So in a conversation elsewhere a couple days ago, I was reminded of some old memories I have of a game called Medieval Engineers, which had a lot of promise, but kinda got cut short in a pretty half-baked state. Still though, it can be decently fun for the right kinds of people, particularly with the sorts of stuff modders have been able to add.
So, what is this game? Well, if you've heard of the game Space Engineers by Keen Software House, it's basically "that, but in Ye Olden Times" - the two use the same in-house engine and a lot of the same base. It has a few big differences though: there's a "structural integrity" simulation, and you can put multiple blocks in the same space (subject to some placement rules, which honestly are sometimes a bit overly restrictive).
I have some pretty strong memories of this one multiplayer server I played on a long while back, where I had a clifftop house in a player village some people were putting together. I dearly wish I had some screenshots of it around somewhere; sadly, all I have left are memories, and one youtube video that shows the village place just as I'd started constructing my less-impressive starter house nearby. Still though, I was pretty proud of what I managed to make, and it's influenced me surprisingly strongly.
Unfortunately, a bit over three years ago now, the developers quite abruptly went "Alright, final update, leaving Early Access now, so long and thanks for all the money fish!" and pushed a quick "last-minute wrap-up" patch out the door before going radio silent. The game, of course, wasn't in anything near a finished state; it remains littered with half-implemented systems and patches as rough as asphalt, and a lot of anticipated features got left by the wayside. Looking at the Steam reviews, you can spot when this happened from a mile away - "pissed" would be an understatement of the mood of its playerbase.
Despite being cut adrift like that, the game's community has been hanging on decently, with a surprisingly strong modding scene that adds in everything from working oceans & boats to an entire "industrial modpack" with trains, planes, and automation. Despite its issues, turns out it's a pretty solid foundation of a game for having both physics contraptions and large static structures.
And last year, the devs came back with a surprise announcement: continued development again!
...Or rather, development being picked up by some community members on a volunteer basis, with updates being part of a "community edition". However, one pretty significant bugfix release was put out since then, and checking the issue tracker, there's still activity as recent as a week ago, so while it may be slow going, it's still something. (Here's where the title's asterisk comes in.)
In the meantime, today I managed to make the stuff in the screenshots above: a gleaming-white castle on an island hilltop, and beside it a temple with a large golden dome. I'll probably (if I stick with it) end up also making some harbors and houses, and slowly building up a proper city on the island. (Oh how I wish there were proper NPCs in the game!)
..oops, I didn't mean for this to get this long ^^;
