Sengoku Dynasty News

Step into the world of Sengoku Dynasty as we address your questions and share insights about the game's journey ahead. We understand your curiosity and eagerness to learn more about character customization, narrative development, and other game aspects. Your concerns are important to us, and this Q&A is an opportunity to provide clarity and shed light on the game's future direction. From the anticipated implementation of Japanese V/O to our ongoing efforts for smoother gameplay, discover the various facets and upcoming enhancements in Sengoku Dynasty. We are working diligently to improve every aspect of the game, and your continued support and feedback are crucial in this journey. Thank you for being a part of the Sengoku Dynasty community, and let's embark on this adventure together."

[h3]Is this game prepared for something like an ending? [/h3]
Yes, our plans include crafting a satisfying ending to the story. However, it will only become available later in the 1.0 version of the game, after we implement all the core narrative content we have outlined. It’s worth pointing out that reaching the end of the story will not stop you from further growing your Dynasty.

[h3]If our dynasty lasts long enough, will we see the Edo/Tokugawa Period? [/h3]
Currently we have no plans of extending the game’s timeframe beyond the Sengoku Period, however it’s possible you’ll be able to notice signs of a historical tidal shift looming on the horizon.

[h3]Will there be more events leaning into folklore and superstitions of the era (such as Onibaba, currently in the game)? [/h3]
Our game is not narrative driven, and therefore will not feature many events one could expect from a more RPG-style title. It is also realistic, and therefore will not feature supernatural phenomena. That said, we do strive to represent the Japanese culture of the XVI century as best we can within the survival-builder genre, and so many of the NPCs you meet along the way will have things to say about myths, religious beliefs and customs that might seem alien to modern audiences.

[h3]Can we change house names in the future? [/h3]
Yes, that is a feature we plan to implement very soon.

[h3]Are we Eta/Kawata? [/h3]
Currently there is nothing in the player character backstory that would suggest that. As a matter of fact, there are no suggestions about your previous occupation or skills. That’s by design. When we introduce character customization in one of the future updates, you will be able to choose your character’s background.

[h3]Will it be easier to transfer items to storages? [/h3]
Yes, we just implemented a feature that streamlines the transfer of items into dynasty storages (in Update 4), and there are many more quality-of-life improvements to the inventory system coming soon (including sorting).

[h3]What is being done to optimise the game for shorter loading times and more fluid gameplay? [/h3]
Fixing performance issues is our top priority. We are a small team making an open-world game in the latest available version of Unreal Engine – this is an ambitious task and sadly a diverse world with cutting edge tech requires additional optimization efforts on our side. We are sorry that it often negatively affects your performance. We are investigating performance drops, loading times and crashes, and looking for solutions that will boost your experience. It’s a complicated process and we are hopeful that you will see improvements soon. We will definitely let you know when we hit it big in this regard!

[h3]Will NPCs get Japanese voiceovers? [/h3]
Yes, we plan to implement Japanese V/O for common phrases and reactions in the near future, along with improvements to NPC behaviour before, during and after dialogue. There won’t be a full voiceover due to the costs and complicated process.

[h3]Will there be a function that would assist in connecting fences? [/h3]
Yes, we plan to implement a spline-based system for fences and other similar structures, that will make the experience of building them much more streamlined.

[h3]When is the farming update due? [/h3]
First one is currently scheduled for November. Since we are in Early Access, this will be an iterative process and you will be getting farming content and quality updates regularly to make it a great experience – keep the feedback coming!
For clarity's sake: we are talking about agriculture, we are considering adding animal husbandry later in the process.

Youkuso!

It’s our first sale after launch!

It was very important for us to set up the right pace for updates, which would get regular bugfixes and rebalances delivered to you quickly, at the same time allowing us to work on bigger features. After a little more than a month from launch, we’re happy to say we’re wrapping up the “First Steps” milestone on our roadmap.

We analysed your feedback, reviews, and streams to see what pains you the most and we addressed it – either on the spot, when it comes to bugs and quality of life features, or internally by changing the designs for next updates.

So, here is a little summary of what we added to the game since it launched in August:
- Interactive map, with zoom and custom markers
- Fast-travel
- Pause function in Single Player game
- Auto-assigning tools and weapons to quick slots
- Tools durability rebalanced to last longer
- Complete rebalance of villager needs to make them easier to maintain
- Villagers are performing more interactions based on work and day cycle

And over 200 more fixes, rebalances and quality of life additions!

You can review all changes in the respective Steam news.

(0.1.0.1) (0.1.1.0) (0.1.2.0) (0.1.3.0) (0.1.4.0)

With these foundational changes in place, we're excited to pivot our focus to optimization and the community's most requested features, like farming and combat. That of course doesn’t mean we won’t be adding further QOL improvements!

The sale starts now and lasts for two weeks until 5 October 2023.

Great things – coming soon!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Say "hi" to a host of improvements that will streamline your adventures! Newly crafted tools will now automatically find their way to the same Quick Slot they were last assigned to, saving you precious time. Are you a building enthusiast? You'll be happy to know you can now interact with structures while wielding your trusty hammer, without constant unequipping. Also, moving items to storages is now a breeze with the new feature that highlights and lets you transfer compatible items only – and now you can transfer all of them with one click.

That's not all—countless other tweaks await! Get ready for a smoother experience and focus on the adventure instead of fighting with the UI. And remember - this is a work in progress, so please continue providing your feedback.


[h2]Patch notes - version 0.1.4.0[/h2]

[h3]
FIXES[/h3]

• Fixed the loss of control over the map zooming feature sometimes.
  
• Fixed the lack of localization for corpse actions (looting / skinning).
  
• Fixed Ul controls not changing back to mouse and keyboard when using LMB/RMB or dragging mouse wheel.
  
• Fixed red flowers sometimes are stretched and do not disappear in winter.
  

[h3]UI [/h3]

• Improved how auto-assigning of handheld items to Quick Slots works – now when you break or throw a holdable, and craft a new one, it will automatically go to the Quick Slot that was used to keep the same item type. It will also auto-equip the replacement if you didn’t equip any other holdable in the meantime.
  
• Improved how interactions with structures (like beds, containers, crafting, and production stations) work – now it is possible to use them while holding a hammer, so you can open a container or go to sleep while building, without the need to constantly unequip and equip the hammer back and forth. (Known issue - Keys F and T are transposed)
  
• Added a new inventory interaction that allows you to bulk-transfer all compatible items to a Dynasty Storage.
  
• Added a desaturation visual effect to all incompatible items in your inventory, when a dynasty storage is opened – it is much easier to determine, what can be stored, and what uses a different storage.
  
• Reworked how a forced season change sequence works. Now it will NOT happen in many problematic situations, like during sleep, dialogues, cutscenes, or camera sequences. Additionally, the management screen will appear BEFORE the season changes, so that you can make some last-minute adjustments.
  
• Added a respawn screen penalty message – the penalty itself isn’t new and was always there, but now you will be precisely informed what you lost when that wild hog mauled you.
  
• Improved Special Project Workplace Popup by adding information on how long it will take to finish the project, what the rewards for completing it are, and by adding a “Manage Job” button in Population Details to open the popup.
  
• Added a minor notification for discovered animal locations.
  
• Limited character inputs in text input fields
  
• Added Polish language.
  
• Updated UI Localisations
  
• Improved some information and visuals in Dynasty Management:
  
• · Added a yellow dash if there is no happiness or effectiveness change predicted.
  
• · Predicted effectiveness on season change now shows the bonus penalty value, instead of the total effectiveness value (which can be modified by other factors, like tools).
  
• · All missing Storage Buildings will now be displayed in red in the workplace popup.
  
• · Improved the looks of home/job assignment buttons in Population details.
  
• · Improved labels of home/bed assignment lists.
  
• · Added house icon to the home/bed assignment list.
  
• · + many other minor improvements.
  

[h3]SETUP/BALANCE[/h3]

• Rebalanced how Stone and Iron deposits work - now medium and large ones will spawn a smaller version of the deposit when mined, so they are even more useful.
  
• Simplified empty exterior segment setup and looks – now they are less intrusive when the hammer is equipped.
  
• Improved setup of item replacement – now items like kama, shovel or hoe will auto re-equip if they break, and a spare is in the inventory.
  
• Improved Tea Leaves and Tea Drink storage and need type to make more sense.
  

[h3]SFX[/h3]

• Improved audio positioning for Deer and Boar SFXs
  
• Added Deer Nearby and Deer Alert SFXs
  

[h3]ART[/h3]

• Hare fur is now brighter and stands out in foliage more.
  
• Adjusted NPC sitting animations.
  
• Improved the ambient light to make the night brighter, especially during cloudy weather.
  

[h3]TECH[/h3]

• Implemented additional safeguards to prevent overwriting and corruption of saves.
  
• Added a Pause during the Loading Screen. In-game time won’t pass when your game is loading.
  

[h2]What is Public Staging?[/h2]

It is the modus operandi of working with a second version of the game, on which new patches and updates can be applied and tested before they are integrated into the regular live version of the game. This means that one or more updates can first be tested before they are made available to all players in Early Access.

[h3]How to join the public staging?[/h3]
Some of you probably have not done this before, so we have a small guide:

Prerequisite:
You must have Sengoku Dynasty in your library – obviously.

The procedure

• Open your game library.
  
• Right click on Sengoku Dynasty.
  
• Open properties.
  
• Select the tab "BETAS".*
  
• Enter this password into the field below the drop-down menu: 6RmK07O5em39LFLj1e4OvZGlrQ7OqI
  
• Click on "CHECK CODE".
  
• Use the drop-down menu and select “releasecandidate“. This is the public stage version.
  
• Click on "Close".
  
• Steam should now download this version of the game.
  

IMPORTANT! PLEASE SAVE YOUR GAME ON THE LIVE VERSION AS A BACKUP COPY BEFORE ACCESSING THE PUBLIC STAGING BUILD!

This is merely a precautionary measure in the very unlikely event that anything goes wrong!
The saves can be found under this path:

%USERPROFILE%/AppData/Local/SengokuDynasty/Saved/

Copy the entire folder into a zip file or store a copy somewhere else on your hard drive.

*Steam labels all those builds as "betas” even if they are technically not betas, don’t let it confuse you!

[h2]Patch notes -- version 0.1.4.0[/h2]
[h3]
FIXES[/h3]

• Fixed the loss of control over the map zooming feature sometimes.
  
• Fixed the lack of localization for corpse actions (looting / skinning).
  
• Fixed Ul controls not changing back to mouse and keyboard when using LMB/RMB or dragging mouse wheel.
  
• Fixed red flowers sometimes are stretched and do not disappear in winter.
  

[h3]UI [/h3]

• Improved how auto-assigning of handheld items to Quick Slots works – now when you break or throw a holdable, and craft a new one, it will automatically go to the Quick Slot that was used to keep the same item type. It will also auto-equip the replacement if you didn’t equip any other holdable in the meantime.
  
• Improved how interactions with structures (like beds, containers, crafting, and production stations) work – now it is possible to use them while holding a hammer, so you can open a container or go to sleep while building, without the need to constantly unequip and equip the hammer back and forth. (Known issue - Keys F and T are transposed)
  
• Added a new inventory interaction that allows you to bulk-transfer all compatible items to a Dynasty Storage.
  
• Added a desaturation visual effect to all incompatible items in your inventory, when a dynasty storage is opened – it is much easier to determine, what can be stored, and what uses a different storage.
  
• Reworked how a forced season change sequence works. Now it will NOT happen in many problematic situations, like during sleep, dialogues, cutscenes, or camera sequences. Additionally, the management screen will appear BEFORE the season changes, so that you can make some last-minute adjustments.
  
• Added a respawn screen penalty message – the penalty itself isn’t new and was always there, but now you will be precisely informed what you lost when that wild hog mauled you.
  
• Improved Special Project Workplace Popup by adding information on how long it will take to finish the project, what the rewards for completing it are, and by adding a “Manage Job” button in Population Details to open the popup.
  
• Added a minor notification for discovered animal locations.
  
• Limited character inputs in text input fields
  
• Added Polish language.
  
• Updated UI Localisations
  
• Improved some information and visuals in Dynasty Management:
  
• · Added a yellow dash if there is no happiness or effectiveness change predicted.
  
• · Predicted effectiveness on season change now shows the bonus penalty value, instead of the total effectiveness value (which can be modified by other factors, like tools).
  
• · All missing Storage Buildings will now be displayed in red in the workplace popup.
  
• · Improved the looks of home/job assignment buttons in Population details.
  
• · Improved labels of home/bed assignment lists.
  
• · Added house icon to the home/bed assignment list.
  
• · + many other minor improvements.
  

[h3]SETUP/BALANCE[/h3]

• Rebalanced how Stone and Iron deposits work - now medium and large ones will spawn a smaller version of the deposit when mined, so they are even more useful.
  
• Simplified empty exterior segment setup and looks – now they are less intrusive when the hammer is equipped.
  
• Improved setup of item replacement – now items like kama, shovel or hoe will auto re-equip if they break, and a spare is in the inventory.
  
• Improved Tea Leaves and Tea Drink storage and need type to make more sense.
  

[h3]SFX[/h3]

• Improved audio positioning for Deer and Boar SFXs
  
• Added Deer Nearby and Deer Alert SFXs
  

[h3]ART[/h3]

• Hare fur is now brighter and stands out in foliage more.
  
• Adjusted NPC sitting animations.
  
• Improved the ambient light to make the night brighter, especially during cloudy weather.
  

[h3]TECH[/h3]

• Implemented additional safeguards to prevent overwriting and corruption of saves.
  
• Added a Pause during the Loading Screen. In-game time won’t pass when your game is loading.
  

Hello everyone!

Almost three weeks ago we announced the continuation of the Q&A and just like last time, you delivered! We can see that you care about the game and that you want to know a lot about it. We've gathered quite a few questions here on Steam and on social media from you, so thank you very much for that!

Hopefully we were able to answer a few questions with update 0.1.3.0 (markers and zoom). Of course, we are still working on the game and besides the fixes and quality of live improvements we are also preparing content and performance updates that will be released in the upcoming weeks and months.
We will also be introducing the Public Stage to Sengoku Dynasty, which will move the "testing" of new content etc. to a second branch. More on this shortly.

But we digress.

So today is the next round of questions and we'll get started right away:

As we chart our course through the captivating landscapes of the Sengoku era, we're thrilled to share a glimpse of our envisioned future for the game - based on your questions.

Imagine sprawling mansions reflecting the pinnacle of luxury, alongside intricate character customizations that let you immerse in Japan's rich sartorial history. Yet, amid the tranquility and artistry, the first whispers of gunpowder promise a seismic shift in gameplay dynamics. Join us as we answer your questions showing the glimpse of a future where architectural splendor meets impending firepower.

[h3]Will there be muskets?[/h3]
This is one of the most common questions on forums and discord. Given that we are making a realistic game taking place during the Sengoku period, we are considering all types of weapons that were used back then, with muskets being very high on our to-do list. You will have to wait till the combat update though!

[h3]You mentioned character customization on the co-op video. Will this be for single player as well?[/h3]
When it comes to the starting clothes for player characters, it is something that we plan for co-op only, as it will simply differentiate players. All other customization options (starting specialization, clothes, etc.) are going to work exactly the same in single player and in multiplayer.

[h3]How much depth is planned for the skill tree?[/h3]
Four skill trees are planned right now, each will contain a few dozen perks. We want you to be able to roleplay different kinds of archetypes and we want to do it right, so it will take more time.

[h3]Will there be building opportunities for estates?[/h3]
Yes, there will be a possibility for a player to build an estate. It is quite possible we will make it modular so you will be able to choose its shape. For the smaller buildings we wanted to adhere to the historical standards, thus we made them prefabricated, so your villages can look as authentic as possible.

[h3]Why do the townsfolk idle instead of collecting things?[/h3]
For your workers to use their tools or interact with the workplace furniture, you need to increase their production above zero. We have also introduced some AI fixes that should help villagers behave more naturally, and according to their occupation. When it comes to certain workplaces, mainly those which rely on harvesting raw resources, we are still working on AI.

[h3]Will it be possible to make the jobs already taken either in a different color or have it in another section above or below?[/h3]
We plan to add sorting, grouping and filtering to all UI lists where it would make sense and improve the usability.

[h3]Can we hope for a different start in the future? Something different than what we have seen in the EA.[/h3]
Yes, we plan both starting specialties for a player character, as well as different starting locations. We need to implement more character skills so they can truly give you different gameplay experience. It won’t affect the story, but your gameplay, having different skills and items available at the start of the playthrough.

[h3]Will you change the way NPCs gather and make it more like in Medieval Dynasty? Now the way they work seasonally makes it feel like a dead village.[/h3]
Villager behavior is not affected by the seasonal production logic. Villagers are going to perform work activities and villages are going to look alive - we are constantly trying to improve their AI, add more animations, and streamline the management system. There were some bugs that resulted in NPCs not doing their animations. We will be constantly investing time into making the villages look busy and lively.

[h3]Will any deployable road (stone or mud one) be added in the future?[/h3]
Yes, we plan to add a way for a player to build a lot of structures that can extend, like fences, walls, and roads.

[h3]Will there be Steam Achievements?[/h3]
Yes, when we are happy with all the mechanics that are still pending implementation, we are going to introduce Achievements so that you can explore them all.