The First World War: Progress Report #5

October 27, 2019

Production Update

The new game Making History: The First World War is unfortunately taking longer than expected to complete. And though the first two scenarios are mostly finished, there is still a lot we want to add before the release. This MH game will feature the largest amount of AI scripting aimed at creating gameplay along the non-historical paths that all players inevitably take. The scripts work in conjunction with the base AI that is designed to be more generic in behavior. While these tools give us significant control over most aspects of the game, we are careful not to force the progress to remain tied to any historical path.

In the 1914 scenario that begins in the weeks before the historical start of WWI, it’s still possible to lead Austria Hungary, Germany or Russia away from the big clash of Great Powers. However, navigating through the July Crisis will be more difficult than in previous Making History games. The AI is crafted to play the mobilization gamesmanship that historically pulled each of these nations into a disastrous global conflict. As Russia, you may choose to skip mobilizing your forces rather than respond in kind to an Austrian mobilization. But failure to do so can give your enemies an early, unrecoverable advantage. In other words, just like in August 1914, the Great Powers are trigger happy and do not want to be left unprepared.

Each nation will also be face unique challenges due to geography and the historical conditions present at the time. Many of the secret treaties that created obligations and divided the world amongst the signers have been included. These treaties will present opportunities to shift allegiances and veer the course of the game away from the historical timeline.

One of the more entertaining aspects of a Making History game is witnessing nations that disappeared from history like Austria-Hungary survive and prosper. Or witness countless others that failed to meet their nationalistic ambitions like Greater Armenia or Kurdistan, emerge and become lasting independent states. This level of nuance takes time. Of course most players will never found a Celtic republic or lead a Coptic rebellion in Egypt, but it can be accomplished under the right circumstances along with many more.

Over the next few weeks we will continue adding events and other scenario content. We’ve still not scripted the Asian theater or the Russian Revolution and those are both large tasks. Some game engine upgrades is also underway to improve performance and reduce the game crashes that some PC configurations experienced. We hope to give more details on this work in the near future once the results are tested and confirmed.

And though we’re still not ready to set a release date, Factus Games is 100% focused on getting Making History: The First World War done as soon as we can.

---

Also in News