5 Years of Medieval Dynasty: Render Cube devs reflect and hint about what’s next

Believe it or not but Medieval Dynasty was released 5 years ago. That was enough time for many people to fall in love with this life simulator. Throughout the years, Render Cube studio has supported the game by adding many new features. Right now, we are waiting for Labour of Love update. Recently, the developers announced that they are focusing on the next project. Don’t worry, though, as they will not abandon MD, at least not so soon. This reveal and anniversary are a great opportunity to talk about Medieval Dynasty’s past and future. That’s why we have collected a few interesting questions and presented them to the devs. I had an opportunity to talk to Kamil Judasz, Marketing Manager. Enjoy!

You should also check out the Anniversary Video. The developers discuss several interesting topics about Medieval Dynasty’s development and future – many of which intertwine with our questions.

Damian Gacek (DG): Let's start with a quite important question for many players. Can we expect bigger buildings in the future (not to mention castles and churches)? The discussion about customization of structures (not only their size but also how their interiors can be upgraded) is something that often appears in the community.

Kamil Judasz (KJ): This is one of the questions that really frequently appears in our community. The topic of bigger buildings, castles, or more extensive interior customization comes up regularly – and we fully understand the interest.

Unfortunately, at this moment, we cannot promise that something like this will appear (or that it won't). As we mentioned in the 5th-anniversary video, we are currently at stage where we are struggling with many limitations – both resulting from the game's older code structure and hardware limitations of consoles.

This does not mean that we don't want to bring community's ideas to life – quite the opposite, we follow and analyze them very carefully. However, before we decide to introduce major changes, we must be sure that they are possible to implement and will not negatively impact the game's performance.

“What else to add?”Source: Medieval Dynasty, developer: Render Cube.

DG: If you had to point to something you would really like to add to the game, but technological limitations prevented you from doing so, what would it be?

KJ: This is definitely one of those questions that stings a bit. If we had to point to something we truly wanted to add, but technology at some point said "stop," it would primarily be more assets – all kinds of items, buildings, and decorations that could make the world even more alive.

This is also what our community asks for most often. And we absolutely agree – the more variety, the better for immersion. Unfortunately, with the current code structure and hardware limitations (especially on consoles), adding a large number of new elements is not as simple as we would like.

The second thing we would very much like to see in the future is the possibility of co-op gameplay for a greater number of players, while maintaining the same optimization and stability we have now. This is a huge technological challenge, but we know it would be a dream come true for many people. Nevertheless, we keep looking for ways to expand these possibilities in the future – without compromising gameplay quality, of course.

Developers at work!Source: Medieval Dynasty, developer: Render Cube.

DG: You have announced a new game. How will this affect the further development of Medieval Dynasty? In the Anniversary Video, you assured us that the game would continue to be supported. Of course, "Labour of Love" update is just around the corner, but what after that? Are you still planning any big updates? Is there any hope for a new map?

KJ: That is a very good question and one that has been appearing very often lately. Just as we mentioned in our Anniversary Video, Medieval Dynasty will continue to be supported, but indeed part of the team – the so-called core team that created the game from the beginning – is currently focusing mainly on building a solid foundation for our next title.

The remaining team members are still working on the development and support of Medieval Dynasty. However, our focus is naturally shifting gradually towards the new project. This is a normal stage in the production cycle, but it absolutely does not mean we are abandoning Medieval Dynasty.

As for the future after "Labour of Love," we will continue to look for opportunities to expand and develop the game – to the extent permitted by the current engine and hardware limitations, of course. We want to focus on a smaller number of updates and DLCs, but with higher quality. Whether this will be new content, a new map, or something completely different – we cannot promise anything at this moment, but we will keep everyone informed as soon as specific decisions are made.

DG: There are many picturesque settlements in the game, but they are all villages. Were you not tempted to create something bigger, a small town perhaps?

KJ: Oh, we are tempted, very tempted! The idea of creating a larger town is something that regularly comes up in our internal discussions. We really would like to see something like that in the game – a place bustling with life, bigger than a typical village, with more buildings and residents.

However, we also have to be realistic. There is a constant "battle" within the team between what we want to add and what we are actually still able to create under the current conditions. We often have to give up very interesting ideas, precisely because of the engine limitations and console hardware limits.

At this moment, we are not planning to create towns, but of course, we are constantly analyzing various community ideas and looking for ones that can be implemented without losing the game's smoothness and stability.

Is moose dangerous or not?Source: Medieval Dynasty, developer: Render Cube.

DG: Recently, I came across a rather interesting thread about the moose's behavior and a discussion on whether its nature is accurately or poorly represented. Could you reveal how the animal behavior patterns were created and if you plan to change them in the future?

KJ: That is a very interesting question, because the topic of animal behavior (and NPCs in general) is one of the most complex parts of our game. Several AI programmers and designers work on this element, and it's really hard to explain simply how complicated it all is "under the hood."

When creating the behavior patterns, we rely on both observations and available materials, as well as consultations with specialists, so that the animals' behaviors – like the moose, for instance – are as credible as possible but also fit well into the game's mechanics.

However, it must be remembered that with a team of less than 50 people, we are not able to replicate the behavior of animals or people 1:1. Therefore, we often seek a balance between realism and playability. Additionally, we are constantly improving the code and optimizing the mechanics so that everything works as well as possible and players have the smoothest and most consistent gameplay experience.

As for the future – we are continuously monitoring player feedback and analyzing where improvements can be made. But any potential changes will be more evolutionary than revolutionary.

Let’s cook borsch.Source: Medieval Dynasty, developer: Render Cube.

DG: Speaking of animals, it's just a step from them to cooking. Tell us, where did the idea for the cookbook come from? And do you have a favorite recipe?

KJ: The idea for the cookbook was quite spontaneous – it arose during discussions with our publisher. We wanted to create something that would distinguish our game on the market and, at the same time, introduce an additional, enjoyable element for Medieval Dynasty fans. As for my favorite recipe, I think it's the beet soup, which is traditional borscht.

DG: The market is full of survival games. Could you reveal whether the competition has influenced you in any way? If you could retroactively alter some aspects of Medieval Dynasty, would you change anything based on solutions from other games?

KJ: Indeed, more and more games are appearing on the market, including survival games, and we naturally monitor what other developers and our industry colleagues are doing. We occasionally draw inspiration from interesting technological solutions, but the core of the game – the content – is always created by us, in collaboration with our community. We do not treat other games as competition with which we "fight for players' attention." Rather, we cooperate with new titles and learn from them when we can. We believe in our work and that our community will not disappear overnight, because it is the players who are the heart of Medieval Dynasty.

DG: And finally, I know you probably can't say too much about the upcoming game, but maybe you can reveal any tidbit to us?

KJ: I know we can't reveal too much about the upcoming game, but I can give one tidbit. The entire team has been working hard for several months to make the new game bigger and offer even more possibilities for players to have fun than what Medieval Dynasty currently offers. I cannot go into details about the mechanics or maps, but our goal is to create an experience that will be equally satisfying, yet fresh and expanded.

Medieval Dynasty

September 23, 2021

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