King of the Dwarves News

[h2]Greetings, Dwarven Lords![/h2]

The development of King of the Dwarves continues. The game is getting shinier every month and we are happy to share the newest changes with you all.

[h2]Development Update[/h2]

Game development is a never-ending cycle of adding new features, and fixing issues that emerge in the process. Other than fixing and optimizing the game, we are currently working on the following core elements of the game:

• Save System. The player can mine tunnels, gather resources, build different structures, and do many other things. To ensure that all those actions are saved on our end, we are working on a save system that can remember all the actions.
  
• Battle mechanics. The player will have to not only take care of the economy but also ensure that the dwarven warriors can defend the settlement against enemies. We are currently implementing the fighting system and the enemies for our proud dwarves to clash against.
  
• Animations. Our game had a lot of placeholder animations that were quickly put together to make the first prototype of the game work. Right now, we are adding and improving all the necessary animations for our dwarven units. You will be able to have hundreds (or even thousands, if you manage to please them!) of dwarves in the game, so adding this amount of animated characters is a technical challenge on its own. So a tidbit for our more technical readers: to achieve it, we are using instanced animation rendering, where we store animations in textures and meshes are transformed on the GPU. Write in the comments if you would like to get more technical details in the future.
  

[h2]New Animations[/h2]

Check the new animations in action!

Miner

Builder

Warrior

Smith

We have also prepared a quick video with the updated mining animations from the actual gameplay. In the video, you can also notice the updated reflective visuals on some materials like steel and gold. We have written more about it in our previous announcement.

[previewyoutube]https://youtu.be/yTgCstgWPP0?si=t3z_4vyhP0_qSzgp[/previewyoutube]

Best regards,
King of the Dwarves Team

[h2]Greetings, Dwarven Lords! [/h2]

Good to see you here! King of the Dwarves continues its steady development. Recently, the work on the game has accelerated and we are happy to see that the game is starting to look better every day. We are considering releasing a demo for Steam Next Fest in June or October, but it's too early to make a promise. Ensuring proper performance and stability will be our priority.

[h2]Development Update[/h2]

Changelog:

• Dwarf 3D models have been updated.
  
• New buildings' 3D models are in the work.
  
• Pathfinding has been reworked and is using layered quadtrees now.
  
• Lanterns have been added to the game. Some existing structures have been updated to include additional lighting.
  
• Some objects like gold and iron have been made reflective to improve the game's visuals,
  
• Stacking has been added to storage containers. Now it's possible to build stacked storage containers, one on top of another.
  
• Dwarfs (while waiting for an order) will now relocate to a structure that corresponds to their assigned profession.
  
• Dwarf's logic has received several updates. Dwarfs now avoid certain structures when moving, pick new tools when changing professions, have a work-rest cycle, they eat and drink. Cheers!
  

[h2]New Dwarf Models[/h2]

The Dwarfs that you could have seen in our original trailer were very simple and made with the trailer in mind first. But working on the King of the Dwarves, we needed better models that would depict the full dwarven glory appropriately. New 3D models keep on being well-optimized, while properly depicting our beloved sturdy fantasy race.



We have also decided to update the dwarven housing. The previous iterations were too similar to the ladders and required making them more distinct from other structures. Simple beds are going to be the core element of the new housing buildings, clearly displaying the purpose of those objects.


Thank you for reading and see you next time!

Best regards,
King of the Dwarves Team

[h2]Greetings, Dwarven Lords![/h2]

We are glad to see that you have decided to visit our mountain. It has been a long time since the last announcement and we can't wait to share this update with you.

[h2]Development Update[/h2]

King of the Dwarves has been in development for quite some time now, and we have encountered obstacles that forced us to make a break from developing the game. Right now, we are slowly nearing the Pre-Alpha stage of development. We still have a lot of placeholders in our build, as you can clearly see in the video below, but we are making steady progress, which makes us optimistic about the future of the game.

It's still too early to announce the launch date or any opportunity the play any sort of demo, that could've been shared with the players. But at the same time, we want to thank you all for sticking with us and cheering for the development of King of the Dwarves. May you be blessed with the spirits of the ancient dwarven gods!

[h2]Gates[/h2]

So what are we working on right now? A lot of basic game mechanics, like workers' AI, resource generation, and food consumption. We are optimizing the map generation, and recently we have added the exterior part of the mountain to the game. Previously, you were starting in the middle of the mountain with a random room hanging in the void.

But now we can proudly announce that it all starts with the gates! In King of the Dwarves, you will be starting outside the mountain. You build the gates and only then you can progress and start digging through the rock. Expect your gates to look modest at the beginning of the game. However, at the very end, a monumental structure will impress even the oldest among dwarves.

See the progression below:

Stage 1


Stage 2


Stage 3


Stage 4

[h2]Gates - Video[/h2]

Let's take a look at how the gates look in action! Remember, as mentioned before - a lot of things visible on the screen are placeholders. We still intend to change the UI and improve the visuals as much, as possible.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Best regards,
King of the Dwarves Team

[h2]Greetings, Dwarven Lords! [/h2]

Today we would like to quickly explore the topic of the professions that our loyal dwarves can pursue within our settlement. As a King, we have to carefully choose who will serve us and which units are prioritized at all times. Hiring hundreds of the finest miners won't do if you cannot protect them from the impending threat.

[h2]Dwarven Professions[/h2]
Below you can find the most common type of dwarven units. Mind you, it's not a final list and some professions are still missing! For now, we want to keep them secret. In the future, we will be happy to come back to you with another announcement, providing more info and showcasing the real in-game models of dwarves.

• Miners - one of the core units under your command. Miners allow you to dig your corridors in any direction. North and south, east and west, up and down.
  
• Builders - they raise the new structures in your settlement. Storages, forges, and massive walls. Builders will help to create them all, as long as you have the necessary resources.
  
• Workers - speaking of resources, workers are there to gather and produce them for you. While miners help with obtaining the rocks, workers specialize in more subtle matters like food and tradables.
  
• Warriors - those trained, sturdy dwarves are there to keep everyone safe. Digging a long new tunnel and the final destination seems completely unknown? Dealing with waves of enemies that are trying to cross the gate? Place the warrior regiments in strategic locations and watch as their fight fiercely against any enemy in their sight.
  
• Smiths - regardless of their profession, every dwarf takes pride in their reliable equipment. Smiths are going to turn iron into hammers, axes, pickaxes, and any other necessary tool. The most exciting part? The better resources and the Smiths you have, the better equipment you can create. And every dwarf dreams about shiny equipment made from mithril.
  

[h2]The King[/h2]


The King isn't that much stronger than your average dwarf. The King has no access to spells and isn't a specialist in any craft. So why is the King so important for our dwarven empire? Because the game continues for as long, as the King is alive. The King unites the whole community. So plan all the corridors and fortify all the defenses accordingly. Long live the King!

Best regards,
King of the Dwarves Team

[h2]Greetings, Dwarven Lords![/h2]

As our majestic beards grow longer, we want to share some progress from the development process with you! We are still working hard towards reaching a fully fleshed-out vertical slice version of the game and it means that there are still many experiments going on. We design new ideas, implement prototypes of mechanics into the game and see if the result is satisfying and in place with the rest of the game. Among many others, it seems like water and lava interactions are among the most interesting ones.

[h2]Water and Lava[/h2]

Every mountain is full of surprises. While digging long corridors across the whole thing, you can never be 100% sure what's next. Among many other things, there are two opposing elements awaiting you - water and lava.



Mind you, both can end up being deadly if you won't remain careful. Your dwarfs can easily get drowned in water and lava straight up eradicates everything on its way. Not only your units but structures too. Knowing this risk, you have to carefully manage those elements and use them to your advantage.

Setting up proper outlets for water and lava allows you to control these resources to your will. Water quenches your miner's thirst and is a core component for breweries and other structures to work. Lava, in turn, can be used in blacksmithing. And the most interesting part? Water and lava combined will create new stone blocks, opening a completely new set of possibilities. Manage your kingdom properly and watch your settlement grow in the most amazing ways.

[h2]Thank you for your support![/h2]

We hope that this quick overview of water and lava mechanics sounds interesting to you! Let us know what you think about it and if you're interested in reading more development updates for King of the Dwarves.

Best regards,
King of the Dwarves Team