Storytelling news - Harvested

The upcoming public test will feature the first four missions (plus a closing cutscene) of Harvested's campaign. Unlike the missions in the previous test, these missions contain dialog, named characters, unique buildings, a series of objectives, and more.

We have split our maps into two categories - sandbox and campaign. Sandbox maps will work a lot like the missions in the previous release (survive as long as you can) so I'll take some time to talk about our campaign.

The story is to be split into a series of five or six chapters, each containing roughly four missions. These chapters will likely feature unique biomes (grassy forest, snowy mountain, savanna, swamp, etc), art assets, and musical themes. While each chapter will contain an internal plot arc, these chapters will seamlessly carry a single story.

The first two and a half missions of the campaign were built to replace the tutorials included in the last build - we feel that these missions do a much better job of introducing the player to the mechanics in a more natural (and interesting) way.

In addition to objectives used in the previous build, new objectives involve destroying enemy structures and rescuing imprisoned soldiers.

Campaign missions also include the occasional in-game cutscene - these are short periods of time where the player is no longer in control of their character as they watch actors interact with one another. These cutscenes are largely used for dialog but also include important action sequences.

Some of these missions contain unique structures. Many of these are purely aesthetic, such as farms, farmhouses, and city houses, but other structures work like player-constructed buildings. For example, some maps contain city walls, which are larger and stronger than the walls a player can build but cannot be shot through.

Our current roadmap sets this campaign at the heart of Harvested gameplay. We are proud of the story we have crafted and are excited to share it with you. In our upcoming release we are looking for your feedback to help us make this campaign as good as possible.