Hello everyone - it has been a hell of a week, with our first community roundup and 3 patches culminating in Wednesdays first 'Large' update, and as we've hinted at a few times now there is PLENTY more to come, and reasons to be excited about the future of Bulwark.
Today I'd like to share with you the currently planned roadmap for what we are going to add to the game, spanning at very least the next year of development, before we begin though, a little look at the launch and what Bulwark means for me.
I have dedicated three years of my life to 'Bulwark,' and it is the incredible support of this community from the announcement, all the way through the evolving demo that has fuelled my journey every step of the way. The launch has surpassed my expectations, and I am delighted to pledge my commitment to furthering my work with Wired Productions on the game, inspired by the passion of you. My journey has been shaped by the collaborative spirit of our players, whose feedback and aspirations have guided the evolution of the game – it has been a spectacular launch, and we’re only just getting started.
So let's take a look at the Roadmap, and I'll break down what is included in the first two months in a little more detail :
The first two updates consist of feedback and requests from the community on launch for more ways to interact with the game world and its inhabitants, as well as providing additional challenges and combat scenarios for players to tackle - let's take a look at what is coming this month!
April - Trade, Tribute and Spoils Update
An update that allows players additional ways to secure and spend resources and interact with settlements in the Ursee which includes :
3 new captains
Specialised in trading with other factions and then providing buffs on the output.
3 new diplomacy events.
- Request Tribute (angry factions will reduce their unrest if you pay tribute)
- Demand Tribute (a peace offering but at a price for the settlement)
- Offer Tribute (a peace offering to other settlements)
Spoils
After each victorious combat or certain world encounters players will receive spoils . Spoils are collected in the inventory and can be used to make a new extractor or repair your battlegroup. Spoils may also be gained from certain world events.
This is likely to be be released towards the end of the month, not pinning a specific date yet (after all, still plenty of patches and bug fixing and feedback to process too!) But as soon as I can see a suitable lock in date - you'll be the first to know.
Following this, we'll look at giving you some more challenges in May, and some new ways to tackle them...
May - Naval Command Update
The Naval Command Update adds the ability to create an independent naval task force of battleships and give it a destination independently of your surveyor taskforce - whilst also allowing players to declare a 'Total War' scenario.
The central core of this is a unique harbour, the Naval Command harbour to which you can assign up to three combat captains who will execute on your orders - it includes :
1 unique harbour
The Naval Command HQ, that comes with mechanics to set a destination for your naval task force.
4 new carrier ships
These come equipped with their own aerial escorts to protect the Naval task force from threats.
3 new naval events
- Blockade (factions with high unrest might blockade an area near you, restricting access to trade routes.
- Naval Fortress (an enemy takes up a fortified location at a strategic location)
- Naval Manoeuvres (an enemy fleet takes up station at a strategic location)
Total War Scenario
All out war comes to the Ursee, everyone is hostile, diplomacy holds no sway here - shore up your defences - utilise you new naval task force and attempt to strategically take out blockades, fortresses and raids as you attempt to expand your settlements.
The Future
This is only just the start of the continuing evolution of Bulwark, some of these concepts born from your feedback and requests, some of it long term additions that I've wanted to add to the game for a while. Whilst I'd love to break down every single update on the list (and show you the rest!) I feel like it's always fun to have a couple of unanswered questions on the horizon. What is a Mad Lector? What kind of modding will be supported? (This ones a bigger question I'm still figuring out at the moment, more on that later).
Don't take this as the ONLY updates coming though - as I'm sure you're all aware of with Bulwark - both with my own way of working and coming up with ideas, and of course interpreting your feedback, there is always the chance that other things not mentioned now could find their way into life!
Anyway - that's all for now, please keep your reviews and suggestions and feedback coming - tell your friends about the game and share your creations, and I'll be confirming the date for the first update on the roadmap very soon.
Bye!