The TMORPG Book of Travels started its Early Access on October 11, 2023, on Steam. Although the title sounded so promising at the beginning, there are now only a few players active in the game. Nevertheless, the development team is taking the time to completely overhaul the combat system and introduce new features like boss fights.
What is Book of Travels?
- Book of Travels is not an MMORPG, but a TMORPG. The T stands for “tiny” – you are in an online world, but there are a maximum of 30 players on the servers.
- The focus of the game is on exploration and the role-playing aspect. We encounter other players, but we do not necessarily have to continue the journey with them.
- The interaction with other players should still remain one of the highlights. Therefore, the development team decided to completely refrain from chat. Instead, there are only emotes.
- For some players, Book of Travels was the game of the year. After initially mostly negative reviews, the title settled in with “very positive” ratings.
However, after two years in Early Access on Steam, Book of Travels seems to have faded into oblivion. At the time of this news, only 13 people are playing the title simultaneously, with 52 people within the last 24 hours (via steamdb.info).
Just a week after the release, the number of players halved from 1,390 people. But the development team is now taking action to rekindle players’ interest.
You can admire the gameplay of the game in the following trailer:
These are the changes Book of Travels wants to make
What has been revised? In a message on Steam, the development team from Might and Delight informs that it has overhauled the combat system. Currently, players can test the new combat system and provide feedback to the developers.
The new combat system includes a bar that indicates when which enemy and player can attack. The bar is divided into a decision phase and an action phase. The faster the corresponding status value of a player, the quicker their icon races across the bar.
What else does the team want to change? Another feature, which will come in a future update, is the boss fight. Currently, it is only possible to form a group with a small number of players. The team wants to increase that number, so players can defeat stronger boss opponents.
Additionally, more features are to follow:
- Duels: There should be fights without the immediate fear of death.
- Loot: Will be dropped by NPCs.
- More enemy types: These include kettem, wolves, and maisu.
- UI: The user interface is to become more readable.
- Weapons: There will be more weapons in the future.
- Multiplayer: Reviving players should become easier.
- Tutorial: Getting started should be easier for newcomers.
The number of participants who can currently test at least the combat system is limited to 40 testers. The status of the upcoming features is currently unknown. However, the development team wants to increase the number if there is demand.
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