Erannorth Renaissance News

Hi folks,

The development of Erannorth Renaissance is progressing smoothly. Oh, and I've updated the Early Access details and the store page. That'll be all :)

Are you still here? Did you see how long this text is !? Hmm, let's see.

In the latest development journal, I briefly mentioned my first game, Erannorth the Unfinished Tales. I want to dig a bit deeper into that story, but feel free to jump to the main dish below.

[h2]Back to the Future II[/h2]

I first embarked on the journey to create Erannorth the Unfinished Tales in mid-2013, driven by a blend of passion and audacity. We indie developers are akin to gamblers, staking our time, energy, sanity, and often our financial stability on the dream of creating something unique and impactful. More often than not, we face various degrees of failure. Of course, I wasn't an indie developer back then, and I didn't know that years later, I would be calling myself one.

In the case of Unfinished Tales, "Unfortunately, I didn't have the finances to support its sole server running back then, and it never kicked off." This translates to: I dedicated about three years of intense labor to finishing that game, often working 12-hour days, fueled by the vision of what the game could become. This period was exhilarating and grueling, a true test of endurance and commitment. Despite the immense effort and the dream driving it (financially), the project flopped spectacularly.

Having worked for free for three years and paying money on top of that to do that, and then thinking, let's do it again! It is something only a special kind of idiot does.

Or someone who doesn't want to have regrets in their life. The only way for that is to be true to yourself.

But anyway take your pick.

Here's a random screenshot to break up the monotony of the text wall.



[h2]Seven[/h2]

Today marks a significant milestone—seven months since I started working on Erannorth Renaissance. It's been a thrilling journey filled with challenges, doubts, and breakthroughs. So, what was done, and what is still missing for you to get this game in your hands finally?

In the early stages of development, the idea was crafting a fully narrative-driven experience centered around a main campaign within a somewhat open-world setting.

As someone accurately put it, "Hand holding? How lewd." ;)

But, let's be honest: the primary reason was that starting development from zero is a tedious process without considering all the other moving parts; for convenience, let's sum them up as content.

However, as the development progressed and the parts started to click, it became evident that a narrative-driven approach within an open-world format was fundamentally busted. The more the world opened up, the more the structured narrative felt constrained and forced.

This led to a pivotal decision. I could either reduce the game's scope, with no map or open world, in the true or tried Visual Novel style and tell my story. I would be done with working for free, there would be no Early Access headaches, you'd have a game to play, and we could all move on.

Because we all know that a) Early Access doesn't fund anything, and it shouldn't. b) Early Access paints the game in a darker shadow and limits sales. c) VNs are a less niche market than this.

Or: increase the game's scope, use the whole of our beautiful world map (it did took time to paint it), work a few more years (in practice for free) and instead tell our story.

Here's another random screenshot to build anticipation for the obvious decision.



[h2]The jury's back and the verdict is...[/h2]

Of course, I picked the red pill.

I've decided to broaden rather than narrow the experience. The main story is still here but serves as a (long) introduction to Erannorth's sandbox world rather than the main dish.

After completing this story, you won't see the credits (my name in a hundred roles) rolling, nor will you save the world from a terrible threat.

Instead, you'll find yourself in the shoes of someone living in Elos.

If you could be anyone whom you'd be?
Erannorth Renaissance will let you answer this question instead of telling you.

Choosing what story arc to pursue next is entirely yours. Whether you delve deeper into the lore I've woven into every corner of the map, take on new quests, or explore and interact with the environment and its inhabitants, the world of Elos will adapt and respond to your decisions.

This shift from a primarily linear campaign to a more dynamic sandbox approach reflects my fundamental belief in creating games emphasizing player agency, what you've come to expect, and what most of you are here for. Right?

Presenting our final random screenshot of the day!



[h2]Detailed Progress Update: Recap[/h2]

As we gear up for the new chapter in the development of Erannorth Renaissance, the part you come in, let's recap the significant strides made across the game's core systems in the past seven months.

These are all completed systems in the current build 0.4.77, not the final feature list.

Introductory Storyline

The initial campaign, serving as your gateway to the vast sandbox of Erannorth, is fully fleshed out and playable. This storyline offers a concise yet rich experience, lasting about 3 to 4 hours with multiple paths and companions to discover. It's crafted to be an engaging introduction without overstaying its welcome. Still, it remains optional, allowing you to choose how deep you dive into this narrative or live your life in this expansive world.

Exploration and Interaction

The overworld map is a dynamic playground where:

• Fog of war conceals unexplored tiles.
  
• You can engage with roving warbands in tactical combat.
  
• You can set up a camp to talk to your companions and harvest resources.
  
• Tiles can spring random events leading to mini adventures, lore fragments, or loot.
  
• Tiles can contain fixed stories or let you follow up on quests.
  

Custom Quest and Relationship systems

Initially, I tried to use the Dialogue System's two sibling systems, which could have significantly reduced the development time. Still, I ended up developing homebrew systems that better suited my needs.

Combat System

• Turn-based combat that takes place on a hex grid.
  
• A variety of action effects, tactical choices and diverse play styles.
  
• Opportunities to harvest resources post-battle / quick looting of enemies.
  
• Automatic shortcuts for each action.
  
• Panels to inspect actor status and actions.
  

Town Dynamics and NPC Interactions

Towns have evolved into hubs of activity where you can:

• Build relationships, whether friendly, romantic, or adversarial.
  
• Barter and purchase equipment.
  
• Receive new quests and tasks.
  

You can track and review all your relationships through a tab in your character sheet.

Character Progression

Your party characters can grow and evolve:

• Level up systems to enhance your skills and acquire new abilities.
  
• The perks system will offer new capabilities and gameplay dynamics.
  

Itemization and Equipment

• Core systems for itemization / large variety of equipment slots.
  
• Drag and Drop inventory system.
  
• Free trading with your companions.
  
• A diverse array of items and actions will provide numerous strategic options in and out combat.
  
• Consumables.
  

[h2]What's missing to open the flood gates? [/h2]

While the structure is solid, there are still areas in need of development before you can dive into playing.

• I am still working on the early-level perks, equipment, and actions.
  
• I still need to finish the initial "Woodlands" and "Generic" event packs covering the early game environments.
  

Once these are done, the Early Access can start. I had to re-evaluate my original plan to keep the game in Early Access for a year. The new estimate is at least for 2 years.

If you wishlisted the game before, please check the new store page and Early Access information to make sure it's still a project you want to support.

That's all folks! If you have any thoughts or questions feel free to share them below!

Hi folks,

Creating a new game is always a challenge, especially when you're fortunate enough to have a dedicated fan base. Such support brings high expectations, and the pressure to meet them can indeed be overwhelming. Remembering why you embarked on this journey is crucial, particularly when the path becomes tough, and the workload seems insurmountable. But honestly, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything, not even for a million-dollar buyout. It's been a few weeks since our last update, and I'm thrilled to share some of the key developments that have kept me busy.

[h2]Back to the future[/h2]

But before we dive into that, I'd like to take you back in time to better understand what this game means to me. Feel free to skip ahead if you prefer; if not, let's take a stroll down memory lane together. About a decade back, when I developed my first game: Erannorth the Unfinished Tales. It's unlikely that you played or heard it. Anyway, it was a browser-based game in PHP and JQuery, and the login page proudly stated:

"Erannorth the Unfinished Tales is a Choose Your Own Adventure that incorporates RPG elements and takes place in the open-ended world of Elos. Your character chooses how their adventures will turn out and which adventures they will play."

Does the concept sound familiar? Both its writing and my English back then totally sucked, but it was still fun to play according to the close-knit community it formed. Most choose-your-own-adventure games lock you to a single story, so back then, the idea of Unfinished Tales was to take your very same character across many different stories in the same world, more like an RPG game would.

Unfortunately, I didn't have the finances to support its sole server running back then, and it never kicked off. But I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life: making games. The obvious solution was a single-player game. The problem is that as a web developer, I needed to gain more knowledge or experience in Unity or C#, so I started with something simple instead. This brought us to Erannorth Reborn, an offline single-player game and my first game on Steam. It did evolve into an exciting breed of an RPG-lite card game, but it was not the game of my dreams.

Enter Erannorth Chronicles. The hardest part was working on Reborn's spaghetti code and convoluted systems and trying to bring it closer to the vision of my dream game and its new player base. Having significantly more experience and exceptionally more extended development time than Reborn, it became something much closer.

Something that these lyrics by Eminem describe perfectly, so I quote:

"Who dress like me; walk, talk and act like me
It might be the next best thing, but not quite me!"

Is the third time the charm? I certainly hope so. We are still far from the release date, but it feels nice each week brings us a step closer to Erannorth Renaissance.

So, what have I been up to since we last talked? Let's see. Having developed the ability to trigger willingly or automatically fixed stories or events, the next step was to add a more dynamic factor.

[h2]Dynamic World and Events[/h2]

I've introduced a new system that makes the world around you feel more alive and unpredictable. You may encounter events specific to your terrain as you explore different areas. Whether you stumble upon a hidden treasure in the forest or encounter a wandering merchant in the desert, the game world reacts to where you are and what you're doing. Behind the scenes, after the terrain is chosen, you are directed to a hub full of hand-written events specific to that terrain, and one of them is chosen randomly based on the time of day or other factors.

This is how it appears in Unity's Dialogue System plugin which I am using to create the stories.

First we choose the Hub based on the terrain.



Then we proceed to the hub and select a random event from those that meet the requirements. As you can see, out of these 30 woodlands events, only two are half-done. However, this approach offers extremely high scalability, as adding new events is simply a matter of adding a few nodes, and they will automatically integrate into the game.



The same is true as you navigate urban areas. You may encounter the NPCs who reside there within or outside their schedule, initiate their introduction event, or, if you already know them, further advance your relationship.

[h2]Items and Equipment[/h2]

I've added dozens of new attire, armor, and weapon items to the game to provide gear that complements your play style and role-playing experience. Items in Erannorth Renaissance can offer passive and skill bonuses and new actions you can use in and out of combat.

This is how the weapons look in the in-game editor; there are about 264 at the moment.



They are usable but lack what makes them truly interesting: passive bonuses, their actual effects like whether they'll inflict vulnerability or bleeding, and any bonus actions that accompany them. So, they are still a long way from being finalized, but they provide me with an idea of the kinds of weapons and actions to tinker with, allowing them to show up in merchants' inventories or the loot tables, etc.

You can also collect "physical" copies of books and read them at your convenience.

"Let's first grab a few items from Ennathil's supplies."



Let's see what this book is about!



[h2]NPC Personalities and Interactions[/h2]

I introduced a new system for your NPC interactions powered by distinct personality tags. Your choices will influence NPCs differently based on their personality type.

I also started implementing various interactions with the NPCs other than socializing. Ie. You can now barter and trade with anyone.

Based on their net worth, NPCs can carry an assortment of items. You'll never know what you may find.



All these are just checks to naturally facilitate various interactions, such as bartering, and pave the way for more complex actions down the road, like recruiting characters to your party, or feeding if you're playing as a vampire, among others.



NPCs and your choices could fall into the following archetypes:

Guardians protect order and tradition, always ready to defend those in their care. Their leadership shines in crisis situations, where their calm and organized approach brings reassurance and unity. For example, faced with a threat, a Guardian might rally the community with resolve, saying, "Fear not, for we stand united. Follow my lead, and we shall protect our home and kin together."

Empaths are the heart and soul of any group, intuitively connected to the emotions of those around them. They excel in offering comfort and understanding, making them invaluable in times of distress. When a character is in sorrow, for instance, an Empath would offer a shoulder and a kind word: "I can't begin to understand your pain, but I'm here for you, to listen or just sit in silence, whatever you need."

Trailblazers are adventurers, always eager to explore the unknown and innovate. Their fearless spirit and curiosity drive them to discover and lead, making the path where none existed before. Confronted with the mystery of an uncharted territory, a Trailblazer's eyes light up with the promise of adventure: "There's a mystery in these woods waiting to be discovered. Let's see what secrets lie hidden beyond!"

Visionaries are dreamers, constantly looking to the future and imagining how it could improve. Their big ideas and aspirations inspire those around them to think beyond the present. Gazing upon a neglected part of the city, a Visionary might share their dream: "Imagine this place not as it is, but what it could be—a beacon of prosperity and unity for all."

Beacons are charismatic leaders who inspire hope and confidence. Their optimism and ability to motivate others make them natural leaders in any endeavor, guiding their followers toward a brighter future. A Beacon would lift spirits in the face of adversity, proclaiming: "Let our spirits not be dampened by the shadows. In unity, there is light strong enough to dispel any darkness. Follow me to victory!"

Enigmas are mysterious figures whose depths are hidden behind a veil of secrecy. They reveal their true selves only to those they deem worthy, making their trust valuable. Sharing a glimpse into their hidden depths, an Enigma might confide: "There are reasons for my solitude, secrets from a past that haunts me. Perhaps, in time, I'll share my story with you."

This system is all about immersion and works behind the scenes. You won't encounter colored labels or influence numbers to guide your decisions. It's about your genuine choices and their consequences on your journey through Erannorth.

There aren't wrong or correct choices. Based on your choice and the personality of the person you speak with, your influence may increase or decrease by an amount that now depends on your compatibility as characters. For example, an Empath choice might find common ground with a Guardian's protective nature or a Beacon's communal focus. Still, it may struggle to resonate with an Enigma.

As a player, you aren't locked to a fixed personality type. You can choose whichever option best reflects your RP at any given moment. This system fosters complex and nuanced behaviors, creating a world where personalities interact in realistic and multifaceted ways without you realizing it's the case. Which I hope will make your adventures more enjoyable.

At the end of the day, there are interactions that are only available to your rivals or enemies, so you really don't need to be nice to everyone. Even if you are, not everyone may appreciate you snooping into their affairs.

Let's try to be nice and choose option 1.



While this may work for some NPCs, she is a tough audience.



[h2]The elephant in the room[/h2]

So, when will it be released? I wish I could tell you. The coding and functionality needed to host the content for a 'minimum viable product', suitable for early access, are complete. However, the content itself is not fully there yet. So, the answer is, of course, 'when it's ready.' We can all hope that will be sometime in 2024.

That's all for today folks! If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to comment below!

Hi folks,

Choose-your-own-adventure games are all about giving you the freedom to make choices and seeing those choices change the game. They're packed with stories and parts of the world that you might never see, depending on what you decide to do. It's your adventure, so you're in charge of everything from picking your skills to deciding who, if anyone, you want to romance. Today, we're going to talk about the dating and combat parts of Erannorth Renaissance. Whether you're into the romance or the action, there's something here for you.

Romance

Romance in games can cause a lot of discussions about whether it should be included and what happens when characters get involved romantically. As the person creating the story, I'm not here to force any decisions or make you see things you're not okay with. I give you the choices, and it's up to you to decide what you want to do. More importantly, there are options to turn off these parts entirely or change them to what you're comfortable with.

In Erannorth Renaissance, the decision to incorporate romance and more explicit text scenes into your story is yours alone to make.



You have the freedom to explore relationships with anyone as long as there's mutual attraction. From the start, you can set your preferences for romance and more sensual content. These options will be clearly marked, ensuring you don't accidentally give your friends the wrong idea.

NPCs can set the stage for a romantic scene, but it's your choices that determine the direction of the interaction. Options marked with a pink or red heart signal the potential to shift a friendly exchange into a romantic one. A brighter red heart indicates options for more intimate interactions, giving clear cues for the depth of romance you're engaging with. You will never see scenes or options to romance characters your PC isn't attracted to.

Let's take one of the least subtle scenes for example:

The night wears on, and you both settle into a watchful, uneasy rest. Jocelyn comes in your bedroom covered in a bedsheet, her eyes filled with a blend of vulnerability and determination. She gazes at you for a moment, her lips parting slightly as if she wants to say something, but no words escape her mouth. You can feel the weight of her unspoken thoughts hanging in the air, intertwining with the silence that envelops the room.

This scene occurs because Diana and Jocelyn share a compatible orientation, and Diana has chosen to pursue a romance with Jocelyn while also opting in for more intimate content. Despite these choices, selecting the response "Can't sleep?" stops the scene from progressing further. This choice prevents the disclosure that Jocelyn was only covered by a bedsheet, among other details, effectively halting the advancement into more intimate territory.



We previously discussed how the game blends random NPCs with scripted ones. A question arose about managing the numerous NPCs and understanding their purpose. Your interactions with these NPCs are influenced by your relationship with them and your skills. Friends might offer quests or join your party, enemies could become threats, and with strangers, the possibilities range from pickpocketing to more unique interactions, depending on your character's path, like feeding as a vampire.



Though these encounters are scripted to feel random, they're designed to enrich your experience. You can choose to engage with several NPCs to diversify your journey or focus solely on the main storyline, ignoring sandbox elements. Your character sheet includes a section for tracking all your relationships, their status, and relevant details, making it easy to keep track of your connections and interactions.

This is how this screen looks at the moment.



Clicking on the compass highlights the tile where you can find them, and you can also view their schedule to know when you can expect to find them there.

NPCs' attraction preferences are randomly assigned upon creation and remain consistent. Unlike these NPCs, your companions have fixed orientations, affecting their availability for romance based on your character's attributes.

As with all Erannorth games, customization through mods is encouraged. You can alter NPCs and companions alike, potentially unlocking non-canonical romances and tailoring the story to your liking.

Below is a screenshot of the in-game modding tools.



Combat

While romance in the game is optional, combat plays a crucial role but is designed to be adjustable. You have control over the intensity of your encounters by setting the number of hostile warbands that pursue you in the open world. This allows you to tailor the combat experience to your preference. While combat is often woven into the story, your skills offer pathways to circumvent many conflicts.



However, there will be scenarios where fighting is unavoidable. Fortunately, the game equips you with a broad spectrum of tools, including consumable items like potions and food, to prepare for these encounters.



The game features a variety of effects and conditions that can enhance your character's abilities or weaken your opponents. These elements serve as the foundational building blocks for the actions you can take during combat, providing depth and strategy to engagements.

• Bleed: Bleeding causes a loss of HP at the end of each target's turn for the duration of the effect.
  
• Defense: Defense reduces incoming damage for the duration of the effect. Lost Defense doesn't recover.
  
• Dodge: Dodge increases the chance to dodge attacks for the duration of the effect.
  
• Dominate: Domination grants control over targets' movements during their turns for the duration of the effect.
  
• Fear: Fear compels targets to flee during their turns for the duration of the effect.
  
• Fortify: Fortify reduces incoming damage for the duration of the effect.
  
• Haste: Haste grants additional AP for the duration of the effect.
  
• Healing: Healing restores HP up to the target's maximum.
  
• Poison: Poison causes a loss of HP at the end of each target's turn for the duration of the effect.
  
• Precision: Precision increases critical hit chance for the duration of the effect.
  
• Regenerate: Regenerate restores HP at the end of each target's turn for the duration of the effect.
  
• Retaliate: Retaliate causes the target to return half of the damage received to their attacker for the duration of the effect.
  
• Strengthen: Strengthen increases damage dealt for the duration of the effect.
  
• Stun: Stun causes targets to lose their turn for the specified number of turns.
  
• Summon: Summons an ally to fight alongside you for the duration of the effect.
  
• Vulnerable: Vulnerable causes targets to receive extra damage for the duration of the effect.
  
• Weaken: Weaken reduces targets' damage for the duration of the effect.
  

You can easily inspect the Enemies (or allies) to see their tactics and any status effects currently affecting them.



Actions in the game can be made up of multiple effects, all of which affect the action's target whether positive or negative. Targets can be:

• specific to the caster,
  
• a single entity within range,
  
• a radial area around a tile,
  
• or a line of targets.
  

Strategic placement of your companions and use of special obstacle tiles, such as blocks of wood or piles of rocks, allow you to control the flow of the battlefield and block enemy movement.

An important aspect of the game is that your party members can face permanent death, but this is not a consequence of combat or failed skill rolls. Instead, any characters who fall in battle are revived with 1 HP once the combat concludes, ensuring that the risk of losing characters permanently does not stem from the heat of battle but from your choices.

"Dying": Dying status renders your companions unable to act for the remainder of the combat. However, actors have a chance, equal to their luck, to regain consciousness with 1 HP during their turn and continue fighting. At the end of combat, assuming your party won, they automatically revive with 1 HP.

Enemies die instantly. How unfair!

After combat concludes, you have the opportunity to gather resources from special tiles, like harvesting wood from trunks, and to search fallen enemies for treasures. While there's an option to quickly loot all enemies, taking this shortcut might cause you to overlook hidden items they might have.



That's all for today! If you have any questions or suggestions, please make sure to post them below!

Hi folks,

Today, we'll dive deeper into "Erannorth Renaissance" and discuss exploration, NPCs, and random encounters. Feel free to skip right into the latest video where I go into greater detail on today's topics, or continue reading!

"Erannorth Renaissance" is a Choose Your Own Adventure game featuring combat and exploration on a hex grid. Besides offering a story-rich experience, it also provides a sandbox environment where players can pursue their own agendas and explore its vast world.

[h2]Fog of War and Exploration[/h2]

The world is now covered in a dark layer of mist that gets lifted as you explore. I felt that knowing the layout beforehand detracted from the feeling of exploration and discovery and also made it extremely easy to avoid hostile warbands. Now, the world gets progressively uncovered as you explore it, and certain tiles can be revealed after learning about their location from an NPC.





[h2]Roving Bands[/h2]

The roving bands are hostile groups of enemies that may appear in adjacent tiles as you explore the world. While some have their own agenda and may not engage with you, others may seek you out and engage in combat. Alternatively, you can proactively engage them. Roving Bands can't follow you into towns, nor will they interrupt you while you are in the middle of a story, as the story itself could have its own encounters to fight. However, be cautious, as they may now be hiding in the fog of war.





[h2]Random NPCs[/h2]

The residential district tiles, which occupy the largest part of towns, are now populated by both scripted NPCs and random NPCs. All their traits are procedurally generated, and the interactions with them are handcrafted but random. So, how does this work? When you visit a tile with random NPCs for the first time, these NPCs are permanently assigned to that tile and become residents. They are also assigned a schedule, making them interactable in said tile during a specific segment of the day.



Before interacting with any of them, they are considered strangers. After you interact with them, they can eventually become enemies, rivals, acquaintances, friends, or even lovers (if they are romanceable by your character and you have romances active). Each of these categories comes with a very large pool of random interactions or activities to engage with these NPCs, so they'll feel unique and alive, and the towns livelier.





The initial interactions with these NPCs are role-playing, and you can choose to be nice to them or not. And there is no correct or wrong way to go about it, as each choice you make will open up different opportunities for interaction with them. Eventually, impressing them will get harder; you'll start seeing events that require using your skills to impress them, go out on dates, ask for their help, and many other things.



Please note that the video below contains minor spoilers from the very early game.

This is a very early alpha build of the game (version 0.4.52), and there's still much work ahead. Many elements, such as art and items, are currently placeholders. Therefore, everything we'll see today may change by the time you get the game in your hands later this year. However, it will provide you with a good idea of what the game is about.

So with no further ado let's dive in!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

That's all for today. if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments below!

Previously in Erannorth Renaissance:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1580800/view/3877099642482485816
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2657930/view/3895114675655345502
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2657930/view/3861338313340151645
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2657930/view/3861338313380396150
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2657930/view/3969427874540995356
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2657930/view/4048242136836762652

Hi folks,

Today, we'll take a first look at Erannorth Renaissance. Erannorth Renaissance is a Choose Your Own Adventure game with combat and exploration taking place on a hex grid. Aside from being a story-rich experience, it also offers a sandbox environment where you can pursue your own agendas and explore its vast world.

This is a very early alpha build of the game (version 0.4.43), and there's still much work ahead. Many elements, such as art and items, are currently placeholders. Therefore, everything we're going to see today may change by the time you get the game in your hands later this year. However, it will provide you with a good idea of what the game is about.

Please note that the video contains minor spoilers from the beginning of the story. While these are details you'll likely discover early on, they are spoilers nonetheless.

So with no further ado let's dive in!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

That's all for today. if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments below!

Previously in Erannorth Renaissance:

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1580800/view/3877099642482485816
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2657930/view/3895114675655345502
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2657930/view/3861338313340151645
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2657930/view/3861338313380396150
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2657930/view/3969427874540995356