Opened at author’s request.
Howdy, Heroes!
I have returned from the grave, with good news…
A Realm Divided has resumed development!
I’m going to keep this one relatively short and sweet, but I’ll leave a small gift of newly forged content…
Excited for the future!
21 Likes
State of the Realm - July 2024 - The 26th Year of Youth.
Hello, Heroes!
26 years on this Earth… and still choosing to work on the game today. 
Welcome back to State of the Realm, providing an in-depth development update on Estheria: A Realm Divided.
In this edition, I’m going to make things brief on text, heavier on imagery, as I’d like to showcase actual work that has went into Update 1. I’m aware that everyone has been eagerly awaiting the update, and so in this case, I’m showing what all has been done as we chug forward.
I am not committing to a release date at this time. Mainly because I have had numerous health issues in the last 9 months coupled with a mixture of general burnout that I believe is from them. However, I pushed 1,400 words yesterday to the project, and am working on another 600 for today. So, we’re making progress.
Let’s delve in, shall we?
Feature Display-Case
Alright, we’re going to take this piece by piece. Each thing shown is not going to provide massive spoilers on the game, as I’ve avoided showing direct story content.
- The updated Logo is provided above and has been added to the game. However, I have provided an updated Menu for the WiP warning below.
- Next, the Patch Notes Section with major display overhauls. Please ignore the prior August 2023 date on the choice for Update 1, that’ll be marked off and the actual content within from the small teaser is accurate.
- The Lore Journal has been produced and condensed, providing a detailed glimpse of content ranging from characters, locations, story recap, and Kingdom information.
- Kingdom Lore has been majorly overhauled, providing extensive detail on every Kingdom of the Eleven Kingdoms of Harmony.
- The Glossary has been added to the game, which provides detailed overviews/important or pertinent information tied to mechanics. An example provided below is the Traits list (partial list of traits included).
Finale
I wanted to give images to show how many things are working under the hood without providing direct spoilers. I’ve added so much cleanup, Quality of Life (QoL), content, and overhaul just in general to the game compared to where we started.
I know that everyone wants just straight story and content. I do too, but I also would’ve hated going back to the beginning and having to hash all of this out later in development where it would’ve taken more.
Foundationally, A Realm Divided is a much more coherent game than it was when it started in March of 2023. I have learned much regarding programming and ChoiceScript, and I look forward to delivering a boisterous RPG.
Thanks for sticking with me, and I promise you’ll have something to sink your teeth into soon. I hope the images above at least give a snapshot at some of the pieces I’ve been working on, beyond the lore snippets I’ve previously provided.
Cheers to a 26th year on this Earth for me!
See you soon, Heroes.
~Zach
19 Likes
Hey author
I think there are some problem with demo link
Moody itself is currently not working. I can’t provide a screenshot, but I checked it on ‘Is It Down Right Now?’
Moody is gone. The data for it was moved to a different host. @Zaxwlyde will need to either have his profile moved to the new site or he’ll need to reupload everything to the new site.
2 Likes
Hi, Heroes!
My apologies, as I was completely unawares that this was the case.
I will attempt to access an old build and run the character creator Demo through it. Otherwise, I may have to pull the link temporarily due to the loss of hosting the old-build until Update 1 has been achieved.
Due to the substantive reworks included in Update 1, I would be unable to simply upload a build as is, or you would see fragmented content and the Demo would not fully function. Until this rework is finalized, Update 1 is in a… fragmented state, to say the least.
Nonetheless, I will work on trying to scrounge up an original build of Update 0.4 if possible.
10 Likes
Howdy, Heroes!
Work continues on Update 1. In the meantime, I’m actually doing a small poll.
Combat writing - in particular when it comes to magic, isn’t my strongest suit. However, I wanted an opinion on a small sequence from Update 1. As such, I’m attaching imagery below alongside a poll. Let me know what you think!
SPOILER ALERT IN IMAGES
QUESTION: How do you feel about the above text? Take note, it is not edited/polished at this time.
- I love it!
- It’s decent.
- Not too big of a fan.
- Absolutely hated it.
0
voters
Thanks again, Heroes!
~Zach
4 Likes
The magic seems pretty good. Though I would be careful with pacing. Magic needs more description than a sword or bow, but it can make the spell feel like it takes longer. And so you sit there wondering why the bad guys don’t take advantage of you just standing there. This can work if the spells actually take a bit to work, but if it’s meant to be on par with drawing back an arrow, then pacing can become an issue.
Also, I was surprised by the “mate” and “arse.” I could be wrong, but that feels way more “modern London boy” than I would expect from a fantasy setting. It could work, but I won’t lie, it kinda took me out of it a bit
2 Likes
Hey, Anna!
I work on juggling and balancing attention to detail for everything when it comes to either magic or plain old swords and shields with weaponry.
As for the verbiage, that’ll ultimately depend on the race and/or culture of the specific person. Some cultures hold more of a loose tongue, whether that’s cultures built upon old-fashioned grimey tactics and mercenary-style play, or even things such as the Dwarves.
2 Likes
From what I see more detail can be good if the spell is powerful spell.