As a survival game, Medieval Dynasty features an in-depth endurance system that affects how tired, hungry, and thirsty players are. How did you approach designing it?Nowak:
The game’s survival system developed naturally with the emergence of new parameters, which began with standard elements like health, hunger, and thirst. We then added a stamina component that’s tied to various activities. Over time, we began to add other parameters as the entire vision of the game developed.
With a harsh need to survive, Medieval Dynasty has been praised for presenting multiple ways to thrive, whether that be through hunting, harvesting, or farming. Can you talk about the work that went into making these different gameplay styles viable?
Nowak: It has a lot to do with the overall balance of the game, and it could still use some work, this is where player feedback becomes invaluable. Thanks to the variety of activities in the game, players can do different tasks depending on how they feel during any given moment. For example, one minute they can focus on hunting and chasing wild animals, and then the next minute they can decide to relax and cultivate their field with the rest of the villagers.
Considering the game’s complexity, Medieval Dynasty has been praised for having an easy-to-manage user interface. Was there a lot of work involved with refining and iterating on it?
Nowak: Work on the interface took a lot of time and involvement from numerous team members. In our Early Access state, we still feel that there are some elements that could and should work better, so we will continue to refine this aspect of the game.
How big is the team and when did development begin on the project?
Nowak: We started work at the end of May 2019 with six people and now, after almost two years, have hired a sixteenth member. So, we are happily growing!
Source: Unreal Engine Blog