Against the Storm News

[h3]Citizens![/h3]
We hope that Easter Bunny (or a Lizard?) will bring you some great games with hidden easter eggs. Enjoy your time, however you choose to spend it!

Once a year, Lizards stop hunting and search for Easter Eggs.

Best wishes,
Eremite Games



[h2] Discord | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram[/h2]

[h3]Citizens![/h3]
In this issue, we’ll wrap up the summary of changes teased in Devlog #3. You will learn how to get rich or die tryin’ while establishing Trade Routes with other settlements. Also, discover if the refined path texture is the right type of catwalk for a human wearing new clothing. No worries, you’ll get it by the time you finish this read.

IMPORTANT: Everything you’re about to see and read is a work in progress art and design. It consists of some “Developer art” or early ideas and does not represent the final quality of the game.

[h2]Trade Routes[/h2]
If you succeed in a City Builder Layer game (you can learn more about game layers in Devlog #3), a new settlement will appear on the map, allowing you to establish a trade route with it during subsequent runs.

A special World Map panel will be available during the City Builder Layer game. There you can choose and establish the desired Relations - like perks or permanent trading options for which you pay. The fees are usually periodic and the perks or resource deliveries last as long as you can afford them or until you cancel them.



Selecting the Relations icon will open a barter window where you declare how will you pay for a given Relation. Relation’s costs are given in simplified categories, e.g. "food", "building materials", but also "any".

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And if you want to improve your Relations with developers of Against the Storm, please consider following the game on Steam and adding it to your wishlists. It helps us greatly!



Now that we’re past this immodest request, let’s get back to the in-game Relations.
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The character of the settlement defines what bonuses it will offer to other future settlements. For now, it depends on 2 factors:

• the biome on which the settlement is located
  
• the final size of the settlement (small, medium, large).

Each biome (you can learn about the new Marshlands biome in Devlog #4) will give you one or more types of Relations. Certainly, the same Relations can be available on several types of biomes (e.g. a jungle and a Royal Woodlands will offer Relations related to wood, but the jungle will also give a food-related bonus). All Relation types are available in all city sizes, but larger cities also offer enhanced Relations.

[h2]Human clothing[/h2]
Some time ago, we asked you for feedback regarding the new female Human worker model.



With your advice, we improved the model. Here’s the result:


Better not mess with her!

[h2]Paths[/h2]
Last but not least, we tweaked the existing paths in the game, so that they look better and blend more naturally with the environment. They can also be conveniently upgraded. You can “draw” a new path over the lower-quality one to upgrade it (without manually removing the old path).

Take me home...

[h2]Time for your feedback[/h2]
How do you like the features and improvements? Let us know in the comments or head to our Discord server and chat with us and other players.

And if you like the game and the direction in which it’s heading, then don’t forget to add it to your Steam wishlist.

May the storm be gentle on you.
Eremite Games

[h3]Check out previous devlogs:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/3066358485338781263
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/3062979518055370126
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/4711287564978195544


[h2] Discord | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram[/h2]

Citizens!
We’re back with the second instance* of Meta-progression-focused devlogs. We already covered the World Map and Smoldering City which gives us a pretty good foundation to take a deep dive into meta progression systems.

In this issue, you’ll learn:

• How does meta progression work?
  
• What meta currencies are there?
  
• What’s permanent and what’s threatened by the Blightstorm?
  
• How does the new biome look like?

*Missed the first part? We got you covered:
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/3062979518055370126

IMPORTANT: Everything you’re about to see and read is a work in progress art and design. It consists of some “Developer art” or early ideas and does not represent the final quality of the game.

[h2]Meta Progressions[/h2]
The Smoldering City (or the Citadel), described in the previous devlog, is a form of an avatar of progress. You will invest in it and develop it between runs, leaving a permanent mark on the World Map. Within The Citadel’s sphere of influence, you can place Upgrades that reflect the available opportunities and bonuses.

Citadel Upgrades

You will also build settlements on hex fields far from the Citadel to gain the meta currency which allows you to develop the Capital and unlock new content. Every few games, a Cataclysm (aka Blighstorm or the Great Storm) destroys all settlements. After the Cataclysm, the World Map changes - the farther from the Citadel, the more significantly. However, it does not affect the structures of the Citadel.

The Meta Progress system is meant to be a compromise between the sense of rebuilding (associated with city-building games) and the design need for roguelite features (predominantly the infinite potential for gameplay and a clean slate effect before each game). It is a double roguelite loop:

• the City Builder Layer gameplay is supposed to feel a bit different each time,
  
• every few times a settlement is built (a run is completed), the World Map Layer state (but not the account progress) resets, sparking a feeling of a fresh start.

Citadel with some purchased Upgrades

There are two essential meta currencies you will gather:

• Resource Points
  
• Progression Points

[h3]Resource Points[/h3]
Awarded for games played in the City Builder Layer. They can be spent on the development of the Citadel (purchasing Upgrades). Each settlement that you establish will give at least a few Resource Points, even if the run is failed (although winning the game will result in receiving more points).

Progression Level summary panel

You will also be able to "extend" the playthrough after winning the game (filling in the Reputation bar before the Queen’s patience ends), which will also grant additional points, but not as many as setting up and playing a new settlement at the same time.

All collected Resource Points must be spent before the coming of the Blightstorm. If you have any points left when it arrives, you will still have the opportunity to spend them during the Cycle summary. After confirming the transaction, all remaining points are reset. The reasoning behind it is that we don’t want you to stash points for one Upgrade for a very long time. Although at first glance such an action seems desirable, it ultimately leads to many hours of boredom and grind, where nothing changes and there is no sense of progress.

[h3]Progression Points[/h3]
Each settlement also gives a certain amount of Progression Points (for both losing and winning). The amount depends (similarly to Resource Points) on the amount of Reputation gained in a given game.

Some maps are marked with a special Deed icon - these are special fields with an additional challenge. For playing them, the player receives a bonus to Progression Points. The bonus is fixed depending on the biome (as a flat value at the end of the game).

Progression Points count towards the Progression Level. Capital Upgrades are unlocked linearly as you level up. Each Progression Level unlocks a bundle of Upgrades. Once unlocked, you can immediately purchase them with Resource Points in the Capital.

You start on the first Progression Level and have access to several Upgrades in the Capital immediately (they don’t need to be unlocked and can be purchased right away provided that you have enough currency).

Progression Points and Progression Levels are not reset with the Cataclysm (at the end of the Cycle).

[h2]Blightstorm Cycles[/h2]
From time to time, the World Map will be shuffled (due to the Blightstorm). The farther from the Capital, the less stable the world is. The Citadel itself is not subject to Cataclysm changes, but the further you go, the greater the differences after reshuffling can occur.

Cycle Summary

The Blighststorm countdown bar is related to the number of Cycles that you spent on all settlements built (in the City Builder Layer of the game). A single Cycle is simply the passing of three rain seasons in the game: Drizzle, Clearance, and Storm. The Blighststorm countdown bar is visible but it represents imprecise data to achieve a sense of anxiety.

Theoretically, this time (between Blightstorms) could be spent on a very long game in one habitat, but the most optimal result will be achieved by playing several games.

What if the time until The Great Storm runs out?

• If you just finished a run, you will receive a notification with a Cycle summary before being able to start the next game
  
• If the Cycle ends during your run, the game continues and you get the Cycle summary right after finishing the run

When the counter bar reaches the end, a Cycle is summarized. All your structures outside of the Citadel are subject to reshuffling. In most cases, your settlements vanish from the map. There is a small chance, though, that the settlements will leave behind ruins: destroyed versions of previously constructed buildings, which can be cheaper to rebuild. The World Map is subject to the reshuffling of biomes. The reset occurs and you start over with everything you accumulated and built in the Citadel. Resource Points are lost, but you keep your Progression Points and Progression Level

[h2]The Marshlands biome[/h2]
As mentioned earlier, biomes on the World Map are subject to reshuffling. For now, you were only able to see the basic Royal Woodlands biome. But recently, we also introduced a brand new biome - the Marshlands.

The Marshlands biome

These are harsh and unforgiving lands. There are but a few vegetables and meat here. No roots, no fur, no carbon. Fertile Soil patches are very limited. The cold climate makes it harder for villagers to survive and work here.

If you want to learn more about the types of trees in Against the Storm, check out Devlog #1’s Dense Forest section.

[h2]Coming up next...[/h2]
If a player succeeds in a City Builder layer, a new town will appear on the map, allowing them to establish Trade Routes with it during the subsequent runs. We will cover them in the upcoming Devlog, so keep your eyes open.

You can also follow the game on Steam to get all the latest news.



[h2]Time for your feedback[/h2]
So… Mushroom biome, huh? Let us know what you think of the new features in the comments section or head straight to our Discord server. And if there are any other topics you’d like us to cover, please leave your suggestions!

May the storm be gentle on you.
Eremite Games

[h3]Check out previous devlogs:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/3062979518055370126
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/4711287564978195544
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/4097664507328199908


Discord | Facebook | Twitter | Gamejolt

Citizens!
It’s been a while since the last Devlog (“or any new screenshot!” - the crowd says), but there’s been a lot going on lately.

Here’s a brief summary:

• Cartographers present the World Map. We finally know if it’s flat or not
  
• Capital City was voted citizens’ favorite travel destination during Blightstorms
  
• The work on Meta Progression is… progressing!
  
• Trade routes are a thing. Stonks.
  
• A mushroom biome was discovered. Farmer Maggot would be jealous.
  
• We’re unveiling human fashion trends for the upcoming Drizzle
  
• New Year, same Storm Cycle. We explain how it works

There are a lot of topics to cover, so we decided to break them down into three Devlogs. Enjoy the first part!

IMPORTANT: Everything you’re about to see and read is a work in progress art and design. It consists of some “Developer art” or early ideas and does not represent the final quality of the game.

[h2]Funding[/h2]
The main reason why we went under the radar lately is that we are focused on finding funding for Against the Storm. For the last year, we’ve been working on the game after hours and we believe it’s finally time to make it our full-time job. It will allow us to significantly speed up the production and stay closer in touch with you.

It’s a time-consuming process and requires a lot of effort from the entire team. While we can’t disclose any details, it’s safe to say we’re on the right track!

Here’s an exemplary slide from our pitch deck which helped us get some attention. Thank you for re-sharing our tweet, it helped a lot!
(Not following us on Twitter yet? You’re just two clicks away: https://twitter.com/AtS_CityBuilder)

Artstyle section of Against the Storm pitch deck

Keep your fingers crossed for us and await more good news!

[h2]World Map[/h2]
In the meantime, we had our hands full with work on the World Map Layer of the game. This is where you’re going to make the decision on where to settle next.

World Map

The World Map is made out of hex fields. Each individual field is a potential place for you to start a new settlement. Each hex also belongs to a certain type - a so-called Biome - which defines many starting conditions, resulting in very different playthroughs depending on the initial choice. It was designed to modify the way you approach each game.

At this point, it is important to distinguish two layers of the game:

• World Map Layer - where you pick your next destination and develop the Capital
  
• City Builder Layer - where you play in real-time and manage your colony of beavers, humans, and lizards (the kind of gameplay that was teased in the demo)

The map features in the City Builder Layer are generated depending on the biome to which the field belongs. After selecting the hex field on the World Map Layer, a more detailed description will be displayed. It includes:

• The biome’s name
  
• A short description
  
• A set of statistics

Hex field (settlement) information panel

Special modifiers (pawns, which represent additional structures available in the particular game) are placed frequently on the World Map.

Biomes affect the content of the map and the type of terrain. Some specific biome-dependent elements are:

• resource nodes and tree types
  
• rewards on the glades
  
• threats on the glades
  
• Queen’s Orders pool
  
• fertile soil
  
• terrain
  
• duration & the intensity of seasons
  
• initial effects (perks, resolve)
  
• new inhabitants (quantity and species)
  
• and more.

Biomes will primarily differ in terms of the presence of resources, threats, and rewards. Some will have more food, some will have none, and some might have some specific type of resource that is exclusively found there. Some biomes may have very dangerous threats, others none at all, and so on.

Royal Woodlands

Until now, you were only able to see the basic Royal Woodlands biome. It has a more or less balanced amount of food and resources, a certain amount of fertile land guaranteed, and a lot of trees. Lately, we have also introduced a new mushroom biome on which we’ll shed more light in the next devlog.

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We interrupt this broadcast to remind you, that if you want to stay up to date with everything Against the Storm (and support us) you can follow the game on Steam and add it to your wishlist


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[h2]Citadel (the Smouldering City)[/h2]
The Citadel (aka the Capital or the Smouldering City) is located in the center of the World Map. It occupies 7 hex fields - the central hex and 6 hexes around it.

Citadel with some purchased Upgrades (placeholder/conceptual assets)

In the Citadel, you can buy Upgrades, which grant you various bonuses. Upgrades are never lost between games and are not mutually exclusive.

[h3]Trivia bank:[/h3]
From the beginning, the world has been regularly haunted by the Great Storm. The only mainstay for the surrounding lands is the Citadel (the Smouldering City). The eternal fire burning on the top of the mountain around which the Citadel is built seems to ensure safety, but the rains are merciless to everything outside its protection. Every few years, citizens go out into the world to explore lands, build settlements, and acquire supplies.

Occasionally, remains from the previous Storms can be found: road debris, destroyed buildings, or the remains of an unlucky caravan that did not reach the shelter on time. But there always comes a time when the raindrops get heavier and the air starts to smell too light, and each of the Scorched Queen's subjects must return to seek shelter from the impending destruction.

[h2]Coming up next...[/h2]
The Capital (or the Citadel) is a form of an avatar of progress. You will invest in it and develop it between runs, leaving a permanent mark on the World Map. We will cover the meta progression in the next Devlog, so make sure to check our Steam page from time to time. You can follow the game to stay up to date.

[h2]Time for your feedback[/h2]
Did you enjoy this issue of Against the Storm Devlog? Let us know what you think of the new features! Also, if there are any other topics you’d like us to expand on, let us know in the comments or on our Discord server.

May the storm be gentle on you.
Eremite Games

[h3]Check out previous devlogs:[/h3]
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/4711287564978195544
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/4097664507328199908


Discord | Facebook | Twitter | Gamejolt

[h3]Greetings, Citizens![/h3]
It’s been a while since our last devlog and a lot has happened since then. In this issue, we’d like to sum up all the things you might have missed and share our thoughts and plans.

Here are the highlights of what we’re going to cover:

• Festival open alpha tests
  
• Feedback summary (deep dive)
  
• Plans for the future

So it begins...

[h2]Festival open alpha tests[/h2]
Against the Storm qualified for the final of Digital Dragons Indie Showcase and later appeared on Steam Game Festival - Autumn Edition. It was a perfect opportunity for us to launch the first open alpha tests in the form of a Steam demo. We even managed to improve and update the demo based on your suggestions.

If you missed it, we’re sure there’ll be another opportunity in the future. Meanwhile, check out some of the great gameplay videos from the game:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Those are just some of your fantastic videos. We’re collecting and re-watching all of them here:

[h3]Against the Storm - Community Playlist[/h3]

[h2]Feedback summary[/h2]
Big thanks to everyone involved in the latest alpha-tests on Steam and GOG. We are positively overwhelmed by the amount of feedback you have given us via the in-game surveys and on our forums. Shoutout to every single one of you who gratuitously spent a portion of your free time writing down your thoughts and impressions.

With almost 400 filled surveys it’s hard to answer each and every question, but after going through the feedback, we would like to answer a few of the most common concerns.

[h3]Balance & content[/h3]
The content you’ve seen will most likely change in the final game or even in the early access. So if you feel like A is always better than B, some perks are OP, or even that some buildings are redundant right now - don’t be afraid, it won't stay that way. Of course, buildings like the Lumber Camp or Stonemason won’t change that much and the 3 species are here to stay as well. However, production chains, products, or even needs are likely to be rebuilt from the ground up to match new systems and longer gameplay sessions. Speaking of which...

[h3]Single runs are too short[/h3]
The current length of a single gameplay session is around 40 to 60 minutes. This is a product of the demo-like format. In the final game, we plan on extending it. A single run will still remain shorter than in most city builders, as we want it to last around 2 to 3 hours.

Our goal is to create a city builder where starting from scratch is exciting and each game brings unique opportunities and challenges. We are aware of how risky this move is and we will observe the impact of this decision at every step of production. Especially that some of you would prefer to just have a peaceful settlement where no Beaver is ever hungry and all species can live in harmony, without the Queen breathing down your neck. And this brings us to our next point.

TRIVIA BANK
But before we get to it: if you’re still reading, you deserve some reward!

Did you know that the Humans - a species least resistant to the corrupting effects of the environment - wear long reed capes that shield them from the Rain, especially when working the farm fields?

[h3]Post-result gameplay/Sandbox mode[/h3]
Our goal for the pre-alpha tests was to see if even a basic mix of the city builder and rogue-lite genres could be a fun experience, and we mainly worked on that part of a game. We focused on the challenge of surviving in a harsh environment and keeping your villagers alive and well. Whatever happened after clicking “Let me play” on the result screen stayed “off the record” for us.

While we believe this gameplay formula has huge potential, there are some players who have enough struggles outside of the realm of games, especially in 2020. Not everyone has to enjoy the challenge and constant struggle of a rogue-lite colony sim - and this is fine. We can’t say anything specific yet, as we didn’t have enough time to come up with a solution to this, but we would love to have some kind of “chill mode” in the game. All the gardeners of the world - stay tuned! And those looking for a challenge…

There were still players who managed to survive looong past the point we thought possible… (Ookboomer via Discord)

[h3]The game is too easy/too hard[/h3]
As we are working on Against The Storm exclusively after hours (for now), we had to learn to take shortcuts. One of the largest we took in the alpha test was to design a game for only one difficulty. We are sure many of you can imagine the consequences of that.

For newcomers, the game seems too hard or even unfair, while experienced players burn through each session (quite literally). This is a problem we don’t want to reduce to a simple menu popup with an “Easy, Medium, Lizard” choice, and we will tackle this head-on in the upcoming weeks while working on a new progression system.

[h3]Progression/Meta[/h3]
The progression system you experienced in the alpha test won’t stay for long. It just lacks any zazz. We will be talking in length about some exciting new ideas in this area in one of our upcoming devlogs. Permission granted to get excited.

[h3]Static/overwhelming tutorial[/h3]
This one is a hard one. Knowing how much will change in the future, we were reluctant to invest too much time into a proper tutorial. However, this will have to change - the unusual mix of genres and unique mechanics will bar us from piggybacking too much on other games here. We are planning to smooth out the learning curve with a progression system, but it’s too early to say anything concrete right now, except - it will have to improve significantly.

Some people felt really overwhelmed by the initial information dump - especially with plumpy beavers quickly devouring whatever food was left in the storage.

[h3]Roads[/h3]
The current roads and pathways are far from optimal in terms of visual design and the user experience of building/removing them. We already implemented improvements in both of these areas. Hope you will enjoy it!

[h3]The big furry monster is not that big actually, let alone scary[/h3]
This last point is very close to our hearts. One of the systems we are most happy with is the forest exploration (you can learn more about it from the first devlog). We want you to be thrilled when clearing an opening to a glade - knowing that there will be something that will potentially turn the tables of your playthrough. Hopefully in a good way, but potentially also in a very bad one. We are convinced that there’s still room for improvement in this area.

Whatever you find on a glade is static for now - rewards such as 10 pieces of meat, some stone deposit, maybe even a building. You will either get what you want or not. While this can be somewhat exciting (loot chests! yay!), we didn't manage to make it scary or challenging. In previous versions, we tried to put much more dangerous threats (and rewards) in the marked glades but it never felt justified and fair due to the static nature of the system. It’s just frustrating to see your 2-hour gameplay going to shreds because you got an unlucky popup. And if there are no meaningful risks, there can’t really be meaningful rewards - so we had to temper this system down for the alpha test.

That being said, we are more than happy to tell you that we will start working on another iteration of this system soon. We hope that it will bring much more life and meaningful decisions for exploration. We will try to write at least one dev blog about it as well!

TRIVIA BANK
Take a break, here’s some trivia:

Did you know that every caravan sent out to settle the wilds is always looking for ancient ruins? Colonies are built around hearths - strange relics of a long-forgotten civilization. These constructions are extraordinarily well suited for keeping the Holy Flame alive and thus helping the people survive.

[h2]Plans for the future[/h2]
This part might be disappointedly short, but nevertheless informative. As you already know, we had two open alpha tests within a month and received plenty of feedback. We will now take some time to iterate the existing systems, add new features, and make sure the next time you get to play Against the Storm it will be even better. We are also on the lookout for funding, so we can start working full-time. Keep your fingers crossed.

In the meantime, you can expect us to share the development progress on Steam, Discord, and other channels.

[h2]Thank you again[/h2]
Phew! That was a long one, but if you are reading this - that means you’ve managed to get through it. Hope you feel much more confident in the game now and look forward to the next test as much as we do
And if you feel like Against the Storm is your kind of game, please consider adding it to your Steam wishlist. It helps us a lot!

May the storm be gentle on you.
Eremite Games

[h2]Check out previous devlogs[/h2]
https://steamcommunity.com/games/1336490/announcements/detail/4097664507328199908
Discover the design ideas behind the Dense Forest system, get to know the Beavers, and learn more about building modules.

[h3]Join other villagers on our official channels:[/h3]

• Discord
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Gamejolt

Do us a great favor by wishlisting the game on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1336490/Against_the_Storm/