Warnament Dev Update #1: Maps and Ships

And some news about the multiplayer, as well!

Hey everyone! We're here with the first edition of Dev Updates for Warnament. In case you've missed our introduction last month: Warnament is a grand strategy game, made by a solo dev Denis Makhortov. It is as deep as classic games in the genre, but only takes minutes to get into action. You can play out historic scenarios or create your own: take control of a nation on a global map and take it to glory by taking over territories and achieving military, technical, cultural, or political advantage. It is a spiritual successor to Cold Path, another game with a similar philosophy.

Warnament is scheduled for release on PC, Mac, Linux, Android & iOS in 2023

Mapping Out the Maps

Written by: Denis Makhortov / Editor: Georgii Kurgan

The past couple of weeks were all about map design. As with Cold Path, maps in Warnament will be developed in a separate app, because the process is rather complicated - as opposed to creating custom scenarios, which is very simple and happens in-game.

The map app for Warnament is mostly ready and is being actively used by closed alpha players. But at the same time, the game development moves forward: quite recently, we've switched from displaying the map based on one giant picture to using meshes: thousands and thousands of triangles which, drawn together, shape the map.

Fortunately, this didn't render player-made maps obsolete, they can still be exported into the game. This is good because the players are creating spectacular, very well-designed maps:

Check out the current (WIP) in-game interface, too!

This is a screenshot from the in-game menu. Look how detailed the map of Europe is!

We've also added some visual effects, such as the shoreline and gradients for different from the central parts of countries to their borders. For comparison, check out how a map of Europe looks in the editor:

All that players need to do is divide a territory into provinces: visual effects are added automatically as the map is loaded into the game.

For the sake of comparison, check out Cold Path vs. Warnament:

Cold Path

Warnament

PVP Map with equal starting conditions in Cold Path…

…and in Warnament!

The Multiplayer: It's On!

We've written the basic server-side code and checked its main features, to create a steady basis for future full-scale multiplayer integration. The game is developed in a way so that single- and multiplayer modes would be supported simultaneously from very early on: because our community equally enjoys both of them. Here're some features that we're keeping in mind:

1. Custom scenario support

2. Custom maps support

3. Plugin support: for adding a custom greeting message or rating system

4. Mods support (TBA)

Oh Ship, the Fleet Is Here

Additionally, we've started drafting the fleet as a separate set of units. In Cold Path, everything that is not troops was present in form of a building, a resource, or a special ability. In Warnament, there will be player-controlled vessels, such as:

1. The cruiser (perfect for close-combat encounters)

2. Battleship (for hitting enemies from larger distances)

3. Aircraft carrier (for the really long-range attacks on your foes)

Dominating the seas is important, and Warnament is going to show, exactly how.

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And that's just the beginning! We'll keep you posted as the development of Warnament progresses forward. To keep in touch, Sign up to get a notification once the free demo is out. Or join us on Discord to participate in the development directly!

P.S. Don't forget to subscribe to get access to the PC version of Cold Path, which is due to be released soon!