What We've Been Doing: The .8 Edition
Just wanted to post some update since we’ve been rather quiet getting the game ready for the .8 update! With this update, there are only a handful of major systems remaining to add, so here’s what we’ve been working on:
• SCIENCE – The Science System will now be fully functional, less some Reforms/Practicals, but the .8 will have about 15 researchable items, and have all systems functional! I will be posting a video after the release of .8 showing how the science system works, but it’s quite elegant and non-micro!
• STORIES – The beginning of stories in the game will be in .8 – there will be about 3-4 test stories that will showcase the system. Many more stories will be part of the game, and the best part is that they will be moddable – anyone can write a story and have it be part of the game!
• HOUSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER – Now Houses will start to consider their relationships with each other as part of their long-term strategy – if they are at war, they will act thusly, and if they are friendly, they will help each other. They will also have House to House specific actions that they will implement as they consider in much the same way you do – what will be the best for them?
• UI REVAMP – This will be a long-term update and one I’m very excited about! With the only really 2 major systems remaining to add being the military and the Xyl, we can start to finalize the look and feel of the UI. We have 4 major goals with this update:
As we are closing in on the major systems being added, the next step is balance and bugs. To that end, we will really need your help! We will be starting a closed alpha test soon, and we will need about 10 people to participate. In addition, if you already have the game we would love your feedback on the systems and UI changes we are implementing. We have dedicated channels on our Discord server for these items, and we only get better if we know what works and what doesn’t!
.8 will be available at the end of the week and gwill be updated on Steam!
-Steve
• SCIENCE – The Science System will now be fully functional, less some Reforms/Practicals, but the .8 will have about 15 researchable items, and have all systems functional! I will be posting a video after the release of .8 showing how the science system works, but it’s quite elegant and non-micro!
• STORIES – The beginning of stories in the game will be in .8 – there will be about 3-4 test stories that will showcase the system. Many more stories will be part of the game, and the best part is that they will be moddable – anyone can write a story and have it be part of the game!
• HOUSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH EACH OTHER – Now Houses will start to consider their relationships with each other as part of their long-term strategy – if they are at war, they will act thusly, and if they are friendly, they will help each other. They will also have House to House specific actions that they will implement as they consider in much the same way you do – what will be the best for them?
• UI REVAMP – This will be a long-term update and one I’m very excited about! With the only really 2 major systems remaining to add being the military and the Xyl, we can start to finalize the look and feel of the UI. We have 4 major goals with this update:
- o SIMPLICITY – We have already removed or hidden over 50% of the items on the Main UI, and we are moving to prioritize only what a player really needs to know each turn. The information will still be there if needed, but it will be hidden until then.
- o ACTIVITY – The very best UI’s ‘move’ and do things, rather than be static. So be prepare to see opening windows, moving buttons, active frames, etc. in line with the game’s lore and tech!
- o DYNAMIC TOOLTIPS – If you’ve played Total War: Three Kingdoms, you know what wonderful tooltips that game has. That’s part of the first part of the revamp – if you mouse over something, you should have expanded information about not only what the number means, but how it got there (within reason). The ADM tooltip is an experiment in this direction, but it’s one we’re going to pursue!
- o PLAYER FLOW – An example of this is we are going to remove the project bar and replace it with buttons in the bottom-center of each view that are view and mode dynamic. Projects will now be in order of ‘most useful’ for that view/mode and will be clearly available (with expanded tooltips explaining their use/costs) similar to an RPG. By doing things like this, we will show the player what’s important wherever they’re at in the game, and as they are learning, we feel this will be a major aid in that direction.
- In the meantime, we continue to work with our publisher on adding new art throughout the game, including Facegen portraits that will be keyed to a character’s culture! All-new icons for Projects, Events, and Actions are coming!
As we are closing in on the major systems being added, the next step is balance and bugs. To that end, we will really need your help! We will be starting a closed alpha test soon, and we will need about 10 people to participate. In addition, if you already have the game we would love your feedback on the systems and UI changes we are implementing. We have dedicated channels on our Discord server for these items, and we only get better if we know what works and what doesn’t!
.8 will be available at the end of the week and gwill be updated on Steam!
-Steve