Manor Lords developer Greg “Slavic Magic” Styczeń announced in his usual fashion (random post to X) that he is working on a new feature for the medieval city builder, an interactive fishing pond.

“We are working on a fishing pond for the next update because we have had a lot of requests,” Styczeń said in a tweet. Along with this, he also posted a nice photo of the fishing pond with reeds growing in the field in front of the trees. A really nice image that illustrates how beautiful Manor Road can look.

In response to a comment about when this feature will be available to check out, Styczeń replied that it will be part of the next patch and that the current plan is a few weeks. This is great news because I really can't wait to see how the fishing pond will help or hinder my village.

This will give players a new source of food. Right now we have farming, berry gathering, and hunting, but even with these options, I have noticed that my population straddles the line of hunger or does not have enough variety in their diet. This affects the well-being of the citizens and the buildings provided. Just one more food option would surely help my village to rise above its meager harvest.

Also cool is that there are different items that can be traded. I deal in shields, swords, and other armaments, with the occasional yarn or medicinal herb mixed in. I can get by with just trading a few things, but it always helps to broaden your horizons. I've already built up quite a bit in the two areas under my control, but hopefully later on I'll have more space and even an aquaculture farm for another source of income. The only problem is if I devote too much space to fish and the market crashes and my muddy watering hole becomes a complete waste of space.

Styczeń has been working tirelessly to patch in significant updates and new features while Manor Lords is in early access. A few months ago, he released a major patch, adding tweaks and new features, such as limiting villagers' alcohol consumption.

Still, however, Styczeń is not without criticism: Hinterland CEO Raphael van Lierop commented on LinkedIn last week that “Manor Lords is a pretty interesting case study on the pitfalls of early access development.” He commented, “Manor Lords is a pretty interesting case study on the pitfalls of early access development. In response, Tim Bender, CEO of Hooded Horse, defended Styczeń's choice for early access, affirming that a publisher's goal is always to support developers.