As you may, or may not, have noticed, today the name has been updated from Merchants of Sol to Premonitions: The Merchants of Sol. This is to indicate the first of a series of changes to the game and its development. In this announcement, I plan to update you all on several things, including: whats new, whats being worked on, what to expect in the coming months. Its been a busy time for me, working on this project. Its seen a lot more popularity than I ever could have expected. First of all, Id like to thank everyone that has supported me so far on Steam and everywhere else. The growing number of wish lists and followers of The Merchants of Sol has been a huge inspiration for me and an incredible motivator that has kept me working hard. Its my only hope that the game will bring you all a lot of joy and entertainment. But, anyway, onto the announcement:

Why was the name changed?

Merchants of Sol was always planned to be the first of a series of games. The running title for this series is Premonitions, hence the change. The Premonitions series is the culmination of a decade of work and planning. Its an entire story of which The Merchants of Sol is only a small part. Youll hear more about that in the future.

I have a confession to make..

The store page is a little bit disingenuous. While the description is appropriate, the images do not reflect the work that has gone into the game. I will be updating these promptly and youll notice a particularly glaring change, the game is not in an 8-bit, 2D style. In fact, it is a 3D game. (Surprise!) Due to the amount of work that has been required of me in the development of this game, I have been using old images that referenced the original idea for Merchants of Sol. In fact, the screen shot from this announcement shows a (WIP) model of Mars that will feature in the game. A cool thing about Mars is that you can fly from space down onto the planet and land, seamlessly(!) On the surface is littered many interesting things from crashed ships to sectors (where people live).

Factories..!

A feature that I wasnt sure would make the final cut. However, recently Ive been quite passionate about the idea. Therefore, players will be able to create factories where they can hire workers and produce products to sell (or to use). These factories can be purchased on Mars and fitted with many different objects. This provides a lot of new mechanics to play with, including: power management, worker management, materials/recipes/products, logistics, and many more political and legal complications to navigate.

Lore

Perhaps you thought that the Merchants of Sol was a vanilla space trading sim. If you did, youd be wrong. Theres a lot of lore to unpack, both through play, and in the lore pages found by progressing through the game (No, you wont have to hunt for collectables). But, primarily, there is a story that will introduce you to the Premonitions time line and some important characters from the series.

Modding

This has been a particularly difficult part of designing The Merchants of Sol. Ive wanted every aspect of the game to be flexible for modding and I stand by what I stated in the store page. But Id like to provide more information on it, as much as that is possible right now. You will be able to mod almost every aspect of this game. Most of the games content (besides the core scripts) will be available to modify. Both through plain text files and through the games mod editor.

Achievements

Yes, they will be in the game. I wont say anything else about them now, but they are fully planned and implemented.

Press (review) copies

Available on request, one week before launch. Key requests will be vetted before being provisioned. You can reach out to me here on Steam or on twitter (@jessicawastaken) to express your interest.

That's all for today

If you have any questions, please post them here and if I have an answer then I will try to respond. For more casual (and frequent) news and updates on The Merchants of Sol follow me on Twitter (@jessicawastaken). Ill also be trying to be more consistent with news in the near future. Especially because there will be lots to talk about. Once again, thanks for all the support, Jessica

[ 2023-07-21 04:44:37 CET ] [ Original post ]

The Merchants of Sol

Is a strategy game that entails making as much money as possible using any method at your disposal. Your actions and decisions define the solar system in that wars will be declared, famines will ravage populations, political legislation will be enacted upon planets and regions, among many other outcomes. Interact with diverse people from different backgrounds and professions to further your goals.

The Story

In decades past, Earth became uninhabitable due to climate change and war. To maintain power, the planetary government of Earth proceeded to declare war for control of Mars. But they failed and left to find new territories to claim for their own. In the present day, Mars has only just recovered from the war. This could only be achieved due to the Merchants Guild that opened trading routes throughout the system. It provided Mars and the planetary colonies with essential resources that allowed them to expand and flourish. The system is rich in resources and humanity is eager to acquire as much of it as possible. It is your job as a merchant to continue this vital work.

Your actions matter.

The system is a blank canvas for you to impress your image upon. The colonies have autonomy in their decisions but at the heart of these decisions is you.

"Every society is only three meals away from chaos."

As a member of the merchants guild, humanity is at your mercy. The fragile structure that remains after the civil war is reliant on the merchants to transport resources to and from the colonies. But what does this mean for you, the player?

• War - For as long as the resources flow across the system, to the colonies, then peace is maintained. Colonies will fight planetary and interplanetary wars over resources and territories. These wars can be lucrative but can also be disastrous for the movement of goods.
  
• Death - For many colonies, their basic needs are met by the merchants. Food, water, oxygen, medical supplies, among other things cannot be produced on fledgling colonies without the resources or equipment to do it. Sure, death can be bad for business but necessity drives profits.
  
• Prosperity - Of course, you could also provide everything that a colony needs and see them prosper. After all, a prosperous colony is a rich one. And a rich colony is ripe for abuse.

Tools to success

Use everything tool at your disposal to succeed.

• OSINT such as procedurally generated news for regional and system wide information.
  
• Market charts for stock exchange and market manipulation.
  
• Insider trading can be effective. Getting friendly with the owners and operators of regional businesses can give you valuable information into the market.
  
• Signing contracts to fulfil tasks for government or private businesses can give a steady flow of income. But be sure to complete these assignments or you might face a breach of contract.
  
• Use criminal, or morally objectionable, activities to make more money! Bribe government officials to favour a certain course of action, plot to murder those that get in your way, fund propaganda campaigns to further your aims, smuggle illegal products through planetary blockades, forge visa papers or government documents to access restricted areas, there's many ways in which you can go about making money.

A living, breathing universe.

The system isn't just a bland and featureless landscape; but instead a vibrant and diverse palette of humanity where your actions matter. The people you interact with have opinions, likes, wants, needs. Colonies can thrive or be decimated by various issues. You can help them or hinder them. Whichever makes you more money. Be ruthless and wicked, or be a beacon of hope for a desperate people.

Conversing with local people is the best way to get information about the region. To understand their needs is to understand the market.