Warnament News

You probably saw the "Add to your wishlist" message several times here on Steam. But what are all the developers asking it for, should you click that green (or blue) button, what is it?

You can add the game to the wishlist right here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201700/Warnament/

Or you can do it on the game's page just under the video trailer, like this:


[h2]For players[/h2]
If you have a game on your wishlist you will:

• Receive an email on the release day
  
• See news about the game published by its' developer here on Steam
  
• Get notified about the discounts by email
  

You can always remove the game from your wishlist.

[h2]For developers[/h2]
The developer will know nothing about players who added the game to the wishlist. No email, no account name, no ability to send you a message - nothing. The only thing visible for the developers is the total number of wishlists
This number is a thing that can help the developers understand how much players are interested in the game, and how many additional features and level of quality they should consider to work on.

• 1,000 wishlists - almost nobody knows about the game, probably players don't want it or never heard about the game
  
• 1,000,000 wishlists - players absolutely crazy about that and expecting something really really good from the developers
  

[h2]Now you know what to do[/h2]
If you are interested - consider adding the game to your wishlist right now, it's like hitting the subscribe button on social media.
If you are not sure yet (or you waiting for the discounts) and want to see how the game is being developed to decide later - adding to the wishlist is the best option to tell Steam algorithms that you want to be aware of news and updates from the developer.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201700/Warnament/

P.S. If you want to talk to developers directly, suggest some features, and get more involved in the making of the game - Discord and Steam Discussions are great for that. Or let's chat down below if you have anything to discuss!

Hey everyone! Here's a nice little update, that adds ultimate measures to diplomacy in Warnament!

Please note: Most of the new features are available in the demo, but you can gain access unlimited game in Warnament's closed beta for as much as $0.99! It includes multiplayer mode, full technology tree, 3 more political institutions, scenario editor & a standalone map editor app.

Head over to our itch.io page or straight to warnament.com to start playing in a few clicks!

[h2]v0.6.1 Released![/h2]

[h3]The Game[/h3]

• Added Ultimatums. Now bots can demand you to do something (for example, stop the war with a country friendly to them or reduce your army presence over there). If the ultimatum is not fulfilled after a certain number of turns, a war will automatically start
  
• Improved support for different screen resolution modes
  
• Bug fixes
  

[h3]The Map Editor*[/h3]

• Now by clicking on a vertice in 'Select Province mode', you can view all the provinces that this vertice is part of
  
• Now you can see by the colors of the vertices which province they belong to
  

*only available in closed beta

If you haven't done so already, please add Warnament to your wishlist on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201700/Warnament/

This is the best way to show us that you're waiting for the game to come out, and provides us with superior motivation for releasing the game sooner!

Want some more Warnament? We got you! Here's what you can do:

• Join our merry gang on Warnament's Discord Server to chat with devs and fellow players, and send your feedback straight to the devs
  
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and watch weekly videos about the development process
  
• Join our mailing list to get the latest news about the game
  
• Follow Warnament on Twitter

See you in 2 weeks, when the next Warnament update is out!

To read all Warnament's dev logs, subscribe to our official newsletter

[h2]The Most Important Things About Warnament[/h2]

When's the release? We're aiming to go into Early Access by the beginning of 2024

What happens now? You can play Warnament's closed beta for as much as $0.99. It is updated bi-monthly, and includes map editor & multiplayer mode, along with the access to the devs’ eyes & ears

And what if I don't? There's also a free demo here on Steam. It doesn't have all the features but also gets regular updates, including some new content:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201700/Warnament/

With that aside, let's finally talk about what's new in Warnament!

[h2](Inter)Face Off[/h2]
Some heroes do not wear capes. When a game has a great UI, nobody really notices it. But when it's janky & clumsy - it will haunt your players no matter how engaging the gameplay is.

Apparently, this was Warnament's case. We decided to solve this problem like big boys: we called a professional designer lady to make things look smart.



There was a lot of very professional communication when we were discussing prototypes, moving objects around in Figma, and incorporating cutting-edge usability ideas into our game. This process is far from being finished - it took us about a month to make the main menu look shiny. But the results are starting to show already:





Oh, and while she was at it, Julia the UI/UX designer suggested a new version of Warnament's logo as well. Here's some more ‘old vs. new’ content:





Which one do you like more? You're very welcome to join our Discord server, and discuss it with us in person!

Next step would be, of course integrating this style into the rest of the game. And while we were at it, we made new covers for these humble developer updates, and for our YouTube videos, too (don't forget to subscribe, if you haven't already):

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

And while menus, windows, and video covers were being taken care of by a pro, we could concentrate on making Warnament's gameplay more complex! And that’s exactly what we were up to.

[h2]Event Management
[/h2]

In Warnament, there are six ideological institutions to choose from, and now that choice matters even more - and choices that your opponents (human or AI) make will influence your experience, too! We have introduced a wide array (6 per each political institution) of new random events, that are specific to the regimes in power in neighboring countries.

For example, one of your citizens might start a political scandal by participating in an anti-government rally in a Democratic country next door. Or one of your Communist neighbors might decide to nationalize all business enterprises in their country - including those owned by your citizens. In any case, you get to deal with the consequences.



These events may turn out quite well for you, bringing additional Prestige points, but choose carefully because it's also very possible to ruin your relationship with a neighbor and find yourself in a state of warfare.



[h2]Can a Robot Write a Symphony (of War)?[/h2]

In 2023, it is not uncommon for a human being to be negotiating with an artificial mind. We couldn't stand aside, and now you will have to deal with way more sophisticated computer opponents.

From now on, bots rely heavily on relationships with you and other countries, when making decisions. If you're on good terms with someone, they will be more likely to agree to your conditions when negotiating. And vice versa: what started as a petty squabble, might turn into a holocaust.



There are many factors that influence your relationships with other countries. Some of them cannot be easily changed: for example, if someone's in conflict with your country's ideology. But if you've got some Prestige points to spend, you can refer to the new feature, allowing your diplomats to oil the wheels of international affairs.



By the way, sometimes being enemies with someone might be a good thing, too: you see, AI opponents don't like it when a country attacks another country, so declaring a war results in a strong relationship penalty. So you might try and provoke someone (like, by using good old insults - as seen in real life) to start shooting at your troops, so you could convince other rulers to fight on your side.

[h2]Up Next[/h2]

Next month we will continue adding more depth to the gameplay: for example, by adding mini-goals to motivate the players, especially in the early stages of the game. Another thing we're working on is ultimatums: an option to demand something from another country and automatically start a war if the conditions are not met in a timely manner.

And here's a little bonus for those of you who would like a more in-depth look at game development: Oleg Chumakov, head of Luden.io, wrote an article for Defold official blog, in which he's talking about our studio's experience with this very interesting engine. There's part about Warnament, too!

See you in a month, with more exciting Warnament-related news!

Hey everyone! We had to postpone this update for a week to ensure it turns out to be truly awesome! Bear with us, we've made some important changes.

Please note: Most of the new features are available in the demo, but you can gain access unlimited game in Warnament's closed beta for as much as $0.99! It includes multiplayer mode, full technology tree, 3 more political institutions, scenario editor & a standalone map editor app.

Head over to our itch.io page or straight to warnament.com to start playing in a few clicks!



[h3]v0.5.1 Released![/h3]

• Reworked bots: fiercer at war, cunning as ever at the negotiations' table
  
• Added new random events that might get triggered depending on what countries you neighbor with: for example, Communist neighbors might nationalize your citizens' business, and you get to decide how to deal with it
  
• Reworked Technology Tree: removed technologies providing additional bonus to harvesting resources to prevent well-developed countries from becoming too powerful (available in closed beta)
• Added Training Camp II that allows training more Shock Troops per turn
  
• Added detailed information about player's relationship with other countries (visible when trying to improve relationship with a country)
  
• New UI design
  
• Bug fixes
  

If you haven't done so already, please add Warnament to your wishlist on Steam:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201700/Warnament/

This is the best way to show us that you're waiting for the game to come out, and provides us with superior motivation for releasing the game sooner!

Want some more Warnament? We got you! Here's what you can do:

• Join our merry gang on Warnament's Discord Server to chat with devs and fellow players, and send your feedback straight to the devs
  
• Subscribe to our YouTube channel, and watch weekly videos about the development process
  
• Join our mailing list to get the latest news about the game
  
• Follow Warnament on Twitter

See you in 2 weeks, when the next Warnament update is out!

To read all Warnament's dev logs, subscribe to our official newsletter

[h2]The Most Important Things About Warnament[/h2]

When's the release? We're aiming to go into Early Access by the beginning of 2024

What happens now? You can play Warnament's closed beta for as much as $0.99. It is updated bi-monthly, and includes map editor & multiplayer mode, along with the access to the devs’ eyes & ears

And what if I don't? There's also a free demo here on Steam. It doesn't have all the features but also gets regular updates, including some new content:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1201700/Warnament/

With that aside, let's finally talk about what's new in Warnament!

[h2]New Diplomatic Tools: Trading And Making Friends[/h2]



You can now exchange goods, machinery, and even entire provinces with other countries. Needless to say, that adds a new level of depth: if you happen to be a small contry but a filthy rich one, you can become a major player on the global politics arena.

Of course, if a country applied sanctions on you, they won't deal with you. If you have a beef with one of your neighbours, it will also make trading difficult, at the very least. But since the last update you can use finesse and start gradually improving your relationships with other countries with the means of diplomacy. Gameplay-wise it means spending some prestige points, so make sure you have plenty.



Last but not least, you will now be recieving answers to your proposals instantly, without having to wait for the next term. It works in the multiplayer, too: the other player will see your offer and be able to answer it immediately. But thread lightly, because that means wars can be declared instantly, too. So make sure you have your troops ready in case things go south.

[h2]Shock & A…rtillery[/h2]



Speaking of troops, we've got a couple of newcomers! Enter Shock Troops: they're like your regular infantry but stronger and resistant to chemical warfare. To convert regular troops to these elite swashbucklers, you'll have to construct a new building called Training Camp.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Our other fighter is the almighty Artillery: it can strike your enemies from afar but there's a payoff - cannons do not have much durability and are therefore vulnerable to all kinds of attacks. Artillery comes with it's own new building, too: the Machine Factory.



Oh, and don't forget: with these guys around, Steel becomes one of the most precious resources out there. Need to improve a building? Steel. Build a fleet? Steel! Artillery, tanks, training Shock Infantry? It's steel, still. Steel!

[h2]Technical Improvements: Better, Faster, Stronger[/h2]

In multiplayer, the players are now receiving not only scenario data from the server but the map data, too. That means, if you run a server, you're free to upload any map to it, and any player will be able to join a session, regardless of whether they have this map or not!

We also made a bunch of smaller but still very important improvements regarding map loading speed optimization, and the map editor. Might not sound so epic but our players are loving it:



Speaking of the players: if you want more content for Warnament (scenarios, maps etc.) then our Discord server is the place to go. We have a frightfully active community of awesome players over there.

[h2]Up Next: Of AI's and UI's[/h2]

In the next couple of weeks we will be working of completely redesigning the game interface: we're consulting with a dedicated UI/UX designer, so it's serious business, folks! Real deal.

After that, bots will get their own reboot. We'll teach them to create their own game events, so they could decide to help you in a war (if they like you enough), or insult and attack you (if they don't).

Warnament is coming into its full glory with every update, so bear with us: good times are ahead!