It has been quite some time since I wrote my last blog but the work has been moving forward nonetheless. Turns out releasing a playable demo is a lot more work than I expected and with all of the marketing around it took some time. Mixed in with some life struggles and stress that sometimes made work a bit too difficult I started to fall behind my plans a little bit too much. But at last, everything is ready and I have a lot of good stuff to share!

The demo is playable for free on Steam and Itch right now!

That's right. You can just go ahead and try it yourself! There are a few hours of content for you to explore. You will build a small settlement, welcome several new families, and grow a chain of production up to the blacksmith. The game will guide you through everything you need to know.

To play the demo on Steam, just go over to the Steam page and find the download demo button on the right

New Gameplay Walkthrough and My Thoughts on Indie Game Development

A big goal with this project for me was to start being active on Youtube and create some content both about the game and my journey as a game developer. I enjoy making videos and it was always a bit hard to set aside some time to start. Things finally fell in place and I can share my first videos with you!

Gameplay commentary introduces you to the game and the main mechanics

In this campfire talk, I share my thoughts on indie game development and validating your work

What's Next? Early Access Version, Devlogs, and Marketing!

Now that the demo is out, I need to focus on two things: the development of the next major update and making sure people find out about the game and get their hands on it. From the development point of view, I will be working on these features:

• Pre-alpha: Domesticated animals will be added to the game

• Pre-alpha: Most of missing peasant professions will be implemented

• Early-access: Villagers have basic needs that affect their mood and productivity - hunger, sleep

• Early-access: Basic quest system that demands players to pay increasing taxes to the king each year

• Early-access: Ability to set priorities for each land (i.e what type of crops should be produced on a farm)

The pre-alpha build will be available for free to my supporters on Patreon so if you want to get your hands on the game early, consider pledging your support on there. I hold patrons very close to my heart as they adopt the game very early in the process and help me tremendously to dedicate more time to the game. For the first 100 patrons, I am giving away a free Steam key for the early-access as well!

On the marketing side, I need to focus on involving streamers and Youtubers to try the game, approach partners for featuring, and hope for the best. You can look forward to more content on Youtube and some written blogs now and then (but I will mostly focus on video content). I am also actively trying to grow our community on Discord so if you're not there yet, please join!

Discord link: https://discord.gg/bTUJyTg

Thank you for sticking around and supporting me in my work. It means a lot to me! If you want to support even further, please wishlist the game on Steam, try the demo and let me know what you think! Feedback from players is very valuable at any point in the development process!

Before I say goodbye, here is a little picture of me with our four-legged friend. His name is Zombie and he was living with us in Spelkollektivet here in Sweden for a few days. Since I enjoy being around animals (dogs especially), I always get very happy so I want to share this moment with you. Wish you a cheerful day and be well!