Happy Birthday, City 20!!!
It seems like just yesterday, but it's incredible to think that a whole year has already passed since the early access launch of City 20!
To celebrate this special anniversary, we want to take you back in time and retrace the journey that brought us up to this point.
But first and foremost, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to you, our incredible community.
You've been the beating heart of this project. Your belief and support inspired us to create something truly unique:
a game that, let's face it, dares to venture into previously unexplored territories.
Without your support, none of this would have been possible.
Now get ready, we're about to tell you the story of City 20... so far!
DAY 0
September 23, 2024, is a date we'll always remember: we finally launched into Early Access!
From then on, the journey became more intense.
Thanks to all your incredible feedback during the demo period, we were able to dive deep into making City 20 even richer and more complex.
We flung open the doors to a truly fascinating world, starting with the addition of the game's second major faction: The Mozga!
This wasn't just any ordinary group. The Mozga brought a whole new dynamic, a place where military secrets collide with the brilliant minds of scientists, deeply enriching the social fabric of the city.
But these two distinct factions needed a place to converge, to trade, and perhaps even to clash.
So, the Weekly Market was born! This hub became an essential economic and social center for players, a dynamic spot to purchase goods, exchange stories, and truly feel the pulse of our growing world.
This marked the beginning of our adventure, with y’all by our side!
New Threats
This is the moment we've started introducing new areas to explore. The first one, of the many to come, was The Graveyard. As our world expands, so have its challenges.
With this territorial growth, locating specific individuals became more difficult.
To address this, we have given the ability to ask other NPCs for information on a person's whereabouts.
But not everyone was willing to help. Some had their own selfish agendas.
New dangers began to roam the streets. Encounters with desperate vagrants who demand food or money started forcing the player to make an important choice: help them, fight to survive, or flee for their lives.
This is just a glimpse of a core survival mechanic that will define the game.
A Lost Past
As the game world kept growing, the time came to uncover its past and add unique new challenges.
So the LINAC got introduced. This old laboratory, now abandoned and infested with radiation, not only brought with it a new environmental threat, but also hides the secrets of the old world.
To balance this new danger, we also introduced the Doctor's job, essential for allowing players to heal from radiation poisoning and other threats.
Keys also got introduced, adding another layer to the exploration aspect of the world.
From now on, NPCs started carrying their keys, ready to get stolen by the player...
This phase marked the beginning of City 20's story, a world not only to be explored, but also a story to be unraveled.
Cleaner UI
Throughout our development, we also placed great importance on the interface.
One of our key milestones was a complete overhaul of the User Interface.
We worked to update all the game's icons, unifying them under a single, consistent style.
This was important to make the game cleaner, more intuitive, and more enjoyable to navigate for all players.
Lights of Tomorrow
This milestone was a turning point, a huge injection of content that changed the face of City 20.
We added a new tutorial to welcome new players, introducing an underground setting for the first time, an important concept we're still expanding to this day.
At the same time, we refreshed the game's aesthetic with a complete redesign of the bfaction and the surrounding rural area, creating recognizable points of interest like the starting container area.
Shops also received a makeover, making them more visible and well-maintained.
To bring these new areas to life, we introduced power nodes, a system for bringing light and electricity to previously dark places.
We also added bulletin boards, a central place to find information and quests, helping players earn some money through honest work.
Strangers like the hermit hunter and the former Mozga researcher, better known as the "Witch", set foot in City 20 for the first time, with the goal of gradually adding backgrounds to the NPCs, diversifying them and giving them personality.
Combat received a complete overhaul, preparing us for the future threats that will assail the city.
New recipes and items were introduced, offering a sense of progression from early to late game.
This was an update that touched every aspect of the game, expanding and improving the experience in every direction.
QoL Updates
We've arrived at today, the final stage of this timeline, at least for now, and it is dedicated to you, and will be available soon to play!
After laying the foundations and expanding the world, we've focused on what really matters to your daily gaming experience.
That's why the last few months have been dedicated to introducing numerous improvements that make the game smoother and more intuitive.
We've worked on optimizations, refinements, and small but significant additions that, together, have a huge impact.
The Future of the City
And with that, our timeline comes to an end.
But, as you know, development never stops for us.
Let's take a quick look into the future! What awaits us in City 20?
The world is about to encounter a new threat: new enemies are on the horizon.
We're currently working on the core system that will keep them afloat.
The first blockouts and preliminary designs of the bunkers are in development, promising new areas filled with secrets and challenges.
We'll further delve into the story of City 20, uncovering mysteries and connections that will give more meaning to the past of the world.
And of course, there will be new quests that will push you to explore every corner of this evolving world.
The Future of City 20 awaits!
Stay tuned. The journey has just begun.
Once again, a huge thank you to all of you.
Thank you for an incredible year, and let's get ready for many more!
