Folklands News

[p]This is a minor update to fix a few bugs that managed to sneak past the quality control:[/p]

• [p]FIXED: Options window no longer shows up under the pause overlay[/p]
• [p]FIXED: The education bonus overview in the building popup windows now show the associated education level, not just the bonuses[/p]
• [p]EXPERIMENTAL: Experimental fix for Japanese text not properly breaking[/p]

[h2]0.7.0 The "Education & Research" update,[/h2][p]This is the next major update for Folklands, which we've called the "Education & Research" update. Detailed patch notes follows, and for a more in-depth look at the changes that has gone into this new version, check out our previous devlogs and announcements.[/p][h2]New[/h2]

• [p]Reworked the way map data is loaded to improve general performance on lower-end devices.,[/p]
• [p]Added a camera position overlay to the minimap,[/p]
• [p]Map changes in new games are now applied instantly to the generated map without having to re-generate between each settings change,[/p]
• [p]Severely improved loading times for bigger saves,[/p]
• [p]Several changes and improvements to performance in bigger settlements.,[/p]
• [p]Added support for detecting Steam Deck and showing the correct input glyphs,[/p]
• [p]Added support for showing the Steam floating input keyboard in input fields,[/p]
• [p]Added education levels and education for folks,[/p]
• [p]Added tech tree and unlockable research items,[/p]
• [p]Added new production efficiency graphs,[/p]
• [p]Added new Economy overview,[/p]
• [p]New animations and charactermodels for 14 professions, in total more than 150 new animations - ongoing update,[/p]
• [p]Updated settlement information,[/p]
• [p]Reworked happiness effect,[/p]
• [p]Support for building variations added,[/p]
• [p]Added visible kingdom standings with foreign kingdoms,[/p]
• [p]Highlight building on hover with mouse,[/p]
• [p]New, updated resource art for severel in-game resources[/p]
• [p]It's now possible to build bridges across fish schools,[/p]
• [p]Rewritten task queueing system for better performance across all tasks,[/p]
• [p]Toilet paper stacking has not been added to folk homes.[/p]
• [p]Updated in-game UI with additional tooltips and help text[/p]

[p]New buildings and objects[/p]

• [p]Library,[/p]
• [p]School,[/p]
• [p]Stone mine,[/p]
• [p]Lookout tower,[/p]
• [p]Banners,[/p]

[p]Known issues:[/p]

• [p]The upkeep functionality has not been enabled yet, but is still mentioned in various places[/p]
• [p]Spider/bee stacking: The game does not feature any bees or spiders, so they cannot be stacked. We've been told some bees like to hang around the berry bushes, but they don't stack either. [/p]

[p](PS: if stacking toilet paper, spiders or bees is your thing, you should probably check out https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2001070?emclan=103582791472463357&emgid=524227425953908639 instead)[/p]

[p]Hey everyone,[/p][p]The wait is over. Our biggest update yet for Folklands is here.[/p][p]Over the past two days we previewed performance upgrades, quality of life improvements, and the introduction of new systems like education and the tech tree. Today you can dive into the full update with new buildings, professions, and content to explore.[/p][h3]New Buildings and Objects[/h3]

• [p]Library[/p]
• [p]School[/p]
• [p]Stone Mine[/p]
• [p]Lookout Tower[/p]
• [p]Banners[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]New Visuals and Professions[/h3]

• [p]Fresh character models and more than 150 new animations across 14 professions[/p]
• [p]Updated resource art for Wheat, Wood, and Planks[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h3]Systems and Improvements[/h3]

• [p]New systems: Education, Research, Economy tools, and Kingdom standings[/p]
• [p]Faster loading times and smoother performance[/p]
• [p]Plus all the performance and quality of life upgrades from Days 1 and 2[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]This is the most ambitious update yet, and we cannot wait to see how you use these new tools to grow your settlements. If you are enjoying the game, leaving a review on Steam helps us a lot and supports future updates.[/p]

[p]Hey everyone,[/p][p]We are back with Day 2 of our three-day preview of the next major Folklands update, launching Wednesday, September 10. Today’s focus is on the new systems that expand how you manage and grow your settlement.[/p][h2]Education and Progression[/h2]

• [p]Added education levels and education for folks[/p]
• [p]New tech tree with unlockable research items[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][h2]Economy and Management[/h2]

• [p]New production efficiency graphs for better planning[/p]
• [p]New Economy overview screen[/p]
• [p]Updated settlement information for clearer feedback[/p]
• [p]Reworked happiness effect to better reflect your people’s well-being[/p]

[p][/p][h2]Variety and World Interaction[/h2]

• [p]Support for building variations[/p]
• [p]Visible kingdom standings with foreign kingdoms[/p]
• [p]Bridges can now be built across fish schools[/p]

[p][/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]These features deepen Folklands’ core loop, giving you more ways to grow and manage your settlement over time.[/p][p]Tomorrow we will wrap up with the full launch, including new buildings, professions, and visual updates. The update goes live Wednesday, September 10.[/p]

[p]Hey everyone,[/p][p]We’re kicking off a three-day look at the next major update, which launches Wednesday, September 10. [/p][p]Today’s focus is on performance and quality of life. These changes make every session feel snappier and more reliable, especially in larger settlements and on lower-end devices. The list below is not complete, and there are tons of other smaller changes and improvements, but we want to highlight a few key improvements that you've been asking for![/p][p][/p][h2]Performance[/h2]

• [p]Map loading improvements: We have reworked the way the map data loads to improve performance on lower-end devices, and to prepare for supporting big map configurations with additional content. This includes chunk-loading parts of the map, on-screen and in-view detection and hundreds of optimizations to make sure the game runs smoothly for everyone.[/p]
• [p]Improved loading times: We took a new look at the loading and saving functionality, addressing several issues that caused slowness while games were being loaded. The end result is a severely improved loading experience for everyone, and especially for bigger saves.[/p]
• [p]Optimizations: Most of the game systems have been checked and re-visited to add performance optimizations and improvements where possible. Additional layers of caching have been added to speed things up, and some parts of the code has been rewritten for improved performance.[/p]
• [p]Task queuing system: Your villagers do things in a task-based system, but sometimes that system was being a bit ... dumb. Some tasks could easily block the progression of other tasks, and especially as your settlement grew, non-important tasks could overtake important tasks. After adding a new task queuing system, performance has improved dramatically across all tasks.[/p]

[h2]Quality of life[/h2]

• [p]Tooltips: We've gone through the entire UI and added helpful tooltips and popups to explain things better. No more getting lost about what each button do or doesn't do.[/p]
• [p]Map generator improvements: We've sped up the map generator for new games, and updated the way it works so your map changes now apply instantly without a full regeneration. This makes it easier to tweak and change settings on maps you like.[/p]
• [p]We added a camera position overlay added to the minimap so you can easily see where on the map you're looking[/p]
• [p]A visual building highlight has been added when you pause your mouse over a building for easier selection and planning[/p]
• [p]While we haven't managed to reach the framerate target for full Steam Deck "supported" labelling yet, we've added support for several Steam Deck-specific functions such as correct input glyphs, framerate improvements and floating keyboard inputs.[/p]

[p][/p][p]That’s Day 1. Tomorrow we’ll cover the new systems that add depth to your settlements, including education, the tech tree, and more![/p]