Dev Log #52 :: Road Map

Howdy Folks,

While recent updates have focused on bug fixes and smaller tweaks, I wanted to talk a bit about what is in development moving forward.

I’ve divided up planned content into smaller separate updates. The game balance update is what is currently being worked on, but the rest of the content listed below is in no particular order.

Some of this content may get merged together or split into separate updates depending on what happens as it gets developed. Many of these updates are subject to change during development.

I would like to hear your thoughts regarding what is in development and what you are most excited about.

Game Balance Update

The game is currently filled with an over abundance of raw resources. This leads to little reason for surface side material gathering other than materials that are only available surface side. The material amounts currently available were setup long before surface or deep mining was available in the game and was never properly reviewed and updated.

The balance update will focus on tweaking existing data, updating world generation and adding some new mechanics in an effort to improve balance as well as game progression.

• Addition of harvest-able underground plants for early game food variation
• Changes to world generation
• Review and re-balance amount of raw materials acquired from mining/farming
• Review and re-balance recipe/construction material requirements
• Review and re-balance construction times
• Review and re-balance research costs

Farming Update

The farming update is an extension to game balance changes. These changes may be included in the balance update or separated into their own update.

• Crops would require seeds in order to be planted
• Seeds would be acquired through new harvest mechanics and POI locations
• Crops harvested from a crop field or aeroponics farm would guarantee a seed drop with a chance of additional seed(s). The chance of gaining additional seeds would be based on botanist level/success chance of the colonist performing the harvest.
• Crop amount harvested would no longer be fixed, but based on botanist level. Harvest amount would be further boosted by fertilizer(s)

Surface Exploitation Update

A further extension to game balance is adjusting surface side resource gathering and building construction. This is still very much in the design phase, but the goal is to change how buildings are constructed and resources are generated to provide better progression.

Surface Construction

The only construct-able building at the moment is the vehicle bay. Additional structures, like the mining platform, are limited to converting vehicles into structures. I’m working to re-design these mechanics to support more options for surface side buildings. This is an important change to support other planned content.

Surface Resources

Resources on the surface are currently infinite. This was always a somewhat temporary solution until more mechanics were in place. This update will allow the comm station to scan for resource deposits in addition to existing POI locations. These found deposits could then be harvested by a miner vehicle. Similar to underground mining there would be a surface deposit that, when depleted, would reveal a deeper vein of resources. The deeper vein would require the placement of a building in order to be harvested.

Rooms Update

There is currently no functional benefit to room creation. This has been on my improvement list for some time. This update will focus on making rooms a functional element of the game.

• Player will only have access to one type of available flooring
• Player would construct floor/walls/door and zone an area as a specific room type
• Flooring visual would change based on designated zone
• Rooms would have specific conditions for min/max size, walls, door and specific objects to be considered functional.
• Rooms would have a decor score instead of decor being per tile. (Per tile decor may still be the same for areas outside of rooms)
• Rooms impact effectiveness of machines placed inside. Additional decoration/utility objects could be placed in a room to boost machine/colonist effectiveness.

Utilities Update

Improvements to power and water systems are in development that will offer some new mechanics and objects.

• Re-work power and water generation
• New power generation options
• New power and water storage
• Water tiles can be consumed and water is a finite
• Improved usage/handling of power/water resources

Objectives Update

The objectives system will replace and expand upon the current Getting Started tutorial. Objectives will offer player direction in the form of smaller optional objectives as well as longer term campaign objectives.

• New objectives system with both optional and campaign specific objectives
• Story campaign
• New objective specific POI’s
• New mechanics that will generate optional objectives
• Starting Guide tutorial replaced with new objectives system

Other Content

Here is a list of some of the other content that hasn’t been grouped into an update. This includes smaller content that will be sprinkled into other updates and content that is still in the planning phase.

• Additional depth and options to cloning and robot construction
• Random events with positive and negative outcomes
• Updated medical conditions/treatment
• Trading
• Changes to the look of colonists
• More Decoration Items
• More story content
• More surface side POI’s

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I have not been great at keeping the road map updated on Trello. The above content is being migrated on to Trello and I will improve upon updating the road map as content develop.

Road map On Trello:
https://trello.com/b/KllYs2UR/mercury-fallen-roadmap

I’m super excited about the new things in development and would love to hear your thoughts.