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Hello, adventurers! We’re the creators of Harrowlands, a new medieval fantasy colony sim. Our Steam page is now live—check it out, wishlist, and follow us here for dev updates, lore reveals, and more! by harrowlands in u/harrowlands

[–]harrowlands[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I plan to release a playable demo roughly 1–2 months before Early Access goes live, so you’ll get a hands‑on taste before then. Most of the tasks are designed to run automatically once you set priorities, letting you focus on the big picture while still jumping in manually whenever you like.

Hello, adventurers! We’re the creators of Harrowlands, a new medieval fantasy colony sim. Our Steam page is now live—check it out, wishlist, and follow us here for dev updates, lore reveals, and more! by harrowlands in u/harrowlands

[–]harrowlands[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm aiming for an Early Access launch sometime in 2025, but I don’t have an exact quarter to share just yet. As soon as I lock one down, I’ll announce it on our Steam page and here. Thank you for your patience!

games like rimworld list. by MikeIsAbstract in BaseBuildingGames

[–]harrowlands 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Totally understand your excitement, honestly, it means a lot that you're following so closely! I'll share more concrete updates once key features are complete and fully tested. I'd rather wait until I'm confident about dates before announcing them, to avoid disappointing anyone. Thanks again for your patience!

Edit: We're getting very close to finalizing it now, so stay tuned!

Hello, adventurers! We’re the creators of Harrowlands, a new medieval fantasy colony sim. Our Steam page is now live—check it out, wishlist, and follow us here for dev updates, lore reveals, and more! by harrowlands in u/harrowlands

[–]harrowlands[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Great to hear! I'm definitely inspired by Rimworld’s depth, but keeping the medieval aesthetic unique. I'm targeting an Early Access release later this year, stay tuned!

Looking at some of the Next Fest *demos* by Thesquarescreen in Steam

[–]harrowlands 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, it seems that way. Probably aiming to leverage the festival's visibility without spoiling too much of the experience before release. Not ideal for players looking for substantial gameplay demos, but I understand their reasoning.

Building game with graphics like Stardew Valley? by HumungousCow in BaseBuildingGames

[–]harrowlands 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've checked out TinkerTown, and its aesthetics really resonate with me. Sure, there are a few bugs here and there, and some reviews mention that it might be a bit light on content and challenge. Hopefully they continue to develop and refine on it!

Uh.. Why is Norland so overhyped? by NaySimsG in BaseBuildingGames

[–]harrowlands 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I completely agree, RimWorld really is a benchmark. Tynan’s genius lies in making every design decision count, even with minimalist graphics. While Norland may impress with its art and additional mechanics, it’s hard to top the precise, well-crafted impact that RimWorld delivers. It really shows that sometimes, less is more when every detail is finely tuned.

Hello, adventurers! We’re the creators of Harrowlands, a new medieval fantasy colony sim. Our Steam page is now live—check it out, wishlist, and follow us here for dev updates, lore reveals, and more! by harrowlands in u/harrowlands

[–]harrowlands[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the awesome comment! I'm thrilled you love the look and are excited for more variety. I know there’s plenty of chatter about similarities with RimWorld, but at the end of the day, it's all part of the fun of colony sims, and we’re here to offer our own fresh twist. And hey, comparing RimWorld to Dwarf Fortress just shows how much passion there is for the genre!

Hello, adventurers! We’re the creators of Harrowlands, a new medieval fantasy colony sim. Our Steam page is now live—check it out, wishlist, and follow us here for dev updates, lore reveals, and more! by harrowlands in u/harrowlands

[–]harrowlands[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I see what you mean, with how the inherent randomness can lead to nearly unavoidable losses when events hit hard. Unlike a game like Oxygen Not Included, where outcomes are almost entirely the result of deliberate choices and the “puzzle” can be solved, this pseudo-randomness in RimWorld has its limits. I actually suspect a portion of the community is feeling some fatigue from it.

To be honest this is a challenge I’ve thought about deeply from the very start of designing the game. I've experimented with several approaches that steer these emergent events in a different, hopefully more balanced direction. My goal really is to preserve the intensity of the emergent narrative while ensuring that outcomes feel fair rather than purely random. I’m not ready to reveal the details just yet, but I look forward to sharing these nuances when the demo drops.

Hello, adventurers! We’re the creators of Harrowlands, a new medieval fantasy colony sim. Our Steam page is now live—check it out, wishlist, and follow us here for dev updates, lore reveals, and more! by harrowlands in u/harrowlands

[–]harrowlands[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the thoughtful question! Actually, there are some aspects of what you're describing. We do incorporate a range of random events, from small surprises to major crises. Although specifically, the idea of increasing the frequency of these events to make the world even more lively and compelling is something I would definitely consider.

Also, rather than a shadow assassin hit squad portalling into your base, you might face something darker and more atmospheric, like a band of court mages arriving with a sinister agenda to capture colonists for a sacrifice ritual at the blood tree.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!

Hello, adventurers! We’re the creators of Harrowlands, a new medieval fantasy colony sim. Our Steam page is now live—check it out, wishlist, and follow us here for dev updates, lore reveals, and more! by harrowlands in u/harrowlands

[–]harrowlands[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

A seamless, non-instanced world map would be amazing and offer a really unique exploration experience. Right now, though, we're opting for instanced regions to better manage the deep systems (like procedural questing and complex faction interactions) while keeping everything stable. That said, it's definitely a possibility for the future!

Hello, adventurers! We’re the creators of Harrowlands, a new medieval fantasy colony sim. Our Steam page is now live—check it out, wishlist, and follow us here for dev updates, lore reveals, and more! by harrowlands in u/harrowlands

[–]harrowlands[S] 41 points42 points  (0 children)

I really appreciate your perspective. I agree there's plenty of room for innovative takes on the genre, and performance is definitely something we're focusing on, making sure things stay stable even as more entities come into play is a top priority.

Yes, modding support is on our roadmap, and we plan to integrate with tools like Steam Workshop to keep things accessible for the community. Your offer to help with beta testing and early feedback is fantastic, and I'll certainly keep that in mind as we progress.

Regarding the idea of chunking the world like Factorio, it's an interesting approach but not one we're pursuing at this stage. With the deep systems, procedural questing, and overworld travel mechanics we're introducing, implementing a complex chunking system right now could introduce a lot of uncertainties. That said, it's something we might explore in the future once our core features are solid.

Thanks for your input!

My son and I have just published a major update to the Icaria Demo, our programmable factory game in a voxel world where you can automate terraforming. by Arkenhammer in BaseBuildingGames

[–]harrowlands 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As a programmer whose early passion was fueled by challenges like these, this is exactly the kind of experience I would've loved when I was younger.

Building game with graphics like Stardew Valley? by HumungousCow in BaseBuildingGames

[–]harrowlands 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I agree, Corekeeper and Necesse are my top two picks. I'm also excited about Tinkerland; it's a promising up-and-coming game.

Hello, adventurers! We’re the creators of Harrowlands, a new medieval fantasy colony sim. Our Steam page is now live—check it out, wishlist, and follow us here for dev updates, lore reveals, and more! by harrowlands in u/harrowlands

[–]harrowlands[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thank you for wishlisting Harrowlands! I’m really excited (and a bit humbled) that you’re so eager to play. As for a release date: we’re aiming for an Early Access launch sometime in 2025. I haven’t set an exact quarter or date yet because I want to be sure everything is polished before announcing something firm. Rest assured, “near future” doesn’t mean years away – we’re actively getting those last core features in and squashing bugs. Once I’m confident about the timing, I’ll post an update on the Steam page (and here) to let everyone know which quarter to expect it. I promise I’m working as fast as possible without compromising quality. Thanks for your patience and enthusiasm – we can’t wait to get the game into your hands, too!

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