The next chapter of Elvenar’s history is released – Chapter 21
We are proud to announce the long-awaited release of Elvenar Chapter 21. This is a testament to the hard work of all of the talented individuals at InnoGames who have brought to life the incredible story of Elvenar. This milestone is first and foremost a testimony to the love that Elvenar fans have shown us, which enabled us to continue a story about a magical universe that has so much more to explore.
Elvenar players are always eager to hear about the new challenges that lie ahead. There is no better source of information than the creators themselves, so we asked the Elvenar Team what was most intriguing about Chapter 21.
Timon, Senior Games Designer, is very happy to have agreed to answer some of our questions. He may be familiar to Elvenar Youtube Channel subscribers from our preview of the Cauldron.
Spoilers lurk ahead!
Let’s first look at the chapter title – The Vallorian Legend.
We don’t want to give away too much information about this new epic story. But players will soon discover what lies behind this title. We can’t take our eyes off of the bloody red banner for Chapter 21, which depicts a dragon.
When creating a new Elvenar chapter or other addition, game designers, developers and artists are required to put in months of hard work. What is your opinion of the role dragons played in Elvenar’s past and how has this changed with the new chapter.
Elvenar, the world of Timon, is full of strange people and creatures. We knew that dragons would be featured sooner or later. We also wanted to create an integrated world where everything is as consistent as possible.
The world of the novel is a place where many things are possible but there are still rules to follow that prevent contradictions. We thought carefully about how to separate dragons from humans, elves and dwarves. Each group would have their own culture, background story and be able to be explained in each chapter. They could be included in the creature list and appear more naturally, without being tied to the story. We decided to compromise.
Although dragons have their own stories, they are important to certain populations who already exist in Elvenar. For the sorcerers the transformation into a Dragon represents the culmination of their study of Arcanology.
Now, let’s move on to the orcs. In Chapter 21, an orc tribe has become experts in dragon taming. They ride these powerful creatures through the sky. This means that players will be able to continue to enjoy dragons at events and sideshows regardless of where they are in the game.
How do you go about creating new chapters? From the initial idea, through the design and implementation process to the final product? What are the main goals of a chapter?
Timon: We look at the story, art direction, and features. We start by examining the previous chapter to see how it can be tied into the current story. The backstory is also pre-planned and divided into multiple chapters. This will be revealed in stages. It often leaves a lot of room for creativity and game design. Which characters could be involved in which adventures? What is the difference between their final appearance and earlier chapters? What are the interesting functions and buildings in this concept. What existing mechanics can we improve, and what new ones could be added? We try to gradually increase the complexity of the world, and our options from chapter to chapter, so we never run out of interesting gameplay ideas. In the future, we want to add many more exciting chapter.
What makes Chapter 21 so special to you and your team? How can players expect to benefit from it?
Timon: We’ve spent a lot of time and effort this time on the core city. This is the part of your city you upgrade throughout each chapter. In many city-building simulations, this part of a game doesn’t change much over time. The players find this boring or don’t want to play it anymore. Where does the story happen and how can we add new features to late chapters when each player has completely different buildings. Our goal has always been to make the city core interesting and worth visiting. In Chapter 21, we’ve made huge strides. We will be able to fill future chapters more easily with new and exciting content if we know that each player has a Residence, Workshop, Manufactory, or Armory. For the first time in Chapter 21 since Chapter 1, a “Requirement”, which works similarly to Culture and population – Prosperity, will be introduced. This requirement is derived from the core city buildings, and allows you to build settlements. The new permanent resource, “Community Work”, is also available from high-level residences.
Every new chapter offers our players new challenges, but also a variety of fantastic new buildings. Elvenar’s art is always of the highest quality, and the Elvenar Team must love all their creations just as much as its players.
Does the team have a favorite building for players to find in Chapter 21? Tell us why this building is so special!
Timon: The Dragon Tower is my favorite. It combines the splendor of the dragons with the wealth of Vallorian culture. It’s impressive! Did we mention the Vallorian Culture already? What’s that? You’ll have to play Chapter 21 – The Vallorian Legend to find out.
We thank Timon of the Elvenar Team very much for giving us his answers about Chapter 21 and hope we made you more excited to make your own discoveries in the Elvenar! If you’re especially hungry to check out new content in Elvenar even before we write a blog article about it, join the Elevenar beta server !
And if you prefer a city-building game outside of the fantasy setting, try out Rise of Cultures!
