Watch the Foundation devs show me how to play their game competently for EGX Digital

enSat, 12 Sep 2020 11:00:11 +0000Watch the Foundation devs show me how to play their game competently for EGX Digitalhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/watch-the-foundation-devs-show-me-how-to-play-their-game-competently-for-egx-digitalAlice BellSat, 12 Sep 2020 11:00:11 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/watch-the-foundation-devs-show-me-how-to-play-their-game-competently-for-egx-digitalSimulationIndiePAX OnlinePAX Online × EGX DigitalFoundationPolymorph Games

It is no secret that I both really love early-access medieval city-builder Foundation, and am also not very good at it. Luckily, I was able to wrangle Polymorph Games' creative director Philippe Dion and community manager Andy Ashton to show me how it's done, in a combined interview and let's play for EGX Online.

]]>Foundation's updates and new UI will make it the city-builder to beathttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/foundations-updates-and-new-ui-will-make-it-the-city-builder-to-beatAlice BellFri, 14 Aug 2020 08:00:09 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/foundations-updates-and-new-ui-will-make-it-the-city-builder-to-beatFeatureSimulationIndieFoundationPolymorph Games

I know that many readers will have been anxiously awaiting news of Aliceburg, the scenic seaside village that I have been growing in lovely medieval city-builder Foundation, particularly since the Great Accidental Bread Famine of Winter 2019. At this point, it is on the verge of becoming one of my favourite games of all time, full stop, and it's not far off getting a sexy new UI update that I can show you.

The tidings I bring today are mixed, though, because Foundation recently had another huge update to its early access build. V1.6 has made many small but significant changes (including large piles of rocks), and Aliceburg has become a bit borked as a result, especially now that Foundation has some tutorialising and quests to teach you how to build a city properly. Last time, I spoke of one day abandoning Aliceburg as if it were a long way off, but I am afraid that the day is now. Scenic Aliceburg is dead; long live scenic Alvania!

]]>After its recent update, lovely city-builder Foundation has never been betterhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/after-its-recent-update-lovely-city-builder-foundation-has-never-been-betterAlice BellWed, 25 Mar 2020 09:00:37 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/after-its-recent-update-lovely-city-builder-foundation-has-never-been-betterFeatureSimulationIndieFoundationPolymorph GamesSteam

It's been a while since I played early access medieval city-builder Foundation (shamed by the unintentional yet embarrassingly forced starvation of my villagers). January brought with it v1.5, probably one of the most substantial updates yet. Increased strain has been put upon my villagers and their supply chains, but I still find it one of the most relaxing city-builders I've ever played - surely worth exploring if you're feeling a bit anxious these days.

Importantly, 1.5 introduced hop farming and beer brewing to the game, which, in a spirit of benevolence (and also hoping we can all forget the whole bread thing) I am making provision for post haste.

]]>Turns out I was the one starving my Foundation villagers all along, my badhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/turns-out-i-was-the-one-starving-my-foundation-villagers-all-along-my-badAlice BellThu, 16 Jan 2020 14:00:53 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/turns-out-i-was-the-one-starving-my-foundation-villagers-all-along-my-badFeatureFoundationPolymorph GamesSimulation

Regular readers will know that for a while now, I have been quietly playing Foundation, a lovely medieval citybuilder in early access, and every so often I pop in to give you an update. The last update was a stroppy one, because as part of my food production chains I was pumping out more bread than Jesus and his miracle, and yet the villagers were a) not eating it and b) complaining that they were hungry.

Since that article went up, two people have contacted me to (very politely) explain that the whole issue was entirely my fault. One of them was developer Polymorph's community manager Andy, and the other was a nice man called Brendan, who is not affiliated with Polymorph, but is just better at the game than I am.

]]>My furious idiot villagers will not eat their bread, and now they're starvinghttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/my-furious-idiot-villagers-will-not-eat-their-bread-and-now-theyre-starvingAlice BellWed, 27 Nov 2019 09:00:47 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/my-furious-idiot-villagers-will-not-eat-their-bread-and-now-theyre-starvingFeatureSimulationIndieFoundationPolymorph Gamesearly access

Last time I wrote an update on my town in Foundation, a very sweet medieval city builder, I had described said update as "biannual". I am upgrading that to "quarterly", having checked in on it again today and found that I need to reassess several things I claimed in aforementioned previous update. I claimed, will what I now view as ill-deserved confidence, that "once you get your head around it your town will just thrive."

"Much like the desk plant I recently got," I, a stupidhead, went on stupidly, "neglect will not destroy my town in Foundation." That is technically accurate. But I made food and water available to my desk plant, and it has absorbed the nutrients I provided and has sprouted a new shoot. The population of my town in Foundation, meanwhile, is growing furious and leaving for pastures new because they are starving. And they are starving because they won't eat any of the mountains of bread available.

]]>Lovely medieval city builder Foundation has been updated, so let's have a tourhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/lovely-medieval-city-builder-foundation-has-been-updated-so-lets-have-a-tourAlice BellThu, 01 Aug 2019 16:00:40 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/lovely-medieval-city-builder-foundation-has-been-updated-so-lets-have-a-tourFeatureSimulationIndieFoundationPolymorph Gamesearly access

Nate's review of Oxygen Not Included made me interested to try it, and I got about ten minutes in before deciding it wasn't for me, very politely, as if I were refusing a slice of immensely complicated fruitcake from a granny. "Look at all nice bits in it!" she is saying. "I know, I respect your talent, but I do not like those bits all together," I sadly reply. But it's okay because I remember there is another granny who is well into medieval reenactment and she is making me a great big chocolate sponge. That's right, it's time for a biannual check in on ye olde towne simulator Foundation!

]]>Podcast: The games you might have missed in 2019 so farhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/podcast-82-the-games-you-might-have-missed-in-2019-so-farRPSThu, 23 May 2019 16:00:51 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/podcast-82-the-games-you-might-have-missed-in-2019-so-farFeaturePodcastStory RichBaba Is YouFoundationPathologic 2PawnbarianGlass Masquerade 2: IllusionsThe RPS Electronic Wireless showObjects in Space

You can’t play everything. Trust us, we’ve tried. You can’t even take note of all the games that come out in one week. Our mushy human brains can barely keep track of why we’re standing in the dairy aisle. Was it milk we're low on? Or butter? Yoghurt? Hang on, I'm vegan. What am I doing here?

Anyway, you’re bound to have missed a few games this year. Luckily the RPS podcast, the Electronic Wireless Show, is here to mention a few puzzle games and town builders that might have flown under your radar. Let's fire some thick opinion-bullets at them. How else are we supposed to bring them down, so you can play?

]]>RPS-o-chat: we're in love with medieval city builder Foundationhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rps-o-chat-were-in-love-with-medieval-city-builder-foundationRPSWed, 27 Feb 2019 19:00:48 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/rps-o-chat-were-in-love-with-medieval-city-builder-foundationFeatureSimulationIndieRPS-o-chatFoundationPolymorph Gamesearly accessStrategy

Alec: Foundation is like a ba… no, I already did that. Foundation is - and I’m projecting onto it a bit here - a reaction against city-builders and management sims increasingly inclining towards survival and punishment, in this, the age of streaming and gitting gud.

It’s a cod-Medieval town management game, in which the pressure is largely off, and really the focus is more about designing your hamlet than it is making sure the poo comes out of the right pipe or everyone’s got enough raspberries to eat.

It’s currently my go-to relaxation game. Is this because I’m an old man with entrenched tastes and terrible reflexes, or is it achieving similar for y’all too, two of the three Alices?

]]>Foundation is a delightfully indulgent new city-builderhttps://www.rockpapershotgun.com/foundation-review-early-accessAlec MeerFri, 08 Feb 2019 09:00:31 +0000https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/foundation-review-early-accessFeatureReviewsSimulationFoundationPolymorph Gamesearly access

Free-form town-builder Foundation, which popped up on Steam & GOG early access last week, falls squarely into the category of "games I wholeheartedly recommend but struggle to say many useful things about." It's like a bath. Baths are good. I like baths. You should take more baths. But I'm reasonably sure you don't want to hear about what I listened to on the radio, what I was thinking about as I stared at the ceiling for twenty minutes, what colour my towel was or how thoroughly I scrubbed my armpits. (And if you do, let me know and I'll set up the Patreon immediately).

Foundation is indulgent. It's about doing what you want, which is to say building a sweet little medieval economy, without much else getting in the way. Soaking in bubbles, by way of building bakeries and shearing sheep.

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