Norland roadmap reveals big updates to come

Norland, the hybrid between Rimworld and Crusader Kings, launched into Early Access a few weeks ago and received almost daily updates by developer Long Jaunt to address bugs and implement player feedback – an effort that was rewarded with 185,000 sold copies in the two weeks after launch, as publisher Hooded Horse recently revealed.

Naturally, the developers want to spend some time creating new content and features to add to the game as well, though, so the immediate support phase with such frequent updates is over. To ensure transparency – always important for Early Access projects – the studio plans on the release of quarterly roadmaps to inform players about what they can expect from the monthly updates going forward.

In August 2024, the developer aims to do additional optimization work, add Lords’ Graves to the game as a special final resting place for nobility, and expand on how much control players have over their armies in battle with a special command allowing you to order your troops to focus the enemy’s archers.

In September 2024, crossbows are supposed to enter the game alongside towers for archers. Diplomacy on the global map will be on the agenda as well – and mysterious guests bearing a few gifts may visit your settlement.

In October 2024, the final month of the first quarterly roadmap, players can expect to fortify their settlements with walls, towers, and gatehouses. Another focus will be the relationship between barons and usurpers, enhancing player interaction with their feudal neighbors. The team hopes to have the family tree interface done by this time as well.

In parallel to all that Long Jaunt is getting Steam achievements ready to roll out as well.

“We also prefer not to make specific predictions for a longer period,” the developers stated in their announcement. “Norland is full of new mechanics, and we’ll continue developing them. Plans often change if these mechanics don’t work as intended or if we receive strong feedback from the community, like, ‘Oh, this is great. It urgently needs to be developed further!’ Therefore, making long-term promises in developing such a project means taking on unnecessary commitments and creating overly risky expectations. We hope you understand.”

They added: “I can only assure you that we have many plans – such as reworking and generating global and local maps, climate, politics, ongoing improvements to diplomacy, tactics and warfare, new buildings and resources, and more.”