https://explorminate4x.files.wordpre...logo.jpg?w=750Time is always moving forward. Whether it’s plodding slowly, or flying by quickly really depends on the situation you happen to find yourself in. That’s what “Baba” always told me.
The world of Thea is no different. In our
Thea 2: The Shattering reveal, we found out that all is not well in Thea. The
Long Night, otherwise known as the
Century of Darkness, is over. The sun has returned and the various Gods have come back to see what is left of their faithful, rebuild their flock, and return to greatness. Or so we thought.
https://explorminate4x.files.wordpre...ain1.jpg?w=750Now where should we settle?
Two centuries have passed since the events depicted in
Thea: the Awakening, and another calamity has befallen the survivors. It’s called “The Shattering”, and it results in the breaking of the world. What friendships were formed might no longer stand. That is what you are trying to do this time around – rebuild old alliances while figuring out what happened and how you should fix it.
The original game had three possible endings, but as a player you weren’t exactly sure how things “canonically” turned out. So, in
Thea 2, you will follow some new quest lines in an attempt to figure out exactly what happened after the end of
Thea 1 and what led the world to its current state. Was the Cosmic Tree restored and the pantheon along with it? Did the darkness linger because you sided with the night races? How about the giants? Have they really been restored to their slumber? What has this Shattering unearthed?
https://explorminate4x.files.wordpre...ers1.jpg?w=750Friend or Foe?
In
Thea 1, your god was only strong enough to maintain a single village. You could have multiple encampments, but only one safe zone where a village could prosper… If you can call surviving prospering. A new mechanic introduced in
Thea 2 is the introduction of multiple settlements.
https://explorminate4x.files.wordpre...ers2.jpg?w=750Foe or Friend?
During your exploration of the new landscape, you will find new biomes occupied by the surviving races and maybe even some new ones. Orcs, Goblins, Dwarves, Elves, as well as many creatures of the night are back. What will you do? Renew your old friendships or declare war?
https://explorminate4x.files.wordpre...ain2.jpg?w=750The night is dark and full of terrors.
Another consideration will be where you settle your people. These new settlements will need resources, which are also linked to the updated biomes. We have seen this gameplay before in games like
Eador: Master of the Broken World and
Warlock 2, but that doesn’t mean that MuHa Games can’t add their own Slavic-inspired twist and really make it a unique experience. I think that the various gods will play a crucial role here because of their unique characteristics.
The exploration phase is also about to get a real shot in the arm with
Thea 2. Typically, you are done exploring by mid-game as the world is settled, but the randomization and event system in
Thea 2 is sure to shake things up. How the various islands and their biomes will affect your gameplay is still a work in progress, so, feedback will be crucial to how it all plays out.
https://explorminate4x.files.wordpre..._art.jpg?w=750Dressed for the occasion!
We’ll discuss research, politics, war and the other typical 4X-fare in future installments of this series. In the meantime, MuHa Games is considering a Kickstarter for
Thea 2: The Shattering, and here are a few questions that would help them:
- What rewards/tiers would you like to see in a Thea 2 Kickstarter? Do you enjoy rewards that allow you to make input into the game – ie, quest ideas, creature design? Or do you prefer things that put you onto the game – your name, a portrait. Or would you be interested in artbooks/lore books?
- What kinds of stretch goals would you like to see? Now these are obviously more complicated and rely heavily on MuHa’s resources and capabilities, but that being said, what type of stretch goals would motivate you to help push toward a stretch goal?
- What would you expect to see in the campaign? MuHa’s philosophy is that a Kickstarter has to come early enough in game development for the team to be able to truly utilize the funds without having to push the development cycle and release dates too much (they’re a very stubborn lot in that regard). But what materials do you think Thea 2 should have ready for a campaign?
That’s it for now folks. If you have any questions, please share them in the comments and stay tuned for additional and continuing coverage for
Thea 2: the Shattering.
