1. Microcivilization
  2. News
  3. Ancestral Era Beta test is Open

Ancestral Era Beta test is Open

[p]Hi all, [/p][p]let me invite you to the beta-test of version 0.11 using the experimental branch pass-key: [/p][p][/p][h2]WelshCorgiPembroke[/h2][p][/p][p]Just go to the Steam, find Microcivilization in your library, go to its Properties, Betas and insert your key to the text box. [/p][p] The branch is already activated and should contain game version 0.11.0 [/p][p]Because of the update size this Beta will run for a minimum of FOUR weeks. Please if you have any feedback, check out the community forum or visit us on discord. In 0.11 you can continue with Tier 2 Scenario and fight through the third tier of the Ascension tree. [/p][p] [/p][h2]Tier 3 Mechanics[/h2][p]Here's a brief summary of what you may expect:[/p]
  • [p]Tier 3 takes you to the ancestral times removing (temporarily) most your abilities for the duration of tier 3.[/p]
  • [p]You will lose access to your Ascension upgrades you have earned (you will regain all the Lotus spent later and be able to reach all those ascension again in Tier 4 dont worry - this is not a reset)[/p]
  • [p]You will have different types of Quests available on the map resembling a nomadic tribal play style with no permanent settlements (until you discover them).[/p]
  • [p]You will be able to Adopt Technologies into your tech tree to avoid struggling through chaotic 'endless' tech tree.[/p]
  • [p]You will be earning new types of Lotus to progress in Ascension tree[/p]
  • [p]You will not be able to use your Heroes in Tier 3. Instead you will gain brand new type of heroes - Idols. You will later be able to infuse Idols with your old Heroes.[/p]
  • [p]The current version ends with 're-emergence' from Tier 3 to Tier 4 and regaining your basic abilities. However you will not reach beyond Tier 4 Neolithic era yet - this is coming in 0.12.[/p]
[p]This generally covers the main areas. If you are interested you can take a look in my previous dev updates - all the new mechanisms are described there in detail.[/p][p][/p][h2]Changes to existing gameplay[/h2][p]For practical reasons most of the existing gameplay has been left untouched - mainly due to sheer volume of features for Tier 3 - they were enough for almost twice as long update.[/p][p]However a couple of small changes aimed to smooth the transition to Tier 3:[/p]
  • [p]New 'White lotus' available in Tier 2.[/p]
  • [p]Two White lotus 'Pledge' Perks available on Tier 2 (the mechanism to farm White lotus).[/p]
  • [p]New ability to wipe Predicaments (via charges purchased for White lotus)[/p]
  • [p]Slight changes to Hero traits balancing.[/p]
  • [p]Introduced Easy and Normal Difficulty settings affecting combat (Hard & potentially Hardcore will be introduced later). You can change these mid-game without consequences (for now).[/p]
[p]I expect to address some small things during beta, but this update is mostly about the new 'chapter'. I will be focusing more on the existing balancing and QoL next time.[/p][p][/p][h2]Outstanding Work for BETA[/h2][p]This time it is worth to mention there are some tasks which I have decided to leave unfinished and instead launch the Beta earlier. The reasons are simply time constraints - It is more useful to run a Beta test while working on some features which do not directly affect gameplay mechanics and the beta testing process itself. [/p]
  • [p]Sounds and Music - an update on sound effects and music is planned. Many actions are now without a sound and will need a proper update. My sound system is however quite messy and needs a focused redesign making the build slightly bigger than it may seem. Plus I've nearly finished the Main Theme which I'd like to add to the title screen.[/p]
  • [p]UI & Visuals - this implies some bugs but there's also a plan to do update for some UI elements and rework some screens altogether (Starting position with Perk selection for instance). Icons on some areas are also outdated and need a polish.[/p]
  • [p]Achievements - new achievements for tier 3 are partially prepared on paper, all of them will be added to the game during beta before official release.[/p]
[p][/p][p]That's all for now. See you soon (in the nearest patch notes :) ) Cheers,[/p][p][/p][p]Ondrej[/p]