the "playtest-sign-up" channel in the General Hub. Review the requirements, fill out the fields, and submit this form for admin review
   
3. When approved, you'll receive a message with instructions to navigate to the "playtest-embargo-agreement" form. Review the terms and, if you agree with them, complete and submit for admin review
   
4. After your embargo agreement form has been reviewed and approved, you will automatically be given the role of "Playtester" and have access to the "playtesters" chat channel which will serve as the hub for all playtesting participation
   

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out in the Discord and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you for your willingness to participate in playtesting - this is an extremely important part of the process of making our game the very best it can be.

We look forward to surviving together with you, and against you, very soon.


-The Lost Isle Team

[h2]What's New?[/h2]

As the date approaches for our first round of public playtesting (ALPHA STARTS NEXT WEEK!!) a main focus for our team has been bringing the open world to life. Let's jump right in!

[h3]Wildlife[/h3]

Our animal AI systems have been completely overhauled from the ground up. Between having new models, animations, sound design and custom AI behaviors, the final result is a truly immersive interaction with wildlife. Whether you're doing the hunting, or being hunted, we hope you'll appreciate the attention to detail each animal has received.


Animal types can be broken down into three base categories: critter, prey, and predator. Each have unique behaviors and detection settings, including a different detection radius based on whether the player is standing or crouched, and increased detection in front of animals vs behind them.


What does this mean? This means that even if a player is starting out fresh with only a primitive dagger as a weapon, it's still possible to stalk your target - crouched and very carefully - and get within close enough proximity to deliver a surprise attack before it flees (if it's a critter or prey animal) or tries to kill you (if it's a predator animal).


If you're up to speed on the lore behind Lost Isle, you'll know what lies beneath the surface of the island - a fallen, imprisoned celestial god named Mauroth whose cosmic energies seep through the earth - and you may be asking yourself: Why are the animals normal? Where's the fantasy? Without spoiling too much... you'll just have to wait until the sun goes down to see how Mauroth's influence changes the wildlife.

[h3]Open World[/h3]

To help players more easily understand where areas with higher concentrations of loot are located, we've added procedural roads that lead to and connect major world monuments that are bordered with fences, lamps, walls, small structures and more. In combination with roads, there is also a trail system that connects to smaller points of interest.


Another addition to the open world is the implementation of a procedural river system that connects major waterways like lakes and ponds to the oceans.



[h3]Other Notable Changes[/h3]

• Improvements to deployable machine functionality and crafting
  
• UI and HUD updates
  
• Bird AI flock behaviors and perch points added to points of interest
  
• Player controller updates including many new animations
  
• Optimizations for materials, textures, audio and more
  

[h3]Stay in the Loop[/h3]

Don't miss out on important updates - make sure to wishlist Lost Isle here on Steam, join our Discord community, and follow us on X!