Manor Lords is a new building game on Steam where you build your medieval settlement and get it through tough times. The game enjoys many players, but what about a roadmap?
Why is there no roadmap? There’s a good reason why Manor Lords doesn’t get a roadmap in its “Early Access” phase. The strategy game on Steam is developed by only one developer, Grzegorz “Greg” Styczen. The development is a one-man project and accordingly the resources are lacking. In addition, the most important point is: promises.
As Grzegorz Styczen wrote in the Steam news (via steampowered.com) about his game, he no longer wants to make promises to players that don’t interest fans.
Manor Lord – trailer for release with idyllic landscape
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Here’s what he had to say: “I don’t plan on releasing a roadmap yet. I’ve made the mistake once or twice of promising a feature and working on it, only to find out that the testers didn’t care as much as I did and actually wanted something else. So even if I have a plan, I want to adopt the philosophy of ‘listen, review, implement’.”
In addition, Grzegorz Styczen would like to primarily work on fixes for bugs, improvements and optimizations in the first few months of Early Access in order to polish Manor Lords. After the “cleanup” work, the community’s feedback will be viewed and analyzed in order to develop a new battle plan for upcoming content.
How long does Early Access last? It was announced on Steam that Manor Lords will remain in early access for a year. Depending on the feedback from the community and how the development crystallizes, the time could also be extended.
What do you think of the idea that Manor Lords won’t get a roadmap for the time being? Do you think it’s good that the bugs are eliminated first before new content is thought about? Let us know your opinion in the comments!
Player fights epic battle in Manor Lords, then records his victory in a Wikipedia entry