In this case, developer Slavic Magic has opted not to release a roadmap or to promise anything too specific.
This may feel a bit odd, especially after recent viral hits Palworld and Helldivers 2 took the opposite approach. So, what gives?
Why isn't there a Manor Lords roadmap?
"I do not plan on releasing a roadmap yet," Manor Lords creator Slavic Magic wrote on Steam, with the solo developer opting to address the players directly.
As for why, Slavic Magic said: "I've made a mistake once or twice before, of promising and working on a feature only to find out that the testers didn't care as much as I did and that they actually wanted something else.
"So even if I have a plan, I want to adopt the philosophy of 'listen, verify, implement'. This way I expect the first month of patches to be just bug fixes and polish.
"During that time, together with [publisher] Hooded Horse, we’ll be collecting your feedback and then prioritising work based on what we hear."
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Why is this a good thing?
To us, this sounds like a really clever approach. Firstly, it just makes sense for any new game to focus on bug fixes and polish, to make sure the game in its first form is 100 per cent as good as it can be. You don't want to put the cart before the horse.
Beyond that, it's very refreshing to hear a developer saying so candidly that they want to listen to fans, to take players into account rather than forging ahead with their blinkers on and doing whatever they want.
As Slavic Magic noted, down that path you could put months of work into something that the community doesn't end up jiving with.
With any ongoing game, listening to player feedback is key. As much as the developer's vision is important — crucial, even — so is the voice of the fans. Finding a way to blend those two perspectives, to make them sing together, is often where the magic happens.
And if the future of Manor Lords is one that doesn't include a massive preordained roadmap, we could be in for a lot of magic. If you don't want to miss any updates when they do arrive, you might to join the game's official Discord.
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