Youkoso!
Thank you for all your questions and please continue to ask them! We are currently working on implementing a few of the topics in the Kintsugi update, while some of them will be tackled in future updates. If you haven't received an answer to your question, it doesn't mean it won't be addressed to. However, our focus right now is on what's coming soon. So, let's dive into your questions:
Will the production mechanics change to real time?
Production mechanics are something that we are very much working on right now. We launched Early Access with seasonal production with the assumption this will make the game less stressful and less focused on micro-management and more about chilled turn-based mechanics. It proved to be a wrong decision, but that’s what EA is for – to take some risks and experiment and listen to your feedback. Additionally, this system resulted in AI having a harder time playing their working animations, giving a very unfun vibe of nothing happening in the village.
A better AI system as well as daily production mechanics are being implemented. Production and consumption will happen every day, at the end of the workday.
Regarding the real time production, whether we move from single-day turn change to multiple times in the day remains to be seen – this will be determined after the release of the Kintsugi update. There is a little difference between Daily Production and Real-Time Production, just instead of getting eg. 20 planks after a workday, workers will produce 2 planks every 1 hour 10 times per day. Basically, the intensity of the production will coincide with the intensity of the game itself, so we don’t want to overdo it – yet.
Will new decorations or furniture be added with the update? More decorations for the outdoors?
Yes! For example, new workstations, gongs, barrels, and baskets, providing new interesting visuals and container options. We will probably add more decorations before the update is finished, but at the same time we try to prioritize things that are useful for gameplay. We will try to reuse these elements – like weapons – as decorations too.
When can we expect to see Zen gardens? Will it be possible to move large stones for Zen gardens?
We will add an option for you to put loose stones like how you can now put plants in your village. Some Zen-garden specific assets will be added, allowing you to start making your own compositions, with more assets coming.
Will it be possible to adjust the number of days until the seasons change?
Yes! We are expanding on the game settings with a custom game mode. You will get a lot of the most important settings now, and more to come for you to fiddle with for the best game experience.
When will there be achievements?
We are thinking of adding them in 1.0 but if there is a general need for them sooner, we might put in some of them – but we don’t plan to add them to the Kintsugi update yet.
Will I be able to play my old saves after the Kintsugi Update?
Unfortunately, we do not recommend continuing your old saves in the Kintsugi update. We always try to keep backward compatibility if feasible, but Kintsugi will include some deep reworks of main systems. Therefore, we cannot guarantee a save game compatibility in all aspects of the game. We will try to keep those older saves loading, but there may be some issues. The good news is that with the new setting you will be able to push the progress faster this time if you don’t want to follow the new progression or start from scratch. Additionally, we will create an additional branch with an older version of the game if you want to continue your last save.
Will there be more recipes that require intermediate steps to produce them?
Yes, papermaking will become a much more elaborate process with a paper beating table, a paper press, soaking pools, and drying racks. We also plan on making other processes even more realistic and historically accurate. In general, there will be a few more intermediate resources, some new production buildings, crafting stations, and workstations, while the technology chains are going to be more complex.