ShireStone was a few buildings, a strip of paving and a lot of empty space when we lived here, somewhere to arrive from the forest and a place to build on but not much more.
And that is changing. The city is starting to grow on me with its own character and places to visit just to relax between adventures.
A city in outline
The very early Town Square was very simple. Separately standing buildings against the flat background and a narrow path that connected them. You could almost recognise the idea of a civic centre with the spaces between the buildings still almost without a story.
For a long time we worked on getting the basics in place before we started adding detail. Looking at that rather empty square again shows just how far we've come.
Places with a reason to stay
Today's ShireStone has a much more definite sense of place. Town Square has stone paving, timber frontages, banners and warm lanterns surrounding a recognisable civic centre with buildings framing the space instead of being apart from it.
Different parts of the city are developing different roles; trade frontages and stalls in the Market, the waterfront on the South Side, the more relaxed fountain courts on the North Side and the enclosed and very worn lanes through the Old City and Shady corner. The Outskirts seems like the threshold between the city and the Dark Forest.
There are, of course, people on the streets between these landmarks. They meet and pause near each other and react to others passing by. And there are small creatures moving close to the ground. During day and night the city changes. And there are furnished rooms such as Wizardwood Tavern which you can walk in to.
These little details will help ShireStone be somewhere you can recognise, come back to and spend time in between adventures.
The next step: a grand capital
The next expansion will be about giving those familiar places a little more city around them. The current Town Square should turn into the heart of a larger district with adjoining courts, arcades and a southern promenade revealed as you walk. The camera should follow you through the district keeping your character readable as new spaces are revealed.
That ambition extends to all nine districts. Each needs its own streets, corners and destinations to discover, but also to preserve the places already taking shape.
Market and interiors
For the Market we would like to see a larger trading district with different clusters of staffed stalls, a forge forecourt, delivery activity, connecting alleys. Several of the shops should have a furnished interior you can enter, walk around in and leave through their own doors.
Opening the shop door will not mean that every future trading system is ready.
Neighbourhoods and homes
Residential streets should feel like neighbourhoods. The plan calls for five distinct, numbered neighbourhoods with gardens, identifiable house doors and homes that players can visit through the existing invitation and access rules. A home should belong somewhere in the city, with a familiar doorstep to return to.
Movement and seasonal authoring
We want more control over the way you explore your city, such as selected zoom levels, in-game scene settings and smoother movement. In the future, we will use spaces for seasonal decorations, so your city can dress up for a special occasion without losing its everyday character.
Still taking shape
The new, bigger Market and five neighbourhoods are the way ahead. This is not a completed release announcement and the screenshots here are a work in progress, layouts, artwork and details may change as we build and review them.
ShireStone was once a flat. But it has now gone a long way and it is the time to make the next turn worth taking - a street that goes somewhere, a doorway that invites to enter. Come back from the forest, stay a while and see what is growing around the square.
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