Ranchers,
Update 0.6.20 is Ranchbound’s first major content update. Previous updates focused mainly on fixes, stability, and quality-of-life improvements. This time, the update introduces substantial new gameplay systems and new ways to manage, breed, and develop your cattle across generations.
Thank you for all the feedback, suggestions, and bug reports you have shared so far. They have a real impact on the direction of the game. Please keep them coming through our Discord server or the Ranchbound Steam Community Hub. I read everything, even when I cannot respond to every message.
I am especially interested in your thoughts about cattle breeding, inherited traits, and the balance of the new systems introduced in this update.
Now, let’s take a closer look at what Update 0.6.20 brings.
CATTLE SEXES AND BREEDING
Cattle now have individual sexes, with separate cows, bulls, heifer calves, and bull calves.
Breeding now requires both an adult cow and a bull on the same pasture. Bulls approach eligible cows and attempt to impregnate them.
Successful breeding begins a pregnancy, after which the cow gives birth to a new calf.
Breeding attempts are represented by animated hearts above the animals, while newborn calves receive a short birth marker.
INHERITED TRAITS AND BLOODLINES
Added a new system of hereditary cattle traits. Traits can be either positive or negative and may be passed down across multiple generations.
Calves can inherit traits from their parents. Grandparents and earlier ancestors may also influence inheritance, but their impact is much smaller.
Inheritance is never guaranteed, even when both parents carry the same trait. Each additional inherited trait becomes increasingly unlikely.
Some traits have three levels. Matching traits in both parents may improve the chance of inheritance or produce a stronger version in the calf.
Hereditary traits can affect fertility, resistance to disease, feed consumption, lifespan, and the chance of twins.
One example is the negative hereditary trait Glutton. An animal with this trait eats more than it needs. The difference may be difficult to notice with only one or two Gluttonous cattle, but allowing the trait to spread through breeding can eventually leave you with an entire herd that consumes noticeably more feed.
Nutrition and close inbreeding can influence the appearance of rare positive or negative traits.
TEMPORARY STATUSES AND THE CATTLE PANEL
Added temporary cattle statuses representing an animal’s current health, nutrition, pregnancy, and other changing conditions.
The cattle information panel has been redesigned to show sex, age, life-stage progress, temporary statuses, and hereditary traits.
Temporary statuses and hereditary traits are displayed in separate rows. Positive traits and statuses use green backgrounds, while negative ones use red backgrounds, making them easy to distinguish at a glance.
Stars indicate trait level, while a DNA symbol marks hereditary traits. Tooltips explain the current effect and its exact value.
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS
Added an optional Spacebar pause shortcut. Pressing Space again restores the game speed that was active before pausing.
The Spacebar pause shortcut can be disabled in the Interface settings.
Minimizing the game or changing window focus no longer immediately changes the currently playing music track.
Updated cattle-related tutorials to explain cattle sexes, bulls, and the new breeding requirements.
Added a new black coat color for cattle.
Older saves are automatically adapted to the new cattle sex and hereditary trait systems.
Thank you for playing Ranchbound. Please keep sharing your feedback through our Discord server and the Steam Community Hub.
This is only the beginning of larger content updates for Ranchbound. The next major update I am planning will focus on a Household overhaul. I will share more details as development progresses.