Ancient Savo

An open-ended survival and resource management game, focused on raising a family. The game takes place in 1200 CE Eastern Finland, in the pristine woodlands of a region called Savo.

The story

A young family has decided to establish their home in remote woodlands. They pack a set of essential tools and row up the local waterways deeper into the wilderness. After a few days of rowing they feel that they are far enough to have a peaceful spot of their own. Fishing, foraging and hunting provide food. But how to turn pristine woodlands to arable land? Fell down trees, burn them and the ashes will make the soil fertile. Agriculture is a lot of work but a decent harvest will keep the family fed through the long dark winter. And then there are children! More nutrition is needed to keep the little ones fed. And as they grow, they learn skills from the parents and start contributing to the workforce. Eventually the offspring will be old enough to marry and to start families of their own.

Game mechanics

The time-scale of the game is weeks. In-game years flow rather smoothly so you can easily see your building projects advancing and your family growing. Although, it won't always be that easy - harsh weather can ruin your crops, accidents can cause injury. No combat - the cold, hunger and accidents being the only enemies. The game play is about managing the most precious resource - time. Work long days to get that house finished, and run the increased risk of accidents due to overworking when tired. Or work at lower pace and run the risk of your family suffering from cold when the autumn sets in.

The family members will handle a lot of tasks routinely. But you can adjust how many hours are spent with daily routines like household chores, basic maintenance, parenting, resting, and foraging - the remaining time will be available for tasks which you plan. Tasks include crafting, building, farming, hunting and so on. Grow linen, spin yarn, weave textiles, craft clothes. Dig clay to make pottery. Burn a kiln to make charcoal. Collect bog iron to produce iron ingots, forge spearheads and other such essential tools.

Once a year there will be a market event, which you can choose to go to. At the market you can barter for tools and farm animals.

When the kids grow up you can continue playing as your off-spring - either staying to support the elder generation, or leaving to start a new homestead. Once your clan grows you can freely choose which family to play as. Or, you can even choose to play as the spirits of the late ancestors.

The UI is mouse-driven, assisted with customizable hotkeys. The game map can be viewed either in 2D or 3D, you can freely switch while playing. Some game elements are simulated as small text-based stories, where you choose from options, and your decisions will affect how the story unfolds.

Modding

There is a rather flexible modding system based on editing text files in xml format. You can modify and add game elements like items, animals, ailments, crafting recipes and tasks. You can even write your custom stories if you like to. Graphics and the appearance of UI elements can also be modded to ones liking. 3D models can be added in glb / gltf format.

Localization

The UI is designed to support translations.