The developers of Siege Camp, the creators of Foxhole, presented the sixth diary of the development of MMO strategy in the medieval setting of Anvil Empires, which is dedicated to the prototype of big worlds, the breeding of animals, donkeys and not only.
Prototype of big worlds
A few diaries of development back, the studio talked about the developed technology of the big world, which allows to model a huge online world distributed over many server instances R2. While this technology is in the stage of active development, the authors are already ready to release the first prototype for pre-alpha, which means that a completely new map of the world will be presented in the next test.
The area of the new card will be approximately 8 times larger than the area of the test card used in previous tests. Modeling and network interaction will be divided into two copies of R2 with a virtual border sharing these two "region". To feel the scale of the map, the developers note that in this world there are about 100,000 trees, and with all of them the player can interact and chop them. Although the map used in previous tests was temporary, this new card will form the basis of the real world of the game. The new map layout can be seen below. And this is only one small area of the possible world.
Since this is the very first prototype of technology and map, during the upcoming pre-alpha test, the world and the environment will seem much more rude. Many technical capabilities that were used earlier do not work (for example, water) with large worlds, so I had to rebuild them from scratch. Expect that visual problems, errors in the landscape and problems with the new card will be much larger than in previous tests. Although moving across the virtual border functions, it is rudimentary, and there are many non -standard situations that have not yet been processed.
Farm
A new type of animal breeding activity is introduced, with which you can produce new horses. To breed animals, it is necessary to build a stable. To start the process in the stable, it is necessary to place two adult animals of the same species. If you regularly provide animals with food and water, then after a few game days there is a chance to get a foal. Foals can be grown in the stable to an adult state, and then they will become a productive part of the settlement.
Donkeys
Along with selection, a new animal is introduced: donkeys. Currently, they have basic functionality and behave in the same way as horses, but in the future it is planned that they will be useful for transporting and performing other work, for example, to obtain energy through an animal mill.
Mill for animals
Currently, energy infrastructure can be built in the form of aqueducts and channels. Mills for animals are a new type of energy that requires the labor of donkeys. The mill can be driven by two animals. When both animals are busy, the maximum amount of energy is produced. If donkeys are not available, players can themselves put the mill manually in motion.
Home areas
When creating a settlement "from scratch" Founding players have a certain progress and a sense of direction. However, when joining an existing settlement, it can be much more unclear how to move forward or contribute to the development of a settlement. Currently, two new experimental functions have been added, designed to give such players more opportunities and focus on ensuring that they can gain a foothold in the village or city.
Firstly, "Home areas" allow individual players or small groups of two or three people to own a small plot of land in a settlement where they can build structures, park transport and store resources. In this territory, players can build equipment, such as anvils and saws, or a small farm. This allows citizens to invest in their role and produce materials or equipment. Then these resources can be entered into the settlement using the new local exchange.
Local exchange
The second experimental function is a local exchange that allows players to honestly and safely exchange objects in their settlement. Items can now be transferred to a new general equipment available in the center of the settlement in exchange for local coins. Other players can get such items only by spending local coins. This allows players to devote themselves to the production of certain objects, and then exchange them in the local market for objects produced by other players.
It is important to note that "Home areas" And "Local exchange" are experimental functions that in the future can be strongly processed, replaced or deleted. These two functions are designed to improve the experience of players joining the existing city, and may not be so relevant for the founders of settlements.