Steam News14 April 20262mo ago

Development Update #22 - Post-Demo Changes

Greetings, Dwarven Kings! It has been about a month since we closed the Demo down. After analyzing all the feedback, we have rolled up our sleeves and gone into full development mode again.

In this update6

Full notes

Full King of the Dwarves: Underground City Builder update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

0 fixes3 additions2 changes0 removals

Gameplay
Events
UI and audio

addedBattle ReworkGoblins are being added to the game that have a separate behavior from the trolls (moving in groups, faster, and can appear within the mountain).

changedDiscoverable AreasAlthough very rare, it was possible to discover some random areas within the mountain in the Demo. We are heavily expanding upon this concept. We want the players to encounter rooms full of resources, enemies, and rewards, in case the player decides to fight the enemies. All according to our core principle - the deeper we dig, the more dangerous it gets.

addedRoom Crumbling, Earthquakes, ColumnsWe want to make establishing the vast rooms in the mountain a little bit more complex. In the Demo, it was possible to dig in every direction, and the only limitations were the water veins that the player had to avoid. We want to add another layer on top of this, where the player also has to build columns and props to ensure that any given area is safe.

changedRoom Crumbling, Earthquakes, ColumnsThe bigger the area, the higher the risk of the room crumbling. On top of that, we want to introduce earthquake events, which the player also has to prepare for. Sounds complicated? Don't worry, you will have a special view at your disposal, displaying areas that are especially endangered and requiring additional attention.

addedOthersIs that all? Of course not. That's only the beginning. We are adding several other changes based on your feedback. For example, we hadn't expected the carpets to become as popular as they were. So not only are we adding a much-requested option to place them under the structures, but we are also introducing an option to place them by dragging a whole route in the desired direction, which should make the whole process a lot quicker. Not to mention, that other decorations are also coming to the game.

King of the Dwarves: Underground City Builder changes

addedGoblins are being added to the game that have a separate behavior from the trolls (moving in groups, faster, and can appear within the mountain).

changedAlthough very rare, it was possible to discover some random areas within the mountain in the Demo. We are heavily expanding upon this concept. We want the players to encounter rooms full of resources, enemies, and rewards, in case the player decides to fight the enemies. All according to our core principle - the deeper we dig, the more dangerous it gets.

addedWe want to make establishing the vast rooms in the mountain a little bit more complex. In the Demo, it was possible to dig in every direction, and the only limitations were the water veins that the player had to avoid. We want to add another layer on top of this, where the player also has to build columns and props to ensure that any given area is safe.

changedThe bigger the area, the higher the risk of the room crumbling. On top of that, we want to introduce earthquake events, which the player also has to prepare for. Sounds complicated? Don't worry, you will have a special view at your disposal, displaying areas that are especially endangered and requiring additional attention.

addedIs that all? Of course not. That's only the beginning. We are adding several other changes based on your feedback. For example, we hadn't expected the carpets to become as popular as they were. So not only are we adding a much-requested option to place them under the structures, but we are also introducing an option to place them by dragging a whole route in the desired direction, which should make the whole process a lot quicker. Not to mention, that other decorations are also coming to the game.

Greetings, Dwarven Kings!

It has been about a month since we closed the Demo down. After analyzing all the feedback, we have rolled up our sleeves and gone into full development mode again. Many hard decisions have been made and today we would like to share some of them with you. In the end, it's your feedback that has shaped them all. And we are absolutely grateful that you shared your honest opinions with us.

Research System

Let's start with the most controversial area. Since the beginning, we have wanted to introduce a unique research system that would require constant knowledge upkeep instead of the traditional system known from other games.

This system has been iterated upon several times. We have made the penalties for an insufficient number of researchers lower. We made the whole system optional and adjustable from the settings. But your feedback made it clear. We need to take a step back and change the whole research system from the ground up.

That's why we are introducing the changes with the main one being that every research is permanent once unlocked. Our dwarves cannot forget the technologies anymore. This should make the game's pacing better and prevent the frustration that arose when players had to unassign the researchers due to some other needs in the settlement.

Battle Rework

The fight sequence available in the Demo was rather limited. A troll attacked towards the end, focusing on structures first and foremost. We want to improve the whole system in every way possible. This includes:

The trolls reacting to dwarven attacks.
Tools that allow us to designate our dwarven units to a specific location.
Goblins are being added to the game that have a separate behavior from the trolls (moving in groups, faster, and can appear within the mountain).

Discoverable Areas

Although very rare, it was possible to discover some random areas within the mountain in the Demo. We are heavily expanding upon this concept. We want the players to encounter rooms full of resources, enemies, and rewards, in case the player decides to fight the enemies. All according to our core principle - the deeper we dig, the more dangerous it gets.

Room Crumbling, Earthquakes, Columns

We want to make establishing the vast rooms in the mountain a little bit more complex. In the Demo, it was possible to dig in every direction, and the only limitations were the water veins that the player had to avoid. We want to add another layer on top of this, where the player also has to build columns and props to ensure that any given area is safe.

The bigger the area, the higher the risk of the room crumbling. On top of that, we want to introduce earthquake events, which the player also has to prepare for. Sounds complicated? Don't worry, you will have a special view at your disposal, displaying areas that are especially endangered and requiring additional attention.

Others

Is that all? Of course not. That's only the beginning. We are adding several other changes based on your feedback. For example, we hadn't expected the carpets to become as popular as they were. So not only are we adding a much-requested option to place them under the structures, but we are also introducing an option to place them by dragging a whole route in the desired direction, which should make the whole process a lot quicker. Not to mention, that other decorations are also coming to the game.

What do you think about all the upcoming changes? Do you agree with all the decisions that have been made? Or maybe there are some other aspects that you consider more important? We are always interested in reading more about that. Thank you for following King of the Dwarves!

Best regards, King of the Dwarves Team

Source

Steam News / 14 April 2026

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