Celestial Empire News

Dear Community!

We’re coming to you with another portion of the news!

THE SAWMILL
We would like to introduce you to the workflow behind one of the buildings which you can find in our game. This is the sawmill. It will turn raw logs into processed wood, which can be used as a building material or fuel to heat your citizens’ homes in the winter.

1. The choice
We can skip this step as we have already chosen the sawmill.

2. The research
We looked into the reality of sawmill workers’ lives at the time. Among other useful and interesting facts, we learned they used exclusively bronze tools.

3. The initial concept art



4. The blockout



5. The detailed concept art



6. The raw model



7. Texturing



[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

8. Iterations and adjustments



9. Import into the game’s engine



10. Adding NPCs and animations
Now comes the time when we can finally animate our buildings. As you have read in devblog number 3, we have finished a portion of the NPCs who will inhabit your future cities. We placed them in the buildings and prepared their animations. You can see the final result below.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

HOW ARE WE DOING?
We have recently expanded our team, so even more talented people are working on this special title. We started creating environmental elements and the rivers already started flowing on the first map, which will be available in the game. The Steam Page got a major update, and we reorganised the workflow, so we have become more effective than ever. As soon as possible, we are hoping to share with you snippets of the soundtrack.

So many amazing things are in the works right now.

See you all next month,
Krzysztof

Hello everyone!
As the progress is being made, we are updating our Steam Page along with it!

The old, slightly outdated descriptions of features were replaced with new and exciting details about the game. Many elements introduced in previous devblogs are now proudly displayed on the front page.



The screenshots previously visible on the page are now outdated and represent the prototype of the game rather than its current state. The old trailer was also deleted and we will begin work on the new one shortly.



You can see beautiful images of landscapes with a huge variety of buildings. This can definitely give you an idea of what your city can become. Individual buildings have their quirks and details to give them a bit more personality.



While the streets of the city look empty at the moment, you may be able to catch some NPCs hiding around their houses. They are in the early stages of development, so they are quite shy about leaving the comfort of their own front yards. There is still a lot to be done about this predicament, but we are working on populating your city with characters who will go about their day, living their lives to the fullest. Their daily routines will make your city more colourful and animated.



The development team is working on the final version of what the game will eventually become and this means that more and more materials are coming your way!

All the upcoming images and details will be available on our Discord, where you can also talk with developers and other players!

See you there!
KarKarola

Dear Community!

I am coming back with a fresh portion of the information. Let’s begin!

THE PEOPLE
For the past month, we have made tremendous progress with character creation. We have finished over two dozen citizens who will inhabit cities created by you. You can see some examples below.





We have prepared a quick survey in which you can express your opinions on the way the characters look.

https://forms.gle/ApqCVpPJfqME8D7B9

We have also thought about citizens of the rich variety…



TIME
Today I would like to explain one of the first mechanics included in the game: a time system.

During the game, you will have to pay attention to the passage of time, because it will trigger new events. Your citizens will use resources and eat food. We divided time into two basic categories: years and seasons.

Each season will have a distinct set of characteristics. This means that summer will boost food production, which will allow you to collect additional produce. While on the other hand, winter will stifle any food production, which will influence the economic situation of your city. This introduces survival elements into the game and enriches its strategy aspects. You need to create long-term plans, which will allow your city to thrive and your people to not go hungry in the winter.

As seasons pass and spring comes, you will be able to catch a breath of fresh air and welcome a New Year. Each year in the game will have a zodiacal patron in accordance with the Chinese calendar. Be assured that during the lucky Year of the Dragon, you will be rewarded with special bonuses!



LET’S GET IN TOUCH
The entire development team puts a lot of effort into making the game the best version of itself possible. As you could have read in the first devblog, I am responsible for the design, and side by side with my colleagues I work daily on every aspect of the game. I want you to see how much we care, so starting today, I will be joining our community manager in actively participating in the community Discord. This will give you access to the most up to date, accurate information available.



It’s very important to us that we keep in touch with you. This is why I encourage you to join the community Discord, so you can ask the most detailed questions possible, or simply chat with us. :D

See you in October (or on Discord),
Krzysztof

Dear Community!

In the past month’s devblog you could get to know how we construct our buildings. We are really grateful for your interest, likes, and comments. They motivate us to keep up the hard work and improve the game. Whereas today I have a bit smaller update concerning the development (the next one will be bigger, though ;) ).

NEW ARTWORKS
Our 2D Artists created new, good-looking artworks and logos that reflect our game’s atmosphere much better. You could have already seen them, as they are in use on our Steam.







You can take a look at how the artwork was created in the timelapse below:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

THE PRODUCTION ADVANCES
The development process has been really advancing lately. Two talented artists joined our team, so the 3D models are being produced considerably quicker than before. The code and the game’s mechanics are developing at a constant, good pace, and also the UI design process accelerated.
We create lots of different ideas and proposals concerning both placement, and the overall aesthetics of the whole interface, with the desire to make it as comprehensive, functional, and pretty as possible. We are aware of how critical for this game genre (which is, after all, a representative of the broader genre of strategy games) is whether the interface does its job. We pay a lot of attention to User Experience, repeating tests of every component multiple times. We’d also like to enrich it with something unique and very rare in today's games, which makes the challenge facing us all greater.
The gameplay is getting better every day, but unfortunately, we are not satisfied enough with it yet to show you anything of it. We will do it as soon as possible. I promise!

INVITATION
If you haven't done it yet, I encourage you to join our Discord server (English only).

https://discord.gg/X5upJD7eVc

Thanks again for your interest which has a very positive influence on both the dev team and the game itself. I’ll show you something again in just a month.

See you in September,
Krzysztof


P.S. A bonus concept art :)

Dear Community!

We haven’t been heard for a while but the waiting has come to an end. My name is Krzysztof and I’m a Game Designer for this great project. I’ll be writing for you a series of devblogs that will tell you more about our progress, methods, philosophy of creation, and lots of interesting trivia concerning both the game and ancient China. We aim to provide you with these devblogs about once a month, and in every one of them, you’ll find specific information about the game.

HOW DO WE CONSTRUCT BUILDINGS?
The subject of today’s substantive part is the process of construction of buildings (their 3D models) present in the game from the developers’ perspective.

1) Choice

Before the whole process starts, we select the references from the actual, historical buildings, especially paying attention to make them fit our game, its specification, and goals we want to achieve. We try to maintain a balance between the historical adequacy and the in-game purpose of the buildings. This stage is often quite challenging, as China is an incredible and inspiring civilization. One may spend hours only watching the shapes, colors, and beauty this nation is made of. Observing all these magnificent objects we’d like to recreate each one of them but sadly it’s a task beyond our possibilities.

2) Research

Every time we choose a building to recreate, we conduct thorough research about it. We collect information about its historical appearance, architecture, its role in ancient Chinese society, materials it could have been made of, and so on. We are getting inspired by reading about them, scrutinizing the pictures of them, drawings, illustrations, sculptures, and many breathtaking relics they have left behind.



3) Initial Concept

The next step is the creation of the first concept art. It allows our whole team to imagine and visualize the building, and understand how it should work. It gives us the initial idea of what will it be exactly in the game. This concept art stimulates the imagination and exposes the differences between our, often very distinct, visions...



4) Blockout

Next, we prepare the first 3D blockout. It facilitates the later drawing, modeling, and allows us to prototype the game with something more interesting than whiteboxes.



5) Detailed Concept

The next stage is creating a more advanced concept. It’s a very important part because basing on this concept we accept the target look and feeling the building will have. This concept is also the base of the whole texturing stage.



6) Raw Model

Having accepted the detailed concept, we start modeling - we place, extend, rotate, bend, sculpt, and do everything in our power to create a game-ready object out of thousands of polygons.



7) Texturing

This is probably the longest part of the whole process. We try to create appropriate, esthetic, and good-looking textures. It’s a hard and tedious task that demands a sense of aesthetics and imagination to transform a group of pixels into surfaces that faithfully depict our vision. Technically, with every texture, we have to pick the colors, paint the dents, and adjust the composition. We are given the hardest time by the normal maps and realistically looking thatched roofs - honestly, I can’t even say how many approaches we have had towards them, but we are getting closer to the desired effect.





8) Iterations and Corrections

If the model’s look doesn’t satisfy us at this stage, we make corrections. We modify its geometry, repaint the textures, add details; everything to make it both esthetic and credible.





9) Import to the Engine

Finally, when the model doesn’t lack anything more, we import it to the game engine. Then we give it the right parameters in the game code and adjust the model to the other buildings, so it fits them and is unique at the same time.

That’s how the whole process looks like, from the very beginning to the end. Each building sooner or later goes through, so that we can maintain their quality and mutual coherence. And believe me, it’s a difficult mission to do it concerning the number of them - we are planning to have about (at this moment) 70 unique buildings.

THE GAME IS ALIVE
Our brainchild is constantly developing and flourishing, despite the fact that it has been a long time since the last teaser. We continuously expand our team and make sure that the game will be as good and enjoyable as possible, so every one of you will have an unforgettable experience playing it. If you wish, you can add our game to your Wishlist (if you haven’t done it already), and invite your friends to check the game.

INVITATION
To conclude, we’d like to kindly invite you to our Discord server (English only), where you can find additional media, other members of our Community and in the future also me answering all your questions regarding the game (and not only the game).

https://discord.gg/X5upJD7eVc

I can’t wait to share with you the next features (we have some surprises planned for you).

See you next month,
Krzysztof