It’s been a long time since our previous development entry, but we are back! We have been busily working on the lore and art of the story along with some heuristic testing (testing out gameplay ideas). We have a lot to go through in regards to what’s been happening at Far Owl Studios and the development of the Ethereal Metropolis!
In Non-Development News
Far Owl Studios is now officially an LLC! As of April 19th, Far Owl Studios has been a legal business entity with operations based in the United States. Along with that we have also created our company logo!
Now for the big news. We have been deliberating about whether or not we wish to move on from being a roleplay and far more into the game making territory. Over the last couple of months, we have been testing out a tile-based combat system complete with balance mechanics, abilities, classes, races, and many more stats. There is too much information for a tabletop roleplaying game to keep up with, and the transition between combat and text-based roleplaying is too volatile and unwieldy when it comes to creating a set storyline for the game. Thus it has been resolved that the Ethereal Metropolis will now be a tile-based strategy game that offers elements of roleplaying.
However, do not worry! We are still keeping the aesthetic and the planned storyline for the Ethereal Metropolis as it was before, which brings us to the next point.
The Lore Direction
We have been discussing what the lore direction should be, the tone, presentation, and many more details about the world of the Ethereal Metropolis. We have resolved a lot, but we won’t be spoiling anything story-wise aside from the premise that is available on our website though we shall be presenting the lore in-game through what are essentially collectibles that contain small snippets of the world of the Ethereal Metropolis. However, our goal is to make the world as believable as possible with all sorts of nuance and quirks to it.
Players will experience a story that can stand and thrive on its own merits, but the lore will only further augment the storyline providing nuance into how the creatures and answering the questions of why and how things are in the Ethereal Metropolis.
Art Direction
We have also been busy in regards to creating art. Take a look at some of the early designs of in-game armor. The art direction is aiming for a more realist approach to emphasize the games storytelling and thematic and tone elements of the entire game. The realist approach also allows us to create better, more detailed models in the game.
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