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What is Great Houses of Calderia?

Oy rulers!

Great Houses of Calderia is a Feudal Grand Strategy game, but, what is this? You play as a noble House trying to make your way to the most influential and powerful families of Calderia. You can achieve that goal by taking various paths: diplomacy, intrigue, war and economy. You also manage your territory on a small scale, the day-to-day aspects of your fiefdom and assign tasks to your characters as well as develop the relations with the other Houses of Calderia. Make allies, enemies, trade, arrange marriages, appeal for the most useful rank to complete your objectives.

On August 30 in Early Access on Steam, build your family's legacy of power and rise in the ranks of Calderia.

[h2]Feudal Grand Strategy[/h2]
Great Houses of Calderia is a political and feudal simulation based on medieval European practices, focusing on land ownership, territorial administration and service-based relationships of power. It follows the vassal political system: Houses promise loyalty to higher authorities and answer directly to the Emperor.



[h3]1. Warfare[/h3]
You can be at war with other Houses to weaken them or make them your vassals. But wars are expensive and slow your fiefdom growth, so you should declare war very wisely and prefer short term conflicts over lasting civil wars. Raise your army and choose your units carefully, command them on the map and in conflict resolution. You overview conflicts and battles on a strategic scale. You resolve battles through tactical choices and the management of your army. Your control over the military units is through production, army movement and large scale battles.

[h3]2. Economy and Resource Management[/h3]
Resource management allows you to grow your fiefdom in many ways: allocating resources to fund wars, trading, and managing your stock. Resources are also used to pay your workers, make them happy and more efficient. You need to establish commercial relations if you want your economy to flourish and grow faster. Military units cost money to rally and upkeep, as do bribes if you want to take another route. Even if you choose war over diplomacy, peace negotiations are inevitable if you do not wish to be in debt.

[h3]3. House Relations and Diplomacy[/h3]
House relations are crucial for the progress of your fiefdom. You can declare war, make peace, form alliances, collect taxes, have vassals, embargo enemies, or request assistance against common foes. The game adds a management layer on a smaller scale to your fiefdom and family members, assigning them tasks like resource production, developing relations, and making official visits. Children take part in the scheme too, assign them to be wards and squires. You manage your House over multiple generations and as nobles, their lives are busy and rythmed by events; allowing them to learn, improve skills, and earn temporary traits.

[h3]4. Intrigues and schemes[/h3]
If diplomacy and war do not allow you to complete your goals, you can bring turmoil from the inside. Recruit spies and disrupt the rival’s fiefdom from within by various means. Spread propaganda, lead slander campaigns, set obstacles in their growth by hampering resource production, plan sly attacks on trading caravans, arson buildings and more. Outsmart the plans of your enemies and steal the power from them. This is a more cunning, deceiving and dishonest approach, but an effective one nonetheless.

[h3]Made by passionate indies[/h3]
Resistance Games is a Finnish indie game studio specializing in PC and console strategy games. Founded out of a passion for this genre and a desire to connect with players, we aim to create unique experiences through collaboration with our community. Great Houses of Calderia is developed by a small team of indie developers wishing to offer a unique perspective on this genre, blending familiar elements with innovative ideas.



[h2]A fresh take on the genre[/h2]

[h3]Diplomacy, war, intrigue and economy[/h3]
Opportunities can arise from both victory & defeat. War and diplomacy matter equally. Diplomatic events cover big social events and traditions like weddings and jousts. Engage in courtly life, trade, negotiations, and even spying on your neighbors. Make crucial choices during battles and important diplomatic events to get an edge over your enemies. Assign your most capable family members to lead delegations and interact with other Houses. Use each family member's abilities, both innate and learned, to achieve your goals.

[h3]Conflict resolution system[/h3]
In battles and important talks with other Houses, you need to make critical choices. These choices can give you advantages over your rivals. You handle battles using the Real-time tactical unit management system. But earning new titles isn't just about fighting – it's about being good at diplomacy, making deals, tricky plans, and successful trading. You get to be actively involved in controlling the course of important events, like dealing with other Houses or fighting in wars, by using our real-time tactical resource management system.



[h3]Multiple paths to victory[/h3]
Make a lasting and powerful House in Calderia:
  • Manage and expand your own fiefdom and its population.
  • Become a higher member of the nobility and bring other Houses under your rule.
  • Establish a rich tapestry of unique traditions for your House.
  • Obtain honorary ranks that will play a major part in how your rule influences the fate of Calderia in the end.

[h3]Community creation and modding[/h3]
Create and experience unique, captivating events within the game with our modding tool. Unleash your creativity and shape new narratives! Make your voice count, you can contribute to the development of the game with your feedback. We hope to make the best game possible with our community and the modding tool available for the Early Access release. Your contribution will play a big part in the development and expansion of this tool so you may further customize the game, everything lies in your hands!

[h3]Innovative elements[/h3]
Great Houses of Calderia combines fresh ideas to set itself apart as a creative and unique game:
  • A conflict resolution system for battles and diplomatic events based on a real-time tactical resource management system
  • Its artistic direction based on the Mediterranean Renaissance, bringing to the genre sunny and vibrant colors
  • Fantasy setting rather than historical
  • Key characters with their own agendas

Play an active role in shaping your characters' world, designing the coat of arms of your House, choosing their traditions and values, their territory and the characters' storylines. There are multiple endings and hundreds of ways to play: unlock and discover traditions, noble ranks, and character traits by playing through the game in different ways.



Choices matter – You will need to make tough choices that resolve a wide range of situations, from negciating with other Houses to going to war. You will have to think about the good and bad sides of each choice.

Creating stories – Every action you take in the game leads to various outcomes and stories, whether it's about diplomacy, war or other events.

Balancing Diplomacy and War – Both aspects are equally important, and you need to take an active part to develop your influence.

Impactful decisions – Everything you do in the game has a clear effect that you can see. For example, if you send a trading caravan, you will actually see and interact with the moving characters from your fiefdom to its destination.

Easy to play – The game starts simple and progressively becomes more complex as you advance in your quest for power.


[h2]The world of Calderia[/h2]

[h3]Renaissance setting[/h3]
Calderia is a Mediterranean Renaissance-inspired land and earns its name from its most notable landmark, an old volcano with a warm-water lake in its caldera. Known as both the Old and New World, it was once home to a thriving civilization. However, a devastating disaster led to the inhabitants fleeing and establishing a new civilization far away. The story is set in the future, with new settlers: a noble family aspiring to rule Calderia, a mythical province of the Empire. Your goal is to shine, expand influence, and prevail over rivals to rise in the ranks and seize the throne of the power-hungry Viceroy.



[h3]Calderian society[/h3]
Great Houses of Calderia is set in a fictional world with similarities to the Early Renaissance period, but in an egalitarian gender and race society, men and women can be in positions of power and join the military. Feudal rules still apply, arranged marriages between nobles serve strategic and diplomatic purposes: form alliances and create a lineage. Mechanical engineering has advanced beyond Early Renaissance technology, featuring DaVinci-inspired devices and weaponry. The nobility is close to the working class and supervises labor groups. Nobles are subjected to customs, including fashion, politics, trade, and banquets. Children are sent to other fiefdoms as a symbol of political goodwill as wards and squires.

[h3]Characters and story[/h3]
Great Houses of Calderia is a character-driven game where you control not only the Head of House but also the entire family. Run your dynasty and navigate the personalities of your family members, each with their own stories and wishes. Their personalities are depicted in the game as Traits. Mind these as you assign them tasks and keep track of their actions. Your actions shape the stories of your family and influence the world of Calderia. The relationship between Heads of House impacts all family members. Each character has a connection with another, influenced by their personalities and their feelings for each other. Prioritizing politics over personal opinions and interests is challenging and your characters can act on their own, adding more life and unexpected events.

[h3]Traditions[/h3]
As time goes by and you've established a foothold in Calderia, your House begins to develop traditions. These traditions will guide you in the years to come, distinguish your House from others, and regulate actions that are in contradiction with them. Your family might advocate peace or scheming, or alternatively, knowledge or happiness. Whatever decision you make, it has consequences for your family, which can be beneficial or detrimental. If you wish to build a lasting legacy, your characters must follow traditions. Consistency pays off and makes your family stronger and more powerful over time.

[h3]Character Journeys[/h3]
They are a meaningful series of events that occur in the lives of your family members at some point. If a character decides to embark on a character journey, the player has no control over it. They may, however, choose what type of decisions they make on such journeys. Character Journeys can be Romeo and Juliet-style love tales with a rival family, pilgrimages to the ancient ruins of Calderia, a steady decline into madness, or a desire to flee the nobility and its politics. Whatever the journey is, the characters enter it on their own will and frequently end up with their lives altered in some way.

[h3]Mathemagicians[/h3]
The first Calderia residents discovered strange objects made of a metal material that was unfamiliar to them. These items are studied and used by a mysterious group of scholars: the Mathemagicians. They may approach you and ask to be part of your court during your rule...

Build your family’s legacy of power and rise in the ranks of Calderia on August 30 in Early Access on Steam.

- Great Houses of Calderia Team -

Early Access release and new demo during Steam Strategy Fest!

Oy rulers!

D-6 before the release in Early Access on Steam on August 30! New demo for the Steam Strategy Fest!

We are happy to announce that Great Houses of Calderia is taking part in Steam Strategy Fest that celebrates strategy games. After years of development, we are happy to see the game going live in a few days, thanks to the players who participated in playtests and the Founders Beta before Early Access! We carefully reviewed your input and suggestions for the Early Access version and demo. We can’t wait to read your feedback and suggestions to make the best game possible with your contribution!



This new demo will contain some changes and many improvements regarding Quality of Life, but also bug fixes. Learn more about world of Calderia and the wide range of choices you can make to build your legacy of power in the demo!

[h3]You will be able to:[/h3]
  • Create your noble House and family
  • Create your coat of arms
  • Choose your family traditions
  • Discover the world of Calderia
  • Play the first 400 days of your rule
  • Manage your fiefdom
  • Develop relations with the Houses
  • Trade, raise an army, declare war, arrange marriages and scheme against your Houses


Ascend Calderia's ranks, choose your noble family!



Play Great Houses of Calderia on Steam this August 30 in Early Access!

- Great Houses of Calderia Team -

Founders Beta Patch Note — 0.7.0.997 (b11992827)

A new minor update [Founders Beta — 0.7.0.997 (b11992827)] is now live with the following changes:

Added
  • AI Accuse Events
  • AI Condition - Has shortage but also storage
  • AI now accuses others of spy actions
  • Accuse menu
  • Accuse actions for AI
  • Attacking/defending info to Conflict Resolution
  • Breaking Alliance
  • Continue/Previous buttons to Tutorials
  • Delete Button for save files
  • Custom AI families
  • Fiefdom difficulty level indicator
  • Fiefdom view - City Profession - Show safety value
  • Gold border on Character icon on conflict unit card
  • Happiness tooltip now appears also from production view happiness icons
  • Rerolling initial family members
  • Show other Fiefdom war weariness in War Map Mode
  • Show player rank points breakdown in rank view
  • Show spies in foreign fiefdom view
  • Steam Data Suite integration
  • Tooltip created for explaining population cap
  • Trade routes to foreign fiefdom view
  • Tradition info to tradition view
  • Tradition ready state
  • War Weariness Widget To War State
  • Warning of production penalty when building an upgrade


Updated
  • 30% production while upgrading basic resources 50% for crops
  • AI action: Change oversee & Assign overseer
  • All buildings now have proper name and description (no Housing Level upgrades)
  • Back-Confirm button layout
  • Castle profession is easiest to get workers happy
  • Conflict Resolution Action menu open with mouse over
  • Enemy military units now visible in conflict resolution setup
  • Event illustrations
  • Feature complete Accuse Events
  • Happiness background logic reworked and rebalanced
  • Intrigue layout
  • Landing sounds
  • Landing tradition choices have better texts
  • More traditions got their points, descriptions, quotes and authors
  • New Bonuses and descriptions to all Fiefdoms
  • New names, crests and traditions to families
  • No Army Meeting event, if not involved in the war
  • Notification system terms unified
  • Personal enemies are now called rivals
  • Recalculate happiness when loading from save
  • Resource tooltips don't repeat the word day now
  • Safety and Intrigue icons
  • Security word in Overseeing changed to Safety
  • Show military unit costs in unlock screen, Show unit stats in raise army screen
  • Game version number location
  • War Mode UI layout
  • War weariness shown better in happiness tooltip


Fixed
  • AI Fix Shrinking Population plan did not work at all
  • AI improvement on building buildings
  • AI improvement on handling unhappiness
  • After Humiliation War ended family members still in Demand Support delegation
  • Army can take invisible roads to Wedding places
  • Army colours do not appear after loading from a save
  • Build a building-objective doesn’t appear twice anymore and is properly spelled
  • Building upgrade doesn't stop Refinement costs
  • Cannot drag and drop the overseer directly between professions
  • Capital letters corrected in Winning Conditions
  • Character changes portrait and gains skills twice on birthdays until adulthood
  • Conflict resolution tutorial
  • Conflict resolution winning and losing effects, Character Defense value showing 2.0
  • Confusing rank title description
  • Court Member Life Event is missing text
  • Double right click on house members portrait on map fix the cursor to move the camera
  • Drag and Drop to large overseer icon not working after removing the overseer
  • Duchies are not set correctly
  • Endorsement missing portrait tooltip
  • Enemy relation trait bring +30 to relation
  • Failing to trade doesn't break trade agreement
  • Happiness tooltip is not showing all that impact happiness
  • Icons of resource in resource map mode disappear when moving army
  • In the map relation icon now correctly calls House Relations
  • Missing string table entry on House member portrait on peace negotiation delegation screen
  • No house member on the screen to send Peace delegation
  • Normal work effort creates unhappiness
  • Pathfinding in conflict
  • Pause blue filter flashes constantly when time plays
  • Pressing space on pause doesn't leave pause after load
  • Rename the Burning Location event
  • Replace Drag and Drop in conflict resolution
  • Sickness -trait missing description
  • Spelling mistake in Consumption Tutorial
  • Steam Achievement: "A Fresh New Start" cannot be obtained
  • Steam Achievement: Rise in the Ranks Of Calderia
  • Stuck in infinite loop after unlocking a new tradition if you don't select one
  • Temptation event is missing other character
  • Time in Winning Conditions screen does not work
  • Tutorial softlock in Social Conflict
  • Typo in the trade willingness meter
  • Nested tooltip for Unit from Army tooltip stays on screen even after Army tooltip is closed
  • Unreal right click tooltip appear when right click on naming
  • Warhorn sound on win board on Social Conflict
  • Worker icons out of frame
  • Wounded -trait missing description
  • Typo in Overseer event
  • Typo in Bad Omen event


- Great Houses of Calderia Team -

How you helped improve the game during the Founders Beta

Rulers, here is how your input improved Great Houses of Calderia

We thank everyone who participated in and enjoyed our Founders Beta version. We value the fact that you took the time to share some really useful feedback with us.


[h3]1/ Quality of Life changes, tooltips and controls[/h3]
These are large topics, but thanks to your feedback during the Beta, we improved many elements to make the game clearer. Here is the list:
  • Skill changes from Traits are readily visible in event tooltips, providing clearer insights into decisions.
  • A timer has been introduced, indicating the cooldown period before a new war declaration can be made following a peace agreement.
  • Objective condition tracking has been updated for smoother progress tracking.
  • Enhanced control mechanics have been integrated, allowing players to easily manipulate draggable targets with a single click and introducing the accessibility feature of Single Click Drag'n'Drop.
  • Conflict Resolution Drag'n'Drop no longer relocates unit tokens during gameplay.
  • Camera movement on the World Map has been refined, with camera pan now assigned to the LMB for improved navigation.
  • In Fiefdom mode, buttons in Professions have been transformed into tabs for streamlined interaction, and truce duration is now displayed in multiple locations.
  • Unit stats are now visible in the unit selection panel, enhancing strategic decision-making.

Your input has been instrumental in shaping a more engaging and user-friendly gameplay experience.



[h3]2/ Features improvement[/h3]
Thanks to your valuable feedback, several meaningful changes have been implemented in the game. Here is the list:
  • "Distant Relative" and "Demand War Support" events have undergone thorough rewrites to better fit their objectives.
  • We've also fine-tuned the timing of life events, adjusting their frequency to 30-90 days to improve the flow of the game.
  • To ensure a greater sense of progression and give more impact and meaning to the rank election, rank terms have been extended, resulting in the election process happening every 5 years.
  • Our revamped marriage process, the introduction of the Mathemagic neighbor fiefdom, and adjustments to pregnancy mechanics, including the possibility of having children out of wedlock, are all improvements added to enrich the experience based on your valuable insights.
  • The Aviscay fiefdom has been granted a well-deserved description, adding depth to the world you explore.


[h3]3/ New content[/h3]
During Founders Beta, we started adding more content. These adaptations, inspired by your input, further enrich the gameplay experience and strategic depth. Here is the list:
  • Two new types of relations were introduced: "Slander Campaign" and "Propaganda," enriching the diplomatic and intrigue possibilities.
  • The Slander Spy Action now offers three levels of severity, providing deeper strategic choices.
  • Skill enhancements now extend to Negotiation fields across various social conflicts, empowering players with more nuanced and effective approaches.


[h3]4/ Fixed[/h3]
Finally, a series of adjustments, bug fixes and corrections have been made thanks to your acuteness! We've diligently addressed the following issues to improve the experience.

WHAT CHANGED:
  • Incorrect timing in some conflict resolution skills
  • Disallow Claim Title against Viceroy
  • Winning Objective didn't check saved conditions
  • Jeweller -upgrade requires Glaziers as its condition
  • Fixed crash related to removing relations
  • Softlock when replaying the fiefdom view tutorial
  • Wedding event shows wrong characters
  • Winning a title war against a Count gave all of their previous vassals to the player
  • Fighting Siblings event gives House Relation between own family members
  • "Disturbing Bark" and "Strange Noises in the Dark" - frequency of these events reduced


The Early Access release is coming soon, ready your quill, sword and wit! You can help us develop Great Houses of Calderia by joining our Discord server!

- Great Houses of Calderia Team -

Early Access is coming August 30th on Steam!

[h3]Rulers, brace yourselves! Great Houses of Calderia will be in Early Access on August 30th![/h3]

Let's get into the details of the Early Access release and what awaits you!

[h2]What is an Early Access release and why?[/h2]
Early Access is the stage of a game's anticipated release that is still under development. This means that you can buy, own, and play the game as it develops. The game will evolve with your feedback and you will actively contribute to its enhancement and final shape.

[h3]The game is developed by a small team of indie developers. We wish to bring a new perspective to this kind of game. We've put a lot of creative effort into designing an engaging experience that mixes things you know and love with new ideas that make it different.[/h3]

The game's Early Access version already has several hours of gameplay. Rise in the ranks of Calderia and become an even more powerful family. More elements will be developed towards the end of Early Access. Finally, we will continue to develop the traditions feature, defining your family's and fiefdom's identity, rules and values during Early Access.



[h2]What will be in the game at launch?[/h2]
Great Houses of Calderia will be continuously updated and additional content will be introduced during Early Access. We will also adjust numerous mechanics and make balancing changes based on your feedback. It also relates to multiple ways to win the game. You'll start to notice hints of it before it's completely presented in the game.

  • Create your noble family, name it and its characters, make your coat of arms, decide where you want to settle and what your family’s traditions are.
  • Manage social conflicts between rival Houses.
  • Find a suitable spouse, arrange weddings, make alliances and pursue your legacy.
  • Send members of your family as wards, squires, or court members to other rulers as a sign of goodwill, if chosen wisely.
  • Trade your resources, the valuation of the items is based not only on supply and demand, but also on another main element on top of valuing the price of the goods – the Willingness meter, until you reach a satisfying trade proposal.
  • Overthrow rival and oppressive Houses, wage a war on their fiefdoms to weaken them and assert your dominance.
  • Don't want to get blood on your hands? Then scheme against your opponents by recruiting spies and disrupting their fiefdoms from the inside.
  • But don't forget rank election delegations, you have to prove your worth to the Emperor every five years to earn a new title or maintain the one you have.
  • Your fiefdom management is just as important as your relations with your neighbours. Produce resources, improve your buildings and develop your population, make sure they are happy and efficient.




The game will be available in English during Early Access. The full release will then be localized in other yet to be determined languages.

Please be aware that there might occasionally be bugs, unexpected behavior, or minor gameplay balance issues that will be fixed as they occur during development.

Great Houses of Calderia will be available on Steam on August 30th in Early Access.

- Great Houses of Calderia Team -