Hello Lemmy!
It's been more than a year since I last posted here. A lot has happened since - most importantly, we just released player-to-player Trading to the game and we're looking for some new players to join the game!
We (Not a Cult, the company) have gone from just me as a solo dev to now having a team of five people in total and things are ramping up!
I've also been posting all development updates to (!walkscape@lemmy.world) for like couple years now if you're interested to follow us here on Lemmy!
Screenshots
How to start playing
You can start playing the game immediately if you support us through our Patreon page. We currently have 20% and 60% Discounts on Patreon for your first month/year as a way to celebrate the release of Trading. More on the Discounts here.
The game is entirely community funded with no investors or publishers behind it. This way we can ensure that our players are always our #1 priority and the creative vision for this game isn't compromised.
If you don't feel like supporting the game or want to try it first for free, you can apply to the Closed Beta. We let new players in who have applied fairly regularly.
Info on how to apply for free access.
Introduction
3 years ago I was wondering of ways how I could motivate myself to walk more. I have ADHD, and sometimes find it hard to motivate myself to exercise. Thought about combining RS as I've been addicted to it for more than 10 years and walking, and that's how the game got started.
WalkScape is a game inspired by RuneScape and other MMOs but with a twist - you progress in it by walking in the real world! It's designed to be non-intrusive, with no predatory monetization practices. By non-intrusive we mean that it will truly let you enjoy your time outside by not constantly requiring your attention. Everything that needs active involvement (like combat or quests) should be done when you get home.
The main goal of the game is to make people more interested in walking by giving them an amazing gaming experience to motivate them to keep walking. And you can play it while at work, or when you are walking with friends, and while walking your dog. You can truly focus on what you are doing and do more active playing later.
Features & content
- records your steps in the background when the game isn't even open
- no GPS, no microtransactions, no predatory practises
- smart watch integrations on both iOS and Android
- all of the art assets, writing, content and designs are created by real people. The game has also been translated to multiple different languages by our fans.
- 12 different skills to level up
- a huge world map with 50+ locations
- almost 1000 different items
- 10+ pets
- NPCs, shops, dozens of achievements
- job boards, factions and faction reputations
- leaderboards, Trading, friend system
- and much more!
Gen AI disclosure
Early in the development we used AI generated images as placeholders for some locations. All of those have since been removed and replaced with images created by a real artist.
There is no AI generated content, art or writing in the game and we intend to keep it that way.
Videos
WalkScape Ultimate Beginner Guide video
WalkScape Dev Interview on Trading video
What's been added since last post
I posted here last time more than a year ago and a ton has happened since. Our team has been busy especially putting together the servers & technical requirements to support real time & asynchronous player interactions. Trading is the first feature coming out that uses this.
In addition we've shipped several content updates, QoL, new game mechanics, reworked Bank system, pets, three new skills and a lot more to the game. You can find the full the full version log fron our Wiki.
Thanks for reading
Thank you so much for reading, and I really hope you'd consider joining the game! We have a lot of new stuff coming out and we're ramping up to get the game fully released as Open Beta.
Thanks again Lemmy for all the support we’ve gained from here. The feedback has also been awesome, and the encouragement we’ve had from your comments have meant a lot to all of us working on the game!
I’ll be answering all comments, feedback and questions here. Stay hydrated and keep walking everyone! <3
Yeah, to be clear, I take no issue with it myself. I just see how someone could make the comparison.