Dev Diary – Game Features 1

As you may have seen, our first gameplay trailer was released last month. We also added a roadmap that we plan to follow during Early Access. We are currently working on a demo version of the game, and I hope it will be available next month.

In the Dev Diaries Features posts, I’ll write about different game features and mechanics. For this first post, I’ll start with the basics.

World

The game is set in the cloudy world of Cloudsea. The player is free to explore the world freely. The clouds are volumetric and can be passed through. They can also be very thick, making navigation through them quite interesting (especially during ship-to-ship combat). Islands usually disperse the clouds around them, but it can still get cloudy even on the islands.

The islands come in different sizes, from large to very, very small. The islands with docks can be explored by the player, but only the very, very small islands don’t have docks. The player use airship to travel between the islands.

Islands may contain dungeons (we use the term “dungeon” to refer to dungeons, caves, ruins, etc.). Dungeons are interior locations accessible from an entrance on the island. They may contain enemies, interesting loot, puzzles, and so on. Some dungeons may lead to other parts of the island.

The map and mini-map are available to help players avoid getting completely lost.

Airships

Airships are a combination of wooden ships and blimps. The ships come in several different types, and each type has a distinct look, number of decks, equipment configuration, cargo capacity, and attributes. The ships use steam-powered boilers to drive the engines. Cannons are used for ship-to-ship combat. All ships have a captain’s cabin with a locker that can hold the player’s items.

The ships can be walked on during flight. The player can set the airship's direction and speed and then organize cargo or make repairs. This is especially useful during long trips.

Items

There are many different items in the game. Cargo can be bought and sold for profit from port masters. Weapons include various melee and ranged types used in combat. Armors are wearable items that offer protection from attacks. Consumables can be eaten or drunk to replenish health or stamina, or to provide special effects. Ingredients are found in the world and are used for crafting. Junk items can be sold, while blueprints provide instructions for crafting. Runestones are special skill-like items used in exploration, combat, and more.

Some items have attribute modifiers that affect the holder's stats. Items like weapons and armor have durability and can be permanently destroyed after repeated use, though some durable items can be repaired.

Loot

Loot refers to the items and money player can find after defeating enemies or in various containers (such as barrels or crates). Loot is randomized to keep things interesting.

Combat

The player can fight different enemies, such as bandits, pirates, and animals. Melee combat involves using daggers, swords, rapiers, and similar weapons, with a mix of fast and strong attacks along with dodging.

Ranged combat is done with pistols and rifles, which need to be reloaded before firing. These weapons offer better range but may be slow to fire and less accurate. Some ranged weapons may prevent player from running.

Runestones may also be used in combat.

Character

The player doesn’t earn experience or levels as in traditional RPGs. Instead, the player’s attributes depend on the currently equipped items.

Quests

In addition to main and side quests, player can complete contract quests. Contract quests are autogenerated, time-limited quests. These quests are usually simple and a great way to earn money. They come in various types, such as transporting cargo between merchants, helping defeat animal infestations, or taking down pirate airships.

In the next Dev Diary Feature post, I’ll talk about enemies, airship equipment, and more.

Thank you for reading, and remember to wishlist the game!

Best regards, Mihael

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1893390/