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Age of Frontiers: a living world

Systems are the heart of a game like Age of Frontiers, but a world full of systems can still feel like a spreadsheet with a map on top. So lately I've been taking some time for the other half: making the world feel alive, and good-looking.

Day, night and weather

The overland now has a day/night cycle. Every cycle goes through dawn, day, dusk and night, and the light of the whole map changes with it, from the reddish glow of the mornings to the dark of the nights.

On top of that, there is now a weather system. Weather fronts are born, travel across the overland and fade away, and each region has its own climate: some lands are mostly rainy, others suffer frequent storms, and others enjoy, or endure, long clear spells. Rain and storms bring their own clouds, sounds and thunder, and slow your party down as it travels through them.

Age of Frontiers overland with a storm over the centre of the map: dark clouds and a lightning bolt over the river, with forests, hills and the coast around it under the fog

And yes, a clear sky in Calima is not exactly good news. When the fog lifts, there is nothing between you and the light of the red star, and your equipment will feel it.

Sites with a face

The other big change is in the important sites. Instead of a generic set of huts, the main towns and villages of Calima now have their own unique look on the overland, built around what they are and how their people live.

Oskaberg in Age of Frontiers: a fortified mine entrance carved into the mountains, with wooden waterwheels, mine carts, workshops and a stone wall closing the valley

This is Oskaberg, the hometown of the Storm Clan: a huge fortified mine entrance deep in the Iron Mountains, and the only Crafters settlement the Star Worshippers Empire never managed to conquer.

There are many more to come, each with its own character. I'll keep you posted!

Om