The Emperor and State News

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716930/The_Emperor_and_State/
The early access version of The Emperor and State is coming soon! It is still in development, and we hope to launch it in the near future. Feel free to add the game to your wishlist↑.

English localization is in progress. The Official Release version will support English. Please stay tuned!

This time, we will mainly introduce the important status "Imperial Authority" in the game.

The various ability values on the State interface in the game simulate the situation of the country under the ancient feudal system. There are about 20 relevant status of the country, which are interdependent and mutually influential. It is hoped that this will bring more strategic and challenging aspects to the game. Players need to stabilize and develop the country by sorting out and adjusting the relationships between various status.

In setting the status of the country, I hope to conform to historical laws as much as possible, reflecting the contradictions and dialectics of historical development in the game process, allowing players to experience the experience of governing the country as an emperor in the game.



In the upcoming 0.3 update, significant adjustments have also been made to the relationships between current national status. Below is a brief introduction to the adjustment direction of the new version.

[h2]Function of Imperial Authority[/h2]
Imperial Authority represents the majesty and influence of the royal family among the people, officials, and the international community. It not only refers to the influence of a generation of emperors but also the prestige inherited by the entire royal family that players can experience.

In the upcoming 0.3 version, Imperial Authority will be updated. It will no longer be a percentage value but a numerical value, with two important functions: First, in the calculation of the country's governance power, all Imperial Authority values will be included, directly affecting the court's control ability over the country; Secondly, Imperial Authority also plays a very important role in curbing the corruption of the bureaucratic class, thereby reducing the negative effects of land consolidation caused by corruption. This alleviates the problem of the current version's single means of curbing corruption.

The increase or decrease of Imperial Authority is related to various factors, making the entire State system complex and realistic:

• Personal abilities of the Emperor: The Emperor's personal abilities will directly affect Imperial Authority, with benevolence having the greatest impact on increasing Imperial Authority.
  
• Grade of the Late Emperor's Mausoleum: The grade of the Late Emperor's Mausoleum reflects the legacy of the Late Emperor's reign. The higher the grade, the higher the Imperial Authority it brings.
  
• Architectural style of the Imperial Palace: The Imperial Palace represents the overall economic strength of the royal family. The Emperor can use various rare building materials collected in various ways to build the Imperial Palace. If there are buildings with a magnificent style, it will also increase Imperial Authority.
  
  
• Historical famous ministers in the court: The recruitment of talents indirectly reflects the charm of the Emperor. Historical famous ministers in the court will bring a certain degree of Imperial Authority bonus.
  
• Enfeoffment of concubines in the harem: The harem, as part of the royal family, will also affect Imperial Authority. Conferment of high-charisma concubines in the harem can additionally increase Imperial Authority.
  
  
• Other sudden events: Some random events may bring options that affect Imperial Authority, and players can make their own decisions.
  
• Proportion of officials and aristocrats: The background of officials serving in the court will also affect Imperial Authority. The higher the proportion of aristocrats to commoners in the court, the corresponding increase in Imperial Authority.
  

I believe that the adjustment of Imperial Authority status will make the entire status system of the game more harmonious and, most importantly, better simulate the complexity of ancient royal families.

Thank you for watching, and welcome to add the game to your wishlist. It's really important to us!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716930/The_Emperor_and_State/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716930/The_Emperor_and_State/
The early access version of The Emperor and State is coming soon! It is still in development, and we hope to launch it in the near future. Feel free to add the game to your wishlist↑.

English localization is in progress. The Official Release version will support English. Please stay tuned!

Since the Prologue of "The Emperor and State," has been launched for over two years, it's inevitable that people will compare it with other existing games on the market, with the classic Dos game "Emperor" often being mentioned. In fact, the concept for "The Emperor and State" gameplay dates back more than twenty years ago...

[h2]From Dos "Emperor" to "The Emperor and State"[/h2]

Dos "Emperor" was one of my favorite games during my high school years. I didn't play computer games much starting from my senior year of high school due to heavy academic workload, but during the final review stage of my senior year, as I reviewed ancient Chinese history, scenes of tax reforms, military changes, rise and fall patterns, and imperial figures unfolded in my mind, much like the contents that appeared in Dos "Emperor". The changes in the territory maps of various dynasties constantly stirred up memories of the game scenes.

I always fantasized about enriching the content of Dos "Emperor". How great would it be if the ministers in the game had their own portraits! How wonderful would it be if aspects like taxation, military, and national policies could influence the game! How vivid would it be if the relationships between characters were as lively as in the "Taikou Risshiden" series! Under pressure, I couldn't help but burst out, and drafted a simple plan. From maps to internal governance structure, from feature design to prospects... More than twenty years later, this dream finally had a name: "The Emperor and State"... In a sense, the development of this game has spanned more than twenty years...

[h2]From Art to Programming[/h2]

As mentioned earlier, I was previously a 3D character designer at a online game company. When I decided to make this game myself, I spent a month summarizing and organizing all my thoughts about the game, establishing the basic framework, and trying out the logic between the main values.

Then came the implementation, which required writing code and using game engines. This step was actually very difficult for me. At 35, I was already beyond the age suitable for many professions, and programming was one of them. Moreover, English had always been my worst subject, far behind the others! To be honest, I had no confidence at the beginning. The reality was that I didn't have the funds to hire professional programmers to work on an independent game for a long time, and on the other hand, I thought that if I, with my level of English, could write a decent program, it would be a very exciting, legendary, and extremely inspiring thing for me. It was like a donkey with a carrot hanging in front of it, and with no other option, I took that step.

From art to programming, from a career driven by emotion to one driven by rationality, it can be said to be a completely different transition between two different ways of thinking and working experiences. Thanks to Unity, which is a relatively low-threshold and effective engine, every bit of effort put in brought results. Clicking on a box and popping up a window, a seemingly ordinary step in the game, but the sense of achievement when completed by oneself was truly powerful. This joy of achievement supported me in piecing together a simple playable slice. Then came the process of writing code... Thanks to various tutorials, guidance from kind netizens, and help from AI tools, "The Emperor and State" finally took shape.



However, during the development process, I often struggled to find and fix bugs: the logic seemed fine, but the program kept throwing errors. But with each step of exploration, the problem would eventually be found. It reminded me of a sentence I once saw by chance when I was in school, "Those who have never experienced the pain of solving an equation cannot understand the joy of solving it." Every bug, no matter how elusive, eventually has an answer. The feeling of clarity when the mysterious veil is lifted is an unparalleled experience.



[h2]From Art to Design[/h2]

Since planning this game, the richness of the content has never been a concern for me. The theme of "emperors" is broad but concrete, with many elements that can be added, such as technology, economy, geography, politics, history, society, religion, military, and even espionage, martial arts, ethics, and romance... It's easy to diverge. In the community, in comments, and in discussion groups, players have been actively giving suggestions and providing many ideas. In terms of predecessors, there's the DOS "Emperor" and games from Paradox Interactive, the Civilization series, which can be used as references. These rich contents are both valuable resources and challenges for planning. Therefore, I need to find a balance among many elements, make trade-offs between authenticity and playability, summarize the gameplay, and ensure the overall integrity of the game.

Of course, this is my first time planning a game from start to finish, so there have been many issues. For example, the interrelation of national status was overly complex and couldn't be intuitively felt by players; there were also problems where I added many elements without reasonable deductions... These were issues I expected to have but couldn't ultimately avoid, and they increased the workload and difficulty of adjustments later on. Additionally, the lack of experience in providing guidance for beginners and in providing positive feedback also contributed to these problems, which will need further improvement in future development.



[h2]From Now to the Future[/h2]

The development progress of "The Emperor and State" can be said to still be in the process of refining the architecture, with many tasks to be done every day. However, it will release the 0.3 Early Access version in the near future, and I don't want to make excuses, but the reason is money. I find the relationship between "money" and "work" interesting when developing an indie game. For most people, they work to earn money, but I earn money to keep this job.

I'm very grateful for this situation because it allows me to experience what others have to spend money to buy directly, which is also a kind of luck! I think maybe other indie game developers have the same experience; otherwise, why would everyone be willing to work so hard in this high-risk industry? The experience of all the work involved, including planning, programming, and art, although tedious and difficult, satisfies me. Perhaps it's because in the process of developing games, I can realize all my ideas, or at least try to realize them...

-TuTu

Hope you can leave valuable opinions and suggestions in the Steam community. And welcome to add the game to your wishlist, that really helped me a lot:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716930/

[h3]The Emperor and State - Early Access Coming Soon! Add the game to your Wishlist ↓[/h3]
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716930/The_Emperor_and_State/
English localization is in progress. The Official Release version will support English. Please stay tuned!


Hello everyone! After several months of hard work, The Emperor and State has now completed development of version 0.293, bringing us closer to the release of the Early Access version. Here are the main updates in version 0.293 compared to the demo version:

[h2]Handling Affairs[/h2]

• Prime Minister Appointment feature
  
• Civil service examination allows selection of officials based on literary or military inclinations
  
• Military reorganization feature
  

[h2]Beauties[/h2]

• Significantly increased the number of character portraits
  
• Optimized character portraits
  
• Encounter events with Beauties now available in the imperial garden
  

[h2]Officials[/h2]

• Added 140+ historical officials
  
• Added official skills: Military Training, Strategy
  

[h2]Alchemy[/h2]

• Characters will now fall ill, reducing their status
  
• Investing materials can produce different types of elixirs, some for curing diseases, some for longevity
  

[h2]Emperor[/h2]

• Added traits: Rejuvenated, Daoist, Late Bloomer
  
• Added "Authority" status, affecting international stability and official loyalty
  
• Adjusted Imperial Authority mechanism, now affecting maximum troop numbers, selection numbers, and Authority
  
• Added "Legacy of the Previous Emperor," which can be enhanced by building tombs, mitigating the impact of regime changes
  

[h2]Improving[/h2]

• Added entertainment mode
  
• Performance improving for smoother gameplay
  
• Improved war processes
  
• Numerous UI Improving
  

Looking forward to seeing you all next time! Don't forget to add the Early Access game to your Wishlist and help us out!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716930/The_Emperor_and_State/

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716930/The_Emperor_and_State/
The early access version of The Emperor and State is coming soon! It is still in development, and we hope to launch it in the near future. Feel free to add the game to your wishlist↑.

English localization is in progress. The Official Release version will support English. Please stay tuned!

[h2]The Beginning[/h2]

Hello everyone, I'm TuTu, the developer of The Emperor and State. I have been developing this game on my own for nearly five years. Although these five years have not been easy, the joy of development and creation has been satisfying. The game has taken shape over these years, but there is still a long way to go before it is completed. I am writing this devlog to share with you the feelings and thoughts during the development process, and to record this important journey in my life.

Let me briefly introduce my game The Emperor and State. It is a simulation game where players will play as an emperor governing the country in ancient China, dealing with national affairs, nurturing talents, and managing the complexities of a feudal society.


Many players have associated this theme with other similar games and questioned whether The Emperor and State is just a clone. I have considered this question, and my conclusion is that the framework of managing the six ministries - Personnel, Revenue, Rites, War, Justice, and Public Works - and self-cultivation within the palace is the most "reasonable" for an emperor simulation game. Therefore, The Emperor and State does not abandon this framework, but aims to showcase its uniqueness within it:

During the 2000-year history of feudal China, the conflicts between various elements were significant and prominent, such as between the emperor and his courtiers, between the aristocracy and commoners, between the state and its people, between the imperial harem and the previous dynasty. As a ruler, one must navigate these complex relationships and maintain balance through various decisions. This is what sets the role of the emperor apart, and this is the original intention of creating The Emperor and State: to recreate the feeling of ruling a country through the principle of balance. Therefore, almost all the values in the game are not independent, and many important values will conflict with each other during development, forcing the emperor to make choices. I understand that this is a bit hardcore, but that's what I want to achieve.


However, this is not an easy task... A lot of the content above is just talk. I have been developing the game single-handedly for three years before the release of the "prologue", and have been continuously updating it for more than two years after the release... Currently, the basic framework and functions of the game have been completed.

Let me introduce my own situation. Years ago, I was a member responsible for 3D art in a game company. At that time, the graphics of popular online games were very beautiful, but the actual gameplay was mediocre. I felt that was not the kind of game I wanted to make, so I quit my job and started to learn game programming on my own, embarking on the journey to realize my dream. As the years went by, it became increasingly difficult for me, in my thirties, to bear the pressures of life. The burden of developing the game became heavier and heavier, and I felt increasingly inadequate in the face of some difficult programming tasks. I couldn't help but wonder if this was a gamble, and I became more and more afraid - afraid that I would be crushed by the pressure, afraid that I would betray myself. After careful consideration, I decided to release the current demo version, which is significant to me:

1. I need feedback from players to understand whether this theme and gameplay can be accepted by everyone.
   
2. I need players to test the game, help me with balancing adjustments, and adjust the game mechanisms.
   
3. Many difficult programming tasks require more professional programmers to help me complete them, which requires considerable financial resources. This step requires great courage.
   

This is crucial to whether I will continue development.


Almost all of the game testing before was done by myself, so there will inevitably be many oversights. So, if you encounter any problems or feel that there are areas that need improvement, please be sure to give me feedback. Thank you very much.

Since the initial release of version 0.1, The Emperor and State has been continuously updated to version 0.25 with the feedback and support of everyone. It is not far from the expected pre-release version 0.3 that can be launched this year. Thank you for your continuous support.



[h2]Future Plans[/h2]

The pre-release version 0.3 expected to be released this year will be the first step towards realizing my dream. I have conceived many unimplemented gameplay and features, including "technology tree", "wonders", "military equipment", "terrain", "imperial expedition", "imperial tour", etc...

There are also the most important "political parties" and "loyalty". The emperor needs to balance the various forces in the court to maintain the stability of imperial power. I plan to add various forces such as relatives, eunuchs, and royal clans. At the same time, I will add a "perception of loyalty" feature, allowing players to discern whether their subjects are reliable.

The addition of difficulty levels is also under consideration. Players who like strategic gameplay can experience the complex numerical systems in the game, while casual players can avoid troubles and collect famous ministers and concubines happily.



[h2]Final Words[/h2]

Video games have always been controversial in China. While it is true that there are "good games" and "bad games" in the world, it does not mean that games themselves are inherently bad. I believe that everyone who has been moved by games must have unforgettable memories. Take me for example:

• "Uncharted Waters" taught me how to draw world maps and remember the locations of major cities all over the world.
  
• The "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" series satisfied my fantasy of historical games;
  
• "Europa Universalis" proved that hardcore realistic game mechanics can also be popular with players
  
• "Civilization" sparked my interest in exploring the relationships between geography, politics, economics, religion, culture, and technology
  
• There are many more outstanding games...
  

I sincerely thank all these games, they are of great significance to me! In my opinion, games will eventually be recognized by the public, it just takes more time. I hope I can be one of the contributors to this process, and I hope Chinese culture can be one of them. I don't want the thousands of years of history in China to be buried or forgotten. I hope to spread our culture through games with Chinese culture themes. That's why I really want to continue game development, I don't want to give up. The Emperor and State Demo is now available, feel free to have a try!

I hope you can leave valuable opinions and suggestions in the Steam community. Thank you very much! Welcome to add the game to your wishlist:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716930/

Thank you for reading! See you next time.

TuTu

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716930/The_Emperor_and_State/
Thank you all for your long wait. We are pleased to announce that the early access version of The Emperor and State is coming soon! It is still in development, and we hope to launch it in the near future. Feel free to add the game to your wishlist↑. English localization is in progress. The Official Release version will support English. Please stay tuned!

The 0.25 version demo is now available, with the same content as "The Emperor and State Prologue." Hope you can enjoy our Demo.

Latest Trailer here↓
Bilibili: https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1sK421x7uA/