FIELD NOTE // HOW-TO-PLAY

How to Play Doloc Town

Doloc Town mixes a side-scrolling platformer with a post-apocalyptic farming sim. You start as a scavenger and end as a farming tycoon — here is the full loop, from day one to drones.

How to Play Doloc Town
1.0-OFFICIAL

Harsh Dry Season (Month 4)

Month 4 is Harsh Dry Season. Protect crops and plan watering; the cited official notes do not establish a trading strategy.

CORE LOOP

The Five-Step Core Loop

Every Doloc Town session follows the same rhythm. Once the loop clicks, the wasteland stops being hostile and starts being your farm.

  1. Clear the ruins

    Break debris and abandoned structures with your starting tools. Clearing opens build space, reveals buried resources and extends your reach. Prioritise plots closest to your home base first.

  2. Gather resources

    Collect 40+ minerals, plants, scraps and machine parts. Even junk has a purpose: scrap feeds crafting, plants feed cooking, and minerals upgrade your tech tree. Learn which spots respawn daily.

  3. Farm vertically

    Craft planters and stack platforms to build upward. Vertical layers use limited space efficiently, help organize crops and leave room for automation. Plan weather protection and watering separately from the farm layout.

  4. Build and upgrade

    Spend resources on the tech tree, blueprints, buildings and your home. Tech Points come from Guildmaster Bellad's quests — always keep one quest active.

  5. Explore new regions

    Use upgraded tools and your drone to reach new areas, including the 1.0 Old City Ruins. Exploration feeds back into the loop with new seeds, fish and materials.

PLATFORMS

Vertical Farming: How It Actually Works

The side-scrolling view is not a gimmick — it is the whole farm system.

  • Platforms stack freely; each level you climb adds buildable surface.

  • Jump and climb between levels — platforming is part of the daily loop, not a loading screen.

  • Planters sit on platforms; group crops by season so you can re-plant in one pass.

  • Build covers or use the Rain gene to protect exposed crops from acid-rain erosion.

  • Leave vertical gaps for drone flight paths — automation in 1.0 needs clear lanes.

WEATHER

Weather Effects & How to Respond

Extreme weather requires forecast checks, crop protection, watering plans and a response matched to each verified effect.

WeatherWhat it doesResponse
Acid rainErodes uncovered crops over timeBuild covers; collect acid as a crafting resource
Scorching heatBakes soil dry, slows growthWater on a timer; plant heat-resistant gene strains
ThunderstormProvides lightning powerHarness lightning to charge farm power (key for 1.0 automation)
Torrential rainProvides rain irrigationLet it irrigate for free; save watering energy
Drought (Month 4)Crops face Harsh Dry SeasonProtect crops and plan watering before Month 4
FIRST WEEK

First Week: The 5 Moves That Set Up the Run

Do these in order and the first season stops being a scramble.

  1. Clear your starting plot fully

    Hidden corners hide scrap that funds your first planter batch.

  2. Plant fast crops first

    Quick harvests generate the capital for tools and seeds.

  3. Talk to every villager daily

    Friendship unlocks recipes, tech and story; it also triggers Blooming Friendship.

  4. Open Bellad's quests immediately

    Quest rewards are Tech Points — the only reliable early tech income.

  5. Prepare crop protection before Month 4

    Prepare crop protection and watering before Month 4.

DAY ONE

Day One: What to Do First

The first in-game day sets your momentum. These priorities combine sourced mechanics with player-reported tips; confirm exact shop prices in your own save. [L2]

  1. Review inventory upgrades

    Check the current shop requirements in your own save before choosing an inventory upgrade.

  2. Do a villager quest on day one

    Quests pay cash and Tech Points — the best minute-for-minute investment in the whole opening.

  3. Plant Endyams early

    A slow-maturing staple; plant it only when the calendar leaves enough time to mature.

  4. Clear your starting plot fully

    Hidden corners hide scrap that funds your first planter batch.

  5. Check the current fishing setup

    Review the in-game rod requirements before targeting harder catches.

COMMON MISTAKES

Common Mistakes New Players Make (Avoid These)

Check these common mistakes in your own save: watering every crop by hand when an available gene or automation task can help, blocking your own access routes, ignoring friendship, skipping Bellad's quests, and failing to protect crops or plan watering before Month 4.

COMBAT

Drone Combat: Controls, Then Strategy

Your drone is both weapon and survival tool. Learn the controls, then the builds.

  • RMB locks on, LMB fires, Space dodges, R reloads.

  • Upgrade chassis (survivability), barrel (damage) and battery (uptime) — in that order early on.

  • Charge beam (F) breaks shields on armoured Scavenger Bugs; normal fire bounces off.

  • Fit weapon and lighting modules before exploring ruins at night.

  • Check each module's current in-game material requirements before spending upgrade parts.

1.0

What the 1.0 Release Changes for New Players

The August 6, 2026 1.0 release reshapes the early game.

  • Aug 6, 2026

    1.0 launches: complete story ending, Old City Ruins, farming automation, Mushroom Fest, 37 new achievements.

  • New players

    Official 1.0 materials add farming automation and farm drone stations.

  • Old City Ruins

    New region with fierce enemies, new NPCs, side quests and resources; many paths lead there.

  • ⚠️ Verification

    Check the current in-game tasks and the linked official notes; this guide does not infer an unlock order.

QUICK

Quick Answers for New Players

Is Doloc Town single-player?+
Yes. The developers confirmed the 1.0 release is a single-player experience; co-op/multiplayer may be discussed later based on community feedback.
Do I have to water every day?+
Yes at the start — but the Rain gene auto-waters neighbours, and 1.0 drone stations automate watering entirely.
Can I build anywhere?+
You stack platforms within your farm area. The Old City Ruins (1.0) adds new buildable zones and resources.
How long is Doloc Town?+
30+ hours for the core story, 100+ hours with fishing, ranching, genes and collections.
Should I buy it on sale?+
It is ¥58 normally with a 20% launch discount (¥46.40) until August 19, 2026 — a good entry point.