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!

In the previous developer diary, we introduced one of the significant changes in version 0.3: Authority. This actually serves as a prelude to another important status: Reign. Authority will shift from a percentage to a specific numerical value, directly incorporated into the calculation of Reign. Reign will be introduced as another new critical change in version 0.3.

[h2]Role of Reign[/h2]
Reign can be understood as the ability and extent of control and deterrence that the court institutions exert over the state. Insufficient Reign implies that the court's control capability struggles to reach every corner of the country, often occurring in the endgame when players expand their territories.

[h2]Reign primarily consists of three parts:[/h2]

1. Authority: The dignity of the royalty increases Reign. As the most direct rulers of the country, the image of the royalty greatly influences their control over the entire state.
   
2. National Buildings: Some national buildings can directly enhance Reign. The construction of wonders indirectly reflects a country's national strength and can demonstrate power to both its people and foreign countries.
   
3. Bureaucratic Rule: Bureaucratic rule is the most important source of Reign. As the officials in the court rise in merit, they require the emperor to grant higher titles to maintain loyalty, which simultaneously increases the output of Reign. Loyal officials will help maintain the stability of the country. However, bureaucratic rule is a double-edged sword; while it aids Reign, it does not necessarily mean the abandonment of personal desires, and situations of Land Consolidation may exacerbate.
   

[h2]There are also some elements that will affect the Reign:[/h2]

1. Legal and Ritual: Increasing investment in Legal and Ritual can have a beneficial impact on Reign.
   
2. Sage: Officials with sage skills serving in the court will also contribute to an increase in Reign.
   

These listed elements will be influenced by other aspects, forming the complete and organic national attribute system of The Emperor and State.

Thank you for watching, and welcome to add the game to your wishlist.

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

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!

[h3]The Bilibili Creation Incentive Program is now available! The event is taking place only on the Bilibili video website.[/h3]

[h2]How to Participate[/h2]

1. Submission deadline is April 20th. Only works submitted between March 21st and April 20th (Beijing Time) will be considered. Rewards will be calculated and announced within 5 working days after the end of the event.
   
2. Submit self-made videos related to the game "The Emperor and State" on Bilibili. The theme must be related to the game content and include materials from the game. Themes can vary: live gameplay, guides, commentary, fan creations, discussions on Chinese history, etc. There is no limit on the number of submissions.
   
3. Submit entries via the topic page: https://www.bilibili.com/v/topic/detail/?topic_id=1171442
   When submitting, make sure the video tags include the topic: "Free trial of 'The Emperor and State' is now open", otherwise it may affect the data statistics of the submission.
   
4. Submissions must adhere to Bilibili's submission guidelines. Entries with abnormal data will be disqualified from participating in the event.
   

[h2]Reward Rules[/h2]

1. 20 participants will win testing qualifications and early access game activation codes through a lottery among all participating contributors.
   (*Testing qualifications include all limited-time and limited-quantity tests from pre-release to version 1.0 formal release. Activation codes will be effective after the game's early access release.)
   
2. A total of 1000 yuan in creation incentive funds will be distributed among the top 1-11 players based on the total views of their submissions:
   Total views ranking during the event:
   1st place (cumulative views ≥ 30,000) 300 RMB
   2nd-5th place (cumulative views ≥ 20,000) 100 RMB
   6th-11th place (cumulative views ≥ 10,000) 50 RMB
   

[h3]The event is taking place only on the Bilibili video website, please take note.[/h3]

Welcome to add the game to your wishlist:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2716930/

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/