A New Beginning

These few months have been the longest without an update since Shadows 2 came out on Itch a couple of years ago. There is a good reason for it, and the project is not dead.

There has been a recurring theme in user feedback which can't be resolved, and it is a core issue with the game itself. Game mechanics are currently split into two connected systems: the politics and the agents. The agents are by far the more popular of the two, and many users have expressed confusion and frustration with the political half of the game. The political mechanics require a lot of streamlining to allow the agent-based gameplay to flourish and develop. Because the politics was developed first, it is the foundation of all NPC decision-making. To improve the game, we have to make the hard decision to completely rebuild the core mechanics. That will allow us to keep what works, but continue development with a new foundation which will give us the opportunity to deliver on the gameplay elements the community enjoys. Our goal is to keep enough politics to remain interesting without  undermining the agent gameplay. The things we've learned developing Shadows 2 have equipped us to deliver a more satisfying game.

A second benefit of starting a new project is resolving legal issues that impact development. Shadows 2 is open-source, and that prevents us from using 3rd party assets under most licenses. By restarting the project under a closed-source framework we gain the ability to use 3rd party UI graphics and art to deliver a far more polished product. That, and a greater use of classic public domain art, will give the game a renaissance feel, making the screens more appealing visually (with less bright yellow text, far more pictures of 17th century Prague).

I've been approached by actual professionals in the game development and marketing fields who have been giving me advice regarding the project going forward, and to them I am eternally grateful. While it's unfortunate to lose some of the progress made on Shadows 2 by starting new development, much of the code and engineering can be recycled. I believe that the improvements in Shadows of Forbidden Gods (Shadows 3) will demonstrate that this unexpected sequel is our strongest option to create the best possible intrigue-based apocalypse simulator.

A playable demo (of the first 200 turns only) is available for download on Itch already, so you can try it out yourselves to see how the new sequel both looks and plays. URL here: https://bobbytwohands.itch.io/shadows-of-forbidden-gods-demo

I'll be posting more information, and am planning to get a first Early-Access release by end of 2021. After that, a long and promising roadmap points towards a bright (or should it be dark?) future for the Shadows series! I will miss working on Shadows 2, it was a great experience and I enjoyed it greatly. That experience has taught me much of what I'll need to make Shadows of Forbidden Gods an exceptional sequel.

======Major changes=======

-Agents are the core focus of this new game.

    You cannot directly play as a political noble, providing a far greater degree of freedom when influencing their AI. You can change the nobles' preferences using your agents, allowing you to make a ruler warlike, cowardly, cruel, or ambitious. How you influence characters will determine how politics develop as a result (assuming you wish to deal in the messy world of human affairs).

-Visible AI reasoning.

    The game is now designed to try to create a clearer picture of WHY an agent/NPC is acting the way they are. Many players disliked when they didn't know when or why a society or an investigator would act the way they did. Now all ruler and hero decisions are given visible indicators of their motivations, including the actions they may take in the future, showing you why an NPC is doing what they are in full. This should allow better planning and more player agency when manipulating the AI.

-RPG-like agents.

    Agents and heroes now have XP and level up, gaining traits as they do. Agent vs Hero battles are more developed, and will be fleshed out further with minions to recruit and outcomes to choose from after victory (or defeat). Are you mercilessly brutal, or magnanamous and cunning?

-Inspiration from other games.

    Shadows of Forbidden Gods draws inspiration from the approach to AI politics in games like Civilization 4, especially how information is displayed and how NPC rulers make decisions regarding the player. We intend to capture how enjoyable AI diplomacy was in that game compared to other approaches.

-Unique Gods.

    The player will not be limited to two abstract 'names' for the darkness, you now take on the role of a singular dark being. The demo shows one of the first to be introduced, "She Who Will Feast", a serpent which grows to devour the world. Each Elder God has a very unique playstyle, with strengths and weaknesses that add interesting flavor to each playthrough.

-Unique agents.

    As development continues we will add a number of unique agents with their own unlock requirements and abilities. Your forces are not just disposable pawns on a board, each has a unique role in your strategy. You will need to avoid losing assets which cannot be replaced.