Welcome Hero or Heroine!

We would like to take a moment to share some background information on our process for creating a new class. Additionally, we will provide a more detailed introduction to the Plague Doctor and kindly outline our expectations for the feedback we hope to receive during the closed beta testing of this new class. Your insights will be invaluable to us.

What is the process of creating a new class?

The process of creating a new class can be quite engaging and typically involves approximately six steps. We would like to take a moment to illustrate this through an example, specifically focusing on the thoughtful creation process of the Plague Doctor.

Evaluation Phase

In the evaluation phase, which begins approximately 12 months prior to the release of new classes, the Game Design team, Marketing, and our CEO will stick their heads together to thoughtfully outline the new class and explore ways to engage the community meaningfully.

In the example case it was decided that the upcoming class will be a dexterity class, and it was planned to develop six distinct classes. Some of these have been adapted from previous surveys, as they have demonstrated strong interest within the community. To ensure community involvement in the selection of the final classes, it was decided to conduct surveys for feedback and preferences.

Concept Phase

In the concept phase about 9 months before release, our Game Design team sat together with the decision making team to brainstorm potential classes that would align with the established parameters. The objective was to develop ten potential classes along with their corresponding ability concepts.

After gathering a sufficient number of ideas, we decided which ones to present to the community in a tournament style survey in which the class proposals had to compete against each other in votings. The criteria for making these decisions included:

• The realisation of a class must be feasible.
• The class should be designed to be marketable.
• The class should be engaging and seamlessly integrated into the Shakes & Fidget universe.
  
  

Decision Phase

About 8 months before release and after selecting six classes for the presentation to the community, the final artworks have been completed, and a preliminary game design has been established. This includes the development of rough effects, animations and balancing while the final development will be executed in a later phase.

To enhance the community's understanding of each class, we developed engaging and descriptive profiles for them.

In the decision phase and after all preparations the community decided that the new class will be the Plague Doctor.

Final Game Design

In this phase about 7 months before release, we have finalized the balancing and gathered initial external feedback from the Alpha Group. Not only have we developed the capabilities of the Plague Doctor, but we have also engaged in thorough discussions regarding how the Plague Doctor will interact with existing classes.

With the design and a first possible balancing of the Plague Doctor complete, we can now move forward with production to prepare for the first beta test.

Closed Beta Phase

The development of the first version of the Plague Doctor is now complete, and it is time to introduce this new class to the community. Depending on our roadmap we try to reserve 3 slots for the betas of the new class. The first beta will happen roughly about 4 months before release.

The first closed beta test is set to commence on July 9th and will run for a duration of seven days. During this period, up to 2,500 players will have the opportunity to experience the Plague Doctor and share their feedback.

Following the end of the closed beta, we carefully evaluate and analyze the feedback received to identify areas for improvement. Our goal is to implement adjustments that enhance the class's overall appeal to the community.

Testing a class with the community can involve up to three iterations. For the Plague Doctor, we opted for three closed beta phases. Our aim is to refine the class thoroughly, ensuring that the final version resonates well with the majority of our players after the last closed beta concludes.

Polishing Phase

In the final phase, we will incorporate the most recent feedback as touch ups on the final version of the Plague Doctor.

Our quality assurance team will thoroughly test the Plague Doctor on our test servers to identify any bugs which weren’t found earlier or which were introduced by the last changes. Additionally, we will refine the art and animations for the last time to enhance the overall experience.

Once the QA team is confident that all existing issues have been identified and our developers have addressed the reported problems, we will are working towards the release of the version including the new class.

What an extensive journey it has been! After a year of dedicated development, the new class is finally set to be launched! You may expect the Plague Doctor to be released towards the end of this year.

Hi! I Am the Plague Doctor!

I am the Plague Doctor, a dexterity class, and I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself.

Exploring deseases is my passion and I like to spend time in my laboratories to play around with chemicals to mix toxic tinctures to be used against my opponents.

Attacking me is unwise. Although my opponents might successfully block or evade one of the three distinct tinctures I can deploy, they will inevitably be unable to escape the toxic effects, which can afflict them for several rounds, depending on the potency of the tincture.

I can evade the attacks of poisoned opponents. However, I will refrain from throwing another tincture at them as long as they remain poisoned. It's all about fair play, after all…

Mages are my Achilles' heel, and I would never resort to using tinctures against them. In the unlikely scenario that I were to lose a battle, my adversaries would be immediately cured of any poisoning I inflicted.

What Type of Feedback Do We Expect and How Can You Provide It?

In beta tests, our primary goal is to assess the overall experience of playing the class in its current iteration. We aim to determine whether the class is well-balanced and if it provides an enjoyable gameplay experience.

To successfully launch a new class that resonates with and is well-received by the majority of players, we depend on direct feedback from participants in the closed beta.

Feedback can be provided in various ways. During the closed beta, we will collect specific feedback through a survey sent to all testers via in-game messages. Be sure to keep an eye out for this opportunity, as it allows you to influence the ongoing development of a class.

We invite you to join our official S&F Beta Discord, where you can share your thoughts and engage in discussions with fellow community members and members of our dev team directly.

Engage with official content creators during their streams to share your feedback. These creators act as amplifiers for their communities and can provide significant value when it comes to receiving and implementing feedback.