COMMUNITY - FORUMS - DEVELOPER JOURNALS
Community Journal: Keep Moving Forward

The developers here at Soulbound Studios love to hang out in our Discord server. We chat every now and then with players on the server, "leak" a few things here and there, and so forth. But I've seen some newer players ask, "Are the Soulbound Studios devs really watching the Discord chat? Do they really participate?" Of course, said players were very, very new around these parts. While the team here was working on the latest production update, we decided to have a little fun in Discord to prove the devs all actually exist in the same studio space. Katlynna took a screenshot for us:

See, sometimes all it takes to lure Vye out of her den of spiders, and to get Caspian off of his throne, is a little community interaction! So the lesson is: we're always watching. Ask for some developer face time, and you just might get it. (And don't forget to join our Discord if you haven't yet!)

So before we jump into the latest community journal, let's get a quick recap of the latest Chronicles of Elyria news.

Latest News

A herd of dryas elk venture out of the boreal forest in search of food, but are they prepared for the dangers of this harsh environment? Click here to watch the latest cinematic from the team.

Account merging is coming and only for a limited time. Learn how the process will work, how rewards are merged or combined, and more! Click here to learn more about account merging.

We're part way through our Adventure and Character Customization is taking major shape! It won't be long before Elyria is full of all the right shaped peoples! Click here to read the latest production update!

Meet a Mod

Hey look it's Cerebral Daemon!

1. First, tell us where your interesting username came from?

"It’s actually a play on words. In software terminology, a “daemon” refers to a program which runs in the background, away from user interactions. My username, Cerebral Daemon, is a way to describe the idea of getting myself into an opponent’s mind, away from his control, so that I can play with his expectations and guess his next move as a way of securing a victory. I have a deep appreciation for mind games and deception, and this online persona is a nod to that."

2. How long have you been a gamer?

"I’d say about 20 years. I tend to gravitate toward innovative games, no matter the genre (although I have to admit having a soft spot for strategy games), and that has led me to get involved in all sorts of communities throughout my gaming lifespan. If a game has an interesting or unique mechanic / plot, you’ll generally find me around somewhere!"

3. Where did you grow up?

"In the southern parts of the province of Quebec, Canada, a region where arctic cold is commonplace. Since I can’t tolerate heat very well, this might actually be a boon-in-disguise."

4. Tell me something interesting that happened as you were growing up?

"Let’s say I learned English entirely out of fear of working out... When I was younger, at my school, only the top-scoring students in English would be allowed into the English-intensive classes, whereas others would have fitness-intensive classes instead. I went from bottom-of-the-barrel to the top 10 in less than a year and ended up exactly where I wanted; had it not been for that, I’d possibly be unable to communicate with any of you right now."

5. What was your favorite pet growing up? (if you had one)

"A brown cat who went by the name Gazou. He was the most derpy cat I’ve had but also the most affectionate, as well as the one with the most quirks and personality; a lot of my childhood memories are tied to his presence."

6. What is your Zodiac sign?

"Scorpio and proud!"

7. If you had to pick one, Kypiq or The Waerd?

"The Waerd. I know some have been pushed away by their quirks, but their collective mindset and deception-oriented warfare mechanics are definitely things I can’t wait to see in action in CoE’s environment. The Waerd communities have the potential, I believe, to become paragons of efficiency and greatly shift the political landscape in their favor, two things with grand implications in a game of this scale."

8. What are your plans for Elyria once it is live?

"My number one priority as the game launches will be to get myself in a position where I can see the full extent of Chronicles of Elyria’s storyline and inter-connected conflicts, as well as interact with those as much as possible. For that reason, I intend to foster and focus a lot on both my Dynasty and community, in hopes of extending our reach beyond what I would be capable of achieving alone and hopefully having an impact on things to come as a result. Whether or not I’ll reach my intended goal remains to be seen, but I am sure it will be an interesting trip, either way."

9. Books or Video?

"That’s a tough one, but I’ll have to go with books. I admire well-written texts and stories since they are capable of conveying thoughts and ideas in a nearly omniscient way, a unique particularity of the media. Writing is an art I consider very flexible in which well-chosen words can channel any emotion, no matter how complex or abstract, and I have a lot of respect both for those who pursue it and for what they can ultimately produce."

10. Anything you like about being a mod?

"What I like most about moderation in general is the impact it has. I believe a community reflects as much on a game’s success as the actual gameplay, and since this community already shines brightly way ahead of release, protecting this is what I enjoy most about my tasks as a moderator; something I consider has deep meaning in the long run. If I can reduce the studio’s workload ever-so-slightly so the focus can go toward the game we all love, while also helping the community stay on its current momentum, that’s already a major win in my book."

11. Something you don’t?

"A time comes when any other options are exhausted and punitive actions have to be taken, and as someone who has always preferred leading by example, these moments sadden me. I’ve never enjoyed having to carry out a punishment, neither here nor anywhere else, and what pains me the most is the fact I recognize that in each individual on the receiving end may lie a potential fan of the project, a fan whose experience might now be tarnished. Moderation isn’t an exact science, which is why I believe it is so important to keep an open mind and remain impartial when handling such tricky matters."

12. Any message you’d give to our community?

"Show your colors! Ever since I first joined Chronicles of Elyria, this community never ceased to amaze me when it comes to creative works, interactions and collaborations. Whoever you are, I can guarantee there is a way for you to contribute on the success of this grand project, a way to expand on current ideas and bring our community a step further. I sincerely believe one of this game’s greatest strengths, as it stands now, is the impressive involvement of its community in all sorts of endeavors; every additional step taken in that direction is one I believe to be infinitely valuable."

13. You are a veteran CoE community member, but many don’t see you on Discord too often, why is that?

"I would say this is simply a matter of preferences. I’ve always had a greater inclination toward the forum format moreso than the instant-chat format, which is why I am seldom seen actively participating in Discord channels. I am frequently available on Discord but my interactions are often one-on-one discussions, I prefer taking the role of Watchful Eye rather than Eloquent Voice when it comes to group interactions; this leads me to be less known on the Discord platform, a simple consequence of my predilections and, definitely, one I am attempting to change."

14. What upcoming phase of the pre-alpha experiences are you most looking forward to?

"I am most interested in the Prologue, for the glimpse it’ll give us all of what to expect from the lore and which threats are lurking behind the shadows. I think this is when we’ll fully get to see the scale and implications of what’s about to come, and I must admit being hyped for the grand reveals we’ll face throughout the journey. Whichever peril Chronicles of Elyria will have us confront, it will be an interesting challenge for sure, and one I am perfectly willing to face head-on."

Thanks for answering these questions, parting words in the way of your favorite quote?

""The greatest victory is that which requires no battle." - Sun Tzu, the Art of War"

Meet an Association

Each month we spotlight an organization from our community. Sometimes it will be a kingdom, other times a guild or association. We have many creative members who are building amazing groups in Elyria, and this is one way we can make sure you know about them.

Today we wanted to provide some details about the kingdom of Nirath!

Name of Kingdom: Nirath

Server: EU

Leader: Dragor

Kingdom colors: Red, Black & Gold

Crest (image and/or description):

A shield split vertically in two: left is Red, right is black and in the middle the Sun of Nirath in gold.

Goals of Kingdom

"From the moment that Nirath was forged from the flames of Daemon, it was always about community. It was conceived as a platform for players to meet, connect and organise their plans for Elyria and at the same time grow the kingdom so that it may become an ideal location for their gaming experience for years to come. This burning passion and desire to have such a place is shared with many members of our community. In Nirath, we emphasise the importance of individual progression and and the same time is devoted to developing a non-micromanaging infrastructure that can support all citizens."

Fun Fact

"The Trials of the Fire King: As befits the rule of the Kingdom of Fire, our daring King Dragor loves to set his beard on fire on live streaming and remains unscathed."

"Nirath is the oldest kingdom in the CoE community still active with Dragor as the first pledged King."

Link to recruitment thread

https://chroniclesofelyria.com/forum/topic/12297/eu-the-kingdom-of-nirath

Kingdom Discord

https://discord.gg/zv6YQdq

Community Spotlight

If you'd like a chance to get your community content featured, submit your original creations here.

Let’s take a look at a few community submissions.

Bone Mace is Ready

Here's a weapon design of a bone mace, based on attributes of the Janoa tribe, created by Hellmoon! Love the reference picture for scale, let us know what your thoughts in the comments below!

My Civilization for a Horse!

Chronicles of Elyria has invaded another game (unofficially, of course)! A community member has modded Civ V with kingdoms from CoE.

From Nagash: I have made a Civilization V Mod called "Chronicles of Elyria Kingdoms" (CoEK) for everyone to pass the time with. It is my intention to put ALL Kingdoms into this Civ V Mod but I had to start somewhere, so naturally I started with the two kingdoms that I am involved with; Blackheart (on NA-W) and Nirath (on EU), as well as Vornair that i chose at random. I have tried to be as neutral as possible with adding content regarding these Kingdoms, and I will be doing the same with others, otherwise whats the point in making it at all right?

Learn more here: https://chroniclesofelyria.com/forum/topic/20709/coe-civilization-v-mod

What's next?

By the time this post goes live, we would've conducted an exclusive Q&A broadcast for our backers who have 10k influence or more. What does that mean for everyone else? Well, if you want to get some alone time with the developers, you have to be influential! You get influence by making a positive impact in our community or by purchasing items from our store. Additionally, we'll be rolling out IP rewards soon, so we expect to see the exclusive 10k audience expand soon!

Lastly, there will be an open topic Q&A broadcast live on Twitch on February 7, 2018 at 12pm PT / 3pm ET / 8pm UTC. Click here for the rules on asking questions, and be sure to submit a question for the developers!

Beyond that, we'll be showing off more progress throughout the month of February. We can't wait to show you what we've been working on.

Until next time. . .


1/31/2018 9:44:26 PM #1

Photoshopped.

j/k ;)


World Class Indoorsman

1/31/2018 9:53:08 PM #2

WE ARE ALWAYS HERE, Leth.

ALWAYS.


  • Snipehunter
1/31/2018 10:13:58 PM #3

cerebral. i really liked your message to the community (:


archer, tamer, survivalist, monster hunter, protector of the weak || duchy of aravier, kingdom of alésia, « næ

1/31/2018 10:23:32 PM #4

Always ^_^Posted By Snipehunter at 1:53 PM - Wed Jan 31 2018

WE ARE ALWAYS HERE, Leth.

ALWAYS.

Always ^_^


"Stupid questions make more sense than stupid mistakes."

1/31/2018 10:46:14 PM #5

Woot!


1/31/2018 11:14:00 PM #6

THEY ARE ALWAYS HERE. Leth

ALWAYS.


1/31/2018 11:28:07 PM #7

Posted By Sleep at 5:13 PM - Wed Jan 31 2018

cerebral. i really liked your message to the community (:

Thank you! I'm glad I was given this opportunity to express myself, and I'm also really glad to be part of this adventure we all joined together. ^-^


Norhurst, County of Opportunity

2/1/2018 1:47:21 AM #8

Nice update. I like the Bone Mace visually but I feel that it would crack and shatter after a few hard swings. So as an ornamental display piece, awesome. Perhaps could be used in a ceremony of some kind.


2/1/2018 3:38:58 AM #9

The watchers of Soulbound Studios. ALWAYS HERE.


2/1/2018 4:25:24 AM #10

Posted By Ravenlute at 8:47 PM - Wed Jan 31 2018

Nice update. I like the Bone Mace visually but I feel that it would crack and shatter after a few hard swings. So as an ornamental display piece, awesome. Perhaps could be used in a ceremony of some kind.

Yea it's a bit unrealistic but I really had fun with the idea! It was nice to be able to incorporate a few aspects about the Janoa in its creation.

2/1/2018 10:32:05 AM #11

Posted By Hellmoon at 8:25 PM - Wed Jan 31 2018

Posted By Ravenlute at 8:47 PM - Wed Jan 31 2018

Nice update. I like the Bone Mace visually but I feel that it would crack and shatter after a few hard swings. So as an ornamental display piece, awesome. Perhaps could be used in a ceremony of some kind.

Yea it's a bit unrealistic but I really had fun with the idea! It was nice to be able to incorporate a few aspects about the Janoa in its creation.

I can't argue with that!


2/4/2018 10:44:12 AM #12

Too bad the games 13+ xD


• Proprietor • Programmer • Gamer • PsalmFirewall • NA-W • Friend Code: 62E37D •

2/5/2018 9:58:02 PM #13

I love the nearly ornamental look of the skull on the bone mace. I wonder if it will inspire crafters to make Daemon bone weapons fit for assassins!


Gee I hope I don't get hunted down for being a beta player like all those derps in Sword Art Online

2/7/2018 4:37:22 PM #14

Where can i find the invite link to this said discord? :D


2/7/2018 4:48:52 PM #15

It's linked off the homepage near the bottom.

CoE Discord Link