Those who were playing the beta version will discover new features with the improved arrowmaking and spotting blacksmith orders on the map of known areas (F6).
For those who only now enter the version 3.80 it should be noted that the most fundamental addition in this version is featuring the NPC blacksmiths and the process of ordering metalworks from them.
Let's take a look at the changelogs - starting with a few screenshots to highlight the latest additions since the beta.
Version: 3.80 changelog
** Saved characters from version 3.70-> are compatible with this version. **
The latest additions since the 3.80 beta:
- added: pending blacksmith orders shown on the map (F6)
When viewing the map of known areas (F6) villages with pending blacksmith orders are now marked with a white circle. Clicking the location will also show the pending order briefing along with the general village information.
For example:
"Sartolais village at Darkwoods.
Blacksmith order, shovel, placed 5 days ago."
And when the order has been claimed the markers will get removed. You still need to decide by yourself when to go claim the order as it's not told when it's ready, but only when the order was placed.
- added: ARROWS category to [M]ake menu
This category contains the arrowmaking related handcraft options. These options were previously under WEAPONS category. There are also several new options related to the arrowmaking improvements. These are explained below.
- improved: arrowmaking with new arrow parts
Arrows are now assembled from separate arrow parts which you need obtain or craft beforehand. The new arrow parts and improved arrowmaking procedure goes as follows:
* arrow shafts
Arrow shaft is a new item. Arrow shafts need to be crafted separately, after which they can be used in arrowmaking. Now the arrow shafts need to be made of either leaf tree saplings or wood slats, which is a new lumber item explained later on. Straightness of the shaft is very important in order to make fine arrows so the quality of the finished shaft matters a lot in the arrowmaking.
* arrowheads
Arrowheads are now unique items and need to be obtained or crafted separately, after which they can be used in arrowmaking.
There are two new iron arrowhead items called "broadhead" and "arrowhead". These can be obtained from the village blacksmiths.
There are also new "stone arrowhead" and "bone arrowhead" items which can be crafted by the player character.
* arrowmaking
As mentioned before, arrowmaking options can be found under "Arrows" category in the [M]ake menu. When you want to craft a tipped arrow there is only one generic "Arrow" option for that. This single option is used to craft an arrow with any type of arrowhead, except the blunt arrow. The arrowheads to use is selected first and this determines the following requirements and if the outcome is (a regular) arrow, broadhead arrow, stone tipped arrow or bone tipped arrow.
There are naturally also options for crafting the arrow shafts and arrowheads. And those are what you should go for first, and then assemble the arrow from the parts you've gotten.
There are also new game encylopedia (F1) entries for the new arrow parts; arrow shaft, broadhead and arrowhead.
* blunt arrow crafting requirements
In addition to new features there are also changes to old arrowmaking options, such as making a blunt arrow. Blunt arrows are now crafted from a slender tree trunk. One trunk is enough for several arrows, if you want to craft a batch of them at once. Moreover, blunt arrows don't need feathers anymore and thus become the simplest arrows to craft. Historically there's been both kind of blunt arrows, with and without feathers, but with enough challenge brought in with the new arrow parts we've now chosen them to be featherless. Blunt arrow graphics and game encyclopedia (F1) entry has been updated accordingly.
- added: wood slat, a new lumber item
Slat is a narrow flat piece of wood split from a board. As mentioned above, slats are used as raw material for making arrow shafts. Slats can be crafted via "Lumber" category in the [M]ake menu.
- added: arrowhead and broadhead as new blacksmith products
As briefly mentioned above these two types of iron arrowheads can be now obtained from the blacksmiths. All the blacksmiths everywhere can make arrowheads.
- fixed: entering fortified village from the west located the character on the wall
- fixed: NPCs might build a fire on prepared soil
- fixed: game freezes with the sequence disabling background music and quitting
The additions featured already 3.80 beta release:
- added: blacksmith NPCs and ordering metalworks from them
Blacksmith is a new NPC type who you can meet in the villages. Blacksmiths can produce different kind of metalworks on demand. This is a fundamental addition which will make a big difference to obtaining iron tools and weapons.
Blacksmith products are culturally dependent and can range from fishhooks to swords. There's also variety among the levels of blacksmith expertise. All the blacksmiths can produce the basic tools needed for the every day life of their local culture, but only the few talented ones can forge more demanding items, like a sword.
* All the cultures do have blacksmiths, but their areal availability varies. Not every village has a blacksmith, but in general there are several within each cultural area.
* You can ask villagers if there's a blacksmith around. The option for this is found from "Ask for help/company" chat mode. If their blacksmith is a highly skilled one villagers are proud to let you know that right away.
* Ordering something from a blacksmith is initiated by talking to them. Ordering options become available upon greeting a blacksmith, or can be found from "Ask for help/company" chat mode.
* Blacksmiths vary in their expertise, but all of them can produce at least decent quality items. The more talented blacksmiths can produce fine or even masterwork items. They will let you know the level of their expertise and outcome of their goods loud and clear.
* Not all the blacksmiths will produce the same items, and the cultural variety makes the most difference there. Also, only the few most talented blacksmiths will be able to forge the most demanding items, such as swords, helmets or specialized knives such as Kaumolais knife or Skramasaksi.
* It should be clear already that metal armours are not really known or used by the local cultures, so blacksmiths do not produce those - except for helmets. So the availability of NPC blacksmiths doesn't change the fact that metal armours do remain as rare imported goods, as they should be.
* Of the swords, a few talented blacksmiths may produce broadswords and shortswords but the other types of swords found in the game are of foreign origin and remain to be rarely found as imported goods. The northern peoples aren't familiar with swords at all, so to find a sword forging blacksmith one has to seek among the wealthy western cultures, or at Kaumo and Reemi.
* You can order one item at a time, which will be payed for after it's ready. Upon confirming your order you can ask what the blacksmith would like as a payment from your current inventory, but you don't have to have enough goods for the payment yet upon placing an order. When the order is then being bartered for, even if you wouldn't have enough goods at first you can cancel the trade and come back to try again with more wealth.
* Meanwhile your order is being made you can ask the blacksmith how is it coming along. They will give you an estimation about the remaining production time. Depending on the item the production times vary from few days to a month.
* If you don't come claim your order within half a year it will be given away. This may naturally lower your reputation among the blacksmith, and the village.
- added: BLACKSMITH game encyclopedia (F1) entry
Village blacksmiths and ordering their goods described in short.
- updated: culture and weapon related game encyclopedia (F1) entries
All the culture descriptions have been updated with relevant blacksmithing information and assorted corrections. Certain sword and axe descriptions have been updated to emphasize that those are foreign weapons not known by the local cultures.
- added: villagers can tell about sages and blacksmiths in the neighbouring villages
Upon asking villagers if there's a sage or blacksmith around, and if there is not, they will now let you if there's one in the vicinity or neighbouring villages. You will then be given directions how to reach the village in question.
- added: animal droppings
Certain animals now leave visible droppings, i.e. feces, that can be found in the terrain on zoomed-in map level. The droppings aren't featured for all the animals, but for those whose droppings are commonly noticeable and relevant. For example the following wild animals can leave droppings: hare, fox, badger, lynx, wolf, reindeer, elk and bear. The domestic animals such as sheep, cows and pigs also leave droppings.
The droppings of different species look a bit different, and upon looking at the droppings with game commands you will be told which animal's droppings it is.
For example: "You see here an elk droppings."
If the droppings are somewhat recent, less than a day old or so, you will be also be told that it's fresh droppings in question. Even if you wouldn't be able to specify their age the droppings work as an indicator of the animal presence at the area. The droppings may remain visible for weeks, but will eventually disappear.
- added: using animal droppings as fertilizer
Using animal droppings as fertilizer isn't necessary, but it's possible - if you feel like it. You can either spread droppings on the ground before preparing the soil and planting your crops, or spread them around after the planting. In the former method the droppings are then mixed in the soil upon preparing it, which is better.
The fertilizing effect is simplified and any amount of droppings will help a little. You don't have to fertilize every tile of the field, but just quite casually spread the droppings here and there.
This extra fertilizing helps plants to sprout and grow more succesfully, so somewhat higher yields can be expected from the fields fertilized with droppings. The effect isn't too dramatic though, since the slash-and-burn agriculture in use already includes fertilization with the ash from the burned woods.
When collecting droppings they appear under a new "Miscellanous" item category in character's inventory.
- added: SMOKING and FIREPLACE game encyclopedia (F1) entries
These will explain the smoking and fireplace heating up processes. In the cookery menu SMOKING encyclopedia entry dialog is shown at Smoking option.
- fixed: getting "carry too much" pick up restriction even if the character's inventory wasn't really full
- fixed: possibility of de-hairing bird skins, or already de-haired skins
It was redundant, and confusing. Now the game notifies you about this being needless.
- fixed: animals and NPCs drowning in shallow waters or small puddles
The issue made NPCs occasionally drown in village wells or puddles, or the animals drown in shallow shoreline waters if they were moving about there a lot eg. when tied in place.
- fixed: quest journal sometimes showing excess NPC portraits on the latter pages
- fixed: meadsweet flowers tile missing
- text corrections: a good bunch typos and grammar corrected, some messages rephrased.
Cheers! ːurw_sageː
