Hello Eco Citizens!
The journey towards Eco 1.0 continues, and the team is incredibly excited about the progress we're making. We know you're all eager to hear what's cooking, so we wanted to share a few key features and improvements we've been working on recently.
Free Placement
For a long time, we (and many of you!) have felt the constraints of the rigid placement grid. Remember trying to make a room feel just right, only to be forced into unnatural alignment against a wall? We're thrilled to announce the upcoming ability to place most objects freely, independent of the world grid. This opens up enormous possibilities for interior design, workshop organization, and general world decoration.
We're finally enabling placement on top of other surfaces, like tables. Imagine setting a table with tools, decorative items, or even food.
You'll also gain significantly more control over object rotation, allowing for truly nuanced and personalized arrangements.
We've already been blown away by the incredible scenes players have crafted even with the old limitations. We genuinely cannot wait to see the astounding creativity you'll unleash with this newfound freedom!
Selling Directly From Surfaces
Now that you can place objects directly on surfaces, you can also mark these placed objects for sale. You’ll be able to visually stock a store and have customers interact and purchase directly from the objects themselves. It’ll even automatically display pricetags on placed items that are marked for sale.
Dinner Parties
Placing food on tables also allows a new gameplay feature, Dinner Parties! Yes, you'll soon be able to lay out a proper feast. This isn't just about aesthetics; it's about fostering community and culture. Host elaborate dinner parties for your neighbours, share a simple meal with a friend, or organize grand diplomatic banquets for citizens across the globe.
While we'll dive into the specifics in a dedicated future post, we can tease that these gatherings are more than just role-playing opportunities. Sharing food and participating in these social events will carry tangible cultural significance within the game, with multipliers when you bring together people from neighboring settlements, adding another layer to Eco's societal simulation. Stay tuned for more details!
Animal Husbandry
We've also embarked on the development of a long-requested feature: Animal Husbandry! Here's a sneak peek at some of the new assets:
This is just the beginning of bringing domesticated animals to Eco, offering new pathways for sustainable food production and resource management. This will be in a later update, after the others mentioned above.
Looking Ahead
These are just a few highlights of what we've been working on as we push towards Eco 1.0. Our goal is to make the world of Eco richer, more interactive, and provide you, the players, with even more tools to build, collaborate, and shape your environment and society.
We're incredibly grateful for your continued support and passion for Eco. Keep an eye out for more updates, and as always, happy building!
Best, The Strange Loop Games Team