Dogs Of War Vu

Sim/Strategy/War => Games Discussion => Topic started by: Asid on February 02, 2019, 04:11:11 PM

Title: Foundation
Post by: Asid on February 02, 2019, 04:11:11 PM
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/header.jpg?t=1549033216)

Foundation is a grid-less, sprawling medieval city building simulation with a heavy focus on organic development and monument creation.


Home page: Here (https://www.polymorph.games/)
Steam: Here (https://store.steampowered.com/app/690830/Foundation/)
Official forum: Here (https://steamcommunity.com/app/690830/discussions/)
Youtube: Here (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkaCEsd3XRH92hLzm-goqkA)
Wiki: Here (https://foundation.gamepedia.com/Foundation_Wiki)


Single-player


Early Access Trailer / Jan 17, 2019

https://youtu.be/XyaatIJKS9I


About

FOUNDATION : A NEW ERA OF ORGANIC CITY-BUILDING SIMULATION!

Foundation is a grid-less, sprawling medieval city building simulation with a heavy focus on organic development, monument construction and resource management.

In this strategy/city-builder/economy simulation game, players must create a prosperous settlement as the newly appointed lord of a region untouched by man.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/extras/EveningOverManor.gif?t=1549033216)

Setting to redefine the city-builder genre, Foundation puts the emphasis on the organic aspects of urbanism in the cities of old, powered by Polymorph Games’ proprietary game engine, Hurricane, which allows for full mod support and is optimized for the thousands of moving parts that come with building humongous cities.

Among other things, the engine provides the player with robust building tools, to create countless unique monuments that will seamlessly integrate into your settlement.

With medieval architecture and urbanism at the forefront of its design, Foundation’s vision is to allow players to recreate cities of that period as they envision them or even as they really were.

Features:

ORGANIC URBANISM OF THE MEDIEVAL ERA: Create gridless and organically sprawling cities that grow like actual medieval cities.

LAY THE FOUNDATION, THRIVE, AND PROSPER: Weave a complex web of interactions between inhabitants needs and skills, resource availability, extraction, and goods production.

UNIQUE MONUMENT CREATION TOOL: Craft and design original free-form monuments like Abbeys, Churches, Lord Manors, Castles and more, with our proprietary node-based tool.

FULL MODDING SUPPORT FOR THE COMMUNITY: Share characters, buildings, quests, and even real topographies through our mod-support tool and be part of the Foundation community.

POWERED BY OUR OWN HURRICANE GAME ENGINE: Experience a city-building game engineered with a dedicated, tailor-made, in-house engine built with our unique vision in mind.

ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK BY PARADOX VETERANS: Immerse yourself in our blissful soundtrack by talented composers who worked on titles such as Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV!


(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/ss_74faac72ee6601c6ef9bcbe06110dd622ce11798.1920x1080.jpg?t=1549033216)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/ss_b61ec2b0b6ae192d31d98cfc404aafd31249069b.1920x1080.jpg?t=1549033216)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/ss_d0a2e0982da4a90335201827b2c462d15d8bbf19.1920x1080.jpg?t=1549033216)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/ss_85b9f7781c650d8170a2a1c23059ebff2a1a96f9.1920x1080.jpg?t=1549033216)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/ss_babc8585efda1e5c734bee8100655e17c3fd677d.1920x1080.jpg?t=1549033216)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/ss_969d5cafbd7f59df7bc0e4a8c11976132a33a0c2.1920x1080.jpg?t=1549033216)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/ss_a596441ba4fcaddca199cdf40714d15a9ae49a6a.1920x1080.jpg?t=1549033216)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/ss_7d3f1b6d9a94bcee7550591713ec253cc5d2fc51.1920x1080.jpg?t=1549033216)[/img]

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/ss_c4eb4a5857989d960c5ff37a67af1d32af12f8db.1920x1080.jpg?t=1549033216)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/ss_315676e9fae195350918c4688eff4b8e12f137c6.1920x1080.jpg?t=1549033216)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steam/apps/690830/ss_62d8ed41f586ff2e08fde3a40db8d013829a1ba2.1920x1080.jpg?t=1549033216)
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on February 06, 2019, 02:42:05 PM
Foundation Livestream - Q&A with the Developers! Special Guest Philippe Dion


https://youtu.be/VWjPM1RNuH0


Streamed live 05/02/19
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on February 17, 2019, 05:13:42 PM
#DevNews: Planning for the next Content Update has been made!
15 FEB - POLYMORPH GAMES

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/c3096dd1473c86a2ca58f4cc63a322549a6fb585.png)

Hello everyone! This week, planning for the next Content Update has been made!

Many improvements are also planned until then, especially on UI/UX, modding, compatibility and help/tutorial.

The team is hard back at work, fueled by your incredible support! ❤️

-The Polymorph Games Team
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on March 06, 2019, 12:47:58 AM
Alpha 1.1.4.0305 Content Patch is Live!
5 Mar - Polymorph Games

Version 1.1.4.0305
General:
•   Added Steam Cloud save
•   New Help Window
•   Improve Intel GPU compatibility by fixing object flickering

Monastery:
•   Support multiple dorms
•   Monks will leave their current home and family (sad, we know) when conceded to the Monastery
•   Villagers won't go live in the Monastery Dorms
•   Monks will fill their needs – a first step toward a secluded need loop
•   Monks will find a new dorm if their dorm is destroyed

Housing:
•   Housing now have capacity
•   Villagers should fill empty houses before building a new one
•   Fix entrances for Level 2 houses (not on houses already built in old savegames)

Rustic Church:
•   Size has been increased
•   Entrances are now fixed (not on doors already build in old savegames)

Lord Manor:
•   Stone parts are now giving Splendor

Wooden Bridge:
•   Revamped Look

Fishing Hut:
•   Lengthen Wooden Poles

Others:
•   quest window can't be close anymore
•   added error message with description when a save game fails
•   improved mod loading error logging
•   fix some production building description
•   fix: estate button could become un-clickable with small definition
•   added Discord link on Main Menu

*Old savegames should be compatible

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on April 12, 2019, 11:49:04 PM
Devlog #01
12 APR @ 9:41PM - ASH


Hey everyone!

Welcome to the first issue of the Foundation devlog!
 
Q. So what is this devlog thing all about?

The community is requesting more information about updates and the progress of the game and this and the future devlogs will hopefully help to keep you updated on what we are working on.

I plan to bring you a weekly (or at least every 2 weeks) devlog with information on what the team have been working on and as we get closer to a major content update, maybe share a few sneak peeks of the new content.

Q. When will you be releasing updates?

Each update we put out will need to be tested and balanced as much as possible and as such if we keep putting out minor updates with small content patches this will ultimately take longer to create fix and balance them all.

Due to the nature of the game and genre it is more efficient for us to build and test major updates with as much content as we can fit in. So expect larger gaps between major updates though we will put out smaller bug fixes and balancing tweaks between major content updates.

Q. So what have you been up to?

Well, it has been a very busy period since the Early Access release, which was followed by a flurry of bug fix patches. The art team have been busy through all this creating new content, animations and environmental effects. We have also been showing the game at PAX east as well as expanding the team to not only increase the speed of production but also to create a better feedback system to you, the community.

We plan to have a new testing and feedback system for each update to try to ensure as bug free releases as possible whilst also feedback to the community regarding any issues that may be found.

The bug/suggestion tracker will be used to its full capability so if you have any bugs please report them to our bug tracker where we can review them and feedback information regarding fixes: https://www.polymorph.games/tracking

We have expanded the team

Since the start of this project the team has grown from the original beginnings with our two co-founders Phil & Leo to a fantastic team of 10 talented people. One of the (not so) new members to the Team is Michael...

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/02daff87f46871dfe80f60c29717757a4f07805b.jpg)

Michael has been working tirelessly on new animations for the villagers plus other more hardy beasts 😉

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/4c74b4928bded9390f7527c87991c6379427e96f.gif)

As mentioned above we are working on a better feedback system to the community. Leading this project is Nicolas our new QA Manager, along with myself the Community Manager we will do our best to feedback as much information as possible to keep you all in the loop.

About those updates

As you may have already heard we are working hard on the next major content update, which will see a major overhaul of the mission quest system. This, plus more content will take some time. We will bring you more news regarding the content update in future devlogs.

We are also working on a smaller quality of life update which will be coming soon! The plan is to release the update next week but this will depend on how testing goes and if we find any major bugs in the build.

With the minor update we will be focusing on some food production balancing issues. Fish consumption will be lowered (halved) and flour production will be increased. We also plan to look at some of the costs for buildings, decorative items and in particular Fish trading.

More QoL changes coming with this update will see:

•   Windowed mode and resolution selection
•   Auto-save and quick-save cloud options
•   Auto assign will assign the villager with the closest house

There will also be a variety of fixes and optimisations:

•   Building will turn red and be forbidden to place. This is currently not working correctly on some buildings
•   Prevent doors being blocked on higher density housing
•   Prevent planting in water
•   Optimise wall rendering
•   Optimise wheat rendering

These last 2 points should help out some fps issues.

There will be more improvements and fixes to add but as you can see this next minor update will bring some needed fixes and changes.

To close the devlog we will add that the Soldiers and monks will now have seperate needs… Talking of monks…

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/bd8fee214f470cf0c690c5079bc662f21401d360.png)

That’s it for this week, look out for more news next week and if testing goes well we should see an update!

All the best
Ash
Community Manager

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on April 18, 2019, 10:09:06 PM
Alpha 1.1.8.0418 is live!
18 Apr @ 6:25pm - Polymorph Games


Hello everyone! Alpha v1.1.8.0418 is live! It's a content patch that is improving and fixing a lot of small things. Thanks to all of you who helped us by identifying critical problems and suggesting improvements!

We are also hard at work preparing the next content update. As we don't have a release date for now, we'll inform you as soon as we have one.

- The Polymorph Games Team

Changes:
•   Monks have monk clothes again
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/bd8fee214f470cf0c690c5079bc662f21401d360.png)
•   Soldiers and Monks now have separate status and needs from those of the villagers
•   Add screen resolution and fullscreen/window setting
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/53787e24356062e644290e1ae588fc53f638ab3d.png)
•   Add options to choose if save quick-saves and auto-saves are saved in cloud
•   Add option to keep mouse cursor in game window
•   Add in-game mod rating system
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/54c11339754942fdb21c07e69b79883de365bad9.png)
•   Improve wall rendering performances
•   Improve farm field rendering performances
•   Improve the budget window
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/2c3ad011485eb7a3a686ee77d708ba90daa9315f.png)

Balancing:
•   Davenport will sell fish for 7 gold each
•   Villagers will consume 1 fish instead of 2
•   Lowered weaver's hut cost to 100 gold
•   Decorative arch cost lowered to 20 gold
•   Reduced Hunter's Hut maintenance price from 10 to 5 gold
•   Doubled Windmill flour production
•   Leather can now be sold for 15 gold

Bug fixes:
•   Soldiers, Envoys and Leaving Villagers won’t get stuck when starting on the wrong side of a river
•   Access to houses won’t be blocked by objects anymore
•   Stockpiled resources were not considered in the builder workflow
•   Prevent planting trees and wheat in water and cliffs
•   Workplace auto assign button now use closest house instead of closest villager
•   Prevent village center destruction
•   First wall selection was selecting the wrong wall
•   Monument preview rendering of transparent objects
•   Monument preview shader was not applied to some monument parts
•   Some building parts were not turning red when impossible to build
•   Rivers and ocean were hiding particles
•   Minor adjustment to the Rustic Lord Manor, the Rustic Church and the Wood Cutter Camp
•   Rare crash when editing walls
•   Rare crash in bailiff selection screen
•   Minimizing game window was freezing the game

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on April 20, 2019, 11:41:30 PM
Devlog #02
19 Apr @ 6:58pm - Ash   
Hi everyone!

Welcome to a new issue of the Foundation devlog!

As you may have noticed Alpha v1.1.8.0418 was released yesterday!!

The new update brought with it some bug fixes and balancing tweaks as well as a few quality of life changes. Amongst other changes, you can now adjust the game resolution and change from fullscreen to windowed mode.

We have improved the budget window to give more information particularly on traded goods.

There have also been some optimisation fixes so you should find you have a few extra fps, particularly on larger villages/towns.

You can see the announcement and full change log  here. (https://steamcommunity.com/games/690830/announcements/detail/1634153551793997802)

As mentioned in the last Devlog we have a tracker for reporting bugs. Please feel free to discuss bugs here on the Forums or Discord[discord.gg] but the best place to report bugs is via the tracker[www.polymorph.games] which is being monitored by our QA Manager.

A week in focus

This week with the sad and shocking fire in Paris some of the Discord Community decided to try and recreate Notre Dame in Foundation. One of our Moderators, Helron, created this beautiful reproduction:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/d3581f5f244d7255ed9e5f91ad27f1e0141ce9dd.jpg)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/b966e2cd722afd72dd5c32622a45861a762e4309.jpg)

What we have been working on

This week has seen a focus on the minor QoL update though work continued on the upcoming Major content update. With the release of the 1.1.8.0418 update it is full steam (no pun intended) ahead on the next content update.

We will be bringing you more news of the update in the coming weeks.

As always a big thank you to everyone providing bug reports, suggestions and feedback.

That’s it for this week… We hope you enjoy the new QoL update! Let us know if you find any issues and stay tuned for more news.

All the best
Ash
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on April 26, 2019, 01:25:06 PM
Alpha 1.1.11.0425 is live!
25 APR @ 9:09PM - POLYMORPH GAMES


Changes
•   fix: bug preventing soldiers to live in house
•   fix: add compatible profiles to house and dorm
•   fix: crash related to villager status upgrade
•   fix: beekeeping floating part
•   fix: mod rating
•   fix: some mod text could freeze the game
•   fix: rare crash on quitting game
•   fix: rare random crash
•   modding: expose BUILDING_PART_MARKET_FOOD_STALL, BUILDING_PART_MARKET_GOODS_STALL, BUILDING_PART_MARKET_LUXURY_STALL

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on April 27, 2019, 02:32:34 AM
Devlog #03
26 APR @ 11:59PM   - ASH


I bid thee all welcome to Devlog #03!

Another week has flown by and another minor update has been released to clear a few more bugs as we continue to work on the Content Update.

As you may have seen we have been cleaning and improving the live build recently, we hope you have enjoyed the minor changes.

So what else has been happening?

Bug Reporting

We have been working to improve the bug reporting system and player feedback loop via the tracker https://www.polymorph.games/tracking/my_view_page.php . This has helped greatly with both pre-testing and release of the recent updates. Going forward this will help to ensure we can release future major updates as clear of issues as possible.

2019 Quebec NUMIX Awards

We recently found out that Foundation has made it to the finals in 2 categories at the 2019 NUMIX Awards!! https://www.numix.ca/en/

- III Independant Games (TRIPLE I)
- Production with the highest International profile

Winners will be announced on May 9th! Less than 2 weeks!!

But what about the Content Update?!

I hear your calls for more… even everyone at the back.

It is coming but there is still much work to be done. We are keeping things under wraps for a little bit longer but I can tell you there has been good progress. We will begin preliminary testing on one new feature next week. Hopefully more news on that in next weeks' devlog if all goes well.

A few weeks ago a little easter egg was spotted in the photo of Michael. If you missed it then here is a bigger hint:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/3b72c54b9114164b2a662a2786fca8d7fa0eaf20.gif)

More Improvements

Along with the new content that is being created we have also been working on improving what is already in the game. We saw a quality of life update a couple of weeks ago and we will continue to improve the current content as we integrate the new.

As you can see job assignation has been getting a medieval makeover:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/494d34735e8caa6af702770e853475100ba25a3f.gif)

That’s all I have for you this week Lords and Ladies, but I will leave you with one of my favorite community created screenshots of the week.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/9e22ca249265e5dc0583aa8ea63e721c69bbd432.jpg)

Fare thee well,
Ash
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 04, 2019, 12:33:16 AM
Devlog #04
3 May @ 6:48pm - Ash

Friday is upon us once again and it’s time for another Devlog!

This week I am going to focus in on modding… Everyone loves a good mod, including us!

What have we been up to this week?

Whilst work continues hard on the Major Content Update we have also been working on opening up the modding capabilities. Over the past weeks, some of the team have been working on the modding tools, code and API to give modders a plethora of new tools and options.

As I write this the team are hard at work on a preview build that includes some major modding features that will allow the modding community to take their mods to a whole new level.

This preview build (1.2.0) will be available on a public preview branch in Steam (Betas) whilst we work with the modding community to stress test the new features.

If you are a modder and would like to test the new update, you can provide feedback and chat with other modders on our Discord Server[discord.gg] where we have a dedicated channel[discord.gg] for feedback of the preview build.

To gain access to the preview build on Steam:
-> Right click Foundation in your game library
-> Click Betas tab
-> In the drop down choose modding_preview

What can the modders do with this update?

Some of the new features include:

•   Create workplaces
•   Create monuments and bridges
•   Create walls
•   Create particle effects

We have also included a new mod example that will show the possibilities of new modding features.

And there’s more! You can check out the full list of new features as well as check out the modding documentation on the modding wiki here https://www.polymorph.games/foundation/modding/preview

How can players help?
Good question! Any mods created for the preview build will not be available in the main branch of the game but both the preview build and test channel[discord.gg] on Discord are open to all players so you can keep an eye on progress and if you would like to test the mods and the build you are welcome to join us.

Once the preview has been thoroughly tested (and fixed if needed) we will move it to the main branch and modders will then be able to add their new mods to https://foundation.mod.io/ for integration into the game.

Time for a teaser
Here is a first look at one of the new buildings you will find in the upcoming Content Update.
It’s thirsty work out in the fields but a good local beer can help quench that thirst...

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/300ebb28277ab9ec5a89e62b3b28f4a0fc8c3ff8.jpg)

Check out the full 360 view of the Brewery!

https://youtu.be/V0UCmssxIK4

Testing can be fun!
Our QA Manager has been testing Foundation to its limits this week and sometimes the question ‘What will happen if?’ can get out of hand!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/762efa8314738d8cadecec03bdc60bb03fb4202b.png)

Renaître de ses cendres...
A couple of weeks ago I commented on the devastating fire in Paris and the community’s reaction. This week I would like to follow up on that with this outstanding reproduction by MajesticIX.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/60105a0e82b3ec967f1b2b6b000893a07e350f14.jpg)

We hope you enjoyed this weeks Devlog and have a great weekend everyone!

Ash

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 14, 2019, 11:32:52 PM
What we are busy on at Polymorph Games since the Early Access launch!
14 MAY @ 8:38PM   - POLYMORPH GAMES

Hello everyone,

We’d like to share with you some news about the next content update and what’s going on at Polymorph Games.

Since the launch, feedback from the community has been incredibly positive. Despite the early crashes, bugs and rough-edged features, people have been appreciative of the core experience.

After the Early Access launch, the focus for the first month was to handle game crashes. The variety of different PC configurations that came with the increased player base was a challenge to support, however we updated the game with fixes as frequently as we could to allow as many players to play uninterrupted from crashes as possible.

With no internal Quality Assurance (QA) specialist at the office and updates now affecting tens of thousands of extra players, QA was adding to the workload for the team which was something that we needed to address. Another matter that we wanted to rectify was the art style and workflow. With no senior artist in the team, a certain lack of cohesion between different art assets became apparent. Before continuing to develop new assets and content, these concerns needed to be addressed.

Long story short: We made our priority to hire a QA Manager and a Senior Artist, which we did with the addition of Nicolas and Claudine.
Since his hiring, Nicolas has been working on an internal and external QA workflow. He’s been acknowledging bugs received from the community on our public Mantis and adding and prioritizing them in our own internal bug base, which has relieved our programmers and our community manager from doing that.

With the addition of Claudine, the art team has been working on improving the cohesion of models and textures and standardizing some buildings design as well. This was a necessary step prior to designing and adding new buildings in the game, to ensure the cohesion will be respected in the future. This task progresses steadily and we have started to create new buildings and monuments again.

Other positions also needed to be filled to release other bottlenecks, the gameplay being the most important. Why is that so? Our CEO and Creative Director happens to be our only gameplay programmer on the team. Since the Early Access, with the need to hire new staff, planning work for the team, ensuring the vision for the game is respected and other “non-programming-the-game” tasks, he has been extremely busy. The good news is, we have just found a new gameplay programmer who will join us in two weeks. This will have a positive impact on our velocity!

Our two engine programmers have been working to fix bugs and on optimisations of the game. One of them is now mostly focused on improving modding capabilities. It is very important for us to make progress in modding whilst the game evolves as it allows us to ensure our architecture is modding-friendly and allows us to make adjustments as we identify any problems. Soon, we’ll allow the community to mod more of the actual content of the game: productions, monuments, resources etc...

News on the next content update
We know many of you crave for new content, and as much as we’d like to make it happen fast, the next content update has no official date yet, and is at least a couple of months away. The new content is not just about adding new resources and production lines. We are working to add depth to the gameplay as well, especially by expanding the Estate and Event system. For instance, we are expanding the Military Quest System so it becomes the main focus of the Kingdom Estate progression path. It will be more challenging but also more rewarding. Each Estate will have its own playstyle, so the other two progressions need to be implemented as well. We are also adding the first achievements in the game, that will be awarded when achieving specific challenges. Furthermore, there’s a lot of work to be done in the actual system that we lacked time to do. There’s a huge list of QoL and balancing improvements, like adding desirability effect to all buildings, improve how the villagers chose their home location, being able to pause productions, rehaul the UI, improve the capabilities of the monument system etc. All those changes will have a large impact on the game balancing, thus the importance of take the time to tweak and test thoroughly before deploying the update.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/44d225dd7241891186adaedbd89b1e769f49ac4d.png)

To Sum Up
Since the Early Access launch, 4 new members have been added to the team, making a total of 12 people at Polymorph Games. This team is 100% dedicated to Foundation as we speak, working on all fronts: gameplay, art, modding, and tools, with the objective to deliver our dream game to you. We are so excited to be working on this game and can’t wait to officially present you the next content update! In the meantime, expect more QoL updates!

Sincererly,
- Your dedicated Polymorph Games team
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 18, 2019, 01:59:08 AM
Devlog #05
17 May @ 10:28pm - Ash


Welcome all to an all new Devlog!

Firstly I would like to start with word on a new Quality of Life Update!

Since the Early Access launch, we have received a bunch of great QoL improvement suggestions from the community. We'd like to know which ones are most important to you.

We have submitted 10 suggestions for you to vote on and we will prioritize the top 5 for a QoL update!!

 Voting is now open!! (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScl7bInw_uZvPfwiyleCLHuqMTFsEmQ7r1C_u-IdmR8wjZb0Q/viewform)


If you have any suggestions that you would love to see implemented, you can add yours for review on our tracker  vote (https://www.polymorph.games/tracking/my_view_page.php)

Back from voting? Let’s tell you what we have been working on!

Modding Preview

In the last Devlog we announced the release of the modding preview. Thanks to the modding community testing has gone well with only a few small bugs that were quickly fixed.

We still have some more work and testing to do on the modding update but we hope to release it on the main branch within the next couple of weeks. Though this will depend on further testing and fixes.

Farms and Crops

We have already hinted that we will be introducing some new crops into the game. With these new crops will also come new farm buildings! Here is a little visual hint to those crops the team have been working on. Can you guess what they are?

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/6bc00b8ab709d33e2f125675a7746ba1b363b40e.jpg)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/ead4a1812a9f877ed5d13fc3f1bbeb91a93bea47.jpg)

New Military Quest System

In the last couple of days we have begun initial testing of the new military quest system that will be the focus of the Kingdom Estate progression.

We will start out by testing the basic mechanics of the system with a single multi-level mission. Once we are happy that the quests are acting as they should we can begin to add more missions and depth.

One new aspect of these missions is the probability of success and failure. To increase the chances of a successful mission you will need to train your soldiers or they could end up like this…

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/d2a51e8e5d7fad0a40c4defa03f868a2dc9b680d.gif)

or worse!

Of course, the soldiers will need weapons and those weapons won’t make themselves

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/2eaf26bb112fb2afa5d4e2d54684b922bbfe9a89.gif)

… And there’s more

As you can see, we continue to work on the animations that will make the game even more immersive.

For all the equestrians out there, here’s a little peak of a beautiful moment between man and horse

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/8212c8872be40b45b0690da3694c8d0d91c9b0d0.gif)

There has also been some great work done on a new monument! That’s just a teaser though as there is still more work to do. I’ll let you know more in a future devlog.

I will bring you more news in the next couple of weeks, all that’s left to do, if you haven’t already, is go and  vote (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScl7bInw_uZvPfwiyleCLHuqMTFsEmQ7r1C_u-IdmR8wjZb0Q/viewform) on the QoL update! Voting closes on Monday so don’t delay to have your say… did i just rhyme that?!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!
Ash
 vote (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScl7bInw_uZvPfwiyleCLHuqMTFsEmQ7r1C_u-IdmR8wjZb0Q/viewform)

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 23, 2019, 12:12:43 AM
QoL Poll Results
22 May @ 6:29pm - Ash

The QoL Poll results are in!

The top 5 have been chosen by you and have been prioritized for the next QoL update!!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/178ccdd5e6a1e64ca22f6a2d8c475b3925dc6d38.jpg)
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 25, 2019, 12:37:37 AM
Devlog #06
24 May @ 9:17pm - Ash


Hi everyone and welcome to Devlog #06!

Let's dive straight in to the news...

QoL Poll Results

As you may have seen, last week we submitted 10 community Quality of Life suggestions for you to vote on. The results came in and work is already under way to implement your chosen suggestions:

•   Button to pause production in production buildings

A great suggestion and one that will make managing resources easier. To add to this suggestion paused buildings will have their maintenance cost reduced by half.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/ef2a6a1a53d8bc22b7c2adb37679ce08f3326fbe.jpg)

•   Add 'unemployed only' filter to worker assignation drop down

•   Villager Pane displays the Workplace/Home Distance

Managing your villagers work/home distances and optimising travel distances will be much improved with these suggestions. Great choices!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/e6835e8f30309c608d9d1312da7abe04ff769ab9.png)

•   Return resources for buildings that have building work cancelled

We have taken this suggestion and plan to expand upon it. When destroying buildings you will get 50% of the resources back that were used in the initial construction.
Additionally placing a building accidently will no longer be a drain on your gold reserves. Cancelling a construction that has not yet started will return the gold outlay for that building.

•   Farms have separate fields defined

Another great suggestion which will allow you more control over the placement and segregation of your fields. We are also reworking and optimising the production cycle of fields and we will hopefully add this to the QoL update depending on testing.

Modding Preview

We continue to work on modding functionality. We are changing when mods are loaded so rather than being loaded as Foundation starts they will be loaded at the same time as a save game, additionally we have been working on more changes to allow mods to be loaded mid game as apposed to the current situation where once a game has started no more mods can be added.
There are also still a few optimisations being worked on to ensure mod dependencies are handled correctly as well as a few bugs that needed to be fixed.

If you would like to try your hand at modding you will need to use the Lua programming language to create any mods in Foundation. Documentation for the Modding Preview (1.2.0) can be found here https://www.polymorph.games/foundation/modding/preview

You can also join in the modding chat on our Discord[discord.gg] server.

Wine Production Chain

As you saw in Devlog #05 we have been working on some new farms and fields. The two crops that you saw in the last devlog were grapes and hops. Well done to those that guessed correctly!

Further work has been done on the wine production chain, including the Vineyard building which is currently being worked on

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/06e08224c2dd6916c8e7406c05b86c5f5f22aaad.jpg)

Here is a first look at the Winery! It's soooo cute!!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/72127d9d2ed81fbb57092399272ab3826d2fb583.jpg)

Teaser: The Winery
 
https://youtu.be/Gxao1NxLN5w

Of course wine needs a suitable storage vessel. We are not talking wine bottles here, we are talking bigger scale storage! Below you can see work in progress on the Cooperage.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/3ba22b8fbc6a32a67cc5100ed232df2b12d82288.jpg)

Thanks to everyone that got involved in the voting last week and if you have suggestions that you would like to share you can add them to our tracker here[www.polymorph.games].

-Ash

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 31, 2019, 01:27:48 PM
New Content Update Incoming!
30 May @ 8:25pm - Polymorph Games   
Hi everyone!

We are extremely excited to share some big news with you today!!

We are updating the game in the next few days!

That’s right! The next update will include the Wine production loop, the Quality of Life changes that were voted on last week, and the new modding capabilities that the community have been recently testing.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/3a453f98c373fce97fc5ce10b37988eb8e6406d6.jpg)

Teaser: Winery Content Update

https://youtu.be/gscC1F1-Fmg


Update Strategy Changes

So why are we bringing you an early content update?

Going forward we have decided to make some changes to our update strategy. This will bring more frequent, but smaller updates to you on a regular basis.

Our original strategy, that we took through the pre-Early Access alpha stage, was to release larger more significant updates with major changes and content updates but with larger time frames between updates. We made large strides in development during this time and the game evolved significantly to what you see today.

We have been following the community feedback since the Early Access release and we recognise that the community would prefer smaller more regular updates. With our expanded team (including 2 new programmers) we feel that we are in a position to deliver this change to you.

What’s next?

Ideally, we’ll target an update every month or so with bug fixes/patches in between.

We hope this news brings you as much excitement as it does to us!


Best regards,
-The Whole Polymorph Games Team
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on June 01, 2019, 12:48:56 AM
Wine Production Update is live!
31 May @ 5:15pm - Polymorph Games

Hi everyone, the Wine Production Update (Alpha 1.2.2.3105) is live!

IMPORTANT:
*Savegames from the previous version are compatible!****
*All mods need to be updated by modders to make them compatible with this new version. See the Migration documentation https://www.polymorph.games/foundation/modding/migration ****
*All mods from the previous version are unsupported and may cause crashes.****

Game changes
•   New wine production chain:
•   New building: Monastery Vineyard
•   New building: Monastery Winery
•   New building: Cooperage

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/3a453f98c373fce97fc5ce10b37988eb8e6406d6.jpg)

•   Production of workplaces can now be paused, halving maintenance cost
•   Villager window now displays distance between home and workplace
•   Improved job selection UI

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/b561f4ecdd5433bb05271598b94d2646b05461c5.png)

•   Destroying a building under construction will refund upfront cost

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/520e51ea2d73803ab3cfc26095b1b228da49cc9c.png)

•   Add severities to warning window (low, high) to distinguish stuck agents from full workplaces.
•   Farm have separated farm fields, zonable through the workplace window. All fields need to be zoned on previous savegames. You also need to press the "Start production" button once you have finished zoning.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/be608228b4bb1d6767470f1b8471e20fb252f836.png)

•   Change in balancing (WIP):
•   Reduce production rate of honey
•   Reduce production rate of herbs
•   Reduce the value on herbs and honey on the market compared to wine
•   Wine is tradable
•   Texture uniformisation on Stone Bridge, Small Stone Wall and Large Stone Wall
•   Changes on some Monastery building part cost
•   Update localization

Modding
•   mod:registerPrefabComponent to add component to FBX nodes
•   adding workplaces
•   adding monuments and bridges
•   adding walls
•   expose particle systems features
•   overriding game assets
•   individual log files for mods
•   new example mod: Mithril Factory
•   mod IO functions
•   mod dependencies
•   mod sandboxing: hide some potentially dangerous lua function from mods
•   msgbox function will only log and won't display a messagebox, unless enabled in usersetting.config
•   log and crash as soon as a circular parenting is detected
•   lua will use mod relative path when logging lua error instead of long path
•   expose game textures to lua materials
•   fix: generate generated_ids.lua sooner if inexistent
•   fix: COMP_BUILDING_PART.FeedbackComponentListToActivate on certain type of production buildings
•   fix: QUEST.OnFailCallback was never triggered
•   fix: EVENT_CALLBACK_TRIGGER_EVENT with delay 0 was never triggered
•   expose PROFILE_ENVOY_CLERGY and PROFILE_ENVOY_ROYAL
•   rename DELAYED_QUEST.QuestResource into DELAYED_QUEST.AssetQuest
•   rename WALL_CONFIG.UvTillingWall into WALL_CONFIG.UvTilingWall
•   rename WALL_CONFIG.UvTillingTop into WALL_CONFIG.UvTilingTop

Bug fixes
•   Construction will cancel if builder profile change to monk
•   Use S3TC compressed texture when supported
•   Forbid zone painting outside of player territory
•   Zone cleaning when abandoning tile
•   Occasional crash when leaving a game containing a bailiff office
•   Fix various crashes
•   Zoning tool optimization & interpolation between two frames
•   Tree shadows are now dynamic
 101 Rate up

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on June 08, 2019, 12:28:17 AM
Devlog #07
7 Jun @ 3:15pm - Ash

Hey everyone! Welcome to devlog #07!

What we are working on

With the introduction of the recent content update, we will next be focusing on improving the core experience. Here are a few of the things that we have been working on.

How is the weather today?

Eagle-eyed players might have noticed weather effects in the Early Access trailer… These weren’t just for show and we are currently working on the introduction of the first weather system to Foundation. Of course, I like to tease a little, so you might be interested to know that weather won’t be purely aesthetic!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/599130bbe39edeb4c4d39352a87e13fecd1038f3.png)

Attention!

We have previously mentioned that we are working on an updated mission system for the Kingdom Estate. We will be looking at this for a future update but we have started work on the concept art for soldier levels.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/da025eeb18ce12b76260c2a69b9173710b2074d1.png)

Balancing

As we add more production chains through development we will need to constantly update balancing in the game. There is still much more balancing to do and it will need continuous tweaking during development. For this end, we are working on an internal tracking tool for the cost per resource, which will help us for future balancing of the game.

It's all in the detail

The level of detail in Foundation (call me biased if you like) is already quite incredible but we are striving to always increase the level of immersion. We are currently working to improve and increase this with more detailed and varied construction steps.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/a78f558bc09c5a9790f21afb8b2f2e1ea0aca4d8.jpg)

Bug fixes and patch

New updates do, of course, inevitably bring with them new bugs. The community have been feeding back to us any issues created by the last content update and we are currently in the process of preparing a new patch for release in the next few days. We will announce more details and changelog once the patch is ready for distribution.

Final words

Part of the recent update introduced many new modding features, including the possibility for modders to create their own monuments. The modding community have risen to the occasion and have themselves been working hard on new mods since the update. Check out this creation from Paddy Fitzgerald using the new ‘Stone Gate Set’ mod by vjraymon:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/394b225a764a8d9cdd97b27af48d120a8e002e23.jpg)

If you have created a mod for Foundation in a previous version please don’t forget to update your mod and change it’s status to 'public' for the newly released update.

We hope everyone is enjoying the new Wine update! Feedback has been very good and the community have been sharing their creations on Discord. These screenshots from Milinia and SLy particularly caught our eye!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/bc9511feda0138dce57a00f217c35486e89cb7ae.jpg)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/d1570475353ad20879bf4427a9be50da183faeb1.jpg)

Thanks for checking out this weeks' devlog and we shall see you soon for more news on development!

-Ash
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on June 23, 2019, 03:26:39 PM
News about the July Content Update!
21 Jun @ 7:46pm - Ash


Hi everyone!

We are happy to present to you what you can expect in our next content update!

For this update, we are focusing on improving the core game experience as well as adding new features and buildings. Expect major changes in the gameplay meta!

Bad Weather

A weather system will be added in the next update, starting with the introduction of rain. Not only will this add to player immersion with suitably gloomy clouds, lighting and of course rain effects but the weather is also going to bring with it additional challenges.

Rain will indeed impact your crop yields, but will improve fish yield! You will need to be careful to produce enough food to sustain your population needs during this period.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/61be51a6dca18a6e881d4fbfe0dda43dd4ab4c73.png)

A new building: The Granary

The bad weather and reduced yields are going to require you to plan ahead as poor preparations will see your people starve and leave. To aid in this we will be introducing a new building: The Granary!

This new building will allow you to store a reserve of food resources. It will prove useful when undergoing bad weather. In addition, the Warehouse has been modified to only stock non-food resources. Don’t worry about food trading, the traders will visit your granaries as well.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/a7b1f61e536391d250eeac8b46fb742fcb91a728.jpg)

Major changes to balancing

Balancing will be a large focus for the next update. As we add more content to the game, the economics and flow of balance is evolving as well.
One of the things you can expect is having a limit to berry bushes and schools of fish yields. They will replenish over a time cycle. As such, fulfilling your population with berries will be more challenging.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/620a484818b58fdf073a51ff86e17590aeb2a77f.jpg)

Further balancing changes will focus on a building's desirability. There are a number of buildings that we have introduced to the game during the alpha phase, that are missing their desirability influence.

Desirability has an effect on housing upgrades, whether negatively or positively, and as such will have an influence on where you choose to zone housing for your villagers. Not only that but desirability gives you some control over housing upgrades by making an area more (or less) desirable to live.

With that in mind, we will be adding desirability influence to those missing buildings, such as the Rustic Church & Lord Manor buildings as well as those that negatively influence desirability.

We’ve also improved the desirability visual representation.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/0abcc709abff1d0dbffd4ba02f5ed42f2c0d857b.jpg)

Building Construction

In order to make them more immersive, we’ve been improving the visual of building construction steps. We will be integrating a couple of those in the next update.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/b197719763cdba76bf39e0fac6266b80241ea4ac.gif)

Warehouse resource visual

Currently, many of the resources stored in the warehouse are stored in boxes. This makes it somewhat difficult to identify, visually, which resources are being kept in each warehouse.

It has always been our intention to allow easy identification of warehouse storage and the next update will bring a couple of new visuals to help you see ‘at a glance’ what a warehouse is stocking.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/054fc29e2acabe047dbff64fa956725bac780cf6.jpg)

Modding

We will be adding support for modding dependencies. While downloading a mod, you’ll be able to download all dependencies from that mod in a single click.

Release schedule

The update release date will be announced soon, so keep your eye out for more news on the ETA.

All the best
-The Polymorph Games Team

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on July 07, 2019, 12:15:44 PM
Devlog #08
6 Jul @ 10:42pm - Ash

Hey everyone! Welcome to Devlog #08

When Crops Go Bad

As mentioned in the recent July Content Update News we will be introducing a new weather system. Bad weather is going to affect the yield of your crops. To start with this will be limited to wheat fields but will be expanded on in the future.

It would be easy to just have those crops disappear or just less production but we want to heighten immersion. With this in mind, Claudine our Senior Artist has been working on rotten crops. Nice!

Below you can see the contrast between a healthy crop and a rotting wheat field during bad weather.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/a03f5df943c84f8f3200addd028135674ab0d377.jpg)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/a71facc7f454cfc2a1ffd0343440fc562f4e9ef5.jpg)

Fish Schools

How on earth do those fishermen and woman find those fish that they bring back? It's a good question and more importantly how do you, as a player, know the best place to position a fishing hut? This is something that Loup-Gabriel (FX Artist) has been recently working on. In the future you will be able to identify fishing spots by the schools of fish and plan your production around them.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/c2085251eb60ce9be746355c6c23c0c376f60920.jpg)

Resource Analytics

The upcoming update will bring with it a number of balancing changes. To help with this, Christopher (Game Programmer) has been working on a Resource analytics tool which will allow us to track the overall cost and revenue of every resource in game.

We have had a lot of feedback from the community and this tool will prove invaluable to help get the balance right and fine tune the game.

Balancing

With the aid of Christopher's new Resource Analytics tool, we will be able to balance production costs and trading values much more easily and efficiently. Phil (Creative Director) and Nicolas (QA Manager) have begun to work on the balancing of the estate progression costs as well as looking at balancing for the new weather system.

Timeline Tool

Ben, our new Engine Programmer has been working on improving some internal processes with the aid of a timeline tool. This tool will allow the artists to easily transition and blend between animations/FX. Previously this would have required a Game Programmer to write any changes into the code.

With this tool, there will be much less requirement for the Game Programmers involvement in the animation/FX process which will help to streamline workflow.

As an example, the new weather system will require a transition between sunny and rain effects. The timeline tool will allow a more automated process which can be changed on-the-fly to see the changes and effects of any animation or FX.

Military Animation

A future update will be looking at the military quest system and we are also looking at some more visual improvements for the soldiers. Michaël (Animator) has been working on some new soldier training animations.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/2f94c93bc48971a7c6ac2c9a4d077d80cdd2dd0b.gif) (https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/5329f2dbc8f0c662c5102806cdd9f4128905070f.gif)

Soldiers will not always be training though, you will also find them patrolling your cities

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/3084065fc900259e3540d10f21a37f405cdff731.gif)

Improving Particle System Performance & Functionalities

To better support the new Weather System Léo (Technical Director) has been improving and optimizing the Hurricane particle system.

The Weather system has required the addition of new particles, with these additions he has also been working on optimization to reduce the load on your PC from the particle system. These optimizations will help to offset the new additions so you can all get to see the gloomy ambiance when the bad weather hits.


There will be more news soon on the July Content Update ETA so keep an eye out for announcements.

Have a great weekend everyone
-Ash


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on July 13, 2019, 12:28:55 PM
July Preview Build is LIVE!
12 Jul @ 5:44pm - Polymorph Games

Alpha 1.3.0.0712 July Preview Build is LIVE!

Hey Everyone!

It took us a bit longer than expected but we are happy to announce that the July Content Update is now at a Preview Stage, meaning you can try it out now!

There are so many balancing changes that we want to get your feedback before pushing the build live. Some of the core changes include:
•   Berries and Fish are depletable (but will replenish over time)
•   Farming cycles are global
•   A new building, the Granary, will allow to stock food
•   From now on, Market tenders will only get resources from warehouses and granaries.

There are a whole bunch of other changes, which you can see in the changelog below.

Additionally, we are experimenting a first challenging event related to bad weather. You will see the effects that this will have on your crops and fish production and it will be interesting to see how challenging you find it!

Now that we are on our way to finalize the content update for an official release, it would be very helpful to get your feedback on the preview build by filling this form here: https://forms.gle/qDvc6rzxaKrVgboe9

To get the best experience and feedback from the preview build we would recommend starting a fresh vanilla game. If you would like to check out the new changes you can access the preview build in the Foundation betas tab in Steam.

> Right-click Foundation in your Steam library
> Left-Click Properties > BETAS
> In the drop down choose > preview

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/08bca460622b122e82d655a7a9e80eba5ea2ec16.png)


The build will automatically download and you can get a sneak peak at some of the things to come in the July Update!

Reminder: It would be very helpful to get feedback on the weather event and balancing changes. Please use this feedback form: https://forms.gle/qDvc6rzxaKrVgboe9

We look forward to hearing how you get on!

-The Polymorph Games Team

Changelog:

•   New Bad Weather event: will give malus on vine and wheat output, but bonus on fish.
•   Grow and Harvesting cycle of Farms and Vineyards are now global
•   New building: Granary, used to stock and trade food resource only.
•   Market tender will now only get resources from Granaries and Warehouse
•   Reduced workplace capacity from 100 to 50
•   Raised Warehouse and Granary workers capacity to 4 and resource capacity to 100 per slot.
•   Warehouse is now unlockable on the Labour Estate Path.
•   Fish and Berries are now depletable and will replenish after a while.
•   Stone source are now limited to 5 workers at a time
•   Building upkeep cost may rise depending on the amount of workers
•   New onboarding quests
•   New unlockables will give trade bonus linked to village allegiance
•   New trading village resource balancing
•   Trading villages stock and needs will deplete upon trading. It will replenish over time.
•   New construction steps visual.

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on August 02, 2019, 11:32:23 PM
Bad Weather & Balancing Update is LIVE!
2 Aug @ 7:43pm - Polymorph Games

Hi everyone, the Bad Weather & Balancing Update is now LIVE!

Aside from the new Bad Weather Event, there are significant changes to the core and balancing.

Here's the changelist:

Game
•   New Bad Weather event: will give malus on some productions, but bonus on other.
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/6f0611d4673a7c3daa58f790555896dcb6a00fde.png)
•   Grow and Harvesting cycle of Farm and Vineyard are now timed on a global cycle
•   New building: Granary, used for stocking food-type resources
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/80dbcbf9408ace58f5a6fa9aa47efc69156f10a1.png)
•   Market tender will now only get resources from Granaries and Warehouses
•   Reduced workplaces capacity from 100 to 50
•   Rebalanced the Wine production chain, to make it more profitable.
•   Rebalanced the Bread production chain.
•   Desirability has been rebalanced and visual has been improved
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/a8e1ca7630b2bc1c4c82a76398bde6eeec5bfd89.jpg)
•   Buildings will now display their desirability range
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/38c29e2b92c2b5d6220d3a567aa86661949962e0.png)
•   Raised warehouses and granaries worker capacity to 4 and resource capacity to 100 per slot.
•   Fish and Berries are depleteable. Will replenish after a while.
•   Stone source are now limited to 5 workers at a time
•   Building upkeep cost may raise depending on the amount of workers
•   New onboarding quests
•   New unlockables that will give trade bonuses for a while
•   New trading village resource balancing
•   Trading village will have a maximum amount of buying resource that will replenish over time
•   New construction steps visual

Achievements
•   The first 7 achievements have been added to the game!

New Languages
•   Gaelic
•   Turkish
•   Japanese
•   Vietnamese

Music
•   5 new Level 2 music snippets have been added

We hope you'll enjoy the new changes!

-The Polymorph Games Team

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on August 18, 2019, 02:10:48 PM
Devlog #09
17 Aug @ 5:29pm - Ash

Hey everyone!

We are taking Foundation to gamescom next week! If you are heading to Köln, you can drop by and say hello and we even have a photobooth where you can get your photo taken with some of your favourite characters from the game. We will also have 6 stations where you can try out Foundation, if you haven’t already.

As some of the team are packing their bags to head off to gamescom this is a perfect time for me to catch you all up on what the team have been up to in the last few weeks.

Environment and ambience

Claudine has been researching some visual variations to increase the ambience of the Foundation environment, including new weather effects as well as looking at options to increase the variation of vegetation.

You might also be pleased to hear that she has also started visual research for future buildings and monuments such as the Castle monument!

Vehicles concept

As you have previously seen, Michaël has been creating a new ‘vehicle’ for use in the game which Christopher has now been working to implement for a future update. Its first use will be for the when envoy is coming to town to deliver a mission from the King.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/388e2d2a47528fb734351b73c83a68777880019e.png)

Animations

The last update saw a number of new animations added to Foundation, for instance the farming cycles have seen a lot of love with new seeding as well as harvesting animations with the scythe.

Michaël is now hard at work on some new animations for production buildings where we will be increasing workstations in some of the buildings and adding new ones to others. For example, the bakery will see a new workstation for a second baker to be working at the oven whilst the other kneads bread.

He has also been working on new walking cycles for specific jobs as well as new animations for some tools with both single and double-handed uses.

Character visuals

Concept art for job visuals are being worked on and expanded by Vincent, which will see new outfits for jobs such as the Hunter, Forester, Miner and more. On top of this he has been working to increase the variety for character visuals, such as new haircuts for both female and male villagers.

Villager immigration improvements

Immigration is something that we are looking to improve and with this in mind, Christopher has been working on new immigration factors. These factors will see the way current immigration works changed to give you more control over the growth of your city.

With these changes, new factors will affect the quantity of villagers joining your village per immigration wave.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/2621ac33c9a1713b5d28d4dc22324d4c2dfa984c.png)

Assignable Building Functions

Phil has been working on some changes to the way monument functions are implemented. In an upcoming update we will see some of the current monument parts become generic.

Some building parts will have a “capacity” which can be assigned as a villager capacity for that building or if players choose that part to be a treasury, for example, then the “capacity” will be combined with a treasury multiplier to create an overall treasury capacity.

This will free up some of the existing parts to allow them to be used more creatively whilst giving you more control over what parts will have particular functions.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/911dcd05a95857a7393dae70e4a0ab35567c8779.png)

The Great Hall

Speaking of assignable building functions, one such function we are currently developing is the Great Hall, which can only be set to 1 building part in all the city. This function will allow you, the Lord, to determine where you will receive requests from envoys. This functionality will also expand in the future.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/7df00e249d4b115ea3b952648cc8368f47a9872a.png)

Hurricane improvements

We are always working hard in the background to improve the game engine to allow the team to improve both the way we create assets, transitions and new features.

Ben has been working on a timeline feature as mentioned in a previous devlog, this is being improved to allow for better handling of the AI and behaviour tree. These improvements will help for game optimization as well as debugging for future updates and improvements.

We have also been testing and working on improvements for GPU compatibility, specifically Léo has been testing AMD graphics cards for better compatibility as well as investigating crash reports to smooth out the player experience.

Max has been hard at work on Improvements to graphical optimization as well as modding compatibility across game versions to prevent crashes when mods are removed from existing savegames.

With that it’s time for me to go and pack my own bags!

Stay tuned as we will be bringing you more news during gamescom.

Cheers
-Ash


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on September 04, 2019, 11:13:09 AM
Devlog #10
3 Sep @ 9:23pm - Ash

Hey everyone!

In the last Devlog some of the team, including myself were packing our bags and heading off to Köln for gamescom 2019. The team are now back and working hard on the next update and I am very happy to report that gamescom was a resounding success with Foundation being nominated for Best Strategy Game in the gamescom 2019 awards!.

We met many new fans as well as veterans of the game. The booth was full from start to end and we would like to say a big thank you to everyone that dropped by the booth during the week! Thanks also to those that braved the photobooth https://www.facebook.com/pg/foundationgame/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2425054621065392 where it was all getting very medieval.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/9de14319ffb47f07077fd141998a953c9d9b8c31.jpg)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/f6b5c30b503eeb9ae36afee6cde54e8a5227bbfa.jpg)

Whilst we were in Germany showing off Foundation the rest of the team were still back in Quebec City so let’s find out what they have been up to whilst we were away.

To help the Gameplay Programmers Ben has been working on a behaviour tree Debugger which will show the current state of a villager in the Hurricane editor. This will make a big difference when searching for issues and bugs in the behaviour of the villagers, particularly as we add more content to the game.

Max has also been hard at work on the dev tools to improve the development process. One such improvement is allowing the Hurricane editor to be ‘moddable’, using Lua, by any of the developers. This will allow them to create their own functions/actions in the editor which are more targeted at their own individual workflow and job role.

On top of this, he has also been working on LOD generation, in order to increase optimization for low-end graphics cards.

Christopher and Loup-Gabriel have been working on Weather Systems. This will be a new environmental feature that has no direct impact on gameplay but will help to immerse the player in the world.

Each map will have Weather Systems configured individually to both add variety and ambiance to the maps.

Weather Systems are still work in progress but below you can see a couple of examples of work so far.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/ea6db9a9e3bb3b8746dacce1bc074ac278886ee9.png)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/aff7e7e8868c0962c4027c1e1ea0da5d6dac70cd.png)

Additionally, Christopher has been taking an initial look at Villager life cycles including aging and eventually the death of a Villager.

As well as the Weather Systems Loup-Gabriel has also been creating placeholders for all the upcoming buildings in the game. These are basic visuals that will help to get an idea of how everything will look in the final game and make sure everything is fitting together visually.

He has also been working on some new decorative items for the stone bridge that will be placeable on bridge nodes.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/634ea5ea604675c0a3394d808d3a00fc94cc3fd5.png)

You may have seen a horse rider in need of coffee in a recent Social Media post… Well, Michaël has been working to polish the horse and rider animations including the King’s Envoy animations as well as uphill and downhill animations for the horse itself.

Here you can see the new horse reins and improved rider animations as the envoy heads into town.

Teaser: Envoy & Horse

https://youtu.be/jN1haOs4noU


We have also been keeping an eye on player feedback and working on some of the major issues currently affecting many players. Phil has been looking at a fix for the housing building loop bug where houses will continue to be built and not occupied. As well as this he has been looking to improve the collision on the granary which can be too easily create stuck villagers.

Thanks for reading and I'll catch you all soon with more news from the team.

Cheers
-Ash
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on September 21, 2019, 12:59:00 AM
News about the upcoming Content Update!
Fri, 20 September 2019

A new Monument, new production chain, new features... and much more

Hey everyone!

We are excited to bring you news on the plans for the upcoming content update!

This update will bring a plethora of new content to the game, so without further ado let's take a look at what is to come in the next update.

New Monument: The Tavern

If you have seen the recent teaser you may have already guessed it but the next update will see the introduction of a new Monument, The Tavern!

As the Tavern is a monument it will consist of multiple parts. These parts will include a Public Bar room, Kitchen, Sleeping Room, Stables and many decorative items.

The Tavern monument will have limited functionality in this update but more functions will be added in future updates.

New Production Chain

A new production line will be introduced in the next update which will see the addition of the Dairy Farm and Cheese Maker.

These new production buildings will add both Milk and Cheese resources into the game, as well as new buildings and of course Cows!

A first look at the new Dairy Farm:
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/eeedf7657629d8789bfaf802ea61b69b5ecf5899.png)

Assigning Monument Functions

One exciting new feature, coming soon, will be the ability to assign functions to monument building parts.

With this new feature, the player will have the ability to assign some generic parts a function that is relevant to that monument type, allowing players much more control over their monument building functions and overall creativity with building parts.

The Lord Manor monument set, for example, currently includes a treasury building and a Bailiff office. These building parts will become generic and the players will be able to assign the treasury and Bailiff functionality to the generic parts.

The new update will also see the addition of the Great Hall to the Manor monument functions. The Great Hall is where you will host any Envoys that visit your settlement. Assigning the Great Hall function to a building part will have the added bonus of doubling the splendour for that building part.

Some factors will have an influence on the Monument functions, for instance, the capacity of the part and the quality of the materials used.

Further Monument functions are planned to be added in later updates.

New Immigration Factors

Currently, new villagers join a players village in pairs, with the time between immigration waves being governed by overall villager happiness. The new update will bring some major new changes to immigration, we will be introducing new factors to govern the size of the immigration wave giving you more control over the growth of your city.

In a change to the current system, ‘Happiness’ will affect the immigration count rather than the time between waves. A happier populace will increase the number of new villagers joining a settlement.

In addition to this, ‘Employment’ will also factor in to the quantity of new villagers arriving in a settlement. Having more unemployed villagers in a settlement will reduce the amount of new arrivals in the next immigration wave.

A third factor being introduced will see a players homeless villagers having an impact on new arrivals. The ‘Residency’ factor will require villagers to be housed and if they aren’t, each homeless villager will be factored in to the next immigration wave, reducing the number of new settlers joining a village.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/f2c3654b027f91c984f4fdee39423c43eb0aae15.png)

More Workstation Animations

We will be adding even more animations in the next update alongside a workstation animation feature.

The new feature will bring multiple animation to workstations which will increase the number of animations within a production building. For example, the bakery will see a new workstation where one villager will be working the bread whilst a second villager is working the oven.

In a similar vein, the blacksmith will see a new grindstone workstation animation added that will have a second villager grinding tools whilst the first works with a hammer on the anvil.

A new Coal hut workstation animation:
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/526b1f7f48acabbdb05c9adefdd2b0e249169b94.gif)

Weather variation

With the new update we plan to add some weather variation to the standard gaming environment.

The new weather effects won’t have the same impact on the challenge to the game as the bad weather event but will increase the level of immersion with variations in the weather environment between sunny, cloudy and rain effects.

Bridge Improvements

Bridges will be getting more detailed with the addition of bridge decorations! There will be a whole host of additional options to improve the look of your bridges, from simple banners to more ornate gates and towers.

Additionally we are looking into improving pathfinding and collision for bridges to ensure they are usable once built and placed correctly.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/da6f21844c247605af61ebb97451f1656c49ea57.png)

A Horse of course!

That’s right, we will be introducing the horse into the game, starting off as a vehicle for the Envoy.

And finally…

We will be adding in the possibility to import heightmap data! Initially this will allow modders to include custom maps with their mods or even create a mod that is just a map.

We will be including more villager outfits and applying many bug fixes and improvements, including fixes to improve blocked pathing issues.

Release schedule

We plan to have the update ready for release within the next few weeks so keep an eye out for further announcements.

All the best
-The Polymorph Games Team

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on October 10, 2019, 01:50:14 PM
Fall Content Update - 1.4 is LIVE!
Wed, 9 October 2019

Hi everyone, the Fall Content Update is now LIVE!

We have a lot of exciting new content in the Fall Update as well as new features, changes and fixes.

You can check out the full changelist below:

New Production Chains

Dairy Farm

The Fall update sees the addition of a new production chain starting with the Dairy Farm.

•   Produces Milk from Cows
•   Added: Cows
•   Added: Milk resource

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/f10c429970506222123b163e9c4071b2bf08f4e1.jpg)

Cheese Maker

The Cheesemaker is the next progression in the new production chain. Milk, produced at the Dairy Farm will be processed into Cheese by the Cheesemaker.

Cheese can then be sold at the market as a food resource to satisfy villagers' food needs.

•   Produces Cheese from Milk
•   Added: Cheese resource

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/d73893d43ec6a9d08d36c634b07bd2dea12c1aaa.png)


New Monument

Tavern

The Tavern will be a place for your villagers to relax after a hard days work, where they can purchase some wine and also get themselves a hot meal if there is one available.

The Tavern, as all other Monuments, consists of multiple Monument including a Service Counter, for storage and staff, which combined with the Public Lounge will allow you to sell wine to your citizens. The Kitchen will provide meals that will be bought (if available) when wine is purchased.

There are also many decorative items that you can place on your Tavern which will give you even more creative options to decorate and personalize your creations.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/c6e28e2f39ebafec909500570ba232eb1b6feb23.jpg)

Monument Functions

Monument functions will see some changes in the new update, these changes bring a new feature to Monuments which will allow you to choose which Monument part is assigned a particular function.

Some factors of the Monument parts will have an influence on the Monument functions, for instance, the capacity of the part and the quality of the materials used.

The Fall update will also see the introduction of the Great Hall, where you will host any Envoys that visit your settlement but will also bring an added bonus of doubling the Splendor for the Monument part that it is assigned to.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/b46fb96896f76a863824ef42424ed0c51b9d2eee.jpg)

New Vehicle

The Horse

For now, the Horse will only be used by the Envoy to bring you quests but there will be more functions for the Horse in future updates.

•   Added: the Horse
•   Envoy visits the Great Hall

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/b4940b5f8eab0276bed55a8e37c9074787c23329.jpg)

Bridge decorations

The stone bridge now includes a host of new decorative items added that you will can snap to the bridge. With gates, a portculis and bridge towers, to name but a few, you will be able to make an impressive waterside entryway to your cities.

•   Added: Bridge decorations
•   Improved Bridge Collision and pathfinding
•   Added: Warning of incorrect placement

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/777b160add7b46915031749e11327525bf1f4d81.jpg)

Animations

Another new feature on its way in the Fall Update will see the introduction of multiple workstation animations which will increase the number of animations within a production building.

We have also updated and improved on some of the previous animations.

•   Added: Envoy animations
•   Added: Grindstone animation
•   Added: Bakery oven animation
•   Added: Market tender animations
•   Improved: Harvesting animations
•   Fixed: Some animation character rotation

UI

Monuments will now have 3 tabs:

•   General - General Information
•   Edit - Edit Monument
•   Parts - Shows parts; allows function assignation.
- New delete option per part

Within the Parts tab you will be able to assign varying functions to some of the parts using the new assignable functions feature.

Some functions will require extra maintenance costs, hovering over the function will show the effects of the function being assigned.

Other changes to the UI and UX include:

•   Updated Tutorial
•   Confirmation popup on part deletion
•   Taxes collected now show in the budget window
•   Major improvement to the Monument assemblage experience
- Monument parts can now be attached in 3D, so players only need to place the mouse to a node to have the part attach.

Balancing

New Immigration factors

Immigration is now governed by:

•   Happiness
•   Employment
•   Residency

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/a1c0eaf4be15518f3d22718b9c6eff3d203fb770.png)

Buildings

•   Added Capacity to some building parts
•   Bonus to bailiff depending on building part splendor
•   Updated maintenance costs to include capacity

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/1a6f001effe7db36f3857fa6f3d481ff65410a5e.jpg)

Resources

•   Removed: Leather

Modding

Map importer

For the first time, modders will be able to import their own map in the game.

•   Added: Map importer
- Allows for the import of heightmap data for the creation of custom maps

Here’s an example of a Quebec City imported map:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/39ebdc2b5771846176a215ac24a2005b5453818a.jpg)

Other Modding Additions

•   Livestock and tool prefabs are now exposed and usable for modding
•   New buildings, building parts, resources and jobs assets are now available.
•   A resource can now have multiple resource types
•   The market tender behavior is now available
•   Building part functions are now assets, declared individually.
o   Core building part functions have also been exposed to the API.

Fixes

•   Fix: Infinite loading on low-end computers
•   Fix: Bridges (pathfinding / collision)
•   Fix: Do not remove bridge pathfinding connections when placing an obstacle under it
•   Fix: Removed housing lvl 2 door at the wrong location
•   Fix: Adjust housing collider sizes
•   Fix: Warehouse & granary resource visuals
•   Fix: Granary Collision
•   Fix: Forester planting multiple trees standing at the same spot
•   Fix: Fishing spot heights (all maps)
•   Fix: Rustic Church Basement
•   Fix: Beekeeping entrance
•   Fix: Avoid crashes when mods are disabled or changed

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on October 26, 2019, 11:20:59 PM
Alpha 1.4.9.1025 is live!
Sat, 26 October 2019

Changes:

•   Fix: Performance issue affecting large cities
•   Fix: Old tax office and bailiff visual are now unlocked with the Lord Manor stone set
•   Fix: Default save game name is back to village name
•   Fix: Map modding - Error that spawn more trees than expected
•   Fix: Map modding - Remove unexpected default fishing spots
•   Modding: Expose
- BUILDING_PART_HOUSING_SERF_DENSITY_1
- BUILDING_PART_HOUSING_SERF_DENSITY_2
- BUILDING_PART_HOUSING_CITIZEN_DENSITY_1
- BUILDING_PART_HOUSING_CITIZEN_DENSITY_2

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on October 31, 2019, 01:05:26 AM
Devlog #11
Wed, 30 October 2019

Hey everyone!

Welcome to Devlog #11, where I will be giving you some insight into what the team has been working on since the last update.

I don’t often do this but let’s kick off by talking about me! Well… not so much me but at least what I have been up to.

In the last update we introduced a way for players to create their own custom maps that can be uploaded to mod.io for everyone to play. With this in mind, I have been learning some basic modding and creating a custom map that is now available in-game. I have then gone on to use this map as a template for a custom map, tutorial video which can be found on our YouTube channel.

Check it out if you fancy making your own map.
 
https://youtu.be/qXFk0DNUNUA


For any queries and help with map modding we have a very knowledgeable modding community over on our Discord server that will be more than happy to help.

For those that would prefer to wait for a map generator, it will come before the full release, in fact, over the last couple of weeks, Ben has started work on an early prototype for a procedural map generator.

Moving on to Vincent, who also hasn’t been mentioned in a recent devlog, but for good reason, as he has been hard at work on job outfits for villagers. This has been no small task with multiple job roles for both female and male villagers.

You can see a few examples below of the new outfits:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/31648848c5aeeced8cb2dd671963825aa6b3ad86.jpg)

More recently Christopher has also been working with Vincent on villager outfits, though for Christopher he has been looking at the villagers themselves and allowing for the integration of all the new outfits as well as hair styling. Alongside this, he has been working on some performance optimizations for villagers which should hopefully see some fps improvements in the future.

I know this one will make you happy… one further thing that Christopher has started initial work on is the possibility to force villagers to move home!

Having done some great work on the new workplace animations in the last update Michaël has also been working on the villager job outfits, in his case he has been looking at skinning the new outfits on the 3D villager models.

Needless to say, the villager outfits are coming together well.

Claudine has begun work on some visual research for new environment biomes, creating mock-ups and sample textures for visual reference.

Here you can see a couple of mock-ups of how things might look:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/93b7609d552fb60ee085bbce738a13b46820e0a2.jpg)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/ccda877c871a3dddb2d22efce4f31bcd8bca9c63.jpg)

She has also been looking at a ways to improve and polish some of the current in-game assets and textures, such as improvements to trees, water and ground textures.

Some time ago we teased the Brewery and now we have a Tavern but no beer. Never fear though, Loup-Gabriel has been working to complete the brewery as well as working on the hop farm.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/6daf63b09353541aa85f1755b425880ec11ef5a9.png)

Loup has also been working on a new production chain but there will more info on that in a future news update, however he has also been working on some new decorative items that will work with the new production chain, so I’ll leave that one to your imagination for now.

Maxime has been continuing work on improving performance for low-end systems, as well as general optimizations when generating models, and improving LOD generation.

He has also been working on ways to provide pathing feedback to players when placing buildings and creating the dev tools required to configure this in our Hurricane engine.

Nicolas has, as always, been thoroughly testing improvements and gathering information from the community regarding any bugs and feedback.

As well as this he has been working with the engine programmers investigating possible performance optimizations, one of which was released in a hotfix patch last week to improve performance for larger cities.

Talking of large cities and performance, Phil has been looking at ways to improve villager needs efficiency. This, tied in with villagers moving home will see some major improvements to your overall village/city efficiency in future updates.

Finally Léo has been looking at many aspects of the Hurricane engine, working with and helping the team.

In no particular order he has been looking at

•   Improvements to our shader system
•   Improvements for our skinning system (new villager outfits)
•   Investigating RAM usage with an eye to improve memory allocation tracking
•   Undertaking performance analysis between updates
•   Prototyping terrain improvements that support more ground types and vegetation (Biomes)
•   Improving the dev tools including the in-house Hurricane editor. For example we now have a new Asset Preview allowing the team to easily explore game assets.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/c879e86e78514f2c3655d2bbab465fa06b01e4b0.png)

I hope you enjoyed the read! We have a lot of improvements coming and work is well underway for the next update but there is still much to do.

Until next time…
Cheers!
-Ash

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on November 15, 2019, 11:28:17 PM
December Update News!
Fri, 15 November 2019

Hey everyone!

We have some news on the next content update!

… but first we would like to take this opportunity to thank every single one of you!

We have recently surpassed 200 000 sales of Foundation and thanks to all of your support and feedback we are able to realize the game of our dreams, and hopefully yours too.

From the whole team… Thank you!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/257fd798bbdf8a8e284ad47a89d45e34abe4a883.jpg)

The December Update

As you can probably tell from the title we are planning to release the next update before the end of the year. We will bring you more news and more details on the update once we are closer to release but in the meantime here are some of the things that will be making it into the next content update:
•   Villagers will move house when too far from their workplace. The lord will also have the authority to force them to move.
•   Jobs will be directly linked with villager status where you as the lord will have more control over status promotion.
•   Improved military system with stats, levels, and equipment.
•   New production chain with two new buildings; The Hop farm & the Brewery.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/d16ba5140eea87ae10959a2317c924e61b1dff62.jpg)

•   New buildings parts and function for the Wooden Keep.
•   New Character visuals including new job outfits.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/f68e349702552b5bad3a09c11c6fa1965ef03bdc.png)

•   New weather visuals.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/1bdc66c00d97d2d95d47b31c9671787365315556.jp)g

•   New sounds including workplace animation SFX as well as UI SFX.
•   New modding capabilities: Custom components and behavior trees.

The changes to job roles and villager status will be major and due to this, we are planning to release a preview build in order to test and gather player feedback on the new feature. Keep an eye out for further announcements on the preview build release.

We have even more planned for the December Content update and we will bring you more information soon.

And finally…

We are excited to announce our attendance at MEGA & MIGS 2019 this coming weekend!

If you are in and around Montreal this weekend then you can check out more here.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/7a7de15a9614ed7206355597812918df8646e11f.jpg)

We look forward to seeing you there!

-The Polymorph Games Team

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on December 20, 2019, 02:10:41 PM
Winter Update Preview and Patch 1.4.10.1218 are LIVE!
Thu, 19 December 2019

Official Winter Update is delayed

Hello everyone! We have kept being busy working on the next update and are very excited to present it to all of you. That said, we need to delay the official update to next year. The extra time will allow us to complete and polish the new features, like the house move feature.

For those of you who are most eager to try some of the new features, we are releasing a preview of the Winter update:
Winter Update Preview

Major Changes:

•   New status promotion system
•   New military system
•   New parts in the Keep monument
•   New beer production chain
•   Visual building and building part preview
•   New onboarding quests
•   A new weather effect

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/d06af1f986f59a3df1fa635aa4d1c2a2beeb545d.png)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/bd5450d8ed29dded7118d4261f2b3813c7394647.png)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/d31b6d6492ff89de0a67702d3c7d46420604be36.png)

Modding:

•   Custom Component: Write your own component with custom data and update function, allowing you to control object transform. This will allow way more interaction with the game in a near future.
•   Military system: missions, rewards

Winter Preview Modding documentation can be found here: https://www.polymorph.games/foundation/modding/preview

To access the Winter Preview Build, right-click on Foundation on your library, and access the preview build under the "Beta" tab:

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/e3d4c12d95f3c1dd6a4ddf2c24b6fea248fe4a54.png)


Patch 1.4.10.1218

Modding:

•   expose DESIRABILITY_RESIDENTIAL, DESIRABILITY_FERTILITY and DESIRABILITY_IRON_ORE
•   add a tag filter in the mod browser
•   load game crash when a building function was switch from workplace to market
•   mod dependency loading issue

Performance:

•   most building were considered dynamic object after a load game

Fixes and Improvements:

•   discord, Crowdin & mod.io links
•   building part highlight during construction
•   notification width is now constant
•   rain position offset from camera
•   terrain physic collider was not matching visual terrain
•   a few more engine small fixes
•   texture compression quality


The team will be resting for the holidays and will get back at work on January. Happy Holidays to all of you!

- The Polymorph Games Team

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on January 24, 2020, 02:53:27 PM
Winter Content Update - 1.5 is LIVE!
Thu, 23 January 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/582ab7627bd430b863e2461d8d39541cfa5b9704.jpg)

Hi everyone!

We are excited to announce that the Winter Content update is now LIVE!

Thank you to everyone that has provided feedback and bug reports on the preview build. The slight delay in the release schedule has given us time to complete the update as well as incorporate and fix any issues and feedback from the community.

The Winter Content Update brings many new changes, content and improvements! You can check out the full changelog at the end of this announcement but let's dive into a few of the highlights.

Villagers Move Home

We know a lot of you have been waiting on this one! Villagers will now automatically move home!

If a villager lives too far from their workplace they will become unsatisfied with their housing and will look to fill any empty housing slots closer to their workplace. If none are available they will look to swap with another villager or even evict lower status houses so that they can move and upgrade, if the house is in a desirable enough location.

If a villager cannot find a house that will satisfy them then you will be notified via the warnings panel so that you can rectify the issue.

Improved Monuments

The Lord Manor has seen some love for this update including all-new monument parts as well as a new assignable function, the Study Room.

The Study Room, once assigned and staffed, will allow a Scholar to study blueprints that you might be rewarded. Without giving too much away, these blueprints won’t be easily acquired, in fact, some villagers may not survive!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/abf25ac5d208a2b02a2577243f8ba2221f207d32.png)

The Wooden Keep has also been improved with new parts including a barracks building to house your soldiers, as well as multiple decorative items to set up your military camps.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/9c5eb54ce973e0c29eb595062e83dde48721db27.png)

New Military System

We have made some major changes to the Military system and quests for the Winter Content Update. You will now need to raise your chances of a successful campaign by both training and equipping your soldiers with weapons.

Once trained you will be able to send your soldiers on an extended campaign where you decide the right time to bring them home. Each mission will vary in difficulty but the higher difficulty missions will bring greater rewards.

To facilitate these changes you will now find a new Military manager panel. Here you can check on your soldier’s stats, equip weapons as well as keep track on available and ongoing missions.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/2ef433990eba2e7c707b8bc0738bba378a1a1904.png)

New Production Chain

Beer! The Winter Update sees the, much teased, introduction of the beer production chain. Similar to wine, beer is sold in the Tavern as a luxury item and brings with it 2 new production buildings, namely the:

Hop Farm
•   Produces Hops
•   Added: Hops

The Brewery
•   Produces Beer from Hops, Wheat & Water
•   Added: Beer

Both of which can be found in the Public Buildings panel.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/9e56c7260505b62c7e34e23f7613b1a64ca30c7b.png)

Improved UI Elements

With the introduction of the Military Manager panel, we have tidied up a few elements of the UI and also introduced a new Estate Manager panel. You will now find the estate unlockables and the military manager have their own buttons in the top-right menu cluster.

As well as that we have added a new part preview to the build menus. Hovering over public buildings will show you a preview of the building and each monument menu will also give you a useful visual guide to the part you are picking.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/fdae3d87d7425670f06c6ffe4384ea78a8becec0.png)

New Status Promotion System

The Winter Content Update will now give you more control over the status of your villagers. It will be up to you to decide which villagers are allowed to rise in their societal rank.

This will come at a rising cost dependant on the status upgrade but you will also need a Lord Manor with Great Hall function to be able to hold court and decide on status matters.

Once your lord manor has built you will have the opportunity to upgrade your villagers at the end of each month but only if their needs for the current status have been filled.

Housing already plays a large part in villagers’ happiness, with the new system you will find that commoners will now require a level 2 (stone) house. You will need to improve the housing desirability of an area to ensure that your commoners and citizens get the house they deserve


The above highlights are just a few of the changes and improvements. Check out the full changelog below:

1.5 Changelog

Additions:
•   Villager move home
•   New status promotion system
•   New military system
•   New parts in the Keep monument
•   New beer production chain
•   Visual building and building part preview
•   New onboarding quests
•   A new weather effect
•   New achievements
•   Jewels (reward)
•   Blueprints (reward)
•   Lord Manor weathercock animations
•   Woodcutter walking animation
•   Hunter animation + bow weapon to hunters
•   Envoy idle (reading scroll) animations
•   Weaver cloth animation - wind effect
•   Allow different tool in separate hands
•   Individual job outfits

Improvements
•   Shift-Click keep building part and orientation selected on shift-click
•   Unique need concept
•   Separated housing (levels) and water needs in villager information window
•   Help icon on promote window
•   Set barracks as dorms for soldiers
•   Wooden bridge cost
•   Bakery - change bread in oven for an unbaked one
•   Lord Manor Balancing and New part costs
•   Updated Help menu
•   Restore event window on load game
•   Female face
•   Updated localizations
•   Multiple Hurricane Engine improvements & optimizations

Fixes
•   Non-valid bridges with no positioning warning
•   Material - Multiple materials display as plain grey.
•   Update upkeep cost when editing a monument
•   Wrong calculation when removing resource of warehouse
•   Inn Gateway building zone
•   Upkeep total when game speed is high
•   Entrance/exits being too close to the sides

Modding
•   Custom Component: Write your own component with custom data and update function, allowing you to control object transform. This will allow way more interaction with the game in the near future.
•   Military system: missions, rewards
•   Update Modding documentation
•   Fix: Custom maps - Remove resources that aren't over their preferred terrain
•   Fix: Prevent incorrect mods from loading


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on January 31, 2020, 11:37:37 PM
Celebrating one year of Early Access!
Fri, 31 January 2020


To our dearest Foundation fans!

February 1st is a very important day for us:

It is the 1 year Anniversary of Foundation hitting Early Access on Steam and GOG!


To celebrate this important moment with you, we are releasing an Anniversary Update containing a special surprise!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/55a279b75e23e30e4bbd2aedd937527f0d229612.jpg)

After updating the game you can find the surprise under the Decoration building menu.

The update also contains some fixes and improvements to the recent Winter Content Update and you can see the changelog below.

That's not all! We are also giving away multiple game keys on Social Media. Like and comment on our Anniversary post on Facebook or Retweet us on Twitter for a chance to win a Steam key!

Finally, you can get 20% off the game in our special Anniversary Sale starting today on Steam!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/2181c2e066fa674e6a2418c61b6794f741dcda89.jpg)

If you would like to play and help shape the final stretch of development then it’s a perfect time to jump in.

A Year in Review

Both the team and the game have come a long way in the past year. The team has risen in number, recruiting some fantastic talent that is showing through in the gameplay, assets, and technical expertise.

The Hurricane engine is constantly evolving and improving with new in-house tools and optimizations to allow everyone to get the best playing experience. Gameplay and in-game assets have also been worked on heavily, with new and updated monuments, game mechanics and systems being introduced such as the recently expanded military missions.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/0297959582635d50050e6c95f99bace29d6e1907.jpg)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/f094209f88b5f7db92ceff8b6b774f35dd7b82c0.jpg)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/1ec11f758d8afee3f655a55720b87f231dbac8ab.jpg)

We are extremely impressed by the display of love we are receiving from the community and this is fueling us to continue the work on further development on the road to the Full release.

Updated Roadmap

Hitting the 1-year Anniversary is also a great time to look at the future and what is in store for the further development of Foundation. You can take a look at our updated roadmap on Trello.

Road to Full Launch

Just as Foundation is organic, so too is Foundation’s development. As the game evolves, we are continually brainstorming and developing exciting new ideas that we are bringing to the game.


Ultimately, we want Foundation to be as we envision it, and with this in mind, we have decided to extend the Early Access development so that we can complete the roadmap and vision for Foundation.

We would like to thank everyone that has backed the Pre-Alpha and subsequent Early Access Alpha and for those who just bought the game, welcome!

Anniversary Update Changelog

•   Add: desirability tooltip display
•   Add: Expose additional content to modders

•   Fix: Crashes in various rare instances
•   Fix: UI scale bugs
•   Fix: Comonners now stay in level 1 house but get a satisfaction modifier

•   Update: remove distance from village center in villager view
•   Update: Housing Desirability Adjustments
•   Update: Desirability Added to Roman + Legacy church
•   Update: Desirability Tweaks on trees.


- The Polymorph Games Team

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on March 08, 2020, 12:52:50 AM
Devlog #12
Sat, 7 March 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/5199ccacf60f7e6091c8bb8e69a5d0362adea800.jpg)


Hey everyone, welcome to Devlog #12!

With the Winter update and bonus Anniversary update now out and running smoothly, you are probably wondering what is next for development. The next update will be a good chance for us to consolidate on the work we have already undertaken and with this in mind we are looking at many Quality of Life improvements and minor bug fixes. There will be more content to come, of course, and we will be bringing more news on the next update in the coming weeks.

So, on to the devlog! Let’s find out what the team has been working on for the last few weeks.

Update planning

Phil, our Creative Director, (and CEO) has been busy planning and designing the content for the next update as well as refactoring the event system, a long due task, to make it more user-friendly. He has also been working on ‘some boring admin stuff’.

Statues and new production lines

Loup-Gabriel has been working on new production lines, that center around quarries and new extractable resources. Those quarries will be a major part of the next content update. Stay tuned for more details soon!

A WIP Quarry:
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/a7d81e9838de75df97d3629454a41b291df90936.png)

You may have noticed the new statues in the recent anniversary update, these statues not only add aesthetics to your villages but also increase the desirability of an area. More statues are still to come and Loup-Gabriel has been at work on a whole selection of new statues covering the 3 different estates.

QoL improvements

As mentioned above, we are looking at QoL improvements and Christopher has already made great progress on improving and fixing many of the in-game notifications.

These improvements will, for example, allow the player to easily focus on and cycle through villagers that are lacking housing or cycle through workplaces that have no workable zone, more easily identifying workplaces that require the player’s attention.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/67f354a187ba58fd83f93fc78f8cd1d20b76b9e2.png)

The immigration notification has also been adjusted to pop-up when new villagers reach the village centre rather than when entering the map. The Global Happiness tooltip has also been improved to show every factor affecting happiness.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/8349d70e818c46035aa66ccc3e7349139557f00d.png)

Chris has also been working on expanding the Bailiff's functionality to give it more depth. This is still very much at concept stage and there will be more news on this in a future communication.

Animations

We are always looking to improve on the (not so) little details that bring your villages/cities to life. A big part of this immersion comes from the animations and Michaël has been busy on new animations for workplaces and more finer details.

The sawmill will see new hewing and saw animations. The Charcoal hut now has workplace animations for both shoveling and process monitoring with a 3rd animation in the works.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/81b3ffe34ae3835f14c1f730798e54416c09d5b5.gif)

Monks will now take care of their bees and hives in the Apiaries.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/35fe9e7acf64cd62c5529944c07a81f220f0d4ea.gif)

He has also been working on those finer details such as animated cloaks for the envoys as well as animations for an upcoming feature which we have already hinted at in the Audinity Q&A feature recently.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/debd6192869f1d0a0dbe5465c4be87fafdabc38e.gif)

Villager life cycle

Those of you that have checked out our updated Roadmap https://trello.com/b/i5AX944p/foundation-roadmap may have spotted the entry for Villager Lifecycle and Aging. Though still in its infancy (pun intended), Vincent has been working on both the older generation of villagers and has now moved on to the younger generation. With new facial aging and hairstyles, your villagers will become more diverse and varied. As mentioned this feature is still in the early stages of development and will be for a later update.

New UI

Work is continuing on a large project that will bring a fresh new look to Foundation. The new UI is coming along well and Ben has been working on improvements to the Hurricane engine to facilitate the creation of the new UI design, as well as allowing for quick styling changes and future improvements.

Claudine has also been working on preparing the new UI, testing new concepts, color variants and cleaning visual elements as well as other work on improving in-game textures and other concept art and feedback on new assets.

Modding improvements

Modders will be happy to hear that more modding improvements are coming. Maxime has been working almost exclusively on exposing more features and improving modding capabilities.

We have previously introduced the ability for modders to create custom components and now we are looking to expand upon this by allowing modders to create more custom features such as custom workplaces. In order to do this, Max has been working on creating custom modding classes as well as exposing more classes and features for modders.

Hurricane engine improvements

And finally our technical director, Léo, has been working under the hood, improving the engine. Improving performance as well as adding to the aesthetics of the game. Improvements to grass are underway and Léo has been experimenting to improve the near/far blending and handling of more grass diversity for an improved landscape.

New vs old grass:
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/f1a261de7b7448f69543a6ac7d1c12ab4c74d2d3.png)


- The Polymorph Games Team


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 14, 2020, 11:15:27 AM
Update and Preview build 1.6.0 News
Tue, May 12, 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/0a7c0a06fbe760c2251cf6d7b81ee4e53ebb5ec7.png)


Hey Everyone!

We are excited to announce that we will soon be bringing you a new update, that we have named, the Minerals and Craftmanship Update!

The update is nearly ready and the full release will come in a few weeks but in the meantime, those of you eager to take an early look will be able to test some of the new features, in an upcoming Preview build!

More news on the preview build and how to gain access will be coming in the next few days.

Please note: Though custom maps will still be available, we are looking to gather focused information and feedback on the new content. Therefore, for testing purposes, the preview build will be focused on the Valley map.

If you would like to help out and share your feedback with us, then firstly, thank you! All feedback is very important and useful to us and in the development of the game.

Please let us know what you think of the preview build via this feedback form after release of the preview build.

Minerals and Craftmanship Update: preview build 1.6.0

We are bringing a multitude of changes and improvements in this update and you can check out some of the highlights that will be playable in the Preview Build, below.

Discoverable resources

One of the biggest and most exciting new features coming with the update are discoverable resources that will need to be prospected to know what kind of mineral they contain. Once prospected, you will be able to build a quarry over the mineral source to extract it. Some of these resources will be common and found in multiple nodes however some will contain more rare minerals.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/29bd228456de8f63a65abc0b35a3a810bb73a2dd.png)

New buildings capabilities

Prior to this update, there were two building types: single buildings and monuments. In this update, they now all have the same capabilities. This means a single building could have parts added to extend its functionalities. The first single building to exploit this new feature is a new one: The Builder’s Workshop.

At last, builders now have their own workplace! This building will be extendable to add new artisan workshops with crafting capabilities, like the scultpure or stainedglass workshop.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/25014b838df5376a3f7c92393644fa95296448ca.png)

Artisan workshops

Parts that need more detailed, artistic work, like stained glass and sculptures will need to be first crafted in artisan workshops from the extended Builder’s Workshop. These artisan workshops will take advantage of the new resources that will be available to you in the discoverable resource nodes and the workshops themselves will allow you to create all new unique parts and Masterpieces for your village.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/dad03aff111ddc7f7c991083cef4e82cd08d3a7b.png)

Masterpieces

Masterpieces are outstanding pieces of art that need to be crafted by artisans and that will provide a lot of splendor. More details on this soon...

New production chains

The workshops are going to require processed materials that will form part of new production chains. One such discoverable resource you will be able to find is gold ore which will require smelting into gold bars via a Goldsmelter before being used in your artisan workshop

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/041580f290665dd91e1270a3e12bb6dc1c2853b6.png)

An improved role for the Bailiff: The Bailiff Mandates

The bailiff will be introduced earlier into the game than previously and, for a cost, will be able to accomplish mandates for his lord. Among other things, he will be able to prospect for minerals and study blueprints.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/a5720dd7767225be4c2f65e90dd62142ade2ee2f.png)

Path inside buildings

One feature we have wanted to push for a while is the capabilities for villagers to use doors that communicate with one another. As such, villagers are now able to path through buildings by entering a door and going out from another. For example, Monks will be able to path through enclosed Cloisters, or villagers will be able to access enclosed courtyards via an inner courtyard entrance/exit but only through buildings that they are allowed to based on certain rules.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/9f4a149119ef30a6862ceb91cac419556d0eabfb.gif)

Multiple gameplay and feedback improvements

The Minerals and Craftmanship Update is a good time to consolidate on the work so far in the game and as such you will find many Quality of Life improvements some of which you will be able to see in the preview build.

There is now a new notification panel that will make it easier to track quests and keep an eye on issues in your village.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/647965e39cadd24a7775ddb2f92df8094ba86080.png)

As noted above there are new building capabilities. To keep things consistent, all buildings will be placed and built in similar building workflow fashion to monuments. i.e. Placing a building will require that you also choose to start construction. You can still use shift + click to place multiple buildings which will bypass the requirement to click “start construction”.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/60408b1cf3878b36f0d35907446a59e406ae56e0.png)

We have also introduced another new change to the way you create monuments. You will first need to place a building marker before placing any parts to a monument. This building marker can then be moved and in doing so will allow you to move your whole blueprint before final placement and construction.

Grass has seen improvements in this update with a greater variety to shades and depth giving a more realistic look to grasslands.

Other improvements include cleaning up placeholder text, {img1} as well as new sounds and new animations.

New modding features

The new update will bring some huge features for the modding community which will allow modders much more freedom to create new assets, behaviours and also make changes and extend vanilla components and functions.

The preview build will include the ability to create custom behaviour trees and nodes. This will enable modders to use both our existing nodes as well as define their own nodes when creating new behaviours for villagers.

Custom assets, as well as custom structures, will now be available for use by modders. This means that modders will no longer be confined to using our asset types and can now define their own. Complex data related to these assets and components can then be stored in custom structures.

All of these additions and changes will allow much more flexibility for modding. As an added bonus we will also be opening up our own core components to allow some engine and game structures to be extended. This will allow, for example, new bridge building functions or workplace building functions to be assigned to core components.


Can you imagine the potential horrors, such as an 'Antenna farm' mod?!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/e342e50031e911997ce6d8c2e4644acdaafeae09.png)

You will be able to see all the new modding changes in the release notes and changelog here, on release of the preview build.

More to come

Although the preview build will already be jam-packed full of new content and improvements we will continue to add more as we work toward the full update release.

In the meantime, stay tuned as we will be releasing the preview build soon!


- the whole Polymorph Games team


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 23, 2020, 12:25:04 AM
Minerals and Craftmanship Preview Update 1.6.0.0522 is now Live!
Fri, 22 May 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/a7c9bcfb71d7b771db4f67fc2b0b2de7778114fa.png)

Happy Friday everyone!

Just in time for the weekend, the Minerals and Craftmanship Preview Update 1.6.0.0522 is now Live!

We are looking to gather focused information and feedback on the new content. Therefore, for testing purposes, only the Valley map is available to play in the preview build. To get the full experience of the preview build we have also limited the save files on the preview build so you will need to start a new game that you will then be able to save and load as normal in the Preview.

Note: Custom maps are still available however these will not currently contain the resource nodes that are part of the update.

Mods will also require updating by the mod creators and modding community and will not be immediately playable.
Let us know what you think...

We hope you enjoy the Preview and we would love to hear what you think.

If you would like to send in your feedback you can do so via this feedback form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDISlnBGPDFSqJJF9_k3EXSQl2O9drI71P1yyngeFkQ96CeA/viewform

You are, of course, also welcome to discuss the game and report bugs as usual on the Steam discussions forums or join us on our Discord server.

Thank you in advance and we look forward to hearing from you and reading your feedback!

Changelog

We have a bunch of new features and content included in this preview build of the upcoming update. You can find a changelog below and more detailed information on some of the new content can be found in our previous announcement here (above post)

Gameplay

New features
•   New minerals sources that can be prospected and extracted
•   New production chains related to minerals
•   Buildings can now have multiple placeable parts
•   Builder now has his workshop
•   Builder's workshop can be extended with crafting extensions
•   New unlockable builder's workshop parts
•   New crafting feature: craft sculpture, stainedglass and jewels (not all available yet)
•   Bailiff can have mandates assigned like prospecting minerals and influencing estates
•   New notification panel
•   Pathing can now go through buildings that have multiple entrances
•   New customizable fountain

Improvements
•   Parts that are built instantaneously activate its function, thus, no need for an entire monument to be built before it becomes usable
•   Church capacity is now considering multiple cores
•   Gold has been separated in two new resources: Gold Coins and Gold Bars
•   Improved performance when editing a monument
•   Transporters will now carry materials to construction sites
•   New uniformized build flow between buildings and monuments

Art

Buildings
•   Builder's workshop and artisan extensions: sculpture, stainedglass, jewelry (not all available yet)
•   New mineral sources and quarries installations
•   New Glass Smelter
•   New Gold Smelter
•   New customizable fountain, stainedglass

Characters and animations
•   New miner's job outfit and animations
•   New Glass Smelter & Gold Smelter animations

Environment
•   New grass texture
•   New cliff texture

Modding
•   Add mods hot-reload with Ctrl+Shift+R
•   Add creation of new asset and data types, and extending existing asset, component and data types
•   Add creation of behavior trees and custom behavior tree nodes
•   Add access to events
•   More details can be found on the wiki

Preview build access instructions

If you would like to take a look at the Minerals and Craftmanship Preview build you can switch over to it via the Steam Betas in your Foundation properties.
1.   Choose Foundation (Steam Library)
2.   Click Manage (Cog)
3.   Click Properties
4.   Click Betas (tab)
5.   In the “Select the beta” dropdown choose Preview
(If you don’t see the preview option restart Steam)

 
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 29, 2020, 12:09:15 AM
Preview build: Hotfix 1.6.1.0526 is now live!
26 May 2020


Game Changes:
•   fix: crash when destroying certain buildings
•   fix: crash with transporter bringing resource to construction sites
•   fix: rare crash on path finding
•   fix: rare crash on game quit
•   fix: some buildings were not unlocked when promoting villagers
•   fix: modular stairs path waypoints
•   fix: missing localization in trade window
•   fix: ressource cost on quarry parts
•   fix: localization on quarry parts
•   Update: Allow multiple transporters to carry materials to construction sites
•   Update: localization

Modding Changes:
•   fix: Prevent crash when bridge has invalid attach nodes
•   fix: Random Crash when using custom component
•   fix: lua invalid stack size
•   Update: example 02 mod bridge

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on June 10, 2020, 12:34:20 AM
Preview build: Hotfix 1.6.4.0608 is now available on the preview branch.
Tue, 9 June 2020

Hi everyone,

We have just pushed a new hotfix patch on the 1.6 preview build branch.

Changelog
•   add: "getting started" section to main menu
•   fix: crash when destroying building too close to map edges
•   fix: rare crash during tax collector collection
•   fix: drop-down scroll bar behavior
•   fix: wooden keep stair colliders
•   fix: a crash in mod list menu
•   fix: rare crash in workplace list window
•   fix: building parts are not child of the core part anymore
•   fix: crash with public lounge function activation
•   fix: crash with notification window

Modding:
•   fix: asset retrieval by scripting ID was not allowed in some cases


Preview build access instructions:
If you would like to take a look at the Minerals and Craftmanship Preview build you can switch over to it via the Steam Betas in your Foundation properties.
•   Choose Foundation (Steam Library)
•   Click Manage (Cog)
•   Click Properties
•   Click Betas (tab)
•   In the “Select the beta” dropdown choose Preview

(If you don’t see the preview option restart Steam)

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/5ddad3b6f70b9e2d4070d06d4cb43034b0c2b5ec.png)


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on June 13, 2020, 01:11:24 AM
Preview build: Hotfix 1.6.5.0611 is now available on the preview branch.
Fri, 12 June 2020


Hi everyone,

There is a new hotfix patch available on the 1.6 preview build branch, if you have opted-in to the preview it should update automatically. If you haven't opted-in, more information on the 1.6 preview build and access instructions can be found here

Changelog

Gameplay
•   fix: soldier/monks could get stuck on bridges
•   fix: Wooden Keep Door B
•   fix: davenport now sells gems
•   fix: adjust Bailiff mandate time to 20min prospect, 30min influence & study
•   fix: tavern bridge bug
•   fix: transporters and builders flow (pause & builder allocation)
•   fix: missing tavern chimney texture
•   fix: prevent building quarry on mineral deposit
•   fix: mineral randomizer + all rare minerals are now present

Modding:
•   fix: VS Code snippets
•   restore some missing textures


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on June 27, 2020, 01:08:08 AM
1.6 Minerals & Craftmanship Update: Release Date News
Fri, 26 June 2020

Exciting news everyone!

The Minerals & Craftmanship Update will be released on Tuesday, July 14


The 1.6 preview build has now been thoroughly tested and the additional content is coming together. All this means we can today announce the release date for the upcoming Early Access 1.6 update.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/45aaddaf032becbc2b80eb4f37ecc8df91029c65.png)

Announcing a New Addition: The Masterpieces

In addition to the content previously announced we have also been working on a new feature coming in the 1.6 update… Masterpieces!

Masterpieces are unique sets of parts that will become available via inspirational events that will occur during gameplay. Once obtained the masterpiece parts set will be available to incorporate into any monument, transforming it into a unique monument.

Each Masterpiece can only be built once and will make full use of the new minerals and crafting stations now available.

There will be a total of 9 Masterpieces for you to discover and build in the 1.6 update release. All 9 Masterpieces will come with their own exclusive effects such as the work in progress, Shrine Masterpiece pictured below.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/e50c23f62cb17033b4941e8d4c1e59327d005b15.png)
Pilgrims visiting the Shrine

The Shrine will be unlocked via a miracle event and once built will become a place of pilgrimage for people far and wide and will come with the added effect of increasing immigration to your settlement.

New Achievements

To complement the new Masterpieces, each one will unlock a related Steam achievement. This will take the take number of achievements available in the game to 21.

New Animations

As well as all the new content coming in the new update we have also been working to increase the immersion. The 1.6 update will additionally come with new workstation animations to bring the new buildings and content to life.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/cc7d4f04bfadfda0082b2c3f834b52fbd3480b2f.gif)
The Jeweller checking the quality of her work

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/e8207156339a7c08bff7b5d9816b43ba388dcea3.gif)
A builder scrutinizing new plans

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/1a82f543f9dd1e9260524559fad4a65994c388a1.gif)
A new statue takes shape

Finally...

If you hadn’t already seen the previously news, here is a brief summary of what you can expect in the Minerals & Craftmanship Update, coming on July 14!

    New feature: Masterpieces
    New discoverable mineral resources
    Bailiff Mandates (Including prospecting for minerals)
    New buildings capabilities
    Artisan workshops
    New production chains
    Pathing inside buildings
    New modding features


- The Polymorph Games Team

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on July 15, 2020, 01:04:08 AM
Minerals & Craftmanship 1.6 Update is now live!
Tue, 14 July 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/87cb0af9cdb73fc1ca694ffa9ab99245cb8d5882.png)

Lords and Ladies, we are excited to present to you the Minerals & Craftmanship 1.6 Update, now live on Steam!

It’s a big one, so let’s take a look at some highlights of what you can expect in the new update and let you get quickly into discovering the new minerals and crafting up some masterpieces!

Savegame compatibility warning: 1.5 saves will be compatible but some of your buildings may be removed if they were placed on one of the new mineral deposit sites. Also, note that your builders will now require a Builders’ Workshop.


WHAT’S NEW

Discover and Extract New Minerals!

New Mineral deposits can be found scattered throughout the maps, containing nice shiny new minerals, from gold-rich veins to glittering quartz nodes. These deposits can be prospected by your Bailiff in order to identify the ore they contain.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/fc39096b4075ec00de6ca9d8fffea4a1ff81e52c.jpg)

Inside the Mineral deposits your Bailiff will find both rare minerals as well as more common ones such as Iron. Once discovered the minerals can be extracted by clicking the deposit and building a quarry.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/397c831fab8ba1e1349b7e56512a474e3063a334.jpg)


Extend your Buildings and Build Masterpieces

Buildings can now be extended with new parts. The first building extensions will take the form of crafting workstations that can be added to the Builders’ Workshop. These crafting workstations will allow your builders to craft various objects such as sculptures and stained glass.

Note that Builders' Workshops are now mandatory for the building of any construction.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/98f067163f25f8c6a8ade929f290977452506bd2.jpg)

Masterpieces are sets of specific parts that can be added into a monument or be built as a standalone building. They are unique creations that will give your village unique perks once built. In total, there are 9 Masterpieces to discover and build.

Each masterpiece will unlock when specific conditions have been met. For example, this could be when your soldiers emerge victorious from a faraway mission.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/bfb1c199938c394aece1f1a8b5332a1f252de983.jpg)


New Productions

All of the new minerals can be used in production buildings as well as in the new Masterpieces. Further, new production buildings have been introduced to refine these minerals to be ready for use, such as the new Gold Smelter that turns Gold ore into Gold bars, the Glassworks that will work quartz into glass as well as a Jeweler who will make good use of any gold and gems you might find.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/71d4660550599be620c4ee6470f8c13e7c2f1204.gif)

Bailiff Mandates

The Bailiff’s role has been expanded and can now undertake Mandates. These mandates will range from prospecting the new resource deposits to gaining influence with an Estate or researching blueprints. Yes, the scholar was unhappy and has now left!

Pathing Inside Buildings

Villagers can now path through monuments! This means that Monks can now get to those inner courtyards and soldiers can protect the pass. Pathing inside buildings will allow particular villagers to enter and exit through separate monument doors. Pathing will have conditions so that only those that should be allowed through can get through.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/c21ef311c611e61f346d13e9094a164e4c0cff6c.gif)

Visits

Word of your settlement is growing stronger. Not only will there be visits from envoys but there will be new visitors arriving at your village. Pilgrims might visit your shrine masterpiece and one of your monuments, that is perfect for taking in guests, might also receive a visitor under certain conditions.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/d95338cd5914825556430324c6ee2f63c57e50b3.jpg)


Even More New Features

As you may know, we are working on a full UI overhaul. In the meantime, you will notice a new notification panel that will help to see warnings of potential issues in your village as well as a log of your missions and quests including currently active quests.

Bridges can now be raised in height as well as length. Yes m’lord, you can now raise your bridges up high, the sky is the limit!

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/cd8beebfdf6830426e42993b2f802e67ed7b28e1.gif)


The List Goes On…

The Minerals & Craftmanship update will also include:
•   New animations
•   New modding functions and capabilities
•   New sounds
•   New improved grass and cliff visuals
•   9 new achievements
•   Plus many fixes and improvements


You can check out the full changelog below:

Changelog

Gameplay

New features
•   New: Minerals sources that can be prospected and extracted
•   New: Production chains related to minerals
•   New: Masterpieces
•   New: Productions chains
•   New: Buildings can now have multiple placeable parts
•   New: Builder now has his workshop
•   New: Builder's workshop can be extended with crafting extensions
•   New: New unlockable builder's workshop parts
•   New crafting feature: craft sculpture and stained glass
•   New: Bailiff can have mandates assigned like prospecting minerals and influencing estates
•   New: New notification panel
•   New: Pathing can now go through buildings that have multiple entrances


Improvements
•   Add: Completed monument parts activate its function, (no need for an entire monument to be built before it becomes usable)
•   Add: Gold has been separated in two new resources: Gold Coins and Gold Bars
•   Add: Improved performance when editing a monument
•   Add: Transporters will now carry materials to construction sites
•   Add: New uniformized build flow between buildings and monuments
•   Add: "getting started" section to help menu
•   Add: Davenport now sells gems
•   Add: Allow multiple transporters to carry materials to construction sites
•   Add: localization

Art

Buildings
•   New Builder's workshop and crafting extensions: sculpture, stained glass, jewelry
•   New mineral sources and quarries installations
•   New Glass Smelter
•   New Gold Smelter
•   New customizable fountain, stained glass


Characters and animations
•   New miner's job outfit and animations
•   New Glass Smelter & Gold Smelter animations


Environment
•   New grass texture
•   New cliff texture

Bug fixes
•   fix: soldier/monks could get stuck on bridges
•   fix: Wooden Keep Door B
•   fix: tavern bridge bug
•   fix: transporters and builders flow (pause & builder allocation)
•   fix: missing tavern chimney texture
•   fix: path finding issues when house upgrading
•   fix: crash when the same game file is empty
•   fix: crash when closing the game due to unsupported OpenGL version
•   fix: rare crash with promotion
•   fix: clear preview on bridge
•   fix: freeze on clear preview
•   fix: wooden bridge entrance PATH & slope locator position
•   fix: showing bulldozer button on destructible building when under construction
•   fix: mod list disappearing when scrollbar is added/removed
•   fix: crash when destroying building too close to map edges
•   fix: rare crash during tax collector collection
•   fix: drop-down scroll bar behavior
•   fix: wooden keep stair colliders
•   fix: a crash in mod list menu
•   fix: rare crash in workplace list window
•   fix: building parts are not child of the core part anymore
•   fix: crash with public lounge function activation
•   fix: crash with notification window

Modding
•   Add: mods hot-reload with Ctrl+Shift+R
•   Add: creation of new asset and data types, and extending existing asset, component and data types
•   Add: creation of behavior trees and custom behavior tree nodes
•   Add: access to events

•   Update: example 02 mod bridge
•   Update: Remove Mover from Building Part Asset
•   Update: Batch all Modding logs in a single file to avoid opening too many files
•   Update: Foundation log file and mod log file are now readable during execution

•   fix: asset retrieval by scripting ID was not allowed in some cases
•   fix: VS Code snippets
•   fix: restore some missing textures


The full modding changelog can be found on the modding wiki.

Let us know what you think or discuss the game with our awesome Foundation community on our official Discord server.

- The whole Polymorph Games team


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on August 19, 2020, 11:39:23 PM
Devlog #13
Wed, 19 August 2020

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/282f0d4bd0b55c4c972f3bc5966b0c5771e71b73.png)

Hey everyone and welcome to Devlog #13!

The Mineral & Craftsmanship update added some big content and systems to the game and the team have been working to fix any remaining bugs but also to polish the content that was added.

Consequently, we are now working on a content patch that will add some further improvements to the recent update. This patch will not only improve on some of the visuals but will also expand the masterpiece parts.

1.6 Content Patch

More specifically the 1.6 content patch will include:
•   Visual improvements to the quarry depots
•   Visual improvements to the mineral deposits including improved textures
•   Improved mineral distribution
•   Visual tweaks to Masterpieces
•   New parts for the Gate Masterpiece
•   New sounds for mining and workplaces
•   New animations including workshop and building animations

I am sure you will be as excited as i am to hear that the 1.6 content patch will also include the following QoL improvements:
•   Promotion window sorting
•   Many more villager names and the option to rename villagers (planned)

With that, let's take a closer look at what the team are currently working on…

Buildings & Masterpiece Polish

Claudine and Loup-Gabriel have been enhancing some of the building visuals, polishing current buildings with improved basements and grounded doors as well as working on the new Masterpieces.

The Gate Masterpiece, in particular, will see a new wall part as well as even more parts for you to build that perfect entrance to your city.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/dcadcc2ce19bfb34edcac5064a5a20ad9fe17daa.jpg)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/aa33dae24d85fb22ada9203e207deed4d52b6da0.jpg)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/cf4b034453611ef335fb04dc245fa1b4fca6fae5.jpg)

More Visual Polish

Enhanced textures are being worked on for the Mineral Deposits with Claudine currently working on a more refined Gold texture. You can expect to see more improvements to the deposits and quarry depots for the upcoming content patch.

Quality of Life Improvements

Christopher has been busy on a number of improvements including, updating the notification panel to remember your severity choice and refining the action button and warnings. These changes can be seen live right now in last week's hotfix which also included Christoper’s work to allow multiple Masterpieces on the same monument.

On top of these changes, he is currently working on the villager promotion window to show more information in addition to some added control in the form of a sortable promotion list!

Building & Workshop Animations

Something we have been wanting to add for some time is more interaction between workers and the buildings, for example, the gold smelter pouring liquid gold from the cauldron when smelting.

Up until recently it hasn’t been possible… but now it is! With this newly created ability, Michaël has been working on new interactions between buildings and workers that includes moving parts on the buildings themselves.

Winepress now in action:
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/440e0368790dc7a76c95c55c18b97ab774ca7d9f.gif)

Is the sheep checking in on the weaver?:
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/3a94aad4336af20799c243c790b38ba73f043c60.gif)

A training dummy being pummelled:
(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/6fb4b9a77a9e44ed8bae3554aeecb61ff5e88911.gif)

Modding

In the past few weeks, we have been gathering feedback from the modding community to see what new features and content they would like to see unlocked. Armed with this feedback Max has been busy opening up new options for modders to create extra content.

For example, last week’s patches saw a new behavior tree for custom guard behavior. This will allow modders to create custom locators for guards so that they can patrol your villages.

Additionally, the recent patches have exposed a whole host of assets for modders to play with, such as building functions for the new quarries and workshops, masterpiece parts, villager jobs and much more. Full modding changelogs can all be found on the modding wiki pages https://www.polymorph.games/foundation/modding/changelog

Alongside this, Max has been working to add in some quality of life improvements and bug fixes for both modders and players alike. Modding logs have been augmented to catch errors in created mods and a useful QoL update has seen a new prompt when a player loads a save that might be missing mods. This will allow you to download the missing mods directly when starting a save game.

Both Max and Leo continue to work on performance optimizations improving the game for players and modders alike.

And Finally...

Vincent has been working on a top-secret project for a future update. Unfortunately, I can’t bring you more news on this just yet but it will bring some extra life to your villages.

To wrap up this Devlog I have some particularly exciting news that I know you will all be very happy to see. Dan has been working on the UI redesign whilst also improving the user experience wherever possible. The design phase is progressing very well and thanks to the UI tool that is being created by Ben, integration will start soon.

Once that big chunk of work is done, we will iterate both on the UX and the style of the menus, so expect changes along the way.

We are excited to reveal to you an exclusive sneak peek of the work so far:

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/966dd2effeb1bd666eb79276eade7d1718885142.jp)g

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/4049983fe092a62e57918c64da3cf2d610988441.jpg)

You can see more samples of the work in progress UI in the recent article from Rock Paper Shotgun.

We would love to get your feedback, so feel free to leave a comment and don’t forget you can join us on our Discord server and let us know your thoughts.

Cheers!
- Ash

   
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on October 06, 2020, 11:37:22 PM
Devlog #14
Tue, 6 October 2020

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/54a03bec56dec9c36a783b48447cbf154dcc1a24.png)

Hey everyone!

As you may have read in Devlog #13, we are currently working on a patch for the recent 1.6 Minerals & Craftsmanship update. This patch will provide some polish to the 1.6 update as well as bring with it some highly requested quality of life improvements.

The 1.6 content patch is now close to being ready, so for this Devlog we will be taking a closer look at what the team has been working on for the upcoming patch...

More Names!

Yes, you read that right... With 1000 new names being added to the game, no more will you be seeing Male #007 or Female #42, well, at least for some time anyway. As a side note, there will be further work on names, in the future, as part of the planned family system.

Another highly requested feature being introduced with the patch is the option to rename villagers. Streamers rejoice! This feature is not just for streamers though, now we can all have Auntie Bob in our villages.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/5d222af4959778a5c36fac6e9be3b827fcbe40ab.png)
 
Promotion Sorting

We have received many requests for this one and your wish is our command… Lords and Ladies, we bring you promotion sorting!

You will be able to sort the population by various parameters whilst also being able to easily focus on a villager’s workplace, their house, and the villager themselves, making it much easier to identify those you wish to promote.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/328b61fc16e8e80267151d5c7266e1057d8a7fd7.png)

Melody Composer

“What’s this?!” Is the burning question we hear on your minds. Well... a brand new feature will be introduced with the patch that will see a Melody Composer added to buildings that contain musical parts.

You will find a simplified version in churches however, one particular musical Masterpiece will allow you to flex your musical talents or make a crescendo of noise if music is not your thing. Either-way lookout for this as you unlock the Masterpieces.

Masterpiece Polish

You may have already read the notes regarding the work we are doing on the Gate Masterpiece in Devlog #13. This, however, is not the only Masterpiece to see some changes and polish in this patch.

As mentioned above one of the Masterpieces will see the new Melody Composer added. We have also taken a look at the Masterpiece effect conditions that are randomly assigned to Masterpiece sets, for example, the stained glass masterpiece will be tied to conditions that are more relevant to its use.

Additionally, more information regarding masterpieces, effects and their conditions can now be found by hovering over the Masterpiece in the build menu.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/81ee130feba3cc9c9b9121190dc90aed39271ba2.png)

If you are new to Masterpieces you will be able to find further information about them in a new help topic that can be accessed at any time in the in-game help (?) menu.
Quarry Depots and Visuals

The content patch will see a new function added to the quarry parts. The large crane will now act as a resource depot allowing mined resources to be stored locally rather than requiring a warehouse for storage nearby your quarries.

The stored resources within these depots will also come with improved visuals making it easier to identify the resources at-a-glance.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/96075d88a3eb5074af26189d290a33a43bf1b856.png)

New Animations

Mooooar animations! With the addition of the new workplace/workstation integration that came with the 1.6 content update, we have been able to open up a whole new range of possibilities for workplace animations.

The Tailor eyeing up his new fashion line:
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/ca2433fb1b3ce138fc3844cd3076223c559e1a2f.gif)

Sparks flying in the Smithy:
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/bfe6dd16b43b2771aec9a17373807e600618ae84.gif)

Liquid gold (Work in progress):
(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/0a657fa3539db4a73b5cfd5871ab7d40d7ab663a.gif)
 
Bug Fixes and More

A big thank you to everyone that has been sending in bug reports and offering feedback. All of your reports have allowed us to fix a number of issues that will be resolved with the content patch.

As you can see above this patch will apply some polish as well as bring new additions, bug fixes, and more improvements, including:
•   New sounds for mining and other workplaces
•   Some UI tweaks such as an improved resource list order
•   A pop-up when exiting the game, so no more accidental exits
•   Changes to the mineral distribution system when prospecting mineral nodes. For example, Iron will be much easier to find earlier in your searches.
•   Builder's proximity priority during work-cycle
•   Multiple pathfinding fixes
•   And more (A full changelog will be available on release)

If testing goes well, we hope to get the patch out within the next couple of weeks so stay tuned for further announcements.

- Ash

   
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on October 17, 2020, 02:48:25 AM
Preview build: alpha 1.6.22.1016 is now available on the preview branch.
Fri, 16 October 2020

Hey everyone!

A preview build of the upcoming 1.6 content patch is now available via the Steam betas options.

You can find more information on the main changes and improvements included in the patch in Devlog #14 as well as a summary in the What’s New section in the game’s main menu.

If you would like to take a look or help test out the patch you can gain access via the Steam betas tab in Foundation properties.

•   Right-click Foundation in your Steam library
•   click on properties
•   Navigate to BETAS
•   Choose the preview - Next Build Preview option

The game will automatically update but if it does not you may need to restart your Steam client.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/68cbe1d459a48e9dbc41c57fa834da77a43c6229.png)

Please note: The preview build is work in progress and will likely contain some bugs. Any Bugs you might find can be reported here https://steamcommunity.com/app/690830/discussions/1/4070650515244647058/  on the Steam forums or you can join us on Discord where we have both feedback and bug reporting channels. Preview build saves will be compatible with the full release of the content patch.

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on October 22, 2020, 04:07:01 AM
1.6 Content patch is now live!
Wed, 21 October 202

Hello everyone!

Today we are announcing the release of Alpha 1.6.23.1021!


If you have been reading the recent Devlogs and News you will have seen that we have been working on a content patch for the recent 1.6 Mineral & Craftsmanship update.

This patch will provide some polish to the 1.6 update and bring with it some highly requested quality of life improvements as well as additional features. You can check out the summary of the patch contents below, which includes a full changelog.

Promotion Sorting

We have received many requests for an improved promotion window more specifically the ability to sort promotions.

This content patch will now allow you to sort the population by various parameters whilst also being able to easily focus on a villager’s workplace, their house, and the villager themselves, making it much easier to identify those you wish to promote.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/483cebc297ae4a5f82de329db7efe7eb52822acb.png)

More Names!

Another request that has been high on the agenda has been for more names. You will now find 1000 new names added to the game, so you should not be seeing Female #44 or Male #808 for some time. Note: More work on names will come with a planned family feature in a future update.

Additionally, we have added the ability for you to rename villagers. You can now have all your family, friends or community members living in your villages.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/6bed900914261b6b96d83bd2e98f68c6cfd598dc.png)

Masterpiece Polish

Masterpieces were introduced in the recent 1.6 Content Update and this patch aims to polish up the Masterpiece systems as well as some visuals and an added bonus feature.

Masterpieces are sets of specific parts that can be added into a monument or be built as a standalone building. They are unique creations that include a bonus once built to meet certain conditions. The conditions for the bonuses have been tweaked with this patch to better suit the Masterpiece it relates to.

The Giant Gate Masterpiece has seen a little polish and now comes with additional parts for you to build the perfect entryway to your city. There is also the addition of a new wall for the Gate that will for now, be available via the walls menu once unlocked.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/aa33dae24d85fb22ada9203e207deed4d52b6da0.jpg)

Melody Composer

A new melody composer can now be found in the Automated Fountain Masterpiece which will allow you to flex your musical talents and create beautiful music.
 
https://youtu.be/c8I7kujSRs0


Additionally, you can now customize your church bells, controlling when the bells toll as well the tone of the bells.

Quarry Depots and Visuals

Quarries will now require a large crane be built which will act as a resource depot for the extracted resources of that quarry. Miners will store resources at these depots where they can then be used or transported to warehouses closer to your production buildings.

The stored resources within these depots will also come with improved visuals making it easier to identify the resources at-a-glance.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/96075d88a3eb5074af26189d290a33a43bf1b856.png)
 
Improved AI

Villagers have got cleverer… bigger smarts… more intelligent, yes!

Builders will now prioritize a building site’s proximity to their builder’s workshop when looking for work. This will keep them from traveling unnecessary long distances and consequently, it also gives you a better opportunity to optimize the positioning of your builder's workshops.

Needs fulfillment has also been improved with new AI behavior that will see villagers searching out close-by needs based on the fulfillment of their previous need. This should improve the overall behavior flow and efficiency of villagers in their free time.

New Animations

The team is always looking at ways to improve the Hurricane engine and one such improvement has enabled us to integrate animations into moving workstation parts. This new tool will allow us to bring a whole new level of immersion into your villages.

You will find a number of new animations with this patch including a couple of both new and improved, thanks to community feedback.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/c6ef91383aca4d1eb7d1c9f6cf9784b2bbed3afc.gif)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/fd38d9a9b79b159b804ad2b6323ed9031d063d58.gif)

Help Menu Additions and Tooltips

The help menu has been tweaked overall and now includes a new section on Masterpieces. We have also added new tooltips for Masterpieces and warehouses to help explain their functions and relevant conditions.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/3513e6c7989ad32a2bf3798c3cf8da333ff02c67.png)

Additionally, you will find a prompt when quitting to the menu or exiting the game. No more unintentional loss of game-time!

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/6ec99f9bdaec1b89a411f34aa647995b21aa51e3.png)

Bug Fixes and More

Alongside the changes above, this patch will come with a number of bug fixes and other improvements, including:

•   New sounds for mining and other workplaces
•   More UI tweaks, such as an improved resource list order
•   Changes to the mineral distribution system when prospecting mineral nodes. For example, Iron will be much easier to find earlier in your searches.
•   Multiple pathfinding fixes
•   And more… a full changelog can be found below

Modding wiki

Modding documentation and changes can be found over on the modding wiki.

Changelog

Thank you to everyone that has provided feedback, crash and bug reports. All of your reports have allowed us to fix a number of issues as well as make improvements as we continue to develop Foundation.

•   Add: Allow villager renaming
•   Add: Church tower bells control
•   Add: Fountain sound
•   Add: Giant wall - unlock wall when unlocking the masterpiece
•   Add: Masterpieces topic to Help Menu
•   Add: Menus - Add a "Data will be lost, are you sure?" before Exiting the game or returning to the main menu.
•   Add: Missing parts of the legacy church
•   Add: Musical Fountain - Musical Composer
•   Add: New workstation animations & VFX
•   Add: Promotion list sorting
•   Add: Quarry Depots - Inventory Visual+Gems Texture
•   Add: Quit to Main Menu and Exit to Desktop confirmations - Adjust texts
•   Add: Utility Agent - Villager AI improved for needs fulfillment
•   Add: Various tooltips
•   Add: Villager Names
•   Add: Warehouse/Granary tooltip
•   Add: Warning panel should remember last severity selected

•   Update Art - Various Masterpiece polish
•   Update: Army Manager - "Army" and "Battle History" should be sticky at the top while you scroll down.
•   Update: Improve builder's priority system
•   Update: Improve trade quantity inputting for high numbers
•   Update: Masterpieces - Prevent unusual combinations of conditions and masterpieces
•   Update: Mineral Depots - Add entrance arrows for the crane.
•   Update: Monument - Legacy Rustic Church - shape and collision adjusted
•   Update: Monument - Market - Market Table, of any type, should be a mandatory part of the construction.
•   Update: Resource list order

•   Fix: Anim - Glass Smelter - missing tool
•   Fix: Audio - Different behavior when reaching speed 0 using the "-" and the "spacebar" button.
•   Fix: Bailiff - Prospection tools are missing from the animation.
•   Fix: Churches - Remove the priest text
•   Fix: Core - Never Block House Entrance
•   Fix: Deserialize and reapply crop yield bonus
•   Fix: Farm Fields - Performance takes a hit when switching from Sowing to Growing.
•   Fix: Fisher - Bonus is not adequately applied during bad weather, reducing the yield instead of augmenting it.
•   Fix: Goldsmelter - Worker from the indoor workstation exits the building through the wall when the work cycle is done.
•   Fix: Knight Statue - missing marble texture
•   Fix: Major Performance issues when opening the Low Warning notifications on a large city.
•   Fix: Masterpiece - Barracks construction steps can be seen floating when attached to the top of another part.
•   Fix: Masterpiece - Fountain can still be unlocked even if a villager leaves during the bad weather event.
•   Fix: Masterpiece - Lush Garden bonus effect is not functional and does not increase the splendor of the building.
•   Fix: Masterpiece - Standalone masterpiece with the Maintenance effect will display it in the global game rule when it shouldn't.
•   Fix: Masterpiece condition - Must be part of Great Hall not updating in general tab when assigning function
•   Fix: Military Quests - User can receive hard and extreme difficulty missions without having met the requirements.
•   Fix: Mineral Deposit - Rare - Sometimes unrelated materials are deposited into the quarries.
•   Fix: Monastery - Doors attached to herb garden are preventing the monks from entering the building.
•   Fix: Monks - Incorrect situational message when working
•   Fix: Monks - Monk leaving winery work station doesn't use path
•   Fix: Monument - Changing the material set apply the last choice
•   Fix: Monument and Building window seems to open far away from building and to expand out of screen.
•   Fix: Need Cycle - Villager will stop going for needs under specific circumstances, resulting in multiple needs to be skipped even if plenty are available.
•   Fix: Need unfilling on load game (housing and church)
•   Fix: Pathfinding - Pathing through the wooden keep for soldiers issue, depending on the setup.
•   Fix: Pathfinding - Rare situation where the builders cannot path to build decoration onto the bridge.
•   Fix: Pause Game - Possible to have state in which the game does not resume from pause.
•   Fix: Prevent soldiers and bailiff from lossing happiness while on mission/mandate
•   Fix: Prospection Mandate - Ensure window has a maximum size and a scroll bar to allow for large number of deposit.
•   Fix: Rustic Church - Door C does not allow to enter the church core if placed on a tower
•   Fix: Rustic Church - Specific setup will prevent villagers to path properly into the core.
•   Fix: Save and Load - Noticeable dip in happiness when reloading a save game.
•   Fix: Sheep Statue - Impossible to build a sheep statue, the statue is never delivered to the building's location.
•   Fix: Some masterpiece game conditions are very CPU expensive when moving the whole building
•   Fix: Statue - If a building containing a statue is cancelled during construction, the statues orders are not cancelled.
•   Fix: Stone Quarry - Initial construction posts are floating when the construction begins.
•   Fix: Various visual FX tweaks and fixes
•   Fix: Warehouse / Granary - Possible to exceed maximum capacity.
•   Fix: Warning pannel - Some workplaces aren't showing the "full workplace" warning
•   Fix: Wooden Keep - Height adjustment arrows are located too high

•   Crash Fix: Crash when mod dependency is hidden on mod.io
•   Crash Fix: Rare crash - Game crashes when deleting an Automated Fountain when there's nothing else built in the game.
•   Crash Fix: Rare crash - Game crashes when deleting part of the tavern bridge and reload the save.
•   Crash Fix: Rare crash with no space for housing notification

We can’t wait to hear your melodies! Join us on our official Discord server and join in the conversation https://discord.com/invite/foundation

- The Polymorph Games Team


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on November 19, 2020, 01:01:15 AM
Alpha 1.6.25.1118 Hotfix is live!
Wed, 18 November 2020

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/690830/ss_74faac72ee6601c6ef9bcbe06110dd622ce11798.1920x1080.jpg?t=1601917097)

Hello everyone, Alpha 1.6.25.1118 Hotfix is now live!

Changelog
•   Enable Utility AI (for real this time)
•   Fix: Possible crash when a modded trading village is removed
•   Fix: Agent leaving the fishing hut could occasionally walk on water
•   Add: Missing warehouse help tooltip
•   Update: Localization

Modding
•   Only load Mod localization if the mod is active (unless it’s a new language added by a mod)
•   Identify mod languages as coming from a mod in the language list
•   Material sets are not applied for all construction visuals
•   Export 2 old textures requested by modders
•   Fix: List reading in mod prefab


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on December 10, 2020, 02:22:34 AM
December Update News
Wed, 9 December 2020

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/f48a948db186086a7a6d967fa8729f18fba2ef87.png)

Update News: Next Major Update Announcement, A Small Update In Time For Christmas and More!

Hello everyone!

Today we bring you news on upcoming updates to Foundation as well as some further information on what we have been up to over the last few weeks.

Next Major Update: UI Rehaul

Firstly let’s talk about the next major update which is one we know you are all waiting for. As you have likely seen and read we are currently working on a complete UI rehaul. This has not been a small undertaking, requiring major work on the game engine as well as a complete rehaul and full design of the UI, including a new HUD as well as new panels and windows for quests, events, building panel, main menu, splash screen, icons and much, much more. You name it, it has needed designing.

Furthermore, the UI update will include improvements to the user experience (UX) in the form of greater player feedback, better tooltips and improved accessibility in the second phase of design and implementation. We will then go on to a further phase which will include a more detailed and improved help menu, better tutorialization, further refinement and improvements and much more. We have listened to feedback from the community which has also helped to guide some of the improvements you will get to see when the update drops.

Needless to say, this major update is taking some time to design and program and there is still a lot more work needed to program and implement all the changes of the initial phase. We will bring you more news on the progress early next year.

A Little Christmas Surprise: Key Mapping Update

Whilst some of the team have been working on the new UI we have also been working on a small update that we plan to release in time for Christmas. This update will bring a much-requested feature from the community, namely... key mapping!

That’s right folks, soon you will be able to set up the game controls to suit your own playstyle and requirements. You will find a new tab in the settings panel that will allow you to remap the most common controls within the game.

This is the first step in a complete accessibility plan and design that we will implement in full before the final release of the game.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/51f0558701b7da52afc9b145a06edccb0dd5c54e.png)

The key mapping update will also come with new functions such as zooming via keyboard commands, using Page_Up and Page_Down. These new functions will, of course, be included in the key mapping options to allow for your own personal preferences.

Final Game Design

As well as the above update plans we have been working full time on completing the final game design. Although there has been a vision set out from the start, a large reason for releasing into Early Access was to allow the game to evolve and improve with feedback from the community.

As such, we are planning to release an updated roadmap early next year detailing the remaining updates and features to the final release.

Final words…

2020 has been an unusual year for us all and due to the global pandemic, our production velocity has been hampered to some extent. Rest assured though, we are working full time, with all our hearts, to launch the fulfilment of our vision for Foundation.

We would like to say a big thank you to every single one of you for all your feedback, bug reports and support throughout the year.

We are looking forward to a new year, a new UI and a lot of new features for the game in 2021. We hope you all have a fantastic winter break!

- The whole Polymorph Games team

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on December 12, 2020, 01:43:08 AM
1.6.26.1211 Key Mapping Update is Now Live!
Fri, December 11, 2020


Good news, Lords and Ladies! The 1.6.26 Update has arrived!

This small update brings a much-requested feature from the community, Key Mapping! You can now set up the game controls to suit your own playstyle and requirements. Find it in the Settings panel!

To complement the new Key mapping feature you will also find the following extra functions plus an additional fix:

•   New keyboard shortcuts:
   •   F1 = Help
   •   Home = move to Village Center
   •   Page Up/down = Zoom
   •   1-2-3 = game speeds

•   camera axis inversion
•   mouse camera sensitivity
•   keyboard camera sensitivity
•   fix: navmesh was not generated in some rare regions

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on January 16, 2021, 02:26:44 AM
News: Updated Roadmap & Release Schedule
Fri, 15 January 2021

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/f5aeb1ddced97e6efc67b1ae67bba9a3f86f5b6e.png)

Happy New Year everyone! We hope you all had a wonderfully festive holiday!

We are thrilled to present to you today, an updated roadmap that contains information on many of the new features and content coming to Foundation this year.

Updated Roadmap & Release Schedule

Our objective is to release 3 major updates over the course of 2021. The first of which will be the much anticipated new UI.

This will be followed by 2 Core Updates that will bring an array of new features and additionally continue to improve on the UI and UX.

We have set out below further information on what you can expect to see in these updates.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/c080d6ec8f3a4c4467435e1c778878c54aec10c1.png)

Update 1 will bring a major improvement to the game in the form of the UI rehaul. You can expect to see a new HUD, building menus, villager menu, information panels and of course much, much more.

The main HUD will see a plethora of improvements that will contain easily identifiable information on resources, events & quests as well as more information panels for quick overviews of your current village.

Many of the information and management panels will all be tied together in an easily navigable and streamlined “Book” (name subject to change). The Book will include tabs and shortcuts that will link directly to facets including: Villager information, Workplaces, Estates, Budget, Resources and your Army. Each tab will include improved ways to sort and search for information that you need, all at your fingertips.

A new main menu will include more detail when looking through saves, a new options menu, help menu, mod menu,... in fact every aspect of the UI will be new and improved and as such will also bring a host of UX improvements.

We will continue to build upon the UI/UX Update with further updates and improvements after its initial release.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/48ea2c319cce52ef473b706ecec289462ce18388.png)
 
Estate Mechanic

Core Update II will focus on improving the Estate mechanic. Your influence with an estate will vary over time, creating a choice of which estate(s) to invest in. Increasing your influence with one estate will have an effect on other estates and as such will affect the path you choose when building your village.

Building Decay

A new feature will be introduced with Core Update II in the form of Building Decay. Every placeable building will require maintenance and if not maintained the building will decay over time.

In order to maintain buildings within your village, you will need to place and staff a maintenance workshop. Each workshop will prioritize and maintain buildings that require repairs and pull resources that are needed to repair those buildings.

As buildings decay, productivity and desirability will be affected and if allowed to decay too far, buildings will become unusable and will need to be dismantled.

Houses occupied by villagers of lower status than the house, or left uninhabited for too long will begin to decay and may require repair.

Further UI/UX Improvements

Core Update II will also continue to improve upon the UI and UX with more accessibility options and menu improvements, taking into account player feedback as we further build on the previous UI/UX update.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/228f60de1c22bddee8361a5f67bb2e2a8d470b42.png)

Core Update III will add a number of new features that will change the way in which your village population can vary as well as bring new and improved detail to maps.

Families & Aging
•   A family mechanic will allow for the birth of children who will age, work, create their own families and eventually pass away, bringing a full cycle to village life.

Diseases
•   Varying factors will increase the chance of villager disease that will come with consequences to your workforce if left unchecked.

Graveyard
•   As your villagers now walk through the valley of death they will need a place to be laid to rest.

Map Visual Edges
•   Map edges will be visually improved.

Terrain Biomes
•   Varying biomes will add to the variety of map environments.

Resource Fertility
•   Land fertility will differ, depending on environmental factors allowing for crop-specific fertility.

Cobblestone Roads
•   A much-requested feature will see the introduction of cobblestone roads that will increase efficiency in your villages.


The updated roadmap can be found over on Trello where you can keep up-to-date with all the progress.

(https://steamcdn-a.akamaihd.net/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/dafbc320b8ac0228676af471eed69bcbae8e9060.png) (https://trello.com/b/i5AX944p/foundation-roadmap)



Up to Full Release

More features will be implemented up to the full release, including:

•   A major expansion and overhaul of the narrative elements & events
•   Vehicles - where appropriate, villagers will be able to own and use horses
•   A third level of housing status and density
•   A safety need will see more use for soldiers and defense structures
•   New monuments
•   Information map - a zoomed out map showing an overview of available resource nodes and layers
•   Map generator
•   Pastures - allowing for zoning of livestock areas
•   ...and more!

Post Release

The full release will not be the end of development and we will continue to work on features not yet implemented such as a map editor, creative mode and a photo tool as well as work on further DLCs that were planned as part of our original Kickstarter campaign.


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on February 17, 2021, 01:17:39 AM
Alpha 1.6.28.0216 is now live
Tue, 16 February 2021

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/690830/ss_74faac72ee6601c6ef9bcbe06110dd622ce11798.1920x1080.jpg)

Hey everyone!

Small patch, Alpha 1.6.28.0216 is now live. This patch is in part a requirement in response to a new privacy policy on mod.io.

•   add: mod "report content" link
•   request user consent before logging to mod.io when rating a mod for the first time
•   fix: mod loading fail on reload when adding new attach node types
•   fix: avoid stuck tax collector or bailiff in a specific part of the lord manor

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 12, 2021, 11:50:06 PM
Devlog #15
Wed, 12 May 2021

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/516cb8e9ba1087e88289bb7b830800b3e3ee95a8.png)

Hey everyone!

It’s been a little time since our last communication but this does not mean we have been resting on our laurels. We know you are all eagerly anticipating the new UI and the improvements that will come with it.

An update on the UI rehaul progress

The very first phase of the new UI implementation is nearing completion. With that said, we would like to share with you some of the work that has been involved with creating the new UI, and to let you know what has been going on in the background for the past few months.

Late last year, we teased you all with some sample images of our UI rehaul. These initial images were conceptual and only a taste of what to expect. Since that time, our UI/UX designer and a good chunk of the team have been busy implementing the full redesign in-engine.

If you have played the game and seen the old UI you will be well aware that although it was functional, it was lacking in many places, not particularly intuitive and also not very aesthetically pleasing. As such, the redesign has required major work. Every menu, icon, HUD element, feedback module… it’s a long list… needed to be updated, redesigned and in some instances built from scratch. Such is the cost of progress.

Once the new design foundation (pun intended) was laid out and agreed upon, work could begin on asset creation, whilst in the background, we ramped up work on the engine. What came out of this was a brand new Interface tool (imaginatively called the GUI editor). This tool effectively allows us to build, visualize and tweak the interface without programming (because yes, the old interface used to be generated purely by code). As we progress, we're constantly making the editor even more powerful, to allow for new features in the game for you, the players.

On top of this we have been making further updates to the engine to allow for enhanced UI visuals including better font rendering, to improve scaling, for the large differences in resolutions throughout the player base.

Much of the new interface is now in place and we are on the final run toward testing, feedback, tweaking and subsequent release. There are still a few elements that need to be worked on, some remnants from the old UI that need to be replaced and we will need to further tweak and improve on the work so far before release.

We know you are eager to see more teasers of what’s to come and of course we wish to oblige...

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/7a331c31718545ec63edc3640e26e4c1f0b8cf28.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/d4a2d0f193c3a2a39080404b959756a94f3d6a08.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/0f05e09018000cefdda030296d79ea1ecb152f58.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/684a374f010690ddba9f93ea519b342258b7316d.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/2909d81d683ba58ebf433af2c15ae880e6f859be.png)

In other news

The UI has not been the only focus of recent development work. Some of the team have also been working in the background on more long-term goals such as overall art direction and preparation for future content updates.

Some of you may have noticed the changes to the market tents in a social media post some time ago, this was only the start of a broader improvement in the overall art direction. Further work has since been carried out on buildings such as the bakery and in time we will revamp and enhance the majority of the art and assets within the game.

The art team has also been working to design and create tools that will allow for a better way to render environmental aspects and transitions within the game, such as those between grass, sand and rocks. Similarly, they have been looking at ways in which to improve the look and variation of environmental factors such as vegetation, lighting and overall ambience.

These changes and improvements to the art style will not be part of the upcoming UI but you will be seeing more of them in the future.

We will update you all with an ETA for the release of the UI update in the coming weeks.
 
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on September 18, 2021, 11:58:50 PM
Devlog #16
Fri, 17 September 2021

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/9dfcca966f3892e4b1a4f342bec6a0915be7fa0d.png)

Greetings Lords and Ladies!

With the new UI out it’s a good time to take a look at what else we have been working on and where our focus is now headed.

Before we do though, we would like to mention our growing team here at Polymorph Games. As a relatively new indie studio we are always looking to expand the team and as such we have seen some new faces since the last Devlog.

We have recently been joined by a senior gameplay programmer that will help us as we move our focus to new and improved gameplay features. We also have been swelled in ranks by a new engine programmer as well as a gameplay programmer that is completing an internship with us.

Getting back to the team’s focus, the first thing of note is that in a revised change to our roadmap earlier this year, we are planning to bring you a game update in the Autumn/Fall whilst in the background we also work toward the bigger Core II update.

Let’s take a look at what the team has been working on...

Art

The art team have been hard at work overhauling the current buildings to create a more cohesive and detailed style throughout the game.

You can see an example below of the completed bakery revamp in all its splendor.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/17adf7a322574b1e4f7fcb471ae48dc577afa069.png)
Before/after shot of the Bakery


You’ll see the majority of these as part of a larger update, most likely sometime next year, however we will be bringing 2 new buildings to the game much sooner, that have been designed from the ground up with the new and improved styling already implemented.

Currently the focus is on these two buildings which will see both a Candle Workshop as well as a Common Wares Workshop added to the game in the Fall Update. Check out some concept art of the Common Wares Workshop below.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/76a7a520b293c184a3337db453d0563a8caefb02.png)
Common wares workshop (concept art)


Gameplay

In the longer term the gameplay team is now focused on Core Update II which will see a complete overhaul of the Estate system and progression. The final design of the Estate system overhaul is now almost complete and work has begun on its implementation. The team are also working on balancing tools to make for easier balancing as we add more content to the game.

In the more immediate future however, the team has also been working on implementing a new feature for the Fall Update that will bring more immersion
when building your village. This feature will see construction step bundles implemented to the game.

These bundles will create a more logical construction process, where materials will be required on construction sites in a relevant order. For example a building’s foundation/basement will be built first and require a specific portion of the overall building resources on site before construction begins. The next step might be walls that require the next bundle of resources.

Construction step bundles essentially break down the overall resource requirements into separate bundles that need to be delivered to construction sites prior to builders starting work on each construction step.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/453563653f6c5c5c18ea175c350e5d13b4bd6614.png)

UI/UX

We are still working to further improve the UI with subsequent updates such as the recent UI/UX patch. We still have many more improvements to come.

To this end, the UI/UX team is working on a number of important small improvements and fixes that will come in the Fall Update. Alongside this the team is also working on UX design for the bigger core update, in support of the Estates overhaul, which will require a number of new screens and information panels.

Game Engine & Modding

As you can probably imagine the Engine team is busy working to support any processes that the whole team are working on, such as new Hurricane editor tools for feature integration.

Furthermore the team continues to collate and analyse any crash reports coming in and fixing any instability as quickly as possible. Our crash rate is at an all time low with the biggest crash issue now being graphics drivers. Note: if you are experiencing any crashing on startup please update your GPU drivers with (importantly) a clean install of the GPU drivers.

Modding is also one of the larger projects for the Engine team which has seen them continue to work on exposing more features, such as exposing the mandate system to create custom mandates. They have also been looking to support modders even further with work on Lua debugging support.

In addition to this we continue to work closely with the modding community to gather modding feedback and suggestions, as well as look at ways to improve our feedback gathering to better support the modding community.

We will bring you more news as soon as we have it and keep an eye on our social media channels for more teasers, as we get closer to the Fall Update release.

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on October 22, 2021, 11:56:51 PM
Preview build: Alpha 1.8 is live!
Fri, 22 October 2021

A preview build of the upcoming 1.8 Fall update is now available via the Steam betas option tab (access instructions below).

Whilst we continue to work toward the core updates, the 1.8 Fall update comes as a bonus that also enables us to add in some smaller features in preparation for the bigger updates.

We look forward to hearing any feedback and please let us know if you find any issues. Feedback and bugs can be posted on the Steam
forums or alternatively you can join us on our official Discord
server.


Preview build highlights

Two new production buildings

The Candle Workshop and Common Wares Workshop

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/5cee4c2c99132234ddb8395cbeb00d1aae4ad3e6.png)

Construction steps and bundles

More logical construction steps for buildings, including the addition of resource bundles for each step.

QoL and UI

New tooltips, improved layouts and a number of QoL improvements such as improved stockpiling feedback.

Modding

An enhanced mod browser, including direct links to mod.io
to allow for easier communication with modders.

Modders also get some new stuff, including a debugging tool. More info can be found on the modding wiki


Preview Build Access Instructions

Note: Preview build saves will be compatible
with the full release of the 1.8 Fall update. Most mods will requiring migration
for the full 1.8 release. We recommend starting a fresh save or playing a vanilla for the preview build.

If you would like to take a look or help test out the preview build, you can gain access via the Steam betas tab in Foundation properties.

    Right-click Foundation in your Steam library
    Click on properties
    Navigate to BETAS
    Choose the ‘preview - Next Build Preview’ option


The game will automatically update but if it does not you may need to restart your Steam client.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/68cbe1d459a48e9dbc41c57fa834da77a43c6229.png)

- The Polymorph Games Team

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on November 08, 2021, 11:34:18 PM
The 1.8.0.6.1108 Patch is LIVE!
Mon, 8 November 2021

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/690830/ss_33b40b0bf882622883b644314108c02836ff62bd.1920x1080.jpg)

Hello everyone!

We have just deployed Foundation’s 1.8.0.6.1108 Patch (Alpha)


This is a minor patch that aims to fix some of the most common issues encountered since the release of 1.8.

Here’s what’s included:

Tweaks

    CandleWorkshop: Extension now modifies recipe
    Minor adjustment to the Candle Workshop model
    Adjust building window to properly show recipe modifiers
    Wait for a villager to finish his/her work shift before changing jobs


Fixes

    Building Window refresh when building parts get unlocked
    Church message tooltip
    Performance issue when unemploying a villager
    Visual issue which doubled the maintenance cost in the preview building window
    Resource depot causing infinite fuel bug with fuelmonger mod
    Building description update when building and part are built at the same time
    Top module not showing resources at 0 when loading a game
    Some work interactive location could become locked after work shift switch
    Crash on launch on Linux Proton
    Localization typo
    SaveGamePatcher: fix stuck interactive locations


Modding-specific


    COMP_WORKPLACE can now be instantiated
    Fix: Crash when changing a particle emitter system at runtime



We hope you enjoy this patch and as always, we will be looking for feedback as we move closer to our bigger, upcoming update!

-Polymorph Games

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on December 06, 2021, 11:53:15 PM
Preview Build 1.8.1 is available right now!
Mon, 6 December 2021

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/690830/ss_33b40b0bf882622883b644314108c02836ff62bd.1920x1080.jpg)

Try Foundation's new update before it's released! The 1.8.1 Preview Build is live!


This is your chance to test drive some of the new features we’ve been working on.

Among the new features, you’ll notice:

    A resource tracker tool which adds useful icons above entities in the world. Never lose track of your village’s resources anymore!
    Improvements to construction bundles so the visual messaging is more accurate.



As always, we would like to hear from you about this preview build. You can join the discussion here on Steam or choose to do so on our official Discord
server, under the #1-8-1_preview_feedback channel.

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on December 14, 2021, 11:51:57 PM
The 1.8.1 Update Is Now Live!
Tue, 14 December 2021

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/b13e6b5418cc30987194ef851bc0dcd1bbb0c310.jpg)

Greetings everyone!

Today we are proud to announce that Foundation’s 1.8.1 update has just landed.

Following a successful and mostly incident-less preview version, we’re releasing this content a bit ahead of time.

Let’s take a tour of the new and updated features, shall we?

Resource Tracker

The biggest and most exciting feature added to 1.8.1 is without a doubt our brand-new resource tracker tool.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/d7dfe06418ff8685d89aa448cb3cb65f4d12b2f2.png)

It allows you to see where resources are located in your village by right-clicking on a resource icon from the info module, located at the top of your screen.

Left-clicking on the same resource will bring you to its associated entry in the Book, under the Trade tab. We are confident that this addition will make it easier to manage your village and its numerous supply chains!

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/44b0a1faa763de29f2d17e7e16272d4d101242c7.jpg)

Enhanced Construction Step Bundles

Another goal we’ve set ourselves for the 1.8.1 update was to achieve better HUD efficiency.

As of 1.8, we’ve added construction step bundles to Foundation. Since then, most buildings are built progressively. This feature adds a lot to the immersion and can even help you plan ahead as each step requires different resources. But we felt like there was room for improvement about how we communicated this information to you.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/739b98adf17045a71142123b976b0360474e2869.jpg)

If you take a closer look at the above building panel, you’ll notice we now display ready-to-build bundles in the progress bar (second background layer). One of the pitfalls or the previous iteration of this feature was that it involved too much guessing. With 1.8.1, we felt the need to share more information about construction steps—clear the fog, in a way.

Modding Additions

Foundation’s mod scene is still going strong years after we first entered early access. True to our habits, we’ve worked closely with the modding community to fix bugs and crashes related to 1.8.1. But that’s not all: browsing the changelog reveals the newly added exposure of single-property types. Combined with COMP_SOLDIER, we can’t wait to see what modders will create next.

1.8.1 Changelog

General


    Add: Resource tracker (resource icons are shown above entities when right-clicked in info module)
    Add: Resource tracker windows open entity panels
    Add: Resource tracking button in the book (resources list)
    Add: Shortcut from resources in info module to book
    Add: Resource row highlight in the book
    Add: Ready-to-build bundles are now shown in construction progress bars
    Improve: Construction and Bailiff progress bars are no longer shown behind prioritize and cancel buttons
    Improve: parts list and jobs ordering
    Fix: color when conditions are met from green to gold (quests)
    Fix: missing tooltip on delete savegame button
    Fix: buildings generating resources have duplicated descriptions
    Fix: missing localization on Controls window title
    Fix: crash after building the Village Center is the Build menu was already opened
    Fix: if there is at least one incomplete part in a multi-part monument when a reload is performed, all the parts that were previously completed will turn invisible (monuments)
    Fix: walls disappear upon reload
    Fix: Market Goods and Luxury tables are not unlocking
    Fix: crash when building a village center
    Fix: crash no crane on mineral deposit
    Update: community localizations
    Update: rename good and luxury market stall part set category

    Modding

    Expose single-property types
    Expose COMP_SOLDIER
    Fix: crash when spawning immigrant with job
    Update: modding documentation

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on January 21, 2022, 11:53:25 PM
A Look at Foundation’s Future
Fri, 21 January 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/ff0d11c858ede4ce51b5c468dd76dbbae0251ab9.jpg)

Hi everyone!

Now that the holidays are decidedly behind us, it’s time to think about what the future holds.


There’s little doubt that 2022 will be a pivotal year for Foundation. We know you’re eager to learn more about the game, hence why we’re sharing an exclusive look at what’s going on behind the scenes…and hopefully answer some of your burning questions!

Laying down the cards

After three years in Early Access (time flies!), we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Looking back, we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, but acknowledge that there’s still a lot of work left to do. Still, we’re confident that we’ll cross the finish line before long.

Our current focus is on Core Game II (1.9), which we’ve actually already talked about last year. We can’t stress enough just how much of a game changer this new release will be. We’ll have more details to share about it very soon. In the meantime, here’s some up-to-date info about the new features being worked on right now by the team for this massive update:

Gameplay Types & Progression

Prosperity

As part of our overhauled progression system, your village will now score points according to various metrics (territories, population, etc.). We’re calling this system Prosperity (which is not to be confused with Splendor). The idea behind it is to allow you, the player, to progress in the game without imposing a specific playstyle. For example, you will be able to progress by focusing on a large populated city, but you’ll also be able to progress by focusing on a prolific monastery. Aiming for higher scores isn’t just for bragging rights: you’ll unlock new buildings and put in place new politics (edicts) along the way.

Estates

The Estates are evolving and will be closely tied to different gameplay types. Each Estate will have their specific advantages over some core features of the game. For instance, the Labor Estate will fare well in villager taxation, the Clergy Estate on luxury resources and the Kingdom—you probably guessed it—on military campaigns. Also, get ready as having a high Splendor with an estate will negatively impact influence with other estates. This is just a quick overview of our intentions. More on that later!

Victory conditions

We know several players would love to see endgame content added to Foundation and 1.9 will deliver on that front. Victory conditions are late game objectives you can complete to score rare player celebrations in Foundation—and their own achievements. Pick one or more victory conditions to track and try to complete all the prerequisites…if you dare!

Narrative

If you’ve been following us on social media, you know we hired a talented narrative designer a couple of weeks ago. Core Game II will be the first occasion to see his work applied to the world of Foundation. What does that mean?

Well…we’re not ready to spill the beans quite yet, but here’s a nugget of information for you: our new narrative events aim to make your experience more open-ended. Since 1.9 redefines our global game progression, we wanted to establish the first step of what we could describe as a “dialogue” between players and Foundation. In that sense, the game will feel a lot more responsive by serving events tailored to your play style.

New onboarding

Core Game II is an opportunity for us to review Foundation’s early game and more precisely its onboarding. Since we’re introducing a lot of new features to the game, it’s important that our tutorials and in-game messaging are on point. We’ve put a lot of effort into explaining our systems and helping players understand the steps they need to take in order to build—and maintain—successful villages.

And more! Look forward to our new blog series that will delve deeper into upcoming features included in 1.9

The Core Game II (1.9) update is scheduled for release in the first half of 2022.


Looking even further

Apart from the work being done on Core Game II, our team is working in parallel on other important additions that will see the light of day before/at release. Here’s a few of them:

Residential Revamp

We are rehauling the residential experience to make it more fluid and informative while improving the game’s overall organic layout. Villagers will still build and upgrade (up to a 3rd level) houses by themselves but through blood, sweat, and tears, they’ll be better at it than ever!

Gone are the days where unused space could really hinder your village’s development. Improvements to our painting tool will help determine more precisely where districts are formed and ensure residential space (as defined by the player) is sufficient. The tool will be able to predict how many villagers can be housed within a specific zone.

Map Generator

We already gave you a glimpse of our Map Generator. Work on this feature has progressed steadily since then and is already showing promising results. We know this is one of the most anticipated features and we want to make it right, hence why we’re keeping things a bit under wraps for now.

New Terrain Biomes

One way to add more uniqueness to maps is by making sure biomes are different enough from each other. How are we going to do it? Well, for starters, we want to improve vegetation a lot—even going as far as having different vegetation depending on elevation. Think leafy on lower altitudes and coniferous on higher altitudes. What we’re not aiming for is to add tropical or desert biomes, as we feel they don’t quite fit with our design.

Accessibility

We strive to make Foundation more functional, accessible and enjoyable by all types of players. Expect even more accessibility options in the future, including improved colored text contrast and colorblind-friendly signs/feedback.

Modding

We will continue to support the modding community. One way to do so will be by exposing more real-time interactions, but we also plan to let modders edit the user interface (UI), among other things.

Quality of Life (QOL)

Delivering a smooth gameplay experience has always been a top priority for us. On that point, we can say this year will introduce a number of interesting QOL changes, included but not limited to: more tooltips, improved handling of panels and ESC key behavior, new Book shortcuts and UI customization (resize).

We are doing everything in our power to get Foundation our of Early Access before the end of 2022. We will keep you updated as we go.


Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on March 23, 2022, 11:48:06 PM
Update Preview: Taxes for All
Wed, 23 March 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/690830/ss_33b40b0bf882622883b644314108c02836ff62bd.jpg)

Welcome to the first of multiple preview posts dedicated to our upcoming 1.9 content update. Today, we would like to focus on the new taxation system that will be added to the game.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/e5b0487d9d676f7eb7d67ba4fbcce19719571d7b.jpg)

We are indeed reworking the way your villagers will generate revenue. Your market won’t directly generate revenue anymore when villagers purchase food or goods. Instead, you will be able to tax villagers. Preserving their happiness will be the key to efficiently tax them, so providing them with what they need from the market will keep playing a central role for revenue.

Be careful though as each building will have a maximum amount of taxes it can accumulate. You will need enough tax collectors to get your hands on all of this precious money!

Lastly, you will have control of the taxation rate of your villagers. Know that if you ever feel too greedy, the happiness of your villagers will be negatively affected!

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on April 21, 2022, 11:10:30 PM
Update Preview: Live Long Prosper
Thu, 21 April 2022

Hello everyone! Today, we’re back to give you more details about what’s cooking with Foundation.

Back in March, we introduced our new taxation system. This time, let's leave economics behind for a moment and discuss another new feature:
Prosperity.

(https://i.imgur.com/Rqktr6l.png)
 
Starting with content update 1.9, Prosperity will replace the current progression system, which is based on growing and promoting your population. It will be something that feels much more in line with your own choices. For example, a small priory relying on trade will be able to progress as much as a village promoting its own population, or a village relying on war efforts.

By raising your Prosperity, you will reach common unlockable tiers, similar to current Estates Unlockable Tiers. These unlockables will give you access to new common buildings and functionalities within Foundation.

The Prosperity score will be based on various core game mechanics. These include:
•   Population
•   Commerce
•   Territory extent
•   Splendor
•   Beautification


That’s it for now. Next time, we will talk about how progression paths are evolving with 1.9 and why they will dramatically change the way you play.

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 18, 2022, 11:21:26 PM
Update Preview: Your Progression, Your Choice
Wed, 18 May 2022

Hi everyone and welcome to a new sneak peek of our upcoming update.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/b810d17f3758aa6df497c4f79930fb56dcab7065.jpg)


With Foundation 1.9, we reworked how players progress through the game. There will now be a common progression path, which is divided into different tiers just like Estates. Each tier—and its accompanying core buildings—will be unlocked once specific score thresholds are met (Prosperity).

Alongside our new common progression path, players will also be able to dedicate themselves to one or more of the three available Estates (Kingdom, Labor or Clergy). Essentially, what this means is that players will get to experience Foundation in a very different and meaningful way. This is also part of our plan to further encourage replayability.

Say for example that a player dedicates himself or herself to the Labor Estate. In this case, the gameplay will revolve around a careful balancing act between happiness and taxation. As progression is made, new taxation options will become available, thus rewarding players with features that feel right to them.

One thing to keep in mind is that dedication to one Estate makes it harder (but not impossible) to make progress with another’s.

We hope you will enjoy the added depth to progression systems coming up in 1.9. Player agency is something we believe helps create better, more immersive games. This is one of the few steps we are taking to achieve that goal with Foundation. Next time, we will cover a new kind of unlockable that is sure to spice things up!


(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/690830/ss_5b6d8dd587fb1e11e1d30f299176e749f3498a16.jpg)

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on July 23, 2022, 02:52:50 AM
Playtests for Update 1.9 Are Underway!
Fri, 22 July 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/690830/ss_a8723e62155f90d76f4779bd828ef35deaab73e6.jpg)

Greetings Foundationeers! At last we have some news to share with you concerning update 1.9!

We are happy to confirm that since last week, we have started two waves of private playtests for the new update, with more waves to follow.

The 1.9 update is one of our most ambitious updates yet, with many improvements to the core experience that represent the culmination of what Foundation is about.

The private playtests will be followed by a public preview phase—accessible to all—during which we’ll also assist modders to transition their mods toward update 1.9.

We can’t wait for you to try out what we have been working hard on these last few months. We’ll keep you posted once we have a target for the release.

In the meantime, know that the team is pouring its heart out to deliver you an update with the same high level of quality that you expect us to deliver.

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on September 15, 2022, 12:28:01 AM
Coming Soon: Update 1.9 Public Playtest!
Tue, 13 September 2022

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/690830/ss_5b6d8dd587fb1e11e1d30f299176e749f3498a16.jpg)

Try the new content starting next Monday

Hi Steam community! Today we have awesome news to share with you.

For the past few months, we've been hard at work on Foundation's Update 1.9.

We are happy to confirm that you will be able to participate in a public playtest
starting next Monday, September the 19th.

This will be an opportunity to explore several new gameplay features and overhauled mechanics, including:

    Taxation
    Sub buildings
    Progression paths
    Estate system with trade-offs
    Narrative choices
    Edicts and privileges
    Village Aspirations
    Onboarding
    And more!



Stay tuned for more details as the public playtest draws closer!

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on September 20, 2022, 01:55:28 AM
Now Available: Update 1.9 Public Playtest!
Mon, 19 September 2022

Try Foundation's new content and overhauled systems before they’re officially released

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/1e5124da774e6f787c7a12ad3de135c416d58b42.jpg)

Hello Lords & Ladies,

As promised, we are happy to let you try Foundation’s upcoming 1.9 Update before its official release.

Starting right now, you can opt into the public playtest
on Steam and have a taste of what the team has been working on for the past several months. You will find detailed instructions on how to configure your game further below.

Update 1.9 marks a significant milestone in the development of our medieval city-building game. We encourage you to play on the Clergy progression path
, as it is the most advanced in terms of narrative and unlockables out of the three available Estates in Foundation.

Here’s some highlights from Update 1.9:

    The Monastery
    monument (from the Clergy Estate) has been significantly enhanced. There are plenty of new functions available, including a Hospitum (to host visitors), a Scriptorium (to produce Manuscripts, a new resource) and Nun Dorms to which you can concede female villagers for the first time!

    Monuments can now have sub buildings
    . For instance, you can build a Chapel inside your Monastery, or a Great Hall in your Manor House, both made from multiple parts. You can also switch the functions of sub buildings at will should you require so.

    Progression
    in Foundation has been completely redone. At the beginning, you will unlock buildings from a common progression path, then you will have to choose which of the three Estates—Labor, Kingdom or Clergy—you want to invest towards.

    The economy
    has also shifted dramatically from being market-centric to now relying heavily on taxation
    . You will have to build a Tax Office, assign a Tax Collector and strike a balance between filling your coffers without tanking your global Happiness factor!

    You will notice that narration
    plays a bigger role in Foundation than ever. Indeed, we’ve added a large number of interesting events and opportunities, ranging from hosting fairs to improving trades with neighbors and much, much more. In that same regard, players will feel they have more of a say as Lord/Lady thanks to the addition of more extensive narrative choices
    .

    Edicts and privileges
    let you bend the rules in your favor. The former are laws you enact for your village, while the latter are special ‘gifts’ handed out by Estates to their most loyal followers.

    Onboarding
    quests will help new and returning players alike get their bearings. Of course, you can choose to skip them altogether!



How can I participate in Foundation’s Update 1.9 Public Playtest on Steam?

    Open the Steam client
    Right-click on Foundation
    Click on Properties
    Click on BETAS
    Under Select the beta you would like to opt into, choose preview
    Launch the game



We hope you have fun while you give this update a go! Feel free to discuss the update here on Steam or on our official Discord channel.

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on October 19, 2022, 11:26:22 PM
The 1.9 Update Is Now Live!
Wed, 19 October 2022

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/32396557/3ba309c039f19c2d7c8caedc487640bf0cfb6ce8.png)

Greetings Lords & Ladies!

Foundation’s Update 1.9 is finally here.


The team has been hard at work to bring you quality content as part of a new and improved gameplay experience.

Here's an overview of what's included.


Village Aspirations

A fundamental aspect of Foundation is the customisation of your experience, which is reflected in the game by the organic growth that makes each village unique. With 1.9, we wanted to go one step further and give you the ability to achieve Village Aspirations: optional objectives that offer different ways to play in order to nab sweet GOG or Steam achievements. Examples include building an Abbatial Church or having 100 citizens in your village

Village Aspirations are another way for us to not only increase the replayability of Foundation, but also to make it a somewhat more challenging experience.

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Progression revised from the ground up

Update 1.9 changes several elements of Foundation, including the way you progress into the game. Now, each Estate—whether it be Labour, Clergy or Kingdom—has several unlockables of its own. Investing influence in and thus favouring one Estate makes it more difficult to progress with the others. This dynamic requires more planning on your part and adds weight to your decisions without restricting your ambitions.

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In addition to Estate-specific progression paths, there is also a common progression path, which includes quite a few essential production buildings in Foundation, such as the Warehouse, the Stonecutter Camp and the Fishing Hut. In either case, you will need to reach different tiers of Prosperity before being able to unlock some of the most desirable options. This new measure of your success takes into account six factors: wealth, territory size, trade, population, splendor and beautification.

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Our next updates will focus on upgrading both the Kingdom and Labor progression paths.


Edicts and privileges

You may have noticed that the progression page has a tab dedicated to edicts and privileges. This is another new feature introduced with Update 1.9. The first case represents what may be described as laws that you enact in your village. The second case represents rewards given by the different Estates to their most loyal Lords or Ladies.

Edicts and privileges grant important boons such as reducing a Splendor penalty between two Estates, increasing the market value of certain resources or reducing the maintenance cost of production buildings by half. They are unlocked with coins or influence points. Afterwards, you just have to choose the edicts or privileges you want to activate.

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Buildings and sub-buildings

The city-building aspect is at the heart of the Foundation experience, so we wanted to let you expand the capabilities of your buildings. You can now assign functions to a group of building parts (what we call sub-buildings) instead of individual parts. Each sub-building will therefore be linked to a single function (e.g. Treasury) which you can change should you desire so.

In a few words, this means that a Monastery can now be home to a Chapel, a Scriptorium, a Hospitium, a Monastic Garden and so on. The same goes for a Market, which you can expand by adding a sub-building associated with a separate function from the parent building if you wish, such as a Luxury Goods Stall. At any time, it is possible to browse each of the functions of a parent building thanks to the "Parts List" tab.


A glorious Monastery

Progressing on the Clergy path, you’ll soon notice important changes. For starters, there are several new functions available, including a Hospitium that will host visitors, a Scriptorium that will help you produce Manuscripts used to promote your faithfuls or a Cloister where they can meditate while fulfilling a new need. Moreover, you will have the pleasure of building a prettified Abbatial Church: our artists have done a great job upgrading its visuals for your enjoyment!

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Taxes for all

Previously, Foundation's economy was largely tied to market stalls. With Update 1.9, taxation replaces the main way to fill your coffers. The Manor House now has a Tax Office function, which is combined with the Tax Collector job. Each house accumulates coins over time, and it's up to you to decide how heavily your village will be taxed. But beware: people are not too keen on having to pay much, so there is a balance to be struck so as not to collapse your global Happiness factor!


Even more modding possibilities

In keeping with our commitment to the modding community, we've outlined several new features that are sure to snowball in the coming weeks. Without getting too technical, the major changes to unlockables, the progression system and narrative choices will certainly result in the creation of mods that we'll be happy to share with you!


Looking forward to a bright future

Foundation’s 1.9 update is multi-faceted and marks an important milestone in our Early Access (EA) journey. We hope you will enjoy how we reimagined some of the existing systems while adding more depth to the core medieval city-building experience.

As for what the future holds, in the short term work has already started on a first patch to fix newly discovered bugs. At a later date, and after focusing a lot on the Clergy progression path—particularly the Monastery—we want to give the other two Estates the attention they deserve. We plan to overhaul the Kingdom and Labor progression paths, in that order.. We will let you fill in the gaps as to what that might entail.

Until then, have fun!
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on December 03, 2022, 02:48:44 PM
Foundation’s Map Generator Is Here: Try It Now!
Mon, 14 November 2022

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Hello Lords & Ladies!

We have a great announcement today about something that has been cooking for a while and that we’re finally ready to lift the lid from.

The first iteration of our random map generator is now available to experiment! To do so, switch to the Map Generator branch on Steam and GOG (see how that works below). Experimental yes, but here to stay


If you start a game using the map generator, you will be able to keep playing it with further updates, as long as you stay in the experimental branch, until we deploy the map generator on the public branch. We won’t remove access to the experimental branch until then. The experimental branch will also benefit from the same updates as the public build. So feel free to move to the experimental branch as you see fit.
Map Generator Highlights

Map Settings

In this first beta version, you will be able to generate random and unique maps based on 3 settings:
•   Hills
•   Fluvial
•   Coastal

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/c25cf09ed920449fbe0ab09ecc414636664683f8.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/b12362685ba05d77c6bbf271cacb586bd8568b12.png)

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/3c4da53e188a04acb4358546cfb06ae694168974.png)
 
Organic Territories

Gone are the days of hex-shaped territories: they now procedurally fit with the topography of the area, like an island, or a promontory, but also with what’s in it. For instance, a territory containing a mineral deposit will be much smaller than one without one.

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Note that this is our first take at procedural territories. We plan to improve them in further iterations with the help of your feedback.


How to Generate a Map

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Generating a unique map is done quickly. Here’s how:
•   Click on New Game
•   Under Procedural Maps, choose your topography
•   Click Generate to see a preview of your random map
•   When you’re satisfied with the preview, click Confirm

 
How to access the experimental branch

Opting into the experimental_mapgen branch to test the map generator’s experimental release is quick, here’s how:
•   Open Steam
•   Right-click on Foundation
•   Click Properties
•   Click BETAS
•   Opt into the
experimental_mapgen
branch. This will initiate an update of your game files
•   Launch the game

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What’s planned for the future
•   We know that many of you will ask for more customization options, and in time, we plan to give you these options
•   More map types will also be added over time

We hope you enjoy this first iteration of the map generator. Feel free to discuss this new feature and share your own results!

-The Polymorph Games team

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on December 16, 2022, 12:02:57 AM
The 1.9.1. Update is now available!
Thu, 15 December 2022

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Greetings Lords & Ladies!

Update 1.9.1 has just been released. Here’s what you need to know:



The Map Generator is Now Public!

First and foremost, the experimental map generator is now part of Foundation’s public build. Everyone can now discover the joys of building a village on a procedurally generated map. Choose from one of the three available topographies (Hills, Coastal, Fluvial), roll the dice and jump into an infinite number of maps, each with their own unique landscapes.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/be18f9ce3ca45ceb76b3b24d540bbc018ac30b9f.png)

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/9791c11e00004d077f2f12bd1a47b6f82cae9ff6.png)

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/653b0c49f9411adccf41f9f0c95b1578ae572790.png)

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/2989e1158bb563f5e8538d97185d694950027cdc.png)

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/a4f186ff5650d26ea7faab46e04c91f5030ca67d.png)

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/bb694d0ec2c51a84a6d2ead473b719c461ba3d38.png)

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the players who helped us with the map generator’s initial release in the beta branch about three weeks ago. Also, quite a few things you asked for are already planned down the line! One such case relates to overly hilly maps, something we plan to mitigate with flattened “plains” clusters.


Resources Tooltip: Now With More Details!

As part of our continued efforts to improve your medieval city-building experience, we added a detailed breakdown of each resource’s physical location in the resources tooltip. For instance, hovering over the wood icon will show you how much of that resource is currently available in storage, in production, in stalls or in transit. In a similar vein, if you have wood which is already in use, the tooltip will clue you in: it may be in production, in construction or in transit.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/74dd8db4d497d0d63a231c3bfaa6fdfbd2a101b7.png)


Delivery quest changes

The delivery quest window now clearly shows how much of the required resources are accumulated in your warehouses. Furthermore, reserved resources from your warehouses are now included in the calculation of the delivery quests. We also made it so reserved resources from your warehouses will now be cancelled in order to complete delivery quests.


Loading Screen Tips

You may have noticed new loading screen art, which has been added as part of the 1.9 update. From now on, this loading screen will be enhanced with easy to understand tips about some of Foundation’s best kept secrets. Our first batch includes 5 of them, with more to come.

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Update Notes

    New: the map generator is now available for everyone! Three topographies are included in this beta version: hills, fluvial and coastal
    New: resources tooltip details
    New: loading screen tips
    Balance: Monastery parts
    Balance: traded resources
    Fix: mineral deposits were sometimes unreachable
    Fix: mineral deposits were sometimes falling into the ground
    Fix: crane storage was sometimes displaying wrong values
    Fix: the bonus effect of a Masterpiece only affected the sub-building it was built in. If it was built in the root of the parent building, none would benefit from the effect
    Fix: when any privilege that modifies an upkeep cost was applied, the modifier only applied to the parent building’s parts and not the sub-buildings’
    Fix: Lord Manor (Stone Office) had negative Desirability
    QOL: delivery quest changes
    QOL: added a yellow highlight when hovering another sub-building from the EDIT tab in the builder window
    QOL: Bell Tower sound improvement (some large bell towers had the small bell tower sound effect)
    QOL: updated localizations
    Modding: couldn’t override TRADE_SETTINGS
    Modding: expose PARTICLE_SYSTEM_CHIMNEY_SMOKE



That’s it for today. Stay tuned for further update news coming up in 2023.

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on January 12, 2023, 11:57:40 PM
Patch 1.9.1.3 is now available!
Thu, 12 January 2023

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The first big patch of 2023 has just been released.

Here’s what’s included:

Balance: increased frequency of certain Towntale Events
QOL: the audio cue from the Sawmill was a bit too loud
QOL: disabling the visitors' tracking won't hide Traders, Envoys and Newcomers anymore
Update: localization
Fix: a number of buildings and monuments had increased or decreased resource requirements upon reload
Fix: Wheat wouldn’t appear when planted near water sources on generated hill maps unless the player loaded or reloaded the game
Fix: the upfront cost of a movable building part was applied each time players went into Edit mode
Fix: bridges weren’t working properly on some generated maps
Fix: the ‘Show the Zoning Areas’ visibility layer objective from the Fulfilling Villager Needs advice was unticked if players hid zoning areas again
Fix: special taxes were displayed over some buildings even if players didn’t activate them in the Book
Fix: interactive locations under workplaces were all considered as work stations
Fix: the “Dedicated to the Kingdom (Hard)” aspiration wrongly counted how many swords were being traded towards its objective
Fix: while following the onboarding (tutorial), players could select the “Revise one Estate Privilege”, “Revise one Edict” and “Gain influence with one Estate” mandates from the Manor House even if progression paths weren’t accessible yet
Fix: hedges were causing pathing issues for the Bailiff, preventing him or her from prospecting mineral deposits when placed in proximity of the Manor House
Fix: sub-buildings could have no parts if players reloaded their game with an active sub-building window
Fix: saving the game while a part was selected would cause it to become unselected and in an unbuildable state upon reload
Fix: the public room and public lounge capacity displayed the game object’s name instead of the building part or the building name
Fix: the "Minimum number of non-decorative parts (including Masterpiece Parts)" from masterpieces wasn’t taking into account sub-buildings’ parts
Fix: happiness exploit
Fix: the Modest Hall (Monastery) anchor points from the Monastery were bugged for doors
Fix: the Rustic Gate - Elevated wasn’t being attached properly on the Rustic Passageway and the Rustic Quarters from the Monastery
Fix: various English typos
Modding: expose the Die function
Modding: expose the weapon list
Modding: PROMOTE_VILLAGER_MANDATE_TYPE and GAME_RULE_STATUS_PROMOTION are no longer dependent on each other
Modding: replacing the Village Center with a custom BUILDING_PART function could cause crashes or spawn villagers at the corner of the map
Modding: modded mineral deposits that produce resources with resource layout types that are not "CRATES" or "MARBLE" were not producing anything
Modding: Markets that produced resources had infinite capacity
Modding: House Addition V4 was crashing in certain circumstances
Modding: Monastic Life crash caused by a game rule modifier applied at the wrong moment
Modding: assemblages’ description was duplicated after their creation

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on February 16, 2023, 11:35:52 PM
Participate in Foundation’s 1.9.2 Public Preview Today!
Thu, 16 February 2023

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Hello Foundation players!

Update 1.9.2 is now in public preview! This is your chance to get a first hands-on experience with the new features before they’re released!


Here’s the key features included in this update:

    Overhauled budget breakdown
    Added construction steps to the Monastery
    Right-click to close panels
    Improved ESC key behavior to bring up or close the systems menu


And here’s how to gain access to this public preview on Steam:

    Open Steam
    Right-click on Foundation
    Click BETAS
    Under ‘Select the beta you would like to opt into:’, choose preview_1.9.2

    Once the update has completed, relaunch the game



A full changelog will be shared once the update goes public. Feel free to share your thoughts and comments here or on Discord.

Thanks and have fun!

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on February 22, 2023, 12:02:36 AM
Quality of Life Update Preview 1.9.2.3.0221 Now Available
Tue, 21 February 2023

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Hello everyone!

A new version of the preview build (1.9.2.3.0221) is now available.


Here's what's changed:

Improvement: added a construction step between steps 0 and 2 of a part without tiling
Modding: Mod custom type properties weren't deserialized

We will keep you informed about future developments of this update. Thanks!

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on February 25, 2023, 12:06:11 AM
Our Roadmap Update Is Now Available!
Fri, 24 February 2023

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Greetings Lords & Ladies!

We have some important news to share with you about Foundation's next steps. The team is pleased to unveil an updated roadmap!
📅


But first, a 2022 Retrospective

2022 was a big year for Polymorph Games, but also one of transition.

First and foremost, we have worked on our biggest update so far, Foundation 1.9, that has added the remaining systems and bound all of them to shape the core experience we intended for Foundation. We also have included and expanded the monastery gameplay, with a revamped visual, representing our work on the final Art Direction (see: GameDeveloper.com).

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/8d08b3b3bca895b5f84df710fd10f9a55d9cb652.jpg)

Another major feature that we were happy to deliver was the first iteration of the map generator, allowing you to have more maps to play with.

The second important change that happened last year was the expansion of our team, with the addition of team members filling important roles, such as an Art Director, a Lead 3D Artist, an Engine Programmer and a Narrative Designer. This is allowing us to work on multiple aspects of the game at the same time: improving our visuals, the game content, as well as the procedurally generated content like the map generator.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/afdc6ac08d946d9e6bf7408f124a65c769febe53.png)


Roadmap Update

In the last couple of months, we’ve made the delicate and thorough exercise of reviewing and completing our game design. Every idea and planned feature has been discussed and questioned, and we aimed to leave no stones unturned. This process had us recenter on Foundation’s strengths, and the result is a better defined feature list.

Today we are pleased to share our updated roadmap – a glimpse of both our major and minor updates left to be released.


Upcoming Major Releases

We are planning five major releases until Foundation’s end of Early Access.

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1 - Residential Density and Safety Concept

The next Major Update we are working on is about adding Safety, a tool players can use to control the density of housing in specific zones. Safety is also something that will be used and extended by the Castle in the Kingdom progression path. This will also integrate the walls into the construction flow. We will provide more details soon.

2 - The Castle (Kingdom Progression Path)

We know you are eager to get your hands on this one, and we are already working on it. In addition to the new Castle monument, expect more gameplay options from overhauled military missions (including squads!), and more interaction with the new safety concept.

3 - Labor Progression Path

This update will round off the final Estate gameplay and its visual overhaul. It will focus on giving the tools to improve happiness and taxation capabilities.

4 - Environment Rehaul

As you may know, we are working to revamp our building and environment visuals: environment biomes, skyboxes, lighting, map edges.

5 - End of Early Access Release

This one will have all the completed game content, with the improved residential zoning, and tier 3 housing.

Along the way toward Foundation's full release, the team will continue to add minor features, to include new quality of life (QOL) changes as well as game content.


Some Planned Minor Releases (not in release order)

    Continuous Monument Experience Improvements
    Continuous Map Generator Improvements
    Continuous Quality of Life Improvements
    Continuous Accessibility Improvements
    Continuous Modding Improvements
    Continuous Balancing Improvements
    New Productions Buildings and Production Building Extensions
    Fertility
    Scalable Quests
    New Mandates
    New Information Layers
    Job XP Implementation
    Paved Roads

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/718f84d5bd36f045dbec590140cee9d795df71f7.png)


Some shelved or on hold features

As mentioned earlier, the process of reviewing and completing our game design had us focus on Foundation’s strengths. But that also means that unfortunately, some features we have added to the roadmap during the Early Access won’t make it to the full release, as we realized that they will not add any significant fun to the game and will create more micromanagement than we wish to push on the player. We are thus shelving housing decay, aging and families, and graveyards from the roadmap. The disease feature and vehicles are also postponed, meaning they might become part of the game at some point, but not before the end of the early access. Steam Workshop Integration has also been dropped as we continue to focus on mod.io and its cross-platform modding capabilities.

We know some of you will be disappointed about this news, especially the aging and family, but the average village size in Foundation has a higher population count than first anticipated, and having a feature like this would have brought us on the path of survival, micromanagement and overcomplexity.

We have reasserted our inspirations - Pharaoh, The Settlers and Anno - all games that don’t feature aging and death, but are still unique in their own ways and most importantly, great city-building experiences. With that in mind, we are confident that we are on the right path with Foundation’s design plans.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/d38beb11440de1e6a6528912c0a70c36ad6953bc.png)


Putting an end to the Trello and to Mantis Public Bug reporter

As many of you may have realized, the Trello board was not being updated often. It has shown to be a lot of work to maintain, and it also creates a divergence with our internal planning tool. Hence why we are closing the Trello, and will instead share updates and progress on the roadmap on posts such as this one.

We are also closing our Mantis Public Bug reporter. We realized that the most efficient way to track bugs and get feedback is through Discord or right here on the Steam forums. It is also a better way to filter what is a bug and what is not, because the community usually provides help as well. So don’t hesitate to join our Discord server to share your bugs and feedback!


Experimental Builds

In 2023 we also want to give you access to experimental builds. Their goal will be to test new features and progression changes before they're applied to the live version of Foundation. This is a way for us to get important feedback from you, that will help us deliver polished updates. The first experimental build will be the next minor update that changes a lot of the early/mid game balancing.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/167af1338150baf1959d4171706d10d5af25ce3f.png)


When are the next updates planned?

As of now, we are currently working on multiple updates:

    1.9.2 is about an improved budget breakdown and multiple Quality of Life improvements, like the ESC and right-click handling (Estimated Release Date: February 2023)
    Minor Update: We are preparing an experimental build that changes early progression in the game (In Progress, Experimental in March 2023)
        Taxation will be moved to the Labor progression path
        Tavern will become a need for the commoners
        The early and mid game progression will be reviewed
        Trade revenue will be more generous
    Minor Update: Plains terrain type (flatter) will be introduced in procedurally generated maps (In Progress, Estimated Release Date, March 2023)
    Major Update: Residential Core + Safety (Being prototyped, No ETA yet)
    Major Update: Castle (Kingdom Progression Path) (In Progress, No ETA yet)


Note that this planning is subject to change along the way.

Conclusion

In 2023, we are full speed ahead to deliver consistent and substantial updates that will keep improving the overall quality of the game.

We thank you for your continued support, we are lucky to have such a loving and dedicated community!

—The Polymorph Games team
Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on February 28, 2023, 12:10:00 AM
The 1.9.2 Quality of Life Update Is Now Available!
Mon, 27 February 2023

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Hello fellow city-building enthusiasts!

Update 1.9.2 has just been released. This version of the game focuses on four key points: improving the budget breakdown, adding new construction steps to the Monastery, using right-click to close windows and hitting ESC to close (or open) the system menu. But that’s not all: we took this opportunity to introduce some quality of life (QOL) changes as well as fix multiple bugs—including one where villagers would trek far and wide to find the most comfortable benches!


Here’s more details of what you can expect in this update:


Budget breakdown

Understanding Foundation’s economics makes all the difference between running a thriving or a struggling medieval village. For this reason, we now offer a more in-depth budget breakdown. It should help you plan better, but more importantly, get a clearer picture of your expenses and income as they roll in.

Here’s an overview of what’s been added to the Budget tab:

Quantities for resources bought and sold
Upkeep costs per buildings’ categories and types, each with their respective quantities
Territory costs, including those purchased and maintained
Taxes per type, including how many villagers and/or buildings are affected
New categories for data previously displayed under Miscellaneous
Tooltips for all categories

Every single feature mentioned above will work with previous Foundation saves. You will also notice some quality of life changes included in the budget breakdown such as the possibility to collapse/expand data either individually or globally and better category grouping and visibility. On a related note, save files have been considerably shrinked thanks to the compacting of budget data.


Modders will be happy to learn the new, detailed budget breakdown leaves room for custom upkeep costs, i.e. something not called coins.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/6284965a35e9bfd0bb29afc82cfb1bd23d6623aa.gif)


New construction steps for the Monastery

Last year, one of the biggest changes to Foundation was how players would progress through the game by specializing in different Estate paths. Clergy in particular was completely reworked with the addition of several new building functions and events. Back then, our art team laid out the groundwork for a new and improved vision of what the game should look like, previewed first with the Abbatial Church.

It’s not just about raising the visuals bar either: adding construction steps to the Monastery is something we had planned for a long time, which better reflects the evolution of this prestigious monument and helps bring it to life—complete with scaffoldings for all of its variants!

What you see from the Monastery in this newest update sets a new benchmark for the future of architecture in Foundation. In time, our goal is to apply the same principles to other buildings and thus bring them to higher quality standards.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/985558850fefd562a71025a461f56016f97de37e.gif)


User experience (UX) improvements

Part of being game developers is taking the pulse of what the community wants so we can deliver a frictionless experience. An oft requested quality of life feature has been added in Update 1.9.2 with the ability to close windows by simply right-clicking on them. In the same vein, we have added the expected behavior of opening (or closing) the system menu when pressing the ESC key.

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans//32396557/c1ceeff6b0c00b947471d6e2945991f90dbb11db.gif)

This concludes the core features added or improved upon with Update 1.9.2. For more details, read the full patch notes below.


1.9.2 Changelog

New

Budget breakdown overhaul
Monastery construction steps
Right-clicking on panels will now close them
ESC key will bring up the systems menu or close it if it’s already open


Improvements

The Daily Average Balance now displays more accurate information about whether you are making money or not
Save files’ size have been considerably shrinked—up to 70% less!


Updates

Housing help topic
Editing buildings help topic (refund)
Localization


QOL

The special panel style for buildings now only applies to the parent building, which should help distinguish them from sub-buildings
Added a confirmation pop-up when unassigning a slot with stocked resources (example: Warehouse)
Improved the resource refund feature when destroying parts to be more consistent across the board
Wealth calculation from the Book will now display a score after the first month regardless of your income status positive or negative)
Improved performance for densely populated villages


Fixes

In some circumstances, the game wouldn’t properly close on exit
None of the shortage events (except for service) were displayed in the Happiness tooltip
Villagers trying to fulfill needs spread too far from each other on the map would get stuck in a needs loop, which led to further issues
Added a distance limit so villagers won’t be traveling far and wide to use benches
Destroying a monument before its completion refunded too many resources
While a game rule that modified the trading price was active, the “Buy from village” price was rounded before calculating the quantity available for purchase
The Rustic Gate – Elevated part from the Monastery snapped inside the model, which blocked entry to the location
Multiple scrollbars could be displayed when building a Cloister


Modding

The Unlock Trade Route button wasn’t displayed when mods added new resources for trade. The GUI now handles up to 5 resources rows without a scrollbar
Switching a sub-building function in the Fuel mod (1.9+) crashed the game
Exposed the Hospitium, Monk Dorms and Nun Dorms functions for the Monastery

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on March 21, 2023, 02:49:06 AM
Patch 1.9.2.6 Is Now Available!
Mon, 20 March 2023

(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/690830/ss_3563e99eaa7152dd224b05e53fa8c21732ac0528.jpg)

Hello Foundation community!

Patch 1.9.2.6 has been released and fixes a number of issues in the game. It also introduces some improvements and other minor changes. Here’s the full details:


Changelog

Game Balance
Newcomers will be now be taxed progressively instead of to the full extent of your taxation settings

Improvements

The ‘Purchase this territory’ tooltip now features an easier-to-read ‘contain minerals’ string
Wealth factors were outdated and now take into account the following elements:
Taxes balance
Trade balance
Building upkeep balance
Donations
Update

Localization


Fixes
Villagers were so enthusiastic to cook they were using the blacksmith sound effect in the kitchen!
Auto-assign could demote monks and nuns to a lower status
Promoted villagers adjusted the taxation debuff to their previous status over time
Crash related to the Fuel mod after switching a function
Some workplaces could become unavailable on reload under specific circumstances

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on May 17, 2023, 11:36:41 PM
Patch 1.9.4.4 Is Now Available!
Wed, 17 May 2023


(https://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/690830/ss_20b4148e7b23e9fb382f65d938c5bc56d716fe77.jpg)

Hello everyone!

Patch 1.9.4.4 has just been released.



Here are the details:

Game Balance


    Butcher and Fishing Hut’s output was modified:

        Increased Butchery’s output from 4 to 5 meat
        Decreased Fishing Hut’s output from 8 to 7 fish


Improvements

    The following workplaces now clear grass under their position:

        Blacksmith
        Coal Hut
        Iron Smelter
        Weaponsmith

    The Map Generator’s sliders tooltips will now be displayed when hovering over the icon in addition to the name label
    The advanced onboarding linked to a lack of tools will now trigger if:

        Tools are not set to be purchased nor assigned to a Warehouse
        Tools are set to be purchased but not assigned to a Warehouse
        Tools are not set to be purchased but assigned to a Warehouse

Fixes

    The Promotion Mandate was greyed out in the mandates list on older saves despite its cooldown being over
    Deleting the Berry Brew sub-building while tracking Berries caused a crash
    A modded Great Hall sub-building prevented players from promoting individual villagers
    Reaching a Prosperity of 10 triggered a notification players should only see a bit later
    Clicking on the confirmation button to destroy a building or part after dismissing its window (backspace, right-click or close all windows) caused a crash
    Clicking on the confirmation button to switch a sub-building’s function after dismissing its window caused a crash



Thanks for playing and see you soon!

Title: Re: Foundation
Post by: Asid on November 09, 2023, 12:10:06 AM
Important Changes to Our Release Plan
Wed, 8 November 2023

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/690830/ss_283aa0cf7f3c24b9024442ac97efab2ae6f14ffa.jpg)

Hello everyone!

We have some important news to share with you today about the ongoing development of the game.



The final gameplan and core game is now at a stage where we can work towards a full release of the game. All of the major features still to come are being worked on simultaneously and are in most cases intertwined. Due to the way these features are reliant on each other it no longer makes sense to continue with our previous plan of releasing smaller updates that ultimately won’t work well as standalone features.

Due to this we have decided that the next major release will be the full release. This will allow us to focus on integrating all remaining features into the game and delivering a more polished, higher quality game. It will also have the added benefit of reaching the full release sooner so that you can get the best gaming experience and enjoy Foundation to its fullest.

We know you will all want to know how soon, however, we don’t have a release date to announce at this time as we still have plenty of work to do, but do know that development is progressing well. Foundation is an ambitious game, and we will of course keep you updated with any news as soon as we have more to share.

Early Access Adopters

For all our Early Access backers, this doesn't mean we won’t be releasing any updates before the full release. On the contrary, we will continue to work on bug fixes as well as Quality of Life (QOL) features and improvements, based on community feedback, so that we can improve on the core game experience in preparation for the final release. With this in mind, we will be announcing our next QOL update soon!

(https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//32396557/83c6730ee53852a972697f9156ab5446af2fd454.jpg)


A BIG Thank You!

Foundation’s development journey has been an unbelievable experience made so much better by all of you, the fantastic community, that has helped us along the way. We would like to thank every Early Access adopter for supporting us and helping us deliver a high quality game that we wanted to create and also one that you want to play for many years to come. We continue to welcome all feedback from the community and we can’t wait to unveil the full release of the game for you all to enjoy!

The Polymorph Games Team