What's new in 0.6?
Each major Kainga update in the roadmap is paired with a new playable map to introduce that update's mechanics. This update, "Clothing and Stone", is paired with the Ice Ridge map which brings with it a new snow system!
It took me a while to figure out how to make the snow deform properly, affect houses, water and your people as expected, but I'm really happy with how it turned out.
There are new snowy weather events that can occur in some of the other maps, but are focused around this new map. The Ice Ridge map is a multi-layered mountain where space and movement can be restrictive but logs, usually a rare resource, are in abundance.
With the addition of snow comes a new way to deal with weather, clothing!
I've drawn over 3000 new frames of animations and overlays to add visual flair to the new clothing and hat technologies, most of which upgrade the brave, but I also added new weapons to the synergized combat units.
Braves run around barefoot and don't have their arms covered, which isn't suited well for the snow, so I dressed them up in a new fur outfit. I also drew another outfit, made instead from silk, that doesn't protect from the cold but grants other benefits.
On top of the outfits, I drew new hats including a thinking cap, a fez with pangolin back-armor and an enchanted headband that protects the brave's mind.
Unique synergy units also got visual updates too!
The shield bearer now has a copper tower shield, and the axewarrior and longbow use their correct weapons. Bee bombers wear an ancient beekeeper's mask and poofy clothing that would be useful against bees, acid bombers would have handled a lot of acid and thus have wrappings covering their burns, and firebombers wear a helmet based on the firewarriors of Populous: the Beginning.
Finally, there's also a new Thinker, this time a Thinker-pair: Kala and Jeera.
This Thinker became inseparable from their beast once he fashioned a shell for this shell-less snail. Since then they've been granted the status of "Thinker" and are known as Kala and Jeera. They focus on a defensive playstyle, using the new stone resource, and have ways of uncovering the mysteries buried below the soil!
I also added stone, termite nests and the fir tree for this update as well.
Finally, due to popular demand, you can now build walls, which look fantastic too!
With this update comes a massive list of bugfixes, QoL improvements and visual and audio enhancements.
Check out the full changelog here!
Bundles of Bundles:
To celebrate the winter release, I'm doing the Frozinga bundle with Frozenheim the beautiful Nordic city-builder!
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/26960/Frozinga_Bundle/
Also available is the City Builder Bundle which has 4 great indie city-builders all together!
https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/26646/City_Builder_Bundle/
Thanks for being a Kainga fan, I couldn't be happier with the progress being made!
Until next time,
-Erik