👋Hello adventurers!
Let's talk more about one of the crucial mechanics in Zoria: Age of Shattering; The Outpost.
As we already know, The Outpost is a place where you rest, craft, recruit or rid of de-buffs, to name just a few. But let's get into the details!
Relevant to this article are two aspects of exploration and combat:
Fatigue: is a stat that increases with time spent out in the wilds and is also affected by how many encounters a follower has fought through. The more fatigue a character accumulates, the less effective that character gets, with stats decreasing a little at first and significantly as fatigue gets too high levels.
Supplies: The resting mechanic is the best way to recover followers' health and clear certain effects.
Supplies: Resting out in the field takes time and requires supplies, as followers can’t go around hungry. Supplies can be found during exploration but can also be obtained through cooking. It is advised to take enough supplies from the Outpost when leaving for an adventure.
One aspect of the game we haven’t talked a lot about is the base and base management: The Outpost and all the outpost systems. Because exploration, questing, and combat are just a part of the game, what truly differentiates Zoria: Age of Shattering from other CRPG titles is how base and character management is integrated into the game.
Characters:
The player is not limited to a set of companions that will follow throughout the game, as it is usually the case, but is free to recruit many, either from the world, through quests, or from different locations within the game. The only limit to the player is the party size, but the Barracks inside the outpost act as a home to all the followers that are not in the current party.
Every time the player leaves the Outpost, he is free to choose whatever party composition he wants, limited only to what followers are available at that point. This means players can have a party suited to their playstyle or to the places they want to visit – dark dungeons full of traps where Thieves can come in handy or long-forgotten ruins where Mages or Lancers can make exploration easier.
The only constant in the party is the Captain; all the other characters can be switched in or out of the party every time the player returns to the Outpost.
The Barracks:
The heart of the Follower Management system is the place where you can equip your troops with the newest weapons you crafted, the most powerful potions, and special items found in the dungeons they conquered. You can also see on this screen your Follower’s level, stats, status, and the abilities they have unlocked.
The Burrow:
All that adventuring and fighting will increase troops' fatigue, and with fatigue increasing, everything else goes down, including Follower stats and combat efficiency. The best way to recover your troops is to send them to the “Moon Flower” BURROW for some rest… actually it’s the only way. This means not all your followers will be available all the time; some will need a longer stay than others, depending on their Fatigue level and wounds received during their time adventuring.
Besides its strictly functional role, the Moon Flower Burrow’s manager, Madame Sybilla is an… exotic character with some interesting stories and quests.
The Inn:
The Lucky Dog Inn serves many purposes in the Outpost, being as much a utility building as it is a quest hub and a place to meet interesting characters.
The utility aspect of the Inn refers to cooking, as the Inn is the place where all the cooking takes place in the Outpost. Sure, cooking can also be done on the road, but sometimes it’s preferable to do that in the Outpost where all the materials gathered are stored.
Another very important factor related to the Inn is recruiting. Since recruiting is done in more than one way, and some quests, depending on the outcome, can offer the option to recruit a character, the Inn is not the only way to expand a player’s roster of followers, but it can still be quite an effective one.
The Black Cauldron:
As is the case with cooking, alchemy can also be performed on the road for a quick healing potion to get out of trouble but having access to all the materials gathered is, most of the time, the better option.
The Blacksmith:
Crafting can only be performed in the Outpost, and the Blacksmith is the place to do that. Being part of the Outpost facilities, crafting is accessible through the Blacksmith and uses the Outpost inventory, where all the materials accumulated during the player’s adventures are located.
As with most of the buildings in the Outpost, the Blacksmith can be upgraded, providing access to more recipes or other bonuses.
Storage:
The game has two inventories: the party’s inventory and the Outpost’s inventory. As is usually the case, the party’s inventory is limited.
On the other hand, the Outpost's inventory is not limited, allowing for the accumulation of large quantities of materials necessary to craft, equip and supply a large roster of followers. Because of this, most crafting will take place at the Outpost, with alchemy and cooking being accessible in the field but relying only on the materials gathered in that sortie.
Building Upgrades:
Many of the buildings in the Outpost can be upgraded, bringing all sorts of bonuses to the player, from faster healing to better weapons and armor available for crafting. Each building has its specific upgrade levels and requirements that can be related to either resources or specific quests.
Missions:
With a large roster of characters comes the unavoidable problem of favorite characters. When unavailable or unsuitable for a certain dungeon, they have to rely on lower-level or badly geared followers. Also, with many followers crafting and the availability of materials are vital. To answer both of these issues is the task of the Missions system.
The player can send followers that are idle in the Outpost on certain Missions, missions that, if successful, award the player with materials, recipes, items, gold, and experience for the followers. Some followers can also return wounded or fatigued from the missions, requiring recovery time in the Burrow, so it’s wise to choose wisely the missions and the characters.
This is just a brief description of the systems that make up the base and follower management aspect of the game.
We will be back with more dev diaries soon!
Cheers,
Team Zoria