The road to Virtual Nations V2

[Darkmyre]

 

The road to Virtual Nations V2

For a while now I've been working behind the scenes on something big, and it's time to share where things are heading.

Virtual Nations has grown over many years, one feature at a time. That's given us a game with a lot of depth, but also one where some systems don't quite fit together the way they should, and where the code underneath makes new features harder to build than they ought to be. V2 is a rebuild of the game on modern foundations, with a new interface and a chance to fix long-standing problems properly rather than patching around them.

Your progress is safe
This is not a reset. When V2 launches, your account moves across with it, including:

• Your character and level
• Your skills (converted fairly into the new skill system; more on that below)
• Your cash and VBX
• Your inventory, property, and companies
• Your nation, its regions and its government

Where something changes shape in V2 (for example an industry being folded into a new business type), it will be converted to its new equivalent or compensated. Nothing simply disappears.

What's changing
The details are still being designed, so treat these as directions rather than promises:

Economy: A full sweep so that every industry and product has a real purpose in everyday play, along with more flexible businesses that can produce a range of goods instead of a single one.

Skills: Today's work skills and physical/military skills run on different scales and grew up separately. V2 brings them into one consistent system, and existing skill progress will be carried across fairly.

Military: Clearer roles for military structures, some long-planned additions, and improvements to how battles play out.

World map: Fixes to long-standing region and map issues, building on the new interactive world map.

Interface: A completely new, modern look that works properly on mobile.

First up: a new way to log in
The first change you'll see comes before V2 itself: a new login system, shared by the game and the forum, with the option to sign in using an existing social account. Your current username and password will keep working, and you'll be guided through linking your account the first time you sign in. I'll post full details before it goes live.

How you can help

• Beta testing: Before launch there will be a closed beta where you can try V2 with a copy of your own account. More details will be posted about this in the lead up to the closed beta commencing.
• Translation: V2 will come with a new, easier way for players to help translate the game. If you've translated for vNations before, or would like to, let me know.
• Feedback: If there's a system you've always felt was missing, broken, or pointless, now is the best time to say so: either in the existing Feature Requests section, or a forum post. If you have multiple suggestions, it would be preferable to have a separate thread/suggestion for each.

There's no launch date yet. I'd rather announce one once I'm confident in it than give a date and miss it. I'll keep posting updates as each piece comes together.

Thank you, especially to those of you who've been here for years. V2 is being built for you.

- Darkmyre