Hi folks! It’s been a while, but again, we’re just super focused on actual development work, as there is still a lot to be done :) Today we’d like to tell you a little about one of the most distinctive mechanics of Laysara: Summit Kingdom - the almighty avalanches! When building your settlements you’ll have to be constantly aware of the situation around you to prevent the rushing masses of snow from burying your citizens. But do not worry - if you act carefully and thoughtfully, you can save your town from danger. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//41623538/356c71d8ab6a167dcb6854d56de4967d1356235d.gif[/img] [h2]Snow accumulation[/h2] Good news - avalanches don't appear from anywhere. There are places on every mountain where conditions are just right for the treacherous snow caps to form. You’ll be able to see these caps from the very beginning, so identifying exposed slopes below the snow caps and treating them as high-risk areas to build should be your first step. Another important thing: avalanches don’t fall at random moments, once again, the conditions are the key. Snowfalls and heavy snowstorms increase the amount of snow accumulated on snow caps and that can be enough to trigger an avalanche. However, the most dangerous moment is the period just after the snowfall, when the sun has just started to break through and is warming the snow. There is a high chance for the sufficient amount of snow cover to be melted, which results in - you guessed it - an avalanche fall. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//41623538/64dcd45ee675232a127c2d592f7b16f6d8c4a7f8.gif[/img] If it doesn’t happen, you’re in luck… but only for the time being. The accumulated snow most likely won’t melt entirely before the next snowfall, which means the next avalanche will contain more mass and be more deadly. Sometimes waiting just makes things worse (and here it is, an unexpected life advance no one asked for!). [h2]Taming the beast[/h2] Now you know when and where to expect an avalanche - but what can you do about them? Well, actually, quite a lot. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//41623538/1fc6bd6e4a7dde4cf8df98d3c7177d5d8087488c.jpg[/img] [b]Forests[/b] - trees are your first line of defence, as only those deeply-rooted stoics can withstand the full force of the impact and don’t crumble doing so. So, make good use of your foresters, but don’t think it’ll solve all your problems. You see, the trees don’t grow right to next each other and although extremely durable, forests are not the tightest obstacle in the world. That means they will significantly reduce the force of the falling mass but won’t stop it completely in the vast majority of cases. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//41623538/c16ca41903c3e637ecc370cf0a5d423bcfae4aab.jpg[/img] Fortunately, this can be mitigated by the [b]Avalanche Barrier[/b]. This special kind of fence is designed precisely to stop the small avalanches or the ones that have already lost most of their energy. Use them wisely and not a single snowflake will reach your town, but expose them to too much strain and they will collapse like a paltry chicken coop. But what to do when you want to protect your folks from the rarest, but most powerful avalanches? Well, one solution would be just to plant more trees and cover larger areas with forests. That would work, but it’s not like clear land to build is an omnipresent luxury in the mountains. So, there is one last secret weapon you can utilize in your fight against the elements. [img]https://clan.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/images//41623538/98be2fa6806311bfbf7ce9f16626fc70898900b1.jpg[/img] [b]Avalanche Inducers[/b] - the extremely clever design of this structure allows you to artificially trigger an avalanche before the snow accumulation reaches a critical level, which would cause the next event to be extremely powerful. Avalanche Inducers are quite demanding in terms of resources and workforce (ahem, yakforce?) to maintain, but it can effectively cap the power of incoming avalanches and guarantee the falls stay manageable, rather than giving nature a chance to hit you harder than you’re able to take. And there you have it - a guide on how to survive probably the most dangerous weather-related hazard you’ll encounter in the game. It’ll probably take you some time (and a few destroyed huts and workshops) to become a master in snow-protection tactics, but with proper care and preparation saving your citizens from death under tons of snow is 100% achievable. Just don’t underestimate nature. And be alert when those white little beauties start to fall from the sky :) [h2]Release date update[/h2] One last thing - unfortunately, we won't be able to launch the game in Q1 2023 as originally planned. The reason is really simple, we just underestimated how long the development will take us. We definitely don't want to release an unfinished and/or broken game, so we're going to launch Laysara sometime later in 2023 - we'll let you know the exact date when we figure it out ourselves :) If you don't want to wait so long, there is a way to try out the game earlier - head to our [url=https://discord.gg/USEKsNGzMG ]Discord server[/url] where we'll be recruiting volunteers for the closed alpha testing at the beginning of 2023 :) So, now it’s time to enjoy the safer side of the winter (at least for us, there is snow everywhere around here where we live!) and recharge your batteries before 2023 shows what it has in store for us. Happy Holidays everyone! Wesołych świąt :)