And welcome to the August Dev Diary!
The team has been hard at work shifting the layout of the city and laying the groundwork for some massive progression systems. Take a quick look at some of the Map Changes here!
And here is a look at what is currently on our desks!
As we teased in our last update and in the video above, the map is going through some major layout changes!
This area is almost ready! Dom Truda replaces the old Market area and will serve as a new location for the player to call home, making it one of your very first objectives. Initially, only a portion of it will be usable. The factories will remain locked for now, but they will open up down the road when we introduce the new Tool Tier system!
Since the Dom Truda is taking over the old market space, we are dedicating a new, smaller part of the city specifically for the weekly market event. Vendor NPCs will have their own personalized stalls, meaning they will always return to their specific spot to sell their goods during the market day!
We are completely revamping how you start your journey. For the new onboarding, you will actually find yourself locked in the Forests area for the first few days. The passage between the forests and the rest of the city is sealed off after the earthquake that happened with your arrival.
You will find them busy building a bridge to restore access to the city. You will have the option to help them speed up the construction process by gathering and bringing them the required materials!
You will also be able to notice a major shift in how the Henchmen treat you early on.
They will be much less aggressive toward you, meaning they will no longer act as "living ATMs" for players to farm!
The Henchmen won't be the only ones busy! You will also see Raboch NPCs actively working on freeing the passage near their faction territory that leads to the forest, which has been completely blocked by a massive fallen water tower.
The secrets of City 20 keep growing with each update! Your new beginning in the Forests will not just teach you how to survive, but will also help you understand more about your past and the overarching mystery of the city...
We heard you loud and clear! The Bulletin Board is getting updated!!!
Soon, there will be no more automatically accepting requests the second you look at them.
You will get a proper UI to review, select, and accept only the requests you actually want to take on.
We are continuing to expand the newly introduced Construction Mode!
We are currently working on a feature that will let you pick up and move placed relocatables around your property without needing to dismantle them first. NOTE: this specific mechanic might not be ready for the very next update, buuuut it is actively in the works! Alongside this, we are continually expanding the catalogue of new relocatables and storage options you can build, so you can truly customize your safe house!
Now, enough with the map changes! Let's talk about what our design team has been focused on this month for the future:
AS the City keeps changing, you will need better, upgraded tools to smash or disassemble specific objects in the world. This will naturally gate certain areas and resources, requiring you to upgrade your arsenal before you can access them.
Because the Tool Tier system means adding a ton of new items and recipes, we will need a better way for you to unlock them. We are currently designing the first iteration of a blueprint unlocking system via a Research Machine. By exploring the city and helping NPCs, you will be rewarded with a specific resource. You will then be able to spend this resource at the Research Machine to progress through a brand-new blueprint tree!
Please note: The Tool Tier and Research Machine systems are still heavily in the design phase, and many things may change before they make it into the game!
We would absolutely love to hear your thoughts! Let us know your feedback! And thank you for your continued support, and see you in the City!