Greetings,

Just a quick mention of where we are at with version 1.04 and what it will contain:

Version 1.04 will, of course, contain all the latest bug fixes. While there aren't many major bugs left, a few of the bugs have caused some general playability issues for people using Linux. The game is exceptionally stable in current version 1.03, so 1.04 will just be a bit of clean up.

More importantly, 1.04 will have support for other languages. Currently we have Russian, French, Spanish and Slovakian translations in the works by fans. These initial translations will just be game text only, which includes narration, books, dialog, and spell/potion descriptions. This should be enough for most people to fully enjoy the game- future versions of the game will likely have additional text translated such as the interface graphics and messages generated by the system.

I hope to be able to include several of these languages with the 1.04 release, however if the translations take much longer to produce then I'll just release 1.04 without some of them. Users can drop-in new "language packs" as they are released. If you are interested in translating the game into a specific language, please contact us.

In addition, 1.04 may have a few balance adjustments as well. I am playing around with some of the settings now based on feedback from all of you. More info on this when 1.04 is released, which is scheduled for the end of June.

Beyond 1.04.... Once 1.04 is out, we should have a stable platform for which we can merge in the add-on content. This will likely take 6-8 weeks to complete and will be released with version 1.05 of the game.

People are already emailing us about Book III. For now, all I can say is that Book III exists in ideas only. We will not commit to anything until we know that Book II will fully pay for it's development and provide the company with funds to move forward with the final game.

Hi BW! Any kind of time-frame on when you will know that? How close are to you actually "breaking more than even" on Book II?
TIA.

You know what BW? You're awesome. I appreciate your commitment to quality.

Thanks for making a great game and for continuing to work to make it even better.

I'm only on my first playthrough of Book II, and I haven't played Book I, but based on my experience as a mage so far, some balance adjustments would be welcome. Melee creatures never hit me because I can just pepper them with spells from a distance, and even ranged attackers pose no threat because of Dense Nimbus. I haven't encountered any magic-wielding enemies yet, but it would be nice if it weren't quite so easy to avoid ever being hit by physical attacks.

Good news. I certainly hope there will be book 3. Atleast i did my part by buying this game.

That's great news. Thanks as always for all of your hard work.

If you think you'll come up short of breaking even on Book II, just let us know. I'm sure some people would be willing to buy autographed DVDs :)

I like the things you don't like, especially Dense Nimbus. I think they should be kept in the game, and people who do not want to use them can simply not learn the spell(s) (if they have the willpower!).

Hey BW ... doing everything we can to make sure that book 2 pays for itself and book 3. I very much hope that your studio outlives me!

regarding game balance:

I played my first game magic orientated and now iam trying to play as an assassin. So far its alot harder to play as an assassin. Perhaps magic is OP?

This is so far the only balance thing i can think of.

A ranged penalty for attacking spells might help a bit.

Eschalon Book II is a fabulous game, hugely playable, and some skills being a bit stronger than others doesn't matter that much.
I know I've done my bit in posting about all kinds of little issues with it, so it makes sense to emphasize as well how fond I am of this game. It really is an amazing piece of work!

It's great that there is some extra content on the way, which will be a reason for a replay for many. It's obvious that the extra content was meant to be in there from the start, so you could say the current version is an 'unfinished' game, but instead of a problem, that almost seems a plus, because now there's some more for fans to look forward to.

I don't know if there are indications yet about how Book II is selling. Just looking at the total amount of posts in the Book II forum and comparing with Book I, it looks like the fanbase is growing. Hopefully the sales figures will reflect that as well.

Here's hoping you do way better than break even on Book II. I bought Book I, bought the Book II DVD, and will buy the Book III DVD if and when it comes out. Also if you ever put out a deluxe collection (Eschalon Gold?) with all 3 games on one DVD or 2 if necessary and some extras (*cough* cloth map *cough*) in one box I'll gladly buy that in addition to having bought the games separately.

I think that all the interest in Book III is a good indication that people enjoyed Book 1 and Book II. It is unfortunate that there can be a lot of impatience in the gaming community when it comes to the possibility of new games or new content.

I certainly hope that you do better than break even on Book II. I'll do my part, as I can. Keep up the excellent work!

Glad to hear about the extra content. There are a number of unfinished corners of Book II that I've found, and I'm hoping this new content will flesh out those areas.

Congrats again on the game! Love it!!