Update – “Journey’s End” is currently in the planning stages!

This is gonna be a slightly “different” kind of dev notes, where I look ahead to the end of primary development for VoltAge:Genesis. Listed below is everything that I “know” I will need to do (though I am sure that more will come along, as it always does! There is no planned end date as of yet; with current events the way they are I don’t want to promise on something I can’t deliver, so for now let’s say I really hope it’ll be done by 2021.

• Additional characters
  • I took a few (six!) playable characters out because things seemed too…unwieldy…but I’d really like to be able to resolve the storyline for Elam (the Steel Legion captain we met on Mateyo) and Lucas (a Steel Legion warrior torn between doing what he thinks is right, and what will bring him the fame and success he seeks). Players will get to see both of their stories unfold in the questline “A Marked Man” (originally planned as part of the “Crime and Punishment” update).
  • As I tend to do, I also came up with the outline of a NEW character whose background would add something unique to the group and tell us more about the backstory of Marema itself. This new character (currently named “Butler”) may or may not make it into the game, but I’m definitely considering it at this point!
• New Quests
  • Additional storyline quests
    • Nolan
      • When all of this is over, what happens next? Find out in Nolan’s final storyline quest “Picking Up the Pieces”.
    • Allan
      • We never DID manage to give Allan all those books we’ve been collecting for him, did we? Allan is a complicated character to script for because he has a lot of divergent dialogue, and because he was one of the first characters I put in the game, my skills weren’t quite up to snuff. Let’s see if we can find a way to cash in on those books…
      • There was a bounty quest that Allan had offered at one point to collect Mossy Stones from Deisols, but again that one kind of fell by the wayside…we’re gonna find out more about Allan’s personality, his motivations, and exactly what he’s capable of in his final storyline quest “The Practical Magician”.
        • This quest will unlock Allan’s second passive ability
    • Corbett
      • Slaying the “real” green dragon was a big boost to Corbett’s ego, and has redeemed him in the eyes of the Hunter’s Guild. Now, Corbett is ready to get back to his original reason for coming to Marema: training for the Killer Watt Tournament! Corbett’s final quest “The Fighter’s Challenge” will pit him in a one-on-one duel against a powerful foe, and the reward…? You’ll just have to see!
        • This quest will unlock Corbett’s second passive ability
      • Right now, Corbett’s advancement (as well as that of both the Hunter’s Guild and ScavMore) is tied to completing “Bandits in Bradospa”. However, there IS another great katana to be found in Marema, as well…There is a good chance I will make it so the player can complete “The Emperor’s Court” as an alternative means of advancing the storyline.
        • Both quests will remain available; but completing either of them would advance Corbett’s storyline in this case.
    • Isaiah
      • Isaiah has chosen his path (for better or worse) within the Hunter’s Guild, but I SWEAR this kid needs to quit worrying so much! Isaiah’s final quest “Training the Body” will hopefully put a rest to his concerns…
        • This quest will unlock Isaiah’s second passive ability
    • ???
      • Sorry to be coy, but as of right now there’s a “secret” character that I’ve done a fairly good job (I think) of hiding from my posts and things…that person is available in the game right now, but has no storyline quests to speak of as yet. I plan to put together 2-3 quests to address this individual’s background as well.
        • Completing the final quest in this line will unlock the individual’s second passive ability
    • Jurgen
      • Under certain circumstances (ooh, mysterious!) Jurgen will move from the stone watchtower in Accoro Village to the northern edge of Pedregal Springs…when he does, we’ll get to do one more job for him in “The Lost Hunter”…this quest will feature the same rewards and basic “flow” as Malcolm’s quest “Heroes and Thieves” which was added previously; it will just show those events from a slightly different angle. You won’t be able to do both Malcolm and Jurgen’s quests in a single playthrough.
  • Complete the main storyline
    • Once the party has completed “Death” and returned to Pedregal Springs, there’s not much else they can do but prepare for the final confrontation…the choices Nolan has made will finally catch up to him in “Threads”. After that, all that’s left to do his face off against the final baddie in the short cinematic / boss battle (but we’re gonna call it a quest!) …” The Broken” will bring an end to our journey with Nolan…or will it?!
  • More midgame content
    • I’ve been teasing “The Battle for Oca Rongo” for a long time, and again, this was one of those quests where I lacked the programming chops and/or patience to complete it before…due to the general “age” of the quest, I’ll be reworking this one from the ground up. Completing this quest will swing control of the Oca Rongo ruins firmly into the hands of either the Deadhanders or the Scavvers…and there’s a third way the you could resolve the dispute as well...and no, I don’t mean “kill them all”!
    • Additionally, I plan to put out several more “Supply and Demand” quests for the midpoint of the game…these will offer additional experience points and other rewards for all those monster components you’ve been collecting!
  • More end game content
    • I’ll just spoil it right now for you guys: there’s an Eloin missing! The quest “The Artificer’s Favor” will bring Nolan and Co. face to face with the [Machine] Eloin Klutotekhnes…now we can finally get a full set!
    • Once again, I plan to put out more “Supply and Demand” quests for the endpoint of the game…as promised at the start of the game, players will finally be able to expect more bounties to come available as they progress!
      • Not all of these endgame bounties will be simple fetch quests, however…we’re getting into serious Hunter territory with some of these quests, so don’t be surprised if there’s a tie-in to progressing through the Hunter’s Guild storyline as well!
• New Areas Opened
  • Perdi Esper
    • The massive swamp just west of Tocamllo Ruins in Steel Legion territory.
  • Romeral Observatory
    • The large observatory south of the giant lakebed in Steel Legion territory.
  • The Sealed Temple
    • Nolan and Co. have already seen the door, though they may not have realized it before…powerful monsters and treasure await!
  • Tierra’s Pillar (Ascent) and (Summit)
    • There’s more to Tierra’s Pillar than just a forgotten temple! With Nanshe’s seal removed, ascend the mountain and discover what lies high above Marema!
  • Voltech HQ
    • Finally crack that door open and get behind the security grid…and maybe even find a few secrets!
  • I’m sure there’s a few more that I’m forgetting…or just haven’t thought of yet!
• Changes to Existing Areas
  • As necessary, existing areas will be tweaked or adjusted.
  • I plan to “fill out” several of the existing towns…expect more people to talk to!
  • Up until now, placement for “interactives” has been spotty…expect a LOT more stuff in the world to be examinable, movable, etc.
    • This means lots more low-end loot to find, lots more places to use your tools, and more things you can examine just to learn more about the world.
• Changes to Party Members
  • As necessary, I may be tweaking some characters’ stats, abilities, etc.
  • I may be tweaking certain character’s appearances.
• Changes to Enemies
  • As necessary, I may be tweaking some enemies’ stats, abilities, etc.
  • I expect to revamp the way EXP is calculated as well, to address the significant levelling slowdown which occurs around Level 40. I don’t want getting to 99 to be easy, but I don’t think you should be able to cruise along for the first eight hours unlocking new abilities and quests then hit a wall you have to grind through either.
• Changes to BOSS Enemies
  • As necessary, I may be tweaking some enemies’ stats, abilities, etc.
• Changes to Weapons
  • I just did a massive overhaul of weapons, so I don’t expect much in the way of big changes…however, I may be doing more “targeted” tweaks on individual weapons (swapping tiers, changing factions, that kind of thing).
• Changes to Armor
  • Similar to what I did with the weapons, I may do a more extensive overhaul of how armor works…I’ve already increased the weights, so it may just be a matter of rebalancing everything. I will experiment a bit and make a decision from there.
  • I will continue to add or tweak accessories as I see a need / opportunity.
• Changes to Shops + Items
  • There’s nothing planned, but if I see a need, I will address it.
• Changes to Skills
  • I plan to review AP costs and damage formulas for all skills to make sure everything is balanced.
  • Maybe some updated animations?
  • More importantly, animations for ENEMY skills and abilities!
• General Changes / Bug Fixes
  • Bugs and other issues will of course be fixed as they are found.
  • I may revisit the Battle Screen interface and decide if there’s a better way to get all the info I want on the screen in a more aesthetically pleasing way.
  • I may revisit the Shop Screen interface and decide if there’s a better way to get all the info I want on the screen in a more aesthetically pleasing way.
  • I may revisit the Menu Screen interface and decide if there’s a better way to get all the info I want on the screen in a more aesthetically pleasing way.
  • I plan to create multiple facial expressions for each major character, to better reflect their “mood” during important dialogue exchanges.