As announced earlier, we're working on a fundamental new addition of featuring blacksmith NPCs and possibility of ordering various iron goods from them. Our hopes to have it all completed this month has proven slightly too optimistic, so the release will take place in April. The good news is there's far more done, than still to be done. That is, if we manage to avoid time consuming sidetracking and spin-offing, as this is indeed an addition that can easily grow and expand with to-dos and ideas popping up here and there. Let's continue with some dones and to-dos after a screenshot of a new NPC in town: By now there's a solid groundwork done for the blacksmith NPCs;

• new NPCs tiles have been drawn
• blacksmith NPC generation is in effect
• blacksmith availability and their level of expertise among different cultures have been considered and in effect in the village generation
• chat options for talking about and ordering goods are set and working
• blacksmith item production works and ordered items get created
• chat options for asking about the ordered item and obtaining it when ready are working
• trading for the ordered item works

In a nutshell the process of ordering goods from a blacksmith goes like; You talk with the blacksmith about the possible goods to order, and then confirm your choice. Blacksmiths will give you an approximation of how long the item production will take, and you can ask about the remaining production time later on too. When the item is ready you go to talk the blacksmith again and the trading for the item starts. So you pay for the ordered goods when they are ready, not beforehand. This way you don't have to carry your wealth around all the time, but can go fetch it when the time to trade for the ordered goods is at hand. It's the usual trading system in use so you can try to offer offer whatever goods you want. You can also ask beforehand what the blacksmith would like as a payment from your current inventory. Time for another screenshot where some of these factors are seen in action; Then, what still remains to be done is to;

• go through the item lists and consider what items blacksmith will produce, considering their culture and expertise.
• set production times, and few other variables, for the items they produce.
• check everything
• check everything again
• test everything
• repeat the previous
• fix, adjust and possibly rewrite something
• final adjustments
• release

Phew.... forging the forging code is a serious business, but we're getting there and it will be a blast. Stay tuned. ːurw_sageː