Hello Smallfolk!

Tom here! The community manager for Smalland!

First off, apologies that It's been a little quiet on our end whilst the team have been hard at work on Smalland. The world has come on leaps and bounds since you last heard from us, we've been working a lot on the world design and incorporating some of the fantastic feedback we've had from the last playtests ramping up the sense of scale in Smalland.

Here's a glimpse into what's been going on & we'll be sure to get back to sharing more of Smalland with you as development progresses!







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Hey everyone,

We wanted to show you a little more of what is going on behind the scenes are we continue development towards the early access release.

Recently, team Smalland took on a new level designer who has been working hard on the topography of Smalland and how the player is guided through each zone. We've also had a lot of great feedback from recent closed playtests, and some of that feedback has been making its way into development.

We've always had scale at the forefront of Smalland and everything is built around that. We felt that the sense of scale could be further improved so we've been working to heighten the sense of scale when exploring Smalland.

Nothing is final yet, but here's a work-in-progress look at how the starting area is shaping up.



One element that has been scaled up significantly are the main trees dotted around Smalland.



You can still climb your way up to the top and establish a base of operations up there, but they feel truly gargantuan now!

Coming back down to ground level there's some new scaling work in progress which you can see with one of our ants.



There's lots of exciting progress being made by the development team and we'll continue to share news and progress on the game as we continue building towards the early access release.

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Hey Smallfolk!

We're back to dive a little deeper into some of your questions that we've picked up from the community!

How does the season system work?

Seasons touch the game world in a number of ways. Firstly, the visuals. You can expect bright, sunny days in the summer, and gloomy, grey days in the winter. The landscape will change to reflect, with the leaves turning from fresh greens to the mellow shades of autumn and disappearing entirely in some cases in the winter.

Weather will change depending on the season too, and in gameplay terms, you'll want to prepare your armour setup accordingly when you set out into the world.

Lastly, the wildlife of Smalland will adapt to the seasons, with some creatures being more abundant in one season than another.



Will there be baby insects and animals and will we also see each stage of insects such as beetles, moths, butterflies etc?

Insects in Smalland will all appear at the same size, we don't have different stages of growth in the game, though we do currently have baby spiders (approach with caution, mum is never too far away...). There are also some unqiue variations of various insects that will require a little hunting down.



Can I play a beta?

We've been getting asked this a lot lately so a good opportunity to share the process of getting hands-on with any Smalland testing.

We have a group here at Merge Games called the MVP Group, signing up for the group requires agreeing to an NDA, and you can find the details and signup form here here.

Being a member of the group might see you get offered to join a beta test for a number of different titles, including Smalland. We'll select a segment of testers based on the answers given during signup, some tests will be quite broad and have a large number of keys available, some will be more focused and have fewer keys available.

Currently, builds are watermarked with each user's unique, numerical Steam ID, as a small number of people, unfortunately, chose not to respect the NDA and share footage of a test (which have since been taken down).

Joining the group doesn't guarantee everyone will get hands-on with a particular Smalland test, but that's the place to be if you want to throw your hat into the ring!

As always, thanks for the questions, we'll catch you next time!

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Hey everyone!

Hot off the back of Smalland closing out the MIX Showcase at GDC with a fresh look at gameplay, we're back to show you a little more on what we've been working on lately!

Something we've been really excited to share is antennae mode. The antennae of the Smallfolk aren't just there for show, they provide a radar vision of sorts to highlight important things in the world. The system is work-in-progress currently, but as you can see in the video below, activating this mode will give allow you to pierce the darkness and see better at night, as well as highlight nearby creatures and their state (aggressive etc, and highlight harvestable resources.



The next thing to share isn't something we can show you quite yet, but our Product Manager Ross has been hard at work on the next trailer, and what we've seen so far is awesome! We cannot wait to share the finished trailer when the time is right!

Lastly, we've been continuing work on the building system and have a small, closed test underway this week via our testing group (feel free to join the group!) to get some player feedback on the system. Below is a bit of a deeper look at a build and how you can create your own little home in Smalland.



Thanks, and we'll be back with more soon!

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Hey Smallfolk!

We just stopped by the MIX SHowcase at GDC 2022 and showed a fresh look at gameplay with Product Manager Ross, and Community Manager, Danny.

They show the closest look at building in the world of Smalland that we've shown to date, and if you missed it you can it again here!



Development is moving along nicely and we can't wait to share much more with you all this year!

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/768200/SMALLAND/


Welcome to SunnySide Gameplay Trailer

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1746930/SunnySide/

Slaycation Paradise - Announcement Trailer

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1643850/Slaycation_Paradise/

Time on Frog Island - Official GDC Trailer

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1717510/Time_on_Frog_Island/

Definitely Not Fried Chicken - Trailer

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1036240/Definitely_Not_Fried_Chicken/

Hey Smallfolk!

So as we hijacked a previous FAQ Friday post and kicked off a new series this will be our What We're Working On post #2!

You may have seen some of the latest things we've been tinkering with on social media, so here's so more information about what we've been up to!


The team have been hard at work working on the building system and we've started to get the first of many customisation pieces that you'll be able to unlock and use to make your little house a home.

One of the first is an Owl effigy, a little nod to Discord, and burnt out matches that will become torches!



Here's a sneak peak at some more of the building customisations you'll be able to use!







The team have added pillars to the building options which provide another level of support for taller buildings or bigger balconies, and going in soon will be a selection of curved pieces to add another layer of customisation to building.

We'll be sharing more of the building system in Smalland with these new updates in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! I'm really excited to get my hands on this stuff and show you what you can create!


The other really cool thing introduced is bioluminescence! Mushrooms now have a magical glow that really makes the world pop at night. The creatures of Smalland have even been given a little touch of nighttime magic!

Currently, the team are working on feedback and adjusting the darkness at night to compensate for the new bioluminescent light sources so we can zero in on just the right feel for nighttime.




These are examples of things that we want to get into the game before early access, and I hope sharing these updates gives you a little window into what is happening behind the scenes before we start talking about exciting things like dates!

We do have another test coming, so look out for details on that!

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Hey everyone,

Thanks for Asher on Discord for a bunch of questions that we thought would make a nice FAQ Friday!

Here we go...

1. Are there boss fights, dungeons, and hoards?
There are indeed Boss fights but not dungeons, or what you'd call traditionally dungeons. Everything we do has an element of perspective, so we don't want dungeons to be literally dungeons, instead, you'll be navigating through a dark swamp and across broken dead trees, or trying to figure out a way to get through an overgrown maze while avoiding various hungry predators.



2. Are there caves/holes in the ground?
Yes and no, the Smallfolk have been living underground for too long, for reasons that will be explained. So your major goal is to make the land safe for your people and out of the ground. However, gameplay-wise, caves etc are usually small pockets of gameplay with risks and rewards that we have. Whether it's inside an abandoned vehicle, a hollow log, or a waste bin, we have the equivalent of caves to explore.

3. What is the gameplay like as far as combat mechanics? Are they more akin to dark souls or Skyrim?
There are attacks and combos, and also weapons that have different effects suited to different creatures and different situations. Some of these must be found and earned, others are crafted.



4. What are the devs thinking as far as pricing for early access/1.0?
We're not 100% decided on this yet, watch this space.

5. Do you level skills up like in Valheim, or is it more or less just crafting items like in Terraria?
You find items as in Terraria but some of these items can only be earned by aligning with certain factions, or by having access to certain technological advantages, and sometimes a combination of the two. These items may grant you abilities that you can mix and match, specialising in one area or having a hybrid. So the more you explore, craft, and earn via factions, the more you gain access to different skills.

6. I heard a while back the map is supposed to be procedurally generated, are they still keeping to that?
Nope, we've never mentioned that! Everything is being carefully built and crafted by hand.


Thanks for the questions, Asher! We'll be back with more in the next FAQ Friday!

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Hey Smallfolk!

Smalland has just surpassed 200k wishlists on Steam and we just wanted to take a brief moment to say a huge, heartfelt thank you from Team Smalland & everyone at Merge Games.

We hugely appreciate everyone who has been following the development of Smalland from the beginning and gave us chance to show you the world we wanted to create. We've picked up an amazing community here on Steam, across our social channels, the nearly 6000 members of our Discord & all of our new TikTok followers.

There are very exciting things we'll have to share with you, but today is a day to celebrate you, the community who is along for this ride with us and we are all so excited to step into the world of Smalland with you.

Thank you!

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https://store.steampowered.com/app/768200/SMALLAND/

Hey everyone!

I thought I'd hijack this week's FAQ Friday and spend a bit of time on the question of when Smalland is coming out.

It's a question we would love to answer, but we're just not in a position to do so just yet. Smalland has come such a long way over the last year and whilst it's obviously frustrating for some, we don't want to rush out a demo or early access to hit a date, rather we're letting development inform the date and when the time comes to give you some dates we'll be very excited to share that with you.

There's people who have been following Smalland for a few years now, but it's important to note that we acquired Smalland and completely rebooted the game, it's been in full development now for just over a year. Had Smalland not been public prior to the start of our development we would have had a much better timeline from announcement through release, but you can't put the genie back in the bottle!

So we wanted to tell you a little about what is being worked on by members of the team right now, to try and help give a little context as to why we're not releasing just yet.

One thing that happened this week is that the starting area had a new flora and fauna pass to bring that area closer to our vision of what the release will look like. This isn't just visual, but also from a level design perspective too, things like line of sight and where the scenery leads the player are important to get exactly right.

For some perspective on how that's come along over the last year, here's a couple of gifs that were shared on Twitter in February 2021.





Here is running around that same general area in the latest build.



As the level design of the game world has developed, so too have other gameplay elements that interact with the world. One of these is something that we have been working on this week, the grappling hook!

The grappling hook has been a point of contention in the team, some love it, some hate it. Some can't use it to save their life, others move through the world like Spider-Man (looking at you Producer Ben!).



Since earlier stages of development, the verticality of Smalland has really become a part of the experience and as such, we think there's a solid place for the grappling hook and we'll be working on some new implementations for this tool to see what form it will take for the early access. Do you know what will help determine the future of the grappling hook? Player feedback! Stay tuned...

Thanks for your patience, we're a small team making Smalland and we will have more news on the things you really want to know soon. If you like this and want us to delve a bit deeper into specific things that are being worked on behind the scenes, I'll make this a regular thing and pester the team for some fun things to share!

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Hey Smallfolk!


We are so excited for 2022 and what we can share with you, so there are exciting things to come, but we'll still be here to answer those burning questions in the meanwhile!

Without further ado...

Q - Will there be bigger areas on the map that are free of trash and leftovers of humans? Many of the little clips we have seen take place in polluted surroundings.

A - Yes, truth be told these are easier to create initially so when you see behind the scenes in some of these shots you have some of the more developed areas, whereas the more organic ones take much more time to create. So they look and feel organic, but still have regular gameplay spaces regarding size, height. Initially in the very early days we did lots of experiments and areas either looked right, or felt right, but rarely both, so it meant a lot of level design rules and revisions. But the short answer is yes, lots of overgrown areas.



Q - Can I only ride my animal friends, or will they protect me like the game horizon zero?

A - It depends on the creature, some follow and some are mounts when tamed. Mounts have different strengths and weaknesses in different situations. And your allies will sometimes attack when you attack like a loyal steed, or initially retreat but attack if you are attacked, some will attack a creature on the same level of the food chain, while others may run away. Some may also cause trouble and get into fights you might not want to have. We are trying to give the creatures as much personality as possible, but also look and feel like real creatures (which are somewhat expressionless), so this is being portrayed via audio and their behaviour to their surroundings.



Q - Okay. Sooooo I don't mean to be super technical, but watching your short diary #2 on armour, based on the insect faction you choose to work with, you stated that you are will be able to craft that insects armour, assuming that you will be rewarded with parts to craft blueprints or even the armour its self as rewards. However, my questions would be based on the armour, is it made from the insects themselves? And if so is that desecrating their dead to get the items to craft the armour? I know this seems a little dark but I am just trying to see this from an angle of what others might think as well. I think the armour sets are really good looking and assuming again that the armour you are showing looks to be like some of the highest tiered armour in the game you will be able to craft toward the end game or much much later. I would love to hear your feedback.

A - Great question, hopefully, we can give some of the insight here as this wasn't a quick decision.
The quick answer is yes, some of the armour is made from the same insect carapace as the species you are aligned with, which in human terms could be somewhat grim. This isn't the case with all creatures, but as an example, Ant armours certainly do use carapaces. This could, as you mentioned, be perceived a little dark but also is in line with one of the major tones of the game; the circle of life. Creatures who are friendly to you may eat one another as predator and prey. And certain creatures will not care about their allies being killed as they put the overall hive first and foremost.

But although we aim to make everything as relatable and realistic as possible, we also want to make sure it's fun and makes sense for gameplay. So in the case of Ants and wearing the Ant armour as a specific example, you have to work with the Ants and you need to earn their trust over time and when worthy, they will trade and gift you some of the elements you need including parts of their fallen for you to create an armour set, which the Smallfolk see as an honour.



Thanks for the great questions, as always!

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