Dear Ladies and Lords of the Realm,
First thing first, I apologize for the slower pace of updates recently, I've mentioned the reasons for this earlier. If you'd like more consistent, bite-size updates, please consider joining our Discord, where I’m more active. There you can subscribe to topics you’re interested in through self-assignable roles. Alternatively, sign up for the newsletter - I only send a mail about milestone community polls or major game updates.
Hey everyone! I know I’ve been a bit quieter than last year, but no worries - development is still going strong! We've got some exciting stuff coming up, so let’s dive into what you can look forward to in the next few weeks!
Demo Games
Although the demo doesn’t get updated every time, we keep hosting demo games to fine-tune the existing rulebook settings, as well as to explore different scenarios (remember, all game rules are moddable!) based on community feedback and ideas.
Since the last demo update, there have been significant changes in both the economic and warfare settings - such as more pronounced differences between levies and mercenary (career soldier) units - and victory conditions for alliances have also been added, among a host of other changes.
So it’s worth checking in every few weeks to see what’s changed and, if you like, provide feedback on them even if the client doesn’t receive an update!
The Age of Pretenders
Additionally, starting today, we're launching games where winning the game (and thus defeating the house representing the previous winner (or us) - starting with our community manager in today's freshly started week long game - will earn the victors limited heraldic items. You can win solo, or alongside with someone in an alliance, it's up to you! But remember, you don't only compete with the pretender house...!
These games will be called "Pretender Wars" for now, but you can always check the description of the games for details or keep an eye on our discord. To arms!
...and next update when?
Alright, yes, I'm also planning to update the demo build in early November... or when it's ready™ (I'd rather provide a good experience rather than rushing a deadline, but I'll do my best to deliver without delay).
The update will focus equally on Quality of Life improvements (both bugfixes and UX changes) and on adding new content and features for the economy (including the introduction of rogues in your lands), team play / diplomacy (including ways for more efficient options to fend off raiders and invasions) and warfare... but wait, I don't want to spoil everything. Stay tuned! :)
Community Poll Results
This year, we had two important community polls, and I haven’t shared the results (here) yet. But before we dive into that, a big thank you to everyone for participating!
Of single player
The decision here was clear: an overwhelming majority (85%) of you want to also see single-player content and almost everyone (92%) would pay for it, with about a third of them even willing to pay upfront (such as via crowdfunding). Although I’m a bit puzzled by that remaining 8%, as my friends and family shouldn't account for that many! ;), I'm extremely touched and grateful for the trust of the majority!
(There was also almost an equal split between those who preferred a DLC and those who favored a separate title, but a significantly larger portion of both groups said they didn't mind either option.)
So, single-player will happen!
I already have plans and potential collaborators lined up (some of whom you may recognize from other strategy games), but I can't promise a schedule just yet. Keep an eye on Feudums and community polls if you want to give single player a higher priority!
Of next Development MIlestone
The result for this was already posted on discord, but here's a short recap: the vote ended with a rather unexpected tie between Warfare II and Vassalage.
Since I don’t want you to wait twice as long for the next milestone update as last time, but also don’t want to make an arbitrary, exclusive decision between the two, I’ve decided to cherry-pick parts from both features that can fit into a regular-length milestone update. My plan is to also release some of these in smaller portions in our regular updates, so you don't have to wait too long for the related features. Some bits will already be included in the next regular update.
That's it for now, thank you for your time and I hope that you appreciate the news. See you in Feudums!
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