Eternal Dreamers | Free Battle RPG | 91% Positive on Steam

Ohh nice! I've finally been trying the game again (after saying I would a while back and then... not finding time...), and I'm liking a lot of the new things added, minor or large. I'll have a full list of observations eventually! :kaopride:

Good to hear from you, Mimi! I hope you've been well!

I am happy to hear you enjoy what's been added to the game since your last playthrough. If I remember correctly, things like the mining minigame, shop upgrade system, revamped tower and even 1920x resolution were still missing back then. Meaning I can't wait for that list of feedback! I hope you enjoy yourself even more this time!

It's Black History Month, everyone! What better time to make a long-requested change to Forest's character bust than now? With his hand resting firmly on his chin, our group's leader looks better than ever! This change will go live with the next update!

Keep healthy and so long!

Nice! The way some of the menus looked were one thing that I'd written a bullet point on (also sorry that's been taking so long... got busy the past few weeks but I'm back at it) so it's nice to see that got fixed. The status menu looks especially nice now. And ohh Forest's updated bust graphic... he looks great! :kaothx:

Huh, the new hub music is taking some getting used to, but I like it too!
Also, the mining fixes sound nice! I've only played it a few times beforehand but I'll try it out a few more with this update.
Oh, and the claim gifts option hasn't shown up for me? I was able to claim the previous gift when it was sent out, but not this one.

And about the future dating sim-like update, that sounds like fun! I'm very curious to see how this system ends up! ...and I feel like it's obvious who I'll choose first at this point lmao

Glad you like it! The previous track was catchy, but I feel this one is a better fit for something you'll be hearing a lot of.

Mining isn't fundamentally changed, just a bit less stressful to do now. I enjoy that minigame a lot, but some people cannot make quick inputs for various reasons. So it will likely remain a contested part of the game, and even if you shouldn't like it, that's okay! Minerals can still be acquired through combat after all.

That gift reminder still is from the F2P update in January, so you've claimed it already. (I should clarify that better in the patch notes....)

Finally, the dating sim elements! It's still early days, and I am currently in the process of collecting reference material from popular games to see how those elements are being approached there. Fire Emblem Three Houses is a big point of inspiration for example, being an RPG that does that quite effectively.

Thanks for your interest as usual! I know you've been collecting feedback all the while, and if you'd like, you could leave it in form of a review of the game on Steam too. Boosts visibility, and shows that kind of engagement is possible with the game. Up to you though! :kaoluv:

I'm looking forward to the new updates. I'm very surprised that the protagonist is getting a face now! I'm very interested in protag's story...

Though also, I wanted to finally post the observations I made from when I started playing the newer version months ago!!

I haven't actually finished a basic playthrough of this version, but I wanted to at least put what I've thought instead of letting my notes sit for more months!

And I've definitely taken your steam review suggestion into consideration! I'd definitely like to write one one day! I'm just not used to writing review-formatted stuff, haha...

Hi, @Mimironi! Thank you for your kind words as always!

Re: Bugs

I've just fixed the issues that you mentioned. (Pictures, gift names etc.) Thank you for that! Sometimes I wonder how these fly under the radar.

Re: Player

Thanks to Steam, I have access to a large amount of data about my players, and being a free game, it stands to reason that a large amount quits the game within mere minutes. Interestingly though, I seem to have either very devout players with up to 30 hours of playtime which is very honoring, or people that lose interest within the first few minutes.

To increase the retention rate of the game, I concluded that I needed to make the early game in particular a lot more engaging, and adding more story is a good way of accomplishing that. The easiest way to add more story was to make the already existing player character into a proper character with motivations. That in turn also allows me to flash out Advent and other party members more than previously possible. It adds a lot of dynamic and makes info dumps more bearable, and I think people will enjoy that.

I also deemed adding a face to the player a necessity to make the players feel involved, just like I decided that they should have their own playable class too. Implementing customizable characters was a bit of a hassle, but I've created a script environment that will allow me to add more skin tones, hair colors etc. over time very easily. My artist is still cooking up the male variant of the player, and I am expecting a hottie, alright!

Re: Notes

Thank you for taking the time to write such extensive notes! Reading these is my greatest joy as a developer!

I've spent the last few months extensively redesigning UI and graphical elements to improve the user experience. I am glad you like the changes and deem them an improvement too.

You're right, Sakia was revamped a while ago. I felt that using her Charge abilities was a bit too limiting before, so I rethought the way they should work. Glad you like it!

Faeris is a cutie, I love them a lot! I am glad you keep using that pronoun too, as sometimes I wonder if my intent with the character is clear enough. Their Blessed status doubles the next incoming heal the character receives that turn. The idea was to not force the player to use the Heal ability numerous times to heal a character fully. Frankly, it's a mechanic I see myself reworking because it's not super intuitive as you can confirm yourself.

The mining feature is optional for a reason, as I think some people won't take well to it at all. Personally, I've played the map so many times over the course of its development that I can mine all rocks in my sleep!

I've recently improved all of the casino games, so I am surprised to hear you like the treasure game most! I have plans of adding more elements to it such as choosing routes, but am prioritizing other aspects of the game right now. Seems it is enjoyable enough as is!

SE stands for status effects. That means regular status effects such as Ablaze, Frozen, Slowed etc. cannot be applied to the target.

I am liking your suggestions! I will make the effects of the food items easier to understand for the next update, and rename the gifting option too!

----

I hope I covered everything! Thank you so much for your continued support! I really appreciate it!

Ohhh it's time!!! Player time! Those abilities look cool as heck. I'll probably start a new file just to see all the new story dialogue :kaopride:

Thank you for the kind words as always! I tried to do something unique for the kit of this class that reflects the player's relationship to the rest of the party.

Hello, dreamers! Today’s major update is packing!

First, a new main quest area sees its release in the Desert! Crawling with ancient foes defending Maisha’s domain, this is the toughest main quest area yet! We’ve also added more main quest dialogue to the Forest and Mountain area!

Second, several additions and adjustments have been made to equipment types! Notably, weapons now can drop with beneficial prefixes, the socket system has been reworked for a more enjoyable gameplay loop, and tracking socket pieces on equipment has been made easier than ever! To further heighten the importance of gear in general, all playable characters have their HP, ATK and DEF values rebalanced, with a slight shift downwards overall.

Finally, we are adding support for fashion items! Stay tuned for the release of character skins in the near future!

Let’s open an official Discord for the game! Feel free to join and discuss among yourselves or with the developer!
https://discord.gg/DQuU4haBDH

Changes and bug fixes can be found below:

Store

• New bundle: Character Expansion Pack
  -Contains Anna, Sakia, Faeris and Natsume
  -Save 15% on all content not yet owned

Areas

• A new main quest area, the Desert is available

Items

• New item type: Fashion
  -Changes appearance of a given character in conversation, menu and combat
  -Obtaining a DLC fashion item of a specific character for the first time also creates a basic fashion item that when used reverts the character’s appearance back to its original
• Expanded the weapon equipment type
  -Henceforth, every non-rare weapon above 1-star rarity has a chance to drop or be bought with one of the following prefixes:
  -Supreme: max +50HP, max +5ATK, max +3SPD
  -Vital: max +50HP
  -Vicious: max +5ATK
  -Swift: max +3SPD
  -Sell price of a weapon increases if one of the above prefixes is present
• Reworked the socket equipment type
  -Previously, all armor of the same rarity had the same amount of a given socket tier
  -Now, tiers for all four socket slots for armor above 1-star rarity are randomized
  -Bronze tier: 50%
  -Silver tier: 35%
  -Gold tier: 15%
• Added new drops to the droptable
  -Silver tier socket pieces now drop from all enemies
  -Gold tier socket pieces now drop from all bosses, with increasingly higher drop rates in more difficult areas
• Adjusted select drop rates
  -Doubled drop rate of non-rare armor equipment
  -Doubled drop rate of all bronze tier socket pieces

Classes
General

• Reduced and rebalanced maximum HP value growth of all classes but one
  -Reiketsu, the Assassin gets an increased HP starting value and growth instead
• Rebalanced ATK starting and growth values of all classes
• Reduced DEF value growth of all classes

Forest, the Leader

• Changed the effects of Tactical Retreat
  -Target loses one charge level and recovers 5AP
  -Once per turn, target loses one charge level and recovers 5AP

Faeris, the Illuminon

• Changed the effects of Heal
  -Before: (Instant) Heal 25/26/27/28/30% of the target’s HP and apply Blessed; gain a charge level
  -After: Heal 45/46/47/48/50% of the target’s HP; gain a charge level

Monolith, the Practitioner

• Changed the name of Darkness -> Eclipse
• Increased animation size of Eclipse

Enemies

• Changed the effects of the boss-exclusive ability Enrage
  -Before: The user gains 2 charge levels. Applies Encouraged (+35% ATK)
  -After: The user gains 2 charge levels. Applies Enraged (+20% ATK)

System

• Added new main quest dialogue to the Forest and Mountain area
• Adjusted the item menu
  -Sockets slots and equipped socket pieces show on the info window to the right without having to click on the item first
  -Added a Fashion tab
  -Removed the currency tab from the item menu as currency owned is displayed in the main menu as is
• Partially increased font size in the following sections
  -General menu
  -Item menu
  -Equip menu
  -Abilities menu
  -Options
  -Shops
  -Guide
• Changed icon used for gift items
• Adjusted select dialogue

Guide

• Added item sub-category Fashion
• Improved layout of select sections

Bug Fixes

• Entering the equip menu no longer makes an immediate unprompted equipment comparison
• Added missing armor drops to the Stinger enemy in the forest area
• Potentially fixed issue keeping roulette graphics from loading properly on first use

A small tease for the game's first fashion skin! Reiketsu is getting ready for Summer!

WOOOO YEAH!! Congrats on that 10k!! :kaopride:

Thank you, Mimi! I could stand to do better in terms of visibility, but I am proud of the number nonetheless. Here's to the next couple thousand!

Developer Notes – July 2021
Hello, dreamers! It is time for another round of developer notes! What’s in store for the game next? Find out below!

Summer Reiketsu
Everyone’s favorite artist is hard at work at bringing Summer Reiketsu to life! This breezy new Summer skin for our deadly assassin will make it in time for the next update!




New Area: Sanctum
The journey to Maisha’s domain comes to an end as our heroes breach the interdimensional sanctum of the goddess of life! Guarded by Eastern-inspired foes and less than amused by the disturbance of her peace, will she lend her aid to our heroes?

Ancient Cube
Thus far, there is no way of levelling the abilities of the Player class. This will change with the introduction of Ancient Cubes, a rare item that allows you to level one of their abilities of your choosing. That makes twenty Ancient Cubes in total, and they will be scattered all over! In order to use an Ancient Cube, visit the new memorial after the Player class has been unlocked. There, your character will take a moment to tell his past comrades of your new journey.

Update (July 17th)
New Area, Final Battle, New Growth Item

Hello, dreamers!

I can’t title every update a major one, but today’s will be one in spirit! We’re introducing a new main quest area, the Sanctum, as well as a high difficulty battle against Death itself! Will our dreamers free themselves from the Sudden Coma Phenomenon? Time to put your skill and equipment to the test!

To make sure you’re up to the task, the new item Precious Memory allows you to level the Player’s various abilities! Try to earn all 14 already available as of this update!

Feel free to join our Discord for exclusive giveaways, updates or to discuss among yourselves and with the developer!
https://discord.gg/DQuU4haBDH

Changes and bug fixes can be found below:

Campaigns

• Thank you for 10k downloads!
  -10x Great Weapon Amplifier
  -10x Great Armor Amplifier

Achievements

• Added three new achievements
  -Sanctum Conquered
  -Overcame Death
  -Best Player Ever

Areas

• A new main quest area, the Sanctum is available
  -(NEW) 7-star weapon equipment
  -(NEW) 7-star armor equipment
  -(NEW) Tier 4 ability books
• Added final boss fight against Death
  -Death can be re-challenged from the Bridge anytime post game completion by offering 30x Spirit Fragments
  -(NEW) 8-star weapon equipment
  -(NEW) 8-star armor equipment
  -(NEW) Tier MAX ability books
  -Pure mining stones
• Added an interactive memorial to the garden of the hub area
  -Interacting with the memorial while in possession of a Precious Memory allows levelling one of the Player’s abilities
• Added two non-combat side quests to the hub area
• Slightly updated shadow placement of the garden of the hub area
• Added a new NPC to the mall of the hub area

Mining

• Limited required mining inputs to arrow keys only

Items

• Added new item Precious Memory
  -Interacting with the memorial while in possession of a Precious Memory allows levelling one of the Player’s abilities
  -Precious Memories can be obtained by progressing through the main quest, tower, and through sidequests
  -Players that already completed the main quest areas necessary will obtain the Precious Memory upon their first login post update
  -14/20 Precious Memories have been implemented as of this update, and the remaining will follow with high priority in a future update
• Renamed Sympathy Crystals
  -Small Sympathy Crystal -> Sympathy Crystal S
  -Big Sympathy Crystal -> Sympathy Crystal M
  -Large Sympathy Crystal -> Sympathy Crystal L

Enemies

• Enemies with the ability Heal will not target themselves
• Lowered ATK values of all boss-type enemies of the Desert area
• Added HP regeneration to one enemy type of the Desert area
• Renamed Entropia -> Goddess of Life, Entropia

System

• Visually overhauled the general menu
• Awakening a DLC character will transport the player back to the Awakening Chamber after the respective character’s introduction
• In the equipment menu, pressing left or right will display an item’s information, including socket piece information on armor, instead of character parameters
• Added story dialogue to all City main quests
• Added story dialogue to all Crater main quests
• Added intro dialogue to the Desert main quest area
• Added story dialogue to the Tower result screens if select floors were reached for the first time
• The player’s dialogue bust will show during the Tower results
• Adjusted size of Sakia’s dialogue bust
• Added icons of the different types of meals to the meal selection
• Adjusted credits

Bug Fixes

• Removed unintended 7th wave announcement in the Worshipper of Life quest as well as unintended 8th – 10th wave announcement in the Keeper of Creation quest
• Added proper defeat animation for the final bosses of the areas Wilds and Desert
• Fixed outdated spirit ability descriptions
• Clearing the Desert now rewards the related achievement

Update (July 22nd)
Summer Reiketsu makes her debut!

Hello, dreamers!

In today’s update, Summer Reiketsu makes her debut, a fashion item changing Reiketsu’s appearance in menu, combat and dialogue!

Feel free to join our Discord for exclusive giveaways, updates or to discuss among yourselves and with the developer!
https://discord.gg/DQuU4haBDH

Changes and bug fixes can be found below:

Store

• New fashion: Summer Reiketsu
  -Reiketsu is ready for the beach!
  -Changes the character’s appearance in menu, combat and dialogue

Mining

• Changed from static input time to dynamic input time per number of inputs required
• Increased time per input required

System

• Adjusted menu bust size of Natsume

Eternal Dreamers - Full Release Note
The game's out of Early Access!

Hello, dreamers!

After over a year in Early Access, it is time for the proper release of Eternal Dreamers! A big, heartfelt thank you to all of you that helped me to create a better game for everyone with your generous feedback throughout! Your support was what kept me motivated to create a fulfilling, fun experience!

So, what's next for the game? While now fully playable the way originally envisioned, I'll be sure continue improving the game based on player feedback. Additionally, new content in the form of characters and fashion items is being planned as we speak!

To old and new players alike, I hope you enjoy your time! Thank you for playing Eternal Dreamers!

Feel free to join our Discord for exclusive giveaways, updates or to discuss among yourselves and with the developer!
https://discord.gg/DQuU4haBDH

Reviewer Emotional Relative gave Eternal Dreamers a 8.5/10!