Blog

NPC Economy Update

The economy of Thornfeld just got real. NPCs now use a supply & demand pricing system!

How It Works

• NPC prices are now dynamic — they change based on stock levels.
• Buying from a NPC reduces stock and the price goes up.
• Selling to a NPC increases stock and the price goes down.
• Each unit traded changes the price of the next one — no more flat rates.
• Stock is shown in the shop next to each item name (e.g. "Plank (stock: 500)").
• Prices slowly return to normal over time.

Live Price Preview

The trade window now shows the real total cost as you move the quantity slider, including the average price per unit. After each transaction you can see the stock remaining and next unit price.

NPCs Updated

• Hank (Blacksmith) — Planks, nails, ores, bars, and minerals now have dynamic prices. Tools stay at fixed price.
• Marta (Tavern) — All food, fish, meat, eggs, and dairy are now dynamic. Drinks and chocolate stay fixed.
• Barnaby (Leatherworker) — Wool, feathers, cloth, cowbells, and pig feet are all dynamic.
• Ivy (Seed Shop) — Worms are now dynamic. Seeds and tools stay fixed.

New: Worm Drops

Mining clay rocks and digging basements now drop worms (70% chance, 1-3 per action). No more running out of bait while fishing!

Why This Change?

This creates a real player-driven economy. When everyone sells eggs, the price drops. When planks are scarce, they cost more. Your trading decisions matter now. Check the updated Wiki for full details!

🌾 Wheat Floor & Pasture System

• New floor type: use a Bunch of Wheat on the ground inside your ranch to create a wheat floor with automatic borders
• Animals standing on grass or wheat floor consume less food (pasture bonus: slower hunger decay)
• Wheat floor can be removed with the hammer, just like grass

🌱 Farming Improvements

• First watering after planting now advances the crop instantly to stage 1 (visual feedback!)
• If 1+ hour has passed since last growth, watering advances the crop immediately and already counts for the next stage
• Wheat harvest now resets to young wheat instead of seed stage (faster cycle)
• Tree stumps now require watering to regrow (1 day after watered)
• Fruit trees regrow from stumps without fruit — water again to refruit
• Stump description now shows the tree species and dry/healthy status
• Use the Hoe on any planted crop to uproot it and remove the soil

🐾 Pet Info Improvements

• Bull Cargo DNA now visible in the Pet Book list and detail panel
• Horse Speed and bull Cargo labels no longer get cut off
• Breeding status Too young text no longer truncated
• Horse mount age message now displays hours instead of days

🏗️ Construction

• Replaced plank, wooden, and stone wall/window sprites with new custom IDs

🌙 Fixes

• Simplified server decay command to prevent future desync bugs
• Horse dismount on login no longer breaks player speed

⏱️ Game Pacing Overhaul

• All timers centralized and rebalanced for a faster, more engaging gameplay loop
• Crops & Trees now grow in 1 hour per stage (was 8h+)
• Plants survive 48h without water — no more losing everything overnight
• Tree stumps regrow in 1 day (was 3 days)
• Resource nodes (rocks, trees) respawn in 20-40 minutes

🐄 Animal Balance

• Milk every 3 hours, Shear every 2 hours
• Breeding rebalanced: animals mature in 24h, pregnancy takes 8h, 12h cooldown between births
• Feed & water last ~25 hours from full — check on your animals daily!
• Sick animals must be cured within 24 hours
• Horses mountable after 12 hours (was 3 days)
• Production display now shows per-milking/per-shearing values instead of confusing daily totals

🕐 Game Clock & Calendar

• In-game clock now visible below the minimap (day + time)
• Day of the week system added — use a watch to check the date!
• Every real hour = one in-game day. 7 real hours = one in-game week

🌙 Fixes

• Fixed night sky staying bright after server restart
• Fixed wheat dying prematurely across growth stages
• Fixed trees advancing growth instantly on every restart
• Fixed pet info text being cut off (e.g. "100%" showing as "00%")

Thornfeld is now open for early testing! Build your ranch, raise animals, farm crops, and explore - all for free.

Join our community on Discord to report bugs, share suggestions, and meet other settlers: https://discord.gg/UHDzymJf

See you in the fields!
- Reeve