SOULASH 2 — Two years of building a living world

[h2]Before Soulash 2 existed...[/h2][p]...the journey began with Soulash 1 — and with very humble foundations.
The first game was built entirely in ASCII, not as an artistic choice, but because there were no resources for custom art. For years, Soulash 1 grew on itch.io, shaped by experimentation, community feedback, and countless late nights spent turning a rough prototype into a real world.[/p][p]A failed Kickstarter meant we couldn’t fund the pixel art we hoped for — but instead of stopping, it pushed us to improve. In time, we gained the means to commission proper artwork and deliver Soulash 1 as the game it deserved to be.[/p][p]Those five years of building, failing, improving, and refining the vision laid the foundation for everything that would follow.[/p][p]Two years ago, Soulash 2 began as a solo project — an ambitious rebuild of the ideas introduced in the first game, but aiming for something far bigger: a fully simulated, reactive sandbox world where you can live, build, trade, explore, or conquer entire civilizations.[/p][p]Today, that solo project has grown into a five-person team. The world is richer than ever, the systems deeper, and the simulation far beyond what we imagined at the beginning.[/p][p]As we reach the two-year anniversary of development, it feels like the right moment to look back on everything that has taken shape since day one.[/p][p]This is our story.[/p][hr][/hr]

FOUNDATIONS OF A NEW WORLD

[p](Pre-Early Access)[/p][p]Before Soulash 2 reached Early Access, years of groundwork were laid to make the game's world truly alive.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]A deep simulation at its core[/h3][p][/p][p]We've built a world generator capable of creating unique continents every time:[/p]

[p]simulated geography: rivers, lakes, coastlines, elevation[/p]
[p]procedural settlements, ruins, dungeons, and other POIs[/p]
[p]dynamic civilizations shaped by migrations and conflicts[/p]
[p]persistent timelines tracking world events and NPC lives[/p]

[hr][/hr][h3]A new sandbox philosophy[/h3][p][/p][p]From the beginning, the goal was freedom:[/p]

[p]harvest any tree or mineral vein[/p]
[p]craft gear, food, supplies, and components[/p]
[p]build structures and settlements[/p]
[p]hire NPCs, trade, and influence local economies[/p]

[p]The world would be something you interact with and leave a mark on.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]Early civilizations and character concepts[/h3][p][/p][p]During early development, core character diversity was established:[/p]

[p]playable races present at EA launch: Human, Dwarf, Elf, Rasimi[/p]
[p]skills at EA launch: Adventuring, Athletics, Carpentry, Construction, Leatherworking, Mace Fighting, Protection, Pyromancy, Sword Fighting, Tailoring, Thievery, Weaponsmithing[/p]

[p]These early foundations later expanded into more complex progression paths.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]Fully integrated modding support[/h3][p][/p][p]One of the largest pre-EA efforts was rebuilding the modding architecture from Soulash 1 so modders could create entire civilizations and worlds of their own.

The new tools allow modders to:[/p]

[p]define new races, items, POIs[/p]
[p]add new production chains and buildings[/p]
[p]implement custom abilities and effects[/p]
[p]integrate seamlessly with Steam Workshop[/p]

[p]This groundwork made Soulash 2’s modding scene far more powerful and accessible than the first game.[/p][hr][/hr]

THE EARLY ACCESS LAUNCH

[p](2023)[/p][p]Entering Early Access marked the beginning of rapid growth and continuous evolution. For the first time, players could explore, experiment, and shape a world built from tons of pre-EA work. The launch established the foundation for all major systems that would grow over the next two years.[/p][hr][/hr]

THE MAJOR DEVELOPMENT MILESTONES

[p](2023–2025)[/p][p]These two years delivered some nice features to Soulash 2.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]Larger, richer procedural worlds[/h3][p][/p][p]We introduced:[/p]

[p]new large world sizes[/p]
[p]expanded POI variety[/p]
[p]more distinct biomes with unique resource profiles[/p]

[p]The world became more diverse, more dangerous, and more alive.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]A deep crafting system[/h3][p][/p][p]Crafting evolved into one of the game’s deepest systems:[/p]

[p]gear customization through materials and recipes[/p]
[p]integration with settlements and local economies[/p]

[p]Now you could craft your way in to the world.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]Party system[/h3][p][/p][p]A complete transformation of the RPG foundation:[/p]

[p]recruit companions[/p]
[p]shared inventories[/p]
[p]Improved combat AI[/p]
[p]follower equipment[/p]

[p]For the first time, players could build true adventuring teams.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]Settlements and Building[/h3][p][/p][p]One of the most ambitious systems we have ever created:[/p]

[p]construct settlements from scratch[/p]
[p]place buildings tile-by-tile[/p]
[p]establish production chains[/p]
[p]automate gathering & crafting[/p]
[p]manage jobs and workers[/p]
[p]build farms, workshops, defenses, and more[/p]

[p]This added an entirely new layer of strategy and creativity.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]Conquest & Warfare[/h3][p][/p][p]A massive update bringing large-scale conflict into the game:[/p]

[p]command squads and armies[/p]
[p]conquer cities[/p]
[p]rule territories[/p]
[p]manage conquered populations[/p]
[p]reshape the entire world through force[/p]

[p]The sandbox expanded from personal survival to world domination.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]World and exploration improvements[/h3][h3][/h3][p]Over the two years, we continually added:[/p]

[p]more unique POIs (156 unique locations, with hundreds more wilderness encounters)[/p]
[p]improved biome variety[/p]
[p]better resource distribution[/p]
[p]new rare locations and secrets[/p]

[p]Exploration rewarded curiosity more than ever.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]Combat, magic and skills[/h3][p][/p][p]We expanded combat depth significantly:[/p]

[p]new skills to use: Alchemy, Cryomancy, Divine Fists, Floromancy, Hunting, Imbuing, Necromancy, Stormthrowing[/p]
[p]smarter enemy AI[/p]
[p]better balance across builds[/p]

[p]Magic especially grew in complexity and playstyle variety.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]UI & QoL evolution[/h3][p][/p][p]Across updates we added:[/p]

[p]better inventory management[/p]
[p]improved tooltips & filters[/p]
[p]reworked windows for crafting, settlements, and jobs[/p]
[p]cleaner layouts[/p]

[p]Every part of the game became easier to navigate and understand.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]Performance and engine improvements[/h3][p][/p][p]Two years of continuous optimizations brought:[/p]

[p]faster world generation[/p]
[p]smoother AI processing[/p]
[p]improved settlement simulation[/p]
[p]better memory use[/p]
[p]faster loading[/p]
[p]more responsive UI[/p]
[p]reduced stutters and lag[/p]

[p]The game now runs better than at any other point in development.[/p][hr][/hr]

LOOKING BACK AT TWO YEARS OF CREATION

[p][/p][p]In two years, Soulash 2 has grown into:[/p]

[p]a deep, simulated world with real history[/p]
[p]full settlement-building[/p]
[p]empire conquest and warfare[/p]
[p]character progression[/p]
[p]tactical combat[/p]
[p]a living economy[/p]
[p]hundreds of POIs[/p]
[p]rich crafting and survival systems[/p]
[p]total modding freedom[/p]

[p]Looking back at these two years, it’s incredible to see how far the project has come. What started as a small continuation of the ideas behind the first Soulash — a hobby born from ASCII prototypes, community feedback, and long nights of experimentation — has grown into a fully simulated world shaped by a passionate five-person team and an even more passionate community.[/p][p]And even after all this time, the vision keeps expanding. New systems, new ideas, entire features waiting to be explored — the future of Soulash feels wide open.
What will the world look like in a few more years?
We’re excited to find out together.[/p][p]None of this would have been possible without you — your feedback, your bug reports, your ideas, your mods, your patience, and your excitement. You’ve helped shape Soulash 2 into the world it is today, and we’re deeply grateful to everyone who has supported us.[/p][hr][/hr][h3]⭐ A small request — and a big thank you[/h3][p]If Soulash 2 has earned a place in your heart, if you’ve enjoyed watching it grow and evolve, or if you simply want to support the work of a small team building a big world, we would be honored to have your vote in this year’s Steam Awards: Labour of Love.[/p][p]This category means a lot to us — because that’s exactly what Soulash 2 is: a long-term, continuously growing project fueled by passion and shaped by a dedicated community.[/p][p]If you feel we’ve earned it, please consider voting for Soulash 2 in the “Labour of Love” category.
Your support helps more than you know.[/p][p]And truly — thank you for being part of this journey.[/p]