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Digital Gaming => Computer Gaming => Topic started by: al_infierno on May 04, 2022, 02:11:28 PM

Title: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 04, 2022, 02:11:28 PM
(https://partner.steamgames.com/gfxproxy/gfx/apps/1985710/capsule_616x353.jpg)

This is A War of a Madman's Making (AWOAMM): A combination of Visual Novel and text-based RPG centered around war planning and political survival, inspired by games like Suzerain and Decisive Campaigns: Barbarossa.

AWOAMM is set in a fictional world where nuclear escalation has blackened the skies. You are a citizen who has been mysteriously called up to serve as Field Marshal of the Great Leader's army. Through a combination of resource management, political maneuvering, and strategic military planning, you must survive the impending war - and the purges and assassinations that will come along with it.

You have the freedom to be ruthless in your methods, but doing so too freely could have consequences - particularly if you face a tribunal for crimes against humanity. However, mismanage your resources pursuing nobler causes, and you'll find a similar fate at the hands of your beloved Great Leader.

Do your best to reign in the disaster, protect your family, and survive!

Features:

Steam store page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1985710/A_War_of_a_Madmans_Making/

Itch.io page: https://witching-metal.itch.io/a-war-of-a-madmans-making

Twitter updates: https://twitter.com/AWOAMM


(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fg2JpdxVIAAf975?format=png&name=small)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Gusington on May 04, 2022, 02:28:11 PM
Mazel tov! Looks good  <:-)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 04, 2022, 02:33:07 PM
Thank you!!   :notworthy:
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: SirAndrewD on May 04, 2022, 02:56:27 PM
Putin simulator.   ;)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 04, 2022, 02:57:31 PM
 :2funny:   ;)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 07, 2022, 02:40:45 PM
Steam store page is online!   <:-)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1985710/A_War_of_a_Madmans_Making/
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Gusington on May 07, 2022, 02:53:07 PM
Congrats, I wishlisted.
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 07, 2022, 02:56:01 PM
Quote from: Gusington on May 07, 2022, 02:53:07 PM
Congrats, I wishlisted.

Thanks bud!   :peace:
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Gusington on May 07, 2022, 05:24:24 PM
Certainly. How much more time in development you think? I just saw '2022'.
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 07, 2022, 07:19:57 PM
Good question and hard to answer, I feel like 6 months is a pretty reasonable estimate but you never know.  I'm a total programming noob so I'm pretty much stumbling and falling every step of the way  :uglystupid2:
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: MengJiao on May 07, 2022, 07:20:11 PM
Quote from: Gusington on May 07, 2022, 02:53:07 PM
Congrats, I wishlisted.

  Me too!
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 07, 2022, 07:22:08 PM
:notworthy:
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: GDS_Starfury on May 07, 2022, 07:29:01 PM
it needs a GusTeamSeal military option.
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Gusington on May 08, 2022, 01:15:07 PM
Doesn't everything?

Good luck Al, keep us all posted on progress!
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: steve58 on May 08, 2022, 02:33:04 PM
Dear Leader looks familiar.  Leonid Ilyich, is that you??  I must've missed the announcement that we have another Grog getting all creative and making a game.  If its giving Gus moist loins, it'll be a winner.  Good luck Al.

(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.itch.zone%2FaW1nLzg4MzI2NTguanBn%2Foriginal%2FPQPmTK.jpg&hash=565f46f19dbc6ac29a9a1d40b69b7403da69d2a2)(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fthumb%2F9%2F96%2FStaatshoofden%252C_portretten%252C_Bestanddeelnr_925-6564.jpg%2F800px-Staatshoofden%252C_portretten%252C_Bestanddeelnr_925-6564.jpg&hash=50db837246c1daeccd24545ca4813ab8eccea1e9)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: TheFjordFox on May 08, 2022, 04:53:18 PM
Looks pretty cool, definitely wanna give it a go when it's out!
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 08, 2022, 06:12:56 PM
@Steve - Good eye!  :)  That image you found was the exact reference I gave to the artists who made that portrait + the character sprite for the Great Leader.

@Fjord & Gus - Thank you!   :bd:  Will definitely post updates as development progresses.
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 09, 2022, 11:33:33 PM
https://witching-metal.itch.io/a-war-of-a-madmans-making/devlog/379322/deceiving-the-great-leader

The Great Leader has a reputation for shooting the messenger. This war is full of bad news, so how will you present it to him?

The following excerpt from the in-game Encyclopaedia explains the hidden Great Leader Deception system:

When you report to the Great Leader, you may be tempted to exaggerate or even lie to soften the blow of bad news and save your own life. He's known for shooting the messenger after all.

There's a hidden Great Leader Deception stat which tracks how often you manipulate the truth. If you lie or bend the truth too much, the Leader will catch on and arrest you. This Deception threshold might increase or decrease throughout the game.

(https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMTUxNDgwNS84ODg2MDAxLnBuZw==/original/TTyf8T.png)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 11, 2022, 08:42:20 PM
When the invasion seems like it's on the cusp of success, you'll be faced with hard choices. Will you accept a loss and decide how to report the bad news to the Leader? Or desperately reach for victory at a greater cost?

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FShWzd1UYAANMVl?format=jpg&name=large)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 21, 2022, 11:34:11 PM
A nice showoff of various character sprites, and also an important plot point at the Daughters' Ball: You have an opportunity to coach your family on how to act in the presence of the Great Leader, and also opportunities to scheme and subvert the Leader.

(https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/1985710/ss_aacb75af4676c754d610658d8a60e11d480c0bd3.1920x1080.jpg?t=1653116169)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 23, 2022, 02:05:48 AM
Free demo available now!  Play through the prologue, character creation, and the first phase of the war.  See the initial consequences of your plans and report to the Great Leader - but try and keep your neck in the meantime!

Follow the link here, scroll down, and click "Download Now":

https://witching-metal.itch.io/a-war-of-a-madmans-making/devlog/384174/free-demo-available-now

The demo is available for Mac and Windows.  If you run into any errors or crashes, please take a screenshot and drop a comment!

This is all still WIP so any feedback is much appreciated  ;)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: JasonPratt on May 23, 2022, 07:40:16 AM
So far so good! Wishlisted on Steam last week, just forgot to say so.  8)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 23, 2022, 08:04:44 AM
Quote from: JasonPratt on May 23, 2022, 07:40:16 AM
So far so good! Wishlisted on Steam last week, just forgot to say so.  8)

Thank you!  :notworthy:
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Gusington on May 23, 2022, 08:22:52 AM
Congrats on the demo - progress appears to be going well.
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 26, 2022, 03:16:11 AM
Demo is now on Steam for all the lazy bastages ;)

Experience the prologue and first 1/3 of the story.  Plan the war, begin your power games, and report to the Great Leader.  But watch what you say - he's known to shoot the messenger!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1985710/A_War_of_a_Madmans_Making/
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Jarhead0331 on May 26, 2022, 06:49:46 PM
Really exciting seeing this pop up on Steam! Good luck!
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on May 26, 2022, 07:08:12 PM
Thanks bruddah!   O0
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on June 01, 2022, 03:53:30 PM
Demo updated to version 0.1.2 - now with fancy features like a proper ending!  And the early custom GUI elements, including little icons for choosing your preferred alcohol  <:-)

https://witching-metal.itch.io/a-war-of-a-madmans-making/devlog/388102/update-012

(https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzkwODIzMDUucG5n/original/CN1H4s.png)

(https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzkwODIzMDQucG5n/original/AzCh28.png)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on June 25, 2022, 01:13:29 AM
I overcame the first major hurdle of game dev and actually got a small community of players interested in my game!   :bd:  I created a Discord for anyone to play the latest Alpha of the full game, plus a space for reporting bugs, sharing feedback, and so on.

Join the Discord here!  https://discord.gg/XxYtYqYVwx
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Gusington on June 25, 2022, 10:00:57 AM
Nice al!
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on July 14, 2022, 01:22:15 AM
Check out the first look at the brand new GUI!  Still some tweaks to be made with the text for readability before I release a build with this GU, but I'm looking forward to moving away from the default engine GUI.

Play the FREE 0.2.1.6 Alpha (roughly 90% of the game except the endings) HERE!  https://witching-metal.itch.io/a-war-of-a-madmans-making

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FXhX-0PUYAAlbhy?format=jpg&name=medium)

Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Gusington on July 14, 2022, 07:38:17 AM
You go on with your bad self, Al!
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on July 17, 2022, 08:47:10 PM
For you, it's a dire fight for your life.  But for General Madrisky - veteran of the Third Great War with years of tactical experience under his belt - it's just another day on the job.

Check out the Character Log for Madrisky here!  https://witching-metal.itch.io/a-war-of-a-madmans-making/devlog/386954/character-log-general-madrisky

Madrisky is a grizzled veteran who served as a Master Sergeant in the Third Great War, leading his squad to countless tactical and operational victories over the invaders from the western neighbors, Dengizich.

Today as Gutan prepares a war of vengeance against Dengizich, Madrisky is the most respected man in the Gutanic military. He commands authority like no other in the purge-reduced ranks of the Great Leader's army.

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FX6bhCrUEAIwHL-?format=jpg&name=large)


His wisdom and expertise will prove invaluable to the war effort, but depending on your actions he might not last through to the end.

When you meet with the Great Leader, you'll have the choice to throw Madrisky and his staff under the bus, blaming them for the failure of the Gutanic military to achieve a swift and overwhelming decisive victory.

You can get away with shifting a bit of blame onto Madrisky and his staff, but go too far and one day you'll arrive at work to find your competent subordinate replaced with a famous movie star.

(https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzkwOTAyOTcucG5n/original/M7hFE9.png)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on July 19, 2022, 01:13:42 AM
Alpha 0.2.1.7 released!  Unfortunately, the update with all the endings (0.2.2) is not quite finished.  The sweatshop workers responsible for the delay have been purged.

This update includes:

- Added Phase 3 content including:
    - Confrontation with Raverno.
    - Meeting with "the old comrade."
    - Second method for obtaining recording device.
    - Post-firefight content.
- Updated dialogue box, name box, and stat boxes for Budget, Popularity, and Favor.
- Updated sprites and added some extra expressions. More to come!

(https://i.imgur.com/Y8Bk9Tk.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/rhVZAu7.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/kM0JQ3Z.png)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on September 11, 2022, 12:00:27 PM
War of a Madman's Making has now officially hit BETA!  Play through all the endings, except the "True Ending" and the "Secret Ending" which are still lacking post-game content.  There's a few other holes to fill here and there, and lots of polish to be done, but otherwise the game is about 99% complete!

Scroll down to the bottom of the post and hit the Download Now button!

https://witching-metal.itch.io/a-war-of-a-madmans-making/devlog/426490/new-release-beta-022-roadmap-going-forward

Quote
Here's a semi-complete list of what the new update adds:

* All endings EXCEPT the post-game content for "True Ending" and for the "Secret Ending."
* Updated GUI, fonts, and colors.
* Added missing graphics (still some incomplete)
* New splash screen, theme, and logo for Witching Metal Prod
* Added sound effects and graphics.

There's still a lot of polishing to be done, but I'm happy where this has ended up thus far!

In addition, I wanted to share a basic roadmap for future updates:

1. Beta 0.2.2.x - Any forthcoming bug fixes, polishes, or additions resulting from feedback of Alpha 0.2.2
2. Beta 0.3 - Steam Early Access version including Achievement integration.
3. Release 1.0 - Full game release with all placeholders filled, all mechanics polished, and all typos tightened up.

The Great Leader looks forward to our progress as we labor away at his War of a Madman's Making!

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fa0iyQaVQAA86q6?format=jpg&name=large)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on September 12, 2022, 07:19:31 PM
I've released a few hotfixes for the Beta version, but the most important is 0.2.2.3 - it fixes a potentially game-breaking bug where you get erroneously sent to the Leader to explain your budget deficit, even if you do not have any debt.

If anyone downloaded the previous version and started a game, I would strongly recommend saving your game and continuing on the latest version:

https://witching-metal.itch.io/a-war-of-a-madmans-making/devlog/427304/important-bug-fix-for-war-of-a-madmans-making
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on September 18, 2022, 01:02:33 AM
And now, like clockwork, the peasants who provide labor for the Great Labor have completed every ending of the game!   <:-)

Can you survive the War of a Madman's Making with your ethics intact?  You can be ruthless if you want, but you better hope not to face a tribunal if you do.

Quote
Beta 0.2.3: All endings completed!

Greetings, commanders!

Tonight marks another great leap forward for my War of a Madman's Making!  I have added:


  • Post-game content for the tribunal + happy ending!

... and that's pretty much it.

Check out the DevLog for more info:
https://witching-metal.itch.io/a-war-of-a-madmans-making/devlog/428385/beta-023-all-endings-completed

(https://img.itch.zone/aW1hZ2UvMTUxNDgwNS85NDYxMjQxLnBuZw==/original/JTj9ZE.png)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on October 28, 2022, 11:44:47 PM
Everything is put together for Steam Early Access.... except a trailer.  It's surprisingly hard to come up with a trailer that's mostly based around text conversations, but I've got a good start.  I'm hoping by the end of the weekend to have dang trailer finished so I can get this thing into early access.   :knuppel2:

For those who don't mind downloading a .zip file from Itch, here you go:

https://witching-metal.itch.io/a-war-of-a-madmans-making/devlog/440946/beta-032-major-updates

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FgNdqmVVUAA0Hp9?format=jpg&name=large)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Jarhead0331 on October 29, 2022, 04:04:17 AM
I like Yora.
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Gusington on October 29, 2022, 03:52:12 PM
Good luck, Al.
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on October 29, 2022, 06:09:19 PM
Thanks!

And yeah, I asked the artist to base Yora on the propaganda poster Soviet Union wives from the '50s.  As you can see, she's got a really great set of patriotic beliefs.
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Gusington on October 29, 2022, 06:43:41 PM
HA  :D
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on November 04, 2022, 09:56:46 PM
There's been some major updates since my last post, including some major late game-breaking bugs.  Still not quite ready to publish to Steam mostly for lack of a damn trailer  :pullhair:

Anyway, once that trailer hurdle is passed, War of a Madman's Making will be on Steam!  In the meantime, you can either download the .zip and run it manually, or if you don't mind yet another game launcher on your computer, you can download the Itch.io launcher which will automatically keep the game up to date Steam-style!  O0

https://witching-metal.itch.io/a-war-of-a-madmans-making/devlog/447198/beta-0323-another-major-late-game-patch-spoilers

(https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzkzNzQ3MDkucG5n/original/jypzGp.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/h7ZXDkB.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/V4lkIdC.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/8alfLWD.png)

Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: JasonPratt on November 05, 2022, 12:40:42 PM
I'll be glad to wait for supporting the Steam launch!  O0
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on November 06, 2022, 12:07:52 AM
Quote from: JasonPratt on November 05, 2022, 12:40:42 PM
I'll be glad to wait for supporting the Steam launch!  O0

Much appreciated!  While the game is "complete" it's still full of bugs, so probably better luck for me that it's not generally available in Steam Early Access, for fear of negative review brigades  :knuppel2:
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on January 15, 2023, 02:47:07 AM
War of a Madman's Making is now AVAILABLE on Steam!  :twirl:

Play the entire game for FREE including:


https://store.steampowered.com/app/1985710/A_War_of_a_Madmans_Making/

(https://img.itch.zone/aW1nLzExMDM1MDkzLmdpZg==/original/XNZeD2.gif)
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Pete Dero on January 15, 2023, 04:43:58 AM
Quote from: al_infierno on January 15, 2023, 02:47:07 AMWar of a Madman's Making is now AVAILABLE on Steam!  :twirl:

:ThumbsUp:  :Applause:
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: JasonPratt on January 15, 2023, 10:38:41 AM
Promptly bought! -- er, added to my library and dl'd!
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: Gusington on January 15, 2023, 01:29:48 PM
 :Party:
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on January 15, 2023, 07:24:50 PM
And like clockwork, I found some pretty nasty bugs immediately after release.

Patch 0.4.1 fixes these bugs!

https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/1985710/view/6453128913910446478?l=english
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on January 19, 2023, 11:10:26 PM
Five days after Steam release, and we have 9 positive Steam reviews and only 1 Russian troll apologizing for USSR war crimes on my Discord!  :Party: (But that last part is a story for another day.)

Once we hit 10 positive reviews, the game will get a nice boost in Steam visibility! The Great Leader will be very pleased by this outcome  :stormtrooper2:
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: JasonPratt on January 21, 2023, 04:15:36 PM
Picking along at the game at a relaxed pace so far; left a humorous positive review!
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: SirAndrewD on January 21, 2023, 06:43:29 PM
I'll be leaving my first ever Steam review for it later. 

Fun so far!  Glory to the Great Leader!

 :soapbox:  :emporerslightning:
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on January 22, 2023, 11:05:46 PM
Thanks guys! The Great Leader appreciates your undying support 

:bow2:
Title: Re: A War of a Madman's Making - text-based war planning and political survival RPG
Post by: al_infierno on April 12, 2023, 11:49:20 PM
I made it. I'm finally there. I made a real game.

Someone left a negative Steam review on my game completely unrelated to the game itself!   :Party:

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fti9xhRaMAERq5o?format=png&name=small)

Someone needs to tell the CIA I'm still waiting on that blood money for writing a fictional VN, because I still haven't received any!