'The Lands Beyond' - Random Exploration Update Coming Soon!
Hey guys!
A little while ago I made a list of some major feature ideas (or sets of ideas) that had accumulated from both myself and the community and was considering ones to work on. One scared me a little, so I decided to go for that one. And that's how I began working on Random Exploration!
Although at first It did feel like I'd bitten off more than I could chew I'm actually pretty happy with the progress now!
The concept was simple, add an additional fifth option to the exploration screen that allows you to spend exploration chances on discovering new randomly generated locations.
So far I've done a small batch of location types and already it feels random everytime with them. The most random and varied ones are Tombs, Shrines, and Fight Pits. All the locations have variations and alternate states but those three do it really well.
* Huts - Holding loot / Random peasants / Guards / Nothing
* Battlefields - That can be cleared / Necromanced
* Graveyards - With readable gravestones / Possible Necromancy / Looting / Desecration
* Fight Pits - Can be goblin pits / Child pits / Mage Pits / with betting, attacking, watching etc
* Shrines - Can be worshipped / ruined / looted
* Tombs - Can be delved by sending a unit / Can vary lots in size and contents
* Merclodges - Can be hired / attacked / bartered with
I have some plans for each of these location types but usually more ideas and formed concepts come to me as I'm building them, so I'm looking forward to being able to playtest with all of these in the mix, and possibly more!
* Villages - Recruit / Attack / Loot / Explore
* Merchant Posts - Trade / Attack / Talk
* Mines - Collapse / Loot / Attack / Trade
* Mountains - Climb
* Taverns - Attack / Drink / Talk
* Bandit Dens - Attack / Hire / Talk
* Labyrinths - Delve / Collapse
* Towers - Explore / Destroy / Climb
* Caves - Delve
* Forts - Attack / Hire / Destroy / Talk
* Slave Hubs - Hire / Sell / Destroy / Talk
* Holes in the ground - Could contain anything, loot, a family, a crazed man etc
* Potentially some others to be decided later in dev...
I'm quite happy with the progress so far and in playtesting it actually feels fairly fresh! Some locations are really nice and varied even when I just repeatedly force visited the same location template type in testing, I have also become addicted to destroying every building I find once I'm done with it... I mean what does it matter I'll never come back to that location again right?
So lets have a look at some places I found in my runs so far...
A tomb to a man named Clethus but it at some point caved in so there's not much I can here aside from the extra option I have as a necromancer to raise the remnants of old Clethus and co.
And a battlefield with a few patches of scrap I can search through... why not
Must have been cave people fighting here...
A graveyard... Oh... Will I pay my respects and leave in peace?
Sorry Alarach but while you're here slumbering I have a kingdom to run, so thanks for the gigantic codpiece... doubt you'll be needing it anymore
Ok it's been looted... No need to do anything else...
Oops
Hmm, a strange hut?
A warrior?
Not the greatest Warrior but another sword is always handy!
Are they though?
Another hut?
Oh keeping watch for bandits are you? Just what a bandit would say, kill them!
A goblin fight pit?
Let's go Redbeard, no one in their right mind would be on a panicked goblin
...
Shame
Another tomb, hmm... I wonder who this Ullor feller was.
Hmm, condemend to be forgotten, I guess that's why this tomb is hidden,
It's delving time, come on peasant I'll be fine... Do you think anything disturbing could lie in the tomb of Ullor the DISTURBED. haha
Oh dear...
Next! Oh seems like the friends of Ullor ran over budget
All this for the ancient rusty fork of Ullor... Worth it? You decide
Huzzah!
But first...
And well you get the point. Seriously I could play and share the random stuff it's spitting out all day.
I'm continuing to work on the locations remaining and still have some ideas for locations I have completed. I imagine villages and taverns are going to be the toughest cookies to crack but I plan to do my best with them.
If you guys have any ideas for the location types, or things of that nature I'm always happy to hear them but of course can't guarentee they will be included in the updates scope!
Cheers for reading and I hope I can deliver this awesome update soon! (Eta next few weeks ideally)
All the best
Huw
A little while ago I made a list of some major feature ideas (or sets of ideas) that had accumulated from both myself and the community and was considering ones to work on. One scared me a little, so I decided to go for that one. And that's how I began working on Random Exploration!
THE DEVELOPMENT
Although at first It did feel like I'd bitten off more than I could chew I'm actually pretty happy with the progress now!
The concept was simple, add an additional fifth option to the exploration screen that allows you to spend exploration chances on discovering new randomly generated locations.
LOCATION TYPES CODED SO FAR
So far I've done a small batch of location types and already it feels random everytime with them. The most random and varied ones are Tombs, Shrines, and Fight Pits. All the locations have variations and alternate states but those three do it really well.
* Huts - Holding loot / Random peasants / Guards / Nothing
* Battlefields - That can be cleared / Necromanced
* Graveyards - With readable gravestones / Possible Necromancy / Looting / Desecration
* Fight Pits - Can be goblin pits / Child pits / Mage Pits / with betting, attacking, watching etc
* Shrines - Can be worshipped / ruined / looted
* Tombs - Can be delved by sending a unit / Can vary lots in size and contents
* Merclodges - Can be hired / attacked / bartered with
LOCATION TYPES BEING CODED SOON
I have some plans for each of these location types but usually more ideas and formed concepts come to me as I'm building them, so I'm looking forward to being able to playtest with all of these in the mix, and possibly more!
* Villages - Recruit / Attack / Loot / Explore
* Merchant Posts - Trade / Attack / Talk
* Mines - Collapse / Loot / Attack / Trade
* Mountains - Climb
* Taverns - Attack / Drink / Talk
* Bandit Dens - Attack / Hire / Talk
* Labyrinths - Delve / Collapse
* Towers - Explore / Destroy / Climb
* Caves - Delve
* Forts - Attack / Hire / Destroy / Talk
* Slave Hubs - Hire / Sell / Destroy / Talk
* Holes in the ground - Could contain anything, loot, a family, a crazed man etc
* Potentially some others to be decided later in dev...
HOW ITS GOING
I'm quite happy with the progress so far and in playtesting it actually feels fairly fresh! Some locations are really nice and varied even when I just repeatedly force visited the same location template type in testing, I have also become addicted to destroying every building I find once I'm done with it... I mean what does it matter I'll never come back to that location again right?
So lets have a look at some places I found in my runs so far...
A QUICK DELVE INTO THE LANDS BEYOND
A tomb to a man named Clethus but it at some point caved in so there's not much I can here aside from the extra option I have as a necromancer to raise the remnants of old Clethus and co.
And a battlefield with a few patches of scrap I can search through... why not
Must have been cave people fighting here...
A graveyard... Oh... Will I pay my respects and leave in peace?
Sorry Alarach but while you're here slumbering I have a kingdom to run, so thanks for the gigantic codpiece... doubt you'll be needing it anymore
Ok it's been looted... No need to do anything else...
Oops
Hmm, a strange hut?
A warrior?
Not the greatest Warrior but another sword is always handy!
Are they though?
Another hut?
Oh keeping watch for bandits are you? Just what a bandit would say, kill them!
A goblin fight pit?
Let's go Redbeard, no one in their right mind would be on a panicked goblin
...
Shame
Another tomb, hmm... I wonder who this Ullor feller was.
Hmm, condemend to be forgotten, I guess that's why this tomb is hidden,
It's delving time, come on peasant I'll be fine... Do you think anything disturbing could lie in the tomb of Ullor the DISTURBED. haha
Oh dear...
Next! Oh seems like the friends of Ullor ran over budget
All this for the ancient rusty fork of Ullor... Worth it? You decide
Huzzah!
But first...
And well you get the point. Seriously I could play and share the random stuff it's spitting out all day.
WHAT'S NEXT
I'm continuing to work on the locations remaining and still have some ideas for locations I have completed. I imagine villages and taverns are going to be the toughest cookies to crack but I plan to do my best with them.
If you guys have any ideas for the location types, or things of that nature I'm always happy to hear them but of course can't guarentee they will be included in the updates scope!
Cheers for reading and I hope I can deliver this awesome update soon! (Eta next few weeks ideally)
All the best
Huw