Embark is launching on Early Access in a little over 32 hours!
It has been awesome watching streamers play the game. In this announcement I will talk a little about the current plans for the next few major updates.
You can view the current Embark roadmap here: http://www.embarkgame.com/Home/Roadmap
Steep Learning Curve
Embark has always been made with the intention to lean towards the Dwarf Fortress school of game design. Depth over having super streamlined game mechanics.
Because of this, there's a significant learning curve, especially for people new to the genre. The tutorial has helped a lot in this regard, but there is still a lot of work to be done. The first few updates will try to address the common ways new players get confused when starting out in addition to addressing the feedback from players at launch.
0.6
The main goal art wise is to overhaul the plant models and rendering system. This should address the visual glitches with the current plants and improve the way the world looks.
A more detailed healthcare system, with items you can craft to help with healing is also planned. Another addition will be a basic minecart system to improve efficiency for later game bases.
Lastly new events will be added for the "mid-game". The goal being to provide more goals to the player in the mid game in addition to your normal sandbox style goals.
0.7
The big goal for 0.7 is both localization and Steam Workshop modding support. Complete localization might take longer because of how much text is in Embark.
Also planned is a system to handle localized effects, such as smoke from a fireplace. Bases will need to be designed carefully to allow proper ventilation for buildings like fireplaces.