New Base Design For Elysium! | ETHEREAL

Happy Tuesday, patrons!

I hope your holiday season is going well. This week, we will have a two-part update about the new bases on Elysium. In previous tests, and since we completed updating our map, we have felt that the bases didn't feel like a giant fortress for teams to gather at, recover, or push towards to destroy. As such, over the last few months, we have been working on creating all the models and materials necessary to update them to fit the grand scale of Ethereal. We have landed on the images you see above. While these images are just concept art, the new bases are already in testing and are being refined by our team. Below, I'll go through some of the notable changes and additions to these bases for you.

The Shop: In other games, a shop is just a non-existent place where you buy items, with no physical presence. To be direct, we think that's uninteresting. Instead, we want to provide ambiance in the base that helps it feel a little more realistic. So, behind the spawn platform will be your team's shop, where all of your items will be purchased, with some physical representation of things planned to be present! In addition, we also want to include a shopkeeper to collect your gold and provide a little life to this humble shop. More info about him will come later!

The Portals: One of the unique things about Ethereal is our portal system from Void to Ice/Fire lane. In previous tests, we discovered that without being able to see through the portals, enemies could pop in and out too effectively to dodge damage or gain information. So, we have separated the incoming and outgoing portals to provide more time and commitment requirements for taking them. Though this concept is still in testing, we are excited by the feedback we have received on them and will show more details about our findings in the future!

The Spires: With the update to our spires and towers, we know how important it is to dictate their range. As such, we have added distinct areas on the ground that will act as that designation, so it is more clear for you and your team.

Our team has put many hours into designing and refining these new bases for Ethereal, and we think you are going to love the results when we show them off later this week with before and after versions of the bases as well. For now, let us know your thoughts on the concepts for them!

See you later this week,
UG | JellyKnees