[h1]O mighty Tlatoani![/h1] One of the aspects that sets Aztecs: The Last Sun apart from other city-building games is its unique setting. In geographical terms. Tenochtitlan was one of the most unique civilisations ever established - not only because of the climate but also because of the fact that it was placed on an island. Aztecs ruled the lands around from that one central hub. This poses challenges for us, the dev team, from the design and art points of view. How to provide grounds, so the players can build what authentically feels like a city on water? [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38759521/d767ae37fc97a3b4c79329f1a670951b1c128644.gif[/img] [h2]Historical context and climate[/h2] The first issue we tackled is the fact that Texcoco Lake, where Tenochtitlan was located, practically is no more. We didn’t have much to go off in terms of accuracy. There are of course plenty of lakes in Mexico and we’ve also seen heaps of lakes in our lives. Water, in most of them, seems quite murky and opaque with sediment. Many of them also lie in marshes, swamps and bogs. On the other hand, Tenochtitlan is located in a tropical climate. Many people conjure images of clear, light water and sandy banks of summertime paradises. As there are already too many games that try to look like real life (as in they are mostly brown and grey), we opted for a more artistic expression. Thus, the “tropical swamp” concept was born. It combines the beautiful, clear waters of the tropics with marsh or bog-like land structures with small islets and mud separated by shallow water. While it isn’t likely that this is what Texcoco Lake looked like, it makes for quite a unique look that emphasises the hot and humid climate. And allows to build a tropical city on water. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38759521/44c50498aa9ed4becb5be8b74c964713a1e1eae0.gif[/img] [h2]Playing in mud [/h2]Having lush greenery and beautiful water is all fine and dandy, but the aforementioned set of islets doesn’t help with establishing a city. There is a need to allow players to express their creativity. Because of this, we introduced mud mechanics. You can collect spare mud that’s left after your building projects (or you can dig up some from some spare land). [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38759521/309dd090ade8231f030b79f4f266817995f780ed.gif[/img] Acquired mud will become a resource that you’ll be able to use to either: [list] [*] expand your land if need be, [*] create floating Aztec gardens (known as chinampas). [/list] This feature lets people make Tenochtitlan as they envision it. It also emphasises how people have been confronting challenges and taming nature since times long forgotten by history. [h2]The importance of waterways[/h2] Aside from picturesque sites, living on a bunch of land surrounded by water poses some challenges. Historical sources state that a lot of transportation and logistics in Tenochtitlan and surrounding areas was done by boats via canals. This will be strongly incorporated into the gameplay. Let’s talk about an example. Your workers will cut trees down and they’ll bring lumber into the woodcutter shack. However, in the final version of the game, it will not be available to use from the get-go. It will need to be transported to the warehouse, which is usually done in real life. No problem, when both facilities are on the same islet. What to do, though, when you manage to chop down all the trees there? You’ll need to find a new place to get lumber and to get it from that place to the warehouse. The most sensible thing to do in this case would be to build a canal between the place where you source wood and the warehouse. This will help with establishing a supply chain. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38759521/05fb18345af4d43f42c932a248ddbcfa3cbe9a3a.gif[/img] The other thing is the chinampas. They were a type of floating garden which was used to cultivate crops. They will also need to be somehow connected to the warehouses - and the canals come back once again. Think of them as one of the crucial parts of urban design. [h2]The destructive nature of water [/h2]Most of the water-oriented events will be strongly tied to the mechanics of the game. While the level of water won’t raise by itself, you need to remember about the possibility of divine intervention. The game will have something called Grace - more on it in the future. It will reflect how much the gods appreciate you or hate you. One of the negative effects that can be caused by angering the Moon goddess is called “flood” (it may be renamed further in development). She’ll be able to cause water to flood some parts of your city. At first, the water will start damaging and destroying buildings. After that, it will be able to destroy your mud-built structures. In its strongest form, it will be able to eradicate entire islets and you’ll need to either roll with it or rebuild the islet from scratch - by transporting huge amounts of mud to the spot. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38759521/01918d6d7a2875d9435d54110a39e050254378c9.gif[/img] We’re also considering other events related to water. [h2]Conclusion [/h2]Water is one most important things in our lives. And it’s been that forever. Aztecs utilised their unique location and circumstances to make the most out of their city on water. This background will allow players to come up with ingenious solutions in terms of management, supply, and countering the wrath of the Moon goddess. There’s more to water mechanics, but we don’t want to show all of our cards at this point. Click that wishlist button and wait for the game - you’ll be in for a bunch of surprises! [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38759521/f9bc175d19f4de6943f0f27a1d2b176a683f748e.gif[/img] ----------------------- Make sure to join our social media and Discord server if you want to be up to date about Aztecs: The Last Sun and our other games. [list] [*] [url=https://discord.gg/Grj6R3B]Discord[/url] [*] [url=https://www.facebook.com/play2chillsa]Facebook[/url] [*] [url=https://www.instagram.com/play2chill/]Instagram[/url] [*] [url=https://twitter.com/Play2Chill]Twitter [/url] [*] [url=https://www.tiktok.com/@play2chillgames]TikTok [/url] [/list] We’re always up for a talk and we appreciate each and every one of you! [url=https://discord.gg/Grj6R3B][img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/35097038/52776425f0640fde78df8f4963da1de04989d4ee.gif[/img][/url]