Ruins of Crestil

Ruins of Crestil is an early solo-developed fantasy MMORPG prototype built in Unity.

The game is set in Creon, a post-collapse fantasy world where humanity has only recently returned to the Surface after thousands of years of lost history. Civilization is fragile, the wilderness is dangerous, and the Dragon Keep stands as one of humanity’s first real footholds in a world still threatened by the Mist.

This project is currently in active early development. It is not a finished game, and there is no public playable build available yet. This page exists as a development hub for screenshots, devlogs, progress updates, and eventually test builds.

The current playable work is centered on the Dragon Keep introductory vertical slice.

The intro sequence currently includes:

- Main menu and placeholder character select

- Server-driven character/session flow

- Waking in the Dragon Keep infirmary

- Basic interaction flow

- NPC conversation

- Inventory and equipment use

- First tutorial quest

- Quest journal

- Progress and inventory notifications

- Tutorial prompts and NPC bark-style guidance

- Intro room exit flow into Dragon Keep Center

- First quest completion

- Save/load persistence for character state, inventory, equipment, progress flags, and quests

The goal of this first slice is to prove the foundation of the game before expanding outward into larger Dragon Keep content, skills, gathering, crafting, combat, reputation, and eventually broader MMO systems.

What Ruins of Crestil Is About

Ruins of Crestil is about rebuilding civilization under pressure.

Rather than starting in a safe, fully established fantasy kingdom, players begin in a world where humanity is only beginning to reclaim the Surface. The Dragon Keep is not just a starter town. It is a refuge, a fortress, a political center, and a symbol of survival.

The long-term design direction emphasizes:

- Player identity without a traditional universal character level

- Skill-based growth

- Regional and faction reputation

- Equipment and loadout choices with great weight

- Grounded gathering and crafting that is part of the game, not just a menu

- Low-button, positional combat

- Social persistence and community identity

- A dangerous wilderness shaped by exploration, resources, and the threat of the Mist

- Player contribution to the rebuilding of civilization

The intent is not to build a standard loot treadmill where every character simply climbs the same vertical level ladder. Instead, characters should grow through what they learn, what they practice, who trusts them, and what tools they choose to carry.

Current Development State

Ruins of Crestil is still a graybox/prototype project.

Much of the current work is focused on foundational systems rather than final art or large-scale content. The intro flow is becoming stable, but many major MMO systems are still planned or experimental.

Implemented or partially implemented systems currently include:

- Basic multiplayer/server-authoritative foundation

- Account and character state separation

- Character save/load persistence

- Inventory and equipment persistence

- Progress flags

- Quest state persistence

- Stable interactable IDs

- Interaction action chains

- Conversation effects

- Quest journal snapshots

- Prompt/bark guidance

- Progress and inventory notifications

- Basic scene/area transition flow

- Camera safety improvements

Major planned systems include:

- Configurable keybinds and settings

- UI consistency pass

- Dragon Keep Center expansion

- Skill progression

- Gathering

- Crafting

- Work orders and economy foundations

- Guard/wound-based combat prototype

- NPC behavior improvements

- Social and group systems

- More polished art, assets, animation, and audio

Development Philosophy

This project is being built in public, one concrete milestone at a time.

Ruins of Crestil is a very ambitious idea, especially for a solo developer, so the current focus is on honest, visible progress rather than large promises. Devlogs will show the project as it actually is: unfinished, imperfect, and gradually improving.

Some updates may be visually rough. Some may focus on behind-the-scenes systems like persistence, input settings, UI infrastructure, or networking. Those systems are not always flashy, but they are necessary for building toward a larger playable world.

About the Setting

Creon is a fantasy world recovering from catastrophe.

Long ago, the Mist overwhelmed the known world and drove humanity underground. Now, after generations of lost history, humans are beginning to return to the Surface with the help of dragons and the protection of the Dragon Keep.

The Mist is not just weather. It is a corrupting, hostile force tied to cruelty, destruction, and social collapse. Dragons exist as one of humanity’s greatest defenses against it, but they cannot simply solve every problem. The world still needs people willing to gather, build, protect, negotiate, explore, and endure.

The first major playable area is focused on the Dragon Keep and the surrounding early rebuilding effort.

Current Availability

There is no public download yet.

A playable build will be considered later, once the prototype has enough stability and post-intro gameplay to be useful for testers. For now, this page is primarily for following development progress.

Follow Development

Website:

https://ruinsofcrestil.carrd.co/

Discord:

https://discord.gg/FEsxNnFKcv

YouTube Playlist:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLB5kft4X2UDqQ7WnT2Ta4cb7PCmx4UNNO

Developer: Nat One Gaming

Engine: Unity