Hello everyone, I'm happy to share that I have begun development on the next update, version 4.0. I haven't gotten very far, but I will be showing you what I have planned!
If I didn't make it obvious enough, Act II concluded in version 3.0, meaning it's time to jump into Act III, and the North Western quadrant of Ayrei. If you've been keeping up with Vanguard's development, then you're probably used to each update introducing a single new town. 4.0 however, wont just be introducing one new town, or even two, but three new towns in North East. Kaedara
A quaint village by the ocean side. Also the hometown of Dareth.
Levendamn
Home of the Trainers Association and the Cionsta Corporation, Levendamn is the capital of the Ayrei region. Not quite as big as Arlen, and only the southern and more residental district will be explorable in this version.
Winterveil
A cozy and touristy town located in the mountains on the western side of the quadrant.
While I don't have much to show for most of these areas, I assure you they will be much different from the places you've explored before! For the explorable area of Levendam in 4.0, I want it to feel like a messy and lived in city, rather than the cleaner and positive vibe you get from Arlen. Winterveil will be a big contrast to Avaros as a snowy town, with a lot of life and positivity.
New Story Content
Like 3.0, this update will introduce four new chapters. But unlike 3.0, 4.0 will include very little changes to previous story content. Updating old story can be very mentally draining, and it's not something I want to do every update. While I've only written about a few pages of the newest chapter, I would like to show off the concept art for two new characters you'll meet in Chapter 28! Xavier (Concept art by PrismShrimp)
"This is your champion speaking." After having his name loosely thrown around in previous story cutscenes, a very sleepy Xavier will finally take the stage in 4.0! What will he bring to the table, you might ask? Well, other than a whole lotta "WHERE THE FCK HAS THIS GUY BEEN" from the rest of the cast, you'll have to wait and see!
Karma (Concept art by PrismShrimp)
"Even without a Pokemon, she still packs a punch!" An alumni of the Izeka guild, she's now Xavier's trusty and reliable apprentice. Although she spent most her time dragging his half asleep self around.
Exploration and Side content rework.
Since 3.0's release, I've received a lot criticism towards the side quests and "filler content" in the story. If you don't know what I mean by "filler", a good example of that would be the numerous trainers on each route, that really only exist to make the game feel less like a cutscene simulator if you only followed the main story. In 4.0, many of the trainers and mandatory wild Pokemon will become completely optional. Will this cut down the time it takes to finish the game if you avoid every piece of side content? Yes. Will this make the main story feel like a cutscene simulator if you avoid every piece of side content? Yes. But as I grow as a developer I grow out of these old philosophies I held onto so dearly.
But if it's all optional, is there even a reason to do it? Absolutely! Allow me to introduce you to... C H E S T S.
Inspired by game's like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, the old Pokechest is being upgraded into a much bigger feature! While common (currently red) chests will remain just floating around the world, silver, gold and diamond chests will be locked behind trainer/wild Pokemon fights, puzzles, and side quests. Speaking of side quests, the current ones in game will be renamed to "Help Quests" while new and much more interactable quests will be added to make the world feel a bit more alive. Final Notes
Although I mentioned I wouldn't be reworking old story content in 4.0, there may be 1 exception, and that's Chapter 26 and 27. While I don't think I completely fumbled with them, I feel like I didn't exactly nail it properly, and improve upon how the story is presented. Will this be in 4.0? I'm not sure yet, but I'll let you know when I figure it out. But that's all I have left to say for now, I hope you've all been enjoying 3.0! - Ayrei
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