Greetings medievalists!
Let’s talk about the thing many of you have wanted for a long time: ladders! Our long-time followers may remember the days when we used to have these things in the game. They were removed for a couple of reasons; they broke pathfinding logic, the difference between them and stairs were minimal, and they added little to the overall gameplay.
Well, we are bringing them back in a big way, with a new look and new functionality. Allow us to explain.
Ladders are voxel elements (like walls), that allow traversal between two layers. They can be built anywhere (in allowed space), can be stacked up one another and can be built adjacent to floors, walls, doors and windows.
They will be used by humans (both settlers and raiders) and certain animals, like cats, rats and polecats. The amount of sides from which they can be approached will vary, depending on their position. Settlers will only be able to perform certain goals when on ladders:
- Deliver construction material
- Construct
- Pickup/equip resources/items
- Combat
- Locking unlocking doors
- Refueling fuel buildings
All other actions are pretty self explanatory, but combat deserves a special mention. Settlers can pass through one another when on ladders, but they will not be able to pass through if a raider blocks their way. That is when the fight starts. Since this will be a battle focused on verticality, you’ll have to have a couple of things in mind. One handed weapons will have better strength of attack than two-handed. Settlers with shields will equip them on their backs during the ladder interaction, that way, they will block arrows. Some weapons will be more effective than others. For instance, billhooks will have a better critical capability when on ladders. Your settlers can, of course, fight unarmed when on ladders. This will also occur if those settlers are archers.
Ladders are not a go-to solution for everything, though. Walls, roofs and floors can’t be placed on top of them. You will not be able to place them under beams either.
Settlers will not be able to move sideways via ladders (they will not be able to go full spiderman on ladders). Settlers will be able to fight with raiders on ladders, if those ladders are positioned side by side. There is a front side of the ladder (depending on its position) that can be approached from 5 nearby voxel positions. Approaching the ladder from the back will not be possible. We’ll detail all the worthy notes once the official update is released, but for now, we hope that this gives you a better idea of what to expect in the upcoming update. We’re still working on it, so please have patience.
While you wait, we invite you to join our Discord server (if you haven’t done so already!), and share your settlements, game experiences, tips and tricks, partake photo challenges, show off your heraldry and give feedback on the existing feature, or even suggest a new one.
Foxy Voxel