Greetings fair Nysians,

From our entire team, we wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season! The year isn’t quite over yet - so we’re releasing a update packed with significant quality of life improvements, bug fixes and enhancements to Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown.

In your feedback across our Discord and Steam forums, you requested for us to add Edge Scrolling, to span across your provinces with ease. We're excited to confirm this is now available, as well as a complete rework of our vegetation system! Here are the details of everything we’ve released as part of our December update:

Added:

• Edge Scrolling - Found in the setting and off by defaut
  
• Vegetation System improvements (see comprehensive breakdown below)

Fixed:

• Fixed hunters lodge workers trying to hunt outside their territory
  
• Updated tutorial steps for a better experience
  
• Fixed Wyramxa outpost units not targeting player units
  
• Fixed military unit patrol order
  
• Fixed issue with caravans bunching up or setting stuck in towns blocking trade routes
  
• Updated battle report after destroying towns and outposts to be clearer
  
• Fixed bug with wells that stop water production after being rebuilt

Changed:

• Optimized unit pathfinding and terrain detection
  
• Added estimated completion time to building production UI
  
• Updated camera far clip plane to be based off zoom height
  
• Optimized save data
  
• Updated lighting systems

Vegetation System Overview
As the ruler of Nysamor, your duty is to take care of your people. Each province within the kingdom has slightly different resource availability, but regardless of the type of leadership you choose to lead your civilians, providing them with access to the proper resources, open grassland and plains to ensure flat buildable land is ideal for agriculture that will sustain everyone.

Current
New
Our team has been hard at work overhauling the vegetation within each of the biomes, and we're excited to highlight the significant improvements and enhancements that this change has had on game performance, frame rate, lighting, and visuals of Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown:

• Improved Gameplay Performance
  
  • Smoother gameplay with most PCs seeing a 10-30% improvement in FPS over the old system, representing a notable percentage increase in performance.
• Increased Grass and Vegetation Density
  
  • Significantly increased the density of grass and vegetation, enhancing visuals without impacting performance on both low- and high-end systems.
• Road Building Enhancements
  
  • Roads now automatically remove grass when being built, improving the overall appearance and functionality.
• Enhanced Lighting Effects
  
  • This update includes visual improvements to lighting for a more polished look.
• Optimized Rendering Performance at 4K
  
  • Rendering performance is significantly improved, ensuring smoother visuals at higher resolutions.
• Improved Vegetation Rendering
  
  • New vegetation assets have streamlined rendering code, paving the way for easier future improvements.
• Ultra Shadows Upgrade
  
  • Ultra shadow settings now use 4K shadows, resulting in much cleaner and more detailed shadow rendering.
• Better Visuals on Low-End PCs
  
  • Low-end PCs using lower graphics quality settings retain more visual fidelity, minimizing the trade-off between performance and quality.

Current
New
Now is your time. This is your land. Your kingdom. Your war to win. Long may you reign, and long may you thrive.

Chat with us on Discord about your own journey as you play through the campaign! If you’d like to stay updated with all future developments, be sure to follow us on:

Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown Website - Official Website[thrivehltc.com]
X/Twitter - Follow us @thrivehltc[x.com]
Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page[www.facebook.com]
YouTube - Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel

Find out more about PlaySide Publishing on its official website[www.playsidestudios.com]

To learn more about Zugalu Entertainment, please visit its official website[www.zugalu.com]

Greetings! We’ve loved seeing you all playing and taking over the world of Nysamor throughout our first month of Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown’s Early Access. As we continue to support the game post launch, we’ve crafted a development roadmap to guide you through what lies ahead.

Your feedback, suggestions and bug reports have been invaluable since we launched, and have helped us shape our plans on the road to full launch in just a few months’ time! We wanted to begin by expressing how grateful we are for your commitment to ensure your kingdom’s survival. The team has worked tirelessly to deliver the best possible experience in Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown and there is plenty to look forward to!

This week, our December update includes the ability to use edge scrolling to span across your provinces with ease - a highly requested feature from the community, and much more.

Amongst the list above, we’re most excited to deliver some major beats in the new year:

February:

• Influence System
  
  • A new feature that limits the amount of provinces, alliances and military units from the start of a new game. This acts like a currency that is spent to acquire more of these items; but once they’re lost and destroyed, the currency returns. When a new game is started, you’ll begin the game with a small amount of influence, which scales with your province's population or upgrade level of your Keep. You’ll never lose influence bonuses even if your population decreases.
• Militia
  
  • Before a player gains access to more reliable combat units, they have no way to protect themselves in the event of an attack. To tackle this problem, players should be able to temporarily hire citizens into a militia, aimed at dealing with the incursion. New unit types will include:
    
    • Bowman (sling or arrow)
      
    • Spearman (spear or pitchfork)
      
    • Scout (knife)
• Riots
  
  • If the Happiness level of a class of citizens is below a certain threshold for an extended period of time and they do not emigrate or die, the people will find ways to make their voices heard. Immediately after a Revolt begins, citizens of that class will take to the streets in a large crowd, yelling and waving torches and pitchforks. Property damage and penalties on Provincial Tax Income can occur!

• Decorative Buildings
  
  • Including the ability for players to decorate their cities in a unique way, regardless of what level you’re at - neutral, Benevolent or Tyrannical. Giving your structures a new look also combats pollution and improves the beautification of the province, which impacts civilian happiness and the bonus output of the structures themselves.

April:

• Improved Wyrmaxa
  
  • Wyrmaxia are the hostile, antagonistic communities of Nysamor that want you off their land and focus on destroying your town. We’ve made tweaks to the intelligence of the patrols, attacks and defences during battle that will improve the combat with each encounter.
• Wall Functionality
  
  • With every wall you place to defend your province in battle, you’ll be able to move them with ease, plus you’ll see an improved destruction animation each time the enemy damages them.

These releases are only a part of what's to come - alongside them, we’ll continuously work on hotfixes and improvements to the game. This is a journey we embarked on together and we couldn't have asked for better rulers to lead us to prosperity. From all of us, thank you for your ongoing support!

Trust your instincts, and there’s no doubt that you’ll Thrive.

If you’d like to stay updated with all future developments, be sure to follow us on:

Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown Website - Official Website[thrivehltc.com]
Discord - Join our Discord community[discord.com]
X/Twitter - Follow us @thrivehltc[x.com]
Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page[www.facebook.com]
YouTube - Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel

Find out more about PlaySide Publishing on its official website[www.playsidestudios.com].

To learn more about Zugalu Entertainment, please visit its official website[www.zugalu.com].

Greetings fellow Nysians,

Patch 0.1.0181e is here! Thank you for your patience as we continue to work through our list of community reported bugs and issues. Here is all you need to know about our latest patch, available now:

Bug Fixes

• Trade routes no longer lock resource slots when making changes to trade routes.
  
• Resolved the potential of the fog of war appearing when loading autosaves
  
• Building Texture updated
  
• Roads now load correctly after becoming Benevolent or Tyrannical
  
• Trade routes no longer disappear
  
• Fixes to Caravans sometimes not deploying correctly
  
• Adderbeast now despawns correctly
  
• Fixed possible tutorial softlock during game saving or loading
  
• Fixed possible crash during game loading (occurred while ALT-tabbing).

How to install a Patch on Steam:
Click on Library to see your games list
Click Downloads at the bottom of the Library window
If the new build does not download automatically, click the Download Now button to manually download the new update.

For any players experiencing issues please keep in touch with us on Discord with as much detail as you can - whether reporting bugs, issues, or sharing your thoughts with our team that will help us to shape the future of Thrive: Heavy Lies The Crown: https://discord.com/invite/thrivehltc

Greetings fellow Nysians,

Patch 0.1.0181 is here! Since we launched two weeks ago, our focus has remained on responding to audience feedback on balance, optimization, performance and most importantly, resolving issues with some players save game files disappearing. We’re continuing our efforts to provide regular patches/hotfixes for the issues you’re reporting and soon, we’ll be sharing our plans for our future roadmap. The team could not be more excited for what’s ahead, and as always thank you for your ongoing support for Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown!

Bug Fixes
Save Systems Optimization & Fixes
Balanced Building Overlap Negative Effects
Well and Farm Production Changes & Production Fix
Balance Update for Wheat Farms, Pig Ranch, Outfitter & Lumberyard
Fix for Archers Being Invisible
Forrester Hut Balance for More Efficient Planting & Harvesting
Adjusted AOI Range for Logger Camp, Quarrier, & Miner Camp for Increased Efficiency
Happiness Level Balancing for Late Game Housing
Fix for Thrall Building Production & Efficiency
Slowed Fire Spread
NPC Town Trading Unlocked at Beginning of Play
Curator Unlock Requirements Adjusted


How to install a Patch on Steam:
Click on Library to see your games list
Click Downloads at the bottom of the Library window
If the new build does not download automatically, click the Download Now button to manually download the new update.

Keep an eye out for what’s in store as the game evolves with each update, bringing even more depth and enjoyment to our players.

For any players still experiencing issues please keep in touch with us on the Steam Discussions board or in Discord - whether reporting bugs, issues, or sharing your thoughts with our team that will help us to shape the future of Thrive: Heavy Lies The Crown:
https://discord.com/invite/thrivehltc

Greetings, Nysians!

We have released a new update today that changes the ways save files are made.

The focus is fixing the issues people are having with singleplayer saves, as well as improving multiplayer’s save functionality.

When you now start a new game, you will be asked right away to name your save file at the province select screen, resulting in a save file being created as soon as you load into your chosen province. This new method of saving should prevent new save files from disappearing. We have also turned autosaving back on and these will be nested under newly created saves.

Thank you so much for your patience while we worked to solve these issues. Our dedicated team is continuing to work on other bugs and issues you have reported and we should have more news to share in the coming weeks.

Greetings fellow Nysians,

Thanks for your ongoing support to help us diagnose the issues around the autosave bugs experienced by some players. It is greatly appreciated.

Today, we’ve rolled out a patch that disables autosaves for all players and another fix to potentially resolve disappearing saves. This is our highest priority and we continue to work on a permanent solution to resolve these issues.

We’re expecting to release a patch with a permanent solution in the coming days, and advise players to manually save their progress when they begin playing and before exiting the game in the meantime.

For affected players, any detail you can share with us on Discord would be much appreciated. Please note that lost saved data may not be possible to restore.

Keep in touch with us on the Steam Discussions board or in Discord - whether reporting bugs, issues, or sharing your thoughts with our team that will help us to share the future of Thrive: Heavy Lies The Crown: https://discord.com/invite/thrivehltc

Greetings fellow Nysians,

Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to jump into Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown during our first few days in Early Access.

Watching players explore the land of Nysamor over the last few days has been incredible. Seeing our community grow, and those who have been here for a while sharing their journeys has been a truly humbling experience for all of us here on the Thrive team.

The feedback from the community has helped us to identify several issues affecting some players. Specifically, over the first few days of Early Access we’ve noticed save files becoming corrupted for some players. This is not something we’d picked up in internal testing ahead of our release, and has been very difficult to replicate and resolve.

The entire development team has been working tirelessly to identify the cause, and are in the process of working on fixes to address these issues. We’re expecting to release a patch in the coming days, and would like to advise players to manually save their progress when they begin playing and before exiting the game in the meantime.

For affected players, any detail you can share with us on Discord would be much appreciated. Please note that lost saved data may not be possible to restore.

We’re committed to improve the Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown experience for all of our players. Early Access is just the start of our journey, with lots of new content and improvements planned over the coming weeks and months that we can’t wait to share!

Your feedback is invaluable - whether reporting bugs, issues, or sharing your thoughts with our team that will help us to share the future of Thrive: Heavy Lies The Crown: https://discord.com/invite/thrivehltc

Greetings fellow Nysians,

Thank you so much for your support of the Early Access launch for Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown. Though it has only been one day, we have been hard at work reading your feedback and working on bug fixes.

Below you can find the patch notes for our very first hotfix, which we have pushed out to all players. Simply jump into Steam to update your game, after which you should notice the build number “0.1.0179” on the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. Please let us know if you have any questions or other feedback!

• Resolved issues with both disappearing saves and also resuming older saves
  
• Path-finding around long obstacles
  
• Fixes for wooden gates not properly blocking off edge tiles
  
• Fixes for workers animation running in place
  
• Added fail safe for houses requesting refill if it's below half, or less than, the current amount of occupants
  
• Fixed issues with top HUD resources showing duplicates or changing based on other players' selection
  
• Fixed fishing dock placement
  
• Fixed loading revolt icons
  
  To report a bug or provide feedback on the latest build, join our Discord community here: https://discord.com/invite/thrivehltc

Greetings fellow Nysians,

Today marks a huge milestone as we prepare to release our first major title, Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown, which has today launched into Early Access on Steam. We’re also offering a 20% discount for players that pick up the game before 10AM 13 November PST/ 7PM 13 Nov CET/ 5AM 14 Nov AEDT, so jump in and start your reign of the Kingdom of Nysamor now.

Our hearts are full of gratitude, excitement, and, honestly, a little disbelief. Four years ago, a team of passionate friends came together with a dream to bring Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown to life. We believed in a story and a world that we hoped would mean as much to you as it does to us. Every part of Thrive: HLTC was crafted with love, and knowing that you've been there cheering us on has meant the world.

To those of you who have followed us from the very beginning, thank you for believing in us. Your encouragement during the tough times, your feedback, and every single message kept us going. We couldn’t have reached this milestone without your support and dedication.

To new players just joining us, welcome! We’re thrilled to have you here, and we can’t wait for you to step into this world we've spent years building. We hope it brings you joy, sparks your imagination, and maybe even inspires you in some way.

As you explore the game, know that you’re part of something special, a community that helped make this dream a reality. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for being part of this journey. We’re excited to hear your stories, your adventures, and to share this world with each of you.

With endless gratitude,
- Branden, CEO/Creative Director

Early Access FAQ

• Why is Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown coming out in Early Access?
  
  • We’re releasing Thrive into Steam Early Access so that players can experience all the game already has to offer, with up to 20+ hours of single player campaign gameplay! We also hope to incorporate player feedback into our updates in the leadup to 1.0 to make the game as best it can be at full release in 2025.
• What can I expect in the Early Access launch of Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown?
  • Collect and harvest resources and build your legacy through effective planning, advancement and a detailed tech tree.
  • Place city structures, set up road networks, build defenses, and assemble a powerful military to exert your will.
  • Secure your kingdom’s reputation through choices in the narrative event system across three distinct Acts, that allow you to make tough decisions that can permanently alter the lives of your people, your settlement, and the world around you.
  • Choose whether your reign is Benevolent or Tyrannical. A Benevolent ruler shows compassion, while a Tyrannical ruler takes pleasure in exploitation and torture - both paths have their advantages and challenges. Be mindful of the legacy you want to leave behind.
  • Adventure in a single-player experience for solo play or play in up-to-four-player Co-Op or PVP multiplayer.
  • Siege castles, plunder trade routes, or confront fantastical Waelgrim creatures in RTS combat, alongside or against other players.
• What languages will be available in the Early Access launch?
  • We’ve localised our game in English, French, German, Spanish, Russian and Simplified Chinese.
• What are my goals in the Early Access launch?
  
  • As you begin your journey to take over your kingdom in Nysamor, we want players to enjoy the fundamental building blocks of survival city building games - build, fail, optimize, admire and progress! Make moral choices during your reign that impact the lives of your civilians; take your open lands and turn it into a bustling kingdom as you accomplish progression goals and unlock new features.
• Can I pause/quit at any time and come back later?
  
  • Yes, in both single player and multiplayer modes, it is possible to make incremental saves and exit to return to your game.
• How will I know when I’ve reached the ‘end’ of the game (for now)?
  
  • Even in Early Access, Thrive is designed to be played as long as you like. As you dominate neighbouring provinces in the world of Nysamor to take over Wymaxia, you’ll progress through the challenges and succeed at achieving the goals of the type of rule you wish to become - will you be a Benevolent ruler, or a Tyrannical authoritarian? Whatever way you choose to pursue, each has their own exciting outcomes.
• Is there somewhere I can find more information about how to play Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown?
  • Yes! Visit our YouTube channel for developer walkthroughs, trailers and deep dives on our gameplay mechanics and more, including our upcoming Steam blogs.
• What are the PC System Requirements for Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown?
  The minimum requirements are a 64-bit processor and operating system, plus:
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 4690 @ 3.5 GHz | AMD Ryzen 5 1600x @ 3.6 GHz or better.
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 5 GB available space
  • Sound Card: Integrated
  Recommended requirements:
  • OS: Windows 10
  • Processor: Intel Core i5 4690 @ 3.5 GHz | AMD Ryzen 5 1600x @ 3.6 GHz or better.
  • Memory: 16 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 (6GB) / AMD® Radeon™ RX 580 (8 GB).
  • DirectX: Version 12
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 15 GB available space
  • Sound Card: Integrated
  Day 1 Bugs List
  You may encounter some minor gameplay/visual issues that will be addressed during Early Access. Here is our initial list of known bugs to keep in mind:
  • Tutorial gets completed without completing the 'Destroy the nearby Grimrot Camp' objective
  • Military Units will sometimes not maintain order of position in a Formation
  • Enamored mastery doesn't appear in keep after activating it
  • 'Battle Report' pop-up appears for all players when any one player defeats the 'Grimrot Camp' during multiplayer session
  • "Deploy Trader's Hut from the Caravan" Objective can't complete if Player Removes Trader's Hut before completing construction
  • Troops/units can sometimes fail to patrol across the selected destination
  • Troops/units can sometimes fail to follow and defend the 'Caravan' when assigned to it
    Two (2) users are able to place 'Traders Hut' simultaneously in the same small province and capture it
    Trade Route Caravans sometimes don't pick up correct amount of planks
  • Duplicate portrait appears for 'The Envoy' during the Owed and Tithed event of Act 2
  If you’d like to report a bug or provide feedback on the latest build, you can do so by joining our Discord[discord.com] or posting in the Steam Discussion forums. We plan to release some smaller patches and bug fixes post-launch, so please keep an eye on our Discord and social channels for those updates as they become available!
  
  
  Thank you for being on this journey with us.
  
  We sincerely hope you will enjoy the result of our work for the last 2 years. Thrive is the biggest project we've undertaken so far, and it wouldn't be possible without the support of our fans and players. From all of us, thank you.
  
  Long may you reign, and long may you Thrive!
  
  —————
  
  Social Links:
  Thrive: Heavy Lies the Crown Website - Official Website[thrivehltc.com]
  Discord - Join our Discord community[discord.com]
  X/Twitter - Follow us @thrivehltc[x.com]
  Facebook - Like Our Facebook Page[www.facebook.com]
  YouTube - Subscribe To Our YouTube Channel
  
  Find out more about PlaySide Studios on its official website[www.playsidestudios.com].
  
  To learn more about Zugalu Entertainment, please visit its official website[www.zugalu.com].