We are delighted to bring you a substantial update that introduces new depth, fresh challenges, and an entirely reimagined game flow, just as we mark two years in Early Access! ːreexcitedː
🌍 The Start of Something Sacred
Previously, TFM featured something called "Maps," but during development, we drifted from the original concept of "The First Men" by incorporating too many fantasy elements, which caused confusion among some players. To realign with our initial vision, we have renamed them as Creation Stories, and you now begin your journey by choosing from stories inspired by real-world creation myths - from Shamanistic to Biblical, Nordic to Islamic, Greek to Chinese, and more! ːoneringː
We plan to add more creation stories in upcoming updates, each offering unique narratives and objectives. Begin your journey with “Tutoria”, our first creation story that guides new players through the game’s fundamentals.
🪓 Early Game Improvements
After choosing a creation story, you begin all stories with the first man and the first woman alongside their Gathering Tree.
We've made the Build menu easier to understand and more impactful based on your choices. Each building now serves a single purpose, such as resource collection, specific crafting, or combat training, and you can choose which ones to construct after gathering the necessary resources.
Speaking of resources, the early game was previously very slow, so we've introduced Thorns that can be cleared in the starting region. Clearing these thorns not only opens up space for buildings but also provides basic resources until the settlers designated for resource collection come into existence. ːtemhugː
You now gradually clear the thorns, collect resources, and build structures one by one. Breeding becomes necessary to assign new settlers to these empty buildings, which is another important aspect of the game's flow.
There was also confusion regarding Colors and Tiers. Now, they are tied directly to character stats. When you find or craft an item that is a Red Tier 3 item, a character with 3 Heart will be required to equip or consume it. Using this system, you are expected to improve your settlement not only through buildings but also by crafting and utilizing items. Even though settlers may die, the items they've crafted will remain as a legacy for future generations to benefit from. ːkrheroesː
⚔️ Underworld Invasions
Another significant change relates to the party and combat characters. We now have three combat roles representing Damager, Healer, and Tank. This change has made the gameplay more enjoyable and easier to manage, while retaining depth by keeping the "classes" from previous builds - you can still craft item sets for professions like Pyromancer, Rogue, and others. ːkrlvlupː
We've also introduced Underworld invasions! Every story includes this unique region where enemy forces invade, attempting to raid and kill your settlers. Your combat characters are expected to defend against these invasions while also exploring other regions and completing objectives. ːkrstarː
Throughout your journey, you'll encounter side objectives that offer bonuses upon completion. When you fulfill the divine objective of the creation story, you win the game. ːgearthumbsupː
With these changes, the purpose of your party is much clearer:
- Clear thorns to open up space for buildings and gather early resources.
- Defend your settlement from Underworld invasions.
- Explore and complete side objectives to gain Divine Perks.
- Pursue the divine objective to achieve victory!
Changelog
◆ [Feature] Complete overhaul of settlement buildings, now featuring 25 buildings in the Build panel.
◆ [Feature] Introduced the Underworld invasion system, allowing invaders to raid from the Underworld; players cannot travel to this region.
◆ [Feature] New creation story, "Tutoria," designed to immerse new players while teaching game mechanics.
◆ [Content] We now have item sets giving bonuses upon equipping all of the pieces, starting with: Adventurer, Healer, and Protector.
◆ [Content] Replaced Slayer, Preserver, and Protector combat roles with Warrior, Warhealer, and Warchief.
◆ [Content] Added new combat traits and path rewards for the Warrior role.
◆ [Content] Overhauled status effects, introducing buffs and debuffs like Might, Weakness, Regeneration, Burning, Poisoned, and more for combat.
◆ [Content] Added settlement-related buffs and debuffs including Initiated, Second Wind, Critical Strike, Delighted, Blessed, and Mana types.
◆ [Content] New Essence items for color-coded resources to enhance related stat improvements in profession rewards.
◆ [Content] New rewards introduced for Warrior, Warhealer, and Warchief professions.
◆ [Content] Overhauled the Enchanter profession, now Scribe, performing Papermaking to collect Paper and craft Books for personality traits and benefits.
◆ [Content] Herbalist now harvests Herbs, with essences distributed across all professions.
◆ [Content] Updated stat-experience items to align with Essence items for more streamlined stat rewards.
◆ [Content] Major rework for Warcraft and Civilcraft items.
◆ [Content] Overhaul of Personality and Genetic traits, introducing consumption-limit traits for Potions, Books, and Games.
◆ [Content] New Personality Traits: Diligent, Brave, Just, Humble, and more; new Genetic Traits like Earthborn, Fireborn, Helper, Achiever, and others.
◆ [Content] Overhaul of Herbalist, Scribe, and Caretaker path rewards.
◆ [Content] Potions now restore Endurance and offer additional benefits. Herbalist can craft Potions of Healing, Quickness, Aegis, and more.
◆ [Content] Books now level up specific character stats and offer personality traits.
◆ [Content] Games, previously toys, level up stats for children; Caretaker crafts Games of Harmony, Knowledge, Adventure, and more.
◆ [Content] Caretaker can also craft Amulets, which benefit characters throughout their lives when worn during childhood.
◆ [Content] Overhauled Genetic traits, their inheritance, and benefits.
◆ [Content] Blessings now provide significant character benefits and are categorized as rare rewards.
◆ [Content] Added missing random names for all races.
◆ [Content] Settler's Grave is now available to build after a Settler’s death.
◆ [Content] Region Gate is now a mandatory doodad for all maps.
◆ [Content] Overhaul of Divine Perks, with new perks from side-objectives to boost Divine Favor gain for Settlers.
◆ [Content] New thematic Boss traits added: Lesser Evil, Greater Evil, Archevil, Prime Evil.
◆ [Content] Overhaul of home region Thorns with new doodad types: Thorny Brambles, Deadwood Briar, Rocky Thicket, and more.
◆ [Content] Added new Buff "Fruitful," increasing resource gain upon worktime completion.
◆ [Content] Added tags for item drops by enemy type: WildDrop, WorldDrop, InvasionDrop, BossDrop.
◆ [Content] Idle characters now perform different actions based on their life stage; Elder characters decay slower, blessing Settlers during this phase.
◆ [Balance] Comprehensive combat overhaul across all 100+ races, with base values unaffected by gender.
◆ [Balance] All characters now regenerate Endurance outside of combat, removing the Settler trait dependency.
◆ [Balance] Refined Critter spawning logic and world item requirements for equipping Adventurer items by color and tier.
◆ [Balance] Hauling mechanics improved; items now moved directly to Stockpile without character movement.
◆ [Balance] Hunting activities for Armswright, Hunter, and Tanner streamlined, allowing them to contribute resources without interrupting activities.
◆ [Balance] Rebalanced profession experience levels and leveling requirements.
◆ [UI/UX] Overhauled alert notifications and improved notification appearance.
◆ [Fix] Addressed Animal Husband issues with spawning new animals.
◆ [Fix] Resolved Settler issues and broken food items.
◆ [Fix] Addressed equipment issues with Scribe during Papermaking activity.
◆ [Feature] Added functionality and new description for Sleep need, rewarding sheltered sleep with added benefits.
◆ [Fix] Resolved issues with invaders getting stuck while approaching enemies.
◆ [Fix] Fixed issues with Mason's activity selection.
◆ [Fix] Resolved issues with Cave Bats, objectives, claim rewards, and None tag.
◆ [Fix] Fixed disappearance issues with Resinier's tools during activities.
◆ [Feature] Updated "Gameplay Tips" section to reflect recent changes.
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/700820/view/3664275387883515657
🌟 What's Next?
First of all, we want to thank everyone who has participated during the Early Access so far! Your constructive feedback has been invaluable in helping us refine the gameplay.
Before the major update, we plan to complete content additions to the current flow, such as new item sets and rewards to improve the efficiency of your settlers.
Most of the bugs have been fixed, but we are aware of some smaller issues and are working on them as we speak. Transitioning to an almost completely new game flow was a challenging task, but we are super happy with the final result and hope you all will like it as well.
After the major update, we plan to begin working on translations once again. Since almost every aspect of the game has been changed, we had to temporarily disable the language-changing function. We plan to bring it back once we have completed the remaining content.
As we mentioned earlier, more Creation Stories will be coming your way! In between releasing these new stories, we also plan to add additional content and enhancements.
Join the Steam Community Discussions or our official Discord to share your feedback. To celebrate this new update, TFM: The First Men will be on sale during the Land of the Crescent event on Steam between November 6 and 9!
Have a wonderful week, and see you all in the next update!
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