August 2 Weekly Update:Saves,Replays,Maps Complete,Faction Design Reconsidered

Hello everyone! This is Tenkajin IceCream, developer of TOHOTOPIA!

Here is an update on my partner’s and my development work this week (July 27–August 2).

Following our usual update schedule, we had planned to release a new version this week. Unfortunately, we need a little more time for final optimization and testing. Thank you for your patience.

Completed This Week

1. Saves, Replays, and Match Statistics

Development of the save and replay features is complete. We also added match statistics, so after a game you can review detailed figures for the military, economy, technology, heroes, and more, making it easier to look back on the whole match.

2. Six Random Maps

The new map-generation system is complete and has passed its initial tests. The new version will offer six map types: Dryland, Lakes, Continents (Standard), Pangea, Archipelago, and Water World. We also implemented more reasonable terrain distribution and starting-position algorithms, so each map can feel distinct while reducing unfair or extreme openings.

Still in Progress

1. Faction and Hero Design Review

After carefully analyzing the surveys about the Hakurei and Komeiji Empires, along with the feedback on the Moriya, Hourai, and Scarlet Empires from many community channels, I think it is time to slow down a little and revisit how we have been designing factions and heroes.

What should a hero’s class actually mean? What roles should Lv1–Lv4 heroes fulfill in a match? How should faction identity be built? How can we fix the sluggish experience where the economy grows too quickly, resources overflow late-game, yet taking cities remains difficult? Across different map types, map sizes, and numbers of opponents, what should we expect from each empire and each hero class? These questions need more systematic answers.

It has been about two and a half months since the game launched on May 14, and we have now gathered a substantial amount of feedback and suggestions. The team is carrying out a broad and deep review, hoping to establish a more stable and consistent design direction instead of repeatedly changing course as factions are added. We will share our new design ideas and the corresponding game adjustments once they are ready.

2. Stutter and Lag Fixes

This was added to the schedule unexpectedly. Large 30×30 maps continue to stutter during play. We tried to solve the issue, but the difficulty and time involved exceeded expectations, so investigation and optimization are still underway.

What the Next Version Will Include

For now, the next version will include saves, replays, the new map-generation system, and several small usability features. It will not include changes to the Hakurei Empire or other factions; we still need more time to organize and adjust the faction designs.

Beta Testing

If you are interested, you can try these features in the Beta version. Beta receives test content first, but it is also less stable, so please decide whether to join based on your situation.

How to join: In your Steam library, right-click the game, choose “Properties” → “Betas,” then enter the code bugkillercirno under “Private Branch.”

Thank you for your continued support and understanding!