What is the ambitious MMORPG Chronicles of Elyria actually doing? The developers have now commented on the current state of affairs.
What is happening with the MMORPG? In a letter to the community, studio co-founder Jeromy “Caspian” Walsh explains that the playable Pre-Alpha does not yet have a release date. The Pre-Alpha is supposed to provide insight into a fundamentally fully playable MMORPG that includes the following content:
- Character Creation
- Combat
- Quests
- Crafting
- Equipment and Inventory
- The Lifecycle of Characters
- A Physics System
- Interaction with NPCs
- The Procedural Story Engine
- Reputation and Fame
- Skills, Survival
- Interaction with the World
However, the development of Chronicles of Elyria is progressing somewhat differently than what is known from other MMORPGs. Work is continuously done on specific systems until something more important comes up; then it gets priority before returning to the other system.
This may seem chaotic, but according to the developers, it is an effective method to quickly respond to changes and problems. However, this means that little can be shown from the game, and the release keeps getting delayed.
The storm will break loose this year
What is coming this year? Caspian explains that they want to unleash the storm this year. As quiet as it was around the game in 2018, so much they want to tell and show this year. The beginning will be the Pre-Alpha, which is approaching rapidly but still has no launch date. Nevertheless, the developers have now shown first screenshots and videos from this version.
Notably, the graphics are quite simple, but this is intentional. The Pre-Alpha will start with little graphical details so that the developers can focus on the game systems and gameplay. The “real” graphics will follow later.
Caspian explains that the Pre-Alpha is currently about 40 percent complete and that it will take a few more months until supporters can play it. He estimates that it will be ready by summer.
However, players do not have to wait so long: Caspian gave a small hint that the Pre-Alpha will not be the first opportunity to play Chronicles of Elyria. There should be a preview of the MMORPG before that. However, he did not want to go into detail on that.
What do the fans think? Players remain skeptical. While they are pleased to finally hear more about the status of the game, the concern that Chronicles of Elyria could remain nothing more than hot air persists.
TwitchySphere53 writes on Steam: “These are just words. There is no timeline and nothing to see. I will only believe it when I see it.”
