Norland News

Hello everyone,

This update brings everything from the beta to the main branch—minus the bugs (we fixed those)—along with several exciting new features. Settlements can now be fortified with walls and defensive towers, bodyguards protect lords from nighttime dangers, and surprise attacks add a new layer of strategy to warfare.

We’ve also overhauled the guest system, added deeper intrigue mechanics, and made major landscape improvements.

This update is compatible with your saves.

Read on for the full breakdown of what’s new (I'll keep it brief since I described these features in more detail in previous updates for the beta branch).

[h2]Walls, Towers, and Gates[/h2][hr][/hr]You can now build walls, gates, and defensive towers in your settlement, assigning archers to defend them. Cities on the global map will also construct fortifications, which are now reflected in their sprites (they can't do that in the beta branch yet).


[h2]3D Landscape[/h2][hr][/hr]While working on walls, we realized the need to modify our landscape. Water now has depth, and the map features elevations and uneven terrain. This currently doesn’t affect gameplay, but we’ll change that soon.


[h2]Guest System Overhaul[/h2][hr][/hr]Guests who visit you now have specific goals, which they discover shortly after arriving. You can decide what to do with them once they reveal their purpose. No more pointless visits.

[h2]Puppets[/h2][hr][/hr]You, your lords, the bishop, and your neighbors can now create puppets from other lords (including your own). A puppet is bound to its master's will and can do their dirty work—such as shady dealings, intrigues, kidnappings, and even rebellions.

[h2]Local Map Intrigue[/h2][hr][/hr]You can now praise or slander others on the local map, allowing for more subtle manipulation of other lords’ feelings.

[h2]Bodyguards (new)[/h2][hr][/hr]One of the most popular suggestions on our Discord. You asked—we delivered. Now you can assign bodyguards to lords. At night, when criminals roam the streets, bodyguards will follow their lord and protect their home.



[h2]Sudden Attacks (new)[/h2][hr][/hr]Now that kings on the map can build fortifications and are protected from your guys rush attacks, we’re introducing sudden attacks. You can now launch attacks without prior warning or additional diplomacy. But be careful—your enemies can do the same. So when sending your army to fight in distant lands, make sure your walls are strong and your garrison is ready.



[h2]Bugs and Fixes[/h2]
We’ve fixed a lot of bugs and crashes. A lot. But since the changes are radical (especially regarding walls and terrain), some issues might still remain. Let us know if you find anything!

[h2]To the Community![/h2][hr][/hr]We’d love to hear your thoughts! Join the discussion on Discord, BlueSky, Twitter, YouTube, Reddit, and our wiki for updates, feedback, and community conversations.

Your input helps shape the future of Norland, so be sure to share your thoughts and stay connected! Let us know what you think about the update, share your feedback, and leave a review on Steam—it helps us continue improving Norland.

Thank you! We’re in great shape and gaining momentum!

Hello everyone!

Today, a small patch is coming to the beta, fixing many wall-related bugs and introducing the Puppet Mechanic.

[h2]Puppets[/h2]
If one lord's relationship with another exceeds 90, they enter a puppet and idol relationship.

A puppet will gladly give all their savings to their idol, defend them in a fight, and obey any command—even to kill.

You can turn lords from neighboring cities into puppets, and they will be ready to carry out Dark Deeds for you—kidnappings, seduction, organizing robberies, and more. You can also force a puppet to start an uprising and take power in their city.

Your neighbors and the bishop can also create puppets among your lords to act through them.

Overall, puppets are just the first step toward building hierarchical systems and political power in the game. There's much more to come!

[h2]Other improvements[/h2]

• Fixed lots of annoying bugs in the beta – messengers can now be sent on missions again!
  
• Fixed issues with walls and 3D terrain.
  
• Fixed starting maps.
  
• A character should no longer break their weapon if they surrender during a fistfight.
  

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Hello everyone,

We’re continuing to update the beta version, and today we’re rolling out the long-awaited walls to the beta channel.

[h2]City Walls[/h2]
They still need some polishing and adjustments to gameplay, but you can already give them a try. Next week, we’ll teach the AI to construct walls on the map, introduce additional threats to make wall-building more justified, and modify the map’s politics (e.g., reintroducing sudden, unprepared attacks).



For now, you can build wooden walls, defensive towers (which are sturdier than watchtowers), and city gates. The functionality of gates will also be expanded in the future — for example, you’ll be able to regulate migration through gate guard settings.



[h2]3D Landscape[/h2]
While developing the walls, we encountered limitations with our current landscape, so we decided to upgrade it to 3D. For now, it’s mostly a decorative feature, but we plan to add gameplay mechanics tied to it (for example, archers will shoot farther from higher positions). The landscape will also be improved artistically — we’ve just hired a new artist to the team.

Before:


Now:


[h2]Slander and Praise on the Local Map[/h2]
We’re continuing to expand the political system. While we’re still testing the puppet mechanics, we’re now adding the actions Praise and Slander to the local map, which were previously available only on the global map. This opens up even more opportunities for intrigue within your province.

All of this will remain in beta for a week or two. We’re looking forward to hearing your feedback and comments on the new mechanics!