Devlog 05: Building dikes that feel heavy

23 July 2026 · Veenlicht Interactive

A dike in Polderfall is not a wall you click into place. It is a long, slow, expensive pile of clay — and we wanted it to feel that way.

In early builds a dike segment appeared the moment you finished dragging. Players treated them like fences: cheap, instant, disposable. Nobody planned ahead, and the storm nights felt random instead of earned.

Since 0.8 every segment is built in layers. Crews bring clay and sand from a depot, compact it, and the segment only reaches full strength after it has settled for a day. You can rush it, but a rushed dike starts the night already damp.

Saturation instead of hit points

Each segment tracks how much water it holds. Rain adds a little, high water on the outside adds a lot, and a good drainage ditch on the inside pulls it back out. When saturation passes a threshold the crest starts to slump — and that is where sandbags and quick decisions come in.

This change made the quiet daytime turns matter. The best players now spend their mornings walking the line, not waiting for the alarm.

Next time: night shifts, lanterns, and why tired volunteers make mistakes.