Rogue State - NOW ON STEAM!

[KodiakBehr]

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http://www.littlereddoggames.com/

You led the revolution that freed the People's Republic of Basenji from the shackles of the imperialists.  Now, decades later, your regime faces its most difficult crisis -- your own brother.

In Rogue State, you are the Glorious Leader who must hold onto power by maintaining the delicate balance between the interests of fundamentalists, capitalists, patriots and liberals while your brother, Farouk, consolidates power and influence with intentions to overthrow you.  How will you manage affairs with your neighbouring countries while ensuring you don't attract too much negative attention from the Americans? Will you be a generous donor to the United Nations or an international pariah building nuclear weapons in secret?  The choice will be yours in this new game from Little Red Dog Games, arriving in 2015.

Rogue State is an economy-management strategy game made using Adventure Game Studio, beautifully rendered in stunning 1280x800p.  It features backgrounds that were drawn by the incredibly talented UnLady and polished by Derek Restivo.

FEATURES

• A world of possibilities!  Over thirty possible state purchases, six clandestine projects, eight potential neighbours and hundreds of randomly generated events.  No two games will ever be the same, and the approaches you take in one game may not neccessarily be successful in another.
• Manage complex relationships that are more nuanced than war and peace.  Forging unlikely alliances may just keep Basenji from the kinds of wars your leadership can't survive.  Other leaders have distinct personalities that may inform your tactics.
• Choose cabinet leaders to help manage your country.  Maintain their favour by accomplishing relevant objectives.
• Be the dictator you need to be.  Tackle problems with the level of freedom or oppression you desire.
• Lots of persistent unlockables, achievements, high scores and secrets.

The Team:

KodiakBehr, Problem, UnLady, Derek Restivo

Development Progress:

Story: 100%
Scripting: 100%
Graphics: 100%
Sound/Music: 100%
Beta Testing: 75%

Expected completion date:

Q4 2015

[cacaro]

Wow, this looks fantastic. It reminds me of Republic: The Revolution, which I liked a lot in spite of its many flaws.

[NickyNyce]

Oh man, I can't wait to push that big red button. Very interesting idea, and the style is beautiful and unique.

Best of luck to you and the team.

[Adeel]

Looking at the artwork: my first thoughts were that, perhaps, Problem is doing artwork for this game (along with doing music, of course). I can't tell you how glad I was to see that UnLady is doing artwork for you. IIRC, she's working on her first game, isn't she? It was also nice to see Problem as part of your team too.

Impressive artwork, fascinating concept and beautiful website. Keep it up!

[Lasca]

This is THE game of 2015 I'm looking most forward to. It will most certainly be GREAT! Also looks beautiful.

[Problem]

Thanks for your positive comments!

Looking at the artwork: my first thoughts were that, perhaps, Problem is doing artwork for this game

Is it that obvious?

In fact everyone in our team is involved with the artwork. KodiakBehr is responsible for pixel art (the GUIs are all his work), I do 3D characters and animations, and Unlady draws those beautiful background graphics. Another great artist is about to join our team to create comic art for cutscenes etc.
However, it started as a two man project, so the game design and code is all done by KodiakBehr and myself.

[KodiakBehr]

Every week, we're going to show off one of the four factions of Rogue State, and talk a little about what they are going to expect from you, as Glorious Leader of the People's Republic of Basenji.

This week, we'd like you to meet the Capitalists.



Basenji's capitalists seek prosperity and support measures that promote international trade, business development and reduced tariffs.  They highly encourage foreigners to visit the country, and are singularly responsible for its burgeoning tourism sector.  All this being said, they are interested in keeping as much money as possible to themselves, and will take a strong stand against any new taxes or regulations.  They're going to respond favourably to visa waivers, American corporations, airports, seaports, sweatshops, stadiums and shipping companies.  Keeping them happy will be essential if you want to ensure that their deep pockets don't find their way into your rival's hands.

[kconan]

Wow looks and sounds awesome...I'm eagerly awaiting this one!

[Mandle]

This game looks amazingly, intelligently well-made....In fact it looks better than most titles brought out by the major games companies. Which makes me ask: Will it be a commercial or free game? Sorry if I missed this in the post but I did look twice. If commercial then what price range are you looking at?

[KodiakBehr]

It will be commercial, but affordable.  We're storytellers on a tiny budget, so we're looking to make this game as accessible as possible, aiming for a $10 USD price-point.

The feedback we've received so far has been really wonderful.  Right now our biggest challenge is just getting the word out!

[Adeel]

That's quite a nice representation of current world's capitalist folks! Keep it up, KodiakBehr and co. I love the way it has shaped so far.

[Ibispi]

Very nice looking game - that background which was in Critic's Longue, looks a lot better now(though it was nice in pixel art as well)!

It reminds me a lot of the Democracy games (with Democracy 3 being the latest). Were you inspired by it? Or, if not you should check it out, since you might find some useful or interesting ideas, since it is also a game about being a politician.

[KodiakBehr]

Thanks!  It's amazing what can be accomplished with a higher game resolution and talented partners.  We're in the middle of our first graphical update presently, giving more depth to the characters and value to the backgrounds.

Rogue State shares a lot of genetic material with Democracy (a simulation I'm quite fond of).  Both games require you to set policies that pander to the various factions of your population.  Rogue State has a more playful tone, occasionally allowing the player to...for example...negotiate trade with a despotic rooster, or build a time-machine to go back and talk yourself out of a regrettable early-game decision.  But in some respects, it also gets a bit darker, allowing the player to brainwash assassins or support foreign insurgents.

[AnasAbdin]

I'm trying to find words to describe how awesome this is but I can't! You guys are doing a great job and your games are a very important branch of point and click games that have stats and numbers

[Ibispi]

...a bit darker, allowing the player to brainwash assassins or support foreign insurgents.

 

[Adeel]

...a bit darker, allowing the player to brainwash assassins or support foreign insurgents.

That's a great implementation. Quite realistic, I must say. It's happening all around us. Proxy wars, urgh...

[Lasca]

The portraits looks great. Who does them?

[KodiakBehr]

We've been working closely with a local artist named Derek Restivo.  (http://derekrestivo.com/)

[Mandle]

It will be commercial, but affordable.  We're storytellers on a tiny budget, so we're looking to make this game as accessible as possible, aiming for a $10 USD price-point.

The feedback we've received so far has been really wonderful.  Right now our biggest challenge is just getting the word out!

Well, so far it looks well worth $10! I think you will find a good customer base at that price, just don't get hacked by North Korea or anything...

[CrashPL]

Great! I love seeing games, other than standard adventure ones, done using AGS. Looking extra promising, great value for money as well (30 PLN for such an interesting concept? Count me in!).

[KodiakBehr]

This week, we're showing off a new faction: the Patriots.

Basenji's patriots believe strongly in keeping Basenji for its people. They are supportive of protecting the national identity, the environment, taking a strong stand against any form of international pressure, and on having a robust military to defend against threats against Basenji's sovereignty.

Patriots will be opposed to globalization and absolutely no patience for civil unrest.

They're going to respond favourably to visitor screening, wildlife preserves, supporting athletes, relaxed gun control, military technology research, strong leadership, festivals, parades and displays of national pride. Keeping them happy will be necessary or you may find yourself branded a puppet of the West.

[CaptainD]

You know what I love most about this game?  You've shown us 6 characters in the game, half of them female, and the female characters are not even remotely sexually objectified, they're simply there as important characters in the game.  That is so refreshing!

[Lasca]

You know what I love most about this game?  You've shown us 6 characters in the game, half of them female, and the female characters are not even remotely sexually objectified, they're simply there as important characters in the game.  That is so refreshing!

Yes! I've thought the same thing. Let's make 2015 the year when we break apart all destructive game stereotypes!

[CaptainD]

Yes! I've thought the same thing. Let's make 2015 the year when we break apart all destructive game stereotypes!

Including portraying all adventure game characters as raging kleptomaniacs!   Well... maybe not that one.

[KodiakBehr]

Another week, another new faction!

The Old Ways are the official state religion of the People's Republic of Basenji.  Eighty-five percent of your citizens follow the tenements of the Old Ways to some degree, but your Fundamentalists take the most rigid and literal interpretations of their revered religious texts.  As the world changes around them, they trust that you will continue to incorporate faith into your decisions and do your best to limit the corruption of our values through vice and consumption.  Some fundamentalist practices have raised concerns with the international community, drawing unwelcome attention to Basenji, but fundamentalists are a sizable enough portion of your population that you must balance their interests carefully.

Basenji's fundamentalists are difficult to please.  They will approve of measures that promote agriculture, religious education, faith councils, prohibition, and isolationism.  They will bristle at any attempts to distance yourself from the Old Ways, and actions that promote urbanization or permit foreign proselytizing will drive their support towards your rivals.

[Adeel]

Why do I get the feeling that this game is quite influenced from Muslim countries, especially Pakistan?

[selmiak]

because terrorists like you are the target audience for this game adeel

The game and info is looking very interesting btw!

[KodiakBehr]

Why do I get the feeling that this game is quite influenced from Muslim countries, especially Pakistan?

Well, Basenji is a fictional Gulf State, and therefore borrows aesthetic and political facets from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.  The regional pressures and current events allude to something more like Pakistan or Iran.  Note that while Basenji is a dictatorship, it may not necessarily be a malevolent one.  That's really up to you!

We felt that ignoring the role of religion in statecraft, particularly in the Middle East, would do a disservice to the region.  That being said, we did not want this game to devolve into a criticism of any given faith, so we decided to invent a religion that felt ambiguous but familiar.  It's important to your people and it tells people how to live their lives, so it cannot be ignored...and sometimes it is a source of good, while other times it is manipulated for evil.

[KodiakBehr]

And now the last of the four factions of Basenji -- the Liberals.

Liberals believe that Basenji should strive towards equality and tolerance for all.  They support actions which alleviate social ills, protect civil liberties and promote both individual and human rights.  Keeping them happy will not be cheap.  They desire improvements to health and education, and government regulation in the marketplace in order to keep private interests from exploiting this country.  They will be supportive of a high minimum wage, maternity leave and social security.  They will oppose the use of the military to accomplish your foreign policy objectives.



Thank you all who have been following these reveals.  We're really proud of what we've been working on here, and the positive feedback has been terrific motivation. 

[Gurok]

"They will be supportive of measures that limit the government's ability to control the people"
and yet
"They desire ... government regulation"

What kind of liberals are these?

[KodiakBehr]

You're right, that was poorly written.  Made a quick edit!

[Gurok]

Ah yes, it's now pretty clear what kind of liberals they are (wet). I've loved all of your updates about the game so far, by the way. Keep them coming!

[KodiakBehr]

GRAPHICAL UPDATE!

It's been five months, but we've gone from this...



to this...

[ThreeOhFour]

This is looking very interesting, I like a lot of the ideas here, and the artworks is phenomenal. Good work!

[AnasAbdin]

Both screenshots are beautiful with their own style. I really love the different designs on the floor in the seconds one. The second one needs a little work on the edges of objects and constructions, also the photo hanged on the left wall needs a little polishing IMO but everything else is amazing. Great work guys

I liked the improvements, I know it's not only limited to the graphics. I can FEEL the improvements in other aspects of this game. I know it's hard to express them to us but I'm sure you guys are doing a great job and I can't wait to see this game in action and please with speech!

[Problem]

Yes, some of the objects (painting, vase etc.) have not been updated yet. But the background + 3D characters are more or less the final, so this is what the game will look like.

[shaun9991]

Wow, this is shaping up really nice. The new background is slick! Reminds me of Broken Sword

[CaptainD]

The new screenshot is fantastic!

[selmiak]

Now this looks pretty pretty.
The characters look a bit stiff though, as if they were 3dmodelled characters in a computergame

[CaptainD]

The characters look a bit stiff though, as if they were 3dmodelled characters in a computergame

Don't be daft, they're just standing to attention.

[Problem]

Don't be daft, they're just standing to attention.

This is actually true for the character on the right.
Maybe I'll upload a short video soon, so you can see how the characters look animated.

[Problem]

...and here it is: a short video with character animations!

[embed=640,400]http://youtu.be/6M0eiEVuNhE[/embed]

(If possible, watch in HD)

[AnasAbdin]

Nice video felt as if I'm playing.

[Haggis]

Looks fantastic, all that hard work is really paying off! The animation work is particularly outstanding!

[Cassiebsg]

Really lovely stuff there!
Love it how you get the "portraits" speaking, it's something I fell that is missing in a lot of games that use portraits.

Here's a few thoughts I had while watching the video:

Spoiler

I miss some kind of frame around the portrait, or a "fade" in the edges of it... don't know exactly what and how, just feel that there's some kind of finish missing in there.

I missed the "hand gesture" inviting to sit on the sofa. But not sure if it's possible when the portrait and text is running. Just felt natural to me to have the character do the gesture. I know I did it in my mind.

The Ambassador seems quite unease seating like that... Maybe he's not planning to stay very long and therefor isn't relaxing on the sofa?

And now that I looked a second time at the video, I feel the arms/hands to be a bit stiff in their swing. Remember that when we walk, there are 3 major joints that are moving, and sometimes even the fingers swing a bit. But that might be going a bit too far for this. It's not a big deal, I didn't even noticed it the first time I watched it. But if you have the time, you might wish to adjust it slightly.

Hope I'm not abusing... if so just send me to go find "a corner in a barrel"...
[/quote]

[close]

[Problem]

Thanks for the nice comments, guys!

@Cassiebsg: No, you're not abusing! This is the kind of feedback we need.

[AprilSkies]

I A M S P E E C H L E S S
Great job guys! it gets better every time I see this thread

[CaptainD]

Looks pretty awesome guys!

[KodiakBehr]

*Psst.  If anyone is up for helping us out with some much-needed voice-work, check out our post in the recruitment section.*

Meanwhile, to thank you for your attention, here are some pretty WIP pictures for the game.  Derek is going for a Moebius-esque art style.

[straydogstrut]

Wow, this is looking fantastic! The backgrounds are gorgeous and the animation is very smooth. I can see this being a real pleasure just to move around in. Keep up the great work

[KodiakBehr]

Rogue State is nearing completion but needs some help filling some of our roles.  Middle Eastern accents would have been nice, but we'd much rather this game gets fully casted.  See our thread in the Recruitment section and drop us a line if you're interested.

[KodiakBehr]

Hi everyone.

For those who are interested in Rogue State and how things are progressing -- things are moving along well, we have a large chunk of the voice acting complete and will be going into full beta hopefully by the end of the month.  We're hoping to be on Steam Greenlight by the late-summer or early-fall.

We've got a wild idea for the introductory credits, but we need help from the AGS community.

[MufasaRKG]

The artwork for the game is amazing. Just played that video clip animation play of the game and looks really smooth as well.

-m

[Problem]

Here's a new screenshot:



The game is progressing well! we're currently improving the visuals and implementing sound, music and speech. The game should be ready for a beta test soon.

Oh, and we could still use a couple of voices for our great choir: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=51869.0

[CaptainD]

This just looks better and better every time you post something!!

[Problem]

Thank you!
We're working really hard to get this game ready for a beta test soon. We're also preparing a trailer.


And in case it wasn't clear that Rogue State is a strategy game...

[KodiakBehr]

We're officially on Steam Greenlight!!

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=489724149

Come check out our game, and let Steam know if you think it deserves to be on the shelves!

[AnasAbdin]

Come check out our game, and let Steam know if you think it deserves to be on the shelves!

If Rogue State doesn't deserve to be on the shelves then what does?

[kconan]

Come check out our game, and let Steam know if you think it deserves to be on the shelves!

This was once on the shelves: https://toilettycoon.files.wordpress.com/2013/08/toilet-tycoon-win8.jpg


Your game deserves to be on a shelf...A much, much higher (and prestigous) one than Toilet Tycoon.

[Problem]

And here it is, featuring the voices of many AGSers...

Ladies and Gentlemen, rise for our national anthem:

[embed=800,450]http://youtu.be/bXDUHXolrFs[/embed]

[AnasAbdin]

Super!!! I really love it
Man typing while standing in front of my PC is hard! I'll wait until it finishes.



Ok. One question though, how many rooms is Rogue State going to have? So far I only see a couple of rooms.

[Problem]

Rogue State is more strategy/simulation than adventure game, so there are not many "rooms". You have your office, the situation room, a couple of special screens and countless of GUIs that pop up when you click on the room objects.

[Cassiebsg]

Looks and sounds great!

Why do I keep listening to it well after the video has stopped? It's freaky! It's etched into my mind!

[shaun9991]

the steam trailer is great!! looking awesome i voted!

[KodiakBehr]

Hey AGS!

We've been Greenlit after only nine days.  Couldn't have done it without all of your support.

Thank you!

[AnasAbdin]

Woohoo! Congrats guys great to see more AGS games on steam!

[Mandle]

BASENJI...BASENJI...

YOU'RE OUR ONLY LOOOVE!!!

[KodiakBehr]

We've got space for some fake ads to randomly appear with the in-game newspaper.  I thought it'd be cool to toss in references to other indie games under development right now.

If you want your game in there, drop me a line.  Images need to be B&W, 347 x 145.

[SilverSpook]

Congratulations, and extremely awesome trailer!  I got distinct feelings of Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator, and Borat, especially with triumphalist choir singing the Basenji national anthem.  Like when Borat belts to a stadium full of drunk angry Texans expecting the Star Spangled Banner, "Kazakhstan is the greatest country in the world..."

Definitely going to have to check this out.

[Blondbraid]

I got distinct feelings of Sacha Baron Cohen's The Dictator, and Borat, especially with triumphalist choir singing the Basenji national anthem.

Gotta agree with SilverSpook on that point, I was also reminded of the Tropico games. And while I must admit that resource management games hardly is my cup
of tea the awesome trailer with the even more awesome song caught my enthusiasm right away. My only question is how the country came to be named after a
central African dog breed?

[Mandle]

I must admit that resource management games hardly is my cup
of tea

You'll be quite surprised I'd say...

I've been testing the game for some time now and, without any spoilers:

This is the first time I've ever cried while playing a simulation/management game.

[KodiakBehr]

My only question is how the country came to be named after a central African dog breed?

After the Americans annexed the region in 1966, they formed a new state and named it after the fictional homeland of Jeannie in the sorta-popular sitcom "I Dream of Jeannie", mostly because Americans love renaming places after wars that they're never going to visit again.

This is the first time I've ever cried while playing a simulation/management game.

This is the first time I've ever cried trying to make one.

[Mandle]

This is the first time I've ever cried while playing a simulation/management game.

This is the first time I've ever cried trying to make one.

HAHAHAHA!!!

[Problem]

Don't laugh, this is serious!
The game has been in Beta since June, and thanks to great feedback from our testers it has improved a lot since then. It feels like it's really coming together now, and we're very close to the finish line.

Meanwhile, here's another soundtrack preview:
http://www.problematic-music.com/download/NeverReallyOver.mp3

[Problem]

ICYMI...

Rogue State will be released on October 16th!

[AnasAbdin]

Congrats then RS and my brother will share the same birthday

[Blondbraid]

I just checked it out on steam, and everything I've seen of this game so far seems great!

[KodiakBehr]

No Dune Mice were hurt in the making of Rogue State.





Yet.

[KodiakBehr]

My friends, Rogue State has just been released on Steam.  We're selling for 25% off this week, so you can get a copy for less than $10 USD.  Thank you all for your support throughout this journey.

[Cassiebsg]

Basenji Basenji!
Good luck! (even though luck has nothing to do with this... )

[Darth Mandarb]

My friends, Rogue State has just been released on Steam.  We're selling for 25% off this week, so you can get a copy for less than $10 USD.  Thank you all for your support throughout this journey.

So the game is finished? Congrats!!

[Blondbraid]

Congratulations and good luck!

[Mandle]

YAAAAAAAAY!!! After playing Rogue State for around 100 hours total through many incarnations during testing I have to say that it is one of the best leadership simulation games I have ever experienced!

The interface is simple but the gameplay is deep and takes time to "master", even though mastering the game is hard to claim as each new round provides new challenges to overcome. The game also addresses many current world-issues ranging from terror-cells, refugee migrants, and gun control, to illegal poaching, blackmail diplomacy, and pandemics. As well as way too many more to mention...

Like I said before: It's also the only simulation game that ever made me cry...No spoilers though.

Best of luck on the release dudes! (And cheers for including that easter egg )

Now, everyone get going, buy the game, and:

BRING US THE KING...