Microcivilization News

[p]Hi,[/p][p][/p][p]even though It's a bit risky I decided to make some more content and add that to the Beta test of 0.11.[/p][h2]Myth Era[/h2][p]Since a lot of you have asked me to expand the end of the update to play a bit more in Tier 4, I decided to do some small chunk of playable content there. It's only as much as I was able to put together in two days and very likely is going to be buggy and horribly unbalanced but I think it's worth the extra trouble.[/p][p]Note: Please be aware this is just a first part of the Myth Era (a.k.a. Classical era in Tier 1). I have some core features planned which were too bit to do. Namely extending the tech tree and adding more Judgement fights and new Hero type as well as a scenario to defeat Locusts forever. We'll see when this happens.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Beta support this and next week[/h2][p]I will be stabilizing the existing beta version this week with this new extension and then be off most of the days the week 23th-29th. After that I will resume the normal Beta and will continue with these patches finishing this extension and hopefully releasing Beta to public during July. [/p][p][/p][p]Thanks a lot for your support in Beta, as usual if you spot any issue let me know on discord or steam community,[/p][p][/p][p]Cheers,[/p][p][/p][p]Ondrej[/p][p][/p]

• [p]Extended Tier 4 by adding Classical era (this time around called Myth era). For the moment it has the same Technology tree as old Classical era but extensions are planned.[/p]
• [p]Changed the ascension tree structure for Tier 4 - you now have different upgrades available for T4 Classical (Myth) Era including workshop magnification, all 7 world wonders and auto skills.[/p]
• [p]Tier 4 tree has steeper pricing for all upgrades. You will have to also spend Red, Black and White lotuses to gain some of the optional upgrades.[/p]
• [p]Vagabonds eat half food[/p]
• [p]Research trait on idols removed, added -% death instead[/p]
• [p]No longer gain Gold Lotus from non-ceremonial wonders.[/p]
• [p]Ceremonial wonders now continue producing Red lotuses on Tier 4.[/p]
• [p]Fixed spirit culture drop amounts.[/p]
• [p]Slightly updated wonder ability values to work with Magnification.[/p]
• [p]Cannibalism Cookout quest now grants a Barracks-like single use boost instead of a generic damage boost.[/p]
• [p]Meta-Powers (Horn, Consonant, Hymn) persistence code has been changed to make future changes easier but as a result your amounts from older save will not be picked up and you will start at zero. Sorry about that.
  [/p]

• Infused Heroes correctly save Idol charge progress
  
• Infused Heroes correctly get locked when using their Idol power
  
• Upgrading Heroes should no longer interfere with Idol infusion
  
• Merging recipes should no longer work on Infused heroes (must remove idol via dismantle first)
  
• Golden Calf (the unique Idol) now using correct Level restrictions 1-10
  
• Meta-Powers (Horn, Consonant, Hymn) are correctly loaded after saving (the fix is retrospective so you regain any that you 'apparently' lost)
  

Hi,

a couple of small fixes were added in a few small patches. Here's a summary of them.

• Having 1 Free Tech level and no Adopted technologies should no longer prevent Ancestral tech tree from spawning
  
• Some (hopefully all) Hero slot equipping restriction bugs were fixed
  
• Generic Ancestral techs renamed , no longer called Future era
  
• Sorting no longer unfuses idols
  
• Heroes from all slots should be correctly kicked out on reaching Tier 3
  
• Lowered tech costs on Tier 4 after emerging from T3
  

• Lotus perk should no longer cause game to crash on start
  
• Hero slot 5 should be correctly unlocked in tier 2
  
• Loading game with active lotus perk on should no longer cause forced load to ascension
  
• White lotus Pledges now reset correctly after restarts
  
• Game crashing when pressing/hovering Ascension button in some corner case
  

• Heroes from 0.10 should now be loaded correctly unchanged from previoud game version.
  

Thanks everyone

Ondrej

[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]

Hi,

finally we're drawing close to the next Major Update. Last missing Features are getting added, gaps are getting patched, bugs fixed and the weight of every decision is growing.

In the past four weeks I had to make some very tough choices what features to include/exclude in 0.11. So let's have a closer look what the 0.11 release is going to look like.




Organizational things first. At this moment Beta looks to be starting during the week June 9-15th (i.e. in two week's time from now the earliest). If all goes well, full release of 0.11 would happen in the first week of July.

However this update is huge (not perhaps by added playtime, but rather by code change size) so I'll try not to be too optimistic here.

My time-capacity will also be a bit smaller during end of June, so the odds are this beta could take 4 weeks or more to get things sorted out. I also decided to add some small features to the scope last-minute so not exactly made my life easier now (but hopefully will make it better later)



I promised to give you more details about the Judgement System so here goes.

[h3]Judgements will be Crises fought while in the Ascension Tree. [/h3]

That's basically all. But of course there is a ton of little details that matter...

[h2]What will cause a Judgement to appear?[/h2]

Same as for Crises, there will be several ways of summoning a Judgement. The main method will be through 'Locks' in between Ascension Tree nodes. Remember how you have to face Neolithic Revolution before researching Division of Labour in the Tech Tree? Same way Judgements will have their own 'locks' in Ascension tree and their role will be the same as Era Crises in Tech Tree - A Boss fight.

But as with Crises there will also be other ways to summon Judgements later on, involuntarily...


Work-in-Progress Judgement combat screen.

[h2]Where will Judgement be fought?[/h2]

Judgements will always be fought outside of the normal game screen after Ascending. You will not typically fight one every ascension. Initially this will be limited to specific thresholds in the Ascension Tree. A more generic combat system will emerge in Tier 4 (v0.12)!

[h2]What are Judgements?[/h2]

Judgement represents an unnamed higher power. Its purpose (or hers, since I chose to illustrate the Judgement as a feminine form) is to test if you are worthy of the powers you have. If you are considered unworthy, you will be pushed back.

Judgement is not evil or good, friend or enemy .... it is an essential part of your civilization itself. The part of you which will punish you for your own failings even if nothing else does. You will never be able to completely destroy it. (If you would, you would have no way to measure your worth!)


[h2]How can you overcome a Judgement?[/h2]

Because they are fought outside normal game, Judgements cannot be destroyed by Military or usual abilities. Instead a brand new set of 'Units' will be added to the game - for lack of a better name now let's call them 'Meta-Powers'.

[h3]Horn of Resolve[/h3]

First meta-power is already known because it already is in the game. Costing 1 Gold Lotus to buy (owning up to 3 at a time) I have reluctantly introduced the Horn early on as part of a 'patch' for difficulty. Besides its current in-game use it will have its own special effect on Judgements as well. However Horn of Resolve is not going to be accessible in Tier 3 (because Gold Lotuses aren't). We will revisit it in Tier 4 in the future.

[h3]Consonant of Cognition[/h3]

A new damage-dealing meta-power purchased for Black Lotus. It will deal small amount of damage to a Judgement and Expend one of it's attacks. It will be possible to use it in-game with similar effect (also being able to expend unblockable attacks).

[h3]Hymn to the Dead[/h3]

Hymn is the third meta-power added in 0.11. This one will be bought for a White Lotus. It will be capable of reducing Judgement Health percentage. It will also be useful in-game with a different effect of wiping all existing Predicaments and lowering Risks.

These are an initial set of meta-powers introduced in the upcoming update. Because of the large number of new features introduced in Tier 3 I decided to limit the exposure to Judgements only to a bare minimum and I will ramp that up as soon as the player moves on to Tier 4.




Because we're now closer to a mid-game in Tier 3 I am starting to open cookie boxes with some of the good stuff I prepared along the way. Let's name a few.

[h3]Hero Slot 5 and 6[/h3]

Both the extra slots will be available in Tier 3. They will work the same - allowing Unique Heroes only. However with the Introduction of Idols and Infusion, it will introduce more ways to combine your builds.

[h3]White lotus & Hymn of the Dead added also to Tier 2[/h3]

To reduce a big-bang introduction of three new types of Lotus in the same Tier I will add one of them earlier - The White Lotus will be added to Tier 2 Tree along with the Hymn Meta-Power.

This will give you an early tool against Predicaments before Tier 3 Idols.

[h3]Starting Research Level[/h3]

New Ascensions will be available increasing your starting Tech level. With each instance of this ascension you will automatically have one level of technology for free at the beginning of each game (all techs in the same vertical column). There will be limited number of this ascension obviously.

[h3]Extra Perk slots[/h3]
For an expensive price, you will be able to buy Ascensions increasing your Perk capacity permanently.

[h3]Wonder Magnitude[/h3]

You will be able to spend Secrets to multiply your Wonder effects (same as with Workshops). But be warned that your Tech era is limited basically to Neolithic in the Tier 3 so no Artemis/Zeus/Pyramid crazy stuff (yet).


[h2]Difficulty Settings coming[/h2]

After some contemplating I decided to introduce Difficulty settings to the game. But because I made this decision only about 2 weeks ago I'll have to do this in two steps. First I will add Normal & Easy difficulty in this update. Hard difficulty will be added in 0.12 hopefully along with a Hardcore option (perma-death).

My main reason to rush this feature in now is to let it settle down as early as possible. Because there's only 0.11 and 0.12 before full 1.0 there's only so much space to test this in real world.




So far the work on Tier 3 is on track of the January Roadmap and no significant changes were necessary. I will be doing my regular Roadmap update after 0.11 is out. But because this one update has been taking so long I thought it might be appropriate to talk about the long-term plan again a bit.

There's a huge amount of decision making still to be done. But there's a couple of points I can make already:

1. I intend to leave Early Access before the end of this year.
   
2. After leaving Early access I still have enough work in backlog for a minimum of two Major Updates (of about the same size as the quarterly major updates these days)
   
3. I have not yet made my mind which other features to add before leaving Early Access and which to add after.
   
4. Before version 1.0 (leaving Early access) there will still be another Major Update (v.0.12) roughly around September.
   

That's all for today. Stay tuned for the Beta and I hope I'll see you in two weeks time there.

Cheers,

Ondrej