Against the Storm News

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
We're thrilled to invite you to the Experimental version of the upcoming Sentinels of the Forest Update, which will introduce the 5th playable species: Foxes.

The addition of new species comes with plenty of gameplay-affecting changes and we'd love to hear your early impressions and feedback.

Please be warned, that as with any other Experimental Update, the upcoming changes are not localized, there can be bugs, and the balance might feel way off. You can find more information about the Experimental Branch in our guide: https://eremitegames.com/ats-experimental-branch/

Now, let’s dive into the changes introduced in the update.
[hr][/hr]
[h2]What’s new?[/h2]
The Experimental version includes all the new features (described below) but lacks the visual changes. All the new buildings and villager models are placeholder assets that will be replaced when the proper update goes live on April 13.

Placeholder villagers and placeholder buildings.

[h3]Specialization[/h3]
Foxes are majestic and mysterious creatures deeply bonded with the forest. They have evolved to a mutual symbiosis with Blightrot through long exposure to Rainwater, which caused some visible side effects. Foxes are skilled scouts and feel comfortable working with Rainwater.

Fox firekeeper activates the Forest Affinity effect:

• Forest Affinity - Fox Firekeepers have an unusual ability to calm the forest. Opening any glades gives 2 less Hostility (scales with difficulty).

This effect is also only active when the Fox firekeeper is assigned to the Hearth and is retroactive. When you assign a firekeeper from other species, the Hostility from opened glades will return to their regular values.

[h3]Attributes[/h3]
Foxes’ attributes:

• Base Resolve: 5
  
• Break Interval: 2:00
  
• Resilience: low
  
• Demanding: low
  
• Decadent: medium
  
• Hostility Resistance (Foxes don’t get a Resolve penalty for Hostility of the Forest - but they do acquire a penalty from the Storm)

[h3]Needs[/h3]
Foxes’ needs:

• Any Housing
  
• Foxes Housing
  
• Porridge
  
• Skewers
  
• Pickled Goods
  
• Brawling
  
• Luxury
  
• Treatment

Treatment replaces Cleanliness to better reflect the nature of Harpies and Foxes who have a strong need to treat the symptoms of their disease caused by the Blightrot. Cosmetics are now replaced by Tea - a remedy for many afflictions - first introduced by Royal Stormwalkers (always served in metal cups).

Porridge is a new food produced by Field Kitchen, Beanery, Teahouse, and Distillery. Porridge is made from a simple food item (like Grain for example) and Rainwater.

We also made changes to other species’ needs:

• Humans: changed Jerky to Porridge
  
• Harpies: changed Brawling to Clothes

[h3]Buildings[/h3]
We introduce 5 new buildings:

Fox House

• Can house 2 residents.

Tea House

• Recipes:
  • Tea (T3)
    
  • Porridge (T2)
    
  • Waterskins (T1)
• Specialization bonus:
  • Alchemy
    
  • Rainwater
• Can use Drizzle Water.

Distillery

• Recipes:
  • Wine (T2)
    
  • Porridge (T2)
    
  • Barrels (T2)
• Specialization bonus:
  • Brewing
    
  • Rainwater
• Can use Drizzle Water

Beanery

• Recipes:
  • Porridge (T3)
    
  • Pickled Goods (T2)
    
  • Crystalized Dew (T1)
• Specialization bonus:
  • Warmth
    
  • Rainwater
• Can use Drizzle Water.

Tea Doctor

• Recipes:
  • Treatment
    
  • Brawling
• Passive effect:
  • Vitality - A rich diet is beneficial for villagers' health. Gain a stack of the Vitality Effect (bonus to Global Resolve) for every 100 units of any Complex Food consumed.

We also made changes to existing buildings:

• The Field Kitchen now has 4 recipes (a Porridge recipe was added)
  
• Tavern now has Luxury (Wine) instead of Brawling (Training Gear)

[h3]Passive abilities[/h3]
The introduction of Foxes also brings with it a new mechanic to all of the already existing species - Passive Abilities. A Passive Ability is triggered once for every available species in a given run - either at the beginning of the game (for species coming with the initial caravan) or when the first member of a new species joins the town.

Each species now has its unique special ability (unlockable via Upgrades in the Smoldering City):

• Humans: Reveals the locations of 2 of the nearest patches of fertile soil.
  
• Beavers: Extends available trade offers by 1 in each neighboring town.
  
• Lizards: Start with 10 tools.
  
• Harpies: Start with 50 Coats.
  
• Foxes: Reveals the locations of 2 of the nearest geysers.

Once unlocked, the abilities are always active.

[h3]Orders[/h3]
New orders:

• Fox Influx
  
• Fox Population
  
• Happy Foxes
  
• The Pack
  
• Joyful Foxes
  
• People of the Forest
  
• Aid for the Fox Pack
  
• Fox Relatives
  
• Fox Resolve
  
• Fox Majority

[h3]Perks[/h3]
New perks:

• Fox Pack Support - Ever since the Great Civil War, all species have been locked in a constant struggle to gain the Queen's favor. The Fox tribe remembers your help. +3 to Foxes resolve.
  
• Filling Dish - Porridge production increases by 1 for every 75 units of Drizzle Rainwater produced.

Changed perk names:

• Cosmetic Delivery Line changed to Tea Delivery Line
• Mortar and Pestle changed to Tea Infuser
• Cosmetic Specialization changed to Tea Specialization
• High Hygiene changed to Health Infusion

[h3]Event[/h3]
New event:

• Fallen Fox Scouts - A group of fallen Fox scouts. They must have been sent to search the area to make sure it was safe... Apparently, something stood in their way. This find is causing grief among the Fox population.

[h3]Biome changes[/h3]
In this update, we’re also introducing some changes to biome mechanics.

Coral Forest:

• Inspiring Pressure: changed the bonus yield chance from 5% to 3%.

The Scarlet Orchard (Archeologist’s Office):

• Ancient Strength: changed the bonus capacity increase from 5 to 3.
  
• Carved in Stone: changed working time speed bonus from 10% to 5%.
  
• Decryption: reduced the Hostility change from -15 to -10.

[h3]Unity Engine update[/h3]
We also updated the Unity Engine to a newer version in this release. This will hopefully reduce the number of crashes on new GPUs and improve overall performance/stability.
[hr][/hr]
[h2]How to test it?[/h2]
In order to play with the new species, you need to switch to the Experimental Branch (click here to learn how to switch to the Experimental Branch).

Foxes unlock at level 10.

Here are some useful commands for the Experimental:

• meta.level - advance to a specific level
  
• worldMap.addMetaCurrency "Food Stockpiles" - add a specific number of Food Stockpiles
  
• worldMap.addMetaCurrency Machinery - add a specific number of Machinery
  
• worldMap.addMetaCurrency Artifacts - add a specific number of Artifacts
  
• meta.addAllMC - adds 777 of each Citadel Resource (Food Stockpiles, Machinery, Artifacts)
  
• meta.addAll - unlocks all meta progress
  
• meta.diff 24 - unlocks all difficulty levels

You can find the full list of commands here.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]How to report bugs?[/h2]
When reporting Experimental Branch crashes and bugs, please also include your system specifications, the platform on which you're playing, and the zipped contents of your entire game saves folder:
%userprofile%\appdata\locallow\Eremite Games\Against the Storm - Experimental

How to report:

• Briefly describe the issue
  
• Provide additional details, such as a more detailed description and frequency of occurrence.
  
• (If possible) include a screenshot or video of the issue.
  
• Include the zipped contents of your entire game saves folder:
  

  %userprofile%\appdata\locallow\Eremite Games\Against the Storm - Experimental

You can send them on Discord or via email: [email protected]
[hr][/hr]
[h2]What are we interested in?[/h2]
If you decide to play the Experimental Update, please share your thoughts with us!

Primarily, we are interested in your answers to the following questions:

• How do the new changes affect your runs?
  
• Have you found Foxes significantly better or worse than other species?
  
• Is there anything about these new changes that makes the gameplay feel worse (especially more repetitive) or better (especially more diverse)?

We can’t wait to hear your impressions once you give the new Experimental Update a try!

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games
[hr][/hr]
[h2]Previous Updates[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/6659175566886354000
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/5309220323997279603
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3667656258520766684
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3659774324617359177

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
We just released a small hotfix addressing the issues that cropped-up after yesterday's update:

• Fixed a bug with scouts being idle in the Ancient Shrine after they finished working on it.
  
• Fixed a bug with Harpies going into T-pose after working on certain glade events.
  
• Fixed an issue with the Seal Fragment Cornerstone not working correctly.
  
• Fixed a bug with deposit charge numbers not updating in real time in the resource node panel.
  
• Fixed a bug with the Fishmen Lighthouse Impatience penalty displaying an unlocalized string after activation.
  
• Temporarily removed the state preview form the Voice of the Forest effect.

Please make sure your game is updated to version Early Access 0.47.2.

We wish you lots of fun with the new changes and a fantastic weekend!

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
We have a new update or two coming your way. Here's what's new in today's Explorer's Choice Update:

• Event Choices system (glade events revamped)
  
• Objective icons in Orders
  
• 3 new decorations
  
• New music track
  
• New event working animations

But that's not all. Tomorrow, we'll release the Sentinels of the Forest Update (aka Foxes Update) to the Experimental Branch!

So without further ado, let's dive into all the exciting updates we have for you.

P.S. Virtual beavers join forces to bring you the ultimate BEAVER BUILDER BUNDLE! Until April 9, you can save 10% on two city builders with sharp-teeth lumberjacks:

https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/30766/Beaver_Builder_Bundle/

Beavers Together Strong.
[hr][/hr]
[h2]DEVELOPER NOTES[/h2]
In today’s update, we bring you a revamp to almost all existing glade events (in the form of a new Event Choices system), some order UI improvements, a new perk, new decorations, a new music track, new character animations, and of course - bug fixes. We also have some spicy news about the new playable species at the end of this dev note, so without further ado, let's get into it.

First off, let’s talk about the Event Choices system. For a while now, we saw two unresolved issues with the current implementation of glade events. On one hand, there was not enough decision-making involved in solving them, and on the other hand, the existing choices (the reward options) were very limited in their flavor (e.g. what does “send to the Citadel” even mean in the context of the Mole?). On top of that, there was also a range of smaller problems: a limited time window to start an event on Prestige, over-representation of tools in events, the overall similarity of event requirements, and poor reward balance.

To address all of this, we decided to introduce a new system - Event Choices. Instead of simply giving you the same reward options for each event (“send to Citadel” or “keep loot”), most events will now have two approaches for how to solve them, with rewards and requirements tied to them (options can differ in terms of goods required and working effects, and choosing one will lock in the reward). Some of the decisions you will be making can now have more long-lasting consequences, influencing your perks and orders.

Altar of Decay choices

Let’s look at an example. You just found an Altar of Decay in a glade - a vile place, where the Sealed Ones are worshiped by those who eagerly await their return. You can act morally and tear it down, for which you will be rewarded with some loot and a Loyalty point. But you can also perform an old ritual, sacrificing one of your villagers to obtain the Altar’s power. This action will earn you a Corruption point, and convert the event into a beneficial decoration in your settlement. Both choices have different requirements, so now you will have to weigh both the rewards and the costs.

The “points” mentioned above are a new pseudo-resource awarded for solving events by making decisions tagged with a keyword. There are 3 types of tags right now (Empathy, Loyalty, and Corruption), and they influence some perks and orders in the game (to be expanded in the future).

Because of the new system, almost all events have been rebalanced or changed in some way. The amount of required goods has gone up in general, and the number of different types of resources suitable for any given slot was decreased, but on the other hand, there should now be more options overall (each event decision requires something else), threat timers have been extended by ~30%, and exploration should now rely less on tool production (we also removed Infused Tools entirely, as they were just a better version of Simple Tools, and a very niche and rarely used resource).

Blightrot Cauldron choices

Cleansing Corrupted Caravan

But the Event Choices system is not the only thing coming in this update. We also took a closer look at the Order UI and tried to improve it a bit. As you might have noticed, if an objective requires you to do something with a resource (like sacrifice it, sell it, or deliver it), its icon is always the same - it’s simply the asset of the required resource itself. This creates a problem - it’s difficult to distinguish the different types of requirements at a glance. So with this update, we decided to introduce an additional marker next to the objective icon for the following objective types: deliver goods, sacrifice goods, sell goods, produce goods, change ingredients, satisfy a need, and satisfy a need simultaneously.

This update also brings with it one new Stormforged Cornerstone (Seal Fragment), three new decorations (Thorny Reed, Chest, Cages), a new music track in the Coral Forest, new event animations for scouts, and numerous bug fixes.

And now, let’s get into the thing you’ve all been waiting for - news about Foxes! We finally have a release date for the update, and it’s April 13th! But wait, there’s more - tomorrow (Friday the 31st of March), you will be able to test the new playable species on the Experimental Branch! Unfortunately, all the fox assets will be hidden (the sly little bastards will be disguised as humans), but the balance and systems will be in place and ready for your feedback. There is quite a lot to go through, and we will share a more detailed note on the Experimental version moments before it goes live.

Fox villagers

Thank you for providing us with feedback and suggestions for the new update. If you’d like to share your ideas for upcoming updates, here are some useful links:

• Steam Discussions, Discord, Reddit - discuss the game with the community and share your impressions
  
• Feature Request Tool - suggest specific new features

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games
[hr][/hr]
[h2]CHANGELOG[/h2]
Number of changes: 99
Inspired by community: 39%

Changes marked with ⚡ were inspired by the community.

[h3]New content and features[/h3]

• Revamped most glade events by introducing a new system - Event Choices.
  • Until now, most events only had the same two options: keep the loot, or send it to the Citadel (or sometimes - convert a dangerous event into a positive decoration). The Event Choices system expands on that, creating more unique and flavorful decisions for almost all events.
    
  • From now on, you no longer select just the reward from an event, but you have to select the approach you’re taking to solve it first. Each approach has different requirements (goods or working effects), and the rewards are bound to it.
    
  • Let’s take the Altar of Decay as an example - you can either act morally, tear it down, and be rewarded with some loot and the Queen’s gratitude, or you can perform an old, forbidden ritual, sacrificing one of your villagers, and convert the altar into a decoration that will benefit you. Each option requires different goods and has different working effects.
    
  • Another example would be Caches found in some glades. They can now be smashed and looted using some simple resources (like Stone and Resin), or sent back to the Citadel for Amber and Reputation (but at a much higher cost - for Tools).
    
  • Some decisions in events are marked by special symbols (for Empathy, Corruption, Loyalty). Solving an event with a tag like this will count as 1 point in Empathy/Corruption/Loyalty (for example sacrificing villagers at an altar will increase the Corruption count of your settlement). Right now these statistics only influence some perks in the game, and might be required by certain orders.
    
  • A vast majority of events have been rebalanced due to this new system being added. The individual changes are too numerous to list them here, but in general, almost all resource requirements are now different, and working effects are mostly tied to just one of the two available decisions (the other is often just resources). The number of alternatives in resource slots in a single option is also slightly lower, but that’s because there are now two options to choose from (so the overall number of alternatives should still be higher than previously).
• ⚡ Added 3 new decorations.
  • Chest
    
  • Cages
    
  • Thorny Reed
• Added a new Stormforged Cornerstone.
  • Seal Fragment - It was not you who removed this fragment, weakening the ancient seal, but you would still be executed on the spot if someone was to find it in your possession. Every Glade Event solved by making a decision marked as Corruption increases the chance of workers producing double yields by +5%. (the bonus is added retroactively)

[h3]Balance[/h3]

• ⚡ Rebalanced the Shrine glade event in the first tutorial. It now requires fewer resources and has a slightly longer time limit.
  
• ⚡ Temporarily deactivated the Magical Rainwater Order. It will be reactivated after being revamped in a future update.
  
• ⚡ The Temple is now automatically unlocked after finishing the tutorial (instead of being unlocked at level 3).
  
• ⚡ Changed how far the Resolve threshold for generating reputation moves for Harpies after they generated a Reputation Point. Previously, every Reputation Point gained through Resolve moved the threshold by 2 points, and now it is moved up by 3 points.
  
• Rebalanced a vast majority of events because of the addition of the new Event Choices system. The individual changes are too numerous to list here, but in general, almost all resource requirements are now different, and working effects have been reshuffled.
  • Working Effects are mostly tied to just one of the two available decisions (the other is often just resources).
    
  • The number of alternatives in resource slots in a single option is slightly lower, but that’s because there are now two options to choose from (so the overall number of alternatives should still be higher than previously).
    
  • More varied types of goods are now required by events. Simple Tools are now less prevalent in event requirements.
• Changed the difficulty scaling for goods required by all events. Overall, the resource scaling is now steeper than before.
  
• Decreased the number of rewards given for opening Caches in glades.
  
• Most orders and ghost requests asking for a specific solution to a glade event (like sending stuff to the Citadel or salvaging ruins) have been replaced by objectives tied to the new decision tags (Empathy, Corruption, Loyalty).
  
• Removed Infused Tools from the game.
  
• Increased the production speed of Tools from 112/98/84 seconds to 90/75/60 seconds (T1/T2/T3).
  
• Increased the time limit for all glade events by around 30%.
  
• Changed the Calming the Forest perk. Now every Glade Event solved by making a decision marked as Empathy lowers Hostility by 40.
  
• Removed the Forest Mitigation perk and added Frequent Patrols instead. Every Glade Event solved by making a decision marked as Loyalty lowers Hostility by 10.
  
• Removed the Infused Tools recipe from the Finesmith. Added the Simple Tools recipe instead (tier 3).
  
• Removed the Infused Tools recipe from the Rainpunk Foundry. Added a Wildfire recipe instead.
  
• Changed the rewards in 3 Deeds.
  • The Scarlet Orchard - removed the experience reward, added the Thorny Reed decoration.
    
  • Bandit Camp - removed the experience reward, added the Cages decoration.
    
  • Trade Baron - removed the experience reward, added the Chest decoration.
• Moved the Tool Hoarder Deed (win a game with Infused Tools in the storage) to the Legacy category (the Deed is no longer active).
  
• Moved the Meat Specialization perk unlock from level 2 to level 3.

[h3]UX/UI improvements[/h3]

• ⚡ Added small objective icons to some Orders.
  • Until now, objectives such as sacrificing, delivering, selling, or producing goods all had the same icon - namely the icon of the resource they were referencing.
    
  • To help players recognize objectives at a glance, we added small, flat icons to the upper right corner of the objective icon.
    
  • There are 7 objective icons right now: changing ingredients, delivering goods, fulfilling needs, fulfilling needs at the same time, producing goods, sacrificing resources, and selling goods.
• ⚡ Added a suffix to Hostility modifiers on the World Map and in the Training/Daily Expeditions UI, explaining that Hostility scales based on the difficulty level.
  
• ⚡ Added a progress tracker to the Petrified Necropolis modifier.
  
• ⚡ Changed the name of the Resolve effect applied by the Greater Threat Forest Mystery. It’s now also called “Greater Threat” to avoid confusion.
  
• ⚡ Changed the description of the positive effect from the Converted Altar of Decay to also include leaving villagers (and not just dead ones).
  
• ⚡ Updated the biome descriptions for the Royal Woodlands and Marshlands.
  
• ⚡ Added information about how to unlock Rain Engines in the Rainpunk entry in the in-game Encyclopedia.
  
• Updated the Glade Event entry in the in-game Encyclopedia.

[h3]Bug fixes[/h3]

• ⚡ Fixed an issue that caused the game to sometimes crash/freeze when Twitch Integration was active.
  
• ⚡ Goods sold via trade routes are now correctly counted towards order completion (for objectives that require selling certain resources).
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Destroyed Caravan Glade Event’s negative effect being permanent.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the recipe panel not displaying the correct values after loading saved limits (while in search mode).
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Clan Hall rotating by itself when destroyed by lightning.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Master Archaeologist Deed not completing if the game was won by finishing the last Archaeological Discovery.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Blight Infection Forest Mystery being drawn in games without Corruptiona active.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with Orders requiring the fulfillment of certain needs simultaneously not taking unlocked buildings into account.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Night’s Embrace effect spawning lesser effects without a name or description on the game’s HUD.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with Advanced Herbalism perk being offered to the player even if they didn’t have the corresponding building.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a but with idle Automatons showing an incorrect water type being produced.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Corrupted Caravan tooltip showing incorrect values on the Prestige 10 difficulty.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the Lightning Forest Mystery having incorrect information in its description.
  
• ⚡ Fixed an issue with the Large Baskets perk having an incorrect rarity assigned.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Blight Incantation effect showing an incorrect expected gain value.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Lightning Forest Mystery being drawn in biomes without copper deposits.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with the Converted Altar of Decay missing a “Harmony” tag (and the tag being present on the effect instead of the decoration).
  
• ⚡ Fixed holes in the geometry of the Open Vault Glade Event.
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with debuff icons above villagers’ heads appearing too soon.
  
• ⚡ Improved the Korean translation of the Move On button in the ESC menu.
  
• ⚡ Improved the Simplified Chinese translation of multiple lines in the game (multiple perk descriptions, favoring, upgrade descriptions, etc.).
  
• ⚡ Fixed a few typos in the Portuguese version of the game (tutorial text, Hostility effect).
  
• ⚡ Fixed a bug with some Chinese characters not being displayed correctly in search bars and text boxes.
  
• Fixed a bug with smoke effects casting shadows.

[h3]Other [/h3]

• ⚡ Added a new music track to the Coral Forest (during Clearance).
  
• Added new animations (talking, carrying out rituals, fixing, threatening) to scout units when solving glade events. Also repurposed some existing animations to be used by scouts.
  
• Changed the name of Simple Tools to just Tools.

[hr][/hr]
[h2]COMMUNITY CORNER[/h2]
Click to unfold:
[expand]
Attitude by TonyShape (source: Reddit)

Tired harpy viceroy by majmu (Source: Twitter)

My humans with 22 resolve while everyone else has -22 by Torse (source: Discord)

Pipes by Jhazrun (source: Discord)

Coal by sekdar (source: Discord)

For more artwork and memes, visit Steam, Discord, and Reddit.
[/expand]

Have an awesome weekend, everyone!
[hr][/hr]
[h2]PREVIOUS UPDATES[/h2]
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3660902126935074537
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3667656258520766676
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3659774324617359177
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/3659773057719588996

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
Join us later today, at 3:00 pm UTC, on the Eremite Games’ Twitch channel for a developer livestream during which we’ll:

• Talk about the changes coming in tomorrow’s Explorer’s Choice Update
  
• Shed more light on the upcoming Foxes update and when to expect it

See you soon!

FOLLOW US ON TWITCH

Please make sure you’re ready for the new update and finish your current settlement before the Update goes live tomorrow (March 30 sometime between 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm UTC).

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games

[h2]How to prepare for the Update[/h2]
We release new content Updates every two weeks on Thursdays around 1 pm – 3 pm UTC. As we make multiple changes to the game’s systems, balance, and content, the game needs to force-finish any settlements that are in progress when you download the update. This aims to prevent various game-breaking bugs that could occur otherwise.

IMPORTANT: If you have a settlement in progress, it will have to be force-finished when you download the Update. You will be reimbursed with Citadel Resources but you will have to start a new settlement. Your meta progress (that is: Experience, Level, completed Deeds, unlocked Upgrades, Citadel Resources, etc.) will remain intact.

In the main menu, under the “Play” button, there’s a countdown to upcoming Updates. Please finish your current settlement before the update day if you don’t want it to be completed automatically.

[h3]Greetings, Viceroys![/h3]
In the new Experimental Update, we’re introducing the Event Choices system - a new set of choices for almost every existing event.

[h2]How it worked?[/h2]
For quite some time, we saw two unresolved issues with the current implementation of glade events. On one hand, there was not enough decision-making around solving them, and on the other hand, the existing choices (the reward options) were very limited in their flavor (e.g. what does “send to the Citadel” even mean in the context of the Mole?).

On top of that, there was a range of smaller problems:

• A very limited time window to start an event on high Prestige.
  
• Over-representation of tools in all events.
  
• The overall similarity between event requirements.
  
• A lack of balance between different event rewards.

[h2]What did we change?[/h2]
To address all of these issues, we introduce the Event Choices system. An overwhelming majority of events will now have two options to choose from, with rewards and requirements tied to each other (options can differ in terms of goods required and working effects, and choosing one will lock in the reward). Some of the decisions you will be making can now have more long-lasting consequences, influencing your perks and orders.

Let’s look at the example. You just found an Altar of Decay in a glade - a vile place, where the Sealed Ones are worshiped by those who eagerly await their return.

Altar of Decay choices

You can tear it down, for which you will be rewarded with some loot and a Loyalty point. But you can also perform an old ritual, sacrificing one of your villagers to obtain the Altar’s power. This action will earn you a Corruption point, and convert the event into a beneficial decoration in your settlement. Both choices have different requirements, so now you will have to weigh both the rewards and the costs.

The “points” awarded by the event are tied to the types of decisions you make. There are 4 types as of now, and they influence some perks and orders in the game (to be expanded in the future).

Other notable changes:

• Infused Tools were removed from the game.
  
• All events have ~30% more time until their penalty kicks in.
  
• Goods required by events are scaled steeper with each difficulty level (up to Viceroy).
  
• Orders requiring players to solve events in a certain way were changed.
  
• Tools production is faster.
  
• The Calming the Forest perk was changed.
  
• The Forest Mitigation perk was replaced by Frequent Patrols.

[h2]How to test it?[/h2]
In order to test the new mechanic, you need to play on the Experimental Branch (click here to learn how to switch to the Experimental Branch).

[h2]What are we interested in?[/h2]
If you decide to play the Experimental Update, please share your thoughts with us!

Primarily, we are interested in your answers to the following questions:

• How do the new changes affect your runs?
  
• Have you found some events overwhelming, difficult, or too easy?
  
• Are you able to reliably open dangerous glades in year 1 or year 2? Does it change for year 3 and beyond?
  
• Is there anything about these new mechanics that makes the gameplay feel worse (especially more repetitive) or better (especially more diverse)?

We can’t wait to hear your impressions once you give the new Experimental Update a try!

May the storm be gentle on you,
Eremite Games