Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development in pre-alpha and may change in the future.
WORLD MAP REVAMP
A lot was learned over the years in terms of what works and what doesn't for map design in Anvil Empires. There have been a lot of pain points, many centering around how much usable space there was in the world for sandbox gameplay as well as the issues that were caused by frequent and extreme changes in elevation. A point was reached where the decision was made to recreate the map from the ground up, taking all these lessons and current gameplay into account.
The map above represents just the center region of the world. In the future, the world will be expanded out from here. The new map features terrain that is overall more even and contains much more playable space for Homesteads, Fortresses, Bandit Bases, and areas for battles to take place in. As part of this revamp, the map screen has also been refreshed bringing the rendering of trees back onto the map.
TOWN KEEP REVAMP
The core town structures are being redesigned visually and with new layouts that better support current gameplay. The first structure to be redone is the Town Keep, which will now be distinct from the Fortress Keeps.
The new Town Keep consists of several parts, including built in Fort walls and Gates that provide additional protection during sieges. The Town Keep now has a larger interior for supporting more players and dedicated locations for Bounty Boards and the Avatar Recruitment Tables.
COMBAT SYSTEM CHANGES
Significant changes are being made to the combat system to add more agency and decision making to battles. First, players can now choose between three types of attacks which can be executed on the fly with different keystrokes. Each type of attack has it's own speed and hit patterns. Second, players must now choose when to raise their shields and when to lower them where each is now a meaningful decision that must be made during combat. Many other supporting changes have been made to make combat a bit more skill based and engaging overall.
SMOKE SYSTEM AND CHIMNEYS
Fuel burning structures now require proper ventilation when enclosed, producing harmful smoke if a nearby chimney is not available. Smoke can spread within a Homestead, dealing damage to players within. To support this system, new chimney roof pieces have been added for Tier 1 and Tier 2 Homesteads, allowing players to safely vent Fireplaces, Forges, Ovens, Hearts and Heating Vats.
QUALITY OF LIFE IMPROVEMENTS
ITEM EXCHANGE
Players can now securely transfer items between them through the new Item Exchange interface. Trade can be initiated through the interaction menu (Alt+LMB on a player).
NEW REPAIR SYSTEM
The Repair Bench interface has been redesigned with a more straightforward repair flow, allowing players to repair items directly from their inventories after entering the new Repair Mode. A new Repair All option also lets players restore all repairable items at once, automatically consuming the required amount of Copper Nails from the player's inventory. When using this function, the cost of Copper Nails can be shared across partial repairs for multiple items, improving overall efficiency.
RENTAL UI
Holding down a key now highlights which nearby structures can be accessed via rental, making it easier to know what facilities are available to renters.
USE NEARBY STRUCTURE
A new Use Nearby feature makes it easier to interact with important structures large like Keeps, Camps, and Homestead Keystones, even when they're in close proximity to other structures. When in range, a dedicated button appears at the bottom left of the screen which lets players access the structures directly. Alternatively, a shortcut can be used instead (default Shift + E). 
There are many other quality of life improvements and bug fixes coming. Stay tuned for the release notes for the next test.
Be sure to add Anvil Empires to your wish list on Steam. If you want to join the community, head over the to official Discord server or Subreddit.
