In Totem Tribe II: Jotun stage 3 of the alpha test we introduced you to the Classical Age and the Tropics, and invited plenty of new testers. We are now able to move forward - and announce that plans are being made for the next Alpha test stage. So what can you expected from us in Alpha 4?
Medieval Age!
This is going to be one large chunk of new content - a plethora of new items, buildings, and strategic resources. We are adding new units - foot, mounted, constructions, ships, and so on. But more importantly - we will introduce you to the Preacher - a unit which will have special abilities that have not yet been seen in the game. You will also be able to max up your hero to level 50 - the highest level possible.
The Classical Age, as it is now, will be revised to ensure a smooth transition for the player into the Medieval Age, which will significantly shorten the research times and allow you to move through this age faster.
A LOT of new testers
We had planned on inviting a lot of new testers to this phase, but we had to be careful because even though we have opened up the Tropics, effectively doubling the amount of space available, the wold map is still quite small. However, in Alpha 4 all those who have already signed up to be testers will be included in the next batch of invites and we are hoping to be able to invite even more people than that as we are planning on introducing an invitation system so existing players can invite their friends and family automatically.
New World Map
The world map is currently too small to accommodate all of our new players. Alpha 4 will introduce you to our new world map which has been designed for the final cut of the game. It will be at least 100 times larger than the current one. Single regions will be larger than the current whole world, so it is unlikely you that will be able to reach players in different climate zones.
That's it? What about new quests? ETA?
I have outlined our preliminary plans for Alpha 4 above, but a lot of stuff is planned to be implemented BEFORE we actually release Alpha 4:
- Battle System Redesign - Guro is currently working on this. At the moment, the heroes are too powerful in battle and this takes the fun out of fighting. Heroes alone are killing most of the attacking army, and killing all the monsters without needing support and with little risk of dying. Of course we have been aware of this, and we are working on fixing it. A redesigned battle system will allow us to tweak fighting mechanics quickly.
- Interface Redesign - Astor is currently working on this. The #1 issue reported by testers initially, was that they found the interface to be both clumsy and awkward. We have been aware of this since Alpha 1 and it has taken us this length of time to make the preparations for the technical changes so we are finally able to tweak it. While we are doing this, you might notice slight changes in the interface - broken icons here and there and so on. Not too attractive to look at, but eventually you will see the improvements.
- Quest Locations - We plan to add several quest locations similar to Opposition Hideout, with our updates and much earlier than Alpha 4 will hit the shore. We have a dedicated person working on quests and conversations for them. Once we have all the content, we will add them. You will be able to learn a bit more about the world and the current story. Or - if you don't like to read - you will have a few puzzles and hidden items to hoard.
- ETA? - Well, as always - I don't want to make any promises. All I can say is that Alpha 4 will be launched this year :)
