Wingeon Game Studios talked about the development progress of 2D-MMORPG Drakantos ahead of its entry into Early Access. There are no new public tests planned before launch, and the developers aren’t ready to set a date yet. Over the past few months, the team has completed several important systems and redesigned controls, artifacts, and PvP.
After transitioning to free movement and mouse aiming, almost all front-facing skills receive diagonal direction. They can now be pointed directly at the cursor, which will make controlling heroes more precise.
Artifacts have also been seriously redesigned. The focus resources they now consume are no longer limited in amount, but accumulated over the course of combat. Maximum supply is 300 units, start-up costs vary per piece. Additionally, a third workpiece slot appears, expanding the possibilities for building components. The Abilities interface combines artifacts, orbs, and trophies into a single menu that can also be used directly when selecting a hero before a PvP match.
The player market development of Drakantos has been completed. Through special NPCs in big cities and villages, you can buy and sell almost any item, including equipment, artifacts, orbs, emotions, mounts, pets, dyes, and materials. For search, filters by category and hero are provided.
A customized PvP competition system is also ready. Players will be able to create private games, select maps and modes, invite participants and spectators, and change competition rules. In addition to standard 3v3 battles, duels and 5v5 matches are also available. Playmakers can configure damage, ability cooldowns, match duration, and artifact availability, as well as enable hero bans and drafts. The authors anticipate that this system will be useful for public competitions and plan to host formal competitions in the future. A new map has been prepared for Escort mode, and two additional maps for duels have been developed.
The controls on the controller have also received attention, including convenient controls on the Steam Deck. After the transition to free movement, the previous solution became less convenient, so it was completely redesigned. The right stick now allows you to select the nearest enemy as a temporary aiming point.
In-game email is ready for launch, allowing developers to send server announcements, updates, rewards, and gifts.
The main things holding back Early Access are still missions, cities, and the main plot. The team strengthened this area with new hires and gradually accelerated the pace of development. Now, artists are updating ability icons, converting them to a single-pixel style. There is a new costume for Yuki that comes with three accessories and the ability to fully customize the color, and the hero’s abilities will now have makeup effects that can be used regardless of the costume chosen.
