Rule a mighty city, fight battles, and embark on quests in a steampunk-fantasy land. As the Ardent or Ardessa of Lake Steelthorne, find love, power and a secret which could change the world.
Dragon of Steelthorne is a 170,000-word interactive novel by Vance Chance, weaving together story, city management and combat in a unique take on choice-based Interactive Fiction. Customize the level of challenge with four difficulty settings. It’s entirely text-based—without animation or sound effects—and fueled by the vast, unstoppable power of your imagination.
- Play as male or female, straight or gay.
- Explore a story set in a world with steampunk and fantasy elements.
- Find romance from one of five possible love interests. Enjoy a romantic night with them at the Eternal Festival.
- Choose from one of five classes, with different effects on story, city management and combat.
- Manage a city and train soldiers to fight for you on missions.
- Enjoy a three-slot save system which provides the flexibility to try different options without losing progress or having to start over.
Decide the future of your mighty city as its leader and ruler.
I’ve completed two additional chapters (The Great Carnival, the Windrose Ball) for Dragon of Steelthorne, which was released on Hosted Games back in May. This new update brings the total word count to 170,000 words, up from 140,000 words. I’m trying to wrap up this beta in about two weeks. The bonus chapters are available for you to try here. (EDIT: I’m closing this beta and submitting the update on 14Aug, Wednesday)
https://dashingdon.com/play/chanceoffire/dragon-of-steelthorne-additional-chapters/mygame/
After reviewing feedback from the original release, I noticed that length was the biggest complaint, followed by companion interactions. As a writer, I try to listen to feedback, even negative feedback. I am attempting to address both issues with these two bonus chapters. I understand that people who were dissatisfied with the game cited these two reasons most of the time, so I hope that this will help to make things right.
Additionally, I am also offering the full game (including the bonus chapters) for beta testing. Unfortunately, as Dragon of Steelthorne is already released on HG, I am unable to offer the complete game as an open beta. Instead, this will be a closed beta, limited to a small pool of testers. Please indicate if you are interested in receiving access to the full version of the game for testing. Please leave feedback or comments to increase your chances of gaining access as I will not be able to offer access to everyone.
The Great Carnival and the Windrose Ball are similar to the Eternal Festival. These are romance chapters which focus heavily on character interactions. There are no combat elements in these chapters. Take your companions out for a stroll, or some misadventures at the Great Carnival. Enjoy a dance with your romantic interest at the Windrose Ball.
FAQ:
How can I gain access to the full beta?
The full beta of the game, which includes the full original game and the content expansion, will be conducted as a closed beta with a limited pool of testers. Please let me know if you are interested and leave feedback to increase your chances of gaining access. I will distribute the links this weekend or so as I still need time to review the full version.
If you beta tested the original release, I will grant you unconditional access to the full beta. Simply let me know.
If you have been suspended from the forums, please reach out to me at intfiction if you want to discuss access.
What kind of feedback are you looking for?
Nothing specific. If anything comes to mind, feel free to say so.
I have purchased Dragon of Steelthorne, how do I receive the content update?
Thank you very much. This update will be provided for free to all current and future owners of the game. I’m not sure when it will be rolled out - it all depends on HG’s publishing schedule. Do indicate whether you have already owned/played the game if you want access to the full version. However, as long as you leave feedback, it is not mandatory to currently own the game to receive access to testing the full version.
Will there be a sale to accompany this content update?
I will speak to HG about this, but I can’t make any promises as monetization is not something I have control over.
How many copies did the game sell?
If you’re curious…
I can’t access Dragon of Steelthorne 2.
That’s because I changed the link for security reasons. Please reach out to me for an updated link. No conditions attached.
What happens to Scarlet Sorceress?
Do you still want me to finish it?
Anything else?
Do you want a free steam key for Dragon of Steelthorne?
