What we've been up to with Melvor Idle 2
Hey everyone!
It's been a minute since I last spoke to you about Melvor Idle 2. The last time was back in mid-June where I announced the Alpha was now available via Patreon: Click to read post.
In that post, I promised I'd update everyone publically about our progress on the game every month or two. That promise fell flat, so I apologise for the lack of communication on my part.
This post is to let you know why there was a large gap in progress updates, and also what to expect in the near future with Melvor Idle 2.
Why such a long gap in progress updates?
While we have been making great progress behind the scenes, there hasn't been much to announce in terms of meaningful updates (until now). A lot of the work we've put into the game over the last few months has been on implementing core systems like full Localization support, or systems future content will be built upon.
These systems are fundamental in making future development more efficient, which is proving to be true as development on new content is picking up pace. These aren't very exciting updates to most people, so we decided to not post until more meaningful content was released.
Now that we've made some great progress on the game, it's time to let you know what we've been up to since we last spoke.
Progress since our last communication
Two weeks ago, we released our 3rd Major Update to Melvor Idle 2's Alpha via Patreon. This was a big update, as it included the very first Skill that's exclusive to Melvor Idle 2, and also marked the end of a relatively long content drought.
Let's look at what we've achieved these last few months, starting with the big key items.
New Skill: Farming
Our first Major Update to MI2 included the addition of Farming. This Skill works similar to MI1, with a few key additions and improvements:
- Alongside the standard Allotments/Herbs/Trees, we've also added Orchard Trees (which work different to regular trees), and Flowers (providing passive bonuses while grown).
- New mechanics to manage your crops like Pests, Disease and Watering.
- Compost is now created from within Farming itself via Compost Bins.
- You can construct a Grain Mill, allowing you to passively grind crops to produce important core resources such as Flour, Sugar & Grain.
- There is also a Distillery building soon to be released, allowing you to passively create certain distilled products that will be used around the game.
Farming in Melvor Idle 2 also comes inbuilt with automations such as Auto Plant/Harvest/Compost (for a cost). We saw how heavily automation mods were used in MI1, so we decided to add it as a core mechanic to the Skill itself.
New Skill: Ranching (New to MI2)
Ranching is our first new Skill exclusive to Melvor Idle 2.
The Skill is pretty simple - you manage and run a Ranch, taking care of various animals that produce important resources passively for you. Current available animals include Cows, Pigs, Sheep, Chickens and Worms. Soon to be released are animals such as Wolves, Dragons and Elk.
It's a very cozy Skill, and a lot of effort was put into making it feel like so.
Mastery Guilds
Mastery Guilds is the completely reworked Mastery system designed for MI2. It consists of pre-defined tasks that you need to complete within the Skill, which unlock powerful bonuses as you level up your Guild.
This system is also expanding to Combat in the future.
Localization Support
This was probably the largest undertaking so far during the Alpha period.
We know from MI1 that supporting multiple languages is vital, so we decided to add support now instead of in the future. If anyone has ever developed a game and added support for multiple languages, you'll know just how difficult it is to add the longer you wait. We know this too well from MI1, adding localization support to a game that wasn't built for it just before v1.0 hit took a colossal amount of time.
There won't any official languages available during Early Access apart from English, but the game is now setup in such a way where any new content we add is automatically stored in a translation file ready to submit.
We are also supporting custom language packs. If there's a language we are yet to officially support, you'll be able to upload/share custom language packs.
Other notable achievements
- Added the Event Log - a feature that tracks many important events and notifications in the game, allowing you to view missed events or attend to Skills that might have some issues. Its pretty much a tracker of things that are happening in game, allowing you to come back from idling and see what was missed, what you unlocked, or what Skills need fixing.
- Added the Pets system
- Added a custom soundtrack, created specifically for Melvor Idle 2.
- Added new mechanics to Smithing, Crafting, Fletching & Runecrafting
- Lots and lots of quality of life additions or miscellaneous changes to the game.
- Fixed LOTS of bugs (275 according to our bug tracker)
- Created an automatic build & deployment pipeline for releases. This builds the game for Windows, MacOS and Linux automatically, signs the required executables, and uploads to Steam for Alpha testing.
What's currently being worked on (Plus development insights)?
Coolrox, who is our incredible Technical Director, has been focussed on Combat development over the last four weeks. Combat is by far the most requested addition for the Alpha by our Patrons, and it makes up 50% of the content we plan to add.
Progress on Combat development is looking great, with many core systems already being completed or nearing completion (like the equipment system).
The planning of the Combat content itself is done (up to level 99), with 200+ Monsters planned and ready for initial testing. Once the Combat systems are finalised, we will import the content and begin testing.
While Coolrox is focussed on Combat development, I am focussed on non-Combat development and miscellaneous additions/fixes to the game. Over the last few months, I have created prototypes for the following non-combat Skills:
- Agility
- Thieving
- Herblore
- Hunting (new in MI2)
- Beastcrafting (new in MI2)
We develop prototypes for Skills consisting of a very barebones UI that allows us to test the planned mechanics & content before scheduling any artwork or UI creation. This process will tell us early on if anything needs to be changed or reworked (which it did during Ranching's development phase)
I mentioned above how time is spent on core systems to allow for more efficient development in the future. These systems have allowed me to create these prototypes relatively quickly, with Hunting and Beastcrafting being the most recent taking only 5 working days to produce.
These prototypes are then delivered to our Game Designer, Prat, who begins mechanical and content testing. Once we are all happy with the mechanics and content, artwork is scheduled to be created and the UI is changed to match the final plan.
Other stuff being worked on
While we have our core team of 4 (including me) working on the game, there's also a few other people we've brought on to help with specific areas of the game which are currently in progress. This includes:
- Narrative writer - for our Main Storyline and Side Quests
- UI/UX Studio - who are currently working on our major UI rework
- Composer - Worked on our soundtrack, with new music planned in the near future
All of this is ongoing in parallel with each other. It's quite amazing to see everything coming together and falling into shape! The initial quests and their storyline are amazing, the new UI is extremely exciting to see progress, and the music we have so far is nothing short of amazing.
Keeping everyone updated via Patreon
Consistent development updates are posted to Patreon for Supporter+ tiers detailing what the entire team has achieved or has been working on since the last post. These posts are created every 1-2 weeks.
We try to mix up what we discuss in these posts such as detailing what's coming next, posting surveys to collect anonymous feedback, or detailing systems that are being worked on and why they are important.
Since the Alpha went live, we have released 20 development news updates via Patreon.
You can view the Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/melvoridle
As usual - I highly recommend you don't sign up to Patreon unless you are looking to provide necessary feedback for the game and be part of its development process. There is still a long way to go before Melvor Idle 2 starts to feel like a complete package.
Keeping you updated in the future
When we reach another significant development milestone, I'll provide another update to the everyone. It's hard to say when the next one may be, but development is looking good at this stage when compared to a few months ago.
As mentioned above, you can join our Patreon to stay up to date on development progress every 1-2 weeks.
FAQs
I'm sure you have questions! I'll try to answer the most common ones below.
When is Melvor Idle 2 planned to release into Early Access on Steam?
There is no ETA, but definitely some time next year (2026).
What platforms is the Alpha available on?
Windows, MacOS and Linux. Available via Steam or as a standalone client download.
Are there plans to release on Mobile?
Yes, we plan to eventually release the game on iOS and Android after Steam's Early Access release.
Will there be a web version?
Yes, there are plans to release a web version.
Are there still plans to do free playtesting via Steam?
Yes! We will still be doing open free playtesting via Steam prior to the Early Access launch.
If I play the Alpha via Patreon, will my save be wiped on release?
No, there will be no save wipes. Just like MI1, we will support alpha saves all the way into the future.
Conclusion
That's all for now! I hope to provide another progress update in the near future. If our next Major Update proves to be a big one, I'll be sure to update everyone on what's been achieved.
Speak soon.
- Malcs
