Hello, Merchants!
With this update, we are making major changes to Mad Merchant’s progression and economy. Our goal is to give every journey a clearer purpose and make production, exploration, and preparation more important throughout the game.
OBJECTIVE-BASED PROGRESSION
Progression is now built around specific goals. Growing your train is no longer only about earning money. You will need to:
Produce the right items
Complete contracts
Increase your level
Discover new cities
...to continue expanding your operation.
LEVEL IS NOW THE FOUNDATION OF PROGRESSION
Player Level is no longer mainly used for module upgrades.
It is now the primary source of overall progression and plays a central role in:
Unlocking new cities
Advancing through the game
Exploration is therefore more important than before. Discovering new cities will unlock:
New contracts
New opportunities
New progression goals
MODULES NOW REQUIRE ITEMS
Modules can no longer be purchased with money alone.
Each module now requires:
A monetary cost
Specific crafted items
To expand your train, you will first need to build the necessary production chain and manufacture the required materials.
This connects module progression directly to production and gives every new module a clear objective.
THE SHOP IS NOW SELL-ONLY
Buying items directly from the Shop made it possible to skip important parts of the production chain and had a major impact on the game's economy.
Items can no longer be purchased from city Shops.
Shops are now focused entirely on selling the goods you produce during your journeys.
Materials required for modules and advanced production must be created through your own production network.
CITY-BASED CONTRACTS
Contracts have been redesigned around individual cities.
Each city will offer its own contracts, giving you more reasons to:
Visit different settlements
Adjust your production plans according to local objectives
Contracts will refresh daily, providing new goals and rewards as you continue your journey.
THREE TURRET FIRING MODES
Turrets now have three different firing modes.
You can change their behavior and choose the mode that best fits your current defensive strategy.
WHAT'S COMING NEXT?
Three New Regions
Three new regions will be added beyond the cities and region currently available in the game.
Regional Advantages and Disadvantages
Every region will have its own advantages and disadvantages, requiring different approaches and production strategies.
Route Rebalancing
Route difficulty and rewards will be rebalanced to create a better relationship between risk and reward.
Expanded Production Chains
New modules will expand the production system with additional materials, products, and production stages.
OUR GOAL
We want every part of Mad Merchant's progression to support the same core journey:
Level up
Discover new cities
Complete contracts
Expand your production chain
Build new modules
Prepare your train for the challenges ahead
Thank you for your feedback and continued support.
See you on the rails, Merchants!
— Ravenholm Interactive