The year is coming to an end, and at this time we usually do some summing-up and reveal our future plans. A lot of players are waiting for Karfaree and some other stuff and so I will shed some light on it.
Karfaree
In the beginning of Alpha 5 I said I would try to release Karfaree before Christmas, but I didn't say before which one . . . hehe. Joking aside, I started working on it and even made several quests, but this location is quite ambitious and not like anything I have done before. I don't want to rush it and sacrifice quality. That is why I have decided to abandon all estimations of release dates for Karfaree and release it only when it is ready. After all, a good Karfaree released late is eventually good, but a bad Karfaree released on time is bad forever.
The Maze and New Level Designer
A couple of months ago we hired a new person who is helping us with level design. No, he won't help to release Karfaree faster, because that one is very important and I need to develop it personally. But the new designer is helping with some additional content and making good progress. In today's update we released the "Maze", which was designed by him under my supervision.
The Maze is a small quest area with teleports that may be present in one of your new towns from now on.
Dungeons
The new level designer is also working on "dungeons" - a set of randomized locations similar to the caves, yet different in many ways. This time we are trying to make them more varied. We will see how it will turn out.
Alpha 6 and Industrial Age
Since a lot of players are still busy with the Renaissance stuff, it is too early to start the next alpha. I think Alpha 6 will not be launched earlier than the end of February, so you still have time to build that naval fleet. The Industrial Age will be interesting, as it will have new concepts - such as a fifth basic resource - oil, and military aviation units. We posted a sneak peek on it earlier, so check it out if you missed it.