We’re very excited to announce that new Research Trees will soon be added to Game of Thrones: Conquest. Game Designer McPivot recently joined us live on our monthly Discord Stage to break down some of the exciting changes heading to the game later this year.
Can you tell us a bit about the next big thing heading to Game of Thrones: Conquest?
McPivot: There is some very cool stuff coming, but one thing I’m very excited to announce is that we’re showing Research some love with two new trees!
What is the general overview of the upcoming Research Trees? Can you go into a bit of detail for our listeners?
McPivot: There will be two main trees, Military III and Dragon Combat. Neither of these new trees will unlock any major features, but will offer up some pretty substantial stat increases. Combat is focused on both with and without dragons.
What made the team want to develop new Research trees in-game after such a long time?
McPivot: Well, it has been a long time since Dragoncare was introduced, let alone Military II and we felt like it was a good time. The game feels better when your intrinsic aspiration to get better is spread throughout the game. Rewards from events and leaderboards mean more and feel better and there is less pressure to be engaged during specific events at specific times.
What are some of the big design goals for this new feature? What makes these trees stand out from the ones released in the past?
McPivot: These trees will feel substantially more powerful than past trees with larger stat increases and non-linear stat curves. Ranged, Infantry and Cavalry research nodes are in their own branches toward the bottom and one does not require the other.
Will there be new resources to help support these new trees?
McPivot: There is! Players will be collecting a new resource called Glass Candle Shards which is inspired by the Dragonglass Candles used by the Maesters in the lore of Westerous. The Glass Candle Shards will be used in both trees but less so in Dragon Combat as Dragon Tomes will be used there as well.
How do you feel these new Research Trees will be beneficial to both veteran players and newer players alike and what problems does it solve?
McPivot: We learned from the 4th line enhancements years ago that it’s better to prioritize breadth over depth. Early universal troop type boots allowed newer or even more casual players to engage with the trees before committing to a troop type. At the same time we wanted to leave room for players to form aspirations around deeper, more meaningful, stat gains with the more resources that they spend.
McPivot: We also wanted to balance costs correctly. It’s important that we respect and reward players who have accrued vast stockpiles of basic or research specific resources while not making it unreachable for newer and casual players. We did this by how we distribute the costs across the length of the tree and the depth of each research node.
What is the timeline on this new feature and when can players get their hands on these new Research trees in-game?
McPivot: In the near future! I am not sure if I am allowed to divulge all the secrets but it’s coming fast.
And finally, since we’re talking Research, does that mean players can expect more loadout presets to be in these new trees?
McPivot: We thought about it. More Presets is a big request we hear from players though, so we actually decided rather than gate more presets behind the upcoming research release, we found a way to increase them across the board for players, today.
By default, players now have:
- 12 more Player Gear presets
- 14 more Small Council presets
- 11 more Dragon Gear presets
- 10 more March presets
- And 8 more overall loadout Presets
We hope players enjoy the additional free presets, and that you’re as excited as we are for these new research trees! Be sure to follow us on Discord and our social channels for the latest news and information.