Greetings friends and fans,

It's been a while since our last update. Pandemics will hobble you like that sometimes. Still, we wanted to add something to the blog to let you guys know that, even when we're slowed, we're still working on Pharos.

With that in mind, let's talk about killing/being killed by things. Combat is one of the core experiences of our game and you'll be doing a lot of it by the time you reach your journey's end. However, the last thing we want to do is bog you down with encounters that don't matter; fleeting trash mobs and filler that show up only to be effortlessly beat down with a few taps of a button. Combat is somewhat avoidable in Pharos especially on the overworld as there's nothing worse than being stopped by random encounters when you're just trying to get a closer look at some point of interest you hadn't noticed before. We don't really promote grinding in Pharos either so what does our combat really represent?

Our enemies will need to be smart. We are currently building each enemy with a specific set of behaviors. Canines that rely on pack hunting tactics and follow the lead of a powerful alpha. Monsters that will sometimes devour other creatures in a combat encounter for a quick heal and a strong buff. Monsters that will shield themselves and panic if that shield is broken or explode when exposed to fire. Every encounter should be a fight but it should also be a puzzle to be deciphered and, eventually, exploited.

Here's a throwaway example of what we mean. Currently, our Green Slimes will simply bite every adventurer they see. However, they prefer to eat beetles when they can. There are two types of beetles on Slime Island; one that is pretty normal and one that is entirely toxic. The Green Slimes don't discriminate; they will eat every beetle they see. So, if you find yourself in a battle with a slime and a few assorted beetles, simply kill the brown beetles and you'll enter your second or third round of combat with a host of poisoned slimes.

Another example: our Red Slimes will "charge" themselves and "pop" as their main form of attack, dealing AOE fire damage every two turns. This can quickly bring your party down but you don't need to take this lying down. You can quickly disrupt a Red Slime with a water attack, dissipating its charge before it can attack. On the other hand, you could strike the same Red Slimes with fire, which causes them to immediately explode and deal damage to everyone in combat. This can quickly turn the tide of battle if you are facing numerous enemies and you are prepared to absorb the damage. However, if there are numerous Red Slimes in one battle, this approach can quickly turn into a deadly chain reaction.

Welcome back! A happy New Year and happy MAGFest to all!

I'd like to send a warm 'Thank you' to everyone who tried out our little game and gave us feedback over the full four days of MAGFest. Your honesty and passion helped us take massive strides towards realizing the best version of Pharos imaginable.

It was amazing watching everyone run through our introductory scenario: exploring ruins, killing slimes, and dealing with everyone's favorite tyrant: King Gordian. Oh, he definitely left an impression on each and every one of you. I'm just happy that you guys enjoyed playing the demo as much as we enjoyed creating it.

Dan and I have big plans for the next few months. We are working on creating a final demo that will contain a complete vertical slice of everything possible on the first island. We hope to have this demo online once it is ready. Work and life events will probably end up slowing us down here and there but we're going to try to realize a perfect slice of Pharos that everyone can keep and play while we form the rest of the game's content. We have a long journey ahead of us. I hope you'll watch our progress and keep us honest while we bring it all together!

-Jeremy

(Please enjoy our picture recap of the weekend below)

Summary

Day 1: Setup & Bugs

Day 2: It Got Better

Day 3: We're Not Dead Yet!

Day 4: Teardown & Goodbyes

Hey! I'm not sure if you all know about this event called MAGFest (it's only one of the coolest places to be for gaming 😉) but we submitted Pharos to their indie video game showcase (MIVS for short) a few months ago... and got accepted! As you can probably tell by the lack of updates since then, we have been pretty busy getting everything ready for the event. We're beyond excited to see everyone try out the game and will be at the event all four days, which runs from Jan 2nd to 5th.  Hmm...that's only two weeks away... 😲. Before I head off to finish up some remaining polish for our current game build, here is a preview of the new game screen:

We wanted to give the player a character they can call their own, so you will be able to change the portrait, name, and profession of your starting adventurer. Here are the portrait options we have added so far:

Okay, time to get back to work. See you at MAGFest!

What better way to start previewing some game mechanics than showing off all the cool equipment you'll be able to collect as you explore each island in Pharos? Well, not ALL the items... that would be giving too much away 😁. For this post, let's first dive into what kind of equipment you'll be looking for and how to know whether it is worth keeping.

The Basics

In Pharos, each adventurer you recruit will be able to equip up to three items. These are grouped into the following equipment slots: weapons, armor, and accessories. Whereas weapons are your primary source of damage and armor is your primary source of defense, accessories can provide all sorts of stat bonuses depending on what you find. All adventurers will be able to equip the armor and accessories you find, however weapons will only be usable by certain adventurers depending on their combat class.

To help you determine the relative raw power of a piece of equipment, each item will display its quality rating in the top right corner of the item panel. This can range from 1 to 5 stars, with 5 stars being the highest quality items in the game. This is also something you will see across all items in Pharos.

Advanced Equipment

The items shown so far are what you would call basic equipment in Pharos. Expect to find these at shops across the Frontier. Eventually, you may find yourself coming across what we like to call advanced equipment. In addition to the stats seen on basic equipment, advanced equipment also bestows bonus modifiers upon the user. Make sure to keep note of all the different kinds of modifiers you find on equipment while progressing through the game; you never know what might come in handy!

One of a Kind

The islands of Pharos are a dangerous place to make a fortune. One would think that there must be something to find that's worth risking life and limb for...well as it turns out, the wealth of the islands is not in gold or jewels, but in equipment! Scattered across the Frontier are items known as Relics. These items are powerful pieces of ancient magic or technology which have been fashioned into weapons and other equipment. No one living knows where they came from or how they were created, but everyone agrees that their power is definitely worth fighting and dying for.

What makes Relics so powerful? Well, each Relic has what is called a unique modifier; an effect that no other item has in the game! These modifiers can be quite powerful when used in the right situation; one can only imagine what potential you could unlock through their use 😉.

When it comes to equipment in Pharos, knowing what is best for you will ultimately depend on who you are equipping and what you are fighting. Understanding how basic equipment stats, advanced modifiers, and even the unique modifiers of Relics play together will be a key to success in your expeditions across the Frontier.

While Pharos does not have a conventional leveling system through grinding XP, we are hoping the diversity of equipment and combat encounters will provide a challenging experience for those seeking it. Collecting all the Relics available in game is also another challenge worth undertaking. We'll be covering more on how equipment interacts with the different adventurers you can recruit in a future post, but for now I hope this has provided some insight into equipment in Pharos.

Until next time; thanks for reading!

Pharos is a 2D adventure RPG featuring turn-based battles with real-time elements and dynamic open-world exploration. The player assumes the role of one of the many captains exploring a chain of mysterious islands filled with relics, monsters, and locales that defy science and reason. It is the player’s job to assemble a crew, survive the islands' dangers, explore their hidden wonders, and sell their secrets to the highest bidder.

Players will begin their adventures in a small town at the edge of the world. The town will act as your home while you assemble a crew, equip them, manage contracts, and otherwise prepare to depart. Once the player reaches an island, they will need to utilize their crew’s professions, combat skills, and wits in order to survive long enough to find something worth bringing home. Once safely returned, the player will need to find a buyer offering a decent price for their stolen relics, trade goods, and other treasures. Every adventure incurs costs and turning a profit is just as important and slaying monsters. Completing objectives on each island and, most importantly, lighting every Pharos, will open up more island and content for exploration.

The islands are a bizarre mixture of incongruous biospheres divided by large stretches of open ocean. Some of the islands are naturally tropical while others are inexplicably frozen, suspended high in the air, sunless, arid, or marshy. The one consistent feature they share are the massive lighthouses, the legendary Pharos, that rise miles into the air and dominate the surrounding land. Few ever reach a Pharos in their lifetime but many speculate that an explanation for each island’s weirdness lies within. While the Pharos are rarely plundered, various ruins and tombs can frequently be found scattered across the islands. Each of these ruins is equally populated by monsters and relics, which are coveted by many. These relics are known to have mystical qualities and many have found their fortunes selling these artifacts to various archaeological societies, military research divisions, and criminal syndicates. Others have forcefully acquired their fortunes by exploiting their relic’s reality-bending powers.