Hi Everyone,
I wanted to give a quick update about the World Map and Update 16.
There is a great deal of content ready for Update 16 that has been held back as I work on the World Map. I think it makes sense to release the completed content now instead of waiting until the World Map is also in a fully complete state (which will take another couple months.) So I am prioritizing getting Update 16 released now and then focusing on the World Map for Update 17.
So here is the Plan:
1. Release Update 16 as soon as possible. (Likely within the next 10 days)
2. After Update 16 is live, release a new Testing Branch which contains an in development version of the World Map so I can get player feedback as I work toward Update 17.
3. Release Update 17 around the middle or May which will feature a fully functional World Map.
So Testing Branch users will still get their hands on the World Map very soon, but in this way I can also stop holding back the Update 16 content for people not on the Testing Branch.
I apologize that the World Map has taken as long as it has. I am trying to build the World Map to be as engaging as possible. The World Map is a very complex system and reworking the interface/flow multiple times really ate up the days.
Next, I will show a series of World Map development screenshots to give an idea of what I have been up to!
After that, I have a listing of everything that is soon to arrive with Update 16.
The Fellowship of the Charcoal Kiln
This is a walk through of a currently working scenario. This story follows the Clan as they go from realizing that their Charcoal Pit needs improvement, to then dealing with some outlaws interfering with the local Charcoal Burners, to finally getting the training required to upgrade their Charcoal Kilns.
Note, much of the art is still place holder as my focus has been systems and UI flow. As you will see, there is a LOT of flow to deal with. But I did my best to make it painless from the player's perspective.
Walkthrough Start
At the bottom right of this picture there is a charcoal kiln that is about to generate some charcoal. This version of the Charcoal Kiln has only 50% efficiently. It is slow, poorly made and there may even be some count or quality loss for the final product. This is the kind of Charcoal Kiln that someone who has no experience with Charcoal Kiln's builds.
Once the new Charcoal is made, the Clanfolk will realize that their methods are not all that effective and outside training could improve them. This will give the Clanfolk the idea to look for potential training.
There it is, the Idea to get some training on the map! Now we can click on the Idea in the Announcement or in the Ideas Panel, or even just open the World Map to find a place to learn more about Charcoal Kilns.
Clicking the Announcement took us to the map, but we could not start an expedition to learn the Charcoal Training because it is being Suppressed by Outlaws nearby, this means that the Clan will need to form an Expedition to clear them out!
Next we click on the Outlaw Event, and we have Chief Orders available to deal with them.
Each Map Event can define multiple possible Chief Orders to deal with the Event. In the picture above, we can see that Negotiating takes quite a high minimum persuasion skill. There are also expedition slots for potential backup. The Chief needs to decide what type of expedition to send as well as its configuration. Once the Expedition leaves, the members are set and will potentially deal with a variety of different challenges, risks, and rewards.
Next selecting the Attack Order, there will be a different set of Expedition Slots with different requirements. This also shows the Expedition Planning in Family Tree Mode which shows more potential members as well as their location in the Clan structure.
Now that the Expedition is configured, pressing "Start Expedition" will tell the members to leave the homestead and start their adventure.
We can Track the Expedition Progress on the World Map. Once the Expedition arrives at its destination, there will be a Story Event that the Members will need to deal with in some way. This ties directly into the Story Event System, like the Outcast Mother.
Since Expeditions take Clanfolk off of the Homestead for long periods of time, Alerts appear when Expeditions have reached their destination. This allows the player to just play as normal while the Expedition travels instead of babysitting the progress.
Now back to the World Map, select the Expedition on the left side bar (or clicking it on the map) and now there are new options available. How will the Expedition handle interacting with the Outlaws?
The chosen action will take some time. From this point on though we will not interact with the Expedition until they return back home. Hopefully things will go well, but we will now know until they return.
Some time has now passed and if we checked the map, we would be able to see the expedition returning home now that the work is done.
Yes! Shaik and Daniel are a little worse for wear, but they have made it home and Shiak (the Expedition Leader) is ready to give a report to the Chief about what happened. This is when any rewards are received or other explanations of the events of the battle would take place.
After the report, lets take another look at the map!
With the Outlaws gone, the Training Event from the Charcoal Burners is no longer suppressed. The Training expedition will take two days between travel time and the required work. It is important to choose someone who the Clan can survive without for the next 2 days... Beyond that, there is a Coin cost to consider.
The Chief (Player) sends Issbell away for training. After some time has passed, an Alert appears that that the Expedition has arrived. This is another opportunity for player input.
Issbell paid the Coin for training and after two days, she returns and delivers the new crafting knowledge to the Clan.
Reporting to the Chief is complete and the new better in every way Charcoal Kiln is now available!
Walkthrough End
So that is just one example of what the World Map system will eventually deliver.
After Update 16 goes live, I will focus on preparing the full World Map experience for Update 17 using the systems described above. So Update 17 will be all about the World Map.
Once Update 16 is released and I have enough content for a decent World Map example, I will set it live to the Testing Branch. This in development version of the World Map will give everyone a chance to give valuable feedback as we approach Update 17.
Update 16
The new features below have been ready for a while and it is time to get them into players hands. Locking them behind the fully complete World Map does not make sense.
All the following changes are currently available on the Testing Branch, and will become available on the Default Branch once Update 16 goes live.
(Note: The Testing Branch is always available to everyone under Steam/Clanfolk/Properties/Betas)
- Flooding - Increased Fertility, but also Increased Risk.
- Traditional Turnip Lanterns for Samhain - Spooky and Fun.
- Difficulty Modes - New Very Challenging Modes for Experts.
- Lightning Upgrades - Dangerous Lightning! (Off by default.)
- Baby Toys and Toyboxes - Cute, and more to come.
- Dried Berries - Preserve those Berries for Winter!
- Smarter Cats and Rats - Tom and Jerry mode activated.
- Missing Item Alert Upgrades - Alerts understand reservations now, better info, more quickly.
- Reservation Viewer - See exactly where Clanfolk are going and why.
- Customizable Pet Tombs - These work like the Human Tombs and have new Glyphs!
- Caves and Rocky Overhangs - Places to take cover and keep things dry early on.
- Smart Missing Supply Viewer - Makes it much more clear why some things are not being crafted.
Detailed Feature Info:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1700870/view/4476110102203467099
Thanks very much everyone for your patience! I am working hard to get Update 16 released, and then the World Map on the testing branch soon after.
Andrew (Blorf) Hume
MinMax Games Ltd.