Greetings medievalists!
Let’s do something different this time – let’s talk about feedback. We read your comments/posts here and on Discord, and we noticed that Medieval Monday Talk #12 in particular was polarizing.
While the idea of seeds and saplings sounds nice, in some cases, it can be a micromanaging hell – introducing too many mechanics to flows can make things more complex, which in some cases can be cumbersome , and you would have to worry about a couple of more things when it comes to food production now.
We hear you, though – So, let us discuss what we did and how, by our accounts, it can improve the gameplay.
The primary reason for this decision is emphasizing the survival feel. The idea to go out in the wilderness and collect saplings and seeds fits perfectly in the harsh medieval period of our game – how far will you go to improve your life and what risks will you take to improve your crops?
While the idea sounds intimidating, the realization of the concept is much more convenient.
You were worried that the whole process would turn tedious, with unnecessary micromanaging forced upon the existing functional gardening system. We heard your criticism, hence why the whole system received significant rebalancing and simplification.
Now, every crop and tree will drop one seed/sapling when harvested/cut. In theory – if you have 30 cabbages, you will get 30 seeds by their harvesting. The cycle still exists – what you harvest will provide enough resources to start another seeding/planting session, that is – if settlers don’t fail at their jobs.
Redcurrants, barley, and flax are even more convenient – with each harvest phase, they’ll offer more than one seeding resource, which will call for crop field expansion (if you want that, of course).
Carrots, beets and cabbages will have a “Going to seed” phase in which, if they are harvested then, will give more seeds.
Thankfully, all of this can be easily managed with automatization and this window will give you options when to harvest. If you just want resources for another cycle, keep it in the ripe phase. If you want more crop fields, perhaps consider setting some to be harvested in the “Going to seed” phase.
Granted, some seeds will be acquired only through trading, but look at them as optional elements – ones that will offer additional resources and more cultivating options that each have their pros and cons.
We hope you’ll get to experience the new update soon and see for yourself that the system is not bothersome at all. While you wait, we invite you to join our Discord server (if you haven’t done so already!), and share your settlements, game experiences, tips and tricks, partake photo challenges, show off your heraldry and give feedback on the existing feature, or even suggest a new one. Until next time…
Stay medieval!