This might be the first time I use the word "penultimate" in an appropriate context
In last week's blog, I wrote how satisfying it was to finally play the game with proper icons, recipes and tooltips for the new items. This week, we've done a lot of balancing and just testing the game has become very addictive!
The game keeps motivating you to push forward by making new research and jobs available. Once you've expanded, gathered new resources and recruited the new jobs, new research and jobs become available to push you even further. This is exactly what we've been hoping for but it's awesome to see everything come together in a testbuild!
We've also worked on the new guards and monsters. The guards are nearly done. Here is the new menu that can be accessed with the command tool:
"Night guards" are the most important, but guards have become more important during the day as well because monsters don't die because of sunlight anymore. They only spawn during the night though. In normal circumstances, your guards should kill all monsters before they go to bed. But if monsters are slowed down by long mazes, your guards might leave their posts before all monsters are dead! Mazes will give guards more time to kill the monsters, but they won't be saved by the sunrise.
The different guards have very different stats.There will be three different monsters in 0.4.0. They'll have 100, 300 and 500HP.
Slinger guards
- Throws stones, crafted from stone bricks
- Damage: 50HP
- Range: 12 blocks
- Reload speed: 3 seconds
Bow guards
- Fires bronze arrows, crafted from bronze ingots and planks
- Damage: 100HP
- Range: 20 blocks
- Reload speed: 5 seconds
Crossbow guards
- Fires bolts, crafted from wrought iron and iron rivets
- Damage: 300HP
- Range 25 blocks
- Reload speed: 8 seconds
Matchlock gun guards
- Fires lead bullets using gunpowder pouches made from linen, saltpeter and charcoal
- Damage: 500HP
- Range 30 blocks
- Reload speed: 12 seconds
When your colony gets bigger, stronger monsters will start appearing more often. You will not be forced to use matchlock guns, but they're the most effective weapon to take down the strongest monsters. And the sound of the matchlock guns is very satisfying ;)
Here's our to-do list from three weeks ago, updated with the current progress:
- Add more icons, textures and functionality to the new items
100% completed!
- Balance the recipes and crafting times of the new items
100% completed!
- Add the technologies to unlock the new items
100% completed!
- Add a guard recruiting interface so you can recruit the 8 different guards
100% completed!
- Add the new monsters
Monsters have got adjustable HP now. They don't die of sunlight anymore. No new textures, animations or speeds yet
- Add the technologies that allow you to expand the safe zone around the banner
Haven't started yet, but this is probably relatively easy
- Add a way to visualize the safe zone
This is the more difficult part
- Add gradually increasing colonist recruitment costs
Ideas are ready, not added to the game yet
- Add new achievements
Easy
We've still got one and a half week left, and the new items, guards and monsters will certainly be released on Halloween! We're working as hard as we can to complete the entire to-do list :)
One unexpected addition to the 0.4.0 update is a totally pointless feature that nobody asked for: rotatable miners! Previously, guards were placed with quivers. In 0.4.0, they'll be placed with the command tool, just like miners. To keep the code consistent, both guards and miners are rotatable now.
Our Discord was verified in the last week, so we've now got a fancy invite link: discord.gg/colonysurvival
It has been overhauled with new categories and channels, and we'd love to see you there!
Bedankt voor het lezen!