All of the new features that are in the pipeline will make NEStalgia a much better game, but at the end of the day the playable content is what will keep people coming back for more. For NEStalgia to keep players interested and retain them over longer periods of time, we're going to need to get a system going where we're releasing new content on a monthly basis. Before that happens, however, players will need to wait patiently for a couple months as we prepare a very large content update that will drop later this summer.


The Next Big Content Patch
The next chapter of NEStalgia's story will be very different, and much more non-linear. At the behest of King Balzack players will immediately be given their very own boat and be tasked with searching for the remaining Luanan Runes. With the whole world waiting for exploration on the open seas, the decision about where to start the search will be up to you.

Although I don't want to post too many spoilers, on the agenda will be exploring an obligatory Pyramid dungeon, creating the long-awaited Reforged Key, and settling a dispute between two towns on the brink of war. The journey will also include encounters with memorable characters from earlier sections of the game - most notably everyone's favorite slime-obsessed quest giver from Ennar.


The question that I get bombarded with the most is "When are you raising the level cap?". Although I think that players are way too fixated on the level cap, those of you who have been pestering me will be happy to know that it will indeed increase dramatically with the next big content update. My guess is that we'll land somewhere around level 45.

More cool boss fights, more gear, and new types of items and quests will all be part of this huge release.

Timeline
This big content patch is likely months away - it would be a miracle if we finished it before July. All of the new features that I unveiled this week will almost certainly come first. Hopefully the refinements and additions we have in the works will make playing through the new content a much more enjoyable experience.

All of this stuff is not the end of the game or the storyline... but it will hopefully be the last time that players have to wait so long for more playable content. With the entire world of NEStalgia finally opening up for exploration, future minor content patches will be much easier to integrate. After this summer we should be able to deliver new NEStalgia content (new towns, new stories, new dungeons, etc) on a monthly basis.

There are a ton of things that I'd absolutely love to add to the game right now, but I'm forced to temper my ambitions with the realities of limited time and resources. I'm trying very hard not to make promises for NEStalgia updates that I can't be sure to follow through on, and I'm also working hard to ensure that that which I have promised will be worth the wait!


Check out the previous entry in the "NEStalgia's Future" series here: NEStalgia's Future: Battles and NPC Companions






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