Eremite Games launched the Favoring Update for Against the Storm not long ago. As the name suggests, this update primarily focuses on changes made to the Favoring mechanic.
For those who are new to Against the Storm, Favoring (aka Lighter Treatment) is a mechanic that increases Resolve for a particular species, while simultaneously reducing the Resolve of others by five points. Resolve is a number that represents the well-being of a species. This is important because having a value below the threshold signifies that some villagers are unhappy and have a very high chance of leaving the Hearth.
The Favoring system was originally made as a way of dealing with low Resolve values. However, as Against the Storm grew over time, folks at Eremite Games have seen how it can be abused. They said that the mechanic had no downsides as players could easily turn it on and off without problems. They added that favoring obstructed other mechanics in the game as well, such as complex food, clothing, and rain engines, to name a few.
To rectify the situation, the Favoring Update implements a significant change to the said mechanic and now, players who disable favoring a particular species must wait for a whole minute before they can use the mechanic again. This is to prevent favoring another species right away.
Additionally, hovering over the favoring button will change the Resolve values near the species portraits, thus providing players a preview of the effect before they activate it.
Changelog
- Added 1 new Glade Event.
- Altar of Decay: A sinister stone structure created to worship the Blightrot. Cultists have engraved the inscription: "Nothing escapes death."
- The Noxious Machinery Glade Event has been reworked.
- It now no longer pumps rainwater into the settlement's tanks and kills villagers when the limit is reached. Instead, it now “steals” rainwater and generates a small number of Cysts every 120 seconds.
- Added 5 new Cornerstones.
- Alarm Bells: The Brass Order's newest invention - an intricate system of sensors that can detect Corruption before it spreads too much. Workers have a 15% higher chance of producing double yields when Hearth's Expected Corruption Rate is 200% or higher.
- Royal Guard Training: The Crown sends two Royal Guards to your village. Instead of simply brawling, villagers will now train under them. Fulfilling the need for Brawling grants an additional +5 to Resolve, but attacking a trader will result in you getting 2 extra Impatience Points.
- Industrialized Agriculture: +50% to the number of goods produced in the Forester's Hut.
- Advanced Herbalism: +50% to the number of goods produced in the Herb Garden.
- Large Baskets: +50% to the number of goods produced in the Plantation.
- Added a new music track to the Scarlet Orchard (Clearance).
- Added new unique sound effects for traders arriving and leaving. These should help you identify who is currently visiting your settlement.
- Improved the overall performance of the game (especially when rendering a lot of complicated UI elements).
- Changed the entrance icon when placing a building.
So, what can you say about the changes made to the Favoring System in Against the Storm?
