While discussing the Mechanics and overall structure of the game is important, I'm no game designer, so I'll ask about the aspect of the game I understand best: lore.
This step in reclaiming the lost world would be inevitable, but what made the Exiled Kingdoms set sail to Andoria?

I am still waiting to make a proper announcement including some basic lore, feature list, etc. But I guess there's no harm in sharing a portion of my setting document answering that, which will very likely be included as part of the game manual:

I am still waiting to make a proper announcement including some basic lore, feature list, etc. But I guess there's no harm in sharing a portion of my setting document answering that, which will very likely be included as part of the game manual

What?!? You actually intend to make a game manual? I will only belief such a thing when it really happens.

On a serious note, do you happen to have such a setting document for EK too? If so, would you be willing to share it with us now that EK is officially finished?
I guess many players would love to get a bit more background lore beyond the fragments provided in the in-game dialogues, especially if it is written in such a coherent way. This would also be a great thing for the lore section of the Wiki, so it may finally contain something more then, well, emptiness.

And just for my understanding: Does the "journal of a sage and adventurer" refer to the EK player character (after looking through the telescope in the Observatory)?

I'll go as far into oldschoolness as the people is willing to play along with their support. Among my plans, I intend to sell a hardcopy manual and cluebook. Not sure if it'll be possible to go that far, but definitely a pdf manual that will have at least 100 pages will be released. I already have around 50 pages of internal documentation alone, and much of it can be used in a manual.

If you need help, I'm really good at such stuff (design and Co). A draft is enough and I can format it to a good manual.
(of course for free, or for a alpha tester account )

Combat is similar to that of modern 3D turn-based RPGs, like Wasteland 2 or Divinity:Original Sin. Action-point based, full control of a party and a big variety of spells and skills to use in battle. You can freely move the camera during combat. The grid is square-based, not hexagonal.

Since I'm here, I'll give a brief update. I keep progressing quite fast, basic combat mechanics are in place (turn order and initiative, move around, attack an enemy, kill it) all with animation and camera control, plus the basics of the AI. In parallel to this, map design is also looking good; it has been quite challenging to build scenes that are ready for both exploration and combat mode, as some compromises need to be made. But I'm quite satisfied with the results even if there's still a lot of work to do.

When I need a rest I work a little on the setting, story and rulesystem and take notes about ideas for quests or characters. That is, the actual game which I wish I could just implement with a snap of my fingers. I hope once development is more advanced (spring?) I can really focus on this part, which is what makes a game fun and interesting, and is the part of my job I enjoy the most. I also love programming, but in the end programming is a 10% of implementing things, and a 90% of frustratingly finding out why stuff doesn't work as it should. You often spend a whole day or more on very silly things. Moreso when you start from scratch with new code and a new environment.

But despite that, I'm far ahead of my planned schedule, which is good. I might be showing some screenshots or even videos in a few months (with placeholder art).