"What happened here?" "Looks like a covered wagon was going a little too fast." "Nasty. I wonder if the driver survived. The horses are gone, anyway!" "Hmm, let's 'take' the rest of the junk before someone crashes into it!"
Hello cowboys and cowgirls!
People inevitably always associate Westerns with covered wagons and carriages, preferably in high-speed chases including the inevitable shoot-out.
Unfortunately, this is a romantic notion, and it only works well in fiction. Such a trip was incredibly slow and tedious. Most of the time the covered wagons were pulled by ox teams, and they covered about 25 to 30 kilometres a day. The paths on which these teams were pulled were bumpy and the lack of suspension made the journey an ordeal. The carts weighed up to 900 kilograms and had room for five people.
The Conestoga is a special wagon, but it was used for freight transport in the eastern USA and was considered the forerunner of the "prairie schooner". The wagon's wheelbase was very high to allow it to negotiate small creeks or rivers. These carriages were pulled by particularly heavy horses and the drivers were mostly professional coachmen and were considered tough fellows.
The fastest carriages were the so-called Concorde carriages. These 4-horse carriages could cover up to 190 kilometres a day and, in the best case, offered space for up to 12 passengers. However, these carriages were very expensive and only came into use in the second half of the 19th century.
Are you more the cosy family carriage driver, the professional "truck" driver or are you more into fast express carriages? Tell us about it here or on our social media channels!
Wild West Wednesday - Let me entertain you!
"Joe, please tell me a ghost story!" "Okay, Edward, it's short and creepy. Not long ago, a woman visited a small circus and wanted to ride one of the animals. But because the animal wouldn't let her ride it, she got mad and hit the animal. The animal then turned into a horrible creature, escaped along with the woman, cursed never to dismount again, and has been travelling in the desert with a skeleton on its back ever since. This beast is now called the Red Ghost." "Wow!"
Hello cowboys and cowgirls!
Entertainment in the Old West was manifold: dance, music, theatre, circus (where the enterprising entertainment magnate P.T. Barnum excelled), vaudeville or exhibitions. Pretty much everything was represented that was already common practice on the East Coast, only on a smaller scale. It was late in the Old West that another attraction was added.
1890 - We turn our gaze to Denver, Colorado, where the future "Lady of the Gardens", Mary Elitch Long opened her zoological garden, the first between Chicago and the West Coast (the first in the West opened in Portland in 1880).
Mary was the daughter of a farm owner in California, married young and followed her husband to San Francisco first, where they opened a restaurant in a theatre building. This established their association with theatrical bigwigs. In 1880, the Elitches moved to Durango, Colorado, where they opened another restaurant. Shortly after, they moved on to Denver.
In 1888, the Elitches bought the Chilcott Farm in northwest Denver, renamed it the ‘Elitch Farm’, and bought animals from the aforementioned P.T. Barnum. After the first four turbulent years, Mary's husband died in 1891 and she briefly lost control of the zoo, Mary became the world's first zoo owner and operator. She ran the park for over 20 years before selling it. The original park, which had been developed into an amusement park, no longer exists.
A Fistful of Questions
"Edgar, what does the future hold for us?" "Machines, technological innovations, wondrous gadgets, all sorts of fantastic things and a hole in your hand if you don't instantly put the tool back on the table!"
Hello cowboys and cowgirls!
The clock is relentlessly ticking down and the train will hopefully arrive in Releasetown at High Noon. But before the tension rises immeasurably and the revolvers go off on their own as a result, here's some information!
The second Dev Blog has some answers as to why your hero might need to be as good with a toolbox as he is with words or a gun.
Or whether the game can be played with or without bullets whizzing around?
And what Madame Zujenia was able to find out about the future!
Check out our second dev blog here:
Tell us here or on our social media channels what question still needs or should be answered?
The brand-new edition of the New Hope Gazette is now available!
Howdy cowboys and cowgirls!
The snow is falling on the prairie, man, horse, and cattle are sitting together in their little log cabins and the latest issue of the New Hope Gazette is on the table!
This time the key topics are: The Daltons, a family clan gone astray. How can it be that 4 comic heroes can make such a racket? Or is there more to it?
Guns under the tree - not toys, even if Edward thinks otherwise. We look at the famous Winchester repeater, a legend of the Old West.
Up in the sky circles a good friend you should always keep an eye on, because he will feast on you if you get into a mess. Get to know him!
A bite below the belt and even further down. Just above the kneecap, animals can chew their way through. Find out which ones in the new issue of the New Hope Gazette!
Wild West Holiday
“Edward, what shall be your gift this year?” “A brand spanking new BFS 901 shotgun!” “Edward, you’re a kid!” “Have you seen the creatures out there in the desert, Grandpa?”
Howdy Cowboys and Cowgirls!
We hope your gifts list didn't get too fancy, wish you relaxed holidays and a happy new year!
The teams of Moon Punch Studio and Toplitz Productions
Wild West Wednesday - My farm, my field, my feud
"That cow jumped the fence, she's mine now!" "I'm about to throw you over the fence!" *gulp*
Hello cowboys and cowgirls
In the second half of the 19th century, new circumstances arose for the common people concerning agriculture and cattle breeding in the United States, due to the politically questionable decisions of the time. The government introduced several laws to make the land on the other side of the Mississippi arable.
The great plains to the west of the river system suffer from a lack of water, although this is no longer apparent today; the region is semi-arid, i.e., evaporation exceeds precipitation.
But where man previously lived in harmony with nature, machinery revolution in the agricultural sector now spread at breakneck speed. The groundwater and the comparatively low rainfall were now used to replace the steppe landscape with enormous grain fields and to eliminate the fauna.
These tremendous upheavals that the Great Plains experienced at that time led to conflicts on various levels: Man against nature, newcomers against indigenous peoples, and even capital blithely meddled against its rivals. One such conflict erupted in 1878 on the edge of the great plains in Lincoln County, New Mexico, where a rich English rancher and banker clashed with two already established businessmen who did not want to let the newcomer spoil their business. This extensive dispute, which also involved Billy the Kid, escalated across all parties, and culminated in the Battle of Lincoln. In the years that followed, the area rarely came to rest. The whole thing became known as the Lincoln County Cattle War.
Let's hope you don't start a cattle war. If you have any clues about the whereabouts of the gangs from this conflict, feel free to post here or on our social media channels!
The Good, the Handsome and the Looks!
“Where do you go, Ma’am?” “Hope!” “Never heard!” “It’s a 14-day ride from the last train station.” “Ok, middle of nowhere.” “But it’s beautiful there!”
Hello cowboys and cowgirls!
In 10 weeks the Early Access will begin and the engineer on the Hype Train will be throwing a few more coals into the fire.
Today we have the first part of our DevBlog series for you, which we have subtitled "Visuals of the Wild West".
There's a bit of game-world to visit, the corners where you bump your feet on rocks and the places where the juiciest cattle feed can be found.
But take a look for yourself!
Tell us here or on our social media channels where you think the grass is always green?
Wild West Wednesday - Think quick and draw faster!
"Now try to hit this can over there! Hmm, you missed it. Again! Again, nothing! No, miles off the mark! I guess you need a shotgun or a cannon instead!"
Hello cowboys and cowgirls!
Last week we witnessed: The Old West was no petting zoo and perilous people prowled there, but danger was especially present if you got in the way of a gunslinger.
Some were cunning and vicious; others maintained the law. What they all had in common was excellent marksmanship.
Excellent marksmen possess good footing and conditioning, a good grip as well as perfect aim, they spot targets through the fire and can be extremely flexible in repetition. Technical jargon? We don't want to give a technical lecture on shooting, and you don't have to be trained in gunfighting to play Wild West Dynasty. But it is interesting enough to comprehend how men like Dallas Stoudenmire could survive a shoot-out like "Four Dead in Five Seconds".
The newly appointed Marshal of El Paso, a lawless spot at the time, got into an altercation between a constable and the former Town Marshal after only three days in office, killing 4 men in five seconds, three of them at the hands of Stoudenmire.
Another famous gunman was "Wild Bill" Hickok, who emerged victorious from six gunfights, including a duel at a range of over 75 yards.
Would you pick your personal gunslinger in Wild West Dynasty if it was possible, or would you take matters into your own hands? Tell us here or on our social media channels!
Wild West Wednesday - Killing time
"Dude, you're snoring!" "Nah, I don't!" *click* "Alright!"
Hello Cowboys and Cowgirls!
Now that you have a few weeks to kill, we've dug up a sinister western legend from the trove and hope that your in-game fate won't end the same way or that you'll follow the same path as this man: John Wesley Hardin.
Never heard of him, some of you may say. Very well, Mr. Hardin was an outlaw and gunslinger who shot his first man in 1868 at the tender age of 15. He then went on the run with another outlaw and the legend unfolded. The next shooting was recorded in 1870, when a card player was somewhat unhappy about Hardin's alleged streak at the game. More alleged killings followed.
After Hardin was arrested in 1871, he evaded transfer to prison by duping the guards and a fellow inmate. You guessed it: at gunpoint. In the years that followed, Hardin was active in Texas as a gunfighter, crossing paths with the far more famous "Wild Bill" Hickok, for whom he had respect.
Hardin was sentenced to 24 years in prison for his actions in the years from 1871, but he was not caught until 1877, after his involvement in the Sutton-Taylor feud. In the meantime, he had - according to his own statement - shot 44 men.
Hardin spent 14 years of his life in prison, where he educated himself to become a lawyer. He was released in 1894, but the following year the arrest of one of Hardin's acquaintances and a subsequent quarrel abruptly ended his life when he was shot in the back by a former gunfighter, John Selman Jr.
A tragic story, from beginning to end. Perhaps we'll see tragedies for you to resolve in Wild West Dynasty? Maybe some comedy as well? Let's find out in just over ten weeks, the NPCs are being briefed right now! As always, feel free to share your comments here or on our social media.
Tuesday. 9:35 a.m. The Release City Express 15 miles outside Release City.
"Murph, look up ahead. There's a cow on the tracks!" "Not again!” "They're pushing another cow on the tracks!" "BRAAAAKE!"
Hello cowboys and cowgirls!
The train to Release City has made its penultimate stop on its route. It's carrying some very important cargo in the mail wagon. So important, in fact, that we'd better tell you about it now before it falls into the hands of bandits.
Before we hand over the package to you, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your patience so far, and we hope that you will remain loyal to us until the journey begins. We would like to use the remaining time until the start of Early Access to add a few things to the game and that brings us to the topic at hand. The start of Early Access will be delayed by a few weeks, but we already have a date for the launch: February 16, 2023. Please excuse the inconvenience in this regard.
We hope that we can share some gameplay news with you soon, because we have a few things to tell you about it!
In the meantime, we can give you a short glimpse into the revamped world of Wild West Dynasty with our new In-Game-Teaser. As you can see: A lot has happened with the visuals - and there is plenty more, where that came from.
Thank you again for your patience and interest! As always, drop us a line in the comments or on our social media channels! We'll be reading you again soon!
