Jul 14, 2022
Clanfolk - Blorf
Hi Everyone,
First off, I would like to thank everyone who has played and helped improve the Demo over the last 10 months. So many great ideas and quality of life improvements have come from your participation, and I cannot thank you all enough!
Going forward, I hope you all will continue to provide your suggestions. I don't have all the answers, and I love hearing ideas. Even if I cannot use the idea, it sometimes sparks great alternatives.
There will be a "testing branch" and a "default branch."
The default branch is what everyone on Steam gets by default when they download updates. I will endeavor to keep this branch super stable and not break save games. This version will update less often but will be more stable.
The testing branch is for the bold who want to take a more active role in development. This branch will have bugs, and I will need your help finding them. Clanfolk has a massively complex and interconnected code base, and I need people to play the game in their own way to find these bugs. The testing branch will update more often and there will tend to be a lot of tuning and experimentation.
The Demo has been a 10 month testing branch :)
The testing branch will be available under the Betas tab in your Steam Library when selecting Clanfolk.
Below is an idea of what I am currently prioritizing. Please keep in mind that Clanfolk's development has always been quite dynamic. Priorities change and new ideas surface. So this road map is not set in stone and the order may change, but as of right now these are the high level items that I want to tackle the most.
Right now the first 2 years are a very solid experience. A big part of Early Access will be developing the long term challenges for year 2+
After 2 years, if your Clan survives, your homestead will be in very good shape, and I want to start adding more events to the world to modify day to day life. Here is a current list of ideas that I am sure will be expanded on. I would love to hear your ideas on this too.
Modding is going to be a very important feature in Clanfolk's development. The modding tools will come online over time as the code base settles. Right now, my main focus is on making the base game as stable as possible, but as I move more into content creation, then modding becomes more viable without breaking modders' works.
Modding will consist of three phases.
1: Art modding.
This is the simplest to implement and will come first. This will be used to test Workshop support as well. This would be for example changing how in game items and units look, but not adding new functionality to them.
2: Item/Object Chain Modding
I have been building Clanfolk with this in mind, but I will probably need to provide a tool to make this viable outside of Unity. This is the creation of an entirely new set of Objects that form a process to create Items.
Modded Code (Stretch Goal)
So this I currently do not have experience with but will be consulting with modders to try to enable the possibility. So I can only list this as a maybe right now. This would be a mod of the form that changes something fundamental about how a game system works.
The addition of modding will take time as it is critical that I build a strong foundation within the base game to support robust modding. This means do not expect it within the next few months as I am adding major content and systems to the base game.
I plan to post regular development logs about what I have been working on, what I am prioritizing next, and how things are generally going. These logs will provide a glimpse of what has been happening for the people not on the testing branch.
Two Way Communication
I really do want to hear your ideas and hear about your triumphs and struggles in Clanfolk. If something is frustrating you, please let me know, and I will try to fix it. Clanfolk should be a relaxing experience, and you should not have to fight the game to find it.
To get into contact, please post on the forums here on Steam or even better yet join us on Discord. I am on the Discord channel almost every day reading posts and responding where I can.
Discord Link:
https://discord.gg/U6yztRSTxX
Building Clanfolk has been a dream come true for me. I have been wanting to create a little digital world for people for over 30 years now. It finally works. Now lets add more life and more features to that world together.
Andrew Hume (Blorf)
MinMax Games Ltd.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1700870
First off, I would like to thank everyone who has played and helped improve the Demo over the last 10 months. So many great ideas and quality of life improvements have come from your participation, and I cannot thank you all enough!
What's Next?
Going forward, I hope you all will continue to provide your suggestions. I don't have all the answers, and I love hearing ideas. Even if I cannot use the idea, it sometimes sparks great alternatives.
Game Versions
There will be a "testing branch" and a "default branch."
The default branch is what everyone on Steam gets by default when they download updates. I will endeavor to keep this branch super stable and not break save games. This version will update less often but will be more stable.
The testing branch is for the bold who want to take a more active role in development. This branch will have bugs, and I will need your help finding them. Clanfolk has a massively complex and interconnected code base, and I need people to play the game in their own way to find these bugs. The testing branch will update more often and there will tend to be a lot of tuning and experimentation.
The Demo has been a 10 month testing branch :)
The testing branch will be available under the Betas tab in your Steam Library when selecting Clanfolk.
The Roadmap
Below is an idea of what I am currently prioritizing. Please keep in mind that Clanfolk's development has always been quite dynamic. Priorities change and new ideas surface. So this road map is not set in stone and the order may change, but as of right now these are the high level items that I want to tackle the most.
- Furniture and Decorations
- Peat Harvesting/Bog Iron
- Beekeeping
- Mead, Ale, Brewing
- Pets
- Planning Mode
- More Crops
- More Traditional Foods
- More Traditional Crafting Chains
- More Wildlife
- More Personality Quirks
- More Instruments and Fun Activities
- New Northern Start Conditions
- Wild Weather and Seasons
Year 2 and Beyond
Right now the first 2 years are a very solid experience. A big part of Early Access will be developing the long term challenges for year 2+
After 2 years, if your Clan survives, your homestead will be in very good shape, and I want to start adding more events to the world to modify day to day life. Here is a current list of ideas that I am sure will be expanded on. I would love to hear your ideas on this too.
- Taxes
- Theft/Hiding Assets
- Clan Diplomacy
- Plagues
- Crop Blight
- Rustlers
- Refugees
- Conscription
Modding
Modding is going to be a very important feature in Clanfolk's development. The modding tools will come online over time as the code base settles. Right now, my main focus is on making the base game as stable as possible, but as I move more into content creation, then modding becomes more viable without breaking modders' works.
Modding will consist of three phases.
1: Art modding.
This is the simplest to implement and will come first. This will be used to test Workshop support as well. This would be for example changing how in game items and units look, but not adding new functionality to them.
2: Item/Object Chain Modding
I have been building Clanfolk with this in mind, but I will probably need to provide a tool to make this viable outside of Unity. This is the creation of an entirely new set of Objects that form a process to create Items.
Modded Code (Stretch Goal)
So this I currently do not have experience with but will be consulting with modders to try to enable the possibility. So I can only list this as a maybe right now. This would be a mod of the form that changes something fundamental about how a game system works.
The addition of modding will take time as it is critical that I build a strong foundation within the base game to support robust modding. This means do not expect it within the next few months as I am adding major content and systems to the base game.
Keeping you in the Loop
I plan to post regular development logs about what I have been working on, what I am prioritizing next, and how things are generally going. These logs will provide a glimpse of what has been happening for the people not on the testing branch.
Two Way Communication
I really do want to hear your ideas and hear about your triumphs and struggles in Clanfolk. If something is frustrating you, please let me know, and I will try to fix it. Clanfolk should be a relaxing experience, and you should not have to fight the game to find it.
To get into contact, please post on the forums here on Steam or even better yet join us on Discord. I am on the Discord channel almost every day reading posts and responding where I can.
Discord Link:
https://discord.gg/U6yztRSTxX
Thanks for your support!
Building Clanfolk has been a dream come true for me. I have been wanting to create a little digital world for people for over 30 years now. It finally works. Now lets add more life and more features to that world together.
Andrew Hume (Blorf)
MinMax Games Ltd.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1700870
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