The Earth Update is out now! Let’s take a look at the new features, especially the new production chains. The Earth Update is the last major update for Goblin Camp in Early Access, and our next step will be moving to full release.
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When you start a new game of Goblin Camp with the Earth Update installed, you’ll find two kinds of new terrain features on the map. There will be exposed rock faces, which don’t catch fire or become muddy when worn, but are also completely infertile.
You may also find large bogs, which slow down any creatures traveling through them.
These new terrain features aren’t just there because they look pretty, either. They’ll each provide your goblins with valuable resources. You can build a stone quarry on rock tiles, and if you have metal picks to work with, it will produce rough stone.
A stone-cutter’s shack can turn that rough stone into dressed stone, which was previously only available from dismantled ruins.
So now you can produce the materials for stone pavements and cobblestone roads yourself, and if you research Stone Construction, stone tier buildings! If you then go on to research Stone Fortifications, you’ll unlock the imposing and very durable drystone wall.
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Another thing unlocked by stone is the ability to work iron. Previously, metal-working in Goblin Camp was restricted to dwarven metal: a very durable alloy that’s nevertheless malleable enough that it can be worked without a forge. Now, though, you can raise the temperature!
You can now find scrap iron in ruins, but it’s too hard to work cold, and ordinary wood doesn’t burn hot enough to melt it. Charcoal, however, does. Charcoal is created when wood is heated to a temperature where it would burn, but in an environment where there isn’t enough oxygen for proper combustion. When that happens, the wood chars, and will burn at a much higher temperature.
So the first thing you’ll need is a charcoal clamp and plenty of wood!
With charcoal and stone, you can build a forge and heat it to a temperature where iron melts and can be forged into tools.
Later technologies also unlock iron weapons and armor, and the buildings you’ll need to make them. The basic weapon-maker and armory buildings only have tools for working with wood, leather and so on, and you’ll need to build ones with stone forges to be able to make iron equipment.
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So that’s how you can recycle scrap iron into new equipment. But how do you get more iron? That’s where the bogs come in. Build a bog iron collector’s shed next to a bog, and put your goblins to work collecting bog iron.
Iron ore straight from the swamp is soaking wet, and needs to dry out in a stockpile before it can be used.
Dry bog iron is then roasted in an ore-roasting pit to remove impurities.
Roasted sponge iron is smelted at a bloomery to produce sponge iron.
Sponge iron can then be hammered into wrought iron at a blacksmith’s workshop, and now you have fresh iron of your own!
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Some of the other new features of the Earth Update include archery: you can now research bows and arrows!
And on those sad occasions when a goblin passes away and leaves a corpse, you’ll be able to give them a proper burial.
Last but certainly not least, the Earth Update also brings you work areas. The Work overlay shows you the area of the camp, in yellow, and the work areas, in green. Goblins will only gather flora, fell trees and engage enemies in camp and work areas.
Raven statues extend the work area of your camp, and by selecting a raven statue, you can toggle the work area around that statue on and off.
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Thank you for your support, and we hope you enjoy the Earth Update!
