Good Day Mercians
We once again apologize for the persistent delays on the current update for the black death "Rebellion" we understand this is the main cause for players to believe that we have abandoned the project, which is completely understandable, however we wanted to note we are still developing the game but if we did decided to stop development we would have the professional courtesy of announcing it but no need to worry, we have full intentions to build up to a full release (out of early access) before even considering ceasing development.
So why is it taking so long?
Fair question, the answer has 3 main points:
- First point was upgrading the engine (twice) required some mechanics to be re-built from scratch which resulted in the live build being more stable than our current one. So unfortunately this can be very time consuming to make sure the game is stable again on our side.
- Second point is we've had a "higher than average" refund rate (around 20%) the entire early access period, no matter the content or fixes. We have acknowledged that this has climbed a little in recent months (due to server activity/player count, which is understandable) but we have discovered this is due to the game's systems at a base level and it's initial impression, so we are fleshing out the game almost to the point it will feel like a fresh experience but being careful to keep the themes and mechanics people are so fond of. (However, no need to worry we will make sure the current version is backed up and available through steam launcher separately including servers so you can still play the previous version when the new update is released)
- Third point, which is the most impactful, is the past 2.5 years we've had to acquire part time work to pay for the game's development and server charges. We were prepared to do this since it's our upmost priority to complete the game no matter the cost but this directly affects the amount of time can be spent on developing the game. This was manageable but has become more demanding in the past year but we are actively trying to dedicate more time to the black death so we can get this update out to you.
We want to iterate that the community/players that have purchased the game, refund or not, are integral to the game's progress and we will be the first people to admit that the slowed development is caused by us and not our community, if we built the game to be more desirable earlier we wouldn't have these issues. So thank you for bearing with us, that being said, let's discuss/reveal new content being built:
The Kingdom
A new capital city has been built from the ground up where all players will spawn/start their life within the black death, this area will contain new mechanics for beginners and veterans alike to enjoy and progress. This area will be the only "safe-zone" throughout the game and act has a home base for all players.
The Treasury
The capital city will contain a treasury/bank, this is private storage that allows players to store any item/gold they wish, however to prevent impact of building storage chests later on within the game, each player's bank allotment is limited.
Rentable Property
Houses that are pre-built within the new capital city will be available via a rent system allowing the player to deposit gold and access the building's buildable area, so players can freely place anvils in rented workshops, crops in rented farmland or storage chests in their very own city home. Missing rent results in loss of the property so make sure to keep up with payments. We've had similar systems in the past but now feel we are capable of providing a more fleshed out experience.
Siege/Raids
The raidable/siege locations (which were available at the ferryman) are now placed around Mercia, as you can see above the northern siege is placed on the east side of the map within the snowy mountains of Frostfall. The new Celtic siege is now in Skenfirth, the arena is near freeman's port and the crusade is deep south beyond the wall at Duffus.
The Coffer
More dangerous areas around Mercia will now spawn various coffers (common, rare and legendary) which are small chests containing valuable loot, however these will require to be opened/unlocked at the treasury. This is to provide thrilling risk and reward gameplay and to challenge some of the most experienced players, since they have to survive obtaining the coffer and the return journey to the capital. Dozens of new items and recipes are being created for this mechanic including:
The War Axe
The Iron Hat
The Combat Scythe
The Iron Sallet
The Royal Messer
The Reinforced Tower Shield
The War Pick
The Royal Tower Shield.
and many more... so make sure to get that coffer back alive.
The King/Queen System 2.0
We are improving the current system to require players to "capture and hold" the crown in raven's reach to become the new leader of Mercia, this will provide the throne and it's royal coffers (within the new kingdom). However dying results in the crown being "reset" allowing others to attempt being King/Queen of Mercia. Hopefully resulting in a more dynamic player vs player experience.
We hope you are looking forward to these changes as much as we are but we felt it's necessary to take our time introducing new core mechanics to the game to provide longevity and meaning to the player and keep players playing.
If you wish to see other content coming in this update please feel free to read previous "rebellion" update news in the community page.
We currently do not have a release date yet but as previously mentioned this will be uploaded to our beta branch before releasing and will be announced publicly so everyone can try it early.
Thanks for reading!
