Hey there folks!

How have you all being doing? We want to start off this Dev Update with a big congratulations to Kiaradth Bright-Spark (submitted by Jackobake), winner of the Mayor of Caer Cyflen Contest. Look forward to meeting her in-game! And now, before jumping into the Update, it's time for the next Community Choice...



We did it once during our Kickstarter Campaign, and we're doing it again! It's time for you, our future players, to choose which of the following four monsters you want to see added to Solasta at release. In an ideal world we'd want to have all of them, but Game Development is all about making choices to stay within schedule and budget!


Each of them are more than eager to have some adventurers for dinner!

So which will it be? The mighty Minotaur, the towering Ettin, the undying Badland Troll or the treacherous Ettercap? Choose wisely, as you will be the one facing these foes! Click here to vote now!

It might seem like a tiny thing, but swapping armors around is actually not that simple when you have characters with different sizes and shapes. Just imagine dumping Garrad's massive armor onto poor little Violet. It... wouldn't work so well. For those who may not know who we're talking about, Garrad was our Human Fighter and Violet our Halfling Wizard in our Kickstarter Demo - you can check out the characters' size difference from a screenshot of our old opening cutscene to the Ruins of Telema below.


Nostalgic isn't it? This dates from even before our Kickstarter Campaign - you can see old haircuts that we removed since as they kind of looked like plastic.

As you can see in the image above, simply changing outfits between characters would produce terrible, terrible results. Even Rhuad, our elven rogue, would have trouble with that metal armour since he's much thinner than his bulky warrior friend. However, these days are now over. We have the technology! Armors and clothes now fit to all our body templates and for all races. Don't let anyone tell you how to dress! You do you buddy!


Violet can now dump all her stat points into Strength and Constitution if she wants, she is no longer restricted to her wizard's outfit!

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is Caer Cyflen. Our game's main city is still under construction, although we're seeing more and more streets and houses, and less and less giant gray lego boxes as time goes by. Still, a picture is sometimes worth a thousand words, so I'll sneak in a small screenshot of an area we recently added to the game - keep in mind everything you see is still very much work in progress!


"Hello? Anyone here? What do you mean, we haven't added the NPCs yet!"

We also know that there are some of you who very much like to see Concept Art and details behind how we make our environment feel alive and coherent in Solasta, so I've prepared a bundle of what our Environment Artist usually receives when he starts working on a new building.


Each of these images are of course in much higher resolution, but if we started uploading those we'd quickly run out of space for our Dev Update

And for all our Cleric players out there, we've got a little something for you too! Our Art Director recently finished going over the different deity symbols, which you can check below. We will also be doing a little lore article going over each Solastan god in a bit more detail soon, so keep your eyes peeled for that!


Time to play the domain guessing game!

Verticality is one of the pillars of Solasta - we've said it time and time again, we want you to think in 3D when it comes to battles. But it just wouldn't be fun if the players were the only one able to use that verticality now, would it? This is why we're proud to present the first flying foe to make it in-game: the poisonous and terrible Flying Snake!


Isn't it somewhat adorable? No, no it is not.


Y'know, the more I look at it, the more I'm thinking: "Snakes should be one of those things that should never fly. Ever."


Boy oh boy more Pathfinder by Owlcat Games! If you're a cRPG fan and you haven't checked it out yet, you have 2 weeks left before their Kickstarter Campaign is over. For those of you who are D&D fans but aren't familiar with Pathfinder, it is a ruleset that is very similar to D&D 3.5e (after all, it's based on it) but with a lot more classes, feats all over the place - and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

And if you were a bit on the fence because it's RTwP (Real Time with Pause), Owlcat just announced that they would be adding an official Turn-Base mode! Hsinyu if you're out there, know that your efforts in creating a TB mod for Pathfinder: Kingmaker made a whole lot of people happy once again.


Solasta: Crown of the Magister! Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous! Baldur's Gate 3! RPG fans unite!

Let's honor our new tradition of ending our Dev Update with some fun bugs we encountered during the month. Today, we'll have to honor once again our Lead Animator who somehow managed to make our tools do things they aren't supposed to do, creating uh... very.... interesting results.


We're on our way to recreate Gollum.


Poor thing looks so lost.

Alright, hope you enjoyed today's big update. See you next time for some more information on Solasta!

• Welcome to our new Mayor & Forum 2.0
  
• Dev Update #7 - Adventurers Clad in Pink
  
• Join our Discord Server!

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

After a month of contest, the next Mayor of Caer Cyflen has finally been decided! And the winner is...



Kiaradth Bright-Spark triumphs with 55% of the votes over Haldrig Skandroksson! A hard-fought victory for the elven lady who dreams of adventures and epic tales. Look forward to meet her in-game at release! I also want to personally thank everyone who've participated to this contest, it's been a blast to read through all of your submissions. As such, all 39 participants will receive a Forum Trophy as a reward!

... A trophy? Yes, a trophy! We've just rolled out new Forum update, with an XP system to level up and unlock new avatars, with trophies and custom titles that we will distribute to key community members! Or as a joke. Point is, your profile page just became a lot more interesting!


Participants will receive a different trophy based on how far they made it in the Contest

Keep an eye out for more opportunities to grab out new trophies! Here are some others that are already available, it shouldn't be too hard to find out how to unlock them.


We will be adding more as time goes on!

As for avatars, you will start with a selection of 8 different ones (the same as before the update). Every time you level up, you'll get access to 3 new ones! Below is the grid of all avatars you will be able to unlock at the moment. To level up, simply be active on the forums (don't spam just for the sake of it though, or I'll curse you with bad dice rolls) and you'll accumulate XP! And just like in most game, the more level you get, the harder it becomes to level up.



See you next week for February's Community Vote!
Tactical Myzzrym

Hello dear readers!

How are you doing? It's February already, and we're starting to iron out the first few hours of our campaign. Let us share with you some of the new stuff we've added to the game! Also, don't forget that the votes for the next mayor of Caer Cyflen are still going strong! If you haven't already, make sure you do your civic duty and go vote, citizen of Solasta.

Back in mid-November 2019, we shared with you a concept art of our World Map - which would be used to go from location to location. For those who may not have seen it or simply don't remember, here is what it looked like:



Today, we're happy to show you the first iteration of the World Map... in-game! Of course, there are still tons of adjustments and polish we need to do, but it's finally here and it's functional. Next step, implementing random events and encounters!

And we're experimenting around with the Day & Night cycle as well! Click for a longer gif

If you paid attention to all our screenshots so far, you might have noticed (DC 10 Investigation Check) that we're always using Garrad, Violet, Rhuad and Vigdis. And to a lesser extent, Lena and Dek - the two scavengers you met at the entrance of the Ruins of Telema. This was mostly because we didn't make any additional faces yet, as we were mostly focused on creating new monsters, doing research on armor and the like. However, these days will soon be over!


Here are a few of the upcoming faces for PC and NPCs! And don't worry they won't all be bald, we'll have hair too I promise.

New faces are not the only things we're adding these upcoming days; we're also bringing new armors and clothings onboard! Adventurers will soon be able to select from a new and improved range of armors, as well as remove their protection without going nude. Not that running through the prison tutorial with a nude character wasn't funny the first few times, but we're pretty sure it would a bit of an issue if we were to release the game in that state.



You might be wondering: "Why are they all pink?" The answer is pretty simple - we still need to add some textures! Not that we dislike the color mind you, but I don't believe adventuring in a shiny pink armor would help with those Stealth checks. Here is an example of what they should look like after we're done adding textures:



Cutscenes have always been an important part of our game, as we wanted to avoid throwing lengthy block of texts at our players every time they encountered a new NPC. Note that some games out there do the latter very well - we're not saying it's a bad thing per se - however it is not what we're going for. This is why we've been doing a lot of work to improve our cutscenes: tweaking facial expressions, experimenting with more camera angles, looking out for tiny details that would sometimes throw characters into the uncanny valley... We're no AAA studio, but you can be sure that when our community shares negative feedback with us, we'll lend an ear and attempt to fix the issue.


Ignore the toilet paper tubes on the table, we shall have real ale mugs soon enough.


What's this nonsense? The forums? Level up?

That's right! We wanted to add a bit of flair to our good old forums, and in the coming weeks we will roll out an update to allow you to gain XP when commenting, level up to gain new avatars, and get fancy titles and trophies for participating in contests!



Here are all the avatars you'll be able to unlock once the update goes live!

Ahhhh, we're finally done with this week's Dev Update. Or are we? If there's something I've been wanting to do for a long time now, it's to share a few bloopers every now and then showing the... little mishaps of development. Small screenshots of bugs that are shared in the company's chatroom, gifs of random tomfoolery (often driven by our Lead Animator, much to everyone's delight). I hope you enjoy them as much as we did!


For some reasons the NPCs bugged out and were all lying face down on the ground, making the cutscene a little awkward


Our Lead Animator, happily sharing the results of his latest script

That's it for today! Hope you enjoyed our Dev Update, see you next week for the result of the Mayor's Vote!

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

Hello there everyone,

The submissions are now closed. First of all, thank you to all participants - we receive no less than thirty nine mayor candidates! We were all very impressed by the overall quality of the submissions, and had a great time reading through all of them. I almost feel like a civil servant of Caer Cyflen, with a fat stack of paper on my desk going through each and every applicant.

Head over to our Forums to vote!

Unfortunately, only five will be selected for the final round! Some decisions were very hard to make, and we had some long discussions about who the final fives would be. Now without further ado, here they are in no particular order (you can read their full description in the forum thread):

• Kiaradth Bright-Spark, a talented Elven girl who dreams of adventures while insisting that she's not really the Mayor.
  
• Mildra Fernshaper, a ferocious Human lass with a sharp intellect and an even sharper tongue.
  
• Haldrig Skandroksson, a joyful Dwarven fellow who loves to share stories while dumping the more boring duties onto his poor secretary
  
• Gothagara Cragtolm, a wise Dwarven lady with a strong love for books and knowledge.
  
• Molly Saltwash, a charming Halfling girl who idealize the adventuring life and hates being treated like a child.

• Voting ends on Monday, February 17th, 11:59pm PST
  
• Anyone with a Forum Account may participate in the voting. Limit of one vote per person.
  
• The winner will have his Mayor implemented in-game and be credited as the designer of the Mayor of Caer Cyflen in the Credits

Hello there everyone!
Welcome to another Dev Update, where we show you all the latest updates on Solasta: Crown the Magister.

Up until now we've been mostly sharing screenshots and concept art of levels and dungeons, often giving you the oh-so elusive "we'll share that at a later date" answer to every question about what our main city looks like. Well, no longer! With January's Community being about designing the Mayor of Caer Cyflen, it is high time we show you a bit more about what we want the main hub of our game to look like. As a reminder, these are Concept Art - they represent an intention, not the final product!


Welcome to Caer Cyflen. You will find all kind of people here. Disagreements are solved in coins, or in duels. Any other questions?


With three major nations as neighbours, the Embassy Quarter of the Principality is a hot spot filled with diplomats and spies.

We will be sharing in-game screenshots of the city in some future updates. As it stands now, we can already visit it and walk through the streets - but the houses are very grey, the sky is very grey and the ground is very grey. Hey, where did the textures go?

Curious about what's going on at Tactical Adventures' office? Let me share some juicy bits: we're having playtests this week. A few lucky people have been selected to try out the first few hours of Solasta: Crown of the Magister - starting with Character Creation, a little bit of banter in the city tavern and a few tutorials to make sure you're good to go on your epic adventure! Aaaand a fair share of bugs, as is tradition with games that are still in development.

We're also starting to record voices for Act I! Soon enough, our cutscenes will have a whole lot more charm than the silent puppet show we're currently dealing with. Having the party silently staring at you in every cutscene becomes unnerving after a while.

You asked to see more of the little things that make Solasta whole, and we're more than happy to share! Aside from the city of Caer Cyflen, we've also been preparing a whole new level that will remain shrouded in secrecy for now. Can you guess what it will be based on these Concept Art?




You love the wolf, and we do too! Here are its idle animation and its attack animation.


Now I may not be proficient in Animal Handling, but I'm pretty sure it's not asking for headpats.


A quick bite and it'll be 2d4+2 less HP for you. That will teach you to underestimate wolves!

It's also time for us to introduce a new foe, which will make good use of our vertical space. Please give a warm round of welcome to what will probably become one of your most hated Solastan enemy... The Flying Snake!


As if creepy crawly spiders weren't enough, we've brought snakes on board as well. Snake with wings.


Are you proficient in CON saving throws? What do you mean, why. I'm just asking, that's all.


Did I mention that Flying Snakes are big? Because they are. And they're pissed.

As per tradition, let's end our article with some sparkles and a bang!


Javelin Throw Animation


Cure Wounds

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

Did you ever wish for a character you created to appear in a game? Well you're in luck! January's Vote will be a design contest - one where YOU will be creating the mayor of Caer Cyflen, the main city of our upcoming game. Now don't panic, you will need nothing but a pen (or a keyboard) and your imagination for this contest. We will not be asking you to illustrate your submission (unless you want to), only to create the mayor as if he was a character for your next tabletop campaign!

Interested? Head over to this thread to read the rules and get your creative juice rolling! But don't wait too long, for the submission period closes on February 3rd! After that the voting will start, and you'll be able to choose the final winner among our own selection of Mayor Candidates.

Hear ye, hear ye! We will now begin the selection for the next mayor of Caer Cyflen!

Hello there folks!

Hope you all had some wonderful time over the winter festivities, rolling dice and singing merry songs. Wondering about when you would finally be able to play Solasta. Well I'll have to apologize, the time has not yet come for us to reveal that information. That being said, boy oh boy do I have a bag full of goodies for you! Santa may have already returned to his icy lair, but the Tactical Adventures crew is here all year long.

There's often one little thing that you'll find in all great RPGs, and that is attention to details. We've said it before during our Kickstarter and we'll say it again: when we create items and props for Solasta, we want it to be coherent - it is a world with its own identity. There has to be logic behind its architecture and decor, and it is a very important part of our researches to make Solasta truly come to life.


We hold Solastan architects to very high standards, those who do not make the cut are banished into the Badlands. FOREVER!

But you're not here for that, are you? No no no, you sneaky adventurers are here for the shinies and the loot, yes? Well here is a compilation of our most recent Armor & Clothing Concept Art for you! Will you be able to recognize all of them? Give it a try!


A big thanks to Dummy McGreyface and his family for helping us show off these new clothes (which are not exclusive to elves by the way).

As promised, Paladin & Ranger have now joined the fray! You will now be able to select these classes in our Character Creation screen, and for this occasion we have created the icons that will represent them when choosing your class.


I sure hope I don't need to tell you which image is for Paladin and which is for Ranger.

And that's not all! Martial class lovers rejoice, our Fighting Style Icons are now available as well. Don't hesitate to print those onto your D&D Character Sheets to look cool for a few sessions before your inevitable reroll after getting pulverized by a poorly timed critical hit. If you managed to save your party's Cleric, turn to page 86 to pat yourself on the back. If not, it's unfortunately a TPK: go back to page 1 to start your adventure again. Damn these books were great.


Can you recognize them all? And yes two-weapon fighting is missing, don't worry we just... forgot to create the task. No, really. Sometimes it's that simple.

We've shown you our little Goblins running around, now watch as they fight and die for our sadistic pleasure. When you think about it, adventurers are pretty scary - running around stabbing people. Why yes, monsters are people too!


Eric? Eric, nooooo! Look at you, who's the monster now!


Get them, boys! Revenge for Eric!


Don't you even think about running away! We'll catch you!

Alright alright, that's enough Goblins for today. Why don't we show something else now, say... wolves? Good old wolves. Classic RPG encounter, you can't go wrong with a pack of wolves.


Awww look at him go! Who's a good doggy! Yes you are!


Mere obstacles won't stop this wolf, I tell you!

As usual, let's end today's Dev Update with a new spell effect! You can click on the gif to watch the high-quality MP4 version of the clip.

Darkvision

Article by Tactical Myzzrym

December's Community Vote is over! After a full month of voting, you have finally decided on which Wizard's Archetypes would be available at launch, and the results are... Loremaster and Greenmage!



*************
The Old Empire was a brilliant beacon of light for Solasta and a fount of knowledge. Alas, came the Cataclysm and with it we lost much. We managed to survive as a civilization but we are but a shadow of our former selves. Studying the past, we can secure the knowledge offering us a bright future.

With a total of 44% of the votes, the Loremaster was ahead from the beginning until the end. Some called him classic, some called him basic - but the truth is that many people still want their typical knowledgeable wizard archetype!

*************
Protectors of our people, we used to patrol the borders of our lands helping border guards and keeping interlopers away. As the Cataclysm struck and magic failed, we had to expand our arsenal and make do with other methods. And while magic returned, we kept our skills honed as we resumed our duty as mages - they had proved a life-saver in those dire times.

With 29% of the votes, the Greenmage barely makes it out ahead of of the Stonemage by less than 2% of the votes! Many of you had a hard time deciding between the two, but in the end Nature triumphs.

Note that we've heard quite a few concerned voices about the Druid - remember that us releasing the Greenmage over the Stonemage does not reduce the chance of having Druids added to the game after launch. The Greenmage was selected among many of our Wizard Archetype Designs, and was not created to replace Druids (or Rangers) in any shape or form - just like the Divine Soul Sorcerer does not replace Clerics even if they share their entire spell list.

I hope you enjoyed this first Community Vote. Stay tuned for January's Design Contest which we will announce next week!

By Aileen Rendyll, Loremaster of the Einarium


Those who survived the immediate effects of the Cataclysm found themselves plunged into a struggle for survival. Many different fighters and fighting styles emerged from the chaos that engulfed Solasta: nobles maintained armed bands to secure their lands, and every merchant house, temple, and town needed armed guards for defense. Each of the new nations had its favored troops, tactics, and equipment. In addition, there were some who made their living as adventurers or mercenaries, whose experiences shaped their fighting style in various ways.

As centuries passed, some styles proved more effective than others. Schools were founded to preserve and refine their traditions, each the product of different needs and circumstances. Here are three of Solasta’s best-known martial traditions.

Most of Solasta’s martial traditions have their roots in the elite army corps of the Manacalon Empire or the Tirmarian Inquisition. Mountaineers, though, are born out of the ashes of the Cataclysm. For generations, the Marches and the mountains that stand between the Badlands and the more civilized nations have been infested by orcs and other monsters. Many of these creatures make their lairs in dark tunnels, narrow canyons, and cramped ruins. This is the world of the mountaineer.

Mountaineers are specially trained to fight and survive in rocky and vertical environments. They are masters of the shield, which is as much a weapon as a protection in their skilled hands. A mountaineer’s shield can wound or knock down an opponent, and given a wall on one side and a shield in the opposite hand, a skilled mountaineer can be almost invulnerable. Their extreme mobility lets them maneuver in ways that can surprise opponents and give them a considerable tactical advantage. The greatest mountaineers can combine offensive actions into devastating chain attacks.

While mountaineers do not fit the ideal of the elegant, noble warrior, they are impressively efficient killers of Badlands monsters.

Spellblades' detractors often argue about who makes a better Spellblade: a failed wizard whose physical strength can be put to good use, or a reluctant fighter who's a bit too smart to be a good soldier. Those who choose this path, though, do not see it as one of compromise. They study magic as well as physical combat, and are expected to excel in both areas. Many training schools exist, with the most famous one being the Circle of Danantar in the Principality of Masgarth.

Spellblades in training learn to cast cantrips alongside their basic weapons training. Unlike many wizards, spellblades are taught to regard spells as just another weapon, and they restrict their magical studies to whatever can be useful in battle.

This dual focus gives them some unique advantages. For instance, they can imbue ordinary weapons with magic when necessary; and they can also strike enemies with magical force, pushing them back or even knocking them down. The most powerful spellblades are able to teleport in the middle of a fight, confounding their foes and becoming virtually uncatchable.

Champions are pure fighters who dedicate their lives to perfecting their martial prowess. Their physical training pushes them to the extreme limits of exhaustion, repeating moves and strikes over and over until they are both instinctive and flawless. Such dedication earns them superior fighting abilities. Champions are deadlier than most, able to deliver lethal strikes, and their understanding of battle lets them master two fighting styles when most fighters only use one.

Through their arduous training, champions develop remarkable physical prowess. An experienced champion is an almost unstoppable killing machine, and a formidable example for lesser warriors.


Rogues are unpredictable people. They are versatile, diverse, and full of surprises, all of which makes them hard to describe in a few words. Those who survive long enough can choose from a range of specialist paths that lead to very different careers.

Trained by a secret society that extends throughout the kingdoms of Solasta, Darkweavers have developed techniques to exploit darkness and strike fear into their enemies, and have mastered the arts of crafting and using poison.

They are mostly known for their uncanny climbing ability and their skilled use of the advantage of height. Firing arrows from above, they can strike down their targets with a brutal efficiency that most archers cannot match. They can also drop onto unsuspecting targets with lethal effect.

Moving unseen in the darkness or waiting in a shadowed corner of the ceiling, the venomous Darkweaver is evasive and deadly.

Trained in the arcane arts as well as in roguish skills, the shadowcasters are stealthy magic users, whose abilities make it almost impossible to guard against their attacks.

Able to cast cantrips and spells from a limited number of schools, shadowcasters can move in the midst of battle even more nimbly than other rogues, and this ability grows until they can actually teleport for short distances. Their defense against spells is also far superior to that of most rogues, especially at high level.

Masters of the shadowcasters’ discipline can cast spells in a similar fashion as their sneak attack, increasing damage when casting while remaining undetected.

As might be expected, thieves are mostly motivated by money, but that does not stop some of them from becoming audacious and wide-ranging adventurers, albeit with a very individual approach to the concept of teamwork.

They are skilled pickpockets and burglars, with a talent for climbing, stealth and improvisation. As they grow in skill, they become able to use items that they are not trained to use, intuiting their function by pure cleverness.

Hello there everyone,
Welcome to our last update of 2019, where we'll show you not only the latest news of Solasta but also a full recap of this eventful year, bloopers included! Strap up, you're in for a ride!

Important info: If you haven't yet completed your CrowdOx Survey, please don't forget to do so quickly! We can't send you any Kickstarter rewards if you don't complete it.

When we talked about dungeon crawling and exploration in Solasta, quite a few of you were worried about the entire game taking place inside a dungeon. Time and again we've said that this was not the case... Now is the time for us to prove it with a screenshot of a new level!


Whatever you do. Do. Not. Fall.

Of course, that's not the only thing we've been working on. We've been talking about our capital city a few times in the previous updates, so here is a very - and by that I mean VERY - early glimpse at it. Please keep in mind that almost everything here is placeholder for the moment.


I see skies of grey, clouds of grey. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world.

When it comes to art direction, you're probably expecting sketches and illustrations (and you would be right). But did you also know that lighting & ambiance are important parts of the art direction? This is actually something that is quite difficult to get right, and we've been doing a lot of iterations on existing levels to make sure our future players will get to enjoy exploring our dungeons as much as we do.


Here is a level we've previously teased, with new fog and lighting (in-game screenshot, we forgot to remove the cursor...)

Can't wait for people to try it out! Some of you also asked for us to show some female haircut since we only showed male ones last time. Well, you know what they say - ask and you shall receive!


Which one do you prefer? #1 is my personal favorite!

When we revealed our friendly Goblin last week, we forgot to include his concept art! As a reminder, most if not all 3D models are created from a 2D concept art if they are important elements of the game.


Look how happy he is to meet you! I tell you, Goblins are misunderstood in today's society.

And here is how he looks like in-game! Well, almost - I mean, we still need to give him a set of clothing, as much as some of you may entertain the thought of having naked goblins running amok, I do believe that's not what we're going for.


Angry goblin, coming through!

For those of you who may have missed it, December Community Vote is ongoing until January 12th 2020! Select two among three Wizard Archetypes that will be implemented in Solasta, right here on our Official Forums. Will you choose the Greenmage, the Stonemage or the Loremaster?

Don't miss your chance to vote!




Hey there folks, Myzzrym here! 2019 is almost over, and what a year it has been. Care to join me on a trip down memory lane?

I first joined the company back in March 2019, and jumped straight into preparing the reveal of Solasta: Crown of the Magister - and trust me, we had a lot to prepare for. The only piece of information available online about our upcoming project at that time was an interview with Mathieu (our CEO) by VentureBeat dating from November 2018, where he pitched a Tactical RPG game on PC that would blend combat systems like XCOM with stories like Baldur's Gate. Those who ventured into our corporate website would also find an old (and now outdated) illustration, which conveyed our intentions for Solasta - a game centered around a party of four adventurers, exploring the depth of a dungeon and facing dangerous foes.


Both the verticality and lighting aspects were already present in this visual target.

It was on June 25th that we revealed our project to the world, by launching Solasta's official website with an announcement video and our animated trailer on Youtube. I invite you to watch those again, if only to see how much the game has evolved since - I even wrote a short article about the animated trailer back then! There are actually very few screenshots from that time, as we were in the middle of transitioning from the levels we made to show the prototype to partners, to working on the Ruins of Telema for the Kickstarter Demo - you can still find some of these on our website, although they will be replaced soon!

From there, we very quickly announced two things: that we were preparing a Kickstarter Campaign, and that we had a free Demo to go along with it. Truth be told, we were very busy during summer time. This was because we did not have until September (when our Kickstarter would launch) to work on the Ruins of Telema - we actually needed something stable as early as end of July to prepare for... Gen Con, Indianapolis.


We've had the good surprise of meeting folks from D&D Beyond, WASD20 and Captain RoBear!

Gen Con was the first time we've put our game in the hands of actual players outside a few testers (mostly friends and family). It was both scary and exhilarating, and we soon found out Tabletop fans were just as excited as we were about Solasta! Our small setup with two computers was clearly not enough as we had people come and wait in line to try out the demo - some would even arrive early in the morning before us to make sure they could play! All in all we had a great time, and we're actively looking to go to Gen Con again in 2020.


We'll be back. Well, at least we'll try very hard to be back.

This was only the first of three stops in a very, VERY busy month of August. After Gen Con, Mathieu headed to Gamescom in Germany. There he would meet a lot of journalists curious about seeing more about the game - landing us one of our most popular articles from IGN, as well as several others. For our French fans out there, we also had the chance of appearing in the JeanBaptisteShow video about Gamescom RPGs, alongside bigger titles like Cyberpunk 2077 and Bloodlines 2. Our last stop was Pax West in Seattle, which would announce the start of our Kickstarter Campaign.


If you're reading this, chances are you saw this image somewhere on the net!

September 3rd, our Kickstarter went live! It was both one of the most stressful and interesting experience I've had so far in my video game career. Up until the very last day we would be making sure everything was perfect (it wasn't, nothing is ever perfect), combing every nook and cranny for small mistakes and issues. And what a start we had! More than 1,500 of you backed us in the first 3 days, alleviating a lot of our initial worries. The campaign was going fine, we quickly released a patch to improve the camera for the demo... And we announced a partnered stream with Critical Role. On September 13th we sat awake at 1:00 am to catch the stream live, and a wave of Critters flooded our campaign in support right after - it was very hard for us to leave our computers that night, as we wanted to keep chatting with these new fans.


Our Art Director did a fantastic fan art of Beau and Cadeus for that occasion. Yes, Beau is standing on a box.

On September 23rd, we reached our campaign goal of $200,000! From there on out, it was time for Stretch Goals - and you managed to unlock 10 of them!

• Character Creation: Paladin, Ranger & Half-Elf at launch, with Sorcerer as a free DLC post-launch
  
• Content: Lawkeeper & Academic background, Remorhaz monster and Legendary Item questline
  
• Feature: Party Banter & Full Orchestral Music Upgrade

And last but not least, Cohh Carnage as a Guest Voice Actor! For those of you who may not know him, Cohh is a popular streamer with an immense love for cRPGs, and he has supported many other projects on Kickstarter in the past, such as the well-known Pathfinder: Kingmaker and Divinity: Original Sin 2 (which he very recently played through again).


We all drank in celebration at the end of the campaign, though our cafeteria is much less glamorous than this tavern.

And so, on October 4th, the Kickstarter Campaign was over. After all that craziness, we went back to a more regular schedule of Dev Update articles to keep you informed about the latest additions to Solasta. We also took down the demo on October 18th as our final game would further and further distance itself from what we had back then, as was already the case with our new spells' VFX that replaced the old placeholder ones.

I hope you enjoyed looking back at 2019 as much as I did. See you next year!

Article by Tactical Myzzrym