Well hello there, friends!
We wanted to take the time to give you an update on our current plans and roadmap going forward. As always, if you want to follow the development more closely, join us on our Discord server, where we regularly discuss new changes and requests!
So, let's talk about the main features we have planned and the rough order in which we want to tackle these (rough, because sometimes we're just in the mood to work on a specific feature, and are generally open to prioritize players' wishes):
- Potion Belt & More Potions
- Mana System
- Accessibility and Game Options
- Controller & Keyboard Support
- New Game+
- Scores & Achievements
- Daily Dungeon
- Roguelike Mode
- Twitch Mode
- Level Editor (possibly as DLC)
Step 1: Base Game
Essentially, our plan is to tackle the features that affect the story campaign first - beginning with gameplay changes - and make sure that as many people as possible are able to enjoy the game. That means accessibility features, controller and keyboard support, and additional options to tweak the gameplay to your individual preferences. The tutorial will also get a much-needed overhaul.
Once everyone's able to play the game to their heart's content, we'll add the New Game+ mode, where you'll be able to restart the game with all the spells, stats, and potions you've collected. Of course the enemies will be way tougher than before, and you might even find a new spell or two!
Finally, we'll focus on our fellow perfectionists and overachievers, adding better level scores that factor in the amount of turns you took, how often you got hit, and so on. Every level will get its own highscore list, so you can compete with your friends and classmates. We'll also be adding Steam Achievements at this point!
Step 2: New Modes
With the fundational features in place, we'll turn to randomly-generated levels for the Daily Dungeon and Roguelike Mode. The Daily Dungeon will function as a kind of testbed for all the new content, so we can test out spells, enemies and mechanics, and see how everyone feels about them before we introduce them to the Roguelike Mode. We'll talk about those two in more detail another time, but suffice to say, we have a couple ideas on how to include some sort of progression and make every run exciting and meaningful!
Same goes for the Twitch Mode, which will allow Twich viewers to have some influence - if not control! - over how the enemies behave in the game. Our hope is that playing with (or rather against) your audience allows for a unique experience each time.
And last but not least, we'll tackle the promised 'Mario-Maker-style' Level Editor. We are at this point considering releasing it as a separate DLC, the reasons for which are both practical and funding-related. On the one hand, it is a fairly big endevour, and our first time working with user-generated content, which will come with a variety of design and moderation challenges. The financial side, on the other hand, is a little more complex.
You see, we developed The Wizard with the support of the German Games Fund, which ended upon the Early Access release in November. That means that, right now, we are back to developing on our own dime and need to raise funds in other ways (hence the chaotic update schedule, where sometimes you get updates on the daily, sometimes it takes a few weeks). There is an option, however, to apply for additional funding, if it results in a separate product, i.e. DLC. This would of course be our preference, because it would allow us to work on it full-time, rather than do contract work and the like to keep ourselves afloat.
But for the moment, nothing is set in stone. Perhaps along the way, The Wizard will sell well enough to make all those considerations obsolete. We'll have to see, and we'll keep you updated of course!
And that's it! Thanks for reading and please let us know if you have any thoughts or questions!
If you want to be more involved with the development or just hang out, come have a chat with us on our Discord!