A Note from the Developer
Why Wandering Tales?
Hi everyone!
Wandering Tales is being developed with older MMORPGs in mind.
For some reason, I always find myself coming back to those older games. But after 10–15+ years of updates and added content, I've often found that returning to titles I previously knew and loved can feel a little overwhelming.
So, in an attempt to recreate some of the simplicity of those older MMORPGs, and since I had some spare time while looking for work, I thought: why not try to make something fresh in that style?
Something that could grow alongside its player population, with smaller, more frequent updates rather than having to wait months for new content.
Originally, I was aiming for one or two patches a month. Now that I've finally landed a job, that might still be possible, although the updates will probably be a little smaller. We'll see how things go!
What kind of MMORPG am I trying to make?
Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the direction many MMORPGs have taken over the years.
All those windows constantly flashing at you, telling you to buy something, complete something, check your Battle Pass, or grab the latest skins. Content being restricted for players who don't pay, or features like automatic navigation and automated grinding that practically play the game for you.
I'd like Wandering Tales to be something a little simpler.
This game isn't meant to change your life, teach you some profound lesson, or reinvent the MMORPG genre. There's no grand idea behind it.
I just want it to be a place where you can hop in, relax, and not have to overthink your every next step.
Go to your favourite grinding spot, put Netflix on your second monitor, and simply kill a bunch of monsters.
Maybe complete a couple of contracts, collect some equipment, upgrade it, and become a little stronger.
That's it. That's the kind of experience I want to recreate.
Of course, over time I'm planning to introduce other activities that might require a little more thinking, such as dungeons, invasions, and PvP.
For PvP, I'd like to have activities that players can simply queue up for, without having to spend ages looking for other people to organise something.
At the same time, I want to keep some of that old-school open-world PvP, where attacking other players can have consequences, including becoming a criminal. There would also be contested grinding spots offering better rewards, where players could fight over those locations without the usual criminal penalties.
But I'm not trying to pretend that Wandering Tales will offer something nobody has ever seen before.
Maybe one day, through player feedback or simply coming up with an interesting idea, I'll manage to introduce something a little different. But that's not the main goal.
A one-person project
Yes, Wandering Tales is being developed with the help of AI.
I'm just one person working on this game, without a massive budget or the resources to hire a team of developers, artists, and designers.
While I was looking for work, I had some free time and decided to give this whole idea a try.
And to be honest, I'm quite proud of what I've managed to put together in that time.
Working on this game has become so satisfying to me that even if only a handful of people end up playing it, I still want to continue developing it and adding new things.
It's something I genuinely enjoy doing.
Free to play, from beginning to end
Wandering Tales will be free to play, and I intend to keep it that way.
I don't plan to ever charge people just to play the game, nor do I want to restrict what free players can access simply because they haven't paid.
Of course, I'll gladly accept donations from anyone who wants to support development.
As a small thank-you, I'm planning a form of Premium Time that provides some modest bonuses, such as up to 20% extra experience and perhaps a little additional gold.
Nothing that I intend to give paying players a massive advantage in character power.
I'd also like to make levelling additional characters on the same account a little easier. My idea is that characters you've already levelled up could provide an experience bonus to your lower-level characters, which gradually disappears as they catch up. This would be available to everyone, not just Premium players.
Over time, I'd also like to introduce a shop with purely cosmetic items.
My intention is for Premium Currency to eventually be obtainable through in-game activities, such as quests or achievements, and potentially through trading with other players who decide to sell theirs for gold.
I'd also love to introduce leaderboards where players can compete with one another and earn exclusive cosmetics through skill, dedication, and time spent playing — rather than simply paying for them.
I know monetisation can be a sensitive subject in MMORPGs, and I want to approach it carefully.
How will Wandering Tales grow?
As I mentioned earlier, my plan is to add content in smaller "slices" rather than waiting for enormous updates.
I can't promise exactly what or how much will be added in each patch. I simply don't have enough experience yet to accurately predict how much work I'll manage to complete.
Some updates might introduce an additional area of the map, new grinding spots, monsters, equipment, or other gameplay features.
Others might be smaller, perhaps focusing on new armour appearances, monster models, improvements, or fixes.
I will probably prioritise features that offer the most replayable content.
For example, PvP is something that, as long as there are players interested in participating, can continue providing entertainment without needing entirely new content every time.
Unfortunately, that also means things like extensive storylines, lore quests, or activities that can only be completed once will probably be lower on my priority list.
That doesn't mean I don't want to add them. I just have to be realistic about what one person can develop and maintain.
Ultimately, we'll see how things evolve as the game grows and as I hear more from the people playing it.
Thank you ❤️
I know Wandering Tales won't be for everyone.
Some people might find its simplicity boring, while others might enjoy having a place where they can switch off for a while and just grind monsters without worrying about a hundred different systems.
And that's perfectly fine.
I'm not trying to create the biggest MMORPG. I'm simply trying to create one that I would enjoy playing myself, and hopefully some of you will enjoy it too.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving Wandering Tales Online a chance.
I genuinely hope it manages to entertain you for at least a few hours.
See you in the world of Wandering Tales! ⚔️