Before we get into today’s topic, we want to start with a community spotlight. We haven’t done one of these in a while, and honestly, some of the settlements you’ve been sharing on our Discord deserve a moment.
We keep an eye on the screenshot channel and occasionally reach out to creators whose settlements really stand out. So, behold:
We don’t know exactly when the next spotlight video will happen, but if you keep sharing awesome-looking settlements, there’s a good chance we’ll reach out. For now, please enjoy the work of these wonderful creators.
And speaking of settlements, today we want to talk about the people living in them.
Now back to the subject of immersive experience. Last time, we talked about idle behavior and how we want settlers, animals, merchants, and other NPCs to feel a bit more natural when they are not actively working. This time, we want to talk about something a bit deeper – how settlers behave around each other and how their perks influence those behaviors. But first, we want to talk about what led us to this decision.
Right now, your settlers don’t face many challenges stat and mood-wise. They would easily get happy, annoyance is a rare occurrence and getting rebellious settlers, especially in mid to late game, is nearly impossible. Among themselves, your settlers would mostly get along – there is no real conflict, no friction, no ups and downs. Their personalities mostly exist through background text and stats affected by perks. In practice, they often feel more like workers used for construction, production, and expansion than people actually living in the settlement.
That is fine to a point, but it’s not… exciting. People are not perfect. Communities are not perfect. Even in a well-built settlement, life should have its little problems, awkward moments, bad habits, strange friendships, and occasional drama. Gaming-wise, you can have a lot of fun problem solving such challenges and make the story of your settlement even more interesting and unique. Ideally, a happy and stable settlement should feel earned, not automatic.
BUT!
This does not mean we simply want to make the game more punishing. The goal is not to make your settlers miserable for the sake of it. The goal is to make mood, relationships, and personalities matter more, while giving you more interesting situations to manage.
So how does that tie to Perks?
Perks will have a bigger influence on how settlers behave, both when things are going well and when things are not ideal. Some perks will create positive moments, some will create social friction, and some will do both, depending on the situation.
For example, a settler with Outgoing perk may be pleasant to have around, giving nearby folks a small mood boost simply by being near them.
On the other hand, a more difficult settler may be harder to deal with when things go wrong. If pushed into a rebellious state, they may isolate themselves, insult others, or even start a fight after a bad interaction.
And yes, some settlers will simply be difficult people, but that is kind of the point.
We want perks to feel less like silent stat modifiers and more like parts of a settler’s personality. A settler should not just be “better at a thing.” They should feel like someone who has habits, preferences, flaws, and a way of affecting the people around them.
Some settlers might be useful but unpleasant. Some might be pleasant but not especially skilled. Some might be both a blessing and a problem, depending on the day. You know… average workplace stuff.
But it’s not all doom and gloom! When settlers are in a very good mood, some perks may create additional benefits. A charming settler might have better social moments. Someone who enjoys feasts and entertainment may benefit more from those situations. Certain personalities may even help trading or social interactions when things are going well.
All this ties to proximity, too.
Some perk effects will depend on who is nearby, while others may only appear in specific situations, such as eating, working, resting, sleeping, or being wounded. In practice, this means that who your settlers spend time with can matter more.
Maybe someone makes others feel better. Maybe someone is unpleasant to be around. Maybe two settlers simply do not click because their personalities clash.
Speaking of clashes, we are adding a form of chemistry between perks. Some perks will have positive chemistry with others, while some will have negative chemistry. This can influence how settlers feel about one another from the start, making certain personality combinations naturally work better or worse together.
It does not mean every settlement will turn into a medieval soap opera. At least, not all the time. Yes, getting rebellious settlers seems to be easier now, but only if you ignore their basic needs. Also, the rebel state should not last as long as it did before.
The idea is to create more texture. Some settlers may become good companions. Some may annoy each other. Some may make the whole settlement feel better. Some may be very good at what they do, but also bring trouble with them when their mood drops too low.
And sometimes, that can create interesting decisions.
Do you keep a difficult settler because they are extremely useful? Do you separate two people who clearly do not get along? Do you invest more into entertainment and religious activities because your settlement is full of people who really, really need that structure? Those are the kinds of situations we want to encourage.
The important thing here is balance. We do not want every settlement to collapse because two people had a bad lunch near each other. We also do not want mood management to become annoying busywork. But we do want settlers to feel more like individuals, with traits that matter beyond simple stat changes.
This is another step toward making Going Medieval feel more alive. Your buildings already tell part of the story. Now we want your settlers to tell more of it too. Hopefully this will open doors to other interesting scenarios like marriages, living together, etc.
Since settlers will have more going on outside of pure work, we are also speeding up construction. We feel this gives a better balance between building and simulation, letting settlements still progress at a satisfying pace while giving settlers more room to feel like people, not just walking task lists.
Are you already on the experimental branch? This update (and other cool things) is live there! Check the experimental log and let us know how it goes. Once it is stable, we’ll push it to main branch.
Until then, let us know how this sounds to you. Do you like the idea of settlers having stronger personalities, more social friction, and a bit more drama in daily life?
