Elements

Ice Armor, Ziplines, Enemy Improvements and Updated Roadmap 🗺️
14 days ago – Wed, May 01, 2024 at 08:47:50 PM

Hey everyone! I hope everyone is doing amazing. Here is an update showing some of the things we have been working on in the last month.

Ice Armor
We have just finished the Ice Armor. We wanted to ensure the armor had lots of protection from the cold, while still allowing for some decent mobility. We are thinking about buffs for equipping entire Elemental sets. For Ice Armor this could be increased movement in the snow For Nature Armor this could be increased Health Regen. Let us know if you have any ideas?

Ziplines
We added ziplines to help the player get around more quickly and to allow for traversal to some unreachable locations. Some ziplines may require “fixing” before you can use them. After all, some may not have been used for thousands of years. We still need to add some sound and particle effects, but here is a quick video of a zipline in action.

Debuff System
We just finished the debuff system. Debuffs will be tied to weapons, armor, and magic. These include things like; burning, poison, freezing, etc. Each Element will have a specific debuff, some Elements will have multiple. Some gear will offer resistances to certain debuffs. For example; water is resistant to fire, fire is resistant to nature and nature is resistant to water.

Enemy behavior
We think the way enemies and NPCs behave in games can be the difference between a world feeling bland or immersive. We have been working on some behavior characteristics for our enemies.
Enemies will now notify others around them when they hear or see the player. We can modify the notifying radius around the enemy to customize it for different enemy types.

If enemies are patrolling a certain area they will return to their patrol or activity once you get far enough away from them. You can see this in the clip testing out the bouncy mushrooms. 

These are a few more things that make enemies seem smarter and more life-like. Are there any “smart enemy” memorable moments from other games that stick out to you? 

We have been working on some of the mini-boss encounters in the Nature Biome, like this wolf creature encounter which is still very much a work in progress. Some mini-bosses will be found randomly in the world, while defeating others might be part of a quest. We also modified the explosive arrow particles. Much more satisfying.

Wildlife
We added new wildlife to some of the areas in the Nature Biome. These add life to Elemythia and start to bring the world to life. Adding sounds to these creatures also adds to the atmosphere and allows you to track them using your ears. What creatures are you most excited to see in Elements?

Remnants
Remnants are a new enemy type that you will find roaming Elemythia. I don't want to spoil too much of the backstory about them but here are a few words from the lore;
"Over time, Remnants have become corrupted by the chaotic energies of the elements, losing their original purpose and gaining a malevolent will of their own. Now, they roam the land, drawn to areas of elemental conflict or residual elemental energy."
Keep your eyes open for these. They are powerful but drop rare resources when defeated.

Wallpaper Key Art
We recently started distributing the first Wallpaper Key Art. There is a link to a dropbox folder with 4k and Ultrawide versions. I always like options myself, so I added versions with and without logos. Once we have new wallpapers we will add them to this folder. Feel free to tag us on social media with your PC setups if you decide to make the wallpaper your desktop background. If you didn't get the link please message us on Kickstarter. This is a good test distribution to ensure everyone gets their Alpha codes when the time comes.

Alpha Update / Roadmap
Below is an updated Roadmap. As you will see, targets have been pushed back by 6-8 months. So, you will get your hands on the Alpha before the end of June. We have accepted that it won’t be as polished as we would like, but we know you have waited long enough, and that your input will help us identify and focus on bugs that may be game-breaking and things that make Elements fun to play.

It’s never fun having to push dates back, and even less fun having to tell excited backers like yourself that it is not quite ready. We are learning how hard it is to factor in issues that may arise during game development. We really appreciate your patience. We hope you know how thankful we are to have your support and that we are working as hard and as fast as possible to create a world in which you can adventure and get lost.

Looking forward to your feedback on anything you care to comment on about the update. Thank you ❤️

Crafting, Chests, and Ice Weapons 🧊
about 2 months ago – Thu, Mar 21, 2024 at 01:37:34 AM

Hey everyone! Just wanted to post a quick update showing some of the things we have been working on in the last couple weeks. 

We started diving into some more Elemental Ice Weapons. These have some light Nordic and Himalayan influences. We want you to feel the chill of the cold when you equip Ice Gear. 

I've also included some images of the initial sculpts to try and show more of the process and the different modular pieces which will be added to the base Rare tier to get the Epic and Legendary tiers. Let me know if you enjoy seeing early sculpts.
 

Ice Bow

Ice One-handed Sword

Here is a quick test of the One-handed Ice Sword in game. Right now when enemies block it will stop any combos. This is more of a Souls-like approach to combat, but I think we are going to allow continuation of combos even if blocked. What do you think?

Ice Quiver

Ice Arrow

Level Design

We have been working on some of the different sub-biomes, villages, and areas in the Nature Biome. Here is a quick video showing an area in the Rainforest area. Right now this area still needs a lot to really bring it to life, but we wanted to share to get your feedback on what else it needs?

Multiplayer Loot

We have been tweaking how loot will work in Elements. Because many people will play Elements split screen we wanted to make sure no Loot Goblins lost out on gear from chests found in the world. We made gear player-dependant. So, instead of racing to a chest to be the first to get the gear inside, you can rest assured your gear will still be there. Are you happy to not have to worry about someone taking your gear or are you always first to the chest?

Crafting Stations

There will be 4 different crafting stations; Crafting Bench, Forge, Cooking/Potion Station, and Seed Maker. At the Crafting Bench you will be able to craft tools and weapons made of wood. The Forge will allow you to refine metals and craft weapons that require more refinement. The Cooking/Potion Station will give you the ability to cook meals or make potions that can give the player boosts or buffs. You will also be able to experiment with ingredients to find new recipes. The Seed Maker will take plants, fruits, and vegetables and turn them into seeds you can plant. 

Once unlocked, these will all be accessible in your own homesteads. We think this will cover all of the players' crafting needs. Some games have 10 different crafting stations, but we wanted to streamline the crafting a bit more so there are less stations to manage. What do you think about this? Do you like having more or less crafting stations?

We have reworked the crafting station, adding a crafting queue, the ability to see what is currently being crafted, and some other quality of life features. Below is a video of the new crafting system. The UI is still temporary and some of the items are placeholder, but I wanted to show the new system. What do you think?

Here is a closer look at the Seed Maker model.

We will be adding more to the Cooking/Potion Station to make it look more like somewhere you could cook and create potions, but here are 4 stations currently.

Alpha

Although we were hoping to send out Alpha Keys today, we still have some more work to make the Alpha a great experience for all. We don't have an exact date at this time, but please know we are working as fast as possible to get your hands on this early version of Elements, to get your input and help us make Elements something amazing. We will have an updated Roadmap for you in the next update.

Thank you all for your continued support. 2024 is going to be a big year for Elements and we are so thankful to have you along for the ride ❤️

Just over 1 Year since you backed Elements! Thank you ❤️
2 months ago – Thu, Mar 07, 2024 at 07:10:23 AM

It’s hard to believe it has been a year since we were funded and this community has grown. We read all your feedback and it’s helping us create a better experience. We truly wouldn’t have made it this far without your support. Thank you. 

Here are a few things we have been working on :)

Water Weapons
We have been working on some of the water weapons. For inspiration we looked at some Polynesian and Atlantean references. We have finished the Water Bow, Quiver, Shield and Magic Staff.

Bow

Quiver

Shield

Magic Staff

Gliders
We added a few new gliders to the game. Every village will have a glider for you to collect. Each with their own attributes. Some will float longer, while others might be faster, and another might use updrafts more efficiently. Which villages do you think these gliders are from?

Mounts
We have been tweaking functionality and animations for some of the mounts including the Wolf Mount. We are thinking this mount will have increased speed in snow. Do you have any other ideas for abilities?

Portals
We added some new functionality to the build system. We added functioning portals. Each time you unlock building in a village you will get a Gateway Orb, allow you to construct a portal. This will allow fast travel between any village you have gained the ability to build at.

Universal Storage
We also added Universal Storage. These storage chests will be linked so you can share gear no matter which of your homesteads you are at.
 

Destructibles
Let’s be real. We all like breaking stuff. We recently added destructibles so you can break things and grab anything that might be hiding inside. This will also open up some new gameplay opportunities like hidden rooms and passages. We still need to add  some better sound effects and physics so they will fall if something below them is destroyed.

And of course we had to add exploding barrels. I’m still not sure why bad guys always have exploding barrels so close to them in most games, but I have a good idea on why they do in Elements ;)

Alpha
We are getting very close to having an Alpha we are proud to put in your hands. But we still have a lot to do. As always, we remain optimistic but we don’t want to let anyone down if we don’t hit March 21st Alpha date. It’s important that we don’t push the team too hard and that we get some internal testing completed on the Alpha Build before you help us squash bugs. This will speed up development overall as we won’t have to catalog bugs that we already know about.

We are looking at the Alpha as an important development milestone and where you can have the most impact on development. Once released to backers  will continue updating and patching the Alpha until it eventually becomes Early Access. 

Moving forward I would like to pose the idea of updating backers more frequently so you know exactly where things are at and feel more connected with the project. Please let me know if this is something you would be interested in or if the current update cadence is fine?

Thank you for the ongoing support and for helping to lay the foundation for Elements. ❤️

Lots of Updates, including an Alpha Release Date!!
4 months ago – Wed, Jan 17, 2024 at 07:49:36 PM

Happy New Year and thank you so much for your patience! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and are off to a great start in the New Year. We wanted to give you a few updates on what we have been working on for the past two months.

Armor & Weapons

Dark Armor (Rare) 
Here is the Rare version of the Dark Armor. I am really happy with how it turned out. We wanted to keep the armor light to enable increased movement and attack speed while leaning into some of the influences of the Dark Biome.

Are you able to notice any of the references we noted for concepts? As you may be able to tell, the Dark Armor hints at a Wolf type creature for the Dark Guardian. We are working on concepts and ideas for the Dark Guardian now. What do you think about this armor?

Dark Magic Staff (Legendary)
For the Dark Magic Staff we wanted to bring a lot of Dark influence as well as some Light influence as well (the lore to be revealed later in the game). I was extremely happy with how this staff turned out. There are so many beautiful little details. What do you think of this Magical Staff?

1h Ice Axe (Legendary)
This Ice Axe was influenced by some Nordic designs, but we also wanted to have Ice play a big part in the design. As you upgrade the weapon, the Ice really takes over this Axe. I think it's pretty cool ;) 

Magic Abilities

We worked on some new Magic Abilities. One of which being an Ice AOE attack. Spells will progress as the player uses them, potentially getting larger and more powerful. How does this seem as a base spell or do you think it needs something more?

Skill System

This is a quick preview of the Skill System in Elements. As you defeat enemies with a specific weapon type equipped, you will progress that weapon. As the weapon progresses you will unlock Specials Moves associated with that move set. 

These Specials will be movement based, but may also include magical elements. They are meant to augment your magic abilities, giving you the opportunity to use them while in melee (or ranged when using a bow) combat. 

In this video we are showcasing the Staff Skills. Specials will be on a timed cooldown (longer than the showcasing video) and can be changed depending on your playstyle or needs. After you fully progress a weapon type you will unlock a Super. Supers will be more powerful, larger attacks or they may offer increased movement speed, attack speed, health regen, or a combination for a specified duration. UI is still a work in progress and some of the icons are placeholders.

Do you have any ideas for Super moves for a specific weapon?

Environment/Level Design

The world of Elemythia has a lot of different locations and we really want to make each biome feel very different from the next. A lot of factors play into this, one of them being the environment. We made lots of progress roughing out most of the biomes materials and foliage. 

We wanted to ensure that creatures could potentially be tracked. This could also come in handy when trying to figure out an enemy's patrol path.

Monuments

We started adding backer names to the shared monuments that will be hidden throughout the world. I think it's important that there also be some type of gameplay link to these monuments. Each monument will hold a shard or crystal that will only be found within these monuments. If you find and collect all of them you may be in for a pleasant surprise :) What do you think the reward for finding them all should be?

Mounts

We added a new Panda mount to Elements. At first we didn't know if the Panda would be an enemy or a mount, but a lot of people seemed to want a Panda mount so we couldn't resist. The IK and animations still need some tweaking and we are thinking we may give the Panda mount the ability to knock down small trees. What ability do you think it should have?

Inventory UI

Our goal with the inventory UI is to keep it clean and simple, while still showcasing the awesome gear you will find in Elemythia. Some of the icons and models are still placeholders, but this should give you a good idea of what to expect and how it will feel to equip gear. 

You can pick the individual items or open your "bag" to show all your gear for quicker equipping. There are also slots for your mount and glider. Yes, there will be multiple gliders :)
Can you think of any improvements to make it more player friendly?

Dialogue and Questing

Because progression isn't linear in Elements, a huge part of how you progress will be based on who you talk to and what quests you accept. Each village will have Main Quests and Side Quests. Main Quests will progress and game forward, while Side Quests will allow you to dive deeper into Elemythia and possibly earn gear or items that will help you progress faster. Make life easier, or more fun. 

Because of the depth of the quest system and how intertwined with dialogue it is, we had to build and customize the system to our needs. This gives us more flexibility on how to start or complete a quest, giving the player lots of options.

Most NPCs like Vendors or Blacksmiths will also have quests you can accept or you may have to interact with them to progress a quest from another NPC. Some of this UI is still a work in progress and the voice is placeholder. I've already noticed some of the animations and transitions need to be smoothed out and the background behind the main text needs to be darkened to contrast the text. Are there any other improvements you can think of?

Farming/Building

We added bamboo as a new wood source to the Air Biome. Yes, we know it is actually a grass ;). Some building pieces and gear in the Air Biome will require bamboo that can only be found in the Air Biome. Bamboo will regrow faster than most trees (if you chop it with a magical axe), how fast is the question?

We have been adding new objects and creatures to the building and farming parts of the game. We are focusing on core things we think the player will need, then we can add more later. We added chicken coops which will be required for chickens to lay eggs. There won't be any maintenance or upkeep on your building or creatures. 

Creatures will drop items daily. These items can be used in crafting, cooking, trading or selling to some vendors. What building pieces and creatures do you want to see?

Alpha Update

Now, for what a lot of you have been waiting for. We apologize for the delay. With game development, especially on a game where we want to give the player tons of freedom, there are often unknown hurdles. For example, work on the save system and split screen (multiplayer) testing has taken longer than expected. 

With so many variables, It is really hard to confidently predict gamedev milestones, but we are confident on setting an Alpha release date for March 21st. We know this is longer than we expected and predicted, but we hope you know that we are putting all our effort and love Elements. And we are so glad to have you on this journey with us.  

Leading up to March 21st we will be doing internal testing and setting up an Alpha branch on Steam. The keys Alpha Backers will be sent will be a different branch from the Early Access version so progress will not be carried over. The Alpha is an opportunity for you to tell us what you like and don't like and to help us shape the game.

For the Alpha backers, we can't wait to get you playing Elements to help us improve on the world and gameplay loop. We have opened up a "Kickstarter Alpha" channel in the discord where anyone with a role of Alpha or higher will have access. This will be the best place for the most current updates.

We all hope you had a wonderful holiday and are as excited about 2024 as we are. As always, we appreciate your support and patience more than you know ❤️

October update! NPCs, Enemies, and lots of Weapons
6 months ago – Mon, Nov 13, 2023 at 09:33:17 AM

Hey everyone! We wanted to share what we have been working on for the last little bit. Thank you so much for your patience. 

Owl NPC - We just finished these Owl type NPCs. They will be found in the Air, Light, Ice and Nature Biomes. We have a few different clothing and armor options for them as well.

Mushroom Wizard - Quick video showing some of the work in progress AI and attacks for one of the Mushroom Wizards in Elements. I think we need some more attack windows and maybe speed up the projectiles so they can't be dodged as quickly. What do you think?

In Elements there will be some neutral enemy types. Here is a beetle found in the Tropical Swamp area of the Nature Biome. If left alone these enemies won't attack you, but if you attack first they will become hostile. Do you typically leave these creatures alone in games?

Pickaxe - We added a pickaxe for the Nature Biome. You will have to complete a quest in each biome to get the pickaxe so you can mine rocks and minerals. We are trying to make mining satisfying and rewarding. If you have suggestions on how to make a great mining experience, or know games that you think do it well, feel free to comment. After making this clip I noticed the pickaxe was turned the wrong way :)

Weapons 

Two-handed Fire Sword - We finished the Rare version of the Two-handed Fire Sword. We started with some concept art, then turned it into a 3D model, then brought it into Unreal Engine. This is the Rare version. We are very excited to get working on the other versions.

We are still working on the attacks. Do you think they are too fast? I want to make the attacks feel impactful, but I also don't want them to feel slow. What games do two-handed weapons well?

Fire Spear - We finished the Rare Fire Spear. Still working on some attacks to give the spears a much different feel from other two-handed weapons.

 Here are a couple renders of the Rare Fire Spear.

Light Daggers - We finished some daggers from the Light Biome. Here are a few renders. As with the other Light gear they have some Egyptian and Roman inspiration. 

We are still working on attacks. We want them to be faster and possibly close the distance to the target at a certain range.

Dark Bow - We have been working on the first weapon from the Dark Biome. This Dark Bow, named Aroxin's Eyes, may have some added perks that help with finding targets in low light situations...

Level Design - We have been working on another village in the Nature Biome. This will be a more central city where you can find different creatures from across the biome. There will be vendors, a blacksmith, and maybe even a pet shop :) For you as a player what do you expect to see in a bigger city versus a smaller village?

Skill System - We have been adding some new skills to the skill system. This will be based on progression with each weapon. As you use a weapon to defeat enemies your skill with that weapon type will increase, allowing you to unlock new skills. These skills will enhance combat choices and give weapons skills that hit harder. Skills will be on a cooldown so you can't overuse them in combat.

I was humbled to be interviewed by Nick from The Side Quest. He has a great podcast where he interviews indie game developers. 

Alpha - We are still working hard on getting the Alpha ready. We still have a lot of work to finish before players can jump in, but we are hopeful we can get it done before the end of this year. We will keep everyone updated.

Thank you so much for all the support. We appreciate all the hype and feedback. It helps to fuel us and to keep making the best game we can. ❤️