Medieval Monday Talk #11
Greetings medievalists!
Let's talk about heat in Going Medieval. Temperature can rise significantly once the summer starts. That means food can spoil easily, it can affect the mood and health of your settlers and it can slow your settlement expansion. Add to that events like “Heatstroke” and you are going to have a bad time if you’re not prepared. Sure, you can try making underground systems, but not everyone wants to try that. So, how to handle these situations?
How about with some ice?
Ice to see you! (sorry)
We’re working on the new production building that will be used for creating ice. However, for it to work, this building needs to be constructed somewhere where it’s cold - we’re talking about sub-zero temperatures!
Ice Station (we're still discussing its name)
Once the ice blocks are out, you’ll be using them to lower the temperature of the room they are located in. You will basically build refrigerators with this option.
There will also be other uses for the ice blocks - you will be able to sell them if merchants come to your settlement. Ice will not have any value in winter (that would be silly), but its value will be significantly upscaled once the summer kicks in.
Plan it, time it, and use it properly once the new update comes.
[h2]Steam Awards Nominations[/h2]
The Steam Award event is live! During this event, players are able to nominate the games that they love in various categories. We would really appreciate it if you’d click on the link below and vote for us by selecting the “Sit Back and Relax” category on the Going Medieval Store Page. The event ends on December 1st 10AM PST so be sure to vote before then. It’s just one click away. Thanks!
Going Medieval Store page - select the award there and choose "Sit Back and Relax" category
[h2]Discord AMA Q&A[/h2]
Last week we held our first AMA session on our Discord server. For those that missed it, here are some questions (and answers that accompany them) that the team answered:
Balint66: How come the game is not "ported" to Linux? It uses mono-unity, so most of the calls and compatibility things are handled by the mono runtime, and unity, isn't it? master312: Two reasons: The first one is like you said - "Most of the calls", but not all of them. 96% of the stuff already works on Linux, and I personally use Ubuntu for all the development. Our current focus is getting out of early access. We are a small team, and 4% of the stuff that does not work would noticeably slow down development. Not to mention extra QA stuff required to test all the platform-dependent things. The second reason is that the game already runs really well using the Steam Proton compatibility layer.
Berio: I also use ubuntu for dev, once built linux build for testing, it works ok, but proton works as well so we won't lose time on that.
FightingCookie: Are there any specific player feature suggestions that might be added? Pls spoil us! 🙂 Is there a plan to add a grass "wall" of some sort to cover holes or so? Gomboc04: We have a huge laundry list of things we want to add. The road map is just stuff in the bulk. A lot of cool ideas are floating around and we want to implement 95% of them. The biggest problem now is prioritizing, because some things require other, more complex, features, to work. So, we prioritize things that don't need a lot of additional features/mechanics. Not that the additional features/mechanics don't need to be done, but most of the time they are done on separate branches for a few months before we merge them back, etc. The grass wall thing you mentioned - yeah, that's on the list, but don't hold me to a timeframe for it. It's one of the things where we need a few new features just so we can make it work properly
i_got_blisters: What's coming 1st? Mod support or game optimization? master312: Game optimization is currently in the works. :) These include (but are not limited to :D): complete rewrite of pathfinding algorithm, a complete rework of the system that manages world objects (ex: trees, buildings), AI-related memory optimizations, and more.
Gomboc04: That being said - we always have mods in mind and keep everything semi-open so it can be edited later on. As we rework some older systems, we open it up even more so in preparation for supporting mods.
i_got_blisters: Do you foresee expanding your team in the near future? Gomboc04: No, not really. Having a larger team does at a glance seem like a good solution to get things done faster, but it's really not. We are a small team and function well with one another. Adding someone new takes time out of all of our workday to get the new person up to speed. Also, we don't have a strict hierarchy in the team, so adding more people would at some point result in creating roles like leads, heads, and whatnot. Not that this is bad, it's just that the current workflow gives us more time to work on the game.
i_got_blisters: What will happen to going medieval when it comes out definitively? DocHammerhead: We will continue updating until it's complete with all the features we plan for it and while it makes sense.
GustavoChRi: What can you say about diplomacy? There will be alliances, joint wars, something interesting...... Rimwold has nothing cool about diplomacy, I think it's a really bad point of the game, which you guys could explore a lot. Gomboc04: Not gonna lie. This is something that we would love, but to add this we need more meaningful mechanics on the region map (multiple villages, automated trading). We will be adding some things like that one by one but it's going to take a while. Most of the things regarding the settlement map are a bit higher in priority.
『Maksiu』: Do you want to include rivers, ponds and fisher in the game? DocHammerhead: Well, we do have some ideas on how to have water in-game, but that's still far away. Maybe someday.
ipsi: Will the enemies ever be smart enough to, say, dig tunnels under the walls? Gomboc04: We are slowly getting to that. At the moment, on another branch we are rewriting the pathfinding algorithm to support this - basically, making it so that enemies would "see" ground as yet another path, just something that needs to be dug first. :) Also, the enemies will take "air" in the path calculation (where they construct bridges and ladders to get to their goal).
Zebradescolorida14: Going Medieval is the only project you have in mind? DocHammerhead: Currently yes. We are entertaining some ideas but still far away from that. Going Medieval is our only focus at the moment.
amhran101: Enjoying the game, but really feel like I’d like to have 50-100 settlers. Is there a tech limitation on that right now or is the small settlement just a design choice? master312: Map size is a design choice since bigger maps might break game logic. An example of that would be that if a map is too big, the settler would/could die of starvation while walking to the other end to haul some item. But for a pure settler count, it's currently only limited by bad pathfinding and object managing systems we currently have. Otherwise, there is no hard limit on the number of settlers you can have. The complete overhaul of these systems is on the way.
Northman Raspberry: I do have to ask - is micromanaging 100 settlers what you really want? Choosing for everyone clothes, weapons, jobs and schedules can seem... daunting? (that's just my perspective). Dev Tools and mods will definitely enable that.
donma90: Will survival (hard mode esp) ever get a max enemy cap because the enemy numbers will forever increase until you die or your pc dies due to the sheer numbers of enemies? Gomboc04: Yes. As we refine the enemy AI we will incrementally change the way hard mode is "hard" . An enemy cap will be implemented with this.
grzyveo: When the new update is dropping? Northman Raspberry: I think it's fair to say that it's not going to happen this year. Not that we are lazy but more like - we have to implement it, test it on our side and rebalance it before we push it to the experimental branch. And with December coming close, we also have to keep in mind vacations, holidays, and such things. I am sure we'll get a better sense of the release date for the next update once January kicks in.
Zebradescolorida14: Are you thinking of putting more animals? If so, what is it? Baan: Yes, the next one should be boars. I don't know if they are gonna be exactly like wolves, but aggressive - yeah.
P.S. New hotfix for the game is coming tomorrow!
That will be all for today’s talk.
For more direct communication, be sure to join our Discord server and talk about your Going Medieval experience with our active community.
We also make regular posts on Twitter, so be sure to follow us there.
Thank you for your time!
Foxy Voxel
Let's talk about heat in Going Medieval. Temperature can rise significantly once the summer starts. That means food can spoil easily, it can affect the mood and health of your settlers and it can slow your settlement expansion. Add to that events like “Heatstroke” and you are going to have a bad time if you’re not prepared. Sure, you can try making underground systems, but not everyone wants to try that. So, how to handle these situations?
How about with some ice?
Ice to see you! (sorry)We’re working on the new production building that will be used for creating ice. However, for it to work, this building needs to be constructed somewhere where it’s cold - we’re talking about sub-zero temperatures!
Ice Station (we're still discussing its name)Once the ice blocks are out, you’ll be using them to lower the temperature of the room they are located in. You will basically build refrigerators with this option.
There will also be other uses for the ice blocks - you will be able to sell them if merchants come to your settlement. Ice will not have any value in winter (that would be silly), but its value will be significantly upscaled once the summer kicks in.
Plan it, time it, and use it properly once the new update comes.
[h2]Steam Awards Nominations[/h2]
The Steam Award event is live! During this event, players are able to nominate the games that they love in various categories. We would really appreciate it if you’d click on the link below and vote for us by selecting the “Sit Back and Relax” category on the Going Medieval Store Page. The event ends on December 1st 10AM PST so be sure to vote before then. It’s just one click away. Thanks!
Going Medieval Store page - select the award there and choose "Sit Back and Relax" category
[h2]Discord AMA Q&A[/h2]
Last week we held our first AMA session on our Discord server. For those that missed it, here are some questions (and answers that accompany them) that the team answered:
Balint66: How come the game is not "ported" to Linux? It uses mono-unity, so most of the calls and compatibility things are handled by the mono runtime, and unity, isn't it? master312: Two reasons: The first one is like you said - "Most of the calls", but not all of them. 96% of the stuff already works on Linux, and I personally use Ubuntu for all the development. Our current focus is getting out of early access. We are a small team, and 4% of the stuff that does not work would noticeably slow down development. Not to mention extra QA stuff required to test all the platform-dependent things. The second reason is that the game already runs really well using the Steam Proton compatibility layer.
Berio: I also use ubuntu for dev, once built linux build for testing, it works ok, but proton works as well so we won't lose time on that.
FightingCookie: Are there any specific player feature suggestions that might be added? Pls spoil us! 🙂 Is there a plan to add a grass "wall" of some sort to cover holes or so? Gomboc04: We have a huge laundry list of things we want to add. The road map is just stuff in the bulk. A lot of cool ideas are floating around and we want to implement 95% of them. The biggest problem now is prioritizing, because some things require other, more complex, features, to work. So, we prioritize things that don't need a lot of additional features/mechanics. Not that the additional features/mechanics don't need to be done, but most of the time they are done on separate branches for a few months before we merge them back, etc. The grass wall thing you mentioned - yeah, that's on the list, but don't hold me to a timeframe for it. It's one of the things where we need a few new features just so we can make it work properly
i_got_blisters: What's coming 1st? Mod support or game optimization? master312: Game optimization is currently in the works. :) These include (but are not limited to :D): complete rewrite of pathfinding algorithm, a complete rework of the system that manages world objects (ex: trees, buildings), AI-related memory optimizations, and more.
Gomboc04: That being said - we always have mods in mind and keep everything semi-open so it can be edited later on. As we rework some older systems, we open it up even more so in preparation for supporting mods.
i_got_blisters: Do you foresee expanding your team in the near future? Gomboc04: No, not really. Having a larger team does at a glance seem like a good solution to get things done faster, but it's really not. We are a small team and function well with one another. Adding someone new takes time out of all of our workday to get the new person up to speed. Also, we don't have a strict hierarchy in the team, so adding more people would at some point result in creating roles like leads, heads, and whatnot. Not that this is bad, it's just that the current workflow gives us more time to work on the game.
i_got_blisters: What will happen to going medieval when it comes out definitively? DocHammerhead: We will continue updating until it's complete with all the features we plan for it and while it makes sense.
GustavoChRi: What can you say about diplomacy? There will be alliances, joint wars, something interesting...... Rimwold has nothing cool about diplomacy, I think it's a really bad point of the game, which you guys could explore a lot. Gomboc04: Not gonna lie. This is something that we would love, but to add this we need more meaningful mechanics on the region map (multiple villages, automated trading). We will be adding some things like that one by one but it's going to take a while. Most of the things regarding the settlement map are a bit higher in priority.
『Maksiu』: Do you want to include rivers, ponds and fisher in the game? DocHammerhead: Well, we do have some ideas on how to have water in-game, but that's still far away. Maybe someday.
ipsi: Will the enemies ever be smart enough to, say, dig tunnels under the walls? Gomboc04: We are slowly getting to that. At the moment, on another branch we are rewriting the pathfinding algorithm to support this - basically, making it so that enemies would "see" ground as yet another path, just something that needs to be dug first. :) Also, the enemies will take "air" in the path calculation (where they construct bridges and ladders to get to their goal).
Zebradescolorida14: Going Medieval is the only project you have in mind? DocHammerhead: Currently yes. We are entertaining some ideas but still far away from that. Going Medieval is our only focus at the moment.
amhran101: Enjoying the game, but really feel like I’d like to have 50-100 settlers. Is there a tech limitation on that right now or is the small settlement just a design choice? master312: Map size is a design choice since bigger maps might break game logic. An example of that would be that if a map is too big, the settler would/could die of starvation while walking to the other end to haul some item. But for a pure settler count, it's currently only limited by bad pathfinding and object managing systems we currently have. Otherwise, there is no hard limit on the number of settlers you can have. The complete overhaul of these systems is on the way.
Northman Raspberry: I do have to ask - is micromanaging 100 settlers what you really want? Choosing for everyone clothes, weapons, jobs and schedules can seem... daunting? (that's just my perspective). Dev Tools and mods will definitely enable that.
donma90: Will survival (hard mode esp) ever get a max enemy cap because the enemy numbers will forever increase until you die or your pc dies due to the sheer numbers of enemies? Gomboc04: Yes. As we refine the enemy AI we will incrementally change the way hard mode is "hard" . An enemy cap will be implemented with this.
grzyveo: When the new update is dropping? Northman Raspberry: I think it's fair to say that it's not going to happen this year. Not that we are lazy but more like - we have to implement it, test it on our side and rebalance it before we push it to the experimental branch. And with December coming close, we also have to keep in mind vacations, holidays, and such things. I am sure we'll get a better sense of the release date for the next update once January kicks in.
Zebradescolorida14: Are you thinking of putting more animals? If so, what is it? Baan: Yes, the next one should be boars. I don't know if they are gonna be exactly like wolves, but aggressive - yeah.
P.S. New hotfix for the game is coming tomorrow!
That will be all for today’s talk.
For more direct communication, be sure to join our Discord server and talk about your Going Medieval experience with our active community.
We also make regular posts on Twitter, so be sure to follow us there.
Thank you for your time!
Foxy Voxel