[i]Disclaimer: Features discussed in this post reflect what is currently under development and not necessarily what will be shipping with the next test. Anything mentioned below may change at any time due to the experimental nature of Pre-Alpha development. Nothing mentioned here should be taken as a promised feature or addition to the eventual game.[/i] [h1]HOMESTEAD KEYSTONE[/h1] In the previous devblog, [url=https://steamcommunity.com/games/1373910/announcements/detail/4525647157467807858]Modular Homesteads[/url] was introduced and they continue to be an area of heavy development. The next step was to integrate the Keystone structure into the modular system itself. The Keystone is the structure that the player interacts with to manage the Homestead's family and to store key supplies for the critical function of the Homestead. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43866319/08fb639bcf5af7102b4b0d5662d829afe31b2dc0.jpg[/img] The visual design was a challenge, as the structure had to look significant enough (as the most important structure in the Homestead), signify that it stored supplies, display the Family colours, and also integrate naturally with other modular Homestead segments. The concepts above show several designs that were considered and below is a screenshot of it's eventual model implementation in the game. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43866319/60bc163e100a7b5be5f1b4e7c4aa31142925c86f.jpg[/img] [h1]HOMESTEAD WORKSHOP SUPPORT[/h1] An ongoing goal is to migrate [url=https://steamcommunity.com/games/1373910/announcements/detail/3725082859194861399]Smithing[/url] and other structures to modular Homesteads so players will need to build interior workshops rather than having such equipment scattered in outdoor environments. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43866319/05d4538582d3637b45417e633ec9fe7d352cfa2c.jpg[/img] To support modular workshop interiors, some new design problems had to be solved. First, there needed to be a way to route power from external sources like Water Wheels, Animal Mills, and Wind Mills to the interior. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43866319/cd69d90b60b495de9c7284ef22907193ba4e9fac.jpg[/img] Similarly, there needed to be a way to bring water from Canals into the workshop. To resolve both of these issues, special modular walls for routing power and water were designed for bringing these resources into Homestead interiors. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43866319/ced2b8b2739a92f9855916446cdd928ca20199c4.jpg[/img] [h1]HOMESTEAD DETAILED CONCEPTS[/h1] The concept art below illustrates the various design possibilities explored when developing the visuals for each individual modular Homestead piece. Only one set of visuals was selected for implementation but we hope we can explore other options in the future for further customization. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43866319/114ead8e60d6b3b33bd638e7d95fd05987ea9ad3.jpg[/img] [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43866319/9d0ec66b0541a69c5ae6c51f33920b85fe0cb0aa.jpg[/img] Be sure to add Anvil Empires to your wish list on [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1373910]Steam[/url]. If you want to join the community, head over the to official [url=https://discord.gg/anvilempires]Discord server[/url] or [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/anvilempires]Subreddit[/url]. [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/1373910][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/43866319/df7fe80ab730785967007257a355fd0c9d8dce2c.png[/img][/url]