The new year started off right where the old one left off - working towards the feudum management build. Originally scheduled for release in December, things got a little backed up over the holidays and we found ourselves trying to get it wrapped up in January.
Now that the month has ended, the build is nearly done, just some last minute alterations to iron out. As with most indie-related projects, things are almost never done as something needs to be sharpened up or edited or just plain re-vamped. We did, however, wrap up the music for our 1.0 release and the troop cards are all nearly complete. Music-wise, we have a new main theme, some battle music and seasonal stuff to help set the mood. It’s all quite excellent and we think you’ll enjoy it. As for the troops, you’ve seen a few examples of their cards already - if you can remember the knight and spearmen we publish every so often on our social media. Now, however, the archers, urban militia, heavy infantry and all the rest are complete. One less thing to worry about for the warfare build.
While it’s nice to see some things wrapping up, the elephant in the room remains the management build. It would have already seen the light of day except, like the Map Creator before it, additional features were deemed important enough to delay its release until they could be added. While this does slow down the initial release of the build, it creates a faster turn-around on later builds. Sort of a bad news - good news scenario. If you haven’t seen some of the screenshots coming from this build, you haven’t been paying attention to our Facebook or Twitter feeds. They are absolutely gorgeous - and in the same style and quality you’re used to seeing from our artists. So head over to the Feudums’ social media sites and click the like or follow button. You don’t want to miss out on future news as it drops.
Looking ahead, February is preparing to be the do-or-die month. A part of the team has already pivoted to working towards the next major build - Diplomacy. I gotta tell you I’m excited for this one. It will introduce all the nice and nasty things you can do to other players while you weasel your way towards the throne! Maybe even more importantly, it will allow players to talk to each other. In the end, Feudums is going to be a very social game and getting to the point where we can have players communicating is a big step towards the end game.
What else is happening in February? Once the diplomacy build is released, our crowdfunding campaign can start. We’re still talking it through but we hope we can collect a lot of what we need right through our own web site. Add in - say, a small Kickstarter - and together have what we need to make sure the game is launched and everyone has the chance to play it.
So it’s becoming more and more important to get our player base built up and excited. The unveiling of our new and improved web site (www.feudums.com) this week is a step in the right direction. We now have a one-stop site for game articles, screenshots, where we stand in terms of development as well as forum area for everyone to start talking and discussing Feudums and whatever else is on their minds.
One nice feature about the website. We’ve integrated it with the game. So if you are registered in the game already, just sign in as you would if you were starting a gaming session. If you haven’t registered in the game, this is your chance to grab your House (in-game) name!
The Feudums team has always championed an open door policy when it comes to our backers and players so I personally invite you to stop by, register, and say hello. Check out our new virtual home and provide some feedback. Start a discussion in the forums or leave a comment about an article. We want to hear from you!
