Dragon of Steelthorne 2: Skies over Steelthorne (WIP) - 107k words, ~85% complete

Hosted Games Works In Progress
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Alright people, sequel is out. Thread for the first game is here.

Dragon of Steelthorne 2: Skies over Steelthorne, is currently about 85% done, in terms of the main story. The management system has not been developed fully at this point. This is an incomplete beta, and some game mechanics will not be in a polished state.

I am planning to enter this game in the Spring Thing next year. Because of comp rules, there will be no public link. Please DM me if you want the link as this thread is now locked: open-door policy. (This is an intfiction comp requirement and entirely beyond my control. I’m sorry.)

In Dragon of Steelthorne 2, you play as the Lord and manager of a large Skyport near Lake Steelthorne. The Empire has built steam-powered planes, allowing people to take to the skies. Meanwhile, a succession crisis brews in the Empire’s leadership as three members of the Royal Family fight for the throne. Support one of the three candidates, gain the blessing of the Dragon Gem, possibly gain the throne, and decide the course of the Empire’s future.

As with the first game, the game has some story sections, a Skyport Management system and a combat system (land and air). I am planning to add more battles to the game in subsequent revisions (there aren’t too many now) and am also still deciding on the depth of the management system.

Other notes:

  • This game is 107k words long. Final word count will probably be around 120-130k. Assuming this becomes a Hosted Games release, final word count is targeted at 170k.
  • There are currently four romance interests in the game, two male and two female. Crown Princess Zoe will be a romance option, but I have not worked on her content yet.
  • Difficulty settings have not been fully implemented. Only Easy and God mode is available for now, and God mode does not have the achievement penalty at this point.
  • The management system and battles have still not been developed/balanced properly at this point. Do provide feedback on this if you wish, but bear in mind that this is not complete.
  • Dragon of Steelthorne 2 takes place a century after the first game. This is a standalone adventure with a new MC. There is no savegame import. I might change this down the line, depending on how development goes.

Future plans:
I am currently planning to enter this in IFcomp. Due to the 2hr playtime limit, this version will not be heavy in content.

Regarding a future Hosted Games release, I plan to see how this game performs in IFcomp, and how the first game performs sales-wise, before making a decision. As of now, do not assume that a Hosted Games release is a default scenario (actually, do not assume anything to be a default scenario).

If this ultimately goes on Hosted Games, I plan to add the following after IFcomp, bringing the total word count to an estimated 170k.

  • Side missions
  • Random events
  • Romance chapters (Spring Ball and Eternal Festival)

If not, the story and game is complete, and the IF comp version of the game will be the final version.

PROMOART 480X320

I won’t force anyone to give feedback, but at the very least, I would appreciate it if you could tell me what was your estimated playtime. Thanks!!

For the next update, let me know what you want me to prioritize. I can finish the final chapters first, or work on Princess Zoe’s romance first.

47 Likes
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I would like the link please!

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I would like to have the link also please and thanks.

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I’d like to have the link too please.

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I would like to have the link please

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I would like the link

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So do we still have our MC from the first book in the game?

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So glad to see you decided to continue this :D.
Have you done IFComp before? It’s a lot of fun. There tends to be a lot of interactivity on the author’s board and reviews that come in from the time I entered a game there.

I’d recommend linking your spring thing and HG version of game one at the start as well to make it easier for people to find in the comp if you haven’t already. Not sure if you’re able to do a bit of an optional quickstart as well to give people a basic rundown for essential info and game mechanics they need for game 2? (Not sure how easy this would be, may help you in the voting as not everyone will go off to find game 1 to play in order to start game two.)

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No. This is a stand-alone adventure with a new MC.

First time. :smiley: But the Spring Thing was a good warm up.

Good point. Although the second game is still a standalone adventure, so we’re starting fresh, in a way. :slightly_smiling_face:

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I would like the link

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I would like to have link

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I would like the Link please

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I would like the link

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I would like the link.

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Would the MC there have the same God-Like Power Opportunity like the previous MC in the first game?

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Maybe…? There might be a hint in the achievements.

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I would like the line and thank you :blush:

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I would like the Link please

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Well shoot, I really enjoyed the story and can’t wait to see the conclusion. I found a few typos here and there, but luckily there were no game breaking bugs in my playthrough. I’ll see if I can copy and paste some of them later on, but like I said, it wasn’t anything to write home about. Great stuff.

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I would like the link please!