St. Merlin’s Build and Rising Healer!
Feature
Written by joyellen
Edited by bluecherub
Feature
Written by joyellen
Edited by bluecherub
Welcome back amazing readers to issue 48 of the Daily Diviner! In this issue, we will be exploring the exciting new St. Merlin’s build and the Rising Healer questline that comes along with it. The St. Merlin’s build and questline have been in the works for a while now, since work on the build started in June of this year. In this article, I will be discussing details of the build and talking to Max and Chailey, the Build and Game Design leaders on this project, about all things St. Merlin’s and Rising Healer!
What is the St. Merlin’s build?
St. Merlin’s is a magical hospital located in London that can be visited by all! The old hospital build has been there for a while now, and can still be accessed by visiting King’s Cross and travelling west. You can visit the inside of the hospital by heading down one of London’s paved streets, and, hidden behind a store window, is a mannequin with an outstretched hand. If you choose to take its hand, you will be teleported to the inside of the renowned St. Merlin’s! Upon your visit, you will find that the hospital is filled with old school charm, however, it is certain that St. Merlin’s is in need of a revamp, and it is so exciting that it is finally getting one!
So far, there have been two teasers of the hospital, offering players an exciting preview of what’s next for the oldest wizarding hospital in Great Britain. From taking just one glance at the teasers, it is clear that the hospital has been given massive improvements and upgrades. The interior features much more detail and is larger in comparison to the old build. Additionally, the teasers stated that there will be a multitude of rooms and corridors for players to explore, which the old build lacked, as many of its rooms barred players’ entry.
To learn more about the build and the process of its creation, I had the pleasure of interviewing Max, the Sr. Architect who led the build!
Where did you get inspiration from for the St. Merlin’s build? Did you look at other hospitals or did you take inspiration from the old build?
“I started building St. Merlin’s in late 2017 for the 2018 Saint Patrick’s event. I was trying to base it off the few artworks that were made originally for the 5th movie. Earlier this year, I wanted to get back into building it, and realized the partial version we had was very outdated. We decided to revamp the entire thing. It doesn’t look anything like the old one. We didn’t really look too much at other hospitals; we just decided to go for a majestic feel. This time, we actually made the entire building so everyone could explore it all.”
What was the process like for creating this build? Did you and your team have a specific vision for the build before you began or did you gain more ideas for the hospital as you built it?
“I started off alone by copying the old version and trying to make it look better and more up to our standards. Then I asked for a bigger team to help me create the interiors as it is not my strongest suit. Once I had set the overall layout, we went and tried a few things until we thought it looked the best.”
What are the differences between the old build and the St. Merlin’s build?
“The old one was not finished; only one floor was accessible in addition to the lobby area. The new one is fully built from the basement to the roof, with functioning elevators. It’s way more majestic than the very claustrophobic old one.”
What were the easiest and most challenging aspects of building St. Merlin’s?
“The easiest part of building St Merlin’s was, for me, the overall layout, but it also came with a big challenge: it’s size. The new hospital is very big, and at some point it was quite daunting and overwhelming.”
Any additional comments?
“I want to thank all the team members of the Build Team that helped with the project, as it was one close to my heart. I’m very proud of what we built. Cannot wait for players to see it and play in it with the new content.”
I would love to give a big thanks to Max for the interview! Clearly, the St. Merlin’s build is a large-scale project unlike anything we’ve seen before on the server. The detail and thought that went into the build is truly amazing, and I cannot wait to explore the magical hospital when it is released!
Despite the St. Merlin’s build being a substantial project in and of itself, there is even more to look forward to! The Rising Healer questline is a brand new questline, partially taking place in the new build, that features a load of original content and storyline.
To learn more about Rising Healer, I interviewed Chailey, the High Unspeakable who designed and developed the quests.
Can you describe what the Rising Healer questline is? Is there a storyline for it?
“Rising Healer follows the relationship between the player and the main character named Via Oxley. There is an ongoing storyline that is developed as you learn about Via's goals, past, family, and so much more. Throughout their years at Hogsworth, the player will not only watch Via in her journey with medical magic, but will also learn the art of healing themselves.”
How many quests will be a part of the Rising Healer questline? And will these quests be long in length or shorter in length?
“There are 6 quests, and they vary in length. For the most part, the quests are moderate to long.”
What year level will these quests be in? Will the quests at St. Merlin’s be a part of a chronicle, or will they span across year levels, like the Relics of the Past questline?
“These quests span across the middle of Hogsworth Age until Graduate. Exact levels are still being determined. The quests are mostly centralized in Hogsworth towards the beginning, but the player will venture to Hogsend and Tristmoor during some. However, the final quest takes place in St. Merlin's entirely.”
What were the easiest and most challenging aspects of working on the Rising Healer questline? And why?
“The easiest aspect for me was the initial development of the storyline. Back in February, I sat down with a vague concept and spent about 2-3 weeks straight developing an interesting story with character development and engaging interactions. This was then followed by intertwining quality gameplay that is not only challenging and interesting, but also truly immerses the players into Via's life.
The most challenging aspect has probably been a mix of two things. The first is the actual development of the tech in the game, and whilst I can't reveal much about the process, I would just like to say that creating content in the technical aspect is more difficult than one would expect. The second was more self-inflicted, as I have been working on this project by myself (within the Unspeakable team). This obviously excludes the phenomenal work from the other teams, such as the skins (Arithmancers), spells and mobs (Engineers), and builds (Build team).
Due to the complexity of the project, involving other Unspeakables to build or work on storyline would have been quite challenging; therefore, I mainly just consulted with people for their opinions. This definitely started to wear on me towards the middle, as working on the same project for about 8 months can take a toll on you. Despite everything, I am so beyond proud of the work I have created and could not have gotten this far without my friends and fellow staff members being there for me.”
Any additional comments?
“I just want to leave off by thanking everyone who has helped me in this process and to tell everyone this: This questline will be many things. Interesting, sometimes confusing, sometimes frustrating, and hopefully an incredible experience. I can't wait for everyone to be able to play this, and I hope you all enjoy it when it is released!”
I would also love to extend a big thanks to Chailey for the interview. Rising Healer sounds like an incredible and unique questline that I’m sure players will love! Through talking to Chailey, it is clear that the development of the questline was complex and challenging, and it is amazing what has been accomplished.
I am positive that the St. Merlin’s build and Rising Healer questline will be remarkable when they are released and cannot contain my excitement for them! Make sure to keep an eye out for any more information regarding the build or the questline. Thank you, lovely readers, for tuning into this edition of the Daily Diviner. This has been Joy, Happy Halloween!