Steam Next Fest!

Steam Next Fest is in full swing this week, and runs until June 22nd. We’ve already done our first live stream, and have had a wonderful response to the game. Lots of people have been downloading the demo, playing games online, joining the discord to talk strategy. It’s been really lovely to see people engaging with the game, after all the hard work we put into on the new demo. It warms our hearts to see the server humming with activity, as the turns fly, matches are made, empires rise and fall.

Second Livestream

Our second developer livestream is on in a matter of hours:

8pm Monday 21st June EST
(that’s 10am Tuesday 22nd June AEST)

We’ll be streaming to our Steam Store page and running through the strategies of Spies & Soldiers, as well as answering any questions viewers have.

The Demo

Here’s how the demo works – you grab it from our Spies & Soldiers steam store for free, and then there is a simple 5 game limit on both practice and online modes. However! Friend and group games are unrestricted, so find a pal and keep on sparring to your hearts content. 

Now, let’s talk about what cool new things we got in for the demo build!

New Home Screen

We’ve completely overhauled the home screen interface to be more visually interesting and better reflect the generated art style of the game. The new design is based on a dynamic spread of cards on a tabletop, each card uniquely generated, reshaping itself into new vistas as you start and finish matches. The redesign creates a more engaging entry point into the game, as well as making it easier to visually identify your current matches.

Claimant System

If you’ve played Spies & Soldiers and wondered who you were playing as, the new claimant system helps answer that question – you are the power behind the throne, a king-maker. You are not the one who will sit and rule the new empire, your role is to create history and move on.

This is new narrative framing not only gives players a more story-driven experience while they’re battling it out for the kingdom, it also impacts gameplay. At the start of each game you are now presented with three generated characters to choose from, each with their own random name, portrait, and starting retinue. Which one will you try to put on the throne?

Once selected, your claimant is displayed in game, alongside your display name and title.

Here is the full description:

In Spies & Soldiers, you’re not the one who will end up on the throne. You are the one who put them there, the true power behind the ruler. 

A general with a brilliant grasp on military tactics that won your monarch the realm, a spymaster who’s cunning machinations have brought the crown within reach.

The respect and titles you earn will travel with you, but you will only serve your ruler until you have built them an empire, before moving on to find a new protégé.

Each campaign sees you selecting which claimant you will endeavor to elevate to ruler of the land. Who has the most potential? 

This framing gives us a strong narrative hook, and most importantly TELLS US WHO YOU ARE. We can now have fresh random worlds, AND a strong player story that ties it together. We can have our cake AND eat it.

Generated Unit Portraits

We’ve been teasing these for a while, and they’re finally ready for players to get their hands on. Instead of the same arts assets for each new spy recruit or mercenary band, each portrait will now be generated to make a unique character (or set of characters in the soldier’s case). They look awesome and add a touch of visual variety for each game. They even have their own names now!

Steam Notifications

Steam notifications are now working across all versions of the game! This means we no longer rely solely on email notifications to keep you informed about the status of your matches. Any time an opponent joins your waiting game, or there is a new turn that needs orders, you will receive a steam pop-up message. If you don’t get prompted to turn on steam notifications, head to account settings on the options menu and switch it on there.

Linux Lives Again!

Last but not least, our linux build is now running again! Thanks to all our linux players who have been extremely patient, and helped out by submitting detailed bug reports. Took longer than expected to get this back on it’s feet, but feels good to be back!

For any Steam Next Fest or demo related questions message us on Twitter or Discord. We look forward to celebrating the awesome new indie games on display with you all!