It's finally here!! We have been itching to share this with you for weeks, it's been hard to keep quiet!
We've enjoyed sharing a range of updates on the game with you over the last few months, but we have something quite special for you today as part of the E3 2021 showcases.
We are ecstatic to be able to share with you the first official Smalland trailer from Merge Games. We hope this gives you a sense of the game that we want to deliver to you later this year.
Discover what became of the surface world as you and your comrades explore this vast open world. climb skyscraper-sized trees, build rudimentary shelters (at the start), craft powerful armour with unique abilities, complete quests to aid your people and discover seemingly abandoned locations now reclaimed by nature.
Key Features
A huge open, sandbox-world to explore from a tiny perspective
Build bases and shelters with a host of upgrades and customisations
Discover the lore behind SMALLAND through quests and the hidden NPCs scattered throughout the world
Dynamic weather and random events organically create hazardous situations or fortunate events
Player upgrades and customisation, craft powerful armour to earn and unlock new abilities
Creature factions: Work alongside creatures, gain their trust, earn allies and mounts
The love the community has shown us as we've been building the world of Smalland and sharing progress with you has been wonderful, and we appreciate the community so much. Please share the trailer far and wide as we'd love to bring Smalland to as many people as possible.
We always love to hear your feedback so be sure to let us know what you think. We're coming to early access this year so be sure to follow us for updates!
We're back with another FAQ Friday to give a bit of a deeper dive into some of the excellent questions raised by the community.
Let's get into it!
Could we get an idea of how big the map is? Maybe compared to other survival games?
It's big, it's huge, compared to other games is kind of hard as some games have detailed areas with lots to do and others are much bigger by comparison but have lots of less detailed areas to travel across. So a straight comparison isn't fair, but we could make a massive desert which would be hugely optimal but it wouldn't be fun, or a very small but detailed complex area that's great for gameplay.
However, we can confidently say it is very big, not just from your special perspective, but because exploration is a big focus, the map and areas to explore and discover has been a focus, and the feedback on how big the map is during our behind the scenes tests have come back really positive.
Will there be some easter eggs regarding media, old and new, regarding the game subject matter to find and linked to achievements? IE: 1: Honey I Shrunk The Kids. 2: Fantastic Voyage 3: Any B-rated cheezy black and white "Sci-Fi" with giant bugs.
Yeah hopefully, we looked at a lot of B-Movies as references such as Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Them, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and how they emphasise and build up certain elements. Easter Eggs and things to find that are just fun is something we think is important. Kev is a massive fan of B-Movies and Cult Movies, so it's been fun "educating" the rest of the team!
When you're playing multiplayer can you see the other players from a far distance, like their name above them?
Yes, but we go one step further. One of the unique things about Smalland, especially if you're in first person, is because everything is giant your brain is used to seeing things a certain way so it's sometimes harder to appreciate the depth of what you're looking at. So an object looks like it's 10 meters away, but really it's a 500 meters (as a very rough example).
Seeing players in the distance as tiny specs is important as you can help one another, and it gives you the reality of just how far away everything is and makes you feel tiny, so we need to push this more, and names above heads are great up close but not that kind of distance.
So, the characters of Smalland have evolved with Bat-like ears and insect-like antenna which have helped them survive. These antennae give off a glow at a distance so they make players and NPCs alike identifiable from very far away.
This is also one of the reasons they have been mistaken as faerie folk, as they look like Will-o'-the-Wisps from a distance. A Will-o'-the-Wisp is a name for a ghostly light that legend has it is seen in fields and forests and often lures travellers off their path, or, helpfully getting them back on their path. There are legends of these sprites, orbs, or ghostly flames in Asia, South America, the Netherlands, Wales, England, Scotland, and Ireland (and probably more).... so there has to be some truth to that, right?
Thanks again for some great questions and as always we're always on the lookout for some more to deep dive into!
We've shared a lot about the world of Smalland lately, so today we want to give you a special look at a hugely important part of Smalland, you, the player.
Lead Designer Kev is here to talk you through the character design in Smalland, enjoy!
We're back to dig a little deeper into some more of your community questions. Thanks so much for the questions and do keep them coming.
Without further ado, here are some questions and answers for you!
Is there going to be buying and selling like an in-game store? Is it going to be player-driven or all set up prior to launch?
Buying and Selling between players isn't planned for Early Access but could be something we look into in the future. We will have contextual rewards and ideally resource sharing, as there are benefits to working with one another.
Anymore news on the pvp aspects?
Not yet, we have a big scope and are trying to get it into Early Access, so we’re currently looking at a simplified system and then a more dedicated PVP system that really suits Smalland. This is especially because of the way Smalland is designed to be PVE, meaning you can play solo or alongside friends and strangers.
Because of the scope and all the work related to PVP, we’re not sure if it will be for, or during, Early Access, but we’ll update you with details as soon as we can.
Will there be the possibility of raiding different servers?
Not at the minute, with the focus on PVE and setting everything up we have lots of systems and content that we’re planning for Early Access. But, this is what Early Access is for, to see what players like the most and we’ll do what we can to make everyone happy.
We'll keep an eye out for more of your great questions and be back for more with #4!
The pathfinders in Smalland were tasked with going out into the wide world above ground and cataloguing the wildlife that they found. They needed to study the creatures that inhabited the land to help their people navigate this enormous world.
The pathfinders have succesfully found a variety of weird and wonderful creatures never before seen or heard of, so we are going to share some of the expedition notes that the Pathfinders wrote down on their travels.
Here is the first journal entry on the grasshopper.
Today I have studied the Grass-Hopper (or Grasshopper?) They are docile and inquisitive, and seem reluctant to attack. We need not fear the grasshopper.
Some of the Sentinel Guards have attempted to tame a grasshopper as once tamed, the simple insect would transforms into a mighty steed. Sailing through the air, propelled by the grasshoppers powerful hind legs, we could cover much more ground and avoid the various perils of the land of the small.
We'll have more of the Pathfinders notes to share over the coming weeks! Let us know what creatures you want to hear about!
Join the Smallfolk on the offical Smalland Discord here
A big thank you to Jade PG for inviting us to take part in this extended Q&A about Smalland! Be sure follow Jade's channel!
Smalland's lead designer, Kev Harrison, goes into more detail than ever on what Smalland is, how development is coming along and much more! I won't spoil too much here so please check out the video!
Whether you've been following Smalland's journey for a while or have just discovered the game you'll definitely want to check this out as there's an absolute wealth of information here.
Please come and join the amazing community (our Smallfolk!) over on Discord.
We're back to give some answers to questions that we're seeing asked regularly.
We have an amazing Smalland community on Discord so please feel free to join us there!
Here's are the questions and answers we picked out for this week.
Is Smalland coming to consoles? We will initially release on PC for Early Access with the goal of releasing on consoles in line with version 1.0. We'll have more to share on console specifics a little further down the road.
When is early access? To be confirmed, we're still working on getting new content in as well as polishing the wide array of gameplay systems.
We are currently working to a date in 2021, but we are not ready to reveal this date yet. We hope to make a big splash with this announcement so stay tuned! If you’re following any of the Smalland social channels then you won’t miss it!
Will there be NPCs? Mini questlines? or maybe small "villages" of other little NPC people? There are NPCs, these will help guide you through the world of Smalland and help give you information via Quests. It will be up to you whether you want to ignore these and do your own thing or take guidance from them as some of them will have conflicting opinions on how best to achieve your goals.
That's all for today folks! Keep the questions coming and we'll be back with answers for the next FAQ Friday.
Also, we have another fun feature to share with you soon so watch this space...
We get lots of great questions from the community so we’re aiming to pull out a couple of questions every couple of weeks to answer in a bit more depth.
We would love to invite you to join the Smalland discord to really get involved in the conversation which you can find here.
Off the back of the reveal of our lovely new artwork and screenshots, a couple of good questions came up that we thought would be great to address for our first FAQ Friday post!
Can we build on the side of trees?
We're currently working on a system where you can build anything you like, anywhere, but also have specific areas where you can build your intricate bases around a certain point, and then be able to move servers, play with old friends, new friends, by yourself, whatever, and take your base with you. This adds both creative freedoms but also lots of technical constraints and server details that we're looking into, but that's our goal.
The construction itself is a fairly standard approach to survival games, but weather and seasons also play into it. It's also going to be stylised around the lore of Smalland as there are certain characteristics that we want to reflect.
Can I ride on dragonflies?
Yes, you can ride on Dragonflies! They are found in areas of Smalland with still water and while they are more scarce, they do survive Autumn and Winter.
Because of how common they are, and that they are able to survive all seasons, the Dragonfly acts as a reliable noble steed and companion.
It has a method of attack but will rely on the player doing most of the work in combat. The Dragonfly is built for speed, so whilst it won’t have the highest health or armour, it’s fast and has the massive advantage of flight.
Hope you found that insightful and watch this space for regular updates on some deeper answers to your questions!
We’ve got something a bit different for you today! We are very excited to share with you a refresh of Smalland’s Key Art, an updated and more accurate description of the game, and all new in-game screenshots on the Steam page.
The game has come such a long way in just under a year since Merge Games restarted development, and this update aligns everything with the current state of the game, and the vision of the final product.
Our goal has always been to evolve the original concept and the elements that looked fun and enticing and to make them into a fully working and playable reality.
Community is absolutely at the core of Smalland. Everything we do is measured against feedback, interest, and expectations from the community, focusing on the core aspect that this is an imaginative perspective that we want players to see themselves in.
As a survival game it is important that the feeling of struggle, and the subsequent satisfaction of accomplishment, are felt throughout. Along with the sense of unknown that Survival games need, plus the feeling of ownership that comes with not just building a base or a home, but with exploration and the familiarity of friends and foes you get to know in the game world.
Because of this, we have added narrative and lore to help guide players and create goals not just within the game’s fiction, ultimately becoming a saviour, but goals for the sandbox elements too such as Mounts and Pets. Factions that have their own ideals that you may or may not agree with, creatures that can be allies or enemies. It’s entirely up to you how you approach this, just like any other element of a good survival game. Discovery is part of the fun.
So, it's important that you the player are immersed in Smalland, the new additions will help guarantee this whilst also staying true to the original concept; a massive adventure on a tiny scale, with a perspective that’s exciting and on some level relatable, playing alongside friends as you explore the strange open world.
Whether you have been following Smalland from the very beginning, joined us recently or found your way here some time in-between, we would like to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to our fans for the support.
We genuinely appreciate the community that has arisen around Smalland so much. The team always listens to your feedback and it helps so much. We’re excited to share this important stage in the development of Smalland with you and properly share the full vision of the game.
Keep looking out for updates, please check out the new Steam Page and it would be great if you added us to your Wishlist. We’ll also be aiming for more Twitter updates and of course the team are always hanging around in our Discord Channel.
We’ve seen some amazing fan art already, so with this updated look at the visuals of Smalland we would definitely encourage you to share your fan art with us, we love to see it!
From the Smalland Team and Merge Games, thanks for your time and support. Stay safe, and we’ll see you soon.
We’re excited to introduce Smalland composer and sound designer, Pav! Pav is stepping in for this dev diary to give you a little look into the process of tackling the unique sound design challenges that arise when making a game from the perspective of a player that is just a few inches tall.
We hope you enjoy this look at another aspect of Smalland, be sure to drop by Discord and tell us what you think!
