Great Houses of Calderia News

[h3]In today's devlog our Sound Director "Janne Kariniemi" explains how he created the soundtrack for Great Houses of Calderia:[/h3]



"We started the music production with composer Seppo Kantonen researching the music of the era of the game’s location. Soon we discovered that authentic music would not be entertaining enough in the context of the game, but doing the proper study was very enlightening for us.

[h3]"Allowing ourselves to work with synthetic sounds and combining them with organic instruments was very liberating"[/h3]

We found many melodic components, especially instruments we wanted to use in the final production. It became clear that we wanted to move to more movie-like scoring and work within artistic freedom. So we decided to create a musical world that has some sounds, instruments, and melodic paths from the era, but use whatever sounded good and created the right kind of mood.

Allowing ourselves to work with synthetic sounds and combining them with organic instruments was very liberating and helped us to reach the goal we wanted. Also, we wanted to get some mystique and unknown to the soundscape and reached for that by seeking sounds from the neighboring areas and cultures where the actual game would take place."

The mandolin appeared during the Renaissance in Italy, www.pixabay.com


"In the second phase of the production, we created a Spotify playlist of any kind of music that could be somehow useful as a reference or just felt right. We shared the gigantic playlist with the game-developing team and asked how they felt about the music.

We started narrowing down the list using the answers we got from the team combined with our own ideas. In the end, something like over 200 reference songs were narrowed down to eleven. These songs had the overall mood, and feeling – the essence we decided to aim for."

Janne and Seppo created a musical moodboard on Spotify. Listen here

"Seppo started to compose demo versions for the main theme. Almost twenty different versions were made and one of those was chosen to become the main theme. After that, we did a breakdown of the game, just to make clear at what point and what kind of music was needed, and how we would fit the theme in different variations. When we had a shared vision of the musical entity, Seppo composed the rest of the pieces and we produced demos of these compositions."

[h3]"The actual production was very intense and we worked as a pair in the studio for long days."[/h3]

"We used the demos to make a breakdown of the instrumentation and arrangement ideas. When the instrumentation plan was done, we studied what could be the best way to produce the sounds we wanted to have in the scores. Several software and VST instruments were acquired to support the hardware instruments that were chosen for production.

We ended up using a lot of software like Spectrasonics Omnisphere, Arturia V Collection, and Native Instruments Komplete alongside hardware like ASM Hydrasynth, Nord Stage 3, Sequential Mopho X4, and some classics like Roland JV 2080 and TR808.

A "Nord Stage" keyboard used on the soundtrack. Picture by Daniel - originally posted to Flickr as Nord keyboardist, CC BY-SA 2.0, link

The actual production was very intense and we worked as a pair in the studio for long days. Executing well-made plans was the key to a successful result and actually gave us lots of time to try (and fail) new ideas during production. We had lots of fun and sometimes got carried away playing around, but being such serious professionals and not at all any silly babblers (yeah right!), we managed to get back on track whenever needed."

- Janne Kariniemi, Sound Director at Resistance Games


[h3]Which topic would you like to hear about in our next devlog?[/h3]


Join our Discord to get involved in the development of Great Houses of Calderia: https://discord.gg/vsxD6n8P8J

- Great Houses of Calderia Team -

[h2]To celebrate we prepared a brand-new demo for you to enjoy![/h2]

What changed since our last public demo:

• 1. Added numerous mechanics
  
• 2. New onboarding
  
• 3. Graphical optimization
  
• 4. AI improved
  
• 5. Tooltips
  
• 6. New music and SFX
  
• 7. Brand new social conflict resolution
  
• 8. New smart auto-resolve features for conflict resolution
  
• 9. Fiefdom management and building revisited
  

Your feedback is extremely precious, it helps us make the best game possible!

Please share your feedback regarding the demo on discord: https://discord.gg/vsxD6n8P8J

- Great Houses of Calderia Team -

[h3]Today's topic is the location-based events[/h3]

The peninsula of Calderia is about 40,000 km² / 15,400 mi² in size (roughly equivalent to Switzerland). The land is divided into provinces governed by various noble Houses.

Although the interests of the nobility are mostly focused on the main cities of each province, the roads between them are bustling with life: busy crossroads may have thriving villages, and ancient temple ruins may hold secrets to be discovered by those who dare to seek them out. Seaports are a melting pot for sailors, vagabonds, fishermen, bazaars, and traders from faraway lands.

While your family members are on the road, they are bound to encounter the enticing wonders that Calderia has to offer. Depending on their location, they may be treated to a Location Event.



Characters may also pass by each other's cities or meet on the road; be they friends or foes. Sometimes events related to two characters meeting by chance may occur. Sometimes multiple families are invited to spend time in the same place, such as at weddings. In such situations, one is bound to run into new acquaintances or confront sworn enemies. However, if you're harbouring a vendetta, it's not civilized to act on it while being someone else's guest.



As mentioned in our "Diplomacy: Squire, ward, court" Steam News, one of the most powerful diplomatic actions a noble House can take is to send its family members to live in a foreign court as wards, squires, or court members. These family members are by no means forgotten. Things can happen in their lives just as they can with anyone else, but the events they experience will be related to their duties and lives in the other House's court. You will also receive events related to the incidents that revolve around other Houses' characters living in your own court.



Finally, your family members may find their lives boring or unfulfilling. In these rare cases, they might embark on a Character Journey.

A Character Journey is a series of events that the characters undertake of their own volition. While you may not be able to stop them or even control where they go, you'll have a chance to decide what they do in the adventures they encounter. Character Journeys are extremely rare, occurring maybe once in a character's lifetime, but when they do, they're bound to change the character's view of life somehow.



[h3]How would you like your House's members to interact with Calderia's locations?[/h3]

Join our Discord to get involved in the development of Great Houses of Calderia: https://discord.gg/vsxD6n8P8J

- Great Houses of Calderia Team -

We are thrilled to announce that we are about to release a new version of our game ready to be playtested!

Fill in the form below if you're interested in taking part in this new session: https://forms.gle/g66Y1K1w7kvkBSci6

The demo will be live from March 31st until April 10th. We're sending the keys & instructions manually so it might take some time to receive a key but we'll make sure to include as many players as possible.

We really want to hear your thoughts about any aspects of the game (likes & dislikes, ideas for improvement) so feel free to share your feedback by filling this form: https://bit.ly/3mbKkhc


For bug reports, please take screenshots and be as precise as possible so we can reproduce them and fix them!

[h2]Patchnote[/h2]
[h3]Added[/h3]

• AI improvement
  
• Lots of Tooltips
  
• Auto resolve option for conflict resolutions
  
• Event choice tooltips including keywords - Traits that affect the outcome are highlighted
  
• Possibility to skip the tutorial
  
• New unlockables for building trees
  
• Duchy colors for each fiefdom
  
• Character friendship & rivalry mechanics
  
• Characters gaining XP to skills
  
• More Military conflict battlefields
  
• War types & requirements
  
• Peace negotiations
  
• Army burning locations
  
• Army meets caravan or delegation
  
• Music & SFX
  
• Events & event illustrations
  
• World log & personal log
  
• Character bonuses for certain actions
  

[h3]Changed[/h3]

• Heavily improved tutorials
  
• Conflict resolution flow & UI
  
• Major changes to Social conflict:

1. Companion tiers are displayed more clearly
   
2. Companions have abilities
   
3. Some companions have ranged attacks
   
4. UI & UX improvements
   
5. Tooltips display winning & losing effects
   
6. Automove disabled as default
   
7. Abilities do not require targeting anymore

• Some abilities from traits have been re-designed
  
• Ranks amount reduced
  
• Ranks UI & UX improved
  
• Army movement
  
• Building trees
  
• Main UI on the world map
  
• Game balance:

1. Resource valuation
   
2. Resource production
   
3. Resource consumption
   
4. Fiefdom start buildings
   
5. Work efforts & wages as unlockables

• Relation UI
  
• Action Prompt improvements & expansion
  
• Battles can’t happen at sea
  
• Builders-profession renamed to Masons
  
• Winning progression UI
  

[h3]Known Issues[/h3]

• Some texts are missing in various places, showing
  
• Tutorial soft locks in some places, if the game window loses focus
  

- Great Houses of Calderia Team -

Maintaining good diplomatic relationships between the various Houses is a crucial aspect of your House's success. But what do you do when other Houses refuse to cooperate or even try to obstruct you? You hire spies, of course.

[h3]How does spying work in Calderia?[/h3]
The core mechanics of the Great Houses of Calderia revolve around diplomatic, economic, militaristic, and intrigue actions. Intrigue actions are risky endeavors that aim to harm and hinder your opponents, and they begin with recruiting lackeys to do your bidding.

Every now and then, a House may send one of its family members on an official visit to another fiefdom. The purpose of this visit, at least on the surface, is to improve relations between the two Houses, making future cooperation easier. However, the best possible spies a House could have can be found within the walls of their court. Someone inconspicuous, always there but rarely noticed, like a kitchen maid or a stable boy.

Anyone could be a potential spy, but finding and employing one is a dangerous task. Not dangerous enough to risk a noble's life and start a war, but risky enough to sever relations between the two Houses for a long time. Once a target is found, one must think of the best way to approach them with this delicate matter. Lower-class servants might be persuaded with threats, as they might feel they have no other option than to obey. A dissatisfied guard could be bought with a sizeable sum of money. The blacksmith used by the court could perhaps be persuaded with a promise of wealthy new clients. It always starts with a promise: "All you have to do is be our eyes and ears, and when we ask for something to happen, you'll find the right people to do it. You'll be perfectly safe."

That is, of course, a lie. The traditional punishment for spying throughout Calderia is gibbeting. Gibbeting is a form of punishment where the culprit is placed inside a cage that is hung from a high place until they die.



[h3]How does it work in the game?[/h3]
Once you've hired a spy, you may ask them to perform various nefarious acts.
Knowledge is power, and the information you have about the enemy family is shown as Intrigue Level. Think of Intrigue Level as knowledge about itineraries, guard shifts, vulnerabilities in structures, blackmailable secrets, etc. Each level of intrigue in the enemy fiefdom increases the success chance of your spy actions.
Each spy you have in the enemy's court increases your intrigue level in that fiefdom by one (up to four). The members of your family in that fiefdom also increase the intrigue level by two (children by one). However, your family members cannot and will not perform spy actions.

Only a fool would think that there aren't any spies within their own ranks as well. To counter incoming spy attacks, each fiefdom must develop and maintain Safety. Safety is an abstract resource that is developed by the population working in your castle. As you gather that resource, your Safety Level increases (up to four levels). Think of Safety Levels as increased guard patrols, bureaucracy, and workplace protocols, undercover workers reporting naysayers, etc. The Safety Level of your fiefdom directly decreases the success chance of enemy spy actions. In addition to the general safety level, each profession overseer brings their expertise to the table, either increasing or decreasing the safety of the profession they watch over for a little bit. Even dormant spies can be found from time to time with good Safety measures.


[h3]How can spies serve my house?[/h3]
Enough about the technical stuff. Let's say your neighbor has a lot of iron ore that you would like to buy from them, but all you have to offer is grain crops. They are reluctant to sell because they have bountiful fields of their own and don't really need your grain. You've tried to explain that it's good to have excess in storage for a rainy day, but they still refuse.

It's time to make it rain, then...



You send a message to your spy that a small "accident" needs to happen at their fields or granaries - maybe a misplaced torch or an invasion of rats. You don't really care how it's done. You send them a small amount of money and instruct the spy to find some lowlifes to carry out the task, with the money serving as compensation for their troubles. A day or two passes and you eagerly wait for news. Finally, you hear a rumor that all the grain mills your neighbor had have been burned down during the night. You think to yourself, "Splendid," as you send your condolences and offer to support them in these hard times by selling them grain in exchange for iron ore.

At the same time, your spy is getting nervous. They’ve also heard of the fire, but none of the hired men has returned to collect the rest of their payment. Rumour has it, that the overseer of Farmers has taken the matter very seriously, and is currently rigorously investigating who gave the order to sabotage them. Each month they spend investigating the matter, the closer they get to finding out who did it. If they do, their House can accuse you of your actions, and demand rightful compensation for it. In any case, your spy must lay low until either the dust settles or they face the gibbet.



Would you hire spies to protect your heritage?

Join our Discord to get involved in the development of Great Houses of Calderia: https://discord.gg/vsxD6n8P8J

- Great Houses of Calderia Team -