Hi Everyone,
I wanted to show a preview of what I have been working on. The New Settlement System!
The New Settlement System extends gameplay by allowing your Clanfolk to create New Homesteads on the Same World Map to continue the family story as well as unlock new Biomes, Tech, and Events.
Note: I apologize for being so quiet on the forums the last couple of months. This system has been especially complex, much like the World Map was, and I have been focused all day every day on getting it to work or bashing my face into keyboard until it does. Once the test build releases, I am looking forward to discussing the new systems as well as improvements together again!
I think the first Testing Branch version will release in 2-3 weeks. I have the major systems working now, but I still need to build the related Story Events on the World Map as well as the New Tech that is planned. I will go into more detail below and this will hopefully make more sense.
The New Settlement System
New Settlements are built around a themed Story Scenario. For example, this first new Settlement Scenario is called "The Brown One." It is about a Bear sighting in the Highlands, something that has not been seen in generations. Dealing with this Bear would provide proof of the Clan's strength and act as a doorway to more scenarios and content (in the future).
While researching, I came upon some interesting Bear trivia and wanted to integrate it into the Story. Historically in Northern Europe, it turns out that there was a taboo or reverence with the real name for bears. This reluctance to say the actual name has lead to it being lost over time. Likely the original name was similar to something meaning "The Destroyer" but exactly what the real name was is no longer known. This topic makes for some interesting reading!
So, here is how starting a New Settlement currently works.
Settlement Flow
Build the required Technology (In this case the Stone Throne)
This unlocks a new Settlement Event on the Map (The Brown One)
Build an Expedition to the new Settlement (Spending coin to purchase Animals and Items from the current Homestead)
Watch a short (skippable) Cinematic of leaving the current settlement (this is in progress, but ideally will be somewhat emotional)
Once the new Settlement Expedition is off the Map, the new Settlement Map generates.
New Settlements exist in new Biomes, so the Map generation will look different. See the size of the mountains above. Level 6 mountains have never been seen before and are huge. The Mountain slider will be locked at 6, but the other sliders can be moved as the Clan searches the Highlands for the best possible starting location.
The Settlements will also have different starting seasons (in this case Winter) as well as some new challenges and gameplay alterations.
The Highlands have new Hard Stone and Deep Caves, as part of the map generation. There is also the Colder and Rainy modifiers to better simulate mountain living.
Once the perfect location is picked, Settle Here is pressed and the Clan must begin their new life at this new Homestead location. Note: Time marches on as the Expedition journeys to the new settlement, so pregnancies for example may be completed upon arrival.
Now this will be a lot different than the usual start, because everything you unlocked in the previous Homestead is still unlocked. In this case though, you are starting in Winter and have to quickly get situated in the Deep Caves before it gets too cold. Note: The reason for the Winter arrival is to get set up while "The Brown One" is hibernating.
As time progresses, new Messengers will arrive with details about "The Brown One" which then kicks off a series of missions to track it down. The first Messenger is likely going to be the Beekeeper. I am working on this now, and this will indeed introduce Beekeeping as well. Which will lead to things like using Honey as a Trade Good, as well as Candles and Mead. So everything is logically themed to this Bear in the Highlands Scenario.
The original Homestead remains on the World Map and is now a new location which can be used as a node for Story Events as well as a source for Visitors for special occasions.
Additional Info:
Hard Stone:
This is a new type or rock deep in the Highland Mountains. It can only be cleared with the Steel Pick. This promotes using natural caves and using the shape of the mountain interiors to your advantage instead of hollowing out the whole mountain. Hard Stone will likely also be a resource used for sculpture type decorations in the future, and perhaps gemstones.
New Training Events:
I have been working on Training Events at the Inn and will likely roll those out to other locations. These new events provide a new way to earn Coin and also increase skill using Expeditions. They are also another avenue to trigger different types of story elements.
Additional Settlements:
After completing "The Brown One," I am planning to add a method to start additional settlements using known Biomes/Tech, so currently, Normal, and Highlands. These new settlements will not unlock new tech or events, but they will allow you to try new Homesteads while still remaining on the same World Map. When I add additional Settlement Scenarios with new Biomes/Events/Tech in the future, I will try to ensure those will also import themselves cleanly into an existing World Map so your Clan can continue its History.
Final Notes:
So there is still a lot to do, but the Flow from one Homestead to a new one works quite well now. My focus now is on the new Tech as well as the Story Events that will trigger the unlock of that new Tech. This new Scenario should feel quite a bit different even to veteran players. I know for myself, even just choosing what equipment to buy for the new settlement is quite thought provoking. Also starting out in the middle of a snowstorm in Winter takes some planning :)
Thanks very much for your patience! I am going to get back to work on this now. :)
Andrew (Blorf) Hume MinMax Games Ltd.