New London

Lore & Background

New London is the central city in the main scenario 'A New Home'. It is formed by refugees from London who settle around a generator, and the city becomes known as 'New London'. The settlers must face a 'Great Storm' while also contending with the fall of the nearby city of Winterhome. The city is built on a circular grid surrounding a massive coal-fired generator that produces heat.

Players must manage the well-being of citizens, keeping their hope high and discontent low. The game starts with a small group of survivors and several small caches of supplies. These supplies quickly run out, and players must construct facilities such as sawmills, hunting huts, mines, and factories to harvest raw materials (coal, wood, steel, and food) to keep society warm and healthy in fluctuating cold temperatures. The generator may shut down if there is insufficient coal, or explode if the player keeps overloading it to meet heat demand, ending the game.

Citizens work in 24-hour shifts by default, though emergency shift laws can further extend their hours. Players can also construct a beacon to scout the surrounding frozen wasteland for additional survivors and resources, learning about what happened to the rest of the world in the process. Scouting is one way to expand the city's workforce, but players can also build automatons or pass laws allowing child labor or forced labor. Many decisions players make alter the level of hope and discontent; if hope is too low or discontent too high for an extended period, citizens will revolt and the game ends.

Players have the option to use laws to regulate productivity, such as allowing child labour or forcing 24-hour shifts, and can increase support either by 'Order' (buildings and laws to enforce security) or by 'Faith' (buildings and laws that implement a religion). These paths can continue to the point of fanaticism, with the city falling under complete totalitarian rule, effectively discarding the hope/discontent system.

Reader's Guide

New London is the city you build and maintain in the main campaign of Frostpunk. It is centered on a massive coal-fired generator that produces heat in a circular radius, which can be extended and upgraded throughout the game. All buildings are placed on a circular grid surrounding the generator. Habitations, medical facilities, and workplaces must be insulated to prevent becoming inoperable or causing frostbite and illness.

The generator may shut down if there is insufficient coal, or explode if you keep overloading it to meet heat demand, ending the game. Workers and engineers can be assigned to various facilities. Citizens will only work during warm daylight hours, though emergency shifts can be enforced to boost productivity. Some facilities can be fully automated with giant autonomous machines called 'Automatons', created using 'Steam Cores'.

Building a workshop allows you to research technology and buildings that make the city more efficient. Through research, you can construct a beacon to scout the surrounding frozen wasteland for additional survivors and resources. Scouting is the only way to expand your workforce. Many decisions alter the level of hope and discontent of citizens.

If hope is too low or discontent too high for an extended period, citizens will revolt and the game ends. You can use laws to regulate productivity, such as allowing child labour or forcing 24-hour shifts, and can increase support either by 'Order' or by 'Faith'. These paths can continue to the point of fanaticism, with the city falling under complete totalitarian rule, discarding the hope/discontent system. A platform can be constructed to execute enemies or unbelievers by scalding them to death with steam from the generator.

Did You Know?

• Scouting the frozen wasteland is one way to expand New London's workforce, along with building automatons or passing laws for child labor or forced labor.
• The game sold over 5 million copies within six years of its release.