Unreal Engine 5

Originally posted on Steam on June 12, 2023. We are catching up on the backlog and will eventually post the devblogs here as they are published.

Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game.

Large Worlds Prototype

Several Devblogs ago we talked about the Large Worlds Tech we were developing to simulate a vast online world distributed across many R2 server instances. While this technology is still under heavy development, we are finally ready to roll out the initial prototype to the Pre-Alpha which means that the next test will feature a brand new world map.

The new map will be roughly 8 times the surface area of the test map used in prior tests. The simulation and networking will be split across two R2 instances with a virtual border dividing the two "regions". To get a sense of scale in this map, there are approximately 100,000 trees in this world and all of them can be interacted with and chopped down by a player. While the map used in prior tests was temporary, this new map will form the basis of the actual world of Calligo. The new map layout can be seen below. Remember that this is just one small section of the eventual world.

As this is the very first prototype of the technology and map, the experience in the upcoming Pre-Alpha tests will feel much rougher in terms of the world and environment. A lot of technical features we were previously using didn't work (e.g. Water) with large worlds so we had to rebuild them from the ground up. Expect a lot more visual issues, landscape bugs, and problems with the new map compared to the last few tests. While travelling across the virtual border is functioning, the experience is rudimentary and there are a lot of edge cases that aren't handled yet.

Husbandry

A new animal breeding activity is being introduced, which can be used to produced new Horses. Breeding requires the construction of a Stable. Two adult animals of the same type must be submitted to the Stable to initiate the process. If animal feed and water are provided regularly, after several in-game days there is a chance to yield a Foal. Foals can be raised in a Stable into an adult at which point they can become a productive part of the settlement.

Like many other features currently in development, the intent is to have a basic framework that can be expanded upon in the future. With husbandry, we are aspiring to have various combinations of adults yield different types of animals with unique attributes moving forward.

Donkeys

Alongside breeding, a new animal is being introduced: Donkeys. Donkeys are basic in functionality right now and behave similar to Horses, but the plan is for them in the future is to be useful for transport and performing other labour such as providing power through an Animal Mill.

Animal Mill

Power infrastructure can currently be built in the form of Aqueducts and Canals. Animal Mills will provide a new form of power that requires either labour from Donkeys. The mill can be driven by up to two animals. When both slots are occupied the maximum amount of power is generated. When Donkeys are not available, players themselves can drive the mill manually.

House Area

When building a Settlement from scratch, there is a progression and sense of direction for the founding players. However, when joining an existing Settlement it can be a lot more unclear on how to progress or contribute as a citizen. There are two new experimental features being added to help give such players more agency and focus so they can establish themselves within a village or town.

First, House Areas allow individual players or small groups of two or three to own a small piece of property within a Settlement where they can build structures, park vehicles, and store resources. Within this area, players are free to build equipment like Anvils and Sawbucks or run a small farm. This allows citizens to invest in a role and produce materials or equipment. These resources can then be contributed to the Settlement using the new Local Exchange.

Local Exchange

The second experimental feature is the Local Exchange, which enables players to share items within their Settlement in a fair and secure manner. Supplies can now be submitted to a new communal inventory available at the Settlement center (e.g. Gathering Pit) in exchange for Local Coin. Such items can only be retrieved by other players by spending Local Coin. This allows players to dedicated themselves to producing certain items and then trade them locally for supplies made by other players.

It's important to note that House Areas and the Local Exchange are highly experimental features that may be heavily redesigned, replaced, or removed in the future. These two features are intended to improve the experience for players joining an established town and may not be as relevant for Settlement founders.

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