Sengoku Dynasty News

Youkoso!

First of all, we would like to thank you for your great interest in the Steam Playtest for Sengoku Dynasty.

Yesterday we sent out a first round of invitations. First round?!

Yes, that's right. We are inviting another group to the playtest today. Another opportunity to join the test!

Good luck!

Youkoso!

First of all, we want to thank you for the enormous interest in the Steam Playtest! We have doubled the capacity, but as it seems right now, unfortunately not everyone will be able to participate. As a small consolation, however, it won't be too much longer before the game goes into Early Access.

For the lucky participants, we still have some important information:

First and foremost, we are interested in the performance and functionality of the co-op mode at this stage. Feel free to report bugs, but these two things are among the most important in this phase of development and as part of the playtest.

The Playtest is currently only available in English. Other languages are expected to be added at the start or during the course of Early Access.

We will temporarily set up a small Discord server next to the Steam forum in case we need savegames, screenshots, videos, or technical data (dxdiags). The link can be found in the Steam Playtest forum.

The playtest starts now (19:00 CEST – UTC +2) and ends in one week on 29 June 2023, also at 19:00 CEST.

As expected for an Early Access title, not all features are in the game yet. In preparation for the Early Access launch, there will be a roadmap describing the next steps in detail after the launch.

So we release you into the Steam Playtest! Have fun!

[h3]REFERENCES + CONCEPT[/h3]
Every journey begins with a single step, and in our quest to create authentic clothing for Sengoku Dynasty, it starts with establishing an extensive reference board. This stage involves collecting an array of concept art, historical and cinematic references, photographs from museum exhibits, and tailoring patterns. Our priority here is to ensure a realistic and faithful representation of the historical context. We even learn how these clothes are worn as it is often a form of ritual, different from what we are used to in our culture. This step helps us make sure our clothes not only look real but also match the historical period.



[h3]HIGH-POLY SCULPTING [/h3]
Once we've simulated the cloth physics to give the garment its life-like folds, we delve into the sculpting of details on the high-poly model. The process involves smoothing the clothing, making shape adjustments in specific areas, and meticulously refining the folds by hand. If the result matches our vision, we further accentuate the model by adding signs of wear and tear, protruding threads, and memory folds - the distinctive creases that form from the regular use of the garment.











[h3]RETOPOLOGY (LOW-POLY MODEL)[/h3]
Post-sculpting, we transition into creating the low-poly mesh. Proper optimization of this mesh is key to ensuring fluid gameplay. The retopology is conducted manually, poly by poly, as we lay out vertices, edges, and polygons on top of the high-poly mesh. This meticulous approach allows for smooth deformation of the mesh when the clothes are animated. Once the low-poly model is complete, we unwrap the UV maps and generate maps to carry over all the meticulously sculpted details onto the model.



[h3]TEXTURING[/h3]
Now we're ready to breathe life into our models through texturing. Using the previously baked maps, we add fabric textures and patterns. The textures are then enriched with details indicative of everyday use, such as dirt, wear, and tear, and signs of usage. To enhance realism, we also hand-draw protruding threads and tears. It's worth noting that in ancient Japan, only the wealthiest could afford the elegance of silk garments, whereas the common folk donned attire made from linen and cotton.



[h3]FINAL TOUCHES[/h3]
Finally, our completed model takes the stage in the game engine. Here, we transform our prepared textures into materials and add appropriate shaders. These shaders work their magic, altering how light dances on the material. The outcome? A virtual piece of clothing that promises to immerse you into the heart of the Sengoku Dynasty.

Youkoso!

Soon it's time. Sengoku Dynasty will enter Early Access in the near future. But before it does, we want to give you a special opportunity to take a look at the game.

There is nothing less than a Steam Playtest, for which you can apply now!

The playtest is accessible via the shop page of Sengoku Dynasty. You need a Steam account to participate. Participation is free of charge. But the number of participants will be limited. If there are more applications than places available, the participants will be randomly selected by Steam.

Visit the Sengoku Dynasty Store page now and click Request Access.
The playtest will be available for a week, starting 6/22/2023 and ending 6/29/2023 at 7:00pm CEST - UTC +2.

During this week you can take a look at Sengoku Dynasty and give it a try. Don't forget to send us plenty of feedback on the forum. Since the playtest is public, you are also allowed to show Let's Plays or videos, but we would be very happy if you would note that they are from the playtest. But be advised, that not all features will be enabled and you will not have the full map available for exploration and building. We focus our attention on performance and co-op functionality.



We look forward to welcoming you to this playtest and send you our best wishes until then!

Youkoso!

Today we will continue our Q&A session with the next load of questions. So here we go:

8. Will there be "spirits" or other supernatural influences, or will it be historical based?

Spirituality plays a big role in Sengoku Dynasty. With Shinto shrines offering boosts and a prominent Buddhist temple on the map, the game creates a unique atmosphere. Characters and quests even reference supernatural beings. But, it's important to remember - this game is rooted in reality. All events can be understood in real-world terms, ensuring a balanced and immersive gameplay experience."

9. Will we be able to make/play musical instruments?
As of now, there's no feature for creating or playing musical instruments in the game. However, we recognize the importance of allowing you to 'emote' your characters in various ways. As such, we're thinking of including musical forms of expression in our future development roadmap.

10. Is the game open world?

Absolutely, the game features an open-world setting. From the get-go, you'll have the freedom to explore the entirety of Region 1. The complete map spans around 4x4 kilometers, divided into 3 distinct regions. Initially, only Region 1 will be accessible, but we plan to unlock the remaining two regions as we progress. During the Steam networking tests, players will have a sneak peek into a small portion of Region 1. The game's world is a fictionally inspired representation, rich with diverse Japanese landscapes and iconic landmarks.

11. Will there be bigger structures that can be made?

Certainly! The game offers the opportunity to construct large structures. In your village, you can build sizeable facilities like Breweries, Papermaker workshops, and Taverns. But the truly large-scale projects are unique features found on the map. These ambitious tasks require hefty resources and time to complete, but their payoff is a permanent transformation of the surrounding landscape, adding strategic elements like bridges and watchtowers. A majority of these will be accessible from the start of the Early Access stage. Remember, these large projects are key to boosting your Dynasty's Legend.

12. Are we able to serve a Daimyo/Shogun/Emperor or something of the like?

The setting of our game is unique, it's in the Peasant Kingdom, a province where the local daimyo was overthrown by a popular rebellion. Now, the land isn't ruled by a traditional warrior clan but is under the influence of a Hongan-ji temple. As a player, your primary interactions and quests will come from the temple. Moreover, as you perform actions and help others, your influence within the Peasant Kingdom will grow, positioning you as a true leader among the people.

13. Can we grow and farm crops? If so, how does it work?

Certainly, farming is an integral part of the medieval Japanese setting we've created. We're dedicated to getting it right and have numerous farming features planned. At the Early Access launch, the farming mechanics will be fairly simple, with only a few crop options available. However, we're excited to share that we've scheduled a substantial farming update in our development roadmap to further enrich this aspect of gameplay.

14. Can we build a Zen Garden for our inhabitants?

You will have a lot of freedom to designate areas in your villages and decorate them. You will have access to a lot of decorative structures for the launch of EA. Some of them can be found in Zen Gardens, allowing you to emulate them in the game. Later, on a roadmap, we have planned to add a feature to plant plants, which will allow you to further customize your gardens.

15. Can we still keep our own thing going in co-op as we play with our friends or are we forced to help them with their village?

Sengoku Dynasty allows you to build multiple villages, even while playing alone. While all of the players are part of the same dynasty, and share a lot of features, like global dynasty production management, when you achieve a higher Dynasty Legend level, you will be able to fund new villages. All players will have the exact same feature in the game, so you can freely decide if you want to work together, or split up and focus on your own projects. However, all of the villages are part of the same dynasty, and share resources with each other through storage buildings, so there will be no trade option between villages for now.

16. How much is it going to teach us about Japanese culture?

It’s not an explicit goal of the game to teach history or culture, but it is based on extensive research into the realities of 16h century Japan, and therefore it should provide plenty of inspiration to anyone interested in Japanese craftsmanship, spirituality, social structure or economy of that time. We sure learned a lot ourselves while making the game!

17. Which wild animal encounter can we expect?

For the launch of EA, you can expect to encounter Japanese Hares and Boars, Sika Deer, and Red Foxes. We plan to add much more wildlife to the game on the roadmap.