Plague as a Psychological & Biological Threat
We’ve completely changed how you get infected with the Plague. Now it will progress in stages, and you will have different ways of playing around it. When you first get infected, a progress bar will appear. It will serve as an indicator of your current level of infection. As it fills up, new symptoms will start to emerge: from minor cough to vomiting and a new special effect — Madness. If you get afflicted with Madness, strange things will start to happen: hallucinations, voices inside your head, and even ominous laughter, coming from seemingly nowhere… And we didn’t even mention the various side effects that might happen to you because of the potent Plague disease.
The world will start to notice it too. One uncontrolled cough could alert nearby enemies while you are trying to sneak past them, vomiting will cause Plague spores to appear nearby as the bacteria grows more and more potent inside of you. And of course, your physical condition will start to deteriorate as well. But where there's danger, there’s also a thing or two to counteract it. That is where our new Counterplay system comes in.
Plague Counterplay
So far, we have only covered the scary and grim aspects of the Plague. But humanity is a powerful force, and for ages it has learned to fight the harsh conditions of its surroundings. Just as you counter cold with warm clothes, you can also use clothes to reduce the Plague's effects on you. Many of you were asking about it, and yes, Nested Lands will have a full-on Plague Mask and Clothing costume. Think of the classic Plague doctors with strange masks and big hooded robes.
Remember the Plague sites with Mycelium? You can contain them by building torches and campfires around them to prevent the Plague from spreading further. After all, fire is a potent cleansing power, especially in harsh Plague times. And powerful trinkets will also provide you with additional protection from the world’s dangers. Some say that you can even perform mysterious Rituals from yore, meant to lighten the Plague's decaying touch. Still, nothing is achieved without a price, so what will it be? This part, for now, will remain a mystery.
And of course, medicine. The medicinal prowess of your village will play a crucial part in the Plague counterplay. After you discover its recipe, you will be able to craft medicine yourself or with the help of your Apothecary. Or you could find it in the world through exploration, or even buy some from the mysterious trader that will visit your village from time to time. So worry not, while the threat is high, there are always ways to fight back and contain it. Humanity will prevail. Or will it? That is up to you to decide.
All of these changes combined will make for a new, much more developed and deep Plague system. It will interact with your journey on all levels of the game and become not only an obstacle, but also a source of power that you can harness and use for your own sake. We are very curious to see how you will approach the Plague and what decisions you will make.
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Stay safe, survivors.