A lot of great discussions about content, systems and processes in the forum but, one item I have not seen mentioned yet which is perhaps not nearly as interesting but potentially critical to how quickly the game gains popularity is difficulty.
Surviving in the Neolithic period would have been extremely difficult, as most of nature would be working against you; weather, climate, natural disaster, disease, conflict between tribes/groups, childbirth, infant mortality, famine, etc. I could see scenarios where all of these things combined could make for quite a slog if they were all happening frequently each compounding the other with the unintended consequence of making the game hard to get new players into.
I am curious about how AC intends to create a learning curve which is both challenging and forgiving and also what players are likely to see change at various difficulty levels?
There will be not difficulty levels, only switchable layers of gameplay.
The player will can to turn off the combat, natural disasters, diseases, and so on… so you can configure the game you want, from a “nightmare” to a relaxing “build your diorama” experience.
The learning curve comes naturally because a nomadic tribe has an easier and somewhat less dangerous life, than a settled one.
Yes! As a kid, my favorite museum exhibits were always the dioramas! I suppose this also explains why “Night At The Museum” is a favorite movie of mine. I’m delighted by how the Ancient Cities game design really captures that handcrafted aesthetic of a museum piece. As a ui/ux designer, the clean typography, minimalist ui, and attention to artistic detail excite me to no end!
I had not noticed, somehow, but it really does feel like a diorama brought to life. I also loved dioramas the best!!! Nothing brought ancient people alive to me more than “seeing” them as they really should be depicted.
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