On Steam, the developer surprises with a detailed blog entry announcing extensive changes to the mix of RTS and construction game.
Medievalism, building, big real-time battles: Manor Lords relies on elements that make the hearts of many players beat faster. This is probably why the game is one of the most wanted upcoming titles (on Steam), even though it doesn’t have a release date yet. And since the announcement, so much has changed about the original vision of the game.
In a detailed (blog entry on Steam) the developer now presents what we can expect from Manor Lords. And that’s quite a lot! We already touched on some of the changes at the end of 2021, but now there’s even more to see. By the way, if medieval building games excite you, you should definitely also take a look at Farthest Frontier:
Farthest Frontier solves a problem that has plagued even Anno since time immemorial
Many game elements revised
Since 2020, the developer has taken time to analyse the community’s feedback and respond to their wishes. The result is a new version of Manor Lords that, thanks to energetic helpers, focuses on a fair amount of historical authenticity and aims to believably recreate a medieval town of the 14th century.
In addition, numerous gameplay improvements have been announced, which we cannot list here in their entirety. However, we would like to present a few highlights:
A new look
Originally, Manor Lords mixed various European architectural styles from the 10th to 15th centuries, but now, after consultation with the community and with the help of an expert in southern German architecture, it is to go to the Holy Roman Empire of the 14th century.
But the cities will not only look different, but their construction will also function differently. You can now build houses with small, adaptable backyards that leave room for vegetable patches, chicken coops and the like. Later on, you can upgrade the houses to craftsmen such as bakers or tailors and let them settle in the city centre.
Finally, to allow for more realistic cities, the size of the regions in which they are built has also been increased. Although a 1:1 scale is not technically feasible according to the developers, significantly larger cities are now possible.
Real-time combat and recruitment
In addition to the build-up part, Manor Lords should also offer real-time battles right from the start, which are reminiscent of Total War games in the trailer. For example, your units can take different formations or tactically retreat while maintaining them. Weather and terrain also play a role: if your fighters have to climb a hill first, they will have a harder time attacking the enemy.
Recently, all animations have been recreated and the appearance of your troops and inhabitants has been adapted and improved. In addition, the recruitment system has been extensively changed.
Instead of hiring mercenaries, you now actually send your peasants into battle and equip them with various weapons, shields and armour beforehand. Later, you will even be able to improve the armour of individual fighters.
Manor Lords gets bigger
Lastly, the developer announced several new partnerships to help the development of Manor Lords. For example, he received financial support from Epic Games, and Manor Lords will also be published on GOG and supported by that site as well. Finally, Manor Lords was able to win the indie publisher Hooded Horse as a partner, which supports the development financially and with translations and marketing measures.
If you want to try out Manor Lords for yourself, you can now apply for a closed alpha phase. To do so, you have to join the Discord server with the (invitation link) and send a message to the alpha bot with the command !alpha. You will receive an email confirmation if you have been selected – but this may take a while.
What do you think of Manor Lords? Are you convinced by the developer’s realistic approach? Or were you hoping for a different direction for the game? Feel free to write your opinion in the comments!
