Hi and welcome back to the DevBlog! Were currently working hard on the Early Access release, and this months post will be about what to expect from it.

The main gameplay loop is tested

TFC: The Fertile Crescent has been in development since 2017, and since 2018 weve had a public alpha available. We maintained that version for around 3 years. We also released a Multiplayer Demo to our Steam page last year, providing a snippet of an in-development version of the game. This means weve already had quite a lot of time to receive feedback and data from people testing the game.

Our main goal for the release

We hope the EA release will expand our user base, and we hope to gather further feedback from this, as we wish to improve the game long into the future. However, weve always wanted to make sure that we worked through the most obvious stuff before charging for it. We cant promise there will not be any rough edges here and there, but overall our main goal is for TFC to feel like a polished and high-quality product already when we release it into Early Access.

Is the Steam Multiplayer Demo the same as the Early Access version?

No, The Steam Multiplayer Demo represents an earlier in-development version of the game, from last year, so expect a ton of bug fixes and general improvements over the demo once TFC is released onto Early Access.

New UI

If youve tried the Steam Multiplayer Demo, you can for example expect a complete overhaul of all the user interfaces. Every single asset in the game has been redone!

New Singleplayer Game Modes

So far, weve spent most resources on nailing the core gameplay loop and making sure its fun. As weve reached many of our goals for the core gameplay loop, weve started shifting more focus onto content for the Early Access release. As part of this, were going to introduce new game modes that can be played in single player, which well reveal more about during Steam Next Fest!

Multiplayer

Since 2018, weve had a large focus on multiplayer. This has paid off as the community has already been able to run several successful tournaments. Thanks to these, we even added a spectator mode as part of our alpha builds. Early Access multiplayer will not change much from the Steam Multiplayer Demo, since it already works quite well there. However, the tons of bug fixes and general improvements weve made to the game in general, since we shared the demo, will carry over to multiplayer as well. And of course, were continuing to take care of it and improve its stability for the Early Access release.

Steam Next Fest

We will be part of Steam Next Fest! "Its a multi-day celebration where fans can try out demos, chat with developers, watch livestreams, and learn about upcoming games on Steam, [...] and returns on February 21st through 28th, 2022." We have some big announcements to share during Steam Next Fest, so make sure you visit us! -Andr and Anders

[ 2022-02-15 12:30:29 CET ] [ Original post ]

TFC is a classic base-building RTS inspired by the struggles of growth, advancement, and conquest in the cradle of civilization. Establish your village near fertile lands, and balance your food surplus against the size of your civilian and military might, as you build your village.

Food is responsible for more than just feeding your troops. It determines the rate your population grows, and how quickly you can gain Knowledge Points. Keeping your village fed will ensure your prosperous expansion, but allowing your farms to be compromised can bring even the strongest economies to their knees.

Inspired by the real history of the Near East Bronze Age era, TFC utilizes classic RTS elements while offering a unique perspective for the genre. Taking technological limitations and advancements into account, players will need to carefully consider how to spend their precious Knowledge Points, as they explore the Village Improvements that are designed to enable players to quickly counter an opponent’s strategy.

Strategic Options From The Beginning

Heavily inspired by the giants of the genre, TFC looks to expand on the mechanics of its contemporaries in interesting ways, giving players multiple strategic actions to explore from the very beginning of a match. There are multiple paths to victory, and players can quickly adapt their strategy to respond to enemy actions. How well players leverage this freedom will determine whether they experience glorious victory, or crushing defeat.

Consequential Fertility Mechanic

Food is the foundation of every successful village. Locate fertile ground and build your village around it to ensure that there is enough to sustain your growing population. Balancing your food surplus against your villagers and growing military is important, and protecting your farms is critical if you want to keep your village alive. Likewise there’s no better way to demoralize your opponents’ populations than by destroying their farms, and decimating their economy.

Advance Your Village

Increase the strength of your village as you explore Village Improvements. TFC features a collection of powerful improvements that allow commanders to spend points to quickly react to their enemy’s advancements, or perhaps create a window of opportunity to strike. With various ways to boost your economy and military, your strategic options are always clear to understand, and easy to implement.

Play Online With Up To 4 Players

An AI can be quite the challenge, but nothing can replace a real player. Available at launch, battle it out with up to three other commanders in order to prove who is the best at managing their village, army and food supplies. Challenge your friends or complete strangers, and visit our Discord to find new rivals. May the most prosperous village win, or perhaps the smarter commander? Everything is in your hands!