February is almost upon us, time to announce a date! The worldmap update will be released exactly one month from now, on February the 29th. We’ll use the time until then for adding some more minor features and more content, as well as for bugfixing and balancing. As the release draws closer, Jaysen will also start a new Let’s Play series to give you a tour of how the game now plays.
Bugfixing and balancing doesn’t make for good content in blog updates, sadly, so this week we’re a bit short on material. Let’s look at some pretty pictures instead!
Pretty Pictures
Most of the worldmap visuals are finished now. There’s a few settlement locations left to be done, like the harbor, but at this point it’s more polishing than creating new assets. Take a look at one of our new environments, the steppe. It’s modelled after terrain you’d find in some southern European countries, like Spain. With a drastically different look from the tundra and snow you can find in the north, it makes for more distinct regions in the world and more variety as you travel it. How much steppe there is, and where it is exactly, changes with each world you generate.
Swamps also received an overhaul. Looking more dreary now, they can be found in small to medium stretches more or less all over the world. Traversing them has become slightly faster, but travelling on dry land is still preferable. That ground fog is actually animated, and they have quite a lively sound ambience.
Mountains are still not something you want to cross regularly, as it takes a long time and is costly in terms of supplies. To make it easier to distinguish them from hills, all mountains now have snow caps. Should you make it to the top, you’ll be able to see far across the land – useful perhaps if you’re looking for something.
Hills are now a common terrain that can be crossed at decent speeds. Settlements at hillsides often have an economy based around mining, like the one in the picture below. Goats are held here as a source of food, and you’ll be able to purchase goat cheese in the settlement. The gem mine will also likely make caravans from here juicy targets for bandits, which in turn means good job opportunities for mercenaries.
Noble houses are quite a bit more active than the Landsknechts of old, especially when it comes to defending their territory. This picture shows a company of soldiers led by a knight battling against a horde of marauding orcs. Speaking of orcs, they had all their sounds redone and a lot of new ones added to bring them to the same level as goblins.
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Nice! Too bad we have to wait for a month or so, but it’s also good as you can improve the game even further.
How about battle sisters? Maybe you guys would be able to incorporate at least first iteration of our lovely gals in this update? It’s a whole month after all! ^^
Can I have access early? I’ll even sign an agreement that I rage and complain on the forums if something isn’t working! I’ll give you more money! I’ll do your laundry for a month (if you pay the shipping to the US)!
HA! I’d be begging to if i was any more excited.
**that I wont rage and complain… is how that should read. :-)
Wow pretty good art there.
Well, I was expecting an earlier date but more time to develop = a more polished game, I’m sure the waiting will be worth it.
A new world map really looks great. I especially liked how redrawn mountains. I carefully followed all the updates on the development, and I must say that i like the trend of the game . Noble House, contracts, the effect of territorial changes on the economy (while in theory but still) – all this promises to make my favorite game even better. One can only hope that soon the developers also well remake tactical maps, mercenaries skill tree, system of level up. Saying, “well” I mean the serious approach to the issue, German thoroughness and high quality of performance :) – traits that are clearly visible from the developers, and it’s very encouraging.
*Thumbs up*
I agree throughouthly
Looks gorgeous! (as usual) But I have to ask again: can you please *not* slow the player down when crossing difficult terrain? If for some reason I need, or simply want, to cross hills or mountains, yes make my supplies dwindle faster, but what is the point in making the player wait longer in real life to do so? Is it to punish me?
Similarly, a slider to increase overall travel speed would be very welcome. The work you’ve done on the world map is truly beautiful, but I think after the first ten or twenty (or a hundred) hours most players would prefer to get to the next battle or town faster rather than crawling along admiring the view. :)
No time penalty for mountains gotta disagree with you there.
Difficult terrain compels you to stick to the roads where ambushes, caravans and patrols will be. If there was no time penalty, only a supply one (which as it stands now becomes a non-factor when you’re established), there would be no reason (or at least a lot less of a reason) to have roads, or even alternate terrain.
Increasing speed I gotta agree with you.
Waiting speed I think they have solution to coming up, but it would be nice to hold “spacebar” and see travel time speed up a bit.
It all looks good folks. Take all the time you need – methinks you going to have to do quite a bit of balancing work ahead of you. I’ll probably be busy playing Xcom 2 when this update hits though, haha