What inspired me to start this project was actually the sheer disappoint that I have felt with the design of most modern RPGs. They are created with the idea of targeting as wide a demographic as possible, and in doing so, they've shut out the niche market that gave birth to this genre in the first place.
...
Character development in Eschalon: Book I is purely skill-based; your choice of character class will not prohibit you from acquiring any skill that you want, which ultimately allows you to contrive some very unique character combinations such as a Battle Mage or Ranger-Thief.
...
With Eschalon, we have worked hard to try and make each skill substantial and each attribute vital.
...
For example, the Cartography skill controls the auto-map in the upper right corner of the screen. If you remain unskilled in it, the auto-map will never actually work! Only after you have purchased this skill will it become functional, and as your Cartography skill improves, so does the quality of the map.(Very cool - VD)
...
Book I's combat is turn-based, but the duration of a turn is governed by your character's Speed attribute. ... So, in some ways, the game can play out with a very action-like feel, but at its core, it is still turn-based and strategy-centric. (Because hardcore RPG fans you spoke about can't get enough of games with "a very action-like feel" - VD)
...
We are trying to design the game world so that every locked door can be opened with a key, picked, bashed or magically forced open from the very start of the game. No part of the game is off limits to the character, waiting to be "activated" when the proper quest is triggered.​