Barrage News

Howdy folks,

The wait is almost over! We're thrilled to announce that Barrage, our highly anticipated strategy game, will be launching on May 15! 💥

Get ready to dive into a world of intense tactical gameplay, where every move counts and your decisions will shape the future of the French Alps.

Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more updates. We can't wait to share this adventure with you!

Until next time,
Amintiri

Howdy Folks,

Last week we had the chance to showcase Barrage Digital at Bologna Play, one of the biggest Italian fairs dedicated to board games and everything that’s related to tabletop gaming. It was an incredible opportunity to meet players face-to-face, watch them interact with the game, and hear their thoughts in real time. Whether it was seasoned veterans of the board game or newcomers just discovering Barrage, the feedback we received was as diverse as it was valuable.

In today’s diary, I want to share some of the most interesting takeaways from the event — what players loved, what surprised them, and the small (and not-so-small) things we’re thinking about improving as a result.


[h3]“It really feels like playing the board game.”[/h3]
Let’s start with something simple an joyful. Many players praised the fact that the digital game has the same feeling of its tabletop counterpart, both in terms of aesthetic and information architecture.
One of our goals was to design an interface which could be easily recognizable by the tabletop players, and thankfully most of them were able to interact with the game with little-to-no explanation. Automations were particularly appreciated; even though Barrage is not a game with a complex table setting phase, the digital version saves a lot of time and can bring down the match duration significantly.

[h3]“Some text labels are hard to read.”[/h3]
Some players complained about certain text labels, which were deemed to be too small. Readability is quite the issue with an interface so cluttered, even when it comes to popups - bigger popups cover more information on the background. All that it takes is to find the sweet spot.

[h3]“I keep forgetting to end my turn.”[/h3]
A lot of times, players forgot to pass their turn after performing their action. This sometimes lead to think the game was soft-locked or simply unresponsive, but all it took was really to pass the turn.
Our insight: the End turn button might lack of some visibility.

[h3]“The end game popup still lacks some information.”[/h3]
Players were slightly confused about how the end game calculations are performed and what exactly gives Victory Points at the end of it. Specifically, it was unclear how end-game objectives were calculated, along with the Victory Points for untapped water and remaining resources.
Seems like an additional info task before the game end is necessary!

[h3]“The AI needs to be competitive.”[/h3]
People want a genuine challenge when it comes to Barrage. The AI needs to be both easygoing for newcomers, and skillful enough for more experienced players. We are working on two level of difficulty for our AI, hoping to accommodate everyone.
And for the most seasoned players, don’t forget that multiplayer exists too :)

[h3]“What about an iPad version?”[/h3]
As of today, Steam is the only platform we are targeting with Barrage. As we were mentioning in the previous answers, the UI is quite complex and some information are already small enough on the big screen of PCs. We will consider an iPad version only when we can guarantee an optimal user experience for our players.

[h3]Bonus round: “OCCHIO MALOCCHIO!!”[/h3]
Believe it or not, a customer stopped by to do the typical Italian gesture to avoid jinxes towards the screen, before running away into the crowd. We were not aware of a curse over Barrage, but we promise we’ll be wary towards any evil misconduct around the game.


Until next time,
Amintiri

Howdy Folks,

Today we dive into a fundamental mechanic of Barrage, the Tech tiles, or Technologies. You will need Techs to build Structures - whenever you perform a Construction action, a Tech will allow you to build a specific Building which will end up on the game map. Advanced Techs can be purchased throughout the game; they represent cutting-edge innovations and strategic upgrades that can supercharge your infrastructure, streamline your operations, and unlock new possibilities for your economic engine.


Unlike standard actions, Advanced Techs add an extra layer of complexity and customization to your strategy. Just like regular ones (which every player possesses at the beginning of the game), they allow the Construction of a specific Structure; however, they also have a special secondary effect which applies in the moment they are chosen during the Construction action.

Advanced Techs are divided in three Tiers which are revealed (3 by 3) as the game progresses. At the end of each round, unsold techs will be discarded and lost forever; one more reason to plan ahead when it comes to purchasing them.

[h2]Tier 1 - Early game (Round 1-2)[/h2]

Effect: Build a Dam base.
Secondary effect: Your empty Dams (including this one) receive a Water drop.
Strategy: if you are rushing to build as many Dams as you can, this Tech allows to fill them easily, balancing out the scarcity of water (especially during the first turns).


Effect: Build an Elevation.
Secondary effect: You also rotate your Construction wheel as many times as the amount of Elevations you built (including this one).
Strategy: if you are playing tall, you will deal with the relative scarcity of Concrete Mixers. This tile will allow you to easily empty out your Construction wheel, retrieving the Techs you have allocated.


Effect: Build a Conduit.
Secondary effect: You also gain 2 Credits per each level of the Conduit you just built.
Strategy: A good engine start, this Tech provides easy Credits to use for other Advanced Techs or to rotate the Construction wheel early.


Effect: Build a Powerhouse.
Secondary effect: You don’t place Engineers to build this Powerhouse.
Strategy: An easy way to rush to the CEO’s special ability, which unlocks when the third Powerhouse is built.


Effect: Build a Structure of your choice.
Secondary effect: You don’t pay Credits if you build a Building in a building space with the red border.
Strategy: Ensuring access to the red bordered building spaces provides a small but significant advantage against opponents, as they are closer to the Basins (thus they collect Water drops more easily).

[h2]Tier 2 - Mid game (Round 2-3-4)[/h2]

Effect: Build a Dam base.
Secondary effect: You also produce Energy equal to the number of the Dams you have built (including this one).
Strategy: While the game progresses, smaller contracts may get less useful - this Tech allows an easy way to fulfill them without wasting an actual Production action.


Effect: Build an Elevation.
Secondary effect: The Dam where you have built this Elevation gets filled up to its maximum capacity.
Strategy: Useful for building tall or when opponents build their Dams upstream.


Effect: Build a Conduit.
Secondary effect: If you would pay more than 5 Excavators to build this Conduit, you pay 5 Excavators instead.
Strategy: Allows an easy access to very expensive Conduits.


Effect: Build a Powerhouse.
Secondary effect: You may also perform a Production action with a +2 bonus.
Strategy: Production is of the utmost importance; a free Production allows to save 2-3 Engineers which can be allocated elsewhere.


Effect: Build a Structure of your choice.
Secondary effect: You can use any combination of Excavators and Concrete Mixers to build this Structure.
Strategy: Mid-game is easy to have a lot of one type of Machinery. This Tech evens out the difference.

[h2]Tier 3 - End game (Round 4-5)[/h2]

Effect: Build a Dam base.
Secondary effect: You don’t place Engineers to build this Dam, and you don’t pay any Excavator.
Strategy: Useful to unlock the 7 Victory Point bonus when all Dams are built.


Effect: Build an Elevation.
Secondary effect: You also gain 3 Victory Points for each of your Dams with at least one Elevation on it.
Strategy: Works well with multiple, cheap Dams.


Effect: Build a Conduit.
Secondary effect: You also produce 2 Energy per each level of the Conduit you just built.
Strategy: Additional Production during the end-game ensures the top tier Objectives can be reached (30+ Energy).


Effect: Build a Powerhouse.
Secondary effect: You also gain 3 Victory Points for each Powerhouse you built (including this one).
Strategy: Powerhouses do not unlock a 7 Victory Point reward - this Tech makes building Powerhouses more lucrative.


Effect: Build a Structure of your choice.
Secondary effect: You also gain 3 Victory Points for each Advanced Tech you have (including this one).
Strategy: Can be the culmination of a strategy based on Advanced Techs acquisition.



Advanced Techs can shift the tide of the game as long as they are purchased at the right moment. Just don’t leave them too unattended, as the AI is particularly greedy towards them!

Until next time,
Amintiri

Howdy Folks,

Welcome to another appointment with the behind the scenes of Barrage! In this dev diary, we’ll pull back the curtain on the historical and thematic inspirations behind Barrage’s characters.


So let’s talk Executive Officers! Each XO in Barrage reflects a different approach to power—some embodying relentless expansion, others focused on technological breakthroughs or shrewd economic maneuvering. They mostly draw inspiration from real-world pioneers, visionaries, and industrialists who shaped the landscape of the modern world, but we have a couple of interesting exceptions as well…but let’s not spoil the surprise, shall we?

[h2]Solomon P. Jordan, the Financial expert[/h2]
I remember him clearly — tall, with a sharp mustache, always dressed in a tailcoat and wearing a monocle that seemed more for effect than necessity. There was always a cigar, either balanced between his lips or rolling between his fingers. His expression was perpetually stern, his brow furrowed as he pored over a thick stack of papers — contracts, I’m sure of it — which he studied with an intense, almost unsettling focus.

Effect: you can pay Credits instead of Machinery when you build a new Building.
Solomon P. Jordan was inspired by John Pierpont Morgan, the quintessential financial genius of the Progressive era.


[h2]Viktor Fiesler, the Mechanical engineer[/h2]
Ah, yes. A lean figure with slicked-back blond hair and a neatly trimmed mustache. His style was formal but understated, the kind of elegance that didn’t draw attention but still spoke of precision. What stood out most, though, was what he carried — an electromechanical gauntlet that wrapped around his arm all the way up to his shoulder. It hummed softly, a constant reminder that beneath his composed exterior was a mind always at work, pushing the limits of technology.

Effect: your base Production value is 4, unless reduced by the action value.
Viktor Fiesler was inspired by Viktor Kaplan, the inventor of the Kaplan Turbine.


[h2]Graziano Del Monte, the Geologist[/h2]
Impossibly old, with a long white beard that seemed to flow like a river of time. His small, round, dark glasses hid his eyes, making it hard to tell whether he was studying you or lost in his own thoughts. Despite his age, his posture was straight as a rod, a silent testament to his unyielding spirit. The room was never silent — from the corner of his desk, an electric gramophone played softly, its glowing vacuum tubes pulsing with gentle, colored light. It was as if the past and the future coexisted around him, both at his command.

Effect: your level 3 Dams can hold an additional Water drop.
Graziano del Monte was inspired by Giorgio Dal Piaz, he himself a very renowned geologist.


[h2]Jill McDowell, the Expert of reinforced Conduits[/h2]
A face hard to forget — long, blond hair swept into a messy bun, with a face weathered by sun and wind, a quiet testament to a life spent outdoors. She dressed simply — a heavy flannel shirt, worn over an old undershirt. The kind of clothes that cared more about function than form. A crumpled cigarette hung from the corner of her mouth, a thin trail of smoke curling upward, catching the green glow of the monitor.

Effect: you can pay Concrete Mixers instead of Excavators when building Conduits, equal to the value of the Conduit.
Jill McDowell was inspired, curiously, by Frances McDormand in her role as Mildred Hayes in the critically acclaimed movie “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”.


[h2]Wilhelm Adler, the Chief of high altitude operations[/h2]
I remember him well — soft brown hair, a neatly trimmed salt-and-pepper beard, and the kind of striking blue eyes that seemed to catch the light no matter the time of day. He didn’t wear the usual office attire; instead, he favored a thick mountaineer’s sweater, rough and practical, with a small Edelweiss pinned to his chest — a subtle clue to a past life, perhaps as an Alpenjäger.

Effect: your Dam bases always cost 3 Excavators, no matter the altitude.
Wilhelm Adler was inspired by Reinhold Messner, the legendary climber from South Tyrol.


[h2]Anton Krylov, the Foreman[/h2]
A towering, musclebound figure, equal parts terrifying and mesmerizing. He wore a blue-and-white striped tank top, stretched taut across his massive chest, leaving his broad shoulders and powerful forearms exposed — both crisscrossed with scars and concrete dust. His left arm wasn’t flesh and bone anymore but a hulking electromechanical prosthetic, a workman's multi-tool with a hydraulic clamp attached, hissing softly with each slight movement.

Effect: you can copy a Tech tile from your Construction Wheel and use to to build the same Building again.
Anton Krylov was inspired by, you guessed it, Zangief from Street Fighter. Who else could’ve embodied so well his anger, slamming against the desk as he roared?



Until next time,
Amintiri

Howdy Folks,

They say third time’s the charm, so here we are back with a new step in the world of Barrage. In this diary, we’ll explore the artistic influences that shaped our vision, from the visual style of the board game to the real world grand architecture of hydroelectric power plants.


When adapting Barrage into a digital format, one of our biggest challenges was capturing the game’s distinct visual identity while enhancing it for a screen-based experience. The original board game has a bold, industrial aesthetic—evoking the early 20th-century hydroelectric boom, a time of rapid technological advancement, grand engineering projects, and fierce economic competition. Our goal was to translate that gritty, machine-driven atmosphere into an interactive space where every element feels like part of a living, functional world.

But enough talk, let’s see some pictures!

[h2]Getting the best out of the board game[/h2]
Each faction from the board game features a distinct style inspired by real life architects from the same country. For example, Marguerite Grant (the CEO from USA) is portrayed in front of a dam in the style of Buckminster Fuller and his geodesic structures; the design resembles a run-of-river dam which is evocative of Missouri’s Hauser Dam (though more references from around the world were used).



(Courtesy of The Buckminster Fuller Institute)

Italy’s architectural frame was set by the work of Pier Luigi Nervi, a famous architect who believed in firmness and static nature when it comes to buildings and functionality. The final design shows tall, flat surfaces, with a simple geometry that reveal the constraints imposed by physical laws.



(Courtesy of DARC, f2f studio)

But what about the UI specifically? Well, the inspiration came from different sources, most of which were taken from control rooms built around the world, twisting the classic optimism with a more dark-esque steampunk taste.

[h2]The Kelenföld Power Plant[/h2]
You can’t say you’ve been in Budapest, Hungary, unless you saw this beauty with your own eyes. The Kelenföld PP is a stunning example of industrial Art Deco and early Modernist architecture. Built in 1914 and expanded in the 1920s and 1930s, it became one of the most advanced power stations in Europe at the time. Its Art Deco control room, designed in 1927, is particularly famous for its unique aesthetic and historical significance. It has also been the first and foremost inspiration for the visual style of our UI.

(Courtesy of Jennifer Walker)

[h2]The Battersea Power Station[/h2]
This is one of London's most iconic industrial landmarks. Built between 1929 and 1955, it is a masterpiece of Art Deco and industrial architecture, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, the same architect behind Britain’s famous red telephone boxes. One of the most stunning parts of Battersea Power Station is Control Room A, a beautifully preserved Art Deco masterpiece, which features illuminated gauges and dials which contribute in creating a futuristic yet elegant aesthetic.

(Courtesy of James Parsons)

[h2]The Blue Power Plant[/h2]
Officially known as the Cockerill-Sambre Power Plant, was an integral part of the extensive Cockerill-Sambre steelworks in Charleroi, Belgium. Established in the early 20th century, this facility was designed to supply electricity to the adjacent steel production units. The control room of the Blue Power Plant in Belgium was a stunning relic of mid-century industrial design, blending Art Deco and Brutalist elements with a highly functional layout. It was one of the most visually striking parts of the power plant, drawing attention from urban explorers and photographers before the site's unfortunate demolition.

(Courtesy of Darbians Photography)

Take everything you saw, mix it into a blender, and here’s what you get:



What’s your opinion on this type of architecture and design? Let us know in the comments!

Until next time,
Amintiri