Today on August 10th, Build 10 will be going live on Steam.
This will also mark the date of which Shards of Azuria will be leaving Early Access.
Shards of Azuria will is now graduating from Early Access to Full Release status.
Build 10 itself is the flag pole that will mark the end of the Early Access journey.
Almost 3 years ago, 12th October 2016, Shards of Azuria released in Early Access.
I am extremely thankful for the support of everyone during this time.
It was incredibly rewarding to have players experience something I had poured my time into.
Seeing some of the building creations from players and the characters they played was really amazing. But being the first time I have done something like this, there certainly was a lot to learn for the future.
The journey of Early Access has been a long and winding road. It has seen various updates during it's time. From Halloween specials, to Fishing and the one of the most significant additions - Online Multiplayer.
There were also various other changes along the way, that were shaped by the invaluable feedback of players.
It has been a combined effort to mould Shards of Azuria into it's current form.
Thank you all once again for taking part in this journey!
It wouldn't have been the same without everyone's feedback and support.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDA8KN3h_0Y
Build 10 Changes:
NPCs - Moving & Routes
One of the main areas of change for this build was to change the NPCs in Azuria to be movable instead of static. Previously, they remained set in one place and did not feel part of the town. This involved ensuring the NPCs had appropriate animation sets, were replaced with the static versions and then also had routes applied. The routing itself was also a new addition to allow for a predetermined set of positions to move to.
Conversation Window - Profile/Style, Dialogue Options, Vendor Option
The Conversation window has changed in it's style and layout. One part of this is that the profile images take up less screen space (it felt a bit clogged before). Secondly, dialogue options have been introduced. You may first notice this with the option to trade with the NPC (Vendor). There are also some other occurrences of dialogue options being used now (e.g the new quest!).
Quest Window (New)
A Quest Window has been added, this is to supplement the existing tracking text already shown on the right of the screen. Also, another important change regarding quest (as request from feedback):
Quests to no longer have a max day limit, where they can no longer be completed. So any previous quest that was marked as "Days 1-3" will now be "Days 1+".
New town NPC: Farmer Pete
Farmer Pete has appeared in Azuria and he may need your help with something... A new quest called "A Missing Friend" has also been introduced. This may have something to do with Farmer Pete.
- New Quest "A Missing Friend"
New Items:
- Myria Lich Robes
- Myria Lich Hood
NPC/Enemy Chat Bubbles
NPCs & Enemies have had the addition of random chat bubble dialogue.
I wanted to add a little extra personality through a bit extra dialogue being expressed.
Misc
- Mytsticism, Might & CunningEssences & Orbs are now for sale from Albinus, Labrys & Phonos.
- Fixed graphical glitching with Wooden Fences
- Build 9 was changed to be Full Screen by default and may have caused crashing issues for some players. The default is now back to Full Screen - Windowed.