Bonaparte News

[h3]Hello everyone, and a belated Happy New Year from Studio Imugi 🥳
Our dev team is back and has been hard at work with plenty of new features, bug fixes and under the hood optimizations.[/h3]




We are very excited for the next few months as we prepare for an Early Access launch! The game is getting better and better, with a ton of features and content long in the making that are finally converging in our latest builds.

While we haven't announced a precise date yet, our Q2 target is basically just around the corner! If you haven't already, please consider wishlisting Bonaparte and don't miss out on future news & announcements.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2560340/Bonaparte__A_Mechanized_Revolution/





As we close in on the Early Access, we now need your feedback more than ever. If you're a seasoned strategy player with an interest in the game, we want to hear from you! Head over to our discord server and apply to the Insider program. Being an insider comes with several perks, one of which is access to monthly dev builds and a direct hotline to the devteam.

Join us & make your voice count!




There have been numerous improvements to the build this past month, here's a brief rundown with a few sneak peeks :)

[h2]TACTICAL:[/h2]

• We have implemented new Grenadiers units with high heat-damage attacks. Perfect to fend off enemy Colossi by forcing them to spend action points 'venting' rather than slashing away at your infantry.
  
  
  
• All units have been improved with new portraits, animations and special effects. From Heavy Cannon impacts to Colossi overheat effect.
  
  
  
• We are starting to implement new 'biomes' and more battle arenas variations. Here is a sneak peek of the Versailles Palace:
  
  

[h2]STRATEGY:[/h2]

• There are tons of UI improvements on the Strategic map such as a new character selection screen when starting a new playthrough, or a new conscription window to recruit new battalions. The game feels more refined than ever, and we will keep improving the experience in the coming months.
  
  
  
• We've added a Political Goals system for determining voting and other preferences on a per-Party level that provides more granularity and coherence to our political gameplay.
  
  
• We have integrated the "Coup" mechanic that will pace your playthroughs. Reaching maximum Terror level for the first time will now trigger the narrative event, and the resulting major battle.
  

[h3]On behalf of the whole Studio Imugi team, we would like to wish you the best end of year celebrations. This has been a particularly troubled period for the game industry, and as we reflect on these past few months, we realize that we have been lucky to withstand the storm when so many of our fellow game devs have been critically impacted by the numerous layoffs. We hope that this end of year break will allow them to enjoy quality time with friends and family, and for the new year to be full of opportunities and successes.[/h3]



[h3]As part of our development process, the whole team sat down to reflect on the past months and how the game has evolved since January. Here is a brief recap of our key 2024 milestones:[/h3]


Jongwoo, Etienne and Martin travelled all the way to Köln, Germany, to attend Gamescom and introduce Bonaparte to the gaming press. We had a pretty neat booth, and a fully packed agenda with over 80 individual meetings! Our passion for this project was definitely conveyed with many positive previews: PCGamesN defines Bonaparte as “a visionary mix of Civilization, Crusader Kings, and… Armored Core”. We couldn't agree more :3



If you haven't already, please consider wishlisting Bonaparte and don't miss out on future news & announcements.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2560340/Bonaparte__A_Mechanized_Revolution/




We participated in the Steam Next Fest in October and crafted a custom demo for the occasion. If you haven't found the time to check it out yet, the demo is still available to play. Head over the steam page and hit that download button :)

Play the demo





After engaging early this year with a tight group of strategy veteran players, we have finally kickstarted our insider initiative in November. We strongly believe that engaging with players early in the development process can help our team craft the best game we can.

We now have monthly dev builds available to test, and dedicated Discord channels where insiders can voice their opinions, share feedback & ideas, directly with the team.

Join us & make your voice count!




The game has progressed A LOT this year, thanks to the amazing work of our (tiny) team. From visuals to gameplay features, bug fixes, balancing, narration, music & audio, here is a brief look at 2024 major developments:

• We have completed the design and visuals of our strategic map. With the help of our Historian, we have invested a lot in making sure our late 18th century map of France was as authentic as possible. As shown below, it now includes the proper regions/départements segmentation, refined visuals, and many usability improvements (to better see the control of different factions, the population support, or the location of other squads & armies). Interactions on the strategic map have also been dramatically improved, from army movement to district management.
  
  
  
  
• A lot of effort was also spent on improving our tactical battles. We have built and keep iterating on tools that allow us to create new battle arenas, and generally pushed visual quality across the board with better rendering, animations and particles, that make our arenas a lot livelier!
  
  
  
  Aside from the map, the visual quality has also been pushed on the units and the attack resolutions. The animations and textures for our 2D units as well as user interface elements have been drastically improved, and we started integrating special effects, and audio cues.
  
  
  
  Actual tactical features were also developed and implemented, such as the morale/heat system and the various unit abilities (such as the Colossi 'intimidation', or the cavalry 'trample' charge below).
  
  
  
  
• We implemented new historical figures to the game, each with its own 2D portrait and particular political alignment, that player can interact with. As well as many new illustrations for the different game screens.
  
  
  
  
• We expanded our political gameplay with the National Convention system that allows players to gain power, participating in elections and submitting reforms to be voted on. The game simulates population classes (the masses, bourgeoisie, and clergy) and player choices now directly impact political standing, and available options on the strategic map through negotiation, military actions, or propaganda.
  
  
  
  
• And a ton of behind the scenes work to support development moving forward (such as an autosave feature, bug fixes, balancing, etc...).
  
  

The team will stay busy until we launch Bonaparte in Early Access later next year in 2025. And we have planned to add most of our narrative content, while improving our existing systems and implementing more content.

- the Studio Imugi team




Thanks for checking out our annual review! Our team is excited to launch Bonaparte in Early Access later next year in 2025. Until then, we'll be busy working on improvements to the National Convention, adding new battle biomes, as well as writing and integrating new narrative content for the campaign.

[h2]Happy holidays![/h2]

[h2]Hello everyone :)[/h2]

[h3]Starting today, we are publishing monthly updates that recaps the announcements, news, and production milestones to keep you updated on the studio and the game.[/h3]

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We had the pleasure to selected by the Canadian delegation to be part of this year's Shanghai WePlay Expo! While the team wasn't on site, it was a great opportunity to have the game introduced to the Chinese audience. Did you attend the event and checked out Bonaparte? Let us know in the comment below :)

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Our insider program is about to get back on tracks! After an initial "concept test" with a few players, we are about to reactivate our community initiative and deploy access to monthly dev builds. We are a small team, tackling an ambitious project, and we know that involving players in the game production goes a long way to help us create the best game we can! So make your voice count, and share your feedback and ideas with us.

If you want to learn more and apply to our insider program:
Join our Discord server

[hr][/hr]


A few weeks back, Jongwoo (Creative Director) and Martin (Executive producer) had the chance to meet with the legendary eXplorminate crew - led by Rob, Drexy and Ricky - for an exclusive interview about our studio, our team, and our vision for the game. The episode features almost an hour of insights, history bits, and fresh information on the game's features and scope.

Don't miss out, and listen to the podcast:
PODCAST - eXplorminate x Studio IMUGI

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[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
Check out our official developer playthrough hosted by Jongwoo & Martin with a ton of great historical bits & insights.

The demo we prepared for the previous Steam Next Fest is still available so if you missed it you still have time to check it out ːsteamthumbsupː This is a short demo (for a strategy game) that will take you through the storming of the Bastille, plus a few turns, which will help you get a good glimpse of what the game will offer.

[hr][/hr]

We are super excited to announce that Bonaparte - A Mechanized Revolution is heading to Shanghai's WePlay Expo 2024, China's biggest indie game exhibition, as part of the Canadian delegation.

If you're attending, come & check out the game Hall H4 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition & Convention Center, Nov. 16th & 17th!

apos;History but with mechs' is hardly a new premise (see Iron Harvest, for example), and for upcoming tactics game Bonaparte: A Mechanized Revolution, it's a pretty functional conceit: It lets the developers use big historical personalities as frontline warriors on a tactical grid without as much concern for their historical job, which was to stay a comfortable distance from flying bullets. The mechs are stand-ins for your hero characters, done and dusted...
Read more.