Against the Storm - Fantasy roguelite city builder

[Kruyurk]

I actually don't even know how to make a seal. I've done several cycles now and only got fragments. How many fragments do I even need to craft one and where do I do it?

You don't craft the seal with the fragment. You need enough fragments before building a settlement next to a seal, to attempt to close it and permanently increase the cycle duration for future cycles.
You can see the seal places on the map, so just build settlements in this direction and once you reach it you should have enough fragments to attempt to close it. The settlement you build next to the seal will end the cycle.

 

[0wca]

I actually don't even know how to make a seal. I've done several cycles now and only got fragments. How many fragments do I even need to craft one and where do I do it?

You don't craft the seal with the fragment. You need enough fragments before building a settlement next to a seal, to attempt to close it and permanently increase the cycle duration for future cycles.
You can see the seal places on the map, so just build settlements in this direction and once you reach it you should have enough fragments to attempt to close it. The settlement you build next to the seal will end the cycle.

Wait, I'm confused.

I did that in a game and placed a settlement next to it. However, when I played the map I had to solve that seal puzzle thing and I failed so I didn't get the settlement.

Is that how you close it? By solving its 4 puzzles on the map or whatever?

 

[jackofshadows]

Wait, I'm confused.

I did that in a game and placed a settlement next to it. However, when I played the map I had to solve that seal puzzle thing and I failed so I didn't get the settlement.

Is that how you close it? By solving its 4 puzzles on the map or whatever?

What you mean by puzzle? Finding the seal itself or doing the challenges? Challenges are always the same by the way which is kinda lame.

 

[0wca]

Wait, I'm confused.

I did that in a game and placed a settlement next to it. However, when I played the map I had to solve that seal puzzle thing and I failed so I didn't get the settlement.

Is that how you close it? By solving its 4 puzzles on the map or whatever?

What you mean by puzzle? Finding the seal itself or doing the challenges? Challenges are always the same by the way which is kinda lame.

When you try to make a settlement on the world map that's adjacent to the seal, the seal will spawn on the strategy map and cause plagues and shit.

I can then complete its 4 tasks and I guess get the seal? Is that how it works? What are the fragments for then?

 

[jackofshadows]

When you try to make a settlement on the world map that's adjacent to the seal, the seal will spawn on the strategy map and cause plagues and shit.

I can then complete its 4 tasks and I guess get the seal? Is that how it works? What are the fragments for then?

Yes, you need to complete those 4 tasks (by any presented way). W/o the required amount of fragments you cannot start the settlement next to the seal.

 

[0wca]

When you try to make a settlement on the world map that's adjacent to the seal, the seal will spawn on the strategy map and cause plagues and shit.

I can then complete its 4 tasks and I guess get the seal? Is that how it works? What are the fragments for then?

Yes, you need to complete those 4 tasks (by any presented way). W/o the required amount of fragments you cannot start the settlement next to the seal.

Ah.

And what's the required amount? Also where do I get the most fragments?

 

[Dickie]

And what's the required amount? Also where do I get the most fragments?

The required amount varies by the level of seal (4 for bronze, 12 for lead, etc.). You can see the amount for a seal by hovering over it on the world map. The amount of fragments is based on the difficulty you play on. You can choose 5 as a reward when you play a map with a negative modifier that shows a "Royal Resupply" reward.

Click the "Summary" tab to see rewards when embarking. Change the difficulty and you can see how these rewards are affected. For instance, a Pioneer win gives 2 seal fragments, and a Viceroy win gives 4.

 

[0wca]

And what's the required amount? Also where do I get the most fragments?

The required amount varies by the level of seal (4 for bronze, 12 for lead, etc.). You can see the amount for a seal by hovering over it on the world map. The amount of fragments is based on the difficulty you play on. You can choose 5 as a reward when you play a map with a negative modifier that shows a "Royal Resupply" reward.

Click the "Summary" tab to see rewards when embarking. Change the difficulty and you can see how these rewards are affected. For instance, a Pioneer win gives 2 seal fragments, and a Viceroy win gives 4.

I see. Thx

 

[Gerrard]

What is the point of having production and consumption statistics in a game where you end the game in <30 minutes?

 

[jackofshadows]

High prestige games take like 3-4h usually and the current food/fuel/etc stats at the top of the screen are meh (I let open food for like 90℅ of the time). So it could be an improvement.

What's really cool is that they've finally announced new species and biome although I doubt they'll manage to organically balance in all of that given their priorities lies not around prestige players.

 

[jackofshadows]

The idea was to do a lot of screenshots and write a mini-letsplay but since I've been getting interrupted a lot I fucked it up and did only a few screens and also the game was too easy le usual farm abuse. But anyway, just to show my typical build layout and a few tricks that I use:

Instantly in luck cause humans hinted on a dangerous glade with soil instead of a small one as it usually happens. Prepared some planks in advance and opened it in the first storm (in case of a very rare events as the ship so I could buy something when drizzle hit in order to solve it).

Note I didn't take any of the starting blueprints because I've had plantation already as a start bonus and I got soil so I was already ok with the food - that's my reasoning this time. Don't forget to delay the process of taking first three orders until the moment you open a glade in case of timed orders btw. Not rushing the next ones is also a good idea.

And regarding plantation w/o any bonuses usually it's enough 3 bodies for these 15 land pieces to plant but to harvest you need more because it takes time to carry crops to warehouse. Or to use haulers but usually I prefer not to use them. Workload shortage is enough as it is. Automated ones to each warehouse from the cornerstone are very nice though.

Second glade has opened and I'm in luck again - more soil, building two farms and here I'd thought that If I'll get brewery it'll be a total piece of cake.

I'm still making planks with basic ass workstation. In fact, I got nothing for fabric and bricks either and it's totally fine. Just note to buy some off traders, especially since I got free Smithy on the right edge of the screen so it'll be pretty easy to make a lot of trade goods for that.

Also the screenshot reminds everyone to abuse the "favorite" button as much as possible even if it produces very little rep.

Here I got lucky yet again and not only got brewery but also an order "build brewery and we'll give you the tavern blueprint". Both are being built but I'm experiencing here severe plank shortage after all atm (but mostly not even due to basic station - nothing stops you from building several of those but because I got nothing as a fuel alternative and couldn't harvest trees at storms due to negative map perk).

And after building both human/beaver resolve went through the roof and almost never went back so gg. Oh and I got both Zhorg's secret ingredient (pretty op shit) and granary so foxes were feeling very well too.

 

[Elttharion]

Frog people incoming

 

[PlayerEmers]

Frog people incoming

i hope they make some changes to queen's trial
it is a cool mode in theory but feels somewhat barebones for my taste

 

[jackofshadows]

Unbelievable luck. Starting with 2 races who need education and I got Holy Temple in the very first glade. With fertile soil too. Then the second glade with fertile soil. Then I got the golden axe cornerstone (+1 wood - all current fuel supplies, to think it was +2 some time before). Then I got the scribe building. Fucking gg.

 

[Dr Skeleton]

I had something like that once too, a rebuilt higher-quality education building, easy scroll production and an effect (it's a cornerstone, I think? Not sure if it's still in the game) that makes production faster for each villager with education, so once it started going it was a self-sustaining loop of super fast production of everything and increasing resolve for everyone, most broken thing I've seen in the game.

 

[jackofshadows]

I had something like that once too, a rebuilt higher-quality education building, easy scroll production and an effect (it's a cornerstone, I think? Not sure if it's still in the game) that makes production faster for each villager with education, so once it started going it was a self-sustaining loop of super fast production of everything and increasing resolve for everyone, most broken thing I've seen in the game.

Yeah, it's still there. Very powerful indeed but you need multiple factors to align for it to work and it's late game stuff also so I think it's not broken actually.

 

[Dr Skeleton]

Sure, I didn't mean it needs a balance patch, usually it would be a very bad cornerstone pick (or a very optimistic pick), you need a lot of other stuff and a bit of luck to pull it off, but once it does, it feels like the game plays itself. With cheats.

 

[jackofshadows]

Well in practice you're getting +(70-150)% global production which is an immense bonus but well you need resources to work with and it will feel like cheating I think only if you was heavily understaffed until then and so now you aren't. Idk. Imo it's nothing compared to those two cornerstones which allows to see the glades content. It's also very comparable to Alarm Bells's bonus (+5% chance of producing double yields per 110 of expected corruption) and for that to operate you only need a good amount fuel. Well, that and rain water source(s). W/o ties to races and specific buildings.

 

[PlayerEmers]

Haven't played the game since january so I missed like 3 big balance/new content updates. The new DLC will also come with another update. Will probably need to relearn things after all the changes...
I used to rely heavily on trading strats and cornerstones to win games on p20.

Going to wait the new DLC before playing again.

 

[jackofshadows]

Yeah I also can't wait for the DLC. Idk man if they wouldn't shake up the balance much, you didn't miss any. Trading is still the way to go most of the times. And cornerstone choice is still as impactful as it was. I think the most important part of it is to get at least 1-2 for -hostility. The most desirable is the protected trade, which lowers that every time you sell for 30 or something. They even nerfed it by adding the downside as complex food now gives 1 fewer resolve but it's still op as fuck if you go for trading which you should anyway.

 

[PlayerEmers]

Idk man if they wouldn't shake up the balance much, you didn't miss any.

Yeah, looks like it. Im reading the patch notes of all updates and so far from what i've read, they made changes mostly to underpicked or overpowered cornerstones. Patches added some upgrades to buildings but they seem easy to understand.
The upcoming patch will add fishing and more resources/needs, this addition alone will probably change the game more than past updates.

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1336490/view/4258802537449103612

 

[jackofshadows]

Ponds? What the fuck? When I read fishing I thought of an incentive to cut through to the ocean. Seems kinda lame. They do almost nothing with the map layout. It does matter only in marshlands I'd say where you need to cut through and prepare for the penetration of the forbidden ones in order to win with ease.

 

[PlayerEmers]

was checking some guy streaming the game on twitch because he already has the dlc and i found out the dlc is priced at $14.99
weird that they have not officially announced that yet

edit: Hooded Horse guy talking about no price announcement (also confirming launch discount)

 

[jackofshadows]

Maybe you guys curious enough I thought I could tolerate this guy

But I couldn't. He's a bore and has a very weird gameplay behaviors. An autist but in a bad way so to say. One peculiar thing that I had time to notice is that now there're specific race related buildings (such as Monastery belong to humans) and you will see only those specific buildings which races you have at the moment in your blueprint pool. There're plenty of other major changes as well such as reshuffle of race needs but as I said, I could bear that guy only for so long.

 

[Kruyurk]

One peculiar thing that I had time to notice is that now there're specific race related buildings (such as Monastery belong to humans) and you will see only those specific buildings which races you have at the moment in your blueprint pool.

The reason is that increasing the number of blueprints makes it more difficult to pull off a specific combo, because the probability of having an individual blueprint offered as choice is decreased. And it would even decrease the probability of having "essentials" blueprints, compared to more niche ones. So this would inadvertently increase the game difficulty. They circumvented that by having some blueprints race-specific, as you described. I don't remember where I read that, but it was from the devs.