Greetings. After last week's log was released, I saw some friends complaining in the comment section, "The copywriting is too robotic. Switch to a human." As the one who types these words behind the scenes every week, I really didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So this week, let's relax and talk to you straightforwardly without using the strict and formal promotional tone.
In previous logs, we talked about how to build city walls and defend barbicans. But many experienced players may ask: Should a city be built on a flat plain or in a mountain depression that's easy to defend but hard to attack? Am I playing a city lord who is an ambitious and fierce hero, or a hermit who just wants to survive?
This is the core module that we will implement on the pioneer server this week - the [Sandbox System]. It's not just a simple "random map generator", but a "destiny deduction" from 0 to 1.
Unlike the boundless green plains in Western city - building games, the sandbox map of Mandate Order has an inherent sense of oppression of "surviving in a narrow space". We've created a very typical micro - model of landforms in the sandbox: two mountains stretch horizontally from north to south, and a big river runs through from west to east. The system will give you four completely different random starting points. Where you choose to start basically determines your early - game survival rhythm:
River Valley Plains and Terraces: The ground here is extremely flat and comfortable, with fertile soil. You can plant crops over a large area as you like. However, the price of this abundance is that there are no natural barriers for defense. The flat and open terrain means it's exposed on all sides, and you need to spare no expense to build layers of city walls.
River Valley Hills and Mountains: The terrain here is extremely fragmented and the land is barren. You can't even build a large house. But the advantage is that there are natural "throat passages". Your city will be like a scattered primitive mountain village. As long as you send a small team to firmly hold the high points, the enemy's thousands of troops can only stare helplessly.
Geography determines how you build your city, while "origin" determines why your city fights. In the sandbox start of Mandate Order, we don't want to use the routine of choosing a profession to give you a "10% increase in wood output". We've turned the start into a choice of "personal life experience and lofty ideals". More importantly, we've introduced the philosophical system of [Contention of a Hundred Schools of Thought], which will directly shape your gameplay style. Of course, this is still an underlying design that we're continuously refining. In the future, it will determine your governing philosophy and ultimate pursuit. Whether you believe in the aggressive enterprising spirit of the Military School or the universal love and non - aggression of the Mohist School; whether you aim to sweep across the world or just want to build a secluded paradise in the troubled times, our original intention remains the same: In Mandate Order, there is definitely more than one definition of success.
When you've chosen your "geographical advantage" in the sandbox and established your "harmony among people", the next test is the real - deal confrontation. This week's "Mandate Order Mini - Class", we've carefully produced a popular science video about [Battle Formations]. Combining with the sandbox terrain we just talked about, you'll understand why Eastern warfare pays so much attention to "formations". When you're born on an open plain, how do you use a square formation to resist the attacks from all sides by bandits? When you're huddled in a narrow hill, how should you arrange a long - snake formation to block the throat? Formations are never rigid numbers. In the cold - weapon era, they were the highest - order spatial deconstructions made by commanders according to the landforms. We hope this video can provide some inspiration for the pioneers who are about to enter the city in terms of deploying troops.
——Sincerely, the Mandate Order Team