LordArioch
patreon
King of the Castle
🕑 Added 2016-08-01 09:02:16 +0000 UTC Okay, so quick update - Added a few events and had to iron out the first few kinks of the event system, but everything is looking good. Just want to add a few more and do some additional testing, but hoping to have a very basic release for backers at the weekend.Moving on, I'd like to talk a little today about the Castle Management aspect of the game. It is something I haven't really talked about much because it has been the element of the game I have struggled with the most. I had a very basic system in place, but felt it was quite boring. So I played a few sim games, a few board games, and read a few rpg sourcebooks that deal with this sort of thing, and that gave me a few ideas.
So first up, here are the stats you'll be needing to keep an eye on:
Coffers - Separate from Rowan's personal gold stat, this represents the amount of money currently available to be spent on castle management options.
Supplies - The amount of food in the stores.
Peasants - The number of normal people living in the castle. This contributes a small amount toward food production, and determines gold raised when using taxation.
Soldiers - The number of trained soldiers under your command. This contributes toward your Defence Points.
Morale -How happy the population is. If this drops too low, unrest will start to accrue.
Unrest - The current level of dissent among the populace. If this gets too high, bad things will happen.
Resource Points (RP) -These are used, along with gold, to build new areas / upgrade areas of the castle, and they accumulate over time.
Defence Points (DP) -The total defensive strength of your castle.
There are five major ways you will need to manage your castle. First you'll have to make sure that there is always enough food, so you'll have to purchase more supplies when they start to get low. You'll also have to decide how many peasants you want to train into soldiers. You'll have to adjust the rate of taxation, balancing how much gold you want to earn versus increased rates of morale loss, and leading on from that, you'll have to balance morale and manage unrest, making sure that things do not get too out of hand.
Last, and definitely not least, you'll have to decide how you want to spend your Resource Points. Do you want to build something like the tavern or the brothel, that will increase morale and gold generation each turn? Do you want to build a forge or an alchemy laboratory, opening up crafting options? Do you want to establish new trading routes, expanding the inventory of the castle's vendors? Build more housing or barracking to increase the capacity of peasants/soldiers? Or maybe build fortifications or watch towers to add to the castle's Defence Points? The choice is yours.
Obviously, all this has to be coded, tested and (with your help) balanced, but I hope this have given you all some idea of what I'd like to achieve with the castle. All efforts will be made to tie it in to Rowan's story as well, so it feels organic as opposed to something that has been tacked on.
Comments
Lord Arioch
Not at the mo, but if we were making more money at a later point, certainly something that could be added.
Are there plans to make the upgrades you make to the castle/town represented visually by some kind of shifting graphic representation of the castle/town? Or will they only be represented by a change in stats? The only reason I ask is any game that has given me a chance to make upgrades to vehicles/homes/forts/towns/etc. that are visually represented have launched me into completionist mode and have added an extra level of immersion and game feel. I don't expect you to have it all ironed out in the first release, but I'm curious about long term plans. Loving what you've brought us thus far!
Markus S.
Wow, that's sounds rather complex. I am curious to get a first look and feel of all of this.
Lord Arioch
They aren't so much in the castle as outside it, just imagine a big courtyard area with extra buildings. :) He's not evil yet, he is just doing the only thing he can in the situation he is currently in. Whether or not he becomes proper evil or is "just doing his job" is going to depend on the choices you make as a player. He can't really betray them because they can watch what he is upto via magic. If he goes to get help or anything like that, they'd just hurt Alexia. There's already a seneschal type character (who is even older, and less alive), but I'm definitely thinking to add extra recruitable at a much later point.
Dinker
In the style of gameplay we're seeing here, I'd think they're more properly serfs, than peasants. <br>Also, consider expanding this to a newly formed town around the castle. That would be a bit more plausible (to me) than just having everything crammed inside the castle. <br>And if you're gonna make the main character muahahaha evil, he could use a more concrete conversion than what's in the game. 8 months of solitary isn't going to change who you are as a person, more than likely. And while it might be an end goal that he betrays the demon siblings and takes the world for himself... I'm not seeing much reason right now why he wouldn't accrue money and power and then betray them and then put everything right again rebuild his nice little village and live happily ever after. <br>Also, totally recruit that cool old guy to be your seneschal! Once money and time allows you could add the option to have magic/artifacts turn him into a young, vibrant man or a sexy bimbo. Mindbreak optional, different bonuses for each. :P (Old guy: Better Crops, Young Guy: Better Defenses. Young Girl: Better Morale, Young Mindbreak Girl: Better Morale, Permanent Unrest reduction, slightly worse income.) <br>Some ideas for ya.
Sounds interesting, I am looking forward to testing it out.
Justanx
Yes this can be a tedious event. I would suggest advisers (sexy ones) that would come to you or you send for them. The coding will be a bear, but would feel more immersive. Maybe picking advisers based on there own stats that could get better on there management. Just throwing it out there.
