Welcome back Outlanders!
Firstly, I would like to apologize for the great hiatus. The worlds been through alot in the past year or so and alongside it, a solo dev has to learn how to move, and move different we have. Maybe even be built different somewhat (As some say). To give those who are ready to just jump in a quick update, heres the quick notes on what's changed.
QUICK NOTES
FADE has undergone drastic changes and is pivoting away from Unreal Engine 5. Though the improvements were a great luxury, the system requirements were too taxing on most players, and the goal is to make FADE as accessible as possible to various systems and pc set ups. Currently it is built upon Unreal Engine 4.27 and is working well. Known issues include some slight hitches in its current state, but once I am able to work out where this issue stems from, I will make adjustments to the demo and current build.
Additionally, the current build of the game focuses on gameplay and drops the player into the start of the game without the narrative direction. To make this test as effective as possible, bosses respawn and give the player chances to try different builds and items they've discovered. Players will have access to multiple saves and be able to choose between three starting classes. Of course more are planned for launch as the races in FADE's lore still include: Baustians, Alidans, Corvians, Ugarians, and Rosarans. Each class including some others will be planned to be added upon launch, but for now its just limited to the primary three found in Baltane. To also better launch the demo release, I made a new trailer for the alpha.
The current build does not include an option to adjust settings as I do need to adjust to 4.27 and see how it conducts quality/performance changes differently than prior versions.
Set up for the project has changed as well. The demo includes access to all available content. I state now, if you wish to support the project, purchase the current build and get access to all future updates and the full release, but please try the demo first and make your decision based on your enjoyment.
The current build is missing some current features due to the player being gated to just the first area. Features not found in the demo include: Blacksmithing, Fishing, and Aura Shifting.
On the community end, there seems to be some issues with access/spammers attempting to access the old discord, so the community is pivoting to this new one. Join here: [url=
New Discord]New Discord
Now to get into what happened while I was out of commission
PROJECT UPDATE
During the hiatus I was approached by publishers hoping to assist with the games development. Despite many long talks and seemingly good arrangements, I was not able to find a publisher that fit into my designs for the project. This project means more than anything to me and it means even more to make sure that I get to be apart of future titles to make sure it stays true to my design. The goal has always been for FADE to be a classical RPG built upon a mixture of the combat of a souls-like, the skill system of dragons dogma, and the story telling of fable. To see this vision to fruition I am pushing forward and expanding the team. Additionally the project is heading to Kickstarter.
In the meantime as I ramp up towards the following goals certain facets of the project need to be explained as we have made progress despite the hiatus.
The design document for the game has been completed and location based assets have all been attained/created - Meaning the only necessary portions of game development are level building with said assets, character design for bosses and voiceover work for the many dialogue pieces in the game.
Currently the project is seeking to fill the following positions:
3D Character Artist - Rigging/animating models from the completed array of concept art for FADE's bosses/enemies
UI/UX Designer - Creating and improving upon the games UI to industry standards.
Technical Animator - Facial motion work and Animation for humanoid characters
Cinematics Designer - Translating the games script to scenes utilizing Unreal Engines Cinematic tools.
Sound Designer - Mixing and mastering audio for different scenes and background music within FADE
Given I still work a day job and my current obligations aren't going anywhere I am meeting with individuals and preparing for a Kickstarter to seek funding to get FADE completed. If not funded I intend to keep working on it, as it is my passion.
I hope everyone enjoys the new demo and I look forward to your feedback (Positive or negative). As usual I'll make sure to respond to any messages or forum posts regarding the game. I'll make sure to get to you when I can.
We've come a long way and I'm not gonna let health issues, a global crisis, or publishers get in the way.
Happy new year, Outlanders.
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