ON THAT PUP-GRIND

This week, we have a new sidequest in Ephemeral Tale! Additionally, after the break we're gonna talk about the upcoming Major Update #4, and what I hope to bring to the game over the coming weeks. Before we hop into this weeks Pupdate, a reminder! We have a public-facing Discord server, should you want to give easy feedback, just talk the talk, or what-have-you! You can join us anytime: https://discord.gg/jpStbUf

Ephemeral Tale 1.12.x Changelog

• Frozen Thorn is no longer available from the enemies it once was, and now comes from an upcoming enemy type
• In the meantime, it’s still available from treasure chests
• Updated the icon for Bow of the Ascendants
• The game logo is now on the splash screen
• Florence’s quest will now be available after choosing the first path
• Added a new side quest for players to enjoy, that includes a new unique piece of gear
• Additionally, this piece of gear can be farmed for once the quest is completed

A NEW HORIZON

Let's start simple: back in Pupdate #14 (3/10/20), we spoke about an imminent price increase coming to Ephemeral Tale. At the time, I noted that it would arrive shortly after Major Update #3. Due to Major Update #3 being more of a major "Quality of Life" patch than a proper major content patch, and the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to delay that increase. It simply wasn't appropriate to increase the price during such a critical juncture for most folks-- but after nearly half a year of patches, the time has come for Ephemeral Tale's price to rise. When exactly? It will officially change within the next week or two. I'm not sure yet exactly in that span of time, but soonTM.

If you're reading this, chances are that you already own the game-- nice! Thank you so much for your support, energy, and feedback! Let's talk about what we've added to the game thus far, shall we?

• Complete overhaul of the gear system (Major Update #1, expanded in Major Update #3)
• Complete overhaul of the vendor system (Major Update #1)
• New quests (Major Update #1, 1.4.1, 1.12.3, Major Update #4, beyond)
• 40+ pieces of gear
• ~15 new enemies (Major Update #2, Major Update #3)
• 3 new bosses (Major Update #2, Major Update #3)
• "Jelly" treasure rooms
• Complete overhaul of all 3 major companions, including new abilities (0.98, 0.98b2, 1.3.2, 1.7.3, 1.8.4, 1.9.3, 1.11.2, Major Update #4)
• A new explorable, hidden zone: the Sunken Summit (Major Update #2)
• A renovation to the final area, the Great Palace (Major Update #3)
• New Game+ (Major Update #3)
• UI overhauls for combat scenes + menu scenes (.99, 1.1.5, 1.4.1, 1.4.5, 1.9.3, 1.11.2)
• Performance improvements + bug fixes (I'm not listing these, you're crazy if you think I'm going through that many patches whew)

So in plain English, what does this mean? We've expanded the game a TON-- new bosses, areas, quests, everything. Content has been patched up and improved continuously, as well. Seriously-- this was intended to be a short game! It's called Ephemeral Tale-- it literally means short story! But... I think we can do better, especially if we're at a higher price point. That's why I've waited until this point to raise the price of the game. I knew that when making that transition, I would want you guys to feel like you got what you paid for, and then some. My goal, ultimately, is to give you the best version of Ephemeral Tale that I can. I currently, and will continue to, strive towards that every week, with every update. So let's talk about what's coming next, shall we?

MAJOR UPDATE #4 + BEYOND

One area where I've felt that I've let you guys down has been in the optional content department. There's currently an entire zone that's optional, a few hidden bosses, a big ol' lot of secrets, and things of that nature. Up through the past few weeks, the way that I've viewed content additions to the game was pretty straight-forward: add new zones, new enemies, new items, call it a day. To cut to the chase, I no longer view that as the end-all & be-all approach. Let's dive into why.

In the past, I've talked about one dilemma I face when adding new content to the game: the Traveller's Respite has a very particular design, and so adding new zones requires playing to that strength. A few of you have pointed out that due to the nature of how the main dungeon entrances are built (what with them mostly being portals and doorways), I could hypothetically just... add more floors. There's a couple of issues that I take with that approach, however.

One of the issues with that approach to content addition is simple: the main dungeon is (more or less) where all of the non-optional content lives. By adding content there, I'm mandating that you complete it. This can introduce pacing issues, as parts of the "write your story" element of the game comes from the non-linear elements (like choosing what order to approach the content in). Simply put, it's not a great place to put non-optional content. That directly leads into the next issue as well-- if the content that lives there is non-optional, how many zones do I have to add in order to fill out a floor? Simple having a second floor with one additional door would be silly, especially as more zones become available. Consistently moving and changing the shape of the dungeon hub as we add content would also be kinda weird, and maybe even a bit jarring.

The Dabby quest is one that most players miss, ensuring that they won't have a vendor to exchange goods with throughout their journey. It's my duty to ensure this is more evident moving forward.

So far, my approach has been to find interesting ways to add content into underutilized areas of the Respite, such as the Pond of Respite being the entrance into the Sunken Summit, the Pond also serving as the home for Florence's questline, etc. Really, I view Florence's questline as a great success-- and I that more quests in that vein could do a world of good for Ephemeral Tale.

Over the course of the coming weeks, I'm going to be focused on expanding the amount of optional content in the game. This process begins today, with patch 1.12.2. At some point in your journey, an adventurer much like yourself, named Shelldon, will arrive in the Respite. By helping him craft his ideal helmet, you'll be rewarded with a new unique item that can then be farmed for in the Oasis after completing the quest (in case you want to farm for a crazy roll, y'know).

Next week, this process continues with the arrival of Major Update #4. Yes, it'll be here that soon! Major Update #4 not only features the awesome new skill tree (which I'm sure we'll have to change and adjust over time, as you guys inevitably break it & simultaneously my spirit), but also the new leveling system, and an entirely new zone to explore: the Mute Mountains. As you make your way through the harsh climate of the Mountains, you'll challenge & conquer new foes, acquire and master new pieces of gear, and maybe even make some friends along the way! The entirety of Mute Mountain is completely optional, and the way forward will open once you've befriended all three of the core companions (Merlin, Siegfried and Clarke).

Within the Mute Mountains lies a series of cave systems with the most unfortunate RPG trope of them all: ice puzzles.

Afterwards, this process will hopefully continue for a few weeks, bringing new adventurers, friends, and faces to the Respite that require your help in some fashion or another. Sidequests are a fantastic way for me to utilize the massive list of enemies we currently have in the game (seriously, it's over 60 at this point), using the zones that are currently available. Ultimately, I don't want new zones in Ephemeral Tale to feel like rehashed versions of zones you've already done. Unique enemies play a big part in that, but we've got a LOT of enemy variety at this point. Riding that line moving forward will, ultimately, be something that I'll need you guys to guide me on in order to ensure that I'm doing right by you, every week, with every Pupdate.

-- Ryan
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