So here's some general info on chap 5:
Firstly, its a fairly standard 'hunger & thirst economy world', and like all the worlds this year and next its an Alpha.
It may well turn out to be completely busted, have something vital missing, be completely unbalanced (especially at the start), have obvious exploits, and may need to get reset and restarted while we play it. Certainly, things will change as we play so you may find that the building you made because it made a load of easy money suddenly doesnt (etc)
Please report any problems or flaws with the world as soon as you can and i'll try to get them fixed up promptly. (The quicker things are addressed the less likely it is that we'll need to reset the world).
Next - its about, say, 40% done. More of it will be completed as we play it but it won't be anywhere near finished until we come back to it in the beta phase. Don't know exactly what bits will get done and what bits won't - we'll see what works and what doesnt as we play - it's deliberately open-ended.
So thats the background.
Here are some bits you will find from the start (or near to..) :
- Its a big world. Be warned! It'll take a long time to explore and its really easy to get lost
. It also takes a fair bit of time to travel from place to place, which is something you'll want to do something about.- The normal currency system will be used. You'll be able to buy and sell buildings.
- Players will be able to build their own towns. (If you're wealthy enough.. and at increasing cost as the available land shrinks).
- Initially, health, hunger and thirst will work much the same as Chap 3 (though the years are longer so you'll age more slowly). At first, Death will result in you losing buildings and items as per chap 3, but you'll keep your cash/inheritance. This'll be changed later.
- Theres a mix of standard and scripted buildings, some deal with things a bit differently but the economy generally works on the principle that the building doesn't produce anything unless you pay your employee. (And generally, employees don't get paid unless they're producing something).
At the beginning you'll have some assistance from Charlemagne in getting a start on the world, but his involvement will decrease as the world becomes self-sufficient.
Here are some of the things that won't be active at the start, but will be added during the chapter's life :
- Wellbeing : We'll be using this to expand the number & range of items and production lines... eventually you won't be able to survive too long on a diet of only bread and water.
- Battles : There will be a new (skill-based) battle system, with battles occurring between residents of different towns. There'll be a meta-game with the different towns competing against each other.
- More minigames : Cricket, pubs, a racetrack and other stuff will be added during the next few months.
- Invention - Eventually, you'll be inventing various items appropriate to the era, including maps and compasses, and then on to other things that progress us to the next chapters.
Someone in chat a lil while ago said 'i bet chap 5 will be just another dead-end economy. If it was any good it'd have W, X, Y and Z' (I'm not revealing the actual suggestions, of course
) I was pleased knowing that we already have W and X, and Y & Z will come in the course of things. so yay. Hope you enjoy it.
