We've just launched a bundle that combines the best of city-building and colony-building RimWorld x Foundation!
Dig into RimWorld for an immersive story experience as you grow your colony and survive! Relax in Foundation as you create sprawling medieval cities with free-form tools and watch as your villagers live organically in their world.
The bundle runs from September 13 - 26, 2024. Get 20% OFF with the bundle! And if you already own one of the games, get 20% off the other!
RimWorld: A sci-fi colony sim driven by an intelligent AI storyteller. Generates stories by simulating psychology, ecology, gunplay, melee combat, climate, biomes, diplomacy, interpersonal relationships, art, medicine, trade, and more.
Foundation: Foundation is a grid-less, laidback medieval city-building game with a focus on organic development, monument construction and resource management.
The Polymorph Games team
Devlog #19: Development News
Hello everyone!
As the summer draws to a close and we see the first glimpses of autumn starting to show, it’s time for us to bring you some development news on Foundation!
How is development going?
We are sure this is a question on all of your minds and we’d first like to note that the game’s development is on track for our target release date.
Development is moving at a great pace and a lot has happened since our last Devlog:
Most gameplay features have been integrated such as Patrols, Walls and Fortifications and a new Military gameplay iteration.
We have worked a lot on the overall art direction of the game, including the lighting, vegetation and building revamps.
We are still hard at work on more technical features, like high density housing and paved roads.
We had a Community Private playtest where 150 players were invited to test and provide feedback (more on that later)
When will you reveal the new content and release date?
We will make further announcements as soon as we have integrated all that we feel needs to be in the game before publicly showing it. We are specifically working hard on the high density residential and the new environmental vegetation.
In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek of our work on the environment. This is in-engine stuff but please keep in mind that it’s work in progress.
How was the community Playtest and what was the feedback?
As we mentioned above there have been many changes since Devlog #18 and these changes and features have been integrated into the game. Players were invited to sign up for a private playtest on Discord so that we could gather feedback and make further improvements where necessary.
150 players took part in the private playtest and had a chance to test out the changes and work so far. The playtest ran from July 4 to July 15 and 98 of those playtesters completed the feedback form.
Of those 98 playtest responses, over 40% of them tested the game for more than 20 hours. 10% of the playtesters were totally new to the game, which gave us valuable insight into the learning curve for new players.
The feedback we gathered from the playtest was very positive and we received a lot of constructive comments. Some general conclusions from the playtest:
Safety, Patrols and Fortification were much appreciated, and we identified areas of improvement.
We had the new iteration of the Military system tested. A lot of interesting feedback was received, but that showed us there’s still some further iterations to do on this system.
Playtesters told us how much they love to build and customize their cities which has further focused us on the creative aspect of the game.
There was a lot of feedback on the UI/UX which will be a top priority for the full release.
Will there be another playtest?
Probably yes. We expect to do one more playtest before the full launch. If you would like to take part in any future playtests please join us on our Discord server for further playtest information.
What are you working on now?
On top of all the improvements and refinements based on the above playtest we are also focusing our work on:
High density housing
Environment overhaul
Road handling and paved roads
Full art revamp of all remaining buildings
Improving the overall monument creation experience
Polish, polish, polish!
We will be back with further news once the last planned elements for the release version are ready to show. Stay tuned and thank you for your [more than we should be asking] patience!
The Polymorph Games team
Devlog #18: Dev News, Spring Sale & Bundle
Hi everyone and welcome to Devlog #18!
We would first like to say a big (belated) welcome to 2024! This year the game marked its 5th year in Early Access and we have come a long way in those 5 years. There have been big changes to the game and we are powering through the final stretch to the full release of Foundation!
What we are working on right now
What are we working on is always the question we like to answer. The answer to this is nearly everything! The main theme of course is getting the game and all the planned content complete and ready for the full release and end of Early Access.
Some of the things we are currently working on include:
Map Edges - time to remove those hard-on-the-eyes map edges
The Castle - We know this is the one you are all waiting for!
Walls and fortifications - Walls will have a cost to build like everything else but will also be part of the wider gameplay mechanics
Military gameplay improvements - Tied into the walls and fortifications, several changes are being worked on, such as setting patrols and creating “companies”
The whole art direction - including fully overhauled buildings as well as major environmental improvements
Monument Design Experience - Adding capabilities such as the ability to replace parts and move an entire monument, as well as a full user interface revamp
Oh! And of course Housing and Residential improvements and changes. A lot of work is going on to get the Housing visuals where we want them to be, as well as bring in the 3rd tier high-density residential. The biggest factor is having the housing look authentically medieval within our style setting but ultimately give housing that wow factor!
Residential concept art: Due to the work-in-progress state of current development, we aren’t quite ready to show too much of what we have been working on, partly to not spoil a bigger reveal announcement but also due to things just not being polished and ready quite yet.
We are aware that you want to hear more and you will soon! Look out for a big announcement coming in the next few months!
Early Access Updates
Some of you may be wondering when the game will receive a new update. As previously announced, the next major update will be the end of Early Access and the Full Release of the game. We do not plan to release any more updates between now and the full release.
With the final development at full steam ahead, the whole team is dedicated to completing the game, polishing the rough edges and presenting to you the Foundation that we imagined and that you want.
We can’t wait to show you the result of all the hard work and share the date of the full release. Watch this space!
Steam Spring Sale: Buy Foundation at a Discounted Price!
If you haven’t got the game yet why not take advantage of the Steam Spring Sale?! Get Foundation with a 25% Discount, right now!
Medieval Foundation Bundle
In a first for us, we are proud to announce our first-ever Bundle offer in the form of the Medieval Foundation Bundle.
We are honored to collaborate with the team behind Medieval Dynasty to offer an additional 10% OFF when you buy the bundle or complete the set.
That’s all for now but we’ll be sharing more news in the coming months and in the meantime please keep sharing any feedback and bug reports right here on the forums or join us on our official Discord server.
The Polymorph Games Team
Patch 1.9.7.8 is now live
Fix
Visitors would sometimes lack the service need even when capacity is available
Evicted Villagers that had an expired eviction debuff would have the debuff again at 100% upon reload
House/Workplace buttons in the Book did not enable when a new house/workplace was assigned
‘Monument changes complete’ notification appeared when removing a preview part of an already built sub-building
Abbatial Monastery back window minor attach point was too low
Abbatial Monastery Gallery, Minor part was missing a floor, resulting in a misalignment with other parts
Hospitium Passive Guests were spamming missing needs notifications
Villagers would not consider houses under construction as viable housing
Dedicated to Kingdom! (HARD) aspiration would not complete in certain situations even though it should have
Update
Localization (translations)
Modding
Expose missing components for custom Livestock:
COMP_LIVESTOCK
BEHAVIOR_LIVESTOCK
Patch 1.9.7.7 is now live
Fix
Upgrading house construction visuals were, on rare occasions, located at 0,0
Update
Localization (translations)
Patch 1.9.7.6 is now live
Thanks for your bug reports everyone. We have just identified, fixed and released a patch for the following issues.
Fix
Stuck Miners - Some map resources were not being gathered
Mods were preventing the “Advice: Fulfilling Villager Needs” quest from completing
Crash when changing function for Dorm
Rare Crash when starting construction of a building
Update
Localization (translations)
Patch 1.9.7.5 is now live!
Hi everyone! We have a quick patch to fix a few bugs
Fix
Market tent capacity was not registering on old saves
Onboarding Advice - Assign a Bailiff advice text was not showing the Estate name
Crash related to the destruction of inaccessible Treasury on loading
Crash related to an old removed part
Note: Market tents will only be fixed when loading a pre-1.9.7 save. Market tents on already converted saves can be fixed by rebuilding the tents.
The 1.9.7 QOL Update is Now Live!
Hello everyone!
We are excited to announce that the 1.9.7 QOL update is now available!
1.9.7 is the first of our Quality of Life (QOL) updates as we work toward the game's Full Release. For more information on the recent change to our release plan, check out the link at the bottom of this announcement.
Your feedback is very important to us and we have looked to address some of the most requested QOL features in this update, as well as further improvements we have been planning. Let’s dive right in and take a look at what you will find in the 1.9.7 QOL update…
Interior Access
Previous to 1.9.7, some monument buildings required a separate door, which could limit creativity and also did not make sense for a monument as a whole. Now, with 1.9.7 buildings will check interior access to the whole building, meaning that a single door could be enough. For example, an entrance to your treasury could be part of an attached Great Hall.
Furthermore, so that you can check that your buildings are accessible, we have added a handy toggleable tool that will clearly show when your buildings have interior access, letting you know if they are fully navigable or not.
Buildings Function Status
Buildings now have a clear function status with feedback to the player that will indicate when they can no longer work if one of their construction requirements is missing. Restoring the condition will resume the workplace.
Ghost Construction Preview
Another much-requested feature was the ability to see your ongoing construction sites when placing new buildings. Now in 1.9.7, all other buildings under construction will show as ghost visualizations, making for much easier placement of new construction projects or when editing Monuments.
Improved Construction Flow
One issue frequently raised in the community centered around how builders were affecting the construction flow. Previously, builders would be sent to construction sites based on their proximity to a site. This could cause projects to be completed in an unexpected order making it hard to plan.
With 1.9.7, builders will now prioritize constructions based on the order in which they were started making it easier to plan your projects. We have also improved the algorithm so that builders will be dispatched more evenly between different types of construction projects so that all your builders don’t get tied up on any mega-projects.
Traveling and Work Time
We have now removed the villager's travel time from their overall work time, enabling your villagers to use their work time more effectively. For instance, crop yields and production cycles will be more consistent, despite any long distances your villagers may have to walk to get to work.
Villagers require to fulfill their needs of course, so efficiency can still be lost with large work-to-needs fulfillment distances.
Improved Map Generator
We have made some major improvements in 1.9.7 with an overhauled Map Generator. You’ll find improved visuals and shaders making it much easier to identify elevations on the Map Gen minimap.
Additionally, we have addressed a couple of bugs and implemented further improvements, so that you should no longer encounter any micro-territories or broken territories on your maps nor find any inaccessible mineral deposits.
Resource Favorites
This one has been at the top of many of your feature requests… It is now possible to choose your favorite resources to add to the Resource Bar! Mark as many favorites as you wish in the resource window of the Book.
The Monastic Emissary & Mandate Window
A new building function has been added to the Monastery! The Emissary Office will employ a Sister or Brother in the role of Emissary (similar to the Bailiff role), dealing with Clergy privileges and mandates. Consequently, we have also revamped the Mandate Window to take into account the new Emissary role.
Housing Upgrades/Downgrades
When a House is upgraded or downgraded, it would previously revert to its foundation construction stage and could easily be mistaken for a brand-new house. To remove this potential confusion, houses will downgrade or upgrade to a later construction step, making it more clear what tier of housing it is, as well as no longer looking like a fresh construction.
And More!
Indeed! There’s more! We have a bunch of bug fixes coming with the 1.9.7 QOL update. You can check out the full changelog below.
Changelog
New
Added Interior Access visualization and construction toggle
Players can now specify their favorite resources in the top resource bar
Added a Bailiff option for the Monastery: The Monastic Emissary, a Brother/Sister working at the Emissary Office
Ghosts of buildings under construction are now displayed when you are in Construction/Edit mode
Update
Construction sites are now prioritized by start time, not by closest distance
Workers should go to their workplace before starting their work time
Display attach node only when snap mode is toggled or part needs to be mandatory attached
The Market Monument has been turned into a building with parts instead of a Monument with sub-buildings.
Moved the Clergy Privilege and Clergy Influence mandates to the Monastic Emissary
Overall improvement of the Mandate window & tooltips
Improvements to monument attach nodes
House Upgrade/Downgrade transition improvements to show construction steps and not new build
Tavern Kitchen - worker quantity now scales with building capacity
Treasury - Gold coins are no longer lost when the maximum treasury limit is reduced
Various UI improvements
Fix
Soldiers - soldiers using the barracks as their houses could not fulfill their needs when the monument is being expanded.
Bailiff - Changing the bailiff resulted in the edict "contractual wage" to not be applied until reload.
Book - Logs - Newcomer notification was not updated "live"
Monument Editing - Display all possible attach nodes when a part is being placed / moved.
Cloister - Could not start construction if function was switched
Monument Editing - Prevent parts from being attached to house attach nodes.
Building Highlight - Sometimes, a building would remain highlighted even if the window is closed and the cursor is not on the part.
Mandate Window - The window did not close when the Great Hall was destroyed.
Deliver Wood Quest - Displayed requirement was 50 but required 100 to complete
Unlockables - Show part's description when there is no building function
Missing Unlockable descriptions on Candle & Commonware extension
Map generator
Update
Improved elevation texture visuals
Fix
It was possible to have a broken territory on specific generated map seeds
Some territory regions were too small
Some maps had unreachable village path exits
Some setting changes could create unwanted bumps on islands
Modding
Expose - COMP_BUILDING:getEditMode
Expose - Mandates
Territory Tooltip - Always shows "coins / week" even if resource is changed
Support buying from trade routes with certain condition
Due to changes to the Markets, Market tents will require rebuilding on older saves to get their full capacity
We look forward to hearing any feedback and please let us know if you find any issues. Feedback and bugs can be posted on the Steam forums, or come and join us on our official Discord server.
Also, check out the recent announcement of a change to our release plan here.
The Polymorph Games Team
Patch (experimental) 1.9.7.1 is live
Hey everyone! We have just released a small patch to the experimental branch that addresses a few issues.
Fix
Unlockables - Some part's description texts were formatted incorrectly
Building Highlight - Sometimes, a building would keep its highlight even if the window is closed and the cursor is not on the part
Building highlight - moving the cursor over the construction summary created a yellow highlight that was stuck even when closing the window
Crash - Random crash after deleting church and rebuilding it
Modding
Update
Expose - COMP_BUILDING:getEditMode
Fix
Crash - Fishing Shacks [Mod]
A Preview Build of the 1.9.7 QOL Update is Now Available!
Hello everyone!
Welcome to the Preview build of the first of our Quality of Life (QOL) releases, on the road to Full Release. For more information on the recent change to our release plan, check out the link at the bottom of this announcement.
Update 1.9.7 comes with a number of QOL improvements for you to check out. You can jump right in and give them a go now on the 1.9.7 Experimental branch!
We look forward to hearing any feedback and please let us know if you find any issues. Feedback and bugs can be posted on the Steam forums, or alternatively, you can join us on our official Discord server.
Preview build highlights
Improved Map Generator
Starting off the QOL improvements for 1.9.7 is an update to the Map Generator. With improved visuals, it is now much easier to identify elevations on the Map Gen minimap. We have also addressed a couple of bugs and implemented other improvements which means you will no longer encounter any micro-territories or broken territories on your maps.
Interior Access
With 1.9.7, buildings no longer need separate door parts but will look at interior access as a whole. For example, an entrance to your treasury could be part of an attached Great Hall.
So that you can check that your buildings are accessible, we have added a handy toggleable tool that will clearly show when your buildings have interior access, letting you know when they are fully navigable.
Ghost Construction Preview
When placing buildings in 1.9.7, all other buildings under construction will show as ghost visualizations for easier placement of new construction projects or building parts.
Improved Construction Flow
Builders will now prioritize constructions based on the order in which they were started instead of proximity to the builder's workshop. In addition, builders will be dispatched more evenly between construction projects. Building flow is further improved with our next QOL improvement…
Traveling and Work Time
You will be glad to hear that we have now removed the villager's travel time from their overall work time. This will enable them to use their work time more effectively. For instance, crop yields and production cycles will be more consistent, despite any long distances your villagers may have to walk to get to work.
The Monastic Emissary
A new building function has been added to the Monastery. The new Emissary Office will employ a Sister or Brother in the role of Monastic Emissary (similar to the Bailiff role), dealing with Clergy privileges and mandates.
Resource Favorites
This one has been at the top of many of your feature requests… It is now possible to choose your favorite resources to add to the Resource Bar! Mark as many favorites as you wish in the resource window of the Book. Resources not marked as favorites will eventually be pushed down to the non-favorite section.
Buildings Function Status
Buildings now have a clear function status and feedback. They will indicate when they can no longer work if one of their construction requirements is missing. Restoring the condition will resume the workplace.
Housing Upgrades/Downgrades
When a House is upgraded or downgraded, it would revert to its foundation construction stage and could easily be mistaken for a brand-new house. To remove this potential confusion, houses will downgrade or upgrade to a later construction step, making it more clear what tier of housing it is, as well as no longer looking like a fresh construction.
And More!
As you would no doubt expect, there are a number of bug fixes coming with the 1.9.7 QOL update, which are included in this Preview build. You can check out the full changelog below.
How to play the preview build
Open Steam
Right-click on Foundation from your Library
Click Properties -> BETAS
Opt into the Experimental branch.
This will initiate a download (Note: you may need to restart Steam for the download to begin). Once the download is complete, you will be able to play the preview version of Update 1.9.7!
Changelog
New
Added Interior Access visualization and construction toggle
Players can now specify their favorite resources in the top resource bar
Added a Bailiff option for the Monastery: The Monastic Emissary, a Brother/Sister working at the Emissary Office
Ghosts of buildings under construction are now displayed when you are in Construction/Edit mode
Update
Construction sites are now prioritized by start time, not by closest distance
Workers should go to their workplace before starting their work time
Display attach node only when snap mode is toggled or part needs to be mandatory attached
The Market Monument has been turned into a building with parts instead of a Monument with sub-buildings.
Moved the Clergy Privilege and Clergy Influence mandates to the Monastic Emissary
Improvements to monument attach nodes
House Upgrade/Downgrade transition improvements to show construction steps and not new build
Overall improvement of the Mandate window & tooltips
Various UI improvements
Fix
Soldiers - soldiers using the barracks as their houses could not fulfill their needs when the monument is being expanded.
Bailiff - Changing the bailiff resulted in the edict "contractual wage" to not be applied until reload.
Book - Logs - Newcomer notification was not updated "live"
Monument Editing - Display all possible attach nodes when a part is being placed / moved.
Cloister - Could not start construction if function was switched
Monument Editing - Prevent parts from being attached to house attach nodes.
Building Highlight - Sometimes, a building would remain highlighted even if the window is closed and the cursor is not on the part.
Mandate Window - The window did not close when the Great Hall was destroyed.
Deliver Wood Quest - Displayed requirement was 50 but required 100 to complete
Unlockables - Show part's description when there is no building function
Missing Unlockable descriptions on Candle & Commonware extension
Map generator
Update
Improved elevation texture visuals
Fix
It was possible to have a broken territory on specific generated map seeds
Some territory regions were too small
Somea maps had unreachable village path exits
Some setting changes could create unwanted bumps on islands
Modding
Territory Tooltip - Always shows "coins / week" even if resource is changed
Support buying from trade routes with certain condition
Also, check out the recent announcement of a change to our release plan here.
