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Runaway city-building success Manor Lords is getting a major overhaul to its systems: 'It's not just a new feature or two. It's a full rework'




City-building smash hit Manor Lords received relatively frequent updates after it launched into early access last year, but the pace of patches has slowed considerably since the start of 2025. While there have been plenty of previews for new features planned by developer Slavic Magic, actual, tangible changes to the game are thin on the ground...
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Manor Lords is getting a "full rework" with a new affinity system, map, shops and workstations

It's been a long time since the last major Manor Lords update and it'll likely be a while till the next. This might strike you as dismal news, if you adhere to the "death by a thousand patches" school of Steam early access, but you have to remember that Manor Lords is a city builder set in late 14th-century Franconia, when technology lolled along at the pace of a drunken ox. Also, the developers Slavic Magic are carrying out a "full rework" of the game, rather than doling things out in smaller patches. In particular, there's a new building affinity system in development that may please fans of pollination. Any flowers reading this? The next update is for you, I guess.

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New Manor Lords update will rework dozens of the city builder's major systems

The last time we heard from Greg 'Slavic Magic' Styczen and the rest of the Manor Lords team, it was April. Pathfinding, the camera system, the user interface, and finer details like stone mechanics and castle pieces were all tweaked or overhauled, marking one of the most significant updates in what was then the game's history. Since then, the medieval city builder and spiritual cousin to the likes of Cities Skylines and Age of Empires 2 has been more or less silent. But now, Styczen confirms that a new Manor Lords update is indeed on the way, and that it is going to transform several of the game's fundamentals.


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Behind the Scenes: Current Work and Upcoming Changes

[p]Hey everyone,

I know it’s been a while since the last update. Probably longer than most of you expected. I wanted to take a moment to explain what’s going on and show a bit of what we’ve been working on behind the scenes.

I know you’ve been waiting a long time, and the reason for the delay is pretty simple. We’re overhauling a lot of systems at once. It’s not just a new feature or two. It’s a full rework of how things like buildings, production chains, and environmental interactions function. Because we're working on all these big changes, we haven't been able to put out smaller patches. They would make things messy or break stuff that's still being worked on.

The plan is that once this update is out, we’ll be able to shift to smaller, more frequent updates going forward. That’s something we couldn’t really do before, but we’ve got a bigger team now, which should make that possible. First, though, we need to get this big update out. That’s the focus, and we’re working hard to make the wait worth it.

Here’s a quick look at some of what’s changing.
[/p][h3]Affinity System[/h3][hr][/hr][p]We wanted a more in-depth relational system between buildings and other buildings, as well as between buildings and their environments. We prototyped what building games usually do - effects applied in a radius, or in specific zones, but found out that the Manor Lords' flexible plot system doesn't play very well with placing stuff in areas, especially when they are circular.

Fitting rectangular plots into circles is not pleasant, and it reduces the creativity the player has. The solution we settled on is a system based on areas of different environmental types. The environments we have so far are Meadow, Woodland, Farmland, Rural, and Urban. Buildings have different Affinities; for instance, Apiaries will benefit from a large Woodland area in the Region.

Experimentally, we made it even more complex, and some buildings can buff the Affinities of other buildings. For instance, having Apiaries can increase the existing effect that Pollination Orchards get from Meadows. For another example, placing houses or other structures will also increase Urban Affinity.[/p][p]

As you chop down forests, your Woodland affinities will start disappearing, so if you value forest-based industries, you may want to take care of your forests more.

[/p]
[p]Note: Everything is a work in progress and subject to change.[/p]
[h3]New Shop Fronts and Artisan Workstations[/h3][hr][/hr][p] [/p]


[h3]New map: “Divided”[/h3][hr][/hr][p]We're working on a new map (“Divided”). The east and west sides are divided by a small mountain range (the region's names have not been decided yet).

[/p][h3]See-through Fortifications (experimental)[/h3][hr][/hr][p]We have been experimenting with see-through fortifications.[/p][h3]New Development Perk Card Style[/h3][hr][/hr][p]This is how we want the new development perk cards to look.


[/p][h3]Reworked Building Cards[/h3][hr][/hr][p]

As always, thanks for following and for all the support. Really appreciate the patience while we’ve been working through this big update. I’ll keep posting here as we get closer and share more along the way.

Have a good one!
Greg[/p]

Save 35% on Manor Lords

Manor Lords is a medieval strategy game featuring in-depth city building and large-scale tactical battles. Rule your lands as a medieval lord. Experience the passing seasons, changing weather, and the rise and fall of cities in this richly detailed medieval world.

Manor Lords is part of the Steam Summer Sale at 35% off! Check it and other games out in the Hooded Horse Summer Sale.

Hooded Horse Summer Publisher Sale 2025

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