Feudums News

[h2]Great news, ladies and gentlemen![/h2]

Feudums is still in development, but its two milestone builds and the several smaller updates provide enough material to play and grasp the feel of how the overall game will work once it’s completed.

Demo downloads and mirrors are available in the official Feudums site:
https://feudums.com/download

The demo supports the Steam Authentication API, so you can register and log in with your Steam user if you like (your data is handled by Steam)!

[h3]Alternatively, a free Steam demo is now also available![/h3]


Our demos are always updated as new milestone builds are completed or we have quality of life (QoL) improvements to add. We always invite the community to play our game and give us any feedback you have afterwards. We love to hear from our players!

Just remember, we are PRE-early access: much of the game is not yet available as we continue to plug away on development. This is more like a minimum viable product so you can have a first impression and tell us whether we're on the right track. While we do our best to ship stable previews, don’t be surprised if you find a few bugs. If you are unlucky enough to find one, please make sure to report it so we can fix it for our next update!

If pre-beta games are not your cup of tea, that is completely fine. Please bear with us until we ship a more or less feature-complete public beta.


[hr][/hr]
Join our Discord community to chat, get more info about the game and participate in pre-EA testing!
https://discord.gg/QgERDnU

Support the development of Feudums on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/feudums

[h2]Welkom terug Ladies and Lords (welcome back)! [/h2]
Thanks for reading our latest update!

We’ve been discussing several things that set the in-game mood as well as point to our exquisite attention to detail over the past few weeks. We’ve looked at things we consider as ‘game changers’ – heraldry and differing architecture styles as well as how the game will allow the personification of your noble house and different personas playing under it. However, the biggest of all, in our opinion, will be how Feudums will weave vassalage into game play.

At a super high level, vassalage was the archaic system of social organization where someone gave things to another in return for loyalty and other things. As an example, let’s go back to George R.R Martin’s Game of Thrones series. At the start, House Frey were vassals of House Stark. In theory that meant the Frey’s paid some money for taxes and sent some food to the Starks and helped them with military action as needed. The Stark’s responsibility was to protect the Frey’s. In Feudums, that dynamic will stay the same.

A player can become a vassal to another by the act of homage and fealty (and that will mean something in game!). The actual give and take between the two players can be negotiated and can include an array of economic, military and diplomatic duties and sometimes the transfer of lands.

Of course, oaths are made to be broken, but to do so has costs, even if you have a proper reason.

So, if oaths can be broken, why would any player want to invite others to become a vassal? The answer, as in real life, is that there is always a limit above which one cannot effectively manage their holdings, and if one pushes too hard, the dominion will collapse. Veteran MMO players have seen, and probably experienced themselves, burnout when there is too much to do. If breaking off small pieces of land and giving them to others to manage makes your life less complex, why not do it; while accepting new vassals with their own lands can help your kingdom grow. You still get benefits – taxes, resources, and military help when needed – so why not delegate? From another perspective, new players might want to join a game under the protection of a larger player so they can prosper in peace, at least for a while. A win-win all around.

Introducing new players as vassals – or offering your friends a landing spot in a running game - also means the game stays balanced as new players join or leave (in which case, the land can revert back to the liege). A good player will be a liege to some and probably be a vassal to another. Such was life in the Middle Ages. A player can stay in a coalition till the end or keep a watchful eye for a Red Wedding opportunity!

To learn more, please check out a short read here:
https://feudums.com/content/vassals-secret-your-success


[hr][/hr]
Join our Discord community to chat, get more info about the game and participate in pre-EA testing!
https://discord.gg/QgERDnU

Support the development of Feudums on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/feudums

[h2]Herzlich Willkommen! (welcome back)! [/h2]
Thanks for checking in this week!

Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve talked about medieval heraldry and house/persona traits, the in-game items that will help make you unique among players. This week, let’s chat about a feature that will make the game itself unique – cultural differences in architecture.

There won’t be a cookie cutter look to the buildings going up around the map in Feudums. That’s because each player will choose from several different options right from the get-go. That look will permeate their buildings and cities, and conquered areas will retain the look of the original owners.

Feudums’ culture groups - as a fictional territory - are currently based on Norse / Nordic, Western European, Eastern European, Italian / Mediterranean, and Byzantine / Mid-Eastern influences. We might make these groups more granular if resources allow. The end result of the style options will be a hodge-podge of different looks throughout your fledgling kingdom – just like it was in real life.

Let me make a quick sidenote here: culture groups also influence the furniture and style of your Knights’ Hall and of your court members, just like the style of the main character we’re showing as your persona in the liege’s chair in said Hall. Once our diplomacy milestone is complete, you can expect to visit a rich and diverse selection of Halls during your diplomatic missions.

A lot of folks won’t think this is a big deal, and I guess in the grand scheme of things, it probably isn’t. However, it is just another thing we are doing to enrich the vibe and turn Feudums into a truly unique experience.

To see some of the different styles, please check this out:


Next week, we’ll discuss another thing that will set Feudums apart from everyone else! Until then!


[hr][/hr]
Join our Discord community to chat, get more info about the game and participate in pre-EA testing!
https://discord.gg/QgERDnU

Support the development of Feudums on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/feudums

[h2]Bienvenidos de nuevo, damas y señores (welcome back)! [/h2]
Thanks for checking out our update this week!

Last week, we talked about medieval heraldry and how Feudums will incorporate it into the game via unique coat of arms that players develop. This week, we want to introduce you to our House / Persona system.

To begin, imagine a large oak tree. The trunk of that tree is strong and sturdy. It represents your noble house. The branches represent the games you play in, while the leaves are your individual personas in those games. Last, but not least, the roots represent the history of your house: the more games you play, the taller your tree grows and the longer shadow it throws over the landscape.

When you start an account with Feudums, you will create that unique coat of arms we talked about last week. This is your house coat of arms (COA) and usually cannot be changed without some in-game accomplishment or other valid excuse. A player’s persona in an individual game might use a slightly altered version of the House COA, which starts with only humble differences, but can add additional design elements or heraldic devices as the game progresses and certain criteria are met. Unlocked house COA changes can be taken forward as you enter new games under new personas – it represents that an ancestor won that charge in a previous game.

In addition to new COA items, a persona and a house can earn traits that can be both single-game related or persistent through the arc of all games. For example, in George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones series, the Lannister House was known to always pay their debts. In Feudums, that would be a persistent trait carried by all your later different game personas because of an awarded achievement. The player in a specific individual game won a coveted trait that succeeding generations could potentially capitalize on. Of course, it works both ways. There are negative traits as well. These earned traits go into a pool that players can pull from to personalize their in-game personas.

As you play games, they begin to change the COA look and house character over the generations. This concept is one that will make each player and each game unique.

Want to know more about this? Then check out a short read with additional examples here: https://feudums.com/content/family-matters

Stay tuned for next week's topic! Until then...



[hr][/hr]
Join our Discord community to chat, get more info about the game and participate in pre-EA testing!
https://discord.gg/QgERDnU

Support the development of Feudums on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/feudums

[h2]Bon retour, Mesdames et Seigneurs (welcome back)! [/h2]
Thanks for stopping by again!

When anyone thinks of the Middle Ages, their mind always goes to knights and their colorful coat of arms (COA). We knew that we would need to recreate those colorful symbols right up front if we were going to nail the medieval vibe.

Feudums introduced a Coat of Arms Creator early in its development as a separate download and by now, with its integration into the code, it's one of the first things you do when you download the game. Every player will create a unique coat of arms right after they start an account with us. And when I say unique, I mean no two players will have the same design. Your coat of arms will advertise your in-game persona and will be your medieval ‘business card.’

There are thousands upon thousands of variations to choose from and the Coat of Arms Editor explains the basic meaning behind each item. As you create your COA, you are literally creating the backstory for your in-game House. Your specific characters can still deviate from the House’s Coat of Arms, altering some details or earning their own heraldic devices.

Further, hitting certain in-game achievements will unlock some rare symbols which you can add to the Coat of Arms of your characters or your House. Just as in real life, your COA will evolve as your in-game personas have different experiences and your House starts casting a longer shadow.

You can read about COAs here in our article:
https://feudums.com/content/wearing-your-story-coat-arms-primer

Do you have a great idea for your Coat of Arms? Don’t miss the opportunity then – join the game and create yours before someone else does. Don’t forget, COAs are unique.

Next week, we’ll take a quick dive into game personas and house traits!

[hr][/hr]
Join our Discord community to chat, get more info about the game and participate in pre-EA testing!
https://discord.gg/QgERDnU

Support the development of Feudums on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/feudums