Folk Emerging - Customization + Endless Mode Update

This is a larger update that addresses lots of player feedback, adds more customization, and lengthens time with late-game content. It includes the following changes:

Design

• Added the much-requested "keep playing" option after victory/defeat! (only in full game, not demo)

  • WARNING: anything beyond that point is outside the designed experience, will not unlock Steam Achievements, and performance will degrade as global population keeps increasing indefinitely!

• Added game setting for Victory Threshold, starting with two options: 300 or 400. This should allow for more time spent with late-game content and proto-civilizations. (only in full game, not demo)

• More granular difficulty settings:

  • Calm (used to be "Easier")

  • Favorable (new default)

  • Precarious (used to be "Standard")

  • Harsh

  • Relentless (used to be "Harder")

  • (NOTE: if you first load into an older saved game to finish that session, please then exit & restart the game before starting a new playthrough with the new difficulty settings)

• "See map" button on game outcome screen reworked to be "Reveal map" and fully reveals the entire map (but if so, cannot keep playing)

• Increase splitting threshold preferences for non-player bands, they now split less frequently

• Temples now also give +5 VP

• Buffed Attack Strength of various units: clubs 2->3; shields 2->3; spears 3->4; daggers 2->3; bows 4->5; raiders 4->6; sumerian war carts 4->6; kurgan chariots 4->6; celtic champions 4->6; indic militia 3->4; chinese ge 4->6

• Flint now gives +1 Attack Strength instead of +10% Attack Strength

• All three spiritual site worship point levels now give +1 Culture/turn, meaning +1/+1/+1 (cumulative) instead of +1/+2/+3 (cumulative) for each level

• All cultural norms now give +1 Worship Point

• Clan mediation effect duration increased from 10 turns to 15

• Positive happiness levels no longer boost Fertility

• Shaman's boost to Fertility decreased from +10% Fertility per 1 Discipline , to +5% per 1 Discipline

• Fertility boost from Festivals decreased from +0.2 to +0.1

• Mount Ararat's devotee bonus to fertility decreased from +0.2 to +0.1

UI

• Green/red in attribute breakdowns now represents "good"/"bad", not just numerically positive/negative

Bugs Fixed

• Fixed Steam achievement for winning on Harder difficulty

• Fixed Steam achievements for becoming proto-civ worshipping a specific Deity

• Fixed issue where gaining VP between turns from births enough to cross victory threshold would trigger victory acknowledgement, but if player then dropped below the threshold due to deaths and another player won on the same turn, there would also be a defeat acknowledgement. Now such victory/defeat acknowledgements only trigger at the start of the player's turn.

• Fixed band splitting UX/UI bugs

• Fixed saves not loading proving grounds units correctly

• Fixed production target resource cost being multiplied by bonuses (e.g. Delver), these costs are now deducted as a second-order modifier

• Fixed transferring specialist from one band to another not taking on new band's tile-based bonuses (e.g. Reliable Freshwater)

Please leave a Steam review and join the discussions on Discord where we get into prehistory and strategy.

Thank you to everyone that has played the game and shared feedback! More updates coming soon.

Cheers :)

Enkidu