Foxy Voxel dropped a new announcement on Steam today previewing the Going Medieval diplomacy update, and honestly, it’s about time. I’ve sunk dozens of hours into this colony sim, and the faction system has always felt like a half-finished thought. You see them in the Historical Records, you get the occasional demand or raid, but there’s never been a real way to interact. Now they’re talking about actual negotiations, and I’m already thinking about how this changes my defensive strategy.
What caught me first is the idea of hiring a siege party for my own attacks. I’m the kind of player who turtles up and avoids combat whenever possible, so the thought of sending someone else’s soldiers to die instead of my own settlers is deeply appealing. But then I read about the costs—resources, prisoner returns, even full-on quests—and I realized this isn’t just a button you press to win. It’s a trade-off. And that’s exactly what a good diplomacy system should be.
What the Update Actually Adds
Foxy Voxel starts by reminding us that factions already exist in the game’s alternative history—a world where the Black Death killed 95% of the population. You can check your relationship with them in the Historical Records, and it can be Neutral, Friendly, or Hostile. But the devs admit that even Friendly factions might bully you with demands. So in the next big update, you’ll be able to initiate diplomacy with a settlement your caravan has traveled to.
Once there, you negotiate a deal. The options they list are military help defending your home, a siege party for an attack, caravan protection, or a simple peace deal. The services available depend on your relationship with that faction, and each deal has a specific timeframe. That last part is interesting—it means these aren’t permanent alliances, just temporary arrangements.
But the cost is where it gets good. Foxy Voxel says the bigger the favor, the bigger the demand. Some factions might want resources. Others might want a prisoner returned. Some might send you on a quest to clear a bandit camp or ambush an enemy faction. That’s a real cost, not just a number on a screen. You’re trading your settlers’ time and safety for protection, and that’s a decision I want to make.
And if you’d rather stay home, factions can also send envoys to your settlement. An envoy comes with a proposal—you can accept or decline. But if you accept, you get to choose what you want in return. That’s a nice twist. It means even passive players get to engage with the system, and it opens up the possibility of negotiations happening on your own turf.
The devs say the idea is to open the door to more side quests, emergent gameplay, and interesting situations between factions. They also tease that there’s more to talk about and to check back in seven days. So this is clearly part of a larger update rollout.
Why This Matters for Players
For me, the biggest change is strategic. Right now, if a raid is coming, my only option is to fight it myself. With diplomacy, I might be able to call in reinforcements or even prevent the raid entirely with a peace deal. That’s a huge shift in how I plan my defenses. I could focus more on production and less on walls, knowing I have a temporary ally. But the cost means I have to weigh that against losing resources or sending my best fighters on a quest.
The envoy system also adds a layer of unpredictability. Right now, factions only interact with you through demands or attacks. Envoys mean they might show up with an offer you actually want, but you have to decide if the price is right. That’s the kind of emergent story that makes colony sims shine. I’m already imagining a scenario where a hostile faction sends an envoy asking for peace in exchange for my help against another faction, and I have to choose between old grudges and new alliances.
Of course, the proof is in the implementation. The devs haven’t given us a release date for this update, just that it’s coming in the next big one. And the details on how negotiation actually works—the UI, the exact costs, the balance—are still vague. But the direction is clear, and it’s a good one. Factions have been a background feature for too long. This could make them a core part of the game.
I’ll be watching for the next update in seven days. If they keep adding depth like this, Going Medieval is going to be even harder to put down. And honestly, I’m ready to send someone else’s soldiers to die for a change.
