Check out the latest roadmap for devlopment of the Web3 4x space game, Echoes of Empire
Greetings, Spacefarers!
It’s been quite a journey since our original roadmap launched early this year. In a recent AMA, we mentioned that the team had been working on an updated version, and we’re excited to release that today!
We are currently working on the content in Phase 2, and working toward the closed alpha for our NFT owners at the end of the year. The game continues to grow toward that goal, and we’re so excited to see players experience it for the first time when we hit that milestone!
The end of the year isn’t far away, and we’ll have still more to share in early September for our next dev blog. We look forward to seeing you all at the AMA!
It’s time for another dev update, and things are not slowing down! Let’s dive right in and take a look at some of what’s happening behind the scenes, and what’s coming up this month.
Community
Our long-awaited art contest is going to be kicking off soon, so be sure to watch for the details on that in a more focused announcement. There will be a submission period of several weeks to allow for plenty of time to create your art pieces. This is a chance to earn an exclusive prize, so be ready to create!
AMA — July 8 @ 5pm PT
We will also be hosting a video AMA with Gala Games this Friday, July 8th, at 8PM Eastern/5 Pacific. Be sure to check out the details in our thread, as leeks are sure to be flying during the event. We’ll be delving into a lot of information we didn’t get to share during Galaverse, and plenty of other details. We hope to see everyone there, but if you can’t make it, there will be video available following the event.
set notifications at the Youtube link above
On the development side, there has been a flurry of work around creating and completing flagships and capital ships. The art team is turning out beautiful designs for our flagships, making them into genuine collector’s pieces you’ll be proud to have in your collection. We are incredibly proud of the art team and the work they’ve done on this over the last several months!
In addition to work on ships, the team has been digging in to work on combat. There has been a great deal of design work, as well as refining how we want the combat system to look and function. Combat will be such a critical part of the game, and making the experience fun and rewarding is a major focus for the team. We are working carefully on balance, which will be an ongoing effort through launch and beyond as we see how the combat system plays out in a live environment. We will be keeping a close eye on feedback post-launch to be aware of changes that need to be made, and will be making those changes as we see the need arise. Ideally, we want to release a stable version of combat that will allow us to get play to earn up and running as quickly as we can.
Work around our deeper resource systems has also begun, bringing in further layers of complexity with refinement and crafting. As you work your way through the higher tiers, you will need to be able to refine the basic resources into more rare refined versions. Keeping up your output of these necessities will require time and effort, but will pay off as you advance in the game.
As you can see, we’re keeping very busy here at Ion Games, and we’re very excited to see how well the game is coming together. We’re so grateful for the community’s enthusiasm and support, you guys rock! Stay awesome, and we’ll see you next month for another update!
Ion Games shares what they’ve been working on and their upcoming goals for Echoes of Empire.
Greetings, Spacefarers!
It’s hard to believe that we’re already halfway through the year, but here we are! With Galaverse happening as we speak, we are so proud of the team. Preparing for this event has dominated our development cycles for the last couple of months. The team worked relentlessly to deliver the playable demo for Galaverse, so that we could let players experience Echoes of Empire for the first time.
We want to thank our community again for the tremendous support, and for participating in our first Fireside Chat event. We didn’t record it this time around, but we will plan to do so for future Fireside chats to ensure that everyone can listen at their leisure. We wanted to try the highlights method for the first event, but the feedback overwhelmingly said that the community wants to be able to listen to a full recording.
As we move past the event, the focus in our studio will shift back to a more typical production cycle, and mark a return to our modular development method. Our main focus will be to continue to build on the strong foundation of the demo, while wrapping in more of the content and functionality.
The economy will be seeing some upcoming love along with crafting and trade systems. This will involve refining features such as inventory, taxes, research and more. We will be releasing more of our feature write-ups around this work as we dive back into the game’s regular roadmap.
Mapping the Cosmos
We are currently working on a new player facing roadmap, to refresh the one released at the beginning of the year. Our hope is that this gives a better overview of what’s being worked on and when. This question was raised during our first Fireside chat, and we definitely agree that it’s time for an update to the existing roadmap.
As with any plan, things can and will change over time, but we will continue to be transparent with the community– refreshing the roadmap as plans come into clearer focus. To that end, we will focus on smaller periods of time going forward rather than one extended roadmap. In this way, we can better ensure that the information we have out at the time is current and relevant.
We will also be beginning work on the very much requested Echoes of Empire video to offer a tease into the game and give you a glimpse of what’s yet to come. While we now have some demo footage from Galaverse out there in the wild, we’re still happy to bring out more video content to show the game as it grows!
Upcoming Echoes
Finally, we are working toward a summertime ship sale. This will be the first opportunity to pick up our NFT Flagships! While we can’t get into the details or exact date yet, it’s not too early to begin preparing for the sale. We want to give everyone the most notice possible on this to ensure that those who want to purchase ships can position themselves to do so.
This summer is going to be a busy and eventful one here at Ion Games and we’re excited to have all of you along for the journey!
In the distant reaches of space, another free NFT drops amidst the Mayhem
Echoes of Empire wasn’t going to miss out on the Mayhem! May is wrapping up, but straight out of the space docks at Ion Games comes yet another free NFT for EoE claim holders.
Echoes of Mayhem
As one of the final giveaways and drops of Gala Games’ outstanding May Mayhem event, anyone holding an Echoes of Empire Land Claim will be eligible for a free Celestial Upgrade NFT. As usual, this is all based on the April 29th snapshot and a free NFT has dropped into every wallet that held a Celestial Claim at that time.
This NFT will speed your progression and give you a stronger starting position as you journey into the universe. A higher-level base means being able to create stronger ships and fleets immediately, while also opening options for leveling up other home base features.
A Celestial Upgrade has everything you need to upgrade your Claim from Tier 1 to Tier 2.
The First Echo
As mentioned in our Fireside Chat last week, Echoes of Empire will be playable for the first time at Galaverse! A tremendous amount of effort has been put into preparing this build for the event, and ensuring that visitors at Galaverse can see an authentic overview of the game in action. While some features will be disabled during this test, it is designed to guide players through the basic game loop and get everyone acquainted with the game.
During the test, you will be able to experience basic exploration and discovery. Players can mine, upgrade, or create and manage fleets and probes. We have designed the demo to be convention friendly, with the goal of allowing players to see as much as they can during a short period of time playing.
If you are attending Galaverse, and have feedback for us on your experience, please feel free to share that with us here:
Echoes of Empire has come a long way in development, and we can’t wait for the Gala Games community to get their hands on it and see what we’ve created! This first playable demo is a huge milestone, but we’re still focusing on getting everything ready for a full release as soon as possible.
We are looking forward to Galaverse and showing the community their first experiences in the world of Echoes of Empire. For those of you who can’t be with us, we’ll keep you updated on all the latest news about the game. We’ll post updates here and on Discord!
The first portion of the Celestial Claim Land Presale is about to conclude!
Few will forget the series of supercharged moments at GALActic Station in Koller’s Gate that sparked the civil war. The three Factions came together not to compromise and negotiate peace treaties as they claimed, but to claim your allegiance for themselves.
From the Hub Stage production for Echoes of Empire at -into the galaverse
Each Faction wants to be the prevailing force of galactic control. The Monarchy with their aristocratic legacy and bloodlines wish to protect tradition, uniting the galaxy under one rule. Their path is to restore a similar order that was once held by the Emperor, giving power to Princess Isabella and her house to explore further through the unknowns of the galaxy, even beyond what the Miasma has hidden for generations.
Entering the Echoes of Empire experience at -into the galaverse
The Arbeiters seek a prosperous galaxy of trade where cooperation is king. They wish to explore and share the bountiful resources of undiscovered planets to build wealth and abundance for all, as long as they are lining their own pockets in the process. While this commercial Faction has the loyalty of many common people, nobles and house leaders hesitate to trust their selfish motives.
Inside the Echoes of Empire experience at -into the galaverse
Finally, the Garrison will use all the power in its control to force the compliance of anyone who stands in its way. This rogue military remnant of the Empire has powerful ships and substantial firepower, as well as a hearty supply of both cruelty and ambition. The end of law and order will always justify the means for these power-hungry militarists, led by the vicious General Alban Strauss.
From the Echoes of Empire experience at -into the galaverse
The infamous smuggler, Valentina Barbaro, is now deeply entangled in these galactic politics, as leaders of each Faction are searching for her. Simply by being in the wrong place at the right time, Valentina led them all to believe that she holds secrets of immeasurable power. Now she is on the run, searching for answers, but like the victim of some unforgiving quicksand, the more she struggles, the deeper she is drawn into the treachery and chaos. Where will it end? Who can she trust? Where will she go next?
The Ion Games team on the Hub stage at -into the galaverse
The Celestial Claim Land Presale
The first land presale for Echoes of Empire is tied to the narrative adventures of Valentina Barbaro as she travels throughout the galaxy. When she enters a new Star Cluster, that Cluster’s Claims are temporarily opened for sale. When she leaves that Cluster, any remaining Claims are temporarily removed from the store.
Currently, Valentina is on the run and leaving the Aurora’s Edge Cluster following the Garrison’s aggression at GALActic Station (Galaverse) that led to the outbreak of the new galactic civil war.
Within a few short hours of the publishing of this post, Aurora’s Edge Celestial Claims will be removed from the store. It is unknown when they will be available again, but at that time they will have higher prices.
NOTE: The 1/1 Ancient Claims will not be removed from the store
Look for the next installments of the Valentina story soon and the revelation of her next destination. This will determine which of the Star Clusters will be opened for round 2 of the presale.
