PC Gamer Reveal our First Gameplay Video + Commentary
over 3 years ago – Wed, Dec 02, 2020 at 02:05:49 AM

Hello Backers!

We're writing today to tell you about our brand new gameplay video, showing 30 minutes of gameplay with commentary from Creative Director Jakob Tuchten. In the video, exclusively released by Rachel Watts in PC Gamer, you can hear all about the Braided Shore way of trading and skills, and how you'll be able to make bespoke characters using our many layered character creation process. We hope you like what you see!

As usual we'd love to hear your feedback about all of these aspects of the game, and we'll be listening to all you have to say so that we can continue to make Book of Travels the best it can be. 

Best Wishes, 

Helen and the team at Might and Delight

A super cool Book of Travels update coming next week!
over 3 years ago – Fri, Nov 27, 2020 at 11:31:41 PM

Dear Backers,

We hope this email finds you well! Over these last few months we've published a Book of Travels update every two weeks and today there ought to be one heading your way... But we've been busy with something a bit different this week, so we decided to postpone the blog to make some space for a bigger and better update that's due early next week.

We think you'll love it - keep your eye on your inboxes on Monday to know when it's out!

Best Wishes,

Helen and the Dev team x

Sketches from Kasa
over 3 years ago – Sat, Nov 14, 2020 at 12:06:59 AM

Dear Backers,

Today we’re sharing some sketches and screenshots of Braided Shore’s chief urban hub and capital city, Kasa. With its deep waters, Kasa has been the launching and landing place for Travellers for time immemorial, and for most visitors it's their first impression of the region. But bustling as it is, they'd be deceived to think the whole of Braided Shore as dense and thronging; a Traveller need not wander far to find themselves in nature and tranquillity. 

A hive of activity in a serene land

In both our game announcement and Kickstarter campaign we described Book of Travels as serene, a description that's received a very positive response. Certainly players of the beta will have found the world very tranquil, so it might come as some surprise that the region’s capital is as dense and demanding as any real world one - so much so that Travellers might feel disinclined to stay for long.

Trade, commerce and culture

But just like a real world city, Kasa will be the place for those wishing to acquire basic provisions and the odd item of exotic equipment, it’s also a key destination for Travellers interested in the variety of the region’s culture and customs. Being a harbour city means there will also be chances to encounter the immigrant cultures of the Malku and Selka people.

Design sketches from Kasa

These sketches show various buildings from Kasa which draw on 18th Century Turkish and Italian architecture. While they hint at an industrial culture, the intent is to keep a largely romantic feel. 

Contrasting environments

Intense as it may be, we think Kasa will be a place to stimulate the senses, thronging with the kind of sights and sounds that can only be found in a highly populated area. However, its very existence is intended to contrast with the region’s peaceful hinterlands. We think there’s something more satisfying about solitude when the knowledge of human tumult is somewhere in the distance, and a visit to Kasa is sure to enhance the feeling of peace beyond it.

Thank you for reading about Kasa. What are your experiences of urban density in games - and in life? Do you enjoy tranquillity more when you know that bustle is close at hand or further away? We'd love to hear your thoughts on this and all things Kasa in the comments section.

Best Wishes,

Helen and the Dev Team x

Early Access Game World and Chapter Zero
over 3 years ago – Sun, Nov 01, 2020 at 11:15:27 AM

Hello Backers!

We’re so pleased with progress on the game world of Braided Shore, and today we’re excited to reveal just how much of it will be yours to explore in early access. As you can see, this western land mass is cleft by rivers large and small and there are many bays and inlets to explore as well as larger settlements, such as the northern city of Myr. New areas of land will be added throughout the early access period, extending the region across The Verve to the east and south and opening up more land, lore, levels and scope for adventure. 

Wilds, waterways... and a bustling trade city

At the south-easterly edge of the early access map lies the gem of the region - the city of Kasa. A huge old harbour city to the south of Braided Shore, Kasa owes its status as the land’s key trading city to its deep waters. The image above offers a glimpse of its outskirts as it looks now (these aren’t final graphics), and in our next post we’ll be sharing more screenshots and information about the city.

Starting with Chapter Zero

Book of Travels' early access period marks the start of Chapter Zero, the first in a sequence of chapters that will frame the evolving story of Braided Shore. Once early access levels up to full release, Chapter Zero will close and give way to Chapter One. Each new chapter will mark a new phase as the overarching storyline unfolds along with multiple small plots and event chains.

Chapters will also involve unique gameplay features and items which will be exclusive to the lifespan of that particular chapter, a design which we hope will enrich the experience of long time players over the game’s long life span. 

We’re still working on this concept and we’ll share more in a future post once we have more details in place. In the meantime, we’d love to know what you think about it, so please do post your thoughts below! And if you'd like to get these posts on Steam, join us there where you can also comment and follow our other studio news.

Best Wishes,

Helen and the Dev Team x

What is a TMO?
over 3 years ago – Sun, Oct 18, 2020 at 01:00:10 AM

Dear Backers,

Our update today explores the concept of a Tiny Multiplayer Online. You might remember this to be something Art Director Jakob talked about briefly in our Kickstarter video. We thought we should take a look at what it means for the game, as both a player and a designer. 

We’ve been really pleased to notice that for some, the Tiny Multiplayer format is one of the game’s biggest attractions. While it’s not exactly a genre, we think it works pretty well to describe a game where the amount of online players is capped. The result is that meeting other players is not commonplace and therefore, something a bit special.

It all began with Meadow

Might and Delight’s first networked game, Meadow, was something of an experiment, bringing the style and ambience of the Shelter series to an open game world where small groups of players can bound around together in animal guise, unlocking magic obelisks and communicating with emotes. The response we had from players was incredibly positive - they loved the magic of sharing wordless adventures together. Four years on, we’re proud to say that the Meadow forum and Discord channel is filled with stories of special moments of meeting and connection. (If you haven't played Meadow yet, remember that you have a key waiting for you in Backerkit!)

Find the Few

Feedback on the emotional impact of these connections took us by surprise, and we soon knew that the TMO experience was something we wanted to explore further. Players of Journey will know exactly how moving it can be to chance upon another player, especially in a non-directive, non-linear game world. In Journey, the multiplayer aspect is pushed to the limit of its definition: meetings with ‘companions’ being as few as one per game (and make for a truly sublime emotional beat). In Meadow up to fifty animals share a grove, and in Book of Travels we’ll be using our Early Access period to experiment with player numbers.

The game design challenge

While this isn’t entirely new ground for us, we know it's going to be a challenge. There are many table top roleplayers in the Book of Travels dev team, and they know just how important player interactions are in bringing adventures to life. So, striking a balance between rich roleplay and sparsity of player meetings is the challenge that we now face! We’ll be counting heavily on your feedback and the help of beta testers to finetune that balance.

Help us in our Endeavours!

What games have you enjoyed where player meetings are infrequent? Do you love RPGs? How do you feel about fewer meetings? We’d love your input, right here in the comments section. Thanks again for spending time with us!

Best Wishes,

Helen and the Dev Team x