Hero's Journey is a fantasy persistent state world being developed by one of the pioneers in the category, Simutronics. It takes place in the world of Elanthia, where a savage war has shattered entire societies. The remnants have ceased hostilities lest none survive, and are attempting to build a new civilization by working together within an alliance called the Triumvirate. Sadly, private agendas, greed, the blinding desire for power and simple malevolence stand in their way, including external threats like the otherworldly Rakshaal plus some that aren't as obvious. In this series, the team has agreed to tell us more.
Includes an exclusive concept image and three exclusive screenshots
Human Settlements
The environments of Hero's Journey are constructed from what we call Tile Sets. Our GameMasters use these sets of themed art elements (sometimes mixing and matching) to create all the areas that players will explore in the game. The most recent addition to our library of environmental themes is our Human Settlement.
Increasing Ukar attacks near the village have foreshadowed an approaching massacre. The Hero must hurry to the village's aid and defend the townspeople.
Lore
As the Triumvirate has cleared regions of Known Elanthia, the brave and the enterprising have left the cities to reclaim farmsteads and establish villages. Human settlements in particular are known for their functionality and agricultural bent. Where Ilvari will look for the magic in the landscape, and the Stoneborn the ore, the Humans are bent on farming and cultivating the land.
The largest and oldest Human settlement is Quillmore, and most Humans can trace their lineage back within two generations to this proud city. Many Human settlements echo the Quillmore tradition of shingled roofs, whitewashed exteriors and quaint, cozy interiors. Practical and sturdy, the architecture is designed to be quickly assembled from local materials and incorporates simple machines (such as windmills, etc.) and arcana (glowstones, etc.). They can outlast anything Elanthia can throw at them - from mundane blizzards to magical ragestorms.
Steph Shaver
Designer, Hero's Journey
Simutronics
Artistic Inspiration
Realism is very important for architecture in a fantasy world. It makes the world more believable if you figure out how something was built when you design it. Weathering, age and minor damage are all subconscious cues that tell us about how a building has been used and for how long. William Burroughs once said "It's the little things that make a reality strong enough to be destroyed." By this, I took him to mean that detail and consistency are the tipping points that can make a world seem living and 'real'.
The architecture of the buildings in this group is mostly inspired by traditional European buildings, particularly those of 16th century southern England. I wanted the buildings to look old and somewhat worn, but inviting and even a little idyllic. Someplace someone might call home, and think worth defending. The roofline and jutting ridge beams are inspired by longhouses from New Guinea. I added those to make the silhouette more interesting from a distance, as well as to make the houses something not completely familiar.
Because Hero's Journey will include scenarios where there may be damaged or destroyed version of these buildings, it was necessary to think about the actual structure of the houses and barns. Unlike a modern residence, the load bearing elements are actually visible from the outside. The panels in between would originally have been filled with wattle and daub - mats of twigs plastered over with a mixture of clay and earth. My buildings show signs of prosperity as well as age, so the wattle and daub has been replaced with brick nogging, and the interiors plastered.
I think that a fantasy world should be fantastic, but the things and events therein should be explicable on their own terms. Otherwise, these elements don't help with the suspension of disbelief... or worse yet, work against it.
Mike Doscher
3D Artist, Hero's Journey
Simutronics
Gameplay
Aside from offering characters all the various services that one would expect from a town, the Human Settlement Tile Set offers some exciting possibilities for our Quest system. The set comes complete with walls in assorted stages of construction plus various town defenses, and the buildings may all be opened, closed, burned down or pristine.
A perfect example of a Quest that utilizes these art assets to full effect is the Defense of Rappiyon. Increasing Ukar attacks near the village have foreshadowed an approaching massacre. The Hero must hurry to the village's aid and defend the townspeople. Death and destruction are certain, but the Hero must do his best to keep these to a minimum.
Fortunately, the Hero has some time to prepare before the oncoming attacks. He is given a short period of time to direct the townspeople in the construction of various forms of defense - walls, archery towers, fire traps and more. The Hero will fail if the town buildings take too much damage, or if there is too great a loss of life. But success means winning not only the hearts of the townfolk, but also a great reward.
Melissa Meyer
Producer, Hero's Journey
Simutronics
