Romestead News

[p][/p][p]Greetings Romans![/p][p][/p][p]Today at Indie Fan Fest we revelaed the latest trailer for Romestead, and along with it - our demo is now available![/p][p]The hour is at hand! Rome has fallen and only you and your friends can rebuild it![/p][p][/p][p]From the 19th of February to March 3rd, experience a slice of Romestead including but not limited to:[/p]

• [p]A tutorial that introduces the player to the game,[/p]
• [p]A fully procedurally generated world,[/p]
• [p]15+ dungeons to explore,[/p]
• [p]7 Roman gods to earn favor with,[/p]
• [p]3 Bosses,[/p]
• [p]The first two biomes of progression, including tiers of buildings and equipment,[/p]
• [p]Co-op support for up to 8 players.[/p]

[p][/p][p]Streaming Restrictions? No more![/p][p]Any previous streaming or content recording block has now been lifted! Feel free to stream and share to your hearts content![/p][p][/p][p]Looking for someone to play with?[/p][p]Our Discord server has plenty of fellow rebuilders willing to play and chat with, and during the demo we will host events and competitions to participate in![/p][p] And if you haven't already, check out the demo trailer on steam! \[Link to Video on Beartwigs channel] [/p][p]Welcome one and all to the wonderful world of Romestead! Roma Aeterna![/p][p][/p][p]-The Beartwigs Team[/p]

[p]Greetings Romans!
[/p][p]We are pleased to announce that we will be a part of Indie Fan Fest!
Go ahead and check out the showcase on Thursday, February 19th, 10 AM PST![/p][p][/p][p]Can't wait to share with you what we've been working on![/p][p]https://indiefanfest.com/[/p][p][/p]

[p]Greetings Romans![/p][p]...and happy Saturnalia![/p][p][/p][p]The year 2025 is almost over, and what a year it has been. As 2025 comes to a close and our hard working dev team takes some time off for the holidays, we'd like to reflect on the year that's been and talk about what's to come. [/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]2025 - A Brief Review[/h2][p]Safe to say that while we've been working on the game for a few years now, 2025 was by far the biggest one for us. We finally got to let the world know about Romestead![/p][p][/p][p]And what an explosive start it was for us! Revealing the game at Future Games Show back in March was an extremely fun and exciting experience! We were blown away by the response as thousands of you came rushing immediately. [/p][p][/p][p]Safe to say we've had a busy year, and it'll get even busier next year![/p][p][/p][h2]2026 - What's Next[/h2][p][/p][p]Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is Romestead.[/p][p]Development on Romestead is stronger and better than ever. In the months since our announcement the game has drastically improved with either new features or updated mechanics - some of which we'll mention below this.[/p][p][/p][p]Due to this, news and posts on social medias has slowed down a ton, but we're kicking back into old fashion when we return from our holidays in early January.[/p][p][/p][p]While Romestead is not releasing in 2025, we'll have some exciting news to share with you in the new year. so do stay tuned to our channels and social medias![/p][p][/p][h2]What Are We Working On?[/h2][p][/p][p]The full list of all the things we're working on is way too long for a post like this, but we can give you some tidbits of the things we're most excited for![/p][h3]
Brave New World[/h3][p]Something that's seen a lot of changes during the past year is the world that you spawn into, both visually and mechanically. Not only have we updated a lot of the assets graphics, but we've also added tonnes of new flora and fauna to come across in your journeys. [/p][p][/p][p]Buildings now act differently per biome. A blacksmith will always have a lit furnace and get a big boost from being in the volcano, while the swamp boosts farmland productivity. Lumberyards thrive in the forest, but can no longer exist in the desert or volcanic biomes. [/p][p][/p][p]The world generation has also seen lots of updates, such as the satyrs gradually getting more and more of a foothold in the desert (visually). [/p][p]The satyrs have set up a big barricade at the desert entrance to act as an initial challenge, and massive camps around the desert to show that this is their domain.[/p][p]The volcano has also been given tonnes of love, from lots of new dungeons and locations to discover, to resource deposits and unique behaviour to building a town there.[/p][p][/p][p]The amount of new locations and dungeons across the world have tripled, ranging from large dungeons with extensive puzzles and obstacles, to tiny little hideaways with some supplies inside. We decreased the distance between them as well, making exploration rewarding and fun. But be aware! Some dungeons and treasures may be a bit harder to spot immediately![/p][p][/p][p]Comparing the world of Romestead from the start of the playtest to where it is now is night and day. The world is alive and beautiful, and it's hard not to stop and appreciate the sounds and visuals every now and then![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Progression & Lore[/h3][p]It became evident quite fast that our implemented tutorials were not up to the speed and task of where they needed to be, so the way we display and show information has gone from simple textboxes with text (and maybe an image if you were lucky) to animated windows and pop-ups![/p][p]Additionally, we've added a helpful figure to the start of the game that can help you with answering some questions and let you know where to go![/p][p][/p][p]In order to help you find your next objective and encourage exploration, we've also introduced god quests, where each god will have quests tied to them to unlock rewards and worship points. This requires you to head out into the world and retrieve items, defeat enemies, or complete other objectives![/p][p]God quests also allows us to gradually unlock the story for the player, as the gods slowly gain power and retrieve their memories![/p][p][/p][p]Because of the increased exploration incentive, we've also given our map a big overhaul. Rather than simply showing you where to go, we're now letting you place markers, see discovered dungeons and their names, as well as reveal boss locations on the map![/p][p][/p][p]Another change to progression is the favour trees. Playtesters will know that the trees used to be tied to gods, and you could only access a tree once you had unlocked a specific god. This would cause a disconnect where some players would save favour points forever, unable to unlock gods because of lack of access to certain items.[/p][p]So now, it's a big tree with different paths instead, more in line with how you'd normally see a talent tree in other games. Testing of this new method has revealed it to be a better and more popular solution. Plus! It allowed us to add even more favours![/p][p][/p][h3]Living World[/h3][p]Having playtesters has allowed us to both experiment with certain features, or tweak ones that have been in the game. Raids for example (covered in an earlier post) used to be frequent events that occurred every few days.[/p][p]Playtesters reported on this being very annoying, as it was a mechanic that was very "anti-exploration", forcing players to constantly return home to defend it. The solution was to make raids much rarer, and having it be an optional feature to take part in for rewards.[/p][p][/p][p]Weapon swapping, upgradeable carts, teleporting between towns, and much more are features heavily requested by the community, that has been enriching the experience and encouraging both combat and exploration.[/p][p][/p][p]Romestead has been shaped into something that feels alive and dense, and that is in no small part thanks to our community, and we'd like to extend a big warm "Thank You!" to everyone who has had a chance to participate and share feedback![/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Some Recent Additions/Upgrades:[/h2][p]More Bosses - Oh yes, and not only main bosses this time. We've got the optional kind too, with unique mechanics and rewards. One new bird, one more for the desert, and a massive one for the volcanic biome![/p][p]This makes the total count of bosses in the game 5, and more are coming![/p][p][/p][p]Quests & Lore - We've taken steps towards incorporating more of the lore in the game for players to find out, and this is partially done through items, but more importantly through quests! We are working on adding a big variety of quests from both gods and citizens that gives rewards, loyalty, and worship![/p][p][/p][p]Buildings - We're adding more buildings, construction materials, and functionality to the buildings. That means biome-based boosts/detriments to productions, more crafting recipes, and more decorations to make your town beautiful![/p][p][/p][p]Improved Map - Our world map has gone from simply showing what you've explored, to a tool that lets you place markers, see revealed dungeons, and see quest and boss locations![/p][p][/p][p]More Favours - It's been a while since our post on favours and worship, and since then we've decided to update and upgrade - adding tonnes more options for your build and a new, clearer way to display them![/p][p][/p][p]Exploration - We are adding a whole lot more of everything to encourage adventuring out into the world. Just in the past 2 months, we've added over 50 new locations to discover, and over 20 new dungeons to delve into. All with their own treasure to find![/p][p][/p][p]Polish - Gone with the old, in with the new. We're focusing a little extra on removing all the programmer art and debug icons, fixing up temporary VFX and placeholder assets. Even things like drop-tables and game-feel is getting a bit of a lift.[/p][p][/p][h2]Closing Remarks[/h2][p]And so the year, and this post, comes to an end. [/p][p]We're extremely proud and excited about the game and it's progress, and we are burning with anticipation to show it to you in the year to come. [/p][p]Thank you all *so* much for being here. [/p][p]All of us at Beartwigs want to wish you happy holidays, and a fantastic, exciting new year.[/p][p]Roma Aeterna!

- The Beartwigs Team[/p]

[p]Greetings Romans![/p][p]It's been a while since our last devlog! The team has been deep in the pits of development working hard, and that includes me! [/p][p][/p][p]As these devlogs progress it's a bit harder to find aspects of the game to talk about that we haven't shown yet, so it's time to get specific!![/p][p][/p][p]In today’s devlog, we're taking a deeper dive into the survivors of Romestead. If this seems familiar, it's because citizens have briefly been mentioned in Devlog VI: Homestead, and Devlog IV: The City Must Survive. [/p][p][/p][p]But there is much more to the survivors than initially is let on - so let's dive in![/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]As you'll notice pretty quickly, you (and potentially your friends) are waking up alone. As you learn the ropes and place your first couple of buildings you'll notice that the buildings won't function unless you have citizens assigned to them. [/p][p][/p][p]But where is everyone? [/p][p][/p][p]The survivors of old Rome are scattered across the four winds, and you have to go find them and bring them home! Currently, there are two main ways of finding citizens. You can either come across them sheltering in the wilds:[/p][p][/p][p]Or you can encounter them at the end of challenge dungeons, shivering for their lives hoping that the dreadful adversaries on the other end of the gate won't reach them. This one also comes with a reward in the form of a chest filled with treasures![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Once in town, you can interact with your town core to see an overview of your buildings and citizens, so you can properly assign them to their correct slots, creating the most effective town you can![/p][p][/p][p]
[/p][p]Each citizen has a set of stats that determine how well they work in their field, how fast they can complete tasks, and if their craft gets any bonuses. Not only that, but citizens work better with a full belly and some lovely decorations around, so it's a good idea to make sure their needs are met![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]The more dangerous the environment, the hardier the citizens who live there. This means that the citizens found in the volcanic biome will likely have better stats than one found in the plains.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Efficiency: Determines how fast a citizen can perform work orders.
Expertise: Increases the chance for extra improvements and unique enchants.
Happiness: The overall mood of a citizen affects both efficiency and expertise.
Food cost: How much food this citizen needs each day.
Hunger: If a citizen does not get enough food it affects their efficiency and expertise.
Loyalty: Each level of loyalty comes with a bunch of bonuses. We'll talk more about this in a bit.[/p][p][/p][p]On top of these there are of course experience, that determines how far you've got left until the citizen levels up in their assigned profession.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]A citizen keeps their profession levels as they move around. If you have a level 7 blacksmith and move them to a bakery, they'll be a level 1 baker and level 7 blacksmith. Whoever you place in the blacksmith in their stead will use their own blacksmith levels, which means the crafting recipes available to you will change depending on the citizen![/p][p][/p][p]Citizens vary in appearance and personality, and will have different things to tell you based on their personality, profession, and loyalty.[/p][p]But how do you increase loyalty? And what is it for?[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Talking to your citizens allows you to give them gifts. These gifts will have different loyalty gain depending on the personality of your citizens. A baker for example, might prefer the gift of food over weaponry. Some gifts even have secondary effects! The trinket called "Blacksmith's Gloves" will give you fire resistance, but in a hands of a citizen it'll increase their blacksmith levels! [/p][p][/p][p]As mentioned above, each level of loyalty comes with a bonus to stats. But that is not all. Once your citizens reach a certain level of loyalty, they'll start giving you quests that tie in with their personality. Maybe they are looking for a unique flower to leave at a loved ones grave? Or maybe one of their ancestors has risen from the dead to haunt them and you have to take them down?[/p][p][/p][p]Each quest comes with their own unique reward, as a thanks for helping your citizens once more. And who knows, maybe loyalty (or the lack of it) could have severe consequences down the road?[/p][p][/p][p]We hope that this system invokes a feeling of caring for your citizens, and that you'll form bonds with them and want to protect them from the dangerous world of Romestead. Raids, nightly enemies, and more will be out for your demise.[/p][p][/p][p]The forges are running hot in the Beartwigs office, as we're working on bringing the next biome to the game. The Volcanic Biome:[/p]

• [p]World Generation - As one of the more complex biomes to generate, a lot of time is spent generating the biome and interesting unique features.[/p]
• [p]Enemies / Bosses - The volcanic biome is a new step up in difficulty, and it reflects in the enemies you'll encounter here. It's getting hot, so make sure you prepare your Aloe Salves![/p]
• [p]Dungeons / Rewards - What is a Romestead biome without its dungeons and treasures? We're making sure your time here is well rewarded for the dangers it provides![/p]
• [p]Buildings & Construction - As always, each biome comes with a resource unlock, and each resource comes with a new tier of buildings and constructions at your disposal![/p]

[p][/p][p]That is all for now![/p][p]We've got loads of irons in the fire at the moment, but Vulcan blesses us and hopefully it won't be too long until you can explore the world with us. [/p][p][/p][p]Until next time,[/p][p]Roma Aeterna![/p][p][/p][p]- The Beartwigs Team[/p]

[p]Greetings Romans![/p][p]It is with great excitement that we're announcing our attendance to Gamescom 2025! [/p][p][/p][p]While we will mostly be in the business area, we will be walking around the event so don't hesitate to come say hi if you see us with our Beartwigs or Romestead shirts on![/p][p][/p][p]For most of us it'll be the first time at Gamescom, and we're greatly looking forward to everything it has to offer during our trip![/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]See you there![/p][p][/p][p]-The Beartwigs Team[/p]