Dmitry here.
With just a short time left until our early access release, I want to address some of the most frequently asked questions from our players. A big thank you to Mr. Zorro for compiling these questions into a single document.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who provided feedback during our playtest - it was incredibly useful, and we greatly appreciate it. Your input was invaluable.
If you have any remaining questions, feel free to leave them in the comments on this post or on our Discord. We read everything (though we don’t always have the time and energy to respond, apologies for that).
Let's get started.
Series of questions for developers.
Q: The release date of Norland is known - July 2024. What are the plans for the future development of the project? How long do you plan to develop and support the project?
A: We think we will stay in early access for a couple of years. We have very ambitious development plans. One direction will be more classic, focusing on expanding the breadth - development of technologies, new buildings, city fortifications, and so on. The second direction will be experimental, related to the generation of plots, unique social and cultural mechanics, and so on - things you have never seen in games before.
Q: It is well known that frequent support of a project by modders allows it to last for many years. Will any work be done in this direction? Is it planned to prepare a convenient toolkit for modders?
A: Yes, we definitely plan for mods. However, since the project is developing rapidly, including in terms of mechanics and logic, the implementation of mods makes sense at a later stage, for example, at the release of 1.0, as before that they will quickly become outdated and lose compatibility.
Q: Have you thought about possible DLCs? What is planned to be introduced in the next six months to a year? Share some information on how you plan to expand Norland in terms of content?
A: Paid DLCs will be after the release of 1.0. In the first months after early access, we will focus our efforts on the following topics:
1. Classic development. Weather and related mechanics: climate in different locations, changing seasons, wild animals, improved storage and spoilage systems, heating houses, warm clothing, diseases and medicine, household systems (e.g., hunting), etc. We will complete the rotation of all buildings and redraw some of them. Immediately after this - the expansion of war.
2. Experimental development. This includes complex multi-stage intrigues, planning conspiracies and betrayals, revenge, power struggles, new behavior types, uncontrolled reactions, character traits, personal and unique items, and other mechanics for creating stories. It's hard to promise anything specific here - the topic requires experiments.
In general, the game's DNA has a lot of potential, and it's hard to know where to start. I can only promise that the game will change a lot during early access.
Q: Early screenshots show walls, towers, gates, bridges. What other production objects and resources are planned to be introduced in Norland?
A: As I wrote above, expansion of the economy by adding climate. New types of food. Clothing. Production of weapons and luxury items. Social buildings - theaters, baths, brothels, inns, hospitals. City defense - towers, gates, and walls - will also definitely be included.
Q: In one of the early screenshots, up to 6 peasants are seen working in the field, excellent visual models of some buildings are visible, and the sale of medicines (now reworked) is seen in the market. How stable are the balance, visual style, and existing mechanics in the game? Is a global redesign of the game possible in the future?
A: It's very difficult to promise anything in our game as we experiment a lot with mechanics and don't know where development will take us. We feel that the basic mechanics are in place, but that's just a small part of what will come next. Our plan is to expand replayability, create very different starting conditions, and develop more content for mid- and late-game.
Q: Early versions stated that at the start there would be several pre-made global maps on which random events would be generated, and after release, there would be an attempt to implement procedural map generation. What is the current state of the starting world? Should we expect random world generation in the future, or have you settled on a set of pre-made template worlds?
A: I think we will still try to generate both the global and local map. The thing is that this work takes time and should come after creating the climate and additional biomes, otherwise geographically the maps will differ only in topology, which is not interesting. I think along with the generation, we will also try add an element of exploration when the map will initially be hidden under clouds (right now there is no point in this).
Q: Is the current size of the global map final, or are there plans to increase the number of states? Describe the minimum-maximum boundaries of the ideal size of the game world according to the developers?
A: The optimal size of the game map depends on many factors such as the variety of biomes, mechanics of movement or creation of garrisons and castles. The mechanics and management of resources and armies between controlled provinces. Penalties for excessive expansion of the state (corruption). There is also the problem of scaling - in terms of events, interfaces, and actors on the map (so that there is no overload closer to the end), and so on. These are complex major tasks, and we will work on all of this and try to make the global map work organically with the local one.
Q: One of the most important aspects of Norland and the early Middle Ages is the military. What are the current plans? Will there be expansions and changes in the mechanics of creating armies, their equipment, combat behavior, formations on the battlefield, tactics, and strategies?
A: Definitely. We have already added knight characters who can lead squads, and it will be easier for you to create separate squads to suppress archers, for example (the AI can already do this too). We will add new weapons, try to use the landscape (e.g., unit visibility, ambushes in bushes), weather effects, defensive structures, and siege systems.
Q: Let's talk about formations and unions on the global map. Currently, players have two development paths - the path of diplomacy and the development of a union of free states or the path of violent vassalization. Are other ways of interaction and alliances planned? Perhaps analogs of city-states (Venice, Hamburg, etc.) with a republican form of government will appear on the map?
A: In general, Norland is already a country of city-states. Rather, you can expect the addition of barbarian tribes, nomads, maybe old empires (like the Byzantine), religious non-state structures like Mount Athos to the global map.
Q: It is no secret that the developers were inspired by the SC3 project. What adapted and modified elements and mechanics might we see in the future in Norland?
A: While we believe that good ideas should be developed and given life in new projects, we still use those that fit organically into our game system. In Norland, there is a local map, physical objects, buildings, characters of different social classes, and so on. This dictates which mechanics will fit, which will not, and where we need to come up with our own (the latter happens most often). So the answer is - we don't know yet. We have plans, but we will act by trial and error.
Q: How far do you want to go in developing and implementing the religious aspect in the game, and how much will it affect characters in particular and entire states, the course of history on the global map in general? Currently, there is one religion in the game - are other religions, their interactions, conflicts, religious wars, claims planned to be introduced?
A: It's hard to imagine the Middle Ages without a developed institution of religion. The creation of additional religious systems is planned (in particular, I am interested in creating a trickster god religion), but this is a big task. We will also try to work on things like religious and holy warriors, sects (including secret anti-system and destructive ones), heresy, religious organizations, monasteries, saints, pilgrimages, and religious relics.
Again, the mechanics are experimental, and it's hard to find them in the form we need in other games, so the future will show what exactly and how will be done.
Q: Is it planned to expand the social aspect by adding new social strata? Will there be an increase in the number of nationalities from the 4 currently represented, or should we expect the expansion and complication of interactions between existing ones, adding additional traits and features?
A: Yes, social systems are an important unique feature of our game. We will definitely develop them. Presumably towards the creation of organizations - guilds, sects, secret societies, as well as unique social systems related to different cultures.
We will add new cultures when we have sufficiently developed the current cultural mechanisms. For example, we'd like more connection between cultures and geography - and to do that, we need to make different geographies. :)
Q: Tell us about the entertainment of lords? Currently, one of them is hunting. At the same time, a certain Great Hunt was previously mentioned, where guests from neighboring cities come. In the latter case, a large company of lords hunts all the wolves they can find at night. Has this been abandoned? And in general - is it planned to add other animals - bears, deer, hares, boars, some exotic options in the form of tigers or lions (possibly in some modified form and with a different name, analogous to plow-wolves - plow-bears, plow-lions, ancient-boars, etc.)?
A: Of course, fauna and big events are still on the table. I would like to explain that many obvious things like the hunter's house we did not have time to implement simply because they are obvious, and our resources are limited. Therefore, we had to check new mechanics first because it was unclear how viable they were and how long their development and debugging would take, and as for the basic mechanics - we implement them as needed and possible.
For example, we always knew how archers would work in the game, but how the crime mechanics would work - not so much, as there are no analogs in other games. Therefore, we started with crime (which entailed several stages of reworking plus additional things like terror), and only recently implemented archers. Experimental gameplay is quite expensive and unpredictable, and we had to sacrifice something for it.
But now the set of mechanics has been formed, and now we can devote more time to implementing more classic things - weather, walls, etc.
Q: What other global crises, besides the unholy horde, are planned to be introduced into the game?
A: Right now, I would be interested in creating a crisis similar to the great migration - a constant stream of refugees and tribal bands attacking your city every few days. At the same time, the availability of weapons will be higher. This is a kind of survival mode. But I would like to wait until we create city walls and develop combat mechanics a little more, so we will have to wait for some months.
Q: How are things with magic? Will it be and in what form?
A: No. Magic implies a mythological world of heroes and adventures. This makes the problems facing the player less realistic, and Norland, despite its cartoonish style, is a fairly serious game in terms of systemic realism. If it is, then only in a ritual and social way.
But we want to experiment with large fauna because it is interesting in terms of battles, chaotic events, and city management.
Q: Are you satisfied with the current skill system of the characters? Is its expansion and change planned?
A: Basically satisfied. But personality traits - both inherited and acquired - will be seriously reworked and expanded. We want to give personality traits that will significantly affect the behavior of the characters. Not in terms of increasing the probability of certain actions, but so that the player sees the manifestation of this trait in the reactions and unique actions of the characters.
Q: Is the knowledge system that has developed in the game final, or should we expect any changes/expansions?
A: The basis has been formed. But our knowledge system has a card-based and non-hierarchical nature, which allows it to be expanded as much as you want. For example, I have ideas on how knowledge of history and philosophy will work.
Q: How do you plan to maintain interest in the game in the mid and late game when the settlement construction is essentially complete?
A: Genre-wise, Norland is a strategy based on a city-builder, so the goal of the game is not to build buildings but to unite 12 provinces under your control, withstand the struggle with the Church, and create an empire. So when you've built everything you can - just try to convert your economy into power.
Q: Is the game finite in time? Is there a certain day counter, or is there no specific last day and the game can continue indefinitely?
A: Indefinitely. At some point, you can challenge the Church and start the final battle to win the game, but when this moment comes and when you are ready is up to you.
Q: Will there be optimization?
A: We have already optimized and will continue to work on this further.
Q: One of the main questions is the price. What to expect?
A: Since we signed with Hooded Horse, this question is out of our competence, thank God. As for the publisher's policy regarding prices, HH CEO Tim explains it here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/ManorLords/comments/1cba5qk/manor_lords_pricing_why_we_are_sharing_at_launch/
Q: How long is the project support planned?
A: We have a lot of ideas. Their implementation depends on whether there will be money for this. And this, in turn, depends on the interest of the players. So as long as you are interested, support will be there. We are a small, but financially independent studio that no one dictates what to do, and we like working on Norland because complex generative systems are the cutting edge of game design today.
Q: Is it planned to publish some kind of roadmap in the near future?
A: Definitely.
Q: Will there be a limit on the number of inhabitants or other artificial restrictions?
A: You are right that any system that allows infinite growth eventually faces the problem of limits. Most often it's about performance, but it also applies to interfaces and related micromanagement. We tried to make the limitation natural through resource limitation (after all, in reality, they are also not infinite). And the balance is now set so that by the time you reach the upper limit, you will already be able to challenge the Church and win the game.
Q: Is the existing set of resources and goods final, or will it be expanded/reduced?
A: It will definitely be expanded, but not so that you have everything at once, but towards diversity relative to geographical conditions, that is, in one biome you will have some resources, in another - others. In theory, this will give a new dimension to trade and replayability.
Q: What is the ideal city in Norland for you?
A: I am a peaceful and boring player. :) I prefer to play as Makha, trade, create alliances, and rely on loyalists.