Matrix Games

Hello Players,

you are now getting used to seeing one of the devs for Headquarters: World War II thanks to the dev logs - which, if you didn’t already see, you should click here and check them out. 

As you know, Headquarters: World War II is the upcoming turn-based strategy game that takes you back to the most significant conflict in history. The game promises to offer an unparalleled experience, allowing you to lead your army through crucial battles and create your own strategies to emerge victorious.

But no game development is possible without the hard work and passion of a dedicated team. So we sat down with the team to discuss which were the top 3 challenges from three different points of view: (1) programming, (2) graphics, (3) design.

Slitherine: Hello Ihor, thank you for joining us today. Can you tell us a bit about your role in the development of Headquarters World War II?

Ihor Tymoshenko: As a CEO I have to manage the development team as a whole, and as a Technical Director I have to plan and oversee the programming part of the game creation. 

Slitherine: Great. So, given your role, can you share with us what was the most important challenge you faced during the game development process from a programming point of view?

Ihor Tymoshenko: Sure. I must say that as in any project, there are lots of challenges big and small that the dev team has to solve daily. Though, the biggest challenge from a technical point of view had been making 4-player multiplayer support with different team setups possible, flexible multiplayer game settings, and two game modes - Play-by-Email and Live - that are also integrated with the Slitherine system. There were some unpredictable problems that we had to address while playtesting and polishing the multiplayer component of the game, which we have dealt with successfully. We continue to playtest and fix bugs in multiplayer, but I am happy that all key multiplayer components work well at this stage.

Slitherine: Thank you, Ihor. We are now with Oleksandr Tuzinskiy. So, Oleksandr, what about from a graphic point of view? What was the most challenging issue you had to face?

Oleksandr Tuzinskiy: After we have set up the overall artistic style of the game, which is very realistic and detailed, the key issue that we had to work around was that the game is tile-based, so it could look very “rectangular” so to say. On the other hand, if we blur the edges of the different tile types, it could be unclear for the player what terrain is in any given tile and so on. So, we had a very tricky task - first make sure that the player can see all gameplay parts of the game (tiles, buildings, walls, etc.) crystal clear, then make it also look good and natural. In nature, you will rarely see so many rectangular patterns and sharp transitions from one terrain to another. We did what we could to preserve clarity while also minimizing the negative impact of the “tile effect” on the overall visuals of the game. Of course, no one is perfect, but overall I am quite happy with what we have gotten in the end. 

Slitherine: Thank you, Oleksandr. Finally, we would like to present to you Oleksandr Sienin. Thanks, Oleksandr, for joining us today. From your perspective of a designer, what was the most important challenge for you whilst developing Headquarters: World War II?

Oleksandr Sienin: I would say that the biggest challenge was finding the right balance between making units as historically accurate as possible, while also keeping the overall game design balanced. I mean who would like to play a game as a US, if one overpowered Tiger tank would come his way and destroy all of his units? At the same time, who would like to play a game where Tiger II and M4A1 Sherman tanks are of equal strength? Both situations are absurd. So, we had to look for ways to preserve the reflection of historically accurate parameters, while also trying to make the game if not equal then at least close when playing as different nations. We followed one simple rule at all times, “if A is better than B in real life, then A is better than B in the game”. Right now, different nations have different strengths and weaknesses, so some unit types are better depending on the country you play, but we try to make sure you have various ways to counter the enemy units, even if some of them are a bit stronger than similar unit types under your command.

These are just a few of the talented individuals who are working hard to bring the game to life. The team is constantly updating the game's development progress. They are a group of passionate individuals who are committed to creating an exceptional gaming experience. They bring their unique skills and expertise to the table, making the game a true masterpiece. We can't wait to see the final product and play it ourselves, but in the meantime here is the Starni team!