Hello everyone,
this is Dmitry.
This time we took longer than usual to release a new roadmap - for various reasons. However, after a lot of discussion and planning, we now have a clear vision of where we want to take the game over the coming months.
Our main areas of focus will be:
Expanding the event system
Local map late game
Global map expansion
Combat system improvements
Let's take a closer look at each of them.
Event Director
We have accumulated enough mechanics to finally organize them into a unified Event Director system (similar to RimWorld's storyteller).
The primary goal of the Event Director is to keep the game engaging by creating a highly varied experience and filling the gaps when not much is happening. It is also designed to prevent both devastating snowball situations and extended periods of overly easy challenges.
This does not mean that events will occur without any apparent cause. The system is primarily concerned with timing (which already exists in the game, albeit in a different form).
For example, a rebellion will still require unhappy characters. The Event Director simply decides when exactly it happens.
Since the game's architecture was designed with this system in mind from the very beginning, its implementation should not take long, and you will see it in beta as early as next month.
Local Map Late Game
This is part of our larger goal of building a proper feudal system in the game.
As we approached village development and, consequently, the introduction of barons, we ran into a problem: the feature lacks economic purpose - at least until we address several issues on the local map.
Technological Transition
We want the value of basic resources to gradually decline as cities on the global map develop, while demand for expensive and advanced goods steadily increases.
This will make low-level industries such as alcohol production, logging, and food production economically unattractive in the late game, encouraging you to move them into villages instead (where they require a one-time investment rather than continuous support for peasants).
Craftsmen
At the same time, we will introduce a new character class - craftsmen.
Craftsmen will be required to operate advanced industries such as weaponsmiths and alchemical laboratories.
Craftsmen will cost gold, their numbers will be limited, and they will demand a higher standard of living.
Service Economy
We are also introducing a service economy (bathhouses, theatres, apothecaries, tailoring, luxury shops, and more), which will largely depend on crafted goods.
Wealthy temporary visitors - travelers, pilgrims, and others - will begin visiting your city to take advantage of these services.
As a result, late-game cities will transition from rural economies to trade-and-craft economies while maintaining roughly the same settlement size.
Later on, we will introduce specialization through a guild system.
Barons
All of this will also allow us to create baronies based on your villages and provide some of your lords with independent sources of income, their own armies, and political leverage.
Peaceful Victory
For players who are not interested in engaging with the global map, we will introduce a peaceful victory condition: constructing a super-project building - the University.
Global Map Expansion
The global map has needed expansion for a long time, and now its time has come.
The first building block of this expansion will be the introduction of Outlooks and Lands. Based on those systems, we will then introduce Dukes, followed by internal politics within states.
Outlooks
Currently, all rulers react to the player's actions in the same way, and their response is largely limited to condemning aggression.
The outlook system will allow us to create a much more nuanced political landscape.
So outlooks represent the values of rulers on the map (including your own ruler) and determine whom they support and whom they oppose.
This is reflected through their reactions to aggression and peace treaties, as well as their initial prejudices for and against other outlooks.
In addition, one of the outlooks will be Fanatics, who follow the Matriarch's opinion completely. This will connect the global map to the game's religious politics.
Lands
Several provinces (2-5) sharing the same culture and outlook will be grouped into Lands.
For example, Kirandia could be a Land of Peaceful Varns.
Kings belonging to the same Land will have strong prejudices against suzerains from foreign Lands, foreign cultures, and foreign outlooks.
As a result, effectively integrating them into your kingdom will require the use of Dukes.
Dukes
Dukes serve as intermediaries between the king of a state and the vassals of a foreign Land.
You will be able to assign some of your vassals to a Duke. In return, the Duke will receive a share of the tribute collected from those Lands, while the ruler gains stability and no longer needs to focus on the day-to-day problems of those vassals.
However, as Dukes receive a portion of tribute income, they become more powerful.
Furthermore, they gain the loyalty of their vassals.
As a result, if a Duke rebels, the problem affects the entire Land rather than a single vassal.
Politics Within States
Currently, joining a state as a vassal or as an ordinary member of an alliance is effectively a step backward in terms of game progression.
We want to introduce internal state politics, allowing the crown to pass from one ruler to another.
In vassal kingdoms, a Duke will be able to claim the crown through rebellion and war.
In city alliances, we are currently planning to introduce elections for the position of alliance leader.
As a result, you will be able to become the ruler of a state even if you originally joined it as a simple vassal.
New Maps and Starting Conditions
When starting a new game, you will be able to choose from several geographical maps and create (or generate) the countries, political landscape, and dangers that populate them.
Combat System Development
The combat system remains a high-priority area for us, and we currently expect to begin working on it extensively in the middle of summer.
Our plans include:
A more transparent damage system, allowing players to compare weapons and understand what each weapon type is effective against.
New weapon and armor types and tiers, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.
Formations and battle lines.
More advanced siege assaults, which will ultimately allow us to introduce stone walls.
Sieges
At the moment, assaulting a fortified city simply requires overwhelming force, which limits tactical possibilities.
The introduction of proper sieges will allow armies only slightly larger than the defending force to successfully threaten fortified settlements, increasing strategic depth on the global map.
Long-term sieges that tie down armies, movement restricted to roads, and the creation of chokepoints such as bridges and mountain passes will further expand the variety of tactical decisions available to players.
However, this is a challenging task, as we must also determine how a siege of the player's own city should function in order to keep the system symmetrical.
So that's what our plans look like for the coming months!
Of course, this is not everything. We will continue improving politics, reworking guests and dark dealings, and much more.
If you like what you see - or if you feel we have overlooked something important - let us know in the comments here or on our Discord. We will read your feedback and give it careful consideration.
And of course, don't forget to leave a review to support the game.
We're working hard for you!