I just posed Windows (32 and 64-bit) and Mac OS X (64-bit) files for the 0.10.0 Technical Preview Release. The game is about 10% done, so this is more of a technical preview than a game.
The vision remains largely the same: take the bits of Dwarf Fortress, Warhammer, Douglass Adams and Civilization that I enjoy the most and mash them together. There’s a long way to go, but the current version has placeholders for much of the future content. In this release:
- World-gen creates a world with hundreds of other civilizations. It’s a hodge-podge right now, and there isn’t as much differentiation as I’d like - but it’s a great start.
- The world runs in the background - civilizations move their people around, they can arrive in your area, and you can interact with them.
- You crash-land in a randomly generated, truly 3D environment. Multiple biomes keep things interesting. Z-levels are real, pathing is truly 3D.
- The world is destructible. Currently, you mostly destroy things by mining - but you can designate out a complex underground and watch your settlers dig it out. Stairs work, and paths are updated as the world changes.
- Vegetation is destructible; walking on it too many times wears it away, and grazers eat it. When farming is implemented (soon!), this will make for a fun logistical challenge as you try to keep grazers and passers-by from destroying your garden.
- Wildlife spawns, and (once you build a butcher’s shop) can hunt it for food, leather and bone.
- You can build fortifications, workshops, and construct a large number of items for your settlers. Your settlers automatically upgrade weapons and clothing as better options become available. The tech-tree is expanding rapidly as I add tech-levels; right now, the Stone Age and Bronze Age are fairly fleshed out, but there’s a lot of holes for later advances.
- Members of other civilizations spawn (you start on a village). If they are at war with you, then (after a grace period to let you get started) they will hunt you down. You can view civilizations that you’ve met, and primitive negotiations are possible - currently paying them not to attack you, or inducing a state of war. Much more to come there. Creatures who live in your area have houses - currently wood huts, with more to come there as well.
- You can paint trees for chopping.
- You can mark areas as “guarded”, and settlers will stand on the guard points defending them. Combined with wall-building, you can play a tower-defense type of game now.
- Just about everything is defined in Lua configuration files, so moddability is in from the start.
- Rogue mode lets you control a single settler, roam the map and shoot things. It’s gradually gaining more options, for now it’s a great stress reliever!