Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development in pre-alpha and may change in the future.
REVAMPED CARGO BOAT
The Cargo Boat has been revamped and reintroduced to the game as naval transport will be critical with the map expansion (see below). This vessel has been updated to feature 2 rower seats and can now furl and unfurl its sails. Rowers can control a boat's forward and backward movement while the helmsman controls its direction, with the wind providing an additional source of propulsion through the ship's sails. All of these inputs are combined to determine the vehicle's final movement, creating a more dynamic and cooperative system for multi-crew vehicles. Finally, the ship system has been upgraded with a brand new physics engine that simulates proper buoyancy and other factors for a more realistic experience.
SHIPYARD
Shipyards are world structures where the Cargo Boat and future large ships are constructed. When a boat is constructed, it is automatically launched into the sea once a player takes the driver seat. Shipyards are found at most coastal Towns, making such Towns strategic locations moving forward.
SHIP DOCK
Ship Docks are a new structure that can be used by naval forces to securely store their vessels. It can be built at coastal Homesteads. When a Ship is docked, it cannot move and is safe from being completely destroyed although it can still be damaged and disabled. Ships must also now be docked at a Ship Dock to be repaired.
DEFAULT CLOTHING
Players now deploy with default clothing that do not provide any gameplay benefits but improves immersion. Default clothing designs are Empire specific. Ancient's clothes are wool tunics with simple leather elements. Pagans wear linen pants with a corded shirt and an embroidered cloak while Remnants dress with layered linen wraps and tunics.
HOUSE TAGS
Players have been requesting this feature for awhile now! Players can now set a tag for their House, which will display beside the names of all players that are part of the House.
NEW CLIFFS
A new set of cliff and rock assets have been added as part of the overworld map revamp that started several milestones back. The existing assets that these replace were created when the game featured much larger vertical spaces, making them feel out of place with the game’s current more tempered landscape.
MAP EXPANSION
As a continuation of the world revamp, the map of Calligo is expanding beyond the starting central islands. New continental landmasses are being added together with numerous islands, paving the way for naval gameplay in the near future.
To help expand the map while making the playable space appropriate with the scale of current tests, support has been added for disabled zones. Disabled zones are effectively parts of the map that can be "shut down" for a test, meaning they can't be built on and they don't count towards the Military win condition. This will allow the full world map to be developed incrementally while still being compatible with the current scale of tests.
The map image below is a concept for the full map layout. The actual map as implemented will differ slightly. Stay tuned for more details.
FARMING BALANCE
A balancing pass on Farming and Water systems has been done to reduce the amount of active maintenance required to sustain farms while preserving meaningful time and resource investment requirements. The goal isn't to speed up farming or make it more efficient, but to reduce the amount of active and tedious management involved.
WATER INFRASTRUCTURE REVAMP
As part of this pass, water infrastructure has also been given a design pass. Players can now integrate water infrastructure into their Wild Homesteads without sacrificing their defenses by using the new Canal Wall, which allows water to pass through their walls. In the same manner, the new Canal Fort module will allow water to pass through Fort Foundations and to enter Towns and Fortress interiors.
Aqueduct have also received upgrades. Those built outside of Homesteads or Towns will now have their decay prevented so long as they are connected to a sustained Homestead. Aqueducts have also been rebalanced to make them more accessible. They no longer require significant elevation changes to have constant waterflow.
The goal with these changes is to enable players to start building out shared water networks across the world.
CHIMNEY WALL
Homestead arch modules will no longer be used to ventilate smoke. Instead, the new Chimney Wall will provide ventilation for first floors in a two floor Homestead. The hope is that this will result in more visually pleasing builds.
INVENTORY BALANCE & BARRELLING
Previously, players could carry significantly larger quantities of small resources in their personal inventory than can be transported using Hand Carts or Resource Wagons. This has been changed so player inventory's no longer stack as many items, while Resource Stockpiles, Hand Carts and Resource Wagons have had their capacity increased, creating a stronger incentive to use dedicated logistics equipment when transporting resources in bulk.
Cabbage, Wheat, and Berries can now be stored and transported using Barrels on Carts and Handcarts.
RENTER INFORMATION
Homestead managers can now see a list of players currently renting access at their Homestead. The names of the renters will appear in a panel in the Keystone interface.
UPDATED SCORPION
The Scorpion now sits on top of a raised platform, allowing it to fire over parapets. It can also be pitched down further, giving it a more flexible field of fire. The model has also received a full visual overhaul.
There are many other Quality of Life improvements and bug fixes coming in the next update. 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.
