Greetings, Chieftains!
Maggie Again! As stated in yesterday's update announcement, today we'll talk about the future of Soulmask. But first, I want to explain the purpose of this dev update: Through continuously monitoring player communities, we've observed that Soulmask has been persistently troubled by player-raised issues since the Early Access (EA) phase. Unfortunately, these aren't problems that can be solved short-term. Consequently, some community members have expressed a troubling speculation:
Is Soulmask really not going to change anymore?
This impromptu Developer Update was added specifically to give you full transparency on what our team is dedicating ourselves to during this 'intensive development phase' — particularly the systematic overhaul targeting Soulmask's most long-standing pain points.
About Tribesmen AI
As a cornerstone of Soulmask's gameplay, tribesmen AI has unfortunately become a recurring pain point in player critiques:
I love the game but there's serious issues. Your followers get stuck on any tree on the ground. The path finding is pathetic.
The ai of your followers you attract just plain sucks, they constantly get stuck on anything that is collide-able and dont seem to do their tasks at all because of this.
We fundamentally believe that sophisticated tribesmen behavior systems are the bedrock of Soulmask — this is why enhancing tribesmen AI remains our Tier1 development commitment.
Our goals are straightforward:
- Preserve the authentic tribal management experience while making Tribesmen's behaviors more logically consistent and dynamically alive
- Ensure flawless coordination where every tribe member seamlessly fulfills their designated responsibilities
You might have noticed our recent attempts to fix pathfinding in minor updates, but we're working on bigger changes — A new tribesmen system.
After that, the tribesmen will be more specialized, and they'll have a whole new path of growth while all their work will be smoother. At the same time we're having them make them more lively - in addition to more movement and behavior, there will be more initiative to do more basic things without having to have the Chieftains do everything himself.
Their...ahem...fertilizer production efficiency is already legendary.
This is part of our ongoing trilogy of core system revamps. Expect a dedicated deep-dive article within the next development cycle.
Yet Tribesmen evolution is merely the beginning. Simultaneously, we're developing a Modular Dynamics System to revolutionize base construction and industrial automation.
About Tribe Management
This addresses a critical pain point: We consistently observe the following issues in community feedback:
You could set up a production chain using the members of the tribe. But it will always require a lot of micromanaging.
No "produce until X pieces are in stock". No "if you need leather to create X, have none available, but it can be made, add task at workshop"
After extensive deliberation, we're developing a brand new system to balance authentic production chains with player experience:
This gameplay module will transform you into a true manager overseeing:
- Resource allocation and personnel management
- Potential logistics route planning across the open world
While the UI is still in development (and the workload is massive), this will become a cornerstone of Soulmask's future. We're working overtime to bring this new feature to you ASAP!
About Guidance & Objectives
Criticism about "guidance" and "sense of purpose" has existed since EA launch:
No story. There are pieces of general lore, but there is no larger plot knitting the game together. It’s just "go there kill that, make better armor, kill some more"
The game rarely tells you the reasons behind happenings. Some information are not given, or lost in translation, so you have to look around, pressing buttons, to see what they do.
This has actually been on our to-do list, but all along we've been pondering a question:
How exactly should we blend guidance and goals in Soulmask?
Our solution lies in the game's core — the Soulmask itself. In upcoming updates, the Mask will undergo transformative changes, guiding players from survival to civilization rebuilding through expanded progression systems.
We're also enhancing progression systems — why limit growth to individuals? Stay tuned for how this integrates with the new management gameplay!
It's that ALL?
Alright, after writing all this, you might still have complaints:
"This is too vague!"
But truthfully, many of these features are still in early development, so we can only provide a general framework now. We aim to reveal concrete details by April.
We're working tirelessly to ensure this official reveal won't disappoint any of you.
Of course, if you're thinking:
"I have countless questions and can't wait until April!"
We'll soon have an opportunity: This month on Reddit's Soulmask board, me (Maggie) and producer ZIMA will answer all your questions - controller support?, equipment durability, multiplayer issues? Ask us ANYTHING!
We'll announce the exact timing soon. See you then!