Evoker

I've been very quiet when it comes to updates for Evoker, and not entirely on purpose. Part of the issue is a lack of new screenshots- I've been consumed with filling in and fixing older issues that were either on the backburner or had been overlooked in the past. Small updates don't make interesting screenshots, which means I haven't had much in terms of visuals to show. There hasn't been a new post on the page in almost two years, and the last screenshot was more than a year ago (I think)! That might seem like a death knell, but... it isn't!

So what's going on with the game? What's going to happen in the near future?

I've been working on Evoker steadily and quietly this entire time, so fear not. Things are happening. Spells are being cast. Animations are being animated. Dialogue is being spoken. Backups are being backed up, just in case.

So what's different since the last demo (which was forever ago)? Here's a short list:
- A new dungeon was added to fix pacing problems, and dialogue has been added and tweaked to fix other related issues. Things aren't perfect and I still need to work on slowing down character progression, but strides are being made.
- The game is currently about 2.5x-3x as long as the demo was (thanks to new content after the scope of the demo!). A lot of the new areas use heavily custom graphics, and I think they'll knock at least a few loose socks off.
- The magic system has been overhauled. Spell tomes and scrolls have been revamped to be much more logical and strategic, which less vagueness about what they do.
- New skills have been added for everyone, and more are on the way. More monsters have elemental strengths and weaknesses, and I'm still working on this.
- Many monsters have more skills, and far more are planned to make fights more interesting.
- Almost all the dungeons have added interactivity. This is mostly simple stuff like switches and stuff, but there are a few very small puzzles as well.
- Even more secrets with better balanced treasure have been added.
- Numerous story revamps to better suit the scope of what I've created; this includes more and better character development, though it's mostly to do with world building. The introductory chapter has seen a pretty extensive overhaul.
- Lots and lots and lots of stuff too minor to note, to polish what exists and set the tone as I go forward.

So what's next? Well, sadly, I have no plans on releasing an updated demo any time soon, at least not publicly. I have a possible demo end point ready if I change my mind, but trimming a game down to have something resembling an 'endpoint' is a time-consuming task and I feel I'm better off pushing toward future goals. The game is approximately half done at this point, but I stand on the precipice of a very content-rich section that I don't want to leave out of a public release. A very closed alpha is probably the next step, to gather key feedback and learn what needs changing before I move forward.

I can say for certain that the game is 'shaping up' and that my vision is more solid than ever before. I'm excited to be moving forward toward my next personal milestone!

So, there you have it. Some information about the state of the project. I wanted to reassure everyone that the wheels are still in motion! I'd love any feedback or questions, so if you have any... post away!