Hello everyone.
I often use the metaphor of a garden to explain certain aspects of experimental development in complex games.
Enough time has passed now. The garden has grown, and we have had enough time to observe how the mechanics develop and interact with each other. It feels like we have finally formed an image and vision of the game that, at this stage, can be called complete, if not yet final.
For about a month now, we have been working on a number of new mechanics and major reworks of existing ones.
Many of these new mechanics also have a major impact on balance and cannot be introduced in isolation. For example, we have almost finished the system that allows barons to develop villages, but this creates significant new sources of resources. To balance them, we also need to rework the economy, particularly trade.
As a result, most of the studio is currently working on new fundamental systems or major reworks of existing ones. This means that over the next few weeks, the game will receive a relatively limited number of updates, only those that we can deliver independently and that work with both the old and the new design.
Now, let's take a closer look at what we are working on and which systems will be included in the major mechanics update that we hope to release before the end of the year.
Knowledge System Rework
One of the peculiarities of experimental design is that mechanics which initially seem fresh and interesting do not always stand the test of time. Sometimes they have to be abandoned in favor of more conventional solutions. This is what happened with the knowledge system. We are reworking it into a traditional knowledge tree and separating knowledge progression from population.
The limitations we introduced over time to make the current book system work have ultimately made it not that different from a traditional technology tree, while adding several disadvantages. These include interface complexity and fragmentation, with the system spread across different interfaces such as the Knowledge menu and the Caravan Trader, as well as unnecessary logical complexity and dependencies on things like population level and gold.
The last point is particularly important. Separating knowledge progression from gold, or more specifically from purchasing books, will remove the need to choose between economic and scientific development. Research will still require resources, but these resources can be produced locally.
However, many aspects of the current system, such as the exchange of cultural knowledge, will remain.
Combat Rework
Combat is one of the areas most frequently mentioned by the community, and here we are in complete agreement.
We are working on more tactical battles with flanking and rear attacks, formations, hiding in forests, charge attacks, and more.
We are also completely reworking the basic weapon stats to make them more transparent, adding clear parameters for damage, armor penetration, and durability.
Cavalry will come next. The main challenge there is not so much the combat mechanics themselves, but the need to create an economic foundation for cavalry through a proper livestock system, which I will discuss below.
Overall, we are adding a lot of new weapons to the game, particularly at Tier 1. There will be four tiers in total. As you progress, new weapons will not simply be stronger versions of old ones. They will enable new types of tactics.
Social System Rework
Lords will no longer be free. They will receive a daily upkeep payment in gold. This will allow us to remove their requests for rewards and make the economy smoother and more predictable. It will also connect lords more closely to the economy. Every additional lord will cost you gold, so you will have to think before hiring another one.
As part of this change, we are removing the temporary free lord hiring system, which has become unnecessary, as well as the six-lord limit. Hire as many lords as you want, as long as you can afford them, although in most cases you probably will not need that many.
Warriors will move to the same system instead of using contracts. This will make gold expenses transparent and consistent on a daily basis.
Your ruler and barons, however, will not require upkeep. If you grant baronies to the right lords, they will receive their income from those estates instead. However, they will also raise their own troops in their villages, increasing their political power.
Villages themselves will also become upgradeable through their barons. Developing them will increase the tribute they provide, allowing more basic resource production to take place outside the city. At the same time, this will make your barons richer and more powerful.
We are also planning feasts, where you will be able to find and recruit suitable lords more conveniently.
Barons will also receive their own halls, where their families will live and where political events will take place.
And yes, the halls will have nurseries, so children will no longer have to sleep on the floor.
Trade Rework
By separating player progression from gold, we are reducing the importance of gold on one hand, since it will be possible to develop almost without it, while introducing new gold expenses on the other. Either way, trade needs to be rebalanced.
The role of caravans will be reduced. They will now buy only certain goods at full price, mostly basic raw materials. This should address the problem of excessive amounts of money in the late game.
At the same time, all external trade will now be concentrated in one place: the Trade menu. We are removing contracts, so you will be able to trade immediately. There will also be a way to search for resources you need to buy or sell.
We are also adding a Caravan Stop building, through which trade will be conducted.
This system should make trade simpler, more flexible, and more scalable, which is necessary for the introduction of craftsmen. These workers will be extremely efficient, which means cities will need a much greater flow of both incoming and outgoing resources.
Province Variety and Livestock
We hope there will also be enough time to create a livestock system, which is necessary both for cavalry and for making provincial economies more diverse.
We will also try to give different biomes their own unique resource buildings.
Situation System
We want to rework the system of desires and relations between lords, which should also provide a major boost to story generation.
This is a highly experimental system, so I will share more details about it later.
Further Plans
After this build, at the beginning of next year, we plan to focus on:
More variety in city development, both socially and economically. There will be different paths for developing your city.
Politics on the global map, including elections within alliances and conspiracies among vassals. You will be able to gain control of a state even if you did not create it yourself, but instead joined it as an ordinary vassal or member of an alliance.
A rework of late-game crises. Once you have built up your city and reached its economic limits, you will be able to put it to the test through a series of severe external and internal crises.
Further development of the combat system, including assaults on stone walls, siege engines, and more.
A more complex global map, with different types of barbarians, roads, different types of villages, local groups of provinces, defensive chokepoints, garrisons, and city sieges.
Generated battle maps and neighboring cities on the map.
More advanced game setup options.
Simplifying and removing systems that no longer serve a useful purpose.
After that, I hope we will be able to look at what we have created as a whole and make a decision about the date for leaving Early Access.
Those are our plans, roughly speaking. I'm curious to hear what you think.
Thank you for staying with us,
D.