Diplomacy is Not an Option News

Good Lords, Fair Ladies!

We are back with a small announcement!

As you might have noticed, we’ve been working on the campaign for a long time (partially because the scale of the campaign has greatly increased). And we don’t just add more content, but also work on the existing one, such as in-game music. The whole soundtrack has been re-recorded with live instruments. It consists of 16 tracks that mark important events of your future journey across Samreignia and the Uncharted Continent. You can find the complete soundtrack here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2959690/Diplomacy_is_Not_an_Option_Soundtrack/

We’ll be back soon with more news.

Yours, the Door 407 dev team

Good Lords, Fair Ladies!

We are back with some news – this time it is about the start of Development Diaries.

With the release coming closer and closer, we’ve decided to share more information about the campaign. But how to do that with few spoilers? And then we came up with an idea: “How about doing it in a form of short videos?” So, starting from today, you will see actual maps and important elements of different campaign missions.

▶️ The new missions must go on!

But if you crave for more specifics, here you go.

BE CAREFUL, SPOILERS AHEAD
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As you all remember, currently the campaign diverges into two routes. Taking the King’s route leads you to the first new mission, different from the usual “defeat x waves” type. Your main objective here is to finish special buildings: ships. And ships aren’t cheap. You’ll have to ensure you produce enough resources to complete the objective.

That, however, doesn’t mean you are going to have peaceful time. There is always something to threaten your survival. The place is inhabited by quite hot-tempered people, and visitors of a beer fest nearby aren’t going to help. In any case, setting sail isn’t going to be smooth.
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Stay tuned, we have more things coming today!

Yours, the Door 407 team

Good Lords, Fair Ladies!

This week Steam hosts Endless Replayability Fest. Diplomacy is Not an Option obviously can’t miss it, since so many players have spent over a hundred hours in the game. (Some players' in-game hours count in thousands!) But what exactly gives our game such replayability?

First, it’s procedural generation. Every time you start a new game, a new map is randomly generated. Its settings determine if it’s fighting for every square of land that awaits you, or (somewhat) peaceful expansion, if your storages are filled with wood or stone, if mountains defend your Townhall from waves of enemies. Every playthrough is different and requires a unique approach.

But is it enough for endless replayability? Our answer is ‘No’. This is how the Sandbox Mode appeared in the game. Of course, it was initially supposed to be a creative mode for experimentation, where players can build ideal cities and watch massive hordes crush against their walls. But your feedback gave us ideas on how to make it better. Thus we added cheats and a tool to spawn enemies out of thin air!

Now we go even further. On May, 18th the Sandbox Mode will be updated once again. It will receive a function to plan multiple waves beforehand! Do you wish for weaker waves? Here you go! Do you wish to test your skills? Just move a couple of sliders! Or maybe you want to know how long you can survive against impossible waves? In any case, the possibilities are endless. The choice is yours. And we will return soon with more news!

Yours, the Door 407 team

Hello, people! A new week has begun, and once again you can get our game with a discount. The weeklong deal will last from April 29th to May 6th.

But it’s not all we want to share today. After another King’s drinking spree, one of the darker treasury corners was freed of gold. On the floor where a huge pile of coins once was, we've found an ancient scroll (we analyzed it - it’s approximately 2 years old). Inside there was a strange poem. Here it is:

In verse and rhyme a riddle weaves its tale,
Some numbers hidden, secrets to unveil.
On stage of life, where whispers softly glide,
In realm of Instagram two silent digits hide.

And in the realm where birds no longer tweet,
You'll find another clue to test your wit.
The land uncharted waits for coming guests,
Reward for loyalty, of patience noble crest.

And as the riddle deepens, do not rest,
The final part is hidden in the text
Of video. It shows unfolding battle.
But be attentive, as the clue is very subtle.

So search with care, the clues are all around,
The riddle waits for you to come unbound.

What can this possibly be about? Hope you can tell us.

See you soon!

Yours, the Door 407 dev team

[h2]Introduction[/h2]
Good Lords, Fair Ladies!

As we have promised, this April, and to be precise, on the 13th, the Diplomacy is Not an Option is getting an Update. The main thing about it is the long-awaited, improved Formation Management System. For those who prefer to watch videos rather than deal with long reads, here's a link to quite an illustrative video:
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
For the rest of you, we continue the story in the classic format. From now on, the battle formations in Diplomacy is Not an Option will have greater variety. Of course, the expansion of functionality leads to the interface improvement. So let's start with that.

[h2]Updated menu[/h2]

Your warriors don't seem to hold their lines in the right way? Welcome to the new menu! Here you will be able to fully unleash your tactical potential.

[h2]Formations Box[/h2]


When you first open the Formations Box, it will become clear how your warriors are lined up by default. As you can see, a formation in the game can have up to 9 rows. Each troop type is represented by its icon. In the upper row, you can find the troop types that are closer to the front line, and in the lower row, you can see the ones that will be kept in the rear. By default, when in the same group, Archers will always take a position behind Hammerguys, Crossbowmen will be in front of Healers, and so on. Yet starting from today it's up to you to decide who should cover who, and in what order.

[h2]Rows[/h2]


Originally, the icons of troop types occupy the rows in the order we thought was most logical. Cavalry comes first, then heavy infantry, followed by light infantry and ranged units, with War Machines rounding out the build-up. However, players often have a strong preference for certain troop classes. And it happens that in the same Group with troops of these classes may wind up someone else. Before April's Update such a case could break the formation you were willing to hold. You can avoid this situation by swapping rows. For example, by placing a class that is redundant for your tactics to the rear.

[h2]Fine Tuning[/h2]


For more advanced tweaking, drag and drop icons with troop types from row to row. Swap them around or move them to a free cell in any row of the Formations Window.

[h2]Additional features[/h2]


There are actually more than seven cells in each row. If you want to set equal positioning priority in relation to the front line for, say, nine or ten troop types, just go for it!

[h2]Providing cover[/h2]


In the same row in the Formation Window, you may have troop types with different line widths. For example, six Trebuchets take up more space than six Hammerguys. If you feel like enemies may outflank, use the "stretched line" feature.

[h2]Presets[/h2]


Not only can you experiment with the battle formation, but also save the results to any of the four presets. This comes in handy if you want to improve a particular formation, or if at some point to start playing with other types of troops.

[h2]In conclusion[/h2]


Formation settings can always be reset back to default. Simply use the "reset" button to do so.

[h2]A pleasant surprise for patient readers[/h2]
In addition to the announced formation improvements, the April Update includes new music. Firstly, the whole soundtrack has been re-recorded with live instruments. Secondly, we've added the background track for the Rusted Wastelands surroundings. And for dessert - we've improved the voicing of Royal Army soldiers.

Thank you, and see you soon!

Yours, the Door 407 dev team

P.S. Don't forget to take a glance at the full list of changes. As usual, it's under the cut, below this article.

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Update Update 0.9.109

Features

• New Formations Box;
  
• Camera can focus on any of your troops. Clicking LMB on the selected troop's icon in the lower left corner forces the Camera to focus on that troop. Double-clicking on the same icon fixes the camera, so it follows the selected troop.
  

General

• Added background track for the Rusted Wastelands surrounding;
  
• The entire soundtrack is re-recorded with live instruments;
  
• Improved voicing for Royal Army warriors.
  

Improvements

• It became easier to divert the attention of enemy groups with a single melee troop (while kiting with a single melee troop, enemies are more likely to take the bait);
  
• Multiple SFX improvements and fixes;
  
• Multiple UI and UX improvements;
  
• Some visual improvements.
  

Balance

• Townhall III:
  
  1. Building time: 5.5 mins → 4 mins;
     
• “Burrdam Chimera”:
  
  1. Health: 120 → 300.
     

Bug Fixes

• A bug with Enemy Spawn Tool kept working after closing it by RMB click;
  
• A bug with enemies appeared via Enemy Spawn Tool began to perform quite strange dances;
  
• A rare bug in Sandbox mode with Attacking Wave Settings Window opened on top of the Research Window. Thanks to the bug, players could summon an unlimited number of the attacking waves at the same time;
  
• A bug that prevented troops from changing their positions on a fortification when the "Move out" order was given but not executed;
  
• A bug that caused Ballistae to keep moving despite a canceled Attack Point order;
  
• A bug with destroyed buildings that continued to make sounds;
  
• A bug that prevented troops from leaving fortifications by clicking LMB on the mini-map;
  
• Multiple localization fixes.
  

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